Picasa

 

 

 

 

Fourteen dead in Sri Lanka fighting: military

COLOMBO  ( 2008-04-02 13:37:22 ) : 

At least 13 Tamil Tiger rebels and one government soldier have been killed in fresh fighting in Sri Lanka's north, the defence ministry said on Wednesday.
Security forces said they captured a long string of rebel defence bunkers in the northwestern district of Mannar early Wednesday, with the fighting also leaving 40 guerrillas and 12 government soldiers wounded.
The latest casualty claims brings to at least 2,533 the number of rebels killed by security forces since January, according to defence ministry data.
The ministry has reported losing 152 of its soldiers in the same period.
Casualty figures given by both sides cannot be independently confirmed because Colombo bars journalists and rights groups from front-line areas.
The ministry also said its fighter jets bombed and inflicted "extensive damage" on a rebel base in Mullaittivu district in the northeast on Tuesday.
There was no immediate comment from the Liberation Tigers of Eelam (LTTE), who are fighting to carve out an independent homeland for minority Tamils in the ethnic Sinhalese-majority island's north and east.
The pro-rebel website Tamilnet.com, however, said the Tigers beat back an army offensive in Mannar on Tuesday, killing 15 soldiers and injuring 25 others. It did not give details of LTTE casualties.

US govt memo authorized extreme interrogation methods: report

WASHINGTON  ( 2008-04-02 14:08:50 ) : 

A newly declassified 2003 US Justice Department memo gave US military interrogators broad authority to use extreme methods in questioning al Qaeda detainees, US media said on Wednesday.
The memo -- sent to the Pentagon as it struggled to establish guidelines for its interrogators -- argued that the US president's wartime authority exempted them from US and international laws banning cruel treatment.
Withdrawn nine months after it was written, the document helped create the legal environment for the use of techniques such as simulated drowning and the abuses that occurred at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, experts said.
"If a government defendant were to harm an enemy combatant during an interrogation in a manner that might arguably violate a criminal prohibition, he would be doing so in order to prevent further attacks on the United States by the al Qaeda terrorist network," The Washington Post cited the memo as saying.
"In that case, we believe that he could argue that the executive branch's constitutional authority to protect the nation from attack justified his actions."
The 81-page memo was written at a time when the Pentagon was trying to come up with a list of approved interrogation methods for use on detainees at the US "war on terror" prison camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Former defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld had been forced in December 2002 to suspend a list of aggressive techniques, due to objections from senior military lawyers.
But, largely because of the memo, a Pentagon working group approved in April 2003 the continued use of "extremely ag

Kayani briefs PM on security, war against terrorism

ISLAMABAD  ( 2008-04-02 15:12:48 ) : 

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Wednesday chaired a high level briefing on security situation in the country and Pakistan's role in the global war against terrorism.
Chief of the Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvaiz Kayani and other senior security officials briefed the prime minister and leaders of coalition parties about the ground situation and how it was being tackled by the country's armed forces, an official source at the PM House told APP.
The meeting was attended co-chairman Pakistan Peoples Party Asif Ali Zardari, Minister for Defence Ch. Ahmed Mukhtar, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Interior Rehman Malik, PML-N leader Mohammad Nawaz Sharif, PML-N President Shahbaz Sharif, Asfandyar Wali of ANP and Maulana Fazalur Rehman of JUI-F.

US urges North Korea to move quickly on nuke deal

SEOUL  ( 2008-04-01 20:54:56 ) : 

US negotiator Christopher Hill, who arrived on Tuesday in South Korea to discuss ways to restart stalled nuclear talks with North Korea, urged the communist state to move 'very quickly' to seal a deal.
"Obviously we are getting to the point where we need to make some progress very quickly," he told reporters at the airport, when asked about delays in the North's promised declaration of all atomic programmes and activities.
Hill said no candidate in the upcoming US presidential election "has suggested they are interested in giving the DPRK (North Korea) a better deal than the one we put on the table.
"So I would say, from the DPRK's point of view, it's time to settle now."
A six-nation denuclearisation deal, involving the United States, China, the two Koreas, Japan and Russia, offers the North energy aid and major diplomatic and security benefits in return for full denuclearisation.
But the deal has stalled over the declaration, which was due to be handed over by the end of last year.
The North says it submitted the document last November. But the United States says it has not fully accounted for a suspected secret uranium enrichment weapons programme or for alleged nuclear proliferation to Syria.
Hill said the North had not submitted a declaration last year. "They showed us some research materials, research reference materials. It's very clear that it's not a complete and correct declaration."
Hill said his meeting last month with his North Korean counterpart Kim Kye-Gwan in Geneva had made some progress and there had been subsequent indirect contacts.
"I would say there was some progress but it doesn't really mean anything until we actually get a declaration."
Seoul's Chosun Ilbo newspaper said Hill has already confronted Pyongyang with alleged evidence of its nuclear links to Syria.
It said he handed over a list of North Korean officials and engineers said to be involved in the technology transfer during an earlier meeting with Kim, who has denied any knowledge of the list.
The South's foreign ministry declined comment on the Chosun report.
The North insists it has no covert uranium programme and says it never transferred atomic technology to Syria. It has threatened to slow down ongoing work to disable its plutonium-producing plants if the deadlock continues.
Hill will hold a dinner meeting late Tuesday with his counterpart Chun Yung-Woo. He is scheduled to meet Vice Foreign Minister Kwon Jong-Rak and Deputy Foreign Minister Lee Yong-Joon on Wednesday, and then head to Indonesia on Thursday.

US 'hopeful' on missile defence deal with Russia: Bush

KIEV  ( 2008-04-01 15:52:28 ) : 

US President George W. Bush said on Tuesday he was hopeful of an agreement with Russia on US missile defence plans in Europe but admitted the United States still had work to do to persuade Russia.
"We're dealing with a lot of history and a lot of suspicion I'm hopeful we'll have some breakthroughs we'll see," Bush said at a press conference with Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko during a visit to Kiev.
Bush was in Kiev at the start of a week-long European tour that will end with a meeting in the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi with President Vladimir Putin.
"Obviously we've got work to do to persuade the president and the people around him that the missile defence system is not aimed at Russia," he said, insisting that the missile system was not "an anti-Russian device."
The United States has outlined plans to place interceptor missiles in Poland and a radar system in the Czech Republic to counter potential threats from "rogue" states such as Iran or North Korea.
Russia has objected to the plans, saying there is no immediate threat and that the system is aimed at Russia. Talks on missile defence between the United States and Russia are ongoing but have so far not yielded any agreement.

France opposes Nato membership for Ukraine, Georgia

PARIS  ( 2008-04-01 15:58:26 ) : 

France opposes allowing Ukraine and Georgia into Nato, Prime Minister Francois Fillon said on Tuesday on the eve of an alliance summit in Bucharest that is to consider their membership.
"We are opposed to the entry of Georgia and Ukraine because we think that it is not a good answer to the balance of power within Europe and between Europe and Russia," said Fillon in an interview to France Inter.
His remarks coincided with a visit to Kiev by US President George W. Bush, who said on Tuesday that Washington "strongly supports" Ukraine's accession and that Georgia also should be allowed to take a step toward Nato membership.
"France has a different view from the United States on this issue," said Fillon.
"We want to have a dialogue with Russia on this subject and that is what the president will say in Bucharest" during the Nato summit opening on Wednesday, he added.
Russia has warned that allowing Ukraine to move toward Nato membership would have a negative impact on European security and create a serious crisis in relations between Moscow and Kiev.
Albania, Croatia and Macedonia hope to receive invitations to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato) at the summit. Georgia and Ukraine have applied for a Membership Action Plan (MAP), which prepares nations for entry.

PKK threatens to retaliate against Turkey

MOUNT QANDIL  ( 2008-03-28 14:08:41 ) : 

Turkey's rebel Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) has threatened to retaliate against Ankara after the violence during the New Year celebration of Newroz in southeastern Turkey.
"The Turkish state must listen to the message of freedom from the Kurdish people and immediately halt its violence against civilians," the number two of the PKK group, Bozam Tekim, told AFP in an interview on Thursday.
"There will be uncontrolled reaction. The Turkish state and the ruling party will bear the responsibility of these new developments."
Tekim warned that unless Ankara ended its actions of "abuse against civilians, the PKK will retaliate".
The interview was conducted in the Qandil mountains, an area of tall, rugged mountains which serves as a PKK hideout in Iraq's autonomous northern Kurdish region along the border with Turkey and Iran.
Two people were killed and dozens injured over the past week in southeast Turkey during the celebration of the Kurdish new year, which fell on March 21.
Dozens of people have been detained in Turkey's mainly Kurdish-populated southeast where celebrations of Newroz Day turned into protests of support for the PKK.
Newroz is a traditional platform for Turkey's Kurds to demonstrate support for the rebels and demand broader rights. "The Kurdish people continue to fight for freedom. They have once again demonstrated their support for the PKK and its leader Abdullah Ocalan (PKK founder who is imprisoned in Turkey)," said Tekim, whose group is regarded as a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the United States and European Union.
"The new violence against civilians demonstrates that the Turkish state continues its policy of force and denial of our rights," he charged.
The recent incursions by the Turkish army in northern Iraq, "despite the support of the United States, has resulted in its failure", the rebel leader said.
The Turkish army "got a severe lesson" during the incursion in the last week of February in the Zap region of Iraq.
The PKK claims it killed 127 Turkish soldiers and lost nine of its fighters.
Ankara says it dealt a severe blow to the rebel movement during the incursion that killed 240 rebels.

Dalai Lama appeals for talks with Beijing

NEW DELHI: The Dalai Lama appealed to China Friday to enter into "meaningful dialogue" over the crisis in Tibet, asserting he did not want to undermine the Beijing Olympics and was not seeking independence.
In an open letter to his "Chinese brothers and sisters," the exiled spiritual leader said he was a "simple monk" trying to preserve "the Tibetan people's distinctive culture, language and identity."
He warned, however, that Chinese "state media's portrayal of the recent events in Tibet, using deceit and distorted images, could sow the seeds of racial tension with unpredictable long-term consequences."
"Even at this juncture I have expressed my willingness to the Chinese authorities to work together to bring about peace and stability," he said in the statement, carried by his exiled administration's website Tibet.net.
"I have appealed to the leadership of the PRC (People's Republic of China) to clearly understand my position and work to resolve these problems. I urge the Chinese leadership to exercise wisdom and to initiate a meaningful dialogue with the Tibetan people," the message said.

Sectarian clashes intensify in northwest Pakistan

KOHAT, Pakistan, March 28 (Reuters): Sectarian violence intensified in a tribal region of northwest Pakistan Friday, with at least 22 people reportedly killed in gunbattles, said Qalb-i-Hassan, a newly elected provincial legislator from Kohat town. Fighting overnight was concentrated in three villages of Kohat district of North West Frontier Province and the tribesmen were armed with semi-automatic weapons, machine guns, mortars and rockets. “I have reports that at least 22 people were killed in fighting overnight,” said Kamran Zeb, a senior administrator in Kohat. The latest clashes, between the Mishti and Kachai tribes, brought the toll to more than 50 in an outbreak of sectarian violence that began last week.

U.S. suspends Afghanistan ammunition deal

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Army has suspended a munitions contractor from government contract work for reportedly providing Chinese-made ammunition to the Afghanistan army in violation of its contract and U.S. law.

AEY Inc., a company based in Florida with just eight employees, is under criminal investigation for reportedly claiming that the munitions were made in Hungary, according to documents obtained Thursday by The Associated Press.

Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said there have been no reports that the ammunition was unsafe or failed to work properly. He said some of it may not have been used because of its substandard packaging.

But The New York Times reported in Thursday editions that some of the ammunition was more than 40 years old and Afghan officers complained that it was junk.

In a letter Tuesday, the Army told company owner Efraim Diveroli that the investigation could lead to AEY being barred from any U.S. government work.

Diveroli's attorney, Hy Shapiro, said Thursday he had not seen the Army's letter and declined further comment until he had. No one answered the door at the Miami Beach apartment listed in Florida state records as Diveroli's.

According to an Army Legal Services memo, AEY began contracting for the Defense and State departments in 2004, and to date has been awarded more than 150 contracts, worth in excess of $200 million.

The main contract, awarded in 2007, was for various types of ammunition for the Afghan National Army and the Afghan National Police. It included ammunition for machine guns, assault rifles, shotguns and pistols.

After questions arose about the origin of the munitions, U.S. Army investigators in January reviewed shipments at an Afghan Army weapons depot. Stamps on munitions in 14 containers showed that the ammunition was manufactured in factories in China, the memo said.

According to the contract, based on federal law, companies doing business with the U.S. government cannot buy any munitions directly or indirectly from a Chinese military company, or any entity that is part of China's defense industrial base.

At least 105 killed in Iraq clashes

BAGHDAD  ( 2008-03-27 15:54:45 ) : 

At least 105 people have been killed in Iraq since fierce clashes between Shia militants and security forces broke out three days ago, according to an AFP tally based on reports by security officials.
Hundreds of people have been wounded in the battles.
Fighting has raged in four cities since Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki on Tuesday ordered the security forces to raid strongholds of Shia militiamen loyal to radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr in the southern port city of Basra.
At least 23 people have been killed in Basra, which was on Thursday rocked for a third straight day by fighting, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross and Iraqi security officials.
Fighting spread on Thursday to the central city of Kut, where 44 people -- 40 gunmen and four policemen -- died, according to local police chief Abdul Hanin al-Amara.
Another 30 people were killed in clashes between Shia gunmen and Iraqi and US forces in Sadr City, the Baghdad stronghold of the Mahdi Army militia, Iraqi security officials said.
Eight people have been killed in the province of Babel, south of the capital, Iraqi and US officials said.

Ukrainian helicopter crashes, 12 missing

KIEV  ( 2008-03-27 19:32:05 ) : 

A helicopter belonging to Ukraine's border guards crashed off an island in the Black Sea on Thursday and the fate of 12 of its 13 passengers was unknown,the Emergencies Ministry said.
Ministry spokesman Ihor Krol said one passenger aboard the Mi-8 helicopter, a military workhorse in post-Soviet states, had been rescued off Poludenniy island near the port city of Odessa.
"The helicopter was flying from Odessa to Serpent Island," Krol said by telephone. "It was spotted overturned. There were 13 people on board. One person was rescued. The fate of 12 others remains unknown."
All but one of those on board were military officers. The ministry gave no reason for the crash, but a storm warning was in effect for the region.
Serpent Island, a windswept outcrop in the Black Sea, has long been in dispute between post-Soviet Ukraine and Romania. The row has been referred to international courts.
A border guard contingent on the island regularly receives its supplies by air.

FUTURE FLIGHT

DG Rangers Pakistan, BSF quarterly meeting on Wednesday

LAHORE: The quarterly meeting between Director General Rangers Pakistan and Indian Inspector General Border Security Force (BSF) will begin from Wednesday.
The four-day meeting will kick off in the Indian city of Chandigarh.
A 15-member Pakistani delegation led by DG Rangers Pakistan will set out for Chandigarh through Wagah Border. The delegation will return through the same route on March 29.

Zimbabwe police to crush premature election celebrations

HARARE  ( 2008-03-25 19:57:47 ) : 

Zimbabwe's police vowed on Tuesday to crush any premature victory celebrations ahead of the official release of results from this weekend's general elections.
"Let me at the onset indicate that we will not brook any situations of chaos or conduct likely to cause a breach of peace, pandemonium, commotion, tumult or disturbance of peace," assistant police commissioner Faustino Mazango told a news conference in the capital Harare.
"We will not countenance any mischievous claims by anyone winning an election just because they have led in one part of the constituency whether it is council, parliamentary, senatorial and presidential election.
"We urge politicians not to excite members of the public when they have a lead at one time or the other in any part of the constituency."
Mazango urged people to rejoice only after announcement of official results but warned against provocative celebrations.
"We are more than prepared to deal a deadly blow to any such repugnant forces," Mazango said.
"These are not mere threats, but words of advice to our brothers and sisters and indeed everyone, lest people fail to understand and appreciate our actions to situations of anarchy."
Last month, police commissioner-general Augustine Chihuri warned that his force was prepared to use firearms to stamp out violence during or after joint presidential and legislative elections this month.
The police have also banned the carrying of weapons such as knives, catapults, axes and clubs in the run-up to the polls, and for two weeks afterwards.

Malian soldiers held by Tuareg rebels in Niger: source

BAMAKO  ( 2008-03-25 18:10:57 ) : 

Malian soldiers taken hostage last week by local Tuareg rebels have been moved across the border to Niger where they are being kept by another Tuareg group, a western military source said Tuesday.
"The Malian soldiers, some of whom are wounded, have been sent to be guarded by the Nigerien MNJ rebels," the source said in Bamako, referring to the Movement of Niger People for Justice.
About 20 hostages have been taken to Niger where they are being held by Tuaregs loyal to rebel leader Ibrahim Ag Bahanga, she added.
They count among some 29 wounded Malian troops who were abducted in northern Mali on Friday, following clashes between the army and the rebels in the mountainous Tinzaouatene region.
Four other soldiers were taken prisoner the day before in the area which is considered Ag Bahanga's stronghold.
The Malian government has since reinforced troops in the restive region.
Ag Bahanga's group, "supported by other Tuareg bands from countries neighboring Mali, attacked military supply convoys and planted mines," Mali's Foreign Minister Moctar Ouane said.
A nomadic people who have roamed the southern Sahara for centuries, Tuaregs have staged uprisings over the years both in Mali and Niger claiming autonomy for their traditional homeland.
But Ag Bahanga has refused to go along with the peace deal agreed by the majority of former rebels from the Tuareg tribes, and the Malian government believes his group is cooperating with Niger-based militants to launch attacks.
In Niger, Tuareg rebels want a share in the country's revenue from uranium.

Attractive photo

BALBOA0138
Originally uploaded by emmanSD

BALBOA0138

The 15th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections - CROI 2008

The 15th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections was a scientifically focused meeting of the world's leading researchers working to understand, prevent, and treat HIV/AIDS and its complications.
At the Conference which took place from February 3-6, 2008 at Boston - The subjects that were highlighted were: immunology, vaccines (preclinical and clinical trials), virology (including other retroviruses), pathogenesis, neuropathogenesis and neurologic complications, antiretroviral therapy (preclinical, clinical randomized trials, clinical observational studies, and complications), therapeutic vaccines and immune-based therapies, primary/acute infection, clinical pharmacology, HIV drug resistance (including molecular mechanisms, clinical implications and epidemiology of HIV drug resistance), opportunistic infections (including tuberculosis), AIDS-related malignancies (e.g., lymphoma and kaposi's sarcoma), pediatrics/adolescents, maternal/fetal, HIV in women/women's health, novel diagnostic technologies and new monitoring tools, epidemiology of HIV infection, molecular epidemiology (including distribution and diversity of retroviruses), epidemiology of sexually transmitted diseases other than HIV, prevention studies (including microbicides and behavioral interventions), and research on clinical care and scale-up in developing countries (including operational research and implementation).
The Conference featured the thirteenth Annual Bernard Fields Memorial Lecture, the second N'Galy Mann Lecture, plenary lectures that were highly scientific in nature, roundtable symposia that presented and debated controversial scientific issues, several hundred original oral abstract and poster presentations of new data, and late breakers that  consisted of important preliminary research findings.
Text and graphic courtesy conference website. Additional resources courtesy The Body, a partner and Cooperating Organization with dgCommunity HIV/AIDS.

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari

Franciscan Friars of the Renewal

Saved By: Mark Andrews | View Details | Give Thanks

Tags: catholic, catholics, roman catholic, roman catholics, religious order, religious orders, franciscan, franciscans, francis of assisi, renewal, religious life, cfr

View Original Article

Blogged with the Flock Browser

DSC04106

DSC04106
Originally uploaded by AlvarOo

Anxiety rises on Delta-Northwest deal

Delta (DAL) and Northwest Airlines (NWA) still can’t get together. The carriers are close to agreeing on a merger, but plans continue to be hung up on the question of pilot seniority, The Wall Street Journal reports. Pilots at the two carriers can’t agree on a formula for determining how their ranks will be combined. The standoff, which stems from pilot anxiety about career advancement — no one wants to get stuck flying regional jets — caused top execs at the two companies to break their silence on the talks. Northwest said for the first time that it is “prepared to consider positively a transaction” that’s good for workers, investors and passengers. Delta, engaging in a bit of posturing, told workers in a memo that no “potential transaction meets all our principles” at the moment.

The waiting is making Wall Street anxious. Investors have sent shares in Delta and Northwest down 14 percent since Feb. 7, when a deal appeared imminent. Still, observers expect the merger to happen, because a combined carrier would be more robust in the face of rising energy prices and tough competition. “We will eventually get an agreement,” airline consultant Julius Maldutis tells Bloomberg television. He says that despite the problems now, he expects to see a merger announced “over the next several days.”

Asif vows to continue efforts for democracy restoration

 

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari Wednesday said he would continue his struggle for the elimination of dictatorship and the restoration of democracy in the country.
Addressing a luncheon arranged in honour of Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N), ANP and independent representatives, he said the martyrdom of Benazir Bhutto will always remind us to persist on the path of complete and true democracy, adding her sacrifices would always be remembered.
Zardari said, 'I appeal to all the political parties to work in concert with each other for the permanent elimination of dictatorship and any role of establishment,' adding, 'Today's meeting offers us a new chapter of democracy and hope.'
Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) Chief Nawaz Sharif said the presence of all the people here is a clear-cut message to President Musharraf to resign.
Addressing to the gathering, Awami National party Chief Asfandyar Wali said people of Pakistan has given their verdict on February 18, adding, no compromise on principles is likely.
On this occasion, all the leaders including Asif Ali Zardari, Mian Nawaz Sharif, Asfandyar Wali, Makhdoom Amin Fahim and others joined their hands to express unity.

Podcast

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb 21, 2008 (AFP) - A US medical clinic revealed on Thursday that it is helping Google test a much-anticipated online health record service that promises to compete with one launched last year by Microsoft.

Cleveland Clinic in the state of Ohio said it plans to enroll up to 10,000 patients in an invitation-only private pilot project in collaboration with the California Internet titan.

The Google Health service is crafted to let patients use the Internet to efficiently and privately share their medical information with various health care providers and pharmacies, according to the clinic.

"We believe patients should be able to easily access and manage their own health information," Google vice president Marissa Mayer said in a written release.

Google chose Cleveland Clinic because it already lets patients manage electronic medical records online.

"The partnership with Google is an example of true innovation in health care which brings value to patients and providers," said clinic chief executive Delos Cosgrove, who is a member of Google's Health Advisory Council.

"As the volume of medical information available to patients increases, it becomes more important for doctors and patients to use this information in a way that empowers the patient to be more collaborative with their care providers."

The collaboration will let Google test software tools built to allow patients to securely exchange medical information such as prescriptions, allergies, and illnesses with health care providers, according to the clinic.

In October, Google rival Microsoft launched HealthVault software and services designed to let people store and selectively share medical records.

Feb. 21--Pfizer is spending $195 million to snap up Houston-based Encysive Pharmaceuticals, a small outfit with big hopes for a breakthrough drug that, so far, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has snubbed.

The FDA deemed as "approvable" Encysive's once-a-day pill Thelin, a drug to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension. But the federal regulator will not give its final blessing to market the drug in the U.S. until after another costly Phase III human trial.

Encysive CEO George Cole said the company doesn't have the means to fund more research. Pfizer, the largest drug maker in the world with $20 billion in cash on its balance sheet, does.

New York-based Pfizer is the force behind many of today's most popular and most commonly prescribed drugs, including Lipitor and Xanax. The company will pay $2.35 per share for Encysive, a premium of almost 120 percent over Tuesday's closing price of $1.08 per share.

The companies hope to close the deal in the second quarter of this year.

On Wednesday, Pfizer shares were up 10 cents to $22.47, and Encysive's were up $1.19 to $2.27.

In a written statement, Ian Read, Pfizer's president of worldwide pharmaceutical operations, said Encysive complements cardio-pulmonary work his researchers already are doing.

Read compared Thelin to Revatio, which Pfizer markets to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension, a disease of the arteries and blood vessels connecting the heart and lungs that can cause extremely high blood pressure.

PAH is thought to afflict between 100,000 and 200,000 people -- mostly women -- in North America and Europe, according to the companies.

While Pfizer markets Revatio to treat PAH, the same substance under the name Viagra is used to treat erectile dysfunction. Because such drugs improve blood flow, it's thought they can help constricted vessels in the heart and lungs.

According to Encysive, Thelin works in a one-two punch by blocking a chain of amino acids that constrict blood vessels and then dilating those vessels to reduce pressure inside them.

Pfizer executives wouldn't comment on whether Thelin could be marketed as an erectile dysfunction treatment in the future.

Encysive has already received marketing approval and sells Thelin in much of Europe as well as Canada and Australia.

Encysive has 75 employees in Houston and another 75 in Europe. Pfizer would not say Tuesday whether the Houston office will remain open.

The clock is ticking on the patents of many big pharmaceutical companies' drugs. Pfizer, like many other drug makers, has been buying smaller companies in the hopes that something in their research pipelines will provide a big payoff.

 

USA Today and the Los Angeles Times lead with the shooting at Northern Illinois University, where a gunman walked into a geology class and began firing. The gunman, who was identified as a former graduate student, killed five students and injured 16 others (at least two remain in critical condition) before turning the gun on himself. Carrying a shotgun and two handguns, the shooter apparently walked into the lecture hall that had at least 100 students and, without saying a word, shot the instructor (who survived) and then began firing randomly. The LAT points out that it was the fifth school shooting in a week.

The Washington Post leads, and most of the other papers front, news that the Pentagon will try to shoot down a malfunctioning U.S. spy satellite before it falls to Earth carrying 1,000 pounds of fuel that could turn into a potentially lethal toxic gas. The Navy will fire an anti-ballistic missile from a ship in the Pacific Ocean as the satellite reenters the atmosphere, which is a move that has never been tried before and is meant to avoid leaving much debris in space. The New York Times leads with Federal reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson acknowledging before lawmakers that the continuing credit crisis will slow down growth in the economy as a whole. Bernanke said the situation will likely get worse before it gets better and emphasized that the Fed is open to further interest rate cuts. The Wall Street Journal leads its world-wide newsbox with Mitt Romney's endorsement of Sen. John McCain. The former governor of Massachusetts urged the 280 delegates he had won to support his former rival.

Bush Enacts Economic Aid Package

WASHINGTON (Feb. 13) - The checks aren't in the mail, but they will be soon. President Bush signed legislation Wednesday to rush rebates ranging from $300 to $1,200 to millions of people, the centerpiece of government efforts to brace the wobbly economy. First, though, you must file your 2007 tax return.

 

With his signature, President Bush makes the $168 billion economic stimulus bill official. The package may not prevent a recession, but analysts generally believe it could help suppress an economic crisis.

Will News Corp ride to the rescue of Yahoo?

 

News Corporation (NYSE: NWS) is in talks with Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ: YHOO) in a deal that would combine the company's MySpace site and other Internet sites with the pioneering Internet portal, according to The Wall Street Journal [subscription required].
Under the terms of the deal, News Corp. would get a more than 20% stake in Sunnyvale, Calif.-based company. No doubt that Rupert Murdoch, New Corp's CEO, would want to buy all of Yahoo at some point, probably after it's completed the integration of Dow Jones, publisher of the Journal.
For now, the ball is in the court of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT), whose $44.6 billion unsolicited bid for Yahoo was rejected as being being too low. Unless News Corp is prepared to buy the whole thing, Yahoo will have little choice but to agree to Microsoft's buyout. Murdoch, though, may have a few tricks up his sleeve.
"News Corp. has been reaching out to private equity firms since the day Microsoft's bid was first announced, according to one person familiar with the matter," the paper said. "The company had been originally reluctant to press forward with a deal until waiting for a sign from the Yahoo board that they were interested, according to another person."

Tags: interent media, InterentMedia, Internet advertising, InternetAdvertising, inthenews, msft, MySpace, nws, Rupert Murdoch, RupertMurdoch, yhoo

Stay Ahead of the Curve with Microsoft Learning for Visual Studio 2008 (Worldwide)

Enhance your skills on the Visual Studio 2008 development system. Whether you're learning new features, improving expertise or increasing your productivity, visit Microsoft Learning for a robust set of offerings. From the Visual Studio 2008 learning portal you can:

•

Download the free Visual Studio 2008 e-book offer.

•

Find classroom training on Visual Studio 2008.

•

Get ready for with free Microsoft E-Learning.

•

View a recorded Live Meeting about Visual Studio 2008 certification plans.

Get to Know Windows Server 2008 Certification and Save on Exams (Worldwide)

We'd like you to be the first to know when exams are available for the Windows Server 2008 operating system, which can help you to be among the first to certify--and get noticed by organizations eager to evaluate and deploy Windows Server 2008.

•

Read recently posted details and download roadmaps introducing Windows Server 2008 certifications.

•

Register to be the first to know--and save 40% on selected exams in your Windows Server 2008 track.

Benazir murder case accused admit guilt

RAWALPINDI: The two accused in the Benazir Bhutto murder case have confessed committing the crime in the judicial court here on Wednesday.
Arrested recently from different areas of Rawalpindi, the suspects, Hasnain Gul and Rafaqat were produced before a Rawalpindi magestrate today
According to sources, both the accused recorded their confessional statements before the magistrate, after which they were sent to Adiala Jail
Two other suspects Aitizaz Shah and Sherzaman are already in the custody of Rawalpindi police. The were arrested from Dera Ismael Khan

Obama has advantage in head-to-head with McCain

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Sen. John McCain became the likely Republican nominee after Mitt Romney decided to suspend his campaign Thursday. Now, the Democrats are debating who would do better against the Arizona Republican.

Democrats are debating who would do better against Sen. John McCain, the GOP front-runner.

Two polls this month have asked registered voters nationwide how they would vote if the choice were between McCain and Democratic Sen. Hillary Clinton.

A CNN poll, conducted by the Opinion Research Corporation February 1-3, shows Clinton three points ahead of McCain, 50 percent to 47 percent. That's within the poll's margin of error of 3 percentage points, meaning that the race is statistically tied..

A Time magazine poll, conducted February 1-4, also shows a dead heat between Clinton and McCain. Each was backed by 46 percent of those polled.

Sen. Barack Obama believes he can do better, arguing "I've got appeal that goes beyond our party."

In the CNN poll, Obama leads McCain by 8 points, 52 percent to 44 percent. That's outside the margin of error, meaning that Obama has the lead.

And in the Time poll, Obama leads McCain by 7 points, 48 percent to 41 percent -- a lead also outside of the poll's margin of error of 3 percentage points.

Afghanistan's harsh winter has left at least 650 people dead

 

KABUL: Bitter cold, snowstorms and avalanches have killed at least 650 people in Afghanistan this winter.
Weather-related incidents have also left 84 people injured.
The temperature dropped to the freezing point in most of the areas of the country.
Succor could not be supplied to the residents of remote areas.

Asif Zardari vows to continue Benazir’s mission

Co-Chairman of PPP Asif Ali Zardari Thursday vowed to take revenge of the murder of the martyred Benazir Bhutto. Addressing the chehlum of Benazir Bhutto here, he said, ‘Our leader Benazir always attempted to effect change in the prevalent system, we will change this system at all costs as this was the mission of Benazir Bhutto.” Vowing to commemorate her every year, Asif Zardari said, ‘Benazir always said that politics is my worship, accordingly; she was martyred while praying.’

Snowfall in Kashmir gets life to a standstill

Srinagar: It's been snowing continuously for the last 48 hours in Jammu and Kashmir. While most villages in South Kashmir are under nearly six feet of snow and hundreds of people are stranded, with essential goods running out fast, Amritsar and Delhi are also witnessing a prolonged winter.

French businessman, Sylvain Dronet was planning to fly out of Srinagar on Monday. But he and hundreds of other visitors are stranded, as no flights have take off from the Valley for two days due to heavy snowfall.

Dronet says, "I am stuck here and have suffered losses in my business, I have certainly no information about the flying schedule.''

As the stranded visitors look to the skies, the Valley's residents are silently praying too. The heavy snowfall has triggered fears of avalanches, and over 250 people have been evacuated from Kulgam district alone, but a bigger worry is that the essential supplies will run out.

Good snow is always thought to be a bliss in Kashmir but when it exceeds the peoples' expectations, trouble stars to ring in. People have started to resort to panic buying and are stocking up on vegetables, perhaps because supplies are not coming that smoothly as the heavy snow has also forced the closure of the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway.

With the Highway closed, over 800 trucks carrying essential supplies are stranded, as are thousands of commuters.

For stranded commuters like Nazia Begum and her children the last four days have not been easy, as she has been literally living on the road. "It's been difficult with the kids, we are living on the road and have even run out of money" says Nazia.

Holloway case solved? New info surfaces-'May help considerably,' Aruba prosecutor's office says

 

The Aruba prosecutor's office said that information from Dutch reporter Peter R. de Vries may help resolve what happened to the American, who vanished during a May 2005 school vacation to the Dutch Caribbean island.

"This information may help considerably in the solution of the mystery of Natalee's disappearance," the prosecutor's office said, without saying what it might be.

"The mystery of Natalee Holloway will be solved Sunday," De Vries said on the Dutch television show RTL Boulevard, which showed him meeting Natalee's mother, Beth Twitty, at an Amsterdam airport. "It was a big operation that we worked on for months."

De Vries’s Web site said the information was gathered through “an ingenious hidden camera tactic.” It said the reporter traveled to Aruba last week to inform authorities of his findings.

De Vries had a testy exchange earlier this month during a televised interview in the Netherlands with van der Sloot.

Van der Sloot, who was among the last people seen with the missing American, threw wine at De Vries after the reporter challenged his credibility.

Joseph Tacopina, a U.S. attorney for Van der Sloot, said it was irresponsible for prosecutors to make the announcement without describing their evidence.

"They act quite frankly like clowns," he said. "If they have a resolution, they should bring a case and stop talking about cryptic information."

Prosecutors dismissed their case against Van der Sloot and two other suspects last month, saying that they lacked evidence to charge them or even to prove a crime was committed. Authorities have said the case could be reopened if new evidence surfaces.

Holloway, of Mountain Brook, Ala., disappeared the final night of her high school graduation trip to Aruba. She was 18 at the time.

She was last seen in public leaving a bar with Van der Sloot and two Surinamese brothers — Deepak and Satish Kalpoe — hours before she was due to board a flight home. The three men have been repeatedly detained as suspects but denied any wrongdoing.

ORANJESTAD, Aruba - Aruban prosecutors said Thursday that authorities are investigating new information in the disappearance of Natalee Holloway provided by a Dutch crime reporter.

A source close to the investigation told NBC that the information is a secretly recorded conversation between Joran van der Sloot, a Dutch man who was a suspect in the case, and a person previously unknown to investigators in Aruba.

In the conversation, Van der Sloot allegedly gives details about the disappearance.

NASA narrows the field for rocket makers

In early February, $175 million in public funds will be handed over to a small handful of spaceship developers, with the goal of making demonstration flights to the international space station and back. NASA has now narrowed the field of competitors: from an original batch of submissions in 2006, four companies are finalists.

NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) exists to encourage privately-operated companies to create "space transportation systems" for transporting cargo and astronauts.

E. coli worries prompt ground beef recall-Five people sickened after eating products from Minn. meatpacker

The affected beef was produced Oct. 30 and Nov. 6. It was shipped to distributors nationwide for use in restaurants and food service institutions. It was not sold by retailers, the USDA service said.MINNEAPOLIS - A Minnesota meatpacker has recalled about 188,000 pounds of ground beef patties and some other products because of E. coli bacteria concerns.

Rochester Meat Co. of Rochester issued the recall after five illnesses were reported in Wisconsin and one in California, the U.S. Agriculture Department's Food Safety and Inspection Service said in a statement Saturday.

The meat may be contaminated with a strain of bacteria — E. coli O157:H7 — that's potentially deadly and can cause bloody diarrhea and dehydration. The very young, senior citizens and those with weakened immune systems are most at risk.

Dr. Bronner’s Liquid Soap for best all-over body wash.

 

 

 

If you have a phone that can check e-mail, search for local Italian restaurants and organize your monthly meetings, why shouldn’t you also use a body wash that can also step in as dishwashing soap, shampoo and laundry detergent? Dr. Bronner is the ultimate multi-tasking cleanser. Made from organic coconut, olive, hemp and jojoba oils, the no-frills soap has been a staple of the camping set for years (one little bottle covers lots of ground), but it has increasingly been making its way into the homes of those who are anything but outdoorsy. While it is safe to use for household cleaning and on any part of your body (including hair, feet and face), the liquid soap serves its purpose best as a highly effective daily body wash. Warning: The peppermint is extremely pepperminty. I turn to the lavender (made with organic essential oils) when I need a break from the frosty mint.

Clean up your act! The best all-natural soaps

Having trouble keeping up with our increasingly organic, eco-friendly world? Let me be your guide! From all-natural makeup to the best in eco-conscious jeans, I will test and review the products and treatments that are best for you and the planet.

I don’t know about you, but I take showers and baths for one primary reason: to get clean. (Secondary reasons: to relax, reduce stress and push through writer’s block.) But if you dissected the average bar of soap or broke down a teaspoon of a popular body wash, you’d probably find a handful of highly unsavory ingredients — harsh detergents, synthetic preservatives, artificial colors and fragrances, greasy mineral oils, even animal fats. How clean is that?

As with all personal care products — I’m beginning to sound like a broken record, but I can’t stop … I just can’t stop! — it is essential to read the label on that bar of soap or bottle of body wash before you decide to take it home with you. The ingredients should either a) be extremely easy to decipher; B) be accompanied by clear explanations; c) all of the above. And when shopping for soap, be on the lookout for two of the most common ingredient red flags:

• Parabens (petroleum-based preservatives): These toxic ingredients often sneak into even the most “natural” products. They can be (loosely) disguised by the addition of prefixes like “propyl” and “butyl.” Parabens have been linked to breast cancer, impaired fertility and skin irritation — from mild itching to scaling and blistering.
• Sodium lauryl sulfate and propylene glycol (petroleum surfactants): These synthetic ingredients are often used as foaming agents to create extra-fluffy lather in soaps and shampoos. They’ve been connected to skin irritation and, more alarmingly, to disrupting the structure of the skin to allow deeper penetration of other toxins.

The 10 health ‘rules’ you should break

The food pyramid almost crushed Elaine Monarch. She'd always enjoyed whole-wheat bread and the other healthy carbohydrates that form the pyramid's foundation, but her resolve to eat plenty of grains grew even stronger after she went to her doctor complaining of bloating and diarrhea. "He told me I needed more fiber in my diet," she says. "That advice practically killed me."

Monarch, it turns out, has celiac disease: Her immune system attacks the gluten from grains, damaging her small intestine in the process. The founder of the Celiac Disease Foundation, she is still diligent about consuming enough fiber — but these days she gets it from fruit, nuts and supplements instead of grains.

Americans are constantly bombarded with expert health advice, and many of the messages are unquestionably right for everyone. No one will ever get sick from avoiding cigarettes or trans fats. But some of the most commonly repeated pieces of advice actually aren't meant for everyone. After all, the USDA couldn't equip its pyramid with a section just for people with celiac disease. Health recommendations are sometimes based on studies that didn't include a good cross section of the general public. And even when broadly representative studies trumpet a 94% success rate, that still leaves 6 people out of 100 looking for answers.

Your Fitness Routine Smart advice: Vigorous workouts do more for you than moderate ones.

Tailor it if you're sedentary and your main goal is weight loss. If you work too hard — and tire too quickly — you may not burn enough calories to make a real dent in your weight. A 2003 study of 184 women found that walking at a moderate pace for at least 150 minutes each week for a year was just as slimming as working out more intensely for shorter periods of time. In fact, women assigned to long sessions of moderate exercise lost about the same amount as women who worked harder for shorter bursts — 15 to 18 pounds, on average. To drop weight, exercise most days of the week at a pace that you can sustain for 30 to 40 minutes. You should be able to talk without gasping for air.

5 surprising things that give you headaches

 

 

5 headache triggers
You've been at the computer for hours. You’ve worked late all week and have in-laws coming this weekend. You have a raging case of PMS. Eyestrain, stress, and hormonal shifts are fairly common causes of headaches, which afflict 45 million Americans (most of them women). But sometimes the usual suspects don’t explain that pain in your head. That’s because some triggers are just plain weird — like perfume, storms, earrings... or even orgasms. Health magazine shares smart tips on how to identify the source of your headache so you can send it packing.

India and China pledge to strengthen trade, military ties

BEIJING: China and India pledged Monday to strengthen trade and military links and seek a solution to a border row, as India's prime minister sought to cement a rapid improvement in ties with a landmark visit.

The friendly atmosphere was tempered, however, by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's call for China to make concessions to reduce a growing two-way trade imbalance.

The Indian leader said he and his host Premier Wen Jiabao signed a broad agreement to push an often testy relationship to a new level of cooperation.

The pact lifts the target for bilateral trade -- which soared to 38.7 billion dollars last year -- to 60 billion dollars by 2010, and pledges a renewed effort to solve a Himalayan border dispute over which they fought a brief war in 1962.

It also commits the two sides to another joint military exercise this year, following their first-ever exercise late last year, and to pursue a possible regional trade agreement, said Singh, who arrived on Sunday.

Singh called the document "an important milestone in the evolution of our relations."

"The profound changes taking place in the world today present both our countries with a historic opportunity to work together towards a 21st century that is conducive to peace and development," he told reporters.

Nonprofits bear brunt of foreclosure fight Mortgage counselors in Hope NOW program say demand is overwhelming

NEW YORK - Mohammed Ibrahim is overwhelmed by people asking for help.

"It's not only the sheer volume of people needing help but the emotion," said Ibrahim, a counselor at the Neighborhood Housing Services of Staten Island in New York. "Each person comes with a different story. Often they break down and cry."

The group that Ibrahim works for helps financially troubled families in Staten Island, a middle-income borough of New York City, try to avoid foreclosure on their homes.

The number of calls to his office jumped last summer as the mortgage crisis gripping the United States escalated. It rose even more in October, when a national hotline that refers cases to local groups like Ibrahim's became a central part of a government plan to prevent foreclosures.

Between October and December of 2007, Ibrahim took on 63 cases, compared with 77 cases for the previous nine months and just a handful in 2006. After some holiday respite, January is already shaping up to be even busier, he said.

Around the New York region and in other parts of the country, mortgage counselors report a similar onslaught of cases, especially since Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson announced the HOPE NOW alliance of lenders, investors and counselors in October.

"We're getting so many calls about the government plan, but no real answers on how we are supposed to help them," said Eileen Anderson, who runs two NeighborWorks counseling centers on suburban Long Island, outside New York City.

The number of calls to Anderson's offices rose more than tenfold in 2007 from the year before, and since October more than half of those calls have been referrals from HOPE NOW, she said.

‘Clients ... are desperate’
While the HOPE NOW alliance puts troubled borrowers in touch with counselors, both counselors and borrowers complain it offers no financial help.

"There's no money, nobody has emergency funds. Clients who are calling are desperate," Anderson said.

Agnes Kallon and Bai Turay, a Staten Island couple, are among the people that Ibrahim is trying to help. Kallon, a nursing assistant at Richmond University Hospital, and Turay, who receives disability allowance, have a combined income of $39,000 and six children to support.

In 2005 they took out a mortgage for a $412,000 house with a low introductory rate, based on their mortgage broker's assurance that they would easily be able to refinance when the rate went up. But when their mortgage payment reset to $3,000 a month, far beyond what they can afford, that assurance didn't hold up.

"If we lose the house, what will happen to the kids?" Turay asked. "These brokers are profiting from other people's misery."

The buildup of such cases means the process of negotiating deals with lenders to keep the homeowners in their homes is taking ever longer. And the further down the path to foreclosure they go, the less likely it can be avoided.

Infant skeleton in Penn. suitcase examined Authorities say no sign of trauma to child although cause of death unknown

GREENSBURG, Pennsylvania - An infant's skeleton found in a dead woman's suitcase was born at 35 weeks gestation, but authorities do not know its gender or how long it had been there.

There was no sign of trauma to the fetus, whose remains were found Saturday in Hempfield Township, said Westmoreland County chief deputy coroner Paul Cycak. The cause and manner of death will likely be ruled undetermined, he said.

The remains also will be examined by a forensic anthropologist at Mercyhurst College, state police said. It remains unclear when that examination will take place. Police said the investigation is ongoing.

Forensic pathologist Dr. Cyril Wecht used bone measurements and other techniques to determine the fetus' age, Cycak told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

The fetus was wrapped in a "smock," its arms folded across its chest and its knees tucked into its chest in a fetal position, Cycak said.

State police said adult siblings cleaning out their elderly mother's house after she died in early December found the skeleton in an "old style" suitcase stored under the woman's bed. Cycak said the suitcase appeared to be from the 1950s.

The siblings did not recognize the suitcase as their mother's, but said clothes found inside belonged to her, Trooper Lisa Jobe said. Police did not immediately release the dead woman's name.

No charges have been filed. The coroner did not immediately return calls for comment from The Associated Press on Monday.

Divisional playoffs rematches for familiar foes-Each team facing each other for at least third time in last three years

The NFL filter that separates pretenders from contenders is working quite well. The eight teams remaining in the playoffs boasted the eight best records in football this year.

So some may say they’re the best of the best. The teams themselves may just say …

Hello … again.

Each of the four divisional battles is a re-match of sorts with all of the teams meeting for at least the third time in as many years. Jacksonville-New England met in the 2005 playoffs and at the end of last season. Seattle-Green Bay, New York-Dallas and San Diego-Indianapolis will take their frequent regular-season battles to the next level.

The Giants and Cowboys meet in the postseason for the first time in history. It's a remarkable first, considering the two marquee organizations have combined for 81 playoff games since the Cowboys joined the NFL in 1960. The Chargers and Colts meet in the postseason for just the second time, and first since Jim Harbaugh’s Colts bested Stan Humphries’ Chargers in 1995. The Seahawks and Packers battled in a famous overtime playoff game, but that was back in 2003.

Before we can look ahead to this weekend’s slate of action we decided to take a look back at the recent history of each familiar battle.

Jacksonville at New England

Last three years:
New England 28, Jacksonville 3 (2005 wild-card)
New England 24, Jacksonville 21 (2006 regular season)

Vs. 2007 common opponents: Jacksonville, 4-2 (152 PF-139 PA); New England, 5-0 (190-64)

Recent history says: Jags couldn’t even keep pace with the Branch & Caldwell Patriots.

In 2005, Jacksonville traveled to Foxboro for the wildcard playoffs. Three hours later the 12-4 Jaguars left bruised, battered and outclassed, victims of a 28-3 beat down at the hands of New England. And to think, that Patriots team was 10-6 during the regular season.

Last year the Jaguars played the Patriots to the wire, losing narrowly 24-21 in Jacksonville. That game featured a heavy dose of the human bowling ball of running backs, Maurice Jones-Drew, who totaled 200 yards from scrimmage on just 23 touches and accounted for all three Jaguars touchdowns. We also got a preview of things to come from David Garrard: he completed 17 of 23 passes for 195 yards, 1 TD and 0 picks that day, a performance looks quite familiar to anyone who followed Jacksonville here in 2007.

If the Jaguars have a chance this time around they'll need the best they can get from Garrard, along with a huge effort from their two-headed running attack: newly minted Pro Bowl selection Fred Taylor (5.4 YPA) and Jones-Drew (4.6 YPA), who combined for 1,970 yards on the ground this season.

So let's just say that, while this is a rematch, Jacksonville might find that the New England attack does not look very familiar.

Seattle at Green Bay

Last three years:
Green Bay 23, Seattle 17 (2005)
Seattle 34, Green Bay 24 (2006)

Vs. 2007 common opponents: Green Bay, 4-2 (124-120); Seattle, 5-1 (160-99)

Recent history says: The gunslinger needs to check his holster at the door before the family reunion.

Green Bay and Seattle are incredibly familiar with each other for teams that play in different divisions. Mike Holmgren, of course, won a Super Bowl coaching the Packers and even has a street named after him (Holmgren Way) outside Lambeau Field.

Seattle quarterback Matt Hasselbeck was originally drafted by the Packers, while Green Bay general manager Ted Thompson was hired away from the Seahawks.

Brett Favre, meanwhile, developed into a three-time MVP under Holmgren. But the coach certainly feasted on the gunslinger Favre of the past few years. Favre threw just a single TD in each of those two games, against four picks. His combined performance has looked like this: 43 for 73 (58.9%), 525 yards, 7.2 YPA, 2 TD, 4 INT, 67.4 passer rating

Of course, the 2007 version of Favre has been much more productive than the 2005 and 2006 versions, playing ball much like he did back in his MVP glory days under Holmgren.

SY investigators briefed on Ms Bhutto’s murder case

ISLAMABAD: The British Scotland Yard (SY) team which arrived here on Friday was given a briefing by the Interior Ministry about the probe carried out so far by the local investigators into the assassination of Ms Benazir Bhutto.
Sources told Geo News that Special Investigation Group of FIA Anti Terrorism apprised the SY team about the evidence gathered so far in connection with the murder of PPP leader.
The SY team, after holding detailed consultations with the Pakistan Government, will be embark upon a fully fledged probe into the incident and they will be extended full cooperation by SIG.
However, the matters regarding the team’s contact with the eye witnesses besides autopsy of the body of Ms Bhutto are yet to be finalized.
Meanwhile, the office bearers of Pakistan Peoples Party have been expressing distrust on locally conducted investigation and have demanded probe into the murder of Ms Bhutto under United Nations’ appointed investigators.
President Pervez Musharraf had announced to invite Scotland Yard’s investigative team to the country in his address to the nation on Wednesday night.

Aid workers in Chad kidnap case return to Paris-Convicted of taking children, they'll serve terms in France

PARIS - Six French aid workers sentenced to eight years hard labor in Chad for trying to kidnap 103 children arrived on Friday in France, where they are due to serve their sentences in jail.

France invoked a judicial cooperation treaty with its former colony to obtain the quick transfer home of the six, who were convicted of abduction by a Chadian criminal court on Wednesday.

The four men and two women from French humanitarian group Zoe's Ark arrived at Le Bourget airport near Paris and were interviewed by state prosecutor Francois Molins before being transferred to an unidentified prison.They were weak and demoralized but otherwise in good health, he told reporters, adding: "They realize that they're facing a period that is going to be difficult."

A group of family members and supporters, some bearing signs with slogans like "They were only thinking of the children" was waiting at the airport but did not see any of the six, who were taken away out of sight of reporters or the public.

"We asked to see them. It was refused," Christine Peligat, wife of the group's logistics specialist Alain Peligat told Reuters. "I'm worried about the medical side."

Their departure from Chad followed a highly publicized legal case and diplomatic imbroglio which had embarrassed France, a key backer of Chadian President Idriss Deby. French troops and planes stationed in Chad have given logistical and intelligence support to Deby's army fighting rebels in the east.

France is also the main contributor of troops to a European Union peace force preparing to deploy in eastern Chad to protect thousands of Sudanese refugees and displaced Chadian civilians.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who is on holiday in Egypt and had personally lobbied for the six to be returned to France, spoke by telephone with Deby on Thursday, French officials said.

Case sparks protests
The aid workers were arrested in October as they tried to fly the children, aged one to 10, from eastern Chad to Europe for fostering with families there.

The workers said they had been on a humanitarian mission to rescue orphans from Sudan's war-torn Darfur region, across Chad's eastern border.

But most of the 103 children were found to have come from families in Chadian border villages who were persuaded to give up the infants in return for promises of education.

The Zoe's Ark case sparked anti-French protests in the Chadian capital N'Djamena and in Abeche in the east.

Many Chadians were angry over what they saw as meddling by Sarkozy, who flew to Chad in early November to collect three French journalists and four Spanish flight attendants who were freed after being arrested along with the Zoe's Ark six.

Under pressure from Paris and Madrid, Chad also freed three remaining Spanish aircrew and a Belgian pilot who had been detained in the case.

Zoe's Ark under fire
Zoe's Ark was widely condemned in France, but there was shock at the severity of the sentences handed out to a group generally considered naive and misguided but not malevolent.

Being flown to France means the convicted aid workers will be spared hard labor, a sentence no longer imposed in France.

But they may face legal battles lodged by families who had offered to look after the children in Europe. Diplomats say some of them paid thousands of dollars for each child.

It is not clear what will happen to $9 million that the Chadian court ordered the convicted aid workers to pay out to the children's families in compensation.

Witness: 50 burn to death in Kenya church--Mob attack building where hundreds had taken refuge from violence

NAIROBI, Kenya -

A mob torched a church sheltering hundreds of Kenyans fleeing election violence on Tuesday, killing as many as 50 people as the convulsion of bloodshed continued after the disputed vote that gave the president a second term. The opposition leader accused the government of "genocide."

President Mwai Kibaki said political parties should meet immediately and publicly call for calm after rioting killed at least 263 people in what had been east Africa's most stable and prosperous democracy.
Most of Kibaki's cabinet lost their seats in parliament, where Odinga's party took the majority of the seats. The discrepancy between the parliamentary and presidential results, unexplained delays in vote tallying and anomalies that included a 115-percent turnout in one constituency have fueled allegations of rigging. After the results were announced, the government instituted a ban on live broadcasts and many media outlets suspended their news programs in protest, allowing wild rumors to flourish.

The bloodshed is a stunning turn of events in one of the most developed countries in Africa, with a booming tourism industry and one of the continent's highest growth rates.

Kibaki's supporters say he has turned Kenya's economy into an east African powerhouse, with an average growth rate of 5 percent. He won by a landslide in 2002, ending 24 years in power by the notoriously corrupt Daniel arap Moi. But Kibaki's anti-graft campaign has been seen as a failure, and the country still struggles with tribalism and poverty.

Odinga, a flamboyant 62-year-old with a son named Fidel Castro, cast himself as a champion of the poor. His main constituency is Kibera, where some 700,000 people live in breathtaking poverty, but he has been accused of failing to do enough to help them in 15 years as a member of parliament.

Nighty shoe