Drug trafficker sentenced to 16 years in San Diego (AP)

SAN DIEGO ? A former high-ranking member of the Arellano Felix drug cartel has been sentenced to 16 years in prison in San Diego for coordinating the shipments of tons of cocaine from Colombia to Mexico and eventually to the U.S.

U-T San Diego ( http://bit.ly/A0OS1S) reports that Rigoberto Yanez-Guerrero was sentenced Monday. He had been in prison in Mexico awaiting trial since 2001. He was extradited to the U.S. to face federal charges in 2010 for narcotics trafficking, money laundering and organized crime-related offenses and pleaded guilty in July.

Federal prosecutors say Yanez was the chief operator of the cartel in Mexico City between 1995 and 2001. During that time, he allegedly orchestrated the shipments of 5 to 10 tons of cocaine that made its way to the U.S.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mexico/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120131/ap_on_re_us/us_drug_trafficker_sentenced

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Gingrich calls Romney ?a pro-abortion, pro-gun-control, pro-tax-increase liberal? (The Ticket)

Newt Gingrich after attending a church service in Lutz, Florida (Matt Rourke/AP)LUTZ, Fla.--With just two days left to campaign before voters go to the polls in Florida's Republican primary, Newt Gingrich?unleashed some of his harshest criticism of Mitt Romney yet.

"This party is not going to nominate somebody who is a pro-abortion, pro-gun-control, pro-tax-increase liberal," Gingrich told reporters Sunday after he attended a morning service at a Baptist church. "It's not going to happen."

Gingrich, who has been telling crowds in Florida that if he wins the state he will go on to secure the party's nomination,?downplayed new polls showing him trailing Mitt Romney by double digits in this state and repeated his vow to stay in the race until the party convention in August.

"I think that the election will be substantially closer than the two polls that came out this morning," Gingrich said. "You'll notice that 48 hours ago there was another poll that showed us tied."

"I think there are a lot of things going on," he added. "But the most significant thing in both polls this morning is that when you add the two conservatives together, we clearly beat Romney"--a reference to the combined support for Gingrich and Rick Santorum.

Romney received the support of 42 percent of likely Republican voters in Florida in a new NBC News/Marist poll,?taken between Jan. 25 and Jan. 27. Gingrich was 15 percentage points behind, at 27 percent, while Santorum received the support of 16 percent of the poll's respondents. Ron Paul was at 11 percent. The margin of error was plus or minus 5.5 percentage points.

Another survey, conducted from Jan 24 to Jan. 26 by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research on behalf of several Florida news outlets, put Romney at 42 percent, with Gingrich at 31 percent and Santorum at 14 percent. Ron Paul came in fourth at 6 percent. The margin of error is plus or minus 4.5 percentage points.

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Sony cancels India release of 'Girl With the Dragon Tattoo' (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES, Jan 29 (TheWrap.com) ? "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" will not be hitting theaters in India.

The film was to be released on February 10, but India's Central Board of Film Certification insisted that several scenes be edited.

Director David Fincher refused to cut two love-making scenes and a rape and torture scene from his R-rated adaptation of Stieg Larsson's best-selling book.

Sony acknowledged that it would not be opening the film in India and released a statement, which read in part, "While we are committed to maintaining and protecting the vision of the director, we will, as always, respect the guidelines set by the Board."

The film has already made nearly $100 million in the U.S. and more than $165 million at the overseas box office, and appears on its way to more than $200 globally, with much of Asia still ahead.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/movies/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120130/film_nm/us_dragontattoo_india

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Germans float direct EU control over Greek budget

Greek Prime Minister Lucas Papademos, left, and Greek Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos leave Maximos Mansion after a meeting Charles Dallara and Jean Lemiere from the Institute of International Finance in Athens on Saturday Jan. 28 2012. Talks between Greece and private creditors on halving the country's privately held debt load have ended and a deal is very close, according to the creditors' representatives. (AP Photo)

Greek Prime Minister Lucas Papademos, left, and Greek Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos leave Maximos Mansion after a meeting Charles Dallara and Jean Lemiere from the Institute of International Finance in Athens on Saturday Jan. 28 2012. Talks between Greece and private creditors on halving the country's privately held debt load have ended and a deal is very close, according to the creditors' representatives. (AP Photo)

BERLIN (AP) ? Germany is proposing that debt-ridden Greece temporarily cede sovereignty over tax and spending decisions to a powerful eurozone budget commissioner before it can secure further bailouts, an official in Berlin said Saturday.

The idea was quickly rejected by the European Union's executive body and the government in Athens, with the EU Commission in Brussels insisting that "executive tasks must remain the full responsibility of the Greek government, which is accountable before its citizens and its institutions."

But the German official said the initiative is being discussed among the 17-nation currency bloc's finance ministers because Greece has repeatedly failed to fulfill its commitments under its current euro110 billion ($145 billion) lifeline.

The proposal foresees a commissioner holding a veto right against any budgetary measures and having broad surveillance ability to ensure that Greece will take proper steps to repay its debt as scheduled, the official said. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the talks are confidential.

Greece's international creditors ? the International Monetary Fund, the European Union and the European Central Bank ? already have unprecedented powers over Greek spending after negotiating with Athens stringent austerity measures and economic reforms in return for the first bailout.

The so-called troika of creditors is currently negotiating another euro130 billion rescue package for the heavily indebted country. German news magazine Der Spiegel on Saturday cited an unnamed troika official as saying Greece might actually need a euro145 billion package because of its prolonged recession.

The German proposal, first reported by the Financial Times, is likely to spark controversy in Greece.

Despite the quick rejection from the EU Commission, Germany's demand underlines the frustration of the eurozone with Greece's slack implementation of the promised reforms, spending cuts and privatizations. During every verification mission last year, the troika found huge implementation shortfalls, which in turn increased gaps in Athens' budget and intensified the need for a second bailout.

A powerful budget commissioner would further diminish the political leeway of Greece's government, just as politicians there are gearing up for an election set to take place this spring.

A government official in Athens said a similar proposal had been floated last year but got nowhere. Greece would not accept such a measure, he added. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because no formal proposal has been made by the EU or Germany yet.

The unprecedented and sweeping powers for creditors would indeed deal a huge blow to Greece's sovereignty, but they could help mobilize more support for the government in Athens from its European partners.

Several German lawmakers have repeatedly said that giving more money to Greece is unthinkable without stricter enforcement and control of the conditions attached to the rescue packages.

Greece is currently locked in a twin effort, seeking to secure a crucial debt relief deal with private investors while also tackling the pressing demands from its European partners and the IMF for more austerity measures and deeper reforms.

Failure on either front would force the country to default on its debt in less than two months, pouring new fuel on the fires of Europe's debt crisis.

In that case, Greece would likely leave the eurozone, which would bring disaster to the country, destabilize the currency bloc, fuel panic on financial markets and ultimately threaten the fragile world economy.

Despite two weeks of intensive talks, a debt relief agreement with private investors worth some euro100 billion has yet to be reached.

Greek Prime Minister Lucas Papademos and Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos met anew with representatives of international banks and other private institutions Saturday, with a final deal being very close, officials in Athens said.

A statement from the creditor representatives said the two sides are "close to the finalization" of the voluntary writedown that would roughly halve Greece's privately held debt. "We expect to conclude next week as discussions on other issues move forward," they said.

The statement also referred to a previous framework agreement which indicated that the creditors have accepted an interest rate below 4 percent for the new bonds to be issued in place of the old ones ? a very favorable rate that will make it easier for the Greek government to service its debt.

With the current troika mission still ongoing and no final deal with the private sector creditors, Greece is unlikely to feature prominently at a summit of the EU's 27 leaders Monday, according to officials in Brussels.

___

Demetris Nellas in Athens and Gabriele Steinhauser in Brussels contributed to this report.

Associated Press

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Stanley builds 5-shot lead at Torrey Pines

Kyle Stanley tees off on the seventh hole of the South Course at Torrey Pines during the third round of the Farmers Insurance Open golf tournament Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012 in San Diego. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

Kyle Stanley tees off on the seventh hole of the South Course at Torrey Pines during the third round of the Farmers Insurance Open golf tournament Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012 in San Diego. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

Kyle Stanley hits tee shot on the third hole during third round of the Farmers Insurance Open Golf tournament in San Diego, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

Kyle Stanley waves after his first putt on the third hole during third round of the Farmers Insurance Open Golf tournament in San Diego,use thi

John Huh watches his chip on the sixth hole of the South Course at Torrey Pines during the third round of the Farmers Insurance Open golf tournament Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012 in San Diego. (AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi )

John Huh watches his approach shot to the second green of the South Course at Torrey Pines during the third round of the Farmers Insurance Open golf tournament Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012 in San Diego. (AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi )

SAN DIEGO (AP) ? Kyle Stanley overpowered Torrey Pines and opened a five-shot lead Saturday in the Farmers Insurance Open.

About the only regret for Stanley was missing a 4-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole that would have broken the 54-hole tournament record set by Tiger Woods in 1998, before Rees Jones beefed up the South Course for the 2008 U.S. Open.

Stanley still managed a 4-under 68, a spot alongside Woods in the record book at 18-under 198 and great position for his first victory.

The performance looked familiar, even if the name didn't.

Woods, playing this week in Abu Dhabi, is a seven-time winner at Torrey Pines as a pro, including that U.S. Open. He used his length on the South Course, especially on the par 5s, and holed his share of putts.

That's been the recipe for Stanley, who has a slight build and enormous speed. He build a three-shot lead with a birdie on the second hole and was never really challenged on another glorious days along the Pacific bluffs.

His lone bogey came on the 12th, when he went just over the green, chipped to 6 feet and missed the putt. On the 526-yard 13th hole, he blasted a tee shot so far down the hill that Stanley had only a soft 7-iron into the green, putting it 15 feet below the hole on the fringe for a two-putt birdie.

"Are you playing this as a par 4?" Sang-Moon Bae turned and said to him with a smile.

John Huh, a 21-year-old rookie who spent three years on the Korean Tour, and John Rollins each had 68 and were at 13-under 203. FedEx Cup champion Bill Haas (70) and Bae (72) were another shot behind. Bae was 5 over through five holes until he ran off four straight birdies to start the back nine to get his name back on the leaderboard.

The question is whether anyone else is in contention.

Stanley is no surprise to those who play with him or watch him hit balls, and he nearly joined the parade of rookie winners last year until Steve Stricker rallied with birdies on the last two holes to beat him in the John Deere Classic.

Stanley had a one-shot lead over Brandt Snedeker going into the third round at Torrey Pines, and before long had a comfortable lead, just as Woods has done on this public course.

From deep rough on the par-5 sixth, Stanley hammered a shot just short of the green and pitched up to 12 feet for birdie. He hit sand wedge to 10 feet on the 10th for another birdie, then established himself on the back nine.

Along with the easy birdie on the 13th, Stanley saved par on the 14th. The day before, his approach jumped out of the rough and over the green for a double bogey. Playing it safe this time, he hit 9-iron that went well short, into the bunker, but blasted out to 8 feet and made a tricky, downhill putt for par.

His final birdie came on a 20-foot putt at the par-3 16th. No one else could make a move.

Snedeker went to tap in a 2-foot par putt on the seventh and was shocked when it made a horseshoe around the cup. He then missed his next five greens in regulation, and when he got home in two on the 13th, he three-putted. Snedeker had a 74 and fell seven behind.

"This is something you dream about as a kid," Stanley said. "But there's still one more round."

Equipped with a big lead, he said he won't play any more conservatively.

DIVOTS: Jay Don Blake in 1991 was the last player to make Torrey Pines his first PGA Tour victory. ... Ryo Ishikawa had his third consecutive round of 69 and was tied for 11th. ... Jonas Blixt had the low round Saturday at 65. Under a "University of Farmers" campaign, that was worth a $20,000 donation to his alma mater, Florida State. Cameron Tringale (Georgia Tech) had a 66 to finish second, which was worth $10,000.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-01-28-Farmers%20Insurance/id-e05a127039064562a20cc7309b8aaaed

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Leadership scramble: GOP rivals vie for title

Evelyn Solomon of Boca Raton, Fla., a supporter of Republican presidential candidate former House Speaker Newt Gingrich waits during a Republican Jewish Coalition rally at the South County Civic Center, Friday, Jan. 27, 2012, in Delray Beach, Fla. Romney and Gingrich square off over immigration and other issues as they look to woo Hispanics a day after a feisty, final debate before Tuesday?s Florida primary. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Evelyn Solomon of Boca Raton, Fla., a supporter of Republican presidential candidate former House Speaker Newt Gingrich waits during a Republican Jewish Coalition rally at the South County Civic Center, Friday, Jan. 27, 2012, in Delray Beach, Fla. Romney and Gingrich square off over immigration and other issues as they look to woo Hispanics a day after a feisty, final debate before Tuesday?s Florida primary. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Audience members cheer as Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, campaigns at Astrotech Space Operations in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Friday, Jan. 27, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The Republican presidential contenders are making a pitch to voters that sounds a lot like a children's game: Follow the leader.

When Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich aren't puffing up their own leadership credentials, they're running down the leadership skills of one another and President Barack Obama.

If anyone missed Monday's conference call from the Romney campaign about Gingrich's record as a "failed leader," not to worry. They could have tuned in to Tuesday's conference call. Or Wednesday's. Or Thursday's. Or checked out the "unreliable leader" banner splashed across a Romney news release that labeled Gingrich "unhinged." Romney's political biography, meanwhile, is all about his leadership as a businessman, Massachusetts governor and savior of the 2002 Olympic Games.

It's hard to miss Gingrich's frequent broadsides at Romney, meanwhile, for failing to provide consistent, visionary leadership. Or the former House speaker's pronouncements that he, by contrast, offers "exactly the kind of bold, tough leader the American people want." Or Gingrich's muscular descriptions of all that was accomplished in his four years as speaker in the 1990s.

Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, lagging them in the polls, keeps trying to muscle his way into the leader palooza by offering himself as the steady bet who can be counted on to offer more reliable conservative leadership than "erratic" Gingrich or "moderate" Romney.

In a race where all the candidates are trying to out-conservative one another, stressing leadership credentials gives the GOP rivals a way to try to distinguish themselves. And in a year when Obama's own leadership skills are seen as one of his weakest qualities, it gives the Republicans another arrow in their quiver as they argue over who would be most electable in a matchup with Obama come November.

Leadership is always a part of the equation in presidential elections. In 2008, for example, the candidates all were abuzz with claims that they offered "transformational" leadership. Obama announced he was running by declaring, "I want to transform this country."

This year, leadership is getting an extra dose of attention, perhaps because of statistics such as this: The share of Americans who view Obama as a strong leader slipped from 77 percent at the start of his presidency to 52 percent in a Pew Research Center poll released this month. And among Republicans, only about a fourth of those surveyed in the most recent poll viewed Obama as a strong leader, compared with 80 percent of Democrats.

At a campaign debate last week in Tampa, Fla., Gingrich and Romney both turned a question about electability into an answer about the L-word.

"This is going to come down a question of leadership," Romney said. Then the former Massachusetts governor recited his track record as a leader in business and government and took a dig at Gingrich for having to "resign in disgrace" when he was speaker in the 1990s.

Gingrich, answering the same question, aligned himself with the leadership record of conservative hero Ronald Reagan and offered himself as someone "prepared to be controversial when necessary" to bring about great change.

The answers offer a window into how differently the two candidates define leadership ? Romney more as a manager with business school credentials, Gingrich more as a big-thinking visionary.

The leadership argument is a particularly potent campaign weapon for Romney because a number of Republicans who served in Congress with Gingrich have been happy to describe his shortcomings in running the House.

"If you were somebody trying to serve with him, you were always sort of left standing with your hands empty in terms of moving forward with an actual plan or putting a plan to paper," Rep. Mary Bono Mack, R-Calif., said of Gingrich on a Romney campaign conference call on Thursday. "So for me, it's an example that he's just not an effective leader. I think Mitt has the temperament and the ability to lead."

Gingrich, who resigned after a spate of ethics problems and a poor showing for House Republicans in the 1998 elections, managed to turn even his resignation as speaker into evidence that he's a strong leader.

"I took responsibility for the fact that our results weren't as good as they should be," he said in the Tampa debate. "I think that's what a leader should do."

As for the turbulence of his tenure as speaker, Gingrich casts that, too, as evidence of his bold leadership.

"Look, I wish everybody had loved me, but I'd rather be effective representing the American people than be popular inside Washington," he said earlier in the campaign.

Stephen Wayne, a presidential scholar at Georgetown University, said the harsh judgment of Obama's presidential leadership by Republicans and even some Democrats in part is due to the high hopes that he raised during the 2008 campaign. Obama the president has been measured against the words of Obama the candidate ever since.

Now that it's campaign season again, says Wayne, "he's not competing against his own image, he's competing against a real life person that has frailties. ... In a sense, that lowers the bar for Obama."

___

AP Deputy Polling Director Jennifer Agiesta contributed to this report.

___

Follow Nancy Benac at http://www.twitter.com/nbenac

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2012-01-28-GOP-Follow%20the%20Leader/id-4296a33af707494cb8870640cc77c466

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St. Louis hosting 1st big parade on Iraq War's end

ST. LOUIS (AP) ? Large crowds are gathering in downtown St. Louis to honor Iraq War veterans Saturday during the nation's first big welcome home parade since the last troops left the country in December.

Veterans dressed in camouflage lined up alongside military vehicles at the start of the parade, while organizers handed out small American flags to people along the route, many holding signs reading "Welcome Home" and "Thanks to our service men and women."

"It's not necessarily overdue, it's just the right thing," Maj. Rich Radford, a 23-year veteran of the Army who brought his family to the event, said moments before the parade began.

Since the war ended, there has been little fanfare for returning veterans aside from gatherings at airports and military bases ? no ticker-tape parades or large public celebrations ? so two friends from St. Louis decided to change that.

"It struck me that there was this debate going on as to whether there should or shouldn't be a parade," Tom Appelbaum, one of the organizers, said ahead of the event. "Instead of waiting around for somebody somewhere to say, 'Yes, let's have a parade,' we said, 'Let's just do it.'"

They sought donations, launched a Facebook page, met with the mayor and mapped a route. They eventually raised about $35,000, with more than half coming from Anheuser-Busch and the Mayflower moving company, which both have St. Louis ties.

With 91,000 troops still fighting in Afghanistan, many Iraq veterans could be redeployed ? suggesting to some that it's premature to celebrate their homecoming. In New York, for example, Mayor Michael Bloomberg recently said there would be no city parade for Iraq War veterans in the foreseeable future because of objections voiced by military officials.

But others wanted to hold a large, public event to say thanks. While the parade marks the end of the Iraq War, all military personnel involved in post-Sept. 11 conflicts are being welcomed to take part, organizers said.

Radford, 40, said he served two tours in Iraq totaling about 25 months. When he came back from his second tour, his then-6-year-old daughter Aimee reached up and grabbed his hand, saying simply: "I missed you, daddy."

Radford's sister caught the moment with her camera, and that image now grazes T-shirts and posters for the parade, which is expected to attract thousands of people.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-01-28-Iraq%20War-Parade/id-d20a0eb066ef4de8ab405a5f89593bfd

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President Obama: I Want Second Term 'Badly' (ABC News)

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A Set of Cufflinks Fit for MI6

Wondering what to get for the stylish gadget guy this coming Valentine’s Day? ?It would be difficult for him not to love these?Polished Silver Oval Wifi and 2GB USB Cufflinks from Brookstone. ?On the surface, they’re a regular pair of classy polished silver cufflinks, but there’s more than what meets the eye. Each cap can [...]

Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2012/01/27/a-set-of-cufflinks-fit-for-mi6/

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London 2012: Olympic Village Handed Over To Organisers For Games Fit-Out

With only six months until the London 2012 Olympics, the village that will be home to athletes and officials during the Games saw its first deliveries, which included more than 5000 toilet brushes.

The carefully designed Olympic village is located within walking distance of the stadiums, as competition ramps up among the athletes, living alongside each other and in the shadow of the impressive arenas.

Four-time Olympic rowing champion Sir Matthew Pinsent helped lift the first of more than 16,000 beds that will be installed in the village.

The gargantuan task of bringing in 64,000 bed sheets and 5,000 bins, 9,000 wardrobes and more than 170,000 coat hangers has now begun. Work began initially on the thousands of apartments in 2008.

With comfort a priority for the hard training sportsmen and women, up to 11,000 sofas and 21,000 pillows will also be shipped onto the site.

There is also the temporary 24 hour, 5,000-seat main dining area plus cafe to get ready along with the Olympic Village Plaza.

This is set to be the main social hub complete with a cafe, general store, bank, beauty and grooming salon, internet lounge, London 2012 shop and entertainment centre.

There will also be a welcome centre, an initial arrival point where athletes and officials will be officially accredited for the Games.

London 2012 chief executive Paul Deighton claimed that the costs of the ?9.3 billion Olympic project was in "very good shape" in the face of reports that the budget could spiral to ?24 billion.

Sky News said a compilation of costs not included in the public sector funding package came to an extra ?2.4 billion but when the counter-terrorism budget, intelligence and security costs, extra policing and transport upgrades were included, the total came to just over ?24 billion.

Mr Deighton said: "They have added up the peripheral bits around the country and government to help the Games succeed.

"Other budgets are applied to the Games because they think it is a great way of spending money.

"I regard that as people exploiting the greatest opportunity to celebrate and invest in our future that this city is going to have in most of our lifetime. I regard that as a good thing."

VisitBritain chief executive Sandie Dawe said the Games would be "our chance to shine" for various sectors of British industry.

She said: "With only six months to go until the opening ceremony of London 2012, we are ramping up our public relations and marketing activity across the world.

"While the lighting of the cauldron to mark the beginning of the Olympic Games is a highly anticipated moment, we recognise it is also a time when four billion viewers around the globe will turn their attention to London - and Britain."

After the games, the apartments will be transformed into new accommodation for Londoners. The government has pledged to create 1,379 affordable homes, that are sustainable houses

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2012/01/27/london-2012-olympic-village-handover_n_1235738.html

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Big Brother? Google?s new privacy policy creates one massive database of your most private info (Yahoo! News)

Don't bother trying to opt out ? you can't

Ever since George Orwell wrote his novel?1984 over sixty years ago, people have been on the look out for the all-knowing Big Brother. But few would have expected the role of Big Brother to be assumed by search giant?Google, but a?new?privacy policy has people wondering if they've gone a step too far.

The new policy, which goes into effect on March 1, 2012, effectively combines the privacy policies of all the sites under the Google umbrella into one. Affected properties include Google search,?Gmail,?Google Maps,?Google+,?YouTube,?Picasa, and?Android mobile, along with more than 60 others.?Any information or data you give one of those sites will be shared amongst them all.

How do you opt out of the new Google privacy policy? Well, that's the biggest point of contention: you can't. Information about your YouTube choices might affect the Google search results you get, and your Google Maps usage might affect what ads you see the next time you search. Google will soon have a?massive, all-inclusive database of your most?private information, from your political leanings to your searches for prescription drugs. And there's nothing you can do about it, short of giving up your Google habit.

Despite the obvious privacy concerns, Google insists the change is in the best interest of users ? allowing the company to better tailor content your specific interests. Still, for a company already?under federal anti-trust investigation for manipulating search results to favor its own properties, such a wide-sweeping change to its privacy policy could bring even more unwelcome regulatory light.

[Image credit:?Robert Scoble]

(Source)

This article was written by Fox Van Allen and originally appeared on Tecca

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Rescued aid worker is recalled as devout, driven

This undated photo taken at an unknown location and released by the Danish Refugee Council on Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012 shows American Jessica Buchanan from the Danish Refugee Council's de-mining unit. U.S. military forces helicoptered into Somalia in a nighttime raid Wednesday and freed two hostages, American Jessica Buchanan, 32, and Dane Poul Hagen Thisted, 60, while killing nine pirates, officials and a pirate source said. (AP Photo/Danish Refugee Council)

This undated photo taken at an unknown location and released by the Danish Refugee Council on Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012 shows American Jessica Buchanan from the Danish Refugee Council's de-mining unit. U.S. military forces helicoptered into Somalia in a nighttime raid Wednesday and freed two hostages, American Jessica Buchanan, 32, and Dane Poul Hagen Thisted, 60, while killing nine pirates, officials and a pirate source said. (AP Photo/Danish Refugee Council)

PHILADELPHIA (AP) ? An American aid worker rescued by Navy SEALs in Somalia was a student leader at her Christian grade school, attended a religious college in suburban Philadelphia and "fell in love with Africa" while doing student teaching in Nairobi.

The Rev. Don Meyer, president of Valley Forge Christian College, said everyone at the small school in suburban Philadelphia is thankful their prayers have been answered with word that 2007 graduate Jessica Buchanan, 32, was rescued along with Poul Hagen Thisted, a 60-year-old Dane. The two were working with a demining unit when gunmen kidnapped them in October.

"Ever since Jessica was captured, we all as a community have been praying for her safety and for her safe release," Meyer said in a telephone interview. "The priority is just how grateful we are that she is safe."

The SEALs parachuted down in the early morning darkness Wednesday, killing nine kidnappers and freeing Buchanan and Hagen.

President Barack Obama ordered the rescue after intelligence indicated Buchanan's health was failing, according to a senior administration official who was not authorized to speak publicly. A Danish Refugee Council official said Buchanan was "not that ill" but needed medicine.

The family reported that her health is good, Meyer said. Relatives did not immediately comment.

The family had asked people at the school to keep quiet about the case while authorities tried to negotiate Buchanan's release, Meyer said. Now, he said, the school wants to offer its "deep gratitude" to the people who worked to free her.

Buchanan was an elementary education major at Valley Forge Christian, which has about 1,100 students, and had done a student teaching stint at Rosslyn Academy in Nairobi as part of her course work, Meyer said.

"She fell in love with Africa," he said. "She could hardly talk about Africa without tears in her eyes."

Minutes after giving his State of the Union address to Congress, Obama was on the phone with Buchanan's father to tell him his daughter was safe.

"Her life story is a model of what we prepare our students to do," Meyer said. "Now, the priority, though, is that she be joined with her family. ... It's thrilling beyond words."

Before Buchanan's family moved from Ohio years ago, she attended the now-closed Ridgeville Christian School, a preschool-through-12th-grade campus in Springboro, north of Cincinnati.

There, she was a student leader very involved in activities and sports, including basketball and volleyball, said retired high school science teacher Roy Merrill.

"She was an outstanding student," Merrill said. "She had a lot of drive to get things done."

Elementary school teacher Carol Richards said Buchanan and her family were "very Christian people."

"We are so excited," she said of the rescue. "Many prayers have been answered."

___

Sewell reported from Cincinnati.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-01-25-Somalia%20Raid-American/id-5a667fc622f74ce9b81a36f612fd62df

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Australian Open Show Court Schedules

By The Associated Press

Associated Press Sports

updated 5:34 a.m. ET Jan. 25, 2012

Thursday

At Melbourne Park

Melbourne, Australia

Play begins at 7 p.m. EST Wednesday

Rod Laver Arena

Bob and Mike Bryan (1), United States, vs. Robert Lindstedt, Sweden, and Horia Tecau (7), Romania

Not before 9:30 p.m. EST Wednesday: Kim Clijsters (11), Belgium, vs. Victoria Azarenka (3), Belarus

Maria Sharapova (4), Russia, vs. Petra Kvitova (2), Czech Republic

Night Session (3:30 a.m. EST Thursday)

Roger Federer (3), Switzerland, vs. Rafael Nadal (2), Spain

Exhibition: Martina Navratilova, United States, and Goran Ivanisevic, Croatia, vs. Martina Hingis, Switzerland, and Pat Cash, Australia

? 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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More newsNicolas Asfouri / AFP - Getty Images

No problem

??Appearing uncomfortable for much of the match, defending champion Novak Djokovic held on to beat David Ferrer 6-4, 7-6 (4), 6-1 Wednesday night and complete a blockbuster semifinal lineup at the Australian Open.

Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/46128601/ns/sports-tennis/

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ABC Finally Admits Emily Maynard is The Bachelorette

ABC finally confirmed the news we've been all but sure of for over a week: Emily Maynard is getting her second shot at love on The Bachelorette in 2012!

The 25-year-old single mom from North Carolina, will footsteps of Ashley Hebert ... who she bested for Brad Womack's love on The Bachelor last spring.

Maynard, who went on to split with Brad last summer, will begin filming in March, a source said, adding, "She's looking for a man ... not a little boy."

An interesting comment, since Brad is more than a decade older than Em.

The West Virginia native, who resides in Charlotte, N.C., with her 6-year-old daughter Ricki, was previously engaged to NASCAR driver and owner Ricky Hendrick.

He died in a plane crash in October 2004 while Maynard was pregnant, but before she even realized it. She went on to name their daughter after her late fiance.

"Emily’s strength, passion and southern charm - as a mother and as a woman - would make anyone happy to make her his wife," ABC says in a press release.

"She found love again with Brad and, even though it didn’t work out, she realized that the series can work. Among those 25 men, she is looking for someone who makes her laugh, doesn’t take himself too seriously and can be her best friend."

"Emily Maynard is hoping that the third time is the charm."

Emily Maynard as The Bachelorette: Good pick?

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2012/01/abc-finally-admits-emily-maynard-will-be-the-bachelorette/

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GOP using Obama's address to blame him for economy (AP)

WASHINGTON ? Republicans took the offensive Tuesday and cast President Barack Obama as the culprit for the economy's persistent frailty, hoping to shift the focus away from his State of the Union address' theme of economic fairness.

As they awaited the president's election season speech to the nation Tuesday night, Republicans in the Capitol and on the campaign trail accused Obama of three years of higher spending, bigger government and tax increases that have left the economy stuck in a ditch.

"If the president wants someone to blame for this economy, he should start with himself," said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. "The fact is, any CEO in America with a record like this after three years on the job would be graciously shown the door."

White House officials argue that the economy has resumed growing and generating new jobs on Obama's watch, though growth has been generally listless and the jobless rate remains at a high 8.5 percent.

One of Obama's themes will be economic fairness, including protecting the middle class and making sure the wealthy pay an equitable share of taxes. Republicans seemed determined to blunt that message and prevent the president from making it the top issue of this year's presidential and congressional elections.

"This election is going to be a referendum on the president's economic policies," which have worsened the economy, said House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio. "The politics of envy, the politics of dividing our country is not what America is all about."

Boehner said nearly 30 House-passed bills aimed at helping the economy have stalled in the Democratic-run Senate, most of them rolling back or blocking environmental, workplace and other regulations. He said he hoped Obama "will extend somewhat of an olive branch" to work with Republicans on boosting the economy.

Despite that plea, Boehner planned a symbolic move to underscore Obama's decision to put off, for now, work on the proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline from western Canada to Texas' Gulf Coast. Republicans say the project would create thousands of jobs, a claim opponents say is overstated.

Boehner invited three officials from companies he said would be hurt by the pipeline's rejection to watch the speech in the House chamber as his guests, along with a Nebraska legislator who helped plan a new pipeline route through his state, where environmental concerns have been raised.

Poised to give the GOP's formal, televised response to Obama was Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, who flirted with running for his party's presidential nomination before deciding against it last May.

The first White House budget chief under President George W. Bush, Daniels has portrayed himself as a foe of budget deficits. He has described Obama's fiscal policies as "catastrophic."

Obama was delivering his State of the Union address during a rowdy battle for the GOP presidential nomination that has ended up playing directly into Obama's theme of economic fairness.

That fight has called attention to the wealth of one of the top contenders, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, and the low ? but legal ? effective federal income tax rate of around 15 percent that the multi-millionaire has paid in the past two years. Romney, who is in Florida campaigned for that state's Jan. 31 primary, released his tax documents for that period on Tuesday.

"The president's agenda sounds less like "built to last" and more like doomed to fail," Romney said in remarks prepared for delivery Tuesday in Tampa, Fla. "What he's proposing is more of the same: more taxes, more spending, and more regulation."

Romney's chief rival so far, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, said in a written statement that the top question about Obama's speech was whether he "will show a willingness to put aside the extremist ideology of the far left and call for a new set of policies that could lead to dramatic private sector job creation and economic growth."

The Republican National Committee was airing a television commercial in North Carolina, Virginia, Michigan and Washington, D.C., blaming Obama for 13 million people out of work and citing the bankruptcy of California energy company Solyndra, which received more than $500 million in federally backed loans.

The ad shows an Obama interview from 2009, in which he said about the faltering economy, "If I don't have this done in three years, then this is going to be a one-term proposition," a reference to his presidency.

The chairman of the House GOP's campaign arm, Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas, also used Obama's speech to reach out to supporters in an email.

"Unlike Democrats, House Republicans are fighting to strengthen our economy and allow small businesses to create jobs for hard working Americans," he wrote.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/obama/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120124/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_state_of_union_gop_reaction

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Warrant needed for GPS tracking, high court says (AP)

WASHINGTON ? In a rare defeat for law enforcement, the Supreme Court unanimously agreed on Monday to bar police from installing GPS technology to track suspects without first getting a judge's approval. The justices made clear it wouldn't be their final word on increasingly advanced high-tech surveillance of Americans.

Indicating they will be monitoring the growing use of such technology, five justices said they could see constitutional and privacy problems with police using many kinds of electronic surveillance for long-term tracking of citizens' movements without warrants.

While the justices differed on legal rationales, their unanimous outcome was an unusual setback for government and police agencies grown accustomed to being given leeway in investigations in post-Sept. 11 America, including by the Supreme Court. The views of at least the five justices raised the possibility of new hurdles down the road for police who want to use high-tech surveillance of suspects, including various types of GPS technology.

"The Supreme Court's decision is an important one because it sends a message that technological advances cannot outpace the American Constitution," said Donald Tibbs, a professor at the Earle Mack School of Law at Drexel University. "The people will retain certain rights even when technology changes how the police are able to conduct their investigations."

A GPS device installed by police on Washington, D.C., nightclub owner Antoine Jones' Jeep and tracked for four weeks helped link him to a suburban house used to stash money and drugs. He was sentenced to life in prison before an appeals court overturned his conviction.

It's not clear how much difficulty police agencies would have with warrant requirements in this area; historically they are rarely denied warrants they request. But the Obama administration argued that getting one could be cumbersome, perhaps impossible in the early stages of an investigation. In the Jones case, police got a warrant but did not install the GPS device until after the warrant had expired and then in a jurisdiction that wasn't covered by the document.

Justice Antonin Scalia said the government's installation of the device, and its use of the GPS to monitor the vehicle's movements, constituted a search, meaning a warrant was required. "Officers encroached on a protected area," Scalia wrote.

Relying on a centuries-old legal principle, he concluded that the police action without a warrant was a trespass and therefore an illegal search. He was joined in his opinion by Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Anthony Kennedy, Clarence Thomas and Sonia Sotomayor.

All nine justices agreed that the GPS monitoring on the Jeep violated the Fourth Amendment's protection against unreasonable search and seizure, a decision the American Civil Liberties Union said was an "important victory for privacy."

But there was a major division between Scalia, the court's conservative leader, and Justice Samuel Alito, a former federal prosecutor and usually a Scalia ally, over how much further the court should go beyond just saying that police can't put a GPS device on something used by a suspect without a warrant.

Alito wrote, in a concurring opinion, that the trespass was not as important as the suspect's expectation of privacy and the duration of the surveillance.

"The use of longer-term GPS monitoring in investigations of most offenses impinges on expectations of privacy," Alito wrote in an opinion joined by Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer and Elena Kagan. Sotomayor in her concurring opinion specifically said she agreed with Alito on this conclusion.

No justice embraced the government's argument that the surveillance of Jones was acceptable because he had no expectation of privacy for the Jeep's location on public roads.

Alito added, "We need not identify with precision the point at which the tracking of this vehicle became a search, for the line was surely crossed before the four-week mark."

Regarding the issue of duration, Scalia wrote that "we may have to grapple" with those issues in the future, "but there is no reason for rushing forward to resolve them here."

Sotomayor, in her separate opinion, wrote that it may be time to rethink all police use of tracking technology, not just long-term GPS.

"GPS monitoring generates a precise, comprehensive record of a person's public movement that reflects a wealth of detail about her familial, political, religious and sexual associations," Sotomayor said. "The government can store such records and efficiently mine them for information for years to come."

Alito also said the court and Congress should address how expectations of privacy affect whether warrants are required for remote surveillance using electronic methods that do not require the police to install equipment, such as GPS tracking of mobile telephones. Alito noted, for example, that more than 322 million cellphones have installed equipment that allows wireless carriers to track the phones' locations.

"If long-term monitoring can be accomplished without committing a technical trespass ? suppose for example, that the federal government required or persuaded auto manufacturers to include a GPS tracking device in every car ? the court's theory would provide no protection," Alito said.

Sotomayor agreed. "It may be necessary to reconsider the premise that an individual has no reasonable expectation of privacy in information voluntarily disclosed to their parties," she said.

Washington lawyer Andy Pincus called the decision "a landmark ruling in applying the Fourth Amendment's protections to advances in surveillance technology." Pincus has argued 22 cases before the Supreme Court and filed a brief in the current case on behalf of the Center for Democracy and Technology, a civil liberties group with expertise in law, technology and policy.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., said the court's decision was "a victory for privacy rights and for civil liberties in the digital age." He said the ruling highlighted many new privacy threats posed by new technologies. Leahy has introduced legislation to update the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, a 1986 law that specifies standards for government monitoring of cellphone conversations and Internet communications.

The lower appellate court that threw out Jones' conviction also objected to the duration of the surveillance.

The case is U.S. v. Jones, 10-1259.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120123/ap_on_hi_te/us_supreme_court_gps_tracking

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Two car bombs kill 10 in Iraq capital: sources (Reuters)

BAGHDAD (Reuters) ? Bombs in two parked cars exploded in a mainly Shi'ite area of Iraq's capital on Tuesday, killing at least 10 people and wounding 31, police and hospital sources said.

The first blast occurred near a group of laborers gathered to wait for jobs and the second near a traffic intersection, both in the northeastern Sadr City area of Baghdad.

Iraq has been hit by a number of bombings targeting Shi'ites after a political crisis that has threatened to break up its fragile coalition government and raised fears of renewed sectarian violence after U.S. troops pulled out in mid-December.

Violence in Iraq has dropped sharply from the height of sectarian killing in 2006-2007, but insurgents and militias still carry out daily attacks and assassinations in an attempt to undermine the government.

(Reporting by Kareem Raheem; Writing by Aseel Kami; Editing by Louise Ireland)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/iraq/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120124/wl_nm/us_iraq_violence

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Sony's new cameraphone CMOS jams bigger gear into the same space (video)

Sony's done gone and developed a new back-illuminated CMOS designed to improve the state of your casual camerawork. Traditional units mount a merged pixel-sensor and circuit on a supporting substrate -- the innovation here is to produce the two separately and layer them without any additional material. This makes manufacturing easier and without a mount, you're able to lever-in bigger kit into the same space. It's also packing HDR Movie, which like the still-image version, will produce better moving pictures in tricky light. An eight-megapixel version will ship to cellphone producers in March, with a 13-megapixel edition following in June and if Sony's really successful, it might earn enough to buy a copy of Photoshop rather than producing release images in MS Paint.

Continue reading Sony's new cameraphone CMOS jams bigger gear into the same space (video)

Sony's new cameraphone CMOS jams bigger gear into the same space (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Jan 2012 11:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/23/sony-layered-cmos/

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Rep. Giffords to resign from Congress this week

FILE - This Jan. 8, 2012 file photo shows Rep. Gabrielle Giffords waving at the start of a memorial vigil remembering the victims and survivors one year after the Arizona congresswoman was wounded in a shooting that killed six in Tucson, Ariz. Giffords announced, Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012 she will resign from Congress this week. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, file)

FILE - This Jan. 8, 2012 file photo shows Rep. Gabrielle Giffords waving at the start of a memorial vigil remembering the victims and survivors one year after the Arizona congresswoman was wounded in a shooting that killed six in Tucson, Ariz. Giffords announced, Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012 she will resign from Congress this week. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, file)

This video image provided by the Office of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords shows Giffords and her husband, Mark Kelly, walking. Giffords announced Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012 she intends to resign from Congress this week to concentrate on recovering from wounds suffered in an assassination attempt a little more than a year ago. (AP Photo/Office of Gabrielle Giffords)

FILE - In this Jan. 2, 2012, file photo Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, left, accompanied by her husband, former astronaut Mark Kelly, reacts after leading the Pledge of Allegiance at the start of a memorial vigil remembering the victims and survivors one year after the Arizona congresswoman was wounded in a shooting that killed six othersin Tucson, Ariz. Giffords said Sunday Jan, 22, 2012, that she will resign from Congress this week. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

This video image provided by the office of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords shows Giffords announcing her plans to resign, Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012. (AP Photo/Office of Gabrielle Giffords)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Rep. Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona announced Sunday she intends to resign from Congress this week to concentrate on recovering from wounds suffered in an assassination attempt a little more than a year ago that shook the country.

"I don't remember much from that horrible day, but I will never forget the trust you placed in me to be your voice," the Democratic lawmaker said on a video posted without prior notice on her Facebook page.

"I'm getting better. Every day my spirit is high," she said. "I have more work to do on my recovery. So to do what's best for Arizona, I will step down this week."

Giffords was shot in the head and grievously wounded last January as she was meeting with constituents outside a supermarket in Tucson, Ariz. Her progress had seemed remarkable, to the point that she was able to walk dramatically into the House chamber last August to cast a vote.

Her shooting prompted an agonizing national debate about super-charged rhetoric in political campaigns, although the man charged in the shooting later turned out to be mentally ill.

In Washington, members of Congress were told to pay more attention to their physical security. Legislation was introduced to ban high-capacity ammunition clips, although it never advanced.

Under state law, Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer must call a special election to fill out the remainder of Giffords' term, which ends at the end of 2012.

President Barack Obama on Sunday called Giffords "the very best of what public service should be."

"Gabby's cheerful presence will be missed in Washington," Obama said. "But she will remain an inspiration to all whose lives she touched ? myself included. And I'm confident that we haven't seen the last of this extraordinary American."

House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said he saluted Giffords "for her service and for the courage and perseverance she has shown in the face of tragedy. She will be missed."

In a statement, House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi of California said that "since the tragic events one year ago, Gabby has been an inspiring symbol of determination and courage to millions of Americans."

Democratic officials had held out hope for months that the congresswoman might recover sufficiently to run for re-election or even become a candidate to replace retiring Republican Sen. Jon Kyl.

The shooting on Jan. 8, 2011, left six people dead, a federal judge and a Giffords aide among them. Twelve others were wounded.

A 23-year-old man, Jared Lee Loughner, has pleaded not guilty to 49 charges in the shooting. He has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and is being forcibly medicated at a Missouri prison facility in an effort by authorities to make him mentally ready for trial.

In the months since she was shot, Giffords, 41, has been treated in Houston as well as Arizona as she re-learned how to walk and speak.

She made a dramatic appearance on the House floor Aug. 2, when she unexpectedly walked in to vote for an increase in the debt limit. Lawmakers from both parties cheered her presence, and she was enveloped in hugs.

More recently, she participated in an observance of the anniversary of the shooting in Arizona.

In "Gabby: A Story of Courage and Hope," a book released last year that she wrote with her husband, the astronaut Mark Kelly, she spoke of how much she wanted to get better, regain what she lost and return to Congress.

She delivers the last chapter in her own voice, saying in a single page of short sentences and phrases that everything she does reminds her of that horrible day and that she was grateful to survive.

"I will get stronger. I will return," she wrote.

Giffords was shot in the left side of the brain, the part that controls speech and communication.

Kelly commanded the space shuttle Endeavour on its last mission in May. She watched the launch from Cape Canaveral, Fla.

Kelly, who became a NASA astronaut in 1996 and made four trips into space aboard the space shuttle, retired in October.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-01-22-US-Giffords-Resign/id-b17fea057a1746ec85412a584c46e915

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Junk food in schools gets weighty reprieve

On-site sale of sugary snacks may not feed obesity

Web edition : 5:05 pm

Controversial sales of candy, soda and other junk food in middle schools don?t weigh heavily on students? waistlines. This surprising finding ? based on a study that followed almost 20,000 kids through middle school ? suggests that obesity prevention programs should target children in their homes and communities during the preschool years, when eating habits form, researchers say.

Some scientists who study childhood obesity caution that the new investigation may underestimate a tendency for students to gain weight in middle schools that offer high-calorie alternatives to standard lunches.

Boys and girls, kids from rich families and poor ones, and students of different races displayed no greater tendency to get heavier or to become obese in middle schools stocked with sugary and fatty goodies, as opposed to schools free of junk food, say sociologists Jennifer Van Hook and Claire Altman, both of Pennsylvania State University in University Park.

Their report appears in the January Sociology of Education.

?Children may face greater risks for obesity at home than at school, even if their schools sell junk food,? Van Hook says.

Kids? eating patterns may take root well before middle school, she proposes. Also, middle school students? structured schedules may leave little opportunity to scarf junk food during the day.

The researchers? findings don?t exclude the possibility that some individuals find ways to eat enough junk food at school to gain weight, Van Hook adds.

She and Altman analyzed height and weight data for a nationally representative sample of 19,450 children who were fifth-graders from 2003 to 2004 and eighth-graders from 2006 to 2007, attending both grades in the same county. School principals provided information about foods available for purchase at their schools.

But principals usually don?t know what foods are available in their own schools? vending machines and lunch lines, raising doubts about the new study?s accuracy, says nutrition scientist Mary Story of the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. Van Hook and Altman lacked ?absolutely essential? data on individual kids? eating habits at school, which would directly show whether junk food availability led to weight gains, Story adds.

A more comprehensive national study conducted in 2004 and 2005 linked junk food sold in vending machines in or near school lunch areas with increased student body weight, Story says. She estimates that 40 percent of elementary and secondary school students in that study obtained enough daily calories, on average, from food other than school lunches to gain weight.

About 59 percent of fifth-graders and 86 percent of eighth-graders in the new analysis attended schools that sold junk food. Yet the overall percentage of overweight or obese students in the study sample decreased slightly from fifth to eighth grade, from approximately 39 percent to 35 percent. In 2008, an estimated 35.5 percent of 6- to 11-year-olds in the United States were either overweight or obese.

Even if further research confirms the new finding, epidemiologist Daniel Taber of the University of Illinois at Chicago argues, junk food sales in schools should be curtailed. Kids can adapt to anti-obesity programs that target junk food in their homes and neighborhoods by eating more of the stuff at school, he explains.

?If schools are not part of the solution to childhood obesity,? he says, ?they will be part of the problem.?

Found in: Behavior and Humans

Source: http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/337789/title/Junk_food_in_schools_gets_weighty_reprieve

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Madagascar's exiled president vows return Saturday (AP)

JOHANNESBURG ? The president of Madagascar, exiled in South Africa since a 2009 coup, said Friday he will return to his Indian Ocean homeland on Saturday even though he faces arrest there.

Following the coup, Marc Ravalomanana was convicted in absentia of conspiracy to commit murder in a case related to the turmoil during his overthrow. The court was appointed by Andry Rajoelina, who took power with the military's backing in 2009. Ravalomanana called the tribunal illegitimate.

"Any attempt to arrest me will be unlawful," Ravalomanana told reporters Friday. "I have not committed any of the crimes of which I am accused by the illegal regime."

Harry Laurent Rahajason, the government spokesman in Madagascar, said Ravalomanana "will be arrested" if he returns.

Attempts to find a political solution in Madagascar have been troubled. A new prime minister and unity Cabinet that took office last year were greeted with protests by some opposition figures and skepticism from the international community. Rajoelina appears firmly in control.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/africa/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120120/ap_on_re_af/af_madagascar

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Maldives journalists say gov't intimidating them (AP)

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka ? The Maldives government is threatening and harassing the media over their reporting of a political crisis and the military's arrest of the nation's top criminal court judge, a journalists' group said Thursday.

The Maldives Journalists' Association said in a statement that television stations are being penalized for airing opposition politicians' comments that authorities perceive to be lies.

An independent regulator, the Maldives Broadcasting Commission, accused the communication minister of threatening to withdraw frequencies of television and radio stations after he accused the commission of failing to monitor media.

Communication Minister Adil Saleem denied the allegations of harassment but said that he told the commission that he may have to withdraw media frequencies until the commission works out a mode for proper monitoring.

Judge Abdulla Mohamed was arrested Monday after he released an opposition leader who had been detained without a warrant. He is still under military custody despite the supreme court and the prosecutor general calling for his release.

MJA President Ahmed Zahir said the government has been unhappy over the media reporting on alleged corruption, mismanagement and the arrest, and live telecasts of opposition protests.

"The responsibility of a remark or a comment made by an individual or a political party shall be undertaken by themselves, but not by the broadcaster or the publisher," the MJA said. "Media is only a vessel which carries comments and interviews of both the government and the opposition."

The broascasting commission also said that the minister had no legal power to suspend or revoke a broadcasting license.

"We are concerned that the recent attempts to intimidate the media both directly and indirectly will result in grave consequences to the maturing process of an infant industry," the commission said.

Saleem said of the alleged intimidation, "We are for media freedom, we are for democracy. All we are saying is not to deceive the public."

Saleem said he felt some television stations were using old video clips to exaggerate crowds during live coverage of opposition protests.

On Thursday about 500 protesters gathered in capital Male to demand the release of the judge and a halt to arbitrary arrests. "No to dictatorship. We want justice," they cried.

Maldives was under 30-year autocratic rule until the government of former pro-democracy political prisoner President Mohamed Nasheed was elected in the country's first free elections in 2008.

The current crisis arose after opposition politician Mohamed Jameel Ahmed in a television interview allegedly accused Nasheed's government of trying to undermine Islam with the support of Christians and Jews. Islam is the official state religion of Maldives, and practicing other faiths is banned.

Police have brought Ahmed before court three times on allegations of hate speech but the court has freed him on all occasions.

The Maldives government has warned of rising Islamic extremism in this Indian Ocean archipelago of 300,000 people.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/asia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120119/ap_on_re_as/as_maldives_politics

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