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Patrick Brown on the Emphas.is Book Publishing Platform By his own account, Patrick Brown is a stubborn man. Undeterred by beatings, police detentions or exotic illnesses, he has spent most of the past decade obsessively documenting the illegal trade of endangered species. Almost as great a task, however, has been trying to sell his project, "Trading in Extinction," to book publishers on four continents. Many turned him down because of what they perceived as unpalatable subject matter. Others just demanded he pay for the privilege of being published. "One publisher didn't even want to see the work," he said. He just wanted to know if I had $30,000. I didn't have it, because I spent my entire life savings producing this body of work."" The experience left him frustrated and demoralized - but still determined. His luck changed when Emphas.is, the photography crowd-sourcing Web site, invited him to participate in its book publishing venture which began Monday. The photographers Peter Dench and William Daniels are also featured. The founders of Emphas.is Publishing - Karim Ben Khelifa, Tina Ahrens and Walter Tjantele - are trying to fill a void for photographers trying to publish documentary and photojournalism projects. "The publishing world today is not really sympathetic to photojournalists and probably with good reason," Mr. Ben Khelifa said. I think publishers do what they can, but photojournalism is a small niche. And that makes it hard for them to get the return. The goal of Emphas.is Publishing is to help photographers produce books affordably while retaining full editorial and design control. Emphas.is will assist in financing, printing, shipping, warehousing, distribution and promotion. All production costs will be raised in advance by pre-selling 100 limited-edition signed volumes, packaged with an archival photographic print, for $100. Larger prints and other services, like workshops, may also be used to defray production costs. Printed in Italy, a typical press run would be 1,000 copies. The remaining 900 books will also be pre-sold or made available through bookstores, social networks and the Emphas.is Web site. Mr. Brown, who is represented by Panos Pictures and won a World Press Award in 2004, does not see himself as an animal activist. He wears leather shoes and enjoys a good steak. But the story of the exotic animal trade was not being told when he started a decade ago. The profits were enormous - for the smugglers, not for him - with rhinoceros horns selling for more per ounce than gold. If enough people pre-order Mr. Brown's book, he will have completed what he set out to do 10 years ago: expose the devastating effects of the trade on endangered animal species. Much more attention has been paid to the issue since he started, and he said he hopes that as enforcement increases, smugglers will look elsewhere. "A smuggler is a smuggler," Mr. Brown said. He doesn't care whether it's half a tiger, guns or heroin. At the end of the day, it's all about making a profit.

32 Kurdish rebel supporters arrested ANKARA, Turkey, Jan. 13 (UPI) -- Turkish police Friday arrested 32 people suspected of supporting a Kurdish rebel group that is fighting for autonomy in Turkey's southeast. The nationwide crackdown is part of an investigation into alleged ties between Kurdish activists and separatist militants, Voice of America reported. The operation targeted the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party, with raids on the homes and offices of party members Friday. Included in the raids was the Ankara office of Kurdish lawmaker Leyla Zana. Zana was convicted in 1994 of having ties to the militant Kurdish group Kurdistan Workers' Party and spent 10 years in prison, Voice of America reported. Since 1984, the PKK, considered a terrorist group, has waged a campaign for autonomy in southeastern Turkey. The fighting has resulted in the deaths of more than 40,000 people.

Rooney Mara makes a quiet entrance at her first Golden Globes Rooney Mara - nominee for lead actress in a drama and a Golden Globes novice - seemed eerily calm as she headed into the ballroom, dressed in a black Nina Ricci gown evocative of her Lisbeth Salander character in "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo." Looking as slender as a swan, the "Dragon Tattoo" star was left largely unmolested by an excitable crowd that lost its mind over Harrison Ford and Meryl Streep, but seemed to miss her due to her low-key energy. "I feel very honored to be here," she said quietly. Award season has been fun, the young actress said, in part because fashion designers have been clamoring to dress her on the red carpet. I feel very lucky that they've been so generous. PHOTOS: Golden Globes 2012 red carpet That said, "The guys get all the luck" when it comes to doing time on the red carpet, she said when asked the whereabouts of her costar Daniel Craig. I think I'll just see him inside. And as for a possible second installment in the "Dragon Tattoo" series? Mara said she's not preparing yet because if it gets the green light, filming won't begin for a few months. "I'd be very excited if it did happen," she said - again, quietly. Golden Globes 2012: Let the red carpet arrivals begin! Golden Globes: For Jessica Chastain, a little Champagne will 'Help' Kate Mara on the Rooney Mara rivalry, and her sexy 'American Horror Story' character Amy Kaufman and Jessica Gelt Photo: Rooney Mara on the Globes red carpet. Credit: Frederic J. Brown / AFP / Getty Images

Articles of Faith: Did Austerity Politics Kill Compassionate Conservatism? House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan at a news conference at the U.S. Capitol, August 1, 2011 in Washington, DC. In the wake of the debt-ceiling debate, young voters might find it hard to believe that just ten years ago, "compassionate conservative" was a mantle worn with a straight face by many GOP leaders. In fact, you could argue that George W. Bush split the independent vote with Al Gore in 2000 because of his image as a compassionate conservative. Now, of course, in the era of the kick-ass-and-kill-programs Tea Party, few Republicans who value their careers would run as a touchy-feely politician. But is compassionate conservatism dead, or just mostly dead? Marvin Olasky, widely credited as the author of compassionate conservatism and editor of the conservative evangelical magazine WORLD, is still around. And he's displeased enough with the GOP's current leadership to rebuke them for embracing the individualism of Ayn Rand. "For nearly a decade Democrats have sought a religious wedge issue that could separate big chunks of white evangelical voters from their Republican home," Olasky wrote in July. Now they've found it, and are thrusting at the Social Darwinist/Ayn Rand underbelly of American conservatism. Olasky isn't just warning Republicans that they may have handed Democrats a wedge issue in the form of a philosopher who sought to replace religion with capitalism-although there is some of that in Olasky's tone. He's also siding with the left's criticism: "Religious liberals are now rightly chastising conservatives who idolize [Rand]." The father of compassionate conservatism might be expected to go after those who mock the idea that government can be a partner in helping the most vulnerable in society. But other stalwarts in the evangelical community have spoken up as well. In the spring, Chuck Colson warned that Rand "peddles a starkly anti-Christian philosophy." And the Family Research Council-no Democratic shill-recently ran an essay calling on conservatives to "exorcize Ayn Rand" and to read their Bibles and Constitutions. "They will find in these enduring documents no syllable to support the morbid maunderings of Ayn Rand," wrote FRC fellow Robert Morrison. You could argue that Olasky and his peers are as upset by Rand's ridicule of Christianity and religious belief as by her philosophy of atheistic self-interest. And you might be right, although that still poses a problem for the party that sometimes like to style itself as "God's Own Party." The debt ceiling debate, however, triggered criticisms of the GOP more in line with the substance of compassionate conservatism, particularly from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Last week, as Congress was considering various Republican proposals to end the debt ceiling stand-off, the bishops sent a letter to Capitol Hill warning: A just framework for future budgets cannot rely on disproportionate cuts in essential services to poor persons. It requires shared sacrifice by all, including raising adequate revenues, eliminating unnecessary military and other spending, and addressing the long-term costs of health insurance and retirement programs fairly." [emphasis original] In other words, a just budget as the U.S. bishops envision it is not possible given the vows Republican leaders have taken to oppose all tax increases and cuts to military spending. The letter ended with this sharply-worded conclusion: The moral measure of this budget debate is not which party wins or which powerful interests prevail, but rather how those who are jobless, hungry, homeless or poor are treated. Their voices are too often missing in these debates, but they have the most compelling moral claim on our consciences and our common resources. The bishops" letter reached Congress just a week after the conservative Heritage Foundation released a report arguing, among other things, that Americans living under the poverty line are not actually poor because they have household appliances like refrigerators. Embarrassingly, the Heritage Foundation appears to have relied on a mistranslation of one of the Beatitudes: "Blessed are the poor, for their spoilt milk shall earn them the kingdom of heaven." The bishops wrote Congress earlier this year as well to express "serious concerns" about Rep. Paul Ryan's budget. Conservative columnist and former Bush speechwriter Michael Gerson has also called out his fellow Republicans from time to time, particularly over cuts to foreign aid programs. But are pleas for compassion come budget time and occasional shamings over Ayn Rand worship enough to constitute a compassionate conservative caucus on the right? Probably not. The days of Stephen Goldsmith and John DiIulio and even George W. Bush are over just as much as those of the Nelson Rockefeller Republicans. There are two dominant responses to tough economic times-redoubled altruism and redoubled libertarianism-and the Tea Party adamantly stands for the latter. The un-compassionate policies of today's GOP, however, may force some religious voters and leaders to ask themselves some tough questions next year. Catholic leaders have played a significant role in recent elections by making clear-sometimes explicitly-that a candidate's position on abortion is what matters most. Republican politicians sometimes seem determined to test how much they can get away with because of their opposition to abortion. Likewise, conservative evangelicals have professed to care most that a candidate is a person of strong faith, a bar that has been at times ridiculously low. Whether the new apostles of Ayn Rand meet that bar will be for those evangelical voters to decide. Amy Sullivan is contributing writer at TIME, and author of the book The Party Faithful: How and Why Democrats are Closing the God Gap (Scribner, 2008). Articles of Faith, her column on the intersection of religion and politics, appears on TIME.com every Friday.

Up next for USC basketball: Saturday vs. Utah at Galen Center January 28, 2012 On the air: TV: Prime Ticket; Radio: 830. Records: USC 5-16, 0-8 Pac-12; Utah 5-15, 2-6. Update: Utah has not won a road game. And the Trojans would like to help the Utes continue that streak while ending their own nine-game skid. Utah is coming off a 76-49 loss to UCLA. Junior guard Chris Hines is averaging 11.1 points a game in conference play. Utah's victories have come against San Diego Christian, Idaho State, Portland, Washington State and Arizona State. USC will be without sophomore 7-footer Dewayne Dedmon, who suffered a knee injury during Thursday's loss to Colorado. Guard Maurice Jones is averaging 14.5 points a game for the Trojans.

COL BKB: Georgetown 52, Rutgers 50 WASHINGTON, Jan. 21 (UPI) -- Otto Porter's free throws with 8.5 seconds left Saturday boosted 12th-ranked Georgetown to a 52-50 Big East Conference win over Rutgers. The Hoyas (16-3, 6-2 Big East) hung on for their third straight victory after Rutgers' Eli Carter missed a driving layup as the final buzzer sounded. With 25 seconds to play and the score tied 50-50, the Scarlet Knights' Myles Mack missed a 3-pointer, the Hoyas gained control and Porter was then fouled away from the ball. Porter (nine points) proceeded to convert two foul shots, breaking a 50-50 tie. Henry Sims led Georgetown with 12 points and 10 rebounds, while Jason Clark also reached double figures with 11 points. Carter finished with 14 points for the Scarlet Knights (11-9, 3-4).

Mitt Romney leads in new Des Moines Register poll Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney holds a razor-thin edge over Texas Rep. Ron Paul with just three days left before the Iowa caucuses, according to a Des Moines Register poll released Saturday night. Republican Presidential hopeful and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney speaks during the Republican Jewish Coalition 2012 Presidential Candidates Forum December 7, 2011 at Ronald Reagan Building and International Center in Washington, DC. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) Romney takes 24 percent to 22 percent for Paul. Former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum places third with 15 percent. But he is also clearly the candidate with most momentum; over the final two days of the four-day survey, Santorum's support surged to 21 percent ahead of Paul and just behind Romney. The second tier of candidates includes former House Speaker Newt Gingrich at 12 percent, Texas Gov. Rick Perry at 11 percent and Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann at 7 percent. The race remains relatively fluid, however, as more than four in ten likely caucus-goers say they could still change their mind on a candidate before the Jan. 3 vote. The poll comes just 72 hours before Iowa kicks off the 2012 Republican presidential nominating fight. It also comes on the heels of two other surveys - one for NBC/Marist, the other for CNN/Time - that showed Romney and Paul closely bunched in first or second and with Santorum rapidly moving up into third place. It represents a major swing from a Register survey conducted in early December that showed Gingrich in the lead with 25 percent followed by Paul at 18 percent and Romney at 16 percent. Santorum took just six percent in that poll. In 2008, the Register poll, which is conducted by J. Ann Selzer, accurately predicted the order of finish in the hotly contested Democratic Iowa caucuses.

ManTech to continue MRAP support FAIRFAX, Va., Jan. 13 (UPI) -- The U.S. Army has given ManTech International a contract modification to continue rapid assessment and repair of Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles. The contract period is for two months, with eight one-month options. The value of the award if all options are exercised is $506.8 million. ManTech said the award from the U.S. Army TACOM Lifecycle Management Command includes technology insertion, upgrades and modifications, particularly in regard to route clearance vehicles, as well as performing warehouse operations, logistics management and distribution of materiel. The work will be conducted in Afghanistan, Kuwait and at U.S. locations as needed. "The MRAP FoV program is an important component of the Army's effort to protect its personnel," said Louis M. Addeo, president and chief operating officer of ManTech's Technical Services Group. ManTech is honored to continue helping in this significant endeavor. Kevin C. Cody, business unit president of ManTech's Systems Sustainment and Integrated Logistics business unit, said: "We are proud to continue our support to the MRAP program. We value the significance this program has to the safety of our nation's warfighters.

High Speed Rail 2: the debate Louise Ellman, Chair of the Transport Select Committee, said there a was "good case" for HS2 and "no better alternative" to the building of the rail link between London and Birmingham. Manuel Cortes, leader of the TSSA rail union, said the investment would help end the north-south divide "which has blighted the country for so long." It will also create tens of thousands of new jobs over the next 15 years, he said. In total the proposed rail lines are set to cut through the seats of five ministers and 11 Conservative backbenchers. Cheryl Gillan threatened to resign as Welsh Secretary if HS2 went ahead Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, became the most high profile figure to oppose the HS2 plans in July when he labelled the scheme "perverse" and "inadequate." In a letter to Jerry Marshall, chairman of anti-HS2 campaigners AGHAST, he wrote of "significant environmental concerns," adding: "I am seeking substantial changes in design of the route to ensure these impacts are properly addressed, preferably by tunnelling the whole route through London. Without such changes I cannot support the current proposal. Boris Johnson called the early plans for HS2 "perverse" Natural England, the Environment Agency, English Heritage and The Forestry Commission voiced concerns that ancient forests will be destroyed along with wildlife and habitats. Natural England, the Government's statutory adviser on the environment, says the route will have "a severe, significant effect on the natural beauty of the Chilterns," a designated area of outstanding natural beauty, while The Forestry Commission says at least 125 hectares of woodland will be lost if HS2 goes ahead, including 29 hectares of ancient woods and 13 hectares of woods accessible to the public. Changes were announced today which the Government claimed would prevent these areas from being affected. Chris Castles and David Parish, leading transport economists, wrote a report for the "51m" group of 13 local authorities along the London-Birmingham stretch. They catalogued "a long list of errors and dubious assumptions in the government's analysis" and added: "It is because the government is aware of the weakness in the economic case for HS2 that it and the 'pro' lobby have resorted to vague rhetoric, obfuscation and abuse." Martin Tett, chairman of the 51m alliance, called the plans "an immensely bad decision for Britain," adding "at a time of national austerity with rising unemployment and a massive deficit how can spending more than £32 billion be justified." Emma Boon, campaign director of the TaxPayers' Alliance, has been a vocal opponent of the scheme, which it says will be "mostly used by the rich." She said: "High-speed rail (HSR) will leave generations of ordinary taxpayers paying for a train set that will mostly be used by the rich." adding: "We can't afford £32 billion for this project right now. He said: "The Government is ploughing ahead with a hugely expensive project whose economic case is flawed, whose time-savings claims are dubious and whose environmental case is highly suspect."

Nigeria church shooting kills at least 8, pastor says From Hassan John, for CNN January 6, 2012 -- Updated 1223 GMT (2023 HKT) Gunmen attacked the Deeper Life church as worshipers met for a service At least 8 were killed and 20 injured, a pastor says An eyewitness describes how people were gunned down as they tried to flee An Islamist militant group, Boko Haram, has been blamed for other attacks on churches Jos, Nigeria (CNN) -- At least eight people have been killed in a shooting at a church in northeastern Nigeria, a pastor at the church said Friday. Gunmen attacked the Deeper Life church in Gombe, the capital of Gombe state, on Thursday evening as worshipers held a revival meeting, according to the Venerable Joseph Ninyo, a pastor with the Anglican Diocese of Gombe. He said 20 people were being treated in the hospital, one of whom is in intensive care. "Many tried to run but were gunned down," eyewitness Konson Danladi said. I was just outside the church when the men came and started shooting and I ran. The church targeted in Gombe is attended predominantly by Ibo Christians from southern Nigeria. Local police commissioner Ebikeme Orubebe has yet to give more information on the attackers. Many suspect the shooting to be the work of the Islamist militant group Boko Haram, which has been blamed for two months of widespread bloodshed in Nigeria, with churches and police stations among the targets. Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan declared a partial state of emergency in four northern states this week to contain a wave of attacks by Boko Haram, whose name means "Western education is a sin."

Leveson inquiry: Lionel Barber, Chris Blackhurst, Tony Gallagher 1.23pm: Here is a lunchtime summary of today's evidence so far: Indy editor says Johann Hari plagiarism affair "damaged" reputation of the Independent Johann Hari will return to the Independent as a columnist - but not an interviewer - in four or five weeks, Blackhurst says Blackhurst says he is worried that the Leveson inquiry will "curtail" legitimate investigative journalism Lionel Barber, editor of the Financial Times, says PCC "misstepped badly" over phone hacking 1.14pm: Blackhurst has finished giving evidence. The inquiry is now breaking for lunch. 1.07pm: Blackhurst is coming to the end of his evidence. His final marks are a warning shot to the inquiry. It's a matter of regret that the PCC has been found to be wanting. We all recognise the need for reform. My biggest worry is that the sort of journalism we do ... and some of the newspapers have been traduced - they do some fantastic work. I'm very worried that as the outcome of this inquiry the ability of our industry to investigate will be curtailed. Leveson is careful to say that the challenge is to separate what is good about the industry from "practices which are not entirely laudable." He says is keen that the inquiry will not "impact adversely on appropriate" journalism. Blackhurst mentions an "unwritten code" between newspapers to not criticise each other. Leveson says ..." and that's the problem." 12.54pm: Blackhurst says journalists shouldn't be licensed by the state. "I think the Press Complaints Commission has become tarnished in the eyes of the public ... I would certainly advocate the fining of newspapers ... and I think this new body should be much more proactive," he says. He adds that he would have been happy to pass over the Johann Hari file to the PCC, but "there's no means in the system for doing that." 12.51pm: Blackhurst says that he won't publish the Whittam Smith report because it relates to an internal matter. On the plagiarism, Johann genuinely believed he was doing nothing wrong. The fact that nobody complained, Johann did not believe he was doing anything wrong. He adds that Hari had no journalism training upon leaving Cambridge University in 2001 and becoming the Independent's star columnist in 2002. In terms of plagiarism it wasn't as stark and severe as the Jayson Blair case. He wasn't fabricating hard news. Hari produced his medical history "which showed that he acted in the way he did" in relation to the Wikipedia amendments. The columnist has now had four months without pay from the Independent and is doing ethics courses at a university in New York at his own cost. He will return to the paper as a columnist in four or five weeks' time. Blackhurst adds: "If you're publicly suspending people without pay ... his reputation has been very very severely damaged; the Independent's reputation in terms of Johann Hari has been severely damaged. He produced cogent reasons for why he did what he did. I don't think we covered up at all. 12.46pm: Blackhurst is tacitly asked whether there was a cover-up by others at the Independent to protect Hari when the allegations were made public. I'm surprised you say there was cover-up in the sense there were inclings before because that is genuinely news to me. One of the problems ... was that no one had ever complained ... Nobody had alerted us to the fact he had drawn his information from somewhere else. If there was we might have nipped it in the bud but in fact it continued. Blackhurst says one of his first acts as editor was to ask Andreas Whittam Smith to investigation the allegations of plagiarism. He says he had "no knowledge" about the alterations on Wikipedia at this time. 12.41pm: Blackhurst stresses that there was a gap between plagiarism allegations against Hari and claims that the columnist had amended Wikipedia entries. What I would want to stress is the shock this caused. Enormous shock to myself ... but a much deeper shock to his colleagues at the Independent. It was really profound and totally unexpected. 12.39pm: Blackhurst is asked about the plagiarism row rurrounding Independent star columnist Johann Hari. "I think the paper first became aware of the plagiarism allegations against him two days before I was publicly appointed," he says. Blackhurst points out that Hari is no longer an interviewer for the paper, but doesn't take issue with the description of Hari as a current Independent columnist. 12.37pm: Blackhurst says he was always wary of diary columns receiving tips out of the blue. He says he would only pay if the story was stood up independently. "If the story checked out they might get £50," he says. He adds that the paper doesn't actively ask for "nasty stories." 12.35pm: Blackhurst is asked about private investigators. He says in his written statement that he has no knowledge of use of private investigators during his 10 weeks (at the time of writing his statement) at the paper. However, Blackhurst says he will not rule out use of private investigators if the information is already public and if the story is in the public interest. "If a story was of such paramount public interest," he says. And there was a piece of information in the public interest then I would sanction it, but it hasn't happened. 12.33pm: Nine times out of 10 the sources in stories are obvious, says Blackhurst. Rarely is the provenance of the source an issue. If he does have questions about stories he will ask the news editor where the story came from, which he has done occasionally. 12.32pm: The Independent has a corrections column on the letters page but it only appears once or twice a week, says Blackhurst. He says he will try and publish apologies as prominently as he can. If someone asked for a front-page apology he would be reluctant to concede but would do it if ordered. Blackhurst says he has no problem with page 2 corrections if they became an industry-wide standard. 12.28pm: On sourcing and attribution, Blackhurst says that he doesn't like phrases like "sources said" and prefers to be as specific about the provenance as possible. He says he will generally try to avoid using anonymous sources and attempt to get quotes on the record. Blackhurst says that if the Independent had more resources a readers' editor would be a "nice thing to have" but that he has not felt the need for one during his career. He says he will personally read emails from readers before passing them to his managing editor. 12.25pm: Blackhurst says that some organisations "play games with the press" and will tip off other journalists if a newspaper gives them prior notification of a story. He adds that organisations where "there's constant press attention on them" will sometimes leak to rival outlets if given prior notification, "so you've got to be careful." 12.23pm: Blackhurst says some papers have "a different culture, a different mindset" than others, mentioning the importance for Sunday titles of breaking exclusives. Blackhurst describes the Independent as "fairly small, extremely collegiate" and therefore it is easier than at other papers to find out what journalists are doing. He notes that the Independent has about 200 journalists compared with the FT's 600. 12.22pm: Blackhurst has been at the helm of the Independent for six months, but drafted his Leveson witness statement only 10 weeks into his tenure. He says that "When the Independent was founded back in 1986 it did take a very different stance ... It certainly likes to think it's free from editorial interference." 12.17pm: Independent editor Chris Blackhurst is next to take the witness stand. He has been editor since July 2011. 12.16pm: Andreas Whittam-Smith has conducted an internal review of the Independent which cleared the company of wrongdoing in relation to telephone interception. Malhotra says that Whittam-Smith "verbally interviewed a series of journalists and editors to get a sense what the editorial practices were." Malhotra's evidence has now concluded. 12.15pm: Malhotra says he was involved in setting up the group's new code of conduct, along with the legal team, in September 2011. He says the Independent guidelines are a "wider document" than the PCC code because they include policies on hospitality and mention the commercial side of the business. 12.12pm: Malhotra is being asked about financial governance of the Independent. He says it is important to have this governance in place in a way that will sure editorial independence for the paper. Asked about the potential for illicit payments to police officers, Malhotra says: "Clearly there is a risk that those payments might be paid ... but we have a system that makes sure that payments made are proper. We don't have any cash in the system so there's no way for ... journalists to make those payments. He adds that the company has rigorous safeguards that would uncover any unlawful payments. "I'm confident the controls we have in place would pick up these kind of payments," he says. Leveson inquiry: Manish Malhotra 12.07pm: Manish Malhotra, finance director and company secretary of Independent Print Ltd and Evening Standard Ltd, takes the stand. 12.06pm: Mullins has now finished giving evidence. 12.05pm: Mullins says the Independent is not considering appointing a readers' editor - "we're not looking to take on more people than we possibly can" - and adds that the Independent sister paper i has a good dialogue with readers. 12.04pm: On sourcing and attribution at the Independent, Mullins says that the newspaper "stressed certain issues we think important which might not have been stressed as much" before columnist Johann Hari was found to have plagiarised last year. Carine Patry Hoskins, counsel to the inquiry, suggests she'll ask the editor Chris Blackhurst more on this later today. 12.00pm: Mullins is asked about the code of conduct that applies at the Independent, Independent on Sunday and the London Evening Standard. Mullins was involved in drawing up a single code following the papers' takeover by Alexander Lebedev. He adds that if the phone-hacking saga hadn't taken place "I think we'd have taken longer to get our code of conduct out." 11.57am: Mullins says that "certain newspaper groups ... have more pressure" because of the nature of the stories they publish, but that he doesn't interfere in the editorial side of the Independent. On editorial independence, Mullins says that it has "built up over history ... and if it ain't broke don't fix it." At the Independent, he says, the system works well. Leveson inquiry: Andrew Mullins 11.52am: Andrew Mullins, managing director of the Independent's parent company, Independent Print Ltd, is now giving evidence. Mullins is also managing director of Evening Standard Ltd, and formerly a senior executive at News International. 11.42am: It has emerged in written evidence from News International director of legal affairs Simon Toms that an unnamed Times journalist illicitly tried to access information from a computer in 2009. His evidence states: I am not aware that any NI title has ever used or commissioned anyone who used computer hacking in order to source stories. I have been made aware of one instance on The Times in 2009 which I understand a journalist attempting to access information in this way. However, I also understand that this was an act of the journalist and was not authorised by TNL. As such, I understand it resulted in the journalist concerned being disciplined. 11.41am: Barber has now finished giving evidence. The inquiry is having a short break. 11.41am: Finally, on the public interest, Barber says there is a strong public interest "in freedom of expression itself." He adds that, on that issue, he is "right alongside editors like Paul Dacre [of the Daily Mail]" and as a country "we lose that at our peril." "I'm not condoning lawbreaking but I am condoning, and I will to the very last breath, freedom of expression," Barber adds. 11.38am: The final question for Barber is on libel. Lord Justice Leveson mentions again this idea of an arbitration body - "which I actually think has value" - for privacy claims and small libel claims. Barber discusses the "chilling effect" in the present system of libel. Every time we write about the rich and famous we get a very threatening bullying letter from a law firm - and I'm thinking of one law firm in particular - that is simply outrageous. If you do not capitulate before noon on Saturday you will be hung at dawn on Sunday. This can have a chilling effect because you are aware of the cost of a libel action. Barber adds that it is the one area that concerns him most. 11.31am: Asked about readers' editors - who deal with complaints to a newspaper - Barber says: When this first came up I was sceptical, because I consider myself to be the reader's editor, or my number two, or my number three. I now think that perhaps, as part of this qualitative different, I may think again... But I think if you have a strong culture in a news organisation that is committed to upholding the highest standards... that's the starting point. Dominic Mohan, editor of the Sun, told the inquiry yesterday that he is considering appointing a readers' editor. The Daily Mail said it would appoint one late last year. 11.29am: Lord Justice Leveson says he understands the importance of cost in any new system of regulation, after Barber notes that the press "are not exactly flush with cash." Leveson says there is "more that needs to be addressed simply than phone hacking." Barber agrees, but says that phone hacking has been the "trigger" for the inquiry. If you are referring to libel, if you are referring to privacy... If recklessness has taken place in the publishing of stories, that needs to be looked at... It is beyond just phone hacking, yes sir," says Barber. 11.25am: Barber says that PCC chairman Lord Hunt is expected to put forward proposals for a new system of independent regulation before the end of the Leveson inquiry. "We're serious about this," he adds. But the principle of free expression is really principle. 11.22am: Barber harks back to two decades ago, noting that the press is "in the last-chance saloon, drinking our last pint." On the phone-hacking saga, Barber says passionately: This has been a real shock what happened at the News of the World ... Not just the industrial scale... but the lies. And the shocking closure of a newspaper ... This was a shocking episode... We need to change the way we do business. If this is not a wakeup call, I don't know what is. That is the lesson of the phone hacking scandal and to a lesser degree that's the lesson that has come out of this inquiry... Everybody should read what Lord Judge said last year [that we need a free press]. 11.21am: Barber says the new body shouldn't be made up of editors, but experienced journalists and "outsiders." On the current setup, he says: "It's not a tenable position - we need outsiders. For too long, the PCC was dominated by insiders. Leveson says he's not interested in setting up a body full of lawyers, to which Barber replies: "I'm relieved." Journalists are members of the community. Journalists need to be accountable... We should have nothing to fear [from being open and accountable, from outsiders being brought into the process]," he adds. He says outsiders should have a seat on the body so it doesn't look like a "cosy stitch-up." 11.16am: Barber says the PCC does important, valuable work but "seriously misstepped" with the phone-hacking scandal. They were lied to. News International lied to them. So in that case it's pretty difficult because you have a major news organisation ... and it's not telling you truth. Also you don't have the powers to do that. The misstep - and it was a serious misstep - was to criticise the Guardian for its reporting ... and that's why it lost credibility. Barber wants a new regulatory body with new powers and a new composition. He adds that, as he stated in his Fulbright lecture, he wants it to have "powers of investigation." He says there must be a way to make sure "everybody comes under the tent," including all newspapers and potentially some online organisations. Barber also warns the inquiry not to underplay the importance of corrections in newspapers, saying that editors loathe making them. 11.14am: Barber says web-based journalists look at the mainstream media and think "That's the past; I don't want to be part of that." "Certainly those web-based news organisations that are aggregators - I'm thinking of the Huffington Post for instance [should be part of a new system of regulation in this country]," he adds. Barber briefly says the UK should have a First Amendment safeguard for free expression, as in the US. 11.13am: Lord Justice Leveson intervenes to sum up Barber's thoughts. Barber praises the judge for "cutting to the heart of the matter." "You don't need to be polite," says Leveson. Barber replies: "I wasn't being polite, I was being flattering." 11.10am: Still on the internet, Barber raises a similar problem to that mentioned by Dominic Mohan, editor of the Sun, yesterday at the inquiry. There is a real problem when some people on the internet, web-based news organisations outside this jurisdiction, can publish information about a famous footballer and his affairs and a popular newspaper can't - that puts them at a competitive disadvantage. This is not neccessarily a new problem - he gives an example of the US press "having a field day" with Edward VIII and Mrs Simpson's 1936 affair - which the British media at the time couldn't touch. 11.06am: Asked about regulation, Barber says that online bloggers cannot be regulated. He adds: "I wouldn't seek in any way to regulate the internet." We shouldn't think just about the press because the press ... have successful online publications, so they are news organisations ... you need to think about the general ecosystem. We need to establish practices that are so credible, so robust ... that others would wish to join the body of regulation. He says that blogs such as the Huffington Post would be encouraged to join a system of regulation were it a credible one. 11.03am: Asked about the relationship between editors and politicians, Barner says he was given Piers Morgan's memoirs to reacquaint himself with the British political system when he returned to the UK from teh US several years ago. He says he found it "quite extraordinary how much time Tony Blair spent with Piers Morgan," adding: "You would think he would be busy enough running the country, but apparently not." It was taken as conventional wisdom that in order to govern in what is known as today's 24-hour news environment ... that you needed to have somebody very close to you as prime minister, or as chancellor, who had worked in the popular press. 10.58am: Asked about deception, Barber discusses the Telegraph's Vince Cable sting last year and the MPs' expenses scandal of 2009. "Yes they paid for the [MPs' expenses] disk, but the journalism and series of articles they did clearly met the public interest test ... I have absolutely nothing but praise for that particular story," he says, adding on the Vince Cable sting: "Personal view, I felt it was wrong for journalists to misrepresent themselves to an MP." He quotes last year's Hugh Cudlipp lecture, in which he quoted Fleet Street veteran Harold Evans's view that "deception may ultimately be justified in the pursuit of the public interest. But it must only be used in the most exceptional circumstances. The reason is that can be deeply corrosive not just to the newspaper's bond with its readers but also to the body politic. 10.50am: Barber stresses the importance of being clear about where information is coming from. He says attributing stories to anonymous sources is frowned upon at the FT, and the phrase "sources say" is banned; "sources close to" is acceptable in some circumstances. This applies particularly if the anonymous sources are voicing criticism. 10.48am: Barber says in the six years since he's been FT editor he doesn't know of any instance in which a journalist has gone "undercover." He adds that one journalist went into Burma to interview Aung San Suu Kyi but didn't misrepresent himself once inside the country. "We do not misrepresent ourselves - we say we're from the Financial Times, that's important," he adds. 10.47am: Asked about prior notification, Barber says sometimes it's "a pain" because subjects might not reply before deadline, but adds that it is important to ensure accuracy. It's important we do our business in a dispassionate way. Journalists cultivate sources - they're important - but you never want to get so close to a source that you're offering prior notification or sharing everything. That's a dangerous path to go down. We are in on odd half-world where we need to be close but then be able to move away. Barber says journalists will go to companies when a story is finished - but rarely before that. 10.38am: Barber says the FT reviewed its safeguards in the wake of the 2003 Jayson Blair scandal at the New York Times, which he describes as "one of the best news organisations in the world." A NYT reporter was found to have fabricated and plagiarised dozens of stories, leading to the resignation of the newspaper's top two editors. "We took the view that if such a thing could happen at the New York Times we needed to review our processes," Barber says. I worked for 10 years in the US. I was shocked that it could happen. "If you see the best in class suffering a scandal like that, you need to react and we did," he adds. 10.37am: Still on the FT's sourcing and attribution policy, Barber says: I'd rather be right than first. In fact not rather - that's the way we operate. We'd rather get it right than get it wrong ... You can't rely, if you're in the business we're in, on hearsay. We deal with primary sources wherever we can. 10.35am: Barber says he knows of "no instance of phone hacking or blagging for information at the FT." "The appointment of the news editor of the Financial Times is one of the most critical appointments I can make as editor," he says, adding that they deal with the journalists daily and "share how stories are obtained." He adds: "If the story is especially sensitive ... the news editor will come and discuss it with me. We have a system of checks and balances at the FT; we are open. First of all two sources works. And secondly we're not using illegal or questionable activity [to get sources]. Asked how he can be sure that FT sources are not using questionable methods, Barber says: "Ah, well that presumes that we are relying for example on private detectives or other people engaged in illegal methods ... I don't mean to be prescriptive for the whole industry but I'm just talking about Financial Times practices... We've made mistakes in the past and we apologise for them. 10.30am: Barber is asked about sourcing stories. He reaffirmed the importance of "dual sourcing" - having two sources to confirm the veracity of a story. Patry Hoskins asks if this happens in practice. You bet it happens ... Because it is standard practice at the FT and has been for some time ... If you rely on single source, you could potentially be manipulated," Barber says. If you've got a single source, it's like standing at top of mountain with a glorious view. But then getting a second source is like getting a view over the other side of the mountain. 10.30am: Still on whistleblowing, Barber argues that the FT doesn't need such a policy because of various other safeguards at the paper. "We don't want to be complacent, but we don't think we need to have a whistleblowing function in the newsroom at the Financial Times," he tells the inquiry. 10.26am: Patry Hoskins asks Barber if it is necessary to have an FT editorial code of conduct as well as a company-wide code of conduct. Barber says the FT is a "discreet entity" within the Pearson group and that the two codes of conduct can "live happily with each other." He adds that there is no whistleblowing policy at the FT - unlike at Pearson more widely - but that if there are concerns members of staff will raise issues with Barber or his deputies. 10.22am: Barber mentions one instance where a member of the FT's staff was dismissed related to the company's "investment register," but clarifies that he hasn't personally dismissed a journalist over this kind of breach. He argues that "self-certification" is sufficient regulation for the FT "because the penalties for not getting right are severe, potentially." 10.21am: Barber sent a warning email to all FT editorial staff after a Thomson Reuters financial journalist was found last year to have traded in shares in the sector he wrote about. "Nobody sent me an email saying they had not complied with the code," he adds. Barber made sure every editorial staffer - more than 600 people - signed and returned an attached form confirming that they had behaved in accordance with the FT's rules. "I think the FT should be the gold-standard in journalism, and that means we needed to uphold the highest standards ... and why we need to have full compliance from our journalists," he says. The penalty of not upholding those standards - and damaging the reputation of the Financial Times - is dismissal. 10.16am: Barber says that the PCC code "needs to be enforced, before it's substantially amended," adding that "in the case of phone hacking, it clearly wasn't enforced." He says that one of the parties in the phone hacking case - News International - "did not represent itself [accurately]" to the PCC in that saga. 10.13am: Barber says that the FT has "specific clauses" about financial holdings for journalists which go above and beyond the Press Complaints Commission editors' code. "We are making sure that we are not in any way conflicted or behaving unethically," he says, adding that a journalist trading in shares related to his or her "beat" would be likely to be dismissed. To trade in shares while you are covering that sector would be unethical ... and would be grounds for dismissal. 10.13am: Barber says the FT sets a high bar on ethics and responsibility. "People have to be able to rely on the FT for accurate information, which is set in context, multiple sourced, and they can rely on it ... for their decisions," he says. It is fundamental to the integrity and success of the Financial Times that it upholds the highest standards ... and is seen to do so. 10.09am: Carine Patry Hoskins, counsel to the inquiry, questions Barber about financial journalism. Barber says he is "extremely grateful" to be called to give evidence. He describes the FT as a global but "niche" publication that writes about politics and financial news. "But that is not say that we are not interested in what might be called private lives," Barber adds, mentioning the FT's recent story about the chief executive of Lloyds Bank taking leave due to stress-related illness. Leveson inquiry: Lionel Barber 10.05am: Lionel Barber, the editor of the Financial Times, has begun giving evidence. There was no mention of the Times story (see below) about the prime minister being called to give evidence. 9.59am: Here are brief profiles of three of the editors giving evidence today. Lionel Barber Lionel Barber is editor of the Financial Times, a paper he joined more than 20 years ago. He replaced Andrew Gowers as editor in 2005. Barber took on the rest of Fleet Street in January, using his Hugh Cudlipp lecture in January 2011 to accuse other papers of a "conspiracy of silence" over the phone-hacking issue, "almost certainly because they too were involved in similar practices." He warned editors they risked political "retribution" in the form of statutory regulation if they did not reform. The FT was one of the few UK newspapers to cover the phone-hacking affair in any depth before July last year. Barber began his career at the Scotsman and the Sunday Times, and has reported from New York, Washington and Brussels. Chris Blackhurst Blackhurst returned to the Independent as editor in July 2011, taking over from Simon Kelner at the paper where he was previously deputy editor. Blackhurst trained as a lawyer at Cambridge but entered journalism, starting out at a legal magazine but then rising rapidly, becoming City editor at the Sunday Express in 1990 at the age of 30. His career has included stints as deputy editor at the Daily Express and Sunday Express and the Independent and its Sunday sister title. He edited the London Evening Standard's well-respected City pages between 2002 and 2011, before taking over the helm at the Lebedev-owned sister paper, the Independent. Along with the FT, the Independent was the only national to pursue the Guardian's phone-hacking revelations with any vigour before July 2011 and Blackhurst has continued in that vein. Tony Gallagher Tony Gallagher joined the Daily Telegraph as head of news in 2006, after six years as the Daily Mail's news editor. He became Telegraph deputy editor the following year and editor in November 2009. Gallagher was a senior member of the team that oversaw the Telegraph's MPs' expenses coverage, which dominated the news agenda with a string of exclusives in the summer of 2009 and earned the paper a hatful of prizes at the British Press Awards including paper of the year. However, the Telegraph suffered the embarrassment of being beaten to its own story by the BBC in late 2010 with Vince Cable's remarks about Rupert Murdoch, which were taped by undercover reporters from the paper. 9.52am: Lionel Barber, editor of the Financial Times, is expected to give evidence first today. The BBC's Ross Hawkins has just tweeted: Editor of the FT Barber expected 1st up at #leveson (though not in crt yet). Big q - will we hear more about Times story PM to be called? David Cameron. Photograph: David Gadd/Allstar/Sportsphoto Ltd./Allstar 9.45am: The Times reports that Lord Justice Leveson is "99.9% certain" to call the prime minister to give evidence about his relationship with Rupert Murdoch and other senior News International executives. The paper splashed on the story - headed "Leveson to question PM" - and also states that Gordon Brown, former prime minister, and Labour leader Ed Miliband are expected to be called to appear. It quotes a source close to the inquiry as saying: "I can't see how you can look at the relationship between the press and politicians without talking to top politicians, including the prime minister, the previous prime minister and the leader of the opposition." A No 10 spokesman told the Guardian on Monday evening that David Cameron would give evidence to the inquiry if asked. "A request has not yet been received," he said. If asked, the prime minister would of course attend. 9.41am: Welcome to the Leveson inquiry liveblog. This week of the inquiry is dedicated to the press and today will see a whistlestop tour of three newspapers and their respective editors. Lionel Barber, long-serving editor of the Financial Times, will appear, as will Chris Blackhurst, the recently-installed editor of the Independent. Tony Gallagher, editor of the Daily Telegraph, will give evidence, and Will Lewis, former editor of the Telegraph and now an executive on News Corp's management and standards committee, will also appear. As well as the editors, a string of other executives from the Independent and Telegraph are listed to give evidence. Murdoch MacLennan, chief executive of Telegraph Media Group, is perhaps one of the best-known names on Fleet Street, owing to a distinguished career at a number of the national newspaper groups. Finbarr Ronayne, the Telegraph Media Group finance director and former Mirror executive, will give oral evidence, as will Manish Malhotra and Andrew Mullins of the Independent. Join us for live coverage from 10am.

South Carolina Attorney General Informs Justice Department Of Dead Voters COLUMBIA, S.C. - South Carolina's attorney general has notified the U.S. Justice Department of potential voter fraud. Attorney General Alan Wilson sent details of an analysis by the Department of Motor Vehicles to U.S. Attorney Bill Nettles. In a letter dated Thursday, Wilson says the analysis found 953 ballots cast by voters listed as dead. In 71 percent of those cases, ballots were cast between two months and 76 months after the people died. That means they "voted" up to 6 1/3 years after their death. The letter doesn't say in which elections the ballots were cast. The analysis came out of research for the state's new voter identification law. The U.S. Justice Department denied clearance of that law. Wilson told Nettles he asked the State Law Enforcement Division to investigate.

Out-of-form England captain Andrew Strauss confident his head will not be served up on a platter Strauss has suffered losses of form before and is widely acknowledged to have saved his career with a second-innings 177 against New Zealand in Napier four years ago. He is now at a stage when there will be no more second chances. The end will mean the end. But at the moment his place is not under threat and in the warm-up matches before the first Test he looked to be timing the ball. His opening partner, Alastair Cook, was loyal in saying on Monday he felt Strauss was playing well and the captain was phlegmatic while discussing his form on Tuesday. "Not getting runs in the last game was disappointing for me but having been around the Test-match scene for a while now I know form ebbs and flows and one innings can completely change both your perspective and others" perspective in how well you're playing," Strauss said. So I'm not overly fussed about it but I'm conscious it's important as a captain you lead from the front with regards to scoring runs. As an opening batsman it can be challenging at times but all you can do is accept the challenge and make sure you prepare yourself properly and when you get in a position to score a big hundred you do that. That's probably where I've let myself down a bit a little over the last year or so is when I've got to 50 or 60 I've got out rather than gone on. I appreciate Alastair's comments. I do think I've been hitting the ball well and hopefully that means there's a nice recipe in place to go on and get a big score. Strauss prepared for the tour by breaking up his five-month break from cricket with a trip to India with the performance squad in December. It was a chance to work on pitches in the subcontinent, a place where the low, slow bounce does not suit his game of cutting and pulling. In Dubai he was out playing an ugly carve in the first innings before he was caught down the leg side in the second, a dismissal that should have been overturned on review but bad luck and bad form are often interchangeable for batsmen. "I think maybe when you're young and naive you're always looking for that magic answer so you'll be changing your technique, you'll be trying different things in the nets," Strauss said. I think when you're a bit older you realise the best thing to do is to keep everything the same, keep your preparation the same, don't have too many concerns about your technique and make sure you watch the ball. I think that's the best recipe for doing well but it's always a challenge mentally. Anyone who is under any illusion that Test-match cricket gets any easier as you get older is wrong, it's always tough but I suppose that's why they call it Test cricket.

Customer Shoots Robbery Suspect at SC Waffle Shop Authorities say a customer at a South Carolina Waffle shop pulled a gun and shot one of two men trying to rob the restaurant. The Greenville News reports (http://grnol.co/AkoQDk) that the shooting took place early Saturday morning inside a Waffle Shop off Interstate 85 in Spartanburg County. Coroner Rusty Clevenger identified the dead man as 19-year-old Dante Lamont Williams of Roebuck, who was shot in the head and body. Spartanburg County Sheriff Chuck Wright declined to identity the customer, citing concerns for his safety. Authorities said the customer had a concealed weapon permit and tried to hold the two men at gunpoint until officers arrived, but that one suspect began to point his gun at the customer, who then fired shots. The second robber fled and is being sought by authorities.

Fox411 Country: Kenny Chesney Leads ACM Nominations, Rascal Flatts Singer Welcomes Baby The Academy of Country Music held its first ever digital press conference to announce nominees for the 47th Annual ACM Awards show. Leading the way is Kenny Chesney! He has nine nominations overall including Entertainer of the Year. For the fifth year, fans will be able to pick the winner for that one. They'll be choosing between Chesney, Jason Aldean, Brad Paisley, Blake Shelton, and Taylor Swift! Fans also get to vote for "New Artist of the Year." Swift earned the most honors for solo female artists with three. In addition to the coveted Entertainer of the Year title, she's also up for Female Vocalist of the Year and Video of the Year for "Mean." Then representing for the groups, Lady Antebellum earned the most nods in that category with 5, including Vocal Group of the Year. The 47th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards air live April 1st on CBS once again for a second consecutive year hosted by Reba and Blake Shelton. In other news, it was a big week for Rascal Flatts bassist and vocalist Jay DeMarcus and his wife Allison! They've announced they are expecting the birth of their second child this summer. A young sibling for their daughter Madeline Leigh, who was born December 17th, 2010. Next we take a look at new music as several artists announce news about their upcoming collections. On March 27, Lionel Richie fans will get to hear "Tuskegee," a collection named after his hometown that features 13 of his hits performed as country duets. Artists who join him in the studio range from the aforementioned Rascal Flatts singing "Dancing On The Ceiling" to Shania Twain on "Endless Love" to Kenny Chesney on "My Love" to Willie Nelson with "Easy" and more! Carrie Underwood's upcoming new album is set for release later this spring, but first on February 23rd, the superstar will send out her first single from it "Good Girl" to country radio. "American Idol" Season 9 finalist Casey James has March 20th marked down for his debut album. The self-titled freshman effort includes the debut single "Let's Don't Call It A Night." Maybe he'll pick that tune to play when he makes his Grand Ole Opry debut! That's right, it's just been announced he'll be taking the stage at the Ryman Auditorium January 27th. Speaking of former "American Idol" contestants, season 5"s Kellie Pickler who's found her place in country music, shows folks what's she's all about on "100 Proof," her third studio album that she calls "the most personal" she's ever recorded. "I co-wrote 6 of the songs and even the songs I wasn't a writer on, they're still a reflection of my life," she said. Pickler also told us about another project close to her heart these days, for Cat Appreciation Month February she's designed a special sweater in partnership with Fresh Step with all proceeds going to the ASPCA. We also catch up with Katherine Heigl on the red carpet for the premiere of her new film "One For The Money." Heigl directed her husband Josh Kelley's new music video (and last week's Fox 411 Country Featured Song of the Week) "Naleigh Moon" and tells us she really hopes to get behind the camera again for more productions.

The Pander Waves of Grain January 5, 2012, 6:45 pm In Iowa earlier this week, Mitt Romney was guilty of an outrageous falsehood: He said that the "amber waves of grain" in the song "America the Beautiful" include corn. Growing up alongside the Missouri-Kansas border, I always understood that the phrase referred only to wheat - and I said as much in a recent blog post. Lynn Sherr, who wrote a book about the origin of the song, confirmed today that the song's author, Katharine Lee Bates, conceived the phrase while on a train speeding through the golden wheat fields of Kansas. Corn, growing in the fields of Iowa, is obviously green. It turns brown near the end of its cycle, but I doubt Mr. Romney was referring to waves of dead cornstalks. Even in a decent wind, cornfields don't produce the oceanic effect that so impressed the poet. And though some botanists may say corn is a grain, I think that's a technicality. No, Mr. Romney was pandering to the good people who grow corn in Iowa, and diminishing the poetic heritage of America's wheatgrowers. For an explanation of a few other things he got wrong about "America the Beautiful," see the rest of Ms. Sherr's essay. And today, having left the plain states for the Atlantic coast, he finally admitted what he had done. "When I was in Iowa, I pretended that corn qualified" as an amber wave, he told a crowd in South Carolina. That may have gotten me those eight votes I needed so badly. Even if it did him some good in Iowa, he'll have some explaining to do if he manages to make it to the wheat states.

Veterinary Vaccines Market to 2017 Veterinary Vaccines Market to 2017 - Europe to Strengthen Its Position as the Single Largest Market for Animal Vaccines Due To Highly Organized Livestock Farms GBI Research, the leading business intelligence provider, has released its latest research, "Veterinary Vaccines Market to 2017 - Europe to Strengthen Its Position as the Single Largest Market for Animal Vaccines Due To Highly Organized Livestock Farms." The report analyzes the markets for veterinary vaccines, covering bovine, ovine, porcine and equine species in the US, the top five countries in Europe (the UK, Germany, France, Italy and Spain), and Japan. The report also provides geographical landscape, competitive landscape, product profiles, and analysis on drivers and barriers that impact the veterinary vaccines market. Furthermore, the report provides company profiling, SWOT analysis for the leading companies, and analyzes the mergers, acquisitions, recent activities and licensing agreements that shape the global markets. GBI Research analyzes the veterinary vaccines market up to 2017. The report examines the market by analyzing livestock species including bovine, ovine, equine and porcine. The target population considered is the total animal population in each respective region. The report specifically covers livestock species excluding companion animals, and concludes that the livestock market sector has shown steady growth in recent years. Biotechnology developments and research contributed tremendously towards the growth and enhancement of the veterinary vaccines market. Europe and the US collectively hold more than 70% of the total market. The market grew at a steady rate for the past few years and is expected to grow further. The demand for veterinary vaccines in the market is driven by factors such as the vulnerability of animals to fatal and chronic diseases, and the changing patterns of the diseases. The recent epidemics created awareness among livestock owners of the need to avoid the huge production losses due to diseases such as swine flu, avian influenza and anthrax. The future of vaccines will be dominated by DNA-related vaccines and combination vaccines, which can provide protection against various diseases with minimal vaccine shots. Such innovative products will be more capable of providing protection and generating a strong immune response than the traditional vaccines. The key players in the veterinary vaccines market are Bayer HealthCare, Merck & Co. Inc., Fort Dodge Animal Health, Novartis Animal Heath, Pfizer, Lohmann Animal Health, Merial Ltd., Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH, and Heska Corporation. There are many other companies which are involved with the manufacturing and development of veterinary vaccines apart from those in the list. Annualized market data for the veterinary vaccines market from 2002 to 2010, forecast forward to 2017.- Analysis of the leading livestock segments, including bovine, ovine, porcine and equine.- Analysis of the veterinary vaccines market in the leading geographies of the world, which include the US, Europe and Japan. - Market characterization of the veterinary vaccines market, including market size, annual cost of vaccination and target population. - Key drivers and barriers that have a significant impact on the market. - Competitive benchmarking of leading companies. The key companies studied in this report are Bayer, Pfizer, Merck and Novartis.- Key M&A activities and licensing agreements that have taken place in the veterinary vaccines market. Align your product portfolio to the markets with high growth potential.- Develop market-entry and market expansion strategies by identifying the leading livestock segments and geographic markets poised for strong growth.- Develop key strategic initiatives by understanding the key focus areas of leading companies and niche companies which are helpful in extending the pipeline portfolio. - Exploit in-licensing and out-licensing opportunities by identifying products that could fill portfolio gaps.1 Table of Contents1 Table of Contents 31.1 List of Tables 61.2 List of Figures 82 Introduction 92.1 GBI Research Report Guidance 93 Veterinary Vaccines Market to 2017 - Market Overview 103.1 Revenue Forecasts 103.2 Drivers 113.2.1 Livestock Owners Developing Increased Disease Awareness for Farm Animals 113.3 Barriers 113.3.1 Mutant Strains of Virus Pose a Challenge in Vaccine Manufacturing 113.3.2 Decrease in Cattle Population is Reducing the Demand for Vaccines 114 Veterinary Vaccines Market to 2017 - Geographical Landscape 124.1 The US 124.1.1 Revenue Forecast 124.2 Europe 134.2.1 Revenue Forecast 134.3 Japan 144.3.1 Revenue Forecast 145 Veterinary Vaccines Market to 2017 - Bovine Vaccines Market 155.1 The US 155.1.1 Revenue Forecasts 155.1.2 Annual Cost of Vaccination 165.1.3 Target Population 175.2 Europe 185.2.1 Revenue Forecasts 185.2.2 Annual Cost of Vaccination 195.2.3 Target Population 205.3 Japan 215.3.1 Revenue Forecasts 215.3.2 Annual Cost of Vaccination 225.3.3 Target Population 236 Veterinary Vaccines Market to 2017 - Ovine Vaccines Market 246.1 The US (Sheep Vaccines Market) 246.1.1 Revenue Forecasts 246.1.2 Annual Cost of Vaccination 256.1.3 Target Population 266.2 Europe (Sheep Vaccine Market) 276.2.1 Revenue Forecasts 276.2.2 Annual Cost of Vaccination 286.2.3 Target Population 296.3 Japan (Sheep Vaccines Market) 306.3.1 Revenue Forecasts 306.3.2 Annual Cost of Vaccination 316.3.3 Target Population 326.4 The US (Goat Vaccines Market) 336.4.1 Revenue Forecasts 336.4.2 Annual Cost of Vaccination 346.4.3 Target Population 356.5 Europe (Goat Vaccines Market) 366.5.1 Revenue Forecasts 366.5.2 Annual Cost of Vaccination 376.5.3 Target Population 386.6 Japan (Goat Vaccines Market) 396.6.1 Revenue Forecasts 396.6.2 Annual Cost of Vaccination 406.6.3 Target Population 417 Veterinary Vaccines Market to 2017 - Porcine Vaccines Market 427.1 The US 427.1.1 Revenue Forecasts 427.1.2 Annual Cost of Vaccination 437.1.3 Target Population 447.2 Europe 457.2.1 Revenue Forecasts 457.2.2 Annual Cost of Vaccination 467.2.3 Target Population 477.3 Japan 487.3.1 Revenue Forecasts 487.3.2 Annual Cost of Vaccination 497.3.3 Target Population 508 Veterinary Vaccines Market to 2017 - Equine Vaccines Market 518.1 The US 518.1.1 Revenue Forecasts 518.1.2 Annual Cost of Vaccination 528.1.3 Target Population 538.2 Europe 548.2.1 Revenue Forecasts 548.2.2 Annual Cost of Vaccination 558.2.3 Target Population 568.3 Japan 578.3.1 Revenue Forecasts 578.3.2 Annual Cost of Vaccination 588.3.3 Target Population 599 Veterinary Vaccines Market to 2017 - Competitive Landscape 609.1 Company Profiles 609.1.1 Bayer HealthCare 609.1.2 Pfizer 609.1.3 Merck Inc. 629.1.4 Novartis 6310 Veterinary Vaccines Market to 2017 - Product Profiles 6410.1 Bovine Vaccines 6410.1.1 Alpha-7 6410.1.2 Vira Shield 6 + VL5 6410.1.3 Salmonella Newport Bacterial Extract SRP 6410.1.4 Imrab Large Animal 6510.1.5 Anthrax Spore Vaccine 6510.1.6 J-5 E. Coli Bacterin 6510.2 Ovine Vaccines 6610.2.1 Ultrabac 7 6610.2.2 Ultrabac CD 6610.2.3 Clostri Shield 7 6610.3 Porcine Vaccines 6710.3.1 Parvo Shield L5E 6710.3.2 Porcine Pili Shield+C 6710.3.3 LitterGuard LT-C 6710.3.4 Farrowsure Gold B 6710.4 Equine Vaccines 6810.4.1 Recombitek Equine West Nile Virus Vaccine 6810.4.2 Fluvac Innovator 6 6810.4.3 Prestige V + VEE 6810.4.4 Potomavac 6910.4.5 Imrab 3 6911 Veterinary Vaccines Market to 2017 - Mergers & Acquisitions 7011.1 Phibro Animal Health Completed Acquisition of Abic Animal Health in February 2009 7011.2 Ceva Acquired Vetech Laboratories in October 2011 7011.3 Ceva Acquired CentaurVA Animal Health in October 2011 7011.4 Harbin Pharma Acquired Pfizer's Swine Vaccine Business in June 2010 7011.5 Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health Acquires a Significant Portion of the Fort Dodge Animal Health Business from Pfizer in October 2009 7011.6 Pfizer Acquired Microtek International in May 2010 7011.7 Virbac Acquired Certain Veterinary Products from Pfizer in February 2010 7012 Veterinary Vaccines Market to 2017 - Licensing Agreements 7112.1 Heska Corporation Amends Bovine Vaccine Agreement with AgriLabs 7112.2 Pfizer Animal Health Inks Global Licensing Deal with Epitopix 7112.3 GenVec Enters into Collaboration with Merial to Develop and Commercialize FMD Vaccine 7112.4 Vical Enters into Agreement with Japanese Partner for Veterinary Pandemic Influenza Vaccine 7113 Veterinary Vaccines Market to 2017 - Recent Activities 7213.1 Intervet's Equine West Nile Vaccine Approved by USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) 7213.2 Defra Launched Bovine Tuberculosis Vaccine 7213.3 Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica Receives Approval for Express FP and Express Vaccines from the USDA 7214 Veterinary Vaccines Market to 2017 - Appendix 7314.1 Market Definitions 7314.2 Abbreviations 7314.3 Research Methodology 7314.3.1 Coverage 7314.3.2 Secondary Research 7414.3.3 Primary Research 7414.4 Therapeutic Landscape 7514.4.1 Market Size by Geography 7514.5 Geographical Landscape 7514.6 Competitive Landscape 7514.6.1 Expert Panel Validation 7514.7 Contact Us 7514.8 Disclaimer 7614.9 Sources 76 Table 1: Veterinary Vaccines Market to 2017, Global, Revenues ($bn), 2002-2010 10Table 2: Veterinary Vaccines Market to 2017, Global, Revenue Forecast ($bn), 2010-2017 10Table 3: Veterinary Vaccines Market to 2017, The US, Revenues ($m), 2002-2010 12Table 4: Veterinary Vaccines Market to 2017, The US, Revenue Forecast ($m), 2010-2017 12Table 5: Veterinary Vaccines Market to 2017, Europe, Revenue ($m), 2002-2010 13Table 6: Veterinary Vaccines Market to 2017, Europe, Revenue Forecast ($m), 2010-2017 13Table 7: Veterinary Vaccines Market to 2017, Japan, Revenues ($m), 2002-2010 14Table 8: Veterinary Vaccines Market to 2017, Japan, Revenue Forecast ($m), 2010-2017 14Table 9: Bovine Vaccines Market to 2017, The US, Revenue ($m), 2002-2010 15Table 10: Bovine Vaccines Market to 2017, The US, Revenue Forecast ($m), 2010-2017 15Table 11: Bovine Vaccines Market to 2017, The US, Annual Cost of Vaccination ($),2002-2010 16Table 12: Bovine Vaccines Market to 2017, The US, Annual Cost of Vaccination ($),2010-2017 16Table 13: Bovine Vaccines Market to 2017, The US, Target Population, (million), 2002-2010 17Table 14: Bovine Vaccines Market to 2017, The US, Target Population, (million), 2010-2017 17Table 15: Bovine Vaccines Market to 2017, Europe, Revenues ($m), 2002-2010 18Table 16: Bovine Vaccines Market to 2017, Europe, Revenue Forecast ($m), 2010-2017 18Table 17: Bovine Vaccines Market to 2017, Europe, Annual Cost of Vaccination ($), 2002-2010 19Table 18: Bovine Vaccines Market to 2017, Europe, Annual Cost of Vaccination ($), 2010-2017 19Table 19: Bovine Vaccines Market to 2017, Europe, Target Population, (million), 2002-2010 20Table 20: Bovine Vaccines Market to 2017, Europe, Target Population, (million), 2010-2017 20Table 21: Bovine Vaccines Market to 2017, Japan, Revenue ($m), 2002-2010 21Table 22: Bovine Vaccines Market to 2017, Japan, Revenue Forecast ($m), 2010-2017 21Table 23: Bovine Vaccines Market to 2017, Japan, Annual Cost of Vaccination ($), 2002-2010 22Table 24: Bovine Vaccines Market to 2017, Japan, Annual Cost of Vaccination ($), 2010-2017 22Table 25: Bovine Vaccines Market to 2017, Japan, Target Population, (million), 2002-2010 23Table 26: Bovine Vaccines Market to 2017, Japan, Target Population, (million), 2010-2017 23Table 27: Sheep Vaccines Market to 2017, The US, Revenue ($m), 2002-2010 24Table 28: Sheep Vaccines Market to 2017, The US, Revenue Forecast ($m), 2010-2017 24Table 29: Sheep Vaccines Market to 2017, The US, Annual Cost of Vaccination ($), 2002-2010 25Table 30: Sheep Vaccines Market to 2017, The US, Annual Cost of Vaccination ($), 2010-2017 25Table 31: Sheep Vaccines Market to 2017, The US, Target Population (million), 2002-2010 26Table 32: Sheep Vaccines Market to 2017, The US, Target Population (million), 2010-2017 26Table 33: Sheep Vaccines Market to 2017, Europe, Revenue ($m), 2002-2010 27Table 34: Sheep Vaccines Market to 2017, Europe, Revenue Forecast ($m), 2010-2017 27Table 35: Sheep Vaccines Market to 2017, Europe, Annual Cost of Vaccination ($), 2002-2010 28Table 36: Sheep Vaccines Market to 2017, Europe, Annual Cost of Vaccination ($), 2010-2017 28Table 37: Sheep Vaccines Market to 2017, Europe, Target Population (million), 2002-2010 29Table 38: Sheep Vaccines Market to 2017, Europe, Target Population (million), 2010-2017 29Table 39: Sheep Vaccines Market to 2017, Japan, Revenue ($), 2002-2010 30Table 40: Sheep Vaccines Market to 2017, Japan, Revenue Forecast ($), 2010-2017 30Table 41: Sheep Vaccines Market to 2017, Japan, Annual Cost of Vaccination ($), 2002-2010 31Table 42: Sheep Vaccines Market to 2017, Japan, Annual Cost of Vaccination ($), 2010-2017 31Table 43: Sheep Vaccines Market to 2017, Japan, Target Population, 2002-2010 32Table 44: Sheep Vaccines Market to 2017, Japan, Target Population, 2010-2017 32Table 45: Goat Vaccines Market to 2017, The US, Revenue ($m), 2002-2010 33Table 46: Goat Vaccines Market to 2017, The US, Revenue Forecast ($m), 2010-2017 33Table 47: Goat Vaccines Market to 2017, The US, Annual Cost of Vaccination ($), 2002-2010 34Table 48: Goat Vaccines Market to 2017, The US, Annual Cost of Vaccination ($), 2010-2017 34Table 49: Goat Vaccines Market to 2017, The US, Target Population (million), 2002-2010 35Table 50: Goat Vaccines Market to 2017, The US, Target Population (million), 2010-2017 35Table 51: Goat Vaccines Market to 2017, Europe, Revenue ($m), 2002-2010 36Table 52: Goat Vaccines Market to 2017, Europe, Revenue Forecast ($m), 2010-2017 36Table 53: Goat Vaccines Market to 2017, Europe, Annual Cost of Vaccination ($), 2002-2010 37Table 54: Goat Vaccines Market to 2017, Europe, Annual Cost of Vaccination ($), 2010-2017 37Table 55: Goat Vaccines Market to 2017, Europe, Target Population (million), 2002-2010 38Table 56: Goat Vaccines Market to 2017, Europe, Target Population (million), 2010-2017 38Table 57: Goat Vaccines Market to 2017, Japan, Revenue, $000's, 2002-2010 39Table 58: Goat Vaccines Market to 2017, Japan, Revenue Forecast, $000's, 2010-2017 39Table 59: Goat Vaccines Market to 2017, Japan, Annual Cost of Vaccination ($), 2002-2010 40Table 60: Goat Vaccines Market to 2017, Japan, Annual Cost of Vaccination ($), 2010-2017 40Table 61: Goat Vaccines Market to 2017, Japan, Target Population, 2002-2010 41Table 62: Goat Vaccines Market to 2017, Japan, Target Population, 2010-2017 41Table 63: Porcine Vaccines Market to 2017, The US, Revenue ($m), 2002-2010 42Table 64: Porcine Vaccines Market to 2017, The US, Revenue Forecast ($m), 2010-2017 42Table 65: Porcine Vaccines Market to 2017, The US, Annual Cost of Vaccination ($), 2002-2010 43Table 66: Porcine Vaccines Market to 2017, The US, Annual Cost of Vaccination ($), 2010-2017 43Table 67: Porcine Vaccines Market to 2017, The US, Target Population (million), 2002-2010 44Table 68: Porcine Vaccines Market to 2017, The US, Target Population (million), 2010-2017 44Table 69: Porcine Vaccines Market to 2017, Europe, Revenue ($m), 2002-2010 45Table 70: Porcine Vaccines Market to 2017, Europe, Revenue Forecast ($m), 2010-2017 45Table 71: Porcine Vaccines Market to 2017, Europe, Annual Cost of Vaccination ($), 2002-2010 46Table 72: Porcine Vaccines Market to 2017, Europe, Annual Cost of Vaccination ($), 2010-2017 46Table 73: Porcine Vaccines Market to 2017, Europe, Target Population, (million), 2002-2010 47Table 74: Porcine Vaccines Market to 2017, Europe, Target Population, (million), 2010-2017 47Table 75: Porcine Vaccines Market to 2017, Japan, Revenue ($m), 2002-2010 48Table 76: Porcine Vaccines Market to 2017, Japan, Revenue Forecast ($m), 2010-2017 48Table 77: Porcine Vaccines Market to 2017, Japan, Annual Cost of Vaccination ($), 2002-2010 49Table 78: Porcine Vaccines Market to 2017, Japan, Annual Cost of Vaccination ($), 2010-2017 49Table 79: Porcine Vaccines Market to 2017, Japan, Target Population (million), 2002-2010 50Table 80: Porcine Vaccines Market to 2017, Japan, Target Population (million), 2010-2017 50Table 81: Equine Vaccines Market to 2017, The US, Revenue ($m), 2002-2010 51Table 82: Equine Vaccines Market to 2017, The US, Revenue Forecast ($m), 2010-2017 51Table 83: Equine Vaccines Market to 2017, The US, Annual Cost of Vaccination ($), 2002-2010 52Table 84: Equine Vaccines Market to 2017, The US, Annual Cost of Vaccination ($), 2010-2017 52Table 85: Equine Vaccines Market to 2017, The US, Target Population (000's), 2002-2010 53Table 86: Equine Vaccines Market to 2017, The US, Target Population (000's), 2010-2017 53Table 87: Equine Vaccines Market to 2017, Europe, Revenue ($m), 2002-2010 54Table 88: Equine Vaccines Market to 2017, Europe, Revenue Forecast ($m), 2010-2017 54Table 89: Equine Vaccines Market to 2017, Europe, Annual Cost of Vaccination ($), 2002-2010 55Table 90: Equine Vaccines Market to 2017, Europe, Annual Cost of Vaccination ($), 2010-2017 55Table 91: Equine Vaccines Market to 2017, Europe, Target Population, 000's, 2002-2010 56Table 92: Equine Vaccines Market to 2017, Europe, Target Population, 000's, 2010-2017 56Table 93: Equine Vaccines Market to 2017, Japan, Revenue ($m), 2002-2010 57Table 94: Equine Vaccines Market to 2017, Japan, Revenue Forecast ($m), 2010-2017 57Table 95: Equine Vaccines Market to 2017, Japan, Annual Cost of Vaccination ($), 2002-2010 58Table 96: Equine Vaccines Market to 2017, Japan, Annual Cost of Vaccination ($), 2010-2017 58Table 97: Equine Vaccines Market to 2017, Japan, Target Population, 000's, 2002-2010 59Table 98: Equine Vaccines Market to 2017, Japan, Target Population, 000's, 2010-2017 59Table 99: Veterinary Vaccines Market to 2017, Product Portfolio, Bayer HealthCare, 2011 60Table 100:Veterinary Vaccines Market to 2017, Product Portfolio, Pfizer Animal Health, 2011 61Table 101:Veterinary Vaccines Market to 2017, Product Portfolio, Merck Inc., 2011 62 Figure 1: Veterinary Vaccines Market to 2017, Global, Revenue Forecast ($bn), 2002-2017 10Figure 2: Veterinary Vaccines Market to 2017, The US, Revenue Forecast ($m), 2002-2017 12Figure 3: Veterinary Vaccines Market to 2017, Europe, Revenue Forecast ($m), 2002-2017 13Figure 4: Veterinary Vaccines Market to 2017, Japan, Revenue Forecast ($m), 2002-2017 14Figure 5: Bovine Vaccines Market to 2017, The US, Revenue Forecast ($m), 2002-2017 15Figure 6: Bovine Vaccines Market to 2017, The US, Annual Cost of Vaccination ($),2002-2017 16Figure 7: Bovine Vaccines Market to 2017, The US, Target Population, (million), 2002-2017 17Figure 8: Bovine Vaccines Market to 2017, Europe, Revenue Forecast ($m), 2002-2017 18Figure 9: Bovine Vaccines Market to 2017, Europe, Annual Cost of Vaccination ($), 2002-2017 19Figure 10: Bovine Vaccines Market to 2017, Europe, Target Population, (million), 2002-2017 20Figure 11: Bovine Vaccines Market to 2017, Japan, Revenue Forecast ($m), 2002-2017 21Figure 12: Bovine Vaccines Market to 2017, Japan, Annual Cost of Vaccination ($),2002-2017 22Figure 13: Bovine Vaccines Market to 2017, Japan, Target Population, (million), 2002-2017 23Figure 14: Sheep Vaccines Market to 2017, The US, Revenue Forecast ($m), 2002-2017 24Figure 15: Sheep Vaccines Market to 2017, The US, Annual Cost of Vaccination ($), 2002-2017 25Figure 16: Sheep Vaccines Market to 2017, The US, Target Population (million), 2002-2017 26Figure 17: Sheep Vaccines Market to 2017, Europe, Revenue Forecast ($m), 2002-2017 27Figure 18: Sheep Vaccines Market to 2017, Europe, Annual Cost of Vaccination ($), 2002-2017 28Figure 19: Sheep Vaccines Market to 2017, Europe, Target Population (million), 2002-2017 29Figure 20: Sheep Vaccines Market to 2017, Japan, Revenue Forecast ($), 2002-2017 30Figure 21: Sheep Vaccines Market to 2017, Japan, Annual Cost of Vaccination ($), 2002-2017 31Figure 22: Sheep Vaccines Market to 2017, Japan, Target Population, 2002-2017 32Figure 23: Goat Vaccines Market to 2017, The US, Revenue Forecast ($m), 2002-2017 33Figure 24: Vaccines Market to 2017, The US, Annual Cost of Vaccination ($), 2002-2017 34Figure 25: Goat Vaccines Market to 2017, The US, Target Population (million), 2002-2017 35Figure 26: Goat Vaccines Market to 2017, Europe, Revenue ($m), 2002-2017 36Figure 27: Goat Vaccines Market to 2017, Europe, Annual Cost of Vaccination ($), 2002-2017 37Figure 28: Goat Vaccines Market to 2017, Europe, Target Population (million), 2002-2017 38Figure 29: Goat Vaccines Market to 2017, Japan, Revenue Forecast, $000's, 2002-2017 39Figure 30: Goat Vaccines Market to 2017, Japan, Annual Cost of Vaccination ($), 2002-2017 40Figure 31: Goat Vaccines Market to 2017, Japan, Target Population, 2002-2017 41Figure 32: Porcine Vaccines Market to 2017, The US, Revenue Forecast ($m), 2002-2017 42Figure 33: Porcine Vaccines Market to 2017, The US, Annual Cost of Vaccination ($), 2002-2017 43Figure 34: Porcine Vaccines Market to 2017, The US, Target Population (million), 2002-2017 44Figure 35: Porcine Vaccines Market to 2017, Europe, Revenue Forecast ($m), 2002-2017 45Figure 36: Porcine Vaccines Market to 2017, Europe, Annual Cost of Vaccination ($), 2002-2017 46Figure 37: Porcine Vaccines Market to 2017, Europe, Target Population, (million), 2002-2017 47Figure 38: Porcine Vaccines Market to 2017, Japan, Revenue ($m), 2002-2017 48Figure 39: Porcine Vaccines Market to 2017, Japan, Annual Cost of Vaccination ($), 2002-2017 49Figure 40: Porcine Vaccines Market to 2017, Japan, Target Population (million), 2002-2017 50Figure 41: Equine Vaccines Market to 2017, The US, Revenue Forecast ($m), 2002-2017 51Figure 42: Equine Vaccines Market to 2017, The US, Annual Cost of Vaccination ($), 2002-2017 52Figure 43: Equine Vaccines Market to 2017, The US, Target Population (000's), 2002-2017 53Figure 44: Equine Vaccines Market to 2017, Europe, Revenue Forecast ($m), 2002-2017 54Figure 45: Equine Vaccines Market to 2017, Europe, Annual Cost of Vaccination ($), 2002-2017 55Figure 46: Equine Vaccines Market to 2017, Europe, Target Population, 000's, 2002-2017 56Figure 47: Equine Vaccines Market to 2017, Japan, Revenue Forecast ($m), 2002-2017 57Figure 48: Equine Vaccines Market to 2017, Japan, Annual Cost of Vaccination ($), 2002-2017 58Figure 49: Equine Vaccines Market to 2017, Japan, Target Population, 000's, 2002-2017 59 Bayer HealthCarePfizerMerck Inc.Novartis To order this report:Drug and Medication Industry: Veterinary Vaccines Market to 2017 - Europe to Strengthen Its Position as the Single Largest Market for Animal Vaccines Due To Highly Organized Livestock Farms

Roger Cox: "Don't let your mind drift back decades, the golden age of skiing is now" By Roger Cox Published on Monday 9 January 2012 00:00 In sport, as in all things I suppose, it's tempting to hark back to perceived golden ages. Like most surfers, I'd love to be able to hop in a time machine and visit Malibu in the late Fifties and early Sixties, just before it was ruined by the crowds - all those perfect, peeling pointbreak waves and only a few other people to share them with. Bliss. By the same token, I've always thought that skiing in Scotland in the early years would have been fun. Maybe not in the days before mechanised uplift (I already do enough hiking, thanks) but shortly after the Second World War, perhaps, when skiers started using ex-army tracked vehicles called Weasels to access the snow on Ben Lawers and Beinn Ghlas, or a few years after that, when the first proper ski lifts were up and running at Glencoe, Glenshee and Cairn Gorm. I'd always assumed that the people who had been lucky enough to live through these romantic, fairytale periods looked back on them with rose-tinted specs, but, well ... turns out some of them don't. At the end of last year, the Cairn Gorm Mountain ski resort celebrated its 50th birthday, and I had the pleasure of interviewing some of the veterans who had been there in the very beginning. Of course, they looked back fondly on their youth spent working and playing on the hill, but when I asked them to name their "best ever" seasons, I got a shock. Bobbie Birnie, 76, a former ski instructor who still works on the mountain as a maintenance fitter, told me: "The last two seasons were about the best, and I've been here since way back in the Fifties." Similarly, ski patroller Brian Cottam, 72, said: "The last few seasons, actually, have been very memorable. Since we've got the train the skiing is a lot easier - even on a bad day you can still get to the top in five or six minutes, depending on what speed they're doing. So yes, there were some great winters back in the Fifties and Sixties - and in the Seventies and Eighties, for that matter - but according to the experts, the guys who were there, the bumper snowfalls of 2009/10 and 2010/11 were as good, if not better, than anything in living memory. And what's more, these days when we get a good dump of snow we've got the toys to make the most of it: decent lifts, decent skis and snowboards and comfortable, functional clothes to wear. Moral of the story? Rose tinted glasses off; ski goggles on. Don't waste this current golden age by wondering how much better things might have been back in the day. All this looking back I've been doing lately has inevitably led to a bit of looking forward - after all, in the grand scheme of things the sport of skiing is still in its infancy, while snowboarding, its little brother, has only just had its 12-week scan. What will happen in the next 100 years, or the next 1,000? Will skiing in Scotland come to an end one day, and if so, when? Depending on who you listen to, the short-term picture might not be too bad. As man-made global warming kicks in over the next 30 years or so, some climatologists think that Britain may get cooler before it starts getting warmer. At Kiel University in Germany, the meteorologist and oceanographer Professor Mojib Latif and his team have been researching cyclical changes to ocean currents and water temperatures in the Atlantic. In a 2008 paper, Prof Latif warned northern Europe may experience a cooler climate for "two decades or longer" as a result of disruption to these cycles. If that's the case, the last couple of winters, and the one we're in now (still nice and chilly at time of going to press) might not be a mere blip as the planet continues to heat up - they may represent the start of a mini-ice age lasting until mid-century. Good news for the next generation of Scottish skiers, perhaps, but what about the one after that? Not so good, I'm afraid. In Mark Lynas's excellent synthesis of current climate science, Six Degrees, he looks at the IPCC prediction that the Earth will warm by between one and six degrees in the next 100 years. A four degree increase - well within the range of probability - would see snow cover in the Scottish mountains "drop by more than half," he says. So enjoy this cold snap while you can, but expect to be buying downhill mountain bikes rather than skis for your grandkids. Ski times a lady: A look back on the remarkable feat that heralded the start of commercial skiing at Cairn Gorm Friday marks the 50th anniversary of the opening of the White Lady Chairlift on the mountain, writes Roger Cox Tracks in the snow For the first time since the Nevis Range gondola opened on Aonach Mor in 1989, Scottish skiers and boarders really have something to look forward to in the coming season. Last year saw some of the best snow cover, especially in the east, for a decade. The very cold conditions in late December mean that the snow is likely to form a firm, long-lasting base this year as well, even if it has not arrived yet in any great quantity. tracks in the snow Early snow brings hope of bumper season at Scotland's ski resorts WHITE-topped mountains in November have put Scottish skiers on snow alert and raised hopes of a prolonged season. Boffin's think-bubbles save our snow THIS is snow joke. A scientist has found a way of prolonging the notoriously fickle Scottish ski season - by wrapping mountains in bubble wrap.

Iran sentences alleged U.S. spy to death TEHRAN, Iran - An Iranian court has convicted an American man of working for the CIA and sentenced him to death, state radio reported Monday, in a case adding to the accelerating tension between the United States and Iran. Iran charges that as a former U.S. Marine, Amir Mirzaei Hekmati, received special training and served at U.S. military bases in Iraq and Afghanistan before heading to Iran for his alleged intelligence mission. The radio report did not say when the verdict was issued. The 28-year-old former military translator was born in Arizona and graduated from high school in Michigan. His family is of Iranian origin. His father, a professor at a community college in Flint, Michigan, has said his son is not a CIA spy and was visiting his grandmothers in Iran when he was arrested. Behnaz Hekmati, his mother, said in an email to The Associated Press that she and her husband, Ali, are "shocked and terrified" that their son has been sentenced to death. She said the verdict is "the result of a process that was neither transparent nor fair." Ex-Marine's mom "terrified" over Iran sentence Iran broadcasts alleged U.S. spy's confession Under Iranian law, he has 20 days to appeal. Hekmati has a court-appointed lawyer who was identified only by his surname, Samadi, and there was no word about an appeal. Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejehei, spokesman for Iran's judiciary said if the verdict is appealed, it would go to Iran's Supreme Court, the official IRNA news agency reported. Hekmati's trial took place as the U.S. announced new, tougher sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program, which Washington believes Tehran is using to develop a possible atomic weapons capability. Video: Iran claims uranium enrichment Video: Panetta says Iran sanctions are working Iran welcomes U.S. rescue of sailors Iran, which says it only seeks nuclear reactors for energy and research, has sharply increased its threats and military posturing against stronger pressures, including the U.S. sanctions targeting Iran's Central Bank in attempts to complicate its ability to sell oil. National Security Council spokesman Tommy Vietor said the White House is monitoring reports that Hekmati has been sentenced to death and said if the reports are true, the White House strongly condemns the verdict and will work with U.S. partners "to convey our condemnation to the Iranian government." Vietor said allegations that Hekmati worked for or was sent to Iran by the CIA are false. And he said Iran has a history of falsely accusing people of being spies and holding innocent Americans for political reasons. Vietor called on Iran to release Hekmati without delay. The court convicted him of working with a hostile country, belonging to the CIA and trying to accuse Iran of involvement in terrorism, Monday's report said. In its ruling, a branch of Tehran Revolutionary Court described Hekmati as a mohareb, an Islamic term that means a fighter against God, and a mofsed, or one who spreads corruption on earth. Both terms appear frequently in Iranian court rulings. In a closed court hearing in late December, the prosecution asked for the death penalty for Hekmati. The U.S. government has called on Iranian authorities to grant Swiss diplomats access to him in prison. The Swiss government represents U.S. interests in Iran because the two countries don't have diplomatic relations. Hekmati is a dual U.S.-Iranian national. Iran considers him an Iranian since the country's law does not recognize dual citizenship. Similar cases against Americans accused of spying have heightened tensions throughout the years-long standoff over Iran's nuclear program. Iran arrested three Americans in July 2009 along the border with Iraq and accused them of espionage, though the Americans said they were just hiking in the scenic and relatively peaceful Kurdish region of northern Iraq. One of them was released after a year in prison, and the other two were freed in September in deals involving bail payments that were brokered by the Gulf sultanate of Oman, which has good relations with Iran and the U.S. On Dec. 18, Iran's state TV broadcast video of Hekmati delivering a purported confession in which he said he was part of a plot to infiltrate Iran's Intelligence Ministry. In a statement released the same day, the Intelligence Ministry said its agents identified Hekmati before his arrival in Iran, at Bagram Air Field in neighboring Afghanistan. Bagram is the main base for American and other international forces outside Kabul, the Afghan capital. It is not clear exactly when he was arrested. News reports have said he was detained in late August or early September. Hekmati's father said in a December interview with The Associated Press, that his son was a former Arabic translator in the U.S. Marines who entered Iran about four months earlier to visit his grandmothers. At the time, he was working in Qatar as a contractor for a company "that served the Marines," his father said, without providing more specific details.

The 10 Best Pan Sets £120, sainsburys.co.uk This smart five-piece, stainless-steel set is designed to eliminate hot spots and reduce the chance of burning food. Greenpan £80.50, qvcuk.com A four-piece collection, with glass lids and ergonomically-designed handles, features special Thermolon non-stick technology. £219, lecreuset.co.uk A three-pan set that has an all-round pouring rim, capacity markings and easy-lift handles. And a 10-year guarantee. £85, johnlewis.com Heavy-grade aluminum pans are coated with a non-stick Teflon interior, have soft-grip handles, glass lids and a 25-year guarantee. Neff £134.99, neff-eshop.co.uk Suitable for all hobs, including induction, the shapes and sizes of these pans cleverly cover most culinary needs. A joy to use. Dunelm Mill £19.99, dunelm-mill.com If you're on a tight budget - you could do a lot worse than this non-stick, practical set. Easy to clean, with glass lids. Rangemaster £85, divertimenti.co.uk A pair of stainless steel pans with Teflon Platinum non-stick surfaces, which far outperform standard non-stick surfaces. Cookworks Signature £99.99, argos.co.uk No less than eight stainless steel pans, which are easy to clean, rust resistant and copper-based. A truly comprehensive set. £195, pamperedchef.co.uk The durability and cooking performance of the three-piece Executive Cookware pans set are second to none. Lakeland £89.99, lakeland.co.uk These colourful cast-iron beauties handily nestle inside each other, thanks to their detachable bakelite handles.

In pictures: Legacy of Bolton in the 1950s and 60s

Fears of escalating conflict in Nigeria Tensions are rising in Nigeria over economic and religious issues. At least one person has been killed in protests over the removal of a government subsidy on fuel that has led to a doubling of prices. Trade unions have called for a national strike and mass demonstrations to shut down oil production unless the move is reversed. Nigerians are worried that the spiralling cost of fuel will have a serious impact on their living standards. But a potentially much more serious problem is rising tension between the mainly-Christian South and militant Islamists centred in the North. President Goodluck Jonathan has declared a state of emergency in parts of the North after the militant group Boko Haram killed more than 50 people in a series of bomb attacks on Christmas Day. In one incident 37 Christians died in an explosion at a church on the outskirts of the capital Abuja. The spread of the attacks southwards has raised fears of an escalation of sectarian and regional violence in Africa's most populous country. More about: Economic crisis, Nigeria, Religion, Terrorism, Violence in Nigeria

Opposition: More Romanian protests being planned Romanian police take position in the center of Bucharest on January 15, 2012 during a demonstration against austerity measures. An opposition coalition will meet to plan mass demonstrations Romanian citizens have protested for four straight days The opposition is unhappy with the government's response to the protests Protesters decry government austerity measures and want the president ousted Bucharest, Romania (CNN) -- An opposition coalition said Monday it is planning mass demonstrations in Romania, following four straight days of citizen protests against government austerity measures. The coalition will meet to formalize protest plans, said Crin Antonescu, liberal opposition leader, adding the group disagrees with the way in which the government has handled the citizen demonstrations. "The National Liberal Party asks the prime minister and his cabinet to resign immediately because they couldn't manage the violent protests held over the last couple of days in Bucharest," Antonescu said. Thousands of citizens have gathered in the capital and 40 other Romanian cities, protesting government austerity measures and calling for the ouster of President Traian Basescu, as well as early elections. In Bucharest, police had to use tear gas on demonstrators Sunday. As of Sunday night, more than 2,000 police officers were on the streets of the capital. On Saturday, police and protesters clashed in Bucharest's University Square. Seventeen people were injured. The demonstrations are the most serious since Basescu's election in 2004. Banks, shops and bus stations in the capital were vandalized, said Bucharest Mayor Sorin Oprescu. Nearly 250 people were fined for disturbing the peace, government officials said, and 36 will be investigated for alleged violent acts. Stones and Molotov cocktails were thrown by protesters, the officials said. So far, 59 people have been injured in the protests, with 26 treated at hospitals. The injured include 10 police officers and several journalists, officials said. The protesters blocked traffic over the weekend, waving flags with the centers ripped out to symbolize the 1989 communist revolution. "The violence is unacceptable," said Prime Minister Emil Boc. I ask Romanians to understand that the government took those austerity measures in order to avoid a crisis. Interior Minister Traian Igas held an emergency meeting on Monday. The protests broke out last Thursday after the resignation of Deputy Health Minister Raed Arafat, an opponent of health care reforms proposed by the government. The protests also follow several unpopular measures taken by the government over the past two years. Protesters over the weekend blamed the government for their poor living standards. My husband and I are retired but we are sharing our modest income with our children because they are jobless," said Rodica Ganea, who described being asked during hospital visits to pay for "medicines, syringes, bandages, everything ... I can't afford it. "My kids are university graduates but they are jobless," said Marilena Salan, 64.

Violent sea storm hits Capri CAPRI, Italy, Jan. 6 (UPI) -- A violent sea storm crashed into the Italian island of Capri Friday, creating waves nearly 10 feet high, officials said. The water inundated beachfront property, flooding bars and restaurants, Italy's ANSA news agency reported. High winds at sea made for choppy sailing conditions, interrupting ship lines from Naples and Sorrento. The only vessel to brave the waves Friday was a catamaran from the Snav line, carrying 70 commuters including a number of firefighters.

Essex council in payout to child sex abuse victims

Cruise ship victims mull $14,460 compensation deal ROME (AP) - How much is it worth to suffer through a terrifying cruise ship grounding? Italian ship operator Costa Crociere SpA on Friday put the figure at euro11,000 ($14,460) plus reimbursement for the cost of cruise tickets and extra travel expenses, seeking to cut a deal with as many passengers as possible to take the wind out of class-action lawsuits stemming from the Jan. 13 grounding of its Costa Concordia cruise liner off Tuscany. But many passengers are refusing to accept the deal, saying they can't yet put a figure on the costs of the trauma they endured. And lawyers are backing them up, telling passengers it's far too soon to know how people's lives and livelihoods might be affected by the experience. "We're very worried about the children," said Claudia Urru of Cagliari, Sardinia, who was on the Concordia with her husband and two sons, aged three and 12, when it capsized. Her elder son is seeing a psychiatrist: He won't speak about the incident or even look at television footage of the grounding. "He's terrorized at night," she told The Associated Press. He can't go to the bathroom alone. We're all sleeping together, except my husband, who has gone into another room because we don't all fit. As a result, she said, her family retained a lawyer because they don't know what the real impact - financial or otherwise - of the trauma will be. She said her family simply isn't able to make such decisions now. "We are having a very, very hard time," she said. Costa's offer, which covers compensation for lost baggage and psychological trauma, was the result of negotiations with several consumer groups who say they are representing 3,206 passengers from 61 countries who suffered no physical harm when the massive cruise ship hit a reef off the island of Giglio. It's not clear, though, how many of those passengers will take the deal, even though they're guaranteed payment within a week of signing on. In addition to the lump-sum indemnity, Costa, a unit of the world's biggest cruise operator, Miami-based Carnival Corp., said it would reimburse uninjured passengers the full costs of their cruise, their return travel expenses and any medical expenses they sustained after the grounding. Costa said the euro11,000 figure is higher than current indemnifcation limits provided for by law, and added that it wouldn't deduct anything that insurance companies might kick in. The deal does not apply to the hundreds of crew on the ship, many of whom have lost their jobs, the roughly 100 people who were injured in the chaotic evacuation, or the families who lost loved ones. Sixteen bodies have already been recovered from the disaster and another 16 people who were on board are missing and presumed dead. On Friday, the first known lawsuit was filed against Costa and Carnival by one of the Concordia's crew members, Gary Lobaton of Peru. The suit, filed in Chicago federal court, accuses Carnival and Costa of negligence because of an unsafe evacuation and is seeking class-action status. In Italy, some consumer groups have already signed on as injured parties in the criminal case against the Concordia's captain, Francesco Schettino, who is accused of manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning the ship before all those aboard were evacuated. Schettino, who is under house arrest, deviated from the ship's charted course to bring the Concordia closer to Giglio, gashing the hull on a reef a few hundred meters offshore. He has said the reef wasn't on his nautical charts. In addition, Codacons, one of Italy's best-known consumer groups, has teamed up with two U.S. law firms to launch a class-action lawsuit against Costa and Carnival in Miami, claiming that it expects to get anywhere from euro125,000 ($164,000) to euro1 million ($1.3 million) per passenger. German attorney Hans Reinhardt, who currently represents 15 Germans who survived the accident and is in talks to represent families who lost loved ones, said he is advising his clients not to take the settlement. Instead, he along with Codacons is working with one of the U.S. law firms to pursue the class-action suit in Miami. "What they have lost is much more than euro11,000," he said of his clients. But Roberto Corbella, who represented Costa in the negotiations with consumer groups that led to the offer, said the deal provides passengers with quick and "generous" restitution that with all the reimbursements could amount to some euro14,000 ($18,500) per passenger, even non-paying children. "The big advantage that they have is an immediate response, no legal expenses, and they can put this whole thing behind them," he told AP. Melissa Goduti, of Wallingford, Connecticut, is trying to do just that but hasn't quite been able to. The 28-year-old, who was traveling with her mother aboard the Concordia, says she can't sleep at night - "nothing works, even meds" - and has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. She said Costa had offered to pay for three to five counseling sessions for the PTSD, but that she'll need more. "That will not fix my problem," she said in an email. No one is going to get over this tragic event in 3-5 counseling sessions. Passenger Ophelie Gondelle of Marseille, France, said euro11,000 was paltry "especially considering the psychological" trauma she endured. She said she and her boyfriend are taking part in a French class-action effort underway instead. Urru, the Sardinian mother of two, said her family was so traumatized by the grounding that when it came time to go home the day after, they flew to Sardinia from Rome rather than take the ferry because everyone was too terrified to go near a ship. "It was impossible," to go by boat, she said. For the past several days, she has kept busy by preparing a box of goods to send to a resident on the island of Giglio who let her family and their friends - a total of 10 people - stay in a holiday apartment the night of the grounding. Urru said she was sending seven sweaters and two blankets to make up for the things that her family took from the apartment, since they had nothing to guard against the freezing Tuscan chill. She said she was also sending the homeowner some cheese and salami and typical Sardinian sweets. Inside this apartment, it was so warm, so welcoming. They gave us everything that was inside the house," Urru said. They were truly, truly wonderful.

Asian Designers Make an Impact in Paris PARIS - Asian designers, whether home based or in the fashion diaspora, are making an impact in the opening days of the Paris men's 2012 season. Phillip Lim, the Cambodian-American designer based in New York, was smart to come to Paris to show a 3.1 Phillip Lim collection that was simple but laced with the conceptual. Displaying fresh white tailoring, knits with a graphic jigsaw pattern and a herringbone tweed coat worn under a semi-sheer organza jacket, Mr. Lim succeeded in countering the culture of casual. But instead of the back-to-suits concept that has dominated the season, his aim was to create "elegant youth," embracing the idea that dressing up is today's counter culture. So Mr. Lim took traditional men's wear pieces but tilted them in a different direction: pants rising high with a knotted belt, the vest as a generous sleeveless jacket, a black leather blouson with skinny pants cropped below the knee. Mr. Lim talked about 1960s influences from rude boys to punks but he made his men look like a band of guys for 2012. Pleated pants for men apparently came from Issey Miyake himself - although he is officially retired. The result: A cotton mix fabric curving a little like full britches was invented by the Miyake team, which also worked the Japanese concept of dying and layering, What the brand can achieve with its inventive fabrics - say a dip-dyed method where a dark color licked over a plaid pattern - was impressive. So was the dedication to Eco Pet, a polyester recycled from plastic bottles. Yet the show lacked the intense energy needed to propel the Issey Miyake man forward. Kolor lived up to its misspelled name - not least with scarlet socks and ginger shoes as well as burgundy pants by the Tokyo designer Junichi Abe. The idea of classically cut pieces, distressed and crumpled, is not a new fashion trip. But the collection Thursday was well planned with its cardigan hems marking a thigh line to a jacket. It was not a groundbreaking collection but one that caught the spirit of dressing up in a subtle way. The über-stylist Nicola Formichetti is part Japanese. But for the collection he orchestrated for Mugler , the influence was American military wear. Cropped jackets worn with sparkling stretch pants, half capes gleaming over one shoulder: Tell that to the Marines! That idea of uniform, which was the undercurrent of the Milan men's wear shows, has re-emerged in Paris. "Marine uniform, dressed up, smart clothing, tuxedos, formal wear," Mr. Formichetti said backstage to describe the influences in clothes designed by Romain Kremer. Sharp tailoring and the use of the stiff silks linked to the world of traditional male evening wear were the best of the show. But there still is no defining overdrive to the work of its original designer Thierry Mugler - except the tiny star pins. When Christian Lacroix founded his house, his style was an antidote to the Japanese aesthetic. A cross worked into a white shirt, gilded bits on a collar, a kaleidescope pattern on sportswear - the codes of Christian Lacroix were maintained in the collection by Sacha Walckhoff. But if you have to print "Paris" or "Arles" on a cap to get your message across, the subtlety of vision is written off.

West Ham signs US defender George John Jan 13 10:55 AM US/Eastern LONDON (AP) - West Ham has signed American defender George John on a two-month loan from FC Dallas. The second-tier London club says it has brought John to Upton Park "with a view to a permanent signing." John says on West Ham's website that he wants to "understand about English football and just adapt my game." John hasn't played a competitive match since Oct. 26, saying it could "take two or three weeks to give me some time to develop and get back in the swing of things."

COL BKB: Kansas 69, Texas 66 AUSTIN, Texas, Jan. 21 (UPI) -- Tyshawn Taylor netted 22 points Saturday and seventh-ranked Kansas held on for its ninth straight victory with a 69-66 decision over Texas. Thomas Robinson added 17 points and Jeff Withey contributed 12 for the Jayhawks (16-3, 6-0 Big 12). Texas (12-7, 2-4), meanwhile, went down to defeat for the first time in 12 contests on its home court. J'Covan Brown led the Longhorns with 24 points, seven assists and six rebounds.

Enter the Dragon in Hong Kong, enter and exit 7.3 million people HONG KONG (Reuters) - Hong Kong will see around 7.3 million people cross its borders over the lunar new year, the government said on Friday, a figure higher than the territory's entire population, as China celebrates the entry of the Year of the Dragon. Hong Kong's population was estimated at 7.1 million as of July this year, according to the World Factbook. Many ethnic Chinese return to the town of their ancestral origins over the lunar new year, with the calendar set to tick over from the Year of the Rabbit on Monday. The Hong Kong Immigration Department said 2.43 million passengers would pass through the Lo Wu border point alone between January 21 and 29, or about 270,000 per day. Saturday is expected to be the busiest day for departures, with Wednesday, the first day of the new year, the busiest day for arrivals. Reporting by Alex Frew McMillan; Editing by Nick Macfie

Billionaire Detroit bridge owner released from jail Sat Jan 14, 2012 10:52am EST (Reuters) - The billionaire owner of the Ambassador Bridge, the busiest crossing between the United States and Canada, was released after one night from the jail where a judge ordered him held for failing to complete a road construction project. Manuel "Matty" Moroun, 84, who controls the Detroit International Bridge Co, and company President Dan Stamper were ordered jailed on Thursday by a Wayne County judge until they complied with his order in February 2010 to complete the project or until they no longer have the power to do so. The Michigan Court of Appeals on Friday ordered both men freed while they appealed the contempt ruling by Wayne County Judge Prentis Edwards. The court scheduled oral arguments in the appeal on February 2. "All other aspects of the order are not stayed during the pendency of this appeal," the appeals court ruled. Representatives of the bridge company said they had no comment on the appeals court ruling. The Ambassador Bridge provides the main access for trucks between Detroit and Windsor, Canada, linking auto parts and assembly plants on both sides of the border. The project agreed to by Moroun's company and Michigan was intended to link the bridge with Interstates 75 and 96 directly. Instead, the company's construction of the project left heavy vehicle traffic on neighborhood streets. Reporting by David Bailey in Minneapolis, editing by Ian Simpson

LodgeNet Announces Accelerating Adoption of Envision Platform at Sidoti & Company Conference NEW YORK, Jan. 9, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- LodgeNet Interactive Corporation (NASDAQ: LNET), the leading provider of interactive media and connectivity services to hospitality and healthcare businesses and the consumers they serve, today announced the accelerating adoption of its cloud-connected HD Envision (TM) platform. The interactive media platform was introduced in 2011 and delivers the best in entertainment, essential hotel services and valuable guest information. The Company announced that the demand for Envision has doubled in the last 3 months to 40,000 rooms under contract. "LodgeNet's Envision platform is rapidly becoming the industry standard for a dynamic interactive television experience," said LodgeNet Chairman and CEO Scott C. Petersen today while speaking at the Sidoti & Company Micro Cap Conference being held at the Grand Hyatt hotel in New York. "Not only are more hotels adopting our Envision system, hotel owners in more than a third of these rooms are contracting for our Advanced Envision "apps" to deliver a truly memorable guest experience in their hotel, with monthly subscriptions totaling over $3 per room. Our growing portfolio of apps continues our diversification efforts as we expand our high margin, software as a service revenue. Our hotel partners appreciate our ability to deliver and activate apps at their properties with no incremental capital investment. Envision presents guests with a suite of apps inviting them to readily access hotel and local information, order room service or check weather and review flight details. A wide range of HD entertainment is also available, including the best still-in-theater Hollywood movies and much more. Envision powered hotels include marquee properties under the Four Seasons, Hilton, Hyatt, Joie de Vivre, Kimpton, Marriott and Starwood brands. "Envision provides a unique Internet-connected TV experience that is driving consumer interactive usage by more than three fold over our prior platform," continued Petersen. It expands the services we provide to travelers, creating new revenue streams and providing hotels with a powerful tool to enhance their guest communications and engagement. LodgeNet Interactive is listed on NASDAQ and trades under the symbol LNET. For more information, please visit www.lodgenet.com.

Social games company Kabam acquires Fearless Studios Kabam, a developer of hard core social games headquartered in Redwood City, has snapped up Fearless Studios and its co-founders, veteran game producers Haden Blackman and Cedrick Collomb. Terms of the deal weren't disclosed. Fearless is Kabam's second acquisition -- its first being WonderHill in October 2010 for an undisclosed sum. While Marin-based Fearless is tiny -- it has just six employees -- its two founders are well known among game developers. Blackman spent 13 years at LucasArts, the video game division of Lucasfilm, before leaving to found Fearless in 2010. He is credited as a writer, producer or director for seven Star Wars titles published by LucasArts, including Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. Collomb has worked as a programmer for Electronic Arts, Sony Computer Entertainment and Sega before becoming director of engineering for LucasArts. Both Collomb and Blackman bring expertise in creating console games that feature lush 3-D graphics, something Kabam and other social gaming companies are hoping to incorporate into more of their titles. "Their skills in game design, emerging technologies and proficiency in making the transition from 2-D to 3-D on consoles mesh perfectly with Kabam's strategy," said Kabam chief executive, Kevin Chou. We'll significantly strengthen our industry leadership as the online gaming market transitions to higher fidelity, 3D gameplay. Founded in 2006, Kabam has more than 150 employees who work on its titles, including Kingdoms of Camelot and The Godfather: Five Families, a licensed game based on the film series. Kabam finds niche in hard core Game faces to watch in 2012: Kevin Chou Kabam bring "The Godfather" to Facebook Photo: Fearless Studios co-founders Haden Blackman (left) and Cedrick Collomb. Credit: Fearless Studios.

Fiji Lifts Martial Law, but Installs New Regulations SYDNEY, Australia - Fiji's military rulers on Saturday lifted a state of martial law that has been in place since 2009, setting the stage for public deliberations on a new constitution and a promised return to democratic elections within the next two years. However, even as the lifting of martial law was being touted in the capital, Suva, the country's current leader, Commodore Frank Bainimarama announced on Friday a raft of new regulations and restrictions that have led to concerns that his government will pursue the sheen of legitimacy while continuing to silence its critics through force. Fiji, a former British colony made up of roughly 330 islands in the central Pacific Ocean, has been under military rule since a 2006 coup led by Mr. Bainimarama. The emergency regulations that ended Saturday had greatly expanded police powers, placed government censors in newsrooms and curtailed the rights of nongovernmental organizations and religious organizations to hold meetings. In his speech on Friday, Mr. Bainimarama announced the official lifting of the emergency laws, which were enacted after a decision to abrogate the constitution led the courts to declare his government illegitimate. He said that the emergency powers had given his government time to stabilize the country, which has been wracked by political and ethnic tensions for decades. His opponents, however, accused the military junta of using their powers to crush dissent and hobble civil society. There is nothing more I want than a Fiji with a truly democratic government, one representative of all Fijians. For the first time in our history, we are on the path to making this a reality," Mr. Bainimarama said in the speech. Since gaining independence from Britain in 1970, Fiji has lived under four military juntas. But the latest coup and subsequent crackdown by the regime greatly isolated the island state, which is a member of the British-led Commonwealth of Nations. Australia and New Zealand have imposed tough unilateral sanctions and the country had its membership in the Commonwealth suspended in 2009. The governments of both Australia and New Zealand cautiously welcomed the decision to lift the emergency regulations, although they said that any discussion of an end to sanctions or to the country's regional isolation would be contingent on measurable progress in the arena of human rights and democracy development. While life will be easier for opposition groups, there is still a strong possibility that speech considered inflammatory by the government could still be punished, says Jenny Hayward-Jones, a regional expert at The Lowy Institute, a research organization based in Sydney. "It seems likely that organizations who were the targets of the Public Emergency Regulations - mostly NGOs, the Methodist Church, prominent individual critics and media outlets - will need to continue to be cautious in whatever comments they make about government in the public domain, because they still stand to be punished under the additional decrees," she said. In his speech on Friday, Mr. Bainimarama compared the new regulations to anti-terror legislation in The United States and hate crimes legislation in The United Kingdom and Australia that forbid inflammatory public rhetoric. Toward the end of the speech, however, he clearly stated that no attempts to destabilize the elections or constitutional consultations would be allowed. Know that elections cannot be held in an environment devoid of social cohesion and economic stability. Know that those who seek to destabilize society only do so to serve their own interests. They do not serve you," Mr. Bainimarama said. Also know that we will not tolerate an iota of disruption to the peace, safety, stability and common and equal citizenry we now enjoy.

Album reviews: The Little Willies Our critics review the latest CDs from the main genres in the music world The Little Willies: For The Good Times Rating: *** Blue Note, £12.99 For those who don't know, The Little Willies are Norah Jones and Richard Julian sharing vocal duties, and the considerable guitar playing talents of the lesser known Jim Campilongo, who is impressive throughout. The format is much the same as their debut effort from 2003, covering country classics by "outlaw" artists such as Johnny Cash and Kris Kristofferson. Jones" voice is well suited to the genre, and she lends real authenticity to Lovesick Blues and Diesel Smoke Dangerous Curves, not to mention a spirited reading of Dolly Parton's Jolene. Download this: Wide Open Road, If You've Got The Money I've Got The Time The Wedding Present: Live 1990 Scopitones, £9.99 Scottish fans have been catching up with David Gedge and his twitchy band this past week on the live circuit, and this serves as a reminder of their prowess in their pomp. This is culled from the seventh and eighth of the group's renowned live cassettes which were sold at gigs at the time, as befits a shining light of the C86 generation. New life is breathed into Steve Harley relic Make Me Smile and a host of songs from their acclaimed second album, Seamonsters. Download this: Brassneck, Everyone Thinks He Looks Daft Anyway Tim Kliphuis and friends: Live at Iford Manor Rating: **** Iford DVD01 Over the past six years, Dutch jazz and classical violinist Kliphuis has become a regular visitor to Scotland and has forged strong musical relationships with three of our top jazz musicians - Nigel Clark (guitar) and Roy Percy (bass) and London-based David Newton (piano). They all play together in different line-ups on this DVD, recorded at a concert during the summer, and it's a perfect introduction to their unique blend of jazz, classical and folk music, including the single most perfect version of Moonlight In Vermont this side of Billie Holiday's. Download this: Solveig's Song, Moonlight In Vermont Fish and Bird: Every Whisper Is A Shout Across The Void Fiddle Head Records FHR005, £29.99 This rising Canadian indie-folk quintet are led by singer Taylor Ashton, on banjo/guitar and fiddler Adam Iredale-Gray, who both come from a folk background but are now mining a seam of vocal impro, complex time signatures and general philosophical obliqueness. This album has them settled into the last of their stretch with female bassist Zoe Guigueno, and is full of imagination and somewhat strange lyrical leanings. The young band add drums and rock out on some tracks; but there is no mistaking their determination to succeed in doing it their own way. Download this: Circle Tune Alban Gerhardt & Cecile Licad: Casals Encores Hyperion CDA67831, £12.99 This recording of music for cello and piano consists of encores as played by Pablo Casals after his concerts, convincingly performed by cellist Alban Gerhardt, accompanied by pianist Cecile Licad, and the result is a truly light (though not lightweight) mix of pieces that never fail to entertain, by composers such as Debussy, Fauré, Elgar and Chopin. Much skill is involved in these often delicate works, but the effect is charmingly tuneful. Think of this as a sorbet rather than a Christmas pudding to follow Christmas lunch. Download this: Le Cygne

Dentist who used paper clips for root canals jailed Michael Clair, whose surgery was in Massachusetts, pleaded guilty earlier this month to charges including assault and battery, fraud, the illegal prescribing of medication and witness intimidation. Prosecutors claimed that he used sections of paper clips during root canal work on patients including children in order to save money, leaving many with infections and other problems. Brenda Almeida described how her teenage son's tooth had turned black and had to be removed after Clair performed a root canal on him in 2005. Two of her other children also received poor care. After attending Fall River Superior Court to watch Judge Richard Moses sentence the dentist to a year in the Bristol County House of Correction, she said: "He put my kids in pain for months ... I hope he rots there. Prosecutors had asked for Clair to be jailed for five to seven years, but the judge said he considered Clair's acceptance of responsibility, lack of a criminal record and "certain mental health issues" Clair is dealing with. He also ordered Clair to stay away from his victims and seven people who worked in his office who were said to "have expressed concern for their safety." Clair's dentistry license was suspended in Massachusetts in 2006 and he is no longer able to work as a dentist in any state.

Scotland's political bruiser - FT.com Alex Salmond, the ebullient leader of the Scottish National party, was in his element this week, doing what even his foes concede he does best: hogging the centre of the political stage, draping himself in history and arguing the case for independence that would break up the United Kingdom. The man widely heralded as the canniest politician in Britain was - in theory - on the back foot, as he was the victim of an ambush by the other leading political parties against his proposed independence referendum, challenging its legality. But it had not taken him long to regain the initiative. His contentious referendum would be held in the autumn of 2014, he announced, a date which just happens to mark the 700th anniversary of the Battle of Bannockburn, the greatest defeat of the auld enemy. For Scotland's first minister, the referendum will be the climax of years of political fieldcraft that have seen the independence issue gain unprecedented momentum. It was a minority interest until the 1960s, and has waxed and waned several times since then. But the SNP now dominates the Scottish political landscape, having gained an outright majority in last May's elections to the devolved parliament. And yet, while Mr Salmond's skills as a political operator are revered at Westminster, this is the fight of his political life. His last great crisis came in 2000 when he unexpectedly stepped down from the party leadership after a 10-year stint, for reasons that remain unclear. Since his resumption of the leadership in 2004 he has gone from strength to strength. However, the pro-Union parties still think he is eminently beatable in the referendum once he is forced to address matters of substance. The 57-year old Salmond recalls that he joined the party as a student, after an argument about nationalism in 1973 with an English girlfriend. She was secretary of the student Labour club and told him: "If you feel like that, go and join the bloody SNP." He was studying economics and history at St Andrews University, two disciplines that have served him well as he has pursued his goal. He also attributes his poise when speaking or debating to his years as a soprano when he was growing up in the town of Linlithgow. "The one thing it left me was being able to be in front of audiences," he says. It is hard to see much of the boy soprano in the bulky and combative politician who has dominated the British airways this week, but even his critics concede he has poise on a podium. In Scotland, he has mainly had to contend with second-string opponents; Gordon Brown and Alistair Darling, for example, pursued careers at Westminster. Now he is going head-to-head with George Osborne, the chancellor, regarded as one of his generation's finer political minds. It was Mr Osborne who this week confronted him on the legality of a referendum, causing him to confirm his plan for an autumn 2014 vote. The pro-Union parties are determined to question his judgment, highlighting his backing for light regulation, support for RBS during its takeover of ABN Amro, and wish to join an "arc of prosperity" including Iceland and Ireland before the financial meltdown. Labour admits it fails to land blows on Mr Salmond in the last Holyrood elections. "He let out Al-Megrahi, the biggest mass murder in Scotland's history, and we still couldn't nail him on law and order," rues a former Labour minister, referring to the release of the Lockerbie bomber from a Scottish jail. Mr Salmond was elected MP for Banff in 1987, after working first as an agricultural economist with the Scottish Office, then for seven years as an economist specialising in oil and gas for Royal Bank of Scotland - a period that underpins his interest in the energy sector, and means he has maintained a keen interest in the financial sector. But Douglas Alexander, a senior Scottish Labour MP, says his vision of a Scotland with a prosperous financial services sector, playing a full role in the EU and using the euro, has been overtaken by events. "Their political advance has taken place at a time of intellectual retreat," Mr Alexander says. On issues as fundamental as the currency, they seem to have even fewer answers today than they did in the past. Mr Salmond enjoys an easy rapport with voters. The writer Tom Gallagher says: "His amiability allows many Scots to view him as "the people's friend." Officials who have travelled overseas with him speak highly of his ability to absorb information then deploy it to attract investment. David Torrance, his biographer, records that when Mr Salmond, on his first visit to the US as first minister, heard that Alison Duncan, his Washington fixer, was suffering from cancer he dropped everything, arrived at her home unannounced and sang an old Burns lullaby at her front door until she came down. But behind the bonhomie, Salmond-watchers say there is another side to him. Staff in his office speak of his explosive temper. One journalist experienced in Holyrood politics says: "He lets you know if you've written something he doesn't like. He wobbles with anger. Though he specialises in putdowns, he hates to be the butt of humour. One of the more successful sallies of Annabel Goldie, the former Tory leader at Holyrood, came when she berated him for taking praise for increasing physical education in schools: "Unfortunately for the first minister, patting himself on the back doesn't count as PE." For a polished public performer, he guards his privacy. He spends most weekends in his constituency with his wife, Moira, whom he met while they were civil servants, but who seldom appears at official engagements. It is his inscrutability that his opponents find most irritating. "Nobody really knows him," says one old Labour adversary. They know he used to be an economist and now he is first minister, but after that? He is a blank sheet and people project their hopes on to that. The writers are Scotland correspondent and political editor

Would they have dated? Did you ever wonder what some of Hollywood's most famous couples were like way before they got together? Or if they would have dated each other way back when? Well, lucky for you our friends at Snakkle.com are obsessed with stars before the fame, and are asking the same questions. Check out these images of some of our favorite celebrity couples posing for their school pics instead of the paparazzi. Country Couple: Tim McGraw and Faith Hill Country music superstars Tim McGraw and Faith Hill have a slew of hits between them, not to mention a 15-year marriage and three kids. But back in 1984, McGraw was a junior at Start High School in Start, Louisiana, and Hill was a big-haired sophomore at McLaurin Attendance Center in Florence, Mississippi. See all the celeb couples in the gallery at Snakkle.com. Cutie Couple: Julianne Hough and Ryan Seacrest Could it really be... is it... ubiquitous "American Idol" host and talk-radio personality Ryan Seacrest, as a freshman at Peachtree Junior High in Atlanta in 1990? It is. Seacrest has been dating ballroom dancing pro turned country singer turned actor Julianne Hough, pictured here as a senior at her Alta High School in Sandy, Utah, in 2006. See all 16 star couples in the gallery at Snakkle.com. Couch-Jumping Couple: Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise Despite their difference in age - and height - Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise have been happily married for five years and have a daughter, Suri, together. Cruise also has two children from his marriage to Nicole Kidman. Cruise attended Glen Ridge High School in Glen Ridge, New Jersey, where he was a senior in 1980, and Holmes was a 4.0-GPA senior at Notre Dame Academy in Toledo, Ohio, in 1997. See all 16 celeb couples, before the fame, at Snakkle.com. Power Couple: Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie Between making movies, Brad and Angie travel the globe promoting humanitarian causes with their six kids. Who would've thought these two sophomores - Brad Pitt in 1980 at Kickapoo High School in Springfield, Missouri, and Angelina Jolie Voight (she still used the last name of her father, Jon Voight) in 1991 at Beverly Hills High School - would grow up to be one of Hollywood's (and the world's) most famous couples? See all 16 couples in the gallery at Snakkle.com.

Nearly 90,000 Minis Recalled for Fire Hazard After an investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Mini is recalling almost 89,000 of its turbocharged models because they could catch fire when the engine is off. In a report filed over the weekend, BMW, the parent company of Mini, told the safety agency that the auxiliary water pump designed to dissipate heat from the turbocharger was the cause of the hazard. The manufacturer said the pump's circuit board may malfunction, allowing the board to overheat and the water pump to fail. "In an extreme case," BMW said, overheating of the circuit board could cause a fire. BMW received its first report of a water-pump failure in 2009, and in May and July 2010 learned of two vehicles with "a burned engine compartment." The automaker said it continued to monitor the situation, but did not notify the agency. Last October, however, N.H.T.S.A. began its own investigation after receiving complaints from owners, including 12 reports of engine fires - five of which asserted "engulfing fires resulting in a total vehicle loss." Eight owners complained that the fires began when the vehicle was parked and the engine turned off. BMW decided this month that a recall was needed, the automaker said. It was not aware of any accidents or injuries. The models affected by the recall are the 2007-11 Cooper S; 2008-11 Cooper S Clubman; 2009-11 Cooper S convertible; 2011 Cooper S Countryman; and the 2009-11 John Cooper Works, John Cooper Works Clubman and John Cooper Works convertible. BMW describes the recall as voluntary, but under federal regulations once an automaker is aware of a safety problem it has no choice but to inform the agency of its plan for a recall.

Wildfires devastate Chilean wilderness - Nature - Environment - The Independent Wildfires sweeping through one of South America's most famous national parks are devastating thousands of acres of pristine habitat. So far, more than 21,000 acres of Torres del Paine have been destroyed by blazes that have yet to be brought under control. The park is one of Chile's major wilderness attractions, drawing 200,000 tourists a year, and the government has described the fires as a major environmental disaster. Torres del Paine is a Unesco Biosphere Reserve and home to rare wildlife including pumas, pygmy owls, flamingo, Andean condors and 14 other birds of prey. In southern Chilean Patagonia, it is famous for its birdlife, soaring granite pinnacles and lakes vividly coloured by different hues of rock flour. It has been claimed that the fire was inadvertently started on Tuesday by a group of six Israeli tourists using cardboard to fuel a campfire in an area where fires are not authorised. One Israeli was arrested last night. Park instructions stipulate that campers should choose an area away from trees, cleared of vegetation, and fires should be encircled with stones. The interior minister, Rodrigo Hinzpeter, said there was a "high possibility that the fire was caused by human action." In 2005, a Czech hiker started a fire accidentally using an illegal gas stove. It took a month to put out, burned down nearly 10 per cent of Torres del Paine, and experts estimated the park would not fully recover for 10 years. The Czech government has provided funds to aid restoration. The fire is estimated to have so far destroyed 6 per cent of the park, which will be closed for at least a month. The authorities have evacuated 400 tourists from the area, but many more are trapped there, with buses from Puerto Natales to the nearest city in Argentina, El Calafate, fully booked for the next few days. Yesterday, 550 emergency service personnel were still fighting the flames and hope to have the fire under control within 24 hours. But Mr Hinzpeter warned that it was "dangerous, violent and difficult to control." The operation has increased to 200 members of the Chilean armed forces, sided by 50 specialist firefighters supported by 40 from Argentina. Four helicopters and 10 tanks are also being used. Chile's President Sebastian Piñera has called upon the US and Australia for assistance - but his government's response has been heavily criticised. A protest was held on Friday in Puerto Natales, and another was scheduled for New Year's Eve. Maria Elena Borquez, one of the organisers, told The IoS: "The government reacted very badly, belatedly and slowly. They came here to check the scale of the fire 24 hours after it started. It took 48 hours for help to arrive. They came without giving money to save our park, which is a global natural reserve and is a source of money for the whole country. There are people in the government who don't see us as Chileans; they think Chile stops at Puerto Montt. Ecological groups have questioned why only 25 Chilean soldiers were sent to fight the fire by Thursday, while neighbouring Argentina had already provided 23. Max Salas, the governor of the Ultima Esperanza Province, where the park sits, hit back at the criticism, telling local radio on Saturday: "There is a habit in this country to always seek the negative - even under the difficult conditions under which we are living."

Trump to build cemetery near golf course BEDMINSTER, N.J., Jan. 30 (UPI) -- Business mogul Donald Trump is seeking to build a private cemetery near his Trump National Golf Club in New Jersey's Bedminster Township, a consultant said. The 1.5-acre site would become the exclusive final resting place for wealthy club members, The (Newark, N.J.) Star-Ledger reported Monday. A section of the plot would be saved for Trump and his next of kin, said Ed Russo, a Trump consultant. "It's a very personal decision, but he's considering it," Russo said. This is really about members but we do plan to set something aside for Mr. Trump and his family. Trump is seeking to change how family members of avid golfers are able to honor loved ones' wishes of having their ashes dispersed on golf courses. "It's one thing to be buried in a typical cemetery," Russo said, "but it's another if you're buried alongside the fifth fairway of Trump National, where golfers will hold memberships over many generations." Russo said Trump, who in 2007 first considered being buried near his award-winning golf course, is about two months away from submitting an application to the state of New Jersey, which must approve every new cemetery.

Till death do us part: Marriage to dead girlfriend draws mixed reaction Chadil Deffy posted photos of his dead bride on Facebook. Hopeless romantic or macabre publicity hound? A Thai television director's decision to marry his dead girlfriend and post photos and video of the event to Facebook and YouTube is drawing mixed reaction from the public. Chadil Deffy, also known as Deff Yingyuen, married his girlfriend of 10 years, Sarinya "Anne" Kamsook, early this month as she lay in a coffin in a wedding-cum-funeral at a temple in Surin Province, the Pattaya Daily News reported. During the ceremony, the 28-year-old groom, wearing a black tuxedo, placed a ring on the finger of his late girlfriend, whose body was lying on a raised platform, dressed in a white bridal dress. He put photos of himself and his dead bride on his personal Facebook page under an album titled "Corpse Bride." He also uploaded a video to YouTube. The couple met while studying at Eastern Asia University 10 years ago and had planned to get married for a while but Kamsook died in a car accident on Jan. 3, according to media reports. She was 29. A friend of Deffy, Onsiri Pravattiyagul, wrote in an opinion column this week in The Bangkok Post: The "wedding" was his attempt to right a wrong, however belated the gesture might have been. As expected, the initial public reaction was an outpouring of sympathy for the "groom" and a wave of sentimental remarks. The romantically inclined were moved by this expression of "true love," however unconventional. It seemed to hit a nerve with many people. The offline media picked up on the buzz, too, and went to town with the story. Chadil found himself under a spotlight, experiencing an unexpected 15 minutes of fame. Also as expected, within days, the backlash began - and it wasn't at all kind. In a heartbeat, Chadil went from being viewed as a hopeless romantic to being vilified as a publicity-hungry opportunist. Pravattiyagul said Deffy was heartbroken and "wasn't thinking about the possibility of fame when he decided to put a ring on her cold finger. He merely wanted to make things right, however small or inadequate the gesture might seem.

Artomatic 2012 dates announced - Going Out Gurus - The Washington Post Artomatic visitors survey photographs by Graeme King during the 2008 festival. (Leah L. Jones for The Washington Post) After a three-year hiatus, the massive free and unjuried art extravaganza known as Artomatic is coming back. The dates are set and the location secured: The festivities take over Crystal City from May 18-June 24 at the largest Artomatic space ever, the Transwestern Presidential Tower at 2511 S. Clark St. This is the second time in the festival's 13-year history that Artomatic will take place in Crystal City, and those dependent on public transportation should be happy to find that the 2012 locale is only about a half mile from the Crystal City Metro. While many of the 76,000 visitors who attended Artomatic in 2009 went for the art (courtesy of about 2,500 artists), the cultural mishmash also promises a slew of other entertainment, from concerts and parties to fashion shows and film screenings. We'll keep you posted on the details of those highlights closer to the festivities, but for now, mark your calendars for May 18, the opening night party, which is sure to be a blow-out. You might also like: Artomatic seeks empty office buildings, but finds few Looking ahead: Must-see arts and culture January Art Preview

Mubarak lawyer attacks graft charge in Egypt trial CAIRO (Reuters) - Any accusations of corruption against Hosni Mubarak should go through military, not civilian authorities, his defense lawyer said on Thursday, seeking to undermine the prosecution's case against the former Egyptian president. Lawyer Farid el-Deeb was defending Mubarak for a third day in a trial which Egyptians who rose up against him hope will bring justice - the prosecution is seeking the death sentence on a charge that Mubarak ordered the killing of protesters. Yet those who want to see Mubarak punished are starting to express concern that the prosecution's case is not as strong as they had hoped. A not guilty verdict would likely outrage many and could fuel more protests. Citing a military justice code, Deeb said Mubarak should have been treated according to his status as a former officer once he ceded his presidential powers to the military council that has been governing Egypt since last February. "A military court, and no one else, is charged with viewing any cases of illicit gains," Deeb said. Mubarak had been an airforce lieutenant general before he moved into public office, a rank Deeb said his client kept for life. As in previous sessions, the 83-year-old Mubarak was wheeled into the courtroom on a hospital trolley. The man who governed Egypt for three decades listened to the defense from a cage reserved for the defendants, alongside him his two sons who are standing trial on charges of corruption. The prosecution has accused the former president of using his influence to "deliberately waste public funds and unlawfully making private financial gains and profit." Specifically, the charge says he helped his two sons acquire property in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. Deeb said the prosecution had relied on an invalid report to value the property, saying an expert who drew up the estimate had fabricated records showing how he had reached his valuation only after the paperwork was requested by the defense. "This expert did nothing that has anything to do with any form of expertise," he said. Deeb had accused the prosecution in an earlier session of relying on the testimony of an officer he described as "a liar" as the basis of its entire case for the charges of corruption. The report is flawed. The report is corrupted," Deeb argued, saying the experts had inspected property specified in a different location from where the villas actually were. "This entire charge only aims to taint and damage the reputation of this man," Deeb said, motioning with his arms towards Mubarak's cage. This is unjust. On Tuesday, the defense said Mubarak's accusers had no evidence to support their charge that he ordered the killing of protesters during the uprising in which more than 850 people were killed. Deeb has described Mubarak as "a just man, not a tyrant." Editing by Tom Perry

Petition To Ban Cosmopolitan Magazine From Stores Gets Over 10,000 Signatures If one woman has her way, you won't be seeing headlines like "75 Sex Moves" and "Foreplay Men Crave" in the grocery store checkout line anymore. Cosmopolitan magazine released its February issue this week featuring 17-year-old Dakota Fanning as the cover girl, surrounded by article captions such as "His Best Sex Ever," "Too Naughty To Stay Here: But You Have to Try This Sex Trick." The cover was the perfect example of what for model Nicole Weider wants banned from grocery stores and newsstands. As a former reader of the magazine, I happened to pick up an issue and was reading it and was completely shocked at how pornographic and explicit the content had become. I immediately thought of my young teenage brothers and it horrified me to think that they and their friends could be reading this material, and the damage it would do to them if they did," Weider told FOX411"s Pop Tarts column. So I decided to do something about it. So, in August 2011, Weider started a Change.org petition to have the magazine sold in a non-transparent wrapper. Weider wants to make sure nobody under the age of 18 sees the cover of Cosmopolitan magazine on newsstands or at their grocery stores, and that no one under 18 can buy the top-selling title. "I have contacted the Chairman of the FTC, John Leibowitz and received a letter from his office stating they will look into the issue and start an investigation only when they feel it's a 'threat' to society," she said. This means they need more complaints - that is, signers of this petition. Weider thinks its particularly troubling when the magazine occasionally uses tween/teen-orientated stars like Fanning and Hayden Panettiere (and reportedly Selena Gomez in an upcoming issue), to cater to a very adult audience. To date, the petition has received almost 11,000 signatures and Weider says that she has also received hundreds of supportive comments and emails through her website www.projectinspired.com from girls as young as 11. "They write me letters detailing how they've tried the sexual tips written about in Cosmo, only to get their hearts broken, or worse - getting pregnant or catching an STD," she said. The obvious damage it could be doing is the girls getting STD's at a young age, pregnancy and bullying. But let's not forget other behaviors Cosmo displays in a glamorous package to young girls, such as sexting nude pictures of yourself (November 2011) and suggesting that it is "normal" if your boyfriend cheats on you (December 2011)." Not everyone shares Weider's views. Is this really happening in 2012? Next thing you know they'll want to ban Elvis and those "talking pictures" for being too risqué," said Los Angeles-based pop culture writer/reporter Jenn Hoffman. If you want to hide the cover of Cosmo, why not hide the cover of the tabloid magazines too? Maybe we should cover up any publication that promotes values we don't like. Reality stars grace the cover of tabloid magazines by selling their stories, and making money by exploiting their family and their personal relationships. Where is the petition to shield kids from the dangerously salacious image of Kim Kardashian? Cosmopolitan magazine did not respond to a request for comment.

Villas-Boas hits back at Hansen after latest attack against Luiz Andre Villas-Boas, the Chelsea manager, has renewed his attack on Alan Hansen after the television pundit criticised the performances of David Luiz and Jose Bosingwa in Chelsea's recent match at Wolves. Hansen said Luiz "wouldn't know a good position if it stared at him" and added: "Bosingwa makes Luiz look a world-beater- so bad it's embarrassing." Referring to the goal celebration for Chelsea's winner, when most of the players ran to embrace Villas-Boas and his staff, Hansen said: "It's just papering over the cracks." Villas-Boas has already been involved in a public dispute with Hansen after the latter described Cheslea as "naive and stupid" in their defeat at Old Trafford in September. Yesterday the Chelsea manager said of Hansen: "He doesn't have the privilege that I have, to work with these players every day. If everybody had perfect games media pundits would have no jobs because there'd be no one to criticise. They'd have to find jobs in professional football, which is a little bit harder. Villas-Boas went on to defend Luiz saying: "I think he's played fantastically since the start of the season. He's going to be one of the greatest central defenders in the world. He has technical ability, anticipation and speed. Luiz will play against Sunderland today as Gary Cahill is still to complete his £7m move from Bolton, but the club are hopeful the deal will be completed over the weekend. The last time Martin O'Neill took a team to Stamford Bridge, Aston Villa in March 2010, he lost 7-1. The last time Sunderland went to Chelsea, in November 2010, they won 3-0. Villas-Boas expects today's match to be closer than either encounter. Sunderland have won 13 points from 18 under O'Neill and Villas-Boas said: "Sunderland were low in motivation and self-belief but they beat the leaders [Manchester City] and feel they can play anyone." Chelsea are 11 points off the Premier League summit but Villas-Boas insisted they were still in the title race. I don't feel the margin is unobtainable. We are inconsistent in terms of results, but we are trying to put it right," he said.

Master of the universe - Telegraph The world's most famous scientist turns 70 on Sunday. Professor Stephen Hawking does not believe in God, but even he might admit that this anniversary is something of a miracle. After all, no one expected him to reach 30, following his diagnosis with motor neurone disease at the age of 21. Despite the devastating progression of his illness, Prof Hawking is still trying to find answers to questions which are simultaneously fundamental to our existence and far too complicated for ordinary mortals to understand. His "quantum cosmology" aims to explain the creation of the universe by recasting it as a multitude of creations that are selected by the present. And no, we don't know what that means, either. But we do wish a happy birthday to a very great man who, while suffering in ways we can hardly imagine, none the less declares that it is "glorious to be alive."

Ryan says bravado might have put pressure on Jets updated 6:48 p.m. NEW YORK - The days of big, brash talk by Rex Ryan could be over. The New York Jets coach told WFAN Radio on Friday that he'll remain confident but might tone down his comments after his Super Bowl guarantees and bravado might have hurt his team this season. Ryan, who has promised big things for the Jets since taking over as coach in 2009, predicted a Super Bowl victory this season during the NFL combine last February. "My thing about, 'I'll guarantee that we get it done this year,' I thought the bull's-eye was going on my back, and that's fine," Ryan said. I was trying to put pressure on myself. So that's something that obviously I have to learn from. The Jets lost their last three games to finish 8-8 and out of the playoffs. Ryan said he drove by MetLife Stadium during the Giants' playoff-opening win against Atlanta two weeks ago to see it "in all blue" to motivate himself to get the Jets back on track. Clearly, when you have a team that went to back-to-back championship games, what else is there to go for? Ryan said. It's Super Bowl or bust. Well, we busted. Recent comments by LaDainian Tomlinson about Ryan's bravado and a conversation with former 49ers quarterback Steve Young, now an ESPN analyst, about his style got the coach thinking about tweaking his approach. "I've got to look at the entire dynamic of what I say," Ryan said, "and how it doesn't just affect me." Despite being done playing for nearly three weeks, the Jets have still made news - with players taking swipes at quarterback Mark Sanchez and revealing a troublesome locker room environment. On Showtime's "Inside The NFL" on Wednesday night, Tomlinson said the Jets' locker room was "as bad as I've ever been around." As owner Woody Johnson did on Thursday, Ryan disputed that by saying he thought the running back might have overstated the amount of tension. Most notably, Sanchez and wide receiver Santonio Holmes had a rocky relationship throughout the season. "I think it was an isolated incident," Ryan said. I don't think it was pervasive throughout the locker room. It's not everybody in the locker room. We certainly had a couple of guys, and it had a huge negative impact on our football team, so there's no question about that. Ryan acknowledged a few times after the season that he never had his finger fully on the pulse of the team, something he insists will change. "I want to be a great head coach," he said. I want to be. Am I there yet? No, I'm absolutely not there yet, but I am willing to work to get there. In a conference call with season ticket holders earlier Friday, Ryan said the confusing terminology of former offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer's system caused him to not be as involved in working with the offense. "Quite honestly, the verbiage we had last season was probably a little much," Ryan said. Ryan and general manager Mike Tannenbaum both insisted Sanchez will be the Jets' starting quarterback next season and will benefit from new offensive coordinator Tony Sparano's run-first system. Ryan isn't totally done making guarantees, though. During his interview with WFAN, the coach predicted the Giants and Baltimore Ravens would make it to the Super Bowl. "I think the Giants are going to take this game," he said. Eli (Manning) is hot. I like the fact that both of their running backs are healthy. I think you could be looking at a Ravens-Giants rematch. He also raved about the Ravens' defense - a unit he once coached - and how it could neutralize Tom Brady. "But the Ravens' offense has to show up," he said. They've got to protect the football. I think they can move on the ball, no question. Let's face it, I'm cheering for the Ravens.

Allmendinger leads Michael Shank Racing to win Jan 29 04:52 PM US/Eastern (AP) - NASCAR driver AJ Allmendinger earned his first major victory in almost six years by closing out the Rolex 24 at Daytona for Michael Shank Racing. Allmendinger drove the final stint in the No. 60 Ford Riley, spending almost three hours behind the wheel at the end of the twice-around-the-clock endurance race. His team included IndyCar driver Justin Wilson, and Grand-Am regulars Ozz Negri Jr. and John Pew. Ryan Dalziel was at the wheel for Starworks Motorsports' second-place finish, and Felipe Nasar was driving for Shank when he crossed the line in third. Ford swept the top three spots of the Daytona Prototype class. The vaunted teams from Chip Ganassi Racing finished fourth and sixth after both cars had mechanical issues.

Probe: 1994 Rwandan Leader Killed by Military Fire A French investigation has found that the missile fire which brought down the Rwandan president's plane in 1994 and sparked the country's genocide came from a military camp and not Tutsi rebels, according to a lawyer briefed Tuesday. Those findings essentially clear several people close to current Rwandan President Paul Kagame, who was the leader of the Tutsi rebels at the time of the assassination. French judges had filed preliminary charges against Kagame's allies and were investigating the incident because a French air crew were killed in the plane crash. The Rwandan government praised Tuesday's conclusion, which is in line with its own investigation that pointed the finger at Hutu extremists. Critics of the Rwandan government had questioned that investigation and, for years, some have said the rebel Tutsis who were fighting then-President Juvenal Habyarimana's Hutu-led government shot down his plane. After the April 1994 crash, militants from the Hutu ethnic majority quickly set up roadblocks across the capital of Kigali. More than 500,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were massacred in 100 days of frenzied killing - slaughter that was stopped when Kagame's Tutsi rebel group, the Rwandan Patriotic Front, toppled the Hutu extremists. Lawyer Bernard Maingain, whose represents seven Rwandans who were under investigation, said the findings "put an end to more than 16 years of manipulation and lies." His comments were echoed by the Rwandan government. "Today's findings constitute vindication for Rwanda's long-held position on the circumstances surrounding events of April 1994," Rwandan Foreign Minister Louise Mushikiwabo said in a statement. It is now clear to all that the downing of the plane was a coup d'etat carried (out) by extremist Hutu elements and their advisers. The French investigation has at times created a rift between France and Rwanda. The delivery in 2006 of arrest warrants for people close to Kagame by a now-retired French anti-terrorism magistrate led to a break in diplomatic ties between France and Rwanda - re-established only in 2009.

Dr. Mark Testaiuti Selected For Patients' Choice Award 2011 Dr. Mark Testaiuti of Mount Laurel, NJ has been ranked among the top physicians in the nation based on patient reviews. MOUNT LAUREL, N.J., Jan. 17, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A select few physicians were honored with the prestigious 2011 Patients' Choice Award, and this year they include Dr. Mark Testaiuti. Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120117/DC37044 Dr. Mark Testaiuti commented on the recognition: "This is quite an honor for me. About Mark Testaiuti: Dr. Testaiuti is a board-certified neurosurgeon at coastal spine who specializing exclusively in Minimally Invasive spine care and complex spinal surgery. He received extensive residency training with leading New York City Orthopedic spine surgeons and Neurosurgeons in complex spinal surgery. He has been recognized with local and regional awards including numerous "TOP DOC" nominations in South Jersey Magazine and has been listed as one of "America's Top Surgeons" by the Consumer's Research Council of America and The Center for the Study of Services-Consumers Check Book. See web site full Bio. For more information on this Patients' Choice Award winner, please visit Dr. Mark Testaiuti's profile on PatientsChoice.org. Following the publication of Dr. Mark Testaiuti's selection for the Patients' Choice Award, American Registry seconded the honor and added Dr. Testaiuti to The Registry™ of Business Excellence. For more information on Dr. Mark Testaiuti, located in Mount Laurel, NJ please call 856-222-4444, or visit www.coastalspine.com. This press release was written by American Registry, LLC with approval by and/or contributions from Dr. Testaiuti and was distributed by PR Newswire, a subsidiary of UBM plc. Contact Info: Dr. Mark Testaiuti Phone: 856-222-4444 Email Address: [email protected]

For 60 years, TODAY has brought you the world Jan. 6, 1975: TODAY's Barbara Walters, Jim Hartz and Joe Garagiola take the show on the road to the nation's 50 state, live in front of the only royal residence eon U.S. soil: Iolani Palace. Like anchor Matt Lauer, the TODAY show is a bit of a globetrotter. Over the past 60 years, the program has originated from Africa, China, the Soviet Union, France, Italy, the United Kingdom and Ireland, Australia, South America, Cuba and aboard the Orient Express. Over the past decade, in what has become one of the show's trademark series, TODAY has broadcast live from remote locations around the world for "Where in the World is Matt Lauer?" In September 2000, TODAY spent three weeks in Sydney, Australia, providing live coverage of the Olympics in what was the longest trip in the history of the program. On Jan. 6, 1975, TODAY's Barbara Walters, Jim Hartz and Joe Garagiola even donned flower leis for a live broadcast from Hawaii, the 50th state in the union, from in front of the "Iolani Palace. The "Iolani Palace, in Honolulu on the island of Oahu, is the only royal residence on U.S. soil. Completed in 1882, the palace served as the official residency of King Kalākaua and Queen Kapi`olani. Today the building is a National Historic Landmark. Visitors can take either a guided tour (reservations required) or a self-led tour. The Palace is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Tickets are $7-$20 for adults, $3-$6 for children 5-12. Children 4 years old and younger are not permitted on the first or second floors of the Palace. See TODAY.com to learn more about the show's 60th anniversary.

Sydney Leroux and Soccer Without Borders Jeré Longman has a profile in the Sunday Times of the United States national team newcomer Sydney Leroux, a striker with worlds of talent and a complicated background. Leroux scored five goals in the Americans" 13-0 demolition of Guatemala last week, but she has nonetheless been taunted in Vancouver, her hometown, for her decision to compete internationally for the United States instead of her native Canada. Her story should be one familiar to soccer fans. Talented player rises through the ranks in one country - maybe the one in which they were born and raised, or maybe the one to which they moved as a young teenage prodigy - but then shifts gears at the last moment to compete for another. Many factors can be at work when this happens: family, loyalty, opportunity, marketability. But nationality shopping isn't new; Alfredo Di Stefano was capped by three countries, and Ferenc Puskas by two. Ireland used the so-called Granny Rule to qualify for two World Cups, and the last tournament featured two Boateng brothers, both raised in Germany, suiting up for different nations. Sometimes this works out for U.S. Soccer; Edgar Castillo (who appeared several times for Mexico), Fabian Johnson and Timothy Chandler are recent examples. Other times it does not (see Neven Subotic and Andy Najar). Unlike the New Jersey-born Giuseppe Rossi, however, who went abroad early and never made any secret of his plans to represent Italy, Leroux gets grief north of the border because she competed for Canada in several international tournaments as a teenager. In fact, she appeared in the under-19 World Cup for the Canadians when she was only 14. But by then, she was already longing to play in the American college system, and for the U.S. national team. Before the recent Concacaf Olympic qualifying tournament, which concludes Sunday night with a game between Leroux's home country and her adopted one (8 p.m. Eastern, NBC Sports Network), she told the Vancouver Sun: "I knew that I was going to live my life ... in the States and that I was going to college and pursue a career there and eventually build a family there. So it just made sense that I'd play there, as well. And while Leroux has heard criticism for her allegiance, similar moves have become increasingly common since FIFA relaxed its rules on the topic several years ago. Much of the pressure for the changes came from federations in Africa and Asia looking to deepen their talent pools by reclaiming players long lost to European clubs. But others raced in through the gap as well. The German-American midfielder Jermaine Jones quickly took advantage, leaving behind several appearances in friendlies for Germany's national team to join the U.S. version. And dozens of other players have since completed - or are considering - the same kind of switch. But does it really matter? Many Algerians are as proud of Zinedine Zidane's exploits as their French counterparts are. Spanish fans (well, outside of Madrid) no doubt still cheer Lionel Messi when he pulls on the stripes of Argentina. And there are plenty of others who realize that Mario Balotelli is more of an Italian than one of his sometime Azzurri teammates, the Brazilian-born striker Amauri, though it's hard to persuade everyone to cheer for both of them. It wasn't that many years ago that several American-born women accepted call-ups to Mexico's national team rather than wait in vain for a spot on U.S. Soccer's star-filled roster. Their progress was blocked at home, but they were lucky enough to have dual citizenship and dual options. Leroux, the No. 1 pick pick in the recent W.P.S. draft, is so good that she would have been a star in two countries, even if the one she chose probably didn't need her as much as the one she left. Maybe, deep down, that is what has some Canadians so steamed. Maybe the only problem they have with Leroux's move is that she went the wrong way. Corner kick: Does the portability of nationality in soccer bother you as a fan? Should FIFA's rules be stricter, or looser? Or does it only matter to you when you have a national team shirt in the game?

They Came to Hear Mahler, Not an iPhone Re "Ringing Finally Ended, but There's No Button to Stop Shame" (news article, Jan. 13): Thanks for two striking emblems of our society's dysfunction. First, cellphone blockers installed in theaters and concert halls are long overdue - the logical solution, yet it is never done. Typical! And second, there is the fact that "Patron X" put his device in silent mode, and it disrupted the concert anyway. That is because we just adore the geeks who run rampant with their bells and whistles in practically everything they design, forcing us with their dazzling cleverness into absurdities like marimbas during Mahler's sublime music. How utterly typical! In Austria, I have seen an excellent way to ensure that cellphones are turned off during performances. Just before a performance begins, the ushers in theaters and concert halls walk around with their loudly ringing cellphones held high. It is a gesture that is impossible to overlook or to misunderstand. It is also rather amusing. And it works.

Religion takes a back seat to rights in court, says theologian But in recent years there has been a clear trend for courts in Europe and North America to prioritise equality and non-discrimination above religion, placing the right to religious freedom in danger. There should not be a hierarchy of rights, but it should be possible to take account of all of them in some way. He added: "No State can be a functioning democracy unless it allows its citizens to manifest their beliefs about what is most important in life." In a new book, titled Equality, Freedom and Religion, he warned of a "worrying" trend of the courts placing their own definitions of what is "core to a religion's belief system." He called for the rights to be "balanced" and that "reasonable accommodation" should become a standard thought by judges. Prof Trigg, a member of the university's faculties of Theology and Philosophy, highlighted one case that had come before the European Court of Human Rights. In that case a civil registrar from Islington had refused to conduct civil partnership ceremonies because of her religious beliefs. He added: "It should have been easy to find a solution here ... but the need to respect the right to equality trumped the freedom of religious convictions in this instance. The courts seem to have taken it upon themselves to decide what is and isn't core to belief in a particular religion.

The risks of buying a car privately I have seen a car advertised for sale. It's the model I want and the price is right. I know I am supposed to get some protection if I buy from a dealer, but this is a private seller. The car is described as being in excellent condition and the seller says everything works as it should. I don't expect everything to be perfect with a second-hand car, but do I have any protection or redress if I buy privately and then find there's something wrong? You buy entirely at your own risk. The car must be roadworthy, but everything else can be a lie. If the car is seriously "not as described" and cost less than £5,000, however, you could always try suing the vendor via the small claims track of the county court.

Santorum vows to soldier on after 3rd place finish in S.C. Walking into chants of "we pick Rick" from an audience at the military academy The Citadel, Rick Santorum vowed to continue his journey to the Republican nomination after finishing third in South Carolina Saturday. Santorum politely congratulated his opponents, saying "Newt kicked butt," referring to the winner in the Palmetto state's primary, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. In an interview with CNN before those remarks, Santorum was less charitable toward Gingrich. "Those who worked with congressman Gingrich know what's in store if he's the nominee of our party," he said, referring to his rival's reputation as an erratic leader. Santorum sought to put the best spin on his third place finish in South Carolina, where his message of social conservatism is more welcome than it was in New Hampshire. Three states, three winners. What a great country," Santorum said, reminding his supporters and those watching on television that he received 34 more votes than Romney in the non-binding Iowa caucuses January 3. Mitt Romney won New Hampshire January 10. But Santorum faces a difficult road ahead. The former Pennsylvania senator trails both Romney and Gingrich in national polls. It's game on again. We're going to have it go on for a long time," Santorum told CNN. Santorum said he was headed Sunday to Florida, which holds its primary January 31. "Then we will go to Arizona and Colorado and everywhere else," he told his supporters. Nevada then Maine are the next contests after Florida. While talking to supporters after his speech, Santorum was doused with glitter as protestors repeatedly yelled "bigot."

COL BKB: Florida 24, Ohio State 17 JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Jan. 2 (UPI) -- Andre Debose scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 99-yard kickoff return Monday and Florida bested Ohio State 24-17 in the Gator Bowl. Debose's second-quarter return set a Gator Bowl record and Florida (7-6) used another special teams touchdown on a blocked punt by Chris Rainey to secure the victory. Rainey rushed 16 times for 71 yards. John Brantley went 12-of-16 through the air for 129 yards and a touchdown for the Gators. Ohio State (6-7) was led by Braxton Miller, who tossed for 165 yards and two touchdowns on 18-of-23 efficiency. Dan Herron added 77 rushing yards on 12 carries for the Buckeyes.

Bomb attacks kill 19 in southern Afghanistan KABUL - Two attacks in southern Afghanistan have left at least 19 people dead over the past two days, Afghan officials reported. The attacks come at a critical moment in peace talks between the United States and the Taliban. Thursday morning, a suicide bomber killed six civilians near the entrance to a NATO airfield in Kandahar, according to Almai Ayoubi, a provincial spokesman. Two of the dead were children. The Taliban promptly asserted responsibility for the attack. On Wednesday, 13 people were killed and 20 wounded when a suicide bomber attacked a popular bazaar in the Kajaki district of Helmand province, according to Daud Ahmadi, a spokesman for the provincial governor. An official said the attack targeted a joint patrol of Afghan and international troops. Gen. John R. Allen, commander of the U.S. forces in Afghanistan, condemned the suicide bombings. "Mullah Omar has lost all control over Taliban insurgents," he said in a statement, referring to Mohammad Omar, the Taliban leader. "Otherwise he would immediately denounce these attacks and order his "forces" to stop attacking innocent Afghan civilians." Marc Grossman, the U.S. special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, is scheduled to visit Kabul in the coming days - a trip that Afghan officials say will dictate the prospects of peace negotiations. The string of recent attacks is expected to add pressure to the tenuous diplomatic process. Taliban spokesmen have said that their attacks will continue until a formal agreement has been confirmed and that the group is "utilizing its political wing alongside its military presence."

TOKYO - Olympus said on Tuesday that it was suing 19 current and former executives and board members, including its current president, for almost $50 million over an accounting scheme to hide losses going back more than a decade. But in the latest indication that the Olympus scandal continues to follow a distinctly Japan Inc. approach to corporate governance, the company is letting the discredited president and the implicated board members stay on until later this year. The president, Shuichi Takayama, was a long-time lower-level Olympus executive and board member until last November, when he was promoted to replace Michael C. Woodford, a Briton. Mr. Woodford was fired after blowing the whistle over the $1.7 billion accounting fraud. Olympus said on Tuesday that Mr. Takayama, who has contended he knew nothing of the scheme, was being sued for 500 million yen, or about $6.5 million, on contentions that he failed to meet his fiducuiary duties as a director while the fraud was under way. Olympus shares jumped nearly 30 percent on the announcement Tuesday, as investors bet that by taking legal action against those implicated in the scandal the company could head off a threatened delisting by the Tokyo Stock Exchange. Still, some critics and analysts warned that keeping tainted executives at the helm of Olympus threatened to undermine its turnaround effort by allowing discredited board members to name their successors and subvert meaningful changes in the management and accounting oversight of the company. Olympus, a maker of cameras and medical optical devices called endoscopes, remains in dire need of fresh capital after recently restated accounts showed its shareholder equity at far lower levels than previously disclosed. Olympus on Tuesday defended its move. Olympus has admitted to concealing losses dating back to the 1990s using an elaborate scheme involving offshore funds. The case has cast a harsh spotlight on lax corporate governance in Japan. That admission came after Mr. Woodford, who became president last April and chief executive in August, blew the whistle on fraudulent accounting at the company. He went public with his allegations after being fired in October. Olympus had initially said it fired Mr. Woodford, one of a handful of foreign executives at top Japanese companies, over what it called his aggressive Western management style. But Mr. Woodford disclosed internal documents to show he had been dismissed after he raised questions about irregular payouts related to mergers and acquisitions. Olympus later acknowledged that those payments, made from 2006 through 2008, were part of a scheme to own up to losses on past investments that it had long kept off its balance sheets. The scandal has led to government investigations in Japan, the United States and Britain. And Olympus appointed an outside panel to investigate the matter. Mr. Woodford later made a bid to return to the company with a fresh slate of directors, but he abandoned that effort last week after Japanese institutional investors continued to back Olympus's current management. Meanwhile, Olympus's external panel has sought to identify which of its officials were involved in the scheme. On Tuesday, Olympus said the panel had implicated 19 executives to varying degrees. Based on the panel's findings, Olympus said it was seeking up to 3.6 billion yen, or $47 million, in damages from 19 past and present executives. The brunt of the damages sought will be from the former chairman, Tsuyoshi Kikukawa; the former executive vice president, Hisashi Mori; and the former internal auditor, Hideo Yamada, the company said. A separate third-party investigative panel appointed by Olympus said last month that the three had orchestrated the scheme to mask investment losses. Among current executives, besides Mr. Takayama, the company said it was suing five of eight current internal directors and one of its three current external directors. Those directors would resign at an extraordinary shareholders" meeting scheduled for March or April. The directors not named in Olympus's lawsuit are expected to keep their seats on the board. Mr. Woodford, the ousted president, said Tuesday via e-mail that the entire board had been discredited when it fired him instead of investigating his allegations and that all directors needed to go. "It is completely the wrong basis to revitalize Olympus," Mr. Woodford said. The only way forward is an entirely new board of directors, untainted by the past scandal. Southeastern Asset Management, an American firm that is Olympus's biggest overseas stockholder, has also urged the company to purge its current management.

Security Official: Armed Men Rob Major Egypt Bank An Egyptian security official says gunmen have stormed the branch of a major international bank and robbed an armored car in separate parts of Cairo. The official said that seven gunmen charged Monday into the New Cairo branch of HSBC Bank on the city's outskirts, firing their weapons in the air, and took money from tellers. The same day, he said, three gunmen robbed an armored car as it unloaded money at another bank in southern Cairo, fleeing with over 3 million Egyptian pounds ($542,000 dollars). He spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to talk to the media. Armed bank robberies are rare in Egypt. Monday's daring daytime raids come amid reduced police deployments following the uprising that forced President Hosni Mubarak from power last year.

Humble people more likely to help ORONO, Maine, Jan. 4 (UPI) -- Arrogant people are less likely than those who are humble to offer help to someone in need, U.S. researchers found. Lead author Jordan LaBouff, a lecturer in psychology at the University of Maine, who collaborated on the research while a doctoral candidate at Baylor University, said students in an experiment were asked how many hours during the coming three weeks they would be willing to meet with an injured student to provide aid. Humble persons offered more time to help than less humble ones, LaBouff said. In another study, students were asked to associate as quickly as possible traits that applied to themselves. "The only other personality trait that has shown any effect is agreeableness, but we found that humility predicted helping over and above that," LaBouff said in a statement. In most cases, a decision to help someone in need is influenced by temporary personal or situational factors such as time pressure, number of bystanders, momentary feelings of empathy or a person's own distress, said study leader Wade C. Rowatt, an associate professor at Baylor's College of Arts & Sciences. "The research indicates that humility is a positive quality with potential benefits," Rowatt said. While several factors influence whether people will volunteer to help a fellow human in need, it appears that humble people, on average, are more helpful than individuals who are egotistical or conceited. The findings were published online in the Journal of Positive Psychology.

COL BKB: Marquette 62, Pittsburgh 57 MILWAUKEE, Jan. 14 (UPI) -- Darius Johnson-Odom popped in 18 points Saturday and 24th-ranked Marquette rallied in the second half to post a 62-57 victory over Pittsburgh. Jae Crowder contributed 15 and Todd Mayo added nine points and seven rebounds for the Golden Eagles (14-4, 3-2 Big East). Marquette trailed by as many as nine points in the opening half but came back to hand the Panthers their sixth loss in a row. It's the longest losing streak for Pitt (11-7, 0-5) since Jan. 22-Feb. Ashton Gibbs notched a career-high 29 points as the Panthers remained the only team in the Big East without a victory in league play.

Costa Concordia: search operations suspended as 20 still missing The new head of the operation, who was given an over-arching coordinating role after the Italian cabinet on Friday declared the capsized ship a state of emergency, has asked experts to determine whether it might be possible to carry out the search operation and the fuel removal at the same time. A scientific and technical committee is expected to give an answer to Franco Gabrielli, the head of the Civil Protection Authority, on Sunday evening. Small quantities of light oil and chemicals have started seeping out of the stricken liner, but officials said that was normal for such a huge vessel. Its kitchens and laundries contain cooking oil and cleaning products, while chemicals from its air conditioning system will also be leaking into the sea. "We must not forget that on that ship there are oils, solvents, detergents, everything that a city of 4,000 people needs," Mr Gabrielli said on Saturday. Divers recovered a 12th body from the wreck on Saturday. The victim, a woman, was wearing a life jacket and was found underwater on deck four, near a passenger muster station. Coast guard divers were able to access the area where she was found after navy frogmen used underwater explosive charges to blast holes in the hull. The woman was not identified, but among missing female passengers are a Peruvian bartender and several adult female passengers. Passengers were trapped inside the ship in the chaotic hour after the ship tore a hole in its hull, with the captain harshly criticised for issuing a may-day signal and the order to abandon ship too late. Police divers, acting on specific orders from prosecutors, retrieved the safe from the cabin of Capt Francesco Schettino's cabin, as well as two of his suitcases, his passport and one of his uniforms. They believe the safe may contain documents or other evidence which could help the investigation. Capt Schettino has been accused of abandoning the liner hours before hundreds of passengers and crew after it smashed into a rocky outcrop close to the shore of Giglio, an island off the coast of Tuscany. Relatives of some of the missing appealed to survivors to come forward with any information which might help divers pinpoint where to search for bodies. "We are asking the 4,000 persons who were on board to give any information they can about any of the persons still missing," said Alain Litzler, a Frenchman who is the father of missing passenger Mylene Litzler. We need precise information to help the search and rescue teams find them. Other relatives were taken close to the beached liner on Saturday in boats and threw bouquets of flowers into the sea.

Co-operative Bank halts agreed overdraft charges The Co-operative Bank is scrapping interest charges on agreed overdrafts for the next three months, in a move which it said would help customers struggling after Christmas and shake up competition. A current account customer with an agreed overdraft of £2,000 could save £75 in fees over the "interest free" period. The bank said customers will automatically have the interest charges put on hold on the overdrafts which qualify and they will not be asked at any point to pay the interest which would have accrued. Robin Taylor, head of banking at the Co-operative Bank said: "This move again highlights how we are looking to bring some much-needed competition to the high street, by providing customers with a genuine alternative to the big five banks." The offer applies to agreed "formal" overdrafts, where a customer has requested an overdraft service in advance, and this has been agreed. It includes standard overdrafts provided with the Current Account Plus as well as formal overdrafts with the Privilege, Privilege Premier and smilemore accounts. But it excludes Cashminder and Student accounts, Business banking and Corporate banking current accounts. The interest free overdraft period covers debit balances from January 5 to April 4 inclusive and any account still overdrawn after this date will revert to the usual charges. Any customer who applies for and receives a formal overdraft while the offer is running will also pay no interest on agreed debit balances from when their overdraft is set up until April 4. A formal overdraft lasts for 12 months and the bank charges £20 to set up or renew it. The Co-operative Bank said its research showed the typical British adult built up just over £749 of debt last year. Just over a quarter (27%) of those who accumulated debt in 2011 expect to pay it all back in the next 12 months, with an additional quarter expecting to pay back half or more (26%). But just under a third of consumers (29%) expect to pay back less than half and just over one in 10 (12%) do not expect to pay any of their 2011 debts off this year. The most common forms of borrowing last year were on credit cards, through personal loans and arranged overdrafts. But 7% of borrowers used store cards and 5% took out payday loans, according to the survey of 2009 adults. Mr Taylor said: "Many people review their finances at the start of the year. As a responsible lender, we want to encourage customers to take control of their finances by providing them with the additional leeway to begin tackling any debts.

VCA Animal Hospitals to Support Local Shelters and Rescue Organizations by Providing Free Healthy Start Exams for Adoptive Pet Parents LOS ANGELES, Jan. 30, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- VCA Animal Hospitals (VCA) are ensuring that pets adopted from Bay Area shelter and rescue organizations get off to a healthy start. As a proud sponsor of this year's Bay Area Pet Expo, VCA along with veterinarians and staff from 16 local VCA Animal Hospital locations will offer attendees who adopt a shelter pet a complimentary first exam, and provide on-site consultations, expert advice and more to all pet-lovers at the event. The Bay Area Pet Expo returns to the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds Exposition Hall in San Jose, Calif., on Saturday, February 4, 2012 from 10AM - 6PM. The VCA booth will be located in the Exposition Hall's Mega Adoption Area for Dogs. General admission is free to the public. "Local shelters do great work to find permanent homes for homeless animals," said VCA Regional Operations Manager Barbara Morrell. We want to assist them by providing exceptional healthcare for the pets they place within their communities. Attendees who adopt a local shelter pet will receive a new pet parent gift bag from VCA, which includes a healthy start certificate for a complimentary first exam. During the initial visit, a VCA veterinarian will evaluate and consult on the pet's overall health by checking the heart and other vital organs, as well as examine for fleas, ticks and other external parasites. All pet parents and pet enthusiasts who attend the Amazing Pet Expo will have the opportunity to benefit from the exceptional healthcare provided by the VCA Animal Hospitals' teams. Veterinarians and staff will be on-site to provide information on pet healthy start and wellness, nutrition, parasite prevention, first-aid, as well as answer general pet healthcare related questions. Attendees will also receive a complimentary goodie bag and have the opportunity to enter a prize giveaway. VCA operates more than 540 animal hospitals in 41 states across the nation in the VCA network. These hospitals are staffed by more than 1,800 fully qualified, dedicated and compassionate veterinarians to give your pet the very best in medical care. Over 200 are board-certified specialists. VCA provides a full range of general medical and surgical services as well as specialized treatments. For more information on VCA Animal Hospitals, please visit VCAhospitals.com SOURCE VCA Animal Hospitals

The Global Note: A Hostage Dilemma...Americans In Egypt...Cruise Company To Pay...Golf - In North Korea Kelly COBIELLA reports from the Sigonella air base that Jessica Buchanan has been joined there by family members, after her dramatic rescue from captors in Somalia earlier this week. Buchanan and her Danish colleague and fellow ex-hostage, Poul Thisted are expected to leave Sigonella after their "reintegration," perhaps as soon as this weekend. Meanwhile, Kirit RADIA and Dana HUGHES report this unfortunate fallout of operation "Octave Fusion": the fear that another American hostage in Somali may lose his life as a result. That American (we are refraining from using his name, at the request of family and friends) has been moved three times in the past twenty four hours and his captors have threatened to kill him. He is a journalist, a California native who was reporting in Somalia for a book. And as Martha RADDATZ reports, pirates warned the U.S. not to rescue him, saying, "If they try again, we will all die together." Pirates rarely kill their hostages - usually they're in this for the ransom - but (Raddatz again) the U.S. is taking these threats very seriously. We continue to follow the story of those Americans - including the son of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood - who have been working on U.S.-funded pro-democracy projects in Egypt and are now barred from leaving the country. Sam LaHood, director of the International Republican Institute's (IRI) Cairo office, said he was turned away at the airport as he sought to fly out of the country. And now he tells Alex MARQUARDT the local investigation could result in a trial. "I don't have any concrete reason to be optimistic at this point," LaHood said. I do think there's something larger at work here, there's a lot of speculation about what's behind this. A number of other employees of foreign NGOs have been barred from leaving, stemming from the December raids by Egypt's ruling military on their offices, including those of the National Democratic Institute (NDI). Though both NDI and IRI are non-governmental organizations, most of their funding comes from the U.S. government. As the Christian Science Monitor writes, "if Egypt's ruling generals were looking for a way to push the Obama administration in that direction, targeting the son of a cabinet secretary and others would be a very good way to go about it." The U.N. Security Council will hold a closed-door meeting on Syria today at 3pm/ET. Meanwhile, a "terrifying massacre" in the restive Syrian city of Homs has killed more than 30 people, including small children, in a barrage of mortar fire and attacks by armed forces loyal to President Bashar Assad, activists said Friday. They said 65 people were wounded in the attack, including 16 policemen. Habibullah KHAN reports from Islamabad: a pair of RPG rounds were fired at the military academy in Abbottabad - the town and military garrison that was home to Osama Bin Laden before his death. One of the rockets hit the back wall of the academy - no deaths were reported. Police and military have surrounded the area and found RPG launchers and rockets. Khan says this is a rare attack in what remains a relatively peaceful part of the country. French President Nicolas Sarkozy hosts his Afghan counterpart Hamid Karzai today - and Karzai's main aim is to convince France not to accelerate its troop withdrawal, which they threatened after the January 20 attack by an Afghan soldier killed four French troops and injured 15 others. Since the EU oil embargo announced Monday and Iran's counter-threat to cut off Europe's supply, crude prices are hovering at the $100-a-barrel mark today. The crucial question of course is whether Europe and the rest of the world will be able to find extra oil elsewhere if Iran makes good on its threat to immediately halt exports to the region. The parent company of the ill-fated Costa Concordia has offered some cash to its passengers. Costa Crociere SpA announced today it has offered passengers $14,460 each - to compensate for their lost baggage and psychological trauma after its cruise ship ran aground and capsized off Tuscany. Costa, a unit of the world's biggest cruise operator Carnival Corp., will also reimburse passengers the full costs of their cruise, travel expenses and any medical expenses incurred after the grounding. Remains to be seen, of course, how many passengers pursue legal claims for more money. Mexico's newspapers are warning of an alarming increase in swine flu for the first time since a pandemic shut down much of the country three years ago, while the government insists there's no need for another international scare. The CDC says that while Mexico is seeing more cases of H1N1 virus, the U.S. is seeing more cases of a different strain, H3N2. Akiko FUJITA notes the report that Twitter can now "withhold content from users in a specific country," while keeping it available abroad. The social network has announced its technology can selectively block tweets on a country by country basis. In its blog post, Twitter explained that its international growth meant entering countries "that have different ideas about the contours of freedom of expression," citing France or Germany which ban pro-Nazi content as examples. "Starting today, we give ourselves the ability to reactively withhold content from users in a specific country - while keeping it available in the rest of the world," the company said in a blog post titled "Tweets Must Flow." From Alexandra NADEZHDINA in Moscow: The size of the average bribe in Russia more than tripled in 2011, the Interior Ministry's economic security department reported. "The size of the average bribe and commercial payoff in reported crimes increased more than 250 percent to 236,000 rubles ($7866)," it said in a statement. The department said there had been some success in the fight against corruption, notably a 50-percent increase in funds recovered in corruption cases involving government contracts. Russia also improved its position on Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index in 2011, although it still ranks near the bottom of the list. Even if he didn't quite make it all the way to outer space, as some early reports claimed, a two-inch Lego man, with a fixed grin and a Canadian flag in his hand, did travel about 80,000 feet above the earth's surface to the upper stratosphere this month, and he has the stunning video to prove it. As The Toronto Star reported, the Legonaut was launched into the heavens aboard a Styrofoam capsule attached to a weather balloon as part of a mission conceived and executed by two Canadian high school students, Mathew Ho and Asad Muhammad. During an appearance on Canadian television, the 17-year-old mission-controllers explained that they were inspired to build their $400 craft after hearing about a similar low-fi launch carried out two years ago by students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Akiko FUJITA again: North Korea is apparently hosting an Amateur Golf Tournament, and using golf to entice a new breed of tourists. The pitch from NK? Come play in the world's most exclusive golf course! In addition to golf, Yonhap reports North Korea's also launched a cruise liner to lure visitors. Worth noting: the ship is 40 years old, and home to "dubious sanitary conditions." North Korean legend has it that, on his maiden round, the country's No. 1 man blew away even the earthly brilliance of golf greats Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods as he carded, wait for it, 11 holes-in-one.

Whalers and activists clash - World - ITN.co.uk The Japanese whaling season has begun, and with it come clashes with animal rights activists. Anti-whaling group Sea Shepherd have begun harassing Japanese Whalers as they conduct what they call research into the creatures. The Institute for Cetacean Research runs whaling expeditions in order to skip around international laws on whaling for slaughter. But activists say the whales they kill in the name of science are readily available to eat on Japanese streets, and that the practice is little more than a barbaric act against a vulnerable family of animals. Whilst Sea Shepherd ribs try to throw ropes into the propellers of the ships, the sailors respond by firing water cannons at the activists. In the dangerous environment of the high seas, accidents are a frequent occurrence, with one Sea Shepherd ship being damaged in bad weather this year, and another, the Ady Gil, sunk following a collision with a whaler in 2010. Both sides have had their actions condemned by Governments around the world, and both accuse the other of "eco-terrorism."

Emma Watson: my fashion sense is boring Harry Potter star Emma Watson told French Elle magazine she thinks she plays it too safe in the style stakes. Nobody can accuse Emma Watson of being a wild child - in fact, one of the most amazing achievements of the Harry Potter cast is how they have managed to grow up in the spotlight and remain so resolutely normal. But when it comes to her image, she can be quite the daredevil. After wrapping the final instalment of the mega-franchise, she was straight down the hairdressers to chop off Hermione's trademark fuzzy mane and reinvent herself as a red carpet fashion plate, dripping in the hottest labels. In pictures: Emma Watson's greatest fashion hits Her petite, model proportions and English rose looks - not to mention her brand-enhancing power - have secured her a place at the top of most fashion designer's must-dress list and scored her a handful of collaborations and campaigns to boot. But in typically British self-deprecating style, Emma has revealed to French Elle magazine that she thinks her style off the red carpet is dull and fears that she plays it too safe. My problem is that I am a little bit boring. I don't wear designer bags or big sunglasses," she said, "When I don't have to play Emma Watson in public, I'd rather not put myself 'out there'. I have to be more careful with my look in my everyday life. The 23-year-old actress and Oxford undergraduate, who most recently starred opposite fellow child star Michelle Williams in My Week With Marilyn, also explained why she accepted her current role as the face of and ambassador for Lancôme when she is paradoxically protective of her privacy. Someone asked me why I accepted this job, as I wanted to stand in the shadows. Actually, I gave up the idea that I could become anonymous again!" she said. Video: Emma Watson's debut Lancôme ad Before, I used to insist on taking the bus or the underground as a way of rebelling against my fame. But, at one point, you have to give it up. Last year, in Bangladesh, I came across a really poor village, made of dried mud shacks. A little boy dressed in rags asked me, 'hey, aren't you the girl in Harry Potter ?' Watson's first ad for the French cosmetics label saw her running through the streets of Paris with a mystery boy, and was shot by renowned photographer, and the man behind Emma's Burberry campaign, Mario Testino. I would have never lend my image to a brand if I didn't feel in perfect harmony with it! Lancôme embodies everything I like: France, where I was born, quality and stars who I admire for their sincerity and charm, like Julia Roberts or Penélope Cruz," she explained. And, most of all, Lancôme allowed me to work the way I wanted to. I appreciated that a lot.

'Architectural editor' brings constructive ideas together in one place By Katherine Salant Friday, February 18, 2011; 3:50 PM Behind every really good writer stands a really good editor, the unsung hero who offers advice on ways to carve off excess words, make arguments more succinct and populate novels with more-compelling characters and plotlines. Filmmakers also have editors. Their work is so valued, the movie industry includes it in the annual Academy Awards. Architects do not have editors to offer feedback on their designs (a service that many critics and owners might suggest is sorely needed). But there are architectural editors whose function is similar to that of an acquisition editor at a large publishing house - their job is to acquire talent and sell their work. Dan Gregory, editor in chief of Novato, Calif.-based Houseplans.com, the nation's largest online home-planning service, is one of them. Gregory's unusual credentials and depth of knowledge in home design are unequaled in the home-planning business. He has a PhD in architectural history from the University of California at Berkeley, where his studies included two years of studio design with students training to become architects. In a recent interview, he called it "an invaluable experience for understanding how they think." During the 27 years he was an editor at Sunset magazine, he sifted through the work of hundreds of architects to showcase the most unusual and well-crafted houses in the Western United States, the area of Sunset's editorial focus. In addition to his editing duties, Gregory was involved in the design and construction of real houses. He helped select the architect for Sunset's annual Idea Houses and then worked closely with the architect and builder as those houses were designed and built. Spectrum of choices In the three years since he joined Houseplans.com, Gregory has reinvigorated a massive archive of 30,000 plans and added some unusual offerings. Like any good acquisition editor, Gregory has gone after residential architects whose work he regards as widely appealing. Some of them, he said, needed coaxing to make their work available to a wider public and to homeowners with whom they would not have a personal relationship, while others, including Sarah Susanka, the best-selling author of the "Not So Big" series of books on home design, were already doing this. A quick perusal of the "Exclusive Plans" section on Houseplans.com indicates that Gregory is catholic in his choices. Tacitly acknowledging that some very gifted home designers are not registered architects, his roster currently includes five designers and 27 architects. Collectively, the styles of the 27 solo practitioners or partnerships run the gamut from traditional Craftsman and Colonial Revival to cutting-edge modern. Each listing posts four or five plans, enough to sense the designer's style and "idea of home." Cleverly, the personal graphic style of each designer is retained in the presentation, which makes it easier to keep them straight, if you view five or 10 in a sitting. In addition to the work of living architects, Gregory has secured permission from the Environmental Design Archives at U.C. Berkeley to sell the work of three distinguished California architects and one developer. Looking through the photographs and drawings of the late William Turnbull's tiny Sea Ranch cottage (designed in 1980 as employee housing for the Sea Ranch Community on the Pacific Coast, about 100 miles north of San Francisco), Web site visitors will be captivated by the wonderfully playful exposed roof trusses in the interiors. They are the kind of universally appealing detail that most people could never imagine having in their own house. The seriously interested visitor will note that the house is very small (650 square feet) and probably would want to make changes, which can easily be done, Gregory said. A different kind of box Beyond these unusual offerings to individual homeowners, Gregory and his new chief executive, Lisa Kalmbach, have more-ambitious ideas. As the home-building industry slowly recovers, they are developing a portfolio of plans for a home-buying public that appears to be embracing a dramatically different idea of "home sweet home," one that is both smaller and simpler than the houses they favored in recent decades. For home builders, this means a dramatically different type of box. Home builders, especially those that build 10 or more a year, have always gone for houses that were in essence simple boxes that were easy to frame, Gregory said. Over the past 30 years, as the boxes got bigger, embellishments were added - more frills (six-piece crown moldings for huge rooms with 10- and 11-foot ceiling heights), more props (columned "arcade" vestibules for cavernous master suites) and multi-gabled roofs that made a house look bigger and more grand. Gregory's "simple boxes" for today's market have shapes that can be easily executed by home builders who do not have the skilled carpenters who could deliver Turnbull's playful exposed trusses. Instead, the appeal - like that of an expensive Savile Row suit - is achieved by a consistency in detailing and good proportions. Gregory said that good but simple detailing can create the strong first impression that builders always want to project in their furnished models; it also has staying power. Offering an example, he noted that when the ceiling height is nine feet, which is almost universal in new houses now, using proportionally larger trim around the doors, windows, wall bases and ceiling line, and continuing this through the entire house, not just in the public spaces, will make the spaces feel more comfortable to the owners and give the house better "flow," another "desirable" that builders look for in choosing designs. Elaborating on features for the 2011 version of the "simple box for home builders," but noting that they also apply to any well-designed house, Gregory said that he looks for floor plans that do not have "dead-end circulation" in the main living areas. For example, a living room with only one entry can become "unused real estate," a luxury that most households today cannot afford. He also looks for flexibility in the floor plan. For home builders, this means appeal to more segments of the market; for homeowners, this means that rooms can be used differently over the years. Gregory likes designs that can be built out in different ways, depending on how many bedrooms, for example, the homeowner wants. Gregory also prefers a simple roofline without the fake dormers, multiple gables or steep pitches of the McMansion era, all features that increased cost but did not provide any additional utility to the owners. A native Washingtonian, she grew up in Fairfax County; she now lives in Michigan.

Redbox, Warner Bros. headed to war over new DVD delay Warner Bros. and Redbox are about to re-ignite a battle over how long consumers have to wait to rent DVDs. The Time Warner Inc.-owned studio is instituting a new policy that all DVD rental outlets must wait 56 days from the time the disc goes on sale at retail outlets Wal-Mart and Best Buy until consumers can rent them, according to people with knowledge of the matter who were not authorized to discuss it publicly. That's double the current 28-day "window." A spokesman for Warner Bros.' home entertainment division declined to comment. But executives at the studio have previously said they were seeking a longer delay, which they believe will help boost flagging DVD sales and video-on-demand, both of which are more profitable than disc rentals. Netflix has agreed to abide by the 56-day delay, one of the people close to the situation confirmed. However, Redbox will wait no longer than 28 days to rent discs, interim President Gregg Kaplan said in an interview this fall. A spokeswoman confirmed Friday that the company's position has not changed. That means the $1-per-night kiosk company will no longer be able to get discs directly from Warner Bros. but will have to buy them in bulk from retail stores. Redbox did the same thing in 2010 when the parties were in a similar fight. Illinois-based Redbox ultimately agreed to the 28-day delay. The new policy, expected to be announced next week at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, is to take effect Feb. 1, the day after Warner Bros.' current deals with Netflix and Redbox expire. It's also expected to extend to the nation's third-largest rental outlet, Blockbuster, but it's not clear whether the Dish Network-owned chain will accept the 56-day delay. A spokesman declined to comment. Previously, Blockbuster was the only major DVD renter that offered discs the same day they went on sale, an advantage studios gave the struggling company as it went through bankruptcy last year and was ultimately bought at auction by Dish. Warner Bros.' new policy could soon be adopted by Universal Pictures. That studio's agreements with Redbox and Netflix, which include a similar 28-day delay, expire in April. Redbox raises price to $1.20, prepares for second battle with studios Photo: Anja Murphy returns videos to a Redbox kiosk in an Albertsons supermarket in Santa Monica.

How the #IAcaucus played out on Twitter The @MentionMachine launched Tuesday in time to illustrate the biggest story of the Iowa caucuses - Rick Santorum's burgeoning momentum and near-win. Chris Cillizza showed in the Fix that Santorum's buzz was evident from the volume of tweets about about him (64,306) versus those about frontrunner Mitt Romney (44,193) over the 24 hours surrounding the caucuses. That spike in Twitter volume about Santorum continued Wednesday morning. He passed President Obama for the 2012 candidate with the second-most Twitter mentions in the past week, behind perpetual Twitter traffic frontrunner Ron Paul . Leaderboard on Jan. 4, 2012. (@MentionMachine) There were other big moments for the social Web over the hours between 8 p.m. ET, when the caucuses began and the early morning hour when they were called for Romney. Mentions of all the candidates ticked up during the caucuses, but Michele Bachmann didn't receive nearly the attention her rivals did during them. She peaked at 3,344 mentions in the 10-11 p.m. EST hour. The announcement early Wednesday that she would hold a news conference and her subsequent withdrawal from the race earned her more mentions than anything else that happened over the week leading up to the caucuses. (@MentionMachine) Rick Perry's @MentionMachine track was similar, as the bulk of tweets about him came through between 11 p.m. and midnight, when he announced he was returning to Texas to "reassess" his campaign. Perry's mentions spiked again when he tweeted "On to South Carolina" on Wednesday morning, despite speculation his earlier remarks meant he would drop out of the race. Jon Huntsman didn't participate in the Iowa caucuses, but his @MentionMachine count spiked to 2,600 mentions in the 8 p.m. hour Tuesday when the Paul campaign sent this tweet: The Paul campaign has since deleted the tweet, but versions of Paul's tweet are still the top tweet about Huntsman for the entire week on @MentionMachine. Paul wasn't apologetic when CNN's Soledad O'Brien questioned him about it, our colleague Erik Wemple reported. Twitter volume was still strong for the two frontrunners late into the night and early in the morning, but attention on them to a back seat to "Edith and Carolyn," two Iowa Republican women whose 1 a.m. phone exchange with CNN After Dark anchors became a trending topic on Twitter. Not familiar with the @MentionMachine yet? Watch this video to see how it works. Follow @MentionMachine on Twitter

Intel lays down smartphone challenge to Arm The deals, said Paul Ottelini, chief executive of Intel, are "just the beginning" of the companies' relationships. Certainly investors took note. Arm shares fell 2.6pc on the news. However, even with this significant foot in the door, Intel has a long way to go before it becomes a serious rival to Arm in the market for smartphone microprocessors. For starters, Intel's chips have traditionally been premised on their processing power, whereas Arm's are all about energy efficiency - less important in PCs, but crucial in mobile handsets where advances in capability consistently outstrip battery power. Intel claims it new chips are better than anything on the market today, but the world of smartphones moves quickly. They are not due to launch for several months yet, into a markedly different landscape. Then there is the matter of software compatibility. Both the Lenovo and the Motorola handsets will use Google's Android operating system, and will need to support an ecosystem of apps designed to run on Arm hardware. However, Arm's biggest defence is its acclaimed "ecosystem" model, whereby it designs chips for a host of different manufacturers, and then licenses those designs to them. Arm is deeply embedded in the entire process. In a high-stakes industry, few mobile producers will be willing to experiment with new partners unless there are significant technological gains to be had - either that, or Arm screws up. "Companies which have large supply arrangements with Intel might work with Intel as a goodwill gesture, but that doesn't mean they will sign major agreements," says Nick James, an analyst at Numis. That's the thing with ecosystems and communities. They don't mess with things which are working.

College Students Embrace Cheapskate Mentality Jan. 30, 2011 - Will Thomasen is like a lot of college guys with a big appetite, constantly eating pizza, coffee, bananas, hush puppies, sandwiches, mac 'n cheese, you name it. The difference is that Thomasen doesn't pay for any of it. The ultimate college cheapskate, Thomasen is on a mission to eat free for an entire year. "It is a little bit of, you know, seeing if I can live off the land, in the jungle of Chapel Hill," the 21-year-old business major said. At the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, N.C., where an unlimited meal plan runs $1,700 per semester, Thomasen says scavenging for food isn't a gimmick, it just makes sense. Every day he checks a Facebook page that lists all of the events on campus offering free food. On the day ABC News visited in January, freshmen doled out doughnuts and coffee. A gesture of good will from the class of 2015 means a free breakfast for Thomasen. From lectures to study breaks, the campus is overflowing with events that have free grub, he explains. His system seems to be working. The last time Thomasen spent money on food was in August. "My roommates call me the human garbage disposal," he said. They may be right. One of Thomasen's staples for free food is the fridge at the campus YMCA, where students leave food they don't want. Some of the items are inarguably iffy. The expiration dates help, and I usually do the smell test. I think that's another thing we don't realize. A lot of these are 'sell by' as opposed to 'eat by,' so they're still good for a couple days afterward," he said. If there's no moldy smell, or moldy look, you think, it's OK, then it probably is OK. I haven't gotten sick all semester. "It's not for everyone," he added. It's not for the weak of stomach or heart. Thomasen says being on this diet has made him realize just how much food is wasted. He goes to receptions, pizza parties and tailgates just before they end, taking home food that would other be thrown out. He says he himself leaves food in the campus fridge, because he more often than not he has more than he can eat. But while he never goes hungry, Thomasen admits the diet does have its drawbacks. Not paying for meals makes dating hard. That has been the big thing. When I get asked on dates I definitely ask, so who's buying here? What are we doing? Am I paying for you? Because I don't know if that's going to work out there," he said with a laugh. Unlike the stereotype that college is one big party with the occasional time for studying, Thomasen is part of a new crop of students from "generation cheap" -- millennials who've grown up with a recession, debt and unemployment who aren't ashamed to pinch pennies. "I think we've learned from the mistakes of people in the past," he said. We're just surrounded by this story of more and more economic crisis, more and more need for saving and savvy spending. Eric Richardson is another 21-year-old who shares Thomasen's survivalist mentality. The junior at Utah State University keeps most of his food in a locker on campus because he ditched his apartment for a tent about eight months ago. Bunking outdoors has been a huge savings for Richardson and his tent mate Tyson Lloyd. "We've saved a lot of money already, thousands of dollars," Richardson said. And several hundred more by eating tinfoil dinners and avoiding cafeterias and restaurants. Richardson, a poster child for the cheap mentality, was featured in "Cheapster," an online reality contest where Zions Bank crowned the most frugal student. Richardson dived through Dumpsters and modeled thrift store fashions to win a $10,000 prize. Through the contest, the bank saw a 20 percent increase in new accounts, according to Zions Bank executive vice president Rob Brough. "I think this will become a real defining moment for this generation and will impact how they manage their finances in the future," Brough said. That's something another "Cheapster" contestant, Jessica Dansie, already does. The junior at the University of Utah has two jobs to pay for all of her college expenses and has made day-to-day frugality a way of life. She eats out of her parents' kitchen at no cost, buys all of her clothes at consignment shops, rides her bike around instead of driving a car, and takes the bus to class. "It kind of makes it like a game, like, see how little money I can spend," she said. I think I've just realized what makes me happy…more than spending money, more than spending all of that time that it takes to earn that money. Back at UNC, it's time for dinner and Thomasen wraps up a campus tour and grabs some free food from the reception. Though graduation is fast approaching, that's not the end date Thomasen has in mind for this exercise in frugality, he says, hoping to continue it in the "real world." Thomasen, like so many other 20-somethings, is living with less and liking it. "I have switched my priorities from being able to drive a nice car and have a nice TV and all of those types of things," he said, "to be able to live appreciating the types of things that a lot of times come for free."

Soldiers, rebels killed in fight to control Damascus suburbs The crisis in Syria takes a dramatic turn for the worse. At least 11 people were killed early on Sunday in separate attacks as Syria's government forces battle rebels for control of areas around the capital, Damascus, according to reports by the state news agency and activists. The violence followed Saturday's announcement that the Arab League has halted its monitoring mission in the country, sharply criticizing the regime of President Bashar Assad for the escalating armed conflict. The uprising against Assad has become increasingly militarized recently as some frustrated protesters and army defectors arm themselves against the regime. Last week, more than 70 were killled in a single day. The rising bloodshed has added urgency to new attempts by Arab and Western countries to find a resolution to the 10 months of violence that according to the United Nations has killed at least 5,400 people as Assad seeks to crush persistent protests demanding an end to his rule. But the initiatives continue to face two major obstacles: Damascus' rejection of an Arab peace plan which it says impinges on its sovereignty, and Russia's willingness to use its U.N. Security Council veto to protect Syria from sanctions. Chris Doyle, director of the Syria's state-run news agency SANA said "terrorists" ambushed a bus carrying soldiers on a road south of Damascus on Sunday morning, killing six soldiers and wounding six others. It said an explosive device was detonated by remote control as the bus was traveling in the suburb of Sahnaya, some 12 miles (20 km) south of the capital. SANA says those killed include two first lieutenants. Six other soldiers were injured. Meanwhile, Syrian government forces killed at least five civilians on Sunday in an attack to take back large suburbs of the capital Damascus that had fallen under rebel control, activists said. Around 2,000 soldiers in buses and armored personnel carriers, along with at least 50 tanks and armored vehicles moved at dawn into the eastern Ghouta area on the edge of Damascus to reinforce troops surrounding the suburbs of Saqba, Hammouriya and Kfar Batnba, they said. In recent days, Syrian government forces killed at least 33 people in a rebel town near the Lebanese border. Rankous, a mountain town of 25,000 people, 19 miles (30 km) north of Damascus, has been under tank bombardment since Wednesday, when it was besieged by several thousand troops led by the elite Fourth Division, under the command of President Bashar al-Assad's brother Maher, they said. A resident of the nearby town of Sednaya, who did not want to be identified, said the 33 were killed since Wednesday and that no casualty figures were yet available for Sunday. "We have managed to get through to people there who say the bombardment has brought down at least 10 buildings," he said, adding that tens of soldiers have defected and went in to help defend the town. A tented army camp has been set up near the entrance of Rankous. Most of the town's residents have fled to nearby villages," he added. There was no immediate comment from the Syrian authorities. It was the second major attack on Rankous since November when it was stormed by troops after a demonstration demanding Assad's removal was broadcast on the Arab news channel al-Jazeera, activists said. As foreign powers consider their next move, Russia has put itself in conflict with the West as it shields Assad's regime from United Nations sanctions and continues to provide it with weapons even as others impose arms embargoes. Russia's defiance of international efforts to end Syrian President Bashar Assad's crackdown on protests is rooted in a calculation that it can keep a Mideast presence by propping up its last remaining ally in the region - and has nothing to lose if it fails. But Moscow's relations with Washington are already strained amid controversy over U.S. missile defense plans and other disputes. And Prime Minister Vladimir Putin seems eager to defy the U.S. as he campaigns to reclaim the presidency in March elections. "It would make no sense for Russia to drop its support for Assad," said Ruslan Pukhov, head of the independent Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies. He is Russia's last remaining ally in the Middle East, allowing it to preserve some influence in the region. Moscow may also hope that Assad can hang on to power with its help and repay Moscow with more weapons contracts and other lucrative deals. And observers note that even as it has nothing to lose from backing Assad, it has nothing to gain from switching course and supporting the opposition. "Russia has crossed the Rubicon," said Igor Korotchenko, head of the Center for Analysis of Global Weapons Trade. He said Russia will always be marked as the patron of the Assad regime regardless of the conflict's outcome, so there's little incentive to build bridges with the protesters. Russia will be seen as the dictator's ally. If Assad's regime is driven from power, it will mean an end to Russia's presence," said Fyodor Lukyanov, editor of the magazine Russia in Global Affairs. Syria has been Moscow's top ally in the Middle East since Soviet times, when it was led by the incumbent's father, Hafez Assad. The Kremlin saw it as a bulwark for countering U.S. influence in the region and heavily armed Syria against Israel. While Russia's relations with Israel have improved greatly since the Soviet collapse, ties with Damascus helped Russia retain its clout as a member of the Quartet of international mediators trying to negotiate peace between Israel and the Palestinians. After Bashar Assad succeeded his father in 2000, Russia sought to boost ties by agreeing to annul 73 percent of Syria's Soviet-era debt. In the mid-2000s, Putin said Russia would re-establish its place in the Mideast via "the Syria route." The most powerful Russian weapon reportedly delivered to Syria is the Bastion anti-ship missile complex intended to protect its coast. The Bastion is armed with supersonic Yakhont cruise missiles that can sink any warship at a range of 300 kilometers (186 miles) and are extremely difficult to intercept, providing a strong deterrent against any attack from the sea. Reuters, the Associated Press and msnbc.com's Alastair Jamieson contributed to this report.

Deal hopes offer cold comfort to ordinary Greeks Hopes of a refinancing deal between Greece and its international creditors gave the Athens stock market an early boost on opening. However, there was no such positive mood on the streets of the capital where people were coming to terms with the latest austerity measure. Those queuing to pay a new electricity tax reflected the gloom across the country. One woman said: "Disaster, catastrophe. Can't you see how bad it looks? We have to queue now to pay our electricity bill! A man in the same queue said: "I have no hope. How can I fight back? I'm just a young man. But I will struggle on, live on and contribute to society. But I can't even look one day ahead. Those who cannot pay the new electricity tax face having their supply cut - a grim prospect amid freezing temperatures. It is even worse for the homeless of Athens, whose numbers have increased by 20 percent since the crisis began, according to city authorities. There is now real concern that the cold snap could have fatal consequences. More about: Economic crisis, Financial Crisis, Greece, Greek debt, Greek economy

Landslide kills 25 in southern Philippines Landslide kills 25 in southern Philippines - World news updated 2 hours 17 minutes ago MANILA, Philippines - A landslide buried dozens of people Thursday at a small-scale gold mining site in the southern Philippines, leaving at least 25 dead months after government officials warned miners that the mountain above them was guaranteed to crumble. The landslide struck around 3:00 a.m. (2100 GMT Wednesday), when most residents were asleep. Aside from those confirmed dead, more than 100 people are believed to be buried in the rubble in Napnapan village in Pantukan township, Compostela Valley provincial Gov. Arturo Uy said. Army Lt. Col. Camilo Ligayo said about 120 soldiers were heading to the area to help dig for survivors and bodies. Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Ramon Paje said he had warned residents and local officials last year of a fissure on a ridge of the mountain that geologists said was "highly susceptible" to landslides that could occur anytime. "We were absolute that it will give in," he told The Associated Press. It was a 100 percent warning. We told them it's just a matter of time. ... This is it. This is what happened this morning. Thousands of poor Filipinos dig and pan for gold in the area, hoping to strike it rich despite the dangers of largely unregulated mining. The tunnels are often unstable and landslides and accidents are common. Saul Pingoy, a local resident, told DZMM radio that he was sleeping in a house about 50 yards (meters) away from the landslide when he felt the ground shake and heard rocks falling on roofs. It wasn't raining at the time, he added. The mountain itself was already sending a warning with falling rocks. That's why we were woken up ... and then it collapsed," he said. Big boulders and the ground from the mountain covered the area. Compostela Valley province is on the main southern Philippine island of Mindanao, where flash floods triggered by a tropical storm killed more than 1,250 people in December. Gov. Uy said miners and their families had been warned that the heavy rains made the small tunnels that honeycomb the hills and mountains more dangerous. Uy said authorities advised residents as early as Dec. 16 when Tropical Storm Washi was sweeping across Mindanao to leave their tunnels, "but unfortunately some have not responded to our advisories." Hundreds of residents near the site of Thursday's slide were forced to evacuate last April after a landslide killed about 20 people. Uy said it was difficult to monitor the "extremely high risk area" because it is so remote and some residents who were evacuated in April may have "sneaked back." Paje said the April slide occured in Kingking village beside Napnapan. Both villages are part of a 74,130-acre (30,000-hectare) watershed that has been scarred by landslides over the years. He said the fissure discovered last year has been aggravated by rainwater saturation and continuous diggings by the miners. He urged local officials to stop giving small-scale mining permits, now estimated to number about 3,000 all around the watershed. "Had they listened to us and stopped the entry (of miners), there would have been no casualty," he said.

Paul Annacone denies a history of bad blood between Andy Murray and Roger Federer ROGER Federer and Andy Murray get on just fine, according to the 16-time grand slam champion's coach Paul Annacone. While Federer and great rival Rafael Nadal have always had a remarkably genial relationship considering their on-court battles, the Swiss and Murray are regarded as much less friendly. The British No 1 is a huge admirer of Nadal and has publicly backed him in the debate over who is the best player of all time, while Federer has, on occasion, appeared to belittle Murray. The most recent incident came before the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London in November, when Federer questioned the significance of Murray's run of three straight tournament victories in Asia. Annacone, though, poured cold water on the rumours, telling www.thetennisspace.com: "Roger has the utmost respect for Andy and really understands the complex environment Andy lives in with the media. I have read some things that have been written, but as my old protege Pete Sampras said, "believe nothing of what you read and only half of what you see." It makes for much better reading, and some would say even a better competitive environment, if there is animosity and angst between players, but really my feeling is that they get along fine. Annacone, meanwhile, became the latest figure within the game to back Murray to break his grand slam duck and argued the subtleties of the Scot's game may explain why he has not done so thus far. The American, a former coach of Tim Henman and head coach at the Lawn Tennis Association, added: "He is a tremendously gifted athlete and has a very complex game, mentally and physically. He continues to mature and get better, so I will be surprised if he does not win a grand slam title. Murray was due to play Australian teenager Bernard Tomic in the early hours of this morning in the semi-finals of the Brisbane International tournament, having shifted up a gear in a 6-2, 6-2 win over Marcos Baghdatis 24 hours earlier. Murray dropped the opening sets in his first two rounds as he overcame soreness and stiffness from the off-season, but had no serious difficulty dispatching doubles partner Baghdatis in little more than an hour. Murray saved both break points he faced against Baghdatis, the 2006 Australian Open runner-up, and converted all four of his own. After a difficult service game to hold in the fourth game of the second set, Murray broke in the fifth to take a 3-2 lead. He earned triple break point two games later after a scrambling rally which included a shot between his legs that caught Baghdatis off guard and secured a 5-2 lead on the next point when he successfully challenged a baseline call. "I played very well today, moved very well from the start, which wasn't the case in the last two matches," Murray said. The aches and pains I had from the first two matches have gone, so it's good. Tomic, a quarter-finalist at Wimbledon last year, converted the only break-point chance of his quarter-final to beat Dennis Istomin of Uzbekistan 6-3, 7-6 (7-4). Tom Lappin - Andy or Rafa will be ready to pounce if Federer loses his way INVINCIBILITY has its drawbacks. The main one is the knowledge that it is a temporary quality. Roger Federer doesn't strike you as paranoid, but he must be experiencing similar emotions to a Caesar wondering whether to trust lean or tubby associates, or a Marlo Stanfield wondering who is going to usurp his position as the West Baltimore drugs kingpin.

Uefa warns clubs about meeting financial fair play rules

Cruise disaster: experts prepare to prevent oil spill by pumping fuel out of tanks Smit's experts said a slick seen spreading around the vessel was not engine oil, but liquid that had leaked from the ship's kitchens. Italy's environment minister has warned of the threat of an ecological disaster if the ship's tanks rupture and release fuel into the pristine waters around the island, which are popular with divers and snorkellers. Such a large quantity of oil would be likely to affect other islands within the Tuscan archipelago, which is one of Europe's largest marine national parks, as well as the Tuscan coast 18 miles away. The fuel extraction could start today as approved by Italian officials, the company said. To refloat the ship the gash in its hull would have to be covered with a welded steel patch and then water would be pumped out. Smit said any discussion about the fate of the ship - whether it is removed in one piece or broken up - would be decided by Costa Crociere and its insurance companies. It was not yet clear whether the cruise ship would ever be able to return to service. According to Mike Lacey, the secretary general of the International Salvage Union, divers will already be carrying out detailed surveys to assess how badly it has been damaged.

Questor share tip: Drilling polishes up Cluff Gold's Ivory Coast project This followed some upbeat production numbers from Cluff's Kalsaka mine in Burkina Faso, released last week. Production at the mine in 2011 beat guidance, with 71,505 ounces mined, compared with the expected 70,000 ounces. The company was strongly cash-generative last year and it had a year-end closing cash balance of $28.9m (£18.7m) and no debt. The entire gold equity complex has underperformed significantly over the past year, despite the gold price hitting record highs. The proliferation of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) is likely to be the cause of this underperformance because they allow investors to play the gold price without any operational risk. Miners have been facing costs pressure and there are exploration and political risks that investors do not get with an ETF. However, the main benefits of gold equities over ETFs is the upside risk from exploration success. This gives extra leverage to the gold price that an ETF does not have. This week, broker Nomura issued an upbeat sector report on gold, saying it was initiating coverage of the sector with a "bullish rating." "A cash build in the producers should drive growth, spur M&A and push dividends higher," Nomura said. This improving outlook has yet to be priced into gold equities, which are trading at historical lows in terms of valuation, offering an attractive entry point given current market instability. We see light at the end of the tunnel for gold equity investors. Trading on a 2012 earnings multiple of 15.9 times, the shares were first recommended at 62.3p on February 14, 2010, and they are up 38pc compared with a FTSE 100 up 11pc. They have been tipped as high as 104½p and they are now 18pc below this level. Of the six analysts in the City that cover the shares and are monitored by Bloomberg, all have buy rating with an average price target of 128½p.

Screen Actors Guild Awards: Watch the stage being set for Sunday The statuette is called the Actor for a reason; the Screen Actors Guild Awards are all about the performance. But that doesn't mean the setting will be bare bones. The 18th annual awards ceremony takes place Sunday at the Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall near downtown Los Angeles. In the week leading up to the ceremony, the hall has been the center of frenetic work to complete the transformation. Massive lighting trusses already have been raised into place. A temporary stage, with a distinctively Art Deco feel, has been erected. And, of course, large-scale versions of the Actor himself - chiseled, if tastefully neutered - are on the floor. PHOTOS: Top SAG nominees The Times has captured the construction so far, with more to come, in the time-lapse video above. The race to watch is outstanding performance by a cast in a motion picture, the guild's equivalent of the Academy Awards' top prize. In contention: "The Artist," "Bridesmaids," "The Descendants," "The Help" and "Midnight in Paris." The SAG Awards, which are telecast live at 5 p.m. Pacific on cable's TNT and TCM, also honor performers on television. Nominated for outstanding performance by an ensemble in a drama series are "Boardwalk Empire," "Breaking Bad," "Dexter," "Game of Thrones" and "The Good Wife." Comedy series nominees are "30 Rock," "The Big Bang Theory," "Glee," "Modern Family" and "The Office." It remains to be seen whether taking an Actor home on Sunday portends success at the Academy Awards next month for the films and performers that got Oscar nominations this week. The official Oscar ballots go out to academy members Feb. 1. PHOTOS: Screen Actors Guild snubs Cheat Sheet: Who's in the hunt for an Oscar? SAG Awards: The Times predicts the movie winners Susan King and Bryan Chan

High winds cause damage across Northern Ireland

Neediest Cases Donors Offer Money, Time and Encouragement Fawzi Hasab and his wife, Zahra Nahim, at home in Brooklyn. Their story was among many that drew readers' support. Natalie Jenner has a deal with herself. "If I read an article and it moves me to tears, I think I have to do something," she said. It happens about once a year. In November, Ms. Jenner, who lives just outside of Toronto, read a Neediest Cases article in The New York Times about Charles Smith, a single father and chef who found out in 2008 that he had cancer and who strived to teach his young son Cie-Jay the value of giving back to the community. Ms. Jenner, who has a young daughter and whose husband had also battled cancer, said that she related to Mr. Smith's story and that he proved to be "an outstanding role model." "This story really got to me," she said. I really wanted to help. Readers like Ms. Jenner have responded in stellar numbers by donating large and small amounts to the centennial fund-raising campaign of The New York Times Neediest Cases Fund. The portraits of individuals and families began on Nov. 6 and will continue daily through Feb. 10. One hundred years after the Neediest Cases Fund began, it has continued to attract new donors like Ms. Jenner, who said, "I didn't know about the fund before." And donors who have been contributing for decades are continuing the tradition. "Please accept my 79th annual contribution," one donor wrote. "This is our 50th consecutive donation," yet another letter began, adding, "We wish we could afford a larger one." Enclosed with the letter was a $3,000 check. The Neediest Cases Fund works with seven multiservice agencies that serve New Yorkers of all denominations: Brooklyn Community Services, Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New York, Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens, the Children's Aid Society, the Community Service Society of New York, the Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies and UJA-Federation of New York. The New York Times Company covers all administrative costs. The fund invests unrestricted contributions of $100,000 or more from trusts and estates in an endowment. The income goes into the next year's campaign. As of Thursday, donors had contributed $6,186,752 to the current campaign. Over the past 100 years, donors have sent in $250 million, said Desirée Dancy, the vice president of the Neediest Cases Fund. This year, readers have offered beds, clothing, furniture and medical services to those profiled. They have also sent in donations for as little as $1 and as much as $50,000. "We're just always amazed at the generosity of our donors," Ms. Dancy said. Every year they heed the call to action. Articles like the one about Zahra Nahim and Fawzi Hasab, Iraqi refugees who lost two sons to sectarian violence and now live in Brooklyn, inspired one donor to offer to buy the family's monthly groceries "for as long as I can" and another to inquire how to cover their expenses. A portrait of Ndayishimiye Gabo, who had spent years in a refugee camp in Tanzania and was on the verge of losing his family's Bronx apartment, moved a reader to donate more than $6,000 so that the family could avoid eviction. Another reader sent clothing, shoes and toys to Lynn Blue and her daughter, Bianca Torres, 12, who was born with a collapsed larynx, cleft palate and dislocated legs. Dmitriy Frenkel, featured on Jan. 2, was another recipient of readers" generosity. Polio had left his right foot disfigured, and Mr. Frenkel needs specially molded shoes. Money from the Neediest Cases Fund helped him buy his current pair. A reader, who said his father had suffered from a similar ailment, offered to buy several pairs of the shoes for Mr. Frenkel. Donors also sought to pay Jonathan Ferreira's tuition and expenses at Utica College. A pet lover made arrangements to take Marisol Santiago - who worried about the health of her dog after surviving a hit-and-run accident and lung cancer and falling behind on rent - to her own veterinarian, Dr. Gene Solomon, at the Center for Veterinary Care on the Upper East Side. They also went to a dog groomer, and from there to a pet store, where Ms. Santiago's dog, Princess, got a coat, a harness, a leash and some treats. Ms. Jenner said that after she decided to donate, she told her young daughter of her plan to help Mr. Smith's son Cie-Jay have the "holiday he deserves." Mr. Smith was unable to work because of his cancer treatments, and he was supporting himself and Cie-Jay through $1,365 a month in Social Security disability benefits and $360 a month in food stamps. When Cie-Jay was starting second grade in Brooklyn and needed a uniform, Mr. Smith received a grant from Brooklyn Community Services to cover the cost. Ms. Jenner said she had asked her daughter if she was willing to give up a "big" Christmas present to help the Smiths. "She was game," Ms. Jenner said. They sent a $200 check. "She said to me that it made her feel so warm inside, and it made her want to do that again," Ms. Jenner said of her daughter, who still was "lucky to be visited by Santa." Sephora Rosario of Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens said that donating spoke to a greater purpose. Sometimes people who cannot afford money send in cards or letters saying that the people profiled are in their prayers, Ms. Rosario said. "On a basic, fundamental level," she added, "we all want to know we're not alone."

Bottom Line - Discrimination complaints reach all-time high 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. Age bias complaints surge in weak economy {"contentId":"10225036,""totalVotes":"411"} Do you think employee discrimination has become more commonplace since the recession began?

Syria slams Arab League's "conspiratorial plot" A pro-Syrian regime protester holds a portrait of Syrian President Bashar Assad during a demonstration to show support for their president, in Damascus, Syria, Jan. 20, 2012. (CBS) DAMASCUS - Syria lashed out at the Arab League on Monday over the group's new proposed plan to end 10 months of violent unrest in the country, which calls for President Bashar Assad to transfer power to his deputy and a national unity government within two months. Syria's government also remained silent on whether it will agree to extend a month-long monitoring mission by Arab League observers. "Syria rejects the decisions taken by the ministerial committee of the Arab League, which are outside an Arab working plan and the signed protocol, and considers them a violation of its national sovereignty, a flagrant interference in internal affairs and a brazen infringement of Arab League charters," an official source said, according to the state-controlled media. "Syria confirms its condemnation to these resolutions which came in the framework of the conspiratorial plot targeted against," the statement said. Arab League foreign ministers meeting Sunday in Cairo asked the United Nations to support the new plan, aimed at resolving the crisis in Syria by forming a unity government within two weeks, which can then lead the country through a transitional period culminating with elections and a new constitution written. But as CBS News correspondent Elizabeth Palmer reports, calls for political dialogue between Assad's government and opposition leaders are being drowned out by a growing chorus of religious hatred, and it may already be too late. Watch full report at left The Syrian official said the ministerial council should instead, "bear responsibility in stopping the funding and arming of the terrorist groups which are killing the innocent Syrian people and attacking the government buildings and the infrastructure of the state." Syria unrest spiraling out of control Video: U.S. mulls closing embassy in Syria Special section: Anger in the Arab World The official said the Arab League initiative would not prevent the country from, "advancing its political reforms and bringing security and stability to its people who have shown, during this crisis, their support for national unity as they have rallied around President Assad." The Syrian National Council, the country's largest opposition group, has been lobbying in Cairo for U.N. intervention, and SNC chief Burhan Ghaliun welcomed the League's statement of intention to seek U.N. support. The statement given to Syria's state-run media offered no indication as to whether Damascus will agree to extend the widely-criticized Arab mission to oversee a peace plan aimed at ending the unrest, which the U.N. says has claimed more than 5,000 lives - primarily members of the opposition. Syria claims more than 2,000 soldiers and security personnel have been killed since March by armed gangs. Damascus, keen to avoid new sanctions or harsher condemnation from the U.N., has attempted to show compliance with the Arab peace plan in recent weeks. The plan demanded a halt to killings, a military pullout from the streets, the release of political prisoners, access for the monitors and the media, and a political dialogue with opposition groups. This month the Syrian authorities have freed hundreds of detainees, announced an amnesty, struck a ceasefire deal with armed rebels in one town, allowed the 165-person mission into some trouble spots and admitted some foreign journalists. But that access has come only with direct oversight from regime security personnel, and the violence has not completely stopped. Assad also promised political reforms, while vowing iron-fisted treatment of the "terrorists" trying to topple him. Qatar and Saudi Arabia, regional rivals of Syria and its ally Iran, are impatient for decisive action against Assad and Qatar has suggested sending Arab troops to Syria. Saudi Prince Saud al-Faisal told the foreign ministers his country will withdraw its observers from Syria because the mission has failed to end bloodshed and will call on the international community to apply "all possible pressure" on Damascus to end the violence. Others, including the Christian minority inside Syria which fears a possible Islamic-hardline uprising if Assad is toppled, worry that weakening the long-time strongman's position could plunge Syria into a deeper conflict - and probably a civil war - that would destabilize the entire region. On Saturday, the Syrian National Council (SNC) formally asked the Arab League to refer the Syrian crisis to the United Nations Security Council. But the Security Council is also split on how to address the crisis, with Western powers demanding tougher sanctions and a weapons embargo but Assad's staunch ally and investor Russia preferring to leave the Arabs to negotiate a peaceful outcome. Edited by CBSNews.com's Tucker Reals in London.

Dalai Lama to visit UK in June

Obama, Romney Deadlocked in Ohio Poll President Obama has lost his luster among voters in swing state Ohio since 2008, but he remains in a steady tie with GOP front-runner Mitt Romney in a hypothetical 2012 race, according to the latest Quinnipiac University poll. Ohioans said they'd prefer Obama over Romney, 45 to 41 percent, if the election were held today, a statistical dead heat given the poll's margin of error of 4.2 percentage points. The two have been deadlocked for the lead in each of five Quinnipiac polls in Ohio since July, with Obama staying closely in the race despite majorities of voters disapproving of his job performance and saying he does not deserve a second term. Forty-eight percent of Ohio voters have a favorable impression of Obama, compared with 47 percent who do not, according to the poll. Ohioans are equally divided over Romney, with 36 to 34 percent holding favorable-unfavorable views. "With Ohio being perhaps the most important single state in the country when it comes to the Electoral College math, all indications are that if Romney is the Republican nominee, it will be a very, very close contest," said Peter Brown of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute in Hamden, Conn. Obama won Ohio by 5 percentage points over John McCain in 2008, carrying 52 percent of the vote, but his support has waned with the economy still struggling to recover. The unemployment rate in Ohio stood at 8.5 percent in December, the same as the national average. Only 44 percent of Ohioans said they approved of Obama in the Quinnipiac poll, conducted Jan. 9-16. Among all-important independents, a majority - 53 percent - said they disapproved. No candidate for president since 1960 has won a general election without carrying Ohio. "The president's problem is getting back the voters who voted for him in 2008 but went for [Republican] John Kasich for governor in 2010," Brown said. His main obstacle may be that voters say 48 to 42 percent that Romney is better able to fix the economy. Republicans say the numbers ought to be a "huge warning sign" for Obama in Ohio, which he has visited 16 times in the past three years. "Obama has literally been campaigning in Ohio since he became president, and his numbers still linger where they are after all that," Republican National Committee spokeswoman Kirsten Kukowski noted. Republican candidates haven't even begun seriously campaigning there. In anticipation of the fights to come, the Obama campaign is preparing to substantially expand its presence and profile in the Buckeye State with plans to open "several dozen" new field offices in the next few months, a campaign official said. The president's operation already has three outposts in Ohio with a headquarters in Columbus. Obama aides have credited successful Democratic grassroots organizing campaigns late last year with adding "thousands and thousands" of new voters to registration rolls. Volunteers have knocked on more than 100,000 doors and held at least 3,000 face-to-face conversations with prospective voters since April, an Obama campaign official said.

Textured sweater - Next - Telegraph Asos Midi shirt dress Next Textured sweater £28.00 The shape, knit and colour of this sweater is OH so on-trend for spring. just add a belt and some capri trousers. I SPIED by: Kate Rose Morris Published: 25 January 2012 Marc by Marc Jacobs Leopard print jumper £129.00 3.1 Phillip Lim Melange crepe top £355.00 Xavier Brisoux for Topshop Grey racer back sweat top £200.00

Wounded soldier reunites with his war puppy, Smoke Wounded soldier reunites with his war puppy, Smoke - Good News "It is amazing how therapeutic a little creature can be," squad leader observes NBCWashington.com For a wounded soldier home from Afghanistan, it was a special reunion a long time in the making. A puppy he adopted on the front lines is now with him again in Bethesda, Md. Donny Eslinger, 20, encountered the dog while on tour of duty in Afghanistan. He traded three cigarettes to become the dog's owner. He named the dog Smoke Pup Barbarian because of the transaction. A mortar attack critically wounded Eslinger in September 2011. He was in treated at the Kandahar Airfield Hospital for a broken leg, broken ribs and multiple internal injuries. When Eslinger was later flown to Germany and then the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for more treatment, Smoke was left behind. Read the story and see the video at NBCWashington.com. A group called The Puppy Rescue Mission heard about Smoke Pup when Eslinger's squad leader sent a letter telling Eslinger's story. The group printed part of that letter on its website: Smoke was the only bit of morale that made these kids forget where they were and cope with the tragedy we just experienced. It is amazing how therapeutic a little creature can be. Donny took care of that dog up until he was injured. Many of us in his Platoon would love nothing more than to see Smoke reunited with Donny. It would be the only decent thing we would see come from this place. Story: Good buddies: Grizzled truckers transport rescued animals to safety Through the efforts of The Puppy Rescue Mission, the dog arrived in Orlando, Fla., last week. The dog was then transported to Bethesda on Tuesday, where he was reunited with Eslinger. To learn more about the work of The Puppy Rescue Mission, which reunites U.S. soldiers with the dogs they adopted and cared for while serving overseas, click here.

Nation's oldest federal judge dies at age 104 WICHITA, Kan. - U.S. District Judge Wesley Brown, the nation's oldest sitting federal judge in history, has died at age 104. Brown died Monday night at the Wichita assisted living center where he lived, his law clerk, Nanette Turner Kalcik, said Tuesday. During his long tenure, the senior judge in Wichita repeatedly tried to explain why he had not yet fully retired from the federal bench. "As a federal judge, I was appointed for life or good behavior, whichever I lose first," Brown quipped in a 2011 interview with The Associated Press. How did he plan to leave the post? "Feet first," Brown said. Brown was appointed as a federal district judge in 1962 by then-President John F. Kennedy. In 1979, Brown officially took senior status, a type of semiretirement that allows federal judges to work with a full or reduced case level. But he continued to carry a full workload for decades later. "I do it to be a public service," Brown said in the AP interview. You got to have a reason to live. As long as you perform a public service, you have a reason to live. His long tenure on the federal bench surpasses even that of Joseph Woodrough, a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eight Circuit who, until Brown, had been the longest practicing judge in the federal judiciary when he died in 1977 shortly after turning 104. In recent years, Brown's stooped frame nearly disappeared behind the federal bench during hearings. His gait was slower, but his mind remained sharp as he presided over a tightly run courtroom even after turning 104 last June. It was not until March 2011 that Brown removed himself from the draw for assignment of new criminal case, and by the time he died he was no longer presiding over hearings. Brown had asked his colleagues years before his death to notify him if at any point they felt he was no longer able to serve. "I will quit this job when I think it is time," Brown said last year. And I hope I do so and leave the country in better shape because I have been a part of it. Brown - who was born on June 22, 1907, in Hutchinson, Kansas - was six years older than the next oldest sitting federal judge. At least eight other federal judges are in their 90s, according to a federal court database. Brown started his career with the law firm of Williams, Martindell and Carey in Hutchinson. He graduated from the Kansas City School of Law, which later became the law school for the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Except for two brief breaks from the firm - one at age 27 when he was elected Reno County attorney and the other at age 37 when he joined the Navy - Brown spent his Hutchinson career practicing law there. In 1939, he became a partner. He moved to Wichita at age 50 after receiving his first federal appointment as a bankruptcy judge in Wichita in 1958, and four years later was appointed a federal district judge in Wichita. He outlived two wives and only moved into an assisted living center in recent years.

No Webcast of Solera Holdings, Inc. SLH Investor Day WESTLAKE, Texas, Jan. 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Solera Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: SLH), the leading global provider of software and services to the automobile insurance claims processing industry, today announced that it will not webcast its SLH Investor Day meeting to be held on January 23, 2012. About Solera Solera is the leading global provider of software and services to the automobile insurance claims processing industry. Solera is active in nearly 60 countries across six continents. The Solera companies include Audatex in the United States, Canada, and in more than 45 additional countries, Informex in Belgium and Greece, Sidexa in France, ABZ and Market Scan in the Netherlands, HPI in the United Kingdom, Hollander serving the North American recycling market, AUTOonline providing salvage disposition in a number of European and Latin American countries, IMS providing medical review services, and Explore providing data and analytics to United States property and casualty insurers. For more information, please refer to the company's website at http://www.solerainc.com. SOURCE Solera Holdings, Inc.

Eric Cantona launches French presidency bid to highlight housing charity Cantona said he "chose the housing issue as it seems to me to be essential and concerns 10 million people." I had to act at a time when I was likely to be heard. The presidential election will start in April, with a second round set for May. Centre-right President Nicolas Sarkozy of the UMP party has been trailing Socialist rival Francois Hollande in opinion polls. Cantona played for Manchester United from 1992 to 1997 and was known for both his genius and ill-discipline, as well as his often colourful and incomprehensible remarks. Late in 2010 he entered the political and economic fray, urging compatriots to withdraw cash en masse as a way to bring banking to its knees - although it emerged that his actress wife had appeared in a TV bank advert. French and European politicians and bankers condemned Cantona as irresponsible, naive and misguided, and his call to action was not taken up. Considered one of the greats of the game, Cantona retired from professional football in 1997 and has since turned to acting, notably in director Ken Loach's "Looking For Eric." Finance Minister Francois Baroin said as a mayor he would not back the bid and preferred "the Cantona who looks after housing to the Cantona who told the French to withdraw their money from the banks in order to cause a disaster." Junior Housing Minister Benoist Apparu disputed Cantona's figure of 10 million poorly housed people, telling BFM-TV there were only 3.5 million but admitting: "That's already a thousand times too many." Patrick Doutreligne of the Abbe-Pierre Foundation for Housing for the Underprivileged, of which Cantona is a patron, told AFP the footballer did not actually expect or want to be the next president of France. He will indeed seek 500 signatures, not for the election but so that housing is a priority. So that the mayors sign-up to the foundation's call for mobilisation, so that housing is the campaign's main theme," Doutreligne said. "You need a spur like Cantona to give housing the place it deserves in this campaign," Doutreligne said. One of Cantona's most-famous moments was when he launched a flying kung-fu style kick and several punches at a fan as he was sent off during a 1995 match. After the match, he famously told journalists: "When the seagulls follow the trawler, it's because they think sardines will be thrown into the sea."

Oklahoma State has its chance to be in the national-championship conversation. All the Cowboys need now is a little help from Alabama. Surviving a missed field goal at the end of regulation and getting a big kick of its own in overtime, No. 3 Oklahoma State opened the door for the chance at a split national championship with a wildly entertaining 41-38 win over No. 4 Stanford on Monday night. "There is nothing we can do from here," said Oklahoma State receiver Justin Blackmon, who tied the Fiesta Bowl record with three touchdown catches. I do think we do have the best team in the nation. Oklahoma State (12-1) kept pace with Andrew Luck and the high-scoring Cardinal, getting huge performances from its two stars, Brandon Weeden and Blackmon, in their final college game. Weeden threw for 399 yards and the three touchdowns to Blackmon, who announced he's leaving for the NFL after catching eight passes for 186 yards. All that and the Cowboys' fortunes came down to two legs, those of Stanford kicker Jordan Williamson and their own Jordan Sharp. Williamson couldn't come through. The redshirt freshman missed a 35-yard field goal wide left as time expired in regulation and another from 43 yards to open overtime. Given a chip shot after Weeden hit Colton Chelf on a 24-yard pass - initially ruled a touchdown but overturned on review - Sharp came through, sending his 22-yard field goal through the uprights and the Cowboys charging onto the field. Should Alabama knock off top-ranked LSU in next week's BCS championship game, Oklahoma State will be right there, ready to stake its claim at being No. 1 in The Associated Press poll. "We feel like we could beat anyone in the country," Chelf said. Stanford (11-2) had its chances. The Cardinal had 590 yards of offense - nearly 200 more than Oklahoma State - got another stellar game from Luck before he heads to the NFL, and ran over Oklahoma State's defense behind Stepfan Taylor. They just couldn't finish it off. Luck calmly led Stanford 63 yards over the final 2:35 of regulation to set up a chance at winning its second BCS bowl game in two years. Instead, Williamson missed in regulation, again in overtime and was left sobbing in front of his locker while his coaches and teammates tried to shoulder some of the blame. Taylor ran for 177 yards and a pair of scores. Luck was his usual steady self, hitting 27 of 31 passes for 347 yards and two touchdowns with an interception. The Cardinal held Oklahoma State to 15 yards rushing on 13 carries and didn't give up the lead until the final play. Still, it wasn't enough, the Cardinal's hopes sailing wide left off the right foot of Williamson, who missed three field goals after missing three all season. "There's an old saying that adversity reveals character - and that's not just for him, that's for all of us," Stanford coach David Shaw said. Connecticut had trouble filling its allotment of tickets and keeping up with Oklahoma, the 48-20 rout leading to a big dip in the ratings.

Iain Duncan Smith: 'Money for those who deserve it'

Apple Suspends IPhone Sales In China After Crowd Turns Violent AP Photo/Andy Wong Jan. 13, 2012: Chinese people look at the egg's stains, left, on the Apple store's glass wall as they wait for the store to open to sell the iPhone 4S model in Beijing. BEIJING - Apple on Friday suspended the sale of its new iPhone 4S at some stores in mainland China after a rowdy egg-throwing crowd disrupted the device's debut at one of its two official stores in Beijing. Would-be customers, many of whom had waited overnight in the freezing cold to be among the first to purchase the latest iPhone, became so unruly when the store at the swank Sanlitun shopping district failed to open its doors that Apple was forced to cancel first-day sales there, All Things Digital reported. Rather than risk a repeat of the incident, the company has decided not to sell the 4S at any of its retail stores in Beijing and Shanghai. Instead, it will sell the device through its website and carrier partners. "The demand for iPhone 4S has been incredible, and our stores in China have already sold out," Apple spokeswoman Carolyn Wu said. Unfortunately we were unable to open our store at Sanlitun due to the large crowd, and to ensure the safety of our customers and employees, iPhone will not available in our retail stores in Beijing and Shanghai for the time being. Customers can still order iPhone through the Apple Online Store, or buy at China Unicom and other authorized resellers. About 1,000 people had queued for hours, waiting for the store's Friday opening which failed to materialize, sparking violent scenes, AFP reported. Police detained at least two people after customers scuffled, threw eggs at the glass front of the store and shouted at staff to open the doors. Frustrated shoppers attacked a security guard outside the shop after police with megaphones shouted at the crowd to go home and said the new iPhone would not go on sale. We waited here all night. It's not fair," said 18-year-old Tom Sun. We're angry because this American company told us it would open its doors at 7:00am. Another would-be customer, Li Tianye, had traveled for two days by bus from eastern China's Shandong province to get to Beijing for the launch. "IPhone 4S is Steve Jobs' best, that's why I want one," said the 29-year-old. Some of the people gathered said they had been paid 100 yuan (US$16) each by touts to stand in line and wait for the doors to open. But not everyone was disappointed. Some Beijing shoppers said they had bought the phone from a nearby electronics retailer after being turned away from the official Apple store. There was a problem at the Apple store. Too many angry people," said one, a young Chinese man who gave only his surname, Du, adding that he had been waiting since Thursday evening to buy the phone. Calmer scenes were witnessed in Shanghai, where Apple stores opened to large crowds and the phone was on sale. Greater China -- which includes Hong Kong and Taiwan -- has become Apple's fastest growing region, with revenue second only to the U.S. Die-hard fans in China, which has the world's largest online population with more than 500 million users, have been known to line up for days to get their hands on the latest Apple products. The California-based company has recently expanded aggressively in China, opening its first store in Hong Kong and its third in Shanghai last September, which brings the total to six in Greater China. But Apple's popularity has also brought problems, with widespread counterfeiting and illegal smuggling of its products. In July, an American blogger uncovered fake Apple stores in the southwestern city of Kunming, where even staff working there did not appear to know they were fake.

Olympus probe finds 5 auditors responsible TOKYO (AP) - An internal investigation at Olympus Corp. found that five current and former auditors are responsible for a combined 8.38 billion yen ($109 million) in losses linked to the Japanese company's accounting scandal, and plans to sue them. The panel's report released Tuesday said it found two accounting firms hired by Olympus as external auditors, KPMG Azsa LLC and Ernst & Young ShinNihon LLC, had not violated their fiduciary duties. Olympus has admitted a cover-up of investment losses of 117.7 billion yen ($1.5 billion) dating back to the 1990s and is suing 19 former and current executives for damages. The scandal first came to light after former CEO Michael Woodford raised questions about questionable transactions, including paying exorbitant prices for financial advice from an obscure Wall Street firm and for small companies outside Olympus' main business. He was promptly fired by the board in October. The panel said that auditor Minoru Ohta was aware of the cover-up but had failed to draw attention to it, and was responsible for losses totalling 3.73 billion yen. Four other auditors also failed to fulfill their duties and were responsible for about 4.66 billion yen in losses, the report said. Olympus plans to file a lawsuit against the five men with Tokyo District Court, a company official said. Japanese prosecutors have begun a separate investigation and raided company headquarters and former President Tsuyoshi Kikukawa's home last month. Woodford, a British national, had demanded the resignation of the entire board and mounted a campaign to win back the top job with a new slate of directors. But earlier this month, he said he was giving up his fight after failing to win backing from major investors and Japanese megabanks. Associated Press writer Mari Yamaguchi contributed to this report.

Invensys wipes £60m off profits Invensys shares plunged on Friday after the engineering group warned problems with the installation of control and safety systems at Chinese nuclear power stations and setbacks with a number of rail contracts would wipe £60m from this year's expected operating profits. Shares in the FTSE 250 group fell as much as 27 per cent after it said £40m would be lopped from its underlying operating profit this year because of unexpected difficulties in the Chinese work. The setback was compounded by a separate issue in its rail division, where it gave warning of additional costs and delayed revenue recognition on a small number of undisclosed contracts. This would cut this year's operating profit by a further £20m. Invensys reported an underlying operating profit of £262m in the year to March 31 2011 and had expected to report a rise in operating profits this year but said on Friday that it now expected underlying operating profit to fall "significantly" year-on-year. The company said the difficulties related to the first of three contracts it had signed to install and commission control and safety systems for eight Chinese nuclear reactors. A review of engineering requirements and associated costs had shown that the first contract - covering four reactors - would be delayed and require additional work. The profit warning eclipsed the announcement by Invensys's rail arm that it had won more signalling work from Network Rail, the body that looks after the UK's railway network. Shares in Invensys were 22 per cent lower at 176.60p in early morning trading in London, giving it a market capitalisation of £1.5bn.

When Babies Are Born in Strange Places A train and an elevator: Just two of the unlikely places babies were born this week. Rabita Sarke of Harrison, N.J., surprised morning commuters on Monday when she gave birth to a boy on a PATH train. And Katie Thacker of Spanaway, Wash., delivered son Blake on Wednesday in a hospital's stuck service elevator. While most moms-to-be make it to the delivery room with time to spare, experts say a quick labor can surprise even the most practiced of parents. "The vast majority of women have plenty of warning before their baby is going to come," said Dr. Marjorie Greenfield, chief of obstetrics and gynecology at University Hospitals Case Medical Center, in Ohio. But some people have very, very rapid labors. Other unplanned labor locales include a Baltimore airport bathroom, a Denver library, a McDonalds in Vancouver, Wash., and an airplane en route to San Francisco. Despite the due date -- an estimate based on the time of conception -- babies tend to come out when they're ready, regardless of whether the parents feel the same. But several warning signs signal the start of labor, which for first-time moms lasts an average 16 hours. "About 1 percent of women break their water before they go into labor," said Greenfield. It's usually a big gush, but sometimes it's more of a constant trickle. Either way, "you can usually tell." There are other, more ubiquitous signs that a baby is ready to go: Contractions that start out feeling like menstrual cramps and steadily grow more intense; a tightening feeling across the lower back; and the sensation that the baby is curling up inside. But there are false alarms, too. "I think that's part of what keeps people from acting at first," said Greenfield. "People sometimes feel crampier and have more pelvic pressure" late in pregnancy. And there's the bloody show -- mucus and blood coming out of the cervix. But they're not very predictive of labor. Some women are caught off guard because they don't feel pain with contractions. "Everyone's been telling them, 'Pain, pain, pain,' and they don't recognize what contractions feel like," said Greenfield of the women some would call lucky. But that's pretty rare. Some women fail to recognize the signs of labor because, as Greenfield puts it, they're in denial. "I've certainly seen moms who don't accept they're pregnant," she said. They kind of know but are really in a state of denial. That's one situation where we see deliveries outside the hospital. Even for veteran moms who've been there, done that, labor can be sneaky. "If their first baby came in two hours, the next baby may be the one they're going to deliver in the car on the way to the hospital," said Greenfield. The second delivery, on average, is usually half the length of the first. Although few women would choose a train or elevator over a hospital or midwife-assisted homebirth, Greenfield said quick labors are usually a sign that everything is going smoothly. "This is the way nature intended," she said. Labor wasn't intended to happen in hospitals hooked up to IVs. And for those amateur obstetricians compelled to help out on the morning commute, Greenfield has two important pieces of advice: Don't pull on anything; and keep that baby warm. "Never pull on anything if a baby is part-way born," she said. Mom needs to do the work. People trying to help need to let things happen and just make sure the baby doesn't fall on the floor. And when the baby is out, "dry it off and put it skin-to-skin against mom." Don't cut the umbilical cord, Greenfield added. Just get mom and baby to the nearest hospital. When Labor Is Unexpected As a due date approaches, expectant moms are usually on the lookout for labor. But the signs of preterm or early labor are usually subtler, and both babies and moms may need extra care. "Preterm or early labor is usually less intense, so it can be a little harder to recognize," said Greenfield. Things like having any blood or mucus, a significant increase in pelvic pressure or mild contractions that don't stop with fluid and rest are all potentially signs of preterm labor. Definitely tell your doctor if you're worried. Despite their conventional birthplaces, the Sarke and Thacker babies and moms are healthy. "It's so dramatic and exciting," said Greenfield. When it ends well, it's certainly a story to tell.

AT&T reports big loss on slew of charges AT&T reports big loss on slew of charges - Earnings AT&T posts big loss on hefty fee for failed T-Mobile deal Wireless company also reported costly subsidies for smartphones such as Apple's iPhone. By Sinead Carew AT&T Inc posted a $6.7 billion quarterly loss due to a hefty break-up fee for its failed T-Mobile USA merger and other charges on top of costly subsidies for smartphones such as Apple Inc's popular iPhone. Its shares fell about 1 percent after the news. While the No. 2 U.S. wireless provider beat analysts' expectations for subscriber additions, the growth came at a cost as its wireless service margins plummeted. It also took a big non-cash pension-related charge on top of its $4 billion break-up package. While advanced devices like iPhone can help subscriber numbers and revenue, they also shrink earnings as operators like AT&T and its bigger rival Verizon Wireless heavily subsidize the device to attract customers to two-year contracts. AT&T's wireless service margin based on earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization dropped to 28.7 percent from 43.7 percent in the third quarter and 37.6 percent a year earlier. "If there's any reason to be upset, it certainly is the margins," said Stifel Nicolaus analyst Chris King, but he noted that strong smartphone sales should help AT&T in the long run. 2 U.S. mobile provider said it had added 717,000 subscribers in the quarter, beating the average expectation for 570,000 from seven analysts. But AT&T's subscriber growth still lagged well behind Verizon Wireless whose parent Verizon Communications reported on Tuesday that its wireless venture with Vodafone Group Plc had added 1.2 million subscribers in the quarter. Verizon Wireless margins were also hurt by smartphone sales, but not as much as AT&T. Roe Equity Research analyst Kevin Roe said that only time will tell if the race to sign on smartphone customers will be worth the massive drag on margins. Its not getting easier. It will be tougher in 2012," he said. The cost to capture and retain customers will increase as competition increases. AT&T forecast earnings growth in the mid-single-digit percentage range or better for 2012 and said it may be able to accelerate its earnings growth rate after 2012. It forecast growth of about 2 percent for wireless average monthly revenue per user in 2012 and promised overall revenue growth without giving a specific target. They should at least do that. Hopefully they do better than 2 percent," said Roe. Along with pushing advanced phones, operators are spending billions of dollars on upgrading their networks. Like AT&T and Verizon Wireless, smaller rival Sprint Nextel is also upgrading its network for advanced services this year. On top of this analysts see T-Mobile USA as a big competitive threat as it will be desperate to attract new subscribers growth since its AT&T deal failed. AT&T posted a fourth-quarter loss of $6.68 billion, or $1.12 per share, compared with a year-earlier profit of $1.09 billion, or 18 cents per share. Excluding the special charges, AT&T earned 42 cents per share, a penny below Wall Street expectations, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S. Revenue rose to $32.5 billion from $31.36 billion and compared with Wall Street expectations for $31.97 billion, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S. The company said it has set aside a budget of $20 billion for 2012 capital spending, similar to 2011 levels. AT&T had to scrap its plans to buy Deutsche Telekom's T-Mobile USA in December after regulatory opposition.