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বুধবার, ৩০ নভেম্বর, ২০১১
Brian Williams delivers some alarming news (Reuters)
LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) ? "NBC Nightly News With Brian Williams" was totally on fire Tuesday night. Sort of.
Anchor Brian Williams' focus was put to the test on Tuesday's newscast when a fire alarm went off as he introduced a story about American Airlines' bankruptcy filing.
But rather than run around the newsroom flapping his arms at his sides like Glenn Beck probably would have, Williams maintained his composure, with only a slight giggling fit breaking his stone-faced delivery.
Luckily it was a false alarm, as NBC News indicated via Twitter shortly thereafter.
"Fire alarm here at 30 Rock goes off at the exact same time we go on air," they tweeted. "All is fine in the building & the show goes on."
Maybe it was an American Airlines exec trying to distract viewers from the company's financial woes?
You can check out the video here: http://www.thewrap.com/tv/column-post/brian-williams-delivers-some-alarming-news-video-33167
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3 US money managers: No secret lottery winner
In this photo provided by the Connecticut Lottery in Greenwich, Conn., wealth managers Tim Davidson, second left, Greg Skidmore, center, and Brandon Lacoff, second right, pose Monday, Nov. 28. 2011 with a ceremonial check after the men claimed a $254.2 million Powerball jackpot won on Nov. 2, in Rocky Hill, Conn. The jackpot was the largest ever won in Connecticut and the 12th biggest in Powerball history. The largest previous lottery jackpot in Connecticut was $59.5 million in June 2005. (AP Photo/Connecticut Lottery, HO)
In this photo provided by the Connecticut Lottery in Greenwich, Conn., wealth managers Tim Davidson, second left, Greg Skidmore, center, and Brandon Lacoff, second right, pose Monday, Nov. 28. 2011 with a ceremonial check after the men claimed a $254.2 million Powerball jackpot won on Nov. 2, in Rocky Hill, Conn. The jackpot was the largest ever won in Connecticut and the 12th biggest in Powerball history. The largest previous lottery jackpot in Connecticut was $59.5 million in June 2005. (AP Photo/Connecticut Lottery, HO)
NEW HAVEN, Connecticut (AP) ? Three money managers awarded a $254 million Powerball jackpot said Tuesday there's no fourth participant despite a claim they're covering for a winner who wants to stay anonymous.
Greg Skidmore, Brandon Lacoff and Tim Davidson, who work at an asset management firm in Greenwich, one of the most affluent towns in America, came forward as the lottery winners Monday. Their lawyer said they formed a trust to manage the money after Davidson bought the $1 winning ticket at a Stamford gas station.
The three men work at Belpointe, which provides investment advice, much of it to wealthy people, according to the Securities and Exchange Commission. The company manages $82 million, according to the SEC.
But Thomas Gladstone, who identified himself as the landlord for the men's company, said he was surprised to learn Lacoff was among the winners because he made no mention of it when he saw him Friday. So Gladstone called Lacoff on Monday night.
"He said, 'No, I didn't win the lottery. We're representing the guy who did,'" Gladstone said. "He said he represents the guy who's staying anonymous."
Asked who the real winner is, Gladstone said, "They're protecting him. That's the whole purpose of putting this in this trust."
He said the real winner, a client of the men's firm, wants anonymity because people "get harassed and hounded when they win the lottery."
His claim was first reported by the Daily Mail newspaper of Britain.
A statement from the men's Putnam Avenue Family Trust said "there has been much speculation and quite a bit of misinformation over the last 24 hours." It said the trust was established to manage the winnings to help those who can benefit from the money.
"And to be clear, there are a total of three trustees and there is no anonymous fourth participant," the statement said.
The trust promised to distribute $1 million in the next 10 days to organizations in the New York-New Jersey-Connecticut area that help military veterans.
"The three trustees consider this the first stop on what we see as a journey of philanthropy in the months and years to come," the statement said. "We recognize that we have been literally blessed with a winning hand when it came to playing a simple game of chance. We also recognize that, as a result, we have a moral obligation to ensure these dollars are put to their best possible use in the shortest possible time to help the broadest number of people in need."
Gladstone said the anonymous winner is the beneficiary of the trust.
But a trust spokesman, Gary Lewi, insisted there is no secret lottery winner.
"I am afraid Mr. Gladstone is mistaken," he said.
The men's attorney, Jason Kurland, did not return repeated telephone calls, an email and Facebook messages Tuesday. Messages also were left with the men.
Connecticut Lottery Corporation president Anne Noble said she could not confirm or deny rumors swirling around the prize. She said officials are processing the payout for the winners who came forward Monday.
Lottery winners in Connecticut are generally determined by who is holding the ticket, which is why authorities urge winners to sign the backs of their tickets. Winners are designated as public information under Connecticut's freedom of information laws.
Lottery officials said they processed the jackpot claim "in accordance with applicable rules and integrity standards."
"It is not uncommon for Powerball winners to be identified as individuals, trusts, partnerships or other legal entities," the lottery said in a statement.
Kurland said Monday that the men contacted him immediately after the Nov. 2 drawing and came forward after making plans for the money. He said that the trust will take the after-tax lump sum of $103,586,824.51 cash and that a significant amount will go to charity.
"Obviously, everybody is extremely excited," Kurland said. "These numbers are huge. This is going to benefit many people."
The jackpot was the largest won in Connecticut and the 12th biggest in Powerball history. The largest previous lottery jackpot in Connecticut was $59.5 million in June 2005.
The three men declined to describe their relationships with one another, how they came to buy a $1 ticket together or what they would do with the money, except to say that Connecticut charities would benefit from the windfall.
Gladstone defended the move.
"I think it's the first time somebody gave it careful thought and did a smart thing," he said.
___
Associated Press writer Michael Melia contributed to this report.
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College Football Rankings, Week 14: West Virginia, Penn State In USA Today And AP Polls
This week's?college football rankings?are out, and two area teams are accounted for in the USA Today Coaches Poll. Penn State falls to No. 22 after being walloped by Wisconsin, and West Virginia is there at No. 20 after beating Pitt by a point. West Virginia will have one more shot to move up, with one more regular-season game, against South Florida on Thursday. LSU is a unanimous No. 1, for obvious reasons.?
The only other Big East team is Cincinnati, which re-enters the poll this week. In addition to the Nittany Lions, the Big Ten is represented by Michigan State, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Nebraska.
1 LSU
2 Alabama
3 Virginia Tech
4 Stanford
5 Oklahoma State
6 Houston
7 Oregon
8 Boise State
9 Michigan State
10 Arkansas
11 Oklahoma
12 Wisconsin
13 South Carolina
14 Georgia
15 Kansas State
16 Michigan
17 TCU
18 Baylor
19 Nebraska
20 West Virginia
21 Clemson
22 Penn State
23 Southern Miss
24 Florida State
25 Cincinnati
SB Nation has?a blog for every team.
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Kate Middleton Dazzles in Green, Peace-Sign Covered Dress at Palace Party (omg!)
She makes green look good!
Duchess Kate was all smiles at a reception healed by Queen Elizabeth at Buckingham Palace Monday. The 29-year-old royal wowed approximately 350 guests during the press reception in a stunning emerald green dress.?
PHOTOS: Kate's dazzling royal tour looks
According to UK's Mirror, the Duchess' dress is the $2200 Mulberry full pleated shirt dress, which is available online. The designer's site describes the peace-sign covered frock as "prim and proper with a Mulberry twist, [with a] full pleated shirt dress will not let you blend into the crowd."
PHOTOS: Kate's best hairstyles
Queen Elizabeth, 85, also wore green, while Prince William, 29, opted for a traditional suit and tie.
PHOTOS: How Will and Kate fell in love
According to the Mirror, Monday was the first time such an event has been held since 2002, when the Queen celebrated her Golden Jubilee. Next year she will celebrate her Diamond Jubilee.
Tell Us: Do you like Kate's Mulberry dress?
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'Mitt vs. Mitt': Will the Dems' 'genius' new ad work? (The Week)
New York ? Democrats go after Mitt Romney with a scathing new ad that suggests the Republican presidential hopeful will say anything to get elected
The Democratic National Committee has unveiled a tough new ad portraying Republican frontrunner Mitt Romney as a serial flip-flopper. The movie-trailer style "Mitt vs. Mitt" ad tells "the story of two men trapped in one body," splicing contradictory soundbites from Romney's speeches and TV appearances to portray the former Massachusetts governor as someone who reverses his positions on everything from abortion to President Obama's health-care law. The DNC is airing the 30-second ad in crucial swing states, including Virginia, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, and steering viewers to a longer video online (see the longer video below). How badly will this hurt?
This commercial will devastate Romney: The DNC's ad is "sheer genius," says Taylor Marsh at The Moderate Voice. It's "hilarious" to see how shamelessly the formerly moderate Romney will pander to win over the far Right. Each of these snippets reveals "how screwed up the primary process for Republicans" is, as once reasonable moderates are forced to bow at the altar of Reagan to soothe conservatives. Romney was once a solid "cross-over candidate," but he's increasing President Obama's re-election odds with every new policy shift.
"Mitt vs. Mitt, playing in a loop"
Focusing on flip-flopping actually hurts Obama: Everyone knew the Democrats would stoop to this, says Tina Korbe at Hot Air. Still, this new ad "is a bit rich coming from the DNC." Romney's rebuttal against the Democrats' attack is simple. If Romney is "the prince of flip-flops," Obama ? with his many reversals and hypocrisies on health care, immigration, education, and Guantanamo ? "is the king."
"A preview of what's to come if Mitt Romney is the GOP nominee"
If the economy stays down, this attack won't change anything: "Given the extent to which the 'flip-flopper' image harmed both Al Gore and John Kerry," says Jamelle Bouie at?The American Prospect, the DNC line of attack certainly could sting. But if the economy remains stuck in the mud, "few people will care that Romney is devoid of core political convictions." They'll just be antsy for a change.
"Mitt vs. Mitt"
Have a look at the DNC's online ad:
?
SEE MORE: Will Mitt Romney's 'brutal' 'Rick Perry's a moron' ad backfire?
?
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মঙ্গলবার, ২৯ নভেম্বর, ২০১১
Anne Hathaway Is Engaged!
Actress Anne Hathaway is sporting some new bling, an engagement ring! A rep for Anne has confirmed that she and her actor beau Adam Shulman are headed down the aisle. Adam popped the question with a ring that he designed for his future wife along with designer Kwiat Heritage. Although there have been many reports of Hathaway with her new piece of jewelry, PopSugar even has some pictures of the gorgeous ring, details of how the proposal went down have yet to be shared. Looks like the very private couple is hoping to keep the special moment all to themselves, can?t say I blame them. The Oscar nominated actress and her man have been dating since 2008. Anne became involved with Shulman shortly after her debacle of a romance with thief Raffaello Follieri ended. I guess those who were calling Shulman her rebound romance three years ago were wrong huh. All kidding aside it is nice see that she is getting her happy ending after what she went through with Raffaello. Since they began dating the two have had a very low-key romance that keeps them out of the spotlight for the most part. Adam for his part is very [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RightCelebrity/~3/0D7ifBL9oMc/
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Amtrak begins testing e-ticketing system, other futuristic things
It's been a long time coming, but it looks like Amtrak is finally ready to get with the times. This month, the human-carrier began testing a new e-ticketing system for passengers traveling along its Downeaster line, which extends from Maine to Boston. Under the trial, travelers can either print their tickets at home, or have them e-mailed as a barcode-laced PDF file for conductors to scan. Customers can also change their reservations at the last minute, without having to wait in line at the ticket counter and interact with other people. It's not exactly cutting-edge technology, but Amtrak attributes the delay to the unique nature of the railway, where conductors check tickets in transit and have to deal with a steady stream of passengers getting on and hopping off. As a result, the company had to find a scanning device reliable enough to handle this constant flow of organisms, though it looks as if it's nearing a solution. Amtrak plans to expand the trial to California in February, and if that goes well, the system could roll out on a nationwide basis as early as this summer.Amtrak begins testing e-ticketing system, other futuristic things originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 29 Nov 2011 14:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Rumor Has It: Apple Planning 15-Inch MacBook Air
We've heard rumors of a sort of MacBook Pro/MacBook Air convergence for the past few months and it seems Digitimes may be confirming the arrival of a larger, ultrabook-like 15-inch MacBook Air. The source believes that Apple is working on updated 11.6-inch, 13.3-inch and 15-inch models. This will be distinct from the Pro line.Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/zafog0x0WHk/
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UN conference to deal with carbon reductions
People walk below power pylons at Hartebeespoort, South Africa, Friday Nov. 25, 2011. Eskom is Africa's biggest power utility, accounting for more than 60 percent of all the electricity generated on the continent, according to the World Bank. It also exports across southern Africa. Critics and even supporters say Eskom should have started its move toward renewable sources of energy earlier, and now needs to set its ambitions higher. (AP Photo/Denis Farrell)
People walk below power pylons at Hartebeespoort, South Africa, Friday Nov. 25, 2011. Eskom is Africa's biggest power utility, accounting for more than 60 percent of all the electricity generated on the continent, according to the World Bank. It also exports across southern Africa. Critics and even supporters say Eskom should have started its move toward renewable sources of energy earlier, and now needs to set its ambitions higher. (AP Photo/Denis Farrell)
DURBAN, South Africa (AP) ? The U.N.'s top climate official said she expects governments to make a long-delayed decision on whether industrial countries should make further commitments to reduce emissions of climate-changing greenhouse gases.
Amid fresh warnings of climate-related disasters in the future, delegates from about 190 countries were gathering in Durban for a two-week conference beginning Monday. They hope to break deadlocks on how to curb emissions of carbon dioxide and other pollutants.
Christiana Figueres, head of the U.N. climate secretariat, said Sunday the stakes for the negotiations are high, underscored by new scientific studies.
Under discussion was "nothing short of the most compelling energy, industrial, behavioral revolution that humanity has ever seen," she said.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu, a hero of the movement that ended apartheid in South Africa, led a rally at a rugby stadium later Sunday urging negotiators to be more ambitious during what were expected to be difficult talks. Unseasonably cold, windy weather kept the crowd to a few hundred spectators.
Tutu, dressed in ecumenical purple robes, he said the struggle to end the racist regime in his homeland is now followed by a fight against "another huge enemy, and no country can fight this particular enemy on its own."
He chided countries that have been reluctant to renew pledges to cut carbon emissions. Whether rich or poor, "we have only one home. This is the only home we have," he said. "For your own sakes, you who are rich, we are inviting you: Come on the side of right."
In Rome, Pope Benedict XVI ? sometimes called the "green pope" for his outspokenness on environmental issues ? also called for the delegates in Durban to heed the needs of the world's poor.
"I hope that all members of the international community agree on a responsible and credible response to this worrisome and complex phenomenon, taking into account the needs of the poorest and future generations," he said during his traditional Sunday blessing from his studio overlooking St. Peter's Square.
Hopes were scrapped for an overall treaty governing global carbon emissions after the collapse of talks at a climate summit in Copenhagen two years ago. The "big bang" approach has been replaced by incremental efforts to build new institutions to help shift the global economy from carbon-intensive energy generation, industries and transportation to more climate-friendly technologies.
But an underlying division between rich and poor countries on the future of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol has stymied the negotiators.
Figueres said she hoped for a decision on extending emission reduction commitments under the Kyoto accord, which has been postponed for two years. Previous commitments expire next year.
"It's a tall order for governments to face this," but they show no interest in yet another delay, she said.
High on the conference agenda is the management of a fund scaling up over the next eight years to $100 billion annually to help poor countries cope with changing climate conditions.
Questions remain how the money will be governed and distributed, but more immediately, how those funds can be generated from new sources beyond established development channels from the West.
Ideas on the table include a carbon surcharge on international shipping and on air tickets, and a levy on international financial transactions ? sometimes called a Robin Hood tax.
A committee of 40 countries worked for the past year on drawing up a plan to administer the Green Climate Fund, but agreement on the final paper was blocked by the United States and Saudi Arabia, and the final contentious issues will have to be thrashed out in Durban.
Todd Stern, the chief U.S. delegate, said the negotiations had been too rushed.
"I am pretty confident that we're going to be able to work these things out," he told reporters last week, without naming the problematic issues.
But Figueres said the future of the Kyoto accord, which calls on 37 wealthy nations to reduce carbon emissions 5 percent below 1990 levels by the end of next year, is the most difficult political issue that nations face.
"If it were easy we would have done it years ago," she said.
Poor countries want the industrial nations to commit to more cuts for a second period, saying the protocol is the only legal instrument ever adopted to control carbon and other gases that trap the Earth's heat.
But the wealthy countries, with growing consensus, say they cannot carry the burden alone, and want rapidly developing countries like China, India, Brazil and South Africa to join their own legally binding regime to slow their emissions growth and move toward low-carbon economies.
"We need to protect the Kyoto Protocol as the bedrock of the global climate regime," Tim Gore, the climate strategist for the aid agency Oxfam International, told The Associated Press.
In the weeks preceding the conference delegates have been bombarded by new research and scientific reports predicting grim consequences for failing to act.
The U.N. weather agency reported last week that greenhouse gases have reached record-level concentrations in the atmosphere since the start of the industrial era in 1750. New figures for 2010 from the World Meteorological Organization show that carbon dioxide levels are now at 389 parts per million, up from about 280 ppm 250 years ago.
This week the weather agency is due to report on global temperatures for 2011, which are expected to show a continuing long-term trend of global warming. The Geneva-based agency said last year that 2010 was the hottest year in the books.
Oxfam released a report Monday showing that extreme weather events, which scientists say are related to global warming, are driving up food prices and putting an impossible burden on people living on the margins.
In the last 18 months, Russia lost 13.3 million acres of crops, or about 17 percent of its production, due to a months-long heat wave. Drought in the Horn of Africa has killed 60 percent of Ethiopia's cattle and 40 percent of its sheep. Floods in September have raised the price of rice by 25 percent in Thailand and 30 percent in Vietnam, according to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization.
The Nobel prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said "unprecedented extreme weather" caused by global warming will become increasingly frequent and make some places unlivable.
___
Nicole Winfield contributed to this report from Rome.
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Double amputee battles triathlon ? and wins silver
By Ian Williams, NBC News Correspondent
BEIJING ? The first time I met Andre Kajlich he was dodging Beijing traffic ? in a racing wheelchair. ?
"Oh yeah, it was good out there," he told me, a huge smile on his face. "You should have seen the look I got from the bus driver."
Kajlich had traveled from his Seattle home to the Chinese capital to take part in the world championship of one of the world's most demanding sports ? the paratriathlon. And taking his wheelchair for a spin on the highway was just one of his ways of tuning up.
Kajlich is a double amputee. When he lost his legs in a subway accident eight years ago, doctors doubted he would ever walk again ? even with prosthetics. But he was determined to prove them wrong.
"No matter what, I was going to do everything I could do," he said. And entering the grueling world of the triathlon is just his latest challenge, winning a place in the Beijing contest after just one year in the sport.
"It gives you perspective on what you are capable of, really of what everybody's capable of," he told me. "You can choose what you want to do, and once you make up your mind you are going to get there no matter what it takes."
Ian Williams / NBC News
Andre Kajlich at the triathlon venue in Beijing.
Inspiring others
It's an inspirational message he's been taking to other young American amputees. He and his sister Bianca, an actress,? are counselors at the annual Paddy Rosebach youth camp, a summer gathering for 10- to 17-year-old amputees, which was held this year in Clarksville, Ohio.
"I try to get them to look at their goals and to focus on those and to make up their minds, make the same choices I did, that you are going to get there no matter what, and try to put the other stuff aside."
And he told me that he in turn had found the young amputees a huge inspiration as he prepared for Beijing.
The triathlon took place around (and in) the Ming Tombs Reservoir at the foot of the mountains that rise to the north of Beijing. It had been the triathlon venue during the 2008 Olympics.
Ian Williams / NBC News
Andre Kajlich snaps a photo with a fan on China's Great Wall of China.
There were nine contestants in Kajlich's category. "It's going to take a special effort from me," he said.
The first part of the race was a half-mile swim that left him in fourth place, followed by a quick change to his hand bike, where he made up a further place over the twelve mile course. The final three miles were in racing wheelchairs, where Kajlich clawed back another place - finishing second. It was a silver medal for the paratriathlon rookie.
His smile after the race was broader than ever: "How about that? Dude,?I was just knocking them down."
A celeb on the Great Wall
On his last day in Beijing we traveled with Kajlich to the Great Wall of China, where he was determined to climb amid the holiday crowds along some of the steep sections that are tough enough at the best of times.
But it didn't surprise me by then. This is one very determined young man, and he became an instant celebrity. At one point, people were lining up to shake his hand and have their photographs taken with him.
Ian Williams / NBC News
The Great Wall of China was packed with tourists the day Andre Kajlich visited.
There is a tendency in China for people to stare at those who are different. Kajlich was wearing shorts, his prosthetic legs clearly showing. I asked him whether all the attention bothered him. Not at all, he said.
"They're nice about it. They're not poking fun at me or anything,? he said.
Then came another request for a photo. "Send me a copy," he said. "Maybe one day I'll see you in Seattle."
At this point I was getting a bit worried about how far we'd come and suggested we make our way back. I was afraid he might be getting tired, but he wasn't through yet.
"One of the reason I made up my mind to use the prosthetics was to get around in places like this," he said.
We did take a break though, because by then I was the one wanting to pause for breath. I asked him what he planned next. Maybe skiing, maybe bobsledding, he said. "There are so many things I'd like to get out there and try and do. I'll do them. I'll figure a way."
As if to stress that point, he'd gone on after Beijing to Kona, Hawaii to compete in the Ironman World Championships, where he beat his own time goals, and came second in his division.
"I've made it through my first Ironman," he told me in an e-mail. "And did pretty well."
And having spent some time with Kajlich I wouldn't have expected anything less.
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Primpalicious Gifts for the Obsessive Groomer [Gift Guide]
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Pakistan: 26 troops dead in NATO helicopter attack
FILE - NATO forces fuel tankers enter Afghanistan through Pakistan's border crossing in Torkham, east of Kabul, in this Oct 10, 2010 file photo. Pakistan on Saturday Nov. 26, 2011 accused NATO helicopters of firing on two army checkpoints in the northwest and killing 25 soldiers, then retaliated by closing the key border crossing in Torkham used by the coalition to supply its troops in neighboring Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul, File)
FILE - NATO forces fuel tankers enter Afghanistan through Pakistan's border crossing in Torkham, east of Kabul, in this Oct 10, 2010 file photo. Pakistan on Saturday Nov. 26, 2011 accused NATO helicopters of firing on two army checkpoints in the northwest and killing 25 soldiers, then retaliated by closing the key border crossing in Torkham used by the coalition to supply its troops in neighboring Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul, File)
PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) ? Pakistan on Saturday accused NATO helicopters of firing on two army checkpoints in the country's northwest and killing 26 soldiers, then retaliated by closing the border crossings used by the coalition to supply its troops in neighboring Afghanistan.
The incident Friday night was a major blow to already strained relations between Islamabad and U.S.-led forces fighting in Afghanistan. It will add to perceptions in Pakistan that the American presence in the region is malevolent, and to resentment toward the weak government in Islamabad for its cooperation with Washington.
It comes a little over a year after a similar but less deadly strike, in which U.S. helicopters accidentally killed two Pakistani soldiers near the Afghan border, whom the pilots mistook for insurgents. Pakistan responded by closing the Torkham border crossing to NATO supplies for 10 days until the U.S. apologized.
On Saturday, Pakistan went further, closing both of the country's two border crossings into landlocked Afghanistan. NATO trucks about 30 percent of the non-lethal supplies used by its Afghan-based forces through Pakistan. A short stoppage will have no effect on the war effort, but it is a reminder of the leverage Pakistan has over the United States from the supply routes running through its territory.
NATO said it was an investigating an "incident" along the border.
"My most sincere and personal heartfelt condolences go out to the families and loved ones of any members of Pakistan security forces who may have been killed or injured," said Gen. John Allen, the top overall commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan in a statement.
Much of the violence in Afghanistan is carried out by insurgents that are based just across the border in Pakistan. Coalition forces are not allowed to cross the frontier to attack the militants. The militants however sometimes fire artillery and rockets across the line, reportedly from locations close to Pakistani army posts.
American officials have repeatedly accused Pakistani forces of supporting ? or turning a blind eye ? to militants using its territory for cross-border attacks. The border issue is the major source of tension between Islamabad and Washington, which wants to stabilize Afghanistan and withdraw its combat troops there by the end of 2014.
In a statement sent to reporters, the Pakistan military blamed NATO for Friday's attack in the Mohmand tribal area, saying the helicopters "carried out unprovoked and indiscriminate firing" but did not give figures for the dead and injured.
The attack killed 26 soldiers and wounded 14 others, said the governor of the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Masood Kausar.
The helicopters attacked two checkpoints around 1,000 feet apart from each other, one of them twice, and two officers were among the dead, said a government official in Mohmand and a security official in Peshawar, the main city in Pakistan's northwest.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.
Ties between Washington and Islamabad had already taken an especially hard hit from the covert U.S. commando raid that killed Osama bin Laden in a Pakistani garrison town on May 2. The Pakistanis were outraged that they were not told about the operation beforehand, and now are angered even more than before by U.S. violations of the country's sovereignty.
"Any aggression on the (army) is an aggression against Pakistan," information minister Firdous Aashiq Awan told reporters. "We will not only protest, but we will prove through certain actions that the Pakistani government cannot tolerate this."
Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani said the government was complaining "in the strongest terms" to NATO and the U.S.
A Pakistani customs official told The Associated Press that he received verbal orders Saturday to stop all NATO supplies from crossing the border through Torkham in either direction. The operator of a terminal at the border where NATO trucks park before they cross confirmed the closure. They spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.
Saeed Ahmad, a spokesman for security forces at the other crossing in Chaman in southwest Pakistan, said that his crossing was also blocked following orders "from higher-ups."
The U.S., Pakistan, and Afghan militaries have long wrestled with the technical difficulties of patrolling a line that in many places is disputed or poorly marked.
Friday's incident took place on the same day as a meeting between NATO's Gen. Allen and Pakistan army chief Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani in Islamabad to discuss border operations.
The meeting tackled "coordination, communication and procedures between the Pakistan Army, ISAF (intelligence services) and (the) Afghan Army, aimed at enhancing border control on both sides," according to a statement from the Pakistani side.
The checkpoints that were attacked had been recently set up in Mohmand's Salala village by the army. They were intended to stop Pakistani Taliban militants holed up in Afghanistan from crossing the border and staging attacks, said two local government administrators, Maqsood Hasan and Hamid Khan.
The Pakistani military has blamed Pakistani Taliban militants and their allies for killing dozens of security forces in such cross-border attacks since the summer. Pakistan has criticized Afghan and foreign forces for not doing enough to stop the attacks, which it says have originated from the eastern Afghan provinces of Kunar and Nuristan. The U.S. has largely pulled out of these provinces, leaving the militants in effective control of many areas along the border.
The Afghan government blamed Pakistan for firing hundreds of rockets into eastern Afghanistan earlier this year that killed dozens of people. The Pakistan army has denied it intentionally fired rockets into Afghanistan, but acknowledged that several rounds fired at militants conducting cross-border attacks may have landed over the border.
The U.S. helicopter attack that killed two Pakistani soldiers on Sept. 30 of last year took place south of Mohmand in the Kurram tribal area. A joint U.S.-Pakistan investigation found that Pakistani soldiers fired at the two U.S. helicopters prior to the attack, a move the investigation team said was likely meant to notify the aircraft of their presence after they passed into Pakistani airspace several times.
Pakistan moved swiftly after the attack to close Torkham to NATO. Suspected militants took advantage of the impasse to launch attacks against stranded or rerouted trucks carrying NATO supplies.
Senior U.S. diplomatic and military officials eventually apologized for the attack, saying it could have been prevented with greater coordination between the U.S. and Pakistan. Pakistan responded by reopening the border crossing.
____
Abbot reported from Islamabad. Associated Press writers Anwarullah Khan in Khar, Pakistan, Matiullah Achakzai in Chaman and Deb Reichmann in Kabul, Afghanistan contributed to this report.
Associated PressTentative deal moves the NBA lockout closer to end (AP)
NEW YORK ? With a Christmas Day tripleheader on everyone's wish list and a tentative labor agreement in place, NBA owners and union officials went back to work Saturday, relaying details of the deal with hopes of cementing it quickly.
After a 149-day lockout that ultimately will cost the league approximately a half-billion dollars in losses, a marathon bargaining session produced a handshake agreement earlier in the day ? actually, just a few hours before daybreak.
Commissioner David Stern still must sell his owners on an agreement that could change the way they do business. And the players, looking beat and beaten, face a tougher healing process in approving a pact that significantly limits their earnings.
But considering everything owners sought when these negotiations opened with a contentious meeting at the All-Star break in February 2010, perhaps they will feel relieved they got as much as they did.
Players' association executives Derek Fisher and Maurice Evans hardly looked enthused about the agreement as they sat next to executive director Billy Hunter on the same side of a conference table with Stern, Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver and Spurs owner Peter Holt, the chairman of the league's labor relations committee.
But at least they weren't sitting in a courtroom, where they appeared headed less than two weeks earlier.
Just 12 days after talks broke down, Stern and Hunter appeared together after 3 a.m. Saturday to announce the 10-year deal, with either side able to opt out after the sixth year. It leaves the NBA with its second shortened season (the first was the 50-game 1998-99 season), with the hope of getting in 66 games instead of a full 82-game schedule.
Stern said he expects the labor committee to endorse the deal and recommend it to the full board for approval.
The players' side has revealed little of its feelings about the deal, noting the pending antitrust litigation in its desire to keep details quiet. But players always preferred to be on the court, rather than in it, and now they finally have the chance ? starting Christmas Day.
For the season openers, it would be Boston at New York, Miami at Dallas and Chicago at the Lakers ? sorry, little guys, the big markets still rule Christmas.
Now, the regular season would end one week later and push back NBA finals a week, potentially setting up a Game 7 on June 28, 2012.
The deal also calls for no hard salary cap, no rollbacks of existing salaries and contracts can still be fully guaranteed. Owners had called for all of that, seeking a route to profitability after saying they lost $300 million last season, and believing they would create a level of parity that had been missing.
But players' annual raises were trimmed from 10.5 percent for those re-signing with their own teams and 8 percent for those leaving to 7.5 percent and 4.5 percent respectively. Rules implemented to curb spending by teams over the luxury tax will limit some of their options in free agency.
Owners relented slightly on their previous insistence that players receive no more than 50 percent of basketball-related income after they were guaranteed 57 percent in the old CBA. The target is still a 50-50 split, but with a band from 49 percent to 51 percent that gives the players a better chance of reaching the highest limit than previously proposed.
"I appreciate what Billy and Derek and the players have compromised on because it will allow us, as a small market, to be competitive and create more parity across all 30 teams," Holt said. "We are really excited. We are excited for the fans. We're excited to start playing basketball for the players and for everybody involved."
Details were provided to owners Saturday afternoon in what would be described as a largely congratulatory teleconference. A person with knowledge of the meeting told The Associated Press that some owners said they wished certain issues ? usually ones specific to smaller markets ? were addressed, but many were simply relieved the process was nearing an end.
"The way the deal shakes out, particularly the system issues, there's something in there for every owner to hate," the person said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the pact still needs to be ratified. "A number of the small market owners may feel bad that they were not protected the way they thought they were going to be protected. Having said that, virtually all of them say it's better to play than not to play or lose the season."
Players filed an amended antitrust lawsuit in Minnesota on Monday that could have earned the players billions but surely would have come at the cost of at least the entire 2011-12 season.
The sides said all along the only way to a deal was through negotiating. They got back together Tuesday, setting the way for the pivotal meeting that began Friday.
"I think we saw a willingness of both sides to compromise yet a little more and to reach this agreement," Silver said. "We look forward to opening on Christmas Day and we are excited to bring NBA basketball back and that's most important."
Now, players must drop a lawsuit against the league and reform their disbanded union before they can vote on the deal. Hunter said it could take anywhere from three days to a week to get that completed.
Once the pact is approved, it would pave the way for training camps and free agency to open simultaneously Dec. 9, setting off a chaotic flurry of activity that could leave coaches running practices with different players arriving each day. There could be an even larger pool of free agents if teams use the amnesty clause, which allows them to waive one player during the deal and have 100 percent of his salary taken off the cap and the tax.
President Barack Obama gave a thumbs-up when told about the tentative settlement after he finished playing basketball at Fort McNair in Washington on Saturday morning.
Because the union disbanded, a new collective bargaining agreement can only be completed once the union has reformed. Drug testing and other issues still must be negotiated between the players and the league, which also must dismiss its lawsuit regarding the legality of the lockout.
"We're very pleased we've come this far," Stern said. "There's still a lot of work to be done."
A number of minor issues remain unsettled, such as sponsorship patches being added to jerseys and how the preseason should work.
Some major matters ? like revenue sharing, which the NBA has said it will not really dive into until a new CBA is complete ? remain on the table as well. Meetings on that issue take place every few days, and the person briefed on the status of the NBA's discussions said many teams are not thrilled by the notion of paying both a luxury tax and into a revenue-sharing pool.
When the NBA returns, owners hope to find the type of parity that exists in the NFL, where the small-market Green Bay Packers are the current champions. The NBA has been dominated in recent years by the biggest spenders, with Boston, Los Angeles and Dallas winning the last four titles.
"I think it will largely prevent the high-spending teams from competing in the free-agent market the way they've been able to in the past. It's not the system we sought out to get in terms of a harder cap, but the luxury tax is harsher than it was. We hope it's effective," Silver said.
"We feel ultimately it will give fans in every community hope that their team can compete for championships."
Owners locked out the players July 1, and the sides spent most of the summer and fall battling over the division of revenues and other changes owners wanted in a new collective bargaining agreement. They said they lost hundreds of millions of dollars in each year of the former deal, ratified in 2005, and they wanted a system where the big-market teams wouldn't have the ability to outspend their smaller counterparts.
Players fought against those changes, and scored some concessions at the end. The full midlevel exception of $5 million a year for four years will be available to all teams as long as the signing doesn't take them more than $4 million over the tax, and the "mini midlevel" for taxpayers was increased to $3 million a year for three years.
"This was not an easy agreement for anyone. The owners came in having suffered substantial losses and feeling the system wasn't working fairly across all teams," Silver said. "I certainly know the players had strong views about expectations in terms of what they should be getting from the system. It required a lot of compromise from both parties' part."
Stern denied the antitrust litigation was a factor in accelerating a deal, but things happened relatively quickly after the players filed.
"For us the litigation is something that just has to be dealt with," Stern said. "It was not the reason for the settlement. The reason for the settlement was we've got fans, we've got players who would like to play and we've got others who are dependent on us. And it's always been our goal to reach a deal that was fair to both sides and get us playing as soon as possible, but that took a little time."
___
Follow Brian Mahoney on Twitter: twitter.com/Briancmahoney
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Gaddafi son needs surgery on gangrenous fingers: doctor (Reuters)
ZINTAN/TRIPOLI, Libya (Reuters) ? Muammar Gaddafi's son Saif al-Islam needs surgery to remove gangrenous flesh from a severed thumb and finger which if not treated could make him seriously ill, a doctor who examined him told Reuters on Thursday.
Saif al-Islam has been nursing injuries to his right hand which he says were sustained during a NATO airstrike weeks ago. No further details have been available on the state of his heavily bandaged thumb, index and middle fingers.
"This wound is not in good condition and requires amputation," Andrei Murakhovsky, a Ukraine-born doctor working in Zintan, the town where Saif al-Islam is being held, and who treated him three days ago told Reuters.
"The wound is covered with gangrenous tissue and necrotic tissue," Murakhovsky added.
Fighters from Libya's Western Mountains captured Saif al-Islam in the southern desert on Saturday and flew him to their stronghold town of Zintan, where he is being held pending a handover to the country's provisional government.
Saif al-Islam's middle finger did not require surgery but the two other bandaged digits had been severed and were weeping pus, said Murakhovsky, who was interviewed by Reuters television in English and later by telephone in Russian.
"His index finger has been ripped off at the level of the middle phalange (finger bone), the bones are all shattered ... It's the same thing with the thumb of that hand," he said.
When a picture of Saif al-Islam's bandaged hand was aired, many Libyans thought his captors had cut off his fingers in retribution for televised remarks in which he threatened anti-Gaddafi rebels, pointing and making other hand gestures.
Murakhovsky, however, said the injuries were consistent with "some kind of explosion."
SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES
The surgical intervention required was relatively simple and could be performed in Zintan under local anesthetic, Murakhovsky said, but the town's militiamen were worried someone would try to kill Saif al-Islam if they took him to hospital.
"I would have done it the day before yesterday. It's not so urgent. It's already been like that for a month. But it's preferable that it should be done soon," he said.
Libyan Prime Minister Abdurrahim El-Keib has said Saif al-Islam is receiving the best possible treatment, but for now he is not in the hands of the provisional central government.
Zintan's fighters have said they will hand him over to the provisional government once it is formed. The cabinet was sworn in on Thursday, with the defense minister's post going to the head of Zintan's military council.
Murakhovsky said only a small part of Saif al-Islam's thumb and index finger needed to be removed, and while he did not need to be operated on urgently, if there were no intervention there could be serious consequences.
If left untreated, the gangrenous infection could spread into the bloodstream and lead to osteomyolitis, which Murakhovsky said was "an infection of the bone marrow, which could have an impact on his general condition."
The International Criminal Court has indicted Saif al-Islam for crimes against humanity and issued a warrant for his arrest. Libya, however, says it will not hand him over to the Hague, and the ICC's prosecutor says Tripoli can try him if it wants to.
Saif al-Islam has not been charged in Libya, but ICC Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo said his Libyan counterpart has launched investigations into the same events as the ICC, in which protesters were killed during this year's revolution.
If Libya were to charge him with similar crimes as the ICC, Saif al-Islam would face the death penalty. The maximum sentence the ICC can pass is life in prison.
Libya is also investigating five counts of alleged corruption by Saif al-Islam, Moreno-Ocampo said on Thursday.
(Writing by Francois Murphy; Editing by Jon Hemming)
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Man dressed as Gumby pleads guilty to burglary
SAN DIEGO (AP) ? A man accused of trying to rob a San Diego 7-Eleven while dressed as Gumby has pleaded guilty to misdemeanor burglary.
A lawyer for 19-year-old Jacob Kiss entered the plea Wednesday. Kiss' accomplice, 20-year-old Jason Giramma, also pleaded to the same charge. Both men were placed on three years of probation.
The San Diego Union-Tribune (http://bit.ly/rUcmV2 ) reported that the men will be allowed to withdraw their pleas if they comply with the probation terms.
Police say the men entered the convenience store on Sept. 5. A clerk says the Gumby character claimed to have a gun but in a television interview, Kiss says the clerk misunderstood him. Kiss and Giramma turned themselves into police days later and the Gumby suit was seized.
The attempted stickup was captured on videotape.
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ASUS Transformer Prime goes up for pre-order in North America, banks on your lust for Tegra 3
It's only been a few weeks since ASUS went official with it's Tegra 3-packing Eee Pad Transformer Prime tablet. We knew the keyboard-dockable hybrid would available sometime this December, but now the Android 3.2 Honeycomb-running slate (later upgradeable to Ice Cream Sandwich) has just popped up for pre-order at various North American retailers. If you'll recall, inside of its Zenbook-esque shell you'll find a 1.3GHz quad-core processor, 1GB of DDR2 RAM, an 8 megapixel rear camera and a 1.2 megapixel front facer -- not to mention other goodies like a micro HDMI port and a SD card reader. Folks in the US can place their funds down for the 1.3-pound 10.1-incher with Amazon, B&H Photo, Tiger Direct and Best Buy, while those up in Canada can currently look to Future Shop for the privilege. Arriving in your choice amethyst gray or champagne gold with 32 or 64GB of storage, you'll find it priced at $500 and $600, respectively. So, if you want to ensure you're the first kid on the block with a quad-core slate, find your credit card, get Eee-xcited and hit the source link below.
ASUS Transformer Prime goes up for pre-order in North America, banks on your lust for Tegra 3 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Nov 2011 17:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Ice Cream Sandwich Doesn't Support Flash Player, and Other Nexus Galaxy Complaints [Android]
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