Saakashvili?s party rallies to support Tbilisi mayor

Vano Merabishvili, Secretary General of the National Movement. (DF Watch photo.)

TBILISI, DFWatch?Tbilisi Mayor Gigi Ugulava was charged with money laundering and embezzlement of the city?s money, but not detained.

Politicians from the United National Movement party of President Mikheil Saakashvili on Friday hastily left parliament Kutaisi and headed for Tbilisi after the investigation service of the Ministy of Finance issued a statement accusing him for abuse of public funds.

After leaving the office of the investigative service on Saturday, Ugulava said he ?cannot understand what the charges are for?, but he was given ?some papers? which he would read later.

His supporters and members of the UNM had gathered outside the investigative service half an hour before the mayor appeared. Among participants there were leaders of the UNM and former government officials, including Giga Bokeria, Secretary of the Security Council, Vano Merabishvili, Secretary General of the UNM party, MP Goka Gabashvili and others.

Tens of police cars and policemen were posted at the entrance to the building, and in nearby streets, to avoid any incidents.

Ugulava?s lawyer Gogita Gabaidze told journalists that during the questioning his client used his right to remain silent.

Giga Bokeria, Secretary of the Security council, who was present at the gathering of solidarity to Ugulava said that Bidzina Ivanishvili, the Prime Minister, has a ?declared goal? of destroying the opposition.

?Mr Ivanishvili thinks in short-term perspectives and today he tries to destroy the opposition,? he said, adding that this is a very dangerous process, but he is sure that ?this goal can never become true.?

This is the third time parliament members from the UNM have left their work in parliament and gone to the capital to protest against ?political persecution.?

The MPs claim that the government is continuing its ?political terror.? They didn?t specify when they will return to parliament, but in the past their protests have tended to last about a week.

First time they left Kutaisi was after the detention of Bacho Akahalaia, a former defense minister.

---

Source: http://dfwatch.net/saakashvilis-party-rallies-to-support-tbilisi-mayor-74321

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Somalia : Journalist freed but may face charges

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) ? A Somali journalist was freed after being detained without charges for more than a week for speaking out against the imprisonment of a fellow reporter.

Daud Abdi Daud was released but he said Wednesday that the Somali government wants to charge him in court with "offending the president's wife."

Daud, a Radio Kulmiye reporter, said he was released Tuesday after more than a week in custody, though authorities treated him well.

He said his arrest stemmed from an incident last week when a Mogadishu court handed down one-year prison sentences to a woman who said she was raped by security forces and a reporter who interviewed her.

Daud said he spoke at the court saying that a journalist can interview any woman at her home, even if she is the president's wife, and that prompted his arrest.

Journalists' rights groups expressed outrage over Daud's arrest. Human Rights Watch asked Somali authorities to immediately charge or release Daud.

"They should not be shutting down free expression by jailing journalists and throwing away the key," said Leslie Lefkow, deputy Africa director at Human Rights Watch. Somali authorities declined to comment on Daud's arrest.

Reporters Without Borders said the arrest is an obvious act of intimidation, one that casts doubt on the sincerity of the Somali authorities.

"The police and courts must not become an additional threat to Somali journalists, who are already exposed to enormous dangers," the group said.

Somali Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon on Tuesday said that due process must be observed in the administration of justice. Shirdon said that the Independent Task Force on Human Rights, which was launched earlier this month, will be looking at human rights abuses committed over the past 12 months.

"I reiterate my government's commitment to a free press and freedom of speech. Journalists should feel that they are not alone. It is essential that they are able to work freely and effectively without facing additional difficulties," Shirdon said.

Somalia is one of the world's most dangerous countries in which to practice journalism, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. Last year 18 Somali journalists were killed yet no one was arrested. So far this year one reporter has been killed making it 45 journalists killed since 2007.

The alleged rape victim in the case Daud attended was charged with insulting a government body, inducing false evidence, simulating a criminal offense and making a false accusation. Freelance journalist Abdiaziz Abdinur was charged with insulting a government body and inducing the woman to give false evidence. Three others charged in the case, including the woman's husband, were acquitted. All the defendants denied the charges in court.

Rights groups said the handling of the rape case is politically motivated because the woman had accused security forces of the assault. Rape is reported to be rampant in Mogadishu, where tens of thousands of people who fled last year's famine live in poorly protected camps. Government troops are often blamed.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/somalia-journalist-freed-may-face-charges-124943575.html

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DIE HARD tops iPhone Games of the Week

Ah, Valentine?s Day. Love is in the air, pink and red are everywhere, and there?s no better way to celebrate this day than to cuddle up close and let time fly with a McClane or two as they blast scumbags and bad guys. DIE HARD is our top game of the week. We?ve also got a gruesome gladiator action game, hackey-sack with cats, ?a bizarre new runner, an elegant one-button game, plus a cool new bullet hell shooter.

Yes, I am putting a movie tie-in game at the top of this week?s list. Why? Because it?s Valentine?s Day, and I love John McClane with all of my being. I have an unhealthy love of the first two Die Hard movies. Anyway, based on the underwhelming but still fairly awesome new movie, A Good Day to Die Hard, this shooter is a bit clunky, but surprisingly playable. The graphics aren?t too shabby, the gunplay could be far worse, and while it won?t be winning any awards, it?s a solid action game. Sadly, it focuses on Jack McClane more than John, which seems silly. Like the movie, it?s serviceable, but made better by sheer association. Yippie Ki-Yay!

Here we have a new gladiatorial arena combat game that manages to make the hit show Spartacus seem subdued. Hack, slash, bash, smash, burn, and spurn all sorts of enemies, from men, to beasts, and strange hybrids of each. The game makes use of that popular new Borderland-style cell shaded 3-D visuals, rendering wonderfully visceral and gloriously gory dismemberments and impalements all around. With plenty of weapons and fighting styles to choose from, plus all sorts of fun hazards littering the sands, this should satisfy the bloodlust of any action fan.

This is an awesome labor of love from game developer Ken Wong (what an appropriate release date, then!). It involves playing hackey sack using cats instead of a footbag, plus you also collect cheeseburgers and weird, random power-ups. The controls of this game are simple as can be, yet the game is still quite fun. The unique visual style looks like something inspired by a nineties Nickelodeon cartoon show. This is just one of those quirky and original games you?ll only find on iOS. Don?t kick this one to the curb.

A new game from Jason Pickering and Forest Moon Games, this is a simple, elegant, and challenging one-button game. You play as an adventurer making his way through an ancient ruin looking for treasure and relics, all in a gorgeous and colorful pixel art world. You constantly move, and automatically climb, change directions,and ?jump. The only thing you control as a player is when he stops to avoid danger. Essentially it?s a game about timing, and you are indeed timed as you play, with the best rewards only being given to the fastest, most daring treasure hunters.

Jool is?weird. It is a very weird new runner, from developer Rostlaub. In it, you control a dopey blue bird as you run across a world seemingly made entirely of platforms, collecting Trips, the in-game currency, along with flowers, cups of coffee, and all sorts of other items with odd effects. If you fall to your death, you actually flip the device over and continue running as the bird?s evil alter ego, and continue this pattern until you run out of flips. This bizarre game is one of the most unique runners you?ll ever play, and it?s all punctuated by an underlying dark tone, that crops up from time to time. Especially in the thirty creative death animations.

We end our lovely Valentine?s Day list together with the one game genre that encompasses compassion and caring more than any other. Bullet Hell shooters. But seriously, Sela the Space Pirate is solid, in which you fight your way through a massive nest of nasty extra terrestrials along with your robot sidekick. The entire game universe is really quite kooky, giving the game a lighthearted tone that other bullet hell shooters almost never have. With different weapons and upgrades, plus a fantastic retro themed soundtrack, this is a solid shooter for anyone.

Download the Appolicious Android app

Source: http://www.appolicious.com/games/articles/13223-die-hard-tops-iphone-games-of-the-week

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Auto bailout loss estimate dips; still will top $20B

Paul A. Eisenstein , The Detroit Bureau ? ? ? 54 min.

With General Motors? stock rising by as much as 60 percent since last summer, the long-term cost of the 2009 auto industry bailout has shrunk substantially ? but would still top $20 billion at the current GM share price, according to the latest report on the rescue by the U.S. Dept. of the Treasury.

The government began propping up both General Motors and Chrysler ? and their finance subsidiaries ? in late 2008, under the outgoing Bush Administration, as it became increasingly likely the two makers would plunge into bankruptcy. The rescue effort was ramped up after the Obama Administration came into power, ultimately raising the investment to $85 billion.

The Detroit Bureau: Ferrari Readying Enzo Successor, its "Most Powerful" Model Ever

Initially, the Treasury warned that it might lose as much as $44 billion as GM and Chrysler filed for Chapter 11. The price tag has since risen and fallen repeatedly, largely based on the stock price of the remaining government holdings in General Motors.

A large chunk was sold off for $33 a share when GM launched its initial public offering, or IPO, in November 2011. Last December, the government sold off another 200 million shares for $5.5 billion. That leaves it with 300 million shares, or a 19 percent stake in the nation?s largest automaker. The White House has said it plans to sell off that remaining stake by March 2014.

The Detroit Bureau: Nissan Bucks Upward Trend, Profits Plunge By a Third

A new, quarterly report by the Treasury now places the anticipated loss at $20.3 billion. That was based on a price of $28.83 a share. In fact, GM began trading this morning at $28.53, but it has been showing strong momentum in recent months, rebounding from a low of $18.72 last summer. If it continues its upward momentum the losses could be shaved by billions.

Nevertheless, few expect GM to come anywhere near the $70 per share figure it would need to reach for the Treasury to recoup its entire investment on the 2009 automotive bailout.

Some analysts have forecast the stock could rebound closer to the $50 range. But there are a number of issues that continue to hold things back. GM actually lost some market share in the U.S. last year and it remains to be seen if it can reverse that decline in 2013. The bigger issue is the maker?s ongoing problems in Europe where it has gone into the red 13 years in a row. And with the Continental market still in turmoil, few expect a turnaround anytime soon.

The automotive bailout was funded by money Congress originally set aside for the rescue of the collapsing financial industry, the $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program, otherwise known as TARP. Ultimately, $484 billion was actually used for banks and lenders and for the auto industry.

The Detroit Bureau: Dodge Hits the Rev Limiter with Challenger Redline

The total losses now projected by the Treasury come to $55.5 billion, down from $59.7 billion in the previous quarterly report. Along with the sale of the remaining GM shares, the ultimate cost appears closely hinged to what the government can get for its remaining 74% stake in Detroit-based Ally Financial, the former General Motors Acceptance Corp.

That exit has been repeatedly postponed and the latest report projects a $5.5 billion loss, though Ally spokeswoman Gina Proia says the lender is ?highly confident? of repaying its debt ?in full.?

The automotive bailout became a highly controversial subject during the most recent presidential election campaign, despite having been supported by both a Republican president and his Democratic successor.

GM officials have been pressing the Treasury for an exit hoping that by severing ties they can eliminate oversight of such matters as top executive salaries ? and push past the point when critics continue to decry the company as ?Government Motors.?

Copyright 2013 The Detroit Bureau

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/auto-bailout-loss-estimate-dips-still-will-top-20-billion-1C8340261

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Obama may issue order on defense against cyber attacks on Wednesday : sources

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama plans to release a long-awaited executive order aimed at improving the nation's defenses against cyber attacks as early as Wednesday, according to sources familiar with the matter.

The order, drawn up after Congress failed to pass cyber defense legislation last year, is meant to improve the protection of critical industries and infrastructure from cyber intrusions.

Concerns about cyber attacks, which have hit a succession of major U.S. companies and government agencies in recent months, also could be raised by Obama in his annual State of the Union address to Congress on Tuesday evening.

One of the White House's major goals is to improve information-sharing about attacks among private companies, and between companies and the government.

"Our biggest issue right now is getting the private sector to a comfort level so they can report anomalies, malware, incidents within their network" without undue fear of being "outed" as victims, said FBI Executive Assistant Director Richard McFeely, head of the Criminal, Cyber, Response and Services Branch.

The order is expected to give the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) the lead role in protecting critical U.S. infrastructure, according to a government official who had seen a final draft of the order's executive summary.

DHS will be tasked with setting up a system for sharing cyber threats with private industry and be responsible for protecting critical infrastructure, the official said. Most of the critical U.S. infrastructure is run by private industry.

"We know the executive order isn't going to go as far as legislation could or will go, but it's a good start," the official said.

Some Republicans had wanted the Department of Defense to play the lead role instead of DHS.

Cyber security experts say the executive order - which does not have the same force as a law - is a step in the right direction and indicates Obama takes the problem seriously.

"I think this can fairly be described as a down payment on legislation," said Stewart Baker, former National Security Agency general counsel and a past assistant secretary for policy at the Department of Homeland Security.

Stewart said he thought the executive order would make a difference in policy and practical terms "but whether it will provide practical protection from cyber attacks is still in doubt."

The executive order will make it easier for people at private companies to get security clearances so classified information can be shared, according to earlier drafts that were leaked and posted online.

It will also make companies work with the National Institute of Standards and Technology to come up with sector-specific standards for cyber security and will then require companies to engage with their regulators to decide how those standards are implemented.

"Companies aren't going to, at first, be required to do anything. These are voluntary standards, except for a few critical infrastructure companies," said James Lewis, senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

"If you're regulated, the regulator will be able to say, 'Here are some new standards.' If you're not regulated you won't be touched at all."

(Reporting By Steve Holland, Deborah Charles and Joseph Menn. Writing by Warren Strobel; Editing by Cynthia Osterman and Todd Eastham)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-may-issue-order-wednesday-defense-against-cyber-011010853--finance.html

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Datawarehouse Developer ? DB2, PERL, SQL - Permanent - London

Job Description:

Datawarehouse Developer ? DB2, PERL, SQL

Position Description
Are you a Datawarehouse Developer who wants to work for a strong and innovative online travel technology company? Do you have a passion for turning data into meaningful information? Does working on a world class Datawarehouse implementation and diving into Big Data technology and tools excite you? Is a Big Data implementation that will look to scale to 1.2PB by the end of the year sparking any interest? If any of those are true?Expedia is the right place for you.

The Enterprise Datawarehouse (EDW) team is currently looking for a talented and highly motivated Datawarehouse Developer that can partner with delivery management, QA/test and release management teams to support the business by delivering high quality solutions for the Enterprise Datawarehouse. As the Datawarehouse Developer, you would be playing a technical leadership role and will be responsible for the full development life cycle of the solution, including detailed design, code development, code reviews, unit testing, build/test support and finally deployment activities and post deployment support. This role will have opportunities to manage on and offshore development resources to deliver solutions to the business community.

Responsibilities:
Responsibilities include assessing business rules; performing source to target data mapping; designing, reviewing, implementing and optimizing ETL processes; reviewing project plans, development and test specifications; performing data analysis; providing development support for existing systems; troubleshooting data and/or system issues; building/extending toolsets; creating/maintaining batch jobs; creating systems documentation; managing and mentoring other ETL developers etc. Provide data analysis and identify data related issues within the Datawarehouse environmet as well as upstream systems, as needed.

Qualifications:
- Hands on ?DB2 coding and Informatica experience is essential.
- Strong background in Data Warehousing and Business Intelligence environment working with extremely large data sets
- Strong Scripting skills to perform data/file manipulation (eg, PERL)
- Database development in an MPP DW environment is a must have with an eye for tuning and performance
- Exposure to no-SQL technologies and big data platforms such as Hadoop, HBASE or Cassandra is highly desired
- Development background should include experience in Informatica Power center version 8.5.1, but not required
- Ability to read and interpret data schemas, with emphasis on DB2 implementations
- Proven ability to create and maintain online and printed documentation
- Proven ability to work cross functionally to deliver appropriate resolution of technical, procedural, and operational issues
- Must have strong customer service skills and excellent verbal and written communication skills
- Must be able to drive investigations to completion and ensure customer satisfaction
- Must be flexible and motivated to work in a fast-paced environment

Work Experience and Education Guidelines:
- MS/BS degree in Computer Science, related technical field preferred, or equivalent work experience
- Experience with Datawarehouse technologies and/or a Back End reporting system is required

Core Competencies:
- Strong skills in DB2 stored procedures, views, etc. preferred. Strong experience with Teradata or Netezza or other MPP implementations also viable
- Informatica Powercenter experience preferred. Strong experience with Data Stage also viable
- Ability to create, read, understand, and interpret Data Models
- Must have strong verbal and written communication skills
- Must be able to work through ambiguity and turn around options by partnering with project stakeholders
- Experience working in a large Datawarehouse environment
- Excellent problem solving skills

About Expedia:
Our mission is to revolutionize travel through the power of technology.
Collectively, the Expedia brands cover virtually every aspect of researching, planning, and booking travel, from choosing the best airplane seat, to reading personal travel reviews of hotels, to planning what to do in a destination once you arrive. The Expedia portfolio serves both leisure and business travelers with tastes and budgets ranging from modest to luxury. Expedia delivers consumer travel demand from nearly every continent to nearly 149, 000 hotels and hundreds of airlines, tour operators, car rental companies and destination services supply partners. Please visit our website to learn more about our travel brands.

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Source: http://jobs.techweekeurope.co.uk/29131/datawarehouse-developer-db2-perl-sql/

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GOP congressman invites Ted Nugent to Obama speech

WASHINGTON (AP) ? A Republican congressman says he's invited rocker Ted Nugent, who has referred to President Barack Obama's administration as "evil, America-hating," to the State of the Union address.

Rep. Steve Stockman of Texas said Monday on his website that Nugent will be his guest for the president's speech Tuesday night. Stockman has talked of impeaching Obama over his gun control proposals.

In a speech to the National Rifle Association during the 2012 campaign, Nugent said that if Obama were re-elected, the longtime gun-control opponent would either be "dead or in jail."

Nugent's remarks led to meetings with representatives of the Secret Service.

Rep. Luis V. Gutierrez said another guest would be Gabino Sanchez of South Carolina. Gutierrez described Sanchez as a husband, father and an illegal immigrant fighting deportation.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2013-02-12-US-State-of-the-Union-Ted-Nugent/id-9c22c403acf7465c95017c390696653f

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Egyptians protest on anniversary of Mubarak's fall

Egyptian protesters throw stones while security police open water canons on them from inside the grounds of the presidential palace during a demonstration in Cairo, Egypt, Monday, Feb. 11, 2013. Security forces sprayed protesters with water hoses and tear gas outside the presidential palace Monday as Egyptians marked the second anniversary of autocrat Hosni Mubarak?s ouster with angry demonstrations against his elected successor.(AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

Egyptian protesters throw stones while security police open water canons on them from inside the grounds of the presidential palace during a demonstration in Cairo, Egypt, Monday, Feb. 11, 2013. Security forces sprayed protesters with water hoses and tear gas outside the presidential palace Monday as Egyptians marked the second anniversary of autocrat Hosni Mubarak?s ouster with angry demonstrations against his elected successor.(AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

Egyptian protesters throw stones while security police open water canons on them from inside the grounds of the presidential palace during a demonstration in Cairo, Egypt, Monday, Feb. 11, 2013. Security forces sprayed protesters with water hoses and tear gas outside the presidential palace Monday as Egyptians marked the second anniversary of autocrat Hosni Mubarak?s ouster with angry demonstrations against his elected successor.(AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

Egyptian protesters throw stones while security police open water canons on them from inside the grounds of the presidential palace during a demonstration in Cairo, Egypt, Monday, Feb. 11, 2013. Security forces sprayed protesters with water hoses and tear gas outside the presidential palace Monday as Egyptians marked the second anniversary of autocrat Hosni Mubarak?s ouster with angry demonstrations against his elected successor.(AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

Egyptian protesters throw stones while security police open water cannons on them from inside the grounds of the presidential palace during a demonstration in Cairo, Egypt, Monday, Feb. 11, 2013. Security forces sprayed protesters with water hoses and tear gas outside the presidential palace Monday as Egyptians marked the second anniversary of autocrat Hosni Mubarak?s ouster with angry demonstrations against his elected successor.(AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

An Egyptian protester runs to throw a tear gas canister back at riot police, not seen, during clashes next to the presidential palace in Cairo, Egypt, Monday, Feb. 11, 2013. Security forces sprayed protesters with water hoses and tear gas outside the presidential palace Monday as Egyptians marked the second anniversary of autocrat Hosni Mubarak?s ouster with angry demonstrations against his elected successor.(AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

CAIRO (AP) ? Security forces sprayed protesters with water hoses and tear gas outside the presidential palace as Egyptians marked the second anniversary of the fall of autocrat Hosni Mubarak's with angry demonstrations against his elected successor.

The forces were trying to disperse a small crowd of protesters on Monday evening, after some of them attempted to cross a barbed wire barrier meant to block them from the palace gate. Some protesters chanted: "The people want to bring down the regime." Others threw stones.

Graffiti scribbled on the palace walls read: "Erhal" or "Leave," the chant that echoed through Cairo's central Tahrir Square during the 18-day uprising that ended with Mubarak stepping down on Feb. 11, 2011.

Earlier, masked men briefly blocked trains at a central Cairo subway station and a dozen other protesters blocked traffic with burning tires on a main overpass in Cairo. Hundreds rallied outside the office of the country's chief prosecutor, demanding justice and retribution for protesters killed in clashes with security forces after Islamist President Mohammed Morsi took office last summer.

The protesters lobbed plastic bags filled with red liquid at the prosecutor's office to recall the blood spilled by civilians in clashes with security forces. The prosecutor's appointment by Morsi was criticized as a violation of the judiciary's independence. Another group of protesters locked shut the doors of the main administrative building for state services just outside the subway station at Tahrir Square.

Egypt has been gripped by political turmoil since Mubarak's ouster, in an uprising driven largely by anger over widespread abuse at the hands of state security agencies. After he stepped down, Mubarak was replaced by a ruling military council that was in power for 17 months. The rule of the generals was marred by violence and criticism that the council mismanaged the transitional period.

Morsi won the first free elections in June. But he and his Muslim Brotherhood, which rose to be Egypt's most powerful political group post-Mubarak, are now facing the wrath of Egyptians who drove the 2011 revolt but who say few of their goals have been realized.

For many in Egypt, the past two years have only increased frustration, with the economy deteriorating as political bickering between a largely secular opposition and a tightly organized and conservative Islamist bloc obstructed progress.

Protesters are particularly angry over the continued heavy handedness of security services, claiming little has changed since the Mubarak era. Many accuse Morsi and the Brotherhood of trying to monopolize power and ignoring the demands of the secular and liberal groups who were the backbone of the uprising.

On Monday, government opponents marched to Tahrir Square, the epicenter of the uprising, which has been sealed off by protesters since November. Others went to the presidential palace. Hundreds also marched through the streets of Alexandria, Egypt's second largest city.

"Of course I feel disappointed. Every day it's getting worse," said Ahmed Mohamed, a 20-year-old engineering student protesting outside the presidential palace. "The economy is even worse and all government institutions are collapsing. Morsi won't even acknowledge this."

Doaa Mustafa, a 33-year-old housewife, said she is willing to stay on the streets until Morsi steps down, as Mubarak did.

"We're here so that Mohammed Morsi, the dictator, will leave. He is just as bad as Mubarak, if not worse."

The protesters are also demanding the amendment of the country's new constitution. They claim that Islamists rushed the charter through the approval process despite disagreement with the opposition. The result, they say, was a charter that undermines freedoms of expression and belief and chips away at women rights.

Some protesters are also demanding a new Cabinet, accusing the current government of being ineffective and failing to rein in police abuses or institute economic reforms. One of the most heated issues for protesters remains a lack of accountability for those responsible for the deaths of hundreds of civilians during protests against the state.

Morsi and his supporters have repeatedly dismissed the opposition's charges, accusing the opposition and Mubarak supporters alike of trying to topple a democratically elected president.

After seven months in office, Morsi's popularity has fallen some 10 percent to 53 percent, according to pollster Magued Osman of the Egyptian Center for Public Opinion Research. The poll was conducted via telephone interviews with more than 2,300 participants and had a margin of error of less than 3 percent. Only 39 percent of those polled said they would elect Morsi again if there were new elections, compared to 50 percent a month earlier.

Prominent opposition figure Amr Moussa urged Morsi to reconsider his views of the opposition, telling a late night TV program on Sunday that it is "the wrong assessment" to view the rising street anger against Morsi as a "conspiracy" to topple him.

An increasingly violent wave of protests has spread outside of the capital in recent weeks as political initiatives failed to assuage the anger.

The recent explosion of violence began on the second anniversary of the start of the uprising on Jan.25.

It accelerated with riots in the Suez Canal city of Port Said by youths furious over death sentences issued against local soccer fans over a bloody stadium riot a year ago. Around 70 were killed in this wave of clashes, while violent mob attacks against women protesters increasingly marred gatherings at Tahrir Square.

On Monday, members of the human rights commission of the Islamist-dominated legislative assembly said women should have specific areas for protesting, criticizing them for rallying among men and in areas considered unsafe. They called for the passing of a new law to regulate protesting, and enable the police to protect women, according to the state news agency MENA.

Crowds at Monday's protests were relatively small and the violence muted.

Also on Monday, the U.S. urged protesters and security forces to show restraint and renewed a call for dialogue.

"We continue to support a broad dialogue between Egypt's leaders and the various political stakeholders to work through the various issues of concern, because there needs to be a strong national consensus in Egypt about the way forward," said U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland. "We want to see peace on the street."

____

AP writer Matt Lee contributed from Washington

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-02-12-Egypt/id-69bb249ea6b8449cbe50e151fb8ca5d5

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Pope Benedict XVI retires: Will the next pope come from the 'global south?'

Latin America is home to 40 percent of the world?s 1 billion Catholics, but there has never been a non-European pope.

By Sara Miller Llana,?Staff Writer / February 11, 2013

Pope Benedict XVI gives his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, in 2007. Pope Benedict announced Monday he will resign at the end of this month, the first pontiff to do so in nearly 600 years.

Plinio Lepri/AP/File

Enlarge

With the surprise announcement that Pope Benedict XVI will resign at the end of this month, many in the so-called ?global south? are hopeful that a new pope might finally hail from Asia, Africa, or Latin America.

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Latin America is home to 40 percent of the world?s 1 billion Catholics: Brazil is the largest Catholic country in the world, and Mexico is the second largest.

There has never been a non-European pope, and naming a leader from Latin America, Africa, or Asia?would be considered a radical new direction for the Eurocentric Vatican. But it would also reflect a new, and to many a long overdue, pragmatism within the institution. While nearly three-quarters of Latin Americans identify as Catholic, for example, only a quarter of Europeans do.

After the death of Pope John Paul II in 2005, similar expectations for a non-European pope simmered. And when Pope Benedict, a German, was selected for the post, a sense that the church headquarters does not understand the reality of today's faithful was palpable in places such as Latin America. But Andrew Chesnut,?the Bishop Walter F. Sullivan Chair in Catholic Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University, says he believes the chances of having a pope from the global south now ?are stronger than ever.?

While many argue that the next pope should hail from western Europe, precisely to revitalize the epic lost ground of the church there, he says, ?the greater realization is that you must go where the future lies.

?The future of the global church is in Africa, parts of Asia, and Latin America,? Mr. Chesnut says.

'Renew' faith

While Catholics have been leaving the church in Europe, numbers are still strong in Latin America. Seventy-three percent of the region is Catholic, according to the Pew Research Center.

But Catholicism still faces a test in this part of the world, as many have left faith altogether or, in many countries in Central America and Brazil, joined a growing movement of Protestantism, especially of Pentecostals. In?Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador, for example, Prot?es?tants represent more than 35 percent of the population.

On a sunny Monday morning in Mexico City, Liliana Lopez, a lifelong Catholic, was heading home from her morning walk when she saw her local congregation completely empty. ?How sad it is that theaters and movies are filled but churches are empty,? Ms. Lopez says.

?Having a pope from this part of the world could help renew our faith. We need an extraordinary rejuvenation [in the church].?

Pope Benedict was hailed, upon his selection, by conservative Catholics across the globe while liberal Catholics worried about him taking a hard line. In Latin America, while issues such as gay marriage and abortion have come to the fore in urban pockets, posing a problem for local Catholic leaders, such ?culture wars? have not yet created the wedges with the church that have formed in the US and western Europe.

But Latin America was disappointed in the choice of a more staid leader, who lacked the charisma of his predecessor, John Paul II. The widely loved pope visited Mexico five times in the 20th century, each time amassing huge crowds. Benedict?s visits to the region, most recently in March last year to Mexico and Cuba, energized the deeply faithful but not the population at large.

Ms. Lopez looks up at a portrait of John Paul II that hangs in her Mexico City church. ?We just need a pope with charisma, even if he?s not Mexican, someone who can recuperate our faith.?

Contenders?

In recent months, there have been hints that a next pope might be a Latino. For example,?Archbishop Gerhard M?ller, head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, said in December: "I know a lot of bishops and cardinals from Latin America who could take responsibility for the universal Church,? reports Reuters.?"The universal Church teaches that Christianity isn't centered on Europe."?

Some of the frontrunners could be Odilo Scherer, archbishop of the diocese of Sao Paolo, Brazil, or Leonardo Sandri, who heads the Vatican department for Eastern Churches, and is Italian-Argentine. There are also candidates touted from Ghana, the Philippines, the US, and Europe.

Brenda?Car?ran???za, a religious studies expert at the Pontif?cia Uni?ver??sidade Cat?lica de Campinas in Brazil, says that it would be symbolically important for a new pope to hail from Latin America, since it?s the ?huge bastion of Catholics in the world,? Ms. Carranza says. But in reality, it might not make much of a difference for the continent.

Factions of the church in Latin America were at a divide with the Vatican in the 1980s, over the left-leaning liberation theology, which centered on social justice but that was accused of promoting Marxist politics.

A Catholic leader with such leanings wouldn?t be considered, and the problems that are so stubborn here ? such as poverty, corruption, and crime ? would take a backseat to what Rome considers a priority, Carranza says. ?I think a pope from Latin America with thinking aligned with Rome would not make much of a difference,? she says. ?They will be preoccupied with what Rome is preoccupied with? numbers, problems with priests, priest training.?

But it could make a difference for the way Catholicism is practiced, giving more of a role to lay movements that are fertile in Latin America, notably the Catholic charismatic renewal, says Dr.?Chesnut. It is a Catholic version of Pentecostalism ? notably animated services and spirited music that speaks to Latin American sensibilities.

?I think the Vatican has seen charismatic renewal as their greatest hope in competing with surging Pentecostalism not just in Latin America but in Africa and Asia too,? he says.

A pope from this part of the world would be a significant first, but Chesnut says that it also would show the institutions? pragmatism, underscored in and of itself in the resignation of Benedict. He?s the first pope in 600 years to resign from the post.

In a statement, the pope said in order to govern "...both strength of mind and body are necessary, strength which in the last few months, has deteriorated in me to the extent that I have had to recognize my incapacity to adequately fulfill the ministry entrusted to me.

"For this reason, and well aware of the seriousness of this act, with full freedom I declare that I renounce the ministry of Bishop of Rome, Successor of Saint Peter," he said.

The resignation sets the stage for a new pope to be selected in March.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/IHZu7khvI6U/Pope-Benedict-XVI-retires-Will-the-next-pope-come-from-the-global-south

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Father of the Year | Footprints of Fatherhood

I?ve been quiet for a number of months now ? not for lack of thinking of writing, but I guess there truly is a season for everything.

And I guess it takes something significant to stir the desire to add something to the ever increasing depth of fatherhood blogging. ?Something like the recent commentary on true fatherhood with the announcement by the National Father?s Day Council (US) that Bill Clinton has been named ?Father of the Year?.

Shocked? ?Maybe. ?Our memories are not too short to drift back to the days of the early nineties and the drama surrounding Mr. Clinton?s very public private life. ?The comments at the end of the politico.com article show this to be true.

Yet looking over the news release put out by Rueters, there is no mention of him as a father other than saying he has one daughter, Chelsey. ?Here is what Dan Orwig of the Father?s Day Council says in the news release:

?With the profound generosity, leadership and tireless dedication to both his public office and many philanthropic organizations, president Clinton exemplifies the attributes that we celebrate through the father of the year award.?

These are all good things ? strong values that impact our world. ?But this says nothing about Mr. Clinton?s relationship with his wife and daughter.? I?m curious why the standards are set outside the home? ? ?Are they saying that the best dads are primarily involved in people?s lives outside of their families?

What are the standards we hold fathers to?

faithfulness to the mother of their child?
being a role-model worthy of their children?s respect?
community service?
church attendance?
reading to their children every night?
being gracious with their leadership of their family?
driving a minivan?

Fatherhood is more than a relationship between a man and his children. ?It is a statement to the world that there are good men, and good men are necessary for the future of a just society. ?Some would even say that a father?s heart focused on his children keeps peace and blessing in a society. ?I believe this to be true.

Are there good men out there? ? I believe this also. ?They are being the men that this world needs ? men who care about truth, have high standards of themselves, expect high standards from people around them, and react with grace when those standards are not met. ?The only place that Father of the Year should really matter is within the home of each and every dad, grand-dad, uncle and older brother who is influencing a child.

So despite our recollections of Mr. Clinton?s affairs, we must remember that 20 years have passed. ?People do change. ?Commitments can be renewed. ?Grace can be shown ? even to men who make very public and potentially damaging choices. But I can?t help but wonder if the premis under which he has been named Father of the Year doesn?t water down the essence of strong fatherhood.

And so I won?t give in to the urging and swaying and prompting to compromise the standard of what strong fatherhood is. ?Those standards are the footprints by which children can find their way. ?Those are the standards that I hope you help me reach for.

?How do good men become part of the regime?
They don?t believe in resistance.?
Josh Garrels,
The Resistance,
on Love & War & the Sea In Between

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Source: http://footprintsoffatherhood.wordpress.com/2013/02/09/father_of_the_year/

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Tunisian president's party quits Islamist-led government

TUNIS (Reuters) - Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki's secular party withdrew on Sunday from an Islamist-led government already reeling from last week's assassination of secular opposition leader Chokri Belaid.

Belaid's killing on Wednesday - Tunisia's first such political assassination in decades - has thrown the government and the country into turmoil, widening rifts between the dominant Islamist Ennahda party and its secular-minded foes.

"We have been saying for a week that if the foreign and justice ministers were not changed, we would withdraw from the government," Samir Ben Amor, an official of Marzouki's Congress for the Republic Party (CPR), told Reuters.

The CPR has criticized the performance of the two ministers, one of whom, Foreign Minister Rafik Abdessalem, is the son-in-law of Ennahda party leader Rachid Ghannouchi.

Ben Amor said the CPR's withdrawal was unconnected to Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali's decision, announced after Belaid was killed, to form a non-partisan government of technocrats to run the country until elections can be held later in the year.

Senior politicians in Ennahda, as well as in its two non-Islamist coalition partners, had criticized Jebali's proposal, saying he had failed to consult them first.

Jebali said on Saturday he would unveil his new cabinet this week, but would resign if political parties did not support it.

A senior Ennahda official, who asked not to be named, said the National Constituent Assembly would have the final say, but added: "We see that it will be possible to form a government of technocrats that includes political parties."

Ben Amor said Marzouki's CPR would formally submit the resignation of its three ministers to Jebali on Monday.

Political analyst Youssef Ouslati said the party was "trying to jump out of a sinking ship", but that its decision had no great weight because Jebali was now the central player.

He said that if political uncertainty continued, "the street will be the crucial element".

DIVISIONS ON STREETS

Belaid's funeral drew tens of thousands of mourners in Tunis and other cities on Friday in what turned into mass political protests against Ennahda and the government it dominates.

About 6,000 Ennahda supporters took to the streets of the capital on Saturday in a peaceful show of strength.

The CPR's departure is the first major shake-up in the government set up in December 2011 after an election for a National Constituent Assembly to draft a new constitution.

The CPR came a distant second in the election, winning 29 of the assembly's 217 seats to Ennahda's 89, but Marzouki was elected interim president by the assembly in a show of unity and his party entered a coalition government led by Ennahda.

Marzouki had opposed former President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali from exile until a popular uprising swept the long serving Tunisian leader from power in January 2011.

Since then Islamists and their opponents have tussled over the role of Islam in politics, society and the constitution, while economic grievances that helped drive the revolt against Ben Ali have gone largely unaddressed.

Belaid's killing, for which no one has claimed responsibility, shocked the nation of nearly 11 million.

The politician's widow Basma said on Saturday she was asking the government to protect her family with official protection.

Some members of Belaid's family have accused Ennahda of being behind the shooting, something the party denies.

Ghannouchi, Ennahda's leader, has threatened legal action against politicians or journalists pointing the finger at him, saying they were "exploiting the blood of the deceased for narrow political ends at the expense of the truth".

(Reporting by Tarek Amara; Writing by Alistair Lyon; Editing by Alison Williams)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/tunisian-islamists-rally-show-power-street-011339895.html

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This Week's Top Comedy Video: The Worst Pick-Up Lines

If you're at a party or at a bar or at a club or on the street or just living this thing we called life, you should probably never ever say these pick up lines. They're cringe-inducingly awful. They make you consider asexuality. They make you want to never meet new people again. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/jayCnuC0YcA/this-weeks-top-comedy-video-the-worst-pick+up-lines

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Kate Middleton and Prince William Vacation Home: Insane!

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/02/kate-middleton-and-prince-william-vacation-home-insane/

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South Korea, U.S. begin drills amid North Korea nuclear threat

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) ? South Korean and U.S. troops began naval drills Monday in a show of force partly directed at North Korea amid signs that Pyongyang will soon carry out a threat to conduct its third atomic test.

The region is also seeing a boost in diplomatic activity focused on North Korea's announcement last month that it will conduct a nuclear test to protest international sanctions toughened over Pyongyang's long-range rocket launch in December.

Pyongyang's two previous nuclear tests, in 2006 and 2009, both occurred after it was slapped with increased sanctions for similar rocket launches. The U.S., South Korea and other countries have urged North Korea to scrap its nuclear test plans or face grave consequences. North Korea's state media said Sunday that at a high-level Workers' Party meeting, leader Kim Jong Un issued "important" guidelines meant to bolster the army and protect national sovereignty. North Korea didn't elaborate, but Kim's guidelines likely refer to a nuclear test and suggest that Pyongyang appears to have completed formal procedural steps and is preparing to conduct a nuclear test soon, according to South Korean analyst Hong Hyun-ik.

"We assess that North Korea has almost finished preparations for conducting a nuclear test anytime and all that's left is North Korea making a political decision" to do so, Defense Ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok told reporters Monday.

The spokesman said he couldn't disclose further details because they would involve confidential intelligence affairs. Recent satellite photos showed North Korea may have been sealing the tunnel into a mountainside where a nuclear device could be exploded.

Meanwhile, diplomats are meeting to find ways to persuade North Korea to scrap its nuclear test plans. New U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and his South Korean counterpart Kim Sung-hwan held a telephone conversation Sunday night and agreed to sternly deal with any possible nuclear provocation by North Korea, according to Seoul's Foreign Ministry.

South Korea on Sunday also sent its top nuclear negotiator to China, the North's main ally and aid benefactor, for talks, the ministry said in a statement.

North Korea says U.S. hostility and the threat of American troops in South Korea are important reasons behind its nuclear drive. The U.S. stations about 28,500 troops in South Korea, a legacy of the 1950-53 Korean War, which ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty.

North Korea also says it has the sovereign right to launch rockets to send satellites into orbit under a space development program; the U.S. says the December launch was a disguised test of banned missile technology.

On Monday, South Korean and U.S. militaries kicked off three-day exercises off the Korean Peninsula's east coast that involve live-fire exercises, naval maneuvers and submarine detection drills.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said the maneuvers are part of regular joint military training that the allies had scheduled before the latest nuclear tensions began. But the training, which involves a nuclear-powered American submarine, could still send a warning against possible North Korean provocation, a South Korean military official said, requesting anonymity because of department rules.

North Korean state media on Saturday described the drills as a joint exercise for a pre-emptive attack on the country. North Korea has said similar things when South Korea and the U.S. conducted other drills; the allies have repeatedly said they have no intention of attacking the North.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/skorea-us-begin-drills-amid-nkorea-nuclear-threat-032012192.html

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Justin denies calling Britney the b-word

By Gael Fashingbauer Cooper, TODAY

No, Justin Timberlake wasn't calling Britney Spears the b-word during his pre-Super Bowl concert in New Orleans, the singer tweeted Sunday.

Christopher Polk / Getty Images

Justin Timberlake performing at the Saturday night pre-Super Bowl performance where his words got him into a little trouble.

Fans who made the connection had some reason to do so. On Saturday, Timberlake was introducing his Grammy-winning song "Cry Me a River," off his 2002 debut album "Justified."

"Sometimes in life, you think you found the one, but then one day you find out that she is just some b----," he said, according to HollywoodLife.com.

In 2011, Timberlake all-but?admitted to The Huffington Post that he wrote the song after a telephone fight with then-girlfriend Spears.?

After fans, especially Twitter users who hashtag their posts #BritneyArmy, reacted negatively to Timberlake's song introduction, he responded with a tweet on Sunday.

"Ok. I see you," he wrote. "Wouldn't disrespect ANYONE personally. Ever.?#Relax#ItsBritneyBitch?I do love that saying though*with accent*?#Respect."

His use of the b-word in the tweet is quoting Spears' 2007 song, "Gimme More."

Not everyone believes he wasn't talking about Spears, however. Wrote one Twitter user, "it seems that u still have feelings for Britney or else u wont be bringing her up every time. BOW DOWN TO THE QUEEN."

Timberlake wed actress Jessica Biel in October 2012. Spears was engaged to Jason Trawick, but they announced in January that the wedding was off.

Jason Merritt / Getty Images

Related content:

Source: http://todayentertainment.today.com/_news/2013/02/04/16840730-justin-timberlake-denies-calling-britney-spears-the-b-word?lite

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Samsung Galaxy Exhibit leaked - T-Mobile gets a Galaxy S3 Mini

The Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini is already available internationally, and we've also started to see variants like the Galaxy Express on AT&T and Galaxy Axiom on US Cellular. So it's natural that we might see other versions of Samsung's diminutive handset on rival carriers, and today brings the first evidence that such a device could be headed to T-Mobile USA.

The image above, obtained by UnwiredView through notorious Twitter leaker @evleaks claims to show T-Mobile's Samsung Galaxy Exhibit. If the name sounds familiar, it's because T-Mo launched the Galaxy Exhibit 4G a couple of years back. According to @evleaks, the new Galaxy Exhibit (SGH-T599) looks set to offer a dual-core CPU, a WVGA display and 5MP camera, with release due before the end of the quarter. The specs aren't earth-shattering, and there's no information on cost yet, but it should make a solid addition to T-Mo's line-up if it's priced appropriately.

Source: UnwiredView

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/KybmZNG3W1U/story01.htm

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Source: http://www.tourstub.com/shatter-the-blocks-to-your-business-progress-productivity-profit/

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Paraguay presidential hopeful Oviedo dies in crash

FILE - In this Sept. 17, 2007, file photo, Head of Paraguay's Armed Forces, Gen. Lino Oviedo, talks to supporters during The UNACE, Ethical Citizens Union party's fifth anniversary in Asuncion, Paraguay. Oviedo, a Paraguayan presidential candidate, has reportedly been killed in a helicopter crash, authorities said Sunday, Feb. 3, 2013. (AP Photo/Jorge Saenz, File)

FILE - In this Sept. 17, 2007, file photo, Head of Paraguay's Armed Forces, Gen. Lino Oviedo, talks to supporters during The UNACE, Ethical Citizens Union party's fifth anniversary in Asuncion, Paraguay. Oviedo, a Paraguayan presidential candidate, has reportedly been killed in a helicopter crash, authorities said Sunday, Feb. 3, 2013. (AP Photo/Jorge Saenz, File)

FILE - In this April 3, 2008, file photo, Lino Oviedo presidential candidate for the National Ethical Citizens Union party (UNACE) attends a debate in Asuncion, Paraguay. Oviedo has reportedly been killed in a helicopter crash, authorities said Sunday, Feb. 3, 2013. (AP Photo/Jorge Saenz)

ASUNCION, Paraguay (AP) ? Paraguayan presidential candidate Lino Cesar Oviedo has been killed in a helicopter crash, authorities said Sunday, ending a dramatic political career that included coups and repeated attempts to lead this impoverished 6.5 million-person country.

Oviedo was returning with his bodyguard from a political rally in northern Paraguay Saturday night when his pilot encountered bad weather. All three were killed in the crash, said Johnny Villalba, a spokesman for Paraguay's airport authority.

Defense Minister Maria Liz Garcia said she traveled to the scene Sunday with Oviedo's daughter, congresswoman Fabiola Oviedo, and confirmed that the helicopter "disintegrated."

"One resident who lives near the accident scene said they heard a single explosion Saturday night," she added. "The aircraft ended up disintegrated and out of respect to the families of the victims, I won't release details about the cadavers."

The air traffic control tower in the provincial city of Concepcion received the pilot's last communication, Garcia said ? a brief message that they were changing course due to a storm at 9 p.m. local time.

Lino Oviedo, 69, was running in April's elections as leader of Paraguay's third-largest opposition party, the National Union of Ethical Citizens.

A retired general and former army chief, Oviedo had tried for years to take the helm of his nation, and not always through democratic means.

As a colonel in 1989, Oviedo had been tasked with taking prisoner none other than Alfredo Stroessner, the feared dictator who had ruled Paraguay since 1954.

That bloody military coup sent Stroessner into Brazilian exile, but did little to diminish the hold on Paraguayan politics that his Colorado Party had cemented. Oviedo's role in the ouster was rewarded with a meteoric rise through the ranks of the army.

A diminutive cavalry officer, only 5-foot-3 inches (1.62 meters) tall, Oviedo was promoted to brigadier general three months after capturing Stroessner. By 1992, he had become a division general, and then President Juan Carlos Wasmosy named him army chief.

Membership in the Colorado Party had been a requirement for any officer during the dictatorship, but Oviedo's constant involvement in party politics generated frictions with the president.

In April 1996, a short-lived coup in which Oviedo participated and other maneuverings led to his firing and forced retirement. He ran as a candidate to succeed Wasmosy, winning the Colorado Party primary ahead of the May 1998 presidential elections, but was then convicted in a military court for his role in the coup, ending his candidacy.

His would-be vice president, Raul Cubas, instead won the election and immediately ordered the release of Oviedo, despite the judiciary's rulings.

Oviedo had an irrepressible desire to govern, and quickly became known as the power behind Cubas, angering other political leaders.

Cubas' vice president, Luis Maria Argana, was assassinated in 1999, and the slain man's relatives and followers accused Oviedo of being the mastermind. Cubas resigned in the resulting turmoil and Oviedo fled the country and renounced his Colorado Party membership, founding the UNACE party.

Facing Paraguayan arrest orders in the Wasmosy case, Oviedo remained a political refugee in Brazil until 2004, when he returned and was convicted.

The Supreme Court later exonerated Oviedo after military officers denied there had been a coup attempt, freeing him to run for president in 2008. He came in third, splitting the vote that gave former Catholic bishop Fernando Lugo the presidency and ended 60 years of one-party rule by the Colorado Party.

Oviedo was born in the small village of Juan de Mena, outside Asuncion, on Sept. 23, 1943. He graduated from the nation's military academy, and married Raquel Marin, an Argentine, with whom he had three children. Oviedo also had other children with two Paraguayan women before his marriage.

Oviedo's family now maintains his legacy in his UNACE party: His children Fabiola and Ariel are deputies in Congress, and his nephew, Lino Cesar Oviedo Sanchez, is a senator.

Oviedo "had an enormous capacity for work. At 5 a.m. he was in his office, receiving people until midnight, usually the poor, who came to him from their villages seeking help," former Sen. Enrique Gonzalez, a longtime political ally, told The Associated Press.

"He was an individual with great charisma, he spoke (Paraguay's indigenous language of) Guaran? perfectly, and he wove jokes in Guarani into his speeches. He had the spiritual strength to put up with being persecuted. His military preparation enabled him to put up with extreme situations. In December, he even managed to come out of a Brazilian hospital with two stents after a heart operation with more enthusiasm than ever."

U.S. Undersecretary of State Peter Romero had declared after the Wasmosy affair that Oviedo "lacks democratic credentials."

Gonzalez took issue with that label, noting that Oviedo also "founded a political party and participated in elections, building it into Paraguay's third-largest political force."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-02-03-LT-Paraguay-Candidate-Killed/id-a7d4590fe67f444496f5cc9e53d743e9

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PM says Syrian-style revolt impossible in Iraq

BAGHDAD (AP) ? Iraq's prime minister said Saturday that a Syrian-style revolt against the government "will not happen" in his country, despite mounting street protests by minority Sunnis against his Shiite-led rule.

In Syria, President Bashar Assad, a follower of a Shiite offshoot of Islam, is battling a nearly 2-year-old Sunni-led uprising that morphed into a civil war in response to a brutal government crackdown.

In Iraq, Sunnis complaining of official discrimination have staged weekly anti-government rallies since December, including on Friday when tens of thousands blocked a major highway west of the capital Baghdad.

Protesters have called for the cancelation of anti-terrorism laws and government policies they believe target Sunnis unfairly, and have called for the ouster of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

Al-Maliki told the Arab satellite channel Al-Arabiya on Saturday that he is ready to engage with the protesters to some extent. However, he alleged that some were trying to exploit the protests, including the al-Qaida terror network and supporters of Saddam Hussein, the late dictator ousted during the U.S.-led invasion of 2003.

"There are some people who are planning to transfer the battle from Syria to Iraq, whether they are locals, the al-Qaida organization and (Saddam's) Baath party," al-Maliki said. "These people are working and planning ... and they have been doing it for some time."

Earlier this week, an al-Qaida front in Iraq urged Sunnis to take up arms against the government, though protest organizers later distanced themselves from the group and called for peaceful marches.

Al-Maliki said regional governments were also involved in alleged efforts to destabilize Iraq, but did not name any.

"What happened in Syria will not happen in Iraq," the prime minister said. "In Iraq, there is freedom. There are no detained journalists or politicians. There are parties and elections."

Critics have accused al-Maliki of systematically sidelining political opponents and squashing dissent, a charge his supporters deny.

The New York-based Human Rights Watch said in a report this week that Iraq's leadership has used "draconian measures against opposition politicians, detainees, demonstrators and journalists, effectively squeezing the space for independent civil society and political freedoms in Iraq."

In another development, hackers broke into al-Maliki's official website Saturday, calling him an "oppressor" and comparing him to the embattled Syrian president.

The statement by "Team Kuwait Hackers" told the Iraqi leader: "You want to be like Bashar Assad ... Bashar is over."

The message was accompanied by a picture of wailing black-clad women in mourning. It was up for several hours until the site was taken down.

Telephone calls to al-Maliki's office went unanswered.

___

Associated Press writer Sameer N. Yacoub in Baghdad contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/pm-says-syrian-style-revolt-impossible-iraq-165043244.html

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Linux Today - Open Source Gaming Backend OpenKit Plans Private ...

Microsoft OLE DB Provider for ODBC Drivers

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Feb 01, 2013, 11:00 (0 Talkback[s])

So OpenKit is an attempt to create a platform that?s both ?good business and developer friendly.? Specifically, the code is being developed as an open source project on GitHub, and game developers will also be able to export their user data from OpenKit at any time ? so if they want, they can take the code and their data and create their own backend service.

Relan described the version launching tomorrow as a minimum viable product with just a few core features in place ? cloud storage (so a player can save their game on one device, then load it up on another), player leaderboards, and player authentication using Facebook and Twitter. The plan is to go into public beta in February, and eventually to make money through a freemium business model, where the basic tools are free but developers have to start paying when they reach a certain amount of usage.

Complete Story

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Source: http://www.linuxtoday.com/infrastructure/open-source-gaming-backend-openkit-plans-private-beta-launch-raises-another-100k.html

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US confirms attack in Turkey, issues warning

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The State Department confirmed a terrorist attack Friday just outside the U.S. Embassy in Ankara and told Americans to stay away from U.S. diplomatic offices throughout Turkey.

Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said the explosion occurred on the perimeter of the embassy at about 1:15 pm local time.

"We can confirm a terrorist blast at a check point on the perimeter of our embassy compound in Ankara," she said in a statement. "We are working closely with the Turkish national police to make a full assessment of the damage and the casualties, and to begin an investigation."

Officials in the Turkish capital said a suspected suicide bomber detonated an explosive in front of the embassy, killing himself and one other person at the entrance gate. U.S. Ambassador Francis Ricciardione identified the other death as an embassy guard.

No Americans were believed to be injured in the attack, officials said.

Ricciardone said at least another Turkish citizen was wounded, and that more guards may have been injured.

"The compound is secure," he said.

The U.S. and Turkey "will continue to fight terrorism together," Ricciardone added. "From today's event it is clear that we both suffer from this terrible, terrible problem of today's world. We are determined after events like this even more to cooperate together until we defeat this problem together."

Americans were warned to avoid visiting the embassy or U.S. consulates in Istanbul and Adana until further notice, and were told to register on the State Department's website.

"The Department of State advises U.S. citizens traveling or residing in Turkey to be alert to the potential for violence, to avoid those areas where disturbances have occurred, and to avoid demonstrations and large gatherings," said a statement issued by the U.S. Consulate in Istanbul. "Even demonstrations intended to be peaceful can turn confrontational and possibly escalate into violence. U.S. citizens are therefore urged to avoid the areas of demonstrations if possible, and to exercise caution if within the vicinity of any demonstrations."

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Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-02-01-Embassy%20Attack-Turkey/id-e03188476e934e1c9bb20b7a62924258

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