(871,'IOC, USOC hope for deal by July on revenue sharing   (AP)','ioc-usoc-hope-for-deal-by-july-on-revenue-sharing-ap','','<p><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110407/ap_on_sp_ol/oly_ioc_usoc\"><img src=\"http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20110406/capt.fdd86f161a914147bdb2bf5cc66d96ae-fdd86f161a914147bdb2bf5cc66d96ae-0.jpg?x=98&amp;y=130&amp;q=85&amp;sig=q.9GAyJC6HgiALrPl5yO.A--\" height=\"130\" width=\"98\" alt=\"IOC, USOC hope for deal by July on revenue sharing   (AP)\" style=\"float: left; border: 0px;\" />\n</a>AP - The IOC and U.S. Olympic Committee made more progress Thursday in negotiations on a new revenue-sharing agreement and hope to sign a deal by July.</p><br style=\"clear: both;\" />','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>LONDON – The IOC and U.S. Olympic Committee made more progress Thursday in negotiations on a new revenue-sharing agreement and hope to sign a deal by July.</p>\n                <p>USOC chairman Larry Probst and CEO Scott Blackmun met with the three-man International Olympic Committee negotiating team in the latest talks aimed at resolving the long-festering financial dispute that has strained relations.</p>\n                <p>\"We had a very positive meeting,\" IOC marketing commission chairman Gerhard Heiberg told The Associate Press. \"They had a proposal. We had a counterproposal. We will study this and see how we proceed. We are getting closer and closer to finding an end solution. Hopefully we will find a solution as soon as possible.\"</p>\n                <p>The sides will meet again next month in Lausanne, Switzerland, and \"hopefully\" complete an agreement before the IOC general assembly in early July in Durban, South Africa, Heiberg said.</p>\n                <p>It\'s the first time any IOC or USOC official has spoken about completing a deal so soon.</p>\n                <p>\"We need this agreement,\" Heiberg said. \"It\'s in the interest of everybody.\"</p>\n                <p>Blackmun also was upbeat about progress in negotiations.</p>\n                <p>\"Our discussions with them are going well,\" he told the AP. \"They appear to be headed in a positive direction. We\'re having very constructive discussions.\"</p>\n                <p>The USOC receives 20 percent of global sponsorship revenues and nearly 13 percent of U.S. broadcast rights deals — figures many international officials consider too high.</p>\n                <p>International resentment over the USOC\'s share was considered a key factor in Chicago\'s first-round loss in the IOC vote in 2009 for the 2016 Olympics, which were awarded to Rio de Janeiro.</p>\n                <p>The two sides agreed last year to negotiate a new formula that will take effect in 2020. The negotiations were originally scheduled to begin in 2013, but officials agreed last year to start as soon as possible. The first round of talks was held in January in Lausanne.</p>\n                <p>\"We weren\'t even going to begin these discussions until 2013, so the mere fact that we\'re having them is a positive sign,\" Blackmun said.</p>\n                <p>A first breakthrough on financial issues came in September when the USOC agreed to contribute about $18 million toward the administrative costs of staging the 2010 and 2012 Olympic Games.</p>\n                <p>Apart from Heiberg, the IOC negotiating team includes finance commission chairman Richard Carrion and director general Christophe De Kepper.</p>\n                <p>The talks Thursday mark another step in the concerted efforts by Probst and Blackmun to mend ties with the IOC and rebuild relations with the international Olympic movement. The two men have traveled the world and appeared at numerous international meetings in the past year, including this week\'s SportAccord convention in London.</p>\n                <p>\"One of the most newsworthy things is that it\'s no longer newsworthy when Larry and I show up at these events,\" Blackmun said. \"I think that\'s a good thing.\"</p>\n                <p>On another USOC-IOC issue, Blackmun welcomed moves to seek a ruling from the Court of Arbitration for Sport on an anti-doping rule that could prevent American runner LaShawn Merritt from defending his 400-meter title at next year\'s London Olympics.</p>\n                <p>The IOC has a rule that bars any athlete with a doping suspension of at least six months from competing in the next Olympics.\n</p><p>\nMerritt received a 21-month suspension last year after testing positive for a banned substance found in a male enhancement product.\n</p><p>\nThe American Arbitration Association panel that banned Merritt contested the IOC rule, saying it goes against the World Anti-Doping Agency code and would essentially extend his ban to three years. The IOC says it is not a sanction but an eligibility issue.\n</p><p>\n\"We have two separate rulings — one from the IOC basically saying that he\'s not eligible and one by an arbitrator in the United States saying we have to let him compete, so those two rulings are directly in conflict with each other,\" Blackmun said.\n</p><p>\nThe IOC and USOC are working on submitting a joint application to CAS in Switzerland.\n</p><p>\n\"I\'m very hopeful in the near term there will be proceedings that end the uncertainty that exists,\" Blackmun said. \"We fully support the IOC in their efforts to have the strictest possible anti doping rules. In this case, we have some uncertainty that we need to get clarified and we\'re working with the IOC to try to do that.\"</p>\n            </div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"IOC, USOC hope for deal by July on revenue sharing   (AP)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110407/ap_on_sp_ol/oly_ioc_usoc\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110407/ap_on_sp_ol/oly_ioc_usoc</a></p>',-2,5,0,39,'2011-04-07 14:49:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-04-07 14:49:00','2011-04-09 06:12:26','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(872,'AP source: Google, gov\'t near deal on travel buy   (AP)','ap-source-google-govt-near-deal-on-travel-buy-ap','','AP - Google Inc. could receive government clearance as early as Friday to purchase airline fare tracker ITA Software in a $700 million deal that could make the search leader the hub of online travel, according to a person with knowledge of the matter.','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>WASHINGTON – Google Inc. could receive government clearance as early as Friday to purchase airline fare tracker ITA Software in a $700 million deal that could make the search leader the hub of online travel, according to a person with knowledge of the matter.</p>\n                <p>Although talks are ongoing and could still fall apart, Google appears close to a deal with the Justice Department on an agreement that would let it buy ITA. Google must accept government conditions to protect other companies in the travel industry, the person said. The person was not authorized to discuss the review and spoke on condition of anonymity.</p>\n                <p>The government review of the deal has been seen as a test of how aggressively U.S. antitrust regulators intend to police Google as the company uses the wealth and influence gained from its dominance in Internet search to expand into other markets.</p>\n                <p>The acquisition would give Google control over software that powers the reservation systems of most major U.S. airlines and many popular online fare-comparison services, including Kayak, TripAdvisor and Hotwire.</p>\n                <p>Google has said it wants to use ITA to improve its search results for travel — giving consumers more choices and better ways to search for plane tickets. That would enable the company to command higher ad rates from airlines, hotels, rental car agencies and other leisure services.</p>\n                <p>Rivals fear that Google could use ITA to build its own online travel service and then use its control over Internet search to steer consumers to that service while burying competing sites further down in its search rankings. The person said Justice Department officials might subject Google to government oversight to ensure that the company does not favor its own travel products and services in its search results.</p>\n                <p>Such a condition would go to the heart of broader antitrust concerns surrounding Google as it enters new markets. The company\'s Internet search results already highlight some of its own services, including mapping, video and finance. The European Commission and the Texas attorney general are currently looking into whether Google manipulates search results to extend its monopoly into other online businesses.</p>\n                <p>Companies that rely on ITA also fear that Google could deny them access to the software, particularly as it introduces upgrades. Google so far has only promised to honor all of ITA\'s current contracts, which expire over the next few years. They also worry that Google could use its control over ITA to get access to their proprietary technology.</p>\n                <p>Justice Department officials are therefore considering conditions that would require Google to license ITA software to rivals and prohibit it from gaining access to other companies\' technology, the person said.</p>\n                <p>News that an agreement was close was reported earlier by The Washington Post.</p>\n                <p>In an unrelated case, Google last week agreed to adopt a comprehensive privacy program to settle federal charges that it deceived users and violated its own privacy policy when it launched a social networking service called Buzz last year. The settlement mandates independent audits to oversee and verify Google\'s privacy program every other year for the next 20 years.</p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"AP source: Google, gov\'t near deal on travel buy   (AP)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110407/ap_on_hi_te/us_tec_google_travel_deal\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110407/ap_on_hi_te/us_tec_google_travel_deal</a></p>',-2,5,0,44,'2011-04-07 19:46:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-04-07 19:46:00','2011-04-09 06:12:27','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(873,'FCC adopts rules to drive wireless competition   (AP)','fcc-adopts-rules-to-drive-wireless-competition-ap','','AP - Federal regulators adopted rules Thursday to drive more competition in wireless broadband as more people access the Internet using iPhones and other popular mobile devices.','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>WASHINGTON – Federal regulators adopted rules Thursday to drive more competition in wireless broadband as more people access the Internet using iPhones and other popular mobile devices.</p>\n                <p>The Federal Communications Commission voted 3-2 on Thursday to require big wireless carriers to open their data networks to smaller regional operators in places where they don\'t have their own systems. The large carriers have to offer network access at reasonable prices, and the FCC would resolve any disputes.</p>\n                <p>The so-called \"data roaming\" rules are a response to consolidation in an industry dominated by two nationwide carriers, AT&amp;T Inc. and Verizon Wireless. And they come just weeks after AT&amp;T, the nation\'s second-largest wireless company, announced plans to buy T-Mobile USA, the fourth-largest, in a $39 billion cash-and-stock deal.</p>\n                <p>Existing voice roaming rules already allow regional competitors to use the big carriers\' networks to handle phone calls outside their own service territories. That enables Leap Wireless, for instance, to offer nationwide calling service. It pays other carriers for access to their systems when customers make calls outside Leap\'s service area.</p>\n                <p>But smaller wireless providers say they need to be able to be able to do that with data, too, as subscribers increasingly use smartphones not just to make phone calls but to send pictures, watch online video and access bandwidth-hungry mobile applications.</p>\n                <p>\"Consumers ... expect to use their mobile phones throughout the nation for voice calls or data — like email or mobile apps,\" said FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, a Democrat.</p>\n                <p>Parul Desai, policy counsel for the consumer watchdog group Consumers Union, said the new rules should help lower prices by giving consumers more choices for nationwide data services.</p>\n                <p>Steven Berry, president and chief executive of the Rural Cellular Association, added that the rules should make it easier for rural carriers to grow by ensuring that they can get the nationwide data roaming agreements they need to attract customers and funding for their networks.</p>\n                <p>\"In this day and age, consumer expectations are that their devices work anytime, anyplace, anywhere,\" Berry said. \"What consumer would buy a phone that only works in one small regional area?\"</p>\n                <p>The FCC\'s three Democrats voted to adopt the data-roaming rules over the opposition of the agency\'s two Republicans. Republican Robert McDowell said he believes the agency lacks the legal authority to impose such requirements on the wireless industry.</p>\n                <p>AT&amp;T and Verizon warned that they will have less incentive to invest in their high-speed wireless networks if they have to share them with competitors at regulated rates. In a statement, Verizon said the rules represent \"a new level of unwarranted government intervention.\"</p>\n                <p>But Sprint Nextel Corp., the nation\'s third largest wireless carrier, and Leap Wireless, parent of the smaller Cricket phone service, welcomed the rules.</p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"FCC adopts rules to drive wireless competition   (AP)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110407/ap_on_hi_te/us_tec_fcc_wireless_competition\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110407/ap_on_hi_te/us_tec_fcc_wireless_competition</a></p>',-2,5,0,44,'2011-04-07 16:58:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-04-07 16:58:00','2011-04-09 06:12:28','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(910,'Will corporate earnings justify gains?   (Reuters)','will-corporate-earnings-justify-gains-reuters','','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>NEW YORK (Reuters) – Investors will look to corporate profits and outlooks this week for confirmation the S&amp;P 500 has another leg to its rally as the earnings season gets under way.</p>\n                </div></div>','<p>\nDow component Alcoa will launch the earnings season after the closing bell on Monday in what is expected to be another solid round of corporate results.</p>\n                <p>\nThe aluminum producer is expected to report quarterly earnings of 27 cents per share on revenue of $6.07 billion, according to Thomson Reuters estimates.</p>\n                <p>\nSome top financial names are also expected to report this week, including JPMorgan Chase &amp; Co (JPM.N) and Bank of America Corp (BAC.N). Google Inc (GOOG.O) is also due to report.</p>\n                <p>\n\"Earnings are what the market is all about. Earnings are critical in here, guidance is critical in here, the conference calls are critical in here,\" said Paul Mendelsohn, chief investment strategist at Windham Financial Services in Charlotte, Vermont.</p>\n                <p>\n\"In terms of earnings and sectors, you basically want to be with those people who have the ability to raise prices or are participating in the commodity price increases,\" he said. \"And you really don\'t want to be in those people who have the input costs increases and are going to see their margins squeezed by rising commodity prices.</p>\n                <p>\nMarket analysts have found encouragement for a strong earnings season from the relatively light amount of company preannouncements, leading to the belief that surging commodity costs have yet to compress margins and impact corporate profits.</p>\n                <p>\nThe Reuters/Jefferies CRB index rose 8 percent in the first quarter, is up 2.6 percent so far in April, and hit its highest level since September 2008.</p>\n                <p>\nThe S&amp;P 500 (.SPX) has recouped all of the losses suffered in the wake of the Japanese earthquake on March 11, but has been unable to convincingly muscle past the 1,333.58 level, a technical resistance point representing double the 12-year low hit on March 9, 2009.</p>\n                <p>\nThe benchmark index was relatively flat for the week, down 0.3 percent, as the prospect of a government shutdown kept the rally at bay.</p>\n                <p>\nInvestors had braced for a possible government shutdown as the White House and Congress scrambled on Friday to break a budget impasse ahead of a midnight deadline</p>\n                <p>\nPresident Barack Obama\'s Democrats and opposition Republicans agreed late on Friday to cut $38 billion in spending for the last six months of this fiscal year.</p>\n                <p>\nThe deal, which still must be approved by Congress this week, prevented a shutdown that would have idled 800,000 federal workers, closed national parks and monuments and delayed paychecks for troops in Afghanistan and Iraq.</p>\n                <p>\nBut analysts said that while a U.S. government shutdown would have been short-term negative, the market managed to rally even ahead of the looming deadline.</p>\n                <p>\nMany traders circled short-term puts on the SPDR S&amp;P 500 Trust (SPY.P) .</p>\n                <p>\nShares of the exchange-traded fund, also called the Spyders, slid 0.3 percent to $132.86 in afternoon trading on Friday. The fund\'s Weekly $133 puts traded more than 96,000 contracts, surpassing their open interest.</p>\n                <p>\nFrederic Ruffy, a strategist at WhatsTrading.com, said the positions likely reflected hedges against weakness due to fears of a shutdown.</p>\n                <p>\nInvestors will also eye a batch of economic data this week, providing more insight into the  economic recovery, including the consumer and producer prices indexes, the Reuters/University of Michigan consumer sentiment index and the Federal Reserve\'s Beige Book of economic activity.\n</p><p>\n\n\"The inflation numbers will certainly be important -- producer price index and consumer price index -- the expectation is inflation will be higher than the Federal Reserve will feel comfortable with,\" said Hugh Johnson, chief investment officer of Hugh Johnson Advisors LLC in Albany, New York.\n</p><p>\n\n\"The focus (this) week will clearly be on the earnings numbers and the economic numbers and that is where the focus of the market should be.\"\n</p><p>\n\n(Additional reporting by Doris Frankel; Editing by Leslie Adler and Maureen Bavdek)</p>\n            ',-2,5,0,36,'2011-04-10 12:28:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-04-10 12:28:00','2011-04-11 13:56:25','','','',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(874,'HP: Former executive boosted secrets then bolted   (AP)','hp-former-executive-boosted-secrets-then-bolted-ap','','AP - Hewlett-Packard Co. has filed a lawsuit against a former executive over allegations he took trade secrets with him when he went to work for rival Oracle Corp.','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>SAN FRANCISCO – Hewlett-Packard Co. has filed a lawsuit against a former executive over allegations he took trade secrets with him when he went to work for rival Oracle Corp.</p>\n                <p>The case against Adrian Jones, who was a senior vice president in HP\'s server, storage and networking division in Asia, shows the growing rancor between the Silicon Valley technology titans. HP\'s and Oracle\'s decades-long partnership is being strained by growing competition between the companies.</p>\n                <p>HP said Jones resigned Feb. 16, before he was about to be fired for allegedly violating HP\'s standards. He is accused in the lawsuit, which was filed Wednesday, of failing to disclose a \"close personal relationship\" with a subordinate, and of submitting thousands of dollars in expenses for visiting the subordinate that didn\'t have a legitimate business purpose.</p>\n                <p>HP says Jones of downloaded hundreds of files and thousands of emails detailing HP\'s secrets before he quit.</p>\n                <p>The company, based in Palo Alto, said the lawsuit \"seeks to prevent Jones from using the theft of confidential HP documents to place HP in an unfair competitive disadvantage.\"</p>\n                <p>A phone number for Jones could not immediately be located.</p>\n                <p>The HP-Oracle rivalry kicked off with Oracle\'s $7.3 billion acquisition last year of Sun Microsystems, a server computer seller that competes with HP.</p>\n                <p>It ratcheted up with Oracle CEO Larry Ellison\'s ridiculing of HP\'s board in the fall for firing his friend and HP CEO Mark Hurd over inaccurate expense reports. It continued with Oracle targeting Hurd\'s replacement, Leo Apotheker, in a separate court case involving the theft of trade secrets and his former employer, SAP AG.</p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"HP: Former executive boosted secrets then bolted   (AP)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110407/ap_on_hi_te/us_hewlett_packard_trade_secrets\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110407/ap_on_hi_te/us_hewlett_packard_trade_secrets</a></p>',-2,5,0,44,'2011-04-07 19:37:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-04-07 19:37:00','2011-04-09 06:12:29','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(875,'Convofy Turns Work Collaboration into a Visual Experience   (Mashable)','convofy-turns-work-collaboration-into-a-visual-experience-mashable','','Mashable - The Spark of Genius Series highlights a unique feature of startups and is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark. If you would like to have your startup considered for inclusion, please see the details here.','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p><em>The <a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/mashable/tc_mashable/storytext/convofy_turns_work_collaboration_into_a_visual_experience/41004391/SIG=112bk4f22/*http://mashable.com/tag/bizspark\">Spark of Genius Series</a> highlights a unique feature of startups and is made possible by <a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/mashable/tc_mashable/storytext/convofy_turns_work_collaboration_into_a_visual_experience/41004391/SIG=131useebq/*http://www.microsoftstartupzone.com/BizSpark/Pages/At_a_Glance.aspx?WT.mc_id=MSZ_Mashable_posts\">Microsoft BizSpark</a>. If you would like to have your startup considered for inclusion, please see the details <a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/mashable/tc_mashable/storytext/convofy_turns_work_collaboration_into_a_visual_experience/41004391/SIG=10v2d1bnb/*http://mashable.com/bizspark/\">here</a>.</em></p>\n                <p>\n<strong>Name:</strong> <a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/mashable/tc_mashable/storytext/convofy_turns_work_collaboration_into_a_visual_experience/41004391/SIG=10pavckti/*http://www.convofy.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Convofy</a></p>\n                <p>\n<strong>Quick Pitch:</strong> Convofy is a private social network for enterprise, designed for visual thinkers.</p>\n                <p>\n<strong>Genius Idea:</strong> Convofy runs on Adobe AIR and focuses on detailed annotations for images, video, links and documents, making it ideal for firms that collaborate on a lot of documents or multimedia.</p>\n                <p>\n</p><hr />\nBringing social networking to businesses is, well, big business.  <a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/mashable/tc_mashable/storytext/convofy_turns_work_collaboration_into_a_visual_experience/41004391/SIG=11t9eh6gh/*http://mashable.com/2010/06/22/salesforce-chatter-released/\">Salesforce Chatter</a> brings groups and news feeds to internal teams while Yammer has <a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/mashable/tc_mashable/storytext/convofy_turns_work_collaboration_into_a_visual_experience/41004391/SIG=11fpbma1g/*http://mashable.com/2010/10/22/yammer-growth/\">managed to win over 80% of the Fortune 500</a>.\n                <p>\nConvofy, built by the team behind the <a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/mashable/tc_mashable/storytext/convofy_turns_work_collaboration_into_a_visual_experience/41004391/SIG=11l02oemn/*http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-10921_7-6655953-4.html\">Scrybe</a> task manager, differentiates itself through its focus on multimedia, drag-and-drop interface and real-time information stream.  These features are made possible because Convofy runs on Adobe AIR and not in the web browser.  And because it\'s an AIR app, it can be placed in a convenient and always available area of your desktop.</p>\n                <p>\nIt offers the features you\'d expect from a social network built for the enterprise: a newsfeed, groups and file-sharing all fleshed-out features.  Its newsfeed is extraordinarily visual, displaying documents, photos, slides and links inside the stream.  Adding files to your Convofy network is as simple as dragging and dropping the files onto the app.  It also comes with a series of notifications for when your coworkers comment on something you\'ve added</p>\n                <p>\nConvofy has a few tricks up its sleeve to differentiate it from the enterprise social networking crowd.  One of those tricks is the ability to markup uploaded documents and add conversational notes.  It makes collaborating on documents rather simple, although it\'s nowhere near as robust as <a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/mashable/tc_mashable/storytext/convofy_turns_work_collaboration_into_a_visual_experience/41004391/SIG=115qe4jpd/*http://mashable.com/tag/google-docs\">Google Docs</a>.  Convofy also includes annotations for videos and photos as well, and these annotations include timestamps so it\'s easy to see the history of a conversation around any given piece of multimedia.  </p>\n                <p>\nThe app takes annotations one step further than most of its competitors.  A team within Convofy can even annotate the web.  Say you read an interesting article and want to point out a key phrase to your coworkers; Convofy lets you comment on that item and gives everyone else in your network the chance to comment and converse on the link. </p>\n                <p>\nConvofy is also mobile via a mobile web application built for smartphones that can run HTML5.</p>\n                <p>\nIf you\'re already using Chatter or Yammer, you may not find a lot compelling reasons to switch to Convofy.  The enterprise app really shines though if you\'re a company or team that shares lots of images, videos and documents.  Design, research and consulting firms are the ones who will most likely find it useful, especially if they are willing to learn the ins and outs of the system.</p>\n                <p>\n</p><div style=\"text-align: center;\">\n                <p>\n</p></div>\n                <p>\n</p><hr /><strong>Series Supported by Microsoft BizSpark</strong>\n                <p>\n</p><hr /><div style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/mashable/tc_mashable/storytext/convofy_turns_work_collaboration_into_a_visual_experience/41004391/SIG=131useebq/*http://www.microsoftstartupzone.com/BizSpark/Pages/At_a_Glance.aspx?WT.mc_id=MSZ_Mashable_posts\">\n                \n</a></div>\n                <p>\n<em>The <a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/mashable/tc_mashable/storytext/convofy_turns_work_collaboration_into_a_visual_experience/41004391/SIG=112bk4f22/*http://mashable.com/tag/bizspark\">Spark of Genius Series</a> highlights a unique feature of startups and is made possible by <a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/mashable/tc_mashable/storytext/convofy_turns_work_collaboration_into_a_visual_experience/41004391/SIG=131useebq/*http://www.microsoftstartupzone.com/BizSpark/Pages/At_a_Glance.aspx?WT.mc_id=MSZ_Mashable_posts\">Microsoft BizSpark</a>, a startup program that gives you three-year access to the latest Microsoft development tools, as well as connecting you to a nationwide network of investors and incubators. There are no upfront costs, so if your business is privately owned, less than three years old, and generates less than U.S.$1 million in annual revenue, you can <a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/mashable/tc_mashable/storytext/convofy_turns_work_collaboration_into_a_visual_experience/41004391/SIG=10uf4fn3p/*http://mashable.com/bizspark\">sign up today</a>.</em></p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Convofy Turns Work Collaboration into a Visual Experience   (Mashable)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/mashable/20110408/tc_mashable/convofy_turns_work_collaboration_into_a_visual_experience\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/mashable/20110408/tc_mashable/convofy_turns_work_collaboration_into_a_visual_experience</a></p>',-2,5,0,44,'2011-04-08 00:49:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-04-08 00:49:00','2011-04-09 06:12:29','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(876,'US trains activists to evade security forces   (AFP)','us-trains-activists-to-evade-security-forces-afp','','<p><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110408/tc_afp/usrightsdiplomacyitinternet\"><img src=\"http://d.yimg.com/a/p/afp/20110408/capt.photo_1302247734912-1-0.jpg?x=130&amp;y=86&amp;q=85&amp;sig=5N3wgA6vpNiHz.oDjA2ucg--\" height=\"86\" width=\"130\" alt=\"US trains activists to evade security forces   (AFP)\" style=\"float: left; border: 0px;\" />\n</a>AFP - The United States is training thousands of cell phone and Internet pro-democracy campaigners worldwide to evade security forces in what it calls a \"cat-and-mouse game\" with authoritarian governments.</p><br style=\"clear: both;\" />','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>WASHINGTON (AFP) – The United States is training thousands of cell phone and Internet pro-democracy campaigners worldwide to evade security forces in what it calls a \"cat-and-mouse game\" with authoritarian governments.</p>\n                <p>\nThe US government is sponsoring efforts to help activists in Arab and other countries gain access to technology that circumvents government firewalls, secures telephone text and voice messages, and prevents attacks on websites.</p>\n                <p>\n\"This is sort of a cat-and-mouse game and governments are constantly developing new techniques to go after critics, to go after dissenters,\" said Michael Posner, the assistant US secretary of state for human rights and labor.</p>\n                <p>\n\"We are trying to stay ahead of the curve and trying to basically provide both technology, training, and diplomatic support to allow people to freely express their views.\"</p>\n                <p>\nPosner told a small group of reporters that the theme of Internet freedom will be \"peppered\" throughout the State Department\'s annual report on human rights for 194 countries that is scheduled for release on Friday.</p>\n                <p>\nUS Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is campaigning hard for freedoms of expression, assembly and association online -- what she calls the world\'s town square or coffee house of the 21st century.</p>\n                <p>\nThe chief US diplomat has said the protests in Egypt and Iran fueled by Facebook, Twitter and YouTube reflected \"the power of connection technologies as an accelerant of political, social and economic change.\"</p>\n                <p>\n\nThe US government, Posner said, has budgeted $50 million in the last two years to develop new technologies to help activists protect themselves from arrest and prosecution by authoritarian governments.</p>\n                <p>\nAnd it has organized training sessions for 5,000 activists in different parts of the world.</p>\n                <p>\nA session held in the Middle East about six weeks ago gathered activists from Tunisia, Egypt, Syria and Lebanon who returned to their countries with the aim of training their colleagues there.</p>\n                <p>\n\"They went back and there\'s a ripple effect,\" Posner said.</p>\n                <p>\nState Department officials said one of the new technologies under development is the \"panic button,\" which allows activists to erase contact lists on their cell phones if they are arrested.</p>\n                <p>\n\"If you can get the panic button that wipes that (list) clean before they get locked up, you\'re saving lives,\" said Posner.</p>\n                <p>\nThe new technology has not yet been made available to pro-democracy campaigners but it will prove useful in places like Syria, where the authorities simply go out and arrest activists who use their mobile phones.</p>\n                <p>\nThe State Department said it has already funded efforts by private firms, mainly from the United States, to develop a dozen different technologies to circumvent government censorship firewalls.</p>\n                <p>\n\"One of them has been very successful in Iran. It\'s being used extensively. and we have the download numbers,\" a State Department official said on condition of anonymity.</p>\n                <p>\n\"It\'s going viral and now that technology is spreading all over the Middle East,\" said the official, who declined to name the technology in order not to endanger the people who are using it.</p>\n                <p>\nThe State Department is also funding efforts to prevent governments from launching attacks -- known as denial of service -- aimed at shutting down websites that might publish an investigative report or other critical material.</p>\n            </div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"US trains activists to evade security forces   (AFP)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110408/tc_afp/usrightsdiplomacyitinternet\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110408/tc_afp/usrightsdiplomacyitinternet</a></p>',-2,5,0,44,'2011-04-08 03:31:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-04-08 03:31:00','2011-04-09 06:12:30','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(877,'Sony adding music to PSP videogame gadgets   (AFP)','sony-adding-music-to-psp-videogame-gadgets-afp','','<p><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110408/tc_afp/usjapanitinternetmusicvideogamessony\"><img src=\"http://d.yimg.com/a/p/afp/20110408/capt.photo_1302241946564-1-0.jpg?x=130&amp;y=83&amp;q=85&amp;sig=z8rU.vJvjCZTJx4VIE6GbA--\" height=\"83\" width=\"130\" alt=\"Sony adding music to PSP videogame gadgets   (AFP)\" style=\"float: left; border: 0px;\" />\n</a>AFP - Sony revealed that it was adding a streaming music service to PlayStation Portable handheld gaming gadgets next week.</p><br style=\"clear: both;\" />','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) – Sony revealed that it was adding a streaming music service to PlayStation Portable handheld gaming gadgets next week.</p>\n                <p>\nA Music Unlimited service powered by Qriocity will let PSP users with PlayStation Network accounts tap into a library of millions of songs stored on computers in the Internet \"cloud\" beginning April 14, according to Sony.</p>\n                <p>\nPSP devices will need to be connected wirelessly to the Internet at \"hotspots\" to access tunes, according to the Japanese consumer electronics titan.</p>\n                <p>\nThe service already streams music to personal computers and an array of Sony devices including newer model Bravia televisions, Blu-ray disk players and PlayStation 3 videogame consoles.</p>\n                <p>\n\"PSP owners can also enjoy a common and synchronized music experience on their PS3 systems as well as PCs and other network-enabled Sony devices without the need to manage or transfer music files,\" Sony said in a release.</p>\n                <p>\nSony charges a $3.99 monthly subscription fee for basic Music Unlimited service, which offers commercial free listening.</p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Sony adding music to PSP videogame gadgets   (AFP)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110408/tc_afp/usjapanitinternetmusicvideogamessony\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110408/tc_afp/usjapanitinternetmusicvideogamessony</a></p>',-2,5,0,44,'2011-04-08 01:53:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-04-08 01:53:00','2011-04-09 06:12:31','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(878,'HTC first quarter profit triples on Android popularity   (Reuters)','htc-first-quarter-profit-triples-on-android-popularity-reuters','','Reuters - Taiwan smartphone maker HTC Corp said first-quarter profit almost tripled, beating forecasts, driven by strong demand for its handsets, particularly those running on the Android operating system','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>TAIPEI (Reuters) – Taiwan smartphone maker HTC Corp said first-quarter profit almost tripled, beating forecasts, driven by strong demand for its handsets, particularly those running on the Android operating system</p>\n                <p>\nThe company, which has just overtaken erstwhile industry giant Nokia Oyj in terms of market capitalization, said on Friday that unaudited first-quarter net profit was T$14.83 billion ($511 million). Analysts had forecast a profit of T$12.99 billion.</p>\n                <p>\n\"That its first quarter would be above expectations was well foreseen, Q1 seasonality was better than expected,\" said Bonnie Chang, an analyst at Yuanta Securities in Hong Kong.</p>\n                <p>\n\"For the second quarter everyone is expecting revenue sequential growth in the high teens to 20 percent, shipments will be strong and average selling prices are holding up pretty well.\"</p>\n                <p>\nGrowing demand for phones running on Google\'s Android platform will help the smartphone market grow in 2011, boosting companies such as HTC and Samsung Electronics who are betting on the platform.</p>\n                <p>\nThe smartphone market is likely to grow 58 percent this year and 35 percent the next, according to research firm Gartner.</p>\n                <p>\nAndroid\'s popularity has helped Asian manufacturers to rise fast in smartphone rankings. HTC\'s market capitalization topped that of Nokia earlier in the week after a 29 percent surge in its share price so far this year.</p>\n                <p>\nThe shares touched a high of T$1,220 on April 7 this year, more than triple the T$360.5 on April 6, 2010. That surge has helped turn its chairwoman, Cher Wang, into Taiwan\'s richest person.</p>\n                <p>\nOn Friday, the shares closed down 3.3 percent at T$1,160 versus the benchmark index\'s 0.08 percent fall.</p>\n                <p>\nYuanta\'s Chang said she expected to raise her price target for the shares to around T$1,300 to T$1,400, where she expected most other broker targets to be.</p>\n                <p>\nHTC said consolidated sales for March reached T$37 billion, more than double the same month a year earlier. First-quarter revenues reached T$104.2 billion. The company did not elaborate in its statement.</p>\n                <p>\nIt has said at the beginning of the year that it expected revenue and shipments would be more than double in the first quarter this year, helped by a new generation of products.</p>\n                <p>\n(Reporting by Argin Chang and Jonathan Standing; Editing by Jacqueline Wong)</p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"HTC first quarter profit triples on Android popularity   (Reuters)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110408/tc_nm/us_htc\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110408/tc_nm/us_htc</a></p>',-2,5,0,44,'2011-04-08 04:46:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-04-08 04:46:00','2011-04-09 06:12:31','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(879,'Get updates from locals all over the globe with AlertMap for Android   (Appolicious)','get-updates-from-locals-all-over-the-globe-with-alertmap-for-android-appolicious','','Appolicious - Between their earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis, all eyes are on Japan at the moment. And while news outlets from all over the world are there to report, honestly, who knows better about what\'s going on than the people who live there?','<div><div id=\"article_body\" class=\"clearfix\">\n    			\n    			<p>Between their earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis, all eyes are on Japan at the moment. And while news outlets from all over the world are there to report, honestly, who knows better about what\'s going on than the people who live there?</p>&#13;\n<p><a href=\"/apps/616368-alertmap-yodalab\">AlertMap</a> for your Android phone is an app that allows those in the affected areas of Japan to post and have access to real-time data. It\'s a messaging app that allows users to easily share information, in a single place, with people from across the globe.</p>&#13;\n<p>It\'s especially handy for Japanese people trying to relate information about unidentified people and property damage to other Japanese people.</p>&#13;\n<p>The app uses GPS to lock down a user\'s exact location. And while the focus of this app is on Japan, users from anywhere can post, whether it be news links or heartfelt words of encouragement.</p>&#13;\n<p>Each individual posting is marked on a map, but, because there are so many of them, it can be a bit overwhelming. That\'s why I\'m grateful there\'s a feed (the icon in the left corner) that lists every posting on the map individually, starting with the latest updates.</p>&#13;\n<p>What\'s especially neat about AlertMap is that users aren\'t restricted to just words when posting. Tap the post button in the right corner of the screen and you\'ll see you have the options to make audio recordings, shoot photos, and record videos.</p>&#13;\n<p>This app is accessible to the average user, and certainly accomplishes what it set out to achieve. Because 70 percent of the posts coming out of Japan are in Japanese, the average American isn\'t going to be able to follow what\'s happening. The good news, though, is that there are some posts in English.</p>&#13;\n<p><a href=\"/finance/apps/350906-appolicious-appolicious-inc\">Download the free Appolicious Android app</a></p>\n    			\n    			</div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Get updates from locals all over the globe with AlertMap for Android   (Appolicious)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/appolicious_rss/rss_appolicious_tc/http___www_androidapps_com_articles7480_get_updates_from_locals_all_over_the_globe_with_alertmap_for_android/41001578/SIG=13kc2qjip/*http%3A//www.androidapps.com/tech/articles/7480-get-updates-from-locals-all-over-the-globe-with-alertmap-for-android\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/appolicious_rss/rss_appolicious_tc/http___www_androidapps_com_articles7480_get_updates_from_locals_all_over_the_globe_with_alertmap_for_android/41001578/SIG=13kc2qjip/*http%3A//www.androidapps.com/tech/articles/7480-get-updates-from-locals-all-over-the-globe-with-alertmap-for-android</a></p>',-2,5,0,44,'2011-04-07 21:30:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-04-07 21:30:00','2011-04-09 06:12:32','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(880,'5 Questions with Twitter-Savvy Newark Mayor Cory Booker   (Time.com)','5-questions-with-twitter-savvy-newark-mayor-cory-booker-timecom','','Time.com - TIME talks to Newark mayor Cory Booker about Twitter, how he\'s used technology to improve Newark and whether a presidential bid is in his future','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>Cory Booker\'s prolific tweeting during last December\'s epic snowstorm turned the Newark Mayor into a social-media superhero. And yes, those tweets are all his own. Booker recently was the keynote speaker at a breakfast sponsored by Opera Solutions, a global analytics company, in New York, where he talked about technology and its potential to improve government. NewsFeed sat down with the mayor to find out which celebrity convinced him to join Twitter, how he\'s used technology to improve Newark and whether a presidential bid is in his future. <span class=\"see\"><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/time/us_time/storytext/httpnewsfeedtimecom201104075questionswithtwittersavvynewarkmayorcorybookerxidrssfullnationyahoo/40994724/SIG=12sea7pos/*http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2058044_2060338_2059950,00.html\" target=\"_blank\">(Vote for Cory Booker in our TIME 100 poll.)</a></span></p>\n                <p> <b>In your remarks, you mentioned that Ashton Kutcher got you to join Twitter.</b><br /> I\'d give the full credit to Sarah Ross, who worked with Ashton at Katalyst Media. She said we needed to have more local voices talking, so she and Ashton both came at me and told me to jump into this technology. My staff had been on [my] Twitter like many other politicians, but it wasn\'t until May 9, 2009 that I started tweeting myself.</p>\n                <p> <b>People called you the #Snowpocalypse superhero last December after you used Twitter to help constituents in need. Were you surprised at the reaction to your tweets?</b><br /> I was blown away. The year before that, I tweeted about helping someone out during a storm and it went viral and got a lot of attention. But this was a real crisis. We all knew that the East Coast was dealing with a severe problem. I don\'t think it was about me, so much as people connecting with people. What happened that really inspired and moved me in an important way was when I saw people tweeting back, not asking for help, but saying ?Hey, I went out and shoveled my neighbor\'s walk.? Seeing how kindness is really infectious created a good spirit amidst that crisis, and I think that spread around that country.</p>\n                <p> <b>Your use of technology in installing city-wide cameras in Newark has certainly reduced the city\'s crime rates. But how do you balance using innovation and respecting citizens\' privacy?</b><br /> We all know - especially the younger you are - as soon as you leave your private spaces, there are people with cell phones and the like who can record your actions. We live in a very different world where I think people aren\'t willing to trade privacy for security, but there is a presumption of public exposure when you are out and about in the community that wasn\'t around about 25 years ago. And for me, I look at all this technology as a way for creating greater transparency in government and giving people more ways to access government and see what\'s going on. Not vice versa. <span class=\"see\"><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/time/us_time/storytext/httpnewsfeedtimecom201104075questionswithtwittersavvynewarkmayorcorybookerxidrssfullnationyahoo/40994724/SIG=11vn3d9oo/*http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1910913,00.html\" target=\"_blank\">(See pictures of Cory Booker.)</a></span></p>\n                <p> <b>I want to turn back to politics for a second. You work with NJ Governor Chris Christie, who is very much a rising star in the GOP. Which candidate will be the biggest challenger to President Barack Obama in 2012?</b><br /> The biggest challenge is us as Democrats ourselves. I don\'t necessarily look at it as a contest between two candidates. What the country is looking for is to have the president and his party present a set of ideals that are pragmatic and specific to deal with the challenges we have right now. I think Barack Obama is extraordinarily compelling andâ ¦the focus of his campaign has got to be about building our economy and expanding opportunity. The more he puts out that specific vision, it doesn\'t matter who he\'s running against, it will propel him back into the White House.</p>\n                <p> <b>And is a presidential bid in your future?</b><br /> Life for me is much more about purpose than a position. I love working in the urban context right now, I love the genius that is in Newark to make a difference - that\'s my focus and obsession. Although I\'ve learned never to say never.</p>\n                <p> <span class=\"see\"><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/time/us_time/storytext/httpnewsfeedtimecom201104075questionswithtwittersavvynewarkmayorcorybookerxidrssfullnationyahoo/40994724/SIG=12sea7pos/*http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2058044_2060338_2059950,00.html\" target=\"_blank\">See Cory Booker on the 140 best Twitter accounts.</a></span></p>\n                <p>View this article on <a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/time/us_time/storytext/httpnewsfeedtimecom201104075questionswithtwittersavvynewarkmayorcorybookerxidrssfullnationyahoo/40994724/SIG=13ndmfpjk/*http://newsfeed.time.com/2011/04/07/5-questions-with-twitter-savvy-newark-mayor-cory-booker/?xid=rss-fullnation-yahoo\">Time.com</a></p>\n                <p></p><p>Most Popular on Time.com:</p><ul><li><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/time/us_time/storytext/httpnewsfeedtimecom201104075questionswithtwittersavvynewarkmayorcorybookerxidrssfullnationyahoo/40994724/SIG=132nq340h/*http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,2063713,00.html?xid=feed-yahoo-full-mostpopular\">The Ryan Budget: A Test of Character for Obama</a></li> <li><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/time/us_time/storytext/httpnewsfeedtimecom201104075questionswithtwittersavvynewarkmayorcorybookerxidrssfullnationyahoo/40994724/SIG=13033n6vn/*http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1914857,00.html?xid=feed-yahoo-full-mostpopular\">Why Exercise Won\'t Make You Thin</a></li> <li><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/time/us_time/storytext/httpnewsfeedtimecom201104075questionswithtwittersavvynewarkmayorcorybookerxidrssfullnationyahoo/40994724/SIG=132hfgoav/*http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1704660,00.html?xid=feed-yahoo-full-mostpopular\">Are Gay Relationships Different?</a></li> <li><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/time/us_time/storytext/httpnewsfeedtimecom201104075questionswithtwittersavvynewarkmayorcorybookerxidrssfullnationyahoo/40994724/SIG=132e5lnhj/*http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2062419,00.html?xid=feed-yahoo-full-mostpopular\">Finland\'s Educational Success? The Anti-Tiger Mother Approach</a></li> <li><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/time/us_time/storytext/httpnewsfeedtimecom201104075questionswithtwittersavvynewarkmayorcorybookerxidrssfullnationyahoo/40994724/SIG=132d6nube/*http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,2063693,00.html?xid=feed-yahoo-full-mostpopular\">Why Google Isn\'t the New Microsoft</a></li> </ul><p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"5 Questions with Twitter-Savvy Newark Mayor Cory Booker   (Time.com)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/time/20110408/us_time/httpnewsfeedtimecom201104075questionswithtwittersavvynewarkmayorcorybookerxidrssfullnationyahoo\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/time/20110408/us_time/httpnewsfeedtimecom201104075questionswithtwittersavvynewarkmayorcorybookerxidrssfullnationyahoo</a></p>',-2,5,0,44,'2011-04-08 00:00:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-04-08 00:00:00','2011-04-09 06:12:33','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(881,'Did a Glass Shortage Slow the Arrival of the RIM BlackBerry Playbook Tablet?   (PC World)','did-a-glass-shortage-slow-the-arrival-of-the-rim-blackberry-playbook-tablet-pc-world','','PC World - The end of the wait for RIM\'s eagerly awaited BlackBerry PlayBook tablet is coming April 19 but could the tablet have arrived sooner? Perhaps. If so, you might blame Apple, which created a touchscreen glass shortage with its iPad 2 manufacturing.','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>The end of the wait for RIM\'s eagerly awaited <a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/pcworld/tc_pcworld/storytext/didaglassshortageslowthearrivaloftherimblackberryplaybooktablet/41002241/SIG=12iqpobce/*http://www.pcworld.com/article/222876/playbook_on_sale_april_19_at_best_buy.html\">BlackBerry PlayBook tablet</a> is coming April 19 but could the tablet have arrived sooner? Perhaps. If so, you might blame Apple, which created a touchscreen glass shortage with its iPad 2 manufacturing.</p>\n                <p>\n\n		\nTrade magazine <a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/pcworld/tc_pcworld/storytext/didaglassshortageslowthearrivaloftherimblackberryplaybooktablet/41002241/SIG=1383is5cv/*http://www.digitimes.com/NewsShow/NewsSearch.asp?DocID=PD000000000000000000000000019283&amp;query=PLAYBOOK\">Digitimes</a> reports that the reason that the <a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/pcworld/tc_pcworld/storytext/didaglassshortageslowthearrivaloftherimblackberryplaybooktablet/41002241/SIG=11b7kihkh/*http://us.blackberry.com/playbook-tablet/\">launch of the BlackBerry PlayBook</a> is later this month is partly because Apple tied up the supply of <a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/pcworld/tc_pcworld/storytext/didaglassshortageslowthearrivaloftherimblackberryplaybooktablet/41002241/SIG=11j4e3miu/*http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20110406PD206.html\">touchscreen panels</a> from various Asian suppliers.</p>\n                <p>\n\n		\nAccording to Digitimes, \"Sources from touch screen panel makers also pointed out that PlayBook shipments were postponed for about a month from the original schedule due to a delay in software testing as well as shortage of touch panels because Apple already booked up most of the available capacity.\"</p>\n                <p>\n\n		\nThe hot new <a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/pcworld/tc_pcworld/storytext/didaglassshortageslowthearrivaloftherimblackberryplaybooktablet/41002241/SIG=11j4e3miu/*http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20110406PD206.html\">iPad 2 is selling faster than expected</a>, and faster than the first-generation iPad. Digitimes estimates that 12 million units will ship in the second quarter.</p>\n                <p>\n\n		\nThe iPad 2\'s impact extends beyond other tablets to the whole laptop category, in which <a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/pcworld/tc_pcworld/storytext/didaglassshortageslowthearrivaloftherimblackberryplaybooktablet/41002241/SIG=12r1lodn5/*http://www.pcworld.com/article/224628/apple_ipad_hammering_laptop_sales_analysts_say.html\">sales growth stopped dead in early 2011</a>.</p>\n                <p>\n\n		\nThe PlayBook will run the new PlayBook Tablet OS, which is based on the <a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/pcworld/tc_pcworld/storytext/didaglassshortageslowthearrivaloftherimblackberryplaybooktablet/41002241/SIG=12voqb3jm/*http://www.pcworld.com/article/206520/playbook_tablet_os_might_move_to_blackberry_phones.html\">QNX operating system</a> RIM purchased. The PlayBook was first announced in late September 2010.</p>\n                <p>\n\n		\nThere definitely is interest. The RIM video for the PlayBook has more than 2.5 million views on YouTube. Take a look (audio has been disabled due to copyright restrictions):</p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Did a Glass Shortage Slow the Arrival of the RIM BlackBerry Playbook Tablet?   (PC World)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/pcworld/20110408/tc_pcworld/didaglassshortageslowthearrivaloftherimblackberryplaybooktablet\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/pcworld/20110408/tc_pcworld/didaglassshortageslowthearrivaloftherimblackberryplaybooktablet</a></p>',-2,5,0,44,'2011-04-07 20:45:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-04-07 20:45:00','2011-04-09 06:12:34','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(882,'HANDS ON: Tryx, Casio\'s Rotating-Frame Camera [VIDEO]   (Mashable)','hands-on-tryx-casios-rotating-frame-camera-video-mashable','','Mashable - Casio\'s Tryx camera lives up to its name. In addition to a lens that rotates a full 360 degrees, the camera -- set to hit stores in the next month -- has a list of features its makers are touting as firsts.','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>Casio\'s Tryx camera lives up to its name. In addition to a lens that rotates a full 360 degrees, the camera -- set to hit stores in the next month -- has a list of features its makers are touting as firsts. </p>\n                <p>\n\"Features like zoom, resolution, and size are no longer exciting or differentiating,\" said Toshiharu Okimuro, the CEO and Chairman of Casio America.</p>\n                <p>\nTryx has clearly found a new way to be different. But whether or not all of its tricks add up to a smart buy is still up for debate.</p>\n                <p>\nWe had a chance to spend some time with the camera at a press conference and concert Casio hosted on Thursday evening to celebrate its launch. Here are the three features that will likely stand out to the average consumer.</p>\n                <p>\n</p><ul><li><b>Rotating Frame:</b> Tryx\'s most eye-catching feature is its rotating frame (see video below). The camera body itself is exactly the same size as an iPhone, but the display and lens rotates 360 degrees, and the display flips to face either direction. This allows you to stand the camera on a table, hang it from a wall, twist it to shoot at an awkward angle, or easily take a self-portrait.</li>\n<li><b>Motion-Activated Timer:</b> One of Tryx\'s smartest features allows you to trigger the shutter button with a wave of the hand. Instead of running to get into a group shot, the photographer can reach out and \"touch\" a virtual button when the group is ready.</li>\n<li><b>HDR-Art:</b> Casio calls its single effect feature \"<a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/mashable/tc_mashable/storytext/hands_on_tryx_casios_rotatingframe_camera_video/41003951/SIG=11ka0h9no/*http://exilim.casio.com/digital_cameras_tryx.shtml\" target=\"_blank\">HDR-Art</a>.\" You can choose to apply the effect with three levels of intensity. It makes photos look like paintings. But it\'s still not as much fun as the many filters of Instagram, Picplz, or Hipstamatic.</li>\n                                               \n                \n                                                                \n                \n                                                                      \n                \n                    \n                \n\n                \n</ul></div> \n                <p>\n            </p></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"HANDS ON: Tryx, Casio\'s Rotating-Frame Camera [VIDEO]   (Mashable)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/mashable/20110408/tc_mashable/hands_on_tryx_casios_rotatingframe_camera_video\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/mashable/20110408/tc_mashable/hands_on_tryx_casios_rotatingframe_camera_video</a></p>',-2,5,0,44,'2011-04-07 23:31:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-04-07 23:31:00','2011-04-09 06:12:34','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(883,'Webroot Mobile Security tops Android Apps of the Week   (Appolicious)','webroot-mobile-security-tops-android-apps-of-the-week-appolicious','','Appolicious - Android’s security flaws have been exposed, leaving consumers a little more cautious of their downloads, and security app makers a little more encouraged. As apps become hot commodities, we’re all more wary of mobile software downloads. Protecting them, as well as our devices, has become an important aspect of Android maintenance. Apps like Webroot have flocked to Android, where they’re likely to find ready buyers.','<div><div class=\"clearfix\">\n    			\n    			<p>Android’s security flaws have been exposed, leaving consumers a little more cautious of their downloads, and security app makers a little more encouraged. As apps become hot commodities, we’re all more wary of mobile software downloads. Protecting them, as well as our devices, has become an important aspect of Android maintenance. Apps like Webroot have flocked to Android, where they’re likely to find ready buyers.</p>&#13;\n<h2>Security &amp; backup</h2>&#13;\n<p><a href=\"/finance/apps/474992-webroot-mobile-security-webroot-software-inc\"><img src=\"http://c1345842.cdn.cloudfiles.rackspacecloud.com/assets/apps/icons/000/474/992/fourtyfive.png?1301926826\" alt=\"\" width=\"45\" height=\"45\" /></a><a href=\"/finance/apps/474992-webroot-mobile-security-webroot-software-inc\">Webroot Mobile Security</a> picked a fine time to push its Android app, offering basic protection for your smartphone or tablet. This free app aims to protect personal data on your device, while also scanning apps, sites and links for viruses. Locate lost phones, remote-wipe if needed, and even block unwanted calls. Want the full service? Pay $14.99 for a year’s subscription.</p>&#13;\n<p><a href=\"http://community.mozy.com/t5/Android/Welcome/td-p/22119\"><img class=\"right\" src=\"http://c1345842.cdn.cloudfiles.rackspacecloud.com/assets/cdn_files/assets/000/001/930/original.jpeg?1302187162\" alt=\"\" width=\"45\" height=\"48\" /></a>Mozy has had a whirlwind week, having been acquired by fellow EMC cloud division VMware. The fun didn’t stop there; the online storage and backup service also launched an Android app. <a href=\"http://community.mozy.com/t5/Android/Welcome/td-p/22119\">MozyHome</a> lets you securely search, access and send files, and open them with other apps (like Flickr or Facebook). This non-market Android app is currently free and in beta.</p>&#13;\n<p><strong>Related:</strong> <a href=\"/games/articles/7412-tap-tap-revenge-4-tops-android-games-of-the-week\">Tap Tap Revenge 4 tops Android Games of the Week</a></p>&#13;\n<h2>Music &amp; entertainment</h2>&#13;\n<p><a href=\"/apps/439412-rhapsody-rhapsody-international-inc\"><img src=\"http://c1345842.cdn.cloudfiles.rackspacecloud.com/assets/apps/icons/000/439/412/fourtyfive.png?1298451414\" alt=\"\" width=\"45\" height=\"45\" /></a>Grooveshark got booted out of the Android Market, so you’ll need another streaming radio service to get by. Try <a href=\"/apps/439412-rhapsody-rhapsody-international-inc\">Rhapsody</a>, a subscription service for personalized music stations, downloads and streaming on-demand. You can check out Rhapsody for free, though features are limited. And for the time being, they’re still friends with the record labels.</p>&#13;\n<p><a href=\"/sports/apps/489579-mmajunkie-mobile-handmark\"><img class=\"right\" src=\"http://c1345842.cdn.cloudfiles.rackspacecloud.com/assets/apps/icons/000/489/579/fourtyfive.png?1298368465\" alt=\"\" width=\"45\" height=\"45\" /></a>Any martial arts fans out there will appreciate the latest Android app from Handmark. <a href=\"/sports/apps/489579-mmajunkie-mobile-handmark\">MMAjunkie</a> pools news and event info for the UFC, WEC, Strikeforce, Bellator and more. The rapid rise of this app proves the popularity of mixed martial arts, with sharing and bookmarking features for this niche reader. Free, there are quick tabs for promos, rumors, news and events.</p>&#13;\n<h2>Personal preferences</h2>&#13;\n<p><a href=\"/shine/apps/639750-trulia-real-estate-search-trulia\"><img src=\"http://c1345842.cdn.cloudfiles.rackspacecloud.com/assets/apps/icons/000/639/750/fourtyfive.png?1301668616\" alt=\"\" width=\"45\" height=\"45\" /></a><a href=\"/shine/apps/639750-trulia-real-estate-search-trulia\">Trulia</a> has made its way to Android, bringing local real estate search to your mobile phone. Browse a nearby neighborhood or do some serious house hunting, no matter where you are. The free search app works much like the website, with filters for price range, bedroom, size and more. See local open houses, view reduced-home listings, save searches and share your favorites.</p>&#13;\n<p><a href=\"/finance/apps/638757-spb-shell-3d-spb-software\"><img class=\"right\" src=\"http://c1345842.cdn.cloudfiles.rackspacecloud.com/assets/apps/icons/000/638/757/fourtyfive.png?1301571035\" alt=\"\" width=\"45\" height=\"45\" /></a><a href=\"/finance/apps/638757-spb-shell-3d-spb-software\">SPB Shell 3D</a> creates a new home screen experience, with rotating screens, smart folders and a collection of panels and widgets to adorn your phone. The $14.95 app is dedicated to its design principles, which offer clean, interactive layouts with sharp graphics. Putting beauty first means this high-priced customization works on a limited number of Android devices. Check for yours before paying up.</p>&#13;\n<p><a href=\"/shine/apps/553606-i-journal-catch-com\"><img src=\"http://c1345842.cdn.cloudfiles.rackspacecloud.com/assets/apps/icons/000/553/606/fourtyfive.png?1298386745\" alt=\"\" width=\"45\" height=\"45\" /></a><a href=\"/shine/apps/553606-i-journal-catch-com\">I Journal</a> is for those seeking some discipline in their note-taking. With meaning-based activities at the center of your daily reflection time, this free app isn’t for checking off to-do items, but to gain positive perspective. This Android app has prompts for recording eating and exercise habits, your mood, and even your acts of kindness. Sounds straight out a Will Smith movie script.</p>&#13;\n<p><a href=\"/finance/apps/350906-appolicious-appolicious-inc\">Download the free Appolicious Android app</a></p>\n    			\n    			</div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Webroot Mobile Security tops Android Apps of the Week   (Appolicious)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/appolicious_rss/rss_appolicious_tc/http___www_androidapps_com_articles7477_webroot_mobile_security_tops_android_apps_of_the_week/40998070/SIG=135qucjfi/*http%3A//www.androidapps.com/tech/articles/7477-webroot-mobile-security-tops-android-apps-of-the-week\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/appolicious_rss/rss_appolicious_tc/http___www_androidapps_com_articles7477_webroot_mobile_security_tops_android_apps_of_the_week/40998070/SIG=135qucjfi/*http%3A//www.androidapps.com/tech/articles/7477-webroot-mobile-security-tops-android-apps-of-the-week</a></p>',-2,5,0,44,'2011-04-07 16:30:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-04-07 16:30:00','2011-04-09 06:12:35','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(884,'Is It Time to Cut the Cord(s)?   (PC World)','is-it-time-to-cut-the-cords-pc-world','','PC World - If you\'re like most people, you pay for a home phone, and a mobile phone; as well as Internet access for you home, and a mobile data plan. Do you really need them all? Perhaps it\'s time to cut the cord(s) and eliminate unnecessary expenses.','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>If you\'re like most people, you pay for a home phone, and a mobile phone; as well as Internet access for you home, and a mobile data plan. Do you really need them all? Perhaps it\'s time to cut the cord(s) and eliminate unnecessary expenses.</p>\n                <p>\n\n		\nThink about it for a minute. When someone asks you for your phone number, which number do you give them by default? Probably your mobile phone number. Why? Because that is the phone that is with you virtually 24/7--almost always within arm\'s reach. That is the phone that people can actually reach you at whether you are at home, or on the go.</p>\n                <p>\n\n		\n For me, I can literally count on my fingers the number of times my home phone rings in a given month. The vast majority of those calls are charities of some sort or another looking for donations (No, I do not want to contribute to the fraternal order of police and get a \'100 club\' sticker to mar the back window of my car. Thank you, though.). Besides, the home phone line is set to automatically forward if it is not answered after a few rings. Do you know where it forwards to? You guessed it! My mobile phone.</p>\n                <p>\n\n		\nI don\'t need two phones. My home phone only works at home, but the mobile phone works at home...and everywhere else in the world pretty much. So, the no brainer solution would seem to be to cut the cord and drop the home phone. It is purely vestigial technology at this point.</p>\n                <p>\n\n		\nNow, let\'s consider data. Base DSL broadband speeds start at a meager 768kbps for $15 or $20 a month. AT&amp;T offers a DSL Direct Elite service with 6mbps speed for $45 per month. Being an AT&amp;T customer also entitles you to use AT&amp;T Wi-Fi hotspots, but more or less you would be paying $45 per month for 6mbps broadband Internet that only works at your home, and <a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/pcworld/tc_pcworld/storytext/isittimetocutthecords/41003200/SIG=13moe6uuu/*http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/222612/atandt_wheres_the_pooled_data_plan_with_rollover_megabytes.html\">has a 150GB per month usage cap</a>.</p>\n                <p>\n\n		\nOr, for the same $45 per month you can get 4G WiMax broadband from Clear. The 4G WiMax is capable of average speeds of 3 - 6mbps, with bursts of 10mbps or more depending on signal quality. With the wireless broadband, you\'d be able to take your Internet with you wherever you may go, and the Clear data plan is unlimited. If you could <a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/pcworld/tc_pcworld/storytext/isittimetocutthecords/41003200/SIG=13jcib9gm/*http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/221347/activate_atandt_iphone_personal_hotspot_plan_on_the_fly.html\">take your Internet with you</a> wherever you go, you might also be able to reduce or eliminate the <a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/pcworld/tc_pcworld/storytext/isittimetocutthecords/41003200/SIG=133uhrgmi/*http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/219036/keeping_track_of_your_iphone_data_usage.html\">data plan on your smartphone</a>.</p>\n                <p>\n\n		\nYour mileage may vary. You have to consider how you use the various technologies you pay for, and whether you are getting enough value out of them to justify the expense.</p>\n                <p>\n\n		\nOn the data side, there are certainly pros and cons to cutting the cord, but for many people it may make sense to drop the home broadband and just <a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/pcworld/tc_pcworld/storytext/isittimetocutthecords/41003200/SIG=13g70dkcv/*http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/204632/portable_hotspots_are_the_future_of_mobile_broadband.html\">go with the portable Wi-Fi hotspot</a>. The mobile phone, on the other hand, has become such an integrated part of our lives that for most people the home phone seems like a silly additional expense to be wasting money on each month.</p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Is It Time to Cut the Cord(s)?   (PC World)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/pcworld/20110408/tc_pcworld/isittimetocutthecords\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/pcworld/20110408/tc_pcworld/isittimetocutthecords</a></p>',-2,5,0,44,'2011-04-07 23:12:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-04-07 23:12:00','2011-04-09 06:12:35','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(885,'Videos We All Love to Hate on YouTube   (PC World)','videos-we-all-love-to-hate-on-youtube-pc-world','','PC World - Everyone has a favorite online video or a few perennial favorites that they enjoy watching over and over again, but isn\'t it almost as much fun to hate one? The music video by that band you detest, the comedy skit that isn\'t funny, and if somebody sends you that awful viral video one more time...','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/pcworld/tc_pcworld/storytext/videoswealllovetohateonyoutube/41002338/SIG=12knr9ass/*http://www.pcworld.com/article/201268/old_spice_guy_top_5_youtube_video_picks.html\">favorite online video</a> or a few <a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/pcworld/tc_pcworld/storytext/videoswealllovetohateonyoutube/41002338/SIG=1250d3qff/*http://www.pcworld.com/article/167836/8_rockin_youtube_remixes.html\">perennial favorites</a> that they enjoy watching over and over again, but isn\'t it almost as much fun to hate one? The music video by that band you detest, the comedy skit that isn\'t funny, and if somebody sends you that awful viral video one more time...</p>\n                <p>\n\n		\nJoin us as we revisit some of the most hated videos in the history of YouTube. If you have a \"favorite to hate\" that we missed, let us know in the Comments below.</p>\n                <p>\n\n		\n<strong>Never Gonna Give You Up</strong></p>\n                <p>\n\n		\nBy now, pretty much everybody on Earth has been <a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/pcworld/tc_pcworld/storytext/videoswealllovetohateonyoutube/41002338/SIG=11amb1ndf/*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rickrolling\">Rick Rolled</a>--exposed at least once to Rick Astley\'s \"<a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/pcworld/tc_pcworld/storytext/videoswealllovetohateonyoutube/41002338/SIG=12pbd5oub/*http://www.pcworld.com/article/190128/rip_rickrolling_youtube_kills_original_video.html\">Never Gonna Give You Up</a>\" video against their will. If you\'ve somehow avoided getting tricked into looking at it so far, consider yourself lucky. Everyone from <a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/pcworld/tc_pcworld/storytext/videoswealllovetohateonyoutube/41002338/SIG=11smckp0l/*http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvUiLtwlEl8&amp;feature=related\">news anchors</a> to the <a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/pcworld/tc_pcworld/storytext/videoswealllovetohateonyoutube/41002338/SIG=11cmcbn4o/*http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wL-hNMJvcyI\">Macy\'s Thanksgiving Day Parade</a> has been victimized. Oddly enough, the Rick Roll videos rarely pile up large numbers of Dislike votes--but any list of hated YouTube videos seems incomplete without \"Never Gonna Give You Up.\"</p>\n                <p>\n\n		\nHere it is:</p>\n                <p>\n\n		\n		\n		\nWith its impressive total of more than 31 million views, this video has garnered about 3400 Dislikes and 38,000 Likes on YouTube. And of course, like other hugely successful YouTube efforts, the video has become a magnet for ads. So now the ads AND Rick can drive everyone crazy.</p>\n                <p>\n\n		\n<strong>Evolution of Dance</strong></p>\n                <p>\n\n		\nWhen it was uploaded in April of 2006, Judson Laipply\'s quick dance medley quickly rocketed to the number one spot among most-viewed videos on YouTube, and it has continued to post high numbers ever since (the current total sits at almost 170 million views). But along with popularity came a backlash: Evolution of Dance is also the 10th most disliked video on YouTube. Laipply seems not to have let the negativity slow him down, however. In 2009, he posted a <a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/pcworld/tc_pcworld/storytext/videoswealllovetohateonyoutube/41002338/SIG=124ojv3hi/*http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=inLBPVG8oEU&amp;feature=player_embedded\">sequel to the \"Evolution of Dance\"</a>--and he proudly advertises the video on <a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/pcworld/tc_pcworld/storytext/videoswealllovetohateonyoutube/41002338/SIG=112319evn/*http://www.mightaswelldance.com/\">his homepage</a>.</p>\n                <p>\n\n		\n		\n		\n\"Evolution of Dance\" has racked up 63,417 Dislike votes on YouTube, but that figure is dwarfed by the impressive 726,745 Likes it has received. Not too shabby a showing for a video that has collected more than 168 million views.</p>\n                <p>\n\n		\n<strong>Chocolate Rain</strong></p>\n                <p>\n\n		\nFrom the nonsense lyrics to the low-quality video to the voice that just should not be coming out of the body of that singer, \"Chocolate Rain\" is one of the most surreal videos on YouTube. That supreme weirdness explains both the popularity of the video (and of its creator <a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/pcworld/tc_pcworld/storytext/videoswealllovetohateonyoutube/41002338/SIG=12qmdufth/*http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=tayzonday&amp;annotation_id=annotation_482100&amp;feature=iv\">Tay Zonday</a>) and the widespread backlash against it. Ultimately, you\'re unlikely to mistake \"Chocolate Rain\" for a good song, but of all the hated videos cited here, it may be the most fun.</p>\n                <p>\n\n		\n		\nSo far, \"Chocolate Rain\" has accumulated 70,605 Dislikes and 314,748 Likes, from a total viewership of more than 64 million hits.</p>\n                <p>\n\n		\n<strong>Bad Romance</strong></p>\n                <p>\n\n		\nNo matter what she\'s doing, from wearing food to the Grammys to introducing a line of *ahem* <a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/pcworld/tc_pcworld/storytext/videoswealllovetohateonyoutube/41002338/SIG=131c7gle8/*http://www.pcworld.com/article/215956/lady_gaga_unveils_polaroid_sunglasses_camera_printer.html\">unique gadgets for Polaroid at the Consumer Electronic Show</a>, Lady Gaga elicits strong reactions. Some people love her, and some people love to hate her. Her YouTube videos follow the same pattern: This video for her hit single \"Bad Romance\" has collected millions of hits, but it\'s also the 5th most disliked video on YouTube. In case you\'ve been hibernating and have never seen it, here it is (warning, like all Lady Gaga videos, it contains some disturbing moments):</p>\n                <p>\n\n		\n		\n\"Bad Romance\" amassed a large number of Likes--391,062, to be exact--to go along with 83,592 Dislikes. With more than 364 million hits, though, you have to expect some criticism.</p>\n                <p>\n\n	\n<a rel=\"nofollow\">\n\n		\n<strong>Numa Numa</strong></a></p>\n                <p>\n\n		\nNuma Numa is a great example of the law of diminishing returns. The first time you saw this guy freaking out to a weird techno-song on his Webcam, it was pretty entertaining. The fifth or sixth time, it was still worth a chuckle. But around the 40th time somebody sent you the video, it started to lose its luster. Like many other <a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/pcworld/tc_pcworld/storytext/videoswealllovetohateonyoutube/41002338/SIG=11c6qnkjr/*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_meme\">Internet memes</a>, the Numa Numa guy spawned<a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/pcworld/tc_pcworld/storytext/videoswealllovetohateonyoutube/41002338/SIG=1193dcg43/*http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/numa-numa\"> a lot of imitators</a>, but none of them have had the irritating staying power of the original.</p>\n                <p>\n\n		\n		\nWith 19,820 Dislikes and 225,894 Likes, this is one of the less virulently disliked videos in our list. It managed to accumulate more than 40 million views, too, which is impressive, though nothing compared to certain much more hated videos. Stay tuned for...\n</p><p>\n\n\n		\n<strong>Baby Featuring Ludacris</strong>\n</p><p>\n\n\n		\nOh, Justin Bieber... If anyone illustrates the double-edged sword that is popularity on YouTube, it\'s JBiebs. Gauged purely by the number of times a disgruntled viewer has pressed the Dislike button for a particular video, he is gold. Not only is Bieber\'s video for the song \"Baby\" the second most-hated song on YouTube, but he shows up on the top 10 list of most disliked videos <a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/pcworld/tc_pcworld/storytext/videoswealllovetohateonyoutube/41002338/SIG=124hurc94/*http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ExWsVFJlFo&amp;feature=player_embedded\">FIVE</a>. <a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/pcworld/tc_pcworld/storytext/videoswealllovetohateonyoutube/41002338/SIG=1240t86ab/*http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXUSaVw3Mvk&amp;feature=player_embedded\">SEPARATE</a>. <a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/pcworld/tc_pcworld/storytext/videoswealllovetohateonyoutube/41002338/SIG=1240t86ab/*http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXUSaVw3Mvk&amp;feature=player_embedded\">TIMES</a>. Here\'s \"Baby Featuring Ludacris\":\n</p><p>\n\n\n		\n		\nThe amazing 1,214,024 Dislikes and 601,664 Likes for \"Baby\" become less surprising when you read comments like \"Just came for my daily Dislike.\" However with over 500 million views, Bieber can lay claim to the most viewed video on YouTube.\n</p><p>\n\n\n		\nIn fact, until a few weeks ago Bieber, still sporting his weirdly pasted-to-his-forehead-and-blow-dried hair, reigned as the dominator of the Dislike button, but then came...\n</p><p>\n\n\n		\n<strong>Friday</strong>\n</p><p>\n\n\n		\nThe video that the Internet loves to hate right now is young Rebecca Black\'s \"Friday.\" In the six weeks since it was posted on YouTube, Ms. Black\'s video has rocketed to the top spot as the site\'s most disliked video, blowing past Justin Bieber\'s efforts in the process. Clearly influenced by some <a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/pcworld/tc_pcworld/storytext/videoswealllovetohateonyoutube/41002338/SIG=11s4fgcpe/*http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DwT_2QQU64&amp;feature=related\">similarly terrible pop hits</a> already up on YouTube, the video has since inspired quite a few <a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/pcworld/tc_pcworld/storytext/videoswealllovetohateonyoutube/41002338/SIG=11cvajmen/*http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvQI69U8cxc\">parodies</a> and <a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/pcworld/tc_pcworld/storytext/videoswealllovetohateonyoutube/41002338/SIG=134aaph4t/*http://www.latenightwithjimmyfallon.com/blogs/2011/04/stephen-colbert-sings-friday-with-the-roots/\">covers</a>. Still, at the end of the day, \"Friday\" sits proudly on the throne as the single worst video on YouTube (until the next bad one comes along).\n</p><p>\n\n\n		\n		\nRacking up an astonishing 1,673,978 Dislikes as against a relatively scanty 211,672 Likes, this truly is the most disliked video on the Internet today.\n</p><p>\n\n\n		\nIn contrast, Stephen Colbert\'s recent duet of \"Friday\" with Jimmy Fallon of the <em>Late Show</em> and the show\'s house band The Roots is pretty good. The performance was initiated when Colbert lost a bet with Fallon (<a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/pcworld/tc_pcworld/storytext/videoswealllovetohateonyoutube/41002338/SIG=13emc4cgh/*http://ccinsider.comedycentral.com/2011/03/29/stephen-colbert-to-cover-rebecca-blacks-friday-with-the-roots/\">all for a good cause</a>). Check it out:\n</p><p>\n\n\n		\n		\nWant to know more about some of the stars of these hated videos? Read: <a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/pcworld/tc_pcworld/storytext/videoswealllovetohateonyoutube/41002338/SIG=12vd6trcj/*http://www.pcworld.com/article/151803/a_decade_of_internet_superstars_where_are_they_now.html\">A Decade of Internet Superstars: Where Are They Now?</a></p>\n            </div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Videos We All Love to Hate on YouTube   (PC World)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/pcworld/20110408/tc_pcworld/videoswealllovetohateonyoutube\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/pcworld/20110408/tc_pcworld/videoswealllovetohateonyoutube</a></p>',-2,5,0,44,'2011-04-07 21:00:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-04-07 21:00:00','2011-04-09 06:12:36','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(886,'Viacom and Time Warner Cable duel over iPad   (AFP)','viacom-and-time-warner-cable-duel-over-ipad-afp','','<p><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110408/bs_afp/usitinternettelevisiontelecomtrialviacomtimewarner\"><img src=\"http://d.yimg.com/a/p/afp/20110408/capt.photo_1302232555595-1-0.jpg?x=130&amp;y=86&amp;q=85&amp;sig=PMPclaZTZ1MMu451D8oZnQ--\" height=\"86\" width=\"130\" alt=\"Viacom and Time Warner Cable duel over iPad   (AFP)\" style=\"float: left; border: 0px;\" />\n</a>AFP - US media colossus Viacom and cable television titan Time Warner Cable have taken their fight over a show-streaming iPad application to court.</p><br style=\"clear: both;\" />','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) – US media colossus Viacom and cable television titan Time Warner Cable have taken their fight over a show-streaming iPad application to court.</p>\n                <p>\nThe battle centers on whether an existing contract between the companies allows Time Warner to stream Viacom content to hot new entertainment screens -- iPad tablet computers.</p>\n                <p>\nViacom contends that Time Warner should pay more for the privilege, while the second-largest US cable company counters that a deal already in place allows it to let people watch shows using a software application tailored for iPads.</p>\n                <p>\nTime Warner asked a federal judge in Manhattan on Thursday for a declaratory judgment backing its position.</p>\n                <p>\n\"We have steadfastly maintained that we have the rights to allow our customers to view this programming in their homes, over our cable systems, without artificial limits on the screens they can use to do so, and we are asking the court to confirm our view,\" Time Warner Cable general counsel Marc Lawrence-Apfelbaum said in a release.</p>\n                <p>\nViacom responded with a lawsuit charging that streaming shows to iPads or other Internet-linked tablet computers was essentially unlicensed distribution of copyrighted material and that the cable company should pay.</p>\n                <p>\nTime Warner Cable is \"asking the court to declare their brazen acts lawful\" and refuses to discuss the matter, Viacom said in a release.</p>\n                <p>\nA TWCableTV application for viewing cable shows on iPads has been downloaded more than 360,000 times since it was released on March 15, according to the attorney.</p>\n                <p>\nThe software makes 43 Time Warner channels viewable on iPads, with access determined by cable customers\' subscriptions.</p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Viacom and Time Warner Cable duel over iPad   (AFP)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110408/bs_afp/usitinternettelevisiontelecomtrialviacomtimewarner\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110408/bs_afp/usitinternettelevisiontelecomtrialviacomtimewarner</a></p>',-2,5,0,44,'2011-04-07 23:17:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-04-07 23:17:00','2011-04-09 06:12:37','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(887,'Microsoft Pushes Exclusive Bing iPad Search App   (NewsFactor)','microsoft-pushes-exclusive-bing-ipad-search-app-newsfactor','','NewsFactor - Not even Microsoft can ignore the 800-pound tablet in the room. The software giant has released a Bing search app for the iPad, hoping Apple fans will turn to the decision engine over a market-dominating Google for mobile searches.','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>Not even Microsoft can ignore the 800-pound tablet in the room. The software giant has released a Bing search app for the iPad, hoping Apple fans will turn to the decision engine over a market-dominating Google for mobile searches.&#13;\n</p>\n                <p>&#13;\nBing for iPad is a free download that works to deliver an experience that goes beyond traditional search. The app is optimized to take advantage of the iPad\'s touchscreen and lets users browse news, movies, Bing home-page images, local business listings, and other content with a finger swipe.&#13;\n</p>\n                <p>&#13;\n\"Apple, Microsoft and Google compete and coexist at various levels. The search-engine division of Microsoft wants to make as much revenue as it can,\" said Avi Greengart, an analyst at Current Analysis. \"You\'d have to deny reality if you didn\'t consider (Apple\'s)iOS an addressable platform. Microsoft clearly doesn\'t want Google to get all the search revenues off of Apple\'s tablet success. Microsoft would like earn some of that revenue through Bing.\"&#13;\n</p>\n                <p>&#13;\n<b>&#13;\nUnder the Hood&#13;\n</b>&#13;\n</p>\n                <p>&#13;\nThe market will decide if Bing for iPad is a worthy alternative to Google. Microsoft is offering some exclusive features for the iPad app, like Trends, to woo users. As its name suggests, Trends lets users explore the latest trends on Bing by using the iPad\'s touchscreen interface to see what people are currently searching for. Users can tap on any trend to learn more about what\'s happening and why it\'s getting so much attention.&#13;\n</p>\n                <p>&#13;\nBing for iPad continues Bing\'s overall focus on entertainment by offering up the latest info on movies. Users can also watch trailers, find nearby theaters, see the latest show times, or buy tickets on the go. &#13;\n</p>\n                <p>&#13;\nNot to be outdone by Google, Bing is also pushing maps on its iPad app. Bing is offering multiple map views, including road, aerial and bird\'s-eye. Users can find businesses and other destinations, save them to the iPad\'s address book or calendar, get turn-by-turn directions, and search real-time transit info. Meanwhile, MSN Weather powers weather alerts and a 10-day forecast for up to five cities at a glance.&#13;\n</p>\n                <p>&#13;\nZachary Gutt, lead program manager at Bing, noted some of the ways Bing for iPad works to make searching faster. \"With Bing\'s Voice Search, just say what you\'re searching for and Bing will find it. Bing\'s autosuggest feature helps you refine your search by providing suggestions based on your recent searches and related searches done by other people,\" Gutt said. \"And when searching for a popular topic, Bing provides the most relevant answer up top, complete with quick links to help you complete your task faster.\"&#13;\n</p>\n                <p>&#13;\n<b>&#13;\nBattling Google Together?&#13;\n</b>&#13;\n</p>\n                <p>&#13;\nBy offering exclusive features on Bing for iPad, Microsoft is showing favor to Apple over Google\'s Android. And Apple is embracing the opportunity to set itself apart from Android-based tablets, even if it\'s in a small way. So while Apple and Microsoft continue to compete on the mobile operating system front, this deal shows solidarity toward a common foe in Google. &#13;\n</p>\n                <p>&#13;\n\"This is far from the first time Microsoft has worked with Apple. Microsoft\'s entire office suite originated on the Mac and Microsoft continues to create Office for the Mac,\" Greengart said. \"So these companies have long both competed and worked together as partners. At one point, Microsoft made a huge investment in Apple which actually helped keep Apple going.\"</p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Microsoft Pushes Exclusive Bing iPad Search App   (NewsFactor)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nf/20110407/tc_nf/78072\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nf/20110407/tc_nf/78072</a></p>',-2,5,0,44,'2011-04-07 17:08:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-04-07 17:08:00','2011-04-09 06:12:37','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(888,'IBM Jumps Into Cloud, Customers Tip-toe Behind   (PC World)','ibm-jumps-into-cloud-customers-tip-toe-behind-pc-world','','PC World - In announcing its cloud computing services on Thursday, IBM stressed repeatedly that private clouds -- or those that exist behind the corporate firewall -- are as important to its strategy as those in the public realm.','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>In announcing its cloud computing services on Thursday, IBM stressed repeatedly that private clouds -- or those that exist behind the corporate firewall -- are as important to its strategy as those in the public realm. </p>\n                <p>\nIt seems like a wise strategy, given that even the IBM customers brought to a company event here to showcase their cloud development efforts were either not using the public cloud at all, or still in the early stages with it.</p>\n                <p>\nTony Kerrison, CTO at financial services firm ING, said his company is running \"zero\" applications today in the public cloud. Like other financial services firms, ING is heavily bound by regulatory requirements, as well as strict European Union rules about where its customer data can be stored.</p>\n                <p>\nEven putting e-mail in the cloud, which is first on Kerrison\'s wish list, will be \"a challenge\" because of the regulatory issues, he said in an interview at IBM\'s <a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/pcworld/tc_pcworld/storytext/ibmjumpsintocloudcustomerstiptoebehind/41003278/SIG=11kfc8frl/*http://www-935.ibm.com/services/us/igs/cloudforum/\">Cloud Forum</a> in San Francisco, where IBM announced its latest public and private cloud offerings.</p>\n                <p>\nCarlos Matos, senior director for infrastructure management and systems integration at Kaiser Permanente, said his company \"dipped our toes\" into a cloud initiative this year. Scott Skellenger, senior director for global IT operations Illumina, a life sciences firm that provides genotyping services, declined to specify what applications, if any, his company is running in the cloud. </p>\n                <p>\nThat\'s not to say IBM doesn\'t have plenty of customers using its cloud services. But it highlights the challenges of getting enterprise customers, especially in data-sensitive industries such as health and finance, to embrace public services.</p>\n                <p>\nIBM <a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/pcworld/tc_pcworld/storytext/ibmjumpsintocloudcustomerstiptoebehind/41003278/SIG=11q6vef41/*http://www-03.ibm.com/press/us/en/pressrelease/34197.wss\">announced two tiers of cloud service</a> at the event Thursday, under the umbrella name of the IBM SmartCloud.</p>\n                <p>\nOne, the Enterprise service, is an infrastructure-as-a-service offering similar to those from Amazon Web Services. Customers can deploy Windows or Linux applications in IBM data centers and IBM says it will guarantee 99.5 percent uptime annually.</p>\n                <p>\nThe other, Enterprise Plus, offers higher levels of security and a 99.9 percent uptime guarantee, plus the option to run virtual machines on dedicated hardware, rather than servers shared with other customers, and the option to use AIX as well Windows and Linux.</p>\n                <p>\nEnterprise Plus users also get more flexible management, security and availability options. IBM will manage just the hardware and hypervisors, for example, or almost any combination of the OS, middleware, application or entire business process.</p>\n                <p>\n\"IBM is trying to go a step further than the standard cloud offerings already out there, in terms of security, reliability and availability,\" said IDC analyst Jean Bozman.</p>\n                <p>\nThe SmartCloud services aren\'t entirely new -- IBM has offered them on a custom basis for some time. But it\'s the first time they are being widely offered as a listed product with a fixed menu of options, said Steve Mills, senior vice president and group executive in charge of IBM\'s software division.</p>\n                <p>\nPricing wasn\'t immediately available, but some published reports said the basic Enterprise service is comparable in price to Amazon Web Services, or a little more expensive.</p>\n                <p>\nThey service will compete with those from Hewlett-Packard, among others, which <a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/pcworld/tc_pcworld/storytext/ibmjumpsintocloudcustomerstiptoebehind/41003278/SIG=136vm204p/*http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9214541/Stepping_out_from_Hurd_s_shadow_HP_looks_to_the_cloud\">made its own cloud pitch</a> last month. But while HP hasn\'t said when its offerings will appear, IBM said its Enterprise service is available now worldwide, and Enterprise Plus will follow later this year.</p>\n                <p>\nIBM is also offering the products behind the services as a hardware and software package that companies can deploy in their own data centers. It includes numerous Tivoli and Systems Director products, including Tivoli Service Automation Manager and Tivoli Provisioning Manager for Images.</p>\n                <p>\nPublic and private clouds are \"equally valid,\" Mills said. \"There\'s nothing about the attributes that you can\'t implement inside a business,\" including provisioning new apps in a standard, automated fashion across a pool of virtual computing resources.</p>\n                <p>\nThe biggest challenge for enterprises will be management, according to IBM, in particular the proliferation of virtual machines and software images. It hopes to distinguish itself from other cloud providers by the level of security and management it says it can offer.</p>\n                <p>\n\"We see the proliferation of images happening at a rate that makes the proliferation of Intel machines look like it was happening in slow motion,\" said Robert LeBlanc, IBM senior vice president for middleware.\n</p><p>\n\nIBM officials played down the suggestion that they will be competing more directly with partners, such as telecommunications providers, who have been offering their own cloud software based on IBM software. Such \"coopetition\" is normal in the industry, Mills said.\n</p><p>\n\nAlthough ING isn\'t using a public cloud, it is deploying \"utility\" applications such as social media tools on a private cloud, Kerrison said. It has a mix of x86 and IBM Power systems, and the company uses IBM\'s Tivoli software to abstract the hardware underneath and manage all the servers \"at a higher level,\" he said.\n</p><p>\n\nThe ITIL best practices for IT are geared towards physical infrastructure, Kerrison noted, so ING has developed its own processes to ensure software stacks in its cloud are as standardized as possible. That makes them easier to manage, and also helps with software development lifecycles, he said: \"Developers are clear when new stack releases are coming out. We treat our stacks really like a software release,\" he said.\n</p><p>\n\nING has found that no single vendor can move a company through the whole process of virtualizing systems and building an internal cloud, Kerrison said. \n</p><p>\n\n\"I\'d recommend forming an ecosystem of partners that\'s right for your business,\" he said.\n</p><p>\n\nSkellinger, of the life sciences firm Illumina, said moving to the cloud requires greater \"business acumen\" in areas like contract management.\n</p><p>\n\n\"Sometimes the skills you needed yesterday aren\'t going to be the ones you need tomorrow,\" he said.</p>\n            </div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"IBM Jumps Into Cloud, Customers Tip-toe Behind   (PC World)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/pcworld/20110408/tc_pcworld/ibmjumpsintocloudcustomerstiptoebehind\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/pcworld/20110408/tc_pcworld/ibmjumpsintocloudcustomerstiptoebehind</a></p>',-2,5,0,44,'2011-04-07 23:20:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-04-07 23:20:00','2011-04-09 06:12:38','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(889,'Electronic stores in two states offer free guns   (Reuters)','electronic-stores-in-two-states-offer-free-guns-reuters','','Reuters - A chain of electronic stores in parts of the states of Idaho and Montana are offering free guns to first-time subscribers of satellite TV services.','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>SALMON, Idaho (Reuters) – A chain of electronic stores in parts of the states of Idaho and Montana are offering free guns to first-time subscribers of satellite TV services.</p>\n                <p>\nThe new promotions by combination RadioShack and Dish Network dealerships in western Montana and another in southwest Idaho have attracted crowds that range from the merely curious to the firearm-friendly.</p>\n                <p>\nJohn Marshall, owner of a RadioShack store in Mountain Home, Idaho near Boise, said the flagging economy was behind the program he began advertising this week.</p>\n                <p>\n\"There\'s no problem with it here; this isn\'t New York City,\" he said about a gun giveaway that has sparked criticism on blogs by gun-control advocates elsewhere.</p>\n                <p>\nUnder the arrangement, new subscribers to a Dish Network package are given a coupon for $135 to purchase a single-shot shotgun at a local sporting goods store.</p>\n                <p>\nThe guns-for-subscriptions offer is the brainchild of Steve Strand, owner of a RadioShack store in Montana\'s Bitterroot Valley.</p>\n                <p>\nStrand said the promotional campaign he crafted last fall has proved a sure-fire strategy to target satellite subscribers in a region that favors firearms. Subscriptions for Dish Network packages have increased threefold since he began offering freebies on pistols or shotguns.</p>\n                <p>\nStrand said women make up the majority of his growing customer base.</p>\n                <p>\n\"All I can tell you is, grandma is packing a gun in Montana,\" he said.</p>\n                <p>\nA RadioShack official questioned the promotion but the corporation has not prohibited it by franchise owners like Strand.</p>\n                <p>\n\"I might not even consider such a program if I were in Detroit city but we have a different demographic out here,\" Strand said.</p>\n                <p>\n(Editing by Dan Whitcomb and Tim Gaynor)</p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Electronic stores in two states offer free guns   (Reuters)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oddlyenough/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110407/od_nm/us_guns_radioshack_odd\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oddlyenough/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110407/od_nm/us_guns_radioshack_odd</a></p>',-2,5,0,46,'2011-04-07 10:56:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-04-07 10:56:00','2011-04-09 06:12:39','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(890,'Maine legalizing switchblades for one-armed people   (Reuters)','maine-legalizing-switchblades-for-one-armed-people-reuters','','Reuters - Maine lawmakers on Wednesday approved legalizing switchblades for people with one arm, moving close to becoming the first state to make such an exception to laws that ban use of the spring-action knives.','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>CONWAY, Massachusetts (Reuters) – Maine lawmakers on Wednesday approved legalizing switchblades for people with one arm, moving close to becoming the first state to make such an exception to laws that ban use of the spring-action knives.</p>\n                <p>\nBackers of the measure say legalizing switchblades would eliminate a need for one-armed people to be forced to open folding knives with their teeth in emergencies.</p>\n                <p>\nThe bill to allow amputees and other one-armed people to carry the quick-opening knives cleared Maine\'s Senate on Wednesday after passing the House on Tuesday, Senate officials said.</p>\n                <p>\nUntil now, Maine banned the use of switchblades by anyone.</p>\n                <p>\nIn most states, carrying switchblades is illegal in most circumstances, though owning the knives may be allowed in some states.</p>\n                <p>\nFederal law allows their use by a person with one arm only on federal property if the blade is shorter than three inches.</p>\n                <p>\nThe Maine bill requires that the knives have a blade that is three inches or shorter.</p>\n                <p>\nGovernor Paul LePage is expected to sign the measure into law in the next couple of days, said spokeswoman Adrienne Bennett.</p>\n                <p>\n(Reporting by Zach Howard, editing by Ellen Wulfhorst and Greg McCune)</p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Maine legalizing switchblades for one-armed people   (Reuters)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oddlyenough/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110407/od_nm/us_maine_switchblades\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oddlyenough/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110407/od_nm/us_maine_switchblades</a></p>',-2,5,0,46,'2011-04-07 10:57:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-04-07 10:57:00','2011-04-09 06:12:40','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(891,'Miserly duck tops list of richest fictional characters   (Reuters)','miserly-duck-tops-list-of-richest-fictional-characters-reuters','','Reuters - A miserly duck, a vampire and pair of precocious kids are among the richest fictional characters, according to a ranking by Forbes.','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>NEW YORK (Reuters) – A miserly duck, a vampire and pair of precocious kids are among the richest fictional characters, according to a ranking by Forbes.</p>\n                <p>\nScrooge McDuck, the \"penny-pinching poultry\" with a fortune in gold coins whose estimated worth is $44.1 billion, headed the list of Forbes\' \"Fictional 15\" wealthiest imaginary characters.</p>\n                <p>\nBut despite his riches, McDuck still trails Microsoft founder Bill Gates\' $53 billion.</p>\n                <p>\nVampire-themed franchises have become big business, so it\'s no surprise that Carlisle Cullen, the 370-year-old vampire from the \"Twilight\" books and films who has been accruing interest on a small savings account since 1670, came in second with $36.2 billion.</p>\n                <p>\nA pair of over-achieving youngsters came in third. Artemis Fowl II, the prepubescent scion of an Irish crime family from Eoin Colfer\'s Artemis Fowl novels, was pegged at $13.5 billion, while the altruistically inclined comic book character Richie Rich totaled $9.7 billion.</p>\n                <p>\nTo qualify for the list the characters must be known in their fictional stories and by their audiences for being rich.</p>\n                <p>\n\"Net worth estimates are based on an analysis of the fictional character\'s source material, and where possible, valued against known real-world commodity and share price movements,\" Forbes said.</p>\n                <p>\nWhile the list, which Forbes editors have compiled since 2005, is all in fun, the process and resultant numbers are serious business, said special projects executive editor Michael Noer.</p>\n                <p>\n\"We go to great lengths to calculate their net worth,\" Noer said in an interview. \"It\'s similar to how we calculate real billionaires.\"</p>\n                <p>\nMarket forces, especially commodities, also provided some guidance.</p>\n                <p>\n\"McDuck was up over 30 percent, which is what gold has done this year, and his wealth is mostly in gold,\" Noer explained.</p>\n                <p>\nSimilarly Jed Clampett, the country bumpkin who found black gold in the television series \"The Beverly Hillbillies\" benefited from rising oil prices for a $9.5 billion net worth.</p>\n                <p>\nMr. Monopoly, the top-hatted, mustachioed character from the popular board game, placed ninth with $2.6 billion. The editors based his worth on the current value of Atlantic City real estate and a presumed percentage of property ownership.</p>\n                <p>\nThe full list, with character profiles and sources of their wealth, can be found at www.forbes.com/fictional15.</p>\n                <p>\n(Reporting by Chris Michaud; editing by Patricia)</p>\n                <p>\n-</p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Miserly duck tops list of richest fictional characters   (Reuters)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oddlyenough/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110407/od_nm/us_fiction_characters\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oddlyenough/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110407/od_nm/us_fiction_characters</a></p>',-2,5,0,46,'2011-04-07 10:57:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-04-07 10:57:00','2011-04-09 06:12:41','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(892,'Friday most popular day for bank robberies   (Reuters)','friday-most-popular-day-for-bank-robberies-reuters','','Reuters - Bank robberies in the United States take place most often in mid-morning, on Fridays and in southern and western states, according to government statistics released on Tuesday.','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>NEW YORK (Reuters) – Bank robberies in the United States take place most often in mid-morning, on Fridays and in southern and western states, according to government statistics released on Tuesday.</p>\n                <p>\nRobbers stole slightly more than $43 million last year nationwide in 5,546 robberies of banks, credit unions and other financial institutions, statistics released by the FBI showed.</p>\n                <p>\nThe South led the way with 1,790 bank robberies, followed by the West with 1,691. California had the most robberies at 805, followed by Texas with 464. North Dakota, where there were two bank robberies, had the least.</p>\n                <p>\nOverall, there were 5,628 reported bank crimes -- the 5,546 robberies along with 74 burglaries, eight larcenies and 13 extortions of financial institutions.</p>\n                <p>\nThat marked a decrease from 2009, when there were 6,065 such crimes reported, the FBI said.</p>\n                <p>\nThe FBI does not speculate on why such a decrease occurred, said spokeswoman Denise Ballew.</p>\n                <p>\nMost robberies took place at bank counters and involved notes demanding money and threats of weapons, the statistics showed.</p>\n                <p>\nNearly all of the $43 million haul was cash, and about $8 million was later recovered, the FBI said.</p>\n                <p>\n(Reporting by Ellen Wulfhorst, editing by Greg McCune)</p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Friday most popular day for bank robberies   (Reuters)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oddlyenough/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110406/od_nm/us_crime_banks\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oddlyenough/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110406/od_nm/us_crime_banks</a></p>',-2,5,0,46,'2011-04-06 12:58:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-04-06 12:58:00','2011-04-09 06:12:42','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(893,'Rat problem damaging tourism?   (Reuters)','rat-problem-damaging-tourism-reuters','','Reuters - Absolutely no one likes a rat, a city official said on Tuesday, demanding $1.5 million be restored to the budget to be help control what he called Manhattan\'s horrific rat problem.','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>NEW YORK (Reuters) – Absolutely no one likes a rat, a city official said on Tuesday, demanding $1.5 million be restored to the budget to be help control what he called Manhattan\'s horrific rat problem.</p>\n                <p>\nSeeing vermin running amok on city streets and in subway tunnels is a turn-off for tourists, said Manhattan Borough president Scott Stringer.</p>\n                <p>\n\"They don\'t want to come here and share their vacation with a New York City rat,\" Stringer told Reuters.</p>\n                <p>\nDemanding rat control money be restored to the city Health Department budget, Stringer said the cuts forced the layoff of 57 Pest Control workers. The result has been a 1.5 percent rise in complaints over last year and damage to New York\'s appeal as a tourist destination, he said.</p>\n                <p>\nIt\'s also a public safety issue.</p>\n                <p>\n\"I find this to be unacceptable because rodents are very dangerous to children and the quality of life of the city,\" Stringer said.</p>\n                <p>\nHe said the cut \"makes no sense\" as the city\'s pest control program was collecting around $6 million in fines each year from building owners for pest-related health violations.</p>\n                <p>\n\"Why would you make cuts to a program that actually makes money for the city?\" Stringer said.</p>\n                <p>\nUnless the cuts are restored and the pest control force fortified, the rat control problem is only going to get worse, he said.</p>\n                <p>\nCity health spokeswoman Susan Craig said the layoffs have \"had no impact on the agency\'s ability to respond to rat complaints.\"</p>\n                <p>\nThe city has adapted to the cuts by doing more comprehensive pest control sweeps of neighborhoods as opposed to responding to individual complaints, she said.</p>\n                <p>\n\"Our new approach has allowed us to become better at discovering rat problems, better at notifying landlords about infestations and better at getting properties near each other to treat rat problems simultaneously,\" she said.</p>\n                <p>\n(Reporting by Aman Ali, editing by Barbara Goldberg and Greg McCune)</p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Rat problem damaging tourism?   (Reuters)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oddlyenough/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110406/od_nm/us_newyork_rats\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oddlyenough/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110406/od_nm/us_newyork_rats</a></p>',-2,5,0,46,'2011-04-06 12:58:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-04-06 12:58:00','2011-04-09 06:12:43','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(894,'Detectives probe burglary -- at police station   (Reuters)','detectives-probe-burglary-at-police-station-reuters','','Reuters - British detectives said on Wednesday they were hunting for thieves who broke into one of their own police stations and stole their uniforms and radios.','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>LONDON (Reuters) – British detectives said on Wednesday they were hunting for thieves who broke into one of their own police stations and stole their uniforms and radios.</p>\n                <p>\nThe crooks burgled the police station in Uddingston, not far from Glasgow in Scotland, in the early hours of Tuesday morning when the office was shut.</p>\n                <p>\n\"At no time has the safety of the public or any officer been jeopardized as a result of this break-in,\" said a spokeswoman for Strathclyde Police.</p>\n                <p>\nShe declined to say how the audacious criminals had got into the building but added the radios had been disabled and could no longer be used.</p>\n                <p>\n(Reporting by Michael Holden; Editing by Steve Addison)</p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Detectives probe burglary -- at police station   (Reuters)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oddlyenough/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110406/od_nm/us_police\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oddlyenough/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110406/od_nm/us_police</a></p>',-2,5,0,46,'2011-04-06 12:58:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-04-06 12:58:00','2011-04-09 06:12:44','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(895,'Oregon thief with  good taste  nips $2,300 cognac   (Reuters)','oregon-thief-with-good-taste-nips-2300-cognac-reuters','','<p><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oddlyenough/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110405/od_nm/us_cognac_thief\"><img src=\"http://d.yimg.com/a/p/rids/20110405/i/r62721653.jpg?x=130&amp;y=85&amp;q=85&amp;sig=bVJslB571n35D0APZC9zCw--\" height=\"85\" width=\"130\" alt=\"Oregon thief with  good taste  nips $2,300 cognac   (Reuters)\" style=\"float: left; border: 0px;\" />\n</a>Reuters - A masked, quick-moving thief smashed a liquor store window early on Monday in suburban Portland and walked off with a bottle of cognac valued at more than $2,300.</p><br style=\"clear: both;\" />','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>PORTLAND, Oregon (Reuters) – A masked, quick-moving thief smashed a liquor store window early on Monday in suburban Portland and walked off with a bottle of cognac valued at more than $2,300.</p>\n                <p>\n\"He has good taste,\" said Lt. Mike Rouches a spokesman for the Hillsboro police. \"He knew exactly what he was after.\"</p>\n                <p>\nThe robber took the $2,363.45 bottle of Remy Martin Louis XIII cognac, 11 fine -- but cheaper -- bottles of cognac and 12 packs of menthol cigarettes at about 3:15 a.m. local time on Monday, Rouches said.</p>\n                <p>\n\"I\'ve not seen a theft like this. Usually they grab whatever they can,\" Rouches said.</p>\n                <p>\nThe police arrived quickly and the posh pilferer had already disappeared, another indication that he knew what he was after, Rouches said.</p>\n                <p>\nHillsboro police have surveillance tape of the masked thief and are searching for the apparently classy crook.</p>\n                <p>\nThe suspect could face charges of second-degree burglary, first-degree burglary and second-degree criminal mischief, Rouches said. (Reporting by Teresa Carson, Editing by Dan Whitcomb and Greg McCune)</p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Oregon thief with  good taste  nips $2,300 cognac   (Reuters)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oddlyenough/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110405/od_nm/us_cognac_thief\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oddlyenough/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110405/od_nm/us_cognac_thief</a></p>',-2,5,0,46,'2011-04-05 11:53:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-04-05 11:53:00','2011-04-09 06:12:45','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(896,'German mayor invents park bench for teen etiquette   (Reuters)','german-mayor-invents-park-bench-for-teen-etiquette-reuters','','Reuters - A mayor in Germany is attracting interest from other cities after he installed a special park bench for town teens who refuse to sit properly.','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>BERLIN (Reuters) – A mayor in Germany is attracting interest from other cities after he installed a special park bench for town teens who refuse to sit properly.</p>\n                <p>\nAfter residents of the southwestern city of Eppelheim complained teenagers always sat on the top of benches, rather than on the seat itself which they dirtied with their shoes, Mayor Dieter Moerlein came up with the idea of putting the seat on top.</p>\n                <p>\nThe first of Moerlein\'s benches was installed last week and he is already fielding calls from interested cities in Germany, he told Reuters on Tuesday.</p>\n                <p>\n\"The reception has been overwhelming,\" Moerlein said. \"Whoever wants to build one, be my guest.\"</p>\n                <p>\nThe mayor of 17 years calls them \"no-interest\" benches because teens have \"no interest in following etiquette. They all sit on the new benches like sparrows on a branch,\" he said.</p>\n                <p>\nIn a country reputed for its orderliness, putting your shoes on a public seat often earns a quick rebuke from passersby.</p>\n                <p>\nIn one extreme case, a 69-year-old pensioner wounded an 18-year-old man with a knife on Sunday after the teen would not take his feet off of a seat on a train.</p>\n                <p>\nBut in Eppelheim the bench has been a sufficient solution for all parties in a city best known for strudel and global food ingredient maker Rudolf Wild GmbH.</p>\n                <p>\n\"Kids are happy because there are no rules against sitting on the back of benches,\" the mayor said. \"Others are happy because they now have a clean place to sit.\"</p>\n                <p>\n(Reporting by Eric Kelsey, editing by Paul Casciato)</p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"German mayor invents park bench for teen etiquette   (Reuters)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oddlyenough/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110405/od_nm/us_germany_parkbench\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oddlyenough/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110405/od_nm/us_germany_parkbench</a></p>',-2,5,0,46,'2011-04-05 11:52:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-04-05 11:52:00','2011-04-09 06:12:46','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(897,'Spending on pets up during lean economic times: poll   (Reuters)','spending-on-pets-up-during-lean-economic-times-poll-reuters','','<p><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oddlyenough/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110405/od_nm/us_pets_survey\"><img src=\"http://d.yimg.com/a/p/rids/20110405/i/r3188940725.jpg?x=130&amp;y=86&amp;q=85&amp;sig=iqAfm0fRohPvrqFf6ZT16w--\" height=\"86\" width=\"130\" alt=\"Spending on pets up during lean economic times: poll   (Reuters)\" style=\"float: left; border: 0px;\" />\n</a>Reuters - Americans may be clipping money-saving coupons and delaying buying a new home, but when it comes to their pets they\'re spending more than ever, according to a new survey.</p><br style=\"clear: both;\" />','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>NEW YORK (Reuters) – Americans may be clipping money-saving coupons and delaying buying a new home, but when it comes to their pets they\'re spending more than ever, according to a new survey.</p>\n                <p>\nBetween trips to the vet, specialty foods, treats and toys, pet insurance and even parties, Americans have no compunction about opening up their wallets to keep Rex, Rover or even the house lizard healthy and happy.</p>\n                <p>\nFlying in the face of economic woes, between two and five percent of pet owners said they spent more on their pets last year, according to the poll by the non-profit American Pet Products Association (APPA).</p>\n                <p>\nAmericans are so concerned about their pets that 16 percent of dog owners and 13 percent of cat owners said their animal\'s medical treatment would take priority over their own.</p>\n                <p>\n\"Although the economy has been a major factor for many industries, the pet industry continues to see unprecedented growth,\" said APPA President Bob Vetere.</p>\n                <p>\n\"The survey reveals pet owners are willing to spend money on their pets despite a downturn in the economy.\"</p>\n                <p>\nAbout 73 million U.S. households, or about two-thirds of the total, have one or more pets, the survey showed, with dogs and cats accounting for about three-quarters of pets.</p>\n                <p>\nAnimal owners cite companionship and love as their chief attributes, but dog owners increasingly mention stress relief and exercise, such as walking or jogging with them, as benefits of ownership.</p>\n                <p>\nFish are also stress relievers, in addition to being fun to watch, while reptiles get points for being quiet, as well as being fun to have around.</p>\n                <p>\nBut all that comes at a cost, the survey showed.</p>\n                <p>\nPet owners are projected to spend a whopping $12.2 billion on veterinary cares in 2011, up from $11 billion last year and $8.2 billion five years ago.</p>\n                <p>\nCat owners in particular are making more trips to the vet -- 2.4 visits in 2010 compared to 2.1 in 2008 -- and spending $423 on surgery, more than $278 in 2008.</p>\n                <p>\nDoggie-gift spending was up a reported 30 percent, from $56 million to $73 million, while nearly 10 percent of owners said they had hosted parties for their beloved canines.</p>\n                <p>\nThe cost of buying a dog has also spiked from $121 to $364 due to the increased price of pure breeds.</p>\n                <p>\nSo just who is getting, keeping and paying for all these pets? According to the survey, pet owners are more apt to be defined as traditional families, and more likely to be younger, and married, than the overall population.</p>\n                <p>\nAnd while Hispanic and African-American segments of the population are among the fastest-growing, they have lower than average incidence of pet ownership.</p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Spending on pets up during lean economic times: poll   (Reuters)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oddlyenough/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110405/od_nm/us_pets_survey\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oddlyenough/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110405/od_nm/us_pets_survey</a></p>',-2,5,0,46,'2011-04-05 11:52:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-04-05 11:52:00','2011-04-09 06:12:46','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(898,'Russian artist pays pearl tribute to British queen   (Reuters)','russian-artist-pays-pearl-tribute-to-british-queen-reuters','','<p><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oddlyenough/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110404/od_nm/us_russia_britain_queen\"><img src=\"http://d.yimg.com/a/p/rids/20110404/i/r1431970816.jpg?x=130&amp;y=86&amp;q=85&amp;sig=1TbKxeaklzzAbI62Arf8_A--\" height=\"86\" width=\"130\" alt=\"Russian artist pays pearl tribute to British queen   (Reuters)\" style=\"float: left; border: 0px;\" />\n</a>Reuters - A Russian artist in Siberia has spent a small personal fortune on over a thousand pearls for a religious painting he has made for  Britain\'s Queen Elizabeth.</p><br style=\"clear: both;\" />','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>KRASNOYARSK, Russia (Reuters) – A Russian artist in Siberia has spent a small personal fortune on over a thousand pearls for a religious painting he has made for  Britain\'s Queen Elizabeth.</p>\n                <p>\nClad in embroidered robes, Adam and Eve sit in thrones on a suspended Garden of Eden in Anatoly Pastyrev\'s painting, which is crowned by a Russian Orthodox icon and pearl-encrusted throughout.</p>\n                <p>\n\"The British monarchy in particular has been the bastion of modern civilization which has centuries-old traditions coming from Christianity,\" Pastyrev told Reuters on Sunday at his home in the taiga forest encircling Krasnoyarsk, some 3,300 km (2,000 miles) east of Moscow.</p>\n                <p>\nPastyrev now wants to give the painting, called \"Glorification of the Lord,\" to the British monarch as a tribute to her title as Supreme Governor of the Church of England.</p>\n                <p>\nThe bulldozer operator-turned-artist spent months working on the painting, which has 1,360 natural pearls he bought in Moscow for the handsome sum of 500,000 roubles (10,947 pounds).</p>\n                <p>\n\"The British royal court is the oldest, most powerful and most influential,\" said Pastyrev, 57, who was a fervent communist in Soviet days.</p>\n                <p>\nHe is now looking for a way to give the painting -- which measures one meter (yard) by 1.4 metres long and is pearl-encrusted along its outline, throughout the garden and on the bubble-like clouds -- to Buckingham Palace as a gift.</p>\n                <p>\nBut Pastyrev wants to wait while the \"heat\" surrounding Prince William\'s marriage to Kate Middleton on April 29 dies down before attempting to get his artwork to the British monarch.</p>\n                <p>\n\"I am thrilled by this event... I have nothing but respect for the young Prince William,\" he said.</p>\n                <p>\n(Writing by Amie Ferris-Rotman, editing by Paul Casciato)</p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Russian artist pays pearl tribute to British queen   (Reuters)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oddlyenough/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110404/od_nm/us_russia_britain_queen\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oddlyenough/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110404/od_nm/us_russia_britain_queen</a></p>',-2,5,0,46,'2011-04-04 12:21:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-04-04 12:21:00','2011-04-09 06:12:47','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(899,'Vietnam finally nets legendary turtle for treatment   (Reuters)','vietnam-finally-nets-legendary-turtle-for-treatment-reuters','','Reuters - Experts in Hanoi captured a legendary giant turtle for medical treatment on Sunday, a milestone in a case that has grabbed national attention and cast a spotlight on environmental degradation in Vietnam.','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>HANOI (Reuters) – Experts in Hanoi captured a legendary giant turtle for medical treatment on Sunday, a milestone in a case that has grabbed national attention and cast a spotlight on environmental degradation in Vietnam.</p>\n                <p>\nSeveral dozen people including special forces soldiers swam and used boats to pull three rings of nets around the rare beast the size of a car door with a head as big as a human\'s, in Hoan Kiem Lake in the heart of the Vietnamese capital.</p>\n                <p>\nIn recent months the turtle has surfaced almost twice as frequently as in previous years, according to state-run media, and what appear to be pink sores have been photographed on its shell, neck and feet, raising alarm.</p>\n                <p>\nExperts believe the turtle, weighing some 200 kg (440 lb), may be suffering the effects of pollution, snaggings by fish hooks, attacks from smaller red ear turtles that have proliferated in the lake, or all three.</p>\n                <p>\n\"Generally, the turtle is fine and stable,\" turtle expert Ha Dinh Duc, part of the capture operation and a member of a steering committee set up to make decisions about the elderly animal, said after it was ensnared.</p>\n                <p>\nThousands of people crowded around the lake to watch.</p>\n                <p>\nAccording to Vietnamese legend, a giant turtle in the same lake -- some believe even the same animal -- reclaimed a magic sword given to king Le Loi in the 15th century that he used to win independence from China\'s Ming Dynasty.</p>\n                <p>\nThe lake was thereafter named \'Ho Hoan Kiem\', or \'Lake of the Returned Sword\', and Hanoi has been built up around it.</p>\n                <p>\nScientists have said they believe the turtle caught on Sunday may be more than 100 years old and a member of the critically endangered \'Rafetus Swinhoei\' family of turtles, although others have dubbed it an independent sub species, \'Rafetus Leloii\'.</p>\n                <p>\n\"You could say it is a representative of the country so bringing the turtle up for treatment is a necessity,\" said 78-year-old Hanoian Luu Tien Xuan.</p>\n                <p>\n\"The people are concerned. The leaders are concerned... It would be sad if Ho Guom didn\'t have the turtle in it anymore.\"</p>\n                <p>\nThe case has made headlines in the local media for months, sparking some criticism over the state of the environment in fast-developing Vietnam.</p>\n                <p>\n\"We have been too apathetic with regard to the turtle in the past as we rolled along with the speed of industrialization and modernization and forgot to protect its habitat... Save Ho Guom, save the environment, save ourselves!\" a person named Le Tuan posted on the popular news website Vnexpress.vn.</p>\n                <p>\nCritics also say it took scientists and the government too long to decide how to care for the animal.</p>\n                <p>\n\"Nobody wanted to take responsibility if it died,\" said one Hanoi resident who lives near the local government office facing the lake and declined to give her name.</p>\n                <p>\nThe reptile tore a hole in a net on March 8 and escaped when workers waded into the algae-green waters of the lake, also called Ho Guom, in a first attempt to catch it.</p>\n                <p>\nOn Sunday the turtle appeared to get past two of the nets, but a shirtless swimmer believed to be from special forces grabbed the shell and rode the animal a short while to prevent it from getting past the third net, television footage showed.</p>\n                <p>\nIt was put into a pen on an island in the middle of the lake that has been dubbed its hospital and sanitorium.\n</p><p>\n\n(Additional reporting by Do Khuong Duy and Nguyen Ha Minh, editing my Andrew Marshall)</p>\n            </div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Vietnam finally nets legendary turtle for treatment   (Reuters)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oddlyenough/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110405/od_nm/us_vietnam_turtle\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oddlyenough/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110405/od_nm/us_vietnam_turtle</a></p>',-2,5,0,46,'2011-04-05 16:33:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-04-05 16:33:00','2011-04-09 06:12:48','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(900,'Giant yellow teddy bear to brighten New York City   (Reuters)','giant-yellow-teddy-bear-to-brighten-new-york-city-reuters','','Reuters - London has Paddington Bear but New York now has a giant yellow teddy bear, a great sculptural masterpiece that could sell for more than $9 million at auction in May, Christie\'s said on Saturday.','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>NEW YORK (Reuters) – London has Paddington Bear but New York now has a giant yellow teddy bear, a great sculptural masterpiece that could sell for more than $9 million at auction in May, Christie\'s said on Saturday.</p>\n                <p>\nA 23-foot high, bronze teddy bear slumped under a black bedside lamp will be on display for five months in midtown Manhattan from next week and be a highlight of the Post-War &amp; Contemporary sale on May 11.</p>\n                <p>\nThe 35,000 pound sculpture, Untitled (Lamp/Bear), is the work of New York-based Swiss artist Urs Fischer. Brett Gorvy, Christie\'s deputy chairman for Post-War and Contemporary Art, described Fischer as the Jeff Koons of his generation.</p>\n                <p>\n\"We have seen contemporary sculpture works by Jeff Koons selling at $25 million and Urs Fischer is the leading pretender to the throne,\" he said. \"He is considered the most important, the most provocative of contemporary artists today.\"</p>\n                <p>\nGorvy said the U.S. collector selling the sculpture, whom he declined to name, had already turned down a private offer of $9 million.</p>\n                <p>\n\"The anticipation is that it will make more than that,\" he said. \"There\'s a very good chance it\'s going to go to a museum or a private institution.\"</p>\n                <p>\nThe teddy bear, which has button eyes, is currently being assembled in the plaza of the architecturally acclaimed Seagram Building skyscraper on Park Avenue. Gorvy said getting the city permits to install the sculpture was a project in itself.</p>\n                <p>\nAn added feature of the sculpture, according to the auction house, is that the table lamp above the bear\'s head works, so the bear can be lit up at night.</p>\n                <p>\n\"A true landmark sculpture of this nature appeals to private collectors and museums around the world, but could be acquired by a city as a means of attracting cultural tourism,\" said Gorvy.</p>\n                <p>\nChristie\'s said the sculpture had been inspired by Fischer\'s own much-loved teddy bear. Fischer sewed together a one-foot tall teddy bear and scanned it with a 3-D laser to generate drawings to create the sculpture.</p>\n                <p>\nIt is one of three created in 2005/06. The other two teddy bears are privately owned. U.S. collector Adam Lindemann has installed his sculpture on a bluff at his property on Long Island in New York.</p>\n                <p>\n(Reporting by Michelle Nichols; editing by Patricia Reaney)</p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Giant yellow teddy bear to brighten New York City   (Reuters)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oddlyenough/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110404/od_nm/us_newyork_teddybear\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oddlyenough/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110404/od_nm/us_newyork_teddybear</a></p>',-2,5,0,46,'2011-04-04 13:32:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-04-04 13:32:00','2011-04-09 06:12:49','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(901,'New diets for cows, sheep could cut emissions   (Reuters)','new-diets-for-cows-sheep-could-cut-emissions-reuters','','Reuters - New diets for cows and sheep could reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, research funded by the Department for environment, food and rural affairs (Defra) shows.','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>LONDON (Reuters) – New diets for cows and sheep could reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, research funded by the Department for environment, food and rural affairs (Defra) shows.</p>\n                <p>\nFeeding the animals maize silage, naked oats and higher sugar grasses could reduce the amount of methane they produce, the study by Reading University and the Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences showed.</p>\n                <p>\nAgriculture accounts for around nine per cent of all British greenhouse gas emissions. Most of this comes from sheep, cows and goats.</p>\n                <p>\nFarming accounts for 41 per cent of Britain\'s overall methane emissions, which are harmful to the environment.</p>\n                <p>\nA trial showed that high-sugar grasses could reduce an animal\'s methane emissions by 20 per cent for every kg of weight gain and naked oats could reduce methane emissions from sheep by 33 percent.</p>\n                <p>\n\"In the longer term the benefits gained by changing animals\' diets will need to be considered against other environmental impacts as well as how practical or costly they are for the farming industry to implement,\" Defra said in a statement.</p>\n                <p>\n(Reporting by Nina Chestney, editing by Paul Casciato)</p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"New diets for cows, sheep could cut emissions   (Reuters)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oddlyenough/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110404/od_nm/us_cows_emissions\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oddlyenough/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110404/od_nm/us_cows_emissions</a></p>',-2,5,0,46,'2011-04-04 12:18:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-04-04 12:18:00','2011-04-09 06:12:50','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(902,'South Korea pulls EU trade deal to fix translation errors   (Reuters)','south-korea-pulls-eu-trade-deal-to-fix-translation-errors-reuters','','Reuters - South Korea will withdraw the text of a free trade agreement with the European Union from parliament because it is riddled with translation errors and introduce a new one in the hope of getting it ratified by July, its chief trade official said.','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korea will withdraw the text of a free trade agreement with the European Union from parliament because it is riddled with translation errors and introduce a new one in the hope of getting it ratified by July, its chief trade official said.</p>\n                <p>\nThe admission by Minister for Trade Kim Jong-hoon that the bill before parliament is unacceptable for further debate until 32 newly discovered errors are fixed is fresh embarrassment for President Lee Myung-bak\'s government as it tries to pass legislation as it enters its final two years in office.</p>\n                <p>\nThe ruling Grand National Party has said it wants to pass the deal in April, but a politically charged by-election late in the month make it questionable whether the assembly can muster the discipline for serious legislative work.</p>\n                <p>\n\"We will soon be sending a new trade bill to parliament that corrects the errors,\" Kim told a briefing. \"I feel deep responsibility as the person in charge. I apologize for not paying greater and detailed attention.\"</p>\n                <p>\nKim said a new audit of the text of the translation put before parliament discovered 32 new errors due largely to stress on overworked employees. His ministry would be replacing the bill with a new one at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, he said.</p>\n                <p>\nThe European Parliament approved the deal in February, clearing the way for the EU\'s largest bilateral free trade deal to take effect from July as pledged by the two sides.</p>\n                <p>\nThe pact aims to scrap 98 percent of import duties -- 1.6 billion euros of South Korean duties and 11 billion euros of EU duties -- as well as trade barriers in manufactured goods, farm products and services over the next five years.</p>\n                <p>\nThe trade bill with the European Union was expected to face little opposition in South Korea\'s parliament compared with a similar pact with the United States, which also needs approval by the ruling party-controlled assembly.</p>\n                <p>\nAsia\'s fourth largest economy has a small but politically vocal farm lobby that has voiced opposition to the deal with the United States, claiming it does not do enough to protect farmers who will be hurt by a surge in imports.</p>\n                <p>\n(Editing by Robert Birsel)</p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"South Korea pulls EU trade deal to fix translation errors   (Reuters)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oddlyenough/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110404/od_nm/us_korea_eu_trade\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oddlyenough/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110404/od_nm/us_korea_eu_trade</a></p>',-2,5,0,46,'2011-04-04 12:15:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-04-04 12:15:00','2011-04-09 06:12:51','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(903,'Dog rescued from floating house   (Reuters)','dog-rescued-from-floating-house-reuters','','Reuters - A dog that survived in a house swept away to sea three weeks ago by the devastating Japan tsunami was saved on Friday by a coast guard rescue team flying over an island of debris.','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>TOKYO (Reuters) – A dog that survived in a house swept away to sea three weeks ago by the devastating Japan tsunami was saved on Friday by a coast guard rescue team flying over an island of debris.</p>\n                <p>\nLocal television showed an aerial view of a brown medium-sized dog trotting around the roof of the house -- the only part of it floating above water -- before disappearing inside through a broken section of the roof.</p>\n                <p>\nThe coast guard rescuers, thinking there might also be people alive inside the house, lowered one of their team onto the roof. He tried to coax the dog out, but then went in after tearing a wider opening. He came out with the dog in his arms and they were transported back to safety by boat.</p>\n                <p>\nDomestic media said no people were found inside the house.</p>\n                <p>\n(Reporting by Chizu Nomiyama; Editing by Edwina Gibbs)</p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Dog rescued from floating house   (Reuters)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oddlyenough/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110401/od_nm/us_quake_dog_odd\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oddlyenough/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110401/od_nm/us_quake_dog_odd</a></p>',-2,5,0,46,'2011-04-01 09:59:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-04-01 09:59:00','2011-04-09 06:12:52','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(904,'No more saggy pants for Arkansas school children   (Reuters)','no-more-saggy-pants-for-arkansas-school-children-reuters','','Reuters - Arkansas students who love their sagging pants should soon leave them at home.','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>LITTLE ROCK, Ark (Reuters) – Arkansas students who love their sagging pants should soon leave them at home.</p>\n                <p>\nArkansas Governor Mike Beebe signed a bill on Wednesday that bans students from wearing clothing that exposes \"underwear, buttocks or the breast of a female.\"</p>\n                <p>\nArkansas educators have long complained about the drooping attire, such as young men wearing saggy jeans that expose the top of colorful boxer shorts.</p>\n                <p>\n\"We feel the bill can improve the learning environment in schools,\" said Donna Morey, president of the Arkansas Education Association.</p>\n                <p>\nOne concern of the General Assembly was that \"student competition over the manner in which clothing is worn could lead to violence and injuries during school hours,\" according to the legislation. Lawmakers also said that students should learn to dress in a way that is acceptable in the workplace as they prepare to enter it.</p>\n                <p>\nThe new law does not outline how school districts will punish students who wear such clothing.</p>\n                <p>\n\"School boards will have to look at existing school dress code policies and make sure they are in compliance with this new law,\" said Kristen Gould, staff attorney for the Arkansas School Boards Association, a non-profit. \"Many of them may well be, and if not, they will have to incorporate it into their current policy and design punishment in accordance.\"</p>\n                <p>\nJosh Cunningham, a research analyst at the National Conference of State Legislatures, said that he was unaware of any other state with a ban of baggy pants in schools, although some cities have been successful in enacting such laws.</p>\n                <p>\nFlorida is considering a bill similar to the Arkansas law. In that state, the NAACP has denounced the bill and said it unfairly targets black males.</p>\n                <p>\nIn Arkansas, the bill had little public opposition, although several legislators voted against it.</p>\n                <p>\n\"Individual expression is important to young people and dress is an especially strong statement of expression, and I don\'t think legislators should meddle with that,\" said Sue Madison, a Democratic state senator from Fayetteville, Ark.</p>\n                <p>\n(Editing by Corrie MacLaggan and Greg McCune)</p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"No more saggy pants for Arkansas school children   (Reuters)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oddlyenough/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110401/od_nm/us_pants_saggy_odd\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oddlyenough/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110401/od_nm/us_pants_saggy_odd</a></p>',-2,5,0,46,'2011-04-01 09:52:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-04-01 09:52:00','2011-04-09 06:12:53','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(905,'April Fools\' jokes poke fun at royal wedding   (Reuters)','april-fools-jokes-poke-fun-at-royal-wedding-reuters','','<p><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oddlyenough/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110401/od_nm/us_aprilfools_royals_odd\"><img src=\"http://d.yimg.com/a/p/rids/20110401/i/r601436476.jpg?x=130&amp;y=86&amp;q=85&amp;sig=Af1xMhA.hqxyVkFvuJmLvQ--\" height=\"86\" width=\"130\" alt=\"April Fools\' jokes poke fun at royal wedding   (Reuters)\" style=\"float: left; border: 0px;\" />\n</a>Reuters - Britain\'s royal wedding is off! Oh no it\'s not, it\'s an April Fools\' joke.</p><br style=\"clear: both;\" />','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>LONDON (Reuters) – Britain\'s royal wedding is off! Oh no it\'s not, it\'s an April Fools\' joke.</p>\n                <p>\nThe big royal occasion later this month was the top target for traditional April 1 pranks in the press on Friday, including bride-to-be Kate Middleton shopping for baby clothes and the left-leaning Guardian joining the pro-monarchy bandwagon.</p>\n                <p>\nBeyond the royal nuptials, British tycoon Richard Branson has snapped up Pluto in a bid to reinstate it as a planet while his Virgin Atlantic airline will encourage first class travelers to grow their own vegetables on long-haul flights.</p>\n                <p>\nAnd the Daily Telegraph reported a \"secret memo\" about Labor Party plans to hold royal wedding-style street parties to mark the upcoming marriage of its leader Ed Miliband on May 27.</p>\n                <p>\nIn terms of journalistic resources, few put in as much effort as the Guardian, traditionally a bastion of royal-bashing republicanism.</p>\n                <p>\n\"In something of an about turn, the Guardian today pledges its \'full throated support\' for the monarchy,\" it said in its online edition, which features a comprehensive live blog poking fun at rival newspapers and broadcasters.</p>\n                <p>\nIt includes a photograph of Prince William\'s best man and brother Prince Harry holding \"what appears to be a draft of his best man\'s speech\" which refers to an incident involving a goat and royal pal Guy Pelly at the exclusive Bouji\'s nightclub.</p>\n                <p>\nA Breaking News headline at 10:11 a.m. declared the royal wedding was off, but four minutes later a \"Correction\" informed readers that it was on.</p>\n                <p>\nMost readers were in on the joke, but those in two minds might refer to the blog heading in Latin: \"Sis tranquillus est iocum.\" Fret not, it\'s a joke.</p>\n                <p>\nThe Daily Mail has a Middleton look-a-like studying infants\' clothes a month before she gets married. The photographer was \"Will Sandkate.\"</p>\n                <p>\nPULLING YOUR LEG?</p>\n                <p>\nOn a half-page advertisement in the Guardian, BMW refers all queries regarding its special Royal Edition M3 Coupe to pauline.yorlegg@bmw.co.uk.</p>\n                <p>\nAn emailed request for comment from Reuters elicited the following response from the BMW team:</p>\n                <p>\n\"Thank you for your interest in the BMW M3 Royal Edition. We would be delighted to send you more details about the model if it weren\'t for the fact that it was an April Fool\'s joke.\"</p>\n                <p>\nBranson was arguably the day\'s most outlandish prankster with an interplanetary deal.</p>\n                <p>\nA statement from his Virgin Group said he planned to bulk up Pluto\'s planetary mass in order to have it reinstated as a planet after its ignominious downgrade to dwarf planet in 2006.</p>\n                <p>\nThe mission was to \"set an example for struggling entrepreneurs facing setbacks.\"</p>\n                <p>\nLow cost airline Ryanair promised to introduce \"child free\" flights from October in what most people assumed was a joke.\n</p><p>\n\nHowever, the idea of a peaceful journey clearly appealed to some online commentators reacting to the \"story.\" \"All airlines should offer child-free flights. If you have ever flown for six hours with some brat kicking the back of your seat the whole way, then you would agree,\" wrote \"PM62\" on USA Today\'s website.\n</p><p>\n\n(Reporting by Mike Collett-White, editing by Paul Casciato)</p>\n            </div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"April Fools\' jokes poke fun at royal wedding   (Reuters)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oddlyenough/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110401/od_nm/us_aprilfools_royals_odd\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oddlyenough/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110401/od_nm/us_aprilfools_royals_odd</a></p>',-2,5,0,46,'2011-04-01 09:53:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-04-01 09:53:00','2011-04-09 06:12:54','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(906,'Pandas help lighten the mood in Japan   (Reuters)','pandas-help-lighten-the-mood-in-japan-reuters','','<p><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oddlyenough/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110401/od_nm/us_japan_panda_odd\"><img src=\"http://d.yimg.com/a/p/rids/20110401/i/r567075403.jpg?x=130&amp;y=93&amp;q=85&amp;sig=mFqpn8_jJoEFUF3bphN3LA--\" height=\"93\" width=\"130\" alt=\"Pandas help lighten the mood in Japan   (Reuters)\" style=\"float: left; border: 0px;\" />\n</a>Reuters - A pair of pandas that arrived from China a few weeks ago made their first public appearance at a zoo in Tokyo on Friday, providing a little light relief for victims of the tsunami that hit the country in March.</p><br style=\"clear: both;\" />','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>TOKYO (Reuters) – A pair of pandas that arrived from China a few weeks ago made their first public appearance at a zoo in Tokyo on Friday, providing a little light relief for victims of the tsunami that hit the country in March.</p>\n                <p>\nAbout 300 people who were forced from their homes by the tsunami joined thousands of others at Ueno Zoo to welcome male panda Ri Ri and female Shin Shin, both 5 years old, whose arrival in the country was broadcast live on national television in February.</p>\n                <p>\nThe pandas\' debut was postponed for about two weeks due to the disaster on March 11.</p>\n                <p>\nThe zoo asked visitors to contribute to the relief efforts after the massive earthquake and tsunami that killed or left missing about 27,500 people and made about 350,000 homeless.</p>\n                <p>\n\"The mood in Japan is so bleak now. I hope more people will come see the pandas so they can cheer us up,\" zoo visitor Misaki Kamezaki said.</p>\n                <p>\nThe last panda at Ueno, Ling Ling, died in 2008, although there are pandas at other zoos in Japan.</p>\n                <p>\nThe presence of pandas in Japan is often linked to the state of relations with China, which often go through chilly spells due to issues such as Japan\'s handling of its wartime past and territorial disputes over islands.</p>\n                <p>\nChina has donated to the relief effort, sending aid including clothing to the victims.</p>\n                <p>\n(Reporting by Reuters Television; Writing by Jon Herskovitz; Editing by Alan Raybould and Paul Casciato)</p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Pandas help lighten the mood in Japan   (Reuters)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oddlyenough/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110401/od_nm/us_japan_panda_odd\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oddlyenough/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110401/od_nm/us_japan_panda_odd</a></p>',-2,5,0,46,'2011-04-01 09:55:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-04-01 09:55:00','2011-04-09 06:12:55','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(907,'Thieves steal diamonds worth millions from fair   (Reuters)','thieves-steal-diamonds-worth-millions-from-fair-reuters','','Reuters - Thieves stole four diamonds worth several million dollars from a trader\'s stand at the world\'s biggest watch and jewelry fair in Basel on Wednesday, prosecutors said.','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>ZURICH (Reuters) – Thieves stole four diamonds worth several million dollars from a trader\'s stand at the world\'s biggest watch and jewelry fair in Basel on Wednesday, prosecutors said.</p>\n                <p>\n\"Three men engaged the staff in a sales talk while one or two others opened the showcase,\" said Markus Melzl, spokesman for the Basel prosecutor\'s office. \"These were real pros who had done some research ahead.\"</p>\n                <p>\nWatch and jewelry makers meet retailers from all over the world at the Basel fair which closes its doors on Thursday.</p>\n                <p>\n(Reporting by Sven Egenter; editing by David Stamp)</p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Thieves steal diamonds worth millions from fair   (Reuters)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oddlyenough/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110331/od_nm/us_crime_diamonds\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oddlyenough/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110331/od_nm/us_crime_diamonds</a></p>',-2,5,0,46,'2011-03-31 12:28:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-31 12:28:00','2011-04-09 06:12:55','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(908,'Struggling stewardess exposed euro coin fraud ring   (Reuters)','struggling-stewardess-exposed-euro-coin-fraud-ring-reuters','','Reuters - An airline stewardess struggling to lift her bag at a German airport led to the discovery of a 6-million euro ($8.4 million) coin fraud.','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>FRANKFURT (Reuters) – An airline stewardess struggling to lift her bag at a German airport led to the discovery of a 6-million euro ($8.4 million) coin fraud.</p>\n                <p>\nThe customs officer who stopped the stewardess in early 2010 found thousands of one and two euro coins in her bag, Bild newspaper reported in its Thursday edition.</p>\n                <p>\nThe incident sparked an investigation that has uncovered a forgery ring stretching to China and potentially implicating employees of German airline Lufthansa, the paper said.</p>\n                <p>\nThe Frankfurt prosecutors\' office said on Thursday it carried out dawn raids on offices and residences and arrested six people, four of whom are from China.</p>\n                <p>\nIt suspects them of having smuggled coins that had been taken out of circulation or bits of those coins into Germany from China, where they had been sent as scrap metal.</p>\n                <p>\nThe suspects then put the coins back together and exchanged them for a total of 6 million euros at the Bundesbank from 2007 to 2010, the prosecutors said.</p>\n                <p>\nAirline cabin crew do not have a weight limit on their baggage, prosecutors highlighted in a statement.</p>\n                <p>\nThere was no suspicion of any wrongdoing on the part of Bundesbank employees, the prosecutors\' office added.</p>\n                <p>\nThe Bundesbank said in a statement it was aware of the investigation into the use of scrapped coins. It also said that no Bundesbank employees were subject to the investigation.</p>\n                <p>\nA Lufthansa spokesman on Thursday said it was aware that individual employees were under investigation, but said the group could not comment on the investigation.</p>\n                <p>\nOld euro coins are taken out of circulation by removing the inner part of the coin from an outer ring and thus effectively turning them into scrap metal.</p>\n                <p>\nThe investigators recovered around 3 tonnes of coin pieces as well as a machine for putting them back together, prosecutors said in the statement.</p>\n                <p>\nThe Bundesbank is the only institute in Europe that exchanges damaged euro coins for free, replacing them with new ones of the same value.</p>\n                <p>\n(Reporting by Victoria Bryan, Alexander Huebner and Sakari Suoninen, editing by Paul Casciato)</p>\n                <p>\n($1=.7110 euros)</p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Struggling stewardess exposed euro coin fraud ring   (Reuters)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oddlyenough/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110331/od_nm/us_fraud_euro\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oddlyenough/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110331/od_nm/us_fraud_euro</a></p>',-2,5,0,46,'2011-03-31 12:21:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-03-31 12:21:00','2011-04-09 06:12:56','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(909,'Local News','local-news','','State Patrol troopers say the warning period is over for the new Emergency Zone Law requiring drivers to slow down or move over a lane when passing emergency vehicles with flashing lights.','<div><div class=\"content\"><p><strong><a href=\"/contact\">Email Us</a></strong></p>\n<p>	315 S. Michigan St.<br />\n	Aberdeen, Wa<br />\n	98520</p>\n<p>	<strong>(360) 532-4000</strong></p>\n<p>	<a class=\"twitter\" href=\"http://twitter.com/GHDailyWorld\" target=\"_bank\"> </a> <a class=\"facebook\" href=\"http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Aberdeen-WA/The-Daily-World/298224674309?ref=nf&amp;a__a=7#\" target=\"_bank\"> </a> <a class=\"crimereport\" href=\"http://www.crimereports.com/widget/smallwidget.html?CRSearch=aberdeen,washinton\" target=\"_bank\"> </a></p>\n</div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Local News\" href=\"http://www.thedailyworld.com/local_news?page=3&amp;;search_block_form=keith%20johnson&amp;;op=Go&amp;;form_build_id=form-91e6d5ea2898c0e90b09525472856fd2&amp;;form_id=search_block_form\" target=\"_blank\">http://www.thedailyworld.com/local_news?page=3&amp;;search_block_form=keith%20johnson&amp;;op=Go&amp;;form_build_id=form-91e6d5ea2898c0e90b09525472856fd2&amp;;form_id=search_block_form</a></p>',-2,5,0,35,'2011-04-08 04:56:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-04-08 04:56:00','2011-04-09 06:13:00','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(911,'Glencore set to fire starting gun on record IPO   (Reuters)','glencore-set-to-fire-starting-gun-on-record-ipo-reuters','','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>LONDON (Reuters) – Commodities giant Glencore is expected to kick off a much-anticipated $10 billion listing this week, with the publication of an Intention to Float document that will confirm its plans after months of speculation.</p>\n                </div></div>','<p>\nThe listing -- which could be the largest to date in London and one of the largest in Europe -- will force the Swiss-based firm to shed its once-fabled secrecy and open up its huge and successful mining and trading operations to increased scrutiny.</p>\n                <p>\nIt will also create massive paper wealth, dissolving the group\'s partnership structure and handing the 485 employees who own the group millions of dollars on average in shares -- though all are expected to be locked in for at least a year, with top management unable to sell for five years.</p>\n                <p>\nGlencore is expected to list roughly a 20 percent stake, which, along with short lock-ups on some of the existing shares, would give it the free float necessary to secure a spot in London\'s top share index.</p>\n                <p>\nSources familiar with the matter have said Glencore and its advisors are working to issue the ITF document in London around mid-April -- this week -- though that could still be delayed.</p>\n                <p>\nITFs, which are not a legal requirement, vary from brief statements setting out little more than a company\'s sketched plan to list at some stage to hefty documents listing details on timing, finances and management.</p>\n                <p>\nGlencore is expected to provide extensive detail, including the name of its new chairman. The Sunday Times named Simon Murray, a Hong Kong businessman and former French foreign legionnaire, as a frontrunner among three candidates.</p>\n                <p>\nMurray, currently chairman of Asian private equity firm GEMS, could not be reached for comment on Sunday.</p>\n                <p>\nGlencore, which has kept its plans under wraps since briefing analysts more than a month ago, has consistently declined to comment on the timeline of any IPO. The firm also declined to comment on Sunday on the search for a chairman.</p>\n                <p>\n\"MUST OWN\" IN TURBULENT MARKETS?</p>\n                <p>\nSources familiar with the situation have said the firm, valued by one analyst at about $60 billion, has held \"positive\" talks with investors in recent weeks, and these are expected to have included discussions with potential \"cornerstone\" investors for the Hong Kong portion of the listing.</p>\n                <p>\nCiti (C.N), Morgan Stanley (MS.N) and Credit Suisse (CSGN.VX) are likely to serve as joint global co-ordinators, with Bank of America Merrill Lynch (BAC.N) and BNP Paribas (BNPP.PA) as bookrunners. Barclays Capital (BARC.L), Societe Generale (SOGN.PA) and UBS (UBSN.VX) are likely to make up a third tier of banks advising on the IPO, according to sources familiar with the matter.</p>\n                <p>\nMarkets, however, remain tough.</p>\n                <p>\nAlthough equities markets have rebounded since a spike in volatility last month on fears of a nuclear crisis in Japan and unrest in the Arab world, bankers say investor willingness to back IPOs in general remains limited.</p>\n                <p>\n\"The tail risks are still quite elevated with concerns over the Middle East, the oil price, the Portuguese bailout, aftershocks in Japan,\" said one. \"The market is very jumpy.\"</p>\n                <p>\nA string of companies have pressed ahead with plans for new listings, but are finding that with a glut of issuers competing for attention in a still-uncertain market buyers can afford to be demanding on what price they are willing to pay.</p>\n                <p>\nTechnology company Edwards scrapped its listing on Friday, the largest European float due last week, after a group of other companies bowed to market pressure and sold shares at the lower end of their planned price ranges.</p>\n                <p>\nBut people close to the Glencore mega-deal, are confident it will not fall foul of the same problems.\n</p><p>\n\n\"It falls into the \'must own\' category,\" said one source close to the deal. \"It is appealing to a much broader base of investors and is going to go straight into major indices.\"\n</p><p>\n\nIf, as expected, Glencore proceeds with the listing, it would likely be making its debut around mid-May.\n</p><p>\n\nGlencore, planning a dual listing in London and Hong Kong, has received listing approval from the Hong Kong exchange. It has not said how it would split the IPO.\n</p><p>\n\n(Additional reporting by Quentin Webb; Editing by Sitaraman Shankar and Jon Loades-Carter)</p>\n            ',-2,5,0,36,'2011-04-10 10:43:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-04-10 10:43:00','2011-04-11 13:56:26','','','',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(912,'Obama to offer deficit plan   (Reuters)','obama-to-offer-deficit-plan-reuters','','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>WASHINGTON (Reuters) – With one budget fight behind him, President Barack Obama will offer a long-term plan for deficit reduction this week in preparation for bigger spending battles ahead, the White House said on Sunday.</p>\n                </div></div>','<p>\nSenior White House adviser David Plouffe said Obama would explore savings in defense spending and the popular Medicare and Medicaid health programs for the elderly and poor as he seeks ways to reduce the $1.4 trillion annual deficit.</p>\n                <p>\nWhite House officials said Obama would release his plan on Wednesday.</p>\n                <p>\nPlouffe and Republican leaders who control the House of Representatives said the difficult 11th-hour spending deal to avert a government shutdown on Friday was the first major test of the new era of divided government.</p>\n                <p>\nMuch harder battles lie ahead over the budget for the 2012 fiscal year that begins in October, and over the need to raise the current $14.3 trillion limit on U.S. government borrowing authority in the next few months.</p>\n                <p>\n\"We\'re going to have tough disagreements. It\'s going to be hard to bridge divides,\" Plouffe said on NBC\'s \"Meet the Press,\" adding the budget deal showed compromise was still possible in Washington.</p>\n                <p>\nRepresentative Paul Ryan, who authored a Republican 2012 budget plan last week as head of the House Budget Committee, said he expected a political fight over the debt ceiling.</p>\n                <p>\n\"There will be some kind of negotiations and yes it probably will go up to some sort of a deadline,\" he said on \"Meet the Press,\" adding: \"Our strategy is not to default. Our strategy is to get spending under control.\"</p>\n                <p>\nObama\'s Democrats and opposition Republicans agreed late on Friday to cut $38 billion in spending for the last six months of this fiscal year.</p>\n                <p>\nIt was the first big test for both sides since Republicans took control of the House in November\'s elections on promises to rein in government and cut federal spending.</p>\n                <p>\nThe deal, which still must be approved by Congress this week, prevented a shutdown that would have idled 800,000 federal workers, closed national parks and monuments and delayed paychecks for troops in Afghanistan and Iraq.</p>\n                <p>\nBut lawmakers on both sides of the political divide were disappointed. Republican Representative Mike Pence, popular with fiscal conservative Tea Party activists, said on ABC\'s \"This Week\" the deal was \"probably not good enough.\"</p>\n                <p>\nRepresentative Chris Van Hollen, the top Democrat on the House Budget Committee, said he would \"reserve judgment\" until he sees more details but believed the deal would be able to pass Congress.</p>\n                <p>\nObama, Republican House Speaker John Boehner and Democratic Senate leader Harry Reid hammered out the accord after weeks of bitter political wrangling that raised questions about Washington\'s ability to function under a divided government.</p>\n                <p>\nPlouffe said Obama, a Democrat, would not embrace Ryan\'s budget plan, which would save $6 trillion over the next decade, partly by cutting government-run health programs for the poor and elderly.</p>\n                <p>\nBut he said Obama\'s plan would look for savings in the Medicare and Medicaid programs, and would explore ways to strengthen the Social Security retirement program and renew an effort to raise taxes for the wealthiest Americans.</p>\n                <p>\n\"You\'re going to have to look at Medicare and Medicaid and see what kind of savings you can get,\" Plouffe said on NBC.</p>\n                <p>\n\"In the process of sitting down and talking about our spending and our programs, if there can be a discussion about how to strengthen Social Security in the future, he\'s eager to have that discussion,\" he said.\n</p><p>\n\nPlouffe told CNN that seniors, the poor, and the middle class were being asked to bear most of the burden under Ryan\'s budget plan.\n</p><p>\n\n\"If you weren\'t giving enormous tax cuts to millionaires, you wouldn\'t have to do that,\" he said.\n</p><p>\n\n\"So the president has said and it is in his budget, for people making over $250,000, he would favor having the tax cuts eliminated for them.\"\n</p><p>\n\n(Additional reporter by Alister Bull and Dave Clark; Editing by Laura MacInnis)</p>\n            ',-2,5,0,36,'2011-04-10 12:18:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-04-10 12:18:00','2011-04-11 13:56:27','','','',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(913,'Earnings optimism priced in for investors   (Reuters)','earnings-optimism-priced-in-for-investors-reuters','','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>NEW YORK (Reuters) – The upcoming earnings season may not be the time for investors to buy aggressively, because this year\'s winners already reflect earnings optimism.</p>\n                </div></div>','<p>\nThe first-quarter reporting period, which begins Monday with results from aluminum company Alcoa Inc (AA.N), follows three months of solid gains that have brought stocks close to two-and-half-year highs.</p>\n                <p>\nSome gains have been in anticipation of a strong earnings season, particularly for the energy and other cyclical sectors, analysts said, raising questions about whether this quarter\'s reports will be enough to keep the recent uptrend intact.</p>\n                <p>\nStocks have been going up \"in anticipation of earnings that are going to be what the real consensus is basically expecting,\" said Ken Fisher, chairman and CEO of Woodside, California-based Fisher Investments, which manages $43 billion.</p>\n                <p>\nSome investors see the rise in energy and other stocks that benefit when the economy starts to recover as unsustainable and have been paring back positions.</p>\n                <p>\n\"We believe commodity inflation is probably near a peak as is the interest level in many deeper cyclicals\" including the energy sector, said Tom Galvin, managing director and lead portfolio manager at Columbia Management in Stamford, Connecticut, which has about $6.5 billion in assets under management.</p>\n                <p>\nOverall, first-quarter earnings for S&amp;P 500 companies are expected to have increased 11.4 percent from a year earlier, but that\'s down slightly from a forecast of 13 percent on April 1, based on Thomson Reuters data.</p>\n                <p>\nStrategists fear higher commodity costs could dampen results for consumer-related companies as well as those in industries with heavy fuel costs such as transportation.</p>\n                <p>\nProfit margins are expected to drop to 8.13 percent in the first quarter from 8.41 percent in the fourth quarter, according to Charles Blood, senior market strategist at Brown Brothers Harriman.</p>\n                <p>\nThe energy sector far surpassed other sectors in the first quarter. The Standard &amp; Poor\'s energy sector index (.GSPE) was up 16.3 percent in the quarter, compared with the overall S&amp;P\'s gain of 5.4 percent, and oil prices are at 2 1/2-year highs.</p>\n                <p>\nDuring the fourth-quarter reporting period, the S&amp;P 500 (.SPX) gained about 3.6 percent.</p>\n                <p>\nAnalyst revisions to earnings estimates ahead of the reporting period support that view that Wall Street is anticipating strong gains in the energy sector.</p>\n                <p>\nSince January 1, the energy sector has been revised up the most, with its expected growth rate for the quarter rising to 25.9 percent from 11.5 percent, according to Thomson Reuters data.</p>\n                <p>\nOn the other end of the spectrum, the telecommunications sector has been revised down the most, falling to -3.4 percent from 7.5 percent.</p>\n                <p>\nBesides Alcoa, top names reporting next week are JPMorgan Chase &amp; Co (JPM.N), Bank of America Corp (BAC.N) and Google Inc (GOOG.O).</p>\n                <p>\nFisher, who sees the market mostly flat this year, said expectations won\'t be exceeded in the upcoming earnings period as they were in recent quarters.</p>\n                <p>\n\"Some will shoot the lights out - the obvious $64,000 question is which ones,\" he said.</p>\n                <p>\n\"If you like materials, you\'d better be careful which ones. The easy days of just buying materials and riding it free, that\'s two years old now.\"\n</p><p>\n\nOthers agree that much of the earnings optimism is already in the market. That may set up a dynamic similar to the fourth quarter reporting period, when only companies that far surpassed expectations rose substantially after reporting results.\n</p><p>\n\n\"People are very, very cautious about underweighting (the energy sector) because if you were underweight that sector in the past couple of quarters, you underperformed,\" said Natalie Trunow, senior vice president and chief investment officer of equities at Calvert Asset Management Company in Bethesda, Maryland. It manages about $14.8 billion in assets.\n</p><p>\n\n\"There is so much optimism around energy, I\'m just not sure that it\'s not already priced in, and likewise for materials,\" she said. The S&amp;P materials sector (.GSPM) was up 4 percent in the first quarter.\n</p><p>\n\nSome, however, are sticking with the trends that have worked. Paul Mendelsohn, chief investment strategist at Windham Financial Services in Charlotte, Vermont, said he recently added to his gold position. Gold prices have been trading at all-time highs.\n</p><p>\n\nS&amp;P 500 earnings reports have been beating expectations in recent quarters, with about 70 percent coming in ahead of Wall Street profit views, compared with roughly 60 percent typically, Thomson Reuters data showed.\n</p><p>\n\n(Reporting by Caroline Valetkevitch; Editing by Andrew Hay)</p>\n            ',-2,5,0,36,'2011-04-10 08:20:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-04-10 08:20:00','2011-04-11 13:56:28','','','',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(914,'Fed\'s Yellen says too soon to start reversing policy   (Reuters)','feds-yellen-says-too-soon-to-start-reversing-policy-reuters','','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>NEW HAVEN, Connecticut (Reuters) – The U.S. economy is still not strong enough for the Federal Reserve to start reversing its extremely accommodative monetary policy, a top Fed official said on Saturday.</p>\n                </div></div>','<p>\n\"Economic conditions do not yet call for the Fed to exit from its unconventional policies,\" Janet Yellen, Fed Vice Chair, said during a panel discussion at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut.</p>\n                <p>\nYellen\'s comments focused on how the Fed handled the challenge of boosting economic growth once it reached the \"zero bound\" on interest rates in December 2008.</p>\n                <p>\nHer caution on reversing policy too soon were at odds with some of the Fed\'s hawks, who have been urging a quick reversal to get ahead of rising inflation.</p>\n                <p>\nOn Friday, Dallas Fed President Richard Fisher called on the Fed to stop \"spiking the punch bowl\" with accommodative policy. The Fed may need to end its $600 billion bond-buying program earlier than its expected end in June, Fisher said.</p>\n                <p>\nFed officials are aware of the need to ease up on the policy gas pedal at the appropriate time, and has a \"suite of tools\" to help, Yellen said.</p>\n                <p>\nIn particular, purchases of securities beyond the level the Fed has committed to could raise doubts about the Fed\'s ability to exit gracefully.</p>\n                <p>\n\"That could lead to an undesired rise in inflation expectations,\" she said. A precise communications strategy will be key to guiding market expectations, Yellen noted.</p>\n                <p>\nYellen said the Fed\'s policies in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis -- slashing interest rates to the bone, and then committing to buy more than $2 trillion in government bonds and mortgage debt -- had been on point, especially in heading off a potential deflationary spiral.</p>\n                <p>\nStudies suggest the underlying U.S. inflation rate is now a percentage point higher than it would have been if the FOMC had not gone ahead with quantitative easing.</p>\n                <p>\nThe latest reading on the Fed\'s preferred inflation gauge showed it was up 1.6 percent year on year, still below the 2 percent comfort zone held by many Fed officials.</p>\n                <p>\nStill, many Fed officials now fear inflation could start to accelerate as rising commodity prices flow into the U.S. economy through higher food and energy costs.</p>\n                <p>\n(Reporting by Ros Krasny; Editing by Todd Eastham)</p>\n                <p>\n            </p>',-2,5,0,36,'2011-04-09 17:08:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-04-09 17:08:00','2011-04-11 13:56:29','','','',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(915,'A look at economic developments around the globe   (AP)','a-look-at-economic-developments-around-the-globe-ap','','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>A look at economic developments and activity in major stock markets around the world Friday:</p>\n                <p>___</p>\n                </div></div>','<p>GODOLLO, Hungary — Europe\'s top financial officials said that debt-ridden Portugal will need around $114 billion in rescue loans and negotiations over a full, multiyear bailout program will begin immediately.</p>\n                <p>A final deal should be in place by mid-May, allowing the debt-ridden country to meet huge bond repayments in June, the EU\'s Monetary Affairs Commissioner Olli Rehn said.</p>\n                <p>___</p>\n                <p>LONDON — Global stocks recovered despite a fresh 30-month high in oil prices, as investors were relieved that a strong aftershock in Japan did not cause much damage.</p>\n                <p>The FTSE 100 index of leading British shares rose 0.8 percent while Germany\'s DAX rose 0.5 percent. The CAC-40 in France was 0.8 percent higher. Benchmark crude rose above $112 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange</p>\n                <p>___</p>\n                <p>TOKYO — In Asia, Japan\'s Nikkei 225 index led the advance, finishing up 1.9 percent. Hong Kong\'s Hang Seng added 0.5 percent, and South Korea\'s Kospi was up 0.3 percent.</p>\n                <p>Mainland Chinese shares edged higher with the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index closing up 0.7 percent, and the Shenzhen Composite Index of China\'s smaller, second exchange rising 1.15 percent.</p>\n                <p>___</p>\n                <p>BERLIN — Official data show that Germany\'s exports rose 2.7 percent on the month in February, more than making up for a slip the previous month.</p>\n                <p>___</p>\n                <p>TORONTO — Canada\'s unemployment rate edged down one-tenth of a point to 7.7 percent in March as fewer people were looking for work during the month.</p>\n                <p>___</p>\n                <p>BRUSSELS — The European Union is lowering the maximum acceptable levels of certain radioactive elements in food and animal feed imported from some areas of Japan to conform to temporary levels imposed in that country.</p>\n                <p>___</p>\n                <p>\n            </p>',-2,5,0,36,'2011-04-08 13:33:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-04-08 13:33:00','2011-04-11 13:56:30','','','',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(916,'Fed official mulls early end to bond-buying plan   (AP)','fed-official-mulls-early-end-to-bond-buying-plan-ap','','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>WASHINGTON – A Federal Reserve official on Friday called on the central bank to consider ending its $600 billion Treasury bond-purchase program, fearing it could lead to higher inflation.</p>\n                </div></div>','<p>Richard Fisher, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, told a group of business journalists in Dallas that the economy is stronger now and no longer needs the support of the stimulus program.</p>\n                <p>He also raised concerns that pumping billions into the economy through the bond-purchase program could lead to higher prices. Inflation is rising, mostly pushed up by higher costs for energy, food and other commodities.</p>\n                <p>\"It may well be that we should consider curtailing what remains\" of the program,\" Fisher said. The program is slated to end in June.</p>\n                <p>Fisher has been an outspoken critic of the program but has joined the other voting members in supporting it without changes. His recent comments suggest he may vote against maintaining the pace and size of the program at the Fed\'s next meeting April 26-27.</p>\n                <p>The Fed\'s bond-buying program was announced in early November, a time when the economy was fragile and some feared it was in danger of slipping back into recession. The program aims to invigorate the economy by spurring Americans to spend more.</p>\n                <p>Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke has said the program has helped the economy by lowering rates on loans and raising prices on stocks. The Fed at its March meeting voted unanimously to stick with the program, even after declaring that the recovery is on \"firmer footing.\" Unemployment has fallen to 8.8 percent, a two-year low.</p>\n                <p>Fisher argued that the Fed did its job. Continuing to provide economic stimulus through the bond-buying program poses \"significant risks\" to the economy, he said.</p>\n                <p>The recent run-up in oil prices has sparked fresh disagreements within the Fed about when it should reverse course and start tightening credit.</p>\n                <p>\"Now, we at the Fed are nearing a tipping point,\" Fisher said.</p>\n                <p>Minutes of the Fed\'s March 15 meeting released earlier this week showed that a few members believed the Fed might have to start boosting interest rates this year to keep inflation in check. Those members weren\'t identified. But other Fed members said it is important to keep those rates near zero into next year to support the economy.</p>\n                <p>Taking questions after his speech, Fisher wouldn\'t say when the Fed should start boosting its key rate, which has been at a record low since December 2008. \"Before you tighten, you put an end to accommodation, so let\'s get there first,\" he said, referring to the bond-buying program.</p>\n                <p>However, Dennis Lockhart, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, said the economy still needs the support of the bond-buying program. \"There is still a halting and fragile quality to the economy,\" Lockhart said in a speech Friday to economists in Knoxville, Tenn.</p>\n                <p>___(equals)</p>\n                <p>AP Business Writer David Koenig in Dallas contributed to this report.</p>\n                <p>\n            </p>',-2,5,0,36,'2011-04-08 16:11:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-04-08 16:11:00','2011-04-11 13:56:31','','','',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(917,'Banks to post profits, but loan growth elusive   (Reuters)','banks-to-post-profits-but-loan-growth-elusive-reuters','','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>CHARLOTTE, North Carolina (Reuters) – Investors looking for loan growth and surging revenues at the biggest U.S. banks, including Citigroup Inc (C.N) are likely to be disappointed by first-quarter earnings.</p>\n                </div></div>','<p>\nBanks have been generating most of their profits in recent quarters from dipping into money they previously set aside to cover bad loans. Those reserve reductions make sense if credit losses are stabilizing, which seems to be the case.</p>\n                <p>\nBut banks cannot reduce their loan loss reserves forever and at this point profit growth must come from making more money from loans and generating more fees, analysts said.</p>\n                <p>\nBoosting interest income from loans is tough when the interest rates at which banks lend are so low and loan demand is still tepid. Fee income, meanwhile, is being threatened by future regulatory changes.</p>\n                <p>\n\"The revenue line will be key, that\'s what most investors will be focusing on,\" said Jason Ware, senior equities analyst at Albion Financial Group. The Salt Lake City-based wealth manager oversees $650 million in client assets.</p>\n                <p>\n\"The question everyone has is \'Where does the top line go from here?\'\" he said.</p>\n                <p>\nSome banks will be particularly hard hit by weak trading in the quarter, as the stock market sagged on Middle Eastern political upheaval, a Japanese earthquake and tsunami sent the yen to record highs and markets were broadly unpredictable.</p>\n                <p>\nBut what many analysts are focusing on now is loan growth and data show the results may not be great. Bank loans outstanding declined 0.9 percent in January and 6.8 percent in February, according to a report from the Federal Reserve.</p>\n                <p>\nCommercial and industrial loans were on the rise, which many analysts see as a positive sign, but meanwhile a broad array of consumer loans -- mortgages, credit cards -- are posting declines, so total bank credit outstanding are shrinking.</p>\n                <p>\nThe first quarter, analysts said, is typically the weakest of the year for banks.</p>\n                <p>\nBut the analysts with the best track records foresee a quarter that was tougher than usual for many banks, according to Thomson Reuters Starmine Smart Estimates. These \"smart analysts\" believe other analysts are far too optimistic about some banks, and only a little too pessimistic about the others.</p>\n                <p>\nThe analysts that have historically been the most accurate believe that results for Citigroup, Morgan Stanley (MS.N) and Goldman Sachs Group Inc (GS.N) will fall short of analysts\' average estimates, according to Starmine Smart Estimates.</p>\n                <p>\nStarmine\'s analyst estimates, for example, indicates Morgan Stanley may miss estimates by as much as 22 percent.</p>\n                <p>\nThe Starmine \"smart analysts\" are projecting that Bank of America Corp (BAC.N), JPMorgan Chase, and Wells Fargo &amp; Co (WFC.N) will beat broader estimates by a fairly small margin. BofA is projected with the largest earnings beat at 7.7 percent above the average estimate, Starmine estimates.</p>\n                <p>\nNEW NORMAL</p>\n                <p>\nFor even the largest U.S. banks, interest income from loans is a key driver of earnings growth, but the total number of outstanding loans continues to stagnate, even as banks appear to have solved many of the credit issues that have dogged them for the last three years.</p>\n                <p>\nThe fees that banks get from processing debit cards will likely be limited by provisions of the Dodd-Frank financial reform bill, which will pressure fee income for banks in the future.</p>\n                <p>\nMarty Mosby, bank analyst with Guggenheim Securities, said he is expecting banks will show a 10 percent decline in total charge-offs of bad loans, with some showing charge-offs shrinking by as much as 50 percent.\n</p><p>\n\nWhile that will be a boost to earnings as banks continue to release reserves protecting against loan losses, Mosby said he does not expect loan growth for the next few quarters.\n</p><p>\n\n\"This will be a different model than what we\'re used to seeing, based more on profitability, consolidation and efficiency, rather than outright organic growth,\" Mosby said.\n</p><p>\n\nIn the fourth quarter of 2010, loans at U.S. banks totaled $7.38 trillion, the lowest level since the fourth quarter of 2009 and off from the peak of $8 trillion in the second quarter of 2008, FDIC data show.\n</p><p>\n\nLong term, investors may need to adjust their expectations for the industry\'s earning ability. Mosby said banks that were once able to produce a 20 percent return on shareholder equity may not be able to top 15 percent.\n</p><p>\n\nBank\'s return on equity could dip to as low or 10 or 12 percent, he added.\n</p><p>\n\nHalle Benett, a banker in charge of financial institutions merger advisory at UBS for the Americas, said: \"I do think you\'ve got to come to a decision as to what is generally accepted profitability for banking institutions and I\'m not sure the cycle we came out of was the long-term norm.\"\n</p><p>\n\n(Reporting by Joe Rauch; Additional reporting by Clare Baldwin and Lauren LaCapra in New York; Editing by Gary Hill)</p>\n            ',-2,5,0,36,'2011-04-08 19:14:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-04-08 19:14:00','2011-04-11 13:56:32','','','',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(918,'Iceland rejects debt deal to repay UK, Dutch   (AP)','iceland-rejects-debt-deal-to-repay-uk-dutch-ap','','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                </div></div>','<p>REYKJAVIK, Iceland – Voters in Iceland rejected a government-backed deal to repay Britain and the Netherlands for their citizens\' $5 billion worth of deposits in a failed online bank, referendum results showed Sunday — sending the dispute to an international court and plunging the economically fragile country into new uncertainty.</p>\n                <p>Final results showed the \"no\" side had just under 60 percent of the votes and the \"yes\" side about 40 percent.</p>\n                <p>The result reflects Icelanders\' anger at having to pay for the excesses of their bankers, and complicates the country\'s recovery from economic meltdown.</p>\n                <p>It is the second time voters have defeated a bid to settle the bitter dispute stemming from the collapse of Iceland\'s high-flying banking sector in 2008, and the government said it would be the last.</p>\n                <p>\"We are at the end of the road of a negotiated solution,\" said Finance Minister Steingrimur Sigfusson.</p>\n                <p>He said Iceland would now opt for \"Plan B,\" with the dispute going to the European Free Trade Association court, which could impose harsher terms on Iceland than those rejected in Saturday\'s vote.</p>\n                <p>Britain and the Netherlands said they would fight to get back the money they spent compensating their citizens who had accounts in the failed bank, Icesave.</p>\n                <p>Dutch Finance Minister Jan Kees de Jager said the referendum result \"is not good for Iceland and also not good for the Netherlands.\"</p>\n                <p>\"The time for negotiations has passed,\" he said. \"Iceland still has the obligation to pay us back. This is now a case for the courts.\"</p>\n                <p>British Treasury minister Danny Alexander said \"we have an obligation to get that money back, and we will continue to pursue that until we do.\"</p>\n                <p>\"We have a very, very difficult financial position as a country,\" Alexander told the BBC. \"This money, of course, would help.\"</p>\n                <p>Icelandic Prime Minister Johanna Sigurdardottir said the results were disappointing but she would try to prevent political and economic chaos ensuing. Sigfusson said the result would have no effect on Iceland\'s existing debt repayments and would not derail its bid for European Union membership.</p>\n                <p>A tiny North Atlantic nation with a population of just 320,000, Iceland went from economic wunderkind to financial basket case almost overnight when the credit crunch took hold.</p>\n                <p>Its major banks — which had expanded to dwarf the rest of Iceland\'s economy during a decade of credit-fueled boom — collapsed within a week in October 2008, its krona currency plummeted and protests toppled the government.</p>\n                <p>The savings of Icelandic citizens were protected by an unlimited domestic deposit guarantee, but no such rule applied to the many foreigners attracted to Icelandic banks by their high-interest accounts.</p>\n                <p>Some 340,000 British and Dutch savers had deposited more than $5 billion in Icesave. After Icesave collapsed, British and Dutch authorities borrowed money to compensate their citizens, then turned to Iceland for repayment.</p>\n                <p>The dispute has grown acrimonious, with Britain and the Netherlands threatening to block Iceland\'s bid to join the European Union unless it is resolved.</p>\n                <p>Failure to approve a deal also stalled installments from a $4.6 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund.\n</p><p>\nSigfusson said the government would hold talks with those who have loaned Iceland money — the IMF, the Nordic nations and Poland — in the wake of the referendum defeat.\n</p><p>\n\"We have made substantial progress moving out of the crisis in 2008, and we intend to keep on doing so despite this outcome,\" he said.\n</p><p>\nIcelanders overwhelmingly rejected a previous deal in a referendum last year, but the government had hoped a new agreement on better terms would win approval.\n</p><p>\nThe Icesave debt was initially set at $5.3 billion — a crippling burden for the tiny country — but backers of the rejected deal said it would cost Iceland just under 50 billion kronur ($444 million), with the recovered assets of Icesave\'s parent bank, Landsbanki, covering the majority of the debt.\n</p><p>\nThe deal was reached in December after long negotiations among the three countries and approved by Iceland\'s parliament in January. But President Olafur Ragnar Grimsson vetoed it amid strong public opposition.\n</p><p>\nThe president hailed the referendum, and the high voter turnout of 75 percent, as a cathartic step for Iceland.\n</p><p>\nHe said the financial collapse had \"paralyzed the nation\'s will and sapped the courage of our people.\"\n</p><p>\n\"The two referendums on the Icesave issue have enabled the nation to regain its democratic self-confidence and to express sovereign authority in its own affairs and thus determine the outcome in difficult issues,\" Grimsson said.\n</p><p>\nOpposition politicians called on the government to hold new elections, but Sigfusson said the left-of-center coalition would not resign.\n</p><p>\n\"This was a referendum on the Icesave case, not on the government,\" he said.\n</p><p>\n___\n</p><p>\nDavid MacDougall in Reykjavik, Jill Lawless in London and Toby Sterling in Amsterdam contributed to this report.\n</p><p>\n(This version CORRECTS Adds voter turnout, quote from president. Corrects president\'s name to Grimsson, not Grisson. This story is part of AP\'s general news and financial services.)</p>\n            ',-2,5,0,36,'2011-04-10 11:54:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-04-10 11:54:00','2011-04-11 13:56:33','','','',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(919,'Don\'t fight an IRS audit by yourself, and other times to rely on a CPA   (ContributorNetwork)','dont-fight-an-irs-audit-by-yourself-and-other-times-to-rely-on-a-cpa-contributornetwork','','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>As a tax professional with several years\' worth of experience, it can be more than a little annoying to be compared to TurboTax. After all, what I do every day is not the same as a do-it-yourself tax preparation computer program. </p>\n                <p>Similarly, there are many</p></div></div>',' tax issues that, with a little organization, you can handle yourself. These are the tax versions of a parking ticket, for which you would not bother hiring an attorney. You can handle these small items and move on with your life. \n                <p>Bigger issues, however, may mean that you would be wiser to call in a professional who can help you to make sure that you do not inadvertently land yourself with a large tax bill. The peace of mind that you get from a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) is well worth the fee that you will pay for his or her time.</p>\n                <p><b>When you can act without a tax professional at your side...</b></p>\n                <p>Most taxpayers can handle most tax issues on their own with a little common sense, a lot of good record-keeping and making certain they adhere to whatever filing deadlines apply. If most of your income, aside from a small amount of investment interest and dividends, comes from your wages, then you can handle determining your withholding each year without consulting a tax professional. </p>\n                <p>Your withholding is tax shorthand for the income taxes that your employer will withhold and pay to the federal and state governments on your behalf each pay period. When you file your income tax return after the year ends, if you have overpaid, you will be entitled to a refund. However, if you have underpaid, then you may be subject to penalties and interest in addition to a potentially tax bill. </p>\n                <p>To avoid penalties and interest, you should make certain that you have paid 100 percent of your prior year\'s tax during the year or 90 percent of the current year\'s tax. Use the <a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/ac/bs_ac/storytext/8244811_dont_fight_an_irs_audit_by_yourself_and_other_times_to_rely_on_a_cpa/41011580/SIG=11s33ts0i/*http://www.irs.gov/individuals/article/0,,id=96196,00.html\">IRS\'s withholding calculator</a> to make sure that you are having the right amount withheld this year, and if you are not, contact your human resources department. If you are married, remember to check your spouse\'s withholding as well.</p>\n                <p>Another tax item that you can cross of your list without seeking the assistance of a tax professional are your children\'s tax filings. Even if your own income tax return is too complicated for you to handle, if your minor children have had tax withheld that you want to get back for them (irrespective of filing thresholds) or if they have only a single form W-2 and assorted Forms 1099, then you likely can file either Form 1040 EZ -- if they do not have dividends, or Form 1040A if they do have dividends. Use this<a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/ac/bs_ac/storytext/8244811_dont_fight_an_irs_audit_by_yourself_and_other_times_to_rely_on_a_cpa/41011580/SIG=11q0kl6bq/*http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=105099,00.html\"> simple chart from the IRS</a> to find the simplest return to file. </p>\n                <p>Do not forget to visit your state\'s department of revenue website to find out whether you have to file a return, and if there is an equivalent version of these simplified income tax filings available for low-income filers. If you are pressed for time, but do not want to spend hundreds of dollars to have a tax professional prepare very simple tax returns, then try out <a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/ac/bs_ac/storytext/8244811_dont_fight_an_irs_audit_by_yourself_and_other_times_to_rely_on_a_cpa/41011580/SIG=10mnb9hm7/*http://turbotax.com/\">TurboTax</a> or another online tax software that will calculate the returns based upon the information that you enter.</p>\n                <p><b>... and times when a tax professional\'s guidance is a must.</b></p>\n                <p>Just get an audit notice in the mail from the IRS or your state department of revenue? Whether it was for your personal or business tax returns, it is time to call your CPA, and ask him or her to assess your exposure. A CPA is trained to evaluate potential issues that an auditor will flag. They also will help you to assemble the documents that will be sent to the auditors. </p>\n                <p>Ultimately, however, the benefit of hiring a CPA to assist you in handling your audit will be realized when he or she helps you to negotiate down the penalties, interest and taxes that the auditor wants to charge you with, upon completion of the audit. Trying to argue with an auditor on your own can be aggravating and leave you owing thousands of dollars more than you would with a CPA to help to guide you in your communications with these financial sleuths. One wrong move on your part, such as allowing the auditor to audit your business on your premises instead of at your CPA\'s offices, could mean that the auditor picks up another reason to add to your tax bill.</p>\n                <p>Another tax planning area that too many Americans ignore is estate planning. Consult your CPA firm, or hire one to help you to draw up a tax efficient estate plan. This type of plan is intended to help you to pass as much of your estate onto your heirs as possible, rather than letting it become property of the government. </p>\n                <p>Even if you do not consider yourself wealthy, an estate plan is still a low-cost way to ensure that you will be able to provide for your family after you are gone. Without one, your assets can be frozen for months or even years, while your children, elderly parents or others that rely upon you go without. Contrary to popular belief, a savvy estate plan does not need to be elaborate, but one drawn up by a CPA will be attune to current tax laws and should be revisited annually or biannually to stay current.</p>\n                <p>\n            </p>',-2,5,0,36,'2011-04-08 14:54:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-04-08 14:54:00','2011-04-11 13:56:35','','','',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(920,'EU, IMF, ECB meet in Lisbon next week for bailout aid   (Reuters)','eu-imf-ecb-meet-in-lisbon-next-week-for-bailout-aid-reuters','','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Officials from the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund will discuss the technical details of Portugal\'s bailout aid next week, the European Commission said on Sunday.</p>\n                </div></div>','<p>\nPortugal, which had resisted a bailout for months, asked the EU and IMF for financial aid earlier this week, the third euro zone country to do so.</p>\n                <p>\n\"Experts from the three institutions will meet civil servants from the Portuguese authorities on Tuesday. It will just be a technical meeting,\" EU Commission spokesman Cezary Lewanowicz said.</p>\n                <p>\n\"A political meeting of EU Commission representatives with different Portuguese political parties will take place the week after,\" he said.</p>\n                <p>\nEU finance ministers have said that Lisbon would need to carry out further structural reforms to reduce its budget deficit and debt in return for an estimated 80 billion euros in emergency loans over three years.</p>\n                <p>\n(Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; Editing by Jon Loades-Carter)</p>\n                <p>\n            </p>',-2,5,0,36,'2011-04-10 09:13:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-04-10 09:13:00','2011-04-11 13:56:36','','','',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(921,'Bank forecloses on Kan.-based Big Dog Motorcycles   (AP)','bank-forecloses-on-kan-based-big-dog-motorcycles-ap','','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>WICHITA, Kan. – A bank has foreclosed on Wichita, Kansas-based Big Dog Motorcycles, ending the run of a 17-year-old company that specialized in custom heavy cruisers and had 100 U.S. dealers.</p>\n                </div></div>','<p>The Wichita Eagle says founder Sheldon Coleman Jr., heir and former CEO of camping and outdoor equipment maker Coleman Co., dissolved the corporation.</p>\n                <p>New company president Mike Simmons says Coleman formed BDM Performance Products to supply parts, accessories and gear for more than 25,000 Big Dog Motorcycles currently on the road.</p>\n                <p>Big Dog Motorcycles boomed when the housing market was strong and many of its customers were builders. At the height of popularity in 2005, the company built more than 5,000 bikes, had more than 300 employees and more than $120 million in revenue.</p>\n                <p>Layoffs began in 2007. Today, 22 employees remain.</p>\n                <p>\n            </p>',-2,5,0,36,'2011-04-09 18:06:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-04-09 18:06:00','2011-04-11 13:56:36','','','',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(922,'CA-CANADA Summary   (Reuters)','ca-canada-summary-reuters','','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>West Coast oil line leads Canadian energy debate</p></div></div>','<p>\nCALGARY, Alberta (Reuters) – A battle over a C$5.5 billion ($5.7 billion) oil pipeline to the West Coast and oil sands tax policy have led a thorny debate over energy and the environment early in Canada\'s election campaign. Canada has become the biggest energy exporter to the United States with its oil sands the main supply, prompting Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper to tout the country as an emerging energy superpower.</p>\n                <p>\nConservatives could get majority: poll</p>\n                <p>\nTORONTO (Reuters) - The Conservatives have a lead of about 9 points over the Liberals in an opinion poll released on Saturday, hovering around levels that could give them a majority in the May 2 federal election. The Nanos Research tracking poll of results over three days of surveys put support for the Conservatives at 40.5 percent, barely changed from 40.6 in Friday\'s poll.</p>\n                <p>\nLiberals pledge to maintain healthcare funds</p>\n                <p>\nTORONTO (Reuters) - The Liberals pledged on Friday to maintain a 6 percent annual funding increase for healthcare beyond 2014 if they win the May 2 federal election, touching on a key issue facing the nation\'s aging population. Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff tried to differentiate his party from the ruling Conservatives, saying he would maintain the funding transfers to the provinces after the federal-provincial Health Accord expires in 2014, rather than spending billions on fighter jets, tax cuts for large corporations, and new prisons.</p>\n                <p>\nConservatives vow to kill deficit early</p>\n                <p>\nMISSISSAUGA, Ontario (Reuters) - The Conservatives, trying to secure an elusive majority in the May 2 federal election, promised on Friday to eliminate the budget deficit a year earlier than planned if they win. Polls show the Conservatives, in power since early 2006, are likely to retain office. Prime Minister Stephen Harper insists only his right-of-center government can be trusted to ensure Canada recovers fully from the global financial crisis.</p>\n                <p>\nCanada loses jobs but full-time positions surge</p>\n                <p>\nOTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada\'s economy unexpectedly lost jobs in March but a huge jump in full-time positions suggested solid economic growth and bolstered expectations the central bank will raise interest rates later this year. The \"curveball\" report initially knocked the Canadian dollar lower. But traders, seeing signs of strength beneath the weak headline figure, then pushed the currency to its strongest level since November 2007.</p>\n                <p>\nTMX deal opponent set to issue \"minority\" report</p>\n                <p>\nTORONTO (Reuters) - A critic of plans to take over Canadian exchange operator TMX Group will put out a minority report that opposes recommendations to come from an Ontario legislative panel, raising the prospect that an early step in a complicated review process will approve the deal. Gilles Bisson, the only member of the left-of-center New Democratic Party on the Ontario committee, would not comment on the contents of his minority report, or on the conclusions of the majority report.</p>\n                <p>\nVote, but not Conservative: Canada\'s Arcade Fire</p>\n                <p>\nOTTAWA (Reuters) - Grammy-winning Canadian rock group Arcade Fire urged voters not to choose the ruling Conservatives in Canada\'s May 2 election, though the indie superstars said it was \"really important\" to get out to vote. A statement on the band\'s website drew attention to Prime Minister Stephen Harper\'s opposition to the Kyoto climate change treaty and his support for the oil sands industry, a large emitter of greenhouse gases.</p>\n                <p>\nSeparatists could decide on who governs Canada</p>\n                <p>\nLAVAL, Quebec (Reuters) - A party that seeks independence for the French-speaking province of Quebec has assumed a disproportionate role in the politics of Canada, the country it would like to see broken up. The perennially strong electoral showing of the Bloc Quebecois in the province has made it all but impossible for rival parties to win a majority in the federal Parliament, allowing the separatist party to play the role of kingmaker.</p>\n                <p>\nSaskatchewan looks to protect roads from floods</p>\n                <p>\nWINNIPEG, Manitoba (Reuters) - Floods from melting snow could damage highways and bridges in Saskatchewan, the government of the Western Canada farm province said on Thursday. Record rains last year left the ground saturated in the autumn, followed by heavy snowfall this winter.</p>\n                <p>\nCanada healthcare needs tough medicine, Dodge says\n</p><p>\n\nTORONTO (Reuters) - Whoever wins Canada\'s May 2 election faces an \"enormous problem\" in funding the country\'s public healthcare system and will have to make tough choices to keep it ticking, former Bank of Canada chief David Dodge said on Wednesday. Dodge, co-author of a study on the system published by the market-friendly C.D. Howe Institute, said Canadian healthcare spending will rise to 19 percent of gross domestic product in 2031 from 12 percent in 2009 if it keeps growing at its current pace.</p>\n            ',-2,5,0,36,'2011-04-10 10:38:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-04-10 10:38:00','2011-04-11 13:56:38','','','',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(923,'IRS squeezes every penny from citizens, but GE pays nothing   (ContributorNetwork)','irs-squeezes-every-penny-from-citizens-but-ge-pays-nothing-contributornetwork','','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p><strong>COMMENTARY |</strong> We\'re a few days from the April 15 tax deadline. I just received an IRS </p></div></div>','<a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/custom/ac/bs_ac/storytext/8241729_irs_squeezes_every_penny_from_citizens_ge_pays_nothing/41013002/*http://custom.yahoo.com/taxes/article-112483-632337d9-cbfe-33bd-8366-25529f11211a-irs-mail-tax-audits-cnnmoney\">mail audit</a> tapping us for an additional $708 on top of the thousands we paid in 2009. \n                <p>It galls me that General Electric and several other large corporations paid zero taxes and have no one hounding them. </p>\n                <p>Perhaps I can tell the IRS bloodhounds that I\'ve moved my profits <a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/ac/bs_ac/storytext/8241729_irs_squeezes_every_penny_from_citizens_ge_pays_nothing/41013002/SIG=14a2btt27/*http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/25/business/economy/25tax.html?_r=1&amp;sq=ge&amp;st=cse&amp;adxnnl=1&amp;scp=3&amp;adxnnlx=1302138288-sokzMylMD3WVb1+0Hf/rwQ\">offshore</a>, like GE did. Or maybe I could borrow from General Electric\'s army of tax lawyers, certified public accountants, former Treasury officials, and former members of Congress. </p>\n                <p>The president doesn\'t know, doesn\'t care, or doesn\'t get it.  He recently appointed GE chief executive officer <a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/ac/bs_ac/storytext/8241729_irs_squeezes_every_penny_from_citizens_ge_pays_nothing/41013002/SIG=138s44lrb/*http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-01-21/obama-taps-ge-s-immelt-for-economy-panel-replace-volcker.html\">Jeff Immelt</a> to a presidential economic advisory council. </p>\n                <p>The IRS is not out to crucify me. I didn\'t report $2,200 of royalty income—entirely my fault.</p>\n                <p>I called my father-in-law to ask him about it—he\'s a tax wizard. </p>\n                <p>\"They want you to report it even if it\'s only $10.\"</p>\n                <p>But wouldn\'t that create more work for the highly paid IRS representatives, I wondered. He kept laughing until I hung up on him. </p>\n                <p>If the IRS charged me a flat rate of 10 percent, I\'d gladly pay it—even without going through myriad home office deductions. </p>\n                <p>Because of my tax crime, the IRS charged me with a $25 penalty, plus interest, plus additional tax liability. </p>\n                <p>I wasn\'t sure which of the addresses was the right place to send the check and the 1040X and the Schedule C, so I called the IRS. Avoiding the automated messages, I pressed \"0\" and \"0\" and \"0\" and \"0.\" </p>\n                <p>Ultimately, I spoke to three people, each of whom gave me different information. Maybe they will be replaced by the additional <a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/ac/bs_ac/storytext/8241729_irs_squeezes_every_penny_from_citizens_ge_pays_nothing/41013002/SIG=14k9dmh74/*http://dailycaller.com/2011/02/18/why-does-america-need-4182-new-irs-workers-obama-put-it-in-his-budget-but-didnt-say-what-the-goon-squad-would-do\">4,182 people</a> requested in the Obama budget proposal. </p>\n                <p>In response to my questions, the reps seemed to be reading from different prepared scripts. I longed for the clarity and warmth of the automated recordings. </p>\n                <p>The reps hadn\'t heard of depreciation, but they had memorized the <a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/ac/bs_ac/storytext/8241729_irs_squeezes_every_penny_from_citizens_ge_pays_nothing/41013002/SIG=10l58qd1n/*http://www.irs.gov/\">URL</a> of the IRS. Go there, they said, it will answer all your questions. </p>\n                <p>I did go there, entering a query into the search window:</p>\n                <p>\"When will you be sending my $708.00 back?\"</p>\n                <p>There was no response to that query. However, there was a handy list of paragraph and letter <a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/ac/bs_ac/storytext/8241729_irs_squeezes_every_penny_from_citizens_ge_pays_nothing/41013002/SIG=126oro4nu/*http://www.irs.gov/individuals/article/0,,id=96199,00.html?portlet=1\">codes</a> used in common IRS notices, useful for entertainment when you\'re in a catatonic state.</p>\n                <p><i>Anthony Ventre is a freelance writer who has written for several weekly and daily newspapers, for Demand Studios, and for AOL Online. He is a former news director for radio station KPEN in Los Altos, Calif. He enjoys news and business writing.</i></p>\n            ',-2,5,0,36,'2011-04-08 16:28:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-04-08 16:28:00','2011-04-11 13:56:38','','','',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(924,'China factories face shortages due to Japan quake   (AFP)','china-factories-face-shortages-due-to-japan-quake-afp','','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>BEIJING (AFP) – Electronics and auto makers in China are facing a severe shortage of components after Japan\'s twin disasters disrupted production, but the full impact will not be felt for weeks, analysts say.</p>\n                </div></div>','<p>\nThe earthquake and tsunami that devastated Japan\'s northeastern coast on March 11 shattered infrastructure, caused power outages and forced temporary factory shutdowns -- meaning shipments of key parts to China also stopped.</p>\n                <p>\n\"As many Chinese manufacturers have started drawing down inventories of components, more significant output loss... shall start showing in the next couple of weeks,\" IHS Global Insight senior analyst Ren Xianfang told AFP.</p>\n                <p>\nJapan is a key supplier of components and equipment used in the assembly of cars, laptops, iPods, refrigerators and flat-screen televisions, and the country accounts for about 14 percent of China\'s imports, according to UBS.</p>\n                <p>\n\"Given the importance of Japan in the supply chain of some electronics, chemicals and machinery products... we expect China\'s related exports to the world might be affected as well,\" UBS economists said in a research note.</p>\n                <p>\n\nThe full impact of the supply problems will start to be seen in the coming weeks as electronics and auto makers use up the parts in stock and Japanese assembly lines remain idle or operate well below capacity, analysts say.</p>\n                <p>\nSome electronics companies have reported shortages due to the disasters, and prices of computer memory chips and semiconductors have risen sharply in the past month due to the supply crunch.</p>\n                <p>\nPersonal computer maker Dell said last week it had experienced \"relatively small\" supply chain disruptions, while Chinese telecom equipment maker ZTE said last month it expected supply problems to last for three to six months.</p>\n                <p>\nChinese computer giant Lenovo warned last month that supplies of its newly released tablet computer LePad could be restricted after Japan\'s quake and tsunami disrupted production of memory chips.</p>\n                <p>\nBut Lenovo president and chief operating officer Rory Read told Dow Jones Newswires that the company had closed holes in its supply chain.</p>\n                <p>\n\nResearch firm IHS iSuppli said that Apple could also face shortages of components for its new iPad 2.</p>\n                <p>\n\"The impact is significant but hard to estimate,\" Andy Xie, an independent economist in Shanghai, told AFP.</p>\n                <p>\n\"We know the auto sector is already being hit.\"</p>\n                <p>\nBut Japanese car makers Honda, Toyota and Nissan told AFP their assembly lines in China were operating normally -- so far.</p>\n                <p>\n\"For now there is no change in the whole (year) production target,\" said Honda Motor (China) Investment Co. spokesman Zhu Linjie.</p>\n                <p>\n\"However, it cannot be ruled out that we may make interim adjustments to production.\"</p>\n                <p>\nDongfeng Nissan Passenger Vehicle Company -- Nissan\'s joint venture with China\'s Dongfeng Motor Group -- said some suppliers in Japan had been \"severely impacted\" by the disasters and it was \"taking countermeasures\" to keep assembly lines running.</p>\n                <p>\nThe China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products said imports of luxury cars, memory chips, precision instruments and other key components would be \"most affected\" by the disasters.\n</p><p>\n\nManufacturers may be able to source some devices from the United States and Europe -- at a much higher price -- but non-Japanese suppliers of \"high-specification components\" would be hard to find, said Ren.\n</p><p>\n\n\"I believe (the shortage) will be temporary -- two to three months of very tight supply -- but it depends on Japan,\" Kevin Wang, director of China research at IHS iSuppli, told AFP.\n</p><p>\n\n\"If Japan keeps on having earthquakes I think the shortage will last longer,\" said Wang, after the latest in a series of powerful aftershocks rocked the country.\n</p><p>\n\nBut the impact on China\'s gross domestic product would be limited given shipments to Japan account for only two percent of China\'s economy, IHS Global Insight said.\n</p><p>\n\n\"It has more of a corporate impact,\" said Ben Simpfendorfer, managing director of economic consultancy firm China Insider.\n</p><p>\n\n\"There will be corporates whose quarterly earnings look worse for wear but I certainly wouldn\'t be slicing GDP forecasts as a result.\"</p>\n            ',-2,5,0,36,'2011-04-10 00:12:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-04-10 00:12:00','2011-04-11 13:56:39','','','',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(925,'The Bountiful Loss   (BusinessWeek)','the-bountiful-loss-businessweek','','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                </div></div>','<p>An investor has capital-gains income from a sold-off stock position. Separately, the investor has other shares that are down an equal amount; if he sold them he\'d realize a loss to offset the gains and pay no taxes. But no one likes to sell low. So he wants to use that loss without actually selling the shares. IRS rules prohibit investors from taking a loss against a gain and then buying the shares back within 30 days.</p>\n                <p>1. At least 31 days before the planned sale, the investor buys an equal value of additional shares of the underwater stock.</p>\n                <p>2. The investor buys a \"put\" option on the new shares at their current price, and sells a \"call\" option. Now he\'s protected from the downside on that second purchase.</p>\n                <p>3. At least 31 days later, the investor sells the first block of underwater shares. He now has his tax loss, without having taken any additional downside risk from the purchase of the second block of shares.</p>\n                <p>\n            </p>',-2,5,0,36,'2011-04-08 08:08:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-04-08 08:08:00','2011-04-11 13:56:40','','','',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(926,'NATO air strikes help break attack on east Libya town   (Reuters)','nato-air-strikes-help-break-attack-on-east-libya-town-reuters','','Reuters - NATO aircraft destroyed Libyan tanks on the outskirts of Ajdabiyah on Sunday, helping to break a major assault by forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi on the strategic rebel town.','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>AJDABIYAH, Libya (Reuters) – NATO aircraft destroyed Libyan tanks on the outskirts of Ajdabiyah on Sunday, helping to break a major assault by forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi on the strategic rebel town.</p>\n                <p>\nNATO said it had hit 11 tanks outside Ajdabiyah, which Gaddafi\'s troops had earlier threatened to overrun, and 14 more on the outskirts of Misrata, a lone rebel bastion in western Libya which has been under siege for six weeks.</p>\n                <p>\nA Reuters reporter saw six burning hulks surrounded by 15 charred and dismembered bodies in two sites 300 meters (1,000 feet) apart on Ajdabiyah\'s western approaches.</p>\n                <p>\n\"NATO has to do this to help us every single day. That is the only way we are going to win this war,\" said 25-year-old rebel Tarek Obeidy, standing over the bodies.</p>\n                <p>\nThe rebels, who have long complained about what they see as an ineffective NATO response to government attacks, applauded a more muscular approach over the weekend.</p>\n                <p>\nEarlier, the rebels seemed to be losing control of Ajdabiyah after the heaviest government assault for at least a week.</p>\n                <p>\nThe attack, which began on Saturday, included a fierce artillery and rocket bombardment while some of Gaddafi\'s forces, including snipers, penetrated Ajdabiyah.</p>\n                <p>\nRebels had for several hours cowered in alleyways in the town, which is gateway to their stronghold of Benghazi 150 km (90 miles) up the Mediterranean coast to the north.</p>\n                <p>\nThe corpses of four rebels were found dumped on a roadside.</p>\n                <p>\n\"Their throats were slit. They were all shot a few times in the chest as well. I just could not stop crying when I saw them,\" said rebel Muhammad Saad. \"This is becoming tougher and tougher.\"</p>\n                <p>\nBut by afternoon rebels looked back in control of Ajdabiyah, commanding key intersections, and the artillery and small arms fire had died down.</p>\n                <p>\nBLOODSTAIN</p>\n                <p>\nOne rebel showed a Reuters reporter a big bloodstain in a schoolroom where he said an Algerian sniper had hidden. He shot himself in the neck when he was surrounded by insurgents, rebel Hazim Ahmed said.</p>\n                <p>\nRebels accuse Gaddafi of bolstering his army with foreign mercenaries.</p>\n                <p>\nAjdabiyah had been the launch point for insurgents during a week-long fight for the oil port of Brega 70 kms (45 miles) further west, and its fall would be a serious loss.</p>\n                <p>\nGaddafi, making his first appearance in front of the foreign media in weeks, joined a visiting African Union delegation at his Bab al-Aziziyah compound in Tripoli on Sunday.</p>\n                <p>\nWearing a brown robe and turban, he emerged from a tent in the compound where he receives guests and stood for a few moments flanked by South African President Jacob Zuma and other African leaders who are trying to mediate in the conflict.</p>\n                <p>\nHe then climbed into a sports utility vehicle and was driven about 50 meters (yards) where he waved through the sunroof and made the \"V\" for victory sign to a crowd of cheering supporters.\n</p><p>\n\nThe delegation, which also includes the leaders of Mauritania, Congo, Mali and Uganda, will meet insurgent leaders in Benghazi after talks with Gaddafi on Sunday.\n</p><p>\n\nIt was Gaddafi\'s second appearance in two days after he received an ecstatic welcome from children and adults at a Tripoli school on Saturday.\n</p><p>\n\nThe appearances, and Gaddafi\'s upbeat demeanor, confirmed the impression among analysts that his circle has emerged from a period of paralysis and is hunkering down for a long campaign.\n</p><p>\n\nLIMITS OF AIR POWER\n</p><p>\n\nWestern officials have conceded their air power will not be enough to help the rag-tag rebels overthrow Gaddafi by force and they are now emphasizing a political solution.\n</p><p>\n\nBut a rebel spokesman rejected a negotiated outcome in the conflict, the bloodiest in a series of pro-democracy revolts across the Arab world that have already dethroned the autocratic leaders of Tunisia and Egypt.\n</p><p>\n\n\"There is no other solution than the military solution, because this dictator\'s language is annihilation, and people who speak this language only understand this language,\" spokesman Ahmad Bani told Al Jazeera television.\n</p><p>\n\nAnalysts predict a drawn-out, low-level conflict possibly leading to partition between east and west in the sprawling North African Arab state, a major oil and natural gas producer.\n</p><p>\n\nGaddafi\'s government sought to showcase a reform-friendly face on Sunday, gathering foreign journalists in the early hours of the morning to unveil a \"Libyan version\" of democracy.\n</p><p>\n\nDetails were vague and officials could not explain what Gaddafi\'s role would be, but it was clear he would continue to play a leading role. Insurgents say they want democracy without Gaddafi, who has ruled for 41 years.\n</p><p>\n\nThe fight for Ajdabiyah followed pitched battles on Saturday in Misrata when rebels fought off a heavy government assault.\n</p><p>\n\nOne insurgent there said 30 fighters were killed but another said there were eight confirmed dead and 10 unconfirmed.\n</p><p>\n\nGaddafi\'s forces appear bent on seizing Misrata and crucially its port, which some analysts say is vital if Gaddafi is to survive because it supplies the capital Tripoli.\n</p><p>\n\nNATO\'s commander of Libyan operations said the alliance, which took over air strikes against Gaddafi from three Western powers on March 31, had destroyed \"a significant percentage\" of Gaddafi\'s armor and ammunition stockpiles east of Tripoli.\n</p><p>\n\nCanadian Lieutenant General Charles Bouchard said after Sunday\'s air attacks: \"The situation in Ajdabiyah, and Misrata in particular, is desperate for those Libyans who are being brutally shelled by the (Gaddafi) regime.\"\n</p><p>\n\n(Additional reporting by Maria Golovnina in Tripoli, Mariam Karouny in Beirut, Richard Lough in Rabat, Christian Lowe in Algiers, Stella Mapenzauswa in Johannesburg; Writing by Barry Moody; Editing by Sophie Hares)</p>\n            </div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"NATO air strikes help break attack on east Libya town   (Reuters)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110410/wl_nm/us_libya\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110410/wl_nm/us_libya</a></p>',-2,5,0,43,'2011-04-10 14:45:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-04-10 14:45:00','2011-04-11 14:53:04','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(927,'U.N., French attack Gbagbo heavy weapons in Ivory Coast   (Reuters)','un-french-attack-gbagbo-heavy-weapons-in-ivory-coast-reuters','','<p><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110410/wl_nm/us_ivorycoast\"><img src=\"http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20110410/capt.d422fb68269e46c9b32e3ac6669b979c-d422fb68269e46c9b32e3ac6669b979c-0.jpg?x=87&amp;y=130&amp;q=85&amp;sig=W_k6azCB98VY6907N0T7iA--\" height=\"130\" width=\"87\" alt=\"U.N., French attack Gbagbo heavy weapons in Ivory Coast   (Reuters)\" style=\"float: left; border: 0px;\" />\n</a>Reuters - French and U.N. helicopters attacked heavy weapons of troops loyal to Ivory Coast\'s incumbent president Laurent Gbagbo on Sunday and Gbagbo\'s spokesman said his residence had been partly destroyed.</p><br style=\"clear: both;\" />','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>ABIDJAN (Reuters) – French and U.N. helicopters attacked heavy weapons of troops loyal to Ivory Coast\'s incumbent president Laurent Gbagbo on Sunday and Gbagbo\'s spokesman said his residence had been partly destroyed.</p>\n                <p>\n\"U.N. and French helicopters continue to fire at President Gbagbo\'s residence which has been partially destroyed,\" Ahoua Don Mello said by phone.</p>\n                <p>\n\"There is thick smoke coming from it, but we have no other details on the damage,\" he said. He declined to say whether Gbagbo was at the residence at the time.</p>\n                <p>\n\"We are pursuing our operation to neutralize Gbagbo\'s heavy weapons,\" U.N. mission spokesman Hamadoun Toure told Reuters.</p>\n                <p>\n\"We had to stop the operation for a couple of days to evaluate and have realized that there are still some heavy weapons that they had used against civilians and the U.N.\"</p>\n                <p>\nA Reuters correspondent at the French military base near the airport, about 15 km from Gbagbo\'s residence, said he could hear loud explosions coming from the direction of the fighting. He said four helicopters, two U.N. and two French, were carrying out operations.</p>\n                <p>\nA resident of Cocody neighborhood where Gbagbo\'s residence is situated said he could see thick black smoke coming from the building.</p>\n                <p>\nForces loyal to Gbagbo had stepped up a counter-attack on presidential claimant Alassane Ouattara by firing on his hotel headquarters in Abidjan on Saturday. The hotel is guarded by U.N. forces.</p>\n                <p>\nResidents near the presidential palace and Gbagbo\'s residence where he is said to be holed up with his family, close advisers and about 1,000 militiamen, said they heard heavy cannon fire and shooting late on Sunday afternoon.</p>\n                <p>\nIn Paris, lawyers for Ouattara in a letter to the French government and the international community on Sunday, asked United Nations and French forces to eliminate Gbagbo\'s heavy weapons and militia and bring him to justice.</p>\n                <p>\nRebel forces trying to install Ouattara, who won an election last November according to results certified by the United Nations, swept from the north to coastal Abidjan almost unopposed more than a week ago.</p>\n                <p>\nBut despite a fierce rebel onslaught, Gbagbo\'s soldiers have held onto swathes of the city and launched a counter-attack on his hotel.</p>\n                <p>\nEven if Gbagbo leaves, Ouattara\'s ability to unify the West African country, the world\'s No.1 cocoa producer, may be undermined by reports of atrocities against civilians since his forces charged into Abidjan. Ouattara\'s camp has denied involvement.</p>\n                <p>\nA U.N. spokesman in Abidjan said Saturday\'s attack on the Golf Hotel, which Ouattara has made his base since the election, involved heavy weapons that appeared to have been fired from Gbagbo\'s heavily defended residence.</p>\n                <p>\n\"This was not a fight, but a direct attack by Gbagbo\'s forces, who fired RPGs (rocket-propelled grenades) and mortar rounds, from positions near Gbagbo\'s residence, at the Golf Hotel,\" said U.N. spokesman Toure.</p>\n                <p>\nHe said one U.N. peacekeeper had been hurt, and U.N. forces had responded by firing on those positions.</p>\n                <p>\n(Additional reporting by Emmanuel Braun in Abidjan, Tim Castle in London, Patrick Worsnip and Louis Charbonneau at the United Nations, Bertrand Boucey and Elizabeth Pineau in Paris, Stephanie Nebehay in Geneva; Writing by Bate Felix and Richard Valdmanis; Editing by Tim Pearce)</p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"U.N., French attack Gbagbo heavy weapons in Ivory Coast   (Reuters)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110410/wl_nm/us_ivorycoast\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110410/wl_nm/us_ivorycoast</a></p>',-2,5,0,43,'2011-04-10 14:38:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-04-10 14:38:00','2011-04-11 14:53:05','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(928,'Assad loyalists fire at Sunni Muslims in Syria city   (Reuters)','assad-loyalists-fire-at-sunni-muslims-in-syria-city-reuters','','Reuters - Irregular forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad fired at a group of people guarding a mosque in Banias on Sunday, two witnesses said, after pro-democracy unrest flared in the conservative coastal city.','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>AMMAN (Reuters) – Irregular forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad fired at a group of people guarding a mosque in Banias on Sunday, two witnesses said, after pro-democracy unrest flared in the conservative coastal city.</p>\n                <p>\nOnce-unthinkable mass protests challenging Assad\'s 11-year authoritarian rule have spread across Syria despite his attempts to defuse resentment by making gestures toward reforms and reaching out to minority Kurds and conservative Sunni Muslims.</p>\n                <p>\nIntensifying a crackdown on popular dissent now in its fourth week, security forces fanned out in tanks overnight near the Banias oil refinery -- one of two in Syria -- near the Alawite district of Qusour, where its main hospital is located.</p>\n                <p>\nGunfire could be heard across the city on Sunday. Reuters could not confirm if there were any casualties.</p>\n                <p>\nAn official source said an armed group hiding between trees and buildings had ambushed a military unit patrol on the Latakia-Tartous highway in Banias, killing one soldier and wounding others, according to state news agency, SANA.</p>\n                <p>\nAt least 90 people have been killed in mass demonstrations, which first erupted in March to demand the release of school children who scrawled pro-democracy graffiti on school walls in the southern city of Deraa, and later progressed to calling for greater freedoms and an end to Assad\'s rule.</p>\n                <p>\nWidespread instability in Syria would have wider repercussions because it lies at the heart of the Middle East conflict, maintaining an anti-Israel alliance with Iran and supporting the militant Hezbollah and Hamas movements.</p>\n                <p>\nThe West has condemned Syria\'s use of violence but it is unlikely the strategic country, bordered by Jordan, Israel, Turkey, Lebanon and Iraq, will face the kind of foreign intervention seen in Libya.</p>\n                <p>\nA doctor and a university professor said a group was guarding Banias\'s Sunni Abu Bakr al-Siddiq mosque with sticks during morning prayers when irregulars from Syria\'s ruling Alawite minority, known as \"shabbiha,\" fired at them with automatic rifles from speeding cars.</p>\n                <p>\n\"MINORITY OF THUGS\"</p>\n                <p>\nThe attack followed a demonstration of some 2,000 people in Banias on Friday when protesters shouted \"the people want the overthrow of the regime\" -- the rallying cry of the Egyptian and Tunisian revolutions that have inspired growing protests across Syria against decades of Alawite domination.</p>\n                <p>\n\"Four people were hit in the feet and legs. The fifth sustained the most serious injury, an AK-47 bullet that went through his left chest lateral,\" said the doctor, who was at the scene.</p>\n                <p>\n\"The regime is trying to show that this is a Sunni-Alawite issue, but the Sunni people of Banias know that only a minority of thugs are cooperating with them,\" said the other witness.</p>\n                <p>\n\"Banias is a city of 50,000 people. We all know each other, and for sure we would know if there were infiltrators,\" he said, adding Syrian state television was the only media allowed in Banias, similar to other flashpoints across the country.</p>\n                <p>\nSyria has blamed the unprecedented unrest in the tightly-controlled country on \"armed groups\" firing randomly at citizens and security forces. Earlier, SANA said funerals were held for five policemen who died in the unrest.</p>\n                <p>\nIn the Houla area of the central province of Homs buses were also seen unloading security personnel. Assad\'s sacking of the Homs governor has failed to placate protesters.</p>\n                <p>\nWitnesses said on Saturday security forces had used live ammunition and tear gas to scatter thousands of mourners in Deraa after a mass funeral for protesters killed on Friday.</p>\n                <p>\nThe mourners had assembled near the old Omari mosque in the old quarter of Deraa, a mostly Sunni city where resentment against minority Alawite rule smoulders. Protesters have destroyed statues of Assad\'s family members and set fire to a building belonging to the Baath Party, in power since 1963.\n</p><p>\n\nA Syrian rights group said 26 protesters were killed in Deraa on Friday and two in Homs. Syria has prevented media from reporting in Deraa and mobile phone lines appeared to be cut.\n</p><p>\n\n\"EMERGENCY LAW STAYS ON THE SIDE\"\n</p><p>\n\nAssad, a member of the Alawite sect that comprises 10 percent of Syria\'s population, has used the secret police, special police units, irregular loyalist forces and loyalist army units to counter the extraordinary grassroots revolt.\n</p><p>\n\nHe has blended the use of force -- activists and witnesses say his forces have fired at unarmed demonstrators, killing dozens -- with gestures such as a pledge to replace an emergency law in force for five decades with an anti-terrorism law.\n</p><p>\n\nEmergency law has given the state wide powers to stamp out public protests, ban opposition and justify arbitrary arrests.\n</p><p>\n\nSANA quoted Abboud Sarraj, head of a panel drafting the anti-terrorism legislation, as saying the body was working on ending the \"state of emergency in Syria,\" not the emergency law.\n</p><p>\n\n\"If the state of emergency has ended, the law stays on the side without being enforced ... and if the need arises one of these days like if there is war, or an earthquake ... there\'s no problem for emergency law to be present in any country.\"\n</p><p>\n\nAssad has said the protests are serving a foreign conspiracy to sow sectarian strife, similar language his father, the late President Hafez al-Assad, used when he crushed leftist and Islamist challenges to his rule in the 1980s, killing thousands.\n</p><p>\n\n(Additional reporting by Suleiman al-Khalidi in Amman; Writing by Yara Bayoumy; Editing by Jon Boyle)</p>\n            </div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Assad loyalists fire at Sunni Muslims in Syria city   (Reuters)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110410/wl_nm/us_syria\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110410/wl_nm/us_syria</a></p>',-2,5,0,43,'2011-04-10 13:25:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-04-10 13:25:00','2011-04-11 14:53:06','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(929,'Israel and Hamas look to end Gaza flare-up   (Reuters)','israel-and-hamas-look-to-end-gaza-flare-up-reuters','','<p><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110410/wl_nm/us_palestinians_israel\"><img src=\"http://d.yimg.com/a/p/afp/20110410/capt.photo_1302458965222-7-0.jpg?x=91&amp;y=130&amp;q=85&amp;sig=vhMedROGmGd51LFc5a1Fjg--\" height=\"130\" width=\"91\" alt=\"Israel and Hamas look to end Gaza flare-up   (Reuters)\" style=\"float: left; border: 0px;\" />\n</a>Reuters - Israel and the Gaza Strip\'s Hamas rulers signaled on Sunday they were looking to end a flare-up in violence that began four days ago with a missile attack on an Israeli school bus and has claimed the lives of 19 Palestinians.</p><br style=\"clear: both;\" />','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>GAZA (Reuters) – Israel and the Gaza Strip\'s Hamas rulers signaled on Sunday they were looking to end a flare-up in violence that began four days ago with a missile attack on an Israeli school bus and has claimed the lives of 19 Palestinians.</p>\n                <p>\nA Palestinian official close to UN- and Egyptian-mediated negotiations told Reuters Israel and militant groups in Gaza had agreed terms for a truce to end four days of cross-border violence in which 19 Palestinian militants and civilians were killed.</p>\n                <p>\n\"Palestinian factions have agreed to halt rocket fire and Israel agreed to cease attacks on the Gaza Strip,\" the official said.</p>\n                <p>\nIsrael had no immediate comment, but a senior official suggested a tacit deal may have been reached.</p>\n                <p>\n\"What happens from here on is up to the other side,\" the Israeli official told reporters in Tel Aviv, speaking on condition of anonymity. \"It seems calmer now, but it is still not clear where this is going.\"</p>\n                <p>\n\"We will judge the other side over the next few days. The extent to which Hamas controls the other militant groups will affect the way we choose to act,\" the Israeli official added.</p>\n                <p>\nIsraeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said earlier Hamas had already been hit hard and a ceasefire might be the way to go.</p>\n                <p>\n\"If they stop firing on our communities, we will stop firing. If they stop firing in general, it will be quiet, it will be good,\" Barak said on Israel Radio.</p>\n                <p>\nThe fighting since Hamas militants fired an anti-tank rocket at an Israeli school bus, critically injuring a teenager, has stoked fears of a larger escalation that could include an Israeli ground incursion in Gaza reminiscent of the war in 2008.</p>\n                <p>\nROCKET FIRE CONTINUES</p>\n                <p>\nDespite behind-the-scenes intervention by Egypt and a U.N. envoy in search of a ceasefire, militants fired at least eight rockets at Israel on Sunday, in addition to more than 120 in the previous two days, Israeli police and military officials said.</p>\n                <p>\nThere were no reported Israeli air strikes on Gaza on Sunday.</p>\n                <p>\nIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would raise the stakes if cross-border attacks continued.</p>\n                <p>\n\"Our policy is clear, if the attacks continue on Israel\'s citizens and soldiers, the response will be much harsher,\" Netanyahu said at the start of a weekly cabinet meeting.</p>\n                <p>\nAbu Ahmed, a spokesman for Islamic Jihad, a group that fires rockets at Israel, said in a statement the group \"have agreed to the Arab and European proposal for calm for the sake of the interests of our people,\" but would respond to further Israeli fire.</p>\n                <p>\nHamas said it, too, did not want a further escalation but stopped short of saying it had agreed to a truce.</p>\n                <p>\n\"If the Israeli aggression stopped, it would be natural for calm to be restored,\" Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters. \"Calm will be met with calm.\"</p>\n                <p>\nPolitical analysts have explained the conflagration as an effort by Hamas to divert attention from demands, fueled by pro-democracy unrest in the Arab world, for an end to its split with the Western-backed Fatah movement in the West Bank.\n</p><p>\n\nHamas seized control of the Gaza Strip from forces loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in a brief 2007 civil war.\n</p><p>\n\n(Additional reporting by Maayan Lubell, Ari Rabinovitch and Allyn Fisher-Ilan, editing by Tim Pearce)</p>\n            </div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Israel and Hamas look to end Gaza flare-up   (Reuters)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110410/wl_nm/us_palestinians_israel\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110410/wl_nm/us_palestinians_israel</a></p>',-2,5,0,43,'2011-04-10 13:15:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-04-10 13:15:00','2011-04-11 14:53:07','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(930,'More than 1,000 defy Egypt army order to quit square   (Reuters)','more-than-1000-defy-egypt-army-order-to-quit-square-reuters','','<p><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110410/wl_nm/us_egypt_protest\"><img src=\"http://d.yimg.com/a/p/afp/20110410/capt.photo_1302444405814-1-0.jpg?x=130&amp;y=86&amp;q=85&amp;sig=WkNdbSUJTR6lyZaJX6V14g--\" height=\"86\" width=\"130\" alt=\"More than 1,000 defy Egypt army order to quit square   (Reuters)\" style=\"float: left; border: 0px;\" />\n</a>Reuters - More than 1,000 protesters ignored an army order to leave Cairo\'s main square on Sunday, extending into a third day their calls for a quick move to civilian rule and a deeper purge of corrupt officials.</p><br style=\"clear: both;\" />','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>CAIRO (Reuters) – More than 1,000 protesters ignored an army order to leave Cairo\'s main square on Sunday, extending into a third day their calls for a quick move to civilian rule and a deeper purge of corrupt officials.</p>\n                <p>\nBarbed wire blocked roads into Tahrir Square, the center of the protests that toppled Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on February 11 and a major thoroughfare in the traffic-choked capital.</p>\n                <p>\nProtesters cried \"revolution, revolution\" and brandished an effigy of Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, who heads the military council now ruling Egypt and is also defense minister, as he was under Mubarak for many years.</p>\n                <p>\n\"What is wanted is a civilian council,\" read one slogan. \"The people demand that the field marshal be toppled,\" the protesters cried.</p>\n                <p>\nA dozen armored personnel carriers full of troops waited near the square but out of sight.</p>\n                <p>\nEgypt\'s army rulers have enjoyed broad support since taking control on February 11, but complaints against them are growing -- although they have promised free, fair elections for a new parliament in September.</p>\n                <p>\nA hard core of protesters say the army is colluding with remnants of Mubarak\'s network and thwarting popular demands for more of his lieutenants to face trial.</p>\n                <p>\nTASERS, BATONS</p>\n                <p>\nHundreds of thousands packed Tahrir Square on Friday in one of the biggest demonstrations since Mubarak was ousted.</p>\n                <p>\nSoldiers and police used tasers and batons to try to drive out the protesters. Medical sources said 13 men were wounded by gunfire and two died late on Friday.</p>\n                <p>\nThe army backed out of the square after failing to remove all the protesters, and later announced that it would clear the square on Saturday night.</p>\n                <p>\n\"But nothing happened,\" said Ahmed el-Moqdami, 25, who said he was in a group representing the youth of Upper Egypt.</p>\n                <p>\n\"We will continue the sit-in until our demands are met,\" he said. \"First of all, the field marshal must go. Mubarak must be put on trial and a civilian council must be formed for the transition period.\"</p>\n                <p>\nThe army said violence at the protest was caused by elements \"that backed the counter-revolution\" -- an apparent reference to those loyal to Mubarak, who ruled autocratically for 30 years.</p>\n                <p>\nIt said they were trying to \"sow discord between the army and the people\" and said soldiers did not use live ammunition.</p>\n                <p>\nThere was little security presence in the square on Sunday morning. A burned-out vehicle was as a reminder of the violence and men were sweeping away rubbish.</p>\n                <p>\nThe protesters were checking the identity of people walking into Tahrir Square but later stopped, removed some of the barbed wire and briefly allowed some cars to pass through.</p>\n                <p>\n\"We did this so that no one can blame us for supposedly bringing normal life to a halt as has been said before,\" said Mohamed Abduh, 29.\n</p><p>\n\nLater, 40 to 50 youths arrived in the square and began hurling rocks. Protesters chased the youths away into side streets and blocked the square to traffic again.\n</p><p>\n\n(Writing by Tom Pfeiffer; editing by Tim Pearce)</p>\n            </div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"More than 1,000 defy Egypt army order to quit square   (Reuters)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110410/wl_nm/us_egypt_protest\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110410/wl_nm/us_egypt_protest</a></p>',-2,5,0,43,'2011-04-10 09:31:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-04-10 09:31:00','2011-04-11 14:53:08','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(931,'Can the Syrian Regime Divide and Conquer Its Opposition?   (Time.com)','can-the-syrian-regime-divide-and-conquer-its-opposition-timecom','','Time.com - The uprising against the Assad dynasty continues despite attempts to appease -- and threaten -- the country\'s complex of interests','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>The regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has been pursuing a divide-and-conquer strategy against dissent, using specific carrots-and-sticks to appease and repress the country\'s complicated collection of tribal, ethnic and religious interests. But that does not appear to have diminished, on various local levels, the virulence of the rancor against the long rule of the Ba\'ath Party and the perceived concentration of wealth and privilege in the hands of a small elite class. Indeed, while the various uprisings have not quite coalesced into the kind of mass movements that brought down the autocracies of Tunisia and Egypt, they have continued despite the violent response of the government; and the anger has spread over large swathes of Syrian territory.</p>\n                <p>On Saturday, security forces reportedly opened fire on demonstrators in the flashpoint southern town of Dara\'a during funerals to bury the dead from the previous day\'s anti-regime protests, the largest since unrest erupted across the country three weeks ago. Syrian opposition activists report that army troops are continuing to converge on Dara\'a and the surrounding towns and villages in greater numbers in an apparent bid to crush the epicenter of the revolt. <span class=\"see\"><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/time/wl_time/storytext/08599206421400/41023682/SIG=11v084r2l/*http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,2061413,00.html\" target=\"_blank\">(See photos of the protests spreading to Syria.)</a></span> </p>\n                <p>All this comes a day after more than 30 people were reported killed when protests erupted across the country following noon prayers marking the Muslim holy day. The worst unrest was in Dara\'a where activists say 31 people died in two separate confrontations with security forces. There were sizeable demonstrations in at least 15 other cities and towns, notably Homs where three people were reported killed and Latakia, Banias and Tartous on Syria\'s Mediterranean coast. One YouTube video purportedly shows the bodies of 10 protestors killed in Dara\'a on Friday. The short clip begins with someone holding up the front page of Saturday\'s <i>Tishreen</i> newspaper in an attempt to confirm the date. Another shows protestors in Dara\'a cheering as a man knocks down a bust of Hafez al-Assad, the former Syrian president and father of the current head of state. A third video shows the chaotic scenes of gunshot casualties being treated inside the landmark Omari mosque in Dara\'a which has been turned into a makeshift field hospital.</p>\n                <p>The Syrian authorities have acknowledged the fatalities but blamed the violence on \"saboteurs\". \"This is what caused material and unfortunate human losses,\" said Walid Muallem, Syria\'s foreign minister. \"Syria respects the right to peacefully demonstrate... [government] is working to respond to the demands [the people] through a reform program.\" <span class=\"see\"><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/time/wl_time/storytext/08599206421400/41023682/SIG=11vprrgaa/*http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2063648,00.html\" target=\"_blank\">(See Assad\'s attempts to quell the revolt.)</a></span></p>\n                <p>Although Friday\'s protests were the most widespread and bloodiest so far, the opposition has yet to reach a critical mass that could pose a real threat to a regime that still retains the loyalty of the security forces and a large part of the population - including a merchant class that has prospered under recent economic reform. Syrian activists argue, however, that the regime is working to undermine the perception of a nationwide uprising, instead depicting the incidents as a series of local problems. \"They are trying to make it look as though it\'s not a national problem but just regional issues that they can deal with one by one. They are trying to divide and conquer us, but we are working to make this a national campaign,\" says Malath Aumran, the on-line pseudonym of a Syrian opposition activist helping coordinate the protests from exile in Beirut.</p>\n                <p>The rebellion in Dara\'a was provoked by the arrest of a handful of youths for daubing a wall with anti-regime graffiti. When the security forces killed several people protesting the arrests, it fueled further demonstrations and created a chain reaction that has turned the town and surrounding villages into the epicenter of the uprising. The regime initially used a combination of concessions and violence to try and stamp out the protests, replacing the unpopular governor of Dara\'a and ordering the release of detainees from the town. But the tactic has failed to mollify the local population which is rooted in a strict tribal society where concepts of honor and dignity run deep. The regime similarly has attempted to placate the residents of Deir ez Zor, another tribal town straddling the Euphrates river in eastern desert. But Nawaf al-Bashir, the leader of the Al-Bakkara tribe, the largest in Syria, has vowed to press on with the uprising until key reforms are made.\"They take us for slaves - for four decades now they have subjected us to indiscriminate affronts and killings,\" he told Agence France Presse.</p>\n                <p>On Thursday, the Syrian authorities announced they would grant citizenship to stateless Kurds, roughly 20% of the two to three million Kurds living in Syria. The regime has been keeping a wary eye of the well-organized and traditionally rebellious Kurds. But the offer of \"Syrian Arab\" identity met with little enthusiasm among the non-Arab Kurds who held a large number of protests Friday in their north-eastern stronghold, chanting \"We don\'t want nationality, we want freedom\" and \"One, one, one: the Syrian people are one.\" <span class=\"see\"><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/time/wl_time/storytext/08599206421400/41023682/SIG=11vfg1p6n/*http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2060788,00.html\" target=\"_blank\">(See how graffiti stirred the uprising.)</a></span></p>\n                <p>Meanwhile, the role of Islam grows more prominent. Syria officially is a secular country, but religion is a powerful force and one that has grown stronger over the past decade. Both the opposition and the regime recognize that mosques have become crucial rallying points, especially on Fridays when it is acceptable for men to gather in one place without facing harassment from the security forces. As a consequence, Syrian authorities have been holding talks with Sunni clerics to encourage them to stand with the regime rather than drift into the ranks of the opposition where they can use their influential positions as mosque imams to galvanize protests. In the past week, in a nod to conservative religious impulses, the regime has overturned a nine-month ban on teachers wearing the niqab, a full face-covering veil worn by Muslim women, and closed the country\'s only casino.</p>\n                <p>The concessions have had met mixed success. While some clerics are continuing to call for calm and faith in the regime\'s promised reforms, others have sided with the street. The Syria Revolution Facebook page on Friday posted a letter purportedly signed by at least a dozen clerics from Homs in which they list 16 demands including lifting the draconian state of emergency law, releasing all political detainees, halting harassment by the security forces and combating corruption.</p>\n                <p> <span class=\"see\"><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/time/wl_time/storytext/08599206421400/41023682/SIG=10ngk4h3c/*http://time.com/egypt\" target=\"_self\">See TIME\'s special report \"The Middle East in Revolt.\"</a></span> </p>\n                <p> <span class=\"see\"><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/time/wl_time/storytext/08599206421400/41023682/SIG=124ec8mn5/*http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/0,28757,2058946,00.html\" target=\"_blank\">See TIME\'s 140 Best Twitter Feeds.</a></span> </p>\n                <p>View this article on <a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/time/wl_time/storytext/08599206421400/41023682/SIG=12nkn8g1b/*http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2064214,00.html?xid=rss-fullworld-yahoo\">Time.com</a></p>\n                <p></p><p>Most Popular on Time.com:</p><ul><li><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/time/wl_time/storytext/08599206421400/41023682/SIG=13033n6vn/*http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1914857,00.html?xid=feed-yahoo-full-mostpopular\">Why Exercise Won\'t Make You Thin</a></li> <li><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/time/wl_time/storytext/08599206421400/41023682/SIG=12ukek330/*http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1578073,00.html?xid=feed-yahoo-full-mostpopular\">The 10 Greatest Books of All Time</a></li> <li><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/time/wl_time/storytext/08599206421400/41023682/SIG=12vuf71pd/*http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2062604,00.html?xid=feed-yahoo-full-mostpopular\">Indonesia: Bali Struggles amid a Surge in Tourism</a></li> <li><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/time/wl_time/storytext/08599206421400/41023682/SIG=132e5lnhj/*http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2062419,00.html?xid=feed-yahoo-full-mostpopular\">Finland\'s Educational Success? The Anti-Tiger Mother Approach</a></li> <li><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/time/wl_time/storytext/08599206421400/41023682/SIG=132vpcpj9/*http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2063859,00.html?xid=feed-yahoo-full-mostpopular\">Profile: \'Arthur\' Star Russell Brand</a></li> </ul><p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Can the Syrian Regime Divide and Conquer Its Opposition?   (Time.com)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/time/20110410/wl_time/08599206421400\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/time/20110410/wl_time/08599206421400</a></p>',-2,5,0,43,'2011-04-10 01:40:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-04-10 01:40:00','2011-04-11 14:53:08','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(932,'EU, IMF experts to discuss bailout with Portugal on Tuesday   (AFP)','eu-imf-experts-to-discuss-bailout-with-portugal-on-tuesday-afp','','<p><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110410/bs_afp/portugalfinanceeconomyeuecbimf\"><img src=\"http://d.yimg.com/a/p/afp/20110410/capt.photo_1302434699387-1-0.jpg?x=130&amp;y=92&amp;q=85&amp;sig=0u2_oKZ.mpYR1qiIFND3GA--\" height=\"92\" width=\"130\" alt=\"EU, IMF experts to discuss bailout with Portugal on Tuesday   (AFP)\" style=\"float: left; border: 0px;\" />\n</a>AFP - Experts from the European Commission, European Central Bank and IMF will visit Lisbon this week for talks on an 80 billion euro bailout for Portugal, a commission spokesman said Sunday.</p><br style=\"clear: both;\" />','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>BRUSSELS (AFP) – Experts from the European Commission, European Central Bank and IMF will visit Lisbon this week for talks on an 80 billion euro bailout for Portugal, a commission spokesman said Sunday.</p>\n                <p>\nThe mission will lay the groundwork for political-level talks between the so-called \"troika\" and Portugal\'s political parties the following week, spokesman Cezary Lewanowicz told AFP.</p>\n                <p>\nThe experts will meet Tuesday with Portuguese finance ministry officials to discuss the \"technical details\" of the plan, worth $115 billion, Lewanowicz said.</p>\n                <p>\nThe European Union and IMF offered to save Portugal from a debt crisis on Friday but warned that in return Lisbon would have to implement more public spending cuts, tax rises and far-reaching privatisations.</p>\n                <p>\nThe commission hopes to meet with all of Portugal\'s political parties to discuss the rescue programme ahead of snap elections on June 5, Lewanowicz said.</p>\n                <p>\n\"The goal is to have the strongest possible consensus and a clear commitment, whatever the outcome of the elections,\" the spokesman said.</p>\n                <p>\nThe International Monetary Fund said the political-level meeting would take place on April 18.</p>\n                <p>\n\"Following a request by the Portuguese authorities, IMF experts will join European Commission and European Central Bank teams for a technical assessment of the current situation of the Portuguese economy this coming Tuesday,\" said IMF external relations director Caroline Atkinson.</p>\n                <p>\n\"This will serve as the basis for the policy discussions that will start the following Monday, April 18,\" she said.</p>\n                <p>\nSocialist Prime Minister Jose Socrates asked for the bailout after parliament last month rejected austerity measures proposed by his minority government, prompting his resignation.</p>\n                <p>\nPortugal is the third eurozone country to go cap in hand to the EU and IMF after Greece and Ireland received multi-billion bailouts last year.</p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"EU, IMF experts to discuss bailout with Portugal on Tuesday   (AFP)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110410/bs_afp/portugalfinanceeconomyeuecbimf\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110410/bs_afp/portugalfinanceeconomyeuecbimf</a></p>',-2,5,0,43,'2011-04-10 14:04:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-04-10 14:04:00','2011-04-11 14:53:09','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(933,'Witnesses: 4 protesters killed in key Syrian city   (AP)','witnesses-4-protesters-killed-in-key-syrian-city-ap','','<p><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110410/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_syria\"><img src=\"http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20110409/capt.c2c3b31c205a402082e767660cc95ba5-c2c3b31c205a402082e767660cc95ba5-0.jpg?x=86&amp;y=130&amp;q=85&amp;sig=771GXvDNFhBtnK5gwvgLiw--\" height=\"130\" width=\"86\" alt=\"Witnesses: 4 protesters killed in key Syrian city   (AP)\" style=\"float: left; border: 0px;\" />\n</a>AP - Syrian security forces and pro-government gunmen killed four protesters Sunday in the port city of Banias after the army sealed off the city as hundreds of protesters gathered, undaunted by the regime\'s use of deadly force to quell more than three weeks of unrest, witnesses said.</p><br style=\"clear: both;\" />','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>BEIRUT – Syrian security forces and pro-government gunmen killed four protesters Sunday in the port city of Banias after the army sealed off the city as hundreds of protesters gathered, undaunted by the regime\'s use of deadly force to quell more than three weeks of unrest, witnesses said.</p>\n                <p>Details were sketchy because telephone lines, Internet access and electricity apparently were cut to most parts of the city. Army tanks and soldiers circled the city, preventing people from entering.</p>\n                <p>But one witness, reached by telephone, said hundreds of protesters had gathered near the al-Rahman mosque when security forces and armed men in civilian clothes opened fire on them. The names of the dead were read out on mosque loudspeakers.</p>\n                <p>He said dozens of people were wounded, but most of them asked to be treated at a small clinic instead of at the main hospital, which was under the control of the feared security forces.</p>\n                <p>Like most eyewitnesses who spoke to The Associated Press, he requested anonymity for fear of reprisals from the government. Several other human rights activists, also citing witnesses, reported shooting in Banias on Sunday.</p>\n                <p>\"There are demonstrations throughout the city and people are chanting against the regime,\" said Haitham al-Maleh, an 80-year-old lawyer and longtime rights activist who spent years as a political prisoner in Syria.</p>\n                <p>The accounts could not be independently confirmed. The government has placed severe restrictions on news coverage and many journalists — including from The Associated Press — have been ordered to leave the country.</p>\n                <p>Protests erupted in Syria more than three weeks ago and have been growing steadily every week, with tens of thousands of people calling for sweeping reforms in President Bashar Assad\'s authoritarian regime.</p>\n                <p>More than 170 people have been killed, according to human rights groups.</p>\n                <p>The government blames the violence on armed gangs rather than true reform-seekers and has vowed to crush further unrest. On Sunday, the state-run news agency said thugs killed a police officer in an ambush near Banias, which is 185 miles (300 kilometers) northwest of the capital, Damascus.</p>\n                <p>Assad also Sunday that the country is \"moving ahead on the road of comprehensive reforms,\" the state-run news agency SANA said. In recent weeks, Assad has answered the protesters with both force and limited concessions that have failed to appease an emboldened movement inspired by the Arab uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt.</p>\n                <p>A key demand of protesters is an end to a decades-old emergency law that gives the regime a free hand to arrest people without charge.</p>\n                <p>But Assad has stopped well short of the protesters\" demands. Instead, he has promised to form committees to look into reform. Other gestures include granting citizenship to thousands of Kurds, the country\'s long-ostracized minority, and sacking his Cabinet. Firing the government was largely symbolic, however, as the real power in Syria is concentrated around Assad and a tight coterie of family and advisers.</p>\n                <p>Also Sunday, the caretaker Syrian government eased foreigner\'s access to real estate in what appeared to be an attempt to attract foreign investment.</p>\n                <p>But those gestures have failed to appease a growing movement that is raising the ceiling on its demands for concrete reforms and free elections.</p>\n                <p>Much of the most serious violence has been concentrated in the drought-parched southern city of Daraa — where some 25 people were killed Friday — and the Mediterranean port city of Latakia.</p>\n                <p>Twelve people were killed in Latakia two weeks ago, bringing the unrest to an area with strong historical ties to Assad\'s minority Alawite sect, which is an offshoot of Shiite Islam.</p>\n                <p>Like Latakia, Banias has a potentially explosive mix of religious groups and sects. It also has a major oil refinery, which is the main point of export for Syrian oil.\n</p><p>\n___\n</p><p>\nAP writer Elizabeth A. Kennedy contributed to this report from Cairo.</p>\n            </div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Witnesses: 4 protesters killed in key Syrian city   (AP)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110410/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_syria\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110410/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_syria</a></p>',-2,5,0,43,'2011-04-10 14:34:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-04-10 14:34:00','2011-04-11 14:53:10','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(934,'US citizen among bus passengers abducted in Mexico   (AP)','us-citizen-among-bus-passengers-abducted-in-mexico-ap','','<p><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110410/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/lt_drug_war_mexico\"><img src=\"http://d.yimg.com/a/p/afp/20110410/capt.photo_1302402436566-1-0.jpg?x=130&amp;y=75&amp;q=85&amp;sig=YzfRfPkgAlzawL0mMFDVaA--\" height=\"75\" width=\"130\" alt=\"US citizen among bus passengers abducted in Mexico   (AP)\" style=\"float: left; border: 0px;\" />\n</a>AP - At least one U.S. citizen was among dozens of men reportedly forced off passenger buses by armed attackers in the northeastern border state of Tamaulipas, where 72 bodies were found in mass graves last week, U.S. officials said Sunday.</p><br style=\"clear: both;\" />','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>MEXICO CITY – At least one U.S. citizen was among dozens of men reportedly forced off passenger buses by armed attackers in the northeastern border state of Tamaulipas, where 72 bodies were found in mass graves last week, U.S. officials said Sunday.</p>\n                <p>The man has yet to be located, said a warden\'s message posted on the website of the consulate, which is located in the Tamaulipas city of Matamoros, across the border from Brownsville, Texas.</p>\n                <p>It is not unusual for people living or working in Mexican border states to have been born in the U.S.</p>\n                <p>In a separate warden\'s message issued Friday, the consulate had warned that Mexican criminal gangs may be planning attacks \"in the near future\" against U.S. law enforcement or U.S. citizens in Tamaulipas, Nuevo Leon and San Luis Potosi, three northern states wracked by drug violence as cartels battle for territory.</p>\n                <p>The report said the information was uncorroborated but was being distributed to all U.S. employees in those three states. There was no mention of closing consulates or sending State Department workers out of the country.</p>\n                <p>A call by The Associated Press to the Matamoros consulate for more details wasn\'t immediately answered.</p>\n                <p>The consulate\'s statement did not say when or where the U.S. man went missing from the passenger bus.</p>\n                <p>\"From late March to early April, the consulate received three reports from American citizens or their families regarding inter-city buses being boarded by criminals,\" the warden\'s message said.</p>\n                <p>\"In at least one instance, male bus passengers, including an American citizen, were forcibly removed from those buses and have yet to be located.\"</p>\n                <p>The consulate is warning U.S. citizens against traveling through Tamaulipas, either by public bus or private transportation.</p>\n                <p>Investigators uncovered the 72 bodies in 10 pits near San Fernando, a town about 90 miles (145 kilometers) south of Brownsville on a well-traveled stretch of highway that runs near the Gulf Coast. It is an area regularly patrolled by the Mexican military.</p>\n                <p>It was the second-such gruesome find in less than a year: In August, investigators found the bodies of 72 migrants in San Fernando.</p>\n                <p>Federal authorities said they are holding 14 people — 12 men and two women — as suspects in the latest case.</p>\n                <p>The federal Attorney General\'s Office said there was evidence that most of the suspects belonged to the Zetas drug gang, the same group blamed for the August massacre. Some were detained with military-style uniforms, and others were found driving a pickup truck displaying false Mexican navy insignia.</p>\n                <p>The Zetas and rival Gulf Cartel are fighting in Tamaulipas over lucrative drug transit routes to the U.S. The state shares three major border cities with Laredo, McAllen and Brownsville, Texas.</p>\n                <p>Dozens of families and passengers complained of gunmen pulling people, mostly young men, off inter-city travel buses starting in late March, leading investigators to last week\'s grisly discovery.</p>\n                <p>Investigators continued working over the weekend to find more graves and to identify the bodies.</p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"US citizen among bus passengers abducted in Mexico   (AP)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110410/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/lt_drug_war_mexico\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110410/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/lt_drug_war_mexico</a></p>',-2,5,0,43,'2011-04-10 12:15:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-04-10 12:15:00','2011-04-11 14:53:11','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(935,'African mediators in Libya amid NATO air strikes   (AFP)','african-mediators-in-libya-amid-nato-air-strikes-afp','','<p><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110410/wl_africa_afp/libyaconflict\"><img src=\"http://d.yimg.com/a/p/afp/20110410/capt.photo_1302454218190-3-0.jpg?x=130&amp;y=79&amp;q=85&amp;sig=dgaZXhPcnODA_w8LjXPAeQ--\" height=\"79\" width=\"130\" alt=\"African mediators in Libya amid NATO air strikes   (AFP)\" style=\"float: left; border: 0px;\" />\n</a>AFP - A high-ranking African Union delegation arrived in Libya on Sunday to try to negotiate a truce between Moamer Kadhafi\'s forces and rebels seeking to oust him, an AFP reporter said.</p><br style=\"clear: both;\" />','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>TRIPOLI (AFP) – A high-ranking African Union delegation arrived in Libya on Sunday to try to negotiate a truce between Moamer Kadhafi\'s forces and rebels seeking to oust him, an AFP reporter said.</p>\n                <p>\nThe peace mission came as NATO warplanes were in action against Kadhafi loyalists in the stricken port city of Misrata after regime forces killed at least 11 people there over the weekend, rebels said.</p>\n                <p>\nThe African mediators were welcomed by Kadhafi supporters holding the veteran Libyan leader\'s picture and waving the green flags of his regime.</p>\n                <p>\nPresidents Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz of Mauritania, Mali\'s Amadou Toumani Toure, Denis Sassou Nguesso of Congo, Jacob Zuma of South Africa, and Ugandan Foreign Minister Henry Oryem Okello, representing Yoweri Museveni, flew in to Mitiga airport near Tripoli.</p>\n                <p>\n<a rel=\"nofollow\"></a><a rel=\"nofollow\"></a><a rel=\"nofollow\" title=\"jpeg\"></a><a rel=\"nofollow\" title=\"Mpeg4-640x360\"> They joined the embattled Kadhafi for a photocall outside his Bedouin tent in his Bab al-Aziziya compound before being driven by minibus to greet a crowd of his supporters some 200 metres (yards) away and then leaving for an undisclosed destination.</a></p>\n                <p>\nThe AU team is due to fly to the rebel stronghold of Benghazi, 1,000 kilometres (600 miles) east of Tripoli, later on Sunday in its effort to broker a truce in the deadly conflict.</p>\n                <p>\nThe opposition has already said it rejects any ceasefire that would mean Kadhafi or his sons remain in power.</p>\n                <p>\nEarlier, the mediators reiterated their appeal for \"an immediate end to all hostilities\" and proposed a transition period to adopt reforms in the insurrection-hit country.</p>\n                <p>\nThe NATO operation\'s commander confirmed that NATO warplanes had destroyed 11 regime tanks on the road to the eastern Libyan town of Ajdabiya and another 14 tanks near Misrata.</p>\n                <p>\n\n\"The situation in Ajdabiya, and Misrata in particular, is desperate for those Libyans who are being brutally shelled by the regime,\" said Lieutenant General Charles Bouchard.</p>\n                <p>\n\"To help protect these civilians we continue to strike these forces hard, with 11 tanks destroyed today as they approached Ajdabiya, and 14 tanks destroyed earlier this morning in the outskirts of Misrata,\" he said.</p>\n                <p>\nOn the battlefield, rebels said on Sunday they had captured 15 Algerian mercenaries and killed another three during fierce fighting in Ajdabiya the previous day.</p>\n                <p>\nMedics also said at least 12 rebels were killed in and around Ajdabiya over the weekend.</p>\n                <p>\nOfficials at Benghazi\'s Jala hospital said it had received nine \"martyrs\" from the fighting and 14 wounded people, and a doctor at Al-Hawwara hospital said it had received three dead and three wounded.</p>\n                <p>\nAir strikes on Misrata came on Sunday morning, a rebel spokesman in the besieged town told AFP, calling the raids \"a marked improvement in NATO intervention.\"</p>\n                <p>\n\n\"They began the raids yesterday on the Kadhafi forces in the northwest of the town and near the centre of Misrata,\" said the spokesman.</p>\n                <p>\n\"In the morning, there were new raids but we are not able to verify the targets,\" he said, adding eight rebels were killed by pro-Kadhafi forces and 22 others were wounded on Saturday.</p>\n                <p>\nA doctor at Misrata hospital gave AFP the same death toll for Saturday, saying they included civilians, while putting the number of wounded at 25.\n</p><p>\n\nThe doctor said the hospital had received three bodies on Sunday, two rebels and a civilian, adding it was possible there could be more fatalities at other medical facilities.\n</p><p>\n\n\"Clearly the situation in Ajdabiya is desperate and Kadhafi forces are attacking the town with heavy weapons,\" a NATO official in Brussels told AFP on condition of anonymity.\n</p><p>\n\n\nBouchard said in a statement: \"We are hitting the regime logistics facilities as well as their heavy weapons because we know Kadhafi is finding it hard to sustain his attacks on civilians.\"\n</p><p>\n\nLoud explosions rocked Ajdabiya for a second day on Sunday, as rebels advanced cautiously after suffering a major reverse at the hands of loyalists.\n</p><p>\n\nThe alliance had already taken out 15 tanks near Misrata on Friday and Saturday, bringing to 29 the total number of tanks destroyed around Libya\'s third largest city in the past three days.\n</p><p>\n\nWestern strikes against regime forces began on March 19 under a UN mandate to protect the population after Kadhafi unleashed his security forces to quell pro-democracy protests.\n</p><p>\n\nThe United States handed control of the operation to NATO on March 31.\n</p><p>\n\nLibyan rebels have criticised NATO in recent days, accusing the alliance of failing to protect the people of Misrata.\n</p><p>\n\nBut NATO says it is picking up the pace of air strikes.\n</p><p>\n\n\nRebel spokesman Shamsiddin Abdulmolah told AFP in Benghazi that 18 men they captured near Ajdabiya were not carrying identification, but \"they said they were Algerian and they had Algerian accents.\"\n</p><p>\n\n\"They were claiming to be selling hashish... and they had hashish with them. This is the whole crazy thing about it,\" he said.\n</p><p>\n\nHe also said several Algerian ID cards and passports were found in a nearby building in Ajdabiya.\n</p><p>\n\nThe Algerian foreign ministry categorically denied the charge, its spokesman Amar Belani told AFP.\n</p><p>\n\nAbdulmolah said the group of 18 were led into the frontline town by a local resident allied with Kadhafi\'s regime, who was also captured, adding that all the detainees were being treated well.\n</p><p>\n\nHe accused Algeria of backing Kadhafi and of \"turning a blind eye\" to the mercenaries flowing into Libya. The rebels have long accused Kadhafi of using hired guns from Chad and Niger.\n</p><p>\n\nAn Associated Press photographer named by the agency as 35-year-old Indian Altaf Qadri has gone missing near Ajdabiya, AP said on Sunday.\n</p><p>\n\n\"We are concerned about his safety and are taking appropriate steps to locate him,\" it said in a statement.</p>\n            </div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"African mediators in Libya amid NATO air strikes   (AFP)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110410/wl_africa_afp/libyaconflict\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110410/wl_africa_afp/libyaconflict</a></p>',-2,5,0,43,'2011-04-10 14:36:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-04-10 14:36:00','2011-04-11 14:53:12','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(936,'Month after quake, Japan homeless move into houses   (AP)','month-after-quake-japan-homeless-move-into-houses-ap','','<p><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110410/ap_on_bi_ge/as_japan_earthquake\"><img src=\"http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20110410/capt.3913a3fadd0744ff8ddce7d161bf8f1a-144245a870864ee4bc1b5b7ebe65c809-0.jpg?x=130&amp;y=85&amp;q=85&amp;sig=LBArSoP55XMRlU1s.I.ppA--\" height=\"85\" width=\"130\" alt=\"Month after quake, Japan homeless move into houses   (AP)\" style=\"float: left; border: 0px;\" />\n</a>AP - One month after a devastating tsunami flattened their homes, some families took a step toward normalcy and moved into temporary housing, while Japan\'s prime minister promised Sunday to help fishermen along the devastated coast get back to their boats.</p><br style=\"clear: both;\" />','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>RIKUZENTAKATA, Japan – One month after a devastating tsunami flattened their homes, some families took a step toward normalcy and moved into temporary housing, while Japan\'s prime minister promised Sunday to help fishermen along the devastated coast get back to their boats.</p>\n                <p>Rows of 36 boxy, gray houses line a junior high school parking lot in this port city pulverized by the March 11 wave, and, after a lottery, the first lucky few families moved in this weekend. Each unit is just 320 square feet (30 square meters), but replete with modern comforts like a television, refrigerator, microwave and washing machine — a welcome upgrade for the homeless, many of whom have slept on the floors of school gyms for a month.</p>\n                <p>That\'s just one house for every 50 applicants.</p>\n                <p>\"It\'s a mystery how we were lucky enough to be chosen. It\'s like a dream,\" said Sakai Sasaki, 80, who had been living with relatives.</p>\n                <p>The city hopes to complete 400 units in eight different locations by mid May, although that will still only cover about one-quarter of the families in need. Other areas have similar plans, but Rikuzentakata\'s units are the first to be completed.</p>\n                <p>\"When you think of the feelings of the evacuees, we want to build them even a day faster, or make just one unit more,\" said Saeki Suga, an official in charge of the housing plan for the city.</p>\n                <p>The 9.0-magnitude earthquake and the tsunami it generated flattened communities along hundreds of miles (kilometers) of coastline, and is thought to have killed more than 25,000 people.</p>\n                <p>Fishermen have borne a particularly heavy burden because many boats and piers were washed away. On top of that, radiation spewing from a nuclear plant disabled by the crushing wave has contaminated seafood.</p>\n                <p>On Sunday, Prime Minister Naoto Kan visited Ishinomaki and promised to support the coastal city, where the fishing industry accounts for 40 percent of the economy.</p>\n                <p>\"The government will do its utmost to help you,\" Kan, dressed in blue work clothes, told local people gathered near the sea. \"We will support you so that you can resume fishing.\"</p>\n                <p>Ishinomaki Mayor Hiroshi Kameyama told him the government needs to quickly build temporary homes for the 17,000 city residents who lost theirs and are living in shelters.</p>\n                <p>The last time Kan visited tsunami-hit towns, there was criticism that his government was distracted from the suffering of coastal communities by the nuclear crisis, which has heaped more misery on the region.</p>\n                <p>Ahead of Monday\'s one-month anniversary, nuclear safety official Hidehiko Nishiyama apologized for the worry and inconvenience caused by the radiation spilling from the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant.</p>\n                <p>\"We\'ve done all we could to come this far,\" said Nishiyama. \"Unfortunately we still cannot give any timeline for when we can move on to the next phase, but we are hoping to achieve a sustainable cooling system, contain radiation and bring the situation under control as soon as possible.\"</p>\n                <p>He added, however, that it would be several months before normal cooling systems could be restored.</p>\n                <p>Contamination in water pooling around the complex has slowed efforts to stabilize the reactors, emitting so much radiation in some places that workers can get in only for short periods of time, if at all.</p>\n                <p>In a move that prompted some criticism from neighboring countries, engineers decided earlier this month to deliberately pump less-contaminated water into the ocean from a storage facility to free up space for more highly radioactive water. They are also pumping out water from drains to keep it from backing up.</p>\n                <p>The pumping was set to end Sunday.\n</p><p>\nNow that removal of the contaminated water is under way, officials are starting to consider options for restoring the cooling systems vital for preventing further reactor damage. But they won\'t know what will work best until the water is out of the way and they can see which parts are usable and which have been destroyed.\n</p><p>\nPlant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. reiterated Sunday that it is not considering entombing the hot reactors in concrete, as was done at Chernobyl in 1986 when a reactor fire burned out of control.\n</p><p>\n\"We are not opting for entombment at the moment,\" said spokesman Junichi Matsumoto. \"We see that the Unit 1-4 reactors are relatively stabilized, judging from the reactor temperature and water level, while we are short of calling them stable.\"\n</p><p>\nEngineers have struggled to get data from the reactors because they don\'t have normal access to them. On Sunday, a tiny remote-controlled drone aircraft from Honeywell did its first flight around the compound. Eventually, the gadget may be able to provide more specific information on radiation and temperatures in areas that have been off-limits to workers.\n</p><p>\nThe crisis has sparked several anti-nuclear protests, but one of the largest happened Sunday in a Tokyo neighborhood where many students live. Thousands of people carrying \"No nukes\" signs gathered for a rally and then marched through the streets chanting and beating drums. Elsewhere in the capital, about 140 miles (220 kilometers) southwest of Fukushima Dai-ichi, protesters demanding the closure of a different plant chanted \"No more Fukushima\" as they marched through government headquarters and past the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency.\n</p><p>\nSunday also saw Japanese and U.S. troops fan out along the coast for another all-out search for bodies by land, air and sea.\n</p><p>\nTelevision news showed them using heavy equipment to lift a boat washed inland by the tsunami so they could search a crushed car underneath. No one was inside.\n</p><p>\nJust 13,000 deaths have been confirmed so far, and many bodies have likely washed out to sea and will never be found.\n</p><p>\nDuring his visit to the tsunami zone, Kan thanked U.S. troops for their efforts.\n</p><p>\nA similar three-day search with even more troops a week ago found only about 70 bodies, underscoring the difficulties of locating victims in the ocean and the debris along the coast. Sunday\'s search, which was to last only one day, turned up 66.\n</p><p>\n\"I sincerely thank you for your generous assistance you have given to us since the earthquake,\" said the prime minister, whose government has had disagreements with Washington on the relocation of an American base in Japan.\n</p><p>\nThe assistance \"strengthens relations between Japan and the United States. I will never forget your kindness for the rest of my life,\" said Kan, in comments carried by Kyodo News agency.\n</p><p>\n___\n</p><p>\nYuasa reported from Tokyo. Associated Press writers Mari Yamaguchi and Mayumi Saito in Tokyo and Jay Alabaster in Rikuzentakata contributed to this report.</p>\n            </div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Month after quake, Japan homeless move into houses   (AP)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110410/ap_on_bi_ge/as_japan_earthquake\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110410/ap_on_bi_ge/as_japan_earthquake</a></p>',-2,5,0,43,'2011-04-10 14:41:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-04-10 14:41:00','2011-04-11 14:53:13','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(937,'West Coast oil line leads Canadian energy debate   (Reuters)','west-coast-oil-line-leads-canadian-energy-debate-reuters','','Reuters - A battle over a C$5.5 billion ($5.7 billion) oil pipeline to the West Coast and oil sands tax policy have led a thorny debate over energy and the environment early in Canada\'s election campaign.','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>CALGARY, Alberta (Reuters) – A battle over a C$5.5 billion ($5.7 billion) oil pipeline to the West Coast and oil sands tax policy have led a thorny debate over energy and the environment early in Canada\'s election campaign.</p>\n                <p>\nCanada has become the biggest energy exporter to the United States with its oil sands the main supply, prompting Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper to tout the country as an emerging energy superpower.</p>\n                <p>\nIt\'s a been double-edged sword. The industry has helped Canada\'s economy withstand some of the worst effects of the recession. But the unconventional crude is the target of environmentalists at home and abroad concerned about high greenhouse gas emissions and the impact of development on the water and wilderness of northeastern Alberta.</p>\n                <p>\nThe campaign leading up to the May 2 vote has shown deep divisions over energy policy. As usual, energy threatens a political rift between oil-producing Alberta, Harper\'s Conservative power base, and the rest of Canada.</p>\n                <p>\n\"Therein lies one of the problems -- as soon as you mention the words national, energy and policy, you create a reaction to what happened in the early 1980s,\" said Tim Marchant, professor at the University of Calgary\'s Haskayne School of Business.</p>\n                <p>\nFormer Liberal Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau launched his protectionist National Energy Program in 1980, imposing a low domestic oil price and earning the wrath of Albertans.</p>\n                <p>\n\"So, we need to find a different form of words to move that forward,\" Marchant said.</p>\n                <p>\nOne major issue is whether to tap oil markets in Asia as a way to boost prices for land-locked crude production that currently is exported almost solely to the United States.</p>\n                <p>\nFor Enbridge Inc, the main proponent of the Northern Gateway pipeline to the coast from Alberta, much rides on the vote, as only the Conservatives favor the increased tanker traffic the line would attract to Kitimat, British Columbia.</p>\n                <p>\nThe National Energy Board and Joint Review Panel are examining the proposal, which would ship more than half a million barrels of oil sands-derived crude a day to the coast, where it could be shipped to China and other Asian markets.</p>\n                <p>\nEnbridge Chief Executive Pat Daniel has said the project is too important for Canada to die in an election.</p>\n                <p>\nMichael Ignatieff, the leader of the main opposition Liberal Party, has said he would keep a moratorium on tanker traffic to protect northwestern British Columbia from potential oil spills.</p>\n                <p>\n\"Enbridge has not made its case here. It\'s going through a review, it\'s got to persuade aboriginal Canadians, it\'s got to persuade the NEB, and we\'re saying, \'You haven\'t proven your case and we\'re maintaining that tanker ban because we don\'t think this can be done safely\',\" he said.</p>\n                <p>\nStill, Ignatieff -- whose party trails the Conservatives in opinion polls -- has said he is supportive of oil sands development. However, he has cautioned that tax breaks must be removed, especially with oil over $100 a barrel, and replaced with incentives to invest in technology to cut carbon emissions.</p>\n                <p>\nENERGY EXPECTED TO PLAY BIGGER ROLE</p>\n                <p>\nUniversity of Alberta business professor Andrew Leach said he had expected energy policy would play a bigger role in the campaign than it has.</p>\n                <p>\nInstead, much of the focus has been on Harper\'s charges that the opposition parties plan to form a coalition, or Ignatieff\'s accusations the government is wasting billions on unneeded fighter jets and corporate tax cuts.</p>\n                <p>\n\"They are probably some of the most important elements when you look forward for probably the next 10 years,\" he said. \"That\'s where a lot of our growth, a lot of our success could come from, or where we could take a lot of knocks on.\"\n</p><p>\n\nThe Conservatives have imposed few burdens on the energy sector since taking office in 2006, with the exception of the move to scrap income trusts, which had been a popular vehicle for oil companies to raise cash and pay little tax.\n</p><p>\n\nThe Conservatives abandoned Canada\'s commitments to cut greenhouse gases under the Kyoto accord and set less stringent targets, offering public funding to develop carbon capture and storage projects.\n</p><p>\n\nHarper has also been an enthusiastic salesman for oil, pressing Washington to approve TransCanada Corp\'s $7 billion Keystone XL pipeline to Texas and lobbying the European Union against moves that could harm oil sands exports.\n</p><p>\n\nHowever, his government, faced with scientific studies showing inadequate monitoring of oil pollution in the oil sands region, has also been forced to beef up enforcement.\n</p><p>\n\nFor his part, the leader of the left-leaning New Democrats, Jack Layton, has taken a tough stand against unfettered oil sands development, decrying what he said amounts to C$2 billion in annual subsidies to the sector.\n</p><p>\n\nLayton, whose party is third in the polls and is not expected to win any seats in Alberta, has said he would redirect the money to solar, wind and other renewable energy technologies.\n</p><p>\n\nElizabeth May\'s Green Party, which currently has no seats in Parliament, would also end subsidies for the fossil fuel and nuclear industries.\n</p><p>\n\n($1=$0.96 Canadian)</p>\n            </div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"West Coast oil line leads Canadian energy debate   (Reuters)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110410/wl_canada_nm/canada_us_politics_energy\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110410/wl_canada_nm/canada_us_politics_energy</a></p>',-2,5,0,43,'2011-04-10 10:38:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-04-10 10:38:00','2011-04-11 14:53:15','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(938,'BHP planning Woodside takeover: report   (AFP)','bhp-planning-woodside-takeover-report-afp','','<p><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110410/wl_uk_afp/australiabritainminingcompanybhpwoodsidetakeover\"><img src=\"http://d.yimg.com/a/p/afp/20110410/capt.photo_1302445824244-1-0.jpg?x=130&amp;y=87&amp;q=85&amp;sig=EYFGVJ2FT.eJUAwnDz_gqg--\" height=\"87\" width=\"130\" alt=\"BHP planning Woodside takeover: report   (AFP)\" style=\"float: left; border: 0px;\" />\n</a>AFP - BHP Billiton, the world\'s top miner, is planning a takeover of Australia\'s biggest oil and gas producer Woodside Energy, The Sunday Times newspaper reported.</p><br style=\"clear: both;\" />','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>LONDON (AFP) – BHP Billiton, the world\'s top miner, is planning a takeover of Australia\'s biggest oil and gas producer Woodside Energy, The Sunday Times newspaper reported.</p>\n                <p>\nThe Anglo-Australian firm is in detailed talks with Royal Dutch Shell, Woodside\'s biggest shareholder, for an eventual £30 billion ($50 billion, 34 billion euro) takeover, according to the broadsheet.</p>\n                <p>\nShell would give BHP its Woodside shares in exchange for some of BHP\'s top assets, including the Sunrise gas field, the weekly said.</p>\n                <p>\nThen, once the deal is agreed, BHP would launch a full takeover offer for the producer, which is listed on the Sydney exchange.</p>\n                <p>\n\"A move on Woodside would mark a significant strategic switch for BHP, which has a cash pile of $16 billion (11 billion euros) thanks to a commodities boom that has taken the price of iron ore, copper and oil to record levels,\" the newspaper said.</p>\n                <p>\nBHP \"already has oil and gas assets, but they are small compared with its mining operations,\" it said.</p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"BHP planning Woodside takeover: report   (AFP)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110410/wl_uk_afp/australiabritainminingcompanybhpwoodsidetakeover\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110410/wl_uk_afp/australiabritainminingcompanybhpwoodsidetakeover</a></p>',-2,5,0,43,'2011-04-10 10:31:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-04-10 10:31:00','2011-04-11 14:53:15','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(939,'Red Sox-Yankees series highlights globalization of baseball   (The Christian Science Monitor)','red-sox-yankees-series-highlights-globalization-of-baseball-the-christian-science-monitor','','The Christian Science Monitor - When the Red Sox and Yankees met for the first time this season today at Fenway Park, the greatest rivalry in Americaâ€™s pastime had a decidedly foreign flavor.','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic – When the Red Sox and Yankees met for the first time this season today at Fenway Park, the greatest rivalry in America’s pastime had a decidedly foreign flavor.</p>\n                <p>Fourteen of the 50 players on the field or in reserve were born outside of the United States, including Red Sox slugger David Ortiz, better known as “Big Papi” in his native Dominican Republic, and the Yankees’ Panamanian closer Mariano Rivera.</p>\n                <p>They are stars that represent the changing face of a game that once barred blacks but is now rapidly globalizing. From Australians to Venezuelans, a total of 234 foreigners – 27.7 percent of all players – graced opening day rosters this year, according to Major League Baseball statistics. The New York Yankees, with 16 foreign-born players, are the most international team in baseball.</p>\n                <p>Take the Monitor\'s daily baseball quiz</p>\n                <p>It is the third most-international season in MLB history. In 2005, 29.2 percent of players were foreign-born, and the 2007 season saw 246 players were born outside the US.</p>\n                <p>Yet no country outside of the US sends as many players to professional baseball as the Dominican Republic, a country of just over 9 million where 10 percent of this year\'s big leaguers were born. Nearly half the foreigners playing for the Red Sox and Yankees hail from this Caribbean nation.</p>\n                <p>Baseball may be America’s pastime, but it\'s the Dominican Republic\'s obsession. President Leonel Fernandez attends groundbreakings for baseball training complexes as readily as 14-year-old boys don spikes and find an empty patch of grass with a ball and a glove in hopes of catching a scout\'s attention.</p>\n                <p>The country has sent so many players to Major League Baseball franchises – 468 to the major leagues and thousands more to the minors – that Dominicans consider playing professional baseball more of a career path than a dream.</p>\n                <p>\"Dominicans are the best baseball players in the world,\" says José Guerrero, 15, as he stretches his arms in preparation for throwing drills in a public park in the capital, Santo Domingo. \"If you work hard enough, you\'ll get a contract.\" </p>\n                <p>A contract, which for top prospects included a signing bonus worth an average of $180,000 last year, is a one-way ticket out of poverty. In a country with annual per capita GDP of $8,600, signing means moving from a rented shack to an owned home, from taking the bus to driving your own car. </p>\n                <p>Take the Monitor\'s daily baseball quiz</p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Red Sox-Yankees series highlights globalization of baseball   (The Christian Science Monitor)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20110408/wl_csm/375892\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20110408/wl_csm/375892</a></p>',-2,5,0,43,'2011-04-08 17:36:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-04-08 17:36:00','2011-04-11 14:53:16','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(940,'Peru\'s Presidential Vote: Looking Out for No. 2   (Time.com)','perus-presidential-vote-looking-out-for-no-2-timecom','','Time.com - Nobel Prize winner Mario Vargas Llosa has described a likely run-off between leading candidates as a choice between \"terminal cancer and AIDS.\" It all depends on who comes in second on Sunday','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>Alfredo Salazar says he has never really been too interested in politics and never saw himself attending a campaign-closing rally in Lima, Peru\'s bustling capital. But the 48-year old shop owner did just that on April 5, pushing his way into the crowd in a downtown plaza to listen to Ollanta Humala, the leading candidate in a field of 10 running for President of Peru this Sunday.</p>\n                <p>\"I think he is the best candidate and I wanted to hear what he had to say,\" Salazar shouted over music and fireworks as Humala finished an hour-long speech that included fist-pumping attacks on the country\'s political class and a pledge to change the country\'s economic model that he says only works for a small percentage of Peru\'s 30 million people. <span class=\"see\"><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/time/wl_time/storytext/08599206409300/41022638/SIG=122pppr8r/*http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1929226,00.html\" target=\"_blank\">(See how Peru is luring in big business.)</a></span></p>\n                <p>Humala, 48, is on the cusp of placing first in the balloting April 10, charging past more seasoned politicians. What is stunning is he has done it with a left-wing nationalist discourse that most political pundits and politicians predicted would not resonate with voters. Humala has polling close to 30% in the latest polls, which should ensure him a spot in a run-off election scheduled for June 5. Under Peruvian legislation a winning candidate must obtain 50% plus one of the votes to get elected, otherwise the top two candidates go into a runoff. The race right now is to see who will face Humala.</p>\n                <p>This is a repeat scenario of five years ago, when Humala placed first and Lourdes Flores Nano and Alan Garcia fought ballot by ballot to get into the crucial runner-up position. Garcia eventually won by 60,000 votes and went on to defeat Humala in a runoff. <span class=\"see\"><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/time/wl_time/storytext/08599206409300/41022638/SIG=11vcvm53v/*http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2024254,00.html\" target=\"_blank\">(See the power of Llosa, the man who didn\'t become president.)</a></span></p>\n                <p>Polling second this time, but by a hair, is Congresswoman Keiko Fujimori, daughter of disgraced and imprisoned former President Alberto Fujimori. Fujimori, 35, a Columbia Business School graduate with a Pennsylvania-bred husband, is running on what she people see as the good part of her father\'s record. Right behind her are Alejandro Toledo, who was President from 2001-2006, and Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, who served as Toledo\'s finance minister.</p>\n                <p>Manuel Saavedra, head on the CPI polling firm, says Humala\'s progess onto the second round is nearly certain, but second place is really anyone\'s guess. \"There is still a great deal of uncertainty among the electorate. The situation is still fluid,\" he says. He adds that CPI\'s last poll found that 11% of the electorate was still undecided. \"We have never had such a high percentage of undecided voters at the end of a race.\"</p>\n                <p>Just the thought of Humala making it to a run-off election has the country\'s ruling class, including most Peruvian media, in a panic. That he might face off against Congresswoman Fujimori is considered a nightmarish scenario. Mario Vargas Llosa, Peru\'s only Nobel laureate and a presidential candidate himself 20 years ago, has famously compared a Fujimori-Humala match up like having to choice between \"terminal cancer and AIDS.\" <span class=\"see\"><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/time/wl_time/storytext/08599206409300/41022638/SIG=12stfpt4k/*http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2009170_2009172_2009187,00.html\" target=\"_blank\">(See the top 10 failed political campaigns.)</a></span></p>\n                <p>The anti-Humala forces link him to Venezuela\'s Hugo ChÁvez and some of the more erratic left-leaders in Latin America. Humala himself has tried to downplay the ChÁvez connection by emphasizing his connection with Brazil\'s former President Luiz InÁcio Lula da Silva. In the 2006 election, criticim of the ChÁvez tie was one of the reasons Humala lost to Garcia (who is not running because presidents are not allowed to seek consecutive terms.)</p>\n                <p>The anti-Fujimori vote is just as intense. Her father is serving a 25-year sentence on human rights abuses. He has also been convicted on corruption charges. His 10-year regime was by far the most corrupt in Peru\'s modern history. The congresswoman is betting that Peruvians will overlook the billions of dollars in theft for which he is serving time in prison and focus instead on her father\'s successful record against inflation and terrorism in the early 1990s. More importantly, she has pursued the populist giveaway campaigns, everything from food to sweatshirts, that were the trademark of his government.</p>\n                <p><span class=\"see\"><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/time/wl_time/storytext/08599206409300/41022638/SIG=11v9n2ueo/*http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1938688,00.html\" target=\"_blank\">See photos of Peru\'s sacred glacier melting.</a></span></p>\n                <p>  </p>\n                <p>A Humala-Fujimori race seemed unlikely just a few weeks ago. Former President Toledo, 64, was in first place with a 10-point lead. He was followed by Luis CastaÑeda, 65, who served as mayor of the capital Lima for nearly eight years, before stepping down last September to run for the presidency.</p>\n                <p>Toledo, who had a commanding lead until March, ran what Fernando Tuesta, another pollster, says was one of the worst campaigns in recent memory. Tuesta says Toledo simply assumed he would get into the second round and grew complacent, and when the campaign realized he was slipping fast it jumped into high gear, but without a clear message. \"It was the most confusing campaign,\" says Tuesta. Toledo ended his campaign April 7 asking \"God to illuminate the hearts and minds of Peruvians,\" and implied that at least 80% of likely voters were in the dark about the issues. Probably not the best come-on to undecided voters. <span class=\"see\"><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/time/wl_time/storytext/08599206409300/41022638/SIG=11v6ht72q/*http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2032152,00.html\" target=\"_blank\">(See why Peru is the world\'s counterfeit capital.)</a></span></p>\n                <p>CastaÑeda messed up much earlier, thinking that his eight years as mayor made him a shoo-in. No Lima mayor in modern history has gone on to win the presidency, but CastaÑeda thought he would change this. He began campaigning late and never connected with voters. Tuesta said he seemed to be running for mayor, which made voters turn away quickly.</p>\n                <p>Both Toledo and CastaÑeda lost votes to Kuczynski, 72, a economist and concert flautist. Like Humala, he shot upward in March. He has been helped by a creative new-media campaign, partly designed by his daughter, a New York <i>Times</i> writer, and a few of the stranger twists of presidential campaigns. One extraordinary phenomenon saw men and women trying to fondle Kuczynski\'s genitals during campaign walkthroughs in shantytowns - probably stemming from some obscure indigenous superstition about white people. He told reporters that he had no clue what was behind this peculiar behavior, but he did not complain. It actually may have helped soften his image and provided a \"connection,\" so to speak, that helped overcome the inconvenient fact that Kuczynksi holds U.S. as well as Peruvian citizenship. He began the process of renouncing his U.S. citizenship late March, after other candidates harped on it. Using English, Toledo refers to him as \"Mister Kuczynski,\" to remind voters of the U.S. connection.</p>\n                <p>Giovanna PeÑaflor, who runs the IMASEN polling firm, says a potential runoff between Humala and Kuczynski could be just as polarizing. \"Using the class warfare doesn\'t sound right, but a Humala-Kuczynski race would be framed as the poor versus the rich, with Kuczynski the candidate of the rich.\" <span class=\"see\"><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/time/wl_time/storytext/08599206409300/41022638/SIG=11v8ojhsh/*http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1924061,00.html\" target=\"_blank\">(Is Peru the next big foodie destination?)</a></span></p>\n                <p>If Toledo, CastaÑeda and Kuczynski fail to make the runoff, PeÑaflor says it will likely be because of their decision to run on platforms maintaining the country\'s free-market economic model, but tweaking it a little so that more of the country\'s economic spoils trickled down to the poor. \"Toledo, CastaÑeda and Kuczynski made the mistake of saying that things should stay the same. This was their principal error.\"</p>\n                <p>As a campaign plank, maintaining the status quo may have seemed to be the way to go. Peru\'s gross domestic product is growing by nearly 10% and the country is winning praise from international financial institutions like the World Bank for its economic management. Poverty has dropped by nearly 10 points, exports have doubled to $35 billion in five years and President Garcia takes great pride in repeatedly telling Peruvians that the country will be among first world nations in a scant 10 years, or by 2021, when it celebrates its bicentennial.\n</p><p>\nHowever, says PeÑaflor, average Peruvians feel that they have been cheated when they hear talk of a first-world economy while most of them have only precarious jobs - just 30% of the work force is on a payroll with benefits - and many toil at or below the monthly minimum wage of $225. She said Humala has capitalized on the discontent. He is the only candidate openly calling for the economic program to be changed. He talks about \"recouping\" natural resources - Peru is the world\'s largest silver producer, second in copper and sixth in gold - but stops short of using the word nationalization, and has unveiled a long list of programs, from free daycare to a pension for people over 65 who were never on a payroll, to boost his chances. He has pledged to raise the minimum wage on July 28, inauguration day in Peru. The message resounded with voters. Humala, says PeÑaflor, is \"the only one who has run with a disciplined message throughout the campaign.\"\n</p><p>\nWinning on Sunday, however, does not ensure a victory in the runoff. Fujimori\'s father came in second in 1990 and went on to win, as did Garcia in 2006. While pollsters say it is impossible to forecast the outcome in such a fluid race, they agree that the runoff will likely be the most polarizing election since the elder Fujimori came from nowhere to defeat Vargas Llosa 20 years ago.\n</p><p>\n <span class=\"see\"><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/time/wl_time/storytext/08599206409300/41022638/SIG=10t7itlqf/*http://www.time.com/time100\" target=\"_blank\">Vote for the world\'s most influential people in the 2011 TIME 100 Poll.</a></span> \n</p><p>\n <span class=\"see\"><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/time/wl_time/storytext/08599206409300/41022638/SIG=124ec8mn5/*http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/0,28757,2058946,00.html\" target=\"_blank\">See TIME\'s 140 Best Twitter Feeds.</a></span> \n</p><p>\nView this article on <a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/time/wl_time/storytext/08599206409300/41022638/SIG=12n6ekfqk/*http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2064093,00.html?xid=rss-fullworld-yahoo\">Time.com</a>\n</p><p>\n</p><p>Most Popular on Time.com:</p><ul><li><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/time/wl_time/storytext/08599206409300/41022638/SIG=13033n6vn/*http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1914857,00.html?xid=feed-yahoo-full-mostpopular\">Why Exercise Won\'t Make You Thin</a></li> <li><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/time/wl_time/storytext/08599206409300/41022638/SIG=12ukek330/*http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1578073,00.html?xid=feed-yahoo-full-mostpopular\">The 10 Greatest Books of All Time</a></li> <li><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/time/wl_time/storytext/08599206409300/41022638/SIG=12vuf71pd/*http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2062604,00.html?xid=feed-yahoo-full-mostpopular\">Indonesia: Bali Struggles amid a Surge in Tourism</a></li> <li><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/time/wl_time/storytext/08599206409300/41022638/SIG=132e5lnhj/*http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2062419,00.html?xid=feed-yahoo-full-mostpopular\">Finland\'s Educational Success? The Anti-Tiger Mother Approach</a></li> <li><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/time/wl_time/storytext/08599206409300/41022638/SIG=132vpcpj9/*http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2063859,00.html?xid=feed-yahoo-full-mostpopular\">Profile: \'Arthur\' Star Russell Brand</a></li> </ul></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Peru\'s Presidential Vote: Looking Out for No. 2   (Time.com)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/time/20110410/wl_time/08599206409300\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/time/20110410/wl_time/08599206409300</a></p>',-2,5,0,43,'2011-04-10 01:40:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-04-10 01:40:00','2011-04-11 14:53:17','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(941,'Walid Makled\'s extradition case highlights warming Venezuela-Colombia ties   (The Christian Science Monitor)','walid-makleds-extradition-case-highlights-warming-venezuela-colombia-ties-the-christian-science-monitor','','The Christian Science Monitor - Alleged drug kingpin Walid Makled says he has knowledge that Venezuelaâ€™s highest authorities are facilitating narco-trafficking and that the terrorist organization Hezbollah is active within the South American nation.','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>Caracas, Venezuela – Alleged drug kingpin Walid Makled says he has knowledge that Venezuela’s highest authorities are facilitating narco-trafficking and that the terrorist organization Hezbollah is active within the South American nation.</p>\n                <p>Yet to the chagrin of US lawmakers and Venezuelan opposition figures, who say justice will not be served unless Mr. Makled is sent to the United States, Colombia appears poised to announce \"the Turk\'s\" extradition to Venezuela during tomorrow\'s presidential summit between the neighbors. Colombia arrested Makled, a Venezuelan citizen of Syrian descent, in August 2010. </p>\n                <p>It is a sign to many of the emphasis that Colombian President Juan Manual Santos has placed on restoring ties after years of animosity during the term of his predecessor, former President Ã</p>\n                <p>Think you know South America? Take our geography quiz.</p>\n                <p>While Makled\'s fate has topped news headlines leading up to Saturday\'s presidential summit in the Colombian city of Cartagena de Indias, the meeting is perhaps more significant in demonstrating the success of President Santos’s concerted efforts to reestablish links with Venezuela after President Hugo Chávez severed bilateral relations last summer with Mr. Uribe, costing Colombian exporters hundreds of millions of dollars worth of trade.</p>\n                <p>President Chávez is expected to push for an economic agreement that would extend preferential trade terms between the neighbors. Colombia is a major exporter of food, textiles, and industrial parts to Venezuela.</p>\n                <p>President Santos, in an interview this week with Spanish-language broadcast Univision, said that he will extradite Makled to Venezuela because that’s what Colombian law stipulates. “We have an extradition treaty with Venezuela, we do not have an extradition treaty with the United States. This is something people don’t realize,” he said.</p>\n                <p>Santos also met Thursday with President Obama in Washington, D.C., saying afterward that the US president understood why Makled had to go to Venezuela. </p>\n                <p>Washington branded Makled a “significant foreign narcotics trafficker” in May 2009 and he is wanted in New York for allegedly smuggling 10 tons of cocaine a month into the US. He has become the subject of a legal tug-of-war between the United States and Venezuela. </p>\n                <p>Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana, the ranking republican on the Senate foreign relations committee, said if Makled is sent to Venezuela it will deny US law enforcement officials information that could “legally dismantle some of the most important drug networks in the world.” This was reiterated recently by Venezuela\'s former Ambassador to the United Nations, Diego Arria, who said his nation\'s \"justice system is not currently capable of providing\" a fair and transparent trial.</p>\n                <p>Makled himself has corroborated these allegations. During a jailhouse interview that aired Sunday on Univision, Makled said Venezuela is involved both in the production and distribution of cocaine, working closely with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) to transport up to five small planes a day filled with cocaine from southern Venezuela to Central America. </p>\n                <p>Makled did not directly address allegations that he is a drug lord, as US prosecutors claim, but said that he regularly paid millions of dollars in bribes to Venezuelan government and military officials to gain lucrative business concessions.</p>\n                <p>The US Drug Enforcement Administration has said Makled bought cocaine from the FARC and was responsible for sending small planes, one of which crashed in 2009, to Honduras and Mexico from Venezuela.</p>\n                <p>Makled says that if he was involved in such activities it would have only been possible with government authorization. </p>\n                <p>“What I’ve said is this: that supposing I sent the plane, I couldn’t have sent it by myself, okay? I couldn’t have loaded it, I couldn’t have run the control tower. Come on, it’s the international airport, the country’s entryway to Venezuela,\" he told Univision. </p>\n                <p>He claims at one time to have had as many as 40 generals on his payroll, though he says he didn’t have to recruit any of them. “It was more like they recruited me,” he told the interviewer with a laugh. </p>\n                <p>In the interview, Makled also says Hezbollah is “absolutely” active in Venezuela but is saving the details for the court. “They make money and then send all that money to the Middle East.” </p>\n                <p>The son of Syrian immigrants says he never met Chávez during the years he was paying off Venezuelan government officials but that he did meet the president’s relatives and others who were very close to him. \n</p><p>\nThink you know South America? Take our geography quiz.</p>\n            </div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Walid Makled\'s extradition case highlights warming Venezuela-Colombia ties   (The Christian Science Monitor)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20110408/wl_csm/375861\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20110408/wl_csm/375861</a></p>',-2,5,0,43,'2011-04-08 17:04:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-04-08 17:04:00','2011-04-11 14:53:18','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(942,'School founded by Blue Man Group gets new stage   (AP)','school-founded-by-blue-man-group-gets-new-stage-ap','','<p><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/education/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110410/ap_en_ot/us_blue_man_school\"><img src=\"http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20110410/capt.822951a90c674d8da07c5398dbc224a7-822951a90c674d8da07c5398dbc224a7-0.jpg?x=130&amp;y=86&amp;q=85&amp;sig=jn8YlJoFF9BsGoxQgDR7kA--\" height=\"86\" width=\"130\" alt=\"School founded by Blue Man Group gets new stage   (AP)\" style=\"float: left; border: 0px;\" />\n</a>AP - In the 20 years since they became a performance art sensation, the Blue Man Group has taken its men with blue heads on the road to stages in New York, Las Vegas and Europe.</p><br style=\"clear: both;\" />','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>NEW YORK – In the 20 years since they became a performance art sensation, the Blue Man Group has taken its men with blue heads on the road to stages in New York, Las Vegas and Europe.</p>\n                <p>The trio is now headed to center stage in the classroom. Blue Man founders Chris Wink, Matt Goldman and Phil Stanton are the co-founders of Blue School, a private preschool and elementary school that they started so they could send their own children to a school that was creative enough for them.</p>\n                <p>After renting space in several Manhattan locations, Blue School is moving to a permanent home near South Street Seaport in the fall. The three original Blue Men will appear on stage Wednesday for the first time in 11 years to raise money for the school.</p>\n                <p>No blue greasepaint was in evidence during a visit to Blue School\'s current home in the East Village, but there were non-traditional touches like a \"soft room\" with padded walls and foam structures to climb and a hallway drenched in trippy black light.</p>\n                <p>After a drumbeat summoned parents and kids to sit on the floor, a class of 4-year-olds shared what they had learned about the Chrysler Building and the Empire State Building. A first-grade group left to explore the neighborhood, outfitted with cameras and reflective vests.</p>\n                <p>Teachers addressed their charges not as \"children\" or \"boys and girls\" but as \"friends,\" as in, \"Friends, can we move to the rug for meeting?\"</p>\n                <p>Three fish and the severed head of a fourth rested on plates in a kindergarten class; the children took turns touching them.</p>\n                <p>\"If you put these fish in water would they swim?\" asked teacher Molly DeGesero.</p>\n                <p>The children were unsure. The smallest fish was dropped into a bucket of water. It did not swim.</p>\n                <p>DeGesero explained later that the children had developed an interest in the life and death of fish after the inhabitants of a classroom aquarium died during winter vacation.</p>\n                <p>Kindergartner Beatrice White said she liked touching the fish. \"The long one was slimy,\" she said. \"The medium one was, like, scaly.\"</p>\n                <p>The children\'s role in focusing on fish illustrates Blue School\'s philosophy of student-directed learning.</p>\n                <p>\"Children who either choose what they\'re learning or are part of choosing what they\'re learning do better academically,\" said Goldman, the Blue Man founder who is the most involved with the school.</p>\n                <p>Goldman and his wife, Renee Rolleri, are on the school\'s board of directors and are the parents of Rhyus, a first-grader.</p>\n                <p>With his wire-rimmed glasses and unassuming manner, Goldman looks more like a graduate student than a showman.</p>\n                <p>Blue School began in 2006 as a play group when Rhyus was a toddler.</p>\n                <p>\"Within six months after we started there was so much momentum and interest from our community we realized we needed to keep moving,\" said Rolleri, who has studied art therapy and child development.</p>\n                <p>Blue School currently has 155 students from 2-year-olds through second-graders and plans to add a grade each year up to at least fifth grade.\n</p><p>\nThe school\'s permanent home is being designed by star architect David Rockwell, who designed the nearby Imagination Playground, an interactive play space with giant foam blocks, as well as many of the city\'s hottest restaurants.\n</p><p>\nFrom its countercultural beginnings, Blue School has evolved into a sought-after private school that receives six applications for every available space.\n</p><p>\nStudents entering at kindergarten take the same $510 aptitude test that New York\'s other top private schools require. \"It\'s really just part of the child\'s profile,\" Rolleri said.\n</p><p>\nThe $28,500 tuition is \"the exact average of all the private schools in the city,\" Goldman said.\n</p><p>\nThe money buys a student-teacher ratio that public school parents can only dream of, with two teachers for each class of 14 to 18 children.\n</p><p>\nBecause it is new, Blue School cannot tout the percentage of its graduates who go on to attend top high schools and Ivy League universities.\n</p><p>\nOther schools do boast about their successful alumni, and Cornelia Iredell, co-director of Independent School Placement, a head-hunting service for private schools, said some parents exert pressure on schools to stress academic rigor at an early age.\n</p><p>\nBut Iredell said the city\'s top private schools \"really focus on nourishing the child in every area.\"\n</p><p>\n\"The arts are not considered extras,\" she said.\n</p><p>\nBlue School parents said their school stands out.\n</p><p>\nLawyer Angela Badamo said she and her husband chose Blue School for their 4-year-old son after visiting at least 10 schools, public and private.\n</p><p>\n\"It was a place where from our observation the kids were having a lot of fun,\" she said.\n</p><p>\nBadamo said the connection with Blue Man Group was \"kind of intriguing\" though she has never seen the show.\n</p><p>\nEric Huang, also a lawyer and the father of a Blue School first-grader, has never seen the stage show either. He said he loved the school\'s \"community feel.\"\n</p><p>\nIn an effort to share the school\'s philosophy, Goldman and Rolleri traveled in January to Bhutan, where they met with the minister of education and led a workshop for teachers.\n</p><p>\nMark Shriver, senior vice president of Save the Children, which is exploring working with Blue School, said the school\'s emphasis on viewing students, parents and teachers as a team is not just rhetoric.\n</p><p>\n\"When a school has got that comprehensive approach, if we can learn anything from them, we want to learn that,\" he said.\n</p><p>\nThe school has set a goal of raising $750,000 at the April 13 benefit, with ticket prices topping out at $10,000 and Dave Matthews as the opening act.\n</p><p>\n\"Yes it\'s a high ticket price,\" Goldman said, \"but it\'s 300 seats.\"</p>\n            </div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"School founded by Blue Man Group gets new stage   (AP)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/education/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110410/ap_en_ot/us_blue_man_school\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/education/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110410/ap_en_ot/us_blue_man_school</a></p>',-2,5,0,37,'2011-04-10 11:31:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-04-10 11:31:00','2011-04-11 15:15:42','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(943,'Mistrial in sanity phase of Calif. bombing case   (AP)','mistrial-in-sanity-phase-of-calif-bombing-case-ap','','AP - A judge has declared a mistrial in the sanity phase of the trial for a California teenager accused of setting off two pipe bombs at his former high school.','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>REDWOOD CITY, Calif. – A judge has declared a mistrial in the sanity phase of the trial for a California teenager accused of setting off two pipe bombs at his former high school.</p>\n                <p>Alex Youshock was convicted last month of attempted murder and weapons charges, but jurors had to also decide whether the 18-year-old was sane during the 2009 attack at Hillsdale High School in San Mateo.</p>\n                <p>Jurors told the judge Friday that they were deadlocked. Eleven jurors apparently believed Youshock was legally sane, while one disagreed.</p>\n                <p>Authorities say Youshock showed brought homemade bombs, a sword and a chain saw to the school in a plot to kill three teachers who gave him bad grades. His attorney says he was suffering from schizophrenia.</p>\n                <p>Prosecutors must now decide whether to retry the sanity phase.</p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Mistrial in sanity phase of Calif. bombing case   (AP)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/education/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110410/ap_on_re_us/us_california_school_evacuation\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/education/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110410/ap_on_re_us/us_california_school_evacuation</a></p>',-2,5,0,37,'2011-04-09 20:35:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-04-09 20:35:00','2011-04-11 15:15:42','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(944,'Idaho governor signs education overhaul into law   (Reuters)','idaho-governor-signs-education-overhaul-into-law-reuters','','Reuters - Idaho\'s governor on Friday signed into law the final piece of a controversial Republican overhaul of education in the state, as teachers and their allies mobilized to fight the measures.','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>SALMON, Idaho (Reuters) – Idaho\'s governor on Friday signed into law the final piece of a controversial Republican overhaul of education in the state, as teachers and their allies mobilized to fight the measures.</p>\n                <p>\nThe bill signed by Governor C.L. \"Butch\" Otter, a Republican, forces districts to equip high schools with mobile computing devices and potentially shifts funds from teacher pay to technology.</p>\n                <p>\nIt also could lead to the layoffs of some teachers and certain positions going unfilled, officials said.</p>\n                <p>\n\"By spending what we currently have differently, we will reform our public education system to invest in Idaho\'s great teachers, create the 21st century classroom and put our students first,\" Tom Luna, the state\'s schools chief, who crafted the sweeping education overhaul, said in a statement.</p>\n                <p>\nThe measure was the last of three Republican-backed education bills that Otter has signed into law in recent weeks.</p>\n                <p>\nThe other two bills ended tenure for new teachers, instituted merit pay and removed discussions of workload and class size from contract negotiations for the 12,000 teachers represented by the Idaho Education Association.</p>\n                <p>\nIdaho is one of several U.S. states in which public sector workers are currently battling with Republican leaders over their drive to curb public employee unions.</p>\n                <p>\nAttention has focused on a high-profile battle in Wisconsin over a law limiting public sector unions. Proposals to limit collective bargaining are also advancing in New Hampshire and Oklahoma, and bills targeting teachers unions are under consideration in Indiana and Tennessee.</p>\n                <p>\n\"These are troubling times; all across the nation, political leaders have decided teachers are the enemies,\" said Sherri Wood, president of the Idaho Education Association.</p>\n                <p>\nOpponents of the state\'s education measures are seeking to get the laws overturned. They filed their latest petition on Friday in a bid to get opposition to the latest bill as a referendum before voters.</p>\n                <p>\nThe group has less than two months to gather more than 47,000 registered Idaho voters\' signatures, in order to get the measure on the ballots for the 2012 general election.</p>\n                <p>\nTeachers and others opposed to the bills have led protest rallies and student walkouts across the state, and have also launched a drive to recall Luna, who in November won 60 percent of the vote to claim a second term as superintendent of public instruction.</p>\n                <p>\n(Editing by Tim Gaynor and Jerry Norton)</p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Idaho governor signs education overhaul into law   (Reuters)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/education/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110409/pl_nm/us_idaho_education\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/education/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110409/pl_nm/us_idaho_education</a></p>',-2,5,0,37,'2011-04-08 23:02:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-04-08 23:02:00','2011-04-11 15:15:44','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(945,'Md. House OKs illegal immigrant in-state tuition   (AP)','md-house-oks-illegal-immigrant-in-state-tuition-ap','','AP - As many southern states pass news laws to crack down on illegal immigrants, the Maryland General Assembly on Friday moved toward allowing them to pay in-state college tuition, if they meet certain conditions.','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>ANNAPOLIS, Md. – As many southern states pass news laws to crack down on illegal immigrants, the Maryland General Assembly on Friday moved toward allowing them to pay in-state college tuition, if they meet certain conditions.</p>\n                <p>The Maryland House voted 74-66 on Friday for the measure after intense debate. The Senate already has passed similar legislation.</p>\n                <p>Democratic supporters say the legislation would create opportunity for people who have lived in Maryland for years and paid state taxes.</p>\n                <p>\"It gives them an opportunity to become a productive member of our society, and I believe that\'s what we all want,\" said Delegate Aisha Braveboy, D-Prince George\'s. \"There are limitless opportunities in the future, and I want all children to have that.\"</p>\n                <p>But Republican opponents said the measure rewards illegal behavior at taxpayers\' expense, while filling up seats at the state\'s colleges that could be filled with citizens who are struggling to find work in a tough economy.</p>\n                <p>\"I don\'t think any American should have to compete with someone here illegally for a job, and I don\'t think we should be offering an enticement for a person to come here illegally, and that\'s exactly what we\'re doing,\" said Delegate Herb McMillan, R-Anne Arundel.</p>\n                <p>Illegal immigrants would have to complete two years at a community college and show that their parents paid state income taxes for the three years before they enrolled to qualify for in-state tuition. The proposal is aimed at those who may have come to the U.S. illegally as children with their parents and may have lived most of their life in the U.S. Someone who is born in the U.S. to illegal immigrants is automatically a citizen.</p>\n                <p>The Legislature adjourns Monday night, and the two chambers will have to work out some differences for the measure to go to Gov. Martin O\'Malley, a Democrat who has said he will sign it.</p>\n                <p>The House added an amendment that would require male illegal immigrants to register with the Selective Service, or the draft, before qualifying for the reduced tuition rate. The House also changed the definition of an illegal immigrant receiving the reduced tuition rate to have him or her count as part of a school\'s out-of-state student pool, keeping preventing in-state slots for Maryland residents from being unaffected.</p>\n                <p>On Friday, the House also changed the bill so that parents would have to produce evidence they paid Maryland income taxes 90 days out of each of the three years. Delegate Luiz Simmons, D-Montgomery, who offered the amendment, included an exception for parents who were unable to meet the requirement if they experienced \"serious and substantial circumstances,\" such as an injury.</p>\n                <p>Delegate Anthony O\'Donnell, R-Calvert, said the change created \"substantial loopholes.\"</p>\n                <p>\"All you have to do is say, \'Circumstances beyond my control. I couldn\'t provide the documentation and I couldn\'t pay taxes,\' and you can drive a Greyhound bus through this loophole,\" O\'Donnell said.</p>\n                <p>The Democrat-controlled House of Delegates rejected a Republican-backed amendment that would have capped the amount of money for illegal immigrants getting the lower tuition rate at $1 million a year. A proposal to cap it at $3 million a year also was rejected. Democrats also shot down an amendment that would have required a one-time $250 fee from a student to receive the reduced benefit.</p>\n                <p>The financial implications for students are significant. In-state tuition is $8,416 annually, and out-of-state students pay $24,831 a year.</p>\n                <p>Since 2001, 10 states have enacted laws to allow illegal immigrants to pay in-state tuition rates at public universities. They are California, Illinois, Kansas, Nebraska, New York, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah and Washington.</p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Md. House OKs illegal immigrant in-state tuition   (AP)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/education/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110408/ap_on_re_us/md_xgr_maryland_immigrant_tuition\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/education/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110408/ap_on_re_us/md_xgr_maryland_immigrant_tuition</a></p>',-2,5,0,37,'2011-04-08 18:57:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-04-08 18:57:00','2011-04-11 15:15:46','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(946,'Conn. woman accused in school bus brawl over trash   (AP)','conn-woman-accused-in-school-bus-brawl-over-trash-ap','','AP - Police in Connecticut say a woman annoyed by students throwing trash from a school bus climbed aboard at one of the stops and became involved in a fight that sent one student to the hospital.','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>BRIDGEPORT, Conn. – Police in Connecticut say a woman annoyed by students throwing trash from a school bus climbed aboard at one of the stops and became involved in a fight that sent one student to the hospital.</p>\n                <p>Bridgeport police said 29-year-old Daisha Womack told officers she was driving behind the bus when her car was hit by things thrown out the bus windows. She got on the bus at one of the stops and allegedly confronted a student, when others jumped her.</p>\n                <p>Police said one student was taken to Saint Vincent\'s Medical Center after complaining of head pain from the Thursday afternoon scuffle. They said Friday that Womack was charged with criminal trespass, breach of peace, third-degree assault, and risk of injury to a minor. Her bond was set at $10,000.</p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Conn. woman accused in school bus brawl over trash   (AP)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/education/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110408/ap_on_re_us/us_school_bus_brawl\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/education/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110408/ap_on_re_us/us_school_bus_brawl</a></p>',-2,5,0,37,'2011-04-08 12:41:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-04-08 12:41:00','2011-04-11 15:15:47','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(947,'Q&amp;A: Aid Guru Mark Kantrowitz   (BusinessWeek)','qaampa-aid-guru-mark-kantrowitz-businessweek','','BusinessWeek - When it comes time to finance a college education, students and families often bypass scholarships in favor of student loans. That can be a mistake because unlike loans, scholarships are essentially \"free money for your college education,\" says Mark Kantrowitz, a financial aid expert and author of the new book Secrets to Winning a Scholarship, published in February. The typical student is eligible for anywhere between 50 and 100 scholarships, and every year more than 1.5 million scholarships worth more than $3. ...','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>When it comes time to finance a college education, students and families often bypass scholarships in favor of student loans. That can be a mistake because unlike loans, scholarships are essentially \"free money for your college education,\" says Mark Kantrowitz, a financial aid expert and author of the new book Secrets to Winning a Scholarship, published in February. The typical student is eligible for anywhere between 50 and 100 scholarships, and every year more than 1.5 million scholarships worth more than $3.5 billion are given to students by donors, philanthropists, and corporations, according to Kantrowitz, who is also publisher of Fastweb.com, a free scholarship-matching website, and FinAid.org, an online provider of student aid information.</p>\n                <p>Only a small percentage of college-bound students receive enough scholarship money and need-based aid to pay for the entire cost of college, but that shouldn\'t discourage students from applying,\nKantrowitz said. The vast majority of full-time college students using scholarships at four-year colleges, or 69 percent, used less than $2,500 in scholarship funds to pay for a year of school, according to the book. That may seem like a small amount, but as Kantrowitz writes, \"every dollar you win in scholarships is a dollar less you have to borrow.\"</p>\n                <p>Bloomberg Businessweek\'s Alison Damast recently spoke with Kantrowitz, who shared tips on how students can maximize their chances of winning a scholarship. Here is an edited transcript of their conversation.</p>\n                <p>Alison Damast: The title of your book is Secrets to Winning a Scholarship, so students and families who pick it up will be looking for some inside tips. What do you think is one of the best-kept secrets about the scholarship world?</p>\n                <p>Mark Kantrowitz: One of the best tips in the book tells you how to double the scholarships you match on scholarship search sites, which in turn\ndoubles your chances of winning a scholarship. Students who answer all of the optional questions, in addition to the required questions, on the personal profile form on these sites get double the number of awards as students who just do the bare minimum. For example, it takes half an hour to fill out the full personal profile on the Fastweb scholarship site, but not everyone does it because there is a long laundry list of questions. It is important to answer all of them because each question triggers the inclusion of a specific award on a scholarship database. For example, the search engine is not going to show you a scholarship oriented toward single parents, for example, unless you tell us you\'re a single parent. It can be a little tedious to answer all the questions, but it doesn\'t take that much time and it doubles your chances.</p>\n                <p>Students are often overwhelmed during the college application process and don\'t get around to applying for scholarships until later\nin the academic year, a tactic you don\'t recommend. How early should students and their families start investigating and applying for scholarships?</p>\n                <p>A lot of families start trying to figure out how to pay for school after they get their letters of admission. That is a mistake. Some of the scholarship deadlines can be as early as August or September of a student\'s senior year, and half of them are in January. Even if they start applying for scholarships their spring semester, they\'ve still missed half of the scholarship deadlines for their senior year of high school. Another thing people tend to forget is that scholarships are available not just for high school seniors, but juniors, sophomores, and freshmen. There are even scholarships for kids in kindergarten through eighth grade, like the Jif Most Creative Peanut Butter Sandwich and the National Spelling Bee. You\'re not going to find scholarships for younger children on online free scholarship databases like\nFastweb because of federal privacy law, but you can see a list of them on FinAid.org.</p>\n                <p>Contrary to popular belief, minority students are less likely to win scholarships than white students enrolled at four-year universities. As you note in your book, minority students represent 33.8 percent of applicants, but only 28.5 percent of scholarship recipients. Why do you think this is the case?</p>\n                <p>My educated guess is when someone establishes a new private scholarship, they are establishing it for people to participate in activities that they have an interest in. Wealthy Caucasian individuals are going to create scholarships that match their interests, which in turn will have a greater affinity for Caucasian students. For example, there are a number of equestrian scholarships out there. Minority students don\'t participate in equestrian sports to the same extent as Caucasian students. I don\'t think there is any explicit discrimination going on. It is just how it tends to\n(work out). The reality is even with high-profile organizations, the share of scholarships that minority students get is disproportionately low.</p>\n                <p>Many of the scholarships today are fiercely competitive, especially the larger, more lucrative ones. What are the odds that a student will actually win a scholarship?</p>\n                <p>People overestimate their ability to win merit-based awards and underestimate their eligibility for need-based aid. The odds of winning a private scholarship are slim. About one in 10 students receives a private scholarship, and the average amount received is $2,800 per year. But students have this impression that private scholarships are much more abundant than they really are, and when they don\'t win, they feel they are being cheated. The reality is that every scholarship sponsor is trying to find the students that best match their criteria. If you happen to have a B average, no interesting hobbies or extracurriculars other than watching TV or video games,\nwell, you are probably not going to win a scholarship.</p>\n                <p>If the odds are really so slim, is it worth a student\'s effort to apply?</p>\n                <p>I recommend to every applicant that they apply for every scholarship they are eligible for. For some, it might be a half dozen; for other students, it might be 200. Typically, a high school senior matches for between 50 and 100 awards on scholarship-matching services. That does sound daunting and a lot of students think it is too much work to apply for scholarships. The things students don\'t even realize is that after you\'ve entered your first half-dozen scholarships, it becomes much, much easier because you can start to reuse your previous essays. You\'ll probably have to tailor them to each scholarship application, but it doesn\'t take all that much time and you could easily churn out all of your scholarship applications in a few weekends. For every scholarship you win, you will probably get eight or nine denials. Some of\nthe time, students just won\'t understand why they didn\'t win because they may think they have a really outstanding application. It is not just a matter of skill. There is an element of luck there. It is a bit of a roll of the dice.</p>\n                <p>In the book, you list a number of common myths about people who win scholarships. What is the most commonly held one?</p>\n                <p>One that is pernicious is that smaller scholarships are not worth the effort. I often hear from students who say a $500 or $1,000 scholarship is too small to be worth their time. That makes the scholarship easier to win because probably fewer students are going to be applying. The scholarships you get do add up and they add lines to your resume that can help you win other scholarships. Winning a scholarship is a stamp of excellence. It tells the other scholarship providers that someone thought highly enough of you to invest their money in your future. If they have two students -- one with a lot of little\nscholarships and one who has won nothing -- the scholarship committee will probably go with the one who won a lot of little scholarships because that is the more proven student.</p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Q&amp;A: Aid Guru Mark Kantrowitz   (BusinessWeek)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/education/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/bw/20110408/bs_bw/mar2011bs20110329544842\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/education/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/bw/20110408/bs_bw/mar2011bs20110329544842</a></p>',-2,5,0,37,'2011-04-08 08:08:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-04-08 08:08:00','2011-04-11 15:15:48','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(949,'Libya says Gaddafi survives air strikes, but son killed   (Reuters)','libya-says-gaddafi-survives-air-strikes-but-son-killed-reuters','','Reuters - Libya said on Sunday Muammar Gaddafi\'s youngest son and three grandchildren were killed in a NATO air strike and Britain said that while it was not targeting the leader, it was homing in on his military machine.','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>TRIPOLI (Reuters) – Libya said on Sunday Muammar Gaddafi\'s youngest son and three grandchildren were killed in a NATO air strike and Britain said that while it was not targeting the leader, it was homing in on his military machine.</p>\n                <p>\nLibyan government spokesman Mussa Ibrahim said Gaddafi was unharmed and in good health despite what he called \"a direct operation to assassinate the leader of this country.\"</p>\n                <p>\nThe deaths have not been independently confirmed.</p>\n                <p>\nBut they would be sure to heap pressure on NATO from opponents who say it goes beyond its U.N. mandate to protect civilians and could trigger a backlash against the West and a renewed government push against rebels supported by the strikes.</p>\n                <p>\nBritain and Italy\'s embassies in Tripoli were attacked after Gaddafi loyalists were shown on Libyan television vowing vengeance after the air strike. Britain expelled the Libya ambassador and Italy condemned it as a grave and vile act.</p>\n                <p>\nMost Western countries closed their embassies in Tripoli and evacuated their staff before the NATO military intervention began several weeks ago.</p>\n                <p>\nLibyan officials took journalists to a Tripoli house that had been hit by at least three missiles. The roof had completely caved in  places. Glass and debris covered the lawns and what appeared to be an unexploded missile lay in one corner.</p>\n                <p>\n\"What we have now is the law of the jungle,\" Ibrahim told a news conference. \"We think now it is clear to everyone that what is happening in Libya has nothing to do with the protection of civilians.\"</p>\n                <p>\nFighting in Libya\'s civil war, which grew from protests for greater political freedom that have spread across the Arab world, has reached stalemate in recent weeks with neither side capable of achieving a decisive blow.</p>\n                <p>\nNATO DENIES GADDAFI TARGET</p>\n                <p>\nNATO denied targeting Gaddafi, or his family, but said in a statement it had launched air strikes on military targets in the same area of Tripoli as the bombed site seen by reporters.</p>\n                <p>\nIbrahim said Gaddafi\'s youngest son, Saif al-Arab, was killed in the attack. Saif al-Arab, 29, is one of Gaddafi\'s less prominent sons, with a limited role in the power structure. Ibrahim described him as a student who had studied in Germany.</p>\n                <p>\nThe grandchildren killed were pre-teens, Ibrahim said.</p>\n                <p>\n\"NATO continued its precision strikes against regime military installations in Tripoli overnight, including striking a known command and control building in the Bab al-Aziziyah neighborhood shortly after 1800 GMT Saturday,\" NATO said.</p>\n                <p>\nCommander of Libya operations, Canadian Lieutenant-General Charles Bouchard, said the target was part of a strategy to hit command centers that threaten civilians.</p>\n                <p>\n\"All NATO\'s targets are military in nature ... We do not target individuals,\" he said in a statement. \"I am aware of unconfirmed media reports that some of Gaddafi\'s family members may have been killed. We regret all loss of life.\"</p>\n                <p>\nAny appearance of an assassination attempt against Gaddafi is likely to lead to accusations that the British- and French-led strikes are overstepping the provisions of the U.N. resolution to protect civilians.</p>\n                <p>\nBritish Prime Minister David Cameron declined to comment on what he also called the \"unconfirmed report.\"\n</p><p>\n\nBut he told BBC television: \"The targeting policy of NATO and the alliance is absolutely clear. It is in line with the U.N. resolution 1973 and it is about preventing a loss of civilian life by targeting Gaddafi\'s war-making machine, so that is obviously tanks and guns, rocket launchers, but also command and control as well.\"\n</p><p>\n\nThe French Foreign Ministry said: \"France is following its mandate from the U.N. Security Council and there is no question of regime change or targeting individuals in the resolution.\"\n</p><p>\n\nVenezuelan President Hugo Chavez, a long-time ally of Gaddafi, called the attack attempted murder. \"There is no doubt the order was given to kill Gaddafi. It doesn\'t matter who else is killed, kill Gaddafi ... a murder, this is a murder.\"\n</p><p>\n\nKonstantin Kosachev, head of the international affairs committee in the lower house of Russia\'s parliament, told Interfax: \"More and more facts indicate that the purpose of the anti-Libyan coalition is to physically destroy Gaddafi.\"\n</p><p>\n\nFIGHTING IN WEST\n</p><p>\n\nGaddafi, who seized power in a 1969 coup, is fighting an uprising by rebels who have seized much of eastern Libya. He describes the rebels as religious extremists and Western agents who seek to control Libya\'s oil.\n</p><p>\n\nIt appeared to be the second NATO strike near to Gaddafi in 24 hours. A missile struck near a television station early on Saturday when the Libyan leader was making an address in which he said he would never step down and offered talks to rebels.\n</p><p>\n\nHis daughter was killed in a U.S. air strike in 1986, ordered after a bomb attack on a West Berlin discotheque killed two U.S. servicemen. Washington linked Tripoli to the attack.\n</p><p>\n\nThe rebels say they cannot trust Gaddafi.\n</p><p>\n\nTripoli has declared a sea blockade on the besieged western outpost of Misrata, potentially stopping the rebels from sending weapons and humanitarian supplies from their eastern heartland. An International Organization for Migration ship, the Red Star One, was waiting offshore to deliver aid and evacuate migrants.\n</p><p>\n\nA rebel spokesman in Misrata said Gaddafi forces were shelling the city.\n</p><p>\n\n\"The bombardment started last night. It is still going on,\" the spokesman, called Reda, told Reuters by telephone. \"The random bombardment targeted residential areas and the port area. I can hear explosions now.\"\n</p><p>\n\nPockets of fighting continued elsewhere in the west.\n</p><p>\n\nForces loyal to Gaddafi were bombarding Zintan with rockets to try to advance on the rebel-held city southwest of Tripoli.\n</p><p>\n\nA man who fled into Tunisia from Zintan told Reuters: \"There is very heavy bombardment everywhere in the town ... We saw several wounded and some dead too.\"\n</p><p>\n\nLoyalists\' artillery fire also landed in the Tunisian border town of Dehiba after fighting on the Libyan side of the border.\n</p><p>\n\nA rebel spokesman and an oil official said an air strike destroyed a Gaddafi convoy after his forces killed five civilians in fighting in the eastern towns of Jalu and Awlijah.\n</p><p>\n\n(Additional reporting by Tarek Amara and Abdelaziz Boumzar in Dehiba, Deepa Babington and Michael Georgy in Benghazi, Matthew Tostevin in Tunis, Justyna Pawlak in Brussels; Writing by Ralph Boulton and Alison Williams; Editing by Angus MacSwan)</p>\n            </div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Libya says Gaddafi survives air strikes, but son killed   (Reuters)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110501/wl_nm/us_libya\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110501/wl_nm/us_libya</a></p>',-2,5,0,43,'2011-05-01 11:04:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-05-01 11:04:00','2011-05-15 13:16:39','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,2,''),(948,'The Education of Cathie Black   (The Daily Beast)','the-education-of-cathie-black-the-daily-beast','','The Daily Beast - From insensitive remarks to communications issues, the former publishing CEO was a bad fit for New York schools chancellor. Jacob Bernstein on Mayor Bloomberg\'s stunning decision.','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>NEW YORK – <img src=\"http://www.tdbimg.com/files/2011/04/07/img-bs-bottom---bernstein-cathie-black_184555623390.jpg\" alt=\"The Education of Cathie Black\" /><b>From insensitive remarks to communications issues, the former publishing CEO was a bad fit for New York schools chancellor. Jacob Bernstein on Mayor Bloomberg\'s stunning decision.</b></p>\n                <p>\nFrom the start, Cathie Black\'s appointment as the schools chancellor seemed odd. After all, she was a Park Avenue-based publishing executive with no background in public service and children who\'d attended plush private schools.</p>\n                <p>\nThen, in December, shortly after being announced as New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s choice, Black made an appearance at a Christmas party held by the Council of School Supervisors &amp; Administrators. There, the organization’s African-American president, Ernie Logan, introduced Black and when he was done, the former Hearst Magazines president took to the podium and commented that Logan was such a good speaker, he should be a preacher, which to some indicated the same kind of racial cluelessness that nearly capsized Joe Biden when he called Barack Obama “articulate” back in 2008, as if this was somehow a surprise quality in a black person.</p>\n                <p>\n\n“I was not offended by it,” Logan recalls, in an interview Monday night, confirming the anecdote. “I am an ordained deacon of the Baptist church. But other people were a little put out.”</p>\n                <p>\nThey certainly were. “People were taken aback,” says another person in attendance that evening. “It felt like a stereotype. The cliché of the black preacher is not dissimilar to the cliché of the black entertainer or athlete. It had a bad thump.”</p>\n                <p>\nUnfortunately, Black didn’t seem to get the message that she should be more careful about what she should (and should not say) in public. A few weeks later, Black attended a meeting at Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver’s New York City office, and made an off-color quip about what could be done to reduce overcrowding in public schools. “Could we just have some birth control for a while?” she said, in a remark that quickly made the rounds to reporters all over the city. “It could really help us all out a lot.”</p>\n                <p>\n</p><p class=\"non-feed\">Folks in the education community who were already bristling at Bloomberg’s seeming disdain for teachers’ unions and advocacy of charter schools were given ammunition when Black proved to be nearly impossible to reach.</p>\n                <p>\n“It was damaging because it hit a racial chord,” Bill de Blasio, the city’s public advocate, tells The Daily Beast, adding that a comment about how she might not send her own kids to public school was in equally poor taste. “It suggested she was indiscreet, had poor judgment, and was insensitive to different groups.”</p>\n                <p>\nOn Thursday morning, Black was dismissed from her position after just three months, in a stunning turnabout that speaks not only to her own limitations but also to the hubris of a mayor who’s now attempting to keep his ship from sinking by throwing the passengers overboard.</p>\n                <p>\nBloomberg haters have had a field day with this. They cite a series of miscues—the aborted campaign to muscle <a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/dailybeast/ts_dailybeast/storytext/13389_schoolreformtheeducationofcathieblack/41006030/SIG=12kond8ih/*http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-05-05/what-does-caroline-want/\">Caroline Kennedy</a> into Hillary Clinton’s Senate seat; then the widely criticized decision to run for a third term and a surprisingly thin margin separating him from his challenger, William Thompson. After that, the seemingly callous response to an <a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/dailybeast/ts_dailybeast/storytext/13389_schoolreformtheeducationofcathieblack/41006030/SIG=133nki0t0/*http://www.thedailybeast.com/galleries/2472/1/?redirectURL=http://www.thedailybeast.com/galleries\">incapacitating snowstorm</a> this winter, which he declared was not the end of the world. Then, finally, with the Black appointment, the presumption that because Bloomberg was a CEO who entered public service, anyone else with an MBA (or a self-help manual about how to succeed in business) was qualified to do the same.</p>\n                <p>\nCue the schadenfreude!</p>\n                <p>\n“There’s plenty of evidence of [Bloomberg\'s] being tone-deaf previously,” says de Blasio. “But it’s clearly worse now. In the first term he strived to be somewhat present and responsive to the different communities in the city. That lessened in the second term and it’s been almost non-existent in the third term. The Cathie Black appointment epitomized the sense of not even having to consider the anger parents would feel at a non-educator getting this job.”</p>\n                <p>\nMeanwhile, folks in the education community who were already bristling at Bloomberg’s seeming disdain for teachers’ unions and advocacy of charter schools were given ammunition when Black proved to be nearly impossible to reach. (Black declined comment for this article, referring The Daily Beast to a PR person from the Department of Education, who did not respond to a voicemail message left Thursday night.)</p>\n                <p>\n“The problem became that we almost couldn’t link up,” says Logan, echoing several off-the-record conversations with people from both charter and public schools. “With <a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/dailybeast/ts_dailybeast/storytext/13389_schoolreformtheeducationofcathieblack/41006030/SIG=12oes04om/*http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2010-05-24/our-antiquated-school-rules/\">Joel Klein</a>, we had a telephone relationship, we emailed constantly. Nothing happened that I didn’t hear from him. And we never got to that stage [with Cathie Black]… I don’t know what that was about.”</p>\n                <p>\nIt didn’t help matters when those who did spend more time with Black walked away equally unimpressed. \"It was miraculous what a slow learner she was,\" says one person who met her. Equally surprising, the source says, was that Black seemed to have no good explanation for why she wanted the job or what she wanted to do with it. \"A person usually has a story. Joel Klein had a story, he was the son of a postal worker, his teachers got him to Harvard. But she didn’t have a good story and it\'s a job where people are throwing tomatoes all day long. It’s an uncivil debate, there’s the media, which is relentless, so you have to believe it really matters. You can’t do the job unless you believe there’s a reason for doing it.\"</p>\n                <p>\n\nBlack\'s tenure at Hearst had some obvious successes, most especially, her green-lighting of O: The Oprah Magazine. Still, the stumbles were just as apparent, including a nine-year struggle with CosmoGIRL (now folded), as well as two short but expensive runs with Shop Etc. and Talk magazine (which was edited by Tina Brown, the editor in chief of this website). Meanwhile, magazines like Marie Claire, Town &amp; Country, and Redbook have seen a fair amount of upheaval in recent years as well as declines in advertising and newsstand sales.</p>\n                <p>\nBut under public scrutiny like never before with the schools job, eventually, the public began to catch on. “Her poll numbers were an embarrassment for Bloomberg,” Diane Ravitch, a historian of education and a research professor at NYU, says in an email. “Presumably, she was brought in to convey his message, and they found she couldn’t talk in public because she had a penchant for flip remarks and knew nothing about education. [There were] too many tough issues for her to deal with.”</p>\n                <p>\nWhere Black will go next seems unclear. Many say her career in publishing is over, and she gave up a couple of prominent board seats (Coca-Cola, IBM) to take the job. Neither is expected to be offered back to her in the wake of her PR debacle, a source who knows her from her publishing days says.\n</p><p>\n\nMeanwhile, a year ago, people were saying he could be a <a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/dailybeast/ts_dailybeast/storytext/13389_schoolreformtheeducationofcathieblack/41006030/SIG=1466vqffk/*http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2010-12-09/ralph-nader-21-reasons-michael-bloomberg-can-be-elected-president-in-2012/\" target=\"_blank\">potential presidential candidate in 2012</a>. Now, de Blasio and others say such an idea is far-fetched. “I just don’t see a route,” the public advocate shrugs.\n</p><p>\n\nStill, some say the Mayor deserves some credit for being willing to admit a mistake. Says Eva Moskowitz of the Harlem Success Academy, \"My view is that this reflects well on the mayor. His hire wasn\'t the right fit. I view it as a difficult and appropriate decision.”\n</p><p>\n\n<i>Jacob Bernstein is a senior reporter at The Daily Beast. He has also written for New York magazine, Paper, and The Huffington Post.</i>\n</p><p>\n\n</p><p>Like <a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/dailybeast/ts_dailybeast/storytext/13389_schoolreformtheeducationofcathieblack/41006030/SIG=117dcqoq1/*http://www.facebook.com/thedailybeast\">The Daily Beast on Facebook</a> and <a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/dailybeast/ts_dailybeast/storytext/13389_schoolreformtheeducationofcathieblack/41006030/SIG=112m5eo3t/*http://twitter.com/thedailybeast\">follow us on Twitter</a> for updates all day long.\n</p><p>\n\n</p><p>For inquiries, please contact The Daily Beast at <a href=\"mailto:editorial@thedailybeast.com\">editorial@thedailybeast.com</a>. </p>\n            </div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"The Education of Cathie Black   (The Daily Beast)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/education/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/dailybeast/20110408/ts_dailybeast/13389_schoolreformtheeducationofcathieblack\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/education/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/dailybeast/20110408/ts_dailybeast/13389_schoolreformtheeducationofcathieblack</a></p>',-2,5,0,37,'2011-04-08 07:13:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-04-08 07:13:00','2011-04-11 15:15:49','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,1,''),(950,'Pope John Paul II beatified before huge crowd   (Reuters)','pope-john-paul-ii-beatified-before-huge-crowd-reuters','','<p><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110501/wl_nm/us_pope_johnpaul\"><img src=\"http://d.yimg.com/a/p/rids/20110501/i/r661852748.jpg?x=130&amp;y=89&amp;q=85&amp;sig=Z3W3jF81IVhhXXcnXkQF.w--\" height=\"89\" width=\"130\" alt=\"Pope John Paul II beatified before huge crowd   (Reuters)\" style=\"float: left; border: 0px;\" />\n</a>Reuters - The late Pope John Paul II moved a major step closer to sainthood on Sunday at a ceremony that drew about a million and half people, the largest crowd in Rome since his funeral six years ago.</p><br style=\"clear: both;\" />','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – The late Pope John Paul II moved a major step closer to sainthood on Sunday at a ceremony that drew about a million and half people, the largest crowd in Rome since his funeral six years ago.</p>\n                <p>\n\"From now on Pope John Paul shall be called \'blessed,\'\" Pope Benedict, wearing white and gold robes, proclaimed in Latin, establishing that his predecessor\'s feast day would be October 22, the day of the inauguration of John Paul\'s pontificate in 1978.</p>\n                <p>\nTo the cheers of the crowd, a tapestry showing a smiling John Paul was unveiled after Benedict read the proclamation.</p>\n                <p>\nSt Peter\'s Square was packed and the crowd stretched as far back as the Tiber River, more than half a km away. The devotees, many carrying national flags and singing, moved toward the Vatican area from all directions from before dawn to get a good spot for the Mass.</p>\n                <p>\nPolice estimated the crowd in the Vatican area at about 1.5 million people. Many camped out during the night in the square, which was bedecked with posters of the late pope and one of his most famous sayings, \"Do not be afraid!\"</p>\n                <p>\nIn his homily, Benedict noted that the late Pope, whom he praised as having had \"the strength of a titan\" and who gave millions of people \"the strength to believe,\" had blessed crowds thousands of times from his window overlooking the same square.</p>\n                <p>\n\"Bless us now,\" Benedict said.</p>\n                <p>\nMany of the participants were from John Paul\'s native Poland. Dozens of red and white Polish flags bobbed above the crowd and a cheer went up when a group of Poles released a large banner reading \"Thank You, God,\" held aloft by balloons.</p>\n                <p>\n\"We were at the funeral and we just had to be here to see him beatified,\" said Janusc Skibinski, 40, who drove 29 hours with his family from their home near the border with Belarus.</p>\n                <p>\nA place of honor was reserved for Sister Marie Simon-Pierre Normand, a French nun who suffered from Parkinson\'s disease but whose inexplicable cure has been attributed to John Paul\'s intercession with God to perform a miracle, thus providing the grounds for his beatification.</p>\n                <p>\nAfter the proclamation, Normand held up a silver reliquary with a vial of blood taken from the pope in the last few days of his life in case it was needed for a transfusion.</p>\n                <p>\nThe Vatican will have to attribute another miracle to John Paul\'s intercession after the beatification in order for him to be declared a saint.</p>\n                <p>\nThe pope was beatified on the day the Church celebrates the Feast of Divine Mercy, which this year fell on May 1, coinciding with the most important workers\' holiday in the communist world. The timing was ironic, given the role of the Polish pope in the fall of communism in his homeland and across eastern Europe.</p>\n                <p>\nFormer Polish President Lech Walesa, the Solidarnosc union leader who was jailed by the communists, was in the church.</p>\n                <p>\nDELEGATIONS FROM AROUND THE WORLD</p>\n                <p>\nSome 90 official delegations from around the world, including members of five European royal families and 16 heads of state, attended the beatification.</p>\n                <p>\nThey included Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, who has been widely criticized for human rights abuses in his country. Mugabe is banned from traveling to the European Union, but the Vatican -- a sovereign state -- is not a member of the bloc.</p>\n                <p>\nPope John Paul II\'s coffin was exhumed on Friday from the crypts below St Peter\'s Basilica and was placed in front of the main altar. It will remain there and the basilica will remain open until all visitors who want to view it have done so.\n</p><p>\n\nBenedict was the first to pay respect before the coffin, which had a bible placed on it, followed by cardinals, royalty and heads of state.\n</p><p>\n\nIt will then be moved to a new crypt under an altar in a side chapel near Michelangelo\'s statue of the Pieta. The marble slab that covered his first burial place will be sent to Poland.\n</p><p>\n\nJohn Paul\'s beatification set a new speed record for modern times, taking place six years and one month after his death.\n</p><p>\n\nWhile the overwhelming majority of Catholics welcome it, a minority are opposed, with some saying it happened too fast.\n</p><p>\n\nLiberals in the church say John Paul was too harsh with theological dissenters who wanted to help the poor, particularly in Latin America. Some say he should be held responsible for sexual abuse scandals that have rocked the Catholic church, because they occurred or came to light when he was in charge.\n</p><p>\n\nUltra-Conservatives say he was too open toward other religions and that he allowed the liturgy to be \"infected\" by local cultures, such as African dancing, on his trips abroad.</p>\n            </div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Pope John Paul II beatified before huge crowd   (Reuters)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110501/wl_nm/us_pope_johnpaul\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110501/wl_nm/us_pope_johnpaul</a></p>',-2,5,0,43,'2011-05-01 09:42:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-05-01 09:42:00','2011-05-15 13:16:40','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,2,''),(951,'Gulf Arab meet ends with no Yemen transition deal   (Reuters)','gulf-arab-meet-ends-with-no-yemen-transition-deal-reuters','','<p><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110501/wl_nm/us_yemen\"><img src=\"http://d.yimg.com/a/p/rids/20110430/i/r3485751209.jpg?x=130&amp;y=104&amp;q=85&amp;sig=u61kcXFEJl7W602ga0FeJA--\" height=\"104\" width=\"130\" alt=\"Gulf Arab meet ends with no Yemen transition deal   (Reuters)\" style=\"float: left; border: 0px;\" />\n</a>Reuters - A meeting of Gulf Arab powers aimed at salvaging a deal to ease Yemen\'s President Ali AbdUllah Saleh from power broke up on Sunday with no agreement in place over a political transition.</p><br style=\"clear: both;\" />','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>RIYADH (Reuters) – A meeting of Gulf Arab powers aimed at salvaging a deal to ease Yemen\'s President Ali AbdUllah Saleh from power broke up on Sunday with no agreement in place over a political transition.</p>\n                <p>\n\"The council expresses its hope of removing all the obstacles that still block a final agreement, and its Secretary General will head to Sanaa for that purpose,\" a statement issued by ministers of the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council said.</p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Gulf Arab meet ends with no Yemen transition deal   (Reuters)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110501/wl_nm/us_yemen\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110501/wl_nm/us_yemen</a></p>',-2,5,0,43,'2011-05-01 12:33:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-05-01 12:33:00','2011-05-15 13:16:41','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,4,''),(952,'Syrians protest from rooftops after army action   (Reuters)','syrians-protest-from-rooftops-after-army-action-reuters','','<p><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110501/wl_nm/us_syria\"><img src=\"http://d.yimg.com/a/p/rids/20110501/i/r2935500355.jpg?x=130&amp;y=95&amp;q=85&amp;sig=7jUU18z9ucL3UPv9xyIJbg--\" height=\"95\" width=\"130\" alt=\"Syrians protest from rooftops after army action   (Reuters)\" style=\"float: left; border: 0px;\" />\n</a>Reuters - Women and children in the besieged Syrian city of Deraa chanted \"God is greatest against the tyrant\" from rooftops in the night after troops backed by tanks intensified a crackdown on the city, a resident said.</p><br style=\"clear: both;\" />','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>AMMAN (Reuters) – Women and children in the besieged Syrian city of Deraa chanted \"God is greatest against the tyrant\" from rooftops in the night after troops backed by tanks intensified a crackdown on the city, a resident said.</p>\n                <p>\nTroops stormed into Deraa, cradle of a six-week-old uprising against President Bashar al-Assad\'s authoritarian rule, a week ago to try to crush protests that have spread across the country of 20 million. Power and communications have been disrupted.</p>\n                <p>\nOn Saturday, tanks shelled the old quarter of the southern city and security forces stormed the Omari mosque, a focal point for protests.</p>\n                <p>\n\"The shelling has intensified. It is the worst night. Women and children are on their rooftops chanting \'God is Greater\' against the tyrant,\" one resident, who lives in the Manshia neighborhood in the old quarter told Reuters by telephone.</p>\n                <p>\nHe said security forces were entering homes and dragging men onto buses.</p>\n                <p>\nThe chants echoed the calls of Iranian protesters who took to rooftops in Tehran chanting \'Allahu Akbar\' (God is Greatest) during post-election unrest in 2009.</p>\n                <p>\nForeign correspondents have largely been excluded from Syria since the protests escalated and the crackdown began.</p>\n                <p>\nA Syrian rights group said at least 560 civilians have been killed in the six-week-old uprising in support of demands for greater political freedom and action against corruption that has flourished under the Baath Party, in power since 1963.</p>\n                <p>\nThe uprising, unthinkable only months ago, flared after mass protests toppled authoritarian leaders in Egypt and Tunisia. Demonstrations spread in Bahrain and escalated to civil war in Libya.</p>\n                <p>\nEMERGENCY LAW LIFTED</p>\n                <p>\nNewly appointed Prime Minister Adel Safar was quoted by state news agency SANA as saying his government would in the coming weeks draw up a \"complete plan\" of political, judicial and economic reforms.</p>\n                <p>\nThe pledge was unlikely to dampen the intensity of protests. A severe crackdown followed the once-unthinkable gesture of lifting a decades-old emergency law this month.</p>\n                <p>\nThe government also has little influence as Assad, his family and the security apparatus has a stranglehold on power.</p>\n                <p>\nSyria blames armed groups for the violence. On Friday soldiers killed 19 people when they fired on protesters who were trying to enter Deraa from nearby villages in a show of solidarity, a medical source said. Syrian rights groups put Friday\'s death toll at 62.</p>\n                <p>\nSANA quoted an official military source as saying on Saturday that army and security forces units had been chasing \"armed terrorist groups\" who had attacked properties in Deraa.</p>\n                <p>\nThe source said six members of the group were killed in the operation, 149 wanted people were arrested, and a large cache of weapons and ammunition had been seized. Two members of the security forces were also killed and seven wounded.</p>\n                <p>\n(Additional reporting by Khaled Yacoub Oweis in Amman; Writing by Yara Bayoumy in Beirut; Editing by Ralph Boulton)</p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Syrians protest from rooftops after army action   (Reuters)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110501/wl_nm/us_syria\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110501/wl_nm/us_syria</a></p>',-2,5,0,43,'2011-05-01 12:09:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-05-01 12:09:00','2011-05-15 13:16:42','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,2,''),(953,'Taliban renew Afghan offensive despite U.N. plea   (Reuters)','taliban-renew-afghan-offensive-despite-un-plea-reuters','','Reuters - Taliban-led insurgents killed at least 11 people across Afghanistan in a renewed springtime offensive on Sunday despite a huge security clampdown, hours after the United Nations pleaded for all sides to avoid civilian casualties.','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>KABUL (Reuters) – Taliban-led insurgents killed at least 11 people across Afghanistan in a renewed springtime offensive on Sunday despite a huge security clampdown, hours after the United Nations pleaded for all sides to avoid civilian casualties.</p>\n                <p>\nThe hardline Islamists have warned civilians to stay away from public gatherings, military bases and convoys, as well as government offices, because those sites would be the target of a wave of attacks beginning on Sunday.</p>\n                <p>\nBoth sides of the conflict have vowed to protect civilians -- the civilian toll hit record levels in 2010 -- but more than half of those killed on Sunday were ordinary Afghans.</p>\n                <p>\n\"Our mission is to make sure that civilians and Afghan people are not affected by now 11 years of conflict,\" Staffan de Mistura, the U.N. chief in Afghanistan, told Reuters television in his heavily guarded compound in the capital, Kabul.</p>\n                <p>\n\"What we are worried about, and I think every Afghan is worried about, is whether the Afghan people and the Afghan civilians will be again the victims of a long conflict,\" de Mistura said.</p>\n                <p>\nThe vast majority of civilian casualties in Afghanistan are caused by insurgents, figures from the United Nations and other rights groups show, although there are still many caused by foreign hunting militants with air strikes and night raids.</p>\n                <p>\nThe increasingly sophisticated Taliban communication network quickly sought to counter de Mistura\'s comments. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said foreign forces must also protect civilians and stop their \"rising atrocities\".</p>\n                <p>\nCHILD BOMBER</p>\n                <p>\nThe new wave of attacks began early on Sunday with what appeared to be a startling and rare tactic -- the use of a child bomber in the dangerous southeastern province of Paktika.</p>\n                <p>\nThe bomber, wearing a vest packed with explosives, killed four civilians and wounded 12, a government spokesman said. A statement from the governor\'s office in Paktika, near the Pakistan border, said the bomber was 12 years old.</p>\n                <p>\nIn neighboring Ghazni, two police and two civilians were killed in a gunfight after insurgents opened fire on a passing police vehicle in the province\'s main city, police said. A bomb planted on a bicycle near Ghazni police headquarters wounded 13.</p>\n                <p>\nIn the volatile south, the governor of Kandahar province, the birthplace of the Taliban, ordered thousands of security forces onto high alert, with police and Afghan soldiers manning checkpoints on every roundabout in Kandahar city.</p>\n                <p>\nGunmen on a motorbike killed an Afghan soldier in Kandahar. In Logar, south of Kabul, two members of a community police unit were killed by a roadside bomb, police officials said.</p>\n                <p>\nSenior military commanders have been expecting a spike in violence with the start of the spring and summer \"fighting season\", although the usual winter lull was not seen as U.S-led forces pressed their attacks against insurgents, particularly in the Taliban\'s southern heartland.</p>\n                <p>\nQuelling violence has taken on even greater importance this year, with a gradual withdrawal of foreign combat troops set to begin in July as part of a handover to Afghan security forces. That withdrawal is set to be completed by the end of 2014.</p>\n                <p>\nSenior military officials say recent intelligence reports indicate the fresh campaign of violence will last about a week and be mounted by the Taliban, supported by the al Qaeda-linked Haqqani network and other insurgents.</p>\n                <p>\nSecurity has been increased at military bases and government offices across the country, while in Kabul extra police have been stationed at checkpoints known as \"the ring of steel\".</p>\n                <p>\nThe Taliban said on Saturday the targets of their attacks would be foreign forces, high-ranking officials of President Hamid Karzai\'s government, as well companies working for the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).\n</p><p>\n\nWashington and ISAF commanders believe they have made inroads against a growing insurgency since 30,000 extra U.S. troops were sent to Afghanistan last year.\n</p><p>\n\nAttacks across Afghanistan hit record levels in 2010, with civilian and military casualties the worst since U.S-backed Afghan forces toppled the Taliban government in late 2001.\n</p><p>\n\nThe United Nations has relocated some of its staff in Afghanistan after receiving what it said were credible threats of increased attacks in several locations around the country.\n</p><p>\n\nThe United Nations has been targeted several times. Seven foreign staff were killed last month when protesters overran a U.N. compound in the north.\n</p><p>\n\nDe Mistura said indiscriminate use of bombs by the Taliban in cities and elsewhere had caused huge numbers of civilian casualties, while air strikes by the NATO-led force had also caused many deaths.\n</p><p>\n\nThe number of civilians killed in Afghanistan in 2010 rose 15 percent from the previous year to 2,777, according to U.N figures, with insurgents responsible for about three-quarters of those. \"Afghan civilians have paid the price of war for too long,\" de Mistura said.\n</p><p>\n\n(Additional reporting by Ismail Sameem in KANDAHAR; Writing by Paul Tait; Editing by Andrew Marshall)</p>\n            </div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Taliban renew Afghan offensive despite U.N. plea   (Reuters)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110501/wl_nm/us_afghanistan_taliban\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110501/wl_nm/us_afghanistan_taliban</a></p>',-2,5,0,43,'2011-05-01 08:28:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-05-01 08:28:00','2011-05-15 13:16:43','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,2,''),(954,'Reading Bibi\'s Mind   (Time.com)','reading-bibis-mind-timecom','','Time.com - Our columnist imagines what the Israeli Prime Minister is thinking these days','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>I\'m actually beginning to enjoy this Arab Spring, a little. You don\'t believe me? I like democracy. Democracy has been very kind to me. I\'ve been elected Prime Minister of Israel twice. I made a speech expressing hope for democracy in Egypt and even made a practical suggestion - a regional Marshall Plan to put all those unemployed Arabs to work building housing and infrastructure. I really do hope for the best. </p>\n                <p> But do I believe the best is going to happen? That\'s another story. Let\'s examine some recent examples of democracy on the march in my neighborhood. In Lebanon six years ago, the people went into the square and drove out the Syrians, or seemed to, and had their elections - and now they have a government controlled by Hizballah. When the Palestinians had elections, Hamas won. The Iranians have elections even, in their own peculiar way. Hooray for democracy. <span class=\"see\"><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/time/wl_time/storytext/08599206860700/41294166/SIG=11vj9jbmk/*http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,2036191,00.html\" target=\"_blank\">(See photos of Palestinians growing up in the age of the wall.)</a></span></p>\n                <p> Egypt will have elections now too. The Muslim Brotherhood is very smart, very patient. It will contest only 35% of the seats in the Egyptian parliament. It won\'t stand a major candidate for President. It will stand back and watch the economy collapse, and then it will ride to the rescue in the next round of elections, in maybe five years. </p>\n                <p> Already the Egyptians are telling us privately, \"Hosni Mubarak gave you a free ride on the peace process. We can\'t afford to do that because we want to represent - democratically, mind you! - the will of the people. And the Egyptian people have about the same regard for Israel as for Mubarak\'s bathroom. So if you don\'t get moving on a peace settlement, we\'re going to let the world know we\'re not very happy.\" They actually said that to a delegation from our Foreign Ministry in Cairo a few weeks ago, except for the bathroom part. <span class=\"see\"><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/time/wl_time/storytext/08599206860700/41294166/SIG=11v70ugt0/*http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,2045373,00.html\" target=\"_blank\">(See photos of the protests in Cairo\'s Tahrir Square.)</a></span></p>\n                <p> Soon we may have lots of democracy in Syria too. I will be sad to see Bashar Assad, that ophthalmologist, and his Iranian sponsors go. People say it would be good for the Jews. People say when Iran loses, we win. People say it will hurt Hizballah. Maybe - but tell me what we do about all those rockets and missiles Hizballah already has, rockets that can reach Tel Aviv and Jerusalem? And tell me what replaces Assad? Syria is a Sunni-majority country. Am I still going to have a peaceful northern border, or am I going to have Hamas by any other name? I\'ll take the devil I know. </p>\n                <p> It would be nice to see Iran lose for a change, though. Iran never loses. It does get sick a lot - mysterious viruses in its nuclear program. So sad about the Stuxnet. The Americans don\'t believe me when I say this, but that Supreme Leader wants to nuke us. He told a European diplomat that he wanted to see Israel in \"a sea of fire.\" I\'m supposed to take chances with that? The Americans are leaving Iraq, which gives the Iranians a clear path across the desert, across Jordan - adios, my dear little friend King Abdullah! - and right onto the West Bank. The Americans want me to give up my troops in the Jordan River Valley? Good luck with that! <span class=\"see\"><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/time/wl_time/storytext/08599206860700/41294166/SIG=11vsdqkbo/*http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,2061490,00.html\" target=\"_blank\">(See protesters in Jordan speaking out against the King.)</a></span></p>\n                <p> And this brings me to why I really love this Arab Spring. It has reconciled my former non-negotiating Palestinian partner, Mahmoud Abbas, with the killers from Hamas. So everybody wins! Abbas regains the esteem he lost on the Palestinian street because he was negotiating with us. Hamas gets to have more elections next year. They love elections. And I\'m the biggest winner of all: I don\'t have to pretend to take these people seriously anymore. No peace plans. No concessions. Not even Barack Obama is going to ask me to hand the keys to Hamas. </p>\n                <p> But I am tempted by a two-state solution, sometimes. Everyone in my government is in favor of two states, even my Foreign Minister, who is crazy - like a fox! - Avigdor Lieberman. He has a proposal: redraw the borders to make 200,000 Israeli Arabs sudden residents of Palestine, while we get to keep most of our West Bank settlements. I would never actually propose this, I guess. My Supreme Court would have a conniption fit: you can\'t deny citizenship to 200,000 Israelis who happen to be Arabs. The Israeli Arabs would have a conniption fit too. They don\'t want to be Palestinians. They like it in Israel. Talk about inconvenient truths! I\'d love to shove that in the face of all those Euro do-gooders. You want me to negotiate a Palestinian state that Arabs don\'t even want to live in? How broad-minded of you. How happy are your Arabs, by the way? Yes, I am tempted. It polls well. It would help me with Lieberman\'s wing nuts. </p>\n                <p> But I won\'t do that, probably. Unless Obama takes it seriously when the U.N. recognizes the Palestinians and he proposes a plan of his own. Then I may have to counter him with my plan. Right now, I don\'t have to do anything. Right now, I just sit back and smell the lovely spring flowers. </p>\n                <p> <span class=\"see\"><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/time/wl_time/storytext/08599206860700/41294166/SIG=10rfu0nmq/*http://www.time.com/egypt\" target=\"_blank\">See TIME\'s special report \"The Middle East in Revolt.\"</a></span> </p>\n                <p> <span class=\"see\"><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/time/wl_time/storytext/08599206860700/41294166/SIG=10t7itlqf/*http://www.time.com/time100\" target=\"_blank\">See the world\'s most influential people in the 2011 TIME 100.</a></span> </p>\n                <p>View this article on <a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/time/wl_time/storytext/08599206860700/41294166/SIG=12n6rbm83/*http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2068607,00.html?xid=rss-fullworld-yahoo\">Time.com</a></p>\n                <p></p><p>Most Popular on Time.com:</p><ul><li><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/time/wl_time/storytext/08599206860700/41294166/SIG=12v45u9bn/*http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2068488,00.html?xid=feed-yahoo-full-mostpopular\">From Royal Weddings to Royal Funerals: Britain and Its Monarchy Over the Years</a></li> <li><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/time/wl_time/storytext/08599206860700/41294166/SIG=12vontuq0/*http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2068627,00.html?xid=feed-yahoo-full-mostpopular\">The Royal Wedding: William and Kate Heed Tradition, With Modern Tweaks</a></li> <li><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/time/wl_time/storytext/08599206860700/41294166/SIG=12vps57an/*http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1183855,00.html?xid=feed-yahoo-full-mostpopular\">What Does the Queen Do?</a></li> <li><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/time/wl_time/storytext/08599206860700/41294166/SIG=130ebgnqa/*http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2068262,00.html?xid=feed-yahoo-full-mostpopular\">A Talk With Al Gore About Climate Change, Birthers and His New App</a></li> <li><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/time/wl_time/storytext/08599206860700/41294166/SIG=1302fdng1/*http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2067967,00.html?xid=feed-yahoo-full-mostpopular\">You Are What You Owe</a></li> </ul><p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Reading Bibi\'s Mind   (Time.com)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/time/20110501/wl_time/08599206860700\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/time/20110501/wl_time/08599206860700</a></p>',-2,5,0,43,'2011-05-01 02:15:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-05-01 02:15:00','2011-05-15 13:16:44','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,2,''),(955,'Britain expels Libyan ambassador after embassy attacks   (AFP)','britain-expels-libyan-ambassador-after-embassy-attacks-afp','','<p><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110501/wl_uk_afp/libyaconflictbritainitalydiplomacy\"><img src=\"http://d.yimg.com/a/p/afp/20110501/capt.photo_1304260547825-2-0.jpg?x=130&amp;y=86&amp;q=85&amp;sig=fAln_7D_j3rUY2opatQiLg--\" height=\"86\" width=\"130\" alt=\"Britain expels Libyan ambassador after embassy attacks   (AFP)\" style=\"float: left; border: 0px;\" />\n</a>AFP - The government expelled the Libyan ambassador Sunday following attacks on the British and Italian embassies in Tripoli, saying Moamer Kadhafi\'s regime had failed in its duty to protect diplomatic missions.</p><br style=\"clear: both;\" />','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>LONDON (AFP) – The government expelled the Libyan ambassador Sunday following attacks on the British and Italian embassies in Tripoli, saying Moamer Kadhafi\'s regime had failed in its duty to protect diplomatic missions.</p>\n                <p>\nProtesters set fire to the buildings, which are on the same street in central Tripoli, early on Sunday, an AFP reporter said, adding that the mob at the Italian embassy ripped down the Italian flag and threw it into the street.</p>\n                <p>\nBritain and Italy are both involved in military strikes against Libya as part of a UN-authorised operation to protect civilians from fierce fighting between Kadhafi\'s forces and rebels opposed to his four-decade rule.</p>\n                <p>\n\"I condemn the attacks on the British embassy premises in Tripoli as well as the diplomatic missions of other countries,\" Foreign Secretary William Hague said in a statement.</p>\n                <p>\n\"The Vienna Convention requires the Kadhafi regime to protect diplomatic missions in Tripoli. By failing to do so that regime has once again breached its international responsibilities and obligations.</p>\n                <p>\n\"I take the failure to protect such premises very seriously indeed.</p>\n                <p>\n\"As a result, I have taken the decision to expel the Libyan ambassador. He is persona non grata pursuant to article nine of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and has 24 hours to leave the country.\"</p>\n                <p>\nThe embassy attacks and the expulsion of ambassador Omar Jelban came just hours after the Libyan regime accused NATO of killing Kadhafi\'s son and three grandchildren in bombing raids on Saturday evening.</p>\n                <p>\nBritain\'s embassy was thought to be empty at the time, as London has had no diplomatic presence in Tripoli since it recalled its ambassador at the start of hostilities. The only British team is in the rebel-held city of Benghazi.</p>\n                <p>\nThe Italian embassy was also thought to be empty, as Rome closed down the diplomatic post in March.</p>\n                <p>\nIn a statement, the Italian foreign ministry confirmed the \"acts of vandalism\", saying the attacks were \"grave and vile actions\".</p>\n                <p>\n\"Kadhafi\'s regime, by not ensuring the necessary protection for foreign diplomatic missions in Tripoli, has again failed in its basic international obligations,\" it said.</p>\n                <p>\nItaly only joined the military operation against its former colony last week, almost six weeks after the campaign began with strikes by Britain, France and the United States.</p>\n                <p>\nHague stressed that the embassy attacks \"will not weaken our resolve to protect the civilian population in Libya\".</p>\n                <p>\nItaly was Libya\'s top foreign trade partner before the conflict began, and Kadhafi signed a friendship treaty with Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi in 2008, which opened the way for massive investments in each other\'s economies.</p>\n                <p>\nInterior Minister Roberto Maroni said Sunday that the government was boosting security checks after Kadhafi threatened retaliation for Rome\'s entry into the military campaign.</p>\n                <p>\n\"Kadhafi\'s words confirm that we have to monitor the situation. It\'s what we are doing and we have intensified monitoring on our territory,\" he said.</p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Britain expels Libyan ambassador after embassy attacks   (AFP)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110501/wl_uk_afp/libyaconflictbritainitalydiplomacy\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110501/wl_uk_afp/libyaconflictbritainitalydiplomacy</a></p>',-2,5,0,43,'2011-05-01 12:54:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-05-01 12:54:00','2011-05-15 13:16:45','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,1,''),(956,'Iran\'s president backs down on political challenge   (AP)','irans-president-backs-down-on-political-challenge-ap','','<p><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110501/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iran\"><img src=\"http://d.yimg.com/a/p/rids/20110501/i/r1799972691.jpg?x=130&amp;y=86&amp;q=85&amp;sig=KDiXhSxj7JpAAuGt1Ok63w--\" height=\"86\" width=\"130\" alt=\"Iran\'s president backs down on political challenge   (AP)\" style=\"float: left; border: 0px;\" />\n</a>AP - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad attended a Cabinet meeting Sunday after more than a week\'s absence that raised tension with the country\'s supreme leader, state TV reported.</p><br style=\"clear: both;\" />','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>TEHRAN, Iran – Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad attended a Cabinet meeting Sunday after more than a week\'s absence that raised tension with the country\'s supreme leader, state TV reported.</p>\n                <p>The recent confrontation between Ahmadinejad and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei involved the president\'s dismissal last month of the country\'s most powerful intelligence chief, Heidar Moslehi.</p>\n                <p>Khamenei quickly reinstated Moslehi in a slap to Ahmadinejad. In apparent protest, the president skipped two Cabinet meetings this past week.</p>\n                <p>Ahmadinejad\'s decision to back down and attend is likely an attempt to avoid backlash from Khamenei, who has been a strong supporter of the president. That relationship could be fraying by Ahmadinejad\'s repeated attempts to push the limits of his powers.</p>\n                <p>Last week, Khamenei made a rare public rebuke to Ahmadinejad, saying he will not hesitate to intervene in government affairs whenever necessary.</p>\n                <p>A serious fall from Khamenei\'s favor would leave Ahmadinejad\'s clout seriously diminished and test the loyalty of his main supporters, including the Revolutionary Guard that will have a central role in picking the candidates for his successor in 2013.</p>\n                <p>Any split between Khamenei and Ahmadinejad could also destabilize Iran at a time of tension with the West over Tehran\'s disputed nuclear program.</p>\n                <p>Morteza Aghatehrani, one of the participants in Sunday\'s Cabinet meeting, told the official IRNA news agency that Ahmadinejad expressed support for Khamenei, who has final say on all state matters.</p>\n                <p>Aghatehrani, a lawmaker and cleric, also claimed that Ahmadinejad was sick over the past week, implying his absence from the Cabinet meetings was not related to the political dispute.</p>\n                <p>Khabaronline.ir, a conservative news website, reported that Moslehi, the intelligence chief, was not present at Sunday\'s meeting, but the report could not be independently verified.</p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Iran\'s president backs down on political challenge   (AP)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110501/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iran\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110501/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iran</a></p>',-2,5,0,43,'2011-05-01 12:12:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-05-01 12:12:00','2011-05-15 13:16:46','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,11,''),(957,'Cubans mark May Day, await details of change   (AP)','cubans-mark-may-day-await-details-of-change-ap','','AP - Hundreds of thousands of Cubans have marched through Havana and other cities to mark May Day.','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>HAVANA – Hundreds of thousands of Cubans have marched through Havana and other cities to mark May Day.</p>\n                <p>The demonstration is being touted as a show of support for economic changes recently approved by the Communist Party — even though the people holding placards and shouting slogans Sunday haven\'t seen the details yet.</p>\n                <p>Nearly two weeks after the party endorsed President Raul Castro\'s plan to fix the island\'s broken economy through limited free-market reforms, the government has not released specifics of the 311-point guidelines.</p>\n                <p>The official party newspaper Granma says the parade is \"the best chance for Cuban workers to ratify ... their backing for the accords.\"</p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Cubans mark May Day, await details of change   (AP)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110501/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/cb_cuba_may_day\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110501/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/cb_cuba_may_day</a></p>',-2,5,0,43,'2011-05-01 10:10:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-05-01 10:10:00','2011-05-15 13:16:47','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,1,''),(958,'Libya says shelled port to stop arms delivery to rebels   (Reuters)','libya-says-shelled-port-to-stop-arms-delivery-to-rebels-reuters','','Reuters - Libya said on Sunday it shelled the rebel-held Misrata port to stop NATO from delivering weapons to the insurgents, state television reported.','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>CAIRO (Reuters) – Libya said on Sunday it shelled the rebel-held Misrata port to stop NATO from delivering weapons to the insurgents, state television reported.</p>\n                <p>\n\"NATO tried today (Sunday) to breach the blockade imposed by the Libyan armed forces on Misrata\'s port. The alliance also tried to deliver arms shipments and supplies to the armed criminal gangs using several naval vessels. But it came under heavy bombardment which forced it to flee to the sea,\" TV said.</p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Libya says shelled port to stop arms delivery to rebels   (Reuters)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110501/wl_nm/us_libya_misrata_port\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110501/wl_nm/us_libya_misrata_port</a></p>',-2,5,0,43,'2011-05-01 13:03:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-05-01 13:03:00','2011-05-15 13:16:48','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,4,''),(959,'Taliban use child bomber at start of offensive   (AP)','taliban-use-child-bomber-at-start-of-offensive-ap','','<p><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110501/ap_on_re_as/as_afghanistan\"><img src=\"http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20110501/capt.5f65f7ce3f2c405991ac682dc2b93b3f-5f65f7ce3f2c405991ac682dc2b93b3f-0.jpg?x=130&amp;y=90&amp;q=85&amp;sig=lbEadI3.5A6zEIJmtDUa4A--\" height=\"90\" width=\"130\" alt=\"Taliban use child bomber at start of offensive   (AP)\" style=\"float: left; border: 0px;\" />\n</a>AP - On the first day of its promised spring offensive, the Taliban used a 12-year-old boy as a suicide bomber in an attack Sunday that killed four civilians, President Hamid Karzai said, calling the child\'s recruitment inhumane and un-Islamic.</p><br style=\"clear: both;\" />','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>KABUL, Afghanistan – On the first day of its promised spring offensive, the Taliban used a 12-year-old boy as a suicide bomber in an attack Sunday that killed four civilians, President Hamid Karzai said, calling the child\'s recruitment inhumane and un-Islamic.</p>\n                <p>It was one of several attacks across the country that killed seven people, government officials said.</p>\n                <p>The insurgent movement announced in a statement Saturday that it would step up operations against military bases, convoys and Afghan officials, including members of the peace council working to reconcile with top insurgent leaders. The yearly offensive begins after a winter lull in fighting.</p>\n                <p>\"The use of children and youths who don\'t know the difference between right and wrong in terrorist attacks is inhumane and against all Islamic principles,\" the president said.</p>\n                <p>The suicide bomber detonated a vest packed with explosives inside a bazaar in the Barmal district of Paktika province, 160 miles southeast of Kabul on the border with Pakistan. The blast killed four civilians and wounded 12, said Mokhlis Afghan, a spokesman for the provincial governor\'s office.</p>\n                <p>Among the dead — and the likely target of the attack — was Sher Nawaz, head of a new district council in the Shakeen area of Paktika province, Afghan said.</p>\n                <p>In the Taliban\'s announcement on its offensive, it suggested it would try to limit civilian casualties from its operations.</p>\n                <p>\"Strict attention must be paid to the protection and safety of civilians during spring operations by working out a meticulous military plan,\" it said.</p>\n                <p>A United Nations report released earlier this year presented evidence that the Taliban was responsible for the majority of civilian deaths in Afghanistan in 2010, and Afghan and NATO officials have repeatedly accused the Taliban of breaking its own rules of engagement.</p>\n                <p>Also Sunday, a gunman opened fire on a checkpoint in the southwest province of Ghazni, killing two policemen and wounding a bystander during an hour-long battle, provincial police chief Zerawar Zahid said.</p>\n                <p>In a separate attack in Ghazni, militants detonated a bicycle rigged with explosives outside the provincial police headquarters complex, wounding 13 civilians, according to provincial officials.</p>\n                <p>The wounded included an 11-year-old girl and two young boys. They had light shrapnel wounds, said Dr. Mohammad Ismail Ibrahimzai, head of the Ghazni Provincial Hospital.</p>\n                <p>In the country\'s south, a suspected militant shot and killed an Afghan soldier at a checkpoint in Kandahar city, said deputy police chief Shershah Yousafzai.</p>\n                <p>In other violence in Kandahar, policemen receiving NATO-donated supplies including caps and protective eyewear drew guns and fought over the items, leaving one policeman dead and four wounded, said Arghandab district governor Shah Mohammad.</p>\n                <p>___</p>\n                <p>Associated Press writer Mirwais Khan in Kandahar contributed to this report.</p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Taliban use child bomber at start of offensive   (AP)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110501/ap_on_re_as/as_afghanistan\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110501/ap_on_re_as/as_afghanistan</a></p>',-2,5,0,43,'2011-05-01 13:09:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-05-01 13:09:00','2011-05-15 13:16:49','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,3,''),(960,'Canada set for election, but result impossible to call   (Reuters)','canada-set-for-election-but-result-impossible-to-call-reuters','','Reuters - Canada\'s federal election on Monday is too close to call, raising the prospect of a potentially destabilizing political battle between the ruling Conservatives and opposition parties.','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>OTTAWA (Reuters) – Canada\'s federal election on Monday is too close to call, raising the prospect of a potentially destabilizing political battle between the ruling Conservatives and opposition parties.</p>\n                <p>\nPolls show the Conservatives are set to win the most seats in the 308-seat House of Commons but it is impossible to say whether they will capture a majority, or if they can find opposition support to make a minority government work.</p>\n                <p>\nCanada -- the largest single supplier of energy to the United States -- has not seen such an unpredictable election for more than three decades, McGill University political science professor Richard Schultz told Reuters.</p>\n                <p>\n\"It\'s so up in the air ... as a close watcher (of politics), I\'m as confused as anyone by this,\" he said.</p>\n                <p>\nThe right-of-center Conservatives have been in power since early 2006 with two successive minority governments, which required them to gain opposition support to pass key bills.</p>\n                <p>\nThey insist they need a majority to keep taxes low and ensure Canada continues to recover from the global crisis.</p>\n                <p>\nPrime Minister Stephen Harper says if he falls short of his goal, center-left opposition parties will oust him and create a \"dangerous\" coalition guaranteed to wreck the economy.</p>\n                <p>\nHis main target is the left-leaning New Democrats, running a strong second in the polls. They promise to raise corporate taxes, increase social spending and bring in a cap and trade system to cut emissions of greenhouse gases.</p>\n                <p>\n\"I think the New Democrats\' economic platform would be an utter disaster for the country,\" said Harper, who has run a relentlessly negative five-week campaign.</p>\n                <p>\n\"A New Democrat-led minority coalition would ... do enormous damage every single day it is in office,\" he told the Toronto Star in an interview published on Sunday.</p>\n                <p>\nVOTE-SPLITTING</p>\n                <p>\nHarper could benefit from vote-splitting between the New Democrats and their Liberal rivals and eke out a majority, which would earn him a fixed four-year term in power.</p>\n                <p>\nA Nanos Research tracking poll of results for the last three days put public support for the Conservatives at 37 percent. The New Democrats had 30.6 percent while the Liberals were on 22.7 percent.</p>\n                <p>\nA Conservative-led coalition is not an option, given Harper\'s attacks on opposition parties and his highly uncompromising style of governing.</p>\n                <p>\nCanada\'s economy is one of the best performing among rich industrialized nations, although the deficit spiraled to record levels as the Conservatives spent heavily to pull Canada out of recession. All three parties promise to balance the budget within a few years, a factor that reassures markets.</p>\n                <p>\n\"We shall see if investors remain so sanguine on Tuesday morning, but they certainly aren\'t jumping to any conclusions yet,\" said Douglas Porter of BMO Capital Markets.</p>\n                <p>\nThe main reason for the political uncertainty is the unexpected rise of the New Democrats, a pro-labor party that has never held power and started the campaign in third place.</p>\n                <p>\nLeader Jack Layton was upbeat from the start, urging voters to abandon the larger two parties and give him a chance.\n</p><p>\n\nIf the New Democrats and Liberals together win more seats than the Conservatives, Harper would have to decide whether to compromise or force a showdown. His first test would come within weeks in a speech to Parliament outlining his plans.\n</p><p>\n\nThis is a confidence measure and if opposition parties toppled the Conservatives, they would almost certainly be given a chance to create a government without another election.\n</p><p>\n\nA New Democrat-Liberal coalition could have a major impact on energy policy. Harper sees Canada as an energy superpower that needs freedom to grow and export while the New Democrats fret about the environmental cost of unchecked developments.\n</p><p>\n\nLayton\'s campaign looks strong in the predominantly French-speaking province of Quebec, where the separatist Bloc Quebecois has been dominant for two decades. Polls suggest the New Democrats could crush the Bloc, which would reassure markets who worry Quebec might one day split away.\n</p><p>\n\n(Reporting by David Ljunggren, Editing by Sandra Maler)</p>\n            </div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Canada set for election, but result impossible to call   (Reuters)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110501/wl_canada_nm/canada_us_politics\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110501/wl_canada_nm/canada_us_politics</a></p>',-2,5,0,43,'2011-05-01 10:52:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-05-01 10:52:00','2011-05-15 13:16:50','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,2,''),(961,'Australia to flag 4.5% unemployment in budget   (AFP)','australia-to-flag-45-unemployment-in-budget-afp','','<p><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110501/ts_afp/australiaeconomyjobs\"><img src=\"http://d.yimg.com/a/p/afp/20110501/capt.photo_1304220099388-1-0.jpg?x=130&amp;y=92&amp;q=85&amp;sig=k7brr_DPwD2yRiXs6QWSig--\" height=\"92\" width=\"130\" alt=\"Australia to flag 4.5% unemployment in budget   (AFP)\" style=\"float: left; border: 0px;\" />\n</a>AFP - Australia\'s upcoming budget will forecast 500,000 new jobs to be created in two years as the country rides a mining boom, bringing unemployment down to 4.5 percent, Treasurer Wayne Swan said Sunday.</p><br style=\"clear: both;\" />','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>SYDNEY (AFP) – Australia\'s upcoming budget will forecast 500,000 new jobs to be created in two years as the country rides a mining boom, bringing unemployment down to 4.5 percent, Treasurer Wayne Swan said Sunday.</p>\n                <p>\nSwan said secure employment was the first responsibility of the Labor government of Prime Minister Julia Gillard and the budget to be delivered on May 10 would have that as its central emphasis.</p>\n                <p>\n\"What I can say about the budget is that we will see the creation of an additional 500,000 jobs in the next couple of years, with an unemployment rate coming down to 4.5 percent,\" Swan told Channel Ten\'s \"Meet the Press\".</p>\n                <p>\n\"We are going to... get more Australians into work and we are going to spread the opportunities of the boom.\"</p>\n                <p>\nSwan gave no details on how this would be achieved in Australia, which currently has an unemployment rate of 4.9 percent.</p>\n                <p>\n\"We are looking at a range of initiatives to lift workforce participation,\" he said. \"With an unemployment rate coming down at 4.5 percent we do not have a person to waste.\"</p>\n                <p>\nThe Treasurer acknowledged that despite the mining boom, joblessness was unacceptably high in some parts of the country and the government was looking at a range of incentives for employers to bring people into the workforce.</p>\n                <p>\nThe government has warned that the upcoming budget will be tough as it attempts to bring it back into surplus by 2012/2013.</p>\n                <p>\nSwan said cuts were necessary, particularly because of a short-term weakness in the economy caused mostly by natural disasters such as the devastating floods and destructive cyclone Yasi which struck earlier this year.</p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Australia to flag 4.5% unemployment in budget   (AFP)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110501/ts_afp/australiaeconomyjobs\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110501/ts_afp/australiaeconomyjobs</a></p>',-2,5,0,43,'2011-04-30 23:23:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-04-30 23:23:00','2011-05-15 13:16:51','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,1,''),(962,'Deadly day of Ugandan rioting follows opposition leader\'s arrest   (The Christian Science Monitor)','deadly-day-of-ugandan-rioting-follows-opposition-leaders-arrest-the-christian-science-monitor','','The Christian Science Monitor - Sitting outside his laundry shop in a usually tranquil suburb of Ugandaâ€™s capital, Kampala, David Ssentongo points at the smoldering ash of tires that locals set ablaze in protest and rage.','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>Kampala, Uganda – Sitting outside his laundry shop in a usually tranquil suburb of Uganda’s capital, Kampala, David Ssentongo points at the smoldering ash of tires that locals set ablaze in protest and rage.</p>\n                <p>\"The people are angry,” Mr. Ssentongo says. “They are angry because of the way the presidential candidate Dr. Kizza Besigye was arrested yesterday. But they are also angry because prices are rising, because they can’t afford to catch the bus to work, because they can’t buy milk for their children.”</p>\n                <p>On Friday, Kampala woke up to a day of rioting. From downtown markets to the suburbs, protesters set up roadblocks made out of rubble and burning tires and the police and military fired live rounds at demonstrators.</p>\n                <p>Think you know Africa? Take our geography quiz.</p>\n                <p>By the early evening, at least two people had been shot dead and 143 were hospitalized, including a 2-year-old child with gunshot wounds, the Ugandan Red Cross said. The internal affairs minister put the number of arrested at 360.</p>\n                <p>The main spark for the riots was the brutal arrest of Dr. Besigye, Ugandaâ€™s main opposition leader. For the past three weeks, Besigye, and other opposition leaders have been attempting to walk to work in protest of the soaring cost of living. In March, inflation on food rose to almost 30 percent and on fuel to more than 10 percent.</p>\n                <p>Police, who have banned all protests, arrested Besigye three times, jailed him for six days, and allegedly shot him in the finger with a rubber bullet.</p>\n                <p>On Thursday, the government’s heavy-handed reaction became even more brutal. After police stopped him from walking, Besigye got in his car and drove into Kampala. At first police showed restraint, stopping Besigye’s car at a roundabout and refraining from firing tear gas at growing crowds.</p>\n                <p>But as it appeared Besigye’s protest might be petering out, plainclothes police arrived, smashed the windows of his vehicle and sprayed him with tear gas before dragging him into a police pick-up truck. When Besigye appeared in court later that day, he was unable to see. A doctor who had seen him said it was too early to tell if the damage was permanent. Late Friday night, Besigye flew to Nairobi to seek medical treatment for injuries he received from the police on Thursday. </p>\n                <p>Analysts say Friday\'s violence and the government reaction will only exacerbate public anger over rising prices and the crackdown on the opposition.</p>\n                <p>“The disgust at the way the government has treated Besigye is sweeping across the board,” said Frederick Golooba-Mutebi, a political analyst at Kampala’s Makerere University.</p>\n                <p>In February Besigye lost to incumbent president Yoweri Museveni for the third consecutive time. Besigye immediately rejected the results, calling the election a “sham\" and calling for mass protests.</p>\n                <p>But nothing happened and many started writing Besigye\'s political obituary. Now, analysts say, the brutal treatment he has received has made him relevant again.</p>\n                <p>“Museveni has now managed to whip up so much support for Besigye, who had become marginal after the elections,” Mr. Golooba-Mutebi said.</p>\n                <p>With the protests tapping into discontent over rising fuel prices and perceived government inaction and corruption, the situation remains tense. While the Kenyan government recently cut fuel taxes to quell popular discontent, Museveni has so far failed to act and dismissed the protests as \"idiotic.\"</p>\n                <p>“It is happening because of what is happening to Besigye, because of the rising prices, and because of the arrogant reaction of the government to anyone who complains,” Golooba-Mutebi said. “The situation is much worse than the government is admitting.”</p>\n                <p>Standing outside his laundry store, Ssentongo said that with the government reaction stirring more anger and that unrest is likely to continue. “The prices are only going higher and the anger growing,” Ssentongo said. “This is not going to end soon.”</p>\n                <p>Think you know Africa? Take our geography quiz.</p>\n            </div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Deadly day of Ugandan rioting follows opposition leader\'s arrest   (The Christian Science Monitor)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20110429/wl_csm/380572\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20110429/wl_csm/380572</a></p>',-2,5,0,43,'2011-04-29 14:39:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-04-29 14:39:00','2011-05-15 13:16:52','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,2,''),(963,'Blessed, John Paul II Moves Closer to Sainthood   (Time.com)','blessed-john-paul-ii-moves-closer-to-sainthood-timecom','','Time.com - On Sunday, the passion from the day of the funeral came close to repeating itself as Benedict pronounced the late Pope \"blessed\"','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>Even before the sun had risen, the crowd attending the beatification of Pope John Paul II had overfilled the square around the St. Peter\'s basilica. By the time dawn broke, the faithful had spilled down the road towards the Tiber and into the side streets around the Vatican, where the ceremony - the first major milestone towards sainthood - was set to take place.</p>\n                <p>Many had spent the night, in tents or on blankets spread over the cobblestones. More than a million had risen early Sunday morning in order to join in the veneration of a larger-than-life Polish pope, who many felt had personally touched their lives. \"I felt, when he was alive, that if I met him on the street, he would know my name,\" said Danuta Kowalik, 36, a teacher who had driven from Poland for the occasion. <span class=\"see\"><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/time/wl_time/storytext/08599206873100/41294006/SIG=11v1cdp1k/*http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1886474,00.html\" target=\"_blank\">(See a photographic look back at the papacy of Pope John Paul II.)</a></span></p>\n                <p>As the hour approached, the air above the crowd waved with flags: Mexican, Slovakian, French, Cuban, Lithuanian, but most of all Polish. \"The entire world his here,\" said one Ecuadorian pilgrim. Kowalik and her group of Polish Catholics had risen at 2 a.m. and driven through the dark in order to get to Rome on time. \"In every gas station [on the three-day journey down through Italy], everybody was speaking Polish,\" she said.</p>\n                <p>On the outskirts of the crowd, pilgrims sat down for picnics. Children tucked into biscuits and Nutella. An Italian priest led a group of worshipers through Ave Marias. Elizabeth Langenkamp, a 20-year-old sophomore at the Franciscan University in Steubenville in Ohio, had traveled from Austria, where she was studying for the semester at the university\'s overseas branch. She had come to Rome with her class after the school had rescheduled the finals to allow for the trip. \"It\'s important to us and for the world to recognize the great man that he was,\" she said. <span class=\"see\"><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/time/wl_time/storytext/08599206873100/41294006/SIG=11vh0i06t/*http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2067918,00.html\" target=\"_blank\">(Read \"Is the Vatican Rushing John Paul\'s Path to Sainthood?\")</a></span></p>\n                <p>Pilgrims held up their cameras as Pope Benedict XVI arrived by open-top popemobile and ascended to the altar. The timing makes John Paul\'s beatification the fastest in modern times, initiated just days - instead of the customary years - after his death in 2005, from Parkinson\'s disease, when millions gathered outside the Vatican to chant \"Santo Subito\" - \"Sainthood Now.\"</p>\n                <p>Though John Paul remains the most popular pontiff in recent times, and perhaps even church history, some have questioned the speed with which he is being moved towards sainthood - particularly in the light of his handling of the sex abuse crisis, which unfolded during his papacy. But few were in attendance Sunday. \"If the Lord had not wanted him beatified now, he would not have granted the miracle,\" said Carl Anderson, head of U.S.-based the Knights of Columbus, a Catholic lay organization. Before John Paul could be beatified, a miracle had to be attributed to him. In January, Benedict announced that the recovery of a French nun, who had lost her symptoms of Parkinson\'s disease after praying to the late Pope, satisfied that condition. <span class=\"see\"><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/time/wl_time/storytext/08599206873100/41294006/SIG=11vvh8ets/*http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2065958,00.html\" target=\"_blank\">(See the differences between John Paul\'s and Benedict\'s daily lives.)</a></span></p>\n                <p>On Sunday, the passion from the day of the funeral came close to repeating itself as Benedict pronounced the late Pope \"blessed\" and a curtain was lifted to reveal a tapestry with a portrait of John Paul in his prime, smiling at the height of his papacy. \"He restored to Christianity its true face as a religion of hope,\" said Benedict. As the ceremony came to a close, a vial of his blood - taken from a nearby hospital where it had been kept since his death - was presented, wrapped in a lattice work of silver olive leaves, as a relic to be venerated. His body, exhumed days earlier, lay in a casket inside the cathedral for the faithful to file past. \"Look at the crowd today, so many young people,\" said Anderson. \"That\'s why he\'s being beatified now, so that more people would follow his example.\"</p>\n                <p>Before John Paul can be canonized as a saint, the church will have to document one more miracle. But for many in attendance Sunday, the late pope\'s sanctity is already beyond doubt. \"It was through his agony, that we rediscovered God,\" said Anne Elaine, 42, a French woman who says her family\'s catholic faith was reawakened during John Paul\'s final hours. Added her husband Xavier, 42: \"It was his way of showing dignity in suffering.\"</p>\n                <p> <span class=\"see\"><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/time/wl_time/storytext/08599206873100/41294006/SIG=10t7itlqf/*http://www.time.com/time100\" target=\"_blank\">See the world\'s most influential people in the 2011 TIME 100.</a></span> </p>\n                <p> <span class=\"see\"><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/time/wl_time/storytext/08599206873100/41294006/SIG=124ec8mn5/*http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/0,28757,2058946,00.html\" target=\"_blank\">See TIME\'s 140 best Twitter feeds.</a></span> </p>\n                <p>View this article on <a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/time/wl_time/storytext/08599206873100/41294006/SIG=12nuh0fe2/*http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2068731,00.html?xid=rss-fullworld-yahoo\">Time.com</a></p>\n                <p></p><p>Most Popular on Time.com:</p><ul><li><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/time/wl_time/storytext/08599206873100/41294006/SIG=12v45u9bn/*http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2068488,00.html?xid=feed-yahoo-full-mostpopular\">From Royal Weddings to Royal Funerals: Britain and Its Monarchy Over the Years</a></li> <li><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/time/wl_time/storytext/08599206873100/41294006/SIG=12vontuq0/*http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2068627,00.html?xid=feed-yahoo-full-mostpopular\">The Royal Wedding: William and Kate Heed Tradition, With Modern Tweaks</a></li> <li><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/time/wl_time/storytext/08599206873100/41294006/SIG=12vps57an/*http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1183855,00.html?xid=feed-yahoo-full-mostpopular\">What Does the Queen Do?</a></li> <li><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/time/wl_time/storytext/08599206873100/41294006/SIG=130ebgnqa/*http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2068262,00.html?xid=feed-yahoo-full-mostpopular\">A Talk With Al Gore About Climate Change, Birthers and His New App</a></li> <li><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/time/wl_time/storytext/08599206873100/41294006/SIG=1302fdng1/*http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2067967,00.html?xid=feed-yahoo-full-mostpopular\">You Are What You Owe</a></li> </ul><p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Blessed, John Paul II Moves Closer to Sainthood   (Time.com)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/time/20110501/wl_time/08599206873100\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/time/20110501/wl_time/08599206873100</a></p>',-2,5,0,43,'2011-05-01 02:15:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-05-01 02:15:00','2011-05-15 13:16:53','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,4,''),(964,'Libyan fighting spills into Tunisia   (The Christian Science Monitor)','libyan-fighting-spills-into-tunisia-the-christian-science-monitor','','The Christian Science Monitor - Libya\'s civil war spilled into southern Tunisia on Friday, as scores of troops loyal to Col. Muammar Qaddafi burst across the border and into a nearby town. The foray came after loyalists failed to recapture a remote border post that has become a rebel lifeline.','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>Dehiba, Tunisia – Libya\'s civil war spilled into southern Tunisia on Friday, as scores of troops loyal to Col. Muammar Qaddafi burst across the border and into a nearby town. The foray came after loyalists failed to recapture a remote border post that has become a rebel lifeline.</p>\n                <p>Two Libyan government rockets landed in the Tunisian town of Dehiba and angry residents attacked one of the Libyan military vehicles with stones, causing it and its antiaircraft gun to overturn, killing the driver.</p>\n                <p>The presence of armed forces blasting their weapons inside a neighboring country would have been an international incident anywhere else. But the ebb and flow of this conflict – and the porous desert border between Libya and Tunisia – meant that Tunisian officials could do little to stop the incursion. The Tunisia military and border police pulled back entirely from their border positions during the heaviest fighting late Thursday.</p>\n                <p>Libya uprising: 5 steps the world is taking</p>\n                <p>The rebel flag was raised again at this post on Friday morning, the final result of a three-pronged attack by Colonel Qaddafi\'s forces that began Thursday afternoon. The battle initially brought victory to loyalists – and a raising of their green flag for the first time since rebels seized control here one week ago.</p>\n                <p>Battle on the border</p>\n                <p>But a fierce battle that stretched into the night saw loyalist troops surrounded and finally forced to flee, with 162 entering Tunisia with 18 vehicles.</p>\n                <p>The Tunisian military disarmed the Libyans, but then escorted them back to an illegal crossing point frequented by smugglers. The loyalists were given back their arms and expected to resume their fight.</p>\n                <p>\"Dehiba is very important for the [anti-Qaddafi] revolutionaries for resupply – they are battling for that corner,\" says Samir Abdelmounem, a Tunisian doctor who treated wounded rebels and Qaddafi loyalists alike in the Dehiba hospital.</p>\n                <p>Sign up for our daily World Editor\'s Picks newsletter. Our best stories, in your inbox.</p>\n                <p>\"And this population feels great solidarity with [the rebels], like they are family,\" says Dr. Abdelmounem. The Tunisians \"detest Qaddafi\'s soldiers, they have a horror of them.\"</p>\n                <p>Tunisian soldiers were posted in front of the hospital, he said, because \"people wanted to come here and finish them off.\"</p>\n                <p>Two houses in Dehiba, a couple miles back from the border, were hit with Libyan rockets. Stray bullets struck one Libyan refugee boy in the foot and wounded a Tunisian man.</p>\n                <p>Surprise attack</p>\n                <p>Rebels said they were surprised at the attack by Qaddafi forces and said they had hired local guides in the difficult desert mountain terrain, and to provide details of rebel strength and location.</p>\n                <p>\"Even the Nalutis [locals from the nearest Libyan town of Nalut] were astonished: How did they come from that way?\" says a rebel named Wajdi who works on the Tunisian side of the border.</p>\n                <p>\"The rebels learned something because of that; we will never leave this area weak again,\" says Wajdi. Neither will they depend on NATO for help: Wajdi was in direct contact with NATO during the fighting, providing real-time details of possible targets.</p>\n                <p>\"I was talking to them live ... and nothing,\" says Wajdi. \"Unfortunately we supply them information but we keep waiting a long time for a reaction.\"\n</p><p>\nAs he spoke, a column of black smoke rose from the Libyan side of the border, where rebels burned the clothes and personal effects of the fleeing Qaddafi loyalists. One dead loyalist had had his toes tied together, apparently to prevent him running away before he died.\n</p><p>\nFor two and a half months, rebels in Libya\'s remote western mountains, which are dominated by ethnic Berbers who have always challenged Qaddafi\'s rule, have taken up arms to join the antigovernment revolution.\n</p><p>\nCrucial crossing for rebels\n</p><p>\nThis border crossing has played a significant role. Rebel capture of it a week ago was a blow to Tripoli and enabled rebels to boost their long-hobbled supply chain, leading to an upswing in fighting.\n</p><p>\nTunisian national guardsmen said they believed some of the Qaddafi loyalists who crossed Friday were intent on attacking a camp of Libyan refugees on the edge of Dehiba.\n</p><p>\nThat failed, but there was drama in the Dehiba hospital, where the 12 injured Qaddafi soldiers were taken, along with three injured rebels. Doctors were struck by the fact the loyalist troops appeared so young, and that two were so traumatized that they tried to run away upon arrival, and had to be caught by Tunisian soldiers.\n</p><p>\nHospital staff immediately separated the rebels and loyalists into two different wings of the building. Explained Abdelmounem: \"It\'s so we don\'t have any more problems than we already have.\"\n</p><p>\nLibya uprising: 5 steps the world is taking</p>\n            </div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Libyan fighting spills into Tunisia   (The Christian Science Monitor)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20110429/wl_csm/380504\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20110429/wl_csm/380504</a></p>',-2,5,0,43,'2011-04-29 13:07:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-04-29 13:07:00','2011-05-15 13:16:54','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,2,''),(965,'Stillbirths Could Be Halved Worldwide   (OneWorld.net)','stillbirths-could-be-halved-worldwide-oneworldnet','','OneWorld.net - DAKAR, Apr 27 (IRIN) - Preventing stillbirths can cost just US$2.32 per mother if governments, the private sector and international institutions adopt a package of 10 health interventions, rather than allowing stillbirths to be an almost invisible problem.','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>DAKAR, Apr 27 (IRIN) - Preventing stillbirths can cost just US$2.32 per mother if governments, the private sector and international institutions adopt a package of 10 health interventions, rather than allowing stillbirths to be an almost invisible problem.&#13;</p>\n                <p> \nIf ten recommended interventions were 99 percent implemented in 68 priority [low and middle-income] countries, the number of stillbirths could be halved, said Professor Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta of the Aga Khan University Medical Centre in Karachi, Pakistan, author of one of a series of papers on stillbirth published in The Lancet medical journal papers.&#13;</p>\n                <p> \nEven if the interventions were 60% covered, stillbirths could be reduced by one-quarter. Some 2.64 million foetuses die after the 28th week of pregnancy, mostly in low- and middle-income countries.&#13;</p>\n                <p> \nInterventions include: basic and comprehensive emergency obstetric care; skilled care at birth; detection and management of foetal growth restriction; detection and management of hypertension in pregnancy; elective induction in post-term pregnancies; insecticide-treated bed nets and intermittent prophylaxis to prevent malaria; detection and treatment of syphilis; folic acid supplementation; and management of diabetes in pregnancy.&#13;</p>\n                <p> \n<b>Identifying solutions</b>&#13;</p>\n                <p> \nStillbirths have largely been neglected in policy prioritizing for a variety of reasons. “There was little in terms of verified data for stillbirths and even less for its categories - whether intrapartum [during childbirth] or antepartum [before childbirth] - and risk factors, and little confidence that interventions could make a difference,” said Bhutta.&#13;</p>\n                <p> \nThe Lancet series hopes to change this perception by re-framing stillbirths so that they are not seen as an unexplained event that occurs in the womb, but as something that is potentially preventable if appropriate care is given during pregnancy and birth.&#13;</p>\n                <p> \nBhutta suggested in his paper that cheaper solutions, such as improving antenatal care, preventing malaria, detecting and treating syphilis, be adopted immediately, while more expensive interventions, such as training health workers, and procuring equipment for emergency births, could be built up gradually.&#13;</p>\n                <p> \nOther interventions would require improved long-term funding allocations, including addressing hypertension, diabetes, post-term pregnancy (which lasts longer than usual) and monitoring foetal growth problems.&#13;</p>\n                <p> \nProviding skilled attendants at birth would reduce intrapartum stillbirths by about 23 percent, said Dr Joy Lawn, of NGO Save the Children, making it the most effective single intervention. Almost half the women in low- and middle-income countries give birth at home, without any skilled assistance.&#13;</p>\n                <p> \nVoucher schemes or conditional cash transfers could be used to encourage women to have their babies in a facility, since in settings where the highest infant mortality occurs, only half of all births take place in facilities.&#13;</p>\n                <p> \n<b>Maternal mortality</b>&#13;</p>\n                <p> \nIn high-income countries, where most women receive fairly good quality care while giving birth, the proportion of stillbirths is less than 10 percent of all births.&#13;</p>\n                <p> \nSub-Saharan Africa, which has a scarcity of skilled birth attendants, has been making swifter progress than Asia in encouraging women to give birth in a facility. “One year ago, the international community became acutely nervous about the lack of progress on reducing maternal mortality,” Lawn said.&#13;</p>\n                <p> \nA year later, maternal mortality in sub-Saharan Africa had fallen by 2.6 percent. “This marks significant progress… For stillbirths, a lot of the focus in high-income countries has been because parents have called for it. Setting a global policy goal is one good way of getting it on the agenda.”&#13;</p>\n                <p> \nOne-third of African countries could meet the Millennium Development Goal to reduce childhood mortality (Goal Four) and to improve maternal health (Goal Five), which would also reduce stillbirths.&#13;</p>\n                <p> \nSome investments in reducing maternal mortality are already having a positive effect on the number of stillbirths, but these results are not given due significance. “Governments could argue for more investment if they counted stillbirths in the work they’re already doing,” Lawn told IRIN.&#13;</p>\n                <p> \nSaving mothers’ lives costs $23,000 per death averted, but if stillbirths and neonatal deaths are included, the figure drops to $2,700 per life saved. “Our single message is, ‘Care at birth may be more expensive, but it gives you the biggest bang for your same buck if you count it properly’.” &#13;\n</p><p>\n \n<b>Want to Know More? &#13;\n</b></p><p>\n\n»  <a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/oneworld/wl_oneworld/storytext/45361670051303908833/41235579/SIG=11ioqas36/*http://oneworldgroup.org/mobile4good-lal-nigeria\">Nigerian Youth Learn About Healthy Sexual Practices, On Their Own Terms</a>&#13;\n</p><p>\n\n» <a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/oneworld/wl_oneworld/storytext/45361670051303908833/41235579/SIG=11i8892ch/*http://oneworldgroup.org/mobile4good-lal-senegal\">In Senegal, Youth Text Their Reproductive Health Questions</a>&#13;\n</p><p>\n\n<a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/oneworld/wl_oneworld/storytext/45361670051303908833/41235579/SIG=112rtus5k/*http://us.oneworld.net/headlines\">ALL THE LATEST GLOBAL HEADLINES</a>\n</p><p>\n</p>\n            </div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Stillbirths Could Be Halved Worldwide   (OneWorld.net)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/oneworld/20110427/wl_oneworld/45361670051303908833\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/oneworld/20110427/wl_oneworld/45361670051303908833</a></p>',-2,5,0,43,'2011-04-27 08:51:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-04-27 08:51:00','2011-05-15 13:16:55','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,2,''),(966,'Sell in May and go away? Not so fast   (Reuters)','sell-in-may-and-go-away-not-so-fast-reuters','','<p><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110501/bs_nm/us_usa_stocks_weekahead\"><img src=\"http://d.yimg.com/a/p/rids/20110430/i/r382373470.jpg?x=130&amp;y=88&amp;q=85&amp;sig=DyEJCH35l5XBXrFpgtoyhg--\" height=\"88\" width=\"130\" alt=\"Sell in May and go away? Not so fast   (Reuters)\" style=\"float: left; border: 0px;\" />\n</a>Reuters - Major stock indexes are at multiyear highs but Wall Street does not seem to be running out of steam -- not just yet.</p><br style=\"clear: both;\" />','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>NEW YORK (Reuters) – Major stock indexes are at multiyear highs but Wall Street does not seem to be running out of steam -- not just yet.</p>\n                <p>\nRobust corporate earnings and the Federal Reserve\'s promise to keep liquidity cheap have fueled the Nasdaq to a 10-year high and driven the Dow and the S&amp;P to their highest levels since 2008.</p>\n                <p>\n\"We are clearly seeing signs of overbought conditions, but there is still a lot of optimism, especially after the S&amp;P broke well above the 1,340 range. The next ceiling is really not until the 1,400 level,\" said Stephen Massocca, managing director of Wedbush Morgan in San Francisco.</p>\n                <p>\nHeading into May, a seasonally weak month for stocks, the Dow and the Nasdaq posted their best monthly performance since December. At Friday\'s closing bell, the S&amp;P 500 was up 8.4 percent for the year.</p>\n                <p>\nWith earnings season coming to an end, investors will shift their focus to economic data this week, especially the April employment report on Friday. Investors will scrutinize the jobs data for signs of improvement in the labor market.</p>\n                <p>\nAfter a mixed batch of data last week, investors would need to see a solid gain in jobs to believe in sustainable economic growth. Nasdaq\'s rebalancing of its index may also cause a bit of a stir in the market this week.</p>\n                <p>\nBut despite the concerns, options investors were buying less protection against a market correction, according to James Dailey, portfolio manager of TEAM Asset Strategy Fund in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.</p>\n                <p>\n\"It\'s surprising, but ironically, the put-to-call ratio on the S&amp;P 500 rose\" late in the week of April 18th and early in the final week of April, \"but fell in the last few days.\"</p>\n                <p>\n\"We might see some reaction to the overbought conditions depending on the jobs number,\" he said, \"but still, that would be a minor pullback, maybe down to test the 1,340 levels.\"</p>\n                <p>\nOther economic data due this week include the ISM manufacturing data and domestic car sales on Monday, the ISM services-sector data on Wednesday, and weekly jobless claims on Thursday.</p>\n                <p>\nNASDAQ REBALANCING</p>\n                <p>\nNasdaq will be rebalancing its benchmark Nasdaq 100 index on Monday, which will slash Apple Inc\'s (AAPL.O) weighting. The rebalancing will affect the relative weights of all the securities in the index and cause popular index-tracking funds such as the PowerShares QQQ (QQQ.O) to buy and sell shares to match the new composition.</p>\n                <p>\n\"Apple shares are likely to see some volatility, but unlike 10 years ago, hedge funds and traders start trading on this (the rebalancing) from weeks ahead, so it won\'t be a huge event on the overall market,\" said Jack DeGan, chief investment officer of Harbor Advisory Corp in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.</p>\n                <p>\nThe CBOE Volatility Index or VIX (.VIX), Wall Street\'s so-called fear gauge, was relatively low, ending Friday\'s session below 15, although it was up 0.9 percent for the day.</p>\n                <p>\n\"While conditions of being overbought and oversold can stick around for a while, as a trader, I feel this market is just too complacent. That is why I advocate looking at insurance, but also at this stage in the wave, ride it and not try to swim against it,\" said Joe Cusick, a senior market analyst at Chicago-based online brokerage firm optionsXpress.</p>\n                <p>\nThe VIX usually moves inversely with the S&amp;P 500, tracking options prices that investors are willing to pay as protection on the price moves of the underlying stocks.</p>\n                <p>\nSo far, 324 of the S&amp;P 500 companies have reported earnings, of which 73 percent were above analysts\' expectations, according to Thomson Reuters data. In a typical quarter, 62 percent of companies beat estimates.</p>\n                <p>\n(Reporting by Angela Moon; Editing by Jan Paschal)</p>\n            </div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Sell in May and go away? Not so fast   (Reuters)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110501/bs_nm/us_usa_stocks_weekahead\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110501/bs_nm/us_usa_stocks_weekahead</a></p>',-2,5,0,36,'2011-05-01 11:17:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-05-01 11:17:00','2011-05-15 13:17:03','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(967,'Buffett remains solid on the American economy   (Reuters)','buffett-remains-solid-on-the-american-economy-reuters','','Reuters - Warren Buffett is no analyst, but he still has a \"strong buy\" rating on America.','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>OMAHA, Nebraska (Reuters) – Warren Buffett is no analyst, but he still has a \"strong buy\" rating on America.</p>\n                <p>\nTens of thousands of Berkshire Hathaway shareholders who descended on Omaha this weekend for the conglomerate\'s annual meeting got one unmistakable message from Buffett -- no matter how bad the economy, or the deficit, or the political divide, the United States is as good a place to live and work as ever.</p>\n                <p>\n\"I don\'t see how anybody can be other than enthused about this country,\" Buffett told Berkshire shareholders on Saturday.</p>\n                <p>\nBuffett, often called the \"Oracle of Omaha,\" is one of the world\'s richest men and leads a conglomerate that owns railroads, insurers and ice cream parlors.</p>\n                <p>\nThe comments echo those Buffett made in February in his annual shareholder letter, but the words still may encourage investors looking sideways at the country, particularly after Standard &amp; Poor\'s put the U.S. government\'s critical \"AAA\" credit rating on a negative credit watch.</p>\n                <p>\nBuffett told Reuters Insider that S&amp;P\'s move was premature, given the U.S. government issues debt only in dollars and can simply print more money to pay debt if absolutely needed.</p>\n                <p>\n\"The United States is not going to default on any obligation,\" Buffett told Insider in an interview after the annual meeting. \"We are not a credit risk, believe me.\"</p>\n                <p>\nWhere Buffett\'s enthusiasm wanes to any degree, it is mostly in conversation on the dollar, which he said is sure to weaken over time, like most other currencies.</p>\n                <p>\nBuffett, as usual, said he was shying away from fixed-income investments for Berkshire\'s part, even as he keeps some of his personal wealth in Treasuries for safety\'s sake.</p>\n                <p>\nSome worry that safety could be threatened by the debate over the national debt ceiling, an issue that has divided Congress in recent weeks and gotten more tense as the country gets closer to its legal limit on debt issuance.</p>\n                <p>\nBuffett, asked about the possibility Congress would not raise the ceiling, made one of his most-repeated comments of the whole weekend, saying it would be the legislature\'s \"most asinine act\" in its history.</p>\n                <p>\n(Reporting by Ben Berkowitz, editing by Maureen Bavdek)</p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Buffett remains solid on the American economy   (Reuters)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110501/bs_nm/us_buffett_economy\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110501/bs_nm/us_buffett_economy</a></p>',-2,5,0,36,'2011-05-01 11:14:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-05-01 11:14:00','2011-05-15 13:17:04','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(968,'Buffett admits error, says Sokol events inexcusable   (Reuters)','buffett-admits-error-says-sokol-events-inexcusable-reuters','','Reuters - Warren Buffett said he was wrong not to press David Sokol about purchases of Lubrizol Corp stock while his former top lieutenant was pitching the chemicals company as a possible takeover target for Berkshire Hathaway Inc.','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>OMAHA, Nebraska (Reuters) – Warren Buffett said he was wrong not to press David Sokol about purchases of Lubrizol Corp stock while his former top lieutenant was pitching the chemicals company as a possible takeover target for Berkshire Hathaway Inc.</p>\n                <p>\nIt was the kind of answer investors had clamored to hear from Buffett at this year\'s Berkshire annual meeting, ordinarily a lovefest for tens of thousands of shareholders, and over which the Sokol episode had cast a cloud.</p>\n                <p>\nBuffett said Sokol had violated Berkshire insider trading rules by failing to disclose his January purchase of Lubrizol shares, less than four weeks after starting talks with Citigroup Inc bankers about the company.</p>\n                <p>\nSokol, who chaired Berkshire\'s MidAmerican Energy unit, ran its NetJets plane leasing unit, and was a top Buffett deal maker, was considered a leading contender to succeed 80-year-old Buffett as Berkshire\'s chief executive.</p>\n                <p>\nBut he resigned last month when his Lubrizol stake was revealed. Sokol got a $3 million profit on that stake when Berkshire agreed to buy Lubrizol for about $9 billion.</p>\n                <p>\nThe U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is probing Sokol, a person familiar with the matter has said. The controversy has called Buffett\'s management into question.</p>\n                <p>\n\"I obviously made a big mistake by not saying, \'Well when did you buy it?\'\" Buffett said on Saturday, as he and Vice Chairman Charlie Munger fielded shareholder questions for five hours from the stage of the Qwest Center in Omaha, Nebraska.</p>\n                <p>\nCalling the Sokol situation \"inexplicable and inexcusable,\" Buffett used the same language he had used 20 years ago to describe the failure by management at Salomon Brothers Inc, which he chaired, to tell regulators of wrongdoing tied to a Treasury bidding scandal.</p>\n                <p>\nHe later told Reuters Insider his much-criticized March 30 press release announcing Sokol\'s resignation had been \"inept\".</p>\n                <p>\nBerkshire Class A shares closed Friday at $124,750, and its Class B shares closed at $83.30. Both groups were well represented at the meeting.</p>\n                <p>\nSTRAIGHT ARROW</p>\n                <p>\nSokol\'s departure raised succession questions as well. Berkshire is expected to split the CEO and chief investment officer roles after Buffett leaves. Buffett hired hedge fund manager Todd Combs as a potential successor for the latter.</p>\n                <p>\nPrior to Sokol\'s departure, Berkshire had said it had four potential internal successors to become chief executive.</p>\n                <p>\nAmong the possible candidates are insurance executive Ajit Jain, Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad chief Matthew Rose, Geico auto insurance chief Tony Nicely, MidAmerican Energy chief Greg Abel and reinsurer General Re chief Tad Montross.</p>\n                <p>\n\"Certainly the candidate that I think is the leading candidate now, I would lay a lot of money on the fact that he is as straight as an arrow,\" Buffett said.</p>\n                <p>\nHe later effusively praised Jain, saying, \"I can\'t think of any decision Ajit Jain has ever made that I could make better.\" The comments drew loud applause from an audience that perhaps surmised Buffett might be offering a tip about his successor.</p>\n                <p>\nThat might have been Sokol, but in a scathing April 26 report a committee on Berkshire\'s board found that he had deliberately misled Buffett about his Lubrizol investments.</p>\n                <p>\n\"I think that for reasons that are laid out in the audit committee report, I don\'t think there\'s any question about the inexcusable part,\" Buffett said.\n</p><p>\n\nBarry Levine, a partner at Dickstein Shapiro LLP representing Sokol, faulted Buffett\'s comments, and said his client at all times had honored his fiduciary duties.\n</p><p>\n\n\"David Sokol is deeply saddened that Mr. Buffett, whom he considered a friend and mentor, would disparage him as he has done today,\" Levine said in an e-mailed statement. \"It is alarming that Mr. Buffett would be advised to so completely flip-flop and resort to transparent scapegoatism.\"\n</p><p>\n\nBuffett\'s assistants were not immediately available to comment on Levine\'s statement.\n</p><p>\n\nDEAL MAKING\n</p><p>\n\nAfter discussing Sokol, Buffett focused on topics such as deal making, one of his most important responsibilities and a reason shareholders focus so intently on who will succeed him.\n</p><p>\n\nBuffett said he remained on the prowl for acquisitions, and said Berkshire was looking at two similar in size to Lubrizol. \"They\'re worth doing, but we can\'t do a really big elephant now, and we won\'t stretch,\" he said.\n</p><p>\n\nThe meeting drew close to 40,000 shareholders and others for a weekend Buffett calls \"Woodstock for Capitalists.\" While many wanted to hear about Sokol, large investors also thought there were bigger issues to discuss.\n</p><p>\n\n\"From an investor\'s point of view, I think it\'s background noise,\" mutual fund manager Mario Gabelli told Reuters Insider about the Sokol matter, saying it was more important for Buffett to focus on growth and future investments.\n</p><p>\n\nBuffett discussed investments with Reuters Insider, including Microsoft Corp, the software giant founded by Buffett friend and Berkshire board member Bill Gates.\n</p><p>\n\nBuffett agreed that Microsoft was a good value at current levels, but he said he considered himself and Berkshire both restricted from buying Microsoft stock -- lest the shares rise and people suspect Buffett had received inside information from Gates himself.\n</p><p>\n\nEARTHQUAKES RATTLE PROFIT\n</p><p>\n\nAt the outset of the meeting, Buffett said losses from earthquakes in Japan and New Zealand and other catastrophes had driven Berkshire\'s first-quarter profit down about 58 percent.\n</p><p>\n\nPreliminary results indicate that net earnings fell to $1.51 billion from $3.63 billion a year ago.\n</p><p>\n\nOperating earnings fell 28 percent to $1.59 billion from $2.22 billion, with improvement in \"pretty much all\" of Berkshire\'s roughly 80 other businesses, other than those linked to residential housing, Buffett said.\n</p><p>\n\nLosses totaled $1.07 billion from the Japan earthquake and $412 million from the New Zealand earthquake. Buffett said Berkshire would in 2011 likely post its first full-year loss in insurance underwriting in nine years.\n</p><p>\n\nThe company relies on insurance businesses as a low-cost funding source for investments because it receives premiums well before it pays out money to cover insurance losses. Such losses can effectively raise funding costs.\n</p><p>\n\nBuffett rejected calls by some investors for Berkshire to pay a dividend, saying it was better to invest Berkshire\'s cash hoard, which totaled $38.23 billion at year end.\n</p><p>\n\n\"I predict the day that Berkshire declares a dividend, the stock will go down and it should go down,\" Buffett said.\n</p><p>\n\nJeff Matthews, investment manager and author of \"Pilgrimage to Warren Buffett\'s Omaha,\" called the comments surprising for their candor. \"I don\'t think he ever said it quite that plainly before.\"\n</p><p>\n\nBuffett also fielded questions about the economy. While remaining upbeat about U.S. prospects, he warned Congress that it would be that body\'s \"most asinine act\" not to raise the $14.3 trillion U.S. debt limit before it expires in mid-May.\n</p><p>\n\n(Reporting by Ben Berkowitz; Additional reporting and writing by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Toni Reinhold)</p>\n            </div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Buffett admits error, says Sokol events inexcusable   (Reuters)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110430/bs_nm/us_berkshire\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110430/bs_nm/us_berkshire</a></p>',-2,5,0,36,'2011-04-30 19:38:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-04-30 19:38:00','2011-05-15 13:17:05','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(969,'Dubai regulator fines E*trade $200,000   (Reuters)','dubai-regulator-fines-etrade-200000-reuters','','Reuters - E*Trade Financial Corp has been fined $200,000 by a regulator in the United Arab Emirates for breaching anti-money laundering controls, the local regulator said on Sunday.','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>DUBAI (Reuters) – E*Trade Financial Corp has been fined $200,000 by a regulator in the United Arab Emirates for breaching anti-money laundering controls, the local regulator said on Sunday.</p>\n                <p>\nDubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA), which is the regulator for the Nasdaq Dubai bourse, said it fined E*Trade for failing to obtain sufficient evidence of its clients\' source of wealth and for not providing adequate address details for some of its clients.</p>\n                <p>\nNo one at E*Trade could immediately be reached for comment.</p>\n                <p>\n(Reporting by Matt Smith; Editing by Greg Mahlich)</p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Dubai regulator fines E*trade $200,000   (Reuters)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110501/bs_nm/us_emirates_etrade\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110501/bs_nm/us_emirates_etrade</a></p>',-2,5,0,36,'2011-05-01 09:21:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-05-01 09:21:00','2011-05-15 13:17:06','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(970,'China manufacturing growth slows in April, hit by tightening   (Reuters)','china-manufacturing-growth-slows-in-april-hit-by-tightening-reuters','','Reuters - China\'s manufacturing growth slowed in April, a survey showed on Sunday, suggesting that the government\'s tightening efforts have weighed on the world\'s second-largest economy more heavily than expected.','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>BEIJING (Reuters) – China\'s manufacturing growth slowed in April, a survey showed on Sunday, suggesting that the government\'s tightening efforts have weighed on the world\'s second-largest economy more heavily than expected.</p>\n                <p>\nThe official purchasing managers\' index for China fell to 52.9 in April from 53.4 in March, well shy of market forecasts for an increase to 54.0.</p>\n                <p>\nThe survey, which is designed to provide a snapshot of conditions in China\'s vast manufacturing sector, was largely in line with a separate PMI sponsored by HSBC published on Friday that clung near a seven-month low at 51.8 in April.</p>\n                <p>\nWith inflation running at its fastest in nearly three years, China has taken a series of policy actions to rein in prices, raising interest rates and banks\' required reserves multiple times, ordering banks to lend less and speeding up the pace of currency appreciation.</p>\n                <p>\nOn the positive side of the ledger, the official PMI showed that these steps have at least partially hit the mark. A sub-index measuring input prices fell to 66.2 in April, a seven-month low, from 68.3 in March.</p>\n                <p>\nBut the survey also flashed worrying signals for the global economy, which has become increasingly reliant on Chinese demand as a source of growth with the United States, Europe and Japan still struggling to recover from the financial crisis.</p>\n                <p>\n\"Overall, the PMI shows there is still a possibility that the Chinese economy may slow down, especially as falling demand growth leads to adjustments in inventories, increasing the possibility of slowing economic growth,\" said Zhang Liqun, a government researcher.</p>\n                <p>\nThe new orders sub-index weakened to an eight-month low of 53.8 in April from 55.2 in March. Much of that drop was driven by slower growth in export orders, whose sub-index dipped to 51.3 from 52.5.</p>\n                <p>\n\"The fall may show that export growth will continue to slow down,\" Zhang said in a comment on behalf of the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing, which compiles the official PMI.</p>\n                <p>\nGROWTH STILL ROBUST</p>\n                <p>\nDespite Beijing\'s sustained tightening campaign over the past half year, economists polled by Reuters still expect the Chinese economy to expand at a nearly double-digit pace this year. They forecast that it will grow 9.5 percent in 2011 after last year\'s 10.3 percent expansion.</p>\n                <p>\nIn a measure of that robust momentum, it was the 26th straight month that the official PMI had stood above the threshold of 50 that demarcates expansion from contraction.</p>\n                <p>\nThe World Bank said on Thursday it was too early for China to halt its policy tightening as it raised its year-average inflation forecast in a quarterly review of the economy.</p>\n                <p>\nStubborn price pressures have fueled market talk that Beijing could let the yuan rise at a faster clip, or even take more drastic action by pushing through a large revaluation of the currency.</p>\n                <p>\nThe government has in the past consistently ruled out a one-off revaluation, saying there were no grounds for any major shift in exchange rate policy. Yet it has demonstrated its appetite for a gradually stronger yuan in recent weeks by guiding it to a succession of record highs against a sluggish dollar.</p>\n                <p>\nInvestors are on guard for the next round of Chinese monetary tightening. The central bank has raised interest rates four times since October and economists polled by Reuters expect another increase over the next two months.</p>\n                <p>\n(Additional reporting by Sally Huang; Editing by Benjamin Kang Lim)</p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"China manufacturing growth slows in April, hit by tightening   (Reuters)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110501/bs_nm/us_china_economy_pmi\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110501/bs_nm/us_china_economy_pmi</a></p>',-2,5,0,36,'2011-05-01 01:40:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-05-01 01:40:00','2011-05-15 13:17:08','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(971,'Former SAC analyst settles insider charges with SEC   (Reuters)','former-sac-analyst-settles-insider-charges-with-sec-reuters','','Reuters - Former SAC Capital Advisors LP analyst Jonathan Hollander reached a settlement with U.S. securities regulators over allegations he engaged in insider trading in his personal account, while working at Steven A. Cohen\'s $12 billion hedge fund.','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>NEW YORK/BOSTON (Reuters) – Former SAC Capital Advisors LP analyst Jonathan Hollander reached a settlement with U.S. securities regulators over allegations he engaged in insider trading in his personal account, while working at Steven A. Cohen\'s $12 billion hedge fund.</p>\n                <p>\nIn settling with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Thursday, Hollander agreed to pay a penalty of about $222,000, which included a fine and restitution for profits he, a family member and a friend made from trading on a January 2006 tip about the buyout of the Albertsons\' supermarket chain, his lawyer said.</p>\n                <p>\nThe SEC did not name Cohen\'s fund in its complaint, which was filed in New York federal court.</p>\n                <p>\n\"Jonathan has decided to settle this matter rather than engage in costly and protracted litigation with the SEC,\" said Hollander\'s lawyer, Aitan Goelman, an attorney with Zuckerman Spaeder. \"He is gratified to have the matter behind him and looks forward to moving on.\"</p>\n                <p>\nThe disclosure of Hollander\'s settlement comes on the same day that former SAC Capital portfolio manager Donald Longueuil entered a guilty plea in a different insider trading case. Longueuil pleaded guilty to securities fraud and conspiracy charges.</p>\n                <p>\nSo far, more than two dozen defendants have admitted to criminal wrongdoing in a nationwide federal probe into insider trading linked to hedge funds.</p>\n                <p>\nHollander and Longueuil both worked for SAC\'s CR Intrinsic division. But their cases are not related.</p>\n                <p>\nIn February, prosecutors accused Longueuil of trading on leaks from sources like Winifred Jiau, then a consultant for expert network firm Primary Global Research LLC, and SAC portfolio manager Noah Freeman. Freeman, who already has pleaded guilty, is cooperating with federal authorities.</p>\n                <p>\nThe SEC\'s case against Hollander stems from a separate investigation that resulted in last October\'s conviction of Joseph Contorinis, a former manager of Jefferies Group Inc hedge fund. A federal jury convicted Contorinis of charges that he made more than $7 million in profits by trading on inside information about the Albertsons\' buyout.</p>\n                <p>\nIn January 2010, Reuters first reported that securities regulators were looking into allegations that Hollander might have engaged in insider trading while working at SAC Capital.</p>\n                <p>\nReuters reported that Hollander was the unidentified recipient of illegal tips in a civil complaint filed against former Blackstone Group investment banker Ramesh Chakrapani. In that case, the SEC also charged that the unidentified analyst used the inside information to help his hedge fund employer generate an approximate $3.5 million profit.</p>\n                <p>\nIn Thursday\'s complaint, the tipper\'s identity was not disclosed even though people familiar with the case say it was Chakrapani as was the case in the original complaint.</p>\n                <p>\nLast summer the SEC dismissed its insider trading case against Chakrapani. In 2009, prosecutors dismissed a criminal insider trading case against Chakrapani. But the investigation into Hollander continued.</p>\n                <p>\nThe SEC complaint filed against Hollander did not include an allegation involving trading for SAC Capital\'s benefit.</p>\n                <p>\nIn settling with the SEC, Hollander neither admitted nor denied the allegations.</p>\n                <p>\n(Additional reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Bernard Orr and Steve Orlofsky)</p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Former SAC analyst settles insider charges with SEC   (Reuters)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110428/bs_nm/us_hedgefunds_hollander\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110428/bs_nm/us_hedgefunds_hollander</a></p>',-2,5,0,36,'2011-04-28 17:29:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-04-28 17:29:00','2011-05-15 13:17:10','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,1,''),(972,'Bernanke says economy needs more time to heal   (Reuters)','bernanke-says-economy-needs-more-time-to-heal-reuters','','<p><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110429/bs_nm/us_usa_fed_bernanke\"><img src=\"http://d.yimg.com/a/p/rids/20110429/i/r1372645427.jpg?x=130&amp;y=91&amp;q=85&amp;sig=IdFhakNL_Sq7gAv2C9VfHA--\" height=\"91\" width=\"130\" alt=\"Bernanke says economy needs more time to heal   (Reuters)\" style=\"float: left; border: 0px;\" />\n</a>Reuters - The U.S. economy is not fully recovered from its deep recession, with housing still weighing on growth, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said on Friday in a speech spelling out ways the U.S. central bank has studied lower income communities.</p><br style=\"clear: both;\" />','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. economy is not fully recovered from its deep recession, with housing still weighing on growth, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said on Friday in a speech spelling out ways the U.S. central bank has studied lower income communities.</p>\n                <p>\n\"Our economy is far from where we would like it to be,\" he said in prepared remarks to a conference.</p>\n                <p>\nThe Fed earlier this week said it will see its $600 billion bond buying program, launched in November to spur a weak recovery, through to its planned conclusion at the end of June.</p>\n                <p>\nThe world\'s largest economy grew at a sluggish 1.8 percent annual rate in the first three months of the year, but unemployment is still at a lofty 8.8 percent.</p>\n                <p>\nThe depressed housing market is holding back the economic recovery, Bernanke said. Home foreclosure rates remain high and many families find themselves owing more for their homes than the homes are worth.</p>\n                <p>\n\"Obviously, the problems in the labor market and the housing market are not unrelated,\" he said.</p>\n                <p>\nThe Fed chairman said Fed research shows loans to individuals and businesses through community development financial institutions can boost economic activity. That business generates tax revenues that in turn permits government spending in ways that benefit these communities, he said.</p>\n                <p>\n\"We at the Federal Reserve will remain closely attuned to the economic health of all communities, including low- and moderate-income communities,\" Bernanke said.</p>\n                <p>\nWith rising prices fueling concern about inflation, the Fed is under some pressure to tighten policy after unprecedented and aggressive easing measures. Several Fed officials believe the central bank should act quickly to pare its bloated balance sheet and other major central banks around the world have begun to raise interest rates in response to price pressures.</p>\n                <p>\nHowever, the Fed made clear through a statement and a press conference by Bernanke on Wednesday that with a high jobless rate, extensive lost wealth, and inflation levels still not much higher than historic lows, the central bank has no immediate plans to withdraw support.</p>\n                <p>\nBernanke said on Friday the economy is recovering at a moderate pace, and that there has been \"welcome, if gradual\" improvement in labor markets.</p>\n                <p>\n(Editing by Neil Stempleman)</p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Bernanke says economy needs more time to heal   (Reuters)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110429/bs_nm/us_usa_fed_bernanke\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110429/bs_nm/us_usa_fed_bernanke</a></p>',-2,5,0,36,'2011-04-29 15:43:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-04-29 15:43:00','2011-05-15 13:17:11','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(973,'Berkshire 1Q profit drops on insurance losses   (AP)','berkshire-1q-profit-drops-on-insurance-losses-ap','','<p><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110430/ap_on_bi_ge/us_earns_berkshire_hathaway\"><img src=\"http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20110430/capt.111f4627cb2d431ca5e81e05478cece9-111f4627cb2d431ca5e81e05478cece9-0.jpg?x=90&amp;y=130&amp;q=85&amp;sig=qkTGw4PLXNOkNEJR3J.Gxw--\" height=\"130\" width=\"90\" alt=\"Berkshire 1Q profit drops on insurance losses   (AP)\" style=\"float: left; border: 0px;\" />\n</a>AP - Berkshire Hathaway\'s first-quarter profits fell 58 percent because of an estimated $1.7 billion in pretax insurance losses from major disasters in Japan, Australia and the U.S.</p><br style=\"clear: both;\" />','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>OMAHA, Neb. – Berkshire Hathaway\'s first-quarter profits fell 58 percent because of an estimated $1.7 billion in pretax insurance losses from major disasters in Japan, Australia and the U.S.</p>\n                <p>CEO Warren Buffett estimates that Berkshire will report $1.5 billion in net income, down from $3.6 billion the year before. He did not offer earnings per share figures.</p>\n                <p>Buffett offered a, earnings preview at Saturday\'s annual shareholders meeting. Berkshire\'s full earnings report is scheduled to be released Friday.</p>\n                <p>Buffett said the biggest factor in the earnings drop was losses related to the damage from the Japanese earthquake and tsunami, Australian floods and the New Zealand earthquake.</p>\n                <p>\"We had probably the second-worst quarter for the insurance industry in terms of disasters around the globe,\" Buffett said.</p>\n                <p>Reinsurance companies, like Berkshire\'s General Re and National Indemnity, sell backup insurance to primary insurers so the industry can cover big losses.</p>\n                <p>Berkshire expects to record an $821 million underwriting loss in its insurance businesses during the quarter because of the catastrophes. That compares with a $226 million underwriting gain in last year\'s first quarter.</p>\n                <p>Berkshire\'s insurance businesses will still contribute $131 million to net income for the first quarter, because of investment gains. That\'s considerably less than a year ago when Berkshire\'s insurance businesses, which include auto and home insurer Geico, added $1.2 billion to net income.</p>\n                <p>Buffett said most of Berkshire\'s companies continue to improve gradually along with the overall economy — except for those tied to residential construction. Berkshire subsidiaries that are particularly sensitive to the housing market, such as Acme Brick, Shaw Carpet, and Johns Manville haven\'t improved significantly since the recession slammed the home-building industry.</p>\n                <p>Berkshire\'s railroad and utility division, which includes Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad and MidAmerican Energy, posted a big jump in profits. That unit will add $908 million to Berkshire\'s net income in the quarter, up from $505 million last year.</p>\n                <p>Berkshire recorded an $82 million loss on investments and derivatives in the first quarter. In 2010, Berkshire posted a $1.4 billion gain.</p>\n                <p>The true value of the derivatives won\'t be clear for at least several years, because they don\'t mature until at least a decade from now on average. But Berkshire is required to estimate their value every time the company reports earnings. Buffett has told investors he believes the contracts will ultimately be profitable because the premiums are being invested.</p>\n                <p>Berkshire\'s operating earnings were $1.59 billion in the first quarter, down 28 percent from a year ago. Buffett has said Berkshire\'s operating earnings are a better measure of how the company is performing in any given period, because those figures exclude the value of derivatives and investment gains or losses.</p>\n                <p>Berkshire owns roughly 80 subsidiaries, including clothing, furniture and jewelry firms. Its insurance and utility businesses typically account for more than half of the company\'s net income. It also has major investments in such companies as Coca-Cola Co. and Wells Fargo &amp; Co.</p>\n                <p>___</p>\n                <p>Online:</p>\n                <p>Berkshire Hathaway Inc.: <a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/ap/ap_on_bi_ge/storytext/us_earns_berkshire_hathaway/41284706/SIG=113pi7r9b/*http://www.berkshirehathaway.com/\">www.berkshirehathaway.com</a></p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Berkshire 1Q profit drops on insurance losses   (AP)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110430/ap_on_bi_ge/us_earns_berkshire_hathaway\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110430/ap_on_bi_ge/us_earns_berkshire_hathaway</a></p>',-2,5,0,36,'2011-04-30 12:18:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-04-30 12:18:00','2011-05-15 13:17:13','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(974,'Germany vows more labour market checks   (AFP)','germany-vows-more-labour-market-checks-afp','','<p><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110501/bs_afp/euemploymentregulategermanyaustriaswitzerland\"><img src=\"http://d.yimg.com/a/p/afp/20110501/capt.photo_1304247961008-1-0.jpg?x=130&amp;y=86&amp;q=85&amp;sig=ezArHOlA4r9D5L1OsZSL6Q--\" height=\"86\" width=\"130\" alt=\"Germany vows more labour market checks   (AFP)\" style=\"float: left; border: 0px;\" />\n</a>AFP - Germany\'s government sought on Sunday to ease fears of a flood of cheap labour as Europe\'s biggest economy, with Austria, finally scrapped restrictions on workers from eight former communist EU countries.</p><br style=\"clear: both;\" />','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>BERLIN (AFP) – Germany\'s government sought on Sunday to ease fears of a flood of cheap labour as Europe\'s biggest economy, with Austria, finally scrapped restrictions on workers from eight former communist EU countries.</p>\n                <p>\n\"At least 100,000 people from eight Eastern European countries will come here every year,\" Labour Minister Ursula von der Leyen told the mass circulation newspaper Bild am Sonntag.</p>\n                <p>\nBut she promised a rise in checks on industries such as construction, gastronomy and health care to make sure that workers were being paid the minimum wage, where applicable, and that they were properly registered.</p>\n                <p>\nAnd she stressed that those arriving in Germany would not be a drain on Germany\'s welfare state.</p>\n                <p>\n\"The vast majority will be young, educated and mobile workers,\" she said.</p>\n                <p>\nGermany and Austria, plus non-EU Switzerland, on Sunday opened their labour markets to citizens of Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovenia, Slovakia, Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia, which all joined the EU in 2004.</p>\n                <p>\nGermany and Austria were the last remaining holdouts in the EU, which now has 27 members, having imposed seven-year \"transition periods\" to restrict access.</p>\n                <p>\nSome sectors in Germany\'s booming economy have complained of a shortage of skilled workers and have been actively recruiting at trade fairs in Eastern Europe ahead of the May 1 dropping of restrictions.</p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Germany vows more labour market checks   (AFP)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110501/bs_afp/euemploymentregulategermanyaustriaswitzerland\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110501/bs_afp/euemploymentregulategermanyaustriaswitzerland</a></p>',-2,5,0,36,'2011-05-01 07:06:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-05-01 07:06:00','2011-05-15 13:17:14','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(975,'Gasoline prices are up to $4 a gallon. Is that \'Big Oil\'s\' fault?   (The Christian Science Monitor)','gasoline-prices-are-up-to-4-a-gallon-is-that-big-oils-fault-the-christian-science-monitor','','The Christian Science Monitor - If you have to fill your gas tank this weekend – whether or not it takes a second mortgage to pay the tab – you’re a soldier in the hottest political fight over energy and the economy. Or maybe you feel more like “collateral damage” as President Obama, lawmakers, and “Big Oil” battle over who’s at fault for $4-per-gallon gasoline.','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>If you have to fill your gas tank this weekend – whether or not it takes a second mortgage to pay the tab – you’re a soldier in the hottest political fight over energy and the economy. Or maybe you feel more like “collateral damage” as President Obama, lawmakers, and “Big Oil” battle over who’s at fault for $4-per-gallon gasoline.</p>\n                <p>In his radio and Internet address Saturday, Obama repeated his call to end “unwarranted taxpayer subsidies we’ve been handing out to oil and gas companies – to the tune of $4 billion a year.”</p>\n                <p>“When oil companies are making huge profits and you’re struggling at the pump, and we’re scouring the federal budget for spending we can afford to do without, these tax giveaways aren’t right,” Obama said Saturday. “They aren’t smart. And we need to end them.”</p>\n                <p>RELATED: Gas prices: 10 ways you can save at the pump</p>\n                <p>Them’s fightin’ words to his political opponents, particularly those from oil-producing states.</p>\n                <p>\"The president may think he\'s punishing CEOs of big companies, but his plan will hurt the everyday consumer of energy and imperil the jobs of millions of hardworking people in American-based companies,\" first-term Congressman James Lankford from Oklahoma said in the Republicans\' weekly address.</p>\n                <p>The average national price for regular gasoline right now is $3.91 a gallon. In 22 states itâ€™s higher than that, and the price has jumped past $4 in Alaska, California, and Connecticut.</p>\n                <p>Obama says oil companies are at least partly to blame, and his main ammo are their newly-announced profit statements.</p>\n                <p>ExxonMobil reports first-quarter profits of $10.7 billion – 69 percent above the company’s first quarter of 2010. Royal Dutch Shell marked $6.9 billion in profits, an increase of 40 percent over last year’s first-quarter number. Chevron Corp. saw its first-quarter net income go up 36 percent to $6.2 billion. BP made $5.5 billion.</p>\n                <p>Industry spokesmen say such figures should be put into broader perspective.</p>\n                <p>“We should be proud of the success of an industry that supports 9.2 million American workers and 7.5 percent of our economy while also supplying income to millions of the nation’s retirees,” American Petroleum Institute CEO Jack Gerard said in a statement Thursday. “Oil and natural gas companies are a vital part of our nation’s industrial and manufacturing base. They provide most of America’s energy and are responsible for one in every five dollars invested in renewable energy.”</p>\n                <p>Record industry earnings “reflect the size necessary for companies to be globally competitive with national oil companies, along with a steady rise in crude oil prices driven by rapidly growing world oil demand and instability in the Middle East,” Gerard said.</p>\n                <p>Obama’s political problem regarding high prices at the pump – and the reason for his current finger-pointing tactic – are obvious.</p>\n                <p>Polls show people are more inclined to blame him and the Democrats than they do Republicans for high gasoline prices. At the same time, according to a recent McClatchy-Marist Poll, three times as many respondents say US oil companies are the culprits behind record prices at the pump. </p>\n                <p>This was the second Saturday in the row that Obama has hit on gas prices and oil industry subsidies in his weekly address.</p>\n                <p>He may have some openings on the GOP side.</p>\n                <p>In a TV interview Monday, House Speaker John Boehner said oil companies should “pay their fair share in taxes.”</p>\n                <p>“I don\'t think the big oil companies need to have the oil depletion allowances,” he also told ABC News.\n</p><p>\nA Boehner spokesman quickly walked back those assertions, but the White House and congressional were quick to jump on them.\n</p><p>\nAt a town hall meeting a few days later House Budget Committee Chairman Rep. Paul Ryan (R) of Wisconsin said federal oil subsidies should be eliminated as part of deficit-reduction.\n</p><p>\n“We’re talking about reforming the safety net, the welfare system; we also want to get rid of corporate welfare,” Ryan said. “And corporate welfare goes to agribusiness companies, energy companies, financial services companies, so we propose to repeal all that.”\n</p><p>\nThe Senate could take up the issue as soon as this coming week. Expect more sparks to fly.\n</p><p>\nRELATED: Gas prices: 10 ways you can save at the pump</p>\n            </div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Gasoline prices are up to $4 a gallon. Is that \'Big Oil\'s\' fault?   (The Christian Science Monitor)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20110430/ts_csm/380688\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20110430/ts_csm/380688</a></p>',-2,5,0,36,'2011-04-30 15:59:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-04-30 15:59:00','2011-05-15 13:17:15','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(976,'WTO talks on \'brink of failure\': Lamy   (AFP)','wto-talks-on-brink-of-failure-lamy-afp','','<p><a href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110429/bs_afp/wtotradetalks\"><img src=\"http://d.yimg.com/a/p/afp/20110429/capt.photo_1304089976286-1-0.jpg?x=130&amp;y=103&amp;q=85&amp;sig=br89N3ciE2gGY4z9NVB3HQ--\" height=\"103\" width=\"130\" alt=\"WTO talks on \'brink of failure\': Lamy   (AFP)\" style=\"float: left; border: 0px;\" />\n</a>AFP - The Doha round of global talks aimed at expanding free trade is on the brink of failure, World Trade Organisation chief Pascal Lamy warned on Friday, with experts signalling that a collapse could even threaten the WTO.</p><br style=\"clear: both;\" />','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>GENEVA (AFP) – The Doha round of global talks aimed at expanding free trade is on the brink of failure, World Trade Organisation chief Pascal Lamy warned on Friday, with experts signalling that a collapse could even threaten the WTO.</p>\n                <p>\nLamy added to the gloomy atmosphere that has prevailed in recent weeks after negotiators met at WTO headquarters in Geneva to take stock of their most recent attempts to overcome a decade of deadlock.</p>\n                <p>\n\"My frank assessment is that under the right conditions of temperature and pressure a deal would be doable... were it not for NAMA (Non Agricultural Market Access, or industrial goods),\" the WTO director general said.</p>\n                <p>\n\"The magnitude of the gaps among the major players is effectively blocking progress in other areas and is putting in serious doubt the conclusion of the Doha Development Round this year.\"</p>\n                <p>\n\"This round is, once more, on the brink of failure,\" Lamy added.</p>\n                <p>\nDespite the range of reasons given for the deadlock, from criticism of the conditions under which the negotiations were launched in the Qatari capital Doha in 2001 to help developing countries, the expanding membership of the now 153 nation WTO, objections to globalisation or protectionism and the economic crisis, Lamy insisted that main obstacle was much more basic.</p>\n                <p>\n\"Closure on the remaining open issues is blocked because of a classic mercantilist issue: tariffs on industrial products, the bread and butter of WTO negotiations since their inception,\" 60 years ago, he explained during the meeting.</p>\n                <p>\nLamy has repeatedly expressed doubt about future of Doha this year, after several missed deadlines and failures over the past decade.</p>\n                <p>\nThose hurdles nonethless did not stop the talks on expanding existing global free trade accords from carrying on in some form, weathering the changing political climate in major trading powers such as the United States, European Union and emerging nations.</p>\n                <p>\nIn January, some political leaders repeated their call for the conclusion of the round in 2011, with British Prime Minister David Cameron warning that \"we cannot go on after a decade with another year\" of negotiations.</p>\n                <p>\nDecisions at the WTO must be carried by a consensus of all the member states.</p>\n                <p>\nUS trade ambassador Michael Punke called Lamy\'s assessment \"sobering,\" in remarks released by the US Trade Representative, but suggested that the gaps -- which also pit the United States against the EU on farm subsidies -- were even more wide ranging.</p>\n                <p>\n\"We do not agree with the suggestion in the report that if we could work out our differences in NAMA, then other areas of the negotiations would simply fall into place,\" Punke explained.</p>\n                <p>\n\"As we pointed out at the last meeting, fundamental differences also exist with respect to agriculture and services,\" he added.</p>\n                <p>\nPunke insisted that the United States \"has not given up on Doha, but we believe the negotiations, and the WTO more broadly, cannot avoid hard truths.\"</p>\n                <p>\nFormer WTO chief Peter Sutherland and economist Jagdish Bhagwati warned in a report commissioned by the trade watchdog early this year that a failure of Doha would seriously damage its credibility.</p>\n                <p>\n\"I think there is very, very little chance that Doha could be concluded this year, which would put it off for ages,\" said Jean Pierre Lehmann, a professor at the IMD business school in Switzerland.</p>\n                <p>\n\"In fact it is very unlikly that Doha will eventual be condluded at all,\" he added.\n</p><p>\n\nLehmann claimed that would \"open the door to protectionism\" and could harm economic growth.\n</p><p>\n\nJoost Pauwelyn of Geneva\'s Graduate Institute said a continued proliferation of fragmented region free trade agreements, rather than a a multilateral approach based around the WTO, \"would mark the end of the WTO as a centre of trade.\"</p>\n            </div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"WTO talks on \'brink of failure\': Lamy   (AFP)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110429/bs_afp/wtotradetalks\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110429/bs_afp/wtotradetalks</a></p>',-2,5,0,36,'2011-04-29 14:04:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-04-29 14:04:00','2011-05-15 13:17:16','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),(977,'Target CEO pay rises 83 percent on one-time items   (AP)','target-ceo-pay-rises-83-percent-on-one-time-items-ap','','AP - The CEO of discount retailer Target Corp. received a pay package in 2010 worth $23.9 million, 83 percent more than he made in 2009, because he became eligible for enhanced pension benefits and his stock awards rose as the company\'s performance improved, according to documents Target filed Friday with the Securities and Exchange Commission.','<div><div class=\"yn-story-content\">\n                <p>NEW YORK – The CEO of discount retailer Target Corp. received a pay package in 2010 worth $23.9 million, 83 percent more than he made in 2009, because he became eligible for enhanced pension benefits and his stock awards rose as the company\'s performance improved, according to documents Target filed Friday with the Securities and Exchange Commission.</p>\n                <p>Gregg Steinhafel, 56, received a base salary of $1.5 million and a bonus of $1.2 million, according to Associated Press calculations. He received stock options worth $3.2 million and stock awards worth $8 million when they were granted. That includes a stock award of $3.25 million he got in March 2010 that includes both a $1.1 million bonus for 2009 and part of his performance-based bonus for 2009.</p>\n                <p>Steinhafel also received a performance-based bonus of $4.1 million and above-market returns of $376,229 from the nation\'s second-largest discounter.</p>\n                <p>His perks were worth $5.5 million, including an extra pension plan payment related to the fact that he turned 55 during calendar 2010 plus nearly $2.6 million from a supplemental pension plan that has been frozen to new participants since 1989. Steinhafel joined the company more than 30 years ago.</p>\n                <p>Steinhafel has been CEO since 2008. During his tenure, Target, which has carved out a niche as a cheap chic discounter, has expanded its food selection and planned for new stores outside the U.S., in Canada. During the year, Target\'s net income rose 17 percent while its revenue rose 3.1 percent to $67.39 billion. Minneapolis-based Target\'s share price rose 24 percent during the year.</p>\n                <p>The Associated Press formula calculates an executive\'s total compensation during the last fiscal year by adding salary, bonuses, perks, above-market interest the company pays on deferred compensation and the estimated value of stock and stock options awarded during the year. The AP formula does not count changes in the present value of pension benefits. That makes the AP total slightly different in most cases from the total reported by companies to the Securities and Exchange Commission.</p>\n                <p>The value that a company assigned to an executive\'s stock and option awards for 2010 was the present value of what the company expected the awards to be worth to the executive over time. Companies use one of several formulas to calculate that value. However, the number is just an estimate, and what an executive ultimately receives will depend on the performance of the company\'s stock in the years after the awards are granted. Most stock compensation programs require an executive to wait a specified amount of time to receive shares or exercise options.</p>\n                <p>An Associated Press analysis of documents filed Friday shows Target Corp.\'s CEO received 2010 compensation valued at $24.8 million, 83 percent more than in 2009, as he became eligible for enhanced pension payments and his stock awards rose with the company\'s improved performance.</p>\n                <p>Gregg Steinhafel\'s base salary was $1.5 million. He also got a bonus of $1.2 million, a performance-based bonus of $4.1 million, stock options worth $3.2 million and stock awards worth $8 million when they were granted. Part of the stock award is related to his 2009 bonus.</p>\n                <p>The 56-year-old CEO\'s other compensation of $5.5 million included extra pension plan payments related to turning 55 and to a supplemental plan.</p>\n                <p>The AP\'s calculation counts salary, bonuses, perks, stock and options awarded to the executive during the year.</p>\n                <p>\n            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class=\"rssreadon\" rel=\"external\" title=\"Target CEO pay rises 83 percent on one-time items   (AP)\" href=\"http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110429/ap_on_bi_ge/us_target_executive_compensation\" target=\"_blank\">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110429/ap_on_bi_ge/us_target_executive_compensation</a></p>',-2,5,0,36,'2011-04-29 13:36:00',62,'','0000-00-00 00:00:00',0,0,'0000-00-00 00:00:00','2011-04-29 13:36:00','2011-05-15 13:17:17','','','show_intro=0',1,0,0,'','',0,0,''),