NEW YORK (Reuters) ? Stocks extended losses on Monday, with all three major indexes falling more than 1 percent.
The Dow Jones industrial average (.DJI) was down 125.79 points, or 0.99 percent, at 12,534.67. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index (.SPX) was down 15.20 points, or 1.15 percent, at 1,301.13. The Nasdaq Composite Index (.IXIC) was down 32.14 points, or 1.14 percent, at 2,784.41.
Happy Monday, readers! This month has flown by, hasn’t it? February is just around the corner! In today’s edition of celebrity birthdays, Bruce Wayne/Batman (okay the 2005 version) turns 38, “Roc” turns 61 and Christopher Plummer’s first wife and mother of their child, Amanda Plummer, is 78. Any guesses? Happy Birthday, Phil Collins! The “One More Night” singer is 61 years old today. By far my favorite song of his is “Separate Lives”, which was featured in the film “White Knights”. Here’s a trip down memory lane… Happy Birthday, Gene Hackman! The legendary actor is 82 years old today. “The French Connection” star had quite a scare a few weeks ago. While riding his bike in the Florida Keys, he was hit by a car and suffered injuries at the time thought to be serious enough that he was airlifted to a local hospital. He was later released, with his rep saying that the actor had simply suffered some bumps and bruises. Thank goodness he is doing a-okay! Happy Birthday, Wilmer Valderrama! The “That 70′s Show” star is 32 years old today. Just last week it was confirmed that the actor and his on again/off again lady love, Demi Lovato, [...]
SEOUL?? South Korea has invited Boeing, Lockheed Martin and EADS to participate in its next generation fighter jet program, in which the country will invest 8.3 trillion won ($7.39 billion) until 2021.
The air-power project comes as the country braces for changing dynamics on the Korean Peninsula after the death in December of Kim Jong Il, the former leader of North Korea, with which the South is still technically at war.
Neighboring Japan recently chose U.S. contractor Lockheed Martin to build a fleet of 42 F-35 planes, valued by analysts at more than $7 billion, and China plans to introduce its own stealth fighters.
The deadline for proposals will close on June 18, South Korea's Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said at a presentation to contractors.
Wee Jong-seong, director of the agency's fighter project team, said the three firms' aircraft met operational capability requirements.
'Stealth capabilities'
Prospective planes for the bidding include Lockheed's F-35 Lightning II and EADS's Eurofighter Typhoon.
A DAPA spokesman declined to specify how many planes it planned to buy.
However, Yonhap News Agency reported that South Korea was seeking "60 fifth-generation fighter jets with stealth capabilities." It didn't cite a source.
Reuters and msnbc.com staff contributed to this report.
CAIRO (Reuters) ? A Frenchman was killed when armed men raided a currency exchange office Saturday in the Egyptian tourist resort of Sharm el-Sheikh on the Red Sea, security officials and the French embassy said.
South Sinai Governor General Khaled Fouda told Reuters that a German national had also been wounded but was in a stable condition in hospital.
The French embassy confirmed a Frenchman had been killed without giving further details.
Sharm el-Sheikh is on the Sinai Peninsula, home to many popular tourist resorts. However, many people own weapons in inland areas of the peninsula, and analysts say the region has become more lawless since an uprising ousted President Hosni Mubarak last year.
(Reporting by Yusry Mohamed in Ismailia; Writing and additional reporting by Edmund Blair in Cairo; editing by David Stamp)
CHARLESTON, S.C. ? Bobby Cremins' assistant says the veteran basketball coach hasn't looked well the past few weeks and Friday evening the College of Charleston announced Cremins will miss the rest of the season because of a medical problem.
Yet, Mark Byington ? who will take over as the Cougars' coach ? was still surprised when the 64-year-old Cremins called him Friday morning with the news.
"The despair in his voice last night and this morning, I knew something was wrong," Byington said.
Cremins was at his home on Hilton Head Island when the announcement was made at the school. The college did not specify Cremins' medical condition or put a time frame on his return, and asked reporters to respect his privacy. Charleston athletic director Joe Hull did say Cremins' condition was not life threatening.
"I personally hope he coaches for many years to come," Hull said.
The AD also plans to speak with Cremins over the next few weeks to determine it the coach will be out even longer.
Cremins issued a statement through the school, saying he knows his top assistant for all six of his years at Charleston will do well in his new role.
"I have complete faith in him as do our players," Cremins said.
The Cougars started this season 10-2 with wins over Clemson and Tennessee, but have lost six of their last eight. Hull said the goal is still to make it to the NCAA tournament. They are 4-5 in the Southern Conference and will need a late season run to get a bye into the second round of the conference tournament.
"It will be business as usual," Byington said. "There will be a different guy calling the signals, but we will move on."
Hull said he will keep in touch with Cremins, but has no plans for the program's future beyond having Byington finish the season.
Byington said Cremins has not looked healthy for the past few weeks, but he thought the coach just might need a day or two off. Instead, he got a phone call from a distraught Cremins at 7:15 a.m. Friday. He told athletic officials that Cremins was taking the rest of the season off, then gathered his team.
"I was very upset. The first thing the team asked when they heard is he OK?" guard Andrew Lawrence said. "Obviously if this has happened and he needs to take a leave of absence we are completely behind him."
Cremins is in his sixth season with the Cougars after spending 19 years coaching Georgia Tech. He has led Charleston to 20 victories in each of his seasons, but his teams haven't been able to win the Southern Conference tournament to get to the NCAAs. He is 579-375 in 31 seasons of coaching, and the Yellow Jackets named their home court for him before he returned to coaching in 2006.
Cremins grew up in the Bronx then came south to play for South Carolina and fellow New York-transplant Frank McGuire. He got his first head coaching job at Appalachian State, leading the Mountaineers to the NCAA tournament in 1979.
Three years later, he left for Georgia Tech and the Atlantic Coast Conference. He led the Yellow Jackets to nine NCAA tournament appearances and reached the Final Four in 1990. He also won three ACC tournament titles and two regular-season crowns before the program tailed off and he was let go after the 2000 season.
Cremins spent the next several years as a college basketball analyst, playing tennis on Hilton Head, until deciding to come back to coaching at the College of Charleston.
Byington has been at Charleston nine seasons. He led Friday's practice and told players they needed to play well for Cremins and just concentrate on Saturday's game against Wofford.
"We're going to make it through," Byington said. "You're going to deal with worse things in your life."
[unable to retrieve full-text content]With local cooperation, the panel said, the government might avoid the kind of conflicts that led to the cancellation of plans to create a vast repository at Yucca Mountain.
SALT LAKE CITY ? A 16-year-old Utah student who shared a suspicious text message with a school administrator foiled plans by two schoolmates who apparently were plotting to set off a bomb during a school assembly and run away in a stolen airplane, police said.
Roy High School sophomore Bailey Gerhardt told The Salt Lake Tribune ( http://bit.ly/wNs3xE) she received the text from a friend, one of the suspects, and told one of the administrators, which led to the arrest of the two teens. Roy is about 30 miles north of Salt Lake City.
Gerhardt said Thursday the text from the 16-year-old boy asked: "If I told you to stay home on a certain day, would you?"
That boy, whom The Associated Press isn't naming because he's a minor, and Dallin Morgan, 18, were pulled out of school Wednesday.
"It was the work of a very courageous student who came forward," Roy police spokeswoman Anna Bond said Thursday. "It could have been a disaster."
Gerhardt characterized the 16-year-old as an angry person recently dumped by his girlfriend. She said he had told her he had looked into the 1999 mass shootings at Colorado's Columbine High School.
The juvenile later told investigators he was so "fascinated" by that massacre that he visited the Littleton, Colo., school and interviewed the principal about the shootings that killed 13 people. Roy police said the principal, Frank DeAngelis, confirmed that the boy made his visit Dec. 12.
The Roy High School plot "was months in planning," said Roy Chief of Police Gregory Whinham, and included plans for a device designed to "cause as much harm as possible to students and faculty" at the school, which has about 1,500 students.
The FBI is examining the suspects' computers, police said. Local and federal agents searched the school, two vehicles belonging to the suspects and their homes but found no explosives.
Morgan told police the 16-year-old suspect had previously made a pipe bomb using gun powder and rocket fuel.
"Dallin told me that (the juvenile) bragged about using a bomb to blow up a mail box and having three handguns in his house," a police affidavit states. The 16-year-old boy "claimed that he did not have the guns but Dallin was the source of the guns because he is 18 and can purchase a gun."
The two students prepared by logging hundreds of hours on flight simulator software on their home computers, and they planned to take a plane at Ogden Hinckley Airport after the bombing, Bond said.
Besides hinting at the plan, the juvenile also texted to a friend that both suspects wanted "revenge on the world" and "we have a plan to get away with it too."
He hinted at the plan by writing "explosives, airport, airplane" and added, "We're just gonna kill and fly our way to a country that won't send us back to the US," according to a probable cause statement police filed to make the arrests late Wednesday.
Morgan was being held on $10,000 bail at Weber County jail on suspicion of conspiracy to commit mass destruction. The juvenile was in custody at Weber Valley Detention Center on the same charge. Prosecutors were weighing possible additional charges.
Both students had "absolute knowledge of the security systems and the layout of the school," Bond said. "They knew where the security cameras were. Their original plan was to set off explosives during an assembly. We don't know what date they were planning to do this, but they had been planning it for months."
School officials said there were no imminent plans to hold a school assembly.
The parents of both students "woke up in the middle of a nightmare," Bond said. "They've been very cooperative."
___
Associated Press writer Michelle Rindels in Las Vegas contributed to this report.
GIGLIO, Italy (Reuters) ? The captain of the doomed Costa Concordia lost "a precious hour" in evacuating the giant cruise ship when it ran aground and capsized on January 13, possibly costing dozens of lives, a senior Italian maritime security official said on Thursday.
Captain Francesco Schettino is blamed for causing the accident by steering the vessel too close to shore and is accused of multiple manslaughter and abandoning ship before the evacuation of more than 4,200 passengers and crew was complete.
At least 16 people died and another 16 are still missing after the 290-metre long ship struck a rock close to the Tuscan island of Giglio, tearing a gash in its hull which let water pour into the engine rooms.
Passengers have complained that the evacuation was chaotic and uncontrolled, with some left waiting in lifeboats for two hours before being able to leave the ship.
Several of the bodies were found by divers in submerged evacuation assembly points, wearing life vests.
"If you consider that there were 4,200 people on board, you could say things went well, but if the captain hadn't wasted a precious hour, it would have been comfortable," Marco Brusco, head of the port captain's service, a maritime authority, told a Senate committee hearing.
"The lifeboats could have been launched calmly, people could have been reassured. Instead of that, the first hour was lost, people were working under stress, he (Schettino) left and there were contradictory orders," he said.
Schettino is under house arrest near Naples. His lawyer has said he is ready to accept his share of responsibility for the accident but says that the ship's owner Costa Cruises was closely involved in the evacuation.
Italian media have speculated that the investigation into the case could be extended to include other Costa officials but there was no confirmation from state prosecutor Francesco Verusio, who inspected the site of the accident on Thursday.
"At this point, there are no others under investigation," he told reporters.
Almost two weeks after the accident, officials have given up hope of finding anyone alive on the ship, which lies half-submerged in about 20 meters of water in a marine reserve.
Salvage crews are preparing to pump more than 2,300 tonnes of diesel from the Concordia's 17 fuel tanks with work expected to start by Saturday to prevent an environmental disaster.
Lawyers are preparing to launch damage claims against Costa, a unit of the world's largest cruise ship operator, Carnival Corp.
Consumer protection association Codacons has declared itself a civil party in the case and has invited passengers to join an international class action against the company, aiming to win at least 125,000 euros compensation for each passenger.
This is some bullsh*t. Warner Brothers and Netflx—as well as Redbox and Blockbuster—have reached a new licensing agreement that forces DVD subscribers to wait a full 56 days after titles hit store shelves to watch WB movies. More »
Multiple births lead to weight gain and other problems for mouse moms and male offspringPublic release date: 26-Jan-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Donna Krupa dkrupa@the-aps.org 301-634-7209 American Physiological Society
Bethesda, Md. -- Women have long bemoaned the fact that as they have more children, their weight gain from pregnancy becomes more difficult to lose. A new study using a mouse model that mimics the human effects of multiparity (giving birth more than once) has found that mouse moms who gave birth four times accrued significantly more fat compared to primiparous females (those giving birth once) of similar age. The study also found significantly more inflammation in the livers of multiparous animals. Multiparity's effect also extended to the male offspring, who showed significant weight gain during adulthood. Their primiparous counterparts did not, despite similar levels of food consumption. The findings are contained in a study entitled "Multiparity Leads to Obesity and Inflammation in Mothers and Obesity in Male Offspring," and appear in the American Journal of Physiology Endocrinology and Metabolism, published by the American Physiological Society.
Methodology
Researchers at the University of Cincinnati designed the study in two parts. In the first part, they established the mouse model that mimics multiparity-induced obesity in humans. In the second part, they examined male offspring of the multiparous females.
The researchers compared one group of mice that gave birth four times with a second group of mice that gave birth only once, some of these at the same age that the first group had its fourth litter and some at a younger age.
The researchers weighed these animals and assessed the size of their fat deposits. They also performed glucose tolerance tests in all the mice and measured biochemical markers of inflammation. Additionally, the researchers performed similar tests in the male offspring of primiparous and multiparous mice, and measured weight, fat deposits, and glucose tolerance. They also measured the expression levels of various genes involved in storing versus using fat.
Results
The first part of the study showed that giving birth multiple times was a significant contributor to obesity regardless of age, with mice who gave birth multiple times being up to 45 percent heavier than those who had a single litter at the same age that the first animals had their fourth. The multiparous animals had fat deposits several times larger than those in typically-mated primiparous mice, as well as significantly larger glucose spikes after meals, a warning sign for diabetes. Multiparous moms also showed elevated markers for inflammation in numerous body tissues, a condition linked to heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and a variety of other diseases, as compared to the primiparous mice as well as age-matched females fed a high fat diet.
The second part of the study revealed that male offspring of multiparous mice weighed as much as 40 percent more than the male offspring of primiparous mice, despite eating no more food. Interestingly, the differences became apparent when the offspring were older, suggesting that excess energy was stored as fat only after growth rate slowed down. When the researchers examined genes responsible for storing versus using fat, the offspring of multiparous animals appeared to use less fat compared to those of the primiparous animals.
Importance, Implications of the Findings
These findings confirm that in mice, as in humans, giving birth multiple times, regardless of age, can lead to significant weight gain, and inflammation. The results also support the theory that multiple pregnancies induce metabolic stresses on females that have heritable consequences and may be part of an obesity cycle between mothers and offspring.
The authors suggest that finding effective ways to help women lose weight between pregnancies will assist in maintaining their health and that of their children, though additional interventions will likely be required as multiple pregnancies appear to have an adverse effect on women that is independent of her fat mass. "The current studies are important in supporting a healthier, less obese population in that we have defined specific metabolic pathways that are likely involved in the programming of obesity and can be targeted in either the mother or her offspring," the authors say.
###
Study Team
The study was conducted by Sandra R. Rebholz, Thomas Jones, Katie T. Burke, Anja Jaeschke, Patrick Tso, David A. D'Alessio, and Laura A. Woollett, all of the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine.
NOTE TO EDITORS: The article is available online at http://bit.ly/zcIkKf. To request an interview with a member of the research team please contact Donna Krupa at dkrupa@the-aps.org, @Phyziochick, or 301-634-7209.
Physiology is the study of how molecules, cells, tissues and organs function to create health or disease. The American Physiological Society (APS; http://www.the-APS.org/press) has been promoting advances in physiology and medicine for 125 years. To keep up with the science, follow @Phyziochick on Twitter.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Multiple births lead to weight gain and other problems for mouse moms and male offspringPublic release date: 26-Jan-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Donna Krupa dkrupa@the-aps.org 301-634-7209 American Physiological Society
Bethesda, Md. -- Women have long bemoaned the fact that as they have more children, their weight gain from pregnancy becomes more difficult to lose. A new study using a mouse model that mimics the human effects of multiparity (giving birth more than once) has found that mouse moms who gave birth four times accrued significantly more fat compared to primiparous females (those giving birth once) of similar age. The study also found significantly more inflammation in the livers of multiparous animals. Multiparity's effect also extended to the male offspring, who showed significant weight gain during adulthood. Their primiparous counterparts did not, despite similar levels of food consumption. The findings are contained in a study entitled "Multiparity Leads to Obesity and Inflammation in Mothers and Obesity in Male Offspring," and appear in the American Journal of Physiology Endocrinology and Metabolism, published by the American Physiological Society.
Methodology
Researchers at the University of Cincinnati designed the study in two parts. In the first part, they established the mouse model that mimics multiparity-induced obesity in humans. In the second part, they examined male offspring of the multiparous females.
The researchers compared one group of mice that gave birth four times with a second group of mice that gave birth only once, some of these at the same age that the first group had its fourth litter and some at a younger age.
The researchers weighed these animals and assessed the size of their fat deposits. They also performed glucose tolerance tests in all the mice and measured biochemical markers of inflammation. Additionally, the researchers performed similar tests in the male offspring of primiparous and multiparous mice, and measured weight, fat deposits, and glucose tolerance. They also measured the expression levels of various genes involved in storing versus using fat.
Results
The first part of the study showed that giving birth multiple times was a significant contributor to obesity regardless of age, with mice who gave birth multiple times being up to 45 percent heavier than those who had a single litter at the same age that the first animals had their fourth. The multiparous animals had fat deposits several times larger than those in typically-mated primiparous mice, as well as significantly larger glucose spikes after meals, a warning sign for diabetes. Multiparous moms also showed elevated markers for inflammation in numerous body tissues, a condition linked to heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and a variety of other diseases, as compared to the primiparous mice as well as age-matched females fed a high fat diet.
The second part of the study revealed that male offspring of multiparous mice weighed as much as 40 percent more than the male offspring of primiparous mice, despite eating no more food. Interestingly, the differences became apparent when the offspring were older, suggesting that excess energy was stored as fat only after growth rate slowed down. When the researchers examined genes responsible for storing versus using fat, the offspring of multiparous animals appeared to use less fat compared to those of the primiparous animals.
Importance, Implications of the Findings
These findings confirm that in mice, as in humans, giving birth multiple times, regardless of age, can lead to significant weight gain, and inflammation. The results also support the theory that multiple pregnancies induce metabolic stresses on females that have heritable consequences and may be part of an obesity cycle between mothers and offspring.
The authors suggest that finding effective ways to help women lose weight between pregnancies will assist in maintaining their health and that of their children, though additional interventions will likely be required as multiple pregnancies appear to have an adverse effect on women that is independent of her fat mass. "The current studies are important in supporting a healthier, less obese population in that we have defined specific metabolic pathways that are likely involved in the programming of obesity and can be targeted in either the mother or her offspring," the authors say.
###
Study Team
The study was conducted by Sandra R. Rebholz, Thomas Jones, Katie T. Burke, Anja Jaeschke, Patrick Tso, David A. D'Alessio, and Laura A. Woollett, all of the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine.
NOTE TO EDITORS: The article is available online at http://bit.ly/zcIkKf. To request an interview with a member of the research team please contact Donna Krupa at dkrupa@the-aps.org, @Phyziochick, or 301-634-7209.
Physiology is the study of how molecules, cells, tissues and organs function to create health or disease. The American Physiological Society (APS; http://www.the-APS.org/press) has been promoting advances in physiology and medicine for 125 years. To keep up with the science, follow @Phyziochick on Twitter.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Nokia has announced a major mobile milestone: over 1.5 billion (with a b) Series 40 handsets sold since the first device -- the 7110 -- was introduced in 1999. "We are incredibly proud to reach this milestone," wrote Nokia's Executive VP of Mobile Phones, Mary McDowell. "It is gratifying to consider how Series 40 devices have made mobile technology accessible." Breeze on past the break for the official PR with more information about the Asha 303 handset knighted number 1,500,000,000, then feel free to weigh in on how long will take the Lumia line to reach the same milestone.
The government received more complaints of worker discrimination its last fiscal year than ever before, but it was only a slight increase over 2010.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said Tuesday that it received 99,947 complaints of worker discrimination during its 2011 fiscal year, which ended in September. That?s an increase of 25 complaints over the 2010 fiscal year.
Discrimination complaints surged in the 2008 fiscal year, when the agency received 95,402 complaints as the Great Recession was getting under way. They number of complaints fell somewhat in 2009, the year the recession officially ended, but they rose again in 2010 as the economy was?recovering slowly.
Justine Lisser, a spokeswoman for the EEOC, said the agency can?t?say for certain that the weak job market has caused the spike in complaints, although there may be a correlation.
The unemployment rate remains unusually high, at 8.5 percent, more than two years after the recession officially ended and the economy began?growing again.
Lisser also noted the agency has been working harder to inform employees and employers about its claims process, and?has made it easier to research claims criteria on its website.
In 2011, about 35 percent of the workers complained of race discrimination, according to the EEOC. Gender discrimination accounted for about 29 percent of the complaints, while age discrimination complaints made up about 24 percent.
About 26 percent charged employers with discriminating on the basis of a disability.
Many people charge more than one form of discrimination, so the percentages exceed 100 percent.
The government also said it resolved 112,499 complaints in fiscal year 2011. About 18 percent of those claims received a ?merit resolution,? meaning the person received some sort of settlement.
About two-thirds of those were found to have no reasonable cause for auction. Another 16 percent were closed for administrative reasons, such as that the person who charged discrimination didn?t respond to further requests from the EEOC.
Related:
Age bias complaints surge in weak economy
Do you think employee discrimination has become more commonplace since the recession began?
TRIPOLI (Reuters) ? Libya's Defense Minister Osama al-Juwali is holding talks with townsmen in Bani Walid, a former stronghold of Muammar Gaddafi the government lost control of on Tuesday after local people staged an armed uprising.
"The minister came here today and we are speaking to him to find a solution to this problem," said Abdul Azziz al-Jmaili, a council member in Bani Walid, 150 km (90 miles) from Tripoli.
"A peacekeeping force have come and set up checkpoints on the outskirts of the town," he said, adding the force consisted of armed brigades from nearby towns who are loyal to the ruling National Transitional Council (NTC).
(Reporting by Taha Zargoun, writing by Oliver Holmes)
Katy Perry is cutting Russell Brand out of her life in more ways than one.
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The 27-year-old "Firework" singer has unfollowed her soon-to-be ex-husband on Twitter. As of Friday, Perry is still one of the 78 people Brand subscribes to via the social networking site.PHOTOS: Katy's crazy cleavage
It's not surprising, given that Perry is only communicating with Brand, 36, via phone or email. "She's limiting those interactions," a source tells the new issue of Us Weekly (out now). "He's being so atrocious that she feels like she never really knew him."
VIDEO: Why did Katy and Russell call it quits?
Perry has been keeping Brand off her mind by focusing on her career: she performed in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Thursday, and she recently shot an Adidas ad in Santa Barbara, Calif.
"She doesn't want to look battered and have people for sorry for her," a Perry source tells Us. "She's very strong and confident."PHOTOS: Katy and Russell's zany romance
For much more on the couple's nasty split -- including Brand's plans for a tell-all book documenting his 14-month marriage to Perry -- pick up the new issue of Us Weekly, out now!
BANGKOK (AP) ? Oil fell below $98 a barrel Monday in Asia as the crude market waited for the outcome of Greece's negotiations with creditors on a deal to cut the face value of its debt by half.
Benchmark crude for March delivery was down 35 cents at $97.98 a barrel at early afternoon Bangkok time in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract fell $2.21 to end at $98.33 per barrel in New York on Friday.
Brent crude was up 29 cents at $110.15 a barrel on the ICE futures exchange in London.
Benchmark oil has ranged from ranged from about $98 to $102 in the past week. It has been buffeted by tensions in the Middle East after Iran's threat to close the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf and the likelihood that Europe will slide into recession amid the region's sovereign debt crisis.
Iran has threatened to close the strait if the U.S. and other countries impose more sanctions on it because of its nuclear program. Many analysts doubt that Iran could set up a blockade for long, but any supply shortages would cause supplies to tighten.
Over the weekend, the representative of Greece's private creditors said the talks are continuing even after his unexpected departure from the country.
A deal in Athens would allow the country to receive a second bailout package from other European governments and the International Monetary Fund, and cut Greece's debt from an estimated 160 percent of its annual economic output to 120 percent by 2020.
That is still painfully high, but without the help, Greece will not be able to pay 14.5 billion euros in debt due March 20. A Greek default would send borrowing costs higher across Europe and could trigger chaos in the global financial system.
In other energy trading on Nymex, gasoline was almost unchanged at $2.79 a gallon and heating oil was up 0.9 cent at $2.99 a gallon. Natural gas futures fell 6.6 cents to $2.28 per 1,000 cubic feet.
US prosecutors say that the video-sharing site Megaupload.com cost the US entertainment industry $500 million. Online activists worry the US case could stifle Internet freedoms around the world.
In New Zealand, police had to cut through an iron door of a safe room to get their fugitive, Kim Dotcom, the founder of an Internet-based video sharing site called Megaupload.com.
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Mr. Dotcom (a German citizen born as Kim Schmitz), along with six of his colleagues, has been charged with criminal copyright infringement, racketeering, and money laundering.
Meanwhile, a worldwide network of hackers took up the battle on behalf of Megaupload.com, launching a massive denial-of-service attack on several entertainment websites, as well as on the US Department of Justice website.
The mayhem and legal proceedings are just the opening shots in what US prosecutors are calling the largest criminal copyright case ever, and involves $500 million in damages to the entertainment industry, as well as complex legal issues of what constitutes copyright infringement in the age of YouTube, Facebook ?liking,? and DVD burners. And the legal battle is likely to reverberate around the world, as countries contemplate their own laws over intellectual property rights.
If found guilty, Dotcom and his Megaupload associates ? who are thought to have earned up to $175 million by selling advertisements on their website ?could face 20 years in prison.
The Washington Post quoted Sen. Patrick Leahy ? author of the controversial Protect IP Act (PIPA) ? praising the arrest of Dotcom.
?Today?s action by the Department of Justice against the leaders of Megaupload.com shows what law enforcement can do to protect American intellectual property that is stolen through domestic Web sites,? the Post quoted Leahy saying.
The New York Times quoted?Ira P. Rothken, a lawyer for Megaupload, as saying in a Times phone interview, ?Megaupload believes the government is wrong on the facts, wrong on the law.?
ISLAMABAD ? Pakistan's prime minister struck a conciliatory tone in an appearance before the Supreme Court Thursday, trying to cool down a political and legal crisis destabilizing the nuclear-armed country.
The unusual appearance by a head of government before a high court was the latest move in a high-stakes struggle between the civilian regime, the judges and Pakistan's powerful army generals, who have seized power three times since 1947.
At stake is the future of Pakistan's leadership and its ties to the U.S. Relations between the two countries have been strained since last May's unilateral U.S. raid that killed Osama bin Laden.
Pakistan's elected government is locked in bitter conflict with the army over a secret memo asking for Washington's help in curtailing the power of the generals after the bin Laden raid. The army was outraged by the memo, allegedly sent by the government, and pushed the Supreme Court to set up a commission to investigate. The government insists it did not send the memo.
On Thursday the Supreme Court stepped into another part of the struggle, a decade-old Swiss corruption case involving President Asif Ali Zardari. Some believe the military is maneuvering the court to depose Zardari and his government, while others point to bad blood between the president and the court's chief justice.
Against that complicated and tense background, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani agreed to honor a summons to appear before the court to answer charges he was ignoring the judiciary.
The court wants government prosecutors to formally ask Swiss authorities to reopen a shelved graft probe against Zardari, who was found guilty in absentia in a Swiss court in 2003 of laundering millions of dollars in kickbacks from Swiss companies. Zardari appealed, but in 2009 Swiss prosecutors dropped the case after a request from the Pakistani government.
Gilani insisted that Zardari is immune from prosecution. Judges didn't immediately accept that, but they adjourned for two weeks to hear more arguments in the case.
For two years, the government has been refusing orders to reopen the decade-old corruption case against Zardari, infuriating the judiciary. Zardari loyalists have long claimed that the court wants to get the president out of office, regardless of the law.
"It is my conviction that he (Zardari) has complete immunity inside and outside country," Gilani said in a 10-minute speech that was laced with humility. "I have no intention of ridiculing the court. We have the highest regard for the court."
Later, Gilani's lawyer, Aitzaz Ahsan, offered a concession to the court, agreeing to argue the issue of the president's immunity when the hearing resumes on Feb. 1. The government previously insisted presidential immunity was a right, and therefore didn't need to be debated in court.
"I will bow to the court order and will also speak on immunity to satisfy the court that the president has complete immunity," Ahsan told reporters.
Security was especially tight during the court session, which was also attended by several of Gilani's ministers and coalition partners. Police lined the roads in front of the Supreme Court, and two helicopters hovered over the building during the hearing.
Supporters and opponents of the government competed for attention outside the court. A group of about a dozen women chanted, "Long live Zardari!" while several dozen lawyers shouted slogans in favor of the court chief justice and against the president.
Political analysts said events at the court Thursday indicated something of a thaw.
"This will definitely contribute to reduce the tension, but it is not the end of the problems for the president," said political science professor Hasan-Askari Rizvi.
The crisis is distracting Pakistan's leaders from the severe economic and security challenges it faces, not least the threat posed by Islamist militants with links to al-Qaida who are waging war on the state.
On Thursday, gunmen seized two foreign aid workers, an Italian and a German, from just outside their office in the central Pakistan town of Multan, police and intelligence officials said.
The men were bundled into a car in a supposedly secure part of Multan, said the officials, who didn't give their names because of the sensitivities surroundings crimes involving foreigners.
The Italian government confirmed one its citizens had been kidnapped in Multan.
The men were working for a development agency helping victims of the 2010 floods, the officials said. They declined to say who they believed abducted the men.
Kidnappings for ransom are common in Pakistan. Islamist militants also abduct people and are currently holding at least three foreigners.
Last year, gunmen kidnapped an American from the Punjabi city of Lahore, and al-Qaida now claims to be holding him.
___
Associated Press writer Sebastian Abbot in Islamabad and Khalid Tanveer contributed to this report.
Iconic Olympic Hopefuls make up the First Global Team in P&G?s Sweeping Olympic Campaign
BOSTON - Tuesday, January 10th 2012 [ME NewsWire]
(BUSINESS WIRE)? Gillette, a P&G brand, today introduced a team of 24 world-class athletes from 18 countries that will represent the world?s leading male grooming brand at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. The athletes include Roger Federer of Switzerland, Ryan Lochte of the United States, Lin Dan of China, Emmanuel Ginobili of Argentina and Sir Chris Hoy of Great Britain. Each of these athletes will participate in activities to help inspire and encourage future generations to achieve greatness through great starts in athletics ? and in life.
The Gillette campaign will be the first program launched as part of P&G?s far-reaching 10 year partnership with the Olympic Movement. ?We think Gillette?s program is the perfect start to P&G?s Olympic Games Program,? said Marc Pritchard, P&G Global Marketing & Brand Building Officer. ?Between them, these athletes have earned 18 world records and 55 world championships and they embody the commitment to excellence that inspires us as a company.?
The selected athletes exemplify Gillette?s conviction that in athletics, and in life, a great start can make all the difference. The key to success in many sports can be linked to proper preparation and an athlete?s action in the first milliseconds, not necessarily the final moments of the contest. Gillette hopes to inspire future generations of Olympians by telling powerful, personal stories that illustrate the importance of a great start from the athletes? perspective. The campaign will also reinforce Gillette?s role in helping more than 800 million men around the world begin their day with a close, comfortable shave, a key part of their grooming ritual that helps them give them a great start to their day so they can look, feel and be their best.
Research shows that early inspiration and support through coaches, local clubs and community centers can help fuel a child?s success in life.* Gillette and the athletes will recognize an organization that gave him a great start and make a contribution or participate in a series of activities ranging from coaching, training sessions and workshops at their local organizations leading up to and immediately after The Olympics to help give future generation of Olympic hopefuls a similar opportunity.
?I have seen firsthand how a program with early involvement positively impacts a young person?s life,? said Gillette athlete Roger Federer. ?The athletes working with Gillette have a great opportunity to inspire young athletes to greatness.?
?The Gillette ambassadors exemplify the importance of a great start in life and in their athletic events,? said Patrice Louvet, P&G president of global grooming and shave care. ?We are pleased to welcome this outstanding team of athletes to the Gillette family. Together, we hope to make a real difference in the lives of young athletes around the world.?
The following athletes from around the world are united with Gillette in this effort:
Emmanuel Ginobili
Argentina, Basketball
Matteo Tagliariol
Italy, Fencing
Thomaz Bellucci
Brazil, Tennis
Shinji Kagawa
Japan, Football
Murilo Endres
Brazil, Volleyball
Yahel Castillo
Mexico, Diving
Paulo Ganso
Brazil, Football
Fernando Platas
Mexico, Diving
Felipe Franca Silva
Brazil, Swimming
Mario Bazan
Peru, Athletics (Middle Distance)
Alexandre Despatie
Canada, Diving
Nikita Lobintsev
Russia, Swimming
Tomas Gonzalez
Chile, Gymnastics
Rudy Fernandez
Spain, Basketball
Lin Dan
China, Badminton
Roger Federer
Switzerland, Tennis
Alain Bernard
France, Swimming
Andriy Govorov
Ukraine, Swimming
Paul Biedermann
Germany, Swimming
Ryan Lochte
United States, Swimming
Sir Chris Hoy
Great Britain, Cycling
Tyson Gay
United States, Athletics (100m)
Liam Tancock
Great Britain, Swimming
Albert Subirats
Venezuela, Swimming
* *additional athletes to be named later
P&G?s global partnership with the IOC in support of the Olympic Movement reaches through the next five Olympic Games from London 2012 through the 2020 Olympic Games.
In addition to Gillette?s sponsorship of these elite athletes, P&G is supporting the person who has made it possible for them to realize their Olympic dreams: mom. As the Proud Sponsor of Moms, P&G helps moms every day with brands that make life a little easier. As part of the London 2012 Olympic Games, P&G?s ?Thank You, Mom? campaign will help improve everyday life for more than one million moms around the world with a commitment to raise $5 million to support youth sport. P&G will also help thousands of moms of Olympians experience The Olympics with their children by providing services and event tickets in London.
*Harris Survey of Boys & Girls Club Alumni, interviews were conducted from Nov. 15, 2006 through March 16, 2007
About Gillette?s Sports Heritage
In the early 1900s, Gillette had the vision to see the value in connecting the brand with top-tier sports and athletes. This was a key strategy that helped the company grow into the world leader in the male shaving category. Gillette was welcomed into many U.S. homes through the historic televised broadcasts of the Gillette Cavalcade of Sports. Throughout the years, Gillette added signature events in the U.S. including championship boxing matches, college football Bowl games, Major League Baseball, PGA Tour? and the Kentucky Derby. Gillette sponsored international events including FIFA World Cup, Rugby, the Gillette Cup in Cricket and Formula One. In 2002, Gillette announced an agreement for the exclusive naming rights to the home stadium of the three-time Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots of the National Football League. Throughout the mid 2000s, the brand continued innovative marketing programs with international sports stars throughout the world. Today, Gillette continues its sports heritage tradition with sports marketing programs implemented in many regions throughout the world.
About Procter & Gamble
P&G touches and improves the lives of about 4.4 billion people around the world with its portfolio of trusted, quality brands. The Company?s leadership brands include Pampers(R), Tide(R), Ariel(R), Always(R), Whisper(R), Pantene(R), Mach3(R), Bounty(R), Dawn(R), Fairy(R), Gain(R), Pringles(R), Charmin(R), Downy(R), Lenor(R), Iams(R), Crest(R), Oral-B(R), Duracell(R), Olay(R), Head & Shoulders(R), Wella(R), Gillette(R), Braun(R), Fusion(R), Ace(R), Febreze(R), and Ambi Pur(R). With operations in about 80 countries, P&G brands are available in more than 180 countries worldwide. Please visit http://www.pg.comfor the latest news and in-depth information about P&G and its brands.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Tennessee put together one of its toughest efforts of the season to earn a victory against one of its biggest rivals.
First-year Volunteers coach Cuonzo Martin finally got the defensive effort he's been looking for from his team in a 67-56 win against No. 13 Florida on Saturday. In the process he got his first signature victory.
"It was fun to watch our guys really compete and battle," Martin said. "I don't think there have been too many times like that this year that we've played like that from a passion standpoint, playing for each other and defending the way we did."
The win was the first by an unranked Tennessee team against a ranked Florida squad since Feb. 27, 2007, when the Vols beat the fifth-ranked Gators 86-76.
Under former coach Bruce Pearl, the Vols had won eight of nine against the Gators before Pearl finished his career with a four-game losing streak that included a three-game sweep last season. Tennessee was especially dominant against Florida at home during that stretch, winning five of six at Thompson-Boling Arena.
"You want to protect your home court," Martin said. "Whether it's a new coach, new team, inexperienced guys or whatever you want to call it, you want to do everything in your power to try to protect your home court. The great ones find ways to win on the road."
The Vols (8-7, 1-0) protected their home court by fighting for good shots around their own basket and contesting the Gators all over the floor on the defensive end to limit them to a season-low points total.
Florida, which has lost all four of their true road games this year, came in averaging 85.4 points this season, best among SEC teams and fifth in the nation. The Volunteers held the Gators to 35.7 percent shooting while hitting 51 percent of their own attempts.
"I'm more disappointed with our defense than anything else in the game," Florida coach Billy Donovan said. "Both teams played hard, but the difference was the defense. At one point were we giving up 55 percent (shooting) in the second half. That was the issue."
Josh Richardson hit a 3-pointer 41 seconds into the second half that set the tone for the Vols the rest of the way. Cameron Tatum stole the ball from Erving Walker on the next possession and ran it down the floor for a dunk to give Tennessee a 38-31 lead.
Kenny Boynton hit a 3-pointer for the Gators at the other end. Boynton, who entered the game averaging 19.5 points, finished with 13. Erik Murphy also had 13 for Florida (12-4, 0-1) and Patric Young added 12.
Renaldo Woolridge answered with a layup for the Vols. Tatum drew a charge by Bradley Beal and after running a bit of an offensive set drove to the basket to hit a layup to make it 42-34.
The Vols expanded their lead as they hit 12 of 22 shots in the second half while the Gators hit only 8 of 27. Tennessee controlled the post in the second half and outscored Florida 32-20 in the paint.
"They were making shots," Murphy said. "They were getting a lot of easy baskets, because they were executing their offense really well. You know, we didn't guard as well as we could have. You combine those two together and they are going to score."
Smothered by defenders, Jordan McRae hit a jumper near the basket to give Tennessee a 65-49 lead with 1:57 to go, putting the game out of reach for Florida.
After starting every other game this season, Kenny Hall came off the bench to score a season-high 13 points. Jeronne Maymon and Trae Golden each added 12 points for Tennessee, while McRae finished with 10.
Tennessee had lost to its previous three ranked opponents this season by an average 5.7 points but looked listless in a 69-51 loss at Memphis on Wednesday.
The Gators held early practices all week trying to get used to Saturday's 11 a.m. Eastern tipoff time and got their customary strong performance from their starters, who are all averaging double-digit scoring this year. But Florida's reserves only managed one point, a free throw by Casey Prather.
Though Florida entered the game with the advantage in nearly every statistical category, the two teams played to a near draw in the first half, with Tennessee entering halftime with a 33-29 lead.
The Vols outshot the Gators 48.1 percent to 41.4 percent in the first half and had four more points in the paint. Thanks to a solid effort by McRae, who was relegated to the bench for the first time all season, the Tennessee reserves outscored Florida's 11-0 in the first half.
The victory gives the Vols a boost as they continue through a month that includes four more games against teams currently ranked among the top 15 in the nation. Tennessee travels to No. 15 Mississippi State on Thursday and hosts No. 2 Kentucky on Jan. 14.
""It was really good for us to get our confidence back after the loss at Memphis," Maymon said. "It's only one game, but we were just trying to start it off strong. Everybody's (SEC) record was 0-0, so we were just trying to start over like a new year."
Campaign information sits on a table before a campaign stop by Republican presidential candidate former House Speaker Newt Gingrich Thursday, Jan. 5, 2012, in Meredith, N.H. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Campaign information sits on a table before a campaign stop by Republican presidential candidate former House Speaker Newt Gingrich Thursday, Jan. 5, 2012, in Meredith, N.H. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
NEWPORT, N.H. (AP) ? Newt Gingrich is on the defensive in New Hampshire, fielding questions about a remark on blacks and food stamps as well as his work for Freddie Mac.
The head of the NAACP on Friday issued a statement calling the former House speaker's remarks inaccurate and divisive. Gingrich said Thursday he would speak to the group and urge them to demand "paychecks instead of food stamps." Gingrich said his words had been distorted and called the criticism "nuts."
Gingrich also faced fresh questions about his work for Freddie Mac. He said he is "perfectly happy" to make his contracts with mortgage giant public but the decision must be made by lawyers for the Center for Health Transformation, which he founded.
There was no immediate comment from the Atlanta-based center.
If you don't like Facebook Timeline, all you have to do to get rid of it is use Internet Explorer 7 -- but be prepared for a buggy experience. Facebook's latest profile redesign is not visible in IE7, and the company might soon completely phase out support for the aging browser, ZDNet suspects. It took Facebook quite awhile to cut support for IE7's ancient predecessor, Internet Explorer 6. In August 2010, Facebook had announced that its chat feature will no longer support IE6, joining many other web services that gave up on the bug-ridden browser.
[More from Mashable: Rupert Murdoch?s Wife Urges Him to Delete Insulting Tweet ? And He Does [VIDEO]]
It seems that the same fate now awaits IE7, which currently has a market share of about 4%, according to StatCounter. When you open a Facebook profile with the new Timeline feature enabled, IE7 will simply show a buggy, old version of the profile.
Officially, Facebook says it recommends using the "most up to date" version of Firefox, IE, Safari or Chrome; it doesn't, however, mention support for older versions of these browsers.
[More from Mashable: Are Text Messages Declining Worldwide? [VIDEO]]
If the move is intentional, it's hardly a surprising one. Once, support for older versions of browsers was an important feat for web services, especially popular ones. Now with many browsers, including IE, being automatically updated for users, there's little reason to keep using a browser that's more than 5 years old.
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Public release date: 26-Jan-2012
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