AP Newsbreak: Drop in Taliban attacks incorrect

A security official stands guard the scene of a suicide car bomb attack which killed and injured several people at the National Directorate of Security in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, Sunday, Feb 24, 2013. A series of early morning attacks hit eastern Afghanistan Sunday, with three separate suicide bombings in outlying provinces and a shootout between security forces and a would-be attacker in the capital city of Kabul. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)

A security official stands guard the scene of a suicide car bomb attack which killed and injured several people at the National Directorate of Security in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, Sunday, Feb 24, 2013. A series of early morning attacks hit eastern Afghanistan Sunday, with three separate suicide bombings in outlying provinces and a shootout between security forces and a would-be attacker in the capital city of Kabul. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)

A U.S. soldier, right, photographs the scene where an insurgent was shot to death near an Afghan intelligence office in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013. A series of early morning attacks hit eastern Afghanistan Sunday, with three separate suicide bombings in outlying provinces and a shootout between security forces and a would-be attacker in the capital city of Kabul. (AP Photo/Musadeq Sadeq)

A security official stands guard at the scene of a suicide car bomb attack which killed and injured several people at the National Directorate of Security in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, Sunday, Feb 24, 2013. A series of early morning attacks hit eastern Afghanistan Sunday, with three separate suicide bombings in outlying provinces and a shootout between security forces and a would-be attacker in the capital city of Kabul. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The U.S.-led military command in Afghanistan incorrectly reported a decline last year in Taliban attacks and is preparing to publish corrected numbers that could undercut its narrative of a Taliban in steep decline.

After finding what they called clerical errors, military officials in Kabul said Tuesday that a 7 percent drop in "enemy initiated attacks" for the period from January through December 2012 reported last month will be corrected to show no change in the number of attacks during that span.

The 7 percent figure had been included in a report posted on the coalition's website until it was removed recently without explanation. After The Associated Press inquired about the missing report, coalition officials said they were correcting the data and would re-publish the report.

"During a quality control check, ISAF recently became aware that some data was incorrectly entered into the database that is used for tracking security-related incidents across Afghanistan," said Jamie Graybeal, a spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition known officially as the International Security Assistance Force, or ISAF.

Graybeal said a subsequent audit determined that portions of the data from unilateral Afghan military operations were "not properly reflected" in the trends ISAF had reported in its monthly updates on security and violence.

"After including this unilateral ANSF (Afghan National Security Force) data into our database, we have determined that there was no change in the total number of EIAs (enemy initiated attacks) from 2011 to 2012," Graybeal said.

"This was a record-keeping error that we recognized and have now corrected," he added.

The coalition defines enemy initiated attacks as attacks by small arms, mortars, rockets and improvised explosive devices, or IEDs. But it does not include IEDs that are found and cleared before they explode.

Trends in Taliban attacks are one yardstick used by ISAF to measure war progress. Others include the state of security in populated areas, the number of coalition and Afghan casualties, the degree to which civilians can move about freely, and the performance of Afghan security forces.

Graybeal said that even though the number of 2012 Taliban attacks was unchanged from 2011, "our assessment of the fundamentals of campaign progress has not changed. The enemy is increasingly separated from the population and the ANSF are currently in the lead for the vast majority of partnered operations."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-02-26-US-Insurgent-Attacks-Error/id-4212db88a38d40f384b35f197ce89bc7

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Edwards' miserable month continues at Daytona

No one will be more eager than Carl Edwards to get out of Daytona.

The No. 99 team had a brutal month leading up to the NASCAR season opener, wrecking four times.

Make it five.

Edwards was caught up in a crash heading into turn one at the Daytona 500, another case of simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Trevor Bayne bumped Brad Keselowski from behind, which sent the No. 21 car sliding sideways.

With nowhere to go, Edwards was sent into the outside wall.

? Paul Newberry ? http://www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963

___

SMOKE STEAMS: Tony Stewart has returned to the track at the Daytona 500.

But he's pretty much assured of going 0-for-15 in NASCAR's biggest race.

Stewart was 82 laps behind the leaders when he rolled out of the garage after an early crash. His frustration was never more evident than when he joined in the repair effort, banging on his No. 14 car with a hammer during the long stint in the paddock.

"To hell with the season," Stewart said. "I wanted to win the Daytona 500. We had a car that we could pass with today. We were passing cars by ourselves. I was so happy with our car, was just waiting for it to all get sorted out again. I don't know what started it, but we just got caught up in another wreck."

Stewart's misfortune came a day after he won the lower-division Nationwide race ? his 19th career triumph at Daytona.

None of them have come in the race he really wants.

? Paul Newberry ? http://www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963

___

FAMILIAR SPOT: Matt Kenseth is back in a familiar spot.

Leading the Daytona 500.

Kenseth was running out front at the 100-lap mark, halfway through the biggest NASCAR race of the season.

While there's nothing unusual about Kenseth leading at Daytona, where he's won two of the last three years, it's a bit jarring to see him doing it in the No. 20 car.

Kenseth had spent his entire Cup career driving the No. 17 machine for Roush Fenway Racing, but he switched to Joe Gibbs Racing this season. He's got a new car, a new number, a new sponsor and a new team.

But he still knows how to run strong at Daytona.

? Paul Newberry ? http://www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963

___

DANICAMANIA: Danica Patrick keeps making history.

The first woman to start from the pole at the Daytona 500 has become the first female to lead a lap in a NASCAR Cup race.

Patrick sent the huge crowd into a frenzy when she snatched the lead from Michael Waltrip on lap 90 after a series of pit stops under yellow. She led two laps before Denny Hamlin surged to the front.

But Patrick has shown her qualifying run was no fluke. She's got a strong car and has been in the top 10 all day as the 200-lap race approaches the midway point.

Patrick switched to NASCAR last year after becoming the first woman to lead laps at the Indianapolis 500, as well as being the first to win an IndyCar race.

Now, she's looking for a win in NASCAR's biggest event.

? Paul Newberry ? http://www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963

___

AWKWARD: Rapper 50 Cent wasn't content just chatting up Erin Andrews.

He went in for a kiss.

Rebuffed.

In the strangest part of the buildup to the Daytona 500, Mr. Cent brought back memories of Joe Namath's awkward attempt to plant one on Suzy Kolber when he tried the same move with Andrews on pit road.

She turned her head one way, then the other, only allowing the "Candy Shop" rapper to get a peck on the cheek.

? Paul Newberry ? http://www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963

___

BIG CRASH: We've had the first big wreck of the Daytona 500.

And a bunch of top contenders have seen their chances go up in smoke.

Former 500 winners Kevin Harvick, Tony Stewart and Jamie McMurray were caught up in the crash on lap 33. So was defending Sprint Cup champion Brad Keselowski.

The melee began coming through the tri-oval when Kasey Kahne's car began to slide across the track after appearing to get bumped from behind by Kyle Busch.

At least two other drivers also got caught up in the mess: Juan Pablo Montoya and Casey Mears. Joey Logano made a great move to dodge the spinning cars.

Pole sitter Danica Patrick made it through unscathed and remains near the front of the pack.

? Paul Newberry ? http://www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963

___

HANG ON TIGHT: From one defending champion to another, Brad Keselowski had a piece of advice for Daytona 500 starter Ray Lewis:

Don't drop the flag.

The retired Baltimore Ravens star served as honorary starter for the Daytona 500. Lewis waved the green flag without incident Sunday to start the "Great American Race."

Lewis, who said he was nervous, got a quick tip from Keselowski.

"Brad texted me on the way in, the one rule is, don't drop the flag," Lewis said before the race. "I'm going to squeeze the flag very hard. I want to watch this and be a part of it. To be here is an awesome experience."

Lewis was one of several stars at Daytona International Speedway. Rappers T.I. and 50 Cent attended NASCAR's season opener, which has Danica Patrick starting on the pole.

Oscar-nominated actor James Franco was the grand marshall and said, "Drivers and Danica, start your engines!" The Zac Brown Band played a pre-race concert in the Daytona International Speedway infield. Band member Clay Cook performed the national anthem.

Retired baseball pitcher Tom Gordon, comedian Drew Carey, and Wes Welker and Steve Spurrier also were in attendance.

Lewis called Keselowski on the eve of the 2012 season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway and left him an inspirational voice message. Keselowski also often listens to Lewis' motivational speeches before races.

"I caught a glimpse of how he always watched my videos and it really inspired him," Lewis said. "That's when me and him really started having conversations with each other, and from there it just turned into a friendship. I send him motivational things, and heads-up on what I am doing, that's where the relationship has gone."

? Dan Gelston ? http://twitter.com/APgelston

___

DANICA DROPS BACK: Danica Patrick made history by becoming the first woman to start from the pole in a NASCAR Cup race.

But in the beginning of the Daytona 500, she failed to pull off another landmark.

Choosing the outside spot on the front row, Patrick gave up the lead to Jeff Gordon on the very first lap, missing out on an early chance to become the first female to lead a Cup lap.

Over the first 10 laps, she settled in behind Gordon and held on to the second spot in the 43-car field.

Patrick went on the radio before the race to thank her crew for giving her such a strong car. "I'll do the best job I can to do my end of the deal today," she said. "All in all, thank you for everything. You guys are awesome."

Later, Patrick sent the huge crowd into a frenzy when she snatched the lead from Michael Waltrip on lap 90 after a series of pit stops under yellow. She led two laps before Denny Hamlin surged to the front.

? Paul Newberry ? http://www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963

___

FRANCO'S AUDIBLE: "Drivers ... and Danica!!! ... start your engines."

With that unique command, actor James Franco has ordered the 43 cars to fire up for the Daytona 500.

The duty is normally carried out with the most famous words in racing: "Gentlemen, start your engines."

Of course, this year is different. Danica Patrick is the first woman to start from the pole in a Cup race, and Franco hinted beforehand that he was planning an audible. As unpredictable as ever, he passed on a chance to copy the command that was used when Patrick raced in the Indianapolis 500, "Lady and gentlemen, start your engines."

Now, it's time to go racing at Daytona.

? Paul Newberry ? http://www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963

___

A HEARTY BUNCH: NASCAR FANS RETURN TO DANGER ZONE: Say this about NASCAR fans: They don't frighten easily.

One day after a harrowing crash injured dozens of fans in the stands, those same seats are filling up for the Daytona 500.

No one seems too concerned.

"These should be good seats," said Rick Barasso, as he settled into a spot that was right in the danger zone when Kyle Larson's car slammed into the catch fencing on the final lap of a Nationwide Series race Saturday. "I mean, what are the chances of it happening again?"

That seems to be the attitude of the fans heading into the Daytona 500, the season-opening Cup race and biggest event on the NASCAR schedule. Most people say it's worth the risk to sit next to the ear-rattling action ? no more than 20 feet away for those in the first row. They love to hear the engines, smell the exhaust, and feel the wind whipping in their face as 43 cars go by at nearly 200 mph.

Still, there are a few fans fretting about the location of their seats.

Raymond Gober returned to the same location where he was nearly struck by a bolt from Larson's car. He scooped up the debris as a souvenir, though he acknowledged being a little nervous about his seat on the back row of the lower level. He even considered wearing his motorcycle helmet to the 500, but figured "everybody would start laughing at me." Next year, he plans to buy an upper-level seat in the main grandstand.

"My dad called and said, 'You're sitting in the same seats? "' Gober said. "He couldn't believe it."

There are grim reminders of what happened Saturday: a bloody spot that had been washed down (not entirely, though), a tire mark on a seat, another seat that was partially bent from getting struck by that same tire.

? Paul Newberry ? http://www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963

___

EDITOR'S NOTE ? "Daytona 500 Watch" shows you the Daytona 500 and events surrounding the race through the eyes of Associated Press journalists. Follow them on Twitter.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/edwards-miserable-month-continues-daytona-205035187--spt.html

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A closer look at the PS4's specs, and what they mean for you ...

Even though Sony?s PlayStation 4 conference lacked any indication of what the console might look like when it hit store shelves this holiday season, the company did, however, remove the veil from the console?s specifications. Many rumors have been confirmed and we now know some specifics about core count, RAM, and graphics horsepower.

These figures can be opaque to the average gamer, however. What do they mean, and how does the PlayStation 4 stand up to the other gaming systems?

x86 infiltrates a console

Sony will be shipping the new system with an eight-core 64-bit processor based off AMD?s ?Jaguar? processor line. Don?t let the core count fool you ? this is not a high-end PC part. Jaguar is built for mobile products like sleekbooks (AMD?s answer to the ultrabook), not desktops, so the raw power of the PS4?s processor will be behind the typical gaming PC.

That may sound dire, but there?s reason for optimism. Consoles have always benefited from standardization that helps developers optimize their games. Eight x86 cores ? even slow ones ? could be formidable if properly used. PC games have historically made disappointing use of multiple threads, but developers have been constrained by a market dominated by dual-core systems. The PS4 will banish that issue.

Building a console off the same instruction set used by PCs is a boon to game development, as well. ?Programmers familiar with the PC will find transitioning to console development easier than ever before and ports between the two will take less time to optimize.

Everyone needs a companion

Though x86 cores are the brunt of the new console?s might, Sony stated at its event that another low-power core will be bundled in, as well. The additional processor exists not to help with games directly but instead to process tasks in the background.

This is a great advantage to the console experience. The PlayStation 3 is notorious for its lengthy downloads which, more often than not, can?t be completed in the background. Sony has also thrown in video recording and real-time sharing features that would certainly reduce performance if the x86 cores were left on their own. This also plays in to one of the new features that Sony announced during the unveiling event ? the ability to play downloadable games almost instantly. Rather than waiting for a sizable game to download, you will be able to begin the download and begin play after only a small portion has been completed, then continue to play as the remainder of the download continues in the background.

The low-power chip could also be used to display the user interface, keeping the console cool and quiet when it?s not running a game. This is speculation on our part, however, as Sony has not specifically mentioned that the low-power core will be used for this purpose.

Radeon conquers another console

Sony states that the PS4?s graphics chip, which is derived from existing Radeon technology and integrated into the Jaguar processor die, can push 1.84 TFLOPS. That number puts the power of the GPU roughly on par with a Radeon HD 7850 video card.

That may seem disappointing because the Radeon HD 7850 is ?only? a mid-range GPU. Again, careful consideration allows for more optimism. Reviews of the Radeon HD 7850 graphics card have already shown that it can handle most current PC games at 1080p with medium to high detail, which is a huge leap over current-gen consoles.

Add in optimization, along with the possibility of rendering at 720p and scaling to 1080p (as current consoles do), and you have the potential for a huge leap forward in quality. The power on tap falls short of enabling support for 4K resolution in games, however. 4K video out will be supported for photos and videos, but games will render at a lower (as yet unspecified) resolution.

Eight is great

The number eight didn?t just show up in the core count. Sony has also packed in eight gigabytes of RAM, an absolutely massive increase over the 512MB (yes, megabytes!) found in the PlayStation 3. And the RAM is high-speed GDDR5, which will let Sony maximize the system?s data pipe.

Why does this matter? More RAM (and faster RAM) will let developers create bigger textures, larger levels, more complex AI and more. The massive improvement in available memory is arguably the new console?s most impressive feature.

The memory is shared system-wide, which means that it?s not exactly equivalent to a PC with eight gigabytes of RAM. If a computer?s video card runs out of video memory the main system memory can?t pick up the slack. The PS3, which used separate main system and video memory (256MB each), also faced this issue. Unifying the memory on the PS4 will make the console easier to develop for and more flexible over time.

Wait, there?s more

There are other improved components worth mentioning. Chief among them is the new Blu-Ray drive with up to 6x speed. This upgrade will roughly triple the maximum data throughput available from a disc, significantly shortening load and install times.

Sony has also ponied up for an unknown number of high-speed USB 3.0 ports, 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth and Gigabit LAN. None of these technologies are new, of course, but they point to a well-rounded system with numerous fast connectivity options for networking and peripherals.

Hard drive speed and size is the only specification that remains unclear. This is likely because it hasn?t been finalized. Sony will almost certainly release several different bundles with drives of varying capacity, and replaceable hard drives is a definite possibility as well.?

How does it compare?

Sony?s new console absolutely demolishes the WiiU on the hardware battlefield. Sony is providing five more cores than Nintendo, a graphics solution that is two generations newer, and four times as much RAM.

Closer examination only widens the gap. The PS4?s processor architecture is more recent, the graphics chip is larger and the RAM much quicker. History is repeating itself. Nintendo?s hardware will once again be substantially behind the competition.

Microsoft hasn?t revealed its hand yet, of course, but there have been multiple leaks over the course of the last year. The information available so far indicates a system similar to Sony?s console with eight x86 cores built by AMD. They may even use the same Jaguar architecture. Leaks say the cores will run at 1.6 GHz, a clock speed that?s spot-on for Jaguar cores.

The next Xbox is likely to use an AMD Radeon derived graphics component as well, though the latest leaks say it will serve up about 1.2 TFLOPS of power, less than the 1.84 TFLOPS figure quoted by Sony.

RAM may be the main differentiator. While the next Xbox is rumored to also offer eight gigabytes of memory, leaks say it will be DDR3, which is slower. There?s reason to believe Sony has caught Microsoft a bit off-guard in this area. The GDDR5 memory found in the PS4 is unprecedented. Even Nvidia?s Titan graphics card, which retails at $999, has less.

Is this really the next gen?

Some sources have already pointed out that Sony?s new console does nothing a modern PC can?t offer ? and not a particularly expensive one, at that. An enthusiast could assemble a roughly equivalent system for $600 to $700. A gaming computer with even a moderately powerful graphics component, like the Nvidia GTX 660 Ti, is far more capable than this new console. Specifications suggest the PlayStation 4 isn?t impressive when compared to a PC.

That?s true, but also ignorant of history. The PlayStation 3, for instance, uses a graphics component derived from the Nvidia G70. Graphics cards built with that technology were widely available in PCs at the time of the PS3?s release. Even so, the PS3?s visual fidelity was impressive at release.?

?Next-gen? has always been relative to previous consoles. And from that view the PlayStation 4 is a massive leap forward. The new console, compared to its predecessor, offers sixteen times more raw memory and even more bandwidth (because the memory is also quicker). The power of the PS3?s graphics solution, measured by TFLOPs, is not 100% clear ? but the chip it?s derived from was quoted at 200 GFLOPS, which means the PS4 is about nine times more powerful.

We know that none of the console makers want to repeat Sony?s mistake of launching the PlayStation 3 at $599 for a well-equipped bundle. Given that limitation, Sony has pushed console hardware as far as possible. Finally, after nearly seven years, the next generation of consoles has arrived.?

Source: http://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/a-look-inside-the-playstation-4/

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Study reveals new clues to Epstein-Barr virus

Friday, February 22, 2013

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) affects more than 90 percent of the population worldwide and was the first human virus found to be associated with cancer. Now, researchers from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) have broadened the understanding of this widespread infection with their discovery of a second B-cell attachment receptor for EBV.

The new findings, which currently appear on-line in Cell Reports, reinforce current directions being taken in the development of a vaccine to guard against EBV, and raise important new questions regarding the virus's possible relationship to malaria and to autoimmune diseases.

"Our discovery that CD35 is an attachment receptor for EBV helps explain several previously unsolved observations," explains the study's senior author Joyce Fingeroth, MD, a member of the Division of Infectious Diseases at BIDMC and Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School.

First discovered in the early 1960s, EBV is one of eight viruses in the human herpesvirus family. The virus affects nine out of 10 people at some point in their lifetimes. Infections in early childhood often cause no disease symptoms, but people infected during adolescence or young adulthood may develop infectious mononucleosis. EBV is also associated with several types of cancer, including Hodgkin's lymphoma, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and nasopharyngeal carcinoma, and has been linked to certain autoimmune disorders.

"EBV was the first human virus that was discovered to be a tumor virus," explains Fingeroth. "In fact, individuals who have had infectious mononucleosis have a four times increased risk of developing Hodgkin's disease." After the initial infection, the EBV virus remains in a person's body for life.

To gain entry, viruses must first attach to their host cells. For herpesviruses, receptors on the viral envelope become connected to complementary receptors on the cell membrane. In the case of EBV, the virus gains access to the immune system by attaching to primary B cells.

Nearly 30 years ago, Fingeroth and her colleagues discovered that this attachment occurs via the CD21 protein, which until now was the only known B cell attachment receptor for EBV. The recent finding that B cells from a patient lacking CD21 can be infected and immortalized by EBV had indicated that an alternative attachment receptor must exist. The identification of this second receptor -- CD35 -- by Fingeroth's team, led by first author Javier Ogembo, PhD, of BIDMC and the University of Massachusetts Medical School, not only underscores an important finding regarding primary infection but also underscores the importance of EBVgp350/220, (the virus protein that has been found to bind to both attachment receptors) for the development of a vaccine against EBV.

"The EBV glycoprotein gp350/220 is the most abundant surface glycoprotein on the virus," notes Fingeroth, adding that these results further suggest the virus fusion apparatus is the same for both receptors. "An EBV vaccine might be able to prevent infection or, alternatively, greatly reduce a person's risk of developing infectious mononucleosis and EBV-associated cancers, without necessarily preventing the EBV infection itself."

Interestingly, she adds, whereas a human has now been identified to be lacking the CD21 receptor, no persons are known to lack CD35.

"CD35 is a latecomer in evolution and in its current form, exists only in humans," says Fingeroth. "We know that it is often targeted in autoimmune diseases and was recently identified as a malaria receptor. Our new discovery may, therefore, reveal new avenues for the exploration of unexplained links between EBV, autoimmune diseases, malaria and cancer."

###

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center: http://www.bidmc.harvard.edu

Thanks to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

This press release has been viewed 22 time(s).

Source: http://www.labspaces.net/126972/Study_reveals_new_clues_to_Epstein_Barr_virus

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?Anonymous? becomes latest victim in Twitter hacking spree

He gained a few unexpected fans in the gay community?today, but notoriously God-fearing quarterback Tim Tebow may have scared off the very supporters who saw him as a Christian celebrity even as his NFL career has fizzled ? they're calling his about-face on an anti-gay marriage pastor "disastrous," and declaring "his street cred with the evangelical community" all but gone.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/anonymous-becomes-latest-victim-twitter-hacking-spree-040055307.html

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Wales' Adam Jones ready for Rome scrap with Italy prop Andrea Lo Cicero

Wales prop Adam Jones admits he will have to be at the top of his game against Andrea Lo Cicero in Rome on Saturday.

Jones took the blame for Wales' scrummaging difficulties against France a fortnight ago, a game the Welsh won despite the hosts dominating up front.

The tighthead, can expect a stern examination opposite Italian warrior Lo Cicero, who won his 100th cap against Scotland two weeks ago.

"You can blame many things, but at the end of the day it comes down to the tighthead," he said.

"It was my fault, really. As much as people say the scrum is an eight-man thing, it does need the tighthead to be straight and square.

"At times I felt I was under pressure. I will take it on the chin, I will take the blame - and then I will say the pitch was shocking!

"For us, there are a lot of things we can put right easily. There were a lot of things we didn't do correctly.

"There were a couple of times when certain things happened and we know we should do better than that. If I can't keep the scrum up, then the scrum isn't going to stay up.

"It's the be-all and end-all of my game and if I don't do that well then obviously I have had a bad game.

"Sometimes, I don't know who takes the scrum down," Jones added. "But at the end of the day it is up to the props to keep it up. If we scrummage squarely, that will be half the battle.

"We know it's going to be hard against Italy. We know how good they are. They are very similar to the French. They pretty much mirror each other how they scrummage and are as close to a French scrum as you can get.

"I think I first played against Lo Cicero at the World Cup in 2003. He looks a bit different now. He had a short haircut then, but he's gone to Paris (Racing Metro) and all of a sudden he's grown this gorgeous mane, like my good self.

"He is a good player. He has got 100 caps and I take my hat off to anyone who has played international rugby for that long, especially in the front-row."

Source: http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,12040_8516345,00.html

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Report: Flaws in EPA drilling pollution data

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Limited data and unreliable estimates on air pollution from oil and natural gas production is hindering the Environmental Protection Agency's efforts to police the drilling boom, the agency's internal watchdog said Thursday.

Inspector General Arthur Elkins Jr. said the EPA has failed to directly measure emissions from some pieces of equipment and processes, and the estimates it does have are of "questionable quality."

"With limited data, human health risks are uncertain, states may design incorrect or ineffective emission control strategies, and EPA's decisions about regulating industry may be misinformed," Elkins said in a report.

The EPA, under the President Barack Obama, has stepped up regulation of natural gas drilling, which has been booming thanks to hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. About 25,000 wells a year are being fracked, a process in which water, chemicals and sand are injected at high pressure underground to release trapped natural gas.

Obama also wants to expand natural gas production, as long as it doesn't damage the environment.

Oil and gas production, from the well site to processing plants to storage tanks and transmission lines, releases toxic and cancer-causing air pollutants, smog-forming gases and methane, a potent greenhouse gas blamed for global warming.

The oil and gas industry has said the EPA has overestimated emissions of methane and argued that they already were working to reduce pollution, without the agency's intervention.

The EPA last year issued the first-ever standards to control smog- and soot-forming gases from gas wells site, and updated existing rules to reduce cancer-causing pollution, such as benzene, from other equipment.

The agency, in response to the report, agreed to develop a comprehensive strategy to improve its pollution figures.

The American Natural Gas Association had not seen the report and had no comment late Thursday.

___

Online:

Inspector General report: http://1.usa.gov/XPdsCr

___

Follow Dina Cappiello on Twitter: https://twitter.com/dinacappiello

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/report-flaws-epa-drilling-pollution-data-023038345--politics.html

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Digital Music News - I'm an Indie Music Publisher. Please Don't Let ...

Thursday, February 21, 2013
by ?paul

The following guest post comes from Monica Corton of indie publisher Next Decade Entertainment. ? ? ?

?

I recently read an exchange on Forbes.com involving the Consumer Electronics Association?s (CEA) leader Gary Shapiro, who asserted music publishers (through our trade organization, NMPA) are working to convince Congress that our issues are, "more important than the interests of artists, musicians, innovators and ordinary people."

David Israelite (President of the NMPA) set the record straight, but I feel the need to remind everyone that songwriters and many music publishers are indeed small businesses run by "ordinary people."

?

Next Decade Entertainment, as a music publisher, represents songwriters... the people that actually write the songs you know and love. We have three full time employees, a handful of consultants and interns.

We are not to be confused with the record companies who represent the artists who sing the fabulous songs that are written by our songwriters. People often confuse these two very separate rights... the song vs. the artist's recording of the song.

I explain this distinction because music publishers, unlike record companies, are subject to government oversight when it comes to making licenses, specifically mechanical licenses (audio-only uses like a CD, digital download, streaming uses) with tech companies (Apple, Amazon, Google, etc.) and others. That's right, the government tells us what we can be paid for all mechanical licenses.

?

?

Every five years, the NMPA negotiates on behalf of music publishers and our songwriting partners through the Copyright Royalty Board (CRB), the government oversight group, to fight for that mechanical rate.

The explosive growth of internet-based music platforms has significantly intensified our CRB efforts and brought an army of groups wanting to pay songwriters less (Apple, Amazon, Google, etc.). ?The internet has also led an enormous amount of people to download music for free (often illegally). ?

?

As the consumer market shifts from buying physical product and digital downloads to streaming music, songwriters and music publishers? income has done a precipitous deep dive. Like most independent music publishers, we are successful but struggling under the weight of the attack by those who oppose us.

If you are starting to see the "David vs. Goliath" story here... you are correct.

The music publishing industry goes in front of this CRB panel as one entity advocating for a fair mechanical rate on behalf of thousands of songwriters and publishers against a massive army of corporations bent on making sure it is as low as possible.

Yet, some portray music publishers as over-reaching (just consider Pandora's constant complaint that publishers charge to much). ?

?

We, independent music publishers and songwriters, are people who need to feed our families, finance a home and send our kids to college; ordinary people trying to make a living. At the end of the day, we love music. ?We want to enable songwriters to provide the world with the best music. In all the debating, one simple fact is being forgotten. ?Songwriters are the backbone of the musicbusiness. There is NO recording by an artist until a songwriter has written a hit song to make their voice shine.

It's time to recognize the importance and value of small businesses ? Next Decade Entertainment and hundreds of others like us. ?Yes, our livelihood depends on it, but so does the fate of American music.

?

Source: http://www.digitalmusicnews.com/permalink/2013/201302publisher

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EDF hunts Rivi?re-du-Moulin debt

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Source: http://www.projectfinancemagazine.com/Article/3158562/EDF-hunts-Rivire-du-Moulin-debt.html

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Police track elusive figure in soccer match-fixing

FILE - In this Monday, May 28, 2012 file photo Italian prosecutor Roberto Di Martino talks to the media during a press conference he held in Cremona, Northern Italy. Two years ago, a curious case landed on the desk of Italian prosecutor Roberto Di Martino in the town of Cremona. Five players on the local third-division club Cremonese fell ill after a match against Paganese. One of the sick players got into an auto accident and club management reported the mysterious circumstances to police. (AP Photo/Simone Spada, Lapresse)

FILE - In this Monday, May 28, 2012 file photo Italian prosecutor Roberto Di Martino talks to the media during a press conference he held in Cremona, Northern Italy. Two years ago, a curious case landed on the desk of Italian prosecutor Roberto Di Martino in the town of Cremona. Five players on the local third-division club Cremonese fell ill after a match against Paganese. One of the sick players got into an auto accident and club management reported the mysterious circumstances to police. (AP Photo/Simone Spada, Lapresse)

FILE - In this Sept. 26, 2011 file photo Chris Eaton, FIFA head of Security, addresses a press conference in Harare, Zimbawe. Soccer is falling under a cloud of suspicion as never before, sullied by a multibillion-dollar web of match-fixing that is staining increasingly larger parts of the world's most popular sport. "Football is in a disastrous state," said Chris Eaton, director of sport integrity at the International Centre for Sport Security (ICSS). "(The) fixing of matches for criminal gambling fraud purposes is absolutely endemic worldwide ... arrogantly happening daily.? (AP Photo/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi, File)

ROME (AP) ? At 5:45 a.m. on Nov. 4, 2011, when early risers would have been sipping espressos and buttering toast, a man dressed in black disembarked at Milan's Malpensa Airport after a 13-hour trip from Asia aboard a Singapore Airlines flight.

Italian court documents show he stayed in the country just 6 hours and 30 minutes, never left the airport, and then boarded a return flight to Singapore.

Why such a quick hop across the globe?

Italian authorities believe it was to deliver bribe money. They allege the suspected courier, who was under surveillance, delivered information and cash on behalf of a crime syndicate that fixes soccer matches.

___

EDITOR'S NOTE: This story is part of a six-month, multiformat AP examination of how organized crime is corrupting soccer through match-fixing.

___

Italy, a four-time World Cup-winning football power, has become so blighted by match-fixing that Premier Mario Monti has even suggested halting the professional game for two to three years to clean it up.

Italian prosecutors investigating dozens of league and cup games they say were fixed have followed a trail back to a figure who is thought to be in Singapore. In documents laying out their findings, prosecutors alleged that 48-year-old Tan Seet Eng is the boss of a crime syndicate that allegedly made millions betting on rigged Italian games between 2008 and late 2011, through bribing players, referees and club officials.

Italian authorities have issued an arrest warrant for Tan and list him as their No. 1 suspect, but they have been unable to take him into custody.

"Tan Seet Eng, nicknamed Dan, surfaces in all the European investigations examined, including the Italian one, so therefore he constitutes a common thread that links each criminal gang together," prosecutors stated in a 340-page court document detailing their investigation, which has been leaked to Italian news media. "He directs the aforementioned criminal gang."

Italian authorities have about 150 people under investigation, including Tan, but have yet to indict any of them, prosecutor Roberto Di Martino told The Associated Press last month. Italian arrest warrants cannot be served on Tan while he is in Asia.

Di Martino, who is leading the investigation from Cremona in northern Italy, said Tan will "almost certainly" go on trial in Italy, but likely in absentia. Italy has no extradition treaty with Singapore, but the Italian Justice Ministry said the Asian city-state could still send over a wanted suspect under "friendly terms" if it chooses. Di Martino said relations with Singapore authorities "have not been great. We had hoped for more."

"At first we actually thought they could be brought to Italy, but that calculation was wrong," Di Martino said. "If Tan Seet Eng goes somewhere else, he could be extradited, as long as there's an extradition treaty with that country."

In Singapore, police spokeswoman Chu Guat Chiew said authorities there are reviewing the information submitted by the Italians before deciding what to do, adding: "So far, Dan Tan Seet Eng has not been charged with any offence in Singapore."

Police have questioned dozens of people in Italy, searched the homes of players and coaches, and descended on the Italian national squad's training camp early one morning in May 2012. But Di Martino said the investigation has turned up only limited information about Tan.

"We don't know much about him. We don't know if he's a legitimate businessman involved in illegal activity, or if he's involved in money laundering," Di Martino said. "We're only interested up until a certain point; then it's Singapore's problem."

Much of what European law enforcement authorities have learned about Tan comes from a former associate, Wilson Raj Perumal. A match fixer, also from Singapore, he was arrested in Finland in February 2011, convicted and sentenced to two years in prison for bribing Finnish league players. To Finnish police, Perumal portrayed the syndicate as a well-oiled and structured business, financed and led from Singapore.

The syndicate mainly places bets in China, Perumal said, according to a transcript of his May 18, 2011, police interview obtained by the AP. He said the group fixed "tens of matches around the world" ? in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and the Americas ? from 2008 to 2010. He estimated the group's total profits after expenses at "several millions of euros, maybe 5-6 million" ? $7 million-$8 million.

The syndicate leader decides which matches to fix and how much to wager, organizes the betting and the drops of bribe money, Perumal said in the transcript. He later identified that leader as Tan, according to the Italian court documents. Italian police traveled to Finland to interview Perumal, Di Martino told the AP. Perumal declined AP requests for an interview.

Perumal told the Finnish police that money was transported from Singapore in couriers' pockets or on their bodies. Italian prosecutors suspect the quick trip to Milan's airport was one such drop. The suspected courier's checked luggage weighed 9 kilograms in Singapore but 8 kilograms when he flew back. They said the suspected courier likely delivered "a sum of money hidden in some sort of container, which was destined to finance the organization's illicit activity."

AP could not contact Tan in Singapore. Five phone numbers identified as his by Italian prosecutors were disconnected. No one answered the door at an apartment the Italians listed as his address. Mail and flyers stuffed under the door and in the door frame suggested no one had been there for a while.

The New Paper in Singapore reported that it spoke to Tan in 2011.

"Why I'm suddenly described as a match-fixer I don't know. I'm innocent," it quoted him as saying. It quoted Tan as saying he was briefly involved in a business venture that Perumal started, "but I took my name out of the company after I smelled something fishy."

"Maybe that's why he had named me to investigators," he continued. "Anybody involved with Wilson gets bad luck. He has a criminal record. It's not good for Singaporeans to do business with him."

Perumal alleged to Italian investigators that Tan places syndicate wagers on fixed games using legal, Asia-based online betting sites ? he named three of them ? via intermediaries in China. In Shenzhen, a southern China city adjacent to Hong Kong, a 1 million euro wager on a game in Serie A, the top Italian league, can be placed this way in a couple of minutes, he told the Italians. That method matches those described by betting experts.

Investigators say such gambling operations hire workers to rapidly place thousands of small online bets ? maybe no more than $1,000 each ? on fixed games. The scattershot of small bets, rather than several large ones, can help hide fixes from monitoring companies in Europe that use computer software to look for unusual wagering.

"They employ kids and they employ people in Singapore and Malaysia to do that for them," said Chris Eaton, former head of security for FIFA, soccer's governing body. "They virtually have a sweatshop, if you like, of people with a large number of credit cards and laptop computers, and they punch those things when they are given the green light."

"Dan Tan comes with very good Oriental connections, meaning he's not running as a single financier. He has an organization behind him," said Eaton, now director of sport integrity at the International Centre for Sport Security, a Qatar-backed group funding efforts to research the extent of match-fixing and ways to combat it.

Eaton's successor as FIFA security director, Ralf Mutschke, said last year that the news media have overstated Tan's alleged role in match-fixing, and that he probably isn't "as involved as everyone is thinking" and has only "symbolic importance."

"But you give him a name, so everyone is talking about Dan Tan, and Dan Tan syndicates, and Dan Tan here and Dan Tan there," Mutschke said. "If we kill Dan Tan then you will have no match-fixing? No, I think it's not as easy as this."

___

Leicester reported from Paris. Justin Bergman in Singapore and AP Sports Writer Graham Dunbar in Zurich contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-02-15-The%20Dirty%20Game-The%20Money%20Man/id-241a5f66d741436b982a74c514d8d239

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US anti-Robin Hood Tax campaigners unveil 300 - ToUChstone blog

Owen Tudor

Sometimes it makes you weep just how stupid the people who trouser billions in bonuses really are, despite their self-styled ?Masters of the Universe? image.

On the day that the European Commission begins the negotiating process to introduce an 11-country financial transactions tax, the Financial Times reports (?)?that US financial interests are shocked, shocked to discover a new and dastardly anti-capitalist, anti-globalisation plot at the heart of the measure. Currently known as ?the issuance principle?, it means that the tax will fall on any financial instrument registered in the 11 countries concerned, regardless of where it is traded, and by whom. It?s been included in the EU proposal after Robin Hood Tax campaigners pointed out how much it would reduce tax evasion.

And it?s been part of the UK Stamp Duty on share transactions since ? ooh? we reckon some time in the late 17th century, when the tax was introduced. Not so new, then.

But it strikes ?a coalition of US business groups ? including the US Chamber of Commerce and The Financial Services Forum, the body for the largest US financial groups? as based on ?novel and unilateral theories of tax jurisdiction?, and, as well as being ?novel,? they are ?unprecedented? (you can tell these complaints have been drafted by someone paid by the word!)

The issuance principle contained in UK Stamp Duty?does indeed mean that you have to pay the tax if you trade a UK share whether you trade it on the London Stock Exchange or one in the far east, and regardless of the nationality of the buyer or seller. It?s a principle that didn?t disturb the last Prime Minister to preside over the tax?s revision in the 1980s (that would be the famous red agitator Margaret Thatcher?)

The US groups are annoyed that the pesky?Europeans are actually using the very tools of globalisation against the finance sector?s globe-trotting attempts to find lower and lower tax jurisdictions where they can make a mint (there?s even a term for this behaviour, ?tax arbitrage?). So, there?s an easy way to make sure that the EU transactions tax doesn?t interfere in every day fortune-making around the world. Adopt it everywhere. Today Europe. Tomorrow New York.

Source: http://touchstoneblog.org.uk/2013/02/us-anti-robin-hood-tax-campaigners-unveil-300-year-old-plot-against-globalisation/

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Skype?s Headquarters in Palo Alto, California

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Source: http://www.bezbrige.com/index.php/Interesting-Facts/skypes-headquarters-in-palo-alto-california.html

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Britain: Intelligence sharing is crucial

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain is justified in sharing intelligence with countries suspected of human rights abuses to protect itself, Foreign Secretary William Hague will say on Thursday, despite concerns over the torture of suspects and costly court cases.

Since the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, Britain has been wrestling with how to uphold its opposition to all forms of torture whilst ensuring it could gather information about planned attacks by militants, some of which might have been obtained through ill-treatment of suspects.

That has led to accusations of collusion in torture and a number of embarrassing legal defeats.

In a speech setting out the government's counter-terrorism strategy, Hague will argue that Britain faces a "stark choice" over whether to turn away from states unable to guarantee that suspects won't be abused or tortured.

Hague, who oversees Britain's Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) and the Government Communications Headquarters intercept agency, said there were risks in working with some countries, but that the dangers of disengaging were even greater.

Many countries would be able to give "credible assurances" that they will not mistreat suspects, Hague will say, according to advance extracts of his speech released by his office.

"Where this is not the case, we face a stark choice," he will say. "We could disengage, but this would place our citizens at greater risk of terrorist attack, in the UK or overseas. Or we can choose to share our intelligence in a carefully controlled way."

PAYMENTS

In 2010, Britain agreed to make payments to 16 former Guantanamo Bay detainees in out-of-court settlements over allegations they were mistreated abroad with the knowledge and in some cases complicity of British security services.

The same year, the government lost a legal battle to prevent disclosure of secret U.S. intelligence material relating to the "inhuman" treatment of one former Guantanamo Bay detainee, which officials said risked future U.S. cooperation.

Meanwhile, London has also suffered repeated court defeats in its attempt to deport radical cleric Abu Qatada to Jordan because judges believed evidence obtained using torture could be used against him in a future trial.

British authorities say they would never use, or encourage others to use, torture to obtain information. Hague said in 2011 that the very fact allegations had been made had "undermined Britain's standing in the world".

However, human rights groups condemned British Prime Minister David Cameron's decision last year to scrap an inquiry into whether its security services knew about the torture of terrorism suspects overseas.

In his speech, Hague will outline a new approach to counter-terrorism that "supports justice and the rule of law as well as our security".

Under the strategy, Britain will work with countries where there is a security threat to try to improve their approach to human rights, law enforcement and criminal justice.

Hague will also say al Qaeda posed the biggest threat to Britain's security, with last month's hostage crisis in Algeria and fighting in Mali highlighting how this had become more "fragmented" and how militants exploited regional unrest.

(Editing by Michael Holden)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/britain-says-intelligence-sharing-crucial-despite-abuse-risks-001432236.html

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Long distance lovin': Valentine's Day in a LDR ? BlogDailyHerald ...

Love is in the (virtual) air

I think we can all agree that Valentine?s Day is?usually much more?depressing than it is enjoyable. When you?re a kid, you?re sad because that girl with the blonde hair and 10 Tamagotchis got more cards with Spongebob or puppies on them than you. As an adult, you?re in a relationship and experiencing some sort of a crisis about whether or not you should be together. It goes something like this:

• Does he really not believe in commercial holidays or does he not respect me enough to celebrate with me? And do I really want to date the pretentious cheapskate who doesn?t believe in commercial holidays?

Or like this:

• Does he really think that a V-Dub cupcake is a substantial gift?

Or you?re horribly, horribly alone.

Maybe that?s just me. But it?s universally acknowledged that February 14th can lead to pretty?nasty feelings. Perhaps one of the worst situations to be in on Valentine?s Day is in a long-distance relationship. LDRs are tragically common among college-goers and if you, like many, will not be with your significant other this Hallmark holiday season, never fear! Blog is here to give you some suggestions on how to make this Valentine?s Day less lonely:

1. Giving and Receiving:?Though USPS has cut down on their delivery services, they?ll still be able to get your?significant other?a gift by Valentine?s Day if you hurry. Be it a homemade gift or card, an Edible Arrangement, a thoughtful (last-minute) purchase from her Amazon wish list, or?a weird seed that blossoms into a plant that reads ?I Love You?, people love to get a physical token of affection. The sappier the gift the better, because for some reason LDRs tend to err on the side of sickeningly cute. When the physical relationship goes out the window, it seems like you need to rely on a lot of romance to keep that sucker alive. [Just as a side note, if anyone wants to send me-or anyone with a soul and taste buds-a gift, a lot of these places deliver.]
2. Dinner and a Movie:?This classic standard will likely be a popular one for same-location couples, but you?ll have to make a few adjustments. Both of you should go to your favorite take-out?restaurant and bring?food back to your place. Then set up a laptop with Skype and a great?movie to watch simultaneously. This is pretty much the oldest LDR trick in the book. You could probably spice it up, by watching a?movie together, but either way, make sure you have some privacy. Your roommate probably doesn?t want to be subject to any of this.
3. Virtual Dating: Since the early 2000s, people have been hanging out in internet chat rooms and?virtual worlds (against our mother?s wishes.) Plenty of 14-year-olds met their significant others over Neopets-?and you can have an internet boyfriend too! Join World of Warcraft together and help your sweetheart deliver the Manual of Engineering Disciplines to Tinkermaster Overforge to learn more about Gnome Engineering. Fight some Blood Elves together. WoW even has an annual event called ?Love is in the Air? to help you get in the romantic spirit. If you?re not into all things fantasy, there?s a more modern virtual reality called Second Life, which, while considered somewhat creepy in mainstream media, fits the bill. Note: getting in-universe virtual naughty bits to play with when the date is over can be pricey.
4. Apps are for Lovers:?Most of us are already in relationships with our phones, but this Thursday, you can use your over-developed Words With Friends skills to impress your girlfriend. Sit down with a blanket and a yule log video in the background and pretend you and your love are playing?Scrabble by the fire. Super romantic. There are plenty of other apps designed specifically for long-distance couples, so feel free to check those out.

Whatever you decide to do, enjoy your Valentine?s Day this year and try not to put too much pressure on it. Because, seriously, it?s probably going to suck anyway.

Image via.

Source: http://blogdailyherald.com/2013/02/13/long-distance-lovin-valentines-day-in-a-ldr/

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Encana to double liquids output as gas prices stay weak

(Reuters) - Encana Corp , Canada's largest natural gas producer, said output of crude oil and natural gas liquids such as ethane and propane is expected to nearly double this year, helping the company reduce its dependence on low-margin natural gas.

The company plans to direct 80 percent of its capital budget this year towards drilling for oil and gas-liquids. It has a capital spending plan of $3 billion to $3.2 billion for 2013. Gas production is expected to change little this year.

"We have an extensive portfolio of emerging oil plays that are under evaluation and a range of established plays that can be profitable at current commodity prices, and those are the areas where we plan to spend our time and money in 2013," said interim Chief Executive Clayton Woitas.

Encana continues to shift its focus to oil as natural gas prices in the United States remain low. U.S. natural gas prices rose 2 percent from last year to average $3.54 per million British thermal unit (MBtu), well below the $14 per MBtu they traded at in 2005.

Prices hit a decade-low of $1.907 in April as production from North American shale rocks flooded the market due to the advent of a new drilling method called hydraulic fracturing.

LIQUID PRODUCTION

Encana said average production of oil and natural gas liquids is expected to rise to 50,000-60,000 barrels of oil per day (bpd) in 2013 from 31,000 last year.

Gas production will be largely flat at 2.8-3.0 billion cubic feet per day (bcf/d) in 2013 compared to 3.0 bcf/d last year.

Its fourth-quarter operating income rose 28 percent to $296 million, or 40 cents per share, as hedging helped realize higher prices for gas. Analyst were expecting 34 cents per share, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

The net loss narrowed to $80 million from $476 million a year earlier.

Natural gas production fell 15 percent in the fourth quarter to 2,948 million cubic feet of gas per day (mmcf/d), while liquids production rose 51 percent to 36,200 bpd.

Encana's cash flow, a key measure of its ability to fund new projects and drilling, fell 17 percent to $809 million, or $1.10 per share.

Shares of the Calgary-based company, valued at $14.3 billion, have fallen 11 percent over the past six months. The stock closed at C$19.48 on Wednesday.

The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating whether the company illegally colluded with Chesapeake Energy Corp to lower the price of exploration lands in Michigan. Encana's CEO Randy Eresman retired unexpectedly in early January.

(Reporting by Krithika Krishnamurthy in Bangalore and Scott Haggett in Calgary; Editing by Sreejiraj Eluvangal)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/hedging-gains-boost-encanas-operating-profit-112419544--finance.html

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Tension between military and dissident political group CPD-RDTL ...

ETLJB 13 February 2013 - Tensions between East Timor's military and the dissident political group known as CPD-RDTL which reached a new stage when CPD-RDTL members occupied land in the southern district of Manufahi last month, have increased in recent days with rhetoric between the military chief, Lere Anan Timor, and the leaderhsip of CPD-RDTL becoming more conflictual.

State leaders such as the President and former military chief, Taur Matan Ruak, the Prime Minister, Xanana Gusmao, as well as the Parliament and the present military chief have been urging CPD-RDTL over the last several weeks to leave the lands they have occupied in Manufahi, to stop wearing military-style uniforms, carrying weapons and intimidating the local residents.

The military has already mobilised to the area. TVTL reported on 22 January 2013 that the Timorese Defence Force (F-FDTL) soldiers conducted a two-week "Cobra" Exercise in the southern district of Manufahi to help increase skills of the defense force soldiers.

Speaking to journalists on that occasion, the Deputy Commander of F-FDTL, Bridger General Filomeno Paixao, said "This is not a military operation, but it is exercise or training to try capacity of F-FDTL's soldiers which has been in the plans."

Earlier last month, Independente reported on 18 January 2013, that the Prime Minister (PM) Xanana Gusmao announced to CPD-RDTL members at Welaluhu in Same District that he would evacuate them from there himself, if necessary.? ?I believe they will go back to their home because after debating the state budget, I pledge to go with cars to pick them up to their home,? he said.

Gusmao also warned that if CPD-RDTL did not want to move from that place he would evacuate them through force by sending in the military and the police.

On Friday, 8 February 2013, TVTL carried a report that quoted Major General Lere as describing the concentration of CPD-RDTL members in the sub-district of Fatoberliu as a situation that "may give others the opportunity to create instability in the country and has implicated influences from Indonesia.

TVTL reported the Major General as saying that "We have also heard that some of our friends from the other side (Kupang and Atambua) are inside the CPD-RDTL.? They are together with you now. Be careful with this.? As I have already told you here today, I referred to the names of some heroes and you have also suffered for this country.? But when you concentrate like this, some people can take advantage of the situation," Lere Anan Timur told the gathering. He was also reported as saying that the nation was built on the remains and blood of many people, and because of this there is no one who will be allowed to destroy this nation.

On the same day, TVTL also reported further remarks by Major General Lere condemning the actions of CPD-RDTL members who used the national flag to sit on in their cars.? The military (F-FDTL) discovered this when they carried out searches of CPD-RDTL members in the Fatoberliu sub-district, Manufahi District.

The head of the F-FDTL, Major General Lere Anan Timur told the CPD-RDTL masses gathered at a? former Indonesian transmigration site SP2 in Kiras, Sub district of Fatoberliu, Manufahi that "the Timor-Leste National flag has its legacy in the blood and mortal remains of nearly 200,000 Timorese who died for this beloved nation."? Lere Anan Timur said that the F-FDTL and the police had proof that some CPD-RDTL members had used the national flag to sit on whilst travelling in their cars.

Lre is reported to have also said on that occasion that "During these searches we found out a lot of things.? Your CPD-RDTL members spread the national flag down inside the car and sat on top of it.? Now you are making a mistake doing this.? This flag you are raising, was bought with blood and remains of people, with which we must be careful.? If you want to sit on this flag, then which flag do you want instead? This flag has the price of blood spilt, the price of fallen bodies.? This was the flag many of our compatriots died for.? We will defend this flag against anyone, another country invading our country.

Your compatriots dressed in uniform (the F-FDTL) have sworn, I have sworn, to defend this flag with our lives.? Only after have all died and gone can others tromp on our flag, but nobody will stomp on our flag whilst we are still alive. Some time ago I went to Lospalos to meet with your CPD-RDTL colleagues, and heard them singing the Falintil Anthem.? But, they changed the words, with references to hoes, to motor vehicles, buffaloes, horses and other things.? So I told them that the Falintil anthem is a sacred anthem.? No one can change the words to refer to cars, carrying machetes, horses, buffaloes.? The Falintil anthem was established with blood, with the bones and bodies of the fallen.? That is why you should not change the words of the Falintil anthem.? If you want to change the words then find another piece of music.? The Falintil anthem must not turn into a song about cars, be about cornfields, about rice paddies. The Falintil anthem is a warriors anthem, not a farmers anthem.? It's alright, because sometimes we do not know what democracy is.? So firstly, you as Timorese, also as Timorese citizens, you have to accept that you are subject to the government and the state," said Lere Anan Timur.

Also, during the searches of the CPD-RDTL members, they also found weapons (knives and such hand implements) carried in bags. "Then, we also detected you CPD-RDTRL carrying sharp weapons (swords and fighting knives)," Lere said.

The CPD-RDTL leaders have refused the requests from the state institutions to leave the area and have vowed to do the same thing - occupy lands, cultivate the lands, and so on, in four other districts.

National newspaper Diario repoted on? Tuesday, 12 February 2013, that the Council of the Peoples' Defence-Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste (CPD-RDTL) wold not accept the order from the RDTL state, through Major General Lere Anan Timur, Chief of the Timor-Leste Defence Force (F-FDTL) that the CPD-RDTL vacate the land which they have occupied in Fatoberliu sub-district.

According to CPD-RDTL spokesperson, Gil Fernandes da Costa, the objective of the CPD-RDTL is to increase the national agricultural production so as to minimize imports.

'There is no reason for us to leave that place, and we will stand fast to our position and stay there because there is a cooperative currently operating there and we have planted rice so we are going to wait to harvest it.? Regarding using that place to hold prisoners, that is not yet ready, and some time will be needed to prepare the conditions there and the government has to do that. So to be effective, the government has to support the activities that CPD-RDTL is undertaking right now, because this activity promotes cooperatives as per the government's plans," he told Jornal Diaro at the CPD-RDTL headquarters in Balide, Monday (11/2/13)

Gil affirmed that recently F-FDTL Major General Lere Anan Timur requested? CPD-RDTL to leave the area its members have occupied so that the government can use that location for prisoners from Gleno, Ermera and Becora to farm there, but CPD-RDTL will maintain its position to continue to stay there, because there is no where else the government has allocated to them yet.

So he also said that there are many locations that are state land that have remained unused, so according to CPD-RDTL's plan, they will start using all these other places such as in Lospalos, Maliana, Manatuto and Suai, which they will include in their cooperative activities so that Timor-Leste will not be dependent on imports in the future. Sources: TVTL,? Independente, Diario. Edited by Warren L. Wright

Source: http://easttimorlegal.blogspot.com/2013/02/tension-between-military-and-dissident.html

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NKorea brandishing nukes to get US to talk peace

On a large television screen in front of Pyongyang's railway station, a North Korean state television broadcaster announces the news that North Korea conducted a nuclear test on Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2013. North Korea conducted a nuclear test at an underground site in the remote northeast Tuesday, taking an important step toward its goal of building a bomb small enough to be fitted on a missile that could reach United States. The TV screen text reads: "Korean Central News Agency reports," and "The third underground nuclear test successfully conducted."(AP Photo/Kim Kwang Hyon)

On a large television screen in front of Pyongyang's railway station, a North Korean state television broadcaster announces the news that North Korea conducted a nuclear test on Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2013. North Korea conducted a nuclear test at an underground site in the remote northeast Tuesday, taking an important step toward its goal of building a bomb small enough to be fitted on a missile that could reach United States. The TV screen text reads: "Korean Central News Agency reports," and "The third underground nuclear test successfully conducted."(AP Photo/Kim Kwang Hyon)

On a large television screen in front of Pyongyang's railway station, a North Korean state television broadcaster announces the news that North Korea conducted a nuclear test on Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2013. North Korea conducted a nuclear test at an underground site in the remote northeast Tuesday, taking an important step toward its goal of building a bomb small enough to be fitted on a missile that could reach United States. The TV screen text reads "Korean Central News Agency reports," and "The third underground nuclear test successfully conducted." (AP Photo/Jon Chol Jin)

On a large television screen in front of Pyongyang's railway station, a North Korean state television broadcaster announces the news that North Korea conducted a nuclear test on Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2013. North Korea conducted a nuclear test at an underground site in the remote northeast Tuesday, taking an important step toward its goal of building a bomb small enough to be fitted on a missile that could reach United States. The TV screen text reads "Korean Central News Agency reports," and "The third underground nuclear test successfully conducted." (AP Photo/Jon Chol Jin)

U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice speaks at a news conference after the U.N. Security Council held an emergency meeting on North Korea's nuclear test on Tuesday morning at U.N. headquarters, Tuesday Feb. 12, 2013. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)

Women read copies of a delivered extra edition of a Japanese newspaper reporting North Korea's nuclear test, in Tokyo Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2013. North Korea said it successfully detonated a miniaturized nuclear device at a northeastern test site Tuesday, defying U.N. Security Council orders to shut down atomic activity or face more sanctions and international isolation. The extra carrying a photo of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reads: "North Korea conducted a nuclear test." (AP Photo/Itsuo Inouye)

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) ? The way North Korea sees it, only bigger weapons and more threatening provocations will force Washington to come to the table to discuss what Pyongyang says it really wants: peace.

It's no coincidence that North Korea's third underground nuclear test ? and by all indications so far its most powerful yet ? took place Tuesday on the eve of President Barack Obama's State of the Union address.

As perplexing as the tactic may seem to the outside world, it serves as an attention-getting reminder to the world that North Korea may be poor but has the power to upset regional security and stability.

And the response to its latest provocation was immediate.

"The danger posed by North Korea's threatening activities warrants further swift and credible action by the international community," Obama said in a statement hours after the test. "The United States will also continue to take steps necessary to defend ourselves and our allies." The United Nations, Japan and South Korea also responded with predictable anger. Even China, North Korea's staunchest ally, summoned the North Korean ambassador to the Foreign Ministry for a rare dressing down.

All this puts young North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his circle of advisers right where they want to be: at the center of controversy and the focus of foreign policy.

A year into his nascent leadership, he is referring to his father's playbook to try forcing a change on North Korea policy in capital cities across the region ? mostly notably in the U.S.

The intent in Pyongyang is to get Washington to treat North Korea like an equal, a fellow nuclear power. The aim of the nuclear and missile tests is not to go to war with the United States ? notwithstanding its often belligerent statements ? but to force Washington to respect its sovereignty and military clout.

During his 17-year rule, late North Korean leader Kim Jong Il poured scarce resources into Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programs to use as bargaining chips in negotiations with Washington, Seoul and Tokyo. At the same time, he sought to build unity at home by pitching North Korea's defiance as a matter of national pride as well as military defense.

North Korea has long cited the U.S. military presence on the Korean Peninsula, and what it considers a nuclear umbrella in the region, as the main reason behind its need for nuclear weapons. North Korea and the U.S. fought on opposite sides of the bitter, three-year Korean War. That conflict ended in a truce in 1953, and left the peninsula divided by heavily fortified buffer zone manned by the U.S.-led U.N. Command.

Sixty years after the armistice, North Korea has pushed for a peace treaty with the U.S. But when talks fail, as they have for nearly two decades, the North Koreans turn to speaking with their weapons.

With each missile and nuclear test, experts say North Korea is getting closer to building the arsenal it feels it needs to challenge Washington to change what it considers a "hostile" policy toward the longtime foe.

In 2008, after years of negotiations led by China, North Korea agreed to stop producing plutonium and blew up its main reactor northwest of the capital.

But in 2009, just months after Obama took office for his first term, Pyongyang fired long-range rocket carrying a satellite, earning U.N. condemnation and sanctions that North Korea accused Washington of initiating. In protest, Pyongyang conducted its second nuclear test and revealed it had a second way to make atomic bombs: by enriching uranium.

With nuclear negotiations stalled, North Korea forged ahead making missiles designed to reach U.S. shores and worked toward building a bomb small enough to mount on it ? less with an actual attack in mind but to brandish as a warning to the wartime foe.

In carefully choreographed North Korea, timing is everything, and February is proving to be a strategic month for a North Korea provocation.

China and Japan have new, largely untested leaders still in the process of formulating their government policies. A provocation during the last days of Lee Myung-bak presidency in Seoul gives Pyongyang the chance at one last jab at the conservative leader while leaving open the possibility of a new relationship with incoming President Park.

And it's the start of Obama's second term; his new secretary of state, John Kerry, took office just weeks ago.

North Korea's nuclear test is likely to drive a tightening of U.N. sanctions intended to restrict its nuclear and missile programs, but experts say the effectiveness of such steps is largely reliant on the North's chief trading partner and source of aid, China, implementing the sanctions and using its economic leverage to pressure its ally. China has historically been reluctant to do so.

And while North Korea's determination to acquire a nuclear deterrent make it increasingly unlikely that it can be persuaded to give up its weapons of mass destruction programs in exchange for aid, most analysts ? even those who support tougher international action against Pyongyang ? still say diplomacy is ultimately the best hope to check its nuclear ambitions.

"North Korea's outrageous behavior encourages few voices for dialogue, and we are therefore in for a period of heightened tensions. Yet at the same time, climbing down from these crises with the reclusive regime has only happened historically through a return to diplomacy," Victor Cha, a former White House director of Asia policy, wrote in a commentary Tuesday. It was posted online by the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank where Cha serves as Korea chair.

The latest nuclear test also serves Kim Jong Un's domestic purposes.

By showing his people he has the temerity to stand up to the bigger powers encircling the country, including China, the young leader is calculating that he will win support at home, even if it means costing the country much-needed trade and aid. He's also showing old timers at home who back his father's "military first" policy that he's tough on national defense.

He's also seeking to win the loyalty of the younger generation by characterizing the costly rockets and satellites as scientific advancements meant to build a better future.

Pyongyang is already warning that the nuclear test is just the start of a string of provocations if Washington doesn't change its policies.

"The U.S., though belatedly, should choose between the two options: To respect the DPRK's right to satellite launch and open a phase of detente and stability or to keep to its wrong road leading to the explosive situation by persistently pursuing its hostile policy toward the DPRK," state media quoted a Foreign Ministry spokesman as saying.

The risk, he said, could be "a do-or-die battle."

___

Associated Press writer Matthew Pennington in Washington contributed. Lee is in charge of AP's bureaus in Pyongyang and Seoul. She can be reached at www.twitter.com/newsjean.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-02-12-AS-NKorea-Nuclear-Analysis/id-f31cbbc6cbba4404a09366a85e2dc699

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