FAA: Changes coming to prevent tarmac delays

WASHINGTON?? Administration officials promised Wednesday to make changes before the Christmas travel season in an effort to prevent airline passengers from suffering the nightmare of being trapped for hours on a tarmac with no way to reach an airport gate.

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"We can move pretty quickly on this," Federal Aviation Administrator Randy Babbitt told reporters after hosting a forum with airlines, airports and government officials on ways to prevent a repeat of an October incident that left hundreds of passengers stranded in Hartford, Conn.

Twenty-eight planes ? seven were large international flights ? arrived unexpectedly at Bradley International Airport on Oct. 29 during a freak snowstorm. The planes were forced to divert because weather and equipment problems prevented them from landing at New York-area airports.

Many of the flights sat on the ground for hours ? several for more than seven hours ? before they could either refuel and depart or unload their passengers. The captain of JetBlue flight 504 begged for help to get his plane to a gate, saying passengers were becoming unruly and he had paraplegic and diabetic passengers who needed to get off.

Within the next week, the FAA will begin including airports in national and regional conference calls they hold with airlines several times a day to discuss problems that are affecting the flow of air traffic. The agency is also launching a hotline and a webpage for airports to alert the FAA and airlines of problems on the ground such as difficulties with as snow removal and de-icing equipment or a shortage of available gates, Babbitt said.

Much of the chaos during the Hartford incident could have been mitigated by better communication among airlines, airports and air traffic controllers, Babbitt said.

If airlines had known so many flights were diverting to Hartford, some probably would have sent their planes to other airports in Providence, R.I.; Albany, N.Y.; Allentown, Pa.; and Baltimore, transportation officials said. Bradley, a medium-size airport, has only 23 gates and typically handles few international flights, officials said.

"This wasn't anybody's fault necessarily," Babbitt said. "People just weren't aware of what other people were doing. That's what we're going to try to alleviate going forward."

A Transportation Department rule implemented in April 2010 limits tarmac delays to a maximum of three hours before airlines must allow passengers to get off the plane. Airlines that exceed the time limit can face fines of up to $27,500 per person. Although Babbitt's comments appeared to relieve airlines of responsibility for the Oct. 29 incident, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood emphasized that his department's investigations into each of the flights that exceeded the three-hour limit aren't yet complete.

Airlines say there are a lot of reasons for extended tarmac delays, most related to airport congestion created by poor weather. If planes are held at gates because poor weather prevents or slows departures, then incoming flights have trouble finding a free gate. Sometimes planes sitting for hours in line waiting to take off are unable to return to gates where new planes have taken their place. Customs and security officials won't allow passengers off international flights unless they have enough officials to process them or a secure place to hold them until they can be processed.

Airlines, which opposed the three-hour rule, say many of the delays are beyond their control. For example, one of the problems at Bradley was that there weren't enough U.S. Customs officials on duty to handle the influx of large international flights with hundreds of passengers. Indeed, the room Customs officials use at Bradley was far too small to accommodate all the passengers waiting to be processed that day, officials said.

The airport received 20 inches of snow during the storm, which marked the first time that area of Connecticut had received over an inch of snow in October in more than a century of record-keeping, a National Weather Service official told the forum.

The storm knocked out power to the airport several times during the day. Luggage belts quit working. Tugs that move planes out of the way couldn't get traction on the ice. Planes had trouble refueling and de-icing because of the power outages, preventing departures.

If a plane can't get de-iced, "you might as well just weld the aircraft to the ramp ? it's not going anywhere," Babbitt said.

And if planes can't depart, there's no room to unload planes that have landed.

No one, including controllers, had a complete picture of what was happening, Babbitt told the forum.

"There is a lot of knowledge out there," he said. "If everyone had access to the whole picture, they wouldn't have continued to send planes to (Bradley)."

But FAA officials acknowledged they shared some responsibility for the episode as well. The agency was in the midst of a scheduled shutdown of navigation equipment for servicing at John F. Kennedy International Airport when visibility rapidly deteriorated and winds kicked up. Several industry officials questioned why FAA continued with the maintenance shutdown in light of the forecast storm, but LaHood said no one had anticipated a snowstorm that severe in October.

The problems were exacerbated when other FAA equipment at Kennedy and nearby Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey malfunctioned in freezing temperatures. Reports of wind shear limited the use of some runways, forcing changes in flight paths that decreased the number of planes that could land at Kennedy, Newark, LaGuardia Airport in New York and Teterboro Airport in New Jersey, which was closed for a time.

More than a dozen planes were diverted to Logan International Airport in Boston, but Logan had problems as well. One of the diverted planes was an Airbus A380, the world's largest commercial passenger plane. Logan, which doesn't normally serve A380s, had to close a runway for a time because there was nowhere else to put the supersize plane. Tarmac space to accommodate planes at Logan was further limited by a military flight that happened to bring soldiers wounded in Libya to the U.S. for medical care that day. Logan officials said they had to make room on the tarmac for 10 ambulances.

An FAA review also found that it wasn't necessarily obvious to controllers that an unusually large number of flights were being diverted to Bradley, agency officials said.

Among FAA's proposals to airlines and airports for better information-sharing:

• Creating a webpage monitored by FAA where airports can continuously update information. Airline dispatchers could check the site before deciding where they want to send flights unable to land at their intended destination. Airlines, rather than controllers, decide which airports they want to send diverted flights to based on factors such as personnel and equipment at the airport.

For example, if a plane spends too much time on the ground, the flight crew may exceed the maximum number of hours they're allowed to work in a single day under FAA safety regulations. In those cases, airlines have to find another flight crew and get them to the plane before the flight can depart.

• Expand FAA-hosted teleconferences with airlines to include airports. FAA and airline officials exchange information in teleconferences each day about weather-related and other difficulties affecting the flow of air traffic around the country, but airport officials generally don't join those conversations.
• Create a better system for air traffic controllers to identify diverted flights. While special handling would not be provided based sole on diversion status, it would heighten situational awareness about the potential for congestion on the ground at airport and for planes in the air to run low on fuel.
  

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45495946/ns/travel-news/

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Two iPhones Go Up in Smoke and Flames

Two users recently received a scare when their iPhones began glowing, smoking and emitting sparks. One iPhone in Brazil, and then another in Australia, recently self-combusted.

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GOP Latinos face questions over immigrant pasts (AP)

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. ? New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez is forced to research and clarify her late grandfather's immigration status. Marco Rubio, Florida's GOP Senator, is accused of embellishing his family's immigrant story. A Republican congressional candidate in California puts on his website that he is the great-grandson of an illegal immigrant.

As more Latino Republicans seek and win elected office, their families' backgrounds are becoming subject to increased scrutiny from some Latino activists, a reaction experts say is a result of Latino Republicans' conservative views on immigration. It's a new phenomenon that experts say Latino Democrats rarely faced, and could be a recurring feature in elections as the Republican Party seeks to recruit more Latino candidates.

"It's a trend and we are seeing more of it," said Alfonso Aguilar, executive director of the Washington, D.C.-based Latino Partnership for Conservative Principles.

For years, most Latino elected officials were largely Democrats, except in Florida, where Cuban Americans tended to vote Republican. But recently, a new generation of Latino Republicans has won seats in Arizona, Texas, New Mexico, California and even Idaho. Those politicians have come under fire from some Latino activists for pushing for laws targeting illegal immigrants and for opposing efforts for comprehensive immigration reform ? views that are in line with most Republicans.

And the immigrant advocates are pointing to the GOP Latino elected leaders' own family histories in an effort to paint them as hypocrites. Ignacio Garcia, a history professor at Brigham Young University, said it comes from a long tradition by liberal activists of portraying Latino Republicans as "vendidos," or sellouts, since the majority of Latino voters tend to vote Democratic.

For example, Martinez tried twice in the New Mexico state legislature to overturn a state law that allows illegal immigrants to obtain state drivers' licenses. Then earlier this year, various media outlets reported that a grandfather of Martinez may have been an illegal immigrant. The reports sparked immigrant advocates to protests outside the state Capitol with poster-size photos of Martinez on drivers' licenses.

Martinez, a Republican and the nation's only Latina governor, ordered her political organization to research her family's background and found documents that suggested that her grandfather legally entered the country and had various work permits.

The episode drew criticism, even from those who opposed Martinez' efforts on state driver's licenses. "This has nothing to do with her views and how she governs," said Michael A. Olivas, an immigration law professor at the University of Houston who also is aiding in a lawsuit against a Martinez's administration probe over the license fight. "I don't think it's fair for people to dig around in her family's past."

In Florida, Rubio's official Senate website until recently described his parents as having fled Cuba following Fidel Castro's takeover. But media organizations reported last month that Rubio's parents and his maternal grandfather emigrated for economic reasons more than two years before the Cuban Revolution.

Somos Republicans, a group dedicated to increasing Latino Republican voting numbers, immediately attacked Rubio over the discrepancy and for holding harsh views on immigration. "We believe it is time to find out the complete history of his parents' immigration history," the group said in a statement. "It is also time for Rubio to be a leader and help Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) fix the broken immigration system."

Patricia Montes, executive director of Centro Presente, an immigrant advocacy group in Somerville, Mass., said voters need to know a politician's family background for clues on how they will respond to people with similar stories. "It's very important to voters," said Montes.

Montes said most Latino and immigrant voters don't simply view Latino Republicans as "vendidos" but rather as politican leaders who don't share their views. "I don't care if someone is Latina or not," said Montes. "I care if they believe in the same things I do, and if their policies will affect the immigrant community."

Garcia said the current tension also is a result of a new breed of Latino Republicans finally winning high profile seats after years of being largely ignored or dismissed. Garcia said there have always been Hispanic Republicans, through their numbers have been typically small and they have often faced heat from the largely Democratic Latino population.

In New Mexico, for example, the colorful lawman and lawyer Elfego Baca helped establish the Republican Party just after New Mexico became a state in 1912 and actively tried recruit the state's mutigenerational Latino population to join the party. Baca won a number of local offices, including district attorney, but lost bids for Congress and various statewide offices.

In Texas, civil rights activist Felix Tijerina, a Mexican-American Houston restaurateur and former national president of the League of United Latin American Citizens in the 1950s, remained committed to Republican Party despite a backlash from fellow activists who disagreed with his laissez faire, pro-business views. One Texas civil rights leader, John J. Herrera, called Tijerina "a white man's Mexican" for his support of Republican Dwight D. Eisenhower for president over Democrat Adlai Stevenson.

"The difference now is that these new Latino Republicans, like Martinez and Rubio, are better prepared and are being groomed as national figures," said Garcia. "Meanwhile, the Democrats are falling behind. They have no equivalent and they aren't giving Latinos the same opportunity."

Garcia said there's also a new factor ? the millions of new independent Latino evangelicals who could be potential GOP voters. This population is new and unpredictable, he said.

Still, some Latino Republicans want to use the new attention around them in the party to change what they say is damaging rhetoric around immigration. Tony Carlos, who is seeking the GOP nomination for California's 3rd Congressional District, is running on a platform to push comprehensive immigration reform and believes if other Republicans follow, more Latinos will vote with the GOP.

On his campaign website Carlos says his great-grandfather came to Arizona from Mexico "without papers." Carlos said it's all about showing that his family is part of an ongoing American story and that political leaders need to honestly attack today's problems.

"I'm putting my family history out there. And once Latino voters hear that I support immigration reform, I find that they are open to other issues that appeal to conservatives," said Carlos. "My argument is that they are just as conservative. They are just in the wrong party."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111128/ap_on_re_us/us_latino_politicians_immigration

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Some questions, answers about the NBA labor deal (AP)

MIAMI ? No, the NBA lockout is not over. Not yet, but soon ? once owners and players approve the deal that would have NBA games resume on Christmas Day. Here's a look at some of the most prevalent questions about the state of things in the league right now.

___

Q: What happened to get this deal done?

A: As one person involved in the talks told The Associated Press, "sanity prevailed." Neither side was winning. Owners were losing money. Players were losing money. Fans were getting angry. Because Christmas is traditionally the day when the public really start watching NBA games, there was a late push to try and salvage the Dec. 25 schedule.

___

Q: So it's done?

A: Well, no. There's still a slew of issues to work through, and then there's the not-so-small matter of having owners and players actually vote on the deal. Though the deal's expected to be approved, it won't be unanimous as there are factions of hard-liners in both camps who will be unhappy with substantive portions of the deal.

___

Q: How could union chief Billy Hunter and president Derek Fisher "negotiate" with the NBA if the players' union had been disbanded?

A: When players dissolved the union that meant Hunter and Fisher no longer had the power to negotiate and agree to terms for the players. What could happen and what did happen with the NBA, as it did with the NFL this summer, is that lawyers and representatives for both sides can hold discussions under the guise of antitrust settlement talks. Hunter is an attorney. He knew the rules and the risks. Certainly, this could have blown up for the players and risked their antitrust lawsuit in Minnesota.

___

Q: What happens to that lawsuit?

A: Barring something crazy, the players will ask that it be dismissed. The league also must dismiss its New York lawsuit about the legality of the lockout.

___

Q: When will training camp start?

A: Dec. 9. Free agency is expected to begin then, too, meaning some locker rooms may as well start getting revolving doors installed now.

___

Q: And the first games?

A: The league wants three games on Christmas Day, and it's a safe bet the previously scheduled matchups ? Boston at New York, Miami at Dallas in a finals rematch, and Chicago at the Los Angeles Lakers ? will go on as planned. The Dec. 26 schedule and beyond? Get out your erasers. A lot will be changing.

___

Q: I don't understand. If there's deal, why is nothing happening for two weeks?

A: Clearly, you're not an attorney. Only the framework of a deal is in place. Now the rules, the language, the nuances, they all must be put to paper by the lawyers who will be charged with actually writing the new collective bargaining agreement. Until that's done, no players can be signed, traded, etc., since there are still no real operating rules by which teams would have to abide.

___

Q: How will the schedule work?

A: Still unclear. The easiest way to fill a 66-game schedule would have teams play four games against each divisional opponent (16 games) and two games against every other team in the league (50 games). It would also ensure that every team makes at least one appearance in every league arena, which is what fans would want anyway. A season without Kobe Bryant going to Madison Square Garden? Not happening.

___

Q: Will there be preseason games?

A: A person involved with the process tells The AP there will be, but details are still getting hammered out. (A good guess would have teams playing two games, probably against a nearby rival.) It's a strong possibility that those games will have reams of low-priced tickets, a gesture of apologizing to fans for the delay in getting basketball going again.

___

Q: What about the players who signed overseas? Can they come home?

A: In most cases, yes. New Jersey guard Deron Williams said on Twitter early Saturday that he would soon be leaving his Turkish club Besiktas. That team will not be thrilled to see him leave ? Williams had a 50-point game a few days ago. Some players who signed deals with Chinese clubs may have to work a bit harder (or, well, pay) to escape those contracts.

___

Q: What happens to these scheduled charity games, such as the "Homecoming Tour" featuring LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Paul and Carmelo Anthony, or Mario Chalmers' game in Alaska on Dec. 1?

A: Organizers were working Saturday to salvage at least some of them. Wade said he wanted to use the planned four-game tour he's involved with as a way to play competitive basketball before the season, even though he didn't know at the time when the season will begin. Although most players are in great shape, there's a big difference between that and "game shape." Frankly, a two-week training camp might not be enough time to get them there, either.

___

Follow Tim Reynolds on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/ByTimReynolds

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111126/ap_on_sp_bk_ne/bkn_nba_labor_q_and_a

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Republican field crowded and likely to remain so (San Jose Mercury News)

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Scientists working hard to build a better turkey

The great majority of today's domesticated turkeys may not be able to fly, but their ancestors sure got around. The quintessential New World bird, Meleagris gallopavo, was already an Old World favorite by the time colonists in North America first celebrated any Thanksgiving feasts. Today's turkey researchers are investigating the big bird's genetic heritage and biology as part of an effort to improve several aspects of its cultivation.

In 2010, a team of researchers from numerous labs in the United States announced the sequencing of more than 90 percent of the turkey genome. This represented a big step in turkey research, but efforts continue.

"Once you identify genes, the next step is to figure out what they do," said Rami Dalloul, a poultry and immunology researcher at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg.

"What we've been doing for the past almost year is building upon that sequence and trying to figure out, are there traits in the original [wild] bird that might be useful for today's bird?" said Julie Long, a poultry researcher at the research arm of the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Beltsville, Md.

The researchers have been working with the genetic material from the most popular domesticated commercial breed, the broad breasted white turkey. It is descended from turkeys domesticated in modern Mexico by predecessors of the Aztecs. The birds were well-established as a food source by the time the Conquistadors arrived. The Spanish took the birds back to Europe, and they quickly spread across the continent.

"Very quickly the domesticated turkey became, as far as I could tell, the real first New World food to be adopted in Europe," said Andrew F. Smith, a food historian and the author of "The Turkey: An American Story."

"When the Pilgrims and when the Jamestown colonists arrived, they had already eaten turkey," Smith said.

Smith said that by the 1550s, turkeys were already popular at Christmas dinners in England. When colonists came to the New World, they found large populations of wild birds that provided a reliable food source.

Colonists eventually began raising turkeys, but did not domesticate the wild birds.

"The commercial birds that we eat today were actually developed in the United States," said Long. "But they were developed on stocks that came from Europe that originally came from Mexico."

A whole different breed
After hundreds of years of breeding, today's commercial turkeys are far removed genetically from the wild turkeys from Mexico, which were already isolated from any of the five subspecies of wild turkeys found in the United States today.

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The genetic sequence of the domestic turkey differs from its wild turkey relatives, and can be used to illustrate differences between the animals.

"Once you have the baseline, which is the domestic turkey, then you have a good reference genome to come back to and then make a valid comparison," said Dalloul.

Wild turkeys have a gene that makes them resistant to a type of toxic fungus sometimes found in corn and soybeans. This toxin can be deadly on its own or lower a turkey's resistance to other infections and cause death that way.

The domestic breed no longer carries that resistant genetic trait.

"If you can bring back that gene into the domestic population, then you can have these birds again more resistant to [the toxin]," said Dalloul.

No natural mating
Even the intended consequences of commercial turkey breeds have introduced complications. Breeders developed birds with more white meat. The resulting turkeys, such as the broad breasted white, grow muscle quickly, and, as the name suggests, that muscle is concentrated in the breast area.

"[The breast] protrudes quite a bit and physically gets in the way when the birds need to reproduce," said Long. "In the commercial turkey industry there are no birds that naturally mate."

The great majority of turkey farmers must therefore depend upon artificial insemination, said Long. She suggested that there may be rare exceptions among small farms raising older breeds of turkeys, called heritage breeds, which may reproduce naturally. Artificial insemination is a laborious job in turkey facilities, as the sperm from male toms must be collected and female hens inseminated weekly.

"The amazing thing about the turkey hen is she's capable of keeping viable sperm cells for up to ten weeks after a single insemination," said Long. "The best we can do and still maintain high levels of fertility is about six hours."

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If turkey researchers could find a way to increase the amount of time that they can store sperm for later use, it might make the process of artificial insemination easier and less time-consuming. This is a primary area of research for Long, who hopes that further study of molecular DNA may help explain other reproductive issues as well, including why some hens lay more eggs than others.

More Thanksgiving science:

Chris Gorski is a writer and editor for Inside Science News Service. This report was originally published as "The Globe-Trotting Turkey" on the InsideScience.org website.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45422952/ns/technology_and_science/

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Prosecutors seek four years in jail for Jackson doctor (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) ? Prosecutors on Wednesday asked a judge to sentence Michael Jackson's former doctor to the maximum four years in prison for his involuntary manslaughter conviction in the singer's 2009 death.

In a separate court filing, defense attorneys for Dr. Conrad Murray, 58, sought to convince Los Angeles trial judge Michael Pastor to sentence their client to probation.

The dueling legal papers come in advance of a hearing on Tuesday at which Pastor will issue his sentence for Murray, who is currently in jail awaiting that court date.

Jackson was found lifeless at his mansion on June 25, 2009, about three weeks before he was due to begin a series of comeback concerts in London.

Murray was at the singer's house and had given him the powerful anesthetic propofol as a sleep aid, which medical examiners said was the chief cause of his death.

Doctors testified at the trial that propofol, which is often used for surgery, should never be given in a home setting without adequate staffing and equipment.

In seeking to justify their request for a maximum prison sentence of four years for Murray, prosecutors David Walgren and Deborah Brazil argued that the doctor took advantage of Jackson's trust in him, all while being under salary for $150,000 a month.

"Instead of utilizing his medical knowledge and training to provide Mr. Jackson with proper medical care, the defendant acted as an employee and as a drug dealer and completely corrupted the trust necessary in a proper doctor-patient relationship," prosecutors stated.

Defense attorneys said in their court papers that Murray's "background and character" warrant a sentence of probation, not prison time. They also cited his history of treating poor patients regardless of their ability to pay.

"Dr. Murray has been described as a changed, grief-stricken man, who walks around under a pail of sadness since the loss of his patient, Mr. Jackson," defense lawyers stated.

Legal experts have said that, because of overcrowding in California prisons, Murray may spend as little as a few months behind bars regardless of what he receives as a sentence.

California adopted a new law in October that sends low-risk prison inmates to county jails, and in turn officials who run Los Angeles county jails have been releasing inmates early because of a lack of space.

"It will be very difficult to achieve an appropriate sentence of incarceration for Dr. Conrad Murray," Los Angeles District Attorney Steve Cooley, whose office prosecuted the case, told reporters earlier this month.

In addition, an attorney for Jackson's estate said in a court filing that the singer would have earned $100 million had he completed all 50 shows at London's O2 arena that he was scheduled to perform before his death.

Murray has been in jail since November 7 awaiting his sentencing hearing, due to a decision by Pastor to not allow him to remain free until that upcoming hearing.

That decision was made on the same day that a Los Angeles found Murray guilty of involuntary manslaughter after a six-week trial.

(Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/music/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111124/music_nm/us_michaeljackson

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Egyptian court orders release of 3 US students (AP)

PHILADELPHIA ? A court in Egypt has ordered the release of three American students arrested during a protest in Cairo, a lawyer in Philadelphia confirmed Thursday.

Derrik Sweeney, Luke Gates and Gregory Porter, who attend the American University in Cairo, were arrested on the roof of a university building near Cairo's iconic Tahrir Square on Sunday. Officials accused them of throwing firebombs at security forces fighting with protesters.

Attorney Theodore Simon, who represents Porter, a 19-year-old student at Drexel University in Philadelphia, said his client remained in custody at a police station as of Thursday afternoon Eastern time.

But Simon said he was able to speak by phone with Porter, describing the student's demeanor as "calm and measured, demonstrating a maturity well beyond his 19 years."

"He was extremely thankful and appreciative for our efforts and the unconditional support of his mother and father," Simon said.

Porter is from Glenside, Pa., a suburb of Philadelphia.

Sweeney's mother, Joy Sweeney, said she is "absolutely elated" at the news of her 19-year-old son's release.

"I can't wait to give him a huge hug and tell him how much I love him," she said, adding that the news of the court order was the best Thanksgiving gift.

The 21-year-old Gates is a student of Indiana University.

The State Department released a statement saying it was trying to independently confirm the reports of the students' release.

Earlier Thursday, Egypt officials said the Abdeen Court in Cairo had ordered their release. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak to the media. They did not say when the students would be released.

In Bloomington, Ind., a spokesman for Indiana University, said he could not confirm that Gates and the other has already been freed. Mark Land earlier said he had spoken to Gates' parents and that they had been told by the State Department that their son has been released.

Joy Sweeney said she wasn't sure when her son, a student at Georgetown University, would be returning to their home in Jefferson City, Mo.

"If he can find his passport (then he'll leave) tomorrow, if not, it won't be until Monday," she said.

She said the U.S. consul general in Egypt, Roberto Powers, recommended that her son leave Egypt as soon as possible.

"He also conveyed that that was what Derrik had conveyed to him that he wanted to do. He was enjoying his experience but (was) ready to be done with it," Sweeney said.

Derrik Sweeney interned for U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer, R-Mo., earlier this year. Luetkemeyer's spokesman Paul Sloca, said the congressman is "extremely pleased that he's safe and coming home, especially on Thanksgiving."

Sweeney said she had not prepared for a Thanksgiving celebration, although a friend had taken her some food. She said the idea of a Thanksgiving feast had seemed "absolutely irrelevant" before the news of her son's pending freedom.

Asked what she thought her son would take away from his arrest, Sweeney said she thought he would make something useful of it.

"I'm sure that he'll put a life-lesson learning experience into a positive story," Sweeney said. "He's a writer, he will write about this experience."

___

Associated Press reporter Ed Donahue in Washington contributed to this report. Maggie Michael reported from Cairo.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/crime/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111124/ap_on_re_us/egypt_american_students

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Video: Ex-FBI chief to lead Penn State investigation

>>> now to the child abuse sex scandal . a young man who was once very close to former coach jerry sandusky is speaking out. we'll hear from him in a moment. first nbc's peter alexander is on the penn state college campus with the latest in the developments in the case. good morning.

>> reporter: there is another investigation under way in penn state university , this one specifically looking into how the university itself responded to the allegations of child sexual abuse by the football team 's former defensive coordinator jerry sandusky . the allegations date back to the mid '90s, leading to the firing of the school's president and of course the head coach, joe pater paterno. at the helm of the investigation, a veteran lawman, louie freeh . the university is filled with serious new questions about its board of trustees . on monday the trustees tapped freeh to head its investigation. the investigation will go back as far as 1975 .

>> if our investigation identifies any additional victims of sexual crimes against or exploitation of children, we will immediately report this to law enforcement authorities.

>> reporter: board member kenneth frazier said freeh will be empowered to follow the investigation wherever it leads.

>> no someone above scrutiny.

>> reporter: nbc learned a second out of town charity sent kids to the second mile from 1988 to 202001. the group, a better chance, places minority children in high performance school and sent around 30 kids to the second mile but none stayed at sandusky's home. as for louie freeh 's investigation, his investigative team will include former prosecutors, former u.s. attorneys and former investigators with experience covering cases that involve child sexual abuse and for this time, louie freeh made it clear there is no timetable for this investigation.

Source: http://video.today.msnbc.msn.com/today/45399232/

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The story behind the chat with Ai Weiwei

Eric Baculinao/ NBC News

Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei answers questions during a Live Chat with msnbc.com readers on Nov. 22.

By Ed Flanagan, NBC News

BEIJING ? Many readers wrote in after our chat with artist/activist Ai Weiwei with more questions about the structure of the event and how it worked. I?ll do my best to answer those questions and to give a little more background about what went on inside Ai?s house.

Q. How was Ai Weiwei allowed to do this chat if he?s under house arrest?
A: Ai Weiwei is not under house arrest; he is allowed to travel freely in Beijing, but is unable to leave the city without permission from the government. He is also free to bring guests and co-workers to his Beijing studio, which was the site of the live chat and has been a hive of activity the last few times we?ve come to visit him there.

As for why he was able to do this chat, Ai perhaps said it best during the live chat: ?I?m not talking to press, I?m talking to people.??

---

Q: What were the Chinese saying about the chat?
A: None of the Chinese state media organizations appeared to report on the live chat. Ai?s name has been blocked on China?s twitter-like service, Weibo, so there was no obvious discussion of the live chat on there either.

Q. Why didn?t my question for Ai show up on the chat screen? Did he read my question?
A: Thousands of people from all over the world left questions for Ai to answer ? he managed to get through 16 in a little over an hour. Had we put all the comments up inside the main chat box it would have been difficult for many of our readers to find Ai?s answers among all the questions, comments and criticisms ? yes, there was a great deal of the latter in both English and Chinese ? left by readers.

While I served as moderator of the event, controlling what showed up on the chat screen and what didn?t, Ai ultimately selected the questions he wished to answer. There were several reasons for this, but it was primarily for us a question of safety for Ai.

While he is free to talk to the public, the reality is that he is still faces serious legal charges for tax evasion and his colleagues are under investigation for pornography. Certain questions that pried deeper into those matters could potentially have brought him further legal trouble from China?s court system.

Similarly, questions that touched on big sensitive subjects like Tiananmen Square, Tibet and Taiwan ? the ?Three T?s? as they are known among the journalist community here ? were likely avoided by Ai as they have already been discussed so much previously and would only have inflamed what is an already tenuous relationship with the Communist government.

Ai initially was happy to listen to the questions read to him as they came in, but as readers began to flood the chat with questions and comments, he increasingly began to spend much of the time standing beside me reading the live feed and sometimes answering questions under his breath as my colleague gamely tried to keep up with him on the keyboard.

In fact, his answer, ?I?m not talking to press, I?m talking to people,? came as we were preparing another one of his answers, so we had to track back through the trove of questions to find the one he had answered off the cuff.???

Andy Wong / AP

Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei opens his jacket to reveal a shirt bearing his portrait as he walks into the Beijing Local Taxation Bureau on Nov. 16, 2011. Click on the photo to see a complete slideshow of photos.

Q. Did Ai Weiwei really call the Occupy Wall Street movement ?primitive? and ?hopeless??

A: This answer was slightly taken out of context by some commentators both in the chat and later in media reports on the event. His answer to a question about his impressions of the Occupy Wall Street movement is below:

9:27??Ai Weiwei:
First I didn?t pay enough attention, but as much as I have to say, I can certainly recognize the need to express the feeling of the people who have suffered from this Walstreet power, that kind of distrust, and misconduct from the Walstreet in many respects. But as a movement it?s a still in a very primitive form, and you can see the kind of hopeless struggle because it seems to have no structure to get the message across, or even let people know what kind of message that is. Or it has become lacking of content or successfully express its own purposes during the development. It?s lack of means to really create changes.

Ai?s intent here was not to call out the entire movement out as hopeless, but to note that from his view, Occupy Wall Street is still in its nascent stages and that it needs structure and cohesiveness to truly become an effective vehicle for meaningful social change.

As Ai noted later, coverage of Occupy Wall Street in the local Chinese media has been stilted. While coverage of Americans camping out to protest Wall Street excess initially drew gleeful editorials from some nationalistic newspapers here in China, censors tempered coverage when officials saw the movement spread to Asia, sparking concern that similar events could be staged on the mainland as well. With largely only official Chinese state media reports and scattered Western sources available, most citizens here are limited in their exposure to coverage of Occupy Wall Street.

As for Ai himself, with so much already going on in his life this year, it?s understandable that he hasn?t made the Occupy Wall Street movement a bigger priority in his life right now.

However, that isn?t to say that he doesn?t empathize with the general sentiment. As he said in his response to an angry reader comment about his answer above: ?If I was in N.Y., I?d be a part of it [Occupy Wall Street].?

Q. What was up with the cats?
A: One of the first things you notice when you go to Ai?s studio is how animal friendly the place is. Cats lazily sun themselves out in the courtyard, stalk employees and visitors alike and generally roam freely. Joining them is a rotund cocker spaniel named Daniel who often holds court near Ai?s feet clad in an orange knit sweater.

The night of the live chat was very windy in Beijing and animals and humans alike were scurrying throughout the courtyard to escape the biting cold. Those cats that managed to get in during the live chat generally observed quietly from a distance, but a few of the more adventurous ones decided this was a fine time to curl into laps, walk over laptops and look gamely at the tangerines Ai was eating throughout the talk.

Ai had just finished giving an answer to a question and was busy reading through the live feed of questions when we heard a rattle and then the door suddenly flung wide open followed by two cats and a flurry of leaves flying in.

The howl of the wind and the sudden slam of the door gave some of us quite a start, since for half a second we weren?t sure if it was the Beijing police bringing an unceremonious end to the live chat.

But Ai didn?t bat an eye, ?That cat is the smart one, he figured the door out a while ago.?

The cat?s ingenuity and contribution to the chat deserved a mention, but definitely better grammar. Rest assured readers, the bear/bare mistake was embarrassedly noticed by me the moment I hit enter. I promise it won?t happen again.

Q. Will Ai do another one of these live chats again soon?
A: Someone close to Ai once described him as a ?social media junkie.? During this live chat, Ai seemed energized by the waves of questions readers sent him and eager to tackle them as best he could.

We here at Behind the Wall thank you for the great questions and comments you sent yesterday and hope that we can make this happen again soon.

Click here to read the complete chat

Source: http://behindthewall.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/11/23/8974659-the-story-behind-the-chat-with-ai-weiwei

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Elle Macpherson's adviser: Hacking cost me my job (AP)

LONDON ? Elle Macpherson fired her business adviser, thinking the woman was leaking secrets, when U.K. journalists were actually getting juicy details about the supermodel by hacking into her phone, a British inquiry was told Tuesday.

Mary-Ellen Field's testimony before the inquiry into British media ethics revealed the human costs of the illegal practice, as Field lost both her job for Macpherson and one at an advisory firm because of the unfounded suspicions.

Field said her once-close relationship with Macpherson fell apart after the model's intimate secrets began appearing in the press. Macpherson became convinced that Field, a fellow Australian, was an indiscreet alcoholic and ordered her to go to an American rehabilitation clinic.

Field said she was shocked by the allegations she was a drunk who'd been blabbing about her employer, but went along with Macpherson's recommendation because she needed her job.

"I have a severely disabled child who can never look after himself, so walking away from a high-paying position is not a good idea," Field said.

The rehab was grueling ? she described it as being "like one of those CIA renditions, except they don't put you in chains" ? but it didn't help the situation.

Even though staff at the clinic said Field was not an alcoholic, Macpherson fired her anyway, and Field lost her job at her firm shortly afterward. She told the inquiry there was no doubt the sacking was the result of what happened with Macpherson.

Field said her employer told her that "I'd been indiscreet, that the clients didn't trust me."

Although it has since emerged that the media leaks were the result of phone hacking by the News of the World tabloid, not any indiscretions, Field said she has not heard from Macpherson in years.

Field was one of several victims of press intrusion testifying Tuesday at Britain's Royal Courts of Justice. The inquiry, headed by Lord Justice Brian Leveson, was set up after the scandal over phone hacking and other underhanded tactics used at the News of the World, which was closed in July amid allegations of widespread criminality.

Soccer player Garry Flitcroft told of his family's harassment by the media after the failure of a judicial bid to block news of his affair, saying that at one point journalists used a helicopter to track his movements.

Flitcroft said journalists "wanted to make a statement to me: 'Never take on the press again.'"

Margaret Watson, whose daughter Diane was stabbed to death at her Scottish school two decades ago, gave emotional evidence about the way in which her child's memory was smeared by crusading journalists. She demanded that English libel laws be extended to cover those who have passed away.

"Just because a person's died, their reputation shouldn't die with them," she said.

British comedian Steve Coogan was due to testify later.

On Monday, the parents of murdered British schoolgirl Milly Dowler and film star Hugh Grant were the first victims to testify to the panel, with Grant being particularly scathing.

He described mysterious break-ins, leaked medical details and hacked voice mails. Grant attacked the Mail on Sunday tabloid, accusing it of spying on his conversations. The paper denies the charge, but lawyers at the inquiry said Tuesday the tabloid's response smacked of an attempt to intimidate witnesses.

David Sherborne and Neil Garnham pointed to an article on the Mail's website describing Grant's allegations as "mendacious smears driven by his hatred of the media."

"(Is) everyone who has the temerity to give evidence critical of the press is going to face this the following morning?" Garnham asked.

Sherborne also invoked the Mail article when he said many witnesses were worried about "the sort of intimidatory tactics that we've seen in the press this morning."

Lawyer Jonathan Caplan defended The Mail, saying the paper's comments were "a response to the fact that (Grant) was commenting freely that there was not a substratum of evidence" to support his allegation.

Leveson had limited sympathy for the Mail's argument, noting that while the paper had defended itself, it had also accused Grant of lying under oath.

"The real issue is whether it's appropriate to go from the defensive to the offensive in that way," Leveson said.

___

Online:

http://www.levesoninquiry.org.uk/

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/britain/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111122/ap_on_bi_ge/eu_britain_phone_hacking

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Two killed, hundreds hurt in Egypt street clashes (Reuters)

CAIRO (Reuters) ? Clashes erupted between protesters and police in Cairo and two other Egyptian cities, killing two people and wounding hundreds in the biggest security challenge yet for the country's ruling generals days before scheduled elections.

In scenes reminiscent of the 18-day uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak from three decades of power in February, hundreds of youths chanted "The people want to topple the regime" in central Cairo on Saturday as they rushed toward riot police, who fired rubber bullets and tear gas.

Witnesses said the clashes appeared to have subsided early on Sunday.

During Saturday's clashes, protesters broke chunks of cement from pavements and hurled them at police, who lost control of Cairo's landmark Tahrir Square twice in the day.

A blaze broke out around midnight at the huge Mogamma state administration building overlooking Tahrir.

As police fired round after round of tear gas at protesters near the interior ministry, closer to Tahrir demonstrators laid sheets of metal to block roads into the square.

"I tell you do not leave the square. This square will lead the way from now on," presidential candidate Hazem Salah Abu Ismail, a hardline Islamist, told a group of protesters early on Sunday. "Tomorrow the whole of Egypt will follow your lead."

State news agency MENA quoted the health ministry's spokesman as saying 676 people had been hurt in Cairo and that Ahmed Mahmoud, a 23-year-old demonstrator, died in hospital. MENA reported another death in Egypt's second city Alexandria.

Staggered voting is due to begin on November 28 but could be disrupted if violence spreads.

The vote is being overshadowed by a row between political parties and the government over ground rules for a draft constitution that could leave the army free of civilian control.

The army won popular backing during Mubarak's overthrow for maintaining order and pledging to hand power to an elected government, but support has ebbed over its use of military trials for civilians and suspicion that it wants to continue to wield the levers of power after a new government is sworn in.

A security official said on Saturday police had used lawful methods to deal with "troublemakers." Protesters said they were incensed by brutal police tactics to break up a peaceful sit-in.

The army stayed away from the fighting.

UNREST IN ALEXANDRIA, SUEZ

About 5,000 protesters had converged on Tahrir on Saturday afternoon when police tried to evict the remnants of a 50,000-strong demonstration a day earlier, mostly by Islamists demanding the departure of the military.

Buildings and two cars in the square were set on fire, witnesses said. A third vehicle close to the Arab League's headquarters was also burned.

Police beat the protesters, most of whom were not Islamists,

with batons and fired tear gas to regain control of Tahrir, only to retreat after night fell.

Protests erupted in other cities. About 800 people gathered in front of the security directorate in Egypt's second city Alexandria and chanted: "Interior Ministry officials are thugs."

A witness heard repeated gunfire in the area. It was not clear whether the shots were live bullets. One person covered in blood was carried off to hospital on a motorcycle.

About 1,000 gathered outside a police station in the eastern city of Suez, threw stones at it and tried to force their way in. Police fired tear gas and shot into the air.

Protesters in Suez tore down banners of former members of Mubarak's disbanded party who are running in the election.

Liberal groups are dismayed by the military trials of thousands of civilians and the army's failure to scrap a hated emergency law.

Islamists eyeing a strong showing in the next parliament suspect the army council wants to curtail their influence and is maneuvering to stay in power from behind the scenes.

MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD

Analysts say Islamists could win 40 percent of parliament seats, with a big portion going to the Muslim Brotherhood.

The demonstrators denounced Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, the head of the ruling military council, and some criticized the Muslim Brotherhood, which they accused of working to further its own political ends.

"We are not political parties and we hate the Brotherhood who gave up on the revolution and the people," Medhat Fawzy said. "We are Egyptian youth," he added, flashing victory signs.

Egyptian state television said Prime Minister Essam Sharaf had called on protesters in Tahrir to clear the square.

The television said 40 of the wounded were police officers and that 18 "troublemakers" had been arrested.

The liberal April 6 Youth movement said the interior minister should quit for ordering the use of force against a peaceful protest.

Friday's rally appeared to be the biggest Islamist challenge to military rule since the largely secular uprising that toppled Mubarak. The demonstration mostly comprised of Brotherhood members and their harder line Salafi rivals.

Protesters expressed anger at a draft constitution that Deputy Prime Minister Ali al-Silmi showed to political groups earlier this month that would give the army exclusive authority over its internal affairs and budget.

Al-Silmi and the Brotherhood appeared to be negotiating, through press statements and the state news agency, on percentages of members of parliament needed to approve the committee that would write the constitution.

(Additional reporting by Omar Fahmy, Patrick Werr, Tamim Elyan, Abdel Rahman Youssef and Yousri Mohamed; Editing by Tom Pfeiffer and Ralph Gowling)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/africa/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111120/wl_nm/us_egypt_protests

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Senate approves jobs benefits for veterans (AP)

WASHINGTON ? On Veterans Day eve, an uncharacteristically unified Senate emphatically passed a bill to help unemployed veterans and government contractors that includes the first, small slivers of President Barack Obama's jobs agenda that he is likely to sign into law.

Thursday's 95-0 vote gave lawmakers the opportunity to fly home to holiday events and boast about helping veterans and protecting jobs. But it did little to help close the scorching partisan divide over how to revive the gasping economy, an issue that seems sure to decide next year's presidential and congressional elections.

"We deal with a lot of contentious issues here, but this should not be one of them," said Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., a leading sponsor of the veterans' provisions.

The legislation would award tax credits of up to $9,600 to companies that hire disabled veterans who have been job-hunting for at least half a year and strengthen employment counseling and training programs for vets and troops about to leave the military.

It also would erase a law, yet to take effect, requiring federal, state and local government agencies to withhold 3 percent of their payments to companies with which they conduct business. That law was enacted under President George W. Bush to nudge companies to fully pay their taxes, but lawmakers now say it would fence off money those firms could better use to hire more workers.

The House is expected to approve the bill resoundingly next week, which would send it to Obama.

The president's signature would make the veterans tax credits the first fragment of his $447 billion jobs package to be enacted. Those tax credits would cost $90 million over the next decade, according to White House estimates. Obama also has supported annulling the withholding requirement on contractors' payments.

The rest of the president's jobs plan, which is highlighted by payroll tax cuts and money for infrastructure projects and hiring teachers and police officers, has foundered. A senior administration official told reporters that the White House will pressure Republicans over the president's proposal to extend this year's cut in the 6.2 percent Social Security payroll tax cut through 2012, arguing that without a renewal people's taxes would rise next year.

There are about 240,000 unemployed veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, around 12 percent of those who served there, the White House says. A total of 850,000 veterans overall are out of work, and 1 million additional service members are expected to return to civilian life by 2016, according to White House data.

"No veteran who fought for our nation should have to fight for a job when they come home," Obama said in a written statement after the vote that also called on Congress to approve additional jobs proposals.

That didn't stop both parties from seeking political advantage in Thursday's vote.

Knowing they faced certain defeat in the Democratic-led chamber, Republicans nonetheless tried amending the bill with a giant package they said would create jobs by cutting income tax rates, repealing Obama's health care overhaul and blocking or annulling many labor, energy and environmental regulations. It was rejected by a near party-line 56-40 tally, but it created an opportunity for the GOP to demonstrate its formula for healing the economy.

Before the day's votes, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., sarcastically congratulated Democrats for "doing something we haven't been doing enough of around here. We're going to legislate." He said Democrats usually spend their time "trying to make Republicans look bad."

At the same time, Obama's campaign emailed supporters, urging them to pressure lawmakers to vote for the measure.

"Members of Congress will have two clear options to choose from: Do something to create jobs for veterans returning from overseas, or do nothing," the email said.

Outside groups also vied for attention. The Association of American Railroads said one-fifth of the railway workers hired this year were expected to be veterans, while the trade group Associated Builders and Contractors said repealing the withholding law would remove uncertainty clouding long-term planning by construction companies.

Economists say repealing the withholding requirement would have an imperceptible, if any, impact on jobs.

Beyond increasing to $9,600 the tax credit for hiring disabled veterans, the bill also would create new tax credits of up to $5,600 for employers hiring veterans who have job hunted at least half a year and $2,400 for those out of work for four weeks or more.

In addition, it would expand education and job training benefits for veterans, improve employment counseling they receive while still in the military and provide an extra year of job services for disabled veterans.

"This bill is a win for the economy and the right thing to do for our veterans," said Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., a long-time sponsor of tax credits for vets.

Overall, the tax breaks and jobs programs for veterans would cost just over $1 billion, Democratic aides said. It would be paid for by extending a fee the Veterans Affairs Department charges to back home loans.

Annulling the withholding law would cost the government $11.2 billion over the next decade. The legislation makes up the lost revenue by making it harder for some Social Security beneficiaries to qualify for Medicaid, the federal-state health program for low-income people.

___

Associated Press writer Erica Werner contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111110/ap_on_go_co/us_jobs_veterans

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Dallas Doctor To Lead American Cancer Society ? CBS Dallas / Fort ...

DALLAS (AP) - A Dallas doctor who survived cancer will serve as national president of the American Cancer Society.

Ceremonies were planned Thursday in Atlanta to induct Dr. W. Phil Evans, who?ll serve a one-year term.

Evans, who 15 years ago underwent kidney surgery for cancer, is director of the University of Texas Southwestern Center for Breast Care. He?s also a professor of radiology at UT Southwestern Medical Center.

(? Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Source: http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2011/11/10/dallas-doctor-to-lead-american-cancer-society/

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White says Griffin?s Twitter ?rape comment? wasn?t intended to be a joke

Some athletes have longed for the day when the media wouldn't filter their comments. It's a great thing to have direct contact with fans, but there's also a downside. An athlete who sends out a tweet that the media may normally sanitize or ask for clarification about, hits the Internet unedited.

UFC fighter Forrest Griffin found out the hard way yesterday when he made a comment about rape.

Today, Dana White explained what Griffin's intent was.

"It wasn't a joke ... I contacted Forrest and Forrest is a mess now about this whole thing. Believe me, take it from a guy who has been in this situation. What happened was, Forrest Griffin said he woke up that morning and turned on his television and the whole thing about (Joe) Paterno and what's going on over there at Penn State, he said he literally switched the channel to another channel and they were talking about a woman who had been raped. The third channel he went to was another story about rape. His thing was that 'rape is the new missionary,' like it's vanilla, like it's normal, when you change the channel it's on every channel," said White.

White's explanation makes sense, but he also suggested that rape commentary is a risky proposition in 140 characters on Twitter.

"[...] you don't go out on Twitter where you can only do so many characters and say something like that. Then once everyone started attacking him, he started attacking back on Twitter. It's one of those situations. Let me tell you what man, I'm the first guy who always says 'people will make mistakes' and this and that will happen. Forrest Griffin is a very, very good human being," said White.

Welcome to the world of expanded coverage for MMA. We certainly don't want the fighters to be afraid of interaction with the fans, but this is a good lesson that certain topics are taboo and tasteless.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/White-says-Griffin-8217-s-Twitter-8216-rape-c?urn=mma-wp9228

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Behind the glass: a detailed tour inside the Motorola Droid RAZR

At a thickness of 7.1mm, the Motorola RAZR's so thin that you wouldn't think that anything could actually fit in there, but there's indeed plenty of circuitry and silicon crammed into that teeny space. As always, our curiosity was aroused with such a high-profile device, so we once again called upon the talents of Francois Simond (Supercurio) to do some eForensics and clear up some of the mysteries lying between that gorgeous display and tough Kevlar backing. Join us below, won't you?

Note: The list you see below is non-extensive and may grow as we hunt down additional details.

Continue reading Behind the glass: a detailed tour inside the Motorola Droid RAZR

Behind the glass: a detailed tour inside the Motorola Droid RAZR originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 Nov 2011 11:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/08/behind-the-glass-a-detailed-tour-inside-the-motorola-droid-razr/

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Afghan soldier turns gun on Australian troops, wounds three (Reuters)

KABUL (Reuters) ? An Afghan soldier shot and wounded three Australian and two Afghan troops in southern Afghanistan, the third such surprise attack against Australians in the past five months, officials said on Wednesday.

The shooting comes after a string of attacks by "rogue" soldiers and police, or by insurgents who have infiltrated security forces.

Such attacks are especially damaging as the Afghan National Army (ANA) tries to win public trust before Afghan forces take full responsibility for security nationwide. Foreign combat troops are due to leave Afghanistan at the end of 2014.

The ANA soldier opened fire with a grenade launcher and an automatic weapon from a position overlooking a patrol base in Uruzgan province late on Tuesday, Australia's Defence Force commander David Hurley said.

The Australian soldiers sustained wounds that were not life-threatening but serious, while the two Afghan soldiers also shot at the base were in a satisfactory condition, Hurley and a spokesman for the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan said.

The Afghan soldier fled the scene in an army vehicle, Hurley said. ISAF said a search for him was still underway.

Tuesday's shooting followed a similar attack less than two weeks ago in Kandahar, southern Afghanistan, when an Afghan soldier shot and killed three Australian soldiers and an Afghani interpreter.

In May, an Afghan soldier killed an Australian service member who had been mentoring the Afghan army, ISAF said, an attack which also took place in Uruzgan province. The Afghan soldier was later killed when he refused arrest, ISAF said.

The latest shooting prompted the Australian Greens political party to renew their call for Australia to withdraw its forces from Afghanistan, where it has around 1,500 troops.

But Prime Minister Julia Gillard, who made a surprise visit to Kabul in the past week, said Australia would stick with its military commitments in Afghanistan.

"As distressing as these incidents are, as dreadful as these incidents are, our mission in Afghanistan does need to continue," Gillard told reporters in Melbourne.

"Training is pivotal to that mission and our purpose in Afghanistan is to deny Afghanistan as a country in which terrorists can train to wreak violence around the world."

In September, an Afghan guard employed by the U.S. embassy opened fire inside a CIA office in Kabul, killing an American contractor.

(Reporting By James Grubel in Canberra and Christine Kearney in Kabul; Editing by Daniel Magnowski and Yoko Nishikawa)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/asia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111109/wl_nm/us_afghanistan_army_attack

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Sharp Reaches Record Conversion Efficiency With New Solar Cell

Solar energy has just made one step forward: Sharp announced that it has developed a solar cell boasting the world's highest conversion efficiency of 36.9%. This number is 1.1 points higher than for the company's last cell, which was unveiled in October 2009. The new 1cm² solar cell consists of three layers made of indium gallium phosphide, gallium arsenide and indium gallium arsenide (see below). Sharp says it was able to increase the conversion efficiency by using new materials and reducing the resistance of the junctions connecting the layers.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/oqFz3eqWKRI/

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Biggest Asteroid in 35 Years Swings Close to Earth

[unable to retrieve full-text content]An asteroid as big as an aircraft carrier zipped by Earth on Tuesday in the closest encounter by such a massive space rock in more than three decades. Scientists ruled out any chance of a collision but turned their telescopes skyward to learn more about the object known as 2005 YU55.

Source: http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=a03dcf8f7b36bdf17808d9ab4a8ce99d

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