Wall Street betting on last-minute debt deal

Reuters - Sunday 14th July, 2013

Sun Jul 14, 2013 10:51pm EDT * Stocks & Australian dollar turn higher after China data * Bernanke QE comments rein in hawkish fears By Ian Chua SYDNEY, July 15 (Reuters) - Asian stocks erased early losses on Monday, while the Australian dollar popped higher as investors heaved a sigh of relief after a batch of Chinese data showed the slowdown in the region's economic powerhouse was not as ...

Australia shares rise in choppy trade buoyed by Wall St China GDP

Reuters - Sunday 14th July, 2013

Sun Jul 14, 2013 10:39pm EDT (Adds quotes, stocks on the move) SYDNEY, July 15 (Reuters) - Australian shares rose 0.4 percent in volatile trade on Monday, reflecting relief at Chinese GDP data coming out in line with expectations, plus a Wall Street rally on strong earnings. China's annual economic growth slowed to 7.5 percent in the second quarter of 2013 from 7.7 percent - a second ...

China data show slowing but in line with estimates

Market Watch - Sunday 14th July, 2013

LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch) -- China's economy grew 7.5% in the second quarter compared to a year earlier, while industrial production for June rose 8.9% from year-ago levels, slowing from May's 9.2% growth, the National Bureau of Statistics said Monday. The gross domestic product result was down from the first quarter's 7.7% advance, but matched projections from separate Dow Jones ...

China economic data preview Slowing expected

Market Watch - Sunday 14th July, 2013

LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch) -- Economists expect a bundle of Chinese data due out later Monday to show slowing in the world's second-largest economy, given weakness in recent data. China is slated to report second-quarter gross domestic product, as well as June industrial production, retail sales and fixed-asset investment, among others. A Reuters survey indicated economists see GDP growth ...

Improved loan growth for U.S. banks adds to solid economic indicators

The Globe and Mail - Sunday 14th July, 2013

A Citibank branch in New York. When Citigroup, Goldman Sachs and Bank of America report this week, all eyes will be on the pace of their loan growth. (SHANNON ...

Trial to begin for ex-Wall Street trader likened to Big Bad Wolf

Tribune Review - Sunday 14th July, 2013

NEW YORK -- A judge presiding over the civil trial of a former Goldman Sachs trader accused of misleading investors about the true prospects of their bet on a package of mortgage-based securities has summed up the charges against him with a fairy tale, saying it's as if he's accused of handing Little Red Riding Hood an invitation to grandmother's house while concealing the fact ...

Nasdaq to pay $10 million fine for poor systems in Facebook IPO

MSNBC - Sunday 14th July, 2013

People walk past the NASDAQ MarketSite in New York's Times Square June 4, 2012. The Nasdaq market has agreed to pay a $10 million penalty for alleged securities laws violations resulting from its "poor systems and decision-making" ...

Wall Street Week Ahead Fundamentals to be tested

TVNZ - Sunday 14th July, 2013

Wall Street climbs on Bernanke comments This week marks the first big week of second-quarter earnings, and it is sure to bring both joy and misery to Wall Street. Investors will concentrate on market fundamentals after weeks when Federal Reserve policies have dominated the market. If they see companies are still struggling, stocks could take a fall. Even after Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke scared ...

European investors remain cautious over equities

European Pensions - Sunday 14th July, 2013

The financial crisis has changed the attitudes and practices of European institutional investors with a notable shift away from equities and towards fixed income and cash, according to a survey supported by Invesco. The 2009 European Institutional Asset Management ...

US earnings in focus on Wall St this week

New Zealand Herald - Sunday 14th July, 2013

All eyes are set for the latest round of US corporate earnings after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke finally managed to reassure investors that the central bank's stimulus effort is not going to evaporate any time soon. Markets had been pricing in a tapering of the Fed's US$85 billion a month bond-buying program since late May after Bernanke said as much. But with Bernanke tweaking ...

Indra Nooyi among top immigrant CEOs

CNN Money - Sunday 14th July, 2013

Only 14% of this year's Global 500 CEOs come from countries other than their corporate homelands. Meet 10 non-native Global 500 chief execs who have beaten the odds and climbed to the top of their org ...

New outlet for bonds education

European Pensions - Sunday 14th July, 2013

A new financial website, InvestinginbondsEurope.org, has been launched to offer retail investors free access to comprehensive, non-commercial and unbiased education, by the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA). The site, which is the first of its kind, provides fixed income market information in English, German, French, Italian and Spanish in a pan-European ...

Wall Streets Fabulous Fab heads to trial

CNN Money - Sunday 14th July, 2013

The trial of the infamous ex-Goldman Sachs trader Fabrice "Fabulous Fab" Tourre, which starts Monday, could put a face on the type of Wall Street recklessness that imploded the housing market and almost sank the economy five years ...

U.S. stocks Goldman Google earnings on tap

CNN Money - Sunday 14th July, 2013

Several reports that give a reading on the health of the U.S. consumer will be released this week, including retail sales, housing starts and building ...

Stocks Bank of America Google earnings on tap

CNN Money - Sunday 14th July, 2013

On Wednesday, Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke will deliver his semi-annual testimony to Congress on monetary policy. The same day, the central bank will release its beige book, which provides anecdotal information on current economic conditions in different parts of the country. Investors, who ...

RPT-Wall St Wk Ahead As earnings take over fundamentals to be tested

Reuters - Sunday 14th July, 2013

Sun Jul 14, 2013 11:06am EDT By Ryan Vlastelica NEW YORK, July 14 (Reuters) - This week marks the first big week of second-quarter earnings, and it is sure to bring both joy and misery to Wall Street. Investors will concentrate on market fundamentals after weeks when Federal Reserve policies have dominated the market. If they see companies are still struggling, stocks could take a fall. Even ...

Wall Street betting on last-minute debt deal

People's Daily - Sunday 14th July, 2013

With no political deal in Washington on raising the U.S. debt limit just days before a crucial deadline, investors are increasingly worried about a downgrade of the country's top-notch credit rating, or even an actual governmnent debt default. The U.S. Treasury Department has said the Congress must act before Aug.2 to avoid a catostropic default. With the dealine drawing close ...

XTL Bio returns to Nasdaq

Globes - Sunday 14th July, 2013

XTL ) will resume trading on Nasdaq this week, after Nasdaq approved the company's listing application last week. XTL's ADR will be traded at a ratio of 20 shares representing each ADR. XTL had been listed on Nasdaq, as well as the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE) and London Stock Exchange, until the collapse of its share price following the failure of the clinical trial of its lead ...

Insurers to earn extra yield on equities IRDA

Times of India - Sunday 14th July, 2013

NEW DELHI: Giving more freedom to insurers in securities market operations, regulator IRDA has allowed them to lend up to 10 per cent of their equity holding in a particular entity to earn extra yield on the portfolios. Insurers, according to ...

Program forms lasting bonds between A-K Valley families N.Y. children

Pittsburgh Tribune Review - Sunday 14th July, 2013

Lorri Harding, 11-year old Lilliana Harding (center, left), and Cliff Harding, of Washington Township, greet 9-year old Leilani Rosario, of Brooklyn, at Nixon United Methodist Church in Butler on Friday, July 12, 2013 as part of the Fresh Air Fund. Leilani and approximately 20 other children arrived by bus coming from the New York City area and will be visiting for two weeks as part of the Fresh ...

U.S. seeking direct nuke talks with Iran report

China.org.cn - Saturday 13th July, 2013

The Obama administration is seeking to hold direct talks with Iran over Tehran's controversial nuclear program after Iranian President-elect Hassan Rouhani sent out some positive signals, the Wall Street Journal reported ...

Earnings season approaching ?equities set for another rally

The Punch - Saturday 13th July, 2013

As earnings season draws ever more close, it seems the positive knock on effect is already evident in the market as equities revert from the bullish trends that were experienced in June though market return was as high as 42.50%. This positive mood has seen the market return increase by 3.37% Month-to-Date (MtD) in July, to peg year-to-date (YtD) gains at +33.13% after a decline of 4.20% in ...

Source: http://www.kyrgyzstannews.net/index.php/sid/215819443/scat/da4df54c389ee3f7

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Simpson and Bowles are wrong on US debt

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Source: www.ft.com --- Sunday, July 14, 2013
The deficit hawks were mistaken before 2008 and they remain so now, with none of the Debt scare stories sounding particularly frightening ...

Source: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/49f81e5c-ea3d-11e2-b2f4-00144feabdc0.html?ftcamp=published_links/rss/comment/feed//product

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Google Hangouts gets desktop voice calls (with North America bundled)

Google has restored voice call functionality to desktop Hangouts in Gmail, Google+, and the Chrome extension, after the feature disappeared for those early-adopters who switched from the previous chat widget. The company has offered voice calls through Gmail for some time now, including free calls within the US and Canada as part of a frequently-renewed promotion, and as of this week Hangouts gets the upgrade too.

This time around, any country that has Hangouts support can now make calls to the US and Canada free of charge, Google says; otherwise, there are the usual call rates for everyone else.

The Hangouts update has also brought a few new features this time around. For a start, it?s now possible to host group calls ? with multiple phone numbers and video callers ? on the same call.

On the more whimsical side, there?s the addition of the Google Effects app, which allows for sound effects in the background. Whether that will go down so well on business calls is questionable.

You?ll need to be using the new Hangouts in Gmail in order to access the new features (and free calls); there?s an option to ?Try the new Hangouts? in the Gmail chat. Don?t be surprised if you don?t see the calling functionality immediately, though, as Google says it?s rolling out this week to all users.

Source: http://feeds.slashgear.com/~r/slashgear/~3/cpdnSanClVo/

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Famous Masonic Temple in Downtown Detroit Files for Bankruptcy

By John Clark

The Detroit Masonic Temple, which has operated as an iconic theater for several decades is filing for bankruptcy protection, in a move that may foreshadow Detroit?s decision to pursue the same form of debt relief.

Or at least it seems like the theater is filing for bankruptcy. According to a report from the Detroit Free Press, the manager of the Masonic Temple claims that the theater is in fine financial shape.
//

Manager Disputes Report of Bankruptcy Filing

According to Steve Genther, the manager of the Masonic Temple, the theater itself is not seeking bankruptcy help. Rather, the entity that filed for bankruptcy is the theater?s former management company, sources say.

But sources say it?s beyond dispute that the famous theater, which has served as a venue for musicians as famous as the Rolling Stones, has struggled with a wide range of financial problems for several years.

Sources also say the theater narrowly avoided having its electricity service stopped last year, and was headed towards foreclosure before musician Jack White saved the venue by paying its $142,000 tax bill.

Again, though, Genther stresses that the bankruptcy filing isn?t tied to the theater, but instead to the company that used to own the property. In addition, Brad Dizik, the Masonic Temple?s spokesman, also told sources that the theater is in no danger of filing bankruptcy.

Nevertheless, the Theatre Co., the company that owns the Masonic Temple, is facing an enormous lawsuit from an event company. This lawsuit, however, has been stayed pending the completion of the bankruptcy.

Sources also say that the Theatre Co. may have up to $500,000 in debt, but its assets are only worth a maximum of $50,000. The company reportedly owes money to several creditors, the largest of which are the State of Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency and All American Waste Services of Romulus.

Theater Troubles Match Financial Ills Faced by Detroit

While Detroit?s most historic music venue faces potential foreclosure, the city itself continues to limp towards a potential bankruptcy filing of its own, sources say.

Detroit has flirted with bankruptcy for months, and is currently in the hands of an emergency receiver who has temporarily taken control of the city?s finances away from the mayor and city council.

Thus far, the city has managed to remain afloat, but as revenues continue to sink and pensions costs continue to rise, Detroit may soon find itself on the precipice of a historically large municipal bankruptcy, sources predict.

Source: http://www.clearbankruptcy.com/blog/famous-masonic-temple-in-downtown-detroit-files-for-bankruptcy/

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Schumer aims to improve military voting

By Conor Mooney

Schumer aims to improve military voting

July 9, 2013 Updated Jul 9, 2013 at 8:50 PM EDT

(WBNG Binghamton) Senator Charles Schumer wants to make voting for those in the military and overseas easier.

The goal is to improve the "MOVE Act."

The bill would allow express delivery of voting ballots to service members and would require states to update the government on the availability of ballots before election days to avoid problems.

Schumer plans to introduce the legislation along with U.S. Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas)

The pair hope to pass the legislation as an Amendment to the 2014 National Defense Authorization Act.

Source: http://www.wbng.com/news/local/Schumer--214824921.html

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Arianna Huffington: Sunday Roundup

Get Politics Newsletters:

From watching cable, you'd think the only news this week was the George Zimmerman trial. But as CNN spent Wednesday breathlessly team-covering every angle of some badly-Skyped-in testimony, a hint of other news appeared in a small box on-screen, captioned "coup under way." That was, of course, referring to the fact that Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi was being toppled. Is this monomaniacal coverage really the best way to honor Trayvon Martin's memory? It was enough to send me clicking over to the Golf Channel -- and I don't even play, though I did learn what a mulligan is. If the media took one, maybe next time, in addition to Egypt, they'd also cover yet another middling jobs report released on Friday, which showed the economy adding mostly low-wage jobs and still on pace to reach full-employment only by decade's end. But don't tell anybody.

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Follow Arianna Huffington on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ariannahuff

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/arianna-huffington/sunday-roundup_289_b_3554898.html

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Japan gets a pair of exclusive Pokemon X and Y 3DS XLs, world seethes with envy

Nintendo has a history of releasing snazzy special edition hardware outside of the U.S. and two Japan-only Pokemon X & Y 3DS XLs have now been added to it. The blue passive-3D dual-screen handheld features a pair of new legendary pocket monsters -- Xerneas and Yveltal, if you're curious -- and is out October 12th. The second of the duo is going to be more elusive than a Mew. To snatch a metallic gold 3DS XL (also with Xerneas, plus a slew of others), being in Japan to coincide with X & Y's release isn't enough: fighting off the rest of the trainers at Pokemon Center retailers October 12th is on the bill, too. May the best Pokemaster -- with 22,800 yen ($227) -- win! You didn't think The Big N was gonna make it easy to catch 'em all, did you?

Filed under: Gaming

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Via: Kotaku (1), (2)

Source: Pokemon (Japan)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/07/05/japan-pokemon-xy-3ds-xl/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget

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To-Do App 24me Adds In-App Gifting To Let You Send Your Friends Real World Stuff

Israel-based startup 24me isn't your typical to-do list app, since it's designed to not only help you make a list of stuff that needs doing, but to actually help get that stuff done. The startup has partnered with crowdsourced errand services like TaskRabbit to make that happen, and today it's also introducing a real-world gifting integration that lets you instantly cross special occasions off the list from right within the app. It's yet another step in the startup's continuing efforts to make a more piece of GTD software.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/bDg3pXD79T8/

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Texts, video cited in charges against Hernandez

Former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez, left, stands with his attorney Michael Fee, right, during arraignment in Attleboro District Court Wednesday, June 26, in Attleboro, Mass. Hernandez was charged with murdering Odin Lloyd, a 27-year-old semi-pro football player for the Boston Bandits, whose body was found June 17 in an industrial park in North Attleborough, Mass. (AP Photo/The Sun Chronicle, Mike George, Pool)

Former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez, left, stands with his attorney Michael Fee, right, during arraignment in Attleboro District Court Wednesday, June 26, in Attleboro, Mass. Hernandez was charged with murdering Odin Lloyd, a 27-year-old semi-pro football player for the Boston Bandits, whose body was found June 17 in an industrial park in North Attleborough, Mass. (AP Photo/The Sun Chronicle, Mike George, Pool)

Former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez, left, stands with his attorney Michael Fee, right, during arraignment in Attleboro District Court Wednesday, June 26, in Attleboro, Mass. Hernandez was charged with murdering Odin Lloyd, a 27-year-old semi-pro football player for the Boston Bandits, whose body was found June 17 in an industrial park in North Attleborough, Mass. (AP Photo/The Sun Chronicle, Mike George, Pool)

Former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez, left, stands with his attorney Michael Fee, right, during arraignment in Attleboro District Court Wednesday, June 26, in Attleboro, Mass. Hernandez was charged with murdering Odin Lloyd, a 27-year-old semi-pro football player for the Boston Bandits, whose body was found June 17 in an industrial park in North Attleborough, Mass. (AP Photo/The Sun Chronicle, Mike George, Pool)

FILE - This Dec. 25, 2012 file photo taken by a sister and provided by the Boston Bandits football team shows Odin Lloyd, 27, whose body was found Monday, June 17, 2013 in an industrial park in North Attleborough, Mass. Former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez was arraigned Wednesday, June 26, 2013, on a charge of murdering Lloyd. (AP Photo/Lloyd family via the Boston Bandits, File)

Family of Odin Lloyd react during the arraignment of former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez in Attleboro District Court Wednesday, June 26, in Attleboro, Mass. Hernandez was charged with murdering Lloyd, a 27-year-old semi-pro football player for the Boston Bandits, whose body was found June 17 in an industrial park in North Attleborough, Mass. (AP Photo/The Sun Chronicle, Mike George, Pool)

ATTLEBORO, Mass. (AP) ? In the final minutes of his life, Odin Lloyd sent a series of texts to his sister.

"Did you see who I was with?" said the first, at 3:07 a.m. June 17. "Who?" she finally replied.

"NFL," he texted back, then added: "Just so you know."

It was 3:23 a.m. Moments later, Lloyd would be dead in what a prosecutor called an execution-style shooting orchestrated by New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez because his friend talked to the wrong people at a nightclub. Hernandez was charged Wednesday with murder and could face life in prison, if convicted.

Hernandez was cut from the NFL team less than two hours after he was arrested and led from his North Attleborough home in handcuffs, and nine days after Lloyd's body was discovered by a jogger in a remote area of an industrial park not far from Hernandez's home. The 2011 Pro Bowl selection had signed a five-year contract last summer with the Patriots worth $40 million.

His attorney, Michael Fee, called the case circumstantial during a Wednesday court hearing packed with reporters, curiosity seekers and police officers. Fee said there was a "rather hysterical atmosphere" surrounding the case and urged the judge to disregard his client's celebrity status as he asked for Hernandez, 23, to be released on bail.

The judge, though, ordered Hernandez held without bail on the murder charge and five weapons counts.

Another man, Carlos Ortiz, 27, was arrested Wednesday in Hernandez's hometown of Bristol, Conn., as part of the murder investigation, New Britain State's Attorney Brian Preleski said Thursday. Ortiz was charged as a fugitive from justice and waived extradition to Massachusetts. Prison records show he is being held on $1.5 million bail at a Hartford jail.

Ortiz's public defender, Alfonzo Sirica, declined to comment about the case.

Hernandez was scheduled to appear at a bail review hearing Thursday afternoon in Fall River, according to Bernie Sullivan, spokesman for the Bristol County sheriff.

On Wednesday, Hernandez stood impassively with his hands cuffed in front of him as Bristol County Assistant District Attorney Bill McCauley laid out a detailed timeline of the events, cobbled together from sources including witnesses, surveillance video, text messages and data from cellphone towers.

Lloyd, 27, a semi-pro football player with the Boston Bandits, had known Hernandez for about a year and was dating the sister of Hernandez's fiancee, the mother of Hernandez's 8-month-old baby, McCauley said.

On June 14, Lloyd went with Hernandez to the Boston nightclub Rumor. McCauley said Hernandez was upset Lloyd had talked to people there with whom Hernandez had trouble. He did not elaborate.

Two days later, McCauley said, Hernandez texted two unidentified friends and asked them to hurry to Massachusetts from Connecticut. At 9:05 p.m., a few minutes after the first message to his friends, Hernandez texted Lloyd to tell him he wanted to get together, McCauley said.

Later, surveillance footage from Hernandez's home showed his friends arrive and go inside. Hernandez, holding a gun, then told someone in the house he was upset and couldn't trust anyone anymore, the prosecutor said.

At 1:12 a.m. June 17, the three left in Hernandez's rented silver Nissan Altima, McCauley said. Cell towers tracked their movements to a gas station off the highway. There, he said, Hernandez bought blue Bubblicious gum.

At 2:32 a.m., they arrived outside Lloyd's home in Boston and texted him that they were there. McCauley said Lloyd's sister saw him get into Hernandez's car.

From there, surveillance cameras captured images of what the prosecutor said was Hernandez driving the silver Altima through Boston. As they drove back toward North Attleborough, Hernandez told Lloyd he was upset about what happened at the club and didn't trust him, McCauley said. That was when Lloyd began sending texts to his sister.

Surveillance video showed the car entering the industrial park and at 3:23 a.m. driving down a gravel road near where Lloyd's body was found. Four minutes later, McCauley said, the car emerged. During that period, employees working an overnight shift nearby heard several gunshots, McCauley said.

McCauley said Lloyd was shot multiple times, including twice from above as he was lying on the ground. He said five .45-caliber casings were found at the scene.

Authorities did not say who fired the shots or identify the two others with Hernandez.

At 3:29 a.m., surveillance at Hernandez's house showed him arriving, McCauley said.

"The defendant was walking through the house with a gun in his hand. That's captured on video," he said.

His friend is also seen holding a gun, and neither weapon has been found, McCauley said.

Then, the surveillance system stopped recording, and footage was missing from the six to eight hours after the slaying, he said.

The afternoon of June 17, the prosecutor said, Hernandez returned the rental car, offering the attendant a piece of blue Bubblicious gum when he dropped it off. While cleaning the car, the attendant found a piece of blue Bubblicious gum and a shell casing, which he threw away. Police later searched the trash bin and found the gum and the casing. The prosecutor said it was tested and matched the casings found where Lloyd was killed.

As McCauley outlined the killing, Lloyd's family members cried and held each other. Two were so overcome that they had to leave the courtroom.

The Patriots said in a statement after Hernandez's arrest but before the murder charge was announced that cutting Hernandez was "the right thing to do."

"Words cannot express the disappointment we feel knowing that one of our players was arrested as a result of this investigation," it said.

Hernandez was drafted by the Patriots in 2010 out of the University of Florida, where he was an All-American.

During the draft, one team said it wouldn't take him under any circumstances, and he was passed over by one club after another before New England picked him in the fourth round. Afterward, Hernandez said he had failed a drug test in college ? reportedly for marijuana ? and was up front with teams about it.

A Florida man filed a lawsuit last week claiming Hernandez shot him in the face after they argued at a strip club in February.

Hernandez became a father on Nov. 6 and said he intended to change his ways: "Now, another one is looking up to me. I can't just be young and reckless Aaron no more. I'm going to try to do the right things."

___

Associated Press writers Bridget Murphy in Boston and Howard Ulman in North Attleborough contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-06-27-US-Hernandez-Police/id-a18a26f3b7dc47ab8c30efd17abe0307

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Gay marriage gets big boost in two Supreme Court rulings

By Lawrence Hurley

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court delivered a landmark victory for gay rights on Wednesday by forcing the federal government to recognize same-sex marriages in states where it is legal and paving the way for it in California, the most populous state.

As expected, however, the court fell short of a broader ruling endorsing a fundamental right for gay people to marry, meaning that there will be no impact in the more than 30 states that do not recognize gay marriage.

The two cases, both decided on 5-4 votes, concerned the constitutionality of a key part of a federal law, the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), that denied benefits to same-sex married couples, and a voter-approved California state law enacted in 2008, called Proposition 8, that banned gay marriage.

The court struck down Section 3 of DOMA, which limited the definition of marriage as between a man and a woman for the purposes of federal benefits, as a violation of the U.S. Constitution's guarantee of equal protection under the law.

The ruling was a victory for President Barack Obama's administration, which had decided two years ago it would no longer defend the law in court. Obama applauded the DOMA ruling and directed U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to review all relevant federal laws to ensure that it is implemented.

Justice Anthony Kennedy, 76, appointed to the court by Republican President Ronald Reagan in 1988, was the key vote and wrote the DOMA opinion, the third major gay rights ruling he has authored since 1996.

In a separate opinion, the court ducked a decision on Proposition 8 by finding that supporters of the California law did not have standing to appeal a federal district court ruling that struck it down. By doing so, the justices let stand the lower-court ruling that had found the ban unconstitutional.

Chief Justice John Roberts wrote the Proposition 8 opinion, ruling along procedural lines in a way that said nothing about how the court would rule on the merits. The court was unusually split, with liberals and conservatives in both the majority and the dissent.

By ruling this way on Proposition 8, the court effectively let states set their own policy on gay marriage. This means a debate is set to continue in various states via ballot initiatives, legislative action and litigation potentially costing millions of dollars on both sides of an issue that stirs cultural, religious and political passions in the United States as elsewhere.

The rulings come amid rapid progress for advocates of gay marriage in recent months and years. Opinion polls show a steady increase in U.S. public support for gay marriage.

'SECOND-CLASS CITIZENS'

Gay marriage advocates celebrated outside the courthouse. A big cheer went up as word arrived DOMA had been struck down. "DOMA is dead!" the crowd chanted, as couples hugged and cried.

Paul Katami and Jeffrey Zarrillo, a gay couple from Burbank, California, who were two of the four plaintiffs in the Proposition 8 case, were both outside the courthouse.

"We are gay. We are American. And we will not be treated like second-class citizens," Katami said.

He turned to Zarrillo, voice cracking and said: "I finally get to look at the man I love and say, 'Will you marry me?'"

Before Wednesday, 12 of the 50 U.S. states plus the District of Columbia recognized gay marriage. Three of those dozen - Delaware, Minnesota and Rhode Island - legalized gay marriage this year. California would become the 13th state to allow it.

About a third of the U.S. population now lives in areas where gay marriage is legal, if California is included.

"We are a people who declared that we are all created equal, and the love we commit to one another must be equal as well," Obama, the first sitting president to endorse gay marriage, said in a written statement.

While the ruling on DOMA was clearcut, questions remained about the meaning of the Proposition 8 ruling for California. Proposition 8 supporters vowed to seek continued enforcement of the ban until litigation is resolved. But California Governor Jerry Brown, a Democrat, said the justices' ruling "applies statewide" and all county officials must comply with it.

"We are now faced with this unusual situation where we have some uncertainty," said Andrew Pugno, one of the Proposition 8 proponents' lawyers. He expressed satisfaction that the Supreme Court had "nullified" a San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that, if left intact, could have had set a precedent for other Western states in its jurisdiction.

FEDERAL BENEFITS

By striking down Section 3 of DOMA, the court cleared the way for legally married couples to claim more than 1,100 federal benefits, rights and burdens linked to marriage status.

Kennedy wrote for the majority that the federal law, as passed by Congress, violated the U.S. Constitution's guarantee of equal protection. "The federal statute is invalid, for no legitimate purpose overcomes the purpose and effect to disparage and to injure those whom the state, by its marriage laws, sought to protect in personhood and dignity," Kennedy wrote.

The law imposed "a stigma upon all who enter into same-sex marriages made lawful by the unquestioned authority of the states," he said.

Roberts and Justice Antonin Scalia both wrote dissenting opinions in the DOMA case.

Roberts went out of his way to state that the court was not making any big pronouncements about gay marriage. The court, he said, did not have before it the question of whether states "may continue to utilize the traditional definition of marriage."

Scalia accused the majority of ignoring procedural obstacles about whether the court should have heard the case in order to reach its desired result.

"This is jaw-dropping," he said of Kennedy's analysis.

As a result of the DOMA ruling, Edith Windsor of New York, who was married to a woman and sued the government to get the federal estate tax deduction available to heterosexuals when their spouses die, will be able to claim a $363,000 tax refund.

The ruling was a win also for more than 200 businesses, including Goldman Sachs Group, Microsoft Corp and Google Inc, that signed on to a brief urging the court to strike down DOMA. Thomson Reuters Corp, owner of the Reuters news agency, was another signatory.

"Today's decisions help define who we are as a people, whether or not we are part of the group directly affected," said Lloyd Blankfein, Goldman's chief executive.

CHANGING LANDSCAPE

Numerous public figures including former President Bill Clinton, who in 1996 signed the DOMA law, and prominent groups including the American Academy of Pediatrics have come out this year in support of same-sex marriage and gay civil rights.

Individual members of Congress - Democrats and Republicans - also voiced new support for gay marriage this year.

Even with recent developments, there is still significant opposition among Republicans, including House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner, who had ordered the House to intervene in the DOMA case in defense of the law. Boehner said in a statement he was "obviously disappointed in the ruling" and predicted that a "robust national debate over marriage" would continue.

While more developments lie ahead, the legal fight over gay marriage already constitutes one of the most concentrated civil rights sagas in U.S. history.

Just 20 years ago, the Hawaii Supreme Court ruled that its state constitution could allow gay marriage, prompting a nationwide backlash and spurring Congress and a majority of states, including Hawaii, to pass laws defining marriage as between only a man and woman.

In 2003, when the top court of Massachusetts established a right to same-sex marriage under its constitution, the action triggered another backlash as states then adopted constitutional amendments against such unions. Five years later, the tide began to reverse, and states slowly began joining Massachusetts in permitting gays to marry.

The cases are United States v. Windsor, U.S. Supreme Court, No. 12-307 and Hollingsworth v. Perry, U.S. Supreme Court, No. 12-144.

(Additional reporting by Joseph Ax, Steve Holland and Roberta Rampton in Washington, Lauren Tara LaCapra in New York and Daniel Levine in San Francisco; Editing by Howard Goller and Will Dunham)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/supreme-court-due-set-legal-course-gay-marriage-050417451.html

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Taliban militants storm Afghan government compound

Afghan soldiers stand guard as smoke rises from the gate of the presidential palace in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday June 25, 2013. The Taliban said they have hit one of the most secure areas of the Afghan capital with a suicide attack, as a series of explosions rocked the gate leading into the presidential palace. (AP Photo/Ahmad Jamshid)

Afghan soldiers stand guard as smoke rises from the gate of the presidential palace in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday June 25, 2013. The Taliban said they have hit one of the most secure areas of the Afghan capital with a suicide attack, as a series of explosions rocked the gate leading into the presidential palace. (AP Photo/Ahmad Jamshid)

Afghan policemen stand guard near the entrance gate of the presidential palace in Kabul, Afghanistan Tuesday, June 25, 2013 following an attack. Suicide attackers blew up a car bomb and battled security forces outside Afghanistan's presidential palace Tuesday after infiltrating one of the most secure areas of the capital. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack that came as reporters were gathering for a news event on Afghan youth at which President Hamid Karzai was expected to talk about ongoing efforts to open peace talks with the militant group. (AP Photo/Ahmad Jamshid)

Afghan national security arrive near the entrance gate of the presidential palace in Kabul, Afghanistan Tuesday, June 25, 2013. Suicide attackers blew up a car bomb and battled security forces outside the presidential palace Tuesday after infiltrating one of the most secure areas of the capital. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, which came as reporters were gathering for a news event on Afghan youth at which President Hamid Karzai was expected to talk about ongoing efforts to open peace talks with the militant group. (AP photo/Rahmat Gul)

Afghan security force members investigate nearby the entrance gate of the presidential palace in Kabul, Afghanistan Tuesday, June 25, 2013. Suicide attackers blew up a car bomb and battled security forces outside Afghanistan's presidential palace Tuesday after infiltrating one of the most secure areas of the capital. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the Kabul palace attack, which came as reporters were gathering for a news event on Afghan youth at which President Hamid Karzai was expected to talk about ongoing efforts to open peace talks with the militant group. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)

Afghan national security arrive near the entrance gate of the presidential palace in Kabul, Afghanistan Tuesday, June 25, 2013. Suicide attackers blew up a car bomb and battled security forces outside the presidential palace Tuesday after infiltrating one of the most secure areas of the capital. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, which came as reporters were gathering for a news event on Afghan youth at which President Hamid Karzai was expected to talk about ongoing efforts to open peace talks with the militant group. (AP photo/Rahmat Gul)

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) ? Taliban militants stormed the presidential compound Tuesday after bluffing their way past two checkpoints, triggering a gunbattle that left eight attackers and three guards dead and sent journalists attending an official event scrambling for cover, officials and witnesses said.

The well-planned daylight assault in a highly fortified zone of the capital was a bold challenge to Kabul's authority just a week after the Taliban opened a political office in Qatar as the Islamic militant movement said it was willing to begin a U.S.-led peace process.

NATO also formally handed over security for the entirety of the country to Afghan forces just last week. The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force said it was standing by if needed during the skirmish, Afghan authorities did not call them in for help and thwarted the attack on their own.

The gunbattle started around 6:30 a.m. near the east gate leading to the palace next to the Afghan Ministry of Defense and the former Ariana Hotel, which former U.S. intelligence officials have confirmed is used by the CIA. One carload of Taliban fighters dressed in military-style camouflage uniforms emerged from their black Land Cruiser and started shooting, after another got stuck between two checkpoints and detonated their explosives-laden vehicle.

The Taliban said all eight of its fighters died in the attack, while the Interior Ministry said three security guards were killed and another wounded.

The attack was a bitter reminder of the ability of the Taliban to penetrate the heart of the capital, showing their strength in the fight against President Hamid Karzai's Western-backed government.

Though the Taliban have indicated they are willing to open peace talks, they have not renounced violence and attacks have continued across Afghanistan.

The palace is in a large fortified area of downtown Kabul that also includes the U.S. Embassy and the headquarters for the NATO-led coalition forces and access is heavily restricted. Some Kabul residents initially thought the gunfire was a coup attempt because the idea of a Taliban attack within the security zone seemed so unlikely.

The attackers were stopped in Ariana Square, at least 500 meters (yards) and several checkpoints away from the palace itself. Karzai was reportedly in the palace at the time.

A group of journalists, including from The Associated Press, waiting to enter the palace grounds for a news event on Afghan youth witnessed the start of the attack and took cover behind a religious shrine, pulling a boy off the street who had been caught in the open on his way to school.

Karzai had been expected to talk about ongoing efforts to open peace talks with the Taliban.

The Taliban have refused to negotiate with Karzai's government in the past, saying the U.S. holds effective control in Afghanistan, but the Americans are hoping to pave the way for talks between the two sides. Long-stalled negotiations have taken on urgency with Afghan presidential elections and the withdrawal of most U.S. and other foreign combat troops looming in 2014.

The Americans announced last week that they would begin formal talks with the Taliban in the Qatari capital of Doha, which would be followed by talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government.

Kabul police chief Gen. Mohamad Ayub Salangi said the gunmen jumped out of their SUV and opened fire after the second vehicle was stopped by security forces while trying to use fake documents to get through a checkpoint. The second vehicle's car bomb then exploded.

Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid claimed responsibility, saying in an emailed statement that "eight of our suicide bombers were able to reach the most secure area of Kabul," identifying them by name and saying they were carrying hand grenades, a machine gun and rocket-propelled grenades.

"The brave mujahedeen, with special tactics and help from inside, were able to reach their target with their weapons and cars," he said. He said their targets were the CIA building, the palace and the Defense Ministry and claimed "a number of foreign invaders were killed and wounded in the attack."

Smoke could be seen coming from the area of the hotel, but there was no immediate indication any of the buildings were hit in the attack and Afghanistan's Kabul division army commander Gen. Kadam Shah Shahim said he knew of no deaths among security forces or civilians.

The NATO-led coalition in Afghanistan instituted a camp lockdown during the incident.

U.S. Ambassador James Cunningham urged an end to the violence.

"All of the attackers were killed, without success in achieving their goals ? This again demonstrates the futility of the Taliban's efforts to use violence and terror to achieve their aims," he said in a statement. "We again call on the Taliban to come to the table to talk to the Afghanistan government about peace and reconciliation."

The U.S. Embassy cancelled all consular appointments and advised American citizens in Kabul to stay indoors.

Also early Tuesday, in the southern province of Kandahar, a minibus hit a bomb buried in the road, killing 11 members of a groom's family on their way to an engagement party, said Kandahar governor's spokesman Ahmad Jawed Faisal. Faisal said the dead included eight women, two children and a man, and two other men were also wounded.

In Oruzgan, the province north of Kandahar, provincial governor's spokesman Abdullah Hemat said Tuesday that six Afghan national police were killed the day before when their patrol was attacked with a roadside bomb.

And a NATO convoy was hit with a roadside bomb in the province Ghazni, southwest of Kabul, destroying a vehicle but the coalition said there were no casualties.

_____

Associated Press Amir Shah contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-06-25-Afghanistan/id-d0e1d14ef50f4e208900c6ed7f84f4e7

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Review: Ouya brings indie games to your TV

This photo provided by Ouya shows an Ouya, the Android-based video game console that aims to challenge the dominance of the Xboxes, Nintendos and PlayStations of the world. The console goes on sale Tuesday, June 25, 2013. (AP Photo/Ouya)

This photo provided by Ouya shows an Ouya, the Android-based video game console that aims to challenge the dominance of the Xboxes, Nintendos and PlayStations of the world. The console goes on sale Tuesday, June 25, 2013. (AP Photo/Ouya)

The ongoing explosion in independently developed, low-budget video games has been a boon for players who travel. Whether I'm on the road with an iPad, an Android smartphone or a laptop, I know there's a huge library of games to play.

When I get home, though, I want to play on a bigger screen. That's where the Ouya comes in. It promises to deliver the best in inexpensive indie gaming on a high-resolution screen, through a small device that runs the Android operating system designed for phones and tablets.

Ouya costs just $100 ? a few hundred dollars less than what you'd pay for a major game console. Thousands of gamers and game developers got Ouyas over the past few months after contributing at least $95 to Ouya's creators through the group-fundraising site Kickstarter. The device went on sale more broadly on Tuesday.

Ouya runs Google's Android system and is built around Nvidia's Tegra 3 processor, used mostly in smartphones and other mobile devices. That should make it easy to port over the thousands of games already made for Android phones and tablets, but for now you're limited to software specifically designed for Ouya. Nearly 180 games are available so far through Ouya's online store, with many more expected.

Each game has a version you can download for free. If you like what you see, you can download a full version for a few bucks. By contrast, games for one of the big three consoles can cost as much as $60 each ? usually with no free trial.

The device itself is a cube measuring 3 inches on each side, with slightly rounded corners on the bottom. The controller is a bit chunkier. It resembles what's available with Microsoft's Xbox and Sony's PlayStation, with two exceptions: The Ouya controller has a touchpad in the middle (although none of the games I sampled took advantage of it), and its grips are longer, each accommodating an AA battery. One controller comes with the Ouya, and extra ones cost $50 each.

Setup is easy once you connect the Ouya to your high-definition television set using a supplied HDMI cable. When you turn on the console, it automatically searches for Wi-Fi connections. You can also connect to the Internet through an Ethernet cable, which you have to provide yourself. Once connected, you need to create an account and supply credit card information.

Then you're taken to a simple menu with four options: play, discover, make and manage. "Make" takes you to an area for potential game developers, while "manage" lets you tinker with system settings.

"Discover" takes you to Ouya's game store. You can find games by genre, such as role-playing, sim/strategy and "meditative." You can also check out showcases such as "couch gaming with friends."

Download speeds aren't bad; it took about 20 minutes for me to transfer a 725-megabyte file over Comcast high-speed Internet. Smaller games are, of course, much faster. The device has 8 gigabytes of internal storage, and you can add more by connecting an external hard drive to the Ouya with a USB cable.

Once you have your game, clicking "play" on the home page takes you to your personal library. Compared with the sometimes daunting menus on the Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3, Ouya's displays are clean and elegant.

The offerings on the Ouya store vary wildly in quality and ambition. Android is an open platform, so anyone can write software for it. That means you have professionally executed games such as the beloved "You Don't Know Jack" competing head-to-head with the sloppy trivia game "Quizania." Some popular console games, including "The Bard's Tale" and "Final Fantasy III," have been adapted for the Ouya, but it isn't the place for blockbuster titles such as the latest "Call of Duty" and "Grand Theft Auto."

More prevalent are games that have been cult hits on PCs and smartphones, including "Canabalt," ''Saturday Morning RPG" and "Organ Trail." There are a few Ouya exclusives, including the 3-D puzzler "Polarity" and the multiplayer archery game "TowerFall."

Ouya offers high-resolution displays in 1080p, comparable to the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii U. Most of the Ouya's offerings are fairly low-def, though, and if you're looking for the wide-screen majesty of "The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim" or "BioShock Infinite," you won't find it here. If your video-game habit dates back to the 1970s, you'll notice a distinct retro feel to the Ouya's library. That's not a complaint; there's something refreshing about taking on a simple running-and-jumping game such as "Canabalt" after you've survived a grueling epic like Sony's PS3 hit "The Last of Us."

Indeed, some of the more satisfying indie releases of the last few years ? say, "Fez," ''Hotline Miami" or "Monaco: What's Yours Is Mine" ? have combined old-school graphics with game play that's more sophisticated than most big-budget console releases offer. Nothing currently on Ouya matches the quality of those games, but if the system can attract that level of talent, it will be a console to be reckoned with. If you're a hardcore gamer, it won't replace your Xbox or PlayStation, but for $100 it's a worthy supplement.

___

About Ouya:

The $100 device plays games designed for it on high-definition screens. Although it runs the Android operating system used in smartphones and tablets, games need to be specifically adapted to work on Ouya. Nearly 180 games are available through Ouya's online store.

Initially available only to people who made donations through Kickstarter, Ouya is now sold through Ouya's website as well as Amazon.com, Target, Best Buy and GameStop.

___

Online:

Ouya: http://www.ouya.tv

___

Follow Lou Kesten on Twitter at http://twitter.com/lkesten

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2013-06-26-Digital%20Life-Tech%20Test-Ouya%20Game%20Machine/id-9f4de0e80a934d91a1cf5cb2d4d6c444

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Kerry: deeply troubling if Snowden allowed to flee

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry smiles as he asks a reporter to repeat a question during a news conference with Indian Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid, not pictured, at Hyderabad House in New Delhi, India on Monday, June 24, 2013, during Kerry's first visit to India as secretary. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, Pool)

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry smiles as he asks a reporter to repeat a question during a news conference with Indian Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid, not pictured, at Hyderabad House in New Delhi, India on Monday, June 24, 2013, during Kerry's first visit to India as secretary. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, Pool)

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, left, meets with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at the prime minister's residence in New Delhi, India on Monday, June 24, 2013, during Kerry's first visit to India as secretary. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, Pool)

NEW DELHI (AP) ? U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Monday that it would be "deeply troubling" if Russia or Hong Kong had adequate notice about Edward Snowden's plans to flee to a country that will grant him asylum and still allowed him leave.

Snowden, a former National Security Agency contractor and a self-admitted leaker of state secrets, fled from Hong Kong to Moscow on Sunday after the U.S. moved to extradite him to face espionage charges. He was expected to seek political asylum in Ecuador.

He was booked on a flight from Moscow to Cuba on Monday, but he was not seen on the plane. It was unclear where he was or where he was he was trying to go, Kerry said. The U.S. has revoked Snowden's passport.

"We don't know, specifically, where he may head, or what his intended destination may be," Kerry said, responding to a question during a news conference in New Delhi where he was discussing bilateral issues between the U.S. and India.

He also was asked about whether the Snowden incident would affect the U.S. relationship with China and Russia.

"It would be deeply troubling, obviously, if they had adequate notice, and notwithstanding that, they make the decision willfully to ignore that and not live by the standards of the law," Kerry said.

"There is a surrender treaty with Hong Kong and if there was adequate notice ? I don't know yet what the communication status was. But if there was, it would be very disappointing if he was willfully allowed to board an airplane ... and there would be, without any question, some effect and impact on the relationship and consequences. With respect to Russia, likewise."

The United States does not have an extradition treaty with Russia, but does with Cuba, Venezuela and Ecuador. Even with an extradition agreement though, any country could give Snowden a political exemption.

In the past two years, the U.S. has transferred seven prisoners to Russia that Moscow wanted, he said. "I think reciprocity and the enforcement of the law is pretty important," Kerry said, but he did not identify the law he was referencing.

Kerry also noted the countries involved in the incident.

"I suppose there is no small irony here. I mean, I wonder if Mr. Snowden chose China and Russian assistance in his flight from justice because they're such powerful bastions of Internet freedom, and I wonder if while he was in either of those countries he raised the question of Internet freedom since that seems to be what he champions."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-06-24-AS-Kerry-Snowden/id-8e503bdd0713459aa6a6ece01f92b3c3

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Earth, Wind and Fire dropping new album Sept. 10

NEW YORK (AP) ? Earth, Wind and Fire initially wanted to release its new album around the 2012 presidential election, but the band realized it wasn't satisfied with the songs it created.

"We have a lot more bells and whistles in place now and the record is better," singer Philip Bailey said in a recent interview.

"Now, Then & Forever," the group's first album in eight years, will be released Sept. 10. Bailey said the band called co-founding member Larry Dunn and others to help produce its latest sound.

"I said, 'Let's go back to the drawing board,'" he recalled. "It's a great representation of who Earth, Wind and Fire is now, but not departing from the classic sound."

"It doesn't sound like we're trying to be anyone other than Earth, Wind and Fire," added bassist Verdine White.

The band ? which includes founder Maurice White and Ralph Johnson ? has worked on the album for two years. Its new single, "My Promise," was released Monday and was co-written by Academy Award nominee and Grammy winner Siedah Garrett. Fans who pre-order the album will have their names put in the album packaging.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Famers are currently on a tour. Bailey said he enjoys having his son, Philip Bailey Jr., on the road and as a writer and producer on the new album.

"It's a great experience to the say the least. I spend so much time away from my family and kids . (that this is) bonding like never before," he said. "He has the same passion."

___

Online:

http://www.earthwindandfire.com/

___

Follow Mesfin Fekadu on Twitter: twitter.com/MusicMesfin

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/earth-wind-fire-dropping-album-sept-10-111725000.html

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'Titanfall' developer explains why the game won't be on PS4, and the ...

The next-gen mech shooter Titanfall would not be possible without Microsoft?s Xbox One cloud services, according to Respawn Entertainment engineer Jon Shiring. The cloud is tied into Microsoft?s controversial online policies for the new console, and it?s been the subject of confusion and ire from gamers. Shiring took to?Respawn?s blog?to explain the benefits from a developer?s perspective.

According to Shiring, Microsoft?s dedicated servers are the perfect solution to a long-standing problem. Console games with online multiplayer aspects typically use player-hosted servers because dedicated servers are expensive and tough to implement, but dedicated servers offer a superior experience. Microsoft?s dedicated cloud servers allow Respawn to implement more and better AI, physics, and environments, eliminate the ?host advantage? that plagues many online games, thwart some forms of cheating, boost matchmaking speeds, eliminate the need to pause the game when the host player quits, and improve visuals and audio by taking full advantage of the console hardware and leaving other tasks to the cloud processors.

The cloud services aren?t limited to Xbox One games either, and Respawn uses them for the Windows PC and Xbox 360 versions of?Titanfall as well. Respawn approached both Sony and Microsoft about this problem, and Microsoft was the one to implement a solution, Shiring writes.

?Microsoft realized that player-hosted servers are actually holding back online gaming and that this is something that they could help solve, and ran full-speed with this idea,? he writes. ?So they built this powerful system to let us create all sorts of tasks that they will run for us, and it can scale up and down automatically as players come and go.?

?We?want to focus on making awesome games, not on becoming giant worldwide server hosting providers,? he continues. ?The more time I can spend on making our actual game better, the more our players benefit.?

?

?

Source: http://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/titanfall-developers-spell-out-benefits-of-xbox-one-cloud/

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Bomb attacks in Syrian capital kill 8 people

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) ? Suicide bombers targeted security compounds in Damascus and a car bomb exploded in a pro-regime district there Sunday, killing at least eight people, the latest in a surge of civil war violence in the capital.

In northern Syria, a car bomb killed 12 soldiers in Aleppo, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which relies on a network of activists in Syria for information. It had no other details, and the government did not comment.

The state-run news agency SANA said three suicide bombers blew themselves up while trying to break into the Rukneddine police station in northern Damascus, killing five people and wounding several others. SANA said three would-be suicide bombers also tried to break into the Criminal Security Branch in the southern Bab Mousalla area but were caught by security forces before they could detonate their explosives.

Activists confirmed the death toll.

SANA said a car bomb exploded in Mazzeh 86 district in the capital, killing three people, including a 3-year-old boy. Residents of the district are mostly Alawites, an offshoot Shiite sect that President Bashar Assad's family belongs to. The opposition forces fighting against Assad's regime are mostly Sunni Muslims.

Nobody immediately claimed responsibility for the Damascus explosions, but they bore the hallmarks of al-Qaida-linked groups that have joined forces with rebels fighting to oust Assad.

The attacks in Syria's two largest cities came as government forces pressed an offensive on the outskirts of the capital.

SANA carried a statement by the Interior Ministry saying that the Damascus attacks were a "new escalation by terrorist groups," a term used by the government to refer to the rebels.

More than 93,000 people have been killed in Syrian conflict that started in March 2011 as peaceful protest against Assad's rule. In the past year, the war has taken on sectarian overtones.

The conflict has increasingly spilled across Syria's borders.

In neighboring Lebanon, clashes erupted between Lebanese military and supporters of hard-line Sunni cleric Sheik Ahmad al-Assar. Six Lebanese soldiers were killed, according to the army.

The fighting broke out in the predominantly Sunni southern port city of Sidon after al-Assir's supporters opened fire on an army checkpoint.

The military issued a statement confirming that six soldiers died in the shooting, including three officers. It said the shooting was unprovoked.

Heavy fighting with machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades caused panic in the city, which until recently had been largely spared the violence hitting other areas. Many people who were spending the day on the beach hurried home, while others living on high floors came down or fled to safer areas. Gray smoke billowed over parts of the city.

The clashes centered on the Bilal bin Rabbah Mosque, where al-Assir preaches. The cleric, a virulent critic of the Shiite militant Hezbollah group, is believed to have hundreds of armed supporters in Sidon. Dozens of al-Assir's gunmen also partially shut down the main highway linking south Lebanon with Beirut.

By Sunday evening, the army appeared poised to move against al-Assir and his supporters, who have been agitating for months. Lebanon's state-run National News Agency said the army have surrounded the mosque, sealing off access to it from all directions and neutralized hostile fire from neighboring buildings.

The NNA report said Assir was believed to be hiding inside the mosque with several of his followers.

The cleric and his followers support Sunni rebels in the Syria conflict, and he has threatened to clear apartments in Sidon where Hezbollah supporters live.

Sunday's clashes in Sidon deepened tensions in Lebanon. on edge since the Syrian conflict began more than two years ago.

Lebanese President Michel Suleiman called an emergency meeting of the security cabinet for Monday. NNA also reported sporadic shooting in the volatile city of Tripoli in the north, and the army announced additional force deployments in around Beirut.

The violence came a day after an 11-nation group that includes the U.S. met in the Qatari capital of Doha to coordinate military aid and other forms of assistance to the rebels.

Syria's al-Thawra newspaper, the mouthpiece of the government, assailed the Friends of Syria meeting.

"It's clear that the enemies of Syria are rushing to arm the terrorists to kill the chances for holding the Geneva conference," the newspaper said, referring to a U.S.-Russia initiative for bringing Assad's government and rebels together to negotiate an end to the crisis.

The Syrian paper pledged that the army would "continue the showdown to eliminate terrorism and restore security and stability."

____

Surk reported from Beirut. Associated Press writer Jamal Halaby in Amman, Jordan contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/bomb-attacks-syrian-capital-kill-8-people-182829771.html

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Lebanon clashes rage near mosque; 16 soldiers dead

BEIRUT (AP) ? Lebanese troops battled heavily armed followers of a hard-line Sunni cleric holed up in a mosque complex in a southern port city on Monday, the second day of fighting that has left at least 16 soldiers dead, the military said.

The clashes in Sidon, Lebanon's third-largest city, are the latest bout of violence in Lebanon linked to the conflict in neighboring Syria.

They are the bloodiest yet involving the army and are seen as a test for the state in containing extremist armed groups that have taken up the cause of the warring sides in Syria. The civil war next door has been bleeding into Lebanon, following similar sectarian lines of Sunni and Shiite camps.

The fierce fight that the followers of Sheik Ahmad al-Assir were putting up showed how aggressive Sunni extremists have grown in Lebanon, building on anger not only at Syria's regime but also its Shiite allies in Lebanon, Hezbollah. The two days of fighting have transformed Sidon, which had been largely spared the violence plaguing border areas near Syria, into a combat zone.

The 45-year-old, bespectacled and long-bearded al-Assir is a virulent critic of Hezbollah. He has been agitating for months, demanding Hezbollah disarm and accusing the army of inaction in the face of the group's growing involvement in Syria on the side of President Bashar Assad.

The maverick cleric was little known until few years ago and his growing following was a symptom of the deep frustration among Sunnis who resent the Hezbollah-led Shiite ascendancy to power in Lebanon. Hezbollah and its allies dominate Lebanon's government.

The clashes in predominantly Sunni Sidon, some 40 kilometers (25 miles) south of Beirut, left 50 wounded on Monday, the National News Agency said. At least two military officers were among those killed. Hospital officials said at least three of al-Assir's supporters died in the fighting.

Machine-gun fire and rocket-propelled grenade explosions caused panic among residents, who also reported power and water outages.

The city streets appeared largely deserted Monday. Local media reported many residents were asking for evacuation from the heavily populated neighborhood around the Bilal bin Rabbah Mosque where al-Assir preaches, and where the fighting has been concentrated.

The military in a statement said the gunmen were using the religious compound to fire on its troops and had taken civilians as shields. The clashes erupted Sunday in the predominantly Sunni city after troops arrested an al-Assir follower. The army says supporters of the cleric opened fire without provocation on an army checkpoint.

The local municipality said that the city is "a war zone," appealing for a cease-fire to evacuate the civilians and wounded in the area.

Many people living on upper floors moved downstairs for cover or fled to safer areas. Some were seen carrying children as they fled. Others remained locked in their homes or shops, fearing getting caught in the crossfire. Gray smoke billowed over parts of the city.

The military appealed to the gunmen to hand themselves in, vowing it will "continue to uproot the strife and will not stop its operations until security is totally restored."

Hezbollah appeared to be staying largely out of the ongoing clashes, though a few of its supporters in the city were briefly drawn into the fight Sunday, firing on al-Assir's supporters. At least one was killed, according to his relatives in the city who spoke anonymously out of concerns for their security.

Last week, al-Assir supporters fought with pro-Hezbollah gunmen, leaving two killed.

Hezbollah issued a statement condemning "the crimes committed by al-Assir and his gang" and declared its solidarity with the military institution, calling on all Lebanese to rally around the national army.

Early Monday, al-Assir on his Twitter account appealed to his supporters in other parts of Lebanon to rise to his help, threatening to widen the scale of clashes.

The tweets did not give a clear statement on how the battle began. It came after a series of incidents pitting the cleric's followers against other groups in the town, including Hezbollah supporters and the army.

The cleric is believed to have hundreds of armed supporters in Sidon involved in the fighting. Dozens of al-Assir's gunmen also partially shut down the main highway linking south Lebanon with Beirut. On Monday, they opened fire in other parts of the city, with local media reporting gunshots in the city's market.

Fighting also broke out in parts of Ein el-Hilweh, a teeming Palestinian refugee camp near Sidon, where al-Assir has supporters. Islamist factions inside the camp lobbed mortars at military checkpoints around the camp.

Tension also spread to the north in Tripoli, Lebanon's second largest city. Masked gunmen roamed the city center, firing in the air and forcing shops and businesses to shut down in solidarity with al-Assir. Dozens of gunmen also set fire to tires, blocking roads. The city's main streets were emptying out. There was no unusual military or security deployment.

Sectarian clashes in Lebanon tied to the Syrian conflict have intensified in recent weeks, especially after Hezbollah sent fighters to support Assad's forces. Most of the rebels fighting to topple Assad are from Syria's Sunni majority, while the President Bashar Assad belongs to the Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shiite Islam.

Walid al-Moallem, Syria's foreign minister, blamed the violence in Lebanon on the international decision to arm rebels, saying that it will only serve to prolong the fighting in Syria and will impact neighboring Lebanon.

"What is going in Sidon is very dangerous, very dangerous," he told reporters in Damascus. "We warned since the start that the impact of what happens in Syria on neighboring countries will be grave."

In Syria, activists reported fighting Monday between Syrian troops and rebels in the northern province of Aleppo as well as districts on the edge of the Syrian capital and its suburbs.

Clashes in Lebanon have also mostly pitted Sunni against Shiite. The most frequent outbreaks have involved rival neighborhoods in the northern port city of Tripoli, close to the Syrian border.

President Michel Suleiman called for an emergency security meeting later Monday.

Headlines of Lebanon's newspapers were all dominated by the violence in Sidon, with many seeing it as a test for the state to impose order. "An attempt to assassinate Sidon and the military," read the headline of the daily al-Safir. "Al-Assir crosses the red line," read another headline in al-Jomhouria daily. A third headline in al-Nahar read: "Yesterday war in Sidon. Today, decisiveness or settlement?"

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/lebanon-clashes-rage-near-mosque-16-soldiers-dead-124458104.html

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