Justin Trudeau's pot legalization stance lights up Twitter

Kady O'Malley?has been covering the Hill for more than a decade (yes, really) for a variety of publications. An Ottawa girl (not quite born, but raised), she has a passion for politics that borders on the unhealthy, and has liveblogged her way through hundreds of committee meetings, press conferences, judicial inquiries, budget launches, cabinet shuffles, and even the odd constitutional crisis. Oh, and yes, her Boston Terrier really is named "BlackBerry." For up-to-the-minute bulletins, follow Kady on twitter!

Source: http://www.cbc.ca/newsblogs/politics/inside-politics-blog/2013/07/storifyd-trudeaus-pro-pot-legalization-comments-light-up-twitterverse.html?cmp=rss

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South Sudan president 'suspends cabinet'

South Sudanese President Salva Kiir has suspended his entire cabinet and vice president, an MP says. Source: AAP

SOUTH Sudanese President Salva Kiir has suspended his entire cabinet and vice president, the former information minister says.

"President Kiir wants to make a major reshuffle, so from the vice president downwards, all national ministers and deputy ministers have been removed," said Barnaba Marial Benjamin, who until his suspension on Tuesday was the information minister and government spokesman.

Those removed include the vice president, Riek Machar, as well as Pagan Amum, the secretary-general of the ruling party, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM).

Many of the ministers were key figures in the rebel SPLM or its armed wing that fought a brutal 1983-2005 war against the government in Khartoum, which led to a 2011 referendum in which South Sudan voted overwhelmingly to split from the north.

Security forces had deployed on the streets of the capital - a common sight in the city - but all seemed calm.

No replacements have been announced, and it was not immediately clear whether all suspended would be returned, or if new blood would be brought in to replace them.

Residents in Juba said there was concern at the suspensions, which follows earlier orders by Kiir in April to clip the powers of Machar.

"People are staying at home, and if people are out in town they are rushing back just in case there is trouble," said Richard Jok, a student.

Oil-rich but war-ravaged South Sudan, which gained formal independence from Sudan on July 9, 2011, is one of the poorest countries on earth.

It was left in ruins after five decades of conflict between southern rebels and successive governments in Sudan, with South Sudan now struggling with some of the worst development indicators of any nation.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/newscomaubreakingndm/~3/K8rAeR2lZsQ/story01.htm

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Texas GOP Passes Abortion Bill Dems Vow Fight

Corpus Christi Caller-Times - Saturday 13th July, 2013

The Corpus Christi Municipal Band performs in concert at 8:30 p.m. July 14 at Heritage Park, 1581 N. Chaparral St. The concert is free and open to the public. Now celebrating their 62nd concert season, the Corpus Christi Municipal Band will perform light classics, Broadway standards and music from the movies. Master of Ceremonies David Irving, Del Mar College Jazz Band director, and Conductor ...

Texas Republicans pass abortion bill Democrats vow to challenge

The Globe and Mail - Saturday 13th July, 2013

State Senators, from left, Sylvia R. Garcia, D-Houston, Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth, Royce West, D-Dallas, Kirk Watson, D-Austin, and John Whitmire, D-Houston, greet abortion rights advocates to show they voted against HB2, which the Senate approved late Friday night, July 12, 2013. Republicans in the Texas Legislature passed an omnibus abortion bill that is one of the most restrictive in the ...

Judge to mull if airlines owe WTC owners over 911

San Diego Union-Tribune - Saturday 13th July, 2013

FILE- In this Sept. 11, 2001 file photo, American Airlines Flight 175 closes in on World Trade Center Tower 2 in New York, just before impact. On Monday, July 15, 2013, a lawsuit commences in New York City that will decide whether the owners of the World Trade Center can try to make several airlines and other aviation defendants pay billions of dollars in damages for their liability in the ...

LGBT group finds acceptance at evangelical college

The Miami Herald - Saturday 13th July, 2013

When people get more education, they become more productive and help strengthen the entire U.S. economy. So it is discouraging to see that students from wealthy families are increasingly more likely to graduate from college than are those from poor families. This perpetuates inequality from one generation to the next and limits the economic benefits that could come if a wider swath of the ...

Texas Legislature Passes Bill Banning Abortion After 20 Weeks

CNS News - Saturday 13th July, 2013

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- Republicans in the Texas Legislature have passed an omnibus abortion bill that is one of the most restrictive in the ...

Texas Senate Republicans Approve Strict New Limits on Abortions

Slatest - Saturday 13th July, 2013

MySlate is a new tool that lets you track your favorite parts of Slate. You can follow authors and sections, track comment threads you're interested in, and ...

2nd guilty plea in mail fraud at Lubbock hospital

Associated Press - Saturday 13th July, 2013

LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) -- A San Antonio man has pleaded guilty to a mail fraud charge in connection with a scheme that cost University Medical Center in Lubbock almost ...

Texas thinks of women as second-class citizens ? if it thinks were citizens at all

The Guardian - Saturday 13th July, 2013

Some Democrats see the abortion row played out in Austin's statehouse as a turning point for Texas liberals. But with the bill now passed by the senate, others warn that life will get even ...

Restrictive Texas abortion bill expected to be challenged in court

Middle East Times - Saturday 13th July, 2013

A hotly contested bill passed by the Texas Senate that contains some of the nation's most restrictive abortion rules will be challenged in court, opponents say. The bill was approved 19-11 along party lines Friday after a debate that drew thousands of supporters and opponents to the capitol, the Fort Worth (Texas) Star-Telegram reported Saturday. ...

State of Texas Now a Danger Zone For Women

Common Dreams - Saturday 13th July, 2013

The Texas Senate pushed through a severe anti-abortion bill Friday evening, bringing one of the country's most severe attacks on reproductive rights within inches of being signed into law.The bill advanced despite thousands of pro-choice advocates who filled the capitol Friday to oppose the bill. "Thousands upon thousands of people screamed their faces off for hours and hours filling ...

Metta World Peace nixes NBA for China Arena Football JUL 13

General Sources - Saturday 13th July, 2013

09:40 AM ET 07.13 | Metta World Peace says he wants to continue his playing career in China or try his hand at coaching, and if those don't work there is always Arena Football. The one thing World Peace claims he doesn't want to do is play in the NBA, which would end the idea of the player formerly known ...

Baron Davis I was abducted by aliens JUL 13

General Sources - Saturday 13th July, 2013

Baron Davis says he was "actually abducted by aliens." The basket-case baller told the hosts of "The Champs Podcast" that he crossed into his own personal twilight zone while driving "like two weeks ago. I was, um, on my way from Vegas here to L.A.," he said on the episode that aired Thursday. Davis described being transferred into a "steel thing" inside ...

Texas Senate passes controversial abortion bill

McClatchy - Saturday 13th July, 2013

AUSTIN, Texas - After more than eight hours of debate, the plan to enact some of the nation's most restrictive abortion regulations was approved 19-11 by the Texas Senate late Friday. This issue - which will restrict abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy and put in place regulations so strict that only a handful of abortion clinics, including one in Fort Worth, likely will remain - ...

Tampon Gate Texas Senate issues ban on feminine hygiene products

Global Post - Saturday 13th July, 2013

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals activist Jen Huls stands dressed as a tampon outside of Columbia University during a protest October 19, 2004 in New York. (Chris Hondros/AFP/Getty ...

Abortion Rights Activists Plan Challnge To Texas Measure

NPR - Saturday 13th July, 2013

Opponents -- dressed in blue -- and supporters -- wearing orange -- of abortion rights rally in the State Capitol rotunda Friday before the vote on a set of sweeping abortion ...

House GOP passes farm subsidies --- without food stamps

Washington Examiner - Saturday 13th July, 2013

farm bill that was arguably less conservative than the one they voted down in June. What happened? How did the GOP leadership whip rank-and-file members into line, including almost all conservative members? And why did leadership do it? Here's the story, as told by House GOP leadership aides, individual members, and the conservative activists who tried and failed to reform the farm bill: ...

Corpus Christi City Council moves forward with plan to scrap two replica Columbus ships to save third

Corpus Christi Caller-Times - Saturday 13th July, 2013

Rachel Denny Clow/Caller-Times Valerie Britton (left) and Gloria Britton check the replica Columbus ship of the Ni?a, which was docked in the Lawrence Street T-Head on Thursday. The City Council on Tuesday took the first vote needed to let the Columbus Sailing Association remove parts from the Pinta and Santa Maria for repairs to the Ni?a. Saving two of the three ships would ...

Texas abortion law passes despite protests

Channel News Asia - Saturday 13th July, 2013

The Texas senate late Friday approved a bill setting some of the strictest limits on abortion in the United States, just weeks after a filibuster by opposition Democrats dramatically thwarted the ...

Texas passes one of toughest anti-abortion laws in US

Guardian - Saturday 13th July, 2013

abortion bills, but opponents are set to challenge the legisation in federal court.More than a thousand pro-choice and anti-abortion demonstrators packed the state capitol in Austin late on Friday night as senators voted on legislation that has made Texas the focus of nationwide abortion-rights activism.The senate passed House Bill 2 by 19 votes to 11 just before midnight local time. Texas ...

UPDATE 2-Texas passes abortion restriction bill governor certain to sign

Reuters - Saturday 13th July, 2013

Sat Jul 13, 2013 3:56am EDT * Bill bans most abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy * Republican Governor Rick Perry certain to sign * Political battle stirred national debate, filibuster (Adds details on the bill, protests) By Corrie MacLaggan AUSTIN, Texas, July 13 (Reuters) - Texas' Republican-controlled Senate has voted to ban most abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy, ending a ...

KFC founders suit auctioned for over 20000 dollars in Texas

SINA - Saturday 13th July, 2013

The trademark white suit worn by KFC founder Harland Sanders was sold for 21,510 U.S. dollars at an auction in the U.S. State of Texas Saturday, local media reported. The suit was bought by the president and chief executive of KFC Japan Masao Watanabe, who was one of hundreds of in-person, telephone and online bidders vying for the item, local TV ABC13 reported. Watanabe said he had planned to ...

Texas at the forefront of national push on fetal pain legislation

Deseret News - Saturday 13th July, 2013

Hundreds wait in line to enter the Senate gallery at the Texas State Capitol in Austin, Texas, Friday, July 12, 2013. The Texas Senate leader, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, has scheduled a vote for Friday on the same restrictions on when, where and how women may obtain abortions in Texas that failed to become law after a Democratic filibuster and raucous protesters were able to run out the clock on ...

Source: http://www.austinnews.net/index.php/sid/215807903/scat/42acbe017a594c30

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Microsoft Confirms DirectX 11.2 is a Windows 8.1, Xbox One Exclusive

Microsoft Confirms DirectX 11.2 is a Windows 8.1, Xbox One Exclusive

Good news and bad news: The good news is that Microsoft has announced it will be releasing DirectX 11.2 in time for the release of the Xbox One and Windows 8.1. Now for the bad news: The release will only be for Xbox One and Windows 8.1. So much for retro support, huh?

It's a clever trick, and one that could help boost the quality of future PC games - but it's one that will require those who have yet to take the plunge to upgrade their operating systems. Leblond confirmed that Direct3D 11.2 will be the first version of the API to support tiled resources, and that it will be exclusive to Windows 8.1 on the PC as well as featuring in Microsoft's next-generation Xbox One console.

Comments

Posted by Al 1:53 PM (DST)??

Source: http://www.hardocp.com/news/2013/06/30/microsoft_confirms_directx_112_windows_81_xbox_one_exclusive/

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Light-Bot Teaches Computer Science With A Cute Little Robot And Some Symbol-Based Programming

Light Bot has been around for a few years - it began as a Flash game in 2008 - but this newer version has been rebuilt for iOS and Android and offers an easy way for kids to learn concepts like loops, if-then statements, and the like without typing or coding.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/A0LoyX42ebQ/

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Would anyone care if 'Mad Men's' Don died?

TV

Drusilla Moorhouse TODAY contributor

14 hours ago

AMC

Falling man from opening of AMC's "Mad Men."

We have a perfect ending for "Mad Men's" season finale: Don Draper jumping out the window.

Obviously there's no chance of that happening. He's the star of the show, and besides, two season-ending suicides in a row (RIP, Lane Pryce) would be awfully repetitive. (Like juggling two juice accounts. RIP, Ocean Spray.)

But nothing is more redundant than Don Draper himself. Other than his brief interlude as a faithful newlywed, you just can't teach this dog new tricks.

Even a year ago, the thought of losing Don would have been inconceivable -- even though the businessman's freefall in the opening title sequence seems to imply that is his ultimate fate. Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's a metaphor, we get it. But the wretched ad exec has become so dull, predictable and dislikable that we really wouldn't miss him if he took a shortcut down to Madison Ave.

Everyone with sense agrees that Jon Hamm is a nearly perfect human creature, but we'd much rather see him in another role -- like his hilarious bubble boy Drew on "30 Rock." And you know what? "Mad Men's" ensemble cast would be just fine without him -- especially Roger Sterling and Sally Draper, who could easily front their own spin-off series.

Here are all the reasons we're over Don Draper:

Serial cheating: He's not unique among his colleagues at Sterling Cooper & Partners, but at least infidelity isn't a full-time hobby for Roger, Pete, Ted (maybe) and the gang. And yes, we know it's a manifestation of Dick Whitman's childhood in a whorehouse, but the backstory doesn't make his adultery any less boring.

Alcoholism: Another snoozer story line. But would Don be more interesting if he were sober? Doubtful. Another Roger acid trip, on the other hand ...

The sads: He wept on Peggy's shoulder and curled up in a fetal position on his disgusted daughter's bed, but we have lost all sympathy for depressed Don. In fact, our reaction is the same as his: Wah, wah, wah.

Tyranny: Don really is a monster, as Peggy called him after he humiliated her and Ted in the season's penultimate episode. He's spiteful, insensitive and downright cruel. So is Pete Campbell -- but at least we love to hate the snarky stair-tumbler. Don we just hate.

Impostor: Once upon a time, Don's identify theft was a thrilling narrative. Now nearly everyone knows the truth, and no one seems to care. Sterling Cooper's creative director works about five minutes a day, is trashed or asleep the rest of the time, insults his clients and colleagues and betrays his family. So why haven't they publicly outed him? Not that we'd really care. Bob Benson's fraud is so much more fascinating now.

Grim Reaper: Don isn't directly to blame for all the show's deaths, but they sure do seem to follow him like Pig Pen's cloud of dirt. And speculation is rampant that Megan might be the next to go, thanks to a number of clues connecting her to Charles Manson victim Sharon Tate. (Megan's obsession with "Rosemary's Baby" -- directed by Tate's husband, Roman Polanski -- only added fuel to the fire.) Her murder would paradoxically breathe new life into "Mad Men" -- but not if it means we'll be subjected to a final season devoted to her widower's grief.

Are you ready for Don to take a flying leap (literally or figuratively)? What do you hope to see in the season finale? Click on "Talk about it" below and share your thoughts!

Source: http://www.today.com/entertainment/if-don-draper-died-mad-men-finale-would-anyone-care-6C10382406

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WOW! Women On Writing Blog: Friday Speak Out!: Getting Creative ...

Drivers along the northern stretch of Alabama?s busy I65 met with an eerie and unexpected sight during February of 2012 when a gaping sinkhole appeared before them in the blacktop.

It must have been terrifying.

In a peculiar way, the event reminded me of the potentially devastating effects of writer?s block. How many of us have been swept along by intoxicating whirlwinds of creativity and inspiration, only to be dropped suddenly and unceremoniously at the brink of our own black and cavernous ?sinkhole??

The big question is: how should we react when this happens? Human nature seems to say stare at the looming sinkhole. Think about it. Focus on it, to the exclusion of every good thing around you. And, yes, possibly even begin to spend time researching sinkholes. In other words ?Think SINK?. Until the gnawing blackness grows to an overwhelming, all-consuming size.

Or?take action.

For just a moment, imagine the result if those unlucky February drivers had chosen to simply sit in their vehicles and stare at their obstacle. Not too efficient.

Instead, traffic was detoured and people started thinking. Some enterprising folks chose different modes of transportation for a week or two, a few drivers sought new routes, and still others opted to make phone calls instead of personal visits. People got creative!

To ward off writer?s block, you too, have to be pro-active and creative. One step is by choosing to become proficient in different genres. Though you may prefer to pen Young Adult Fiction, your talent can only improve as you learn to write quality Flash Fiction or try your hand at Poetry or Romance. If you always compose while sitting at the computer, ?unplug? yourself now and then to write long-handed or speak into a voice-recorder. Join a critique group or consider co-writing a piece or story. Or why not consider getting a ?fresh start?, literally, by scribbling some notes while sitting beneath a tree under an expansive blue sky?

Shake things up! Keep the creative juices flowing by daring to challenge yourself and your brain. Do things differently and don?t be afraid to take detours!

* * *

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Would you like to participate in Friday "Speak Out!"? Email your short posts (under 500 words) about women and writing to: marcia[at]wow-womenonwriting[dot]com for consideration. We look forward to hearing from you!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Source: http://muffin.wow-womenonwriting.com/2013/06/friday-speak-out-getting-creative-with.html

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Pa. girl who fought for lung transplant now awake

PHILADELPHIA (AP) ? A spokeswoman for the family of a 10-year-old Pennsylvania girl who underwent a double-lung transplant after a national debate over the process of getting the organs says the girl has awakened from a coma and is communicating by nodding to questions.

Tracy Simon says Sarah Murnaghan was awake Friday and responding to simple questions by nodding to indicate yes or no. Two days earlier, she was moved from a heavy-duty breathing machine to a traditional ventilator.

Sarah, of Newtown Square, suffers from severe cystic fibrosis. She underwent a six-hour operation after a judge intervened and gave her a chance at the list of organs from adult donors, not just child donors.

Simon says Sarah's family is optimistic with the latest progress, but Sarah is frustrated because she can't talk yet.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/pa-girl-fought-lung-transplant-now-awake-122708877.html

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US government files criminal charges against Edward Snowden over PRISM leaks

The Washington Post reports tonight that, as expected, the US Government has filed criminal charges against Edward Snowden for leaking information about NSA surveillance programs to the Post and Guardian. The charges listed include Theft of Government Property, Unauthorized Communications on National Defense Information and "Willful Communication of Classified Information to an Unauthorized Person." The charges are filed in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, where the headquarters of Snowden's employer, Booz Allen Hamilton, are located. So what's next? According to the paper, the government has asked Hong Kong to detain Snowden on a provisional warrant, however if a fight over extradition or request for asylum could delay the process.

Filed under: Internet

Comments

Source: Washington Post, Official Complaint

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/06/21/us-government-files-criminal-charges-against-edward-snowden-over/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget

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Happy Birthday, Marion & Tabitha! See Their Cutest Pics

As the couple celebrates their twins' 4th birthday, look back at how the family has evolved throughout the years.

 

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/sarah-jessica-parker-and-matthew-brodericks-cutest-photos/1-b-536518?dst=iv%3AiVillage%3Asarah-jessica-parker-and-matthew-brodericks-cutest-photos-536518

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Senate immigration deal would double number of U.S. border agents (reuters)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories Stories, News Feeds and News via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/314206124?client_source=feed&format=rss

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MSSU board approves settlement agreement with fired president

JOPLIN, Mo. ? Bruce Speck, whose contract as president of Missouri Southern State University was terminated last week, will receive the equivalent of a year?s salary as well as housing and health insurance benefits through the end of the year.

Those terms were approved Wednesday by the Board of Governors.

According to the agreement, which also carried Speck?s signature, the university will pay Speck:

? All contract benefits through the end of this month.

? Twelve monthly installments, beginning in July, totaling $185,400, which is the amount of his annual salary.

? His health coverage through December. The agreement also requires the university to make available to Speck?s wife the same health coverage, at her expense, through December.

? A monthly housing allowance of $3,333.33 through December.

? $14,261.53, which represents 160 hours of accrued vacation pay.

The agreement requires Speck to return to the university its leased vehicle as well as other university property such as keys, computers, telephones or credit cards. It also includes a clause that stipulates that Speck may not sue the university.

The board voted unanimously last week to terminate Speck?s contract, which was effective through June 30, 2015. Sherry Buchanan, chairwoman of the board, disclosed the vote earlier this week and said in a statement that the termination was ?by mutual agreement? of the board and Speck.

Ron Mitchell, a Joplin attorney representing the board, said he thinks the agreement is ?amicable? to both parties.

?It was very important that we be fair, that we move forward in a positive fashion, that we not get bogged down with this to the detriment of the future,? Mitchell said after the board?s meeting at his office.

Mitchell said many of the terms of the agreement ? the paying of accrued vacation time and health insurance, for example ? are standard university policy regarding the departure of an employee. The payment of one year?s salary isn?t standard procedure for employees, he said.

?Given the fact that he had two years left on the contract, I think everybody thought that was fair,? he said.

Joy Dworkin, president of the faculty senate, said when contacted by the Globe on Wednesday night that she thinks the settlement is ?going beyond? what is listed in Speck?s contract.

According to his contract, the president would be paid his base salary and health coverage for six additional months in a situation wherein his contract was terminated ?by mutual consent? and initiated by the board. He would not be paid salary or benefits beyond his date of termination in the same situation if he initiated the termination, under the contract.

?I would say that I?m not shocked, but that does seem generous,? Dworkin said of the terms of the settlement. ?I suppose I could say I?m somewhat disappointed that this is an expensive settlement for Missouri Southern, but I feel quite confident that the faculty nevertheless is eager for us to move on to new leadership.?

Speck has been out of his office and unavailable for comment for about three weeks now.

Buchanan has repeatedly declined to comment on his absence. She also has declined to comment on why Speck?s contract was terminated, saying only that it is a personnel matter.

Mitchell said Speck?s last official day as president was Friday, the same day that the board voted to terminate his contract. He said he didn?t know when Speck?s last day on campus was, or why he had been gone.

In Speck?s absence, Mitchell said, the day-to-day operation of the university has fallen to the president?s council, which consists of the university?s four vice presidents and the director of athletics, as well as the leader of the Board of Governors.

What?s next?

AN INTERIM PRESIDENT has not yet been named by the board. The board is to meet at 4 p.m. today in Billingsly Student Center for its regular monthly meeting.

Source: http://www.joplinglobe.com/topstories/x479815988/MSSU-board-approves-settlement-agreement-with-fired-president

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Hepatitis A outbreak linked to Ore. berry farm (The Arizona Republic)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories Stories, RSS and RSS Feed via Feedzilla.

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Shug McGaughey, Orb Trainer, Wins Kentucky Derby His Way: COLUMN

Horses make their way around turn one during the 139th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs Saturday, May 4, 2013, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Joel Rosario reacts after riding Orb to victory in the 139th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs Saturday, May 4, 2013, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Joel Rosario rides Orb to a victory in the 139th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs Saturday, May 4, 2013, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Joel Rosario rides Orb reacts after winning the 139th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs Saturday, May 4, 2013, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Joel Rosario rides Orb to win the 139th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs Saturday, May 4, 2013, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Joel Rosario rides Orb to victory during the 139th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs Saturday, May 4, 2013, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Joel Rosario rides Orb to victory during the 139th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs Saturday, May 4, 2013, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Joel Rosario rides Orb to victory during the 139th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs Saturday, May 4, 2013, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Joel Rosario rides Orb to win the 139th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs Saturday, May 4, 2013, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Joel Rosario rides Orb during the 139th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs Saturday, May 4, 2013, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Joel Rosario rides Orb reacts after the 139th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs Saturday, May 4, 2013, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Joel Rosario rides Orb during the 139th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs Saturday, May 4, 2013, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Joel Rosario rides Orb during the 139th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs Saturday, May 4, 2013, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Grooms walk Derby horses Revolutionary (3) and Mylute (6) to the paddock area before the start of the 139th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs Saturday, May 4, 2013, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/J. David Ake)

Horses run around a muddy track during the ninth race before the 139th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs Saturday, May 4, 2013, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/J. David Ake)

Megan Grable, left, from St. Louis, Mo., and Cindy Brenner, of Louisville, Ky., wait under a plastic tarp for the next race during the 139th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs Saturday, May 4, 2013, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Jockey Joel Rosario walks off the track following the ninth race after riding Politicallycorrect before the 139th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs Saturday, May 4, 2013, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

A spectator, covered in plastic to protect herself from the rain, waits for a race during the 139th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs Saturday, May 4, 2013, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Spectators wait for a race in the rain before the 139th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs Saturday, May 4, 2013, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

A spectator slides on a rain soaked tarp before the 139th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs Saturday, May 4, 2013, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

A spectator slides on a rain soaked tarp before the 139th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs Saturday, May 4, 2013, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Spectators sit in the rain while waiting for the next race before the 139th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs Saturday, May 4, 2013, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Rain drops fall on the muddy race track at Churchill Downs before the 139th Kentucky Derby Saturday, May 4, 2013, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Spectators watch as horses make their way through the paddock area the 139th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs Saturday, May 4, 2013, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

An outrider makes his way down the muddy race track at Churchill Downs before the 139th Kentucky Derby Saturday, May 4, 2013, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

A spectator protects her fancy hat from the rain before the 139th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs Saturday, May 4, 2013, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Willy Weaver, from Albany, Ga., walks through the paddock area before the 139th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs Saturday, May 4, 2013, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

An outrider leaves tracks in the muddy race track before the 139th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs Saturday, May 4, 2013, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

A spectator protects her fancy hat from the rain before the 139th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs Saturday, May 4, 2013, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Outrider horses walk through the mud on the Churchill Downs track before the 139th Kentucky Derby Saturday, May 4, 2013, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Desirae Masterson, de Indian?polis, Indiana, con su sombrero cubierto por una bolsa de pl?stico para protegerlo de la lluvia, comparte un julepe de menta con su esposo Ray antes del 139vo Derby de Kentucky en Churchill Downs, el s?bado 4 de mayo de 2013, en Louisville, Kentucky. (Foto AP/David Goldman)

A spectator slides on a rain soaked tarp before the 139th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs Saturday, May 4, 2013, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Race goers take cover from rain under their jackets before the 139th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs Saturday, May 4, 2013, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Jennifer Tilly poses as she arrives to attend the 139th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs Saturday, May 4, 2013, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Race goers walk through water puddles before the 139th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs Saturday, May 4, 2013, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Rain drops cover a metal seat at Churchill Downs before the 139th Kentucky Derby at Saturday, May 4, 2013, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Race goers take cover from rain under their jackets before the 139th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs Saturday, May 4, 2013, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

From left, Donna Osborne, from Clemens, N.C., waits in the rain with Annie and Oz before the 139th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs Saturday, May 4, 2013, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

From left, Amanda Dugan, Bernadette Osborne and Tracy Clay watch the fourth race before the 139th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs Saturday, May 4, 2013, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

139th Kentucky Derby

LOUISVILLE, KY - MAY 04: Joel Rosario atop Orb stands in the winners circle after winning the 139th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on May 4, 2013 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)

139th Kentucky Derby

LOUISVILLE, KY - MAY 04: Joel Rosario atop Orb celebrates with the trophy after winning the 139th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on May 4, 2013 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)

139th Kentucky Derby

LOUISVILLE, KY - MAY 04: Joel Rosario atop Orb celebrates with the trophy after winning the 139th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on May 4, 2013 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)

139th Kentucky Derby

LOUISVILLE, KY - MAY 04: The field comes out of the gate to start the 139th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on May 4, 2013 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

139th Kentucky Derby

LOUISVILLE, KY - MAY 04: A rose sits in the mud during the 139th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on May 4, 2013 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)

"Ready For Love" actress Angela Zatopek arrives to attend the 139th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs Saturday, May 4, 2013, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Former NBA player Scottie Pippen arrives with his wife Larsa to attend the 139th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs Saturday, May 4, 2013, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Spectators walk through security checks before entering Churchill Downs during the 139th Kentucky Derby Saturday, May 4, 2013, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Spectators sit out in the rain while waiting for the next race before the 139th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs Saturday, May 4, 2013, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

James Cowherd, center, from Las Vegas, Nev., poses for photos with other spectators before the running of the 139th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs Saturday, May 4, 2013, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

James Cowheard, from Las Vegas, Nev., shows off his fancy shoes before the running of the 139th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs Saturday, May 4, 2013, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Tim Rask, from Iowa City, Iowa, shows off his fancy hat with Theresa Klingenberg before the running of the 139th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs Saturday, May 4, 2013, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/04/shug-mcgaughey-orb-trainer-kentucky-derby_n_3216870.html

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Budget cuts nix $51m in federal work study (The Arizona Republic)

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Analysis: Tax strategy may be key to Verizon Wireless deal

By Kevin Drawbaugh and Nanette Byrnes

(Reuters) - Verizon Communications Inc's chances of buying the 45-percent stake in Verizon Wireless owned by the UK's Vodafone Group Plc will hinge, at least in part, on the quality of tax advice it is getting.

Verizon, the No. 2 U.S. telecommunications company, may have found a way to structure a purchase of the stake so that Vodafone can avoid a multi-billion dollar U.S. capital gains tax bill, sources familiar with Verizon's plans said. The possibility of a huge tax bill has previously been regarded by analysts as a big hurdle to any such deal.

Reuters reported last Wednesday that Verizon was preparing a bid worth about $100 billion to take full control of Verizon Wireless - it already owns the other 55 percent - by buying the stake, according to people familiar with the matter. There are no guarantees that Vodafone will want to sell its stake or that Verizon will pursue the plan.

Vodafone declined to comment on the possibility of a Verizon bid for its stake or on the tax question.

One person familiar with the situation said Vodafone cannot consider the size of any tax payout in a possible transaction until the company has received an offer, which it has not.

A Verizon spokesman declined to comment.

Verizon hopes that if it structures a transaction to eliminate much of the tax bill, it can encourage Vodafone to come to the table for talks. Some analysts and investors say Verizon may have to pay as much as $130 billion to clinch the deal.

The tax bill on $100-billion deal, based on a simple acquisition of the stake, would be about $38 billion, according to UBS Investment Research. It could be much higher if the deal's price-tag rises above that figure, UBS noted.

That tax bill is based on the massive growth Verizon Wireless has experienced since it was established 13 years ago. The 45-percent stake that Verizon Communications wants to buy is owned by Vodafone Americas, a U.S. holding company. Given it is a U.S. entity, if Vodafone Americas were to sell that stake outright it would have to pay the full capital gains tax on the stake.

But the sources said Verizon Communications is contemplating a two-part deal that could avoid this. Instead of buying the stake outright, the sources said, Verizon Communications would buy the Delaware-based Vodafone Americas. Analysts said the seller of Vodafone Americas would not be a U.S.-based entity, so no U.S. capital gains tax would be due.

Vodafone's international structure is complicated, involving many holding companies, and the precise ownership of some assets is unclear. Vodafone Americas also owns some of Vodafone's non-US assets, the sources said, probably including some in Germany and Spain. These would be sold back to Vodafone by Verizon Communications, which would keep the Verizon Wireless stake, they said.

The two transactions could be done simultaneously or one after the other.

While the sale of the Verizon Wireless stake would not incur capital gains tax, the sale of the international assets back to Vodafone would. This is because it would involve the sale of assets by Verizon Communications, a U.S. entity.

Compared to Verizon Wireless, the smaller international assets are thought to have gained little in value. Analysts estimated their sale could hit Verizon Communications with a U.S. tax bill of about $5 billion or less.

The sources said that Verizon would seek to pass any tax hit onto Vodafone in the two-part transaction.

LONG COURTSHIP

Verizon has long coveted its partner Vodafone's stake in the Verizon Wireless joint venture, which started operations in 2000.

The last time the two came close to a deal was in 2004, when Vodafone bid for AT&T Wireless. The British company, the world's second-largest mobile operator, however, lost that bid to Cingular and has since held on to the Verizon Wireless stake for its exposure to the U.S. wireless market.

Wall Street analysts had previously seen it as unlikely that Verizon would want to do a deal involving Vodafone Americas' international assets. But those assets have underperformed in recent years when compared with the growth of Verizon Wireless, and are now a smaller part of the holding company, reducing the potential tax hit.

However, the timing of Verizon's interest in doing the deal has more to do with the gains in its stock price and low interest rates, the sources stressed.

Verizon is considering paying about half of the purchase price in cash and half in stock, Reuters reported on Wednesday. That means it may look to raise around $50 billion in debt.

UK TAX QUESTION

The kind of deal structure envisaged would still leave Vodafone with another tax question, said UK academics and analysts: Should it leave the proceeds from any sale offshore or bring them home to the UK?

Leaving the money offshore might invite scrutiny from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, which sometimes questions transactions if they seem designed solely to avoid tax and are not based in an underlying economic logic, said Prems Sikka, professor of accounting at the University of Essex in the UK.

If the transaction were shaped the way the sources have described it, Vodafone would probably repatriate the proceeds into Britain, said Charles Merriman, managing director at Merriman Capital Transactions, a consultancy in London.

Once that was done, he said, the company might be able to reduce its tax bill by taking advantage of the UK's substantial shareholdings exemption. Under certain conditions, this exempts from UK corporation taxation any gains realized when one company disposes of shares in another company.

More broadly, though, Vodafone could face a political backlash in the UK from any deal that was clearly structured to avoid taxation, said Robin Bienenstock, senior analyst at Bernstein Research.

U.S. companies such as Starbucks, Amazon and Google have come under fire from British lawmakers for using legal maneuvers to cut their tax bills in the UK.

"The problem with tax is not just the technical ability to avoid it, but the scorched earth that trying to avoid it could leave with the UK government afterwards," said Bienenstock. "Recent tax cases in the UK ... suggest that an attempt to avoid tax on such a large and high profile deal would be very badly received."

(Reporting by Kevin Drawbaugh in Washington, D.C. and Nanette Byrnes in Chapel Hill, N.C.; Additional reporting by Kate Holton and Tom Bergin in London; So Young Kim and Paritosh Bansal in New York; Editing by Martin Howell)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/analysis-tax-strategy-may-key-verizon-wireless-deal-050341644.html

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Lawyers, public chant "hang him" as Bangladesh building owner led to court

By Ruma Paul and Serajul Quadir

DHAKA (Reuters) - Bangladeshi lawyers and protesters chanted "hang him, hang him" on Monday as the owner of a factory building that collapsed last week killing nearly 400 people was led into court dressed in a helmet and bullet-proof jacket, witnesses said.

The drama came as rescue officials said they were unlikely to find more survivors in the rubble of the building that collapsed on Wednesday, burying hundreds of garment workers in the country's worst industrial accident.

Heavy cranes were being used to lift huge concrete blocks from the wreckage of Rana Plaza, where 385 people are now confirmed to have been killed. The building housed factories making clothes for Western brands.

Eight people have been arrested - four factory bosses, two engineers, building owner Mohammed Sohel Rana and his father, Abdul Khalek. Police are looking for a fifth factory boss, David Mayor, who they said was a Spanish citizen.

Rana, a local leader of the ruling Awami League's youth front, was shown on television being brought to Dhaka in handcuffs after he was seized in the border town of Benapole by the elite Rapid Action Battalion following a four-day manhunt.

Rana was arrested by police commandos on Sunday, apparently trying to flee to India.

"Put the killer on the gallows, he is not worth of any mercy or lenient penalty," one onlooker outside the court shouted.

The court ordered that Rana be held for 15 days "on remand" for interrogation.

Khalek, who officials said was named in documents as a legal owner of the building, was arrested in Dhaka on Monday. Those being held face charges of faulty construction and causing unlawful death.

Bangladesh does carry out the death penalty for murder and for most serious categories of manslaughter.

Hundreds of the mostly female workers who are thought to have been inside the building when it caved in remain unaccounted for. A fire overnight further hampered the last desperate efforts to find survivors.

"We are giving the highest priority to saving people, but there is little hope of finding anyone alive," army spokesman Shahinul Islam told reporters at the site.

About 2,500 people have been rescued from the wrecked building in the commercial suburb of Savar, about 30 km (20 miles) from the capital, Dhaka.

Late on Sunday, sparks from rescuers' cutting equipment started a fire in the debris as they raced to save a woman who may have been the last survivor in the rubble. Her body was recovered on Monday afternoon.

"We could not save her, even though we heard her voice this morning," a tearful rescue worker told reporters at the scene.

Officials said the eight-storey complex had been built on swampy ground without the correct permits, and more than 3,000 workers - most of them young women - entered the building on Wednesday morning despite warnings that it was structurally unsafe.

A bank and shops in the same building closed after a jolt was felt and cracks were noticed on some pillars on Tuesday.

The collapse was the third major industrial incident in five months in Bangladesh, the second-largest exporter of garments in the world behind China. In November, a fire at the Tazreen Fashion factory in a suburb of Dhaka killed 112 people.

Such incidents have raised serious questions about worker safety and low wages in the poor South Asian country, which relies on garments for 80 percent of its exports. The industry employs about 3.6 million people, most of them women, some of whom earn as little as $38 a month.

In a development that may raise questions about the authorities' handling of the rescue operation, a spokesman at the British High Commission on Monday confirmed that an offer of technical assistance from Britain had been declined.

Anger over the disaster has sparked days of protests and clashes, and paramilitary troops were deployed in the industrial hub of Gazipur as garment workers took to the streets again on Monday, smashing cars and setting fire to an ambulance.

The unrest forced authorities to shut down many factories, which had reopened on Monday after two days of closures. Police fired teargas to disperse protesters.

The main opposition has called for a national strike on May 2 in protest over the incident.

Emdadul Islam, chief engineer of the state-run Capital Development Authority, said last week that Rana had not received the proper construction consent for the building, and had illegally added three stories to the original five.

(Writing by Alex Richardson and Nick Macfie)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/little-hope-more-survivors-bangladesh-toll-nears-400-080033210.html

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Facebook to acquire Parse, promises easier cloud-based app development

Hot on the heels of its Mobile Developer Conference, Facebook today announced its intentions to buy cloud-based app development service Parse, a company with which the site has collaborated in the past. According to a post on Facebook's Developers blog, the purchase will go a ways toward helping devs, "rapidly build apps that span mobile platforms and devices." The acquisition will bring a number of cloud-based tools like data storage, user management and notifications to Facebook developers. For each company's take on the news, check out the source links below. We also spoke to a Facebook spokesperson, who told us, "This is an acquisition, not a talent deal." As for financial terms, they wouldn't say.

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Source: Facebook, Parse

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/04/25/facebook-parse/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget

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Syria says backing rebels risks new attacks on America

By Michael Stott and Samia Nakhoul

DAMASCUS (Reuters) - U.S. support for Syrian rebels may lead to more attacks on American soil like those of September 11, said a senior Syrian official who warned that Islamist fighters would spread "the fire of terrorism" around the world.

Western powers are alarmed at al Qaeda militants joining a revolt that began two years ago with rallies for democracy and President Bashar al-Assad has seized on that unease; now, 10 days after the Boston Marathon bombings, Syria's deputy foreign minister told Reuters that U.S. aid to the rebels may backfire.

"Once the fire of terrorism spreads in Syria it will go everywhere in the world," Faisal Mekdad said in an interview.

Referring to foreign jihadists whose presence has made the United States and European allies wary of arming Syrian rebels, he said: "These chickens will go back to roost where they came from because encouraging terrorism definitely backfires ... Once these terrorists succeed in Syria, they will go everywhere."

Speaking in fluent English at the heavily guarded white, stone-clad complex in central Damascus which houses the Foreign Ministry and prime minister's offices, Mekdad drew a comparison, made also by Assad himself, with the U.S.-backed Muslim holy war against Soviet occupiers in Afghanistan that fostered al Qaeda.

And asked whether the Boston bombings, blamed on radicalized Muslim immigrants, might change American views of a Syrian conflict that Assad has long painted as a war on terrorism, he replied: "I hope the American administration will remember again the September 11 attack - which we strongly condemned in Syria - and not repeat these policies which encourage terrorism."

Of 37 nationalities of "terrorist" he said were fighting in Syria, many were European, Mekdad said, including some from Russia's Chechnya region, ancestral home of the Boston suspects.

Assad's critics have argued that he himself is paying a price for helping Islamists from Syria and elsewhere - letting them cross into Iraq to fight U.S. forces there; some of those seasoned fighters have now joined the campaign to overthrow him.

Like other senior officials interviewed lately in Damascus, Mekdad projected a breezy confidence in Syrian forces' ability to win the civil war and denied the rebels were gaining ground.

While condemning support for the mainly Sunni Muslim rebels from Sunni neighbors such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey, as well as the Western powers, he said his government enjoyed broad international support, not limited to Russia or to Iran, whose Shi'ite branch of Islam is close to Assad's Alawite minority.

"I would like to say, with all confidence, that all Syria is controlled by the government but there are places where armed groups have been armed, financed, by certain circles - namely Qatar, Saudi Arabia, France and the UK and other European countries - who due to logistical reasons may control this or that part of Syria," he said. "But this is moving every day."

A man living near the Foreign Ministry, who did not want to be identified, told Reuters the complex had been attacked four times in recent months, twice with mortars and twice by men firing machineguns: "We are very frightened," he said, recalling how he took cover during the last mortar attack 10 days ago.

Asked when the government might win, Mekdad said it was combating "terrorist groups and usually in all those countries which have suffered the plague of terrorism it takes time".

"Once this support from neighboring and European countries ceases we can easily deal with it," said Mekdad, who hails from Deraa where protests began in March 2011 after teenagers were jailed for pro-democracy graffiti inspired by the Arab Spring.

He cited apparent success in offensives in Homs and near the western border, where rebels say Lebanese Hezbollah fighters are supporting Syrian troops. Going was also slow, he said, due to "the care practiced by the government with civilians".

The United Nations has said more than 70,000 people, have been killed and many countries have condemned shelling and aerial bombing by Syrian forces of residential areas.

CHEMICAL "LIE"

Mekdad dismissed Western and Israeli claims that government forces had used chemical weapons, saying it was a "big lie" that Syria was blocking a U.N. investigation into the allegations.

He said Damascus had an initial agreement with the U.N. to look into claims that chemical weapons were used in the Khan al-Assal area near Aleppo but matters were complicated when the U.N. wanted to broaden the probe to include other allegations:

"We are ready to receive immediately the team to investigate the case of Aleppo, to provide all the logistics, help and support and protection and it is the responsibility of the U.N. secretariat if this delegation doesn't arrive in Syria."

A former Syrian ambassador to the United Nations, Mekdad accused Britain and France of trying to complicate the U.N. investigation to prevent evidence emerging of rebel use of chemical shells, but did not offer evidence for the allegation.

The United Nations wants inspectors to investigate claims of chemical weapons use in Homs in December; France and Britain say the mission should look into a third alleged case in Damascus.

President Barack Obama has warned Assad that deploying chemical weapons would cross a "red line" that could prompt the United States to intervene in unspecified ways in the conflict - so far, however, Washington has said firm evidence is lacking.

Mekdad denied that Damascus was receiving arms and military support from Russia or fighters from Iran or Hezbollah, Tehran's Lebanese Shi'ite ally; foreign supporters were providing only humanitarian aid and Syria had ample reserves of its own.

"We are not isolated, we don't feel isolated," he said of efforts to impose international sanctions. "Besides Russia, we have China, India, South Africa and we have almost all Latin American countries, and Africa and other Asian countries."

He warned the EU against helping rebels sell oil from captured fields in the north: "That is a direct theft of Syrian property," he said. "We are still a government and a strong government. We will stop them," he added without elaborating.

Mekdad reflected the government's contention that Syria has been targeted by U.S.-allied Sunni Arab powers because it was part of "an axis of resistance", along with Iran and Hezbollah, and accused Sunni-led states of secretly supporting Israel: "We believe the main objective in attacking Syria is to weaken it as a major power and to implement Israel's policies in the region in connivance with the United States and Western interests."

Asked how he believed the conflict would end, Mekdad sketched two scenarios: "Either we opt for a political solution as projected by President Assad in his speech on January 6 ... or the other scenario where the main objective of arming, harboring and smuggling armed groups into Syria will continue."

"In this case, we have a strong army, we have a strong country, we have determination by the majority of Syrians to combat terrorism. But our preference and the preference of the Syrian leadership is to work for a political settlement."

Assad offered in that speech in January to negotiate with the opposition if they laid down their arms but he refused dialogue with "gangs recruited abroad" and his foes dismissed the offer out of hand as it did not mention Assad stepping down.

(Editing by Alastair Macdonald)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/syria-says-backing-rebels-risks-attacks-america-162137596.html

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