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England v South Africa: Mark Boucher doesn't do self-pity, but his career deserved a more fitting end He hadn't fully come to terms with it, let alone made peace with it, but it was made nonetheless and prompted, sadly, by the relentlessness with which he was taken for granted, mostly by administrators and the 'politicians' he so detested. Sure, there had been a dip in form over the last couple of years, primarily batting, but that had been due to technical issues - 'bad habits' which had crept into his game. There were undeniable signs that he had put them right, but he took his axing from the ODI team 12 months before last year's World Cup with quiet stoicism. Despite the pain it caused him. He arrived in England last week on the back of his best fitness test results in a decade, having led the squad through some of the most gruelling physical challenges any of them had ever undertaken at the pre-tour camp in the Swiss Alps. Determination was at the epicentre of his career and nothing was going to stop him going out on top. The symmetry of the numbers, too, would have intrigued those who believe in planetary alignment. The third Test of the series would have been his 150th and last, at the home of cricket. But now there will always be something slightly Bradmanesque about his record international haul of 999 international dismissals. He wanted to know the truth about the extent of the injury the moment South Africa team manager, Doctor Mohammed Moosajee, had examined him. After surgery he again demanded honesty and, in keeping with his approach to the game, he was given it. He may never see out of that eye again, though the eyeball itself will likely recover and remain. Boucher's future was hardly mapped out after cricket. The game is all he has known since making his first class debut age 17 and a half. But one thing is certain, he was looking forward to at least a couple of seasons of domestic cricket with the Cape Cobras while he explored the possibility of a partnership in player management. Now that may have been snatched away by this freak accident. Every coach and every captain he played under had to fight to keep him in the team at some point or another - and it was never about form or results. Just as he gave opposition batsmen a skin rash with the viciousness of his tongue, he routinely rubbed up selectors and administrators the wrong way by refusing to humour them, make polite conversation or give credence to views he believed were without credit. The only time he was actually dropped - under the watch of Haroon Lorgat as chief selector - was in 2004 when his domineering attitude in the changing room and uncompromising, old-school approach to new members of the squad was thought to have gone too far. Lorgat decided to bring him 'down a peg or two' and teach him a lesson. To some degree it worked, too. But the biggest lesson everyone actually learned was how denuded of grunt the team was without him. There are many international cricketers around the world who have felt the whiplash of Boucher's verbals and they did not always stay on the right side of decency. And there may even still be some who would prefer not to accept a beer from the man. But there are none he would not be prepared to offer one to. The mood in the Proteas' camp is sombre. Of course, in light of recent events at Surrey, nobody was losing perspective. Boucher won't get the fitting end his career deserves, but at least he had one - and a glorious one at that. He may even lose the sight in one eye, which would be awful. But it is not life and death. Boucher's Tweets confirmed that he needed not reminding of that. Mark Verdon Boucher doesn't do self-pity.

Advertised airfares must soon include taxes, fees Fly from Albuquerque to Tucson on Southwest Airlines for $59. Jet from Asheville, N.C., to Orlando, Fla., on Allegiant Air for $49. Fly from Boston to Chicago on Spirit Airlines for only $9. An asterisk accompanies the online ads for the fares, signifying that additional fees and taxes apply. In some cases the additional charges raise the ticket price 20% or more. A new U.S. Transportation Department rule requires that from then on, all advertised airfares include the non-optional fees and taxes, including fuel charges and the Sept. "The price advertising provision was adopted to make sure passengers know the full amount they will have to pay for air transportation when they buy a ticket," agency spokesman Bill Mosley said. The federal regulation does not require that airfares include optional baggage fees or charges for food and onboard entertainment. Southwest Airlines, Spirit Airlines and Allegiant Air are fighting the rule in a legal challenge filed in November with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. The airlines are claiming that the federal agency has no proof that advertising base fares separately from fees and taxes is "unfair or deceptive conduct," according to court documents. The airlines also described the rule as "arbitrary and capricious," saying the practice of advertising fees and taxes separately has been used for years by "virtually every other industry in the United States." Despite the legal challenge, Mosley said his agency plans to start enforcing the rule Jan. 26. Southwest and Allegiant representatives plan to abide by the rule while they pursue the legal challenge. Hotel guests want help staying fit, survey says Business travelers try to eat right and exercise while on the road, according to a survey about their habits, but they want a little help from their hotels to keep them on the right track. Of the travelers surveyed by KRC Research on behalf of Texas-based Omni Hotels & Resorts, 56% said they indulge in food and drinks when traveling and regret it. Also, 56% said they would like more low-fat options on the hotel restaurant menu. When it comes to in-room refreshments, 73% said they want healthful snacks and 70% said they want bottled water available. Nearly one-third said they usually pack workout gear but never have time or energy to exercise. Omni, which has hotels in Los Angeles and San Diego, offers an option for guests who want to exercise in their own rooms. For a $15 fee, the hotel will furnish the guest's room with a treadmill, two-pound dumbbells, an exercise mat, stretch cords, a bottle of water and a mini radio headset. The survey was of 200 men and women who travel for business at least six times a year and spend $150 or more a night for hotel accommodations. American Airlines warns of scam emails If you get a suspicious email that appears to be from American Airlines, it could be part of a scam to pilfer personal information. The airline suspects that hackers have sent out, as recently as November, what are known as "phishing" emails intended to mislead people into giving up information such as their passwords to the airline's reward program. To warn customers, American Airlines has posted several examples of the phony emails on its website. One such email says the recipient has paid $278 for a flight to New York and should download the ticket. Another offers the recipient $50 to take a five-question survey. The airline warned anyone who gets the bogus emails not to click on any links, open any attachments or call the listed phone numbers. Instead, the airline asks recipients to forward the emails to webmaster@aa.com. "We are aware of the scam," spokesman Ed Martelle said. It is being investigated by our corporate security department so we can find a way to shut it down.

People attend a workshop, "New York Get Your Business Online," at Google offices in New York. Mark Lenninhan / Associated Press / October 23, 2012 October 23, 2012, 12:25 p.m. Companies that peddle online ads still spent a record amount trying to peddle influence in Washington even when Congress was gridlocked and when many lawmakers were on recess. So far in 2012, Google has spent $13.1 million, according to filings. The search giant is staring down a possible antitrust case from the Federal Trade Commission. It spent a record $5.4 million in the first quarter, then nearly $4.4 million in the second. In the third quarter ending in September, it shelled out $4.2 million (that's a 76% jump from the year-ago quarter when it spent nearly $ 2.4 million). The search giant has already eclipsed its spending in 2011, which was $9.7 million. Google was not alone in flexing its financial muscle in Washington. Facebook spent more in the third quarter than in any lobbying quarter in its history. It shelled out just shy of $1 million. That's more than double what it spent a year ago. The giant social network spent $980,000 on lobbying compared with $360,000 in the third quarter a year ago. Last quarter Facebook also ramped up spending, shelling out $960,000. So far this year Facebook has spent nearly $2.6 million on lobbying. That's already nearly double the $1.3 million it spent in all of 2011 with one quarter still to go. Other tech giants aren't spending nearly as much. Apple shelled out $460,000. Amazon.com spent $550,000. And Microsoft spent nearly $1.9 million. Yahoo's stock surges after CEO raises investors' hopes

State GOP targets Senate Democrats on budget The Republican Party of Virginia is targeting Senate Democrats, who voted against the state's $85 billion budget Wednesday, through phone calls and e-mail. Since Tuesday, the party has urged volunteers and staff from across the state to call the 20 Democrats who helped kill the second version of the budget. The party has made thousands of calls into the districts of more than half of the senators, even transferring the calls to their offices. Last week in Richmond, Democrats, including Senator XXX, made clear that unless they get more seats on committees, they won't vote to fund teachers, police officers and fire fighters in our communities. In short, they put partisan politics over public policy. That's not right. That's not the Virginia way,"" according to a script of the calls. Pat Mullins, party chairman, sent out a blast e-mail to supporters Monday, which listed every senator's office phone number. The Democrats here in Richmond are having a temper tantrum. Unless we ignore the election results from last year and return them to power, the Democrats in the State Senate are going to refuse to do their job,"" according to the e-mail. They have decreed that they will not vote for a budget to fund Virginia's government unless their demands are met. By refusing to pass a budget in a blatant attempt to seize power, they are putting partisan politics over public policy. It's just not right and it's not the Virginia way. In response, Joshua Karp, a spokesman for the Senate Democratic caucus said: Republicans are playing politics with the budget and these calls prove they are trying to manufacture outrage. They are engaging in slash-and-burn political attacks while Democratic Senators are focused on the budget. These are the same folks who took less than three weeks in power to make Virginia a national laughingstock with their extreme social agenda. The fact is that this budget severely underfunds education while giving taxpayer dollars to private academies and forces 4,500 elderly Virginians in nursing homes off Medicaid. This budget implements the Republican agenda that is taking Virginia backwards, such as mandatory ultrasounds, voter suppression and discrimination against gays and lesbians. Democrats are taking a stand against this divisive agenda. The spending plan died in a partisan vote a week after the House had approved it. Democrats had already rejected the Senate version.

Super Bowl Coaches - Video Library - The New York Times

Pink-haired student invited back to U.S. school Tue Mar 20, 2012 5:05pm EDT (Reuters) - A U.S. school that barred a sixth grader after she dyed her hair pink with her parents' blessing to celebrate her good grades lifted its ban on Tuesday following an outcry from civil rights advocates. After missing three days of classes, pink-haired Brianna Moore headed back to Shue-Medill Middle School in Newark, Delaware, on Tuesday after administrators reversed their decision after a call from the Delaware branch of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). "We're on our way right now," said Kevin Moore as he drove his 12-year-old daughter to school. At his daughter's request last week, he helped dye her hair a shade called crimson storm, which has a pink hue, as a reward for improving her grades. But when she showed up for school the next day, she was sent home and told not to return until her hair met school policy mandating a "natural color, brown, blond, black, natural red/auburn." The ACLU soon got in touch with attorneys for the school district and asked, "Don't you think this is unconstitutional?" said Kathleen MacRae, ACLU executive director in Delaware. Moore was invited back to school with assurances she would not be punished, said Wendy Lapham, school district spokeswoman. "The hair is not going to be an issue," Lapham said.

Apple iPad manufacturer Foxconn 'plans US factories' With labour costs rising in the West, Foxconn is looking to Detroit and Los Angeles to build flatscreen TVs. Apple has long been expected to build an internet-connected television, named the iTV. However, Foxconn will have to adapt its operations, as its business in China has been hit by worker suicides, industrial accidents and riots. With its iPhones and iPads mainly put together by humans, the company has been forced to raise pay levels three times since 2010. Following criticism of Foxconn's working practices, in February Apple sent a labour group to inspect the factories. Foxconn also makes phones for Nokia and tablets for Amazon.

Greek PM confident on debt talks Greek Prime Minister Lucas Papademos has promised that a debt swap will be reached in time between his government and its creditor banks. Papademos has send senior officials from Athens to Washington to break a deadlock in talks that has prompted new fears of a disorderly default by Greece. It needs a deal by March with the private sector, the EU and the International Monetary Fund to avoid going bankrupt. The head of Greece's debt agency and a senior adviser travelled to Washington on Monday to meet IMF officials. Under the bailout terms agreed in October, Greek privately held debt would be reduced by half so that, together with structural reforms, the overall debt to GDP ratio of Greece would fall to 120 percent in 2020 from 160 percent now. Inspectors from the EU, the IMF and the ECB "troika" have warned they need the deal with the private sector to achieve that debt-reduction goal before they dole out more money. Senior inspectors from the troika are due in Athens next week for talks to finalise a second, 130-billion-euro bailout agreed in October, with their team of technical experts arriving on Tuesday, a Greek government spokesman said. Charles Dallara, head of the Institute of International Finance who represents Greece's private creditors, told the Financial Times an agreement in principle was needed by the end of this week if it was to be finalised in time for the March bond redemptions. He said the Greeks were not the problem. "All the European heads of state said they wanted a deal with a 50 per cent (haircut) and a voluntary agreement," Dallara was quoted as saying. Some of their own collaborators are not following that decision. Negotiations stalled over the interest rate Greece will pay on new bonds it offers. More about: Debt crisis, Economic crisis, Euro, Greece, Greek debt, Lucas Papademos

Downing Street backed Andrew Mitchell over Rwandan aid Andrew Mitchell is facing questions over restoring aid because of his links with Rwandan president Paul Kagame. Photograph: Facundo Arrizabalaga/EPA Downing Street approved the controversial decision last month by the then international development secretary Andrew Mitchell to restore British aid to Rwanda in spite of fears about the human rights record of the president, Paul Kagame. As Mitchell faces criticism over his decision to grant £16m in aid on his last day in office, it emerged that the move was backed jointly by No 10 and the Foreign Office (FCO). Hours after his decision last month Mitchell took up the post of government chief whip. Mitchell, who is under renewed pressure to resign for swearing at police officers in Downing Street, is facing questions over his decision to restore the aid because he is known to have forged a strong political relationship with Kagame while the Tories were in opposition. The former international development secretary originally put a block on Britain's annual £37m contribution to the Rwandan government in July after visiting the Kivus region of the neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo. Kagame's forces are facing accusations of arming the M23 rebels in the DRC and involvement in atrocities, including mass rape. Mitchell decided to unfreeze the aid to Rwanda last month, citing progress at the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region under the chairmanship of Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, the president of Uganda. His decision was questioned by some FCO officials who felt that Kagame had not made enough progress. But the Guardian understands that the unfreezing of the aid was formally approved by the Department for International Development, the FCO and Downing Street. The decision did not need to be referred to the national security council because it was seen as uncontroversial within government. David Cameron is familiar with Rwanda because he has visited Project Umubano, the Tories' largest overseas social action programme established in the country by Mitchell, in 2007. A government source said: "It was the agreed policy of the government." Justine Greening, Mitchell's successor as international development secretary, is reviewing the funding and expected to adopt a different approach when she has to make a decision in December on the final £21m tranche of the £37m due to Rwanda. It is expected Greening will decide that all the money should be given to aid projects on the ground, with none going to the government in Kigali. Greening believes it is right to send a signal that Britain does not approve of Kagame, but she does not want people in Rwanda to suffer. In addition to the £37m Britain will send directly to Rwanda, an extra £90m from Britain's aid budget is distributed to non-governmental organisations. All of the £37m was originally earmarked for the Rwandan government. Mitchell split the money he approved last month, with £8m allocated in direct aid to the Rwandan government and £8m for educational and agricultural projects run by non-governmental organisations. The chief whip has had a close involvement with Rwanda through Project Umubano and has visited the country eight times in six years. Mitchell paid his own airfare from Britain to Kigali in July to avoid any perception of a conflict of interest because he took part in Project Umubano during his visit. British activists, many of whom are Tories, teach in schools or coach football as part of the project. Mitchell flew back from Mozambique, which he had visited solely for government business. The return flight was therefore paid by the government. Amnesty International published a report earlier this week that claimed civilians have been tortured and held without charge at military camps in Rwanda. Greening is expected to depart from Mitchell in another key area by making moves towards downgrading Britain's aid contribution to India on the grounds that it has one of the fastest and most dynamic economies in the world. She would like to replace "aid with trade," but will work closely with Indian authorities before making any decisions. Mitchell was familiar with these arguments. But he always pointed out that more people lived in poverty in India than in sub-Saharan Africa.

Penn National Gaming may bid on new casino in Prince George's A state commission plans to solicit bids next month with the aim of awarding a license by the end of the year. "We are considering it," Penn National spokeswoman Karen Bailey said in an e-mail. She declined to elaborate on the company's plans. For much of the fall, a barrage of TV ads funded by Penn National argued that politicians who supported the expansion plan were peddling false promises about education funding and that the plan was too generous to "casino special interests." Analysts said Penn was motivated by a desire to protect a casino the company owns in Charles Town, W.Va., that stands to take a hit from a new Prince George's location. "There is irony here, but I'm not surprised," said William Eadington, an economist at the University of Nevada at Reno who follows the gambling industry. It's a very lucrative location with a lot of potential. There's sort of a "Why not?" element to this." The new casino, the sixth authorized by Maryland voters, was the centerpiece of Question 7 on the November ballot. The measure also allows previously designated slots locations to add Las Vegas-style table games, such as blackjack and roulette, and to expand to 24-hour operations. Round-the-clock hours will begin at the state's three existing casinos Dec. 27, with table games probably arriving in two of the facilities in the spring. A Prince George's location is expected to open in 2016. Penn National, which operates 29 casinos and racetracks, bought Rosecroft, the once-storied harness racing track in Fort Washington, at a bankruptcy auction in early 2011 with the aim of building a casino on the property. Those plans were dealt a blow this year when Prince George's County Executive Rushern L. Baker III (D) endorsed National Harbor, on the Potomac River, as his preferred casino location. The developer of National Harbor subsequently announced MGM as its chosen operator. MGM was the largest funder of this fall's campaign to pass Question 7, contributing about $40 million of the $46 million raised by a pro-expansion committee. The $93 million raised by all ballot-issued committees shattered previous records for spending on a Maryland political campaign. MGM has promised an $800 million "luxury resort" with a hotel, high-end restaurants and retail, an entertainment venue, a spa and other attractions. Gordon Absher, an MGM spokesman, said Thursday that the company remains "enthusiastic" about bidding for the Prince George's license. Penn National has said less about what it envisions at Rosecroft. In a letter to Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) in the summer, the company's chairman and chief executive pledged a $500 million investment if allowed to build at Rosecroft. That would be on par with what was spent to build Maryland Live, the state's largest casino, which opened in Anne Arundel County in June. Donald C. Fry, the chairman of the commission that picks Maryland gambling locations, said Thursday that Penn National's efforts to defeat the ballot measure would have no bearing on the bidding process, which is guided by factors spelled out in law. "Obviously, the ultimate goal is what's in the best interest of the state," Fry said. Jeff Hooke, a Washington area gambling consultant, said he considered it "logical" for Penn to compete for the Prince George's license. If the state picks MGM instead, it would give Penn more leverage to challenge the decision in court, he said, potentially delaying the opening of a facility at National Harbor. "Every year they postpone it, it's another year they make large profits at Charles Town," Hooke said. Penn National currently owns one casino in Maryland: Hollywood Casino Perryville, in the northeastern corner of the state. Under current law, companies can hold only a significant stake in one Maryland casino. Penn National, however, has recently announced plans to split into two public companies by placing most of its properties into a new real estate investment trust. Stephen L. Martino, director of the Maryland State Lottery and Gaming Control Agency, said the split could aid Penn's ability to hold a Prince George's license.

China's Dream of Electric Car Leadership Elusive China's leaders are finding it's a lot tougher to create a world-beating electric car industry than they hoped. In 2009, they announced bold plans to cash in on demand for clean vehicles by making China a global power in electric car manufacturing. They pledged billions of dollars for research and called for annual sales of 500,000 cars by 2015. Today, Beijing is scaling back its ambitions, chastened by technological hurdles and lack of buyer interest. Developers have yet to achieve breakthroughs and will be lucky to sell 2,000 cars this year, mostly taxis. The government has hedged its bets by broadening the industry's official goals to include cleaner gasoline engines. The government has repeatedly changed targets because the "technology isn't advancing quite as fast as people had hoped," said Joe Hinrichs, Ford Motor Co.'s president for Asia, at this week's Beijing auto show. The government has yet to lower sales goals that ramp up to 5 million vehicles a year by 2020. But officials including Premier Wen Jiabao started acknowledging last year that progress was slow and developers need to improve quality instead of rushing models to market. About 13,000 all-electric and other alternative energy vehicles are being tested in 25 cities, but that is "still small despite government subsidies," the deputy director of the Ministry of Science and Technology's electric vehicle bureau, Zhen Zijian, said in March, according to the business magazine Caixin. A woman demonstrates BYD's new charging and discharging technology on a BYD e6 electric car during the 2012 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition in Beijing, China, Monday, April 23, 2012. China's most advanced developer, BYD Co., in which American investor Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Corp. owns a 10 percent stake, says its electric e6 sedan can travel 300 kilometers (190 miles) on a charge, similar to Western models. BYD has sold 300 taxis and 200 electric buses used in the southern city of Shenzhen, a center for business and technology near Hong Kong, according to Henry Li, general manager of its export division. BYD has invested heavily in research and has thousands of engineers working on battery and motor technology. "We think our EV (electric vehicle) platform is one of the most advanced in the world, and our capability for mass production is quite high," Li said. But as for the rest of the industry, "there are not many manufacturers with really reliable or commercialized products," he said. Chinese leaders saw electric cars as a way to curb demand for imported oil, which they regard as a strategic danger, and to help transform China from a low-cost factory into a creator of profitable technology. "China has run up against the same technical obstacles as anyone else," said Michael Dunne, president of Dunne & Co. Ltd., a Hong Kong-based industry researcher. They said: Hold on, maybe we shouldn't marry ourselves to electrics just yet. Let's look at the alternatives. Maybe we have to take an incremental approach, just like everyone else," Dunne said. Wary consumers have been put off by news reports of batteries in Chinese-made cars catching fire. A lack of charging stations is causing "range anxiety" - fears a car might run out of power, leaving the driver stranded. Under the Communist Party's latest five-year development plan for China's economy, issued in 2011, the government has released guidelines for other industries but not for alternative vehicles - a possible sign officials have gone back to the drawing board.

John Lovering to chair hair straighener-maker GHD Mr Lovering, who has also been chairman of Mitchells & Butlers and Peacocks, has been drafted in as part of a reshuffle at GHD Group, which owns and markets the brand around the world and is majority-owned by Montagu Private Equity. At the same time, finance director Mark Hall is to move to the US to take control of GHD's growing North American operations. In his place comes Lawrence Coppock, a turn-around specialist most recently at Jane Norman. Non-executive director Peter Cheung has also left. Sources said that despite Mr Lovering's and Mr Coppock's background in restructuring, this was not the reason behind their respective appointments.

Julie Roberts ventures back on the road ANNAPOLIS, Md., Feb. 11 (UPI) -- Country singer Julie Roberts says she hopes her shows in Maryland this weekend will be the start of a long-running return to center stage. "My immediate goal is to get on the road and stay on the road," Roberts told The Washington Post. I don't want to be gone that long again. I want to make people aware that I'm alive. Roberts hasn't performed outside of Tennessee since disastrous 2009 and 2010, which saw her lose her recording deal and television movie project, and then her Nashville home in a flash flood. "I spent the entire year of 2010 rebuilding my home and rebuilding my life," she added. The past year was a better one for the 33-year-old, who broke into the music business after landing a job as an assistant to the chairman of Universal Music Group Nashville. She released a new album called "Alive," although she is soldiering on as an independent without the resources of a record company, "Music is what I love," Roberts said. And honestly, I don't have another option.

Flying Cars: Finally Here... Kind Of Whenever I imagine a flying car, which is quite often for some reason, it usually looks like something out of The Jetsons or Back to the Future. Sadly, today's flying cars look more like lackluster Transformers. Not that the newly announced PAL-V One isn't cool. On the ground, the tiny vehicle runs on three wheels like some kind of car/motorcycle hybrid. Once you find some open space, you simply pop out the tail, lift the rotors and voila - instant helicopter. MORE: IBM to Help Research and Develop "Exascale" Supercomputing Telescope Well, actually it's a gyrocopter, which is kind of like a helicopter except that its propeller provides the thrust instead of its rotor. This baby can only fly up to altitudes of 4,000 feet, which means it doesn't have to deal with all the rules for commercial air traffic. I'm not so sure I'd be too happy seeing one of these things zipping over my car at 112mph, but luckily it's not commercially available yet so I don't have to worry about it. If you're looking for a roomier flying and driving experience, you might want to save up for the Transition from Terrafugia, which will be shown off at the New York Auto Show. The concept is similar to that of the PAL-V, in that you can fill it up with regular gasoline and drive it on the street before taking off. It's not exactly a speed demon on the road, but it does look more comfortable than the PAL-V in that you aren't jammed into a tiny cockpit. Otherwise, it flies in a very similar way, with wings instead of rotors providing the lift. Check out our previous coverage of the Transition here. Which brings us back to my initial disappointment: We nerds don't want existing technologies cleverly jammed together; we want cool new flying technology like in Blade Runner and The Fifth Element. Get on it, crazy white-haired scientists of the world. MORE: Game Changers: 5 New "Next Big Things"

U.S. asks Saudis to lift oil output from July KUWAIT (Reuters) - The United States is pressing Saudi Arabia to boost oil output to fill a likely supply gap arising from sanctions on Iran, Gulf oil officials said, adding that an increase in production is unlikely to be needed before July. Saudi Arabia is the only producer with spare capacity and oil importers will rely on Riyadh to fill the gap should Iranian output drop. Saudi Arabia has made clear it will only raise output if it sees additional demand for crude and does not want its oil policy implicated in efforts to disrupt Iran's atomic program which the West says aims to develop a nuclear weapon. There were talks held between Saudi and the U.S. and the U.S. asked if Saudi could be accommodating once the sanctions take effect in July. And the Saudi response was that it was ready to meet demand in the market if required, but would not like to take part in the politics," one Gulf official said. The official was speaking at a gathering of energy ministers from producer and consumer nations at the International Energy Forum (IEF) in Kuwait. Attending the conference, Saudi Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi gave reassurances on Tuesday to importing nations on Riyadh's willingness to supply more oil if the need arises. A European Union embargo on Iranian crude takes effect on July 1. U.S. and European financial sanctions have made it more difficult for other importing nations to process payments for Iranian crude. Oil prices have risen sharply this year to $125 a barrel for Brent crude. Oil traders are keen to know the likely timing of any Saudi supply increase to counter the expected decline from Iran. There will not be any surprises in Saudi production over the coming few months, we are yet to see what demand in April will be. But generally production will stay up or down 200,000 barrels per day from the current 9.8 (million bpd)," the Gulf official said. "The situation is still not clear, by July there will be a clearer picture," another Gulf source said. Already running close to record highs of about 10 million bpd, Saudi says it has the capacity to reach 11.4-11.8 million very quickly and could bring on another 700,000 bpd in 90 days to reach full capacity of 12.5 million bpd. Reporting by Amena Bakr; Editing by Richard Mably

The Voice, BBC One, first live show, as it happened 20.39 A trio of final Tweets... @richardm56 RUTH! Ruth and Jaz to duke it out in the final. Two absolute stars in the making. Next week's Voices have an almost impossible bar to top @themanwhofell According to Will.i.am, the higher you can sing, the more soul you have. It's a novel approach to philosophy @rickedwards1 Danny has look on his face that says "I have never heard singing before. I think I like it! 20.34 As for predictions? Frances Wood or Sophie Griffin to leave from Team Will. Sam Buttery or possibly Adam Isaac to leave from Team Tom. I'm fully prepared to be surprised, though, because there's no accounnting for the tastes of the great British public. 20.31 So there we have it. A swift verdict on the live show? The least confident episode so far this series, I thought. The staging looked a tad dated. The judges overpraised. Some of the production was a bit stilted and a few of the performances, especially the earlier ones, were weak. Still, not a disaster by any stretch of the imagination and I'm sure many of those wrinkles will get ironed out in the coming weeks. 20.29 As the credits roll on The Voice's slightly creaky first live show (more of that in a moment), here's a few of your Tweets... @Tracey_Thorn They are all lying, aren't they? The judges, coaches, whatever they're calling them, lying through their teeth. Or mental. @MichaelPDeacon God, the judges on TV. Everyone's so terribly talented. It's like some PC school sports day where every pupil must get a prize 20.25 Some tweets read out by Reggie in the trying-too-hard-to-be-modern green room. And the phone lines are now OPEN! While there's a recap of tonght's performances, stay with me and I'll round up a few of your thoughts... 20.24 Wow, Sir Tom Jones can barely make himself heard above the applause and foot-stamping from the studio audience. He points out that it might not as come across as well at home. Danny says "licks" a lot. Will interviews Ruth, then says she makes him proud to be on the show. Jessie praises her natural voice and timing and says Ruth did her father proud. Big emotional climax there. Possibly slightly contrived but let's not quibble. 20.20 Huge ovation for Ruth. Jessie J's dabbing at her mascara. And so is Tom. Boom-tish. 20.19 Unfortunate yellow frock but lovely big voice. Something of the 60s soul diva about her, with some vocal showing off at the end. 20.18 She's singing Get Here by Oleta Adams, which if I recall rightly, has an awkward lyrics about an "Arab man." 20.16 Last to sing tonight is another early favourite, the amazing Ruth Brown: the 20-year-old from London who dedicated her audition to her recently deceased dad and held her final note for 17 seconds. 20.15 Is that a cummerbund? There aren't enough cummerbunds on primetime television. Tyler's coach Will thinks it was "dope and super-duper mega-fresh," obviously. Jessie loved its simplicity and the vocal gymnastics. Danny uses the word "literally" several times. I'm relieved, I was worried for a minute back there. Tyler's likeably modest. 20.11 Big quiff, short trousers (at half-mast for Amy?), no socks, some nice notes but a bit stilted. Bad song choice. 20.10 Next up from Team Will is Tyler James, who I rather like. Sure, he plays the "I was a friend of Amy Winehouse" card a lot but that might be the production team's choice as much as his. He's got a nice jazzy, soulful style and seems like a proper musician to me. He'll be singing Higher Love by James McMorrow. Some big high notes coming up. Cue falsetto... 20.09 Weak start but once they'd done that first harmonies section, both of them seemed to relax and that ended up rather good, I thought. Danny gives them a taste of their own coin-toss medicine from the audition round. Universal praise from the judges thus far. Jessie thinks their harmonies were - SINGING CONTEST CLICHE KLAXON - "on point." 20.03 They're singing Go Your Own Way by the mighty Fleetwood Mac. He's plaited his hair and she's come as Jessie J. 20.02 Next to sing from Team Tom are Matt and Sueleen aka Gandalf and Mrs Wizard. They're the last duo remaining, so I like them just for that reason. They're a bit hippy-dippy but their folky harmnoies can be gorgeous. 20.01 Will's proud of her and thinks it was "awesum." Jessie J says she showed off her falsetto, stacatto and another one that I've never heard of before but will look up later. Tom does the age thing. Danny praises Will.i.am as well as Sophie, then does the age thing. 20.00 Bet all the comments refer to her tender age. 19.59 As Alan Partridge might say, "That's just noise." 19.58 Fancy schmancy lighting effects, sparkly playsuit and some confident striding around, but no sign of a tune yet. 19.57 Little VT about how she can't cook or turn appliances on. She'll be singing Titanium by David Guetta featuring Sia. Nope, me neither. 19.56 After a short visit to the echoey green room and a preview of next week's show - the BBC's equivalent of an ad break - it's time for Sophie Griffin, the youngest female left in the contest. The County Tyrone busker is just 17. First mention of "comfort zone" so far. Cross that off your singing contest cliche bingo card. Danny says nerves affected her pitch. Jessie expresses mild doubt over the song choice until Tom gives her "a look." Will likes her spiky shoes. 19.51 Unflattering outfit that makes her look like a plump Emperor Penguin and not the best song choce to show off her mega-voice. 19.48 We're past the halfway mark now and next up is Leanne Mitchell from Team Tom, the massive-lunged Lowestoft lady who works as a holiday camp crooner. She's singing Who Knew by Pink and hasn't really let go yet... 19.47 Time for a quick tweet just in... @RoseySpecs Jaz is The Voice surely? Game over, bring back Doctor Who 19.46 Big ovation for Jaz and all four coaches on their feet. Will makes some random noises in appreciation. Jessie's in awe. Tom thinks he's perfect but forgets to mention that he once sang with Duke Ellington (I'm assuming he did, he sang with everybody else). Danny conducts a sort of mini-job interview. Will shushes him. Danny then namedrops Boyz II Men. 19.43 Four words: great voice, bad hat. 19.41 Big build-up for Jaz, with Will.i.am talling about "interest from America." He might just mean himself. Jaz is singing At Last by the late great Etta James and already showing some serious vocal chops. 19.40 Next up is one of the early favourites to win the competition: Jaz Ellington, the gospel teacher with the voice of an angel. He's been spotted out running a lot this week in an attempt to shed some pounds. Not that this show is about the gut. It's about THE VOICE, obviously. PS do some sit-ups 19.39 He's got a cold and chipped a bone in his arm. The judges didn't seem to know this fact, even though it was in this morning's papers. Jessie J says he should relax his jaw when he hits the high notes, which seems like genuine expert advice. Adam is taking all the comments like a gent. 19.35 "What a great crowd tonight, wow," says Adam, stopping short of saying, "Hello Stockholm!" The guitar seemed like a comfort blanket to him, which is understandable. Danny points out that might have sounded better in the studio than it did to us at home. Will.i.am says he didn't rock out enough, then names some different varieties of fruit. 19.34 Now this is a good development: he's playing, or at least holding, a guitar to perform his version All My Life by Foo Fighters. His vocals are a little flat and off but some consolation marks for trying to play an instrument. 19.32 I think they are front-loading the running order with the weakest contenders. It's Adam Isaac next from Team Tom, the tousle-haired indie-looking chap from Exeter. Here's an interesting fact about a not-very-interesting man: he nearly became a professional golfer until an injury. Will he whack this down the fairway, or slice it into the car park? You can tell I'm a golf expert, can't you? 19.31 It's a bit echoey and conference roomy in there. They need some "background artists" to fill it out a bit. 19.30 They've borrowed the Strictly green room and added a massive Twitter screen to look all modern and everything. 19.29 Nice supportive comments from her own coach Will. And from Jessie. Tom thinks it was VERY BOLD. Danny thought it was pitchy and a little stiff to start off with. Well done him for daring to be slightly negative. 19.26 Frances Wood? 19.25 The Wakefield teenager is singing Ain't Nobody by Chaka Khan. Big boots to fill. She's got sexy male dancers up on the balcony. Jessie J won't like that. She's doing a decent song but the song's too big and disco for her, I fear. She also seems to have been styled like one of Status Quo. 19.22 I wonder if they're getting the weak ones out of the way early? Frances Wood is one of my other tips for elimination. She's the kooky one who auditioned in a bobble hat and likes to add extra vowels to every word. 19.21 At least Will said there was a flat bit. Jessie didn't like the backing dancers. This is more like it - I know this show is supposed to be more positive and upbeat, but non-stop positive comments could get VERY dull. Sam Buttery seems to agree, bless him, welcoming Jessie's criticism. 19.20 Utterly Buttery's got a strong voice but that was a bit all over the place, seeming to use every note in his range. Let's see if he gets any mildly critical comments... 19.18 Bad shirt and all a bit karaoke. He also looks like a lesbian. 19.17 Sam is one of my early tips for elimination, I'm afraid. Hope I'm not jinxing him, because he seems like a lovely chap. He'll be singing A Little Respect by Erasure. 19.16 Now for Team Tom's first singer: Sam Buttery aka Utterly Buttery aka I Can't Believe It's Not Buttery. 19.15 That's a lot of small-print, Holly. 19.14 Awkward post-song banter with Holly. Will.i.am, not surprisngly. is singing the praises of his own act. The other coaches' comments should be more interesting. Oh, maybe not. They're all overpraising her a bit. Not a single word of criticism, which seems a bit daft. 19.11 Struggled a bit with the acapella intro but she's getting into it. Not convinced by either this song choice or her salmon frock. Both could do with a squeeze of lemon and some black pepper. Impressive falsetto note at the end, mind you. 19.09 Up first is Joelle Moses from Will's team. Difficult slot but she's a semi-pro backing vocalist, so should be able to handle the pressure. She'll be singing r'n'b diva anthem I'm Going Down by Mary J Blige. Note to self: do not type "Bilge." 19.07 First time this series that Jessie J's not been working her Cleopatra/Hilary Devey fringe. She looks great. Danny's had a smart haircut too. More quiffy, less mullety, I approve. Tom Jones still looks like a sexy Santa. 19.06 First Will.i.am gem of the evening: "Five strong hand, ball 'em up, make a fist, knock 'em out, bam!" He's come in for some criticism these last few days for not being around enough to mentor his acts, too busy flying to the US. We shall see. Bam. Ball 'em up. 19.05 Raucous studio audience meant that Holly and Reggie had to rather shout their intros there. 19.04 It got going a bit towards the end but that didn't work nearly as well as Tonight's Gonna Be A Good Night at the start of the series. 19.02 This isn't very good. Will.i.am's flat, Jessie's warbling, Tom's belting, Danny's doing a dodgy Bono impression because he's Irish and that. 19.00 Flashy new opening credits, featuring the 20 remaining singers. Holly Willoughby looks hot in pink. Reggie Yates looks dapper and shiny in grey. And we're off, straight into a group song by the four coaches. It's Beautiful Day by U2, which football fans will remember as the theme tune to ITV's ill-fated Premier League football coverage. Anyone else thinking of Andy Townsend in his tactics truck? 18.59 Cue the music! Cue the massive sci-fi chairs and warbly over-singing! It's Voice O'Clock! 18.57 If My Family went on The Voice, no chairs would spin. 18.55 A word about tonight's format, as I understand it. Tom Jones' five singers and Will.i.am's five will sing live, then the phone lines will open. On tomorrow night's results show, the three from each team who get most votes will be saved. The two stragglers will then sing-off. Their coach will save one and send the other home. So eight survive, two leave. Clear? Not really? Excellent. Happy to help. 18.50 No-one told me I'd have to watch the end of execrable sit"com" My Family. 18.45 Fifteen minutes until showtime. This is virgin territory for The Voice. So far, the Beeb's expensive acquisition has been an undoubted hit: it's the most talked-about and Tweeted-about TV show on air, and has been beating arch rival Britain's Got Talent in the ratings battle. Now it's gimicky early rounds have gone and it's settling down into a more traditional sing/vote/elimination X Factor-style live show, can it sustain that momentum? We'll get the first clues shortly.

Tiny forensic details prove key in Stephen Lawrence case Success in cold cases including the death of Damilola Taylor sparked a new review which uncovered key forensic evidence in the Stephen Lawrence investigation. A team of scientists at a private company called LGC were asked to "start again from scratch" in working to uncover evidence against whoever killed Mr Lawrence. They carried out months of painstaking research before DS Alan Taylor and forensic scientist Rosalyn Hammond undertook the mammoth task of making sure forensic evidence had not arisen through contamination. The team at LGC took a much wider approach than had been adopted before. When examinations were carried out in 1993, it was believed that any textile fibres would have fallen off the suspects' clothes in the two weeks between the killing and their first arrest. Blood stains or hairs also had to be of a certain minimum size for DNA profiling to be carried out. But after successful convictions in a number of cold cases, around 2006 detectives realised that starting from the beginning could yield results. Gary Pugh, Director of Forensic Services for the Metropolitan Police, said: "The Damilola Taylor case...involved what LGC have done in going right back to basics and starting from scratch. Many of these cases have had reviews over time but quite often they're with a presumption that if nothing's been found the items aren't re-examined. What I think we've done here and in previous cases is start again from scratch and that was the brief we gave LGC in this particular case. The Damilola Taylor case involved the key discovery of a blood stain on the shoe of one of the defendants. Under double jeopardy legislation, investigators were required to prove that scientists had done all they could previously to find the Stephen Lawrence evidence, and that there was no lack of due diligence. Alan Tribe, manager of the Met Police evidence recovery unit, explained that scientific methods advanced significantly between the 1990s and 2007 when the cold case review started. He said: "In 1993 though to 1996 the methods used were not being targeted at tiny, microscopic bloodstains - certainly the size of the stain found later on the jacket. This is principally because such stains would not have been capable of being subject to DNA profiling during the time. It was only from 2000 that blood stains invisible to the naked eye were able to be analysed for DNA, and then the techniques were in their infancy. Dr Angela Gallop, who worked for LGC during the cold case, said: "The emergence of the findings in this case depends partly on improving methodology, this is lessons learned from other cases in how to find these truly tiny amounts of evidence, alongside developments in technology which allowed us to actually analyse them." She went on: "We've learned such a huge amount about how you look for evidence and where you look for it and when you look for it, combined with the fact that we now have much more powerful technology to analyse it." The team used cutting-edge techniques such as examining suspect items all over with a low-powered microscope, and they sent a 2mm fragment of hair to the US to be tested for mitochondrial DNA. Body fluid specialist Edward Jarman and his team developed their own experiments to show that the bloodstain on Gary Dobson's collar was not caused during saliva testing, as the defence claimed. He said: "We undertook a number of experiments looking at blood from both the packaging of the jacket and also from a number of Stephen Lawrence's items to see if they could solubilise or if they could be affected by getting wet and that resulted in the stain on the collar, and we weren't able to replicate the stain on the collar under all those tests." The stain measured just 0.5mm by 0.25mm. Mr Jarman added: "I think in isolation it's probably the first time such a tiny stain has had such a bearing potentially on a case."

Busted! Northern Illinois Meets FSU in Orange Bowl What a weekend for Northern Illinois: Win a conference championship, lose a coach and bust the BCS. The Huskies are headed to the Orange Bowl, set to make their Bowl Championship Series debut against Florida State. Northern Illinois won the Mid-American Conference title on Friday, lost coach Dave Doeren to North Carolina State on Saturday, and then spent Sunday anxiously waiting to see if it cracked the top 16 in the final BCS standings. By 0.0404 points, the Huskies did just that and will play in Miami on Jan. 1 as their reward. "We are sure excited," said Rod Carey, the former Northern Illinois offensive assistant who was promoted to head coach Sunday evening, just before learning the team made the Orange Bowl. It's been a crazy weekend up here at Northern Illinois. The MAC champions (12-1) were 15th in the final BCS standings. Finishing in the top 16 and ahead of the champion of a qualifying conference - they actually finished ahead of two, Big East winner Louisville and Big Ten titlist Wisconsin - meant the Huskies were automatically BCS-bound, earning them this date with the Atlantic Coast Conference champion Seminoles (11-2). Northern Illinois quarterback Jordan Lynch (6) receives the most valuable player award after the Huskies defeated Kent State 44-37 in the second overtime in the Mid-American Conference championship NCAA college football game on Friday, Nov. 30, 2012, in Detroit. Northern Illinois is the first MAC school to reach the BCS. The Huskies were 21st in last week's BCS standings, meaning they not only needed to beat Kent State - which entered championship week as another BCS hopeful - in the MAC title game to have a shot, they also needed some help to reach the top 16. And enough help came, particularly with Nebraska losing badly in the Big Ten title game, along with UCLA and Texas both falling over the weekend. So it's the Huskies and Seminoles, a matchup that surely very few people would have expected when the season began. "There's nowhere that's more tradition-rich than the Orange Bowl," Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher said. And while Northern Illinois will be a fun story line throughout bowl season, the Huskies earned their way into the conversation. For comparison's sake, that's two more wins than Alabama and four more than Notre Dame - the Crimson Tide and Fighting Irish are this year's title-game qualifiers - over that stretch. It will likely be cast as an offense vs. defense matchup. Florida State is second nationally in total defense and seventh in scoring defense, while Northern Illinois is ninth in scoring offense and 15th in total offense. "We are very excited to host two conference champions," Orange Bowl CEO Eric Poms said. Of course, the Huskies piled up much of their numbers against teams that aren't exactly prime-time, Saturday-night caliber. Northern Illinois beat Army by a point, had to rally late to beat one-win Kansas by a mere touchdown, plus struggled a bit with Toledo before winning by seven. The Huskies do have what they consider to be some solid resume points - a 12-game winning streak, tying Ohio State and Notre Dame for the longest current run in the nation, and a quarterback who is widely considered to be a star even without being a household name. Jordan Lynch ranks third nationally in total offense at 364.1 yards per game, behind only Baylor's Nick Florence (387.7) and Texas A&M's Heisman-hopeful Johnny Manziel (383.3). "We're 12-1," Lynch told ESPN. We faced tons of adversity this year. We won tons of games. ... We definitely deserve to be in there.

Game warns "shares may be worthless" By DOMINIC JEFF Published on Monday 12 March 2012 21:26 STRUGGLING computer games retailer Game Group yesterday warned shareholders that their investment may be wiped out as it explores ways of keeping the business afloat. The London-listed company, which employs 10,000 people, is battling for survival after dismal Christmas trading led to top manufacturers deciding not to supply it with the latest blockbuster games. In a statement to the stock exchange, the group said it was in discussions with its suppliers and lenders that would allow it to pursue a recovery plan announced in February along with new banking facilities. Game said the board was also "reviewing the position of all of its assets in the UK and international territories." It added: "It is uncertain whether any of the solutions currently being explored by the board will be successful or will result in any value being attributed to the shares of the company." It is thought that American rival GameStop may be interested in buying the chain, which has 600 shops in the UK. But completing a sale of the group in such a short space of time would be difficult. Peter Smedley, an analyst at Charles Stanley, said: "Imminent collapse into administration is now a real possibility." He added that GameStop could afford to take its time to pick and choose the assets it really wants, suggesting it may wait for a collapse before it makes a move. Game Group's battered shares, which had fallen from 62p a year ago to just 3.51p on Friday, lost more than half of their remaining value yesterday. Opinion among analysts was divided as to whether it is worth hanging on to the shares. Killik & Co issued a "sell" recommendation but Peel Hunt was more optimistic, suggesting those already exposed to the company may want to hold on. It said a rumoured new X-Box console could give Game a boost next year. "With global broadband capabilities yet to be sufficient to launch a download-only console, the new X-Box therefore should still underpin a retail backdrop," Peel Hunt said. However, for Game Group, the challenge is whether management can gain the support of suppliers and restructure its operations, including international disposals, in order to trade through the intervening period until new hardware is launched. The broker said that both the UK and US software markets are currently trading 20-30 per cent below their level a year ago. Game Group, which has 1,300 stores worldwide, blamed a lack of new consoles as well as a squeeze on consumer spending for its like-for-like sales drop of 12.9 per cent in the eight weeks to 7 January. It has already signalled that losses for the year to the end of January are likely to be around £18 million.

Patrick McLoughlin: Tory from wrong side of the tracks It would be fair to say that Patrick McLoughlin isn't your stereotypical Conservative Cabinet minister. He didn't go to Eton - he left his comprehensive school in Cannock, Staffordshire, at the age of 16 without any qualifications. He didn't follow the usual route to Tory high office, such as a spell in the City or a legal career at the Bar. Instead, he started his working life as a farm labourer before "moving up" to work as a miner, becoming the third generation of his family to do so. And, in an age of "celebrity" politicians, Mr McLoughlin, the MP for the Derbyshire Dales, has a conspicuously low profile. He rarely gave interviews in his previous job as David Cameron's Chief Whip, and instead concentrating his efforts on the dark arts of keeping the restive Tory MPs going through the correct lobbies and supporting the Government. But in the past six weeks all that has changed. Last month, the 54-year-old was promoted in the reshuffle to become Secretary of State for Transport, with a brief to deal with the thorny and controversial issues of Britain's airport expansion and new high-speed rail link. As if that were not enough, last week another rather pressing problem dropped uncomfortably into his inbox: the fiasco of his department's handling of the West Coast Main Line franchise. If he had wanted to keep a low profile, that is simply no longer an option. "It has come very much into vogue these days," he says, wryly, "But when Harold Macmillan was asked what he feared most as Prime Minister he replied - 'events'. I think this comes into the category of events. Mr McLoughlin has ordered two reviews into what went wrong with the franchise process, but reveals that it was not a single mistake that led him to overturn the decision of his predecessor, Justine Greening, to hand the 15-year West Coast contract to FirstGroup. "If it had been a simple technical matter, I would not have suspended the whole process," he says. It was a number of things that led me to take the decision. Any minister relies upon the advice and the help he is given, and I was given categorical assurances that it was OK. Now something went wrong and we're going to learn from that. In person, Mr McLoughlin is unlike most senior Conservative politicians. He is frank, down to earth (when he doesn't want to answer a question, he says so, rather than skirting round the subject) and, with his background, he is someone you would assume would be more at home in the ranks of the Labour Party. So why is he a Conservative? "When I was growing up, Harold Wilson was Prime Minister and I was unimpressed by him," he says. My father died when I was very young. My mother had to struggle very hard to bring up my sister, and we didn't get any help and support from Labour. His desire to enter Parliament was eventually stirred during a school trip to the House of Commons organised by his local MP. "I remember thinking, when we were walking around, that one day I want to come back here as a Member of Parliament," he says. I didn't quite know how I was going to do it. It wasn't the sort of thing that you went to your careers teacher and say you wanted to be an MP. It was more like a postman if you were lucky down the colliery. But that's what gave me the bug. As a result he joined the Tory party and his break came in 1986 when, aged just 29, he was the surprise choice to fight a by-election triggered when Matthew Parris resigned his West Derbyshire seat. Mr McLoughlin scraped home with a majority of 100. "The day I took my seat in Cabinet, my mother came down to watch me and we were invited into the Margaret Thatcher's study in the Commons," he recalls. Now my mother had never met a senior politician of any description, and all of a sudden she's with the Prime Minister. But within two minutes I was completely irrelevant. They were talking away there like two old bloody fishwives for about 30 minutes. A quarter of a century on, Mr McLoughlin has achieved far more than most of his Conservative contemporaries, who came from far more privileged backgrounds. So what would he like his legacy to be? He pauses. At the moment, I'll just concentrate on showing people I can do the job. Do it well. Other people can decide what my legacy is.

Tissue Holders Pulled From Stores in NY, Elsewhere Federal regulators say metal tissue holders contaminated with low levels of radioactive material may have been distributed to Bed, Bath & Beyond stores in more than 20 states including New York. Nuclear Regulatory Commission spokesman David McIntyre says the home products company has pulled the tissue holder from its stores. He says there's no threat to human health but it's better to avoid unnecessary exposure to radiation. Bed, Bath & Beyond Inc. said in a statement Thursday its Dual Ridge Metal boutique tissue holder has been carried in about 200 of its stores since July. New York health officials say they pulled 12 contaminated boxes from stores in Westbury, Port Chester, Elmsford and Huntington Station. Authorities say the tissue holders contain manmade cobalt-60 radioactive material.

Adkins plans 'Songs & Stories' stage tour NASHVILLE, Jan. 25 (UPI) -- Country music star Trace Adkins says he plans to bring his "Songs & Stories" concert tour to theaters around the United States this spring. The series of stage shows is to kick off March 8 in Des Moines, Iowa, and wrap up May 17 in Atlanta. So far, 21 shows have been scheduled, but more dates are expected to be added. "I've had many narrow escapes and blessings in my life," Adkins said in a statement Tuesday. The right song at the right time has been my saving grace and that's something I have in common with the audience. Sharing meaningful songs, stories and some laughs 'around the campfire' is the country music tradition and I'm looking forward to it. Adkins released his 10th studio album, "Proud to Be Here," last summer.

It's All Up to Ohio! Have we mentioned that it's all up to Ohio? People do like being the center of the universe. And Ohio - when does that happen?" asked P.G. Sittenfeld gleefully. He is a member of the Cincinnati City Council who went to battle recently over a series of billboards that popped up in minority neighborhoods announcing "VOTER FRAUD IS A FELONY!" with a picture of a gavel banging down. The ads, which certainly seemed less than encouraging, were paid for by a foundation led by a big Republican donor from Wisconsin. Now they're down, and thanks in part to Sittenfeld's yelps, there are new billboards in the same neighborhoods saying, "Hey, Cincinnati: Voting Is a Right, Not a Crime." So there's a happy ending. Although, in an ideal world, we probably wouldn't be required to remind folks that voting for president is not against the law. How do Florida and Colorado feel? Sittenfeld wondered. Do they resent us? Is there swing-state envy? It's been all up to Ohio for months now. But, on Wednesday, a new CBS/New York Times/Quinnipiac poll showed Obama leading Romney by five points in the Buckeye State. In response, Romney officials began to suggest that maybe it was really all about Pennsylvania. Nobody took them seriously. Mitt is bringing half the Republican Party to Ohio on Friday to kick off the new "Romney-Ryan Real Recovery Road Rally." Everybody's coming - Ann, the sons, Paul Ryan, Paul Ryan's wife who we have yet to actually meet, Rudy Giuliani, a couple of Olympic medalists and pretty much every Republican elected official except He Who Must Not Be Named in New Jersey. Sudden plans for a road trip are usually the sign of a pressing need to escape reality. Ohio is currently famous for its oversupply of TV campaign ads - Douglas Tifft, a legal research clerk in Cincinnati, counted 16 in a row one recent night. It also has a history of Election Day crises. This is one of the reasons voting now runs for more than a month, the better to reduce the chances of a last-minute pileup. Earlier this year, the Republican secretary of state seemed bent on expanding voting hours even more in the suburbs while reducing them in the cities, but he has gotten over that. Nearly a quarter of the likely voters have already cast their ballots. Frankly, I don't see why everybody hasn't voted already, because this is the only way to keep the desperate party workers from calling you and coming repeatedly to your door to ask you to get with the program. The Romney-Ryan Real Recovery Road Rally will begin in John Boehner's hometown of West Chester. Then everybody will fan out across the land to distract the country from the fact that Mitt Romney once said he wanted to get rid of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. And, actually, it's not very fair to bring that up. That was during the primaries, and Romney did not mean a single thing he said during the primaries. The person currently running for president is the late-fall Mitt Romney, who is mainly concerned with China. And "change." Change is so 2008. Right now, we are just looking for a president who will nudge things a tad toward the right general direction. Bring us the guy who won't totally screw things up. We want a "No New Disasters" rally. About Ohio. President Obama canceled a big Cincinnati rally on Wednesday, but his supporters here didn't seem to mind. This was mainly because Ohio appreciated the importance of focusing on the disaster along the East Coast, but also because local Democrats are in such a state of manic anxiety that the president's visit was just going to be that many hours lost from going door to door, begging people to vote, or putting up lawn signs and then replacing the lawn signs when they're stolen. "I wanted to sit up all night in a lawn chair," said Michele Mueller, who has lost a large number of Obama signs to vandals. But my husband said, no, we're going to hang them from the tree. The next morning when they woke up, the Muellers found someone had climbed into the trees and draped towels over their placards. So it goes. If this election is going to be all about somebody other than me, I'm good with Ohioans. They are, as a group, hard-working, unassuming and inclined to take their civic responsibilities seriously. "I don't ever get anybody saying: "I'm not interested," " said Denise Driehaus, a state representative and compulsive door-to-door campaign worker. Her brother, Steve, was a Cincinnati congressman who lost his seat in the big Republican surge of 2010. He then joined the Peace Corps and took his family to work in Swaziland. This should be a model for every ex-congressman lobbyist in Washington. Look to Ohio, guys. It's all about Ohio.

The Seigneurie de Beaupré wind farms win an international prize for their financing MONTREAL, Jan. 31, 2012 /PRNewswire/ - On January 25, at the 2011 Project Finance International (PFI) Awards in London, England, representatives of Boralex Inc. (Boralex), Gaz Métro Limited Partnership (Gaz Métro) and Valener Inc. (Valener) accepted a prize for the $725 million financing of the first phase of the Seigneurie de Beaupré wind farms, which closed on November 8, 2011. The financing won the Americas Renewables Deal of the Year award, standing out for its unique structure as well as for bringing in Canadian funds, atypical investors in this type of project financing. The PFI awards are part of the Thomson Reuters Awards for Excellence in recognition of corporate and individual success in the global financial sector. It will be recalled that a tranche of $260 million of the financing is covered by a guarantee offered to the lenders by the Federal Republic of Germany through Euler-Hermes, its export credit agency. "The support of Québec funds, usually absent in this type of financing, as well as that of foreign institutions, in the current tumultuous financial markets, reflect the exceptional character of our wind site, and also the quality and unique composition of our financing structure," said Patrick Lemaire, President and Chief Executive Officer of Boralex, and Sophie Brochu, President and Chief Executive Officer of Gaz Métro. The original group of lenders is composed of: KfW IPEX-Bank, Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, Deutsche Bank, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, Landesbank Baden-Württemberg, Mizuho Corporate Bank, Siemens Financial and the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec. Following the closing of the financing, three financial institutions joined the group of lenders: Investissement Québec, DZ Bank and AKA Bank, some of the original lenders having assigned a portion of their commitment. About the Seigneurie de Beaupré Wind Farms The Seigneurie de Beaupré Wind Farms, with a total contracted capacity of 366 MW, are as of today the largest wind power project in development in Canada. The first phase of 272 MW (Farms 2 & 3), which is expected to start up in late 2013, and the second phase of 69 MW (Farm 4), which is expected to start operating in late 2014, represent the projects of the Boralex and Gaz Métro/Valener consortium. In addition, the 25 MW Côte-de-Beaupré wind farm built by Boralex in partnership with the Côte-de-Beaupré RCM is expected to start up in 2015. About Boralex Boralex is a power producer whose core business dedicated to the development and the operation of renewable energy power stations. Currently, the Corporation operates an asset base with an installed capacity of nearly 500 MW in Canada, the Northeastern United States and France. Boralex is also committed under power development projects, both independently and with European and Canadian partners, to add approximately 400 MW of power. With more than 200 employees, Boralex is known for its diversified expertise and in-depth experience in four power generation types - wind, hydroelectric, thermal and more recently, solar. Boralex's shares and convertible debentures are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the ticker symbols BLX and BLX.DB, respectively. More information is available at www.boralex.com or www.sedar.com. About Gaz Métro and Valener With over $3.7 billion in assets, Gaz Métro is Quebec's leading natural gas distributor. Its 10,000 kilometre network serves 300 municipalities. Gaz Métro has operated in this regulated industry since 1957 and is the trusted energy provider of its customers in Quebec and Vermont, who choose natural gas for its competitive price, efficiency, comfort and environmental benefits. Gaz Métro is also present in the electricity distribution market, natural gas transportation and storage, the development of innovative energy projects such as wind power, natural gas as fuel for the transportation industry and biomethanation. Gaz Métro is committed to the satisfaction of its customers, Partners (Gaz Métro inc. and Valener), employees and the communities it serves. www.gazmetro.com Valener owns an economic interest of approximately 29% in Gaz Métro. Valener therefore has a stake in the energy industry and benefits from Gaz Métro's diversified profile, both in terms of geography and business segment. Valener also owns an indirect interest of 24.5% in the wind power projects developed with Gaz Métro and Boralex on the private lands of Séminaire de Québec. Valener may also pursue its own development projects and acquisition strategies subject to a non-competition agreement in favour of Gaz Métro and to applicable limitations under its credit facility. Valener's common shares are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the "VNR" trading symbol. www.valener.com

Bernanke says financial stability a work in progress STONE MOUNTAIN, Georgia (Reuters) - The U.S. economy has yet to fully recover from the effects of the financial crisis, and regulators must continue to find new ways to strengthen the banking system, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said on Monday. "The heavy human and economic costs of the crisis underscore the importance of taking all necessary steps to avoid a repeat of the events of the past few years," Bernanke told a group of economists and finance experts at a conference sponsored by the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. In a speech that did not touch directly on the outlook for economic growth or monetary policy, Bernanke focused on the lingering blind spots for financial authorities trying to prevent a repeat of the 2008-2009 meltdown. Bernanke said financial stability matters had historically played second fiddle to monetary policy issues in the list of central bank priorities, but the crisis changed that. "Financial stability policy has taken on greater prominence and is now generally considered to stand on an equal footing with monetary policy as a critical responsibility of central banks," he said. Bernanke said recent bank stress tests will become a regular feature of the supervisory landscape, and for that reason the latest round of tests is being reviewed to identify possible areas of improvement in "execution and communication." He reiterated a worry that he and other top policymakers have expressed about the continued vulnerability of money market funds. "Additional steps to increase the resiliency of money market funds are important for the overall stability of our financial system and warrant serious consideration," Bernanke said. "The risk of runs ... remains a concern, particularly since some of the tools that policymakers employed to stem the runs during the crisis are no longer available," he said. Reporting By Pedro da Costa; Editing by Leslie Adler

That time of year, when clocks spring ahead (CBS/AP) It's time to "spring ahead" - and lose an hour of sleep. This weekend most of the U.S. makes the switch to Daylight Savings Time, moving clocks ahead one hour in order to ensure an extra hour of sunlight each evening. The official change is at 2 a.m. local time on Sunday, March 11, 2012. Not everyone in the U.S. makes the switch from standard time. Hawaii, Arizona outside the Navajo Indian territories, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam and the Northern Marianas stay on standard time. On November 4 you'll switch your clocks from 2 a.m. to 1 a.m. and get your lost hour of sleep back - so you'll be well-rested in time to vote on Nov. 6. State emergency officials suggest you use the bi-annual occasion as a reminder to test your safety equipment. For example, check the batteries in your smoke detectors and carbon-monoxide detectors, and replace the batteries if necessary. And if you don't have the detectors, now's a good time to buy them. You should also update your emergency kits. Officials recommend that everyone keep a basic kit at home with enough food and water to last your family for three days, along with a radio, flashlight and first-aid kit. Daylight Saving Time Rules (National Institute of Standards and Technology)

Nine weeks after Sandy, need for help continues

Michael Bloomberg's ambition: Give away his entire fortune New York mayor Michael Bloomberg issued a challenge Wednesday to other mayors around the country: Come up with innovative ideas for fixing the economic and social problems all cities face -- and win a share of $9 million for your city. The mayor's foundation is putting up the money. Bloomberg is 70 years old and serving his third and final term leading New York City. A billionaire many times over, he made his fortune through the financial information services company he founded. Bloomberg Philanthropies has donated nearly $2.5 billion to a variety of causes. Bloomberg group dangles $9M for ways to aid city life Bloomberg fires back at "nanny" critics: It's part of government's role Bloomberg spoke Wednesday to "CBS Evening News" anchor Scott Pelley about his financial challenge to promote better government, criticism of his health initiatives aimed at smoking and obesity, and his plans for after his term ends next year. Below, watch web-only extra clips from the interview: Bloomberg: "America is doing an awful lot of things right" Bloomberg on being a philanthropist Bloomberg on running for president, future plans

Meditation apps let the peace flow from your phone When it's time to meditate, sit comfortably, focus your attention ... and reach for your smartphone? More and more people are doing just that, ifApple's iPhoneApp Store is any indication - a search for "meditation" results in more than 1,000 possible downloads. But isn't the point to unplug? The guidance offered in these apps "allows you just to let go and stop worrying about whether you're doing it right," says Stephan Bodian, a psychotherapist in Tucson and the developer of the Mindfulness Meditation app. You can just relax and let yourself be led. Plugging in to a meditation app - having turned off the phone's ringer and other functions, of course - could have a host of benefits. Researchers have found that meditation reduces stress and makes people generally happier. There are many kinds of meditation, but a lot of attention these days is going to "mindfulness." Mindfulness is all about paying attention to the here and now - not the past or future, where stressors lurk - with an open, observant attitude, says psychologist Britta Hölzel of Massachusetts General Hospital. Frequently it involves focusing on one particular thing, like the breath. "It helps me be more awake and alive to what's happening around me," Hölzel says. Mindfulness can help with attention, memory and emotional control. It can help people deal with anxiety, depression and substance abuse. The benefits of meditation aren't limited to the brain; it can also lower cholesterol, heart rate and blood pressure, says Bodian. However, science's position on the lotus position remains incomplete. Scientists are just starting to run large studies akin to those used to test pills. A class or app can help you get started with meditation, although eventually you can go on your own, Bodian says. Here are just five of the apps out there: Relax & Rest Guided Meditations For: Android, iPhone, iPad Cost: $0.99 In this Meditation Oasis app, you choose from three meditations: a five-minute break, or 13- or 24-minute deep relaxation programs. Then, customize your experience further by picking music or nature sounds - the ocean, rain or a stream. The simple narration guides you to focus on your breathing. After the voice-over ends, the background sounds continue, so you can finish whenever you wish. Buddhify For: Android, iPhone Cost: $2.99 The lighthearted Buddhify program promises "appalicious goodness for you to play with," including 32 meditations. It's all about "urban meditation," so you don't have to find a quiet mountaintop or temple. Buddhify has meditations for walking, riding the bus, working out and the home. With no music, you focus on the sounds around you. You can further customize your experience by selecting specific "flavors," such as clarity or stability. Mindfulness Meditation For: Web, iPhone, Nokia

Analysis: Options limited to finance Chicago teachers contract By Karen Pierog CHICAGO (Reuters) - Chicago public school teachers returned to their classrooms on Wednesday but thorny questions remained over how Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the cash-strapped school system will pay for the tentative contract that ended a strike of more than a week. The three-year contract, which has an option for a fourth year and which awaits a ratification vote by the 29,000-member Chicago Teachers Union, calls for an average 17.6 percent pay raise over four years and some benefit improvements. Average teacher pay is now about $76,000 a year, according to the district, which pegged the annual cost of the new contract at $74 million a year, or $295 million over four years. The $5.16 billion fiscal 2013 budget approved by Chicago Board of Education last month closed a $665 million deficit by draining reserves and levying property taxes at a maximum rate, while also slashing administrative and operational spending. But that budget included no teacher salary raises with the understanding the budget would be amended once a contract was in place, according to a spokeswoman for the district. The increase agreed in the tentative contract with teachers called for a 3 percent increase in year one. "There is really no room in the existing budget for that level of increase," said Laurence Msall, president of the Civic Federation, a Chicago-based government finance watchdog group. Msall said the nation's third largest school system, which was already projecting a $1 billion budget deficit for fiscal 2014, will have to cut personnel, including teachers, and close low-enrollment schools to meet the contract's financial demands. "You'll have a smaller district hopefully operating more efficiently," he said. While there have been reports in the local media of plans to shutter dozens of schools, Mayor Emanuel is not talking specifics on school closures. He has also declined to answer questions about how he will pay for the agreement. "When the school system looks at it, they'll look at what the academic standards are, they'll look at the enrollment, and they'll make some choices that are difficult to do," he told reporters on Wednesday. The mayor also pointed to "major changes" coming for the district's central office, adding "there is no item we won't look at." He has already cited millions of dollars in savings from administration of the district. As for boosting its revenue, the Chicago Public Schools would need voter approval to exceed a capped property tax levy, Msall said. The state of Illinois is struggling with its own fiscal problems that have led to cuts in education funding, Msall said, adding that it was unlikely that the state would send more money to Chicago schools. The state Legislature could act to ease the district's pension contributions, which will jump to $534 million in fiscal 2014 from just $196 million in the current fiscal year due to the expiration of a three-year, state-approved pension funding holiday. The Democrat-controlled General Assembly has so far failed to pass reforms for state or local pension funds despite pressure from Emanuel and Governor Pat Quinn. Chicago teachers are required to contribute 9 percent of their salary toward their pensions, but the school system picks up most of that (7 percent), at a cost of about $127 million in the current budget, according to a recent report by the Civic Federation. Chicago teacher pensions were about 60 percent funded in fiscal 2011, the report said, a level that is well-below the 80 percent level considered to be healthy. The retirement fund, which had about $10 billion in net assets at the end of fiscal 2011, paid out just over $1 billion in benefits that year. John Tillman, chief executive officer of the Illinois Policy Institute, a think tank that says it promotes free markets, said the school system could increase the ranks of charter schools, which are largely staffed by non-union teachers. He also predicted Illinois' flat income tax rate will be targeted by public labor unions, which could seek a constitutional amendment to change it to a progressive tax to wring more money out of higher-earning residents that could be used to fund education and other government services. Aside from the contract, the school system faces increased borrowing costs after it was hit with negative credit rating actions this summer, affecting about $5.6 billion of its outstanding debt. Moody's Investors Service dropped its rating to A1 with a negative outlook from Aa3, and Standard & Poor's Ratings Services downgraded the school system to A-plus with a stable outlook from AA-minus. Fitch Ratings revised the outlook on its A-plus rating to negative from stable. The district's draining of reserves for its new budget, escalating pension costs and contentious relations with its labor unions were cited as reasons for the rating actions. The agencies on Wednesday had no immediate comment on the tentative contract. "We're going to be analyzing the full contract and will determine how the finances will be affected," said David Jacobson, a Moody's spokesman. Reporting By Karen Pierog, additional reporting by Peter Bohan; Editing by Claudia Parsons

Ice Hockey: Edinburgh Capitals unable to bridge budget gap Edinburgh Capitals captain Martin Cingel admitted his side will find it "difficult to compete" with big budget teams from ice hockey's Erhardt conference after Elite League leaders Nottingham Panthers skated to a comfortable 5-0 victory, in Caps" only game of the weekend, at Murrayfield on Saturday night. Panthers" mix of top-quality imports, including current Carolina Hurricanes forward Anthony Stewart, and seven Team GB internationals, controlled the game from the early stages and looked by far the best side Edinburgh have faced-off against this season. Cingel said: "We knew that Nottingham have a really strong team. You could see they have three very good lines. We're two imports down, so it was always going to be very difficult for us. We tried to focus on the defensive side of our game, which I thought we did well for the most part, but any time we made a mistake they punished us. This year the Elite League has been split into two North American-style conferences with Edinburgh playing the majority of their matches against the lower budget sides of the Gardiner conference, and have now failed to score in their last two games, both at home, against teams from the big-spending Erhardt conference. Cingel added: "We don't play these guys too often, and they play at a faster speed than we're used to. We can match the teams in our own conference like Dundee and Fife, but it's difficult to compete with teams like Nottingham, and the resources they have. Nottingham, who were playing the second of three games in three nights showed no ill-effects from a 5-1 victory away to Braehead Clan on Friday and opened the scoring in the eleventh minute through Welsh forward Mathew Myers. Panthers played to their strengths, using their greater size to play a tough physical game, and added a second through Stephen Lee. Nottingham continued to have the better of the chances in the second period, adding further goals by Eric Werner, Bruce Graham and Matt Francis. The biggest cheer of the night came when Capitals" man of the match, Michal Dobron, dished out some of the physical play that had served Nottingham so well during the early stages, sending Francis sprawling with a big centre ice hit. Panthers coach Corey Neilson wished to refute claims his side eased off in the second half of the game in order to conserve energy for last night's trip to Kirkcaldy, which ended in a 5-3 Nottingham win against the Fife Flyers. Neilson said: "We play hard every night, we have a lot of depth and I tell them to play as hard as they can every time they go out on the ice. Edinburgh plays a different style to what we're used to and always try to stretch the play. We coped with it well and when they did break they were isolated. I don't think they managed to generate anything really. It was a good win but I don't think we played particularly well. We got the job done and scored some timely goals. Edinburgh's season continues tomorrow night, when they travel to Nottingham for what promises to be an extremely difficult encounter.

NFL news: Steelers and Emmanuel Sanders fined for faking injury The NFL levied $50,000 in fines to the Pittsburgh Steelers and wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders for faking an injury during an Oct. 21 game in Cincinnati. Sanders was fined $15,000 and the organization $35,000. Sanders grabbed the back of his leg and collapsed to the ground during the fourth quarter of Pittsburgh's 24-17 win, presumably to save the Steelers from having to call timeout to stop the clock. NFL executive vice president of football operations Ray Anderson handed out the discipline after meeting with Sanders last week. Sanders initially played coy in public comments about the incident, but in recent weeks has said the matter was being handled internally. Also fined by the league for various offenses were Panthers safety Haruki Nakamura and Packers tight end Ryan Taylor, $21,000 each; Titans safety Michael Griffin, $20,000; Raiders cornerback Tyvon Branch, Panthers defensive end Greg Hardy and Cardinals linebacker Quentin Groves, $15,750 each; and Ravens linebacker Dannell Ellerbe, $10,000; Eagles quarterback Michael Vick, Colts cornerback Cassius Vaughn and Steelers safety Will Allen, $7,875 apiece. Bolden suspended New England Patriots rookie running back Brandon Bolden was suspended by the NFL for four games without pay for violating its policy on performance-enhancing substances. The league's announcement did not specify the substance, and the Patriots had no immediate reaction. Bolden, signed as a rookie free agent from Mississippi, can return to the active roster Dec. 3. Minnesota receiver Percy Harvin was listed as doubtful for Sunday's game against Detroit after a sprained left ankle kept him out of practice all week. . . . Oakland will be without its top two running backs for Sunday's game at Baltimore after Darren McFadden and Mike Goodson missed a third consecutive day of practice because of ankle sprains. . . . Second-year quarterback Jake Locker will start for Tennessee on Sunday against Miami, his first game in more than a month since he separated his left, non-throwing shoulder Sept. 30 against Houston. . . . Dallas will be without running back DeMarco Murray (sprained foot) for the fourth consecutive game when it plays at Philadelphia on Sunday. . . . Seattle will be without linebacker K.J. Wright and guard James Carpenter against the New York Jets; neither has been cleared to return to practice after suffering concussions. . . . Detroit safeties Louis Delmas (knee) and Amari Spievey (concussion) will miss the game at Minnesota. . . . Buffalo defensive end Chris Kelsay's neck injury is not considered serious, the team said, and he was listed as questionable for Sunday's game against New England.

Spain 'could recapitalise Bankia with government bonds' The state takeover of its fourth-largest lender, Spain's biggest bank rescue, has intensified fears that the rising cost of helping banks may force the eurozone's fourth largest economy to seek an Irish-style international bailout. The biggest problem here is that the ECB could object. That's a legal issue, but technically it is possible," said Jose Carlos Diez, economist at Intermoney Valores. Spain's borrowing costs have risen in recent weeks as investors fret about a possible exit of Greece from the eurozone, making it less likely that Spain could raise cash needed for the Bankia rescue by issuing new debt. Spain's risk premium, as measured by the spread between German and Spanish benchmark bonds, was hovering near 500 basis points on Friday.

Supreme Court backs landowners in EPA clean water case WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday that landowners may bring a civil lawsuit challenging a federal government order under the clean water law, a decision that sides with corporate groups and sharply curtails a key Environmental Protection Agency power. The justices unanimously rejected the U.S. government's position that individuals or companies must first fail to comply with an EPA order and face potentially costly enforcement action before a court can review the case. The opinion by Justice Antonin Scalia was a victory for an Idaho couple who challenged a 2007 EPA order that required them to restore a wetland they had filled with dirt and rock as they began to build a new vacation home near Priest Lake. They were also told to stop construction on the home. The couple, Chantell and Michael Sackett, denied their property had ever contained a wetland and complained they were being forced to comply with an order without a court hearing. Their appeal drew support from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Association of Manufacturers, the National Association of Home Builders and General Electric Co, a company that had made a similar challenge to the EPA compliance orders. The Supreme Court's ruling comes at a time when the EPA has faced fierce criticism from many Republicans in Congress who say it has issued the most ambitious clean air regulations in decades and has become heavy-handed in enforcement actions. Scalia concluded the Sacketts may bring a civil lawsuit under the Administrative Procedures Act to challenge the EPA's order. He said that since the EPA's decision was final and the couple faced potential large fines, they had no other adequate remedy but to bring a civil lawsuit. Reading his decision from the bench, Scalia said that the Clean Water Act does not prevent judicial review of such orders. Under the law, violations of the Clean Water Act can result in fines of up to $37,500 per day, plus as much as an additional $37,500 per day for violating the EPA compliance order. The EPA issues nearly 3,000 compliance orders a year that require accused violators of environmental laws to stop alleged harmful actions and repair any damage that was caused. The justices overturned a U.S. appeals court ruling that a compliance order was not subject to judicial review until later when the EPA has brought an enforcement action and seeks to have a judge rule in its favor. The court did not reach the broader question of whether the EPA's order violated the constitutional right of due process. It only held that the federal Administrative Procedures Act, which provides certain rules for federal regulatory agencies, applied. Scalia said that the Sacketts would not get an adequate remedy if they had to apply to the Army Corps of Engineers for a permit and then file suit if that permit is denied. Government attorneys had defended the compliance orders as a quick way to stop environmental damage and argued that allowing accused polluters to get a court hearing would tie the EPA up in lengthy litigation. An attorney for the Sacketts argued that they should not have to wait for years for judicial review until the EPA decides to go to court and said the compliance order was coercive, requiring action to avoid potentially huge fines. Damien Schiff, the attorney for the couple, hailed the ruling. "EPA is not above the law," he said. That's the bottom line with today's ruling. This is a great day for Mike and Chantell Sackett, because it confirms that EPA can't deny them access to justice. EPA can't repeal the Sacketts' fundamental right to their day in court," he said. The Supreme Court case is Sackett v EPA, No. Reporting By James Vicini; Editing by Jackie Frank

How geeks run awards shows Vimeo By Rosa Golijan Vimeo is holding its annual festival in New York City this week. As part of the event, the video-sharing service held an awards show on Thursday, honoring creative types and the videos they've produced. Since the awards show was designed by geeks - and for geeks - there's naturally plenty of tech hiding in every corner. Evan Grant of Seeper - a London-based arts and technology collective that is that "brains" behind the technology of the awards show - took some time to explain exactly what it took to run what he describes as the "world's first real time, responsive, projection mapped awards show." Unlike many conventional awards shows, Grant says, Vimeo's has a stage consisting of a three-dimensional sculpture which seemingly comes to life. That's because there are high-resolution 3-D graphics which are projected from both the front and the rear of the set. These 3-D graphics are often responding to whoever is on stage - thanks to a motion tracking system similar to the one found in the Kinect connected to your Xbox - and thereby offering these individuals control of the entire set. This setup means that there has to be a system capable of tracking and processing graphics, video, sound, light, and human interaction all at the same time. And that takes quite a bit of gear. Grant tells me that it took the equivalent of 64 consumer PCs, 30 video projectors and 64 graphics cards to keep things running. This is, of course, all after over 5,000 hours of production time, which produced the 50,000 or so lines of code making up the digital performance system underneath it all as well as about 45,000 frames of hand-rendered 3-D motion graphics. The end result was mesmerizing though. The show consists of about 180,00 frames total, with approximately six million pixels being projected during every frame. Yes, that means that over one trillion pixels were shown during the awards show. And that alone sounds impressive. Want more tech news, silly puns, or amusing links? You'll get plenty of all three if you keep up with Rosa Golijan, the writer of this post, by following her on Twitter, subscribing to her Facebook posts, or circling her on Google+.

Euro 2012: Roy Hodgson's England inspired by Holocaust survivors Zigi Shipper and Ben Helfgott "The whole lesson was very inspirational,"" said the England captain Steven Gerrard. All the lads were focused and concentrated, which is not very usual with a group of footballers in a room for more than 10 minutes, but it was very interesting. Theo Walcott gave me a hug. I'm an Arsenal supporter so that was great. I said to Theo: "I'm so sorry for your mum and dad that they are not able to go to Poland and Ukraine to see you play." Racism is terrible."" Hodgson said that it was a "matter for referees and Uefa" whether teams should be taken off if racially abused in Ukraine. You're talking about something that is abhorrent to anybody. It's been brought home to me with great effect when you listen to the two survivors of the Holocaust, two guys born in Poland who have a story to tell of how prejudice cost them everything but their lives. It cost six million people their lives.""

Kate Winslet marries Ned Rocknroll in private New York ceremony 27 December 2012 Last updated at 11:57 Actress Kate Winslet has married her partner Ned Rocknroll in a secret ceremony in New York, it has been confirmed. A representative for Winslet said the private ceremony, held earlier this month, was attended by her two children and "a very few friends and family." The Oscar-winner has been engaged to Ned Rocknroll, the nephew of Sir Richard Branson, since the summer. Winslet has previously been wed to Jim Threapleton and Sam Mendes. She has a daughter, Mia, with Threapleton, who she was married to for three years until 2001, and a son, Joe, with director Mendes, who she split from in 2010. Details of the New York wedding have been kept private, but People magazine reported that actor Leonardo DiCaprio was in attendance, DiCaprio and Winslet starred together in the hugely successful Titanic movie, and teamed up again for Revolutionary Road, a grim inspection of married life in suburbia, which was directed by Mendes. Winslet and RocknRoll were at Sir Richard's Caribbean retreat Necker Island in 2011 when a fire devastated the Virgin boss's luxury home. Sir Richard praised Winslet for helping his elderly mother to safety. Rocknroll, who changed his name from Abel Smith, works for his uncle's space flight company, Virgin Galactic.

Green's 3-Pointer Pushes Spurs Past Lakers 84-82 Danny Green hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with 9.3 seconds left, Tony Parker scored 19 points and the San Antonio Spurs beat Los Angeles 84-82 Tuesday night in the Lakers' first loss since firing coach Mike Brown. After Pau Gasol missed a 3-pointer, Tiago Splitter's hustle prevented the Lakers from controlling the rebound before the buzzer sounded on Los Angeles' first game since hiring Mike D'Antoni late Sunday night. Interim coach Bernie Bickerstaff ran the team for the third straight game. Tim Duncan had 18 points and 11 rebounds for the Spurs, who improved the Western Conference's best record to 7-1 thanks to Green's third 3-pointer of the night. Kobe Bryant had 28 points and eight rebounds for the Lakers, who dropped to 3-5 after committing 17 turnovers on a poor shooting night. Dwight Howard had 13 points and 15 rebounds. The Lakers found another kind of drama in their first game since the club surprisingly bypassed 11-time NBA champion Phil Jackson to hire D'Antoni, who is expected to arrive in Los Angeles on Wednesday. The Lakers' crowd cheered for Bickerstaff, but never broke out into the "We want Phil!" chants that occurred in their past two games. Both teams struggled with poor shooting until the final minutes, when Antawn Jamison's 3-pointer from the corner put the Lakers ahead 78-77 with 2:10 to play. Duncan reclaimed the lead with a jumper, but Gasol hit two free throws with 1:36 left and added an elbow jumper. Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant (24) and San Antonio Spurs' Tim Duncan (21) watch a shot by Duncan in the first half of an NBA basketball game in Los Angeles, Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2012. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) Close Duncan trimmed the lead to one point before Metta World Peace missed an open jumper in the final minute. The Spurs worked the ball to Green out of a timeout, and the guard confidently drained his 3-pointer, accidentally bumping Bryant during his celebration. The Lakers' final possession developed poorly, and the 7-foot Gasol had to force up a 3-point attempt. Despite the loss, several days of upheaval finally abated Tuesday for the Lakers - even though their new coach still isn't in town. The Lakers haven't said when D'Antoni will formally take over the team, and Bickerstaff could still be running the bench Friday when the Phoenix Suns visit Staples Center. And though Jackson has criticized the Lakers' handling of his candidacy, the players who had been eager to play for the Zen Master seem equally eager to line up for D'Antoni. Bryant and Steve Nash enthusiastically endorsed D'Antoni's hiring at the morning shootaround, with Bryant downplaying the notion that the Lakers' defense would suffer during the offense-minded coach's tenure. The Lakers played without point guard Steve Blake, who has a minor abdominal strain. Blake had started the Lakers' last five games in place of Nash, who will be out for another week or more with a small fracture in his leg. Darius Morris had one point on 0-for-5 shooting in his first career NBA start in Blake's place, while veteran backup Chris Duhon managed five points. The Lakers played without a point guard down the stretch, with World Peace defending Parker while Bryant largely orchestrated the Lakers' offense. While the Lakers wait for a regime change on the bench, they've improved the effort that partly led to Brown's firing - and the Lakers aren't running Brown's much-debated, Princeton-based offense, sticking largely to pickup-ball sets on offense since the coach's departure. NOTES: The Lakers barely exceeded the 80 points they scored in February 1999 during their lowest-scoring performance ever in their first 146 meetings with the Spurs. ... DeJuan Blair scored six points for the Spurs while playing on a bruised left knee. ... World Peace celebrated his 33rd birthday. The eccentric forward said he has enjoyed multiple birthday parties over the past few days. ... Floyd Mayweather Jr., Minnesota Vikings lineman Matt Kalil and David Beckham attended the game.

Retha Walden Gambaro's Sculptures at Heard Museum PHOENIX - Some of the American Indian artworks at the Heard Museum date back a century or more, while others are brand-new, brought here along bumpy reservation roads just last month or last year. Caesar Chaves Retha Walden Gambaro's "Acceptance," at the Heard Museum in Phoenix. The sculptures of Retha Walden Gambaro, both traditional and contemporary, fit somewhere in between. Now in her mid-90s, Mrs. Gambaro is nearing the end of a remarkable artistic life that began at an age when other artists have already spent many years honing their craft. At 52, with her children grown, she took up clay, stone and bronze and then worked steadily through middle and old age. The works that her increasingly fragile hands were able to produce - some of which are on view through May 13 as part of the exhibition "Retha Walden Gambaro: Attitudes of Prayer" in the Heard's new sculpture garden - surprised even Mrs. Gambaro, said her daughter, Anna Gambaro Butler. "She said something just took over her hands, and it was like a miracle," Ms. Butler said. "She'd be crying as she sculpted and she'd ask, "How am I doing this?" " Mrs. Gambaro, a Creek Indian, had worked in numerous other professions, including as a seamstress and a gallery owner, before turning to sculpture. She had promoted the work of other artists for years through her gallery, which specialized in American Indian art, and as part of the committee that helped push for the creation of, and raised funds for, the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington. It had been her dream to show her work at the Heard, which dates to 1929 and has a prestigious collection of American Indian art. Mrs. Gambaro grew up not far from the museum in downtown Phoenix, having moved there with her family from Indian territory in Oklahoma, where she was born. "When I told her last year that she was having an exhibit at the Heard, her eyes lit up," Ms. Butler said of the high- profile show. She knew what it meant. She said, "I better get up and get busy. I have lots of work to do. But, of course, she couldn't get up by then. Mrs. Gambaro stopped making sculptures about five years ago, as she approached 90. She had been growing weaker and had suffered a bad fall. "I'd take her to her studio, and she'd look around and say: "I did all this. I can't believe I did all this." " Mrs. Gambaro, who is suffering from dementia and is frail, is now being cared for at a nursing home in Virginia, her daughter said. But a walk through the Heard's atrium gives a glimpse of her productivity. It's hard to look at Mrs. Gambaro's "Harvest," which shows a seated woman holding a basket of corn, potatoes and prickly pears, or her "Gratitude," in which a woman extends her hands toward the sky, without feeling a sense of calm. Ms. Butler said that was characteristic of her mother. "She's not sculpting anymore, but that spirituality that she had is still there," Ms. Butler said. The nurses say that they love to visit her. She's at peace. One of her works, "Acceptance," which shows a woman looking at a fallen leaf, is a self-portrait. "Retha told me that she had been walking in the woods and was looking at a leaf and contemplating on the seasons," said Letitia Chambers, the Heard's president and a friend of the artist. She was 80 then and didn't know how long she'd be able to sculpt or what life would bring. So she went right home and created this.

Micronetics supplying Typhoon components - UPI.com HUDSON, N.H., March 12 (UPI) -- A U.S. company that makes microwave and radio frequency components has been contracted for the Eurofighter Typhoon program. Micronetics Inc. said a "prime international customer" has given it a $1 million award to produce microwave components that will be integrated into the aircraft's Captor active, electronically scanned array radar system. "We are pleased to continue our role as a key supplier to the Eurofighter Typhoon program and this new order reflects our customer's confidence in our ability to deliver critically important, high performance microwave components," said Micronetics Chief Executive Officer David Robbins. Details on what components are to be supplied weren't disclosed but Micronetics said delivery of the items would begin in the second quarter of fiscal 2013. Captor is a multi-mode pulse Doppler radar specifically designed for the Typhoon and produced by the Euroradar consortium, which includes Selex Galileo, EADS and Indra. The Typhoon, a multi-role fighter, is produced by Eurofighter GmbH, a company formed in 1986 by EADS, Alenia Aeronautica and BAE Systems.

Wall Street looks beyond US elections There was an embarrassing silence after Mary Schapiro, chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, spoke to the annual meeting of Wall Street lobby group Sifma this week. When the moderator opened the floor to questions, not a single banker stood up with a query. This despite the fact Ms Schapiro is writing the rules that will reshape their industry. Clearly, the audience had something else on its mind. Like just about everyone else in the US right now, Wall Street is obsessing about the election. At an earlier Sifma session, a panel of political operatives was peppered with questions on the latest polling data. Do the Ohio polls under-sample young voters? How many Senate seats are toss-ups right now? Which party has the stronger "ground game" in Florida? And on and on. Investors are devouring the work of analysts, strategists and other prognosticators who claim to know which stocks will outperform if Mitt Romney sweeps to power, and which would shine if Barack Obama is re-elected. The vexed issue of the "fiscal cliff," so important to the overall US economy, might be too complicated to game out at this point, but from a sector-by-sector view, some of the research is startling. From the start of the year, Jeffrey Kleintop, strategist at LPL Financial, began measuring the relative performance of two baskets of stocks, one stuffed with oil and gas companies and banks likely to get sympathetic treatment from the Republicans, the other with groups that could do better under Democrat policies. The "Democrat" stocks enjoyed a widening gap over the rival basket until almost precisely the moment that Romney won the first presidential debate on October 3 and put himself back in contention. Since then, the "Democrat" stocks" outperformance has narrowed from 22 per cent to about 16 per cent. Also cited as evidence of the Romney resurgence's effect on markets, the coal mining sector has surged 22 per cent since that debate and big banks are up a market-beating 4 per cent. The executive branch's most direct effect on business is through the people it appoints as regulators, so a Romney administration Environmental Protection Agency may quickly ease hostility to coal, while the next Mary Schapiro might go easy on the banks. Like coal, oil and gas is another sector touted as a winner if Republicans gain power. A second school of thought, though, suggests that Obama, with his penchant for loose fiscal and monetary policy, is more likely to stoke the inflation that keeps oil and gas prices high, aiding the sector more. The most sophisticated bankers are providing multi-dimensional ready reckoners for their clients, plotting winners and losers in each of the myriad combinations of congressional and presidential outcomes. With breathtaking precision, Goldman Sachs says shares of the nation's giant healthcare providers, such as Humana and WellPoint, will be worth 10 per cent more if Romney wins and Republicans capture the Senate, but that if Obama wins and there is no change to Congress, they will be worth 4 per cent less. A split decision, in which Romney wins but Democrats keep the Senate, will send the shares down 1 per cent. The logic is that, having promised to repeal Obamacare, Romney will encourage Congress to embark on Healthcare Reform II and that those businesses that lost out last time - like the providers, forced to widen coverage with squeezed margins - can be expected to claw back some profitability. Device makers might not be taxed as much as under Obamacare. Hospital stocks, which did well from the Democrats" reforms, could lose their privileges. The outcome of any new attempt to reform the sprawlingly complex US healthcare system is almost certainly going to defy prediction, just as it did three years ago when the Obama administration began negotiations. But healthcare provider stocks have outperformed the S&P 500 since the first presidential debate, putting on 1.5 per cent compared with the broader market's 2.6 per cent decline. Hospital stocks are down 7.2 per cent over the period. Long-term investors are hardly likely to make that punt when so much is up in the air. From now until polling day, though, it seems a good bet that the political junkies will be driving the market.

House Passes Bill Banning Insider Trading by Members of Congress WASHINGTON - The House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a bill on Thursday to ban insider trading by members of Congress and to impose new ethics requirements on lawmakers and federal agency officials. The 417-to-2 vote came less than three weeks after President Obama demanded such action in his State of the Union address. The Senate approved a similar bill by a vote of 96 to 3 on Feb. 2, but the lopsided votes concealed deep disagreements over the details of the legislation. The swift response and the debate in both chambers showed lawmakers defensive and anxious about the low esteem in which Congress is held. The public approval rating of Congress has sunk below 15 percent. "We need to stop the insidious practice of insider trading, giving members of this body an unfair advantage over Americans who sent us here to represent them," said Representative Kathy Hochul, Democrat of New York. Let us begin the long process of restoring the faith of the American people in this institution. The bill now goes back to the Senate. The two chambers could try to work out their differences in a conference committee or through informal negotiations. Democrats said that House Republican leaders had weakened the Senate-passed bill by stripping out a provision that would, for the first time, regulate firms that collect "political intelligence" for hedge funds, mutual funds and other investors. Under the Senate bill, such firms would have to register and report their activities, as lobbyists do. In place of this requirement, the House version of the bill calls for a study of whether to require registration of people who collect political intelligence for the use of investors. Representative Louise M. Slaughter, Democrat of New York, who has been pushing ethics legislation since 2006, said that House Republican leaders apparently "could not stomach pressure from the political intelligence community, which is unregulated and unseen and operates in the dark." Senator Charles E. Grassley, Republican of Iowa, who wrote the proposed disclosure requirement for political intelligence firms, said it was "astonishing and extremely disappointing that the House would fulfill Wall Street's wishes by killing this provision." However, the House Republican leader, Representative Eric Cantor of Virginia, said the political intelligence section of the Senate bill was flawed. "That provision raises an awful lot of questions," Mr. Cantor said Thursday on the House floor. There is a lot of discussion and debate about who and what would qualify and fall under the suggested language that came from the Senate. That is why we are calling for a study of the issue. The House Democratic leader, Representative Nancy Pelosi of California, said the House-passed bill had "serious shortcomings" and was "much diminished" from the Senate version. She supported it, as a way to advance the legislation, but said, "I don't want anybody to interpret the strong vote for it as a seal of approval." Some Republicans described the bill as an overreaction, but voted for it anyway, saying they could not easily explain their concerns to a restive public. In the Senate, the bill - the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act, or Stock Act - was written by members of both parties. In the House, it was revised by Republican leaders, without consulting Democrats, and it was considered on the House floor in a way that precluded amendments. House Republicans had their own reasons for supporting the bill. Representative Lamar Smith, Republican of Texas and chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, said: "The risk of government self-dealing is heightened by the huge growth in recent years of the federal government and its increasing entanglement with the private economy. Big government can move markets. That's why we need strong rules to make sure policy makers are not enriching themselves by the use of insider information. Moreover, the bill requires members of Congress to disclose the purchase or sale of stocks, bonds, commodities futures and other securities within 30 to 45 days of transactions. A similar disclosure requirement would apply to thousands of federal employees in the executive branch, including the White House, cabinet departments and independent agencies. The House added a provision to prohibit members of Congress, their aides and executive branch officials from receiving special access to initial public stock offerings because of their positions. Republicans said this provision was inspired by an investment in 2008 by Ms. Pelosi, who was then the speaker of the House. The legislation, as passed by both houses, would cut off federal pensions for members of Congress convicted of felonies involving public corruption. Ms. Slaughter and Representative Tim Walz, Democrat of Minnesota, led the charge for the legislation in the House. "The perception is that members of Congress are enriching themselves," Mr. Walz said. That's not only an affront to our neighbors, that we are not playing by the rules. It is a cancer that can destroy the democracy. Federal securities law does not explicitly exempt members of Congress, but experts disagree on whether and when lawmakers may be found to have violated the law.

Alex Salmond calls for line to be drawn under college funding affair ALEX SALMOND today called on opposition parties to draw a line under the row over college funding which saw him forced to apologise to MSPs in Parliament last week. Opposition parties are calling for new powers for Scottish Government to hire and fire college boards to be ditched The First Minister was forced to admit that he got it wrong in a Holyrood debate after claiming that college funding was going up in Scotland - when in fact it's falling. But opposition parties should have the "grace" to accept he said sorry at the earliest opportunity and "move on," Mr Salmond said today. "They say that apologies are good for the soul - I made one last week and if I make a mistake I take responsibility for it and apologise," Mr Salmond told BBC Radio Scotland today. If I picked up every single error from the opposition parties on a daily basis in the Parliament, then the Parliament would do nothing else but talk about its mistakes. He added: "Most Parliaments, in fact all Parliaments I've ever seen when this happens, accept that and move on. The Labour party seem neither to have the grace to accept things and certainly not the will to move on. The Holyrood row followed a controversial spat between Education Secretary Mike Russell and Stow College chairman Kirk Ramsay. The latter was forced to quit after it emerged he made a recording of a meeting on reforms of the sector. His resignation came amid claims of bullying at the hands of Mr Russell. The First Minister said today that the figures he provided for this year and next year were correct. But he added: "What happened was that in the document I was given I forgot to add on the additional spending which had been allocated for last year. So it was actually a mistake where we underestimated the amount that had been spent last year in Scotland. It may be the first time that a Government has underestimated the amount of money by around £9 million.

Westwood strikes pure gold in Paris Dame Vivienne Westwood remains, at 71, one of only a few designers at the height of her profession who is fully in control of her own, spectacularly successful and globally recognised label. And so, with the fashion establishment currently more than a little preoccupied with which particular designer will end up presiding over which particular grand name - both Christian Dior and Yves Saint Laurent have yet to confirm their creative directors - it was good to see this hugely influential name take to the catwalk in Paris yesterday and parade a style that is unmistakably her own. The collection was called London - ironic perhaps, given that Westwood shows her second line in that city but stages the main event, Vivienne Westwood Gold Label, in the French capital. "I decided to call it London," Westwood stated. I knew Andreas [Kronthaler, her husband and creative partner] would like it because to him it would be clear and simple and he loves London. In fact, Westwood's principal inspiration was "heroes"; she's been clothing them for more than 30 years, after all. Looking back at the heroes of the past they look so incredible in their clothes - artists, intellectuals, scientists, cultivated people. She'd also been thinking of the 17th century, she said. A century of great change and drama, it was the age of the amateur and of the rugged individualist and adventurer. In this century, the British forged their national identity. All of this ultimately translated into the wasp-waisted, strong-shouldered Harris tweed and tartan tailoring, overblown ball gowns and jewel-encrusted corsetry. Less obviously indebted to the historical theme were fine-gauge knitted long johns with buttons up the back, a one-legged silver body stocking and a model in a pastel pink marabou chubby coat who cycled down the catwalk to witty effect. Never one to miss the chance to bang a political drum, Westwood's show notes said: "We would like to ask, 'Can London switch off the lights that are left on all night in empty buildings and therefore help stop climate change?'" Backstage, Ms Westwood added: "That way we would see more stars." At the end of the show, Westwood came to take her bows in a silk dress printed with money. "Fashion spins money," she said: "My motto is buy less, choose well and make it last." Earlier, Viktor & Rolf's collection was a rather less upbeat affair. Theirs was a woman who transformed into a lupine creature of the night. But her fluid silk pyjamas, dresses sprouting tufts of mink and, finally, full-on fur coats failed to inspire.

Etan Patz, and the SoHo of Our Childhood Another heartbreak. Each time Etan Patz's name comes back into the news, I hope for closure. I was his neighbor, and, like every other kid downtown, it could just as easily have been me. Only I didn't think that at the time. When my father and stepmother moved from a dicey block in Chelsea to SoHo in the late 1970s, it was thrilling. I lived in Vancouver, Canada, with my mother at the time and spent my vacations visiting. I loved the neighborhood. Even as a kid, I knew it was a special place. I keep hearing it described as gritty. It wasn't, especially compared to Amsterdam Avenue or Union Square. SoHo was quiet; during the day there were active factories, art galleries and a few coffee shops. At night it was pretty empty, and the scale of the buildings, along with the fact that most of the kids in the neighborhood knew one another (there were very few families in SoHo at the time), made it feel like a perfect, secret city. One of the best things about visiting my father was that my younger brother and I were allowed to walk to the ice cream place two blocks away by ourselves. SoHo equaled freedom. My father's building had two lofts per floor and a manually operated elevator. Whoever came home first had to keep their loft door open and listen for the next person's ring, then pick them up. I loved working the brass lever, even though it meant having to make small talk with the neighbors. My brother and I had been commuting from the West Coast for four years, and eventually were allowed to fly by ourselves. Before getting on the plane, we were given Unaccompanied Minor stickers to wear on our shirts. The first time we flew alone, the flight attendant told us not to leave our seats until everyone else got off the plane. Midflight, my brother had to go to the bathroom. I told him he had to hold it or we would get in trouble. But at the end of May 1979, when I was 10 and my brother 9, my father flew to Canada specifically to bring us to New York for the summer. First he sat us down in his hotel room and told us there was something we needed to know before we got to New York. He had a peculiar expression; I knew something was wrong. "Have a seat," he said, patting the couch next to an air-conditioner that spat cool into the room. It's Etan. I knew Etan. He lived downstairs from my father. "He's missing," said my father. The statement didn't make sense. I wondered if my father meant Etan was missing something and he'd come to tell us we'd been accused. I looked at the floor, prepared to take the blame. "Missing?" my brother asked. He's gone. He wandered off, or someone took him. My father crossed his legs tightly. I felt like you should hear this in person, directly from me, which is why I came. I still didn't understand. Someone took him? "He could be dead by now," said my father. My brother made a small sound like a cat. The air-conditioner continued to choke while everything else in the room froze. Finally, my father said, "If anyone you don't know comes near you and wants to take you somewhere, no matter what they try to tell you, scream bloody murder." I tried to imagine yelling those exact words. Kind of hard to say fast. "They'll find him," I said. At the bodega or Jamie Canvas. Jamie Canvas was the neighborhood art store. My brother wasn't convinced. I don't get it. My father put his hands behind his neck. His mother went to the fire escape and watched him go to the bus stop. But Etan never showed up at school. My brother dug his hands between the couch cushions and looked at me. "They'll find him," I said again. Not necessarily. There are a lot of crazy people out there," said my father. I got off the couch and stood in front of both of them and tried to gain control. They'll find him and he'll be fine.

Maurice André, Star of Classical Trumpet, Dies at 78 Maurice André, a virtuoso credited with having transformed the trumpet from a workaday cog in the back of the orchestra into a seductive solo instrument in front, died on Feb. 25 in Bayonne, in southwest France. He was 78. His family confirmed the death to the news agency Agence France-Presse, declining to specify the cause. Mr. André, who began his professional life as a coal miner, was esteemed as a trumpeter for his warm, robust tone; lightning technique; and clarion high notes, whose stratospheric reaches could prompt waves of applause from audiences. What potential for showmanship his gifts entailed was mitigated, most critics agreed, by his sensitive musicianship, which let him spin out lyrical, shapely lines much as a singer would. By all accounts, Mr. André was to the trumpet what Jean-Pierre Rampal was to the flute or Pablo Casals to the cello: a player whose instrument, long considered a mainstay of the orchestral ark, became, in his hands, the fleet, dazzling tool of a concerto soloist. "Trumpet players play in orchestras; that's what we do," the conductor Gerard Schwarz, who is a former co-principal trumpeter of the New York Philharmonic, said in a telephone interview on Friday. Maurice was the only one to actually have a real major career as a soloist and have a real following from audiences all over the world. From the 1960s until his retirement less than 10 years ago, Mr. André was ubiquitous as a soloist with major orchestras, in recital and on hundreds of recordings. He specialized in Baroque repertory, notably the work of Bach, Handel and Telemann. As his interpretations showed, however, he felt relatively unfettered by the more staid - if more faithful - historical performance practices that were gaining popularity in the second half of the 20th century. "He was certainly not a purist," Mr. Schwarz recalled. If he felt that it would be more exciting to take the last few notes of any concerto up an octave, he would do that. He really cared deeply about the audience, and he really wanted to make them enjoy themselves. The repertory for solo trumpet is scant. To compensate, Mr. André performed transcriptions of many Baroque pieces for solo violin, voice and especially oboe. He occasionally commissioned new works from composers like André Jolivet, Henri Tomasi and Jean Langlais. He was also an enthusiastic ambassador for the piccolo trumpet, the trumpet's smaller, higher brother, heard most famously in Bach's Second Brandenburg Concerto. Mr. André, who performed on the instrument often, was far from piccolo himself, and in his hamlike hands the instrument seemed practically to vanish. Maurice André was born on May 21, 1933, near Alès, in the south of France. His father was a coal miner and amateur trumpeter, and at 14 Maurice entered the mines, where he worked for the next four years. The tons of coal he hauled, he later said, gave him the stamina that made his pyrotechnic playing possible. He began learning the cornet as a boy and later switched to the trumpet. After private lessons with a local teacher, he was encouraged to study at the Conservatoire de Paris. His family could not afford to send him, but it was discovered that members of military bands received free tuition. He joined the Eighth Regiment band, stationed at Mont-Valérien, outside Paris, and enrolled in the conservatory. After graduating in 1953, the young Mr. André held posts in several French orchestras before embarking on a solo career. In retirement, Mr. André lived in the Basque country of southwest France. Survivors include his wife, Liliane; a son, Nicolas, a trumpeter; and a daughter Béatrice, an oboist. Among his recordings are a series released by the Musical Heritage Society in the 1960s and afterward, including "Six Trumpet Concertos," featuring works by Vivaldi, Tartini and Albinoni; the Shostakovich concerto for piano, trumpet and string orchestra, with the pianist Annie d'Arco; and "Music for Trumpet and Organ," with Marie-Claire Alain. Besides possessing physical strength born of the coal mines, Mr. André had strength of another kind. This, too, he made clear, helped sustain him in performance, where he might be obliged to slice through anything from a full symphony orchestra to a thundering pipe organ. "It takes a strong personality to make an impact with the trumpet," he told The New York Times in 1983. You're like a matador in a bull ring. I see flutists and oboists go on the stage gingerly. If you do that with the trumpet you're finished. You have to go on as a winner.

Biker caught at 156mph in Cambridgeshire A biker has been banned for dangerous driving after being caught travelling at 156mph on the A1 (M) in Cambridgeshire. Peter Clarke, aged 44 from Broadgate in Sutton St Edmund, was spotted on May 12 2011, undertaking vehicles on a stretch of the road near Brampton. He admitted speeding but denied dangerous driving at Peterborough Crown Court. However, he was found guilty by a majority verdict of 11 to one and was banned from driving for 18 months, fined £1,000 ordered to pay costs of £1,000 and a £15 victim surcharge. Cambridgeshire Police's PC Francis Crawford said: "Excessive speed on the roads, no matter how competent a driver you believe you are, is not acceptable and will not be tolerated by police. Peter Clarke's actions on the day were highly dangerous and we're pleased that has been recognised by the court. He added, "Anyone thinking of driving or riding at such speeds should be under no illusion, we will catch them and put them before the courts."

Video: Bahraini police clamp down on revolt anniversary protests Armoured vehicles patrolled Bahrain's capital on Tuesday in a security clampdown to deter protesters after overnight clashes. Youths flung petrol bombs at police cars during skirmishes before dawn, prompting authorities to flood Shi'ite villages around Manama with police reinforcements backed by helicopters. Police fired tear gas at two dozen protesters near the former Pearl Roundabout, focal point of last year's protests, nearly hitting several people as canisters bounced off cars. Groups that appeared later were also doused with tear gas and about 30 people in total were detained and taken away. The re-emergence of armoured personnel carriers for the first time since martial law was lifted in June underlined the concerns of the Sunni Muslim-led monarchy about a new explosion of civil unrest by Bahrain's disgruntled Shi'ite majority. Shi'ite protests have intensified before the anniversary of the uprising, when mainly Shi'ite protesters occupied Pearl Roundabout for a month before security forces aided by Saudi troops broke up the movement that was inspired by revolts in Egypt, Tunisia and elsewhere in the Arab world. No deaths or injuries were reported. At least 35 people, including security personnel, died during the protests last year.

Good News on Food Prices, While It Lasts We've finally hit a run of good news about global food prices. But the agency that tracks them, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, is warning that that it may not last. The F.A.O."s global index of food prices fell by 1.8 percent in June by comparison with May's level, the third consecutive month of decline. The index, closely watched because of the effect of food prices on billions of poor people, is at its lowest point since September 2010, and is 15 percent below a peak reached in February 2011. Still, by historical standards, food prices remain high. Adjusted for inflation, they are more than 40 percent above the prices prevailing in 2000, for instance. And in releasing the latest version of the index, the F.A.O. warned that June's dip could be followed by an increase in July. Harsh weather in some food-growing regions has raised concerns about this year's harvest, and food prices are rising this month on commodity exchanges. This week my colleague Monica Davey outlined the situation in the American corn belt, for instance. We won't really know how this year will shake out until later in the Northern Hemisphere's growing season, but recent events certainly give fresh cause for worry. And they raise anew the question of whether extreme weather related to global warming is already having an impact on the food supply. To give some longer-term perspective, the food-price spikes of recent years still have not equaled the drastic run-up in the mid-1970"s, after massive Russian grain failures sent global markets into turmoil, nor the price spikes of World War I and World War II. But the contemporary price spike has now lasted for a good bit longer than the 1970"s spike, belying predictions made a few years ago that prices would soon return to their historical trend: a long, slow decline. Based on current evidence, the idea that we have entered some kind of paradigm shift regarding the food supply cannot be ruled out.

Closing of Far Rockaway Charter School Will Go to Court - SchoolBook A charter school in Far Rockaway in Queens won a temporary restraining order on Wednesday, halting - for the moment - the city's plans to close the school for poor performance. City education officials announced in January that they would not renew the charter of Peninsula Preparatory Charter School, an elementary school that has received C's on the city's progress report for the last four years. While the school's administrators and parents point to signs of progress, and insist they are being held to a double standard, the city's Education Department has adhered to its position that the school has not met the goals outlined in its charter. Now the school has brought the matter to court, winning a temporary restraining order and forcing the city to make its case at a hearing on March 29 at Queens County Supreme Court. Although it is rare for the city to close a charter school, it is rarer still for the school to sue to remain open, though some have sought recourse from the state Education Department. In 2011, when the city's Education Department decided to close the Ross Global Academy, a charter school on the Lower East Side, the academy claimed that the city's motives were political, designed to give preference to another charter school. They appealed to former State Education Commissioner David M. Steiner, who rejected the school's argument.

Obama's viral Spider-Man pic tops his adorable moments with kids

Susan Rice breaks her silence to defend herself over Benghazi US ambassador Chris Stevens and three other American staff were killed in the September 11 attack. Mr McCain and other Republicans have accused the US administration of seeking to mislead the public over the true cause of the attack. Ms Rice went on US television news shows and said initial intelligence indicated that the assault arose "spontaneously" out of "copycat" protests against US targets in several Muslim nations at the time. US authorities now say it was a "terrorist" attack. "As a senior White House diplomat, I agreed to a White House request to appear on the Sunday shows to talk about the full range of national security issues of the day," she said. This included the Benghazi attack and Iran's nuclear facilities. "When discussing the attacks against our facilities in Benghazi, I relied solely and squarely on the information provided to me by the intelligence community," the ambassador added. "I made it clear that the information was preliminary and that our investigations would give us the definitive answers," she added. Ms Rice said the death of Mr Stevens and the other officials was a "massive tragedy." The Federal Bureau of Investigation and State Department investigators are now looking into the Benghazi killings. "None of us will rest, none of us will be satisfied, until we have the answers and the terrorists responsible for this attack are brought to justice," Ms Rice declared.

Many US Stores Report Being Sold out of iPhone 5s It was possible to walk into a store Saturday and buy an iPhone 5. But it took some hunting. Some stores reported having Apple's newest phone available for walk-up customers, though not all versions of it. A random check of about a dozen stores indicated that most were sold out. A Verizon store in New York City said the 32 and 64 gigabyte models, but not the 16 GB version, were available. A Sprint store in a suburb of St. Paul, Minn., said all but the most expensive 64 GB iPhone 5s were sold out. "Before we were even scheduled to open, we were pretty much out," said Eric Rayburn, a worker at a Sprint store in Phoenix. The iPhone 5 went on sale Friday, igniting intense interest around the world. Apple's website said phones bought online would ship in three to four weeks. Verizon's website said they would ship by Oct. 19. It's hardly uncommon for supply shortages to make it difficult to get new iPhones in the first days after their release. For Apple, the iPhone introduction is the biggest revenue driver of the year. Analysts say the company will likely sell millions of phones in the first few days. There were long lines Friday at Apple's stores in Asia, Europe and North America as customers pursued the new smartphone. Apple and the phone companies haven't provided sales figures from the first day. Apple is expected to announce early results Monday. Last year, Apple said on the Monday after the launch of the iPhone 4S that it had sold 4 million in the first three days. Freed reported from Minneapolis. AP Technology Writer Peter Svensson in New York contributed to this report.

US consumer prices edge up 0.3pc Amid recent signs of weakness in the labour market, investors are betting the Fed could unleash further monetary stimulus to boost growth, although comments by Fed officials this week suggested the central bank is on hold as it waits to see whether the recovery gains traction. Food prices climbed 0.2pc last month but electricity prices fell 0.8pc, the steepest decline since June. Overall consumer prices rose 2.7pc year-on-year, down from 2.9pc in February. In the 12 months to March, core CPI increased 2.3pc after rising 2.2pc in February. This measure has rebounded from a record low of 0.6pc in October.

Brazil Files Injunction Against Twitter An attempt to block Twitter users from alerting drivers to police roadblocks, radar traps and drunk-driving checkpoints could make the Brazil the first country to take Twitter up on its plans to censor content at governments' requests. About two weeks ago, Twitter unveiled plans to allow country-specific censorship of tweets that might break local laws. An official at the federal prosecutor's office in Goias state Thursday said that as far as he knows no other country has yet tried to get Twitter to block tweets. He declined to be identified because he was not authorized to speak to the press. A spokesman for the federal prosecutor's office said the injunction request was filed Feb. 6.

Video: Palestinian prisoners enter day 74 of hunger strike An estimated 1,600 out of 4,800 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails stopped taking food on April 17 demanding better conditions, an end to administrative detention and solitary confinement and more family visits. Diab and Halahleh, two of six prisoners to have refused food for between 49 and 74 days according to PHR, were among the first wave of inmates whose initial refusals to accept food prompted the mass hunger strike. "His doctor told him that his life is in immediate danger and that he could die any moment and what is very worrisome is the fact that he said that he doesn't want to be saved if something happens to him and he loses consciousness. he doesn't want resuscitation," Anat Litvin said, adding that the organisation believed that the prisoners did not have access to adequate equipment or expertise. The fate of the hunger strikers has touched a nerve in the Palestinian territories with daily demonstrations in the occupied West Bank and in the Gaza Strip to support the movement. On Wednesday, Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad was pressed to do more by demonstrators gathered in Ramallah. A day later, a candlelit vigil was held in the city's main square to show support for those prisoners who remain on hunger strike.

Iowa Case Asks: Is It a Crime to Harass Animals? Prosecutors hope to use a rarely enforced federal law to punish two Iowa pilots whose low flying disturbed thousands of resting migratory birds in a case that centers on this question: Is it a crime to harass animals? In a case drawing attention from bird lovers, two Des Moines men have been charged with violating a federal law that prohibits using aircraft to harass animals. A judge is expected to decide soon whether the Airborne Hunting Act is constitutional. Attorneys for the two men, Paul Austin and Craig Martin, say it's not. Among the questions being debated: Are birds capable of feeling harassment? And if harassing birds is a crime, wouldn't Capt. Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger have violated the law when he accidentally struck a flock of geese before famously landing his plane safely on the Hudson River? Both sides agree Austin and Martin were flying low on Nov. 16 as they passed over Saylorville Lake, a reservoir north of Des Moines known for birdwatching. Tens of thousands of pelicans, ducks, geese and other birds stop there every fall to rest and feed before continuing south. A natural resources specialist for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which manages the lake, saw the two planes pass about 20 feet above the water, disrupting thousands of white pelicans and other birds. Once the birds settled on another part of the lake, the planes passed by again, sending them back into flight, prosecutors said. Natural resources specialist Jonathan Wuebker snapped photographs and eventually cited Austin and Martin for flying "in a careless, negligent or reckless manner" over protected land. Then in February, a grand jury indicted the men on charges of violating the Airborne Hunting Act, which carries up to one year in jail. Prosecutors also aim to seize their small planes - a 1974 Magnus Bowers Fly Baby and a 1946 Aeronca. Prosecutors say the law applies even though the pilots weren't hunting because its ban on harassment makes it a crime "to disturb, worry, molest, rally, concentrate, harry, chase, drive, herd, or torment" animals with a plane. Wuebker compared it to using a car to chase deer through a field. When it is intentional or blatantly obvious, I would definitely consider that harassment. But that's not my decision," he said, noting trial is scheduled for May 30. Austin and Martin have asked a judge to dismiss the case, arguing the law is unconstitutionally vague. In a court filing, defense attorneys said it "seems doubtful" that animals experience the kind of human emotional response necessary to feel harassed. And how can pilots know? Flying is what birds do. Who can say if the bird is pleased or annoyed to have taken flight? Indeed, who can say whether the bird's flight was the result of any cognition and not just impulse?" they asked. Austin's attorney, William Ortman, said Monday that the law doesn't draw a clear line between legal and illegal behavior. In court documents, defense attorneys noted that planes routinely strike birds on accident. They cited the 2009 incident in which Sullenberger successfully ditched US Airways Flight 1549 in the Hudson River after a flock of geese hit it following takeoff. Under the government's theory, they argued, Sullenberger "likely 'harassed' the flock of birds that downed his plane, and he probably 'harassed' fish when he arrived in the Hudson."

Occupy protest movement to go into schools

January 4, 2012 -- Updated 1214 GMT (2014 HKT) (CNN) -- Iowa's Republican electorate shattered Tuesday night, showing a party establishment under siege and voters unable to coalesce behind any candidate in a deeply flawed field. January 4, 2012 -- Updated 1206 GMT (2006 HKT)

Microsoft to buy display maker Perceptive Pixel TORONTO (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp will buy Perceptive Pixel Inc, a six-year-old developer of large touchscreen displays whose customers include cable network CNN, chief executive Steve Ballmer said on Monday. Microsoft also said it plans to launch the latest version of its flagship Windows operating system in October, which Ballmer painted as the most important launch for the Redmond, Washington-based company since Windows 95 almost two decades earlier. "This is an epic year," Ballmer told more than 16,000 business partners at a conference in Toronto. It's a year of unparalleled opportunity. The next 12 months are seen as critical for the software behemoth, which has prepared a multi-pronged assault on the dominance of Apple Inc and Google Inc in the crucial mobile computing space. The company is placing several major bets over that period: its new Windows 8 operating system, on track for a late October launch; its first "Surface" tablets; a new version of Office; and revamped phone software. "Not only will every major product enter a new wave, but by the end of the year we will know if Microsoft's Windows 8 bet, which folds tablets and PCs together, will be a boom or bust for the company," said IDC analyst Al Hilwa. Microsoft said it will be sending Windows 8 to its hardware partners in the first week of August and it will be available more broadly by the end of October. "This will be the biggest product and services launch year in our company's history, creating massive opportunities for our partners to grow their businesses," Ballmer said in a statement released alongside its annual Worldwide Partner Conference. Microsoft, which recently agreed to buy online social network Yammer Inc for $1.2 billion in cash, did not disclose the value of its planned acquisition of Perceptive Pixel. Perceptive Pixel was founded in 2006 and shipped its first multi-touch workstations and large wall displays in 2007, according to its website where it boasted of "transforming the way CNN covered the historic 2008 U.S. Presidential election." Its founder and chief technology officer, Jeff Han, took to the stage at the conference to show off the wall-sized screen, pinching and zooming on maps, marking up content with a stylus, and swiping between Windows 8 applications. Microsoft executives also showed off a test device running Windows RT - which runs on the same ARM Holdings Plc designed chips that power most tablet computers - using a Snapdragon chip from Qualcomm Inc, and said it had agreements with a range of other chipmakers including Texas Instruments Inc and Nvidia Corp. Microsoft shares were 0.8 percent lower at $29.93 in afternoon trading on Nasdaq. Additional writing by Sinead Carew; Editing by Gerald E. McCormick and Tim Dobbyn

Donald MacInnes: It was either the charity collector or a frightening-looking dustbin Recently, I mentioned Kensington High Street's charity collectors and confessed to having been burned by one of these salaried beggars back when I had just fallen off the haggis truck. It was 1998. I was a sporran-eyed Oliver MacTwist, staggered by London's mice-like hordes, parping traffic and aromas which made you sad. I had got a job at the Press Association which, as you may know, is one of the big news agencies which tend to break stories before newspapers. Back in that pre-internet world, news agencies could publish their stories as they were taking place, unlike papers, which had to wait until the next morning to tell their readers that so-and-so had stabbed his cat or come out as gay or been buried under an avalanche. Or all three. So I was making my way to the offices inVictoria when I saw a bloke ahead, smiling and looking friendly. Although I had only been in Gotham City for a few days, I knew that such behaviour was not acceptable in public, so I veered away from him. However, in my alternate path stood a rubbish bin. Now, this was at the tail end of the IRA's bombing campaign and, as a newly arrived country mouse, I was convinced every bin contained something Irish and dangerous. As this irrational fear began to percolate, I was caught in two minds. Speaking to the blue-jacketed guy seemed preferable to inching past the bin as if I were tip-toeing through a room of sleeping lions in a morris dancer's outfit. So our paths duly crossed. "Hi!" he said. How are you? I told him I was okay, all the while keeping a wide-eye on the nearby bin, which was surely seconds away from becoming The Smoking Crater of Death. He started his spiel about needy people needing my money more than I needed it and showing me pictures of crying children. All the while, I could hear the bin ticking, feet away. Tick...tock...tick...tock. A solitary bead of sweat slithered danced down my temple and fell to the pavement. I'll do it! I cried, grabbing his clipboard and signing my name and bank details. It was thus I spent the next year part-funding doctors who fly around Africa, fixing cataracts in people's eyes, which is obviously a very good thing. Not exactly what the Provos wanted to achieve with their Semtex and alarm clocks, but then again, who knows...?

Food facility audits largely ignore FDA guidance WASHINGTON (AP) - Congressional investigators looking into an outbreak of listeria in cantaloupe that killed at least 30 people last year found that third-party auditors who gave Colorado's Jensen Farms a "superior" rating just before the outbreak largely ignored government guidance on food safety. A bipartisan report released Tuesday by the House Energy and Commerce Committee quotes a representative of an auditing company that graded the facility two months before the outbreak as saying that audits are not intended to help clients improve food safety standards. Retailers often rely on such audits to make sure food they buy is safe. Democrats on the panel asked the Food and Drug Administration to crack down on such third-party auditors, who are often the only outside entities to inspect food facilities. A food safety law signed last year will boost FDA inspections of such facilities, but money to carry out those inspections is not guaranteed from Congress. "Weaknesses in third-party auditors represent a significant gap in the food safety system," the Democrats said. Republicans on the committee signed the report but did not echo the Democratic call for more oversight. FDA does not currently regulate third party auditors. The food safety law requires the agency to improve third-party audits of food facilities abroad that export to the United States, but does not address domestic audits. The congressional report notes that Primus Labs, the auditor hired by Jensen Farms, is one of the nation's largest food facility auditors. The company told the committee that the vast majority of the thousands of audits it completes each year receive passing grades - 98.7 percent in 2010, 97.5 percent in 2009 and 98.1 percent in 2008. The president of the company, Robert Stovicek, told the investigators that Primus Labs would be "a rogue element if they tried to pick winners and losers" and that the company does not have the expertise to determine which practices should be pushed by industry. A subcontractor who audited the cantaloupe farm told the committee that auditors dock points if a facility is not following specific FDA regulations but do not account for the agency's many guidances on how best to keep food safe. The outbreak of listeria in cantaloupe this fall was the deadliest outbreak of foodborne illness in 25 years. Thirty people died, 146 people were sickened and one woman suffered a miscarriage after eating the tainted cantaloupe, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The FDA said in October that pools of dirty water on the floor and old, hard-to-clean equipment at Jensen Farms were probably to blame. Government investigators found several positive samples of listeria bacteria on equipment in the Jensen Farms packing facility and on fruit that had been held there. The farm had also stopped using antibacterial washes and did not "pre-cool" cantaloupes off the fields to reduce bacteria growth, the FDA said. The Republican-led committee declined to hold a hearing on the outbreak but released the bipartisan report - including summaries of interviews with the FDA, the owners of the farm and the auditors - instead. The report noted that many in the food industry have required better audits since the cantaloupe outbreak, and did not call for the FDA to step up action. Democrats, who had called for a hearing on the matter, wrote the separate letter to the agency after the report was released asking for stricter oversight. Bill Marler, a food safety lawyer who is suing Jensen Farms on behalf of several of the victims, said that government inspectors should be present at food facilities more often. "The present audit system is fraught with conflicts and is designed not to find safety problems, but to keep food - regardless of quality - flowing from farm to fork," he said.

Pending home sales near a 2-year high in January WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Signed contracts for home resales rose to a nearly two-year high in January, an industry group said on Monday, further evidence of a budding recovery in the housing market. The National Association of Realtors said its Pending Home Sales Index, based on contracts signed in January, increased 2 percent to 97.0 - the highest reading since April 2010. December's reading was revised down to 95.1 from a previously reported 96.6. Economists polled by Reuters had expected signed contracts, which lead existing home sales by a month or two, to rebound 1.0 percent after a previously reported 3.5 percent fall. Contracts signed were up 8.0 percent in the 12 months to January. A nascent recovery is under way in the housing market, with the supply of both new and previously owned homes on the market being whittled down in recent months. But with the foreclosure tide yet to recede and continuing to depress prices, recovery will be a long, drawn-out affair. Reporting by Lucia Mutikani; Editing by James Dalgleish

Even Some Middle Schools Now Test for Drugs The parents sued to challenge the district's policy of drug testing in middle and high school. MILFORD, Pa. - As a 12-year-old seventh grader, Glenn and Kathy Kiederer's older daughter wanted to play sports at Delaware Valley Middle School here. She also wanted to join the scrapbooking club. Glenn and Kathy Kiederer of Milford, Pa., whose younger daughter plays junior-varsity volleyball, question school drug testing. One day she took home a permission slip. It said that to participate in the club or any school sport, she would have to consent to drug testing. "They were asking a 12-year-old to pee in a cup," Kathy Kiederer said. I have a problem with that. They're violating her right to privacy over scrapbooking? Sports? Olympic athletes must submit urine samples to prove they are not doping. The same is true for Tour de France cyclists, N.F.L. players, college athletes and even some high school athletes. Now, children in grades as low as middle school are being told that providing a urine sample is required to play sports or participate in extracurricular activities like drama and choir. Such drug testing at the middle school level is confounding students and stirring objections from parents and proponents of civil liberties. The Kiederers, whose two daughters are now in high school, are plaintiffs in a lawsuit against the Delaware Valley School District, with the daughters identified only by their first initials, A. and M. The parents said that mandatory drug testing was unnecessary and that it infringed on their daughters" rights. For privacy reasons, they asked that their daughters" first names not be published. A lawyer for the school district declined to comment, citing the pending litigation. It is difficult to gauge how many middle schools conduct drug tests on students. States with middle schools that conduct drug testing include Florida, Alabama, Missouri, West Virginia, Arkansas, Ohio, New Jersey and Texas. Some coaches, teachers and school administrators said drug-testing programs served as a deterrent for middle school students encountering drugs of all kinds, including steroids, marijuana and alcohol. "We wanted to do it to create a general awareness of drug prevention," said Steve Klotz, assistant superintendent at Maryville School District in Missouri. We're no different than any other community. We have kids who are making those decisions. There are no known instances of a middle school student testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs like steroids or human growth hormone. The few positive results among middle school students have been attributed to marijuana, officials said, and even those cases are rare. Maryville's drug-testing program, which includes most of its middle and high school students, begins this fall after officials spent 18 months reviewing other programs in the state, Mr. Klotz said. In the fall of 2011, Mr. Klotz said, the school board conducted a survey of parents, and 72 percent said that a drug-testing program was necessary. The cost will be $5,000 to $7,000 a year and will come from the school's general operating budget. "Drug testing is a multibillion-dollar industry," said Dr. Linn Goldberg, head of the Division of Health Promotion and Sports Medicine at the Oregon Health and Science University. They go to these schools and say it's great. But do the schools actually look at the data? Schools don't know what to do. Drug testing for high school athletes, which has been around for years, was deemed constitutional in a 1995 United States Supreme Court ruling. Some districts have expanded their drug-testing programs in recent years to include middle school students. In 2003, the Department of Education started a program that offered federal money for drug testing in grades 6 through 12, and the last of the grants will be closed out this fall. The program, following the outlines of the Supreme Court decision, allowed testing for students who participated in school activities, or whose parents chose to enroll them. In the 2004-5 school year, an estimated 14 percent of public school districts conducted some form of random drug testing, according to a Department of Education report. But middle school testing is not thoroughly tracked by officials. The nature of drug-testing programs at the middle school level varies by school district. In general, an outside testing company conducts the tests under contract with school authorities. Students are generally given little, if any, advance notice and are pulled away from class and asked to urinate in a cup - unsupervised, to comply with privacy laws.

Public get a nudge to dig into their shopping habits Companies will be forced to hand over to their customers the information they hold about their buying patterns to enable them to shop around and get better deals. Energy and mobile phone companies, banks and credit card firms will have to provide the data held about customers' transactions when they request them. If they fail to do so voluntarily, the Government will pass legislation making it compulsory - and extend the "consumer power" plan to other businesses. The "midata" programme, to be announced today, is designed to correct the imbalance under which companies build up a mountain of data about people's purchasing habits and lifestyles to help them sell their products - but consumers are often left in the dark about the practice. Twenty energy, finance and telecoms firms have already signed up to the scheme. Ministers hope millions of people will be able to view their data on computers or mobile phones and work out quickly which energy or phone tariff suits them better; compare the prices or look at the health benefits of their food consumption across all stores; and be told about new films, music or shows tailored to their previous choices and personal taste. The programme, drawn up by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skill, was based on evidence from Downing Street's Behavioural Insights Team, which has been dubbed the "nudge unit." Jo Swinson, the Liberal Democrat Consumer Affairs Minister, said: "This is all about putting power into the hands of consumers. Many businesses reap huge commercial benefits from the information they gather from consumers' daily spending patterns. Why shouldn't consumers also benefit from this by having access to their own data to enable them to make better choices? She added: "It's great when your energy provider tells you how much gas or electricity you're using at any point in the year, or when phone companies tell you which one of their tariffs suits you best. But it's even better when consumers can use that information to get better-value-for-money deals or adjust their lifestyles. This is just one of many ways 'midata' can help, as businesses increasingly recognise sharing data as a means to deliver a better service for their customers. Richard Lloyd, executive director of the consumer group Which?, said: "The 'midata' programme can help put consumers in the driving seat of the information revolution while boosting competition and supporting growth among companies that provide the best products and services." He added: "We're pleased to see the Government putting in place measures to give people the right to data that companies hold on them. Giving consumers more power with their personal data will help them make better use of their money, and that's not only good for customer-friendly businesses, but good for growth in the economy. The Government said it would consult business before making the programme compulsory.

Brother: Family devastated by Jenni Rivera's death Latin singer Jenni Rivera rehearses for the 2012 Billboard Latin Music Awards at the BankUnited Center, Coral Gables, Florida on April 24, 2012. LAKEWOOD, Calif., Dec. 10 (UPI) -- Jenni Rivera's brother Pedro Rivera Jr. said the singer's weekend death in a Learjet crash in Mexico was "a devastation to the family." The 43-year-old recording star was among seven people killed when the plane crashed shortly after takeoff Sunday, Mexican authorities said. Pedro Rivera said his sister's body had not been recovered but when it is the family will head to Mexico to bring it home. We are feeling devastated. It's a devastation to the family," he told E! News Sunday outside the family's home in Lakewood, Calif. We were having a beautiful morning and then we received the news from my brother. 'Go see Mom because we can't find Jenni's plane; we don't know what's happened to her,'" Pedro Rivera said. That's when it started, really early at 9 in the morning. I came to my mom's house. We started getting the news. Then at around 5 p.m., we got confirmation that she was gone. It was so painful. Life is like that. We live and we die. We may be sad, but when God has the last word for all of us in our last days, it's time to go. And this was the way Jenni had to go. Pedro Rivera said to the singer's fans: We don't know how to thank you for all the love you gave to Jenni and to all the family. Jenni Rivera sold more than 20 million albums worldwide and was recently named one of People En Espanol's 25 most powerful women. The mother of five children starred in the reality TV show, "I Love Jenni" and was set to headline an ABC sitcom called "Jenni." People.com said there were no survivors among the seven people on the plane, which took off in Monterrey, Mexico, following Rivera's concert there. Rivera's publicist, lawyer and makeup artist were all onboard. The cause of the crash was under investigation.

England women defeat Wales - International - Rugby Union - The Independent Wales women, fielding Vicky Owens, the sister of the men's hooker Ken, in the second row, lost their Six Nations match at Twickenham on Saturday, 33-0. Michaela Staniford scored two tries and Emily Scarratt, Rowena Burnfield, Kay Wilson and Sarah Hunter scored one for England, who lead the table with three wins. England have won Grand Slams in five of the last six years.

Homicides in D.C.: How to use the interactive map The Washington Post's interactive map on homicides in the District reviews 2,294 cases between 2000 and 2011. Readers can use the map to find killings that happened in their own neighborhoods, follow homicide trends over time, learn how the victims died, and what happened to their cases. Here are some key findings: This interactive map has details about 2,294 homicides that occurred between 2000 and 2011 in the District of Columbia. Find the killings in your neighborhood, follow the trends over time, and learn how the victims died and what happened to their cases. D.C. police's 94 percent homicide closure rate explained Homicides in D.C. are down 55 percent since 2000. The number of homicides in the District fell last year to 108, a 49-year low. Despite the decline, homicide continues to be a tough crime to solve and prosecute in the city. Thirty percent of homicides in D.C. led to convictions for murder or manslaughter. Of the 2,294 homicides that occurred in the District of Columbia between 2000 and 2011, 694 led to convictions for murder or manslaughter. At least 189 cases ended with administrative closures. Motives: Drug killings down 84 percent. The most common motives for homicide in D.C. are arguments, drugs and retaliation. About 2 percent are classified as gang-related. Homicides involving drugs have decreased about 84 percent since 2000. Drug-related homicides accounted for eight of the city's killings last year, compared with 49 in 2000. Most dangerous age: 24 percent of those killed were in their early 20s. More than half of the District's homicide victims between 2000 and 2011 were between the ages of 15 and 29. About 93 percent of those victims were male, and 94 percent were African American. Females accounted for 11 percent of the city's homicide victims, including 23 who were under the age of 14.

NY Times reporter: Bush White House didn't listen to 9/11 warnings (CBS News) Eleven years after the 9/11 attacks, there is new information on what the George W. Bush administration knew about al-Qaeda's plans. We learned after 9/11 that a presidential briefing paper in August 2001 was headlined "Bin Laden Determined to Strike in U.S." Special section: 9/11 Eleven Years Later But Tuesday in the New York Times, investigative reporter Kurt Eichenwald says the White House received ominous warnings as early as May 2001. CBS News spoke with Eichenwald Monday. He said, "What I've been able to see are the presidential daily briefs before August 6 of 2001. And they're horrific, and they are - our reports are 'an attack is coming,' 'there are going to be mass casualties.' The worst of them, the Pentagon, the neo-conservatives at the Pentagon, as the CIA was coming in saying, 'al-Qaeda's going to attack,' said, 'Oh, this is just a false flag operation. Bin laden is trying to take our attention off of the real threat, Iraq. And so there are presidential daily briefs that are literally saying, 'No they're wrong, this isn't fake, it's real.' "CBS This Morning" co-host Norah O'Donnell said, "Then when a lot of people hear this, aren't they going to say, 'This is another example of where, not just the Bush administration, but our intelligence community dropped the ball. They failed to heed the warnings that were in a number of these (documents) that went all the way up to the president of the United States.' Eichenwald replied, "Actually, the counterterrorist center of the CIA did a spectacular job, and that's what really comes down. You know, in the aftermath, the White House and others said, 'Well they didn't tell us enough.' No, they told them everything they needed to know to go on a full alert and the White House didn't do it. Eichenwald has stumbled onto a well-worn path, according to CBS News senior correspondent John Miller, former FBI deputy director and assistant director of National Intelligence, said on "CBS This Morning." "We knew some of that," Miller said. What he has added is the granularity of the actual memos and some of the actual words that were there in front of the White House and the National Security team. But, you know, Richard Clark, who is the national security advisor for terrorism, in his book, he said all the lights were blinking red and we were pushing this in front of Condi Rice every day and it was hard to get any priority on this. In George Tenet's book, he details the briefings they were given, so some of this we knew, and there's some of it in terms of the level of detail we didn't know. But is al-Qaeda still a threat? Miller said the central command of al-Qaeda is "all but dead," but you "have to keep an eye on it." He explained, "It's still capable of being lethal on a small scale. What we have to worry about is not al-Qaeda central command. It's al-Qaeda-ism, which is the way they have marshaled the internet to find followers they have never met who can also do things that are lethal through this kind of inspiration. To watch Eichenwald's interview and for more with Miller, click on the video in the player above.

Roger Clemens trial: Jurors hear Clemens's denials; defense seeks to admit unflattering accounts of McNamee For more than two hours Monday, jurors in the perjury trial of former baseball star Roger Clemens listened to him repeatedly deny using steroids in taped interviews with Congressional staffers and testimony to Congress as the man himself sat quietly at the defense table, scribbling on a yellow legal pad. Roger Clemens walks near the federal courthouse in Washington, D.C., April 30, 2012. Yuri Gripas - Reuters Federal prosecutors are trying to establish the legitimacy of the 2008 House hearings that explored whether Clemens used performance-enhancing drugs during his storied 24-year career. The government must prove not only that Clemens lied to Congress when he denied using steroids, but also that his statements were important to the work of Congress. Phil Barnett, the former staff director of the House committee and the government's first witness, said Congress was trying to reconcile a report by former senator George Mitchell that named Clemens and other ballplayers as steroid users with Clemens's public denials. In the taped interview, Clemens was quizzed about his relationship with Brian McNamee, his former strength coach, who is expected to be a key witness for prosecutors. McNamee told Congress that he injected Clemens on several occasions with steroids, but Clemens said the injections were vitamins - not performance-enhancing drugs. Clemens was asked in his deposition with the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform why McNamee, not a team doctor, was injecting him, and whether the shots could have been tainted with steroids. "I have no reason to believe he was doing anything harmful," Clemens said, later describing McNamee as "great." Clemens also described in detail his account of the use of human growth hormone known as HGH by his wife, Debbie, who he said was injected by McNamee in the bedroom of the couple's Houston home. Clemens said he was not at home at the time, and was concerned that McNamee had "drugs on the property." Clemens said he rifled through McNamee's belongings, which the trainer had left behind, but did not find any HGH. "Deb cried about it; she apologized to me about it," Clemens said. It's embarrassing because she thinks she's been pulled into a trap. Clemens's account is at odds with McNamee's story that Clemens was present when McNamee gave his wife the shot. In a separate court filing Monday, Clemens's defense team objected to efforts by the prosecution to keep out information about McNamee's troubled background. Defense attorney Rusty Hardin says in the documents that the unflattering background is relevant because McNamee's "past contains more dirt than a pitcher's mound."

Most GPs can't recognise signs of Alzheimer's Dementia will kill one in three people over 65, but a survey of GPs reveals that almost two-thirds admit they are not properly taught to recognise the signs of it. Only 37 per cent of GPs say they have adequate basic training on dementia, according to research by the Alzheimer's Society. As a result, just 43 per cent of people with the condition are diagnosed, leaving hundreds of thousands of patients untreated, the charity claims. Around 800,000 people in the UK have a form of dementia, costing the economy more than £23bn every year. In less than 10 years, it is estimated that a million people will be living with the condition, rising to 1.7 million by 2051. If dementia is discovered and treated early, the onset of the worst symptoms can be delayed, giving people a better quality of life. The Alzheimer's Society also found that 75 per cent of GPs wanted to know more about the management of behavioural symptoms of the disease. The survey of 382 GPs was commissioned ahead of Dementia Awareness Week which begins tomorrow. Diane Abbott, Labour spokesperson on public health, said: "This is alarming, because we've got an ageing population with a higher incidence of Alzheimer's than ever. If dementia is caught early people can still have a high quality of life. But, if most GPs don't feel trained to deal with it, that's very worrying news for Britain's elderly and their families. Poor diagnosis rates can also be attributed to the embarrassment and fear that prevents some patients from coming forward. When asked what the barriers to identifying the disease were, 65 per cent of GPs said "many people with dementia do not present to general practice" and 66 per cent also cited the stigma attached to the disease as putting patients off visiting their doctor. Allan Grogan, 70, from the Wirral, took his wife, Mavis, 67, to the doctor in 2006 when she first showed symptoms, but the GP dismissed her unusual behaviour as "no cause for concern." A year later she was diagnosed with Alzheimer's and now she is in full-time care in a nursing home. "She was telling the same stories, and doing little things such as wearing her coat inside the house ,or putting the dishes and cutlery in funny places," said Mr Grogan. We were worried about it and took her to the GP and he said there was no cause for concern. It was only when we went back a second time that it was taken seriously. Dr Alex Turnbull, a GP from Wigan, said: "Having a diagnosis of dementia as early as possible is really important, allowing people to plan for the future as well as to access support and potential treatments. But it is also vital that, as GPs, we get the support and information we need to help people to the best of our ability. An online learning tool to help GPs tackle the problem is being launched this week by the Alzheimer's Society and the British Medical Association. Jeremy Hughes, chief executive of the Alzheimer's Society, said: "Currently, only 43 per cent of people with dementia get a formal diagnosis. This could be for several reasons, including stigma and lack of awareness in the general public, as well as people not visiting their doctor. We need to support GPs as much as possible as they have a vital role to play in diagnosing and supporting people with the condition. Case study: 'It was frustrating: it was such a hard fight just to be diagnosed' Heather Roberts, 57, from Derby, a former lecturer I was 50 when I was diagnosed with Alzheimer's, a good three years after I first told a GP my symptoms. My grandmother had dementia and I started recognising the same signs in myself. My brain was very, very sluggish. I was a college lecturer and have a degree in computing, but I suddenly found myself struggling to add two numbers together. Everyone said I was too young. My first memory test showed I was functioning slightly above average, which they said was fine. A year later, I'd dropped to below average and it was dismissed as a bad day. On the third test, there was a huge drop and finally I was told, 'Yes, you probably do have Alzheimer's'. I was given treatment and my memory is significantly better now. It was frustrating that it was such a hard fight to be diagnosed. GPs aren't trained enough in this and I don't see it improving. My new GP is sceptical even though I have a written diagnosis.

Reluctant heiress jewels sell for $21 million at auction NEW YORK (Reuters) - Jewels belonging to Huguette Clark, who was dubbed the "reluctant heiress" after choosing to spend her final years living in hospitals instead of her lavish homes, sold for $21 million at auction. A rare 9-carat pink diamond ring that fetched more than $15 million, nearly twice its high pre-sale estimate, was the top item in the sale at Christie's on Tuesday which had been expected to total about $10 million. Known as "The Clark Pink," the ring set a new auction record for the most valuable pink diamond sold in the United States. The buyer was U.S. diamond, gem and jewelry special Brett Stettner of Stettner Investment Diamonds, according to Christie's. "The entire collection, which has fascinated collectors and press worldwide, achieved a total of $20.8 million," said Rahul Kadakia, Christie's Americas' head of jewelry. This is the second most valuable private collection sold in the United States in the last decade, just behind the legendary jewels of Elizabeth Taylor. When the sale was announced last month, Kadakia spoke about the iconic Art Deco design and exceptional craftsmanship of the jewels and said they are emblematic of the great Gilded Age in American history. The Clark jewels were offered as part of Christie's magnificent jewels auction, which took in just over $70 million, with 95 percent of the 304 lots finding buyers. The top 10 lots, each commanding prices over $1 million, were snapped up by Asian, Middle Eastern, European and other international dealer and clients, as well as U.S.-based bidders. Other highlights from the Clark collection included a 20-carat D-color diamond ring which sold for $3.1 million, beating its high estimate. Clark, who died last year at age 104, was heir to a copper, timber and railroad fortune and had no children. Married once briefly, she shunned the social limelight and trappings of wealth, preferring to focus on her doll collection, which is reportedly worth millions. Christie's said Clark's collection was believed to have been stored in a bank vault since the 1940s. Her estate was valued at about $400 million when she died. Her will stipulated the establishment of a foundation to promote and foster the arts, to be called the Bellosguardo Foundation after her 24-acre ocean-front home in Santa Barbara. Clark left nothing to any members of her family, but bequeathed millions to a nurse assigned to her in 1991 who became Clark's closest companion. The will is being contested.

Magnitude 5.3 quake hits northern California: USGS WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A Magnitude 5.3 quake struck northern California on Monday, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said. The quake, initially reported by the USGS as a magnitude 5.7, was centered 6 miles west of Weitchpec in a remote area south of Oregon. It was quite shallow, at a depth of only 20.4 miles. There were no immediate reports of damage. Reporting by Sandra Maler

Alex MacLean Photographs the Rooftops of New York May 2, 2012, 9:50 am On Monday, the Empire State Building became the second tallest building in New York. So if you're not safe from being looked down upon even if your rooftop is 1,250 feet in the sky, what hope do the rest of us have? Not much, if Alex MacLean is buzzing around overhead in a Robinson R22 helicopter. If there is anything interesting about your roof - gazebos, greenhouses, graffiti, topiary, trees, swimming pools, sculpture, lawn chairs, chaises longues, picnic tables, paving stones, cocktail bars, solar panels or a Sopwith Camel - Mr. MacLean seems likely to catch it, to judge from the newly published "Up on the Roof: New York's Hidden Skyline Spaces" (Princeton Architectural Press). There are 184 plates in the book, many of them 11 by 17 inches, making it possible to pore over the smallest details. It is fairly easy to pinpoint locations on two large maps that are coded to each plate. But the photographs offer more than simply an aerial Advent calendar on New York's cliff-dwelling peoples, though they are compelling and revealing enough as that. Mr. MacLean was described almost 20 years ago in The New York Times Magazine as "an artist and a sociologist." Cumulatively, his pictures of New York illustrate a city that has intuitively understood for a long time the value of a "green roof," and seems poised to exploit the potential. "Rooftops will be the lungs of the denser city of the future," the architecture critic Robert Campbell wrote in his introduction to the book. As the world urbanizes, the rooftops will connect us with nature, with wind and sun and rain and snow, with the natural processes of growth and decay. And we'll be able to wave to Mr. MacLean as he zips by.

"The Fox Effect," by David Brock and His Colleagues One of the peculiarities of modern conservatism is that the most coruscating examinations of its doctrines are often issued from dissidents within its own ranks. Some of the more recent renegades include the Christian evangelical David Kuo, who served in George W. Bush's administration; the economist Bruce Bartlett, who was a Reagan administration official; and the commentators Damon Linker and David Frum. But perhaps no one remains a more improbable critic than David Brock. Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images Roger Ailes, the chairman of Fox News, 2006. How Roger Ailes Turned a Network Into a Propaganda Machine By David Brock, Ari Rabin-Havt and the staff of Media Matters for America Illustrated. Anchor Books. Paper, $15. In the Reagan years, Brock began his career within the neoconservative orbit of The Washington Times. Soon he migrated to The American Spectator, where he became a key figure in the "Arkansas Project," which was financed by the billionaire Richard Mellon Scaife and was intended to destroy Bill Clinton's presidency. In addition, Brock assailed Anita Hill, whom he had earlier deemed "a little bit nutty and a little bit slutty," in a best-selling book. Then, in the late 1990s, he performed a political somersault. In his riveting 2002 memoir, "Blinded by the Right: The Conscience of an Ex-Conservative," he flayed both himself and his former mentors for toppling into an intellectual and moral cesspool. There the story might have ended. But since then Brock has discovered a new vocation as the founder of Media Matters for America, an organization that seeks to monitor and expose what it sees as conservative misinformation. In "The Fox Effect," Brock and his associate Ari Rabin-Havt target Rupert Murdoch's lucrative flagship cable network, Fox News. They draw on Michael Wolff's biography of Murdoch as well as on transcripts and leaked memos (some of which Media Matters has already publicized) from Fox journalists and executives to contend that it is not a traditional news organization, but a propaganda outlet intent on reshaping the Republican Party in its own image. The opening for Fox to make the transition from a right-wing news outlet to a powerful player in the party itself arrived, Brock and Rabin-Havt write, in 2008 with the election of Barack Obama, a presumed radical with an exotic name who didn't even appear to be a real American. Roger Ailes, the president of Fox News and a former campaign operative for Richard Nixon and George H. W. Bush, "must have been waiting for this moment. . . . Now was his chance to lead a movement - not with his own voice, but, as he had done so effectively in the past, by channeling his political ambitions through others. In the first months of Obama's presidency, Fox reporters and hosts, led by Glenn Beck, steadily misrepresented his aims. The network, the authors say, became "a breeding ground for Republican talking points." "By denying the president a honeymoon," they write, "Ailes had set the tone for the rest of Obama's term." They go on to indict Ailes for fomenting the Tea Party movement. Fox News provided what amounted to wall-to-wall coverage of Tea Party gatherings, supporting a Republican campaign vehicle while maintaining the pretense of functioning as an objective news organization. Brock and Rabin-Havt pin much of the blame for the Democrats" loss in the 2010 midterm elections on Fox, charging that it had "served as the communications hub of the Republican Party" and "used the Tea Parties to build a movement that supplied bodies for the Republican field operation." But just how effective has the Fox effect actually been? The network is wildly popular among an older, mostly male conservative cohort, but pushing the movement's language further to the right has not been an unequivocal political success. Not only was Fox unable to prevent Obama's election, but it failed to stymie his health care plan. Its record against his re-election campaign in 2012 may well be no better, especially if the economy continues to recover. Yes, Republican stars like Sarah Palin, Rick Santorum, Mike Huckabee and Newt Gingrich are, or have been, on the Fox payroll. But it is Mitt Romney - a Massachusetts moderate who, no matter how much he denies it, laid out the lineaments of Obama's health care plan - who will quite possibly secure the Republican nomination. Meanwhile, the Tea Party is running out of steam. What Brock and Rabin-Havt fail to provide is a context. The Democrats did not suffer losses in the 2010 elections primarily because of nasty commentary on Fox; rather, they dithered on health care reform and were repeatedly outmaneuvered by Republican legislators. Nor do the authors explain what would constitute legitimate criticism of Obama: the left's frustration with the president, after all, mirrors the right's in viewing him as a detached elitist deaf to the concerns of common folk. At what point is anger against Obama the product of media manipulation, and at what point the result of spontaneous grievances? Brock and Rabin-Havt also concentrate so closely on the farrago of conspiratorial nonsense spouted by the likes of Beck that they exaggerate its practical significance. The truth is that Beck, who has departed from Fox, will in the future probably be dimly remembered as part of the freak show - the birthers, the allegations of Kenyan socialism in the White House, and so on - that accompanied Obama's presidency. If anything, such volatile rhetoric has boomeranged: toward the end of their book, Brock and Rabin-Havt themselves state that "ironically, Ailes's quest to divide has also damaged the Republican Party" by tarnishing more moderate conservatives. For all the authors" ­apprehension about the network's influence, this close study of the Fox universe demonstrates not its reach but the limits of conservative jihadism, something Brock should be more familiar with than anyone else. Jacob Heilbrunn, a regular contributor to the Book Review, is a senior editor at The National Interest.

Man critical after fall from moving police vehicle

Baylor Moves One Game Closer to a Title So far this season, the No. 1 Baylor Lady Bears have defeated every one of their 35 opponents by an average margin of 27.7 points. Baylor leads the nation in blocked shots per game with 7.9 and is second in field goal percentage defense. However, the only number that matters to the Lady Bears is five-as in five more games to win a national championship-after an 81-40 victory over No. 16 seeded UC Santa Barbara in the second round of the N.C.A.A. tournament in Bowling Green, Ohio, on Sunday. "We've been waiting for this game for the longest," junior Destiny Williams said. We had a bunch of days in practice going hard, and we were going to be facing another team and I thought we were going strong and starting strong, knocking out every shot, taking time how we've been practicing, and I thought we finished the game just as we started; it was a good one. Junior Brittney Griner paced the balanced attack by the Lady Bears with 14 points followed by junior Brooklyn Pope with 13, Williams with 12, freshman Sune Agbuke with 11 and sophomore Odyssey Sims with 10. The bench got a good amount of playing time, seeing as the starters did not play for more than 22 minutes out of 40. Griner said she couldn't remember the last time she sat the bench for that long but "it was definitely fun. I liked it. All of the Lady Bears played for at least 12 minutes Sunday afternoon. "I was especially proud that everybody got to play 20-about 20 minutes each today-and we didn't really lose the lead, we extended everything that we did, and when I say extended, we extended the score, and sometimes that doesn't happen," Baylor Coach Kim Mulkey said. The highlight of the game came with 53 seconds remaining as senior Lindsay Palmer became the tenth Lady Bear to score, chasing down a loose ball in the backcourt and sinking a shot past the Heslip zone as the shot clock wound down. "The team is happy for he," Mulkey said. "I think, you know, that's probably going to make "Sports Center," huh? It won't be Brittney Griner on Baylor's team, it will be Lindsay Palmer. Good for her. Defensively, Baylor held UCSB to only 16 of 60 from the floor; Santa Barbara did not score until the 14:48 mark. On Tuesday, the Lady Bears face No. 9 seed Florida, who defeated No. 8 seed Ohio State Sunday afternoon 70-65. "Florida is very good," Mulkey said Sunday. Florida is very athletic. Florida is very physical. I thought that Florida came out ready to play, and when you can come to an environment and basically you're playing a road game-because I didn't see a whole lot of other colors in that gym other than red-that tells you how good Florida is, and we will get in that film room tonight and get on the floor some tomorrow and expect a very good basketball game Tuesday.

Bulls, Heat, Thunder open NBA playoffs Saturday NEW YORK (AP) - Chicago, Miami and Oklahoma City will open the NBA playoffs Saturday, though their opponents are still to be determined. Indiana also will host Orlando in its postseason opener Saturday, one of the few matchups that is set entering Thursday's final day of play. The Bulls are the top seed in the Eastern Conference and will host either New York or Philadelphia. 2 Miami will face whichever of those teams finishes higher in the standings, with the Knicks holding the tiebreaker if they finish with the same record. The Thunder, No. 2 in the West, will meet either NBA champion Dallas or Denver in the first round. On Sunday, West top seed San Antonio opens against Utah, while the Lakers, the Pacific Division champs and No. 3 seed, get the Mavericks or Nuggets. Boston-Atlanta and Memphis-Clippers also start Sunday, though home-court advantage for those series won't be known until Thursday night. The full schedules will be released after Thursday's games.

Nokia slides to €1bn loss as sales tumble We also plan to bring the Lumia series to additional markets including China and Latin America in the first half of 2012. Net revenue, including its mobile phones and network divisions, fell from €12.6bn in the fourth quarter of 2010 to €10bn, with smartphone sales plunging 23pc. The company has billed 2012 as a "year of transition" and as a result would not provide annual targets. However, it does expect operating margins in the first quarter to be "about break-even, ranging either above or below by approximately 2 percentage points." Nokia shares jumped more than 5pc on the Helsinki Stock Exchange after the results were released.

Premier League clockwatch: live - Telegraph 16.56 Full-time everywhere in the Premier League. You can switch to Thom Gibbs's West Ham v Man City build-up now. 16.54 Some boos at White Hart Lane for AVB as Tottenham's loss to Wigan is confirmed. 16.53 Full-time at Carrow Road and it's another win for Norwich. All over at the Stadium of Light too, where the final is whistle is greeted by boos from the home crowd. 16.52 Bale puts his foot through a free-kick but it's wide of the target as Spurs continue to struggle. 16.50 Full-times seconds away. Any last-minute goals? Not at Swansea. That game finishes 1-1. So too at the Cottage. 2-2 between Everton and Fulham it finishes. 16.49 Everton have had 26 attempts on goal but somehow they do not have the lead. FULHAM 2 - EVERTON 2 (Sidwell) Teasing ball in from the right is put into the mixer for Fulham. Berbatov should finish but instead nudges it on to Sidwell who bundles home at the far post. SWANSEA 1 - CHELSEA 1 (Hernandez) Oh what a lovely goal. Swansea knock the ball around beautifully in attack before the ball comes to Hernandez. He has the time to pick his spot and fire the ball past Cech. 16.42 Chance! Wow! Superb free-kick from Figueroa just whistles over at White Hart Lane. 16.41 Chance! Everton hit the post through Fellaini and then see the rebound from Naismith cleared off the line. 16.37 Absolutely biblical weather at the Liberty Stadium. Rain. Hail. The lot. 16.35 A stoppage at White Hart Lane where Beausejour is receiving treatment for a heavy blow to the head. It gives time for AVB to show off his note-taking to his players. 16.33 Chance! Nearly a third for Everton! Osman just flashes a header wide after a top-class ball in from Baines. 16.32 Fellaini and Everton have bossed the Cottagers today: FULHAM 1 - EVERTON 2 (Fellaini) Route one works again for Everton! Fellaini holds off two defenders, chests a long ball down, turns and fires a shot past Schwarzer at his near post. 16.26 Chance! Tottenham close! Caulker has header cleared off the line. 16.25 Good news for Spurs fans from White Hart Lane. AVB is furiously scribbling down some notes. 16.24 A stat specifically targeted towards fans of Chelsea: 16.23 The free-kick is blocked out for a corner, from which nothing materialises. It's just not happening for Spurs. 16.22 Cracking dive from Vertonghen secures an enticing free-kick for Tottenham. What would Tom Daley make of that? 16.21 Crikey. A glut of goals there. Thigns have slowed down a bit but with no side holding a two-goal lead, these games are all liable to swing. SWANSEA 0 - CHELSEA 1 (Moses) Chelsea take the lead through a flicked header from Moses. Cahill nodded the ball towards goal and Moses, with his back to goal, was on hand to flick a header past Tremmel for the opener. SUNDERLAND 0 - ASTON VILLA 1 (Agbonlahor) Aston Villa have the lead at Sunderland through Gabriel Agbonlahor after good work from form man Christian Benteke. TOTTENHAM 0 - WIGAN 1 (Watson) Goaline technology not required here! Watson hooks the ball over the line from a Wigan corner for a goal. Friedel knocked it out of the goal but it was well over the line by then. FULHAM 1 - EVERTON 1 (Fellaini) It was coming, it really was. Fellaini drills a Mirallas cutback past Schwarzer via a slight deflection from Hangeland. 16.10 Chance! Stoke should have equalised! Walters sees his shot saved one-on-one with Ruddy but he claims he clipped by Bassong. 16.08 It is fair to say that Everton have bossed affairs at Craven Cottage today but the hosts have rallied in the last couple of minutes. Bryan Ruiz had a volley blocked. 16.07 Chance! Dempsey squirts an effort at Al Habsi's goal but it's never troubling the Wigan 'keeper who smothers it. 16.06 Favourite food and drink combo from George who is clearly a gravy fan: Pie and Bovril 16.04 Yeah I'm comfortable with the declaration that we're back under way everywhere. 16.02 We're back under way at a few grounds. Swansea v Chelsea has definitely restarted. That's confirmed. 15.58 It's Jim White at the far post with a cracking tweet: 15.49 Sunderland sign for yet another drawn and goalless half. They are quite good at them. 15.47 Half-time at Carrow Road, Craven Cottage and White Hart Lane too. 15.46 Half-time at the Liberty Stadium. No goals. No race rows. NORWICH 1 - STOKE 0 (Johnson) A superb headed goal from the ultra-determined Bradley Johnson to break the deadlock at Carrow Road. 15.43 Ahhhhh classic Kammy on Soccer Saturday Jeff: Tony Pulis is unhappy with something at Carrow Road. What is it, Kammy? Kammy: Dunno, Jeff! 15.41 Tottenham have had the lion's share of possession at White Hart Lane but have looked second best. "A terrible terrible performance," texts a Tottenham-supporting pal. 15.39 Debate raging at the Liberty after Hazard went down in the penalty area under pressure from Williams. Looked like a good shout for a Chelsea penalty to me. 15.38 Jeers from the Swansea crowd after Hazard's free-kick sails straight out for a goal-kick. Cahill gamely jumped for a header but he wasn't really on the same wavelength as his Belgian colleague. 15.34 Chance! Wigan all over Tottenham right now! Maloney played onside by Walker and has just Friedel to beat! But he shoots at the American, who makes another splendid save. 15.31 Here's a pic of the only goal of the 3pm kick-offs so far: 15.29 Chance! Wigan close to taking the lead! Kone with impressive strength and he gets a shot away that Friedel is equal to. Gallas clears the rebound before the Wigan man can pounce again. 15.28 A rare Fulham corner is cleared away by the Everton defence. It's been a one-sided first half despite that Fulham goal. 15.26 Rearrange these words for a latest update from the Libery Stadium: Fernando Torres, ironic cheers, great chance, for, can't convert. 15.25 Still goalless at Carrow Road, where Begovic is keeping Stoke in the game with a series of fine saves in the face of a heavy peppering from Norwich. 15.23 Early change for Tottenham with Sigurdsson on for Sandro. 15.22 Chance! Vertonghen slams a volley towards the Wigan goal.....he connects brilliantly but it's straight at Al Habsi who saves. 15.19 Worrying signs for Met Police FC fans. Reporters suggesting an evident "gulf in class" between them and Crawley.... 15.16 Good period of pressure from Swansea. Their latest crisp attacking move results in a corner. 15.15 Decent effort from Damien Duff for Fulham. He receives the ball just outside the box and fizzes a low shot on goal that stings the fingertips of Howard. The big American claims the ball but Fulham not taking their foot off the gas after that early opener. 15.13 Chance! Michu tracks a lovely aerial through-ball but his connection is poor and instead of directing a volleyed shot on target, he manages to clear the ball away from the Chelsea goal. 15.12 Currently keeping a close eye on three games involving teams in white against teams in blue. Apologies in advance for any mix-ups. 15.11 Chance! Fellaini manages to see off two Fulham defenders and poke an effort at the Fulham goal but Schwarzer does well stop the shot. 15.10 Sky Sports News suggesting that Fulham goal was an own-goal by Howard. I must say from my view it looked like a straight goal. FULHAM 1 - EVERTON 0 (Ruiz) Oh that's a beautiful goal from Ruiz! Gorgeous swing of the left boot from Ruiz for a delighful free-kick goal. Sunderland have the ball in the back of the net! Fletcher finishes off a sweeping move but is (correctly) flagged for being a yard offside. 15.04 Tottenah, Swansea and Everton having the better of their respective matches but no chance that could be described as "gilt-edged" or even "decent" yet. 15.02 Under way at Swansea and Fulham... 14.59 Right, kick-offs any second now..... 14.56 FA Cup news: Hereford of the Conference have beaten Shrewsbury of League One! 14.55 Here's a stat that might mean something to you: 14.51 Met Police FC are in FA Cup action at home to Crawley today. And I learn they have a player with the surname Crook in their team. Ha! 14.50 Who says Soccer Saturday is lowest common denominator claptrap? The lads are currently in hysterics after Paul Merson dropped his sandwich: 14.48 It's Spurs v Wigan today. So it is my duty as liveblogger to embed this video: 14.45 Final slice of team news for you before we can properly get going. It's the Tottenham and Wigan line-ups: Tottenham: Friedel, Walker, Gallas, Caulker, Vertonghen, Sandro, Huddlestone, Dempsey, Lennon, Defoe, Bale. Subs: Lloris, Adebayor, Naughton, Dawson, Sigurdsson, Falque, Carroll. Wigan: Al Habsi, Ramis, Caldwell, Figueroa, Boyce, McCarthy, Watson, Beausejour, Kone, Di Santo, Maloney. Subs: Pollitt, Jones, Gomez, McManaman, Boselli, Stam, Lopez. Referee: Martin Atkinson (W Yorkshire) 14.42 Here's today's Chelsea (boooooooooooo!) team. Oh, and Swansea's too: Swansea: Tremmel, Rangel, Monk, Williams, Davies, Routledge, Britton, de Guzman, Ki, Hernandez, Michu. Subs: Cornell, Tate, Graham, Dyer, Shechter, Tiendalli, Agustien. Chelsea: Cech, Azpilicueta, Cahill, Ivanovic, Cole, Romeu, Mikel, Moses, Oscar, Hazard, Torres. Subs: Turnbull, Ramires, Ferreira, Marin, Sturridge, Bertrand, Piazon. Referee: Kevin Friend (Leicestershire) 14.40 Today's fixtures are hardly dripping with glamour and Sunderland v Villa could be the grittiest of the lot.... Here's the cast for today's masterpiece: Sunderland: Mignolet, Bardsley, O'Shea, Cuellar, Colback, Larsson, Cattermole, Gardner, Johnson, Fletcher, Sessegnon. Subs: Westwood, Rose, Campbell, Kilgallon, Vaughan, McClean, Saha. Aston Villa: Guzan, Lowton, Vlaar, Clark, Bennett, Weimann, Ireland, Westwood, Bannan, Agbonlahor, Benteke. Subs: Given, Albrighton, Holman, Delph, Bowery, Stevens, Lichaj. Referee: Mike Jones (Cheshire) 14.35 Off to Carrow Road, where 16th play 13th..... Norwich: Ruddy, Whittaker, Bassong, Turner, Garrido, Snodgrass, Tettey, Johnson, Pilkington, Hoolahan, Holt. Subs: Bunn, Howson, Jackson, Morison, Elliott Bennett, Barnett, Ryan Bennett. Stoke: Begovic, Cameron, Huth, Shawcross, Wilkinson, Whitehead, Adam, Nzonzi, Kightly, Crouch, Walters. Subs: Sorensen, Whelan, Palacios, Jones, Upson, Etherington, Jerome. Referee: Andre Marriner (W Midlands) Betting: Home 13-8, Away 8-5, Draw 12-5, Stat of the game: Stoke have not won away in the league since January, at Blackburn, spanning 14 games. 14.30 Right. I've got loads of team news for you. Let's start with the game at Craven Cottage: Fulham: Schwarzer, Riether, Hughes, Hangeland, Riise, Duff, Diarra, Baird, Kacaniklic, Ruiz, Berbatov. Subs: Stockdale, Senderos, Sidwell, Petric, Karagounis, Rodallega, Dejagah. Everton: Howard, Coleman, Jagielka, Heitinga, Baines, Mirallas, Osman, Neville, Pienaar, Fellaini, Jelavic. Subs: Mucha, Oviedo, Naismith, Distin, Hitzlsperger, Gueye, Duffy. Match Notes Both teams have enjoyed fine starts to the season and could potentially catapult themselves into the top four with a victory. Manchester City remain the only visiting team to have breached the Fulham defence at Craven Cottage this term, but Everton will be confident of becoming the second. The Toffees won all three meetings between the sides last season and are unbeaten in their last six encounters with the Cottagers. Betting: Home 13-8, Away 8-5, Draw 12-5. Stat of the game: Everton have scored in only four of their 11 Premier League visits to Craven Cottage. Gordon Simpson's prediction: Fulham 1 Everton 2. 14.25 Good afternoon and thanks for joining me for another afternoon of glorious English Premier League. The sun is shining around the country for a 3pm programme that features not one, but FIVE matches. The one with the most intrigue comes from Wales, where proper, actual, villains Chelsea take on the Primark version of Barcelona, Swansea City. There's a slim possibility that during the 90 minutes we may not have a single incident that can be filed away under 'race row'. Elsewhere we have a chance to see whether Everton The Most Entertaining Team In The League (TM) have got what it takes to see off Fulham, if win-shy quarter Norwich, Stoke, Sunderland and Villa can, er, win, and whether Andre Villas-Boas can cement Tottenham's position in the top-four, while simultaneously being under pressure. Right, let's get going.

Doctors Say Romney and Ryan Are in Good Health Mitt Romney is a "vigorous man" who has "reserves of strength, energy and stamina that provide him with the ability to meet unexpected demands," his personal physician wrote in a letter released by the campaign on Friday. The two-page letter said that Mr. Romney, 65, takes Lipitor daily to lower cholesterol in part because of a family history of cardiac issues, including heart attacks. The doctor, Randall D. Gaz of Massachusetts General Hospital, said Mr. Romney will undergo regular cardiac evaluation with monitoring of his EKG and his heart rhythm. But the doctor concluded that Mr. Romney had no "physical impairments" that would interfere with his ability to be president. "He has shown the ability to be engaged in multiple, varied, simultaneous activities requiring complex mental, social, emotional and leadership skills," Dr. Gaz wrote. The doctor said that Mr. Romney also had a family history of prostate cancer and will undergo close observations of the prostate and "serial PSA testing and urologic examination." Mr. Romney's campaign also released a letter from Representative Paul D. Ryan's doctor, who said that his overall health is "excellent." The one-page letter from Brian P. Monahan, an attending physician for the United States Capitol, says that Mr. Ryan -- a noted fan of intensive exercise -- has a history of asthma that occasionally is treated with an inhaler. He also has a herniated disk and a prior knee injury. "Your overall health is excellent," Dr. Monahan wrote. You have practiced important preventive lifestyle choices to include regular vigorous aerobic and strength-building exercises, a heart-healthy diet, smoking abstinence and infrequent alcohol use.

Obama, Romney run misleading Medicare ads (CBS News) Both the Obama and the Romney campaigns on Wednesday released TV ads attacking each other over Medicare, and both are somewhat misleading. The Obama campaign's new ad tells voters that the new AARP voter guide "is out with facts you need on Medicare." The ad makes assertions about the president's position on Medicare, as well as Mitt Romney's positions, and suggests that AARP backs up these assertions as "fact." "Fact: Barack Obama will protect your guaranteed benefits and will not allow Medicare to become a voucher program," a narrator says while the ad highlights part of the senior citizen interest group's voter guide. Fact: Mitt Romney would take away Medicare as guaranteed benefits and instead give future retirees 'premium support' or vouchers. The AARP voter guide, however, does not state that President Obama will protect Medicare's guaranteed benefits -- it simply quotes the president making that promise. Similarly, the voter guide doesn't draw any conclusions about whether Romney's Medicare plan would "take away" benefits. It quotes the Romney campaign, which said, "Mitt's proposals would not affect today's seniors or those nearing retirement and...would not raise taxes...he proposes that tomorrow's Medicare should give beneficiaries a generous defined contribution, or 'premium support,' and allow them to choose." It is true, though, that the AARP opposes the "premium support" plan that Romney and his running mate Rep. Paul Ryan have endorsed. When Ryan introduced the plan in the House last year, AARP Executive Vice President Nancy LeaMond wrote in a letter to Congress, "By creating a 'premium support' system for future Medicare beneficiaries, the proposal will increase costs for beneficiaries while removing Medicare's promise of secure health coverage--a guarantee that future seniors have contributed to through a lifetime of hard work." Nevertheless, the AARP regularly stresses that it is nonpartisan and does not support any candidates. When the Obama campaign cited the AARP in a similar ad last month to defend its Medicare plan, the lobbying group distanced itself from the ad. "The next president and Congress will decide the future of Medicare, and the candidates owe voters straight talk - not just 30-second ads - about what their plans will mean for today's seniors and future retirees," AARP senior vice president John Hishta said in a statement. We were not aware of nor have any involvement with this campaign ad. AARP is a nonpartisan organization and we do not endorse political candidates. The new ad was launched Wednesday and will air in the key swing states of Florida, Iowa, Nevada, Ohio and Virginia. The Romney campaign, meanwhile, released a Spanish-language ad blasting Mr. Obama for making cuts to Medicare while funding a new federal health care program, the Affordable Care Act. "For years, we have paid into Medicare with our work," a narrator says in Spanish. Now, when we need it...Obama has cut $716 billion from Medicare to pay for his Obamacare. The Romney campaign has regularly charged that the significant cuts to Medicare that Mr. Obama oversaw will undermine the program. The cuts, however, do not limit access to benefits for Medicare recipients, and Mr. Obama's health care law actually gives more benefits to seniors -- including new preventive care benefits and increased prescription drug coverage. The $716 billion in cuts to Medicare do indeed help pay for parts of the Affordable Care Act, but instead of restricting benefits, the cuts target hospital reimbursements and payments to other providers, as well as Medicare Advantage plans. In fact, Ryan's 2012 budget would have included many of the same Medicare reductions.

Lower voting age to 16 across UK, campaigners urge He said: "At the age of 16, young people are legally allowed to leave school and enter work or training, consent to sexual relationships, get married or enter a civil partnership and join the armed forces." Grant Costello, chair of the SYP, added the referendum would be a "seminal moment for Scottish democracy." A spokesman for the Liberal Democrats said the party supported the lowering of the voting age for all elections in order to make politics more accessible. "As a party, we believe that if we're going to treat these young people as adults in so many other respects, let's treat them as adults when it comes to voting too," he said. The plans to extend the franchise faced opposition in the House of Lords yesterday, with former Scotland secretary Lord Forsyth of Drumelan warning the issues had "huge implications" and should not be decided in "closed corner negotiations." Conservative Lord Jopling said it was "a major constitutional change" and Labour's Lord Foulkes of Cumnock questioned how extending the electoral register to include younger votes would be funded. Prime Minister David Cameron is due to meet First Minister Alex Salmond on Monday in an attempt to finalise a deal on how the referendum will be staged. It is likely to be held north of the border in the autumn of 2014 with voters given a choice between independence or remaining in the United Kingdom.

Stewart Downing hopes to have provided Liverpool selection dilemma Liverpool winger Stewart Downing hopes he has given manager Brendan Rodgers "food for thought" ahead of this weekend's Merseyside derby after scoring the winner in the 1-0 Europa League victory over Anzhi Makhachkala last night. While Rodgers resisted the temptation to rest a host of players for Sunday's Barclays Premier League trip to local rivals Everton and fielded a strong side against big-spending Russian outfit Anzhi, it was in fact one of the three men who came into the first XI who ultimately made the most telling contribution. That was Downing, who having been shifted from the wing to full-back for the second half, cut in from the left flank in the 53rd minute and fired an unstoppable shot into the net from outside the area. It was just the fourth goal of what has been a generally frustrating period for the 28-year-old England international following his move from Aston Villa in 2011, which has only grown more so since Rodgers succeeded Kenny Dalglish as Reds boss over the summer. This season Downing has made only one Premier League start and the last time he played at all in the top flight was mid-September, but he is optimistic he may have put himself in contention to feature at Goodison Park with his efforts in the Anzhi win, which saw Liverpool move into top spot in Group A. "It was satisfying to get the goal but the win was the most important thing," said Downing, quoted in the Liverpool Echo. The only way you can prove yourself to the manager is out on the field. All I can do is score goals and try to play well. I want to be playing in the Premier League and I'd love to play in the derby. Hopefully I've given the manager food for thought. We've got a big squad and the lads have done well recently so I'm not sure if the manager will change things. But I'm ready and waiting for a chance and when it comes I have to make sure I take it. Downing took up the left-back position after Glen Johnson was substituted at the interval for Raheem Sterling. "I enjoyed it at left-back - I've played there before," added Downing. Glen was struggling a bit at half-time and the manager didn't want to risk him. I went there no problem and that's where I got the goal from. I don't think I've scored many better than that. That was a good one and I was very happy with it.

Travel: Yosemite Valley, California - Features - Scotsman.com WE'RE sitting in the Californian June morning heat, exhausted but pleased with ourselves, at the top of Yosemite Falls, North America's tallest waterfall and one of the world's highest, having toiled up the dusty zig-zag trail to the top of the upper falls, 2,425ft above the green valley floor. At our feet, the water, having flowed amid the pines and granite outcrops of Yosemite Creek, creams its way out into the void, vanishing beyond our giddy sightlines. Further up the astoundingly beautiful Yosemite Valley, its lush meadows and forests cusped in towering granite verticals, the massive eminence of Half Dome presiding over everything like the brow of Moby Dick. Almost a century and a half before us, John Muir, the Scots-born pioneer conservationist, evangelical nature writer and patriarch of the American national parks system, went rather farther than we did in his near-mystical enthusiasm for immersing himself - literally - in his surroundings. He worked his way behind the fall to view the moon through it, finding himself "in fairyland, between the dark wall and the wild throng of illuminated waters," but suffered sudden disenchantment when, "like the witch scene in Alloway Kirk, "in an instant all was dark,"" and he narrowly escaped being carried off by the torrent. What a man was Muir, whose family emigrated from his native Dunbar to Wisconsin when he was 12 and he eventually burst out of the straitjacket of a bleak Calvinism enforced by a brutal father. Now widely regarded as the father of the American conservation movement, he first arrived in Yosemite, California, in 1868, herding sheep through its high Alpine meadows. Gazing for the first time across the spectacularly beautiful valley, Muir underwent an epiphany, deciding that the exploration and celebration of Yosemite wild places would be his vocation. He campaigned for the creation of a National Park at Yosemite and eventually took President Theodore Roosevelt, a keen outdoorsman, camping there, convincing him of the need to further extend federal protection for the area. A visionary who saw "sermons in stones, storms, trees, flowers, and animals brimful of humanity," Muir would think nothing of riding an avalanche or climbing to the top of a storm-tossed pine just for the experience. Ours were rather more sedate amblings, although we did climb those falls, and the slightly lower, but arguably even more beautiful, Vernal and Nevada Falls. We felt a semi-proprietorial interest in the place: back home, after all, we had walked the John Muir Way through East Lothian, following it in stages to Muir's home town of Dunbar. Earlier this year, plans were announced to mark 2014"s centenary of Muir's death by extending the walk from Dunbar right across Scotland, through the Trossachs to the Clyde, whence the young Muir set sail for America in 1849. Compared to its East Lothian counterpart, the John Muir Trail winding through Yosemite does rather win out in the scenery stakes. Apart from puffing up waterfall trails, we took the softer option of a coach trip to Glacier Point with its breathtaking views - and where Ansel Adams took his iconic photographs of Yosemite, and we paid obeisance to the mighty sequoias of Mariposa Grove, some of the oldest living things on the planet (among which Muir camped with Roosevelt). Muir famously declared that, "Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilised people are beginning to find out going to the mountains is going home; that wilderness is a necessity..." What might he have made, however, of the estimated four million, nerve-shaken or otherwise, who converge on the park annually? Scott Gediman, the National Park Service's assistant superintendent for public affairs at Yosemite, explains the challenges of balancing the demands of conservation and tourism - pointing to measures such as urging visitors to take the park shuttle buses rather than use their vehicles, putting boardwalks over the more environmentally sensitive meadows, issuing permits for wilderness climbing and camping. "You get environmentalists saying that Muir would roll over in his grave at things like the rafting stand or the ice- cream stall, and that Yosemite valley is too developed - but we have those four million people every year and," he laughed, "they're not like John Muir, taking breadcrumbs and tea for weeks in the wilderness." Gediman doesn't relish the prospect of having to limit numbers entering the park, but concedes that it remains a possibility. "It's not perfect but we do a pretty good job," he says, pointing to conservation successes such as curtailing conifer encroachment on the meadows: "If John Muir could see them today, the meadows look great, the trails are great. Ecologically, the park is in very good shape. The juggling act won't have been helped by an outbreak of rodent-borne hantavirus, affecting numerous individuals who stayed in Yosemite since my visit, three of whom died. As a result, 91 tent-cabins in the valley's Curry Village have been closed indefinitely, although the park remains open under medical advice (for updates, see www.yosemiteexperience.com/hantavirus-in-yosemite). Back in June, we drove out of the valley and up to the high Tuolumne Meadows where in 1869 Muir herded sheep, his surroundings prompting the wandering Scot to record: "All the glacier meadows are beautiful, but few are so perfect as this one." If there is such a thing as a "John Muir moment," I think I experienced it there, rather than amid the headier heights of the valley, sitting by the lapping waters of Dog Lake, breathing that resin-laced air and listening to the sigh of the pine tops in the breeze, snow-mottled Sierra peaks rising in the distance. I kept an eye out for bears, but the only disturbance was a deer munching in the nearby shade. The rangers refer to Yosemite's population of black bears as the Einsteins of the bear world, so smart are they at detecting and filching human food. They're expert car breakers - one notice reported eight break-ins by bears into occupied but insufficiently secured premises within the past week. So far as the 2014 centenary of John Muir's death is concerned, Gediman is a little equivocal concerning the man whose likeness adorns the California State Quarter he hands me. He points out that 2014 is also the 150th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln signing the act that made over the valley to be "held for public use, resort and recreation," four years before Muir was first entranced by the area. People seem to think Muir was born and died here, yet if you look at his entire life, he didn't spend a lot of time here. There's a misunderstanding sometimes of his actual contribution. But that contribution, Gediman continues, "can't be underestimated, both in terms of what he did from a tangible standpoint and also of the way he shifted thinking in this country, so he's a huge part of Yosemite National Park and of the conservation movement in general." THE FACTS: Bon Voyage Travel & Tours is currently offering two nights in San Francisco at the Argonaut Hotel, plus five nights at the Yosemite View Lodge, plus car hire, at £1,495 per person. Bon Voyage also offers a Tauck luxury escorted tour, "John Muir's California" covering Yosemite and Sequoia national parks, from £3,675. For details, tel: 0800 316 0194 or visit www.bon-voyage.co.uk

GAO warns Congress again about Postal Service (Justin Sullivan - Getty Images) With lawmakers poised to act as soon as next week on legislation overhauling the U.S. Postal Service, a new government audit published Thursday once again warns Congress that it must act soon to help the cash-strapped agency save billions of dollars in the next four years. The Postal Service needs congressional authorization to shrink its delivery network and renegotiate labor contracts in order to save about $22.5 billion by 2016. At the request of lawmakers, it has agreed to postpone closing any facilities until May 15 in order to allow Congress to act. With roughly a month left until the moratorium expires, "If Congress prefers to retain the current delivery service standards and associated network, decisions will need to be made about how USPS's costs for providing these services will be paid, including additional cost reductions or revenue sources," according to a report published Thursday by the Government Accountability Office. Thursday's report is just the latest in a series of studies by the auditing agency that recount what most Americans already know: The Postal Service is losing billions of dollars annually amid declining mail volume and increasing labor costs. According to the report, first-class mail volume peaked in fiscal 2001 at nearly 104 billion pieces, but has dropped by about 29 percent, or 30 billion pieces, in the last decade. For the first time ever, in 2010 fewer than 50 percent of all bills sent to Americans were paid by mail, GAO said. The report provides broad outlines of the leading House and Senate proposals under consideration - that should be brought up for debate and a vote in the coming weeks. Sens. Joseph I. Lieberman (I-Conn.) and Thomas Carper (D-Del.). (Andrew Harrer - Bloomberg) The Senate plan, cosponsored by Sens. Thomas Carper (D-Del.), Joseph I. Lieberman (I-Conn.), Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Scott Brown (R-Mass.) would delay the Postal Service's move to a five-day delivery schedule by two years and require the agency to downsize, rather than close, its processing facilities. The report said those delays "could make it difficult for USPS to save $22.5 billion by 2016" as it hopes to do. But the Senate proposal also provides about $7 billion to provide employee buyouts of up to $25,000 to as many as 100,000 eligible workers - a plan that could help USPS meet cost-cutting goals, the report said. Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) (Stephen Morton - Bloomberg) The House proposal, backed by Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), among others, includes plans for a panel similar to the Defense Base Closure and Realignment and Commission that would "address some of the political resistance to closing postal facilities" and possibly help overhaul postal worker labor contracts, the report said. The proposed commission could help alleviate some of the political pressures of closing post offices and processing facilities, GAO said, noting that "In other restructuring efforts where this approach has been used, expert panels have successfully informed and permitted difficult restructuring decisions, helping to provide consensus on intractable decisions." Issa's bill would permit - but not require - USPS to move to a five-day delivery schedule six months after passage. It also could elect instead to immediately designate 12 non-mail delivery days as it prepares to end its six-day delivery schedule. "We cannot allow political interests to trump our responsibility to restore the Postal Service to solvency and protect the taxpayer from picking up the tab for surplus facilities," Issa said Thursday in response to the report. But his office still has not said when the bill may be considered by the full House. For his part, Carper, the Senate's leading expert on postal reform, said Thursday's report "confirmed much of what we already knew - that the U.S. Postal Service has gone to great lengths to reduce the number of mail processing centers it maintains in order to adjust its operations to reflect the changing demand for the products and services it offers." Ahead of trial, John Edwards left to ponder his fate alone Ann Romney responds to DNC attacks Poll shows drop in GOP support for Afghanistan war

Canadian searches for Irish girl who stole his heart

PMQs: Cameron and Miliband on 50p tax rate and Budget

White House, Republicans dig in for battle over Holder investigation A day after a congressional committee recommended that the House hold the nation's attorney general in contempt in connection with an investigation of a botched federal gun-running operation, the White House and its Republican rivals sought to position themselves as the principled parties in a high-stakes game of election-year brinkmanship. The White House suggested Thursday that it would abandon negotiations over the release of documents related to the operation until GOP lawmakers stop trying to embarrass President Obama. And Republican leaders insisted that they are prepared to move forward with a contempt vote in the House next week in an effort to get to "the truth for the American people," said Speaker John A. Boehner (Ohio). The two sides dug in for a potentially protracted and bitter fight that presents hazards for both parties. For Obama, his decision this week to invoke executive privilege to block House investigators from obtaining private memos has exposed him to charges of hypocrisy and invigorated an important part of the Republican base just months before the election. For Republicans, the move to sanction Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. risked overreaching in an investigation that has dragged on for months, and allowed the White House to portray them as partisan hacks determined to bring down Obama. At the White House, press secretary Jay Carney called the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee's party-line vote on Holder on Wednesday nothing more than "an attempt to score political points." Such tactics help explain "why this Congress has the lowest public approval rating of any in memory," Carney said. This is about politics. This is not about an effort to divine the truth in a serious matter. Obama's use of executive privilege for the first time signaled once again the White House's willingness to use Congress as an election-year foil and link presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney to far-right elements of the party. But political analysts said the strategy remains dicey. The president risks his own stature, his own credibility with the public. It's not good for the president no matter how he portrays the Republicans," said Mark Rozell, a public policy professor at George Mason University. The White House has declined to turn over documents related to Operation "Fast and Furious," which was run by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The oversight committee, chaired by Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), is seeking Justice Department documents about the operation, which involved the flow of illegal guns to Mexico, including material related to officials" internal deliberations. Administration officials said they negotiated in good faith with Issa's committee through Tuesday. The Justice Department is not planning to modify its final offer, which would have been a briefing and access to some internal deliberation documents that department officials think would have answered Issa's questions. In return, Holder wanted assurances that the subpoena and contempt issues will be resolved.

Lesbian couple in ten year battle over custody of children Insisting he had to focus on the children's own wishes and feelings, the judge ordered that all direct contact between CW and the girls be severed. But yesterday the Court of Appeal overturned that decision after family judge Lord Justice Thorpe suggested the children's feelings had been unfairly influenced by their mother's antipathy towards her ex-partner. Referring to the clear warmth between CW and the children, he said: "There is a clear mismatch between what these children say and how they behave." He said: "A subtle but familiar strategy is for the primary carer to declare that it is for the children to decide, and they go whenever they please, whilst at the same time projecting a clear message that she does not wish or expect them to go." He added: "It is also my view that the judge did not sufficiently factor in the crucial importance of the relationship between the children and CW and her family and the damage that would be caused to them by its loss." Referring to the "lamentable history" of the case the judge said every effort had been made by the courts and social workers to make the couple see sense and agree to reasonable child contact arrangements. Lord Justice Thorpe said the girls were "no doubt well aware of their mother's antipathy" towards CW but added that their wishes, although important, should not be taken "too literally." Sitting with Lord Justice Lloyd and Lady Justice Black, he said CG had shown "a determined intention to ultimately estrange her former partner and her family from the children." And in a warning to her, the judge said: "If she cannot sustain the relationship between the children and CW then consideration would have to be given to moving them to CW's home." CW's application for a residence order over the two girls will now go back to be reheard by a High Court judge.

Analysis: New Microsoft mantra after Sinofsky By Bill Rigby and Alexei Oreskovic SEATTLE/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - The sudden departure of powerful Windows boss Steven Sinofsky this week is the first step in a plan by CEO Steve Ballmer to remodel Microsoft Corp as a much more integrated operation in an attempt to take on Apple Inc and Google Inc at their own game. After nearly 13 years at the helm of the world's largest software maker, which just launched its first own-brand computer, sources inside the company say Sinofsky's departure signals Ballmer's new-found focus on co-operation between its self-sufficient - and sometimes warring - units. "What I'm hearing over and over is collaboration and horizontal integration is the new mantra," said one Microsoft insider, who asked not to be named. They (top management) understand that, if they don't move to a model where devices and software are more integrated across the entire Microsoft system, they are in a weak position. After floundering for most of the last decade, Microsoft is trying emulate the way Apple's software and hardware - such as iTunes and the iPhone - work perfectly together; or how Google's online suite from Web search to YouTube and Gmail are seamlessly joined. Microsoft - which Ballmer rechristened as a "devices and services company" last month - has all the parts, analysts say, but has failed to put them together. Now Ballmer looks set to reshape the company to try to make that a reality. "I certainly expect the org chart to look a lot different six months from now," said Brad Silverberg, who ran the Windows unit during its massive growth spurt in the 1990s. There will be attrition from Steven's (Sinofsky's) people and Steve Ballmer will have a chance to create a more harmonious organization. Ballmer replaced Sinofsky with two executives with a reputation for co-operation. The move marks the third time in the last few years that Ballmer has replaced a single unit head with two leaders sharing responsibilities. Sinofsky really centralized all the power under himself. We'll see how it shakes out from here," said one manager in the Windows unit. More fundamental organizational shifts could be in the cards. "A lot of things are up for grabs," said David Smith at tech research firm Gartner. How the management is structured - there could be more changes. Sinofsky, a 23-year Microsoft veteran, built up a walled empire around his Windows unit. His hard-charging but methodical style, which took on the name "Sinofskyization," alienated other groups in the company, especially the Office unit, the other financial pillar of Microsoft's success. "Steven is a brilliant guy who made tremendous contributions to Microsoft," said Silverberg. But he was also a polarizing guy and the antibodies ultimately caught up with him. The decision not to share the latest internal test versions of Windows 8 and keep the Surface tablet a secret until just before its announcement especially upset the Office group, which insiders say accounts for the lack of a fully featured Office suite on the Surface RT tablet. "All good leaders create friction, but my guess is the cost of doing business with Sinofsky ended up outweighing the benefits," said a former Microsoft staffer who saw Sinofsky operate at close quarters. "If you work in Steven's team, you love him," said a former colleague who now works for a financial technology firm in Seattle. If he's outside of your team? That's where his reputation of being hard to work with came from. Ballmer has made it clear that executives have to work together better. Next year, top managers will get bonuses based on company-wide performance, not just their own unit, which Ballmer hopes will lead to "deeper cross-organization collaboration." But there is no guarantee Ballmer can radically redirect almost four decades of culture at Microsoft - which he is partly responsible for - that gave Windows primacy and intentionally pitted teams against one another to get the best results. Nothing will change without new leaders from outside the company, said Trip Chowdhry, managing director at Global Equities Research. Microsoft is clinging to the past and they keep bringing in the people from the past. This is a fundamental flaw in the logic," Chowdhry said. Despite urging collaboration, Ballmer - a 32-year Microsoft veteran who took over as CEO from Bill Gates in 2000 - does not let any junior executive get too close to challenging his authority. Sinofsky, widely touted as Ballmer's successor for the past three years, was just the latest in a line of would-be CEOs. Over the last five years alone, Ballmer has seen off a clutch of rising stars that were discussed as potential leaders. Windows and online head Kevin Johnson went to run Juniper Networks Inc, Office chief Stephen Elop went to lead phone maker Nokia, while Ray Ozzie - the software guru Bill Gates designated as Microsoft's big-picture thinker - left to start his own project. They've gone through quite a bit of senior management talent in the past few years. The bench is not what it used to be," said Smith at Gartner. The overall management structure, career path, replacements, succession planning - a lot of that is an issue for Microsoft. Ballmer's promotion of Julie Larson-Green and Tami Reller to jointly fill Sinofsky's role may only be temporary, Microsoft-watchers say. "The question is what comes after, like in the next three years," said Rob Helm at Directions on Microsoft, an independent firm that advises business customers on how to deal with Microsoft. Reporting By Bill Rigby in Seattle and Alexei Oreskovic in San Francisco.; Editing by Edward Tobin, Martin Howell and Andre Grenon

Collector pleads guilty to theft of thousands of documents WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A noted collector of presidential memorabilia pleaded guilty on Tuesday to stealing thousands of rare historical documents, including copies of speeches by President Franklin, from a presidential library and historical societies. Barry Landau, 63, who had promoted himself as a U.S. presidential historian, pleaded guilty to conspiring to steal major artwork and theft of major artwork from December 2010 to July 2011. An accomplice who helped steal the documents pleaded guilty in October. Authorities found 10,000 documents and other historical objects during a search of Landau's house last July and August. So far, they have determined that more than 4,000 were stolen from libraries and repositories, include documents signed by George Washington, John Adams, Franklin Roosevelt, Marie Antoinette, Napoleon Bonaparte, Karl Marx, and Sir Isaac Newton. Landau sold four of the reading copies of speeches by Roosevelt for $35,000 to a collector. Such documents are copies of an address from which the president read, signed or initialed them, and sometimes had handwritten notes or corrections. The two also stole documents from historical societies in Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Maryland and New York. One item was a land grant dated June 1, 1861 signed by Lincoln that the Justice Department said was worth more than $100,000. Landau and his co-conspirator, Jason Savedoff, sometimes stole the documents by hiding them in specially designed pockets in their clothing and by distracting museum curators. They also stole card catalogue entries to conceal the fact that the items existed and were missing. Landau described himself on his website as one of the biggest collectors of presidential memorabilia and artifacts and had been interviewed many times on television networks. The two men face up to five years in prison for the conspiracy charge and up to 10 years for stealing the documents. Landau is due to be sentenced on May 7. The case is USA v. Landau, No. 11-cr-415, in U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland. Reporting By Jeremy Pelofsky

BBC News - Swaziland: Police in mini-skirt arrest threat 24 December 2012 Last updated at 11:19 Women in Swaziland risk arrest if they wear mini-skirts or tops which expose part of their stomach, a police spokeswoman has said. Wendy Hleta said police would enforce an 1889 law which bans "immoral" dressing if they receive a complaint. She also said women in the deeply conservative kingdom make it easier for rapists by wearing mini-skirts. Last month, police reportedly blocked women in mini-skirts marching against rape in the second city, Manzini. However, the colonial-era law does not apply to traditional costumes worn by women during ceremonies like the annual reed dance, where the monarch may choose a new wife. In 2000, the government introduced a law requiring school girls aged 10 years old and above to wear knee-length skirts to curb promiscuity as part of attempts to halt the spread of Aids. The country has a population of more than 1.2 million and one of the highest HIV/Aids rates in the world. Undressing people with their eyes Ms Hleta said the 1889 law had not been enforced recently, but police wanted to alert women about its existence after receiving complaints from some men in Manzini about women wearing mini-skirts. Anyone arrested and guilty of "immorality" under the Crimes Act of 1889 could receive a fine of up to $10 (£6) or a jail-term of up to six months if they failed to pay the fine, she said. Women should be careful about wearing revealing clothes, the police spokeswoman said. "We do not encourage that women should be harmed, but at the same time people should note acceptable conduct of behaviour," Ms Hleta is quoted by the privately owned Times of Swaziland newspaper as saying. "The act of the rapist is made easy because it would be easy to remove the half-cloth worn by the women," she said. Women who wear "skimpy clothes" also draw unnecessary attention to themselves, Ms Hleta said. I have read from the social networks that men and even other women have a tendency of 'undressing people with their eyes'. That becomes easier when the clothes are hugging or are more revealing," Ms Hleta is quoted as saying. However, the law excluded exposure of the body due to breast feeding and wearing cultural regalia, she said. Swaziland is a patriarchal society, ruled by sub-Saharan Africa's only absolute monarch, King Mswati III. He has 13 wives and is often accused of leading a flamboyant lifestyle. But in a move that was widely welcomed by rights groups, Swaziland's Ellinah Wamukoya was last month consecrated as the first woman bishop in Africa by the Anglican church.

Talk of the Town: This sizzling show brings home bacon IT has attracted controversy around the world - and last night UK audiences got a chance to judge for themselves as Matthew Herbert's OnePig came to the Capital. Audience at the Queen's Hall were treated to the unique musical production created entirely using the sounds of a pig's life - with Herbert being there from the birth of the animal through to it's eventual slaughter. The artist hopes his creation will help people think more about where food comes from and how it gets to their plate - and just to make sure there were no easy answers the show also featured chefs cooking a pig and serving up tasty pork treats at the end, to a no doubt conflicted audience. From Holyrood to Baywatch WHICH MSP can claim to be considered alongside a Baywatch babe, a pop idol and one of the world's most famous sex symbols of all time? Bathgate-born MSP Jean Urquhart has found new status since revealing her past as a Bunny Girl, working in London's Playboy Club in the Swinging Sixties when she was 17 The Highlands MSP, who quit the SNP after last month's conference vote in favour of Nato, is now listed by Fox News alongside Pamela Anderson, Debbie Harry and Marilyn Monroe under a heading inviting people to vote on: "Which of these sexy former Playboy Girls has had the most success since they hung up their tail and ears?" We must be going IT's been a great year for the UK - but despite a knockout summer of national pride, fuelled by the Olympics, the Diamond Jubilee and the royal wedding, research released today reveals that nearly two-thirds of families in Edinburgh would still like to emigrate. The research, by South Australia's Agent General in London, found that while expensive housing, bad manners and a loss of community spirit were among the reasons given for wanting to flee the UK, the top gripe was, unsurprisingly, the weather. As we stoke the boilers ahead of another feeezing winter, Talk of the Town hears south Australia is lovely this time of year. Gender roll call PRESIDING Officer Tricia Marwick caused much amusement at First Minister's Questions when she appeared to conflate the two female opposition party leaders into one person when she mistakenly called the Scottish Tories" Ruth Davidson "Ruth Lamont." Alex Salmond could not resist observing that the slip "may be appropriate" given the two parties" co-operation in the Better Together campaign for a No vote.

Jessica Simpson Panned Over Pregnancy Weight When it comes to Jessica Simpson's pregnancy weight, it seems everyone has an opinion. Simpson, who is eight months pregnant with her first child, has been called "huge," "a house," and "an absolute porker," the latter coming from a Florida OB/GYN. "The Hunger Shames," Jezebel called it. "I hate how judgmental people are about pregnant women," said Dr. Marjorie Greenfield, chief of obstetrics and gynecology at University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland. You have to have a thick skin and recognize that people don't have the right to criticize you. No one's closer to this pregnancy than you are. Doctors say putting on 25 to 35 pounds during pregnancy is healthiest. And while it's unclear how much weight Simpson has gained, critics have accused her of "letting go" and being a bad role model for pregnant women. "No one should ever look like Jessica Simpson," Dr. Tara Solomon, a OB/GYN in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. told Slate. She's an absolute porker… I cannot believe how heavy she is. Simpson has taken flack over her figure before. The "Fashion Star" mentor's weight has been tabloid fodder for years. But pregnancy weight is a touchy topic. Gaining too much or too little can harm both mom and baby. "Early pregnancy weight gain is associated with an increased risk of developing diabetes during pregnancy," said Greenfield. Weight gain also tends to make bigger babies, which means a tighter fit through the birth canal. Gaining too little weight, on the other hand, can affect the baby's growth, "and that's really not a healthy situation," said Greenfield. Surprisingly, gaining too little weight actually increases the chance of the child being obese later in life. Gaining a healthy amount of weight during pregnancy doesn't have to be hard, Greenfield said. Eating a balanced diet with plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean sources of protein is a smart way to stay within the recommended range. If we all had fantastic, healthy diets to begin with, we wouldn't need to do anything differently during pregnancy. The only difference is you need 300 extra calories a day," she said, "That's an apple and a yogurt. You're certainly not eating for two adults. Greenfield said moms-to-be should practice moderation and listen to their appetites. "It's a good chance to build habits for the rest of your life," she said. Simpson said she has "a lot of amniotic fluid," which may be accounting for some of the weight. "A significant portion of weight gain for some people is water retention, and you don't have control over that," said Greenfield. People can look very puffy, and they're just going to pee it out two weeks after the delivery. One of the biggest problems with gaining too much weight during pregnancy is the inability to lose it later. "After six months, you may never get it off," said Greenfield. We say nine months to gain and six months to lose. Excess pregnancy weight gain is a big contributor to obesity. Eating a healthy diet and exercising can help women shed the post-pregnancy pounds. But Greenfield said it's no easy feat. "It's hard because there are so many things you're supposed to be doing: breastfeeding, maintaining your marriage, including your parents, writing thank-you notes for baby shower gifts, getting sleep," she said. You can't do them all. We all have to just muddle through and do our best.

The Wayne Shorter Quartet at the Rose Theater Since forming a dozen years ago, the Wayne Shorter Quartet has held to a rigorously thorough standard of discovery, welcoming not only flashes of inspiration but also irresolute pauses, stubborn quandaries and heady longueurs. At its best, the band makes this process feel intuitive, creating cycles of action and implication. And so it went in a magnificent and volatile performance at the Rose Theater on Friday night, the first of two sold-out concerts presented by Jazz at Lincoln Center. The quartet, with Mr. Shorter, 78, on tenor and soprano saxophones, Danilo Pérez on piano, John Patitucci on bass and Brian Blade on drums, prizes the give and take of collective improvisation even when it has written material to work with, as it did here. Over an hour and 40 minutes, the frame kept changing, but rather methodically: about every five minutes, a theme would run its course or stop short, leaving someone in the band, usually Mr. Pérez, to begin a new thread, which he did with classical poise. Or the onus would fall instead to Mr. Patitucci, who dug deep into his bass lines, establishing a trancelike center of gravity. During the first 40 minutes, he played ostinatos with their downbeats either missing or displaced: a destabilizing strategy, its effect intensified by the terse but playful indirection of Mr. Blade's drumming. Then came the inverse of that strategy, with a groove in which the downbeat was the only hard constant: an exclamation point at the beginning of the sentence, delirious in its insistence. Mr. Blade was the band's designated mischief-maker, when he wasn't operating as a combustion engine. He's capable of so much supple suggestion, just barely grazing his cymbals and snare, that when he really lets loose it feels like a body blow. This happened near the concert's half-hour mark, during a piece that had the rest of the group calmly repeating quarter notes in an ascending arpeggio. Mr. Blade took this dispassionate figure as his cue to run a fever: slashing and fuming, he seemed almost to lose his bearings. Through it all, against many layers of turbulence, Mr. Shorter's intent rang clear: a bold, elegant form under extraordinary pressure, like a deep-sea lanternfish or a Calatrava bridge. He played a few familiar themes, but not many; when he flirted with the melody of "Footprints," after nearly an hour of evasive maneuvers, I heard an expectant stirring in the seats around me, and some tentative applause. After a moment, Mr. Shorter moved on. His style as a soloist, on soprano as well as tenor, was less essayistic than epigrammatic: bursts of distilled insight, bracing and precise. He doesn't lead the band from out front so much as he does from within, annotating the swirl or connecting the dots in a fragmentary theme. He was selective with the braying, faintly nasal tone of his fiercest tenor playing, just as he was with the piercing jab at the higher end of his soprano range. But he played through most of the performance, and observed his sidemen intently at all times, dictating nothing but influencing the outcome nonetheless. One of his early insights with this quartet was to convene musicians whose affable virtuosity could humanize the forbidding side of the music. It was only in the encore, a version of "Joy Ryder," that he showed how staggeringly concise this band can be, given certain marching orders. But concision isn't the aim for Mr. Shorter now, no more than nostalgia. He's interested in the spirit of expedition, and in its power to transform even familiar materials. Hours before Friday's concert, a space shuttle had been spotted gliding above the New York skyline, on the back of a 747. Which, as accidental emblems go, feels just about right.

Roger Chapman wins U.S. Senior Open for his second major of year Roger Chapman earned the right to be mentioned in the same sentence with Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Hale Irwin. Not bad for a self-described former European Tour journeyman. The Englishman shot a four-under-par 66 on Sunday to win the U.S. Senior Open by two strokes at 10 under at Indianwood in Lake Orion, Mich. He won the Senior PGA Championship by the same margin two months ago on the other side of Michigan. Chapman, Nicklaus, Player and Irwin are the only players to win the U.S. Senior Open and Senior PGA Championship in the same year. "It's a true honor," Chapman said. Before this year, his career highlight was a European Tour win in Brazil in 2000. Bernhard Langer (72), Fred Funk (67), Tom Lehman (68) and Corey Pavin (68) finished tied for second at eight-under 272 at the Champions Tour's fourth of five majors. Pavin's two-stroke penalty after his first round for hitting a ball that moved a fraction of an inch proved to be costly. Entering the final round, it seemed as if the only lingering question was how easily Langer would win. Langer, though, found out what the first- and second-round leaders - Tom Kite and Lance Ten Broeck - did the previous two days: It's not easy to stay consistent at Indianwood. Langer took a four-shot lead into the final round and closed with a shaky performance that spoiled his shot at winning his second U.S. Senior Open. The German said Saturday that if he closed with a two- or three-under round, it would be difficult for anyone to catch him. When Langer gave up two shots at No. 2, he gave the field a chance to pass him. Langer pushed his second tee shot to the right under a line of trees on the 396-yard, par-four hole. After walking more than 100 yards to examine the path of his approach shot, he hit a low shot that landed against the lip of a greenside bunker. Langer tried to play what he called a "special shot," and ended up sailing it over the green to set up a double bogey. Johnson survives in playoff Zach Johnson won the John Deere Classic on the second playoff hole at Silvis, Ill., hitting his second shot to within a foot for a birdie putt to beat Troy Matteson. After Johnson and Matteson double-bogeyed the 18th on their first playoff hole, Johnson hit a 193-yard second shot from a bunker to 12 inches from the cup. Matteson needed to sink a 43-footer to match Johnson's birdie. It was Johnson's second win of the season and ninth of his career. Johnson birdied three of the last six holes in regulation, taking the lead until Matteson sank a 60-foot eagle putt on the par-five 17th. Johnson shot a bogey-free six-under 65 to finish at 20-under 264. Matteson shot a 69. Scott Piercy shot a 65 to finish two strokes back. Singh wins Scottish Open Jeev Milkha Singh beat Francesco Molinari in a playoff to win the Scottish Open at Inverness and secure a berth in next week's British Open. A final-round meltdown by local hope Marc Warren left Singh and Molinari tied at 17-under 271. The 40-year-old Singh won by making a 15-foot putt for birdie on No. Singh, the son of an Olympic 400-meter runner, shot a bogey-free five-under 67 to tie for the lowest round of the day. Warren and overnight leader Molinari (72) dropped shots down a tough closing stretch. A fierce westerly wind and heavy rain at times proved too much for top-ranked Luke Donald (73) and Phil Mickelson (74), who finished tied for 16th at 12 under.

Loch Torridon 'rich' in burrowing fish and maerl seaweed

Free this week: Doug Aitken at the Hirshhorn and more On Thursday evening, Doug Aitken discusses his work "SONG 1," which the Hirshhorn commissioned for the face of the museum. (Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, 2012, conceptual rendering) Free this week: the Hirshhorn gets a makeover and some lunchtime Basil Twist-inspired puppeteering. Here's what's on deck: Sorry, Wrong Number The National Theatre continues its spring tribute to actor Burt Lancaster with a screening of the classic 1948 film "Sorry, Wrong Number" about a bedridden woman who overhears a murder plot. Jonah Lehrer Feeling uninspired lately? Writer and journalist Jonah Lehrer just may shed some light on why that is when he discusses and signs his new book, "Imagine: How Creativity Works." The Book World review runs in The Post on March 25. Local puppeteering This week's noontime performance at Sidney Harman Hall features local puppeteers. The show is in conjunction with Basil Twist's "Petrushka," which is playing at the Shakespeare Theatre Company through Sunday. Doug Aitken "Song 1" opening Starting Thursday evening, the familiar doughnut shape of the Hirshhorn gets a makeover by Los Angeles artist Doug Aitken and his 360-degree illumination project, titled "Song 1." On the night of the opening, the artist discusses his work at the museum. Songwriters: The Next Generation Get a glimpse of the future of songwriting in a showcase at the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage, presented by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) Foundation. The two-night showcase ends Friday with performances by bluegrass singer Celia Woodsmith and her group, Della Mae, and the Andy Akiho Quartet. Opening day: Japan Spring The cherry blossoms are expected to be in full bloom as early as this weekend. Celebrate the arrival of spring - and the kickoff of Japan Spring, an array of cherry-blossom-inspired exhibits and events - on the Mall with bento boxes and tea from Kushi available for purchase in the Sackler Pavilion from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. A kabuki demonstration begins at 2 in the Freer Gallery's Meyer Auditorium. Last chance: "Print by Print: Series from Durer to Lichtenstein" Sunday is your last chance to check out a show of 350 prints spanning 500 years. The survey includes works by artists as renowned as Marcel Duchamp, Picasso and Canaletto.

Hearts face no SPL action over late payment of player wages