Sunday, June 30, 2013

President Obama Discusses Africa, U.S. Relations Aboard Air Force One

Home???Politics???President Obama Discusses Africa, U.S. Relations Aboard Air?Force?One
ryan_obama_af1

Veteran journalist April Ryan interviews President Barack Obama aboard Air Force One enroute to South Africa.

On a flight to South Africa, President Barack Obama sat down with veteran journalist April Ryan to discuss the future of Africa ? on cultural, economic and healthcare fronts ? and the continent?s relationship with the United States.

During the brief interview, the POTUS touched on the legacy of ailing revolutionary hero Nelson Mandela, the potential of a cure for HIV/AIDS, and the competition between the U.S. and China for position on what he called the ?youngest? continent.

President Obama reiterated that African youth were poised to usher in an era of self-sustainability and prosperity for the continent, but that it is necessary to build an infrastructure around them to facilitate their success.

Hear the exclusive interview at AprilDRyan.com.

SEE ALSO:

Originally seen on http://newsone.com/

Tags: Africa ? April Ryan ? Barack Obama

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Source: http://wchbnewsdetroit.com/2786310/president-obama-discusses-africa-u-s-relations-aboard-air-force-one/

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New Report Available: Global Clean Energy Holdings, Inc. (GCEH) - Financial and Strategic SWOT Analysis Review

2013-06-29 15:03:30 - New Energy market report from GlobalData: "Global Clean Energy Holdings, Inc. (GCEH) - Financial and Strategic SWOT Analysis Review"

Global Clean Energy Holdings, Inc. (GCEH) - Financial and Strategic SWOT Analysis Review provides you an in-depth strategic SWOT analysis of the company's businesses and operations. The profile has been compiled by GlobalData to bring to you a clear and an unbiased view of the company's key strengths and weaknesses and the potential opportunities and threats. The profile helps you formulate strategies that augment your business by enabling you to understand your partners, customers and competitors better.

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Global Clean Energy Holdings, Inc. (GCEH) is a biofuel feedstock provider. The company focuses on commercialization of non-food based oilseed plants and biomass. The company offers farm products, including seeds, seedlings, and cuttings for Jatropha farm development. It has full service in-house development and operations capabilities which offer support to the company owned energy farms other Jatropha farm developers, including land acquisition, plant and soil sciences, land development, project scheduling, germplasm selection, process development, importation of seeds, delivery strategies and option analysis.

Global Clean Energy Holdings, Inc. Key Recent Developments

Nov 26, 2012: Global Clean Energy Receives RBS Certification In North America

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GlobalData is a leading provider of global business intelligence including market, competitor, product and customer information. It provides in-depth research, analysis, data and forecasts through a range of interactive online databases, reports and management briefings. GlobalData has a large team of experienced research and analysis, consulting, and marketing experts. It has a global presence, including key offices in the US, Europe and Asia. The group has over 50 years of experience of delivering market intelligence data and analysis and a highly experienced senior management team. View more research from GlobalData at www.fastmr.com/catalog/publishers.aspx?pubid=1015

About Fast Market Research

Fast Market Research is an online aggregator and distributor of market research and business information. We represent the world's top research publishers and analysts and provide quick and easy access to the best competitive intelligence available.

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Source: http://reports.pr-inside.com/new-report-available-global-clean-energy-r3717570.htm

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Nadia Cho: Being Queer Means...

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"Queer" is not a term that is universally recognized and understood in the common vernacular. So in honor of Pride this weekend, I attempted to present the many different sides of what being queer means. "Queer" can be used to describe someone's sexual orientation or stand as a political statement. Its definition has many dimensions, from gender identification to a resistance against structural rigidity to a strange sensation or state of being. "Queer" isn't a word that many people clearly understand when used to describe yourself. Allow me to elaborate what being queer personally means to me, as "queer" means different things to different people.

Being queer is first and foremost a state of mind. It is a worldview characterized by acceptance, through which one embraces and validates all the unique, unconventional ways that individuals express themselves, particularly with respect to gender and sexual orientation. It is about acknowledging the infinite number of complex, fluid identities that exist outside the few limited, dualistic categories considered legitimate by society. Being queer means believing that everyone has the right to be themselves and express themselves without being judged or hated because that doesn't fit in with what's normal. Being queer means challenging everything that's considered normal.

Being queer means ceasing to think in binaries like "male" or "female," "gay" or "straight," "monogamous" or "non-monogamous," because there are more than two sides to every person and every context. It means being aware of and OK with the fact that our own identities and sexualities are always in flux, never static. Being queer means recognizing that there are alternate gender identities, such as transgender or genderqueer or androgynous folks, and respecting that these identities are just as legitimate as those that are visible.

A queer worldview deconstructs and obliterates all established notions of gender. Gender is a set of socially constructed roles arbitrarily assigned to everyone based on physiological reproductive traits. Being queer means embracing supposedly "masculine" and "feminine" traits as simply universal human traits and ignoring the behavioral expectations that are socially imposed according to our non-consensually assigned gender. Genitals don't tell men that they can't wear dresses and women that they have to wait to be asked out; cultural norms dictate gendered behaviors. Being queer means doing away with gender altogether, because it restricts the ways people can freely and unlimitedly express themselves.

Being queer means being attracted to anyone, with no regard to a person's gender or sex. It could mean someone is attracted to more than one gender, or even two genders. Being queer means you like what you like and you accept that your desires are dynamic and you are open to change. Being queer means being sex-positive and recognizing that sex is good and everyone has the right to have as much or as little of it as suits them. It means thinking about sex in different ways other than the heterosexual, male-pleasure-oriented, meant-for-reproduction kind.

Being queer means constantly questioning what's considered "normal" and why that norm gets privileged over other ways of being. It means criticizing who sets these norms and recognizing the privilege that comes with being able to identify as "normal." Being queer means confronting all forms of oppression and bringing as many unheard, minority experiences and stories to light. Being queer means addressing and understanding the intersectionality between race, gender, sexuality and class and how it affects each person's experience and identity differently.

Being queer means searching for alternate ways of being and living. It means learning to appreciate and celebrate difference and striving for constructive, fair and happy ways to coexist with each other. Being queer means constantly looking for ways to be as inclusive as possible in order to create a world where everyone feels safe and accepted, in which there is true equality for every single person.

Being queer means embracing a free and open-ended identity by casting off all other identities that categorize us, and defining ourselves simply as human beings.

For a sassier, more explicit version, read this on nadiacho.com.

?

Follow Nadia Cho on Twitter: www.twitter.com/nadiiacho

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/nadia-cho/being-queer-means_b_3510828.html

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Saturday, June 29, 2013

40 ex-Anglo staff lose jobs in London and Belfast

40 ex-Anglo staff lose jobs in London and Belfast

Forty employees of the former Anglo Irish Bank, IBRC in special liquidation, have been made redundant at the bank?s London and Belfast offices.

In a statement issued yesterday, liquidators of the bank Kieran Wallace and Eamonn Richardson of KPMG said that they were using an insolvency provision to remove protection for the staff that would have seen them automatically transferred over to another company, Capita.

Capita is taking over the winding-down of the IBRC loan book that has been transferred to Nama.

The bank workers? union the IBOA said it was disappointed by the actions of the receivers.

BOA general secretary Larry Broderick said he was shocked that there was no commitment by Capita to take on the staff.

?While the decision to transfer the management of these assets to Capita is no real surprise under the circumstances, we are shocked and disappointed that no commitment has been made to implement legislation covering the rights of workers on the transfer of business,? he said.

Staff who have been made redundant will only receive statutory redundancy payments and are not guaranteed employment with Capita.

?It appears that, once the redundancies have taken place, Capita intends to hand-pick the staff they want to employ.

?The rest of the workers will be left to face compulsory redundancy on inferior terms than were previously agreed with the Republic?s Government as recently as 18 months ago,? said Mr Broderick.

In a statement, a spokesperson for Capita said it would make a number of positions available for employees.

?Capita Asset Services has not yet been in a position to commence engagement with the employees currently working on the Nama loan book within IBRC in London and Belfast.

?Nevertheless, we are committed to making available a significant number of permanent employment opportunities to the affected group.?

? Irish Examiner Ltd. All rights reserved

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/iebusiness/~3/2aWeE0DtvOQ/

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Witness: leaked cables contained classified info

FORT MEADE, Md. (AP) ? Army Pfc. Bradley Manning disclosed potentially damaging classified information in at least 117 of the more than 250,000 State Department cables he has acknowledged sending to WikiLeaks, according to evidence prosecutors presented at his court-martial Thursday.

The cables published on the website of the anti-secrecy organization in late 2010 contained protected information about foreign governments; foreign relations; U.S. military activities; scientific, technological or economic matters; and vulnerabilities in America's infrastructure, a State Department classification expert said.

Manning said in a courtroom statement in February that since the cables were labeled for wide distribution within the government, he believed that "the vast majority" of them were not classified, even though they were on a computer network reserved for classified material. He contends the cables revealed secret pacts and duplicity that, while possibly embarrassing, should be publicly exposed.

In written testimony read aloud by a prosecutor, classification expert Nicholas Murphy listed 96 cables that he said had been properly classified as "confidential" and 21 properly classified as "secret." His testimony revealed for the first time the specific cables that are the basis for a federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act charge that is among 21 counts the former intelligence analyst faces.

The globe-spanning reports include at least six sent from the U.S. embassy in Baghdad from 2006 to 2009. One from Jan. 5, 2007, reported that Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki "is increasingly willing to allow targeted military action against elements of Moqtada al-Sadr's Jaish al-Mahdi militia and other Sadr organizations."

A confidential Dec. 14, 2007, cable from the U.S. embassy in Moscow reported on a consensus among Russian political observers on "a need for the Kremlin to reform itself and reverse a pendulum that has swung too far in favor of state authority."

Prosecutors began presenting testimony about the cables Wednesday when a former State Department official testified on cross-examination that the agency's computer network would have anyone with Manning's top-secret security clearance unrestricted access to the cables. The government alleges he stole them.

Earlier Thursday, the military judge ruled that Manning's lawyers can offer evidence contradicting the government's assertion that he revealed classified information in a leaked battlefield video from Iraq.

The judge, Army Col. Denise Lind, took judicial notice of the document, a preliminary step toward admitting evidence.

The document is an assessment by a former U.S. Central Command official of video showing a 2007 U.S. helicopter attack in Baghdad that killed at least eight people, including a Reuters news photographer and his driver. His assessment was that the video should be unclassified.

That contradicted evidence offered by prosecutors. They have presented an assessment from a Pentagon official that the video revealed military tactics, techniques and procedures and should be classified.

Manning has acknowledged giving the video to WikiLeaks but denies that it revealed national defense information.

The most serious charge Manning faces is aiding the enemy, which carries a potential life sentence.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/witness-leaked-cables-contained-classified-021831180.html

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Vatican monsignor arrested in 20M euro plot

An undated photo of Monsignor Nunzio Scarano in Salerno, Italy. A Vatican official already under investigation in a purported money-laundering plot involving the Vatican bank was arrested Friday, June 28, 2013, in a separate operation: Prosecutors allege he tried to bring 20 million euros ($26 million) in cash into Italy from Switzerland aboard an Italian government plane, his lawyer said. Monsignor Nunzio Scarano, a recently suspended accountant in one of the Vatican's main financial departments, is accused of fraud, corruption and slander stemming from the plot, which never got off the ground, attorney Silverio Sica told The Associated Press. He said Scarano was a middleman in the operation: Friends had asked him to intervene with a broker, Giovanni Carenzio, to return 20 million euros they had given him to invest. Sica said Scarano persuaded Carenzio to return the money, and an Italian secret service agent, Giovanni Maria Zito, went to Switzerland to bring the cash back aboard an Italian government aircraft. Such a move would presumably prevent any reporting of the money coming into Italy. The operation failed because Carenzio reneged on the deal, Sica said. (AP Photo/Francesco Pecoraro)

An undated photo of Monsignor Nunzio Scarano in Salerno, Italy. A Vatican official already under investigation in a purported money-laundering plot involving the Vatican bank was arrested Friday, June 28, 2013, in a separate operation: Prosecutors allege he tried to bring 20 million euros ($26 million) in cash into Italy from Switzerland aboard an Italian government plane, his lawyer said. Monsignor Nunzio Scarano, a recently suspended accountant in one of the Vatican's main financial departments, is accused of fraud, corruption and slander stemming from the plot, which never got off the ground, attorney Silverio Sica told The Associated Press. He said Scarano was a middleman in the operation: Friends had asked him to intervene with a broker, Giovanni Carenzio, to return 20 million euros they had given him to invest. Sica said Scarano persuaded Carenzio to return the money, and an Italian secret service agent, Giovanni Maria Zito, went to Switzerland to bring the cash back aboard an Italian government aircraft. Such a move would presumably prevent any reporting of the money coming into Italy. The operation failed because Carenzio reneged on the deal, Sica said. (AP Photo/Francesco Pecoraro)

FILE - In this Monday, Feb. 7, 2011 file photo, a building, left, which hosts the Vatican bank, formerly known as the Institute for Religious Operas, IOR, inside the Vatican. A Vatican official has been arrested in a purported plot to bring 20 million euro into Italy from Switzerland aboard an Italian government plane. Silverio Sica, attorney for Monsignor Nunzio Scarano said his client is accused of fraud, corruption and other charges stemming from the plot, which never got off the ground. Sica told The Associated Press that Scarano was a middleman in the operation: Friends had asked Scarano to intervene with a broker, Giovanni Carenzio, to return 20 million euro they had given him to invest. Sica said Scarano persuaded Carenzio to return the money, and an Italian secret service agent, Mario Zito, went to Switzerland to bring it back aboard an Italian government aircraft. He said the plot failed because Carenzio reneged. Carenzio and Zito also were arrested. (AP Photo/Domenico Stinellis, File)

An undated photo of Monsignor Nunzio Scarano in Salerno, Italy. A Vatican official already under investigation in a purported money-laundering plot involving the Vatican bank was arrested Friday, June 28, 2013, in a separate operation: Prosecutors allege he tried to bring 20 million euros ($26 million) in cash into Italy from Switzerland aboard an Italian government plane, his lawyer said. Monsignor Nunzio Scarano, a recently suspended accountant in one of the Vatican's main financial departments, is accused of fraud, corruption and slander stemming from the plot, which never got off the ground, attorney Silverio Sica told The Associated Press. He said Scarano was a middleman in the operation: Friends had asked him to intervene with a broker, Giovanni Carenzio, to return 20 million euros they had given him to invest. Sica said Scarano persuaded Carenzio to return the money, and an Italian secret service agent, Giovanni Maria Zito, went to Switzerland to bring the cash back aboard an Italian government aircraft. Such a move would presumably prevent any reporting of the money coming into Italy. The operation failed because Carenzio reneged on the deal, Sica said. (AP Photo/Francesco Pecoraro)

A journalist, left, walks with his camera outside Rome's tribunal and prosecutor's office, Friday, June 28, 2013. A Vatican official already under investigation in a purported money-laundering plot involving the Vatican bank was arrested Friday in a separate operation: Prosecutors allege he tried to bring 20 million euros ($26 million) in cash into Italy from Switzerland aboard an Italian government plane, his lawyer said. Monsignor Nunzio Scarano, a recently suspended accountant in one of the Vatican's main financial departments, is accused of fraud, corruption and slander stemming from the plot, which never got off the ground, attorney Silverio Sica told The Associated Press. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

A man walks outside Rome's tribunal and prosecutor's office, Friday, June 28, 2013. A Vatican official already under investigation in a purported money-laundering plot involving the Vatican bank was arrested Friday in a separate operation: Prosecutors allege he tried to bring 20 million euros ($26 million) in cash into Italy from Switzerland aboard an Italian government plane, his lawyer said. Monsignor Nunzio Scarano, a recently suspended accountant in one of the Vatican's main financial departments, is accused of fraud, corruption and slander stemming from the plot, which never got off the ground, attorney Silverio Sica told The Associated Press. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

(AP) ? The plot involved an armed police escort, a wealthy shipping family and a plan to secretly transport $26 million (20 million euros) from a Swiss bank account into Italy aboard a private jet. At the heart of the story of greed: a silver-haired Vatican monsignor.

The latest corruption scandal to hit the Holy See unraveled in public on Friday as Monsignor Nunzio Scarano, a Vatican accountant, was arrested in the customs-dodging Swiss bank case. He is also under investigation in a separate case of alleged money-laundering involving his Vatican bank account.

The developments came two days after Pope Francis created a commission of inquiry into the Vatican bank to get to the bottom of the problems that have plagued it for decades and contributed to its reputation as an unregulated, offshore tax haven.

Francis has made it clear that he has no tolerance for corruption or for Vatican officials who use their jobs for personal ambition or gain. He has said he wants a "poor" church that ministers to those most in need. He has also noted, tongue in cheek, that "St. Peter didn't have a bank account."

With Francis' reform-minded hand now running the show, the Vatican said it was prepared to fully cooperate with Italian investigators, who described a remarkably detailed scheme allegedly spearheaded by Scarano to benefit some very wealthy friends. Prosecutor Nello Rossi identified them as the d'Amicos, one of Italy's most important shipping families from Scarano's hometown of Salerno in southern Italy.

Rossi declined to say if any of the d'Amicos were under investigation, but said developments were expected in the coming days.

Three people were arrested on Friday: Scarano, a onetime banker who was recently suspended from his job in the Vatican's main finance office, Italian financier Giovanni Carenzio and Giovanni Zito, who until recently was a member of the Italian military police's agency for security and information.

According to wiretapped conversations, the three allegedly plotted to smuggle in some 20 million euros in cash that Carenzio held in a Swiss bank account without declaring it to authorities at the airport.

Scarano's lawyer described him as something of a middleman: The 20 million euros belonged to the d'Amicos, who had given the money to Carenzio to invest but wanted it back. Scarano was tasked with persuading Carenzio to hand it over.

Rossi said the d'Amico money was presumably being held in Switzerland to avoid paying Italian taxes. An email seeking comment from the family's Rome-based company, the d'Amico Societa di Navigazione SpA, wasn't immediately returned.

According to prosecutors, Zito, the Carabinieri agent, called in sick to his job one day in July 2012, rented a private plane and flew with Carenzio to Locarno, Switzerland, to pick up the money. The plan was for Carenzio to withdraw the cash from his bank account and hand it over to Zito to bring back to Italy. The arrangements were so detailed there was even to be an armed police escort waiting at the airport to bring the money to Scarano's home in Rome, Rossi said.

"This operation was meticulously planned in all its details," the prosecutor said, noting that Zito was chosen to be the mule because his high-ranking position in the Italian police agency would have enabled him to pass through the airport customs area without being stopped.

The money could have been transported relatively easily because euros are issued in high denominations. If the cash had been withdrawn in the largest denomination ? 500 euro notes ? it would have weighed 97 pounds (44 kilos) and fit into a suitcase.

But at a certain point in Locarno, the deal fell through. Carenzio, who had been increasingly balking at handing the money over, made excuses that the Swiss bank couldn't come up with the money, Rossi said.

He declined to identify the bank and it's not clear where the money is. But this isn't the only investigation looking into Carenzio's financial dealings: Rossi noted news reports in the Canary Islands that authorities there are investigating Carenzio for alleged fraud, misappropriation of funds and concealment of assets. He is alleged to have operated a Ponzi scheme, the reports say.

After the aborted transport flight, Zito returned to Rome empty-handed. But he still demanded from Scarano his fee of 600,000 euros for the operation. Scarano cut him one check for 400,000 euros which he deposited. He gave him a second check for 200,000 euros, but in a bid to prevent the check from being deposited, reported it as missing, the prosecutor said.

That put a block on the check and resulted in Scarano being accused of slander for filing a false report knowing that the check was in Zito's hands, Rossi said.

Scarano, as well as the other two, are also accused of corruption. If they are indicted and convicted, they could face up to five to six years in prison, prosecutors said. Rossi said investigators were also looking into the source of Scarano's wealth and his real estate holdings.

Asked how his client responded to the accusations, Scarano's attorney, Silverio Sica, said the monsignor would respond to prosecutors' questions.

"As far as I know, Father Nunzio was only trying to help some friends and then entered a mechanism that later revealed to be dangerous for him too," he said in an interview. "I believe he did it with naivety".

The Vatican bank, known as the Institute for Religious Works, is cooperating with Italian authorities and its lay board has launched an internal investigation, spokesman Max Hohenberg said. The Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, said Scarano was suspended more than a month ago and that the Vatican was taking the appropriate measures to deal with his case.

He said the Vatican hadn't yet received any request for information from Italian authorities, but said it was prepared to offer its "full cooperation."

Rossi, the Italian prosecutor, described the operation as one branch in a "mosaic" of investigations targeting the Vatican bank, which has long been a source of scandal for the Holy See.

Rossi's team of prosecutors in 2010 placed the top two Vatican bank officials under investigation for allegedly violating anti-money laundering norms during a routine transaction involving an Institute for Religious Works account at an Italian bank. They ordered the 23 million euros in the transaction seized. The money was eventually unfrozen but the two men remain under investigation.

The Swiss investigation didn't immediately appear to directly involve the Vatican Bank, but both Rossi and Vatican officials said there could be further developments.

Rossi noted that the d'Amicos were frequent contributors to Scarano's charitable account at the Vatican Bank, known as the "Fondo Anziani," a fund purportedly aimed at helping out the elderly.

Rossi's team is also working with prosecutors in Salerno on a separate money-laundering investigation involving Scarano and his Vatican bank accounts.

According to Sica, Scarano took $729,000 (560,000 euros) in cash out of his Vatican bank account in 2009 and carried it out of the Vatican and into Italy to help pay off a mortgage on his Salerno home.

The money had come into Scarano's Vatican bank account from donors who gave it to the prelate thinking they were funding a home for the terminally ill in Salerno, Sica said.

To deposit the money into an Italian bank account ? and to prevent family members from finding out he had such a large chunk of cash ? he asked 56 close friends to accept 10,000 euros apiece in cash in exchange for a check or money transfer in the same amount. Scarano was then able to deposit the amounts in his Italian account.

The lawyer said Scarano had given the names of the donors to prosecutors and insisted the origin of the money was clean, that the transactions didn't constitute money-laundering, and that he only took the money "temporarily" for his personal use.

The home for the terminally ill was never built, though the property has been identified, Sica said.

On Wednesday, Francis named five people to head a commission of inquiry into the Vatican bank's activities and legal status "to allow for a better harmonization with the universal mission of the Apostolic See."

___

Follow Nicole Winfield at www.twitter.com/nwinfield

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-06-28-Vatican-Bank/id-61d1f97bd6dc4781bb20255a43819005

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'The Heat': A little of stars Melissa McCarthy and Sandra Bullock goes a long way

'The Heat' milks the odd-couple film premise for all it's worth.

By Peter Rainer,?Film critic / June 28, 2013

Melissa McCarthy (r.) and Sandra Bullock (l.) star in 'The Heat.'

Gemma La Mana/20th Century Fox/AP

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Sandra Bullock plays a very straitlaced FBI special agent and Melissa McCarthy is the slobbo Boston cop she reluctantly teams up with to bring down a drug lord in ?The Heat,? a buddy-buddy action comedy that milks the odd-couple pairing until the cow runs dry. A little of McCarthy?s bullishness goes a long way ? ditto Bullock?s pinched uncomfortability.

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It?s not really such a great achievement to have women cops in the movies acting as boorish and rowdy as their male counterparts, especially since the movie seems designed for a sequel. But then again, what movie these days ? or at least this summer ? isn?t? Grade: C+ (Rated R for pervasive language, strong crude content and some violence.)

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Video: Baron: Why Now is the Time to Buy Strategy

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Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/video/cnbc/52339540/

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Botswana GDP shrinks 2.2 pct in first quarter of 2013

Four people who were on the ground the night of the Benghazi attacks last year are writing a book about their experience, and they're getting a $3 million advance from Twelve Books to do it. The authors are unnamed, according to New York Post's Keith J. Kelly, who describes them as "members of the elite security team from the annex of the US Embassy." That annex, we now know, was the CIA annex, which makes this book deal really fascinating. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/botswana-gdp-shrinks-2-2-pct-first-quarter-154521435.html

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Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Senate moves forward on immigration bill

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The Senate pushed landmark immigration legislation past final hurdles Wednesday, pointing to near-certain passage soon of a measure that would open the door to U.S. citizenship for millions of people.

The bill sidestepped several procedural obstacles with votes to spare, demonstrating it commands well over the 60 votes needed to pass the Senate. That could happen early as Thursday, with the next stop in the House, where an uncertain future awaits.

The White House-backed bill would pour billions into border security and offer a path to citizenship to some 11 million immigrants now in the United States illegally.

"A permanent, common-sense solution to our dysfunctional system is really in sight," said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. "It is my hope that our colleagues in the House will follow the Senate's lead and work to pass bipartisan reform and do it now."

Opponents weren't convinced.

"It continues to promote false promises that the border would be truly secure," said Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa.

Prospects were anything but clear in the GOP-controlled House, where many conservatives oppose citizenship or even legalization for people in this country illegally. House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said he has no plans to hold a vote on the legislation coming from the Senate.

"We are not going to take up the Senate bill," Boehner told Republicans in a morning meeting, according to Rep. John Fleming, R-La.

The House Judiciary Committee planned to vote Wednesday on legislation requiring employers to verify their workers' legal status. That would be the third in a series of single-issue immigration bills the committee has acted on as it takes a piecemeal approach to overhauling the immigration system, in contrast with the Senate's comprehensive bill.

In the Senate, after the addition of $38 billion in provisions strengthening border security, doubling the size of the border patrol, and completing hundreds of miles of fencing, the legislation looked likely to command support from more than a dozen Republicans on final passage.

That's more than enough to ensure the 60-vote margin needed for passage, as all 52 Democrats and the two independents who usually vote with them look likely to stick together.

Supporters rounded up 67 or more "yes" votes on each of three tallies Wednesday. One vote overcame a Republican budget objection, the second was to approve changes to the bill including billions in new border security spending, and the third allowed moving forward with the amended version of the bill.

Supporters dodged a potential obstacle when the Supreme Court on Wednesday struck down a provision of a federal law denying federal benefits to married gay couples. That would allow gay married Americans to sponsor their spouses for U.S. residency in the way straight married Americans can.

Gay rights supporters had been pushing for the immigration bill to include such a provision, but Republicans had warned it would sink the immigration bill.

The Supreme Court's ruling made it unnecessary, which was the outcome supporters were hoping for.

As time drew short to cut any last-minute deals before final action on the bill, hope was rapidly fading of negotiating a few final amendments that could bring even more Republicans on board.

Sen. Rob. Portman, R-Ohio, was pushing an amendment to strengthen an electronic employment verification program made mandatory in the bill. "I can't vote for (the bill) without it," Portman said.

Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., sought changes to a new agriculture workers program that he said makes it too easy for farm workers to get permanent U.S. residency.

But the measures sought by Portman and Chambliss are being opposed by some immigrant advocacy groups, and some Senate Democrats believe the bill has enough Republican support as is without pursuing more changes.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/senate-moves-forward-immigration-bill-164205436.html

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Riley reflects on latest title, looks ahead

MIAMI (AP) ? When the Miami Heat won their first championship in 2006, then-coach Pat Riley decided to enter the following season without major roster changes.

The plan failed.

Many players showed up for training camp out of shape, and the Heat eventually got swept in the first playoff round.

This time, Riley believes, things will be much different. He doesn't see any way that a core of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh would go into any season ? much less one where they could win a third straight title ? not prepared to chase another championship. So this summer, the Heat aren't planning any major roster changes, the clear belief being that the team in Miami now should be good enough to contend again in 2014.

"We're the fugitive and they're still coming after us," said Riley, the Heat president. "And that motivates the hell out of me. It really does, because I don't want to get caught, not with what we have. And I don't the players feeling like they can get caught, either. That's why the improvement needs to come from within and we need to be smart about what we're doing."

Riley wrapped up the season with a 40-minute interview session Wednesday, opining on everything from his ninth championship season ("I've been lucky," he said in a clear understatement) to coach Erik Spoelstra's story that his boss came knocking on the door of his hotel suite after the 113-77 loss in Game 3 of the NBA Finals against San Antonio with three bottles of wine ("The wine was already there ? and it was opened," was Riley's recollection).

Occasional laughs aside, Riley also pointed out repeatedly that the work awaiting the Heat in the coming months is serious.

"We're just going to keep everything very fluid," Riley said. "I think that's the key. What we just experienced, three straight years, (297) games, two consecutive world championships, we are so giddy about that and proud of our team and also excited that what we did three years ago has led us to this. The challenge is not 'Can we win another championship?' The challenge is how to manage it within the confines of a very punitive collective bargaining agreement."

None of Riley's proclamations about his hopes for next season's roster were exactly surprising. First, as expected, he announced that the team is exercising its $4 million option on point guard Mario Chalmers, who has started every game in which he's appeared in the past two seasons, with a knack for coming up big in the biggest moments.

He also wants Chris Andersen and Ray Allen back, as do their teammates from this season. Andersen has given indications that he wants to return, including announcing at the team's championship rally on Monday that he wants to chase a "threepeat" ? a word Riley actually trademarked several years ago. And as Riley was speaking Wednesday, Andersen was in the nearby weight room, getting in a workout.

"We love Chris Andersen and we want him back," Riley said. "He will obviously be informed by his agents as to all of the ramifications of what's out there, as to what we can do. So until July 1, we won't know. But we would love to have Chris back."

Allen could opt to leave, though said several times that he enjoyed the makeup of this Heat roster.

Allen wound up hitting perhaps the biggest shot in Heat history, the 3-pointer with 5.2 seconds left in regulation of Game 6 of the finals that forced overtime and saved the Heat season. That shot by Allen was part of a wild sequence where the Heat rallied from a five-point deficit with 28 seconds left to play, and where security workers had already dragged out a yellow rope to seal the court in anticipation of a Spurs' celebration.

"He's a very, very smart man and that playing with LeBron James and Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade and all of the other players that he has become very close to, I think he'll make the wise decision," Riley said.

There are some difficult luxury-tax-related decisions for the Heat to make in the not-so-distant future, and one of the ways Miami could create some flexibility for itself would be to use its one-time amnesty provision. Mike Miller, who's due to make about $13 million over the next two seasons, has been often mentioned as someone who could be jettisoned by the Heat.

For now, Riley doesn't sound like an advocate of that plan, saying he'll leave the money decisions up to managing general partner Micky Arison and the rest of the Heat executive branch.

"He's a great player," Riley said. "So unless I get a mandate about (amnesty), we haven't talked about it. We just want to keep this team together."

Still, some changes will almost certainly happen.

The Heat had a two-day visit this past season with Greg Oden, the No. 1 overall pick in 2007 who has played exactly 82 games in his NBA career because of relentless knee issues. And with the Heat almost certainly not having the financial flexibility to get into the mix for big-money free agents, taking a flyer on someone like Oden might be the sort of move Miami makes this summer.

"We will explore that and see where it goes," Riley said.

One guy who isn't going anywhere, for now, is Riley himself.

With nine championships now and a Hall of Fame legacy as a coach, there is obviously nothing left for the son of Schenectady, N.Y. to prove in the NBA. But he remains driven by more, perked up Wednesday when talking about how he may have "I ain't got no worries" ? a line James used after winning this title ? inscribed on the 2013 championship rings, and how the challenge of the next 12 months should energize the franchise.

If the Heat had lost Game 6 of the finals, he said major changes might have been forthcoming. But now, there's no need for wholesale departures, and that applies to him as well.

"Why would I want to get off this train?" Riley said. "As long as Micky will have me, I will be here."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/riley-reflects-latest-title-looks-ahead-203514572.html

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Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Taptu


Taptu is a free online RSS feed reader that also has apps for Android, iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry, and Nook. Taptu's identifying feature is that it combines RSS with a magazine-like layout and the option to include feed content from big-name media outlets and your own private social media streams (similar to Feedly, Flipboard for iPad, and the like). You can add vertical columns that hold customized feed streams, much in the way Tweetdeck lets you sort your feeds and alerts into columns. Taptu offers a few great customization features, including the ability to color-code feeds. But the service has wrinkles, enough to put me off from using it as my replacement to Google Reader (I chose G2Reader for personal use). If you like magazine-style content and are stuck on having native mobile apps, though, Taptu could be the right way to go.

Signing Up
Using Taptu requires integrating it with an existing account: Google, Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn. I'm completely turned off by services that don't allow a simple email or username and password sign up, seeing as I don't know exactly how much of my personal information the service is going to take from my other accounts.

To test the app, I caved and gave it access to my Google account. It connected to find my Google Reader data, although it doesn't automatically display it. Rather, Taptu has you build your feed display from a long list of options, which include an existing Google Reader material you may have, but also incorporates news sites, online magazines, and a whole host of options. You end up selecting which feeds from all these choices you'd like to see in your primary display area. Each item can be color-coded, a nice touch in my book, although folder organization is missing entirely. Instead, you have vertical columns of streams, and my only problem with that is they are harder to organize and see at a glance than a simple folder with items inside it.

Visuals
Taptu definitely has a flashier look than simple RSS feed readers such as The Old Reader, G2Reader, Feedly, or SwarmIQ. It's much more akin in design to something like Flipboard or Pulse.

I can appreciate that some people prefer a graphically rich design, but I almost think of products like these as being something different than RSS feed readers. While I enjoy Flipboard for browsing leisurely from time to time, that's not how I interact with RSS feed content, which instead keeps me abreast of trends. I tend to follow blogs primarily, and I watch a few news sites but mostly to browse headlines, wherein the simplicity of RSS makes sense. I'd rather see a few lines of text when scrolling headlines than glance at inches upon inches of highly designed graphics.

Another flaw: Taptu shows you two share buttons, one at the top left on the banner bar (see the slideshow), and one on the top right of each post, which makes it confusing to know what exactly you might be sharing from the leftmost button. (Answer: Despite their different locations, the both only share the immediate post.)

While testing the app in the Chrome Web browser on Mac OS X, I hit a few instances of buggy displays when trying to connect to my social media feeds (see the slideshow for an example). A pop-up display looked like it was supposed to prompt me to sign into the account in question, but it showed up (multiple times) as translucent or not fully rendered.

These are the kinds of issues and inconsistencies that need to be ironed out before I would seriously consider using Taptu on a regular basis.

Is Taptu for You?
Taptu can't import OPML files, and that was as big a turn-off for me as the inability to sign up using a username and password. A spokesperson from Taptu confirmed that users will not be able to import Google Reader data after July 1, and it's not clear to me whether existing Google Reader integration will continue to work either (it all depends on whether Taptu is pulling data from your Google account all the time or if Taptu imported the data behind the scenes for you).

The free service offers plenty, and could make for a great app to have if you like magazine-style content and exploring online articles more than browsing top headlines and trends from your own tightly managed set of feeds. I also like that Taptu really pushed mobile apps to market, as an increasing number of users rely on their mobile devices more than desktop and laptop computers. Taptu needs to focus more on fixing and improving what it already has on offer rather than beefing up new tools and features. There's still a good deal of ironing that needs to be done, particularly with the interface, to make Taptu more usable and straightforward.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/kp0rfRYw6fk/0,2817,2420938,00.asp

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Draghi defends ECB crisis measures

BERLIN (AP) ? European Central Bank head Mario Draghi again defended the ECB's bond-buying program Tuesday, saying the crisis backstop was more important now following recent market turbulence sparked by other central banks around the world.

Draghi said in a speech in Berlin that the offer to buy bonds issued by indebted countries "is even more essential now as we see potential changes in the monetary policy stance, with associated uncertainty, in other jurisdictions of the global economy."

The U.S. Federal Reserve has roiled markets by indicating it could taper off its emergency stimulus measures next year. The Fed has been buying longer-term bonds in the open market, which drove down long-term interest rates and sent stocks and bonds higher.

Meanwhile, Chinese authorities have tried to rein in excessive lending, leading to a spike last week in interbank borrowing rates. Japan has also said it will add large monetary stimulus. Draghi did not mention any central bank by name.

Draghi said that the ECB's exit from its own stimulus measures "is still distant, since inflation is low and unemployment is high."

The ECB's steps have included the bond offer; cheap, unlimited loans to banks; and a record low benchmark rate of 0.5 percent. The 17-country eurozone remains in recession with an unemployment rate of 12.2 percent.

The ECB hasn't bought any bonds since announcing its plan last year. But the mere offer has pushed up government bond prices and taken financial pressure off indebted governments by lowering their borrowing costs. The bond-buying help would only be available to countries that sign a bailout agreement with the eurozone's financial rescue fund and promise in writing to take steps to reduce their debts and deficits.

Germany, where Draghi was speaking Tuesday, is home to some of the ECB president's biggest critics. Skepticism toward rescue measures for indebted countries is widespread among Germans, who would be the biggest financial backers of any bailout because of the size of their economy.

The ECB bond-buying plan is also currently being challenged in Germany's Federal Constitutional Court and was also opposed by Germany's central bank.

Bundesbank head Jens Weidmann says such purchases would risk distributing any losses on purchased bonds to taxpayers in other countries. He has also said they could take pressure off governments to take tough steps to reform their economies and finances.

However the support of Chancellor Angela Merkel and the votes of the other members of the ECB governing council left Weidmann as a minority voice. Draghi was speaking at an event organized by a group linked to Merkel's conservative party, the Christian Democratic Union

Draghi on Tuesday rejected the argument that the program would transfer risk of loss from indebted countries to better-off ones, "over and beyond risks that are inevitable and inherent" in running one monetary policy for 17 countries.

He stressed that troubled countries could not get help from the bond purchase without committing to reforms. Because of the program, "the euro area is a more stable and resilient place to invest in than it was a year ago."

___

AP Business Writer McHugh contributed from Frankfurt, Germany.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/draghi-defends-ecb-crisis-measures-122601880.html

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Jeff Shaara, The University of Texas at Arlington, and Writing ...

Author Jeff Shaara

Author Jeff Shaara

Today is Sunday June 23, 2013. it is 8:15 PM. I am at home at my desk listening to Author Jeff Shaara being interviewed by Ed Tracy on February 4, 2010 at the Pritzker Military in Chicago. He is discussing his book ?No Less Than Victory?.

Speaking of Jeff Shaara ? I posted fourteen pictures of Jeff Shaara at PICTURES. The photographs were taken on November 11, 2009 during a private dinner with a meet and greet I attended with author Jeff Shaara. He spoke later that evening to the public at The University of Texas at Arlington promoting his book of ?No Less Than Victory?. It concluded the World War Two trilogy of historical fiction that Jeff Shaara began with The Rising Tide and continued in The Steel Wave. The evening ended with him being interviewed on stage with a question-and-answer session with the audience. Jeff Shaara has written twelve New York times bestsellers.

Speaking of The University of Texas at Arlington ? I attend this fine university from August 1971 to December 1975 graduating with a bachelor of arts degree in history with minors in English and military science. On December 19, 1975 I not only graduated but was commissioned a second lieutenant, Infantry, United States Army Reserves. I was selected for indefinite active duty (career status). It was at The University of Texas at Arlington I developed a deep love for history, reading, and writing.

Speaking of Writing ? I am 99% finished doing my third rewrite/edit of the historical fiction novel ?Honor and Jealousy in Texas?. This weekend I worked on rewrite/edit of last chapter in book and wrote the first draft of a nonfiction article. The target audience of this article is unusual as it directed at suicide prevention of adult men. This is for a national suicide prevention organization that has a website getting over 50,000 people visit a month from people who are considering suicide. They do a web search on suicide and through the magic of Goggle search people thinking of suicide are directed to a Christian site focusing on stopping suicides. I was given the assignment when at the Colorado Christian Writer?s Conference. I pray that God will direct my thoughts as I write this article and He will use it to save lives.

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Photo credit: Author Jeff Shaara by Photographer Jimmie A. Kepler is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.

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Source: http://jimmiekepler.wordpress.com/2013/06/23/jeff-shaara-the-university-of-texas-at-arlington-and-writing/

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Monday, June 24, 2013

Rdio updates family plan, bumps the limit to five users for $32.99 a month

On its blog today, Rdio announced that it will now support up to five people on its family plan. Previously, only three customers were able to buddy up on the music-streaming service, with monthly pricing set at $17.99 for two users and $22.99 for three. Fees for two and three users will remain the same, while four members cost $27.99 and maxing out with five listeners will set you back $32.99 per month. If you already have an account and want to get your sibs in on the actions, head to your Rdio settings and select "Unlimited Family." From there, you can invite the family to sign on.

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Source: Rdio Blog

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/60Bm99P6fic/

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Snowden expected to fly to Cuba, U.S. urges his detention

By Lidia Kelly and James Pomfret

MOSCOW/HONG KONG (Reuters) - Fugitive former U.S. spy agency contractor Edward Snowden is expected to try to fly to Cuba on Monday while he waits to hear if Ecuador will grant him asylum, so far eluding Washington's efforts to extradite him on espionage charges.

In a major embarrassment for U.S. President Barack Obama, an aircraft carrying Snowden landed in Moscow on Sunday from Hong Kong after the Chinese territory allowed him to leave despite requests from Washington that he be arrested.

The White House said it expected the Russian government to send Snowden back to the United States. It had also lodged "strong objections" to Hong Kong and China over the decision to allow Snowden, who exposed secret U.S. government surveillance programs, to flee.

"We expect the Russian Government to look at all options available to expel Mr. Snowden back to the U.S. to face justice for the crimes with which he is charged," said Caitlin Hayden, spokeswoman for the National Security Council.

Obama had been trying to reset ties with Russia and build a partnership with China, but the leaders of both countries were willing to snub the American president in a month when each had held talks with Obama.

Ecuadorean Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino, on a trip to the Vietnamese capital Hanoi, said Snowden had sought asylum in his country. He declined to say what the Ecuadorean government would do, but added the request would be analyzed with a "lot of responsibility". An aide said the minister would hold a news conference around 7.00 p.m. local time (8 a.m. EDT) in Hanoi.

A source at Russian airline Aeroflot said Snowden was booked on a flight scheduled to depart for Havana on Monday at 2:05 p.m. (6.05 a.m. EDT). Snowden is believed to be in the transit area of Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport. Cuba said it had no information on the issue.

"HAND OF BEIJING"

A State Department official said Washington had told countries in the Western Hemisphere that Snowden "should not be allowed to proceed in any further international travel, other than is necessary to return him to the United States".

U.S. Senator Charles Schumer said Russian President Vladimir Putin likely knew and approved of Snowden's flight to Russia and predicted "serious consequences" for a U.S.-Russian relationship already strained over Syria and human rights.

"Putin always seems almost eager to stick a finger in the eye of the United States - whether it is Syria, Iran and now of course with Snowden," Schumer, a senior Senate Democrat, told CNN's "State of the Union". He also saw "the hand of Beijing" in Hong Kong's decision to let Snowden leave.

China Foreign Ministry, however, expressed "grave concern" over Snowden's allegations that the United States had hacked into computers in China, saying it had taken up the issue with Washington.

The statement came after Hong Kong's South China Morning Post newspaper quoted Snowden as offering new details about U.S. surveillance activities.

These included accusations of U.S. hacking of Chinese mobile phone firms and the targeting of China's elite Tsinghua University, the alma mater of many of China's top leaders including President Xi Jinping.

The Obama administration has previously painted the United States as a victim of Chinese government computer hacking.

At a summit this month, Obama called on Xi to acknowledge the threat posed by "cyber-enabled espionage" against the United States and to investigate the problem.

ECUADOR ROLE

Ecuador and Cuba are members of the ALBA bloc, an alliance of leftist governments in Latin America that pride themselves on their "anti-imperialist" credentials. Venezuela is also part of the group.

Ecuador has been sheltering the founder of the anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, at its London embassy for the past year.

The New York Times quoted Assange as saying in an interview that his group had arranged for Snowden to travel on a "special refugee document" issued by Ecuador last Monday.

U.S. sources said Washington had revoked Snowden's passport. The New York Times said his passport was annulled a day before he left Hong Kong to try to thwart his escape.

WikiLeaks said Snowden was accompanied by diplomats and Sarah Harrison, a British legal researcher working for WikiLeaks.

Ecuador's ambassador to Russia, Patricio Alberto Chavez Zavala, told reporters at a Moscow airport hotel he would speak with Snowden and Harrison.

Hours later, shortly after midnight on Sunday, the ambassador emerged from a business-class lounge near the hotel and refused to say whether he had met Snowden or make any other comment.

U.S. FINDS HONG KONG DECISION "TROUBLING"

Snowden, who had worked at a U.S. National Security Agency facility in Hawaii, had been hiding in Hong Kong, the former British colony that returned to China in 1997, since leaking details about secret U.S. surveillance programs to news media.

U.S. officials had been in contact with Hong Kong since June 10, and had expressed optimism about cooperation.

Snowden has been charged with theft of federal government property, unauthorized communication of national defense information and willful communication of classified communications intelligence to an unauthorized person, with the latter two charges falling under the U.S. Espionage Act.

In a statement announcing Snowden's departure, Hong Kong authorities said they were seeking clarification from Washington about reports of U.S. spying on government computers in the territory.

A spokesman for the Hong Kong government said it had allowed the departure of Snowden as the U.S. request for his arrest did not comply with the law.

A Justice Department official said at no point in discussions through Friday did Hong Kong raise issues about the sufficiency of the U.S. arrest request.

"In light of this, we find their decision to be particularly troubling," the official said.

Adding to the mystery, a Hong Kong lawyer representing Snowden said on Monday a middle man claiming to represent the Hong Kong government told Snowden he should leave.

Albert Ho, who is also a legislator, told reporters he was approached by Snowden several days ago, and that Snowden had sought reassurances from the Hong Kong government on whether he would be able to leave the city freely, if he chose to do so.

Ho said an individual claiming to represent the Hong Kong government had subsequently indicated to Snowden that he was free to leave the city and should do so.

"This is a highly unusual action," said Ho.

Snowden's revelations have become a major problem for Obama, who has found his domestic and international policy agenda sidelined as he scrambled to deflect accusations that U.S. surveillance practices violate privacy protections and civil rights. The president has said the measures were necessary to thwart attacks on the United States.

The latest drama coincides with the court-martial of Bradley Manning, a U.S. soldier accused of providing reams of classified documents to WikiLeaks, which Assange began releasing on the Internet in 2010. The government says the leaks put national security and people's lives at risk.

Documents previously leaked by Snowden revealed that the NSA has access to vast amounts of Internet data such as emails, chat rooms and video from large companies, including Facebook and Google, under a government program known as Prism.

(Additional by Martin Petty in Hanoi; Sui-Lee Weein Beijing; Andrew Cawthorne, Mario Naranjo and Daniel Wallis in Caracas; Alexandra Valencia in Quito; Alexei Anishchuk and Steve Gutterman in Moscow, and Mark Felsenthal, Paul Eckert and Mark Hosenball in Washington; Writing by Dean Yates; Editing by Alex Richardson)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-warns-countries-against-snowden-travel-014740817.html

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Filmmakers? group tries to reshape treaty that would benefit the blind (Washington Post)

Share With Friends: Share on FacebookTweet ThisPost to Google-BuzzSend on GmailPost to Linked-InSubscribe to This Feed | Rss To Twitter | Politics - Top Stories Stories, News Feeds and News via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/314580855?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Sunday, June 23, 2013

US stocks calmer after 2-day plunge

Wall Street steadied after a two-day plunge caused by news that the Federal Reserve was getting ready to wind down its massive bond-buying program by mid-2014.

Markets were a lot calmer Friday. The Dow Jones industrial average was down 24 points, or 0.2 percent, at 14,732 as of 11:24 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time. The Dow and other indexes were moving between small gains and losses in early trading.

The Dow plunged 560 points Wednesday through Thursday, wiping out its gains from May and June. The Fed's easy money policies have been a big driver behind the stock market's bull run the last four years. The plunge came just three weeks after the Dow hit a record high of 15,409.

The Standard & Poor's 500 index fell six points, or 0.4 percent, to 1,582 points. The S&P hit its own record high a month ago.

Kim Forrest, senior analyst with Fort Pitt Capital Group, a portfolio management firm in Pittsburgh, said the market had the "right reaction" to the news that the Fed would wind down its stimulus if the economy continues to improve, but the move may have been overblown.

"We're getting news that made the market uncomfortable," she said. "We shouldn't be sitting at these highs given the fact that the Fed signaled that someday it's going to take some liquidity off the table. So the reaction is right, the magnitude is probably a little off."

The yield on the 10-year Treasury note rose to 2.49 percent from 2.42 percent late Thursday. The yield has risen sharply since Wednesday as investors sold bonds in anticipation that the Fed would slow, and eventually end, its bond purchases.

The yield, which is a benchmark for interest rates on many kinds of loans including home mortgages, is at its highest level since August 2011. On Tuesday, the day before the Fed's announcement, it was 2.19 percent. It hit a low for the year of 1.63 percent on May 3.

Technology shares fell more than the rest of the market after business software maker Oracle reported disappointing earnings late Thursday. Oracle plunged $3.04, or 9 percent, to $30.17, the biggest drop in the S&P 500 index. Oracle is struggling to adapt as customers shift away from software installed on their own computers toward software that runs remotely.

Oracle's results are a poor omen for business spending on technology. Technology stocks in the S&P index fell 1 percent, the most of the 10 industry groups in the index.

The Nasdaq composite index, which is heavily weighted with technology stocks, fell 30 points, or 0.9 percent, to 3,333. Apple, the biggest stock in the index, fell $8.15, or 1.9 percent, to $408.75. Microsoft fell 26 cents, or 0.8 percent, to $33.23.

The price of gold recovered after plunging the day before. Gold was up $6.40, or 0.5 percent, to $1,292.40 an ounce. Crude oil fell $1.15, or 1.2 percent, to $94 a barrel in New York.

The dollar rose against other currencies as traders anticipated that U.S. interest rates would rise as the Fed winds down its bond purchases.

Among other stocks making big moves:

? Darden Restaurants, which runs Olive Garden and Red Lobster, fell $1.16, or 2.3 percent, to $50.07 after rising expenses hurt its fourth-quarter earnings.

? CarMax, which runs used car dealerships, reported that its first-quarter profit jumped 21 percent as sales rose. Its stock rose 63 cents or 1.4 percent, to $45.20.

A Fed policy statement and comments from Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke started the selling in stocks, bonds and commodities Wednesday. Bernanke said the Fed expects to scale back its bond-buying program later this year and end it by mid-2014 if the economy continues to improve. The bank has been buying $85 billion a month in Treasury and mortgage bonds, which has made borrowing cheap for consumers and businesses. The program has also encouraged investors to buy stocks instead of bonds.

The S&P 500 is still up 11.9 percent, for the year, not far from its full-year increase of 13.4 percent last year.

Overseas, Japan's Nikkei index rose 1.7 percent, but other Asian markets fell. European markets slipped. France's CAC-40 fell 0.3 percent and Germany's DAX fell 0.9 percent.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/us-stocks-calmer-2-day-plunge-153452122.html

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BP calls for independent probe of claims lawyer

NEW ORLEANS (AP) ? BP is calling for an independent investigation into a lawyer working for the administrator reviewing claims arising from the Gulf oil spill who has been accused of collecting portions of settlement payments from a New Orleans law firm to which he had once referred claims.

The London-based oil giant issued a statement Friday that said only a "comprehensive and independent investigation will ensure the integrity of the claims process."

A BP PLC official who has reviewed a report outlining the allegations, said claims administrator Patrick Juneau delivered a copy of the report to U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier during a meeting in his chambers Thursday. Lawyers for BP and the team of private attorneys who brokered the multibillion-dollar settlement also attended the meeting. The BP official spoke on condition of anonymity because the report hasn't been made public.

The staff lawyer, Lionel H. Sutton III, acknowledged in an email late Thursday that he has been told he was suspended "pending an investigation of an anonymous allegation against me."

"I have not been made aware of the substance of the allegation or the status of the investigation," Sutton wrote. "Once this is resolved, I would be happy to discuss it all with you."

The BP official said the report indicates that Juneau's security head, David Welker, also notified the FBI's New Orleans division about the lawyer's alleged misconduct. Welker until recently was the special agent in charge of the FBI office in New Orleans.

An FBI spokeswoman in New Orleans declined to comment Thursday.

According to the BP official, Juneau told the judge that he had suspended the lawyer and was weighing further disciplinary action. Neither Juneau nor his spokesman responded to calls and emails on Thursday night.

The report says Welker received a complaint that the staff attorney had referred claims to a New Orleans law firm in exchange for portions of subsequent settlement payments, the BP official said. The lawyer allegedly filed those claims before he went to work for Juneau.

The claims at issue were filed on behalf of a single party and involve hundreds of thousands of dollars, the BP official said.

BP PLC has sued to block what could be billions of dollars in settlement payouts to businesses over the spill. The company has accused Juneau of trying to rewrite the terms of the deal and asserts that he has made decisions that expose the company to fictitious losses that were never contemplated in the settlement.

Judge Barbier, who is overseeing the massive settlement, appointed Juneau last year and has upheld his decisions for calculating payments. BP has appealed, and the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is scheduled to hear the case in July.

The spill began in April 2010 after the BP-leased drilling rig Deepwater Horizon exploded off the Louisiana coast, killing 11 workers. Roughly 200 million gallons of crude oil were released from the Macondo well a mile under the Gulf surface. Marshes, fisheries and beaches from Louisiana to Florida were fouled by the oil until a cap was placed over the blown-out well in July 2010.

BP set up a compensation fund for individuals and businesses affected by the spill and committed $20 billion. The claims fund initially was handled by lawyer Kenneth Feinberg but Juneau took over the processing of claims after the settlement was reached last year.

It wasn't immediately known how many lawyers work for Juneau, but his office announced in May that it has determined more than $3 billion in claims are eligible for payment through the settlement agreement. More than 162,000 claims were filed and more than $2 billion had been paid to claimants as of May 6.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/bp-calls-independent-probe-claims-lawyer-145700868.html

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