star news: 2013

Sunday, August 4, 2013

Taliban deny attack on Indian consulate in Afghanistan

Three suicide attackers killed at least nine civilians, most of them children, in a botched attack Saturday on the Indian consulate in Afghanistan. Were the attackers from Pakistan?

By Associated Press / August 3, 2013

Afghan policemen walk near a crater at the site of a suicide attack at the Indian consulate in Jalalabad province August 3, 2013.

REUTERS/Parwiz

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Three suicide attackers killed at least nine civilians, most of them children, in a botched attack Saturday on the Indian consulate in an eastern Afghan city near the border with Pakistan, security officials said.

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Authorities also reported that 22 police officers and over 70 Taliban fighters died in two days of fighting earlier in the week in the same province touched off by a feud between militants and villagers. Officials regularly announce high militant death tolls that are impossible to independently confirm.

Militants, mostly smaller groups based in Pakistan, have targeted Indian diplomatic interests multiple times in recent years. Afghanistan's main insurgent group, the Taliban, denied in a text message that it had carried out the attack.

Militant groups known for attacking Indian interests include Lashkar-e-Taiba, blamed for the 2008 attack on the Indian city of Mumbai that killed 166 people. LeT has been active in Afghanistan in recent years, often teaming up with insurgent groups operating in the eastern part of the country near the frontier with Pakistan. Last year the U.S.-led military coalition arrested a senior LeT leader in eastern Afghanistan.

India has been frustrated by Pakistan's failure to crack down on Lashkar-e-Taiba, which has strong historical links with Pakistani intelligence. Pakistan has always viewed India as a potential rival in Afghanistan, which it considers its strategic backyard.

"Such coward attacks will not deter India from providing reconstruction and developmental assistance to our true friend, Afghanistan," the Indian Embassy Tweeted in reaction to the consulate bombing.

In the latest attack, police fired on the militants as they approached a checkpoint outside the consulate in Jalalabad, prompting one of them to set off their explosives-laden car, said Masum Khan Hashimi, the deputy police chief of Nangarhar province.

The blast killed nine bystanders, and wounded another 24 people including a policeman. Six of the dead and three of the wounded were children, said Jalalabad hospital director Dr. Humayun Zahir. He did not give their specific ages.

All three attackers also died, although it was not clear how many were killed by police fire and how many by the explosion.

In New Delhi, India's External Affairs Ministry spokesman Syed Akbaruddin said that all Indian officials in the consulate were safe.

Hashimi said the Jalalabad attack began when three men in a car approached the checkpoint. Two of the men got out of the car wearing vests rigged with explosives and a police guard immediately opened fire on them, Hashimi said. He added that the third man then detonated a large bomb located inside the car.

In 2010, two Kabul guest houses popular among Indians were attacked, killing more than six Indians. India blamed that attack on LeT.

The Indian Embassy was bombed in 2008 and again in 2009, leaving 75 people dead in the two attacks.

The attack came as the U.S. planned to close its embassies in the Muslim world for the weekend due to an al-Qaida threat.

In other violence in the same province, 22 police officers and 76 Taliban were killed in the Sherzad district of Nangarhar in two days of battles with insurgents that broke out when militants shot a tribal elder, officials and police said.

The militant death toll could not be checked independently, but four separate officials confirmed the police death toll.

Fighting has intensified in eastern and southern parts of Afghanistan in recent months, especially since the mid-June handover of security responsibilities from the U.S.-led international military coalition to the Afghan national security forces. The Taliban have been fighting to regain ground they lost in the past three years to foreign forces, and violence is expected to spike again after the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

So far this year, a total of 613 Afghan and 470 Afghan soldiers have been killed in fighting.

The battles in the Sherzad district began on Wednesday when Taliban fighters shot and killed a tribal elder for allegedly cooperating with the government of President Hamid Karzai, sparking retaliation from the family and other villagers, residents said.

According to Ahmad Mushtaq, a villager, that initial gun battle resulted in the deaths of a number of Taliban. The militants retaliated by kidnapping 12 members of a family, who were rescued when Afghan police rushed to the scene and, backed by reinforcements from Jalalabad, mounted a rescue operation.

A number of Taliban again were killed and wounded during this rescue operation, Sherzad district chief Shukrullah Durani said. But when the reinforcements were on their way back to Jalalabad they were attacked by big number of Taliban.

The Taliban, who numbered about two hundred, were fleeing an Afghan army operation in a neighboring province when they ran into the police convoy on Thursday.

In a battle which lasted hours, 22 police officers were killed along with scores of Taliban fighters, Durani and three other officials said. The three spoke anonymously as they were not authorized to talk to the media.

Durani said the police requested air support from NATO, but none came. "This is why 22 police... were killed," he said. "If we had received air support we would not have lost such a big number of police and at the same time all Taliban in the area would have been killed and would not have escaped this time."

It was unclear why the police did not receive air support. Coalition forces do provide such assistance when requested and if the fighting is not in an inhabited area.

___

Associated Press writer Amir Shah contributed from Kabul.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/dxzQoB4AWrE/Taliban-deny-attack-on-Indian-consulate-in-Afghanistan

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Attack on Indian mission in Afghanistan raises specter of regional struggle

By Rafiq Shirzad

JALALABAD, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Insurgents attacked the Indian consulate in Afghanistan's eastern capital on Saturday, killing nine people and reinforcing fears that a bloody regional power struggle will be played out in the country once most foreign troops leave.

Twenty-three people were wounded when checkpoint guards stopped three attackers in a car as they approached the consulate in Jalalbabad city, the office of the governor of Nangarhar province, Gul Agha Sherzai, said in a statement.

Two attackers leapt from the car and a gunfight broke out, while the third detonated explosives. No Indian officials were killed, though the blast badly damaged a mosque and dozens of homes and small shops nearby.

India condemned the attack and, without naming any country or group, blamed outside forces.

"This attack has once again highlighted that the main threat to Afghanistan's security and stability stems from terrorism and the terror machine that continues to operate from beyond its borders," the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.

Arch-rivals India and Pakistan have long vied for power and influence in Afghanistan. Many see their struggle intensifying after the departure of most international forces by the end of next year.

Afghans fear the void left by the NATO-led foreign forces could lead to yet another round of bloody external interference in the impoverished and violence-racked country.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai is seen as close to India and strongly opposed to the Taliban, who some say is supported by elements of the Pakistani state, in particular its powerful intelligence agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

The Taliban, which spearheads armed opposition to Karzai's Western-backed government, denied responsibility for Saturday's attack on the Indian mission close to Pakistan's border.

Attacks on the Indian embassy in Kabul - there were two during 2008 and 2009 that together killed more than 50 people - led to accusations by Karzai that Pakistan was attempting to compromise India-Afghanistan relations. He gave no evidence for his assertion, and Pakistan denied it was true.

Earlier on Saturday, India's Mail Today reported that New Delhi's ambassador to Kabul was recently warned that the ISI had paid the Haqqani insurgent network - which is allied with the Taliban - to assassinate him.

"It was a specific alert. A team of security officials was sent to Afghanistan for a security review and it has made some recommendations. Clearly the aim is to pin down our top diplomat so we back off from our work," a senior official told the daily.

Indian foreign ministry spokesman Syed Akbaruddin declined to comment on the report, which was sourced to Indian officials who had seen communication intercepts.

A Pakistani security official dubbed the report "nonsense". "Why would we do such a thing when we are trying to improve economic ties with India?" he said.

(Additional reporting by Hamid Shalizi, by John Chalmers in NEW DELHI and by Katharine Houreld in ISLAMABAD; Writing by Jessica Donati and Dylan Welch; Editing by Ron Popeski)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/suspected-suicide-bombing-near-indian-consulate-eastern-afghanistan-062337631.html

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Animal Photos Of The Week: Baboons, Giraffes, Elephants And More

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The hamadryas baboons behave strangely at the Emmen Zoo in Emmen, inNetherlands, on July 31, 2013. They don't eat and sit close together in a view trees and a small corner of their island. The cares can't explain their behaviour. A few years back the same group of baboons showed the similar behavior of mass apathy. (VINCENT JANNINK/AFP/Getty Images)

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An emu bird enjoys a water spray at the city zoo in Skopje, Macedonia, as the temperature exceeds 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit), Tuesday, July 30, 2013. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski)

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Giraffes stand next to each others in the zoo in Magdeburg, central Germany, Wednesday, July 31, 2013. (AP Photo/Jens Meyer)

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In this July 29, 2013 photo released by Zoo Atlanta, twin newborn giant panda cubs lie in a blanket at Zoo Atlanta. The panda cubs are gaining weight rapidly, another encouraging sign in their development, their caretakers say. Rebecca Snyder, the zoo's curator of mammals, said in an update this week that the firstborn cub used to be smaller, but has now surpassed his brother in weight. He has more than tripled his weight in two weeks. He now weighs 361 grams, while his brother weighs 360 grams. The twin males born July 15 to Lun Lun and her partner, Yang Yang, are the first giant panda twins to be born in the U.S. since 1987. (AP Photo/Zoo Atlanta)

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Polar bear Vilma shakes herself after talking a bath during temperatures around 31 degrees Celsius (88 degrees Fahrenheit) in her compound at the zoo in Wuppertal, Germany, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2013. (AP Photo/dpa, Christian Reimann)

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Two Ankole-Watusi cattle are fighting during temperatures around 31 degrees Celsius (88 degrees Fahrenheit) in their compound in the zoo of Duisburg, Germany, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2013. (AP Photo/dpa, Horst Ossinger)

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A koala hangs on a tree and sleeps during temperatures around 31 degrees Celsius (88 degrees Fahrenheit) in its compound at the zoo in Duisburg, Germany, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2013. (AP Photo/dpa, Horst Ossinger)

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Polar bears eat frozen fruits in their enclosure in the zoo in Hannover, northern Germany, Friday, Aug 2, 2013. Temperatures soared to 39 degrees Celsius (102 Fahrenheit) in some parts of Germany. (AP Photo/dpa, Sebastian Kahnert)

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In this Friday Aug. 2, 2013 photo, a golden monkey bites an ice block on a hot summer day at a zoo in Shanghai. (AP Photo) CHINA OUT

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Jamani holds her son, Bomassa, after he had eaten some of his birthday ice cakes at the North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro, N.C., on Saturday, Aug. 3, 2013. Bomassa was born at the zoo on Aug. 4, 2012. (AP Photo/The News & Observer, Chuck Liddy)

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A few-hour-old baby Asian elephant stands near the legs of its mother and its grandmother at the Ramat Gan Safari, aka the Zoological Center of Tel Aviv-Ramat Gan, on August 2, 2013. According to a spokesperson of the zoo the yet unnamed baby elephant is most likely female. (JACK GUEZ/AFP/Getty Images)

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A few-hour-old baby Asian elephant stands near its mother 'La Belle' (L) and its grandmother 'La petite' at the Ramat Gan Safari, aka the Zoological Center of Tel Aviv-Ramat Gan, on August 2, 2013. According to a spokesperson of the zoo the yet unnamed baby elephant is most likely female. (JACK GUEZ/AFP/Getty Images)

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A six-day-old white-tailed porcupine crawls in its enclosure at Berlin's Tierpark zoo on August 2, 2013. White-tailed porcupines are usually found in the middle east and south Asia. (JOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP/Getty Images)

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A six-day-old white-tailed porcupine (R) stays close to his mother in its enclosure at Berlin's Tierpark zoo on August 2, 2013. White-tailed porcupines are usually found in the middle east and south Asia. (JOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP/Getty Images)

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HELGOLAND, GERMANY - AUGUST 03: A live adult female European lobster (Homarus gammarus) lies on the floor for a photo at the Helgoland Biological Institute (Biologische Anstalt Helgoland), part of the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research, on August 3, 2013 on Helgoland Island, Germany. Scientists released a total of 415 one-year old lobsters into the North Sea later in the day as part of an effort to repopulate the lobster population around Helgoland (also called Heligoland). In the 19th century local fishermen caught up to 80,000 lobsters a year in the surrounding waters, combined with the heavy allied bombing of the island during and after World War II, as well as other environmental factors, decimated the lobster population. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

Animal Photos Of The Week (7/29-8/4)

HELGOLAND, GERMANY - AUGUST 03: Northern gannets (in German: Basstoelpel) congregate on the Lummen cliffs, where thousands of the birds have made their home, on August 3, 2013 on Helgoland Island, Germany. The Lummen cliffs attract a variety of bird species who come to nest in the warmer months, the island which is also called Heligoland, hosts tens of thousands of migrating birds in the fall. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

Animal Photos Of The Week (7/29-8/4)

HELGOLAND, GERMANY - AUGUST 04: Atlantic grey seals (Halichoerus grypus - in German: Kegelrobben) bask in hot weather on a sunny day on the south beach of Duene Island on August 4, 2013 near Helgoland, Germany. Duene Island was once an extension of neighboring Heligoland Island until a storm in 1721 severed the connection. Heligoland Island, in German called Helgoland, lies in the North Sea and until World War II was a popular tourist destination. During the war it became strategically vital and all overground structures were obliterated by massive Allied bombing. Today the island has a population of about 1,200 and is again a popular tourist destination known for its abundant wildlife. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

Animal Photos Of The Week (7/29-8/4)

TOYOOKA, JAPAN - AUGUST 04: A pet dog bathes in the water at Takeno Beach on August 4, 2013 in Toyooka, Japan. This beach is open for dogs and their owners every summer between the months of June and September. . (Photo by Buddhika Weerasinghe/Getty Images)

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Barbary apes challenge for food in the Erfurt Zoo, in central Germany, Friday, July 26, 2013. Weather forecasts predict sunny weather and warm temperatures for Germany in the next few days. (AP Photo/Jens Meyer)

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A Barbary ape baby relaxes on its mother's arms in the Erfurt zoo, central Germany, Friday, July 26, 2013. Weather forecasts predict sunny weather and warm temperatures for Germany. (AP Photo/Jens Meyer)

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An elephant eats a water melon in the enclosure in the Zurich zoo, Switzerland, Wednesday July 24, 2013. (AP Photo/Keystone,Steffen Schmidt)

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Kamchatka brown bears Leonid , left, and Mascha stand in the pool of their enclosure in the Hagenbeck Zoo in Hamburg,Germany, Wednesday July 24, 2013. (AP Photo/dpa, Bodo Marks)

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A seal cools off in the water at a zoo in Shanghai, China, Friday, July 26, 2013. Hot weather has set in with temperatures rising up to 40 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit ) in Shanghai. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

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USINGEN, GERMANY - JULY 25: An alpaka on a meadow of the Llamera camel and llama breeding farm, on July 25, 2013 near Usingen, Germany. Isabel Saraber, owner of the Llamera camel and llama breeding farm maintains her herd of a dozen camels and 18 llamas and offers trekking excursions in the surrounding Taunus region in central Germany. After beginning her venture with a few llamas in 1994, Isabel Saraber expanded the herd to include camels only a few years ago. Today the excursions are especially popular with corporations seeking team-building opportunities for their employees. (Photo by Hannelore Foerster/Getty Images)

Animal Photos Of The Week (7/22-7/28)

USINGEN, GERMANY - JULY 25: A portrait of a camel at the Llamera camel and llama breeding farm on July 25, 2013 near Usingen, Germany. Isabel Saraber, owner of the Llamera camel and llama breeding farm maintains her herd of a dozen camels and 18 llamas and offers trekking excursions in the surrounding Taunus region in central Germany. After beginning her venture with a few llamas in 1994, Isabel Saraber expanded the herd to include camels only a few years ago. Today the excursions are especially popular with corporations seeking team-building opportunities for their employees. (Photo by Hannelore Foerster/Getty Images)

Animal Photos Of The Week (7/22-7/28)

A dog named Huno refreshes in the waters of a fountain at Weissensee lake in Berlin on July 26, 2013 as temperatures reach 30 degrees Celsius. (JOHANNES EISELE/AFP/Getty Images)

Animal Photos Of The Week (7/22-7/28)

A raccoon gets a treat mixed of fruits, nuts, vegetables and honey served in a block of ice to help him to stay cool in Korkeasaari Zoo in Helsinki, Finland on July 26, 2013. (Mirva Helenius/AFP/Getty Images)

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Two pandas eat a cake made of bamboo and ice in a zoo in Weifang, east China's Shandong province on July 26, 2013. The panda, also known as the giant panda to distinguish it from the unrelated red panda, is a bear native to central-western and south western China. (STR/AFP/Getty Images)

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A baby Adelie penguin (bottom), who was born on July 10, 2013, and a mother share a moment at the Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan on July 26, 2013. Visitors can see the 680 grams baby penguin and other penguins living in a water tank surrounded by frozen rocks and ice. AFP PHOTO / KAZUHIRO NOGI (Photo credit should read KAZUHIRO NOGI/AFP/Getty Images)

Animal Photos Of The Week (7/22-7/28)

A baby Adelie penguin (L), who was born on July 10, 2013, and a mother share a moment at the Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan on July 26, 2013. Visitors can see the 680 grams baby penguin and other penguins living in a water tank surrounded by frozen rocks and ice. (KAZUHIRO NOGI/AFP/Getty Images)

Animal Photos Of The Week (7/22-7/28)

VALLEJO, CA - JULY 26: An 8-week-old sea lion pup named Jax sits in an enclosure at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom on July 26, 2013 in Vallejo, California. Two 8-week-old female California sea lion pups named Jax and Cool Beans were found orphaned and later recovered at one and two weeks of age are being rehabilitated by marine mammal staff at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom where they are being bottle-fed and being acclimated with water and learning how to swim. Over one thousand young pups and yearlings have recently been found malnourished and stranded along the Southern California coast suffering from a phenomenon known as an Unusual Mortality Event (UME). (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

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Ringed seals swim in a water tank at the Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan on July 26, 2013 as part of the facility's Arctic exhibit. In March 2013 the aquarium completed its most major renovation to add interactive exhibits. (KAZUHIRO NOGI/AFP/Getty Images)

Animal Photos Of The Week (7/22-7/28)

A ringed seal swims in a water tank at the Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan on July 26, 2013 as part of the facility's Arctic exhibit. In March 2013 the aquarium completed its most major renovation to add interactive exhibits. (KAZUHIRO NOGI/AFP/Getty Images)

Animal Photos Of The Week (7/22-7/28)

VALLEJO, CA - JULY 26: An eight-week old sea lion pup named Jax swims in a pool at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom on July 26, 2013 in Vallejo, California. Two 8-week old female California sea lion pups named Jax and Cool Beans were found orphaned and later recovered at one and two weeks of age are being rehabilitated by marine mammal staff at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom where they are being bottlefed and being acclimated with water and learning how to swim. Over one thousand young pups and yearlings have recently been found malnourished and stranded along the Southern California coast suffering from a phenomenon known as an Unusual Mortality Event (UME). (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Animal Photos Of The Week (7/22-7/28)

Brown bears Sandro, Paolo and Luca eat frozen fruit to refresh themselves in Rome's Bioparco Zoo, Tuesday, July, 23, 2013. Zoo staff offered animals frozen and refrigerated fruit to refresh them as temperatures are expected to reach peaks of 38 degrees C (100.4 degrees F) over the coming days. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Animal Photos Of The Week (7/22-7/28)

A black lemur licks frozen fruit to refresh itself in Rome's Bioparco zoo, Tuesday, July, 23, 2013. Zoo staff offered animals frozen and refrigerated fruit to refresh them as temperatures are expected to reach peaks of 38 degrees C (100.4 degrees F) over the coming days. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Animal Photos Of The Week (7/22-7/28)

Brown bear Sandro holds a frozen watermelon to refresh himself in Rome's Bioparco zoo, Tuesday, July, 23, 2013. Zoo staff offered animals frozen and refrigerated fruit to refresh them as temperatures are expected to reach peaks of 38 degrees C (100.4 degrees F) over the coming days. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Animal Photos Of The Week (7/15-7/21)

A 6-year-old male giraffe named Buddy, left, interacts with his newborn baby at the Buenos Aires' zoo, Argentina, Tuesday, July 16, 2013. The baby giraffe was born at the zoo on Friday, July 12. (AP Photo/Victor R. Caivano)

Animal Photos Of The Week (7/15-7/21)

An 11-year-old female giraffe named Jacky, right, interacts with her newborn baby at the Buenos Aires' zoo in Argentina, Tuesday, July 16, 2013. The baby giraffe was born at the zoo on Friday, July 12. (AP Photo/Victor R. Caivano)

Animal Photos Of The Week (7/15-7/21)

A two-day old black rhinoceros baby stands next to its mother at the zoo in Krefeld, Germany, Monday, July 15, 2013. Its mother Nane gave birth for the fourth time. (AP Photo/Roland Weihrauch, dpa)

Animal Photos Of The Week (7/15-7/21)

In this Sept. 16, 2009 file photo, giant panda Lun Lun eats a bushel of bamboo at Zoo Atlanta in Atlanta. Lun Lun gave birth Monday, July 15, 2013, at Zoo Atlanta to two tiny cubs, the first twin pandas born in the United States since 1987, zoo spokeswoman Keisha Hines announced. (AP Photo/Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Elissa Eubanks)

Animal Photos Of The Week (7/15-7/21)

This photo released by Zoo Atlanta on Tuesday, July 16, 2013 shows twin panda cubs born Monday to the zoo's resident giant panda Lun Lun, the first twin pandas born in the United States since 1987, zoo spokeswoman Keisha Hines announced. Hines said zookeepers who had been anticipating only one cub based on a recent ultrasound were surprised by the first-ever twin panda births at Zoo Atlanta. (AP Photo/Zoo Atlanta, Adam K. Thompson)

Animal Photos Of The Week (7/15-7/21)

A Squirrel Monkey tries to get rozen fruit in the Zoo of Zurich, Switzerland, Wednesday July 17, 2013. (AP Photo/Keystone,Steffen Schmidt)

Animal Photos Of The Week (7/15-7/21)

A lioness carries one of her two lion cubs, a male and a female, as they are presented to the public for the first time in Copenhagen Zoo on Wednesday, July 17, 2013. The two lion cubs were born on June 6. (AP Photo/Polfoto, Marcus Trappaud Bjoern)

Animal Photos Of The Week (7/15-7/21)

A Blue-Necked Ostrich looks out of his enclosure in the Nuremberg Zoo, Germany Wednesday July 17, 2013. (AP Photo/dpa,Daniel Karmann)

Animal Photos Of The Week (7/15-7/21)

A Sumatran Rhino lays in a pool of water, Wednesday, July 17, 2013, at the Cincinnati Zoo in Cincinnati, where temperatures reached into the 90's. The rare, critically endangered rhinoceros, lives in rain forests in their native habitat. (AP Photo/Al Behrman)

Animal Photos Of The Week (7/15-7/21)

A reticulated giraffe stand in its enclosure at the Nuremberg Zoo , Germany, Wednesday July 17, 2013. (AP Photo/dpa,Daniel Karmann)

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/04/animal-photos-of-the-week_n_3704235.html

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Dems hit GOP on immigration in top critics home

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AMES, Iowa (AP) ? Kicking off an August of likely intense debate over immigration, the Senate?s second-ranking Democrat traveled to Iowa Friday to rebuke House Republicans who oppose major changes embraced by the Senate.

Sen. Richard Durbin?s strategically targeted visit was a fairly small and calm foretaste of planned demonstrations by opponents and supporters of the proposed immigration changes during Congress? summer recess. The Senate measure would heighten border security and provide a pathway to citizenship for millions of immigrants living here illegally.

Durbin, of Illinois, joined Iowa Democratic Sen. Tom Harkin at a forum in a college town represented in Congress by Republican Rep. Steve King. King is among Congress? fiercest opponents of granting citizenship to immigrants now here illegally. Republican leaders have denounced King?s most inflammatory remarks, but some Democrats depict him as a symbol of widespread GOP resistance.

Harkin said Iowans ?are compassionate, caring people and we don?t characterize people with hateful, spiteful, degrading language.?

King said in a July interview that some Hispanics brought to the country illegally as children become high school valedictorians. But for each of those, he said, ?there?s another 100 out there who weigh 130 pounds, and they?ve got calves the size of cantaloupes because they?re hauling 75 pounds of marijuana across the desert.?

Durbin focused on the so-called DREAM Act, which would offer eventual citizenship to some immigrants brought illegally to the U.S. as children.

?If we can fix this immigration system, we can build the American economy and we can do the right thing,? Durbin told the Ames gathering. ?To suggest these are petty criminals or drug smugglers just doesn?t square with the reality of the DREAM Act.?

The forum featured potential DREAM Act beneficiaries.

Hector Salamanca, 20, came from Mexico as a child with his parents, who stayed in the United States after their tourist visas expired. His undocumented status made him ineligible to attend a state university or receive government-sponsored grants or loans, he told the audience of about 200.

Salamanca said he earned an associate degree at a community college and will attend Drake University. He said he tells Hispanic youths, ?Don?t let your undocumented status prevent you from achieving your goals.?

Some House Republicans have expressed interest in a version of the DREAM Act, although King calls it ?backdoor amnesty.?

The Obama administration and many activist groups have said they will not settle for the DREAM Act alone. They are pressing the GOP-controlled House to embrace something similar to the Senate bill.

Many House Republicans resist the idea. They point to GOP primary voters in their districts who oppose ?amnesty? for people here illegally, and who say a Democratic administration can?t be trusted to keep promises to tighten the border with Mexico.

Durbin noted that President Barack Obama won re-election with strong backing from Hispanic and Asian-American voters. Many Republican strategists say their party must improve its relationship with these groups, and backing broad immigration changes could help.

?If Republicans in the House don?t respond honestly and in a comprehensive way, this will continue to overshadow any other political issue among certain groups of Americans,? Durbin said.

Opponents of the Senate bill say they will use the August recess to stiffen House resistance. About 100 individuals and groups, led by the Tea Party Patriots, sent a letter this week to all House members expressing opposition to any legislation ?that bears any resemblance to ... the Senate amnesty bill.?

Meanwhile the pro-immigration-reform group America?s Voice said its activists ?are on the move with hundreds of grassroots events planned from coast to coast? this summer.

Demonstrators, who support legalization for millions now here illegally, blocked a major street outside the U.S. Capitol on Thursday, and some were arrested.

Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., said such protesters do their cause more harm than good.

?People just see it as a campaign,? Nunes said in an interview Friday. ?People get their feet set in cement when they see campaigns going on.?

King, meanwhile, said he was mourning the death of a Vietnam War hero on Friday rather than responding to Durbin?s and Harkin?s visit to his district.

???
Babington reported from Washington. Associated Press writer Erica Werner in Washington contributed to this report.

Source: http://www.dailytribune.com/article/20130802/NEWS04/130809913/dems-hit-gop-on-immigration-in-top-critic-s-home

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Saturday, August 3, 2013

John McCain is worried about the GOP

The Fine Print

Sen. John McCain has a strong warning for Republicans: Falter on immigration reform and the party will lose in 2016.

?If we fail on immigration reform, it won't matter who our nominee is because of the polarization of the Hispanic vote,? McCain, R-Ariz., tells ?The Fine Print.? ?Now that's not why I'm for immigration reform but it certainly is one of the consequences of a failure.?

McCain, who has simultaneously emerged as a friend to the White House and a critic of some of the new GOP firebrands on Capitol Hill, says he?s hopeful that the August congressional recess will bring lawmakers back to Washington ?with at least a willingness to move forward? on a course to overhaul the nation's immigration system.

?Members are back interacting with their constituents,? McCain says of the upcoming recess. ?And we see a coalition of Evangelicals, of the Catholic Church, of business, of labor, of small business, high tech, across the board, support the likes of which we, I've never seen for one specific part of legislation.?

As for Republican newcomers, such as Sens. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Rand Paul, R-Ky., who have been bucking establishment Republican positions on immigration and other issues, McCain advises that they read up on their history.

?The people who are pushing this Obamacare vs. government shutdown, none of them that I know were here the last time we saw that movie,? he says.

While freshman senators do bring a positive ?infusion? of new ideas, he says, it?s also important to maintain the Senate?s ?corporate memory.?

Asked about their 2016 presidential aspirations, McCain isn't very charitable, calling them only "viable."

On the topic of his partnership with Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York, a key Democratic leader, McCain laughed off the criticism voiced by some Republicans, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.

?Sen. Schumer is a person who is as good as his word,? McCain says. ?His word is good, and he reminds me, in a way, of the work that I used to do with Ted Kennedy.?

McCain says his bipartisan partnership with Schumer remains strong and has been solidified through months of negotiations on tough issues like immigration reform, potential filibusters and the fiscal cliff.

To hear more of the interview with McCain, including what he hopes to accomplish when he travels to Egypt next week at the request of the White House, check out this episode of ?The Fine Print.?

ABC's Robin Gradison, Betsy Klein, Michael Conte, Brian Haefeli, and Vicki Vennell contributed to this episode.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/power-players-abc-news/straight-talk-express-back-mccain-fears-future-gop-094426030.html

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Hundreds of gallons of oil spilled in Marshall County http://bit.ly/1bQy1vb

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Source: http://www.facebook.com/channel12/posts/10151756283959814

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Seattle city gov't bans the words "citizen" and "brown bag," for ...

Oh, they?re not obvious to you? That figures, teabagger?

Fox News (booooooo!) reports:

Government workers in the city of Seattle have been advised that the terms ?citizen? and ?brown bag? are potentially offensive and may no longer be used in official documents and discussions?

?Luckily, we?ve got options,? Elliott Bronstein of the Office for Civil Rights wrote in the memo obtained by the station. ?For ?citizens,? how about ?residents???

In an interview with Seattle?s KIRO Radio, Bronstein said the term ?brown bag? has been used historically as a way to judge skin color.

?For a lot of particularly African-American community members, the phrase brown bag does bring up associations with the past when a brown bag was actually used, I understand, to determine if people?s skin color was light enough to allow admission to an event or to come into a party that was being held in a private home,? Bronstein said.

Incidentally, a brown bag can also be used to hold food that will be eaten later in the day. But this is no longer to be mentioned by employees of Seattle city government.

I was unfamiliar with this ?brown bag? practice, being a white person and therefore a racist. But if we?re to trust Wikipedia (and why shouldn?t we?), this is an actual thing that happens in real life:

Brown paper bag test

The phrase ?brown paper bag test? has traditionally been used by African Americans throughout the twentieth and twenty-first century with reference to a ritual once practiced by certain African-American sororities and fraternities who would not let anyone into the group whose skin tone was darker than a paper bag. Also known as a paper bag party, these lighter-skinned social circles reflected an idea of exclusion and exclusiveness. The notion of the ?paper bag? has carried a complex and obscure meaning in black communities for many decades. The reason for the usage of the ?paper bag? is because the color of the paper bag is considered to be the ?center? marker of blackness that distinguishes ?light skin? from ?dark skin? on a continuum stretching infinitely from black to white. Also, the brown paper bag is believed to act as a benchmark for certain levels of acceptance and inclusion. Spike Lee?s film School Daze satirized this practice at historically black colleges and universities. Along with the ?paper bag test,? guidelines for acceptance among the lighter ranks included the ?comb test? and ?pencil test,? which tested the coarseness of one?s hair, and the ?flashlight test,? which tested a person?s profile to make sure their features measured up or were close enough to those of the Caucasian race.

So, some black people are racist against other black people, therefore nobody gets to use the phrase ?brown bag.? That makes perfect sense.

Are they going to ban ?comb,? ?pencil,? and ?flashlight? next? I?d suggest ?hair modification device,? ?non-ink-based writing implement,? and ?portable illumination thingie.? Still, even those terms might injure the feelings of people who happen to be bald, blind, and/or handless. It?s so easy to forget how much words can hurt.

Come to think of it, shouldn?t all references to all colors be banned? Aren?t they all really the same, deep down? Better safe than sorry.

BTW, the word ?citizen? is to be avoided because not all Seattle residents are citizens. You may scoff, but I know how pissed off I?d be if I lived in a country where I wasn?t a citizen and somebody called me a citizen anyway. That?s offensive!!!

I understand now, Kurt Cobain.

Source: http://dailycaller.com/2013/08/02/seattle-city-govt-bans-the-words-citizen-and-brown-bag-for-obvious-reasons/

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CBS Blocks Time Warner Cable Subscribers From Watching Full Episodes On CBS.com

A dispute between CBS and Time Warner Cable over retransmission fees for its broadcast content has spilled over onto the web, with a blackout of television programming also being extended to CBS' online properties. In the wake of Time Warner Cable dropping the CBS and Showtime signals in most of its markets, the broadcaster has decided to block access to full-episode viewing on CBS.com.

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

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Friday, August 2, 2013

Video: GOP group demanding action on Benghazi probe

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Source: http://feeds.cbsnews.com/~r/cbsnews/feed/~3/FMbcYSnM5FQ/

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Monday MLB drug deal deadline as playoffs loom

NEW YORK (AP) ? Looming playoffs could force an end to negotiations in baseball's latest drug scandal as pressure builds to impose penalties so stars can still make the postseason.

Monday appears to be the deadline for Alex Rodriguez and 13 others to accept suspensions for their ties to the Biogenesis of America anti-aging clinic. While A-Rod is expected to get a lengthy ban, a penalty starting that day would allow Texas All-Star outfielder Nelson Cruz to return for October.

Major League Baseball is prepared to issue two simultaneous announcements no later than Monday, a person familiar with the process told The Associated Press on Thursday. One would list players who accept suspensions; the other would name those disciplined without deals, but who could challenge penalties before an arbitrator.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because no statements were authorized.

Most players face 50-game suspensions for their links to the now-closed Florida clinic, which has been accused of distributing banned performance-enhancing drugs.

But baseball is threatening to kick Rodriguez out for life unless the three-time AL MVP agrees to a long ban, perhaps around 200 games.

Rodriguez appeared ready to talk Thursday as he was leaving the team's minor league complex in Tampa, Fla., waving a group of writers to his car in the parking lot and rolling down the window. However, when he saw a second group with TV cameras approaching, he said: "I'll talk to you guys, but no cameras."

Rodriguez closed the window and waited a moment, then left without saying another word.

Baseball's highest-paid player with a $28 million salary, Rodriguez played in a simulated game and saw 31 pitches over six at-bats, played third and ran bases.

The Yankees expect A-Rod to be accused of recruiting other athletes for the clinic, attempting to obstruct MLB's investigation, and not being truthful with MLB in the past. Baseball has considered suspending him for violations of its labor contract and drug agreement, which would cause him to start serving his penalty before the case would go to arbitration.

Sidelined following hip surgery in January and then a strained quadriceps, the 38-year-old third baseman hopes to return to the Yankees in a few days. He is to play Friday and Saturday at Double-A Trenton, putting himself in position to rejoin New York for Monday's series opener at the Chicago White Sox if he's not banned.

Barring a rainout this weekend, Cruz's Rangers would have exactly 50 games remaining before they play at the Los Angeles Angels on Monday night. If he files a grievance, as a first offender, the penalty would be delayed until after a decision by arbitrator Fredric Horowitz. But the lengthy legal process likely would risk his eligibility for the playoffs and the start of next season.

Cruz said Thursday he hadn't made any decision about a possible appeal. Asked whether he was told specifically what penalty could be forthcoming, Cruz responded, "No, I cannot tell you. Sorry."

Detroit shortstop Jhonny Peralta is the other targeted All-Star on a pennant contender, and the Tigers would have 53 games left before playing at Cleveland on Monday.

Another All-Star shortstop, San Diego's Everth Cabrera, could serve all of a 50-game suspension this year if he begins with the Padres' game against Baltimore on Tuesday.

Others facing discipline include injured Yankees catcher Francisco Cervelli and Seattle catcher Jesus Montero, who is in the minor leagues with Triple-A Tacoma.

The Miami Herald reported Thursday that the U.S. Attorney's Office in Miami had opened a criminal investigation into whether Biogenesis founder Anthony Bosch illegally sold controlled substances to high school students. That probe has the potential to complicate baseball's disciplinary cases if Bosch's lawyers advise him not to participate in MLB grievance hearings, where the commissioner's office presumably would call him to testify and authenticate documents.

___

AP Sports Writer Stephen Hawkins and AP freelance writer Mark Didtler contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/monday-mlb-drug-deal-deadline-playoffs-loom-234749693.html

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Thursday, August 1, 2013

iPad Mini 2 To Have Retina Display And Multiple Color Choices?

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Source: http://www.facebook.com/AppleNApps/posts/573858146005665

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New analysis sheds light on the links between chemicals in our body and income

[unable to retrieve full-text content]A new study has found that the build-up of harmful chemicals in the body is affecting people of all social standings -- not just those from economically deprived backgrounds as previously thought.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/AnWizovxaqg/130801095946.htm

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Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Don Garber's Twitter Q&A a nice gesture, but light on substance

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Source: http://www.philly.com/r?19=961&43=1554021&44=217453651&32=3796&7=195227&40=http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/sbnation/SBNation_20130729_Don_Garber_s_Twitter_Q_A_a_nice_gesture__but_light_on_substance.html

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Experts: Unlikely US helped NZ spy on reporter

WASHINGTON (AP) ? A U.S. official said Monday that the National Security Agency did not monitor phone conversations between a New Zealand journalist and his Afghan sources, following claims by the journalist that his reporting was monitored by the U.S. intelligence programs revealed by NSA leaker Edward Snowden on behalf of New Zealand's military.

Officials in the intelligence community and experts said if any surveillance was done, it was more likely that his phone calls were caught up by standard military intelligence monitoring of enemy communications in war zones.

The Obama administration brushed off new allegations of NSA surveillance overreach, this time focusing on freelance reporter Jon Stephenson, who was in Kabul, Afghanistan, working for American news service McClatchy and other media outlets when his phone records were reportedly seized.

It was the latest revelation in the ongoing debate over government snooping since Snowden in June revealed two top secret U.S. programs that monitor millions of Americans' telephone and Internet communications each day.

In a short statement to The Associated Press, the U.S. government official said NSA did not target Stephenson or collect his phone records. A U.S. intelligence official suggested that any surveillance could have been run by the Defense Intelligence Agency, which oversees war zone intelligence missions. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the secret program. The DIA did not comment.

On Sunday, the Star-Times newspaper of New Zealand reported that the New Zealand military conspired with U.S. spy agencies to monitor Stephenson's communications with sources in Afghanistan. New Zealand officials denied the new allegations.

But experts and former intelligence officials said if Stephenson's phone records were collected, they would have been gathered in a military intelligence sweep that is shared among allies ? and has for years monitored most communications in war zones, where there is little expectation of privacy.

New Zealand withdrew its small contingent of roughly 150 troops from Afghanistan earlier this year. But the country's Government Communications Security Bureau, which is New Zealand's NSA equivalent, would have been included in an allied intelligence gathering and reporting system in Afghanistan, said Canadian intelligence expert Wesley Wark.

Wark said the New Zealand security bureau also would have been able to access a secret system once code-named "Stoneghost," which allows it to share and draw from intelligence reports compiled from four other counties ? the U.S., U.K., Canada, and Australia. Stoneghost was one portal through which the so-called Five Eyes allies, the U.S., U.K, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, shared data.

"It is entirely possible that New Zealand intelligence ran its own surveillance operation against Stephenson on the basis of access to a common allied intelligence pool in Afghanistan without necessarily requiring any direct U.S. input or involvement," said Wark, a national security professor at University of Ottawa.

He added: "It would not have been beyond the means of a small New Zealand contingent to do this on their own."

New Zealand Prime Minister John Key said Monday it's possible that reporters could get caught in surveillance nets when the U.S. spies on enemy combatants. But generally, those nations do not spy on each other's citizens and residents.

The NSA would not spy on citizens of another ally in that group, especially if it were to circumvent that ally's own espionage laws, said former Michigan congressman and House intelligence committee chairman Pete Hoekstra.

What's picked up in war zones is considered fair game, however, and such surveillance has been a priority in Afghanistan as American troops prepare to withdraw in 2014. NATO and U.S. officials depend on the intelligence systems to detect and disrupt al-Qaida and the Taliban plots against the Afghan government and foreign forces.

American troops who specialize in intelligence gathering routinely tap directly into local cellphone company servers, or conduct technical surveillance though a number of electronic listening devices that are placed on jets, drones, ships and satellites, according to a current U.S. military official and a former one. Both spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the classified surveillance program.

Each branch of the U.S. military has its own signals intelligence unit, including Task Force Odin, an Army aviation battalion created in Iraq to spot bomb makers, planters and plotters. The Odin unit's skills and some of its personnel were moved to Afghanistan ? but likely under a new name ? after it helped military counterterrorism units to track al-Qaida and other extremists.

In Iraq, where the war zone monitoring was first perfected, the cellphone metadata and an unknown number of phone calls were recorded and stored, said the former U.S. military official. When a terrorist suspect was captured or killed, their cellphones and other possessions were examined. Any phone numbers that could be retrieved were run through a U.S. telephone database, and relevant records and phone conversations retrieved.

U.S. troops and contractors also are told their own satellite and internet communications likely will be intercepted by their own nation's counterintelligence personnel, and checked for possible breaches of secrecy like the release of classified information, the officials said.

While the U.S. could legally monitor a foreign national civilian in a war zone, it would be unlikely. Wark said that it's possible that Washington nonetheless could have targeted Stephenson, given the breadth of U.S. information-gathering abilities. But he called that "rare," saying the U.S. generally would have needed to have a direct national interest in Stephenson to devote assets against him.

But if Stephenson was calling Afghans who are suspected of ties to militants, and who in turn were being monitored by U.S. or NATO spy services, that conversation could be recorded, transcribed and distributed. Usually, names of people who are not suspected of wrongdoing are deleted, according to one former administration official, and one former intelligence official.

The same practice applies to U.S. journalists, if they are talking to foreigners being monitored by the NSA in the U.S., the officials said.

___

Associated Press writer Philip Elliott contributed to this report.

Follow Kimberly Dozier on Twitter: http://twitter.com/kimberlydozier and Lara Jakes at: http://twitter.com/larajakesAP.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/experts-unlikely-us-helped-nz-spy-reporter-200258949.html

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Steel pipe price row: US opens probe against India, 8 other countries

"Domestic steel pipe producers are being crippled by an onslaught of foreign competitors illegally dumping imports in the United States," Senator Sherrod Brown said, days after the Commerce Department launched a probe against South Korea, India, Vietnam, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey and Ukraine of unfair and illegal trade practices.

Brown and Senator Rob Portman on Monday called on the US International Trade Commission (ITC) to protect domestic producers of Oil Country Tubular Goods (OCTG) from foreign competitors that use unfair and illegal trade practices.

"The International Trade Commission must commit to Ohio's workers and businesses and crack down on countries that sell their products at unfair prices. As our trade deficit widens, leveling the playing field is the only way to protect local jobs, and in the future, create them," Browne said after sending the joint letter to US ITC.

Noting that Ohio-based companies that produce Oil Country Tubular Goods (OCTG) support many good-paying jobs in the state, Portman said if the ITC does not stand up for these goods manufactured in US and punish the foreign companies who are flooding US markets with unfairly imported cheap products, businesses and thousands of American workers will be at risk.

"American manufactured goods must be allowed to compete with their global competitors on a level playing field," Portman said. OCTG are used for domestic oil exploration, particularly in the shale industry, and are produced in Ohio by companies including US Steel in Lorain, Wheatland Tube Company in Warren, Vallourec Star in Youngstown and TMK IPSCO in Brookfield.

Each is among the plaintiffs accusing South Korea, India, Vietnam, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey and Ukraine of unfair and illegal trade practices. The two Senators said OCTG imports from these countries have increased from 840,000 net tons in 2010 to more than 1,770,000 net tons in 2012, with the number continuing to rise.

Despite historically high level of demand for steel pipe, its domestic industry in United States has deteriorated due to imports, which data shows, have consistently and substantially undersold the market.

This has resulted in petitions that allege dumping margins of at least 30 percent, and in most cases, significantly more, the lawmakers said.

(Agencies)

Latest News? from Business News Desk

Source: http://post.jagran.com/steel-pipe-price-row-us-opens-probe-against-india-8-other-countries-1375171023

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Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Video: Loeb's Third Point steps up Sony criticism

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Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/video/cnbc/52614247/

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More Jobs for Japan, But What About More Pay?

By Eleanor Warnock

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe?s pro-growth administration has earned itself another gold star: the lowest unemployment rate in nearly five years.

Yet economists say the real measure of Mr. Abe?s success will depend more on whether an improvement in the jobs market will translate into higher wages and the greater spending needed to help put the world?s third-largest economy on the path towards long-term expansion.

The unemployed made up just 3.9% of the Japan?s work force in June after seasonal adjustment. That is the lowest level since October 2008, before the global financial crisis hit Japan?s economy, a government official briefing reporters said.

Economists say wages could rise if the number of those without a job keeps falling because companies will have to pay more to attract a shrinking pool of job-seekers. That would in turn put more money in consumer?s wallets, and support spending that could power growth. As household consumption makes up nearly 60% of total annual output, it is a major driver of economic growth.

But they say the jobless figure will have to fall to between 3.0% and 3.5% for that to happen, a feat easier said than done. The last time Japan?s unemployment rate touched 3.5% was in 1997.

Hidenobu Tokuda, an economist at Mizuho Research Institute, said non-manufacturing firms are likely already scrounging for workers, but that there are still too many workers looking for too few jobs in Japan?s traditional engine of growth, the manufacturing sector, where production is still recovering.

?It?s hard to envision a quick recovery,? he said.

Taro Saito, an economist at NLI Research Institute, said a sales tax hike due in 2014 could also delay a recovery in the jobs market and an improvement in base pay.

?The sales tax hike will make the unemployment rate tick up temporarily as companies scale back due to a drop in demand,? he said. ?Wages will likely rise due to higher overtime pay and bonuses, but those are only a small part of overall compensation, and it could take years for overall wages to improve? thanks to a stronger labor market.

Source: http://blogs.wsj.com/japanrealtime/2013/07/30/more-jobs-for-japan-but-what-about-more-pay/?mod=WSJBlog

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Monday, July 29, 2013

At least 51 reported killed in Iraq car bombings- Are US military's gains in Iraq being lost?

BAGHDAD ? ?A wave of over a dozen car bombings hit central and southern Iraq during morning rush hour on Monday, officials said, killing at least 51 people in the latest coordinated attack by insurgents determined to undermine the government.

The blasts, which wounded scores more, are part of a months-long surge of attacks that is reviving fears of a return to the widespread sectarian bloodshed that pushed the country to the brink of civil war after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion. Suicide attacks, car bombings and other violence have killed more than 3,000 people since April, including more than 500 since the start of July, according to an Associated Press count.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for Monday's attacks, but they bore the hallmarks of al-Qaida's Iraqi arm. The group, known as the Islamic State of Iraq, frequently sets off such coordinated blasts in an effort to break Iraqis' confidence in the Shiite-led government.

Eight police officers said a total of 12 parked car bombs hit markets and parking lots in predominantly Shiite neighborhoods of Baghdad within one hour. They say the deadliest was in the eastern Shiite neighborhood of Sadr City, where two separate explosions killed nine civilians and wounded 33 others.

Ambulances rushed to the scene where rescuers and police were removing the charred and twisted remains of the car bombs from the bloodstained pavement. The force of the two explosions lightly damaged nearby houses and shops.

Taxi driver Ali Khalil was passing nearby when the first bomb exploded.

"I heard a thunderous explosion that shook my car and broke the rear window," the 36-year old Khalil said. "I immediately pulled over and didn't know what to do while seeing people running or lying on the ground," he added.

He brought two of the wounded to a nearby hospital before heading back to his home to stay indoors the rest the day. Like many Iraqis, he blamed political infighting and incapable security forces for the deteriorated security situation.

Two other separate car bombs went off in the northern Hurriyah neighborhood, killing nine bystanders and wounding 29 others. In the busy northern Kazimiyah neighborhood, another parked car bomb killed four civilians and wounded 12.

In the southwestern neighborhood of Bayaa, four civilians were killed and 15 wounded in another car bomb explosion. In western Baghdad in the neighborhood of Shurta, two other people were killed and 14 wounded.

In the southern Abu Disheer area, four civilians were killed and 17 wounded. Another car bomb struck in the northwestern Tobchi district, killing three and wounding ten others.

Five more people were killed and 44 others wounded in the southwestern Risala neighborhood, the northern Shaab neighborhood and in the town of Mahmoudiya, about 20 miles south of Baghdad.

The wave of bombings also extended to Iraq's majority-Shiite south.

Back-to-back explosions by two parked car bombs in an outdoor market and near a gathering of construction workers killed seven civilians and wounded 35 others in the city of Kut, 100 miles southeast of Baghdad.

And in the oil-rich city of Basra in southern Iraq, four other people were killed and five wounded when a parked car bomb ripped through a market. Basra is 340 miles southeast of Baghdad.

Nine health officials confirmed the casualty figures. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to release information.

Few hours after the explosions, acting U.N. envoy to Iraq Gyorgy Busztin expressed concern over "the heightened level of violence which carries the danger that the country falls back into sectarian strife."

"Iraq is bleeding from random violence, which sadly reached record heights during the Holy month of Ramadan," added Busztin, referring to the dawn-to-dusk fasting Islamic holy month. He called for immediate and decisive action to stop the "senseless bloodshed."

The violence surged after an April crackdown by security forces on a Sunni protest camp in the northern town of Hawija that killed 44 civilians and a member of the security forces, according to United Nations estimates. The bloodshed is linked to rising sectarian divisions between Iraq's Sunni and Shiite as well as friction between Arabs and Kurds, dampening hopes for a return to normalcy nearly two years after U.S. forces withdrew from the country.

Source: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/07/29/at-least-23-dead-in-iraq-car-bombings/

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Video: Steroid suspensions coming in baseball

Open: This is Face the Nation, July 28

The latest from Egypt with Clarissa Ward, insight from Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., and Sen. Mark Udall, D-Colo., plus political analysis from David Gergen, Michael Gerson, and Dee Dee Myers. Finally, a midsummer look at baseball and possible suspensions with Bob Nightengale and Bill Rhoden.

Source: http://feeds.cbsnews.com/~r/CBSNewsVideo/~3/XuiK-vkfdNw/

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Congresswoman Delivers 'Miracle' Child Born Without Functioning Kidneys

A member of Congress gave birth to the first-known child survivor of a rare fetal condition, known as Potter's Syndrome.

Rep. Jamie Herrera Beutler, R-Wash., delivered her daughter, Abigail, prematurely on July 15, her office announced Monday. Because of weeks of experimental treatment from doctors at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, the child was able to survive the normally fatal condition.

Potter's Syndrome is associated with a lack of amniotic fluid in the womb, which prevents the development of lungs, thereby hampering the development of other parts of the child. Because of this, many fetuses with this condition have clubbed feet and undeveloped lungs. To make up for the lack of amniotic fluid, doctors injected saline solution into the womb once a week for five weeks.

"There was no way to know if this treatment would be effective or to track lung development, but with hearts full of hope, we put our trust in the Lord and continued to pray for a miracle," Herrera Beutler, 34, said in a statement.

And it looks as if this worked. Over a period of weeks, Herrera Beutler was able to see the fetus develop properly.

However, the child was still born with no working kidneys, and weighing just 2 pounds, 12 ounces. Although she breathes on her own, she must receive dialysis treatments until she can get a kidney transplant. She is currently at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford University undergoing treatment.

"Although Abigail will need ongoing care after she comes home, we have every expectation?that she will lead a full and healthy life," Herrera Beutler said.

Herrera Beutler announced in June that her child was suffering from the syndrome.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/congresswoman-delivers-miracle-child-born-without-functioning-kidneys-145712344.html

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Gateway to Baseball Heaven - Jul 29,2013

On his show, Comedian Rodney Perry covers arts and entertainment, everything from comedy and politics to music and acting, with his signature comedic slant.

MashUp Radio is a 30-minute podcast that discusses the fusion of technology, life, culture and science. Host Peter Biddle, engineer and executive for Intel?s Atom Software, dishes up a thought-provoking discussion.

Joy Keys provides her listeners with insight to improve their lives mentally, physically, monetarily and emotionally. Past guests on the show have included Meshell Nedegeocello, Blair Underwood, in addition to an impressive list of CEOs, humanitarians and authors.

Host Barry Moltz gets small businesses unstuck. He has founded and run small businesses with a great deal of success and failure for more than 15 years. This is a business radio show where he shares all the craziness of small business. It?s that craziness that actually makes it exciting, interesting and totally unpredictable.

The Bottom Line Sports Show is hosted by former NBA stars Penny Hardaway, Charles Oakley, Mateen Cleaves. Tune in to get the inside scoop on what's happening in sports today.

Hits Radio covers basketball, sports culture and entertainment with past guests including Jason Kidd, Robin Lundberg and Chris Herren.

Listeners get an earful on The Halli Casser-Jayne Show, Talk Radio for Fine Minds. Whether it?s the current political cocktail or the latest must-read award-winning book, Halli tackles all topics and likes to stir ? and sometimes shakes ? things up.

Official Internet radio show of forthcoming epic paranormal investigation book by Eric Olsen and "Haunted Housewife" Theresa Argie.

Award-winning World Footprints is a leading voice in socially responsible travel and lifestyle. Hosts Ian & Tonya celebrate culture and heritage and bring a unique voice to the world of travel.

Football Reporters Online is a group of veteran football experts in the fields of coaching, scouting, talent evaluation, and writing/broadcasting/media placement. Combined, the group brings well over 100 years of expertise in sports.

Host John Martin interviews the nation's leading entrepreneurs and small biz experts to educate small business owners on how to be successful. Past guests have included Emeril Lagasse and Guy Kawasaki.

The Movie Geeks share their passion for the art through interviews with the stars of and creative minds behind your favorite flicks and pay tribute to big-screen legends. From James Cameron and Francis Ford Coppola to Ellen Burstyn and Robert Duvall, The Geeks have got'em all.

Sylvia Global presents global conversations pertaining to women, wealth, business, faith and philanthropy. Sylvia has interviewed an eclectic mix from CEOs and musicians to fashion designers and philanthropists including Randolph Duke and Ne-Yo.

Mr. Media host Bob Andelman goes one-on-one with the hottest, most influential minds from the worlds of film, TV, music, comedy, journalism and literature. That means A-listers like Kirk Douglas, Christian Slater, Kathy Ireland, Rick Fox, Chris Hansen and Jackie Collins.

Paula Begoun, best-selling author of Don't Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me, separates fact from fiction on achieving a radiant, youthful complexion at any age. She?s regularly joined by health and beauty experts who offer the latest on keeping your skin in tip-top shape.

Source: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/seamheads/2013/07/29/gateway-to-baseball-heaven

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