1 dead as Senegal protest turns violent (AP)

DAKAR, Senegal ? Police opened fire with tear gas on demonstrators Tuesday, leaving at least one person dead in Senegal's capital where hundreds had gathered to protest a court ruling allowing the nation's elderly leader to run for another term.

Private radio station RFM said that a man was run over by the police's armored-personnel carrier. An Associated Press reporter saw the young man fall to the ground after the tank-like truck forced its way through the knot of protesters. Police launched their assault after demonstrators began chanting, "Palace! Palace!" indicating that they planned to march on the presidential palace.

The demonstrators are protesting a ruling by the country's top legal body, the constitutional council, which validated President Abdoulaye Wade's bid to run for another term in next month's election. The 85-year-old Wade is seeking a third term, even though the constitution was revised soon after he was elected in 2000 to impose a two-term limit. Wade argues that the law is not retroactive, and since he was already in office when it took effect, it should not apply to him.

Clouds of tear gas hung over the Colobane, Fass and HLM neighborhoods of the capital. Burning tires could be seen at regular intervals, as well as overturned market tables. Besides the death of the young man, AP reporters saw four injured civilians, who were taken away on stretchers by emergency responders.

Senegal has historically been the most peaceful nation in West Africa, a region that has been periodically rocked by military coups. By contrast in Senegal, the roots of democracy run deep, and since independence from France in 1960, Senegal has never had a coup d'etat. The 2000 election that brought Wade to power after 25 years in the opposition was held up as a model, because the former leader telephoned Wade to concede defeat ? a gesture unheard of in Africa at the time.

RFM radio, owned by the pop star Youssou Ndour, reported the death of the young man, airing an interview with Dr. Babacar Niang, head of Suma Assistance, the paramedic company that attempted to resuscitate him.

Police chief Harona Sy confirmed the death of the youth, but denied that police were responsible, saying that he had checked all of their vehicles and found no traces of blood, according to the state news agency.

"If there was the death of a man, then maybe we should talk about an accident, and we have opened an investigation," Sy said.

In the northern town of Podor on Monday, two other civilians were killed including a woman in her sixties after paramilitary police opened fire with live rounds.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120201/ap_on_re_af/af_senegal_election

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RIP Yahoo Finance On Your BlackBerry

Yahoo just announced that it will shut down 10 mobile apps so it can focus on its more successful offerings, TechCrunch's Sarah Perez reports.

Most amusingly, as Perez points out, they're ending Yahoo Finance for Blackberry ? if a finance app isn't even worth doing on the banker-beloved Blackberry, then what is?

The other nine apps are below:

• Yahoo! Meme (iPad and iPhone)
• Yahoo! Mim (iPad)
• Yahoo! Answers (Android)
• Yahoo! AppSpot (Android and iPhone)
• Yahoo! Deals (iPhone)
• Yahoo! Finance (BlackBerry)
• Yahoo! Movies (Android)
• Yahoo! News (Android)
• Yahoo! Shopping (iPhone)
• Yahoo! Sketch-a-Search (iPad and iPhone)

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/rip-yahoo-finance-on-your-blackberry-2012-1

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Arsenal advances in FA Cup

/

updated 8:27 p.m. ET Jan. 29, 2012

LONDON - Arsenal kept its bid to end a seven-year trophy drought on track Sunday, scoring three times in eight second-half minutes to beat Aston Villa 3-2 and reach the fifth round of the FA Cup.

Villa led 2-0 at halftime on goals by Richard Dunne and Darren Bent, prompting near silence from Arsenal fans still waiting for a trophy to follow the 2005 FA Cup.

The home side got back in the game with Robin van Persie's 54th-minute penalty, tied it on Theo Walcott's lucky rebound and took the lead in the 61st on a second spot kick from Van Persie.

Middlesbrough and Sunderland will replay on Feb. 7 for the right to face Arsenal after drawing their fourth-round match 1-1.

Having avoided a fourth straight defeat, the Gunners are now just three games away from a Wembley final.

"We tried to keep focused and calm," Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said. "It is an opportunity but you could see today how hard the games are."

Arsenal great Thierry Henry missed a late chance after coming on in the 89th for the third appearance of his loan from the New York Red Bulls of MLS, but home fans could still cheer the result.

Robbie Keane, on-loan from the Los Angeles Galaxy, provided the cross that led to Dunne's 33rd-minute opener.

Second-tier Middlesbrough led against its local rival when Barry Robson capitalized on some weak defending to smash a 16th-minute volley across goalkeeper Simon Mignolet and in at the far post.

Sunderland manager Martin O'Neill introduced striker Fraizer Campbell at halftime for his first appearance since August 2010, and the former Manchester United trainee stroked in a low shot 14 minutes later following a mistake by Robson.

Campbell had not played for the first team for 500 days because of knee injuries.

Crawley Town, the lowest-ranked side left in this season's FA Cup, was handed a meeting with Premier League club Stoke in Sunday's fifth-round draw.

Liverpool will meet Brighton, Chelsea will host Birmingham, Norwich will host Leicester, Everton will play Blackpool or Sheffield Wednesday, and Bolton will go to the winner of the replay between Millwall and Southampton. Tottenham is at Stevenage.

___

LISBON, Portugal (AP) ? American defender Oguchi Onyewu scored on headers in the 18th and 27th minutes, giving Sporting Lisbon a 2-0 win over Beira Mar in the Portuguese league.

Onyewu received a yellow card in the first minute, then got goals off a corner kick and a free kick from the right flank, both from around the top of the 6-yard box.

He has five goals this season, including four in the league.

___

ROME (AP) ? Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored one goal and set up another as AC Milan beat Cagliari 3-0 to move back within one point of first-place Juventus in the Italian league.

Ibrahimovic scored his league-leading 15th goal with a free kick in the 32nd minute, then controlled a ball with his chest to set up Antonio Nocerino's goal in the 39th. Milan captain Massimo Ambrosini scored with his first goal of the season in the 75th.

Inter Milan's league winning streak ended at seven, one short of the club record, with a 1-0 loss at Lecce. Guillermo Giacomazzi scored off a pass from Massimo Oddo in the 40th minute, Inter had two goals called back for offside. Lazio jumped ahead of the Nerazzurri into fourth place.

It was Lecce's first home win of the season and only its fourth overall.

Lazio won 3-0 at Chievo Verona with a first-half goal from Hernanes and two in the final minutes from Miroslav Klose.

Elsewhere, Roma drew 1-1 at home with Bologna to stay sixth. Roma's 21-year-old midfielder Miralem Pjanic equalized with a free kick in the 62nd minute after Bologna captain Marco Di Vaio had scored six minutes earlier.

Also, Genoa beat Napoli 3-2 with two goals from Rodrigo Palacio and one from newly signed Alberto Gilardino to get some revenge for a 6-1 loss to Napoli last month that cost Alberto Malesani his job.

___

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) ? David Zurutuza lasted only five minutes, but it was long enough to score a double in Real Sociedad's 5-1 rout of visiting Sporting Gijon in the Spanish league.

The 25-year-old midfielder volleyed Antoine Griezmann's cross into the left corner for Sociedad's second-minute opener, and a minute later he scored with another shot from the right side of the area after Carlos Vela had played him clear.

But Zurutuza's dream start took an ugly turn in the fifth minute when he and Sporting defender Gregory Arnolin collided face-to-face while disputing a loose ball.

Granada coach Abel Resino got off to a winning start as his team moved out of the relegation zone with a 2-1 win at Real Betis, while Getafe dealt Levante its second home loss of the season with a 2-1 win.

Malaga beat Sevilla 2-1 in an Andalusian derby 2-1 to break a six-game winless run, while third-place Valencia was held to a 2-2 draw at Racing Santander. Atletico Madrid visits Osasuna on Monday.

On Saturday, Real Madrid opened a seven-point lead with a 3-1 win over last-place Zaragoza as Barcelona tied 0-0 at Villarreal.

___

BERLIN (AP) ? Marco Reus led Borussia Moenchengladbach to a 3-0 win at Stuttgart on Sunday to keep his team within a point of the Bundesliga's top three.

Reus sent in a dangerous free kick for Mike Hanke to score with a glancing header in the 31st minute, and then scored himself in the 81st. Igor de Camargo added another three minutes later.

Moenchengladbach remains a point behind league leader Bayern Munich, defending champion Borussia Dortmund and Schalke, who all have 40 points.

Moenchengladbach's first win over Stuttgart since 2005 sent the home team to its fourth league loss in a row.

Earlier Sunday, Mainz scored three goals in the first 17 minutes to beat Freiburg 3-1.

___

PARIS (AP) ? Marseille won its seventh straight game, defeating Rennes 2-1 in the French league as Benoit Cheyrou scored the go-ahead goal from the edge of the penalty area in the 77th minute.

Rennes midfielder Tongo Hamed Doumbia opened the scoring with a 30-yard shot in the 15th, but fifth-place Marseille equalized with an own goal from defender Onyekachi Apam just before halftime.

Ajaccio moved out of the French league's relegation zone by defeating Valenciennes 2-1, its fourth straight victory.

The visitors were down to 10 men in the 73rd when midfielder Paul Lasne was sent off for a second yellow card, but substitute Christian Kinkela scored the winner in stoppage time by curling a shot into the top corner.

Also Sunday, Bordeaux goalkeeper Cedric Carrasso fouled Yannick Sagbo but saved the subsequent penalty to salvage a 0-0 draw against Evian.

___

GLASGOW, Scotland (AP) ? Celtic reached the final of Scotland's League Cup for the 29th time with a 3-1 win over Falkirk.

The teams were tied 1-1 until the 56th minute after 17-year-old Falkirk midfielder Jay Fulton equalized Celtic captain Scott Brown's penalty.

Striker Anthony Stokes put Celtic back in front with a 25-yard free kick and tapped Gary Hooper's pass in the 86th to settle the match.

Celtic will meet Kilmarnock in the final at Hampden Park on March 18. Celtic's 14 tournament wins is second only to Rangers' 27.

___

AMSTERDAM (AP) ? Luuk de Jong scored three goals as FC Twente beat FC Groningen 4-1 and moved into second place in the Dutch league.

De Jong headed Twente into the lead in the 14th, converted another cross from Ola John in the 23rd and completed his hat trick in the 58th with another header ? again set up by John.

De Jong then provided the cross headed in by midfielder Leroy Fer in the 66th.

Twente has 39 points, two behind new leader PSV Eindhoven, which beat Vitesse Arnhem 3-1 Friday. AZ Alkmaar lost 2-0 at Roda JC to drop to third.

John Guidetti also got a hat trick to guide Feyenoord to a 4-2 win over Ajax.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Arsenal advances in FA Cup

Roundup: Arsenal kept its bid to end a seven-year trophy drought on track Sunday, scoring three times in eight second-half minutes to beat Aston Villa 3-2 and reach the fifth round of the FA Cup.

Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/46182135/ns/sports-soccer/

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Egypt's military considers speeding up transition (AP)

CAIRO ? A spokesman for an advisory body to Egypt's military rulers says the army is studying ways to accelerate the transition to civilian rule, including moving up the timetable for presidential elections.

Mohammed El-Kholy said Monday the panel of civilian advisers wants to "ease the tension" following street protests on the anniversary of last year's uprising that toppled President Hosni Mubarak, leaving the generals in charge.

The protesters want an immediate end to military rule, and accuse the army of mismanaging the transition and committing human rights violations.

El-Kholy says one suggestion is to hold presidential elections earlier than by the end of June ? the military's current schedule.

Activists say the new proposals could inflame tensions because they squeeze the time allotted for drafting a new constitution.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

CAIRO (AP) ? An Egyptian security official says gunmen have stormed the branch of a major international bank and robbed an armored car in separate parts of Cairo.

The official said that seven gunmen charged Monday into the New Cairo branch of HSBC Bank on the city's outskirts, firing their weapons in the air, and took money from tellers.

The same day, he said, three gunmen robbed an armored car as it unloaded money at another bank in southern Cairo, fleeing with over 3 million Egyptian pounds ($542,000 dollars).

He spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to talk to the media.

Armed bank robberies are rare in Egypt. Monday's daring daytime raids come amid reduced police deployments following the uprising that forced President Hosni Mubarak from power last year.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120130/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_egypt

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Congress tries to police itself on insider trading (AP)

WASHINGTON ? Aware that most Americans would like to dump them all, members of Congress hope to regain some sense of trust by subjecting themselves to tougher penalties for insider trading and requiring they disclose stock transactions within 30 days.

A procedural vote Monday would allow the Senate later this week to pass a bill prohibiting members of Congress from using nonpublic information for their own personal benefit or "tipping" others to inside information that they could trade on.

Insider trading laws apply to all Americans, but CBS' "60 Minutes" in November said members of Congress get a pass, citing investment transactions by party leaders and a committee chairman in businesses about to be affected by pending legislation.

The broadcast report raised questions about trades of House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio; the husband of Democratic leader and former Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California; and Rep. Spencer Bachus, R-Ala., chairman of the House Financial Services Committee.

All three denied using any insider information to make stock trades, but the broadcast set off a flurry of efforts in Washington to deal with the public perception.

A recent Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll of registered voters found 56 percent of them favor replacing the entire 535-member Congress. Other polls this year have given Congress an approval rating between 11 percent and 13 percent, while disapproval percentages have ranged from 79 percent to 86 percent.

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., said he's working on an expanded bill that would go beyond stock transactions and ban lawmakers from making land deals and other investments based on what they learned as members of Congress.

The Senate version of the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge (STOCK) Act would subject any member of Congress who violates the ban on insider trading to investigation and prosecution by regulatory agencies and the Justice Department. It also directs the House and Senate ethics committees to write rules that would make violators subject to additional congressional penalties.

"We can start restoring some of the faith that's been lost in our government by taking this common sense step of making members of Congress play by the exact same rules as everyone else," said Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., who with Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass., wrote the bill "We must make it unambiguous that this kind of behavior is illegal."

President Barack Obama endorsed the bill in in State of the Union speech last week, saying he would "sign it tomorrow." Brown used that opening to briefly speak with the president as he was exiting the House chamber after Tuesday's address.

"The insider trading bill's on Harry's desk right now," Brown told Obama, referring to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. "Tell him to get it out, it's already there."

"I'm gonna tell him," answered Obama. "I'm gonna tell him, I'm gonna tell him to get it done."

Obama raised the issue again in his radio and Internet address on Saturday.

"The House and Senate should send me a bill that bans insider trading by members of Congress, and I will sign it immediately. They should limit any elected official from owning stocks in industries they impact," he said.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120129/ap_on_bi_ge/us_congress_insider_trading

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Neeson's 'The Grey' tops box office with $20M (AP)

NEW YORK ? Beware the Liam in Winter.

Liam Neeson's "The Grey" topped the weekend box office with $20 million, according to studio estimates Sunday, continuing the actor's success as an action star in the winter months.

The Alaskan survivalist thriller opened above expectations with a performance on par with previous Neeson thrillers "Taken" and "Unknown." Those films, both January-February releases, opened with $24.7 million and $21.9 million, respectively.

But the R-rated "The Grey," which has received good reviews, drove home the strong appeal of Neeson, action star. It's an unlikely turn for the 59-year-old Neeson, previously better known for his dramatic performances, like those in "Schindler's List" and "Kinsey."

"Liam is a true movie star, period," said Tom Ortenberg, CEO of Open Road Films. It's the second release for the newly formed distributor, created by theater chains AMC and Regal.

"My guess is that Liam Neeson in action thrillers would work just about any time of year."

January is often a dumping ground for less-stellar releases, a tradition held up by two badly reviewed new wide releases: "Man on Ledge," with Sam Worthington, and "One for the Money" with Katherine Heigl.

"One for the Money" fared better, earning $11.8 million, while "Man on Ledge" opened with $8.3 million.

Those were reasonably solid returns, and, in an unusual twist, were both ultimately for Lions Gate Entertainment. Its film studio, Lionsgate, released the romantic comedy "One for the Money." The action thriller "Man on Ledge" was released by Summit Entertainment, which Lions Gate bought for $412.5 million earlier this month.

"One for the Money" was helped by a promotion with Groupon, the Internet discount site, with which Lionsgate previously partnered for "The Lincoln Lawyer." David Spitz, head of distribution for Lionsgate, said the large number of older, female subscribers of Groupon matched well with the audience of "One for the Money."

Groupon email blasts, he said, had a significant promotional effect.

Last week's box-office leader, "Underworld: Awakenings," Sony's Screen Gem's latest installment in its vampire series, came in second with $12.5 million, bringing its cumulative total to $45.1 million.

The unexpectedly large haul for "The Grey," strong holdovers (such as the George Lucas-produced World War II action film "Red Tails," which earned $10.4 million in its second week) and the bump for Oscar contending films following Tuesday's nominations added up to a good weekend for Hollywood. The box office was up about 15 percent on the corresponding weekend last year.

So far, every weekend this year has been an "up" weekend, after a somewhat dismal fourth quarter in 2011.

"`Mission: Impossible,' I think, really helped reinvigorate the marketplace, and that's carried over into the first part of the year," said Paul Dergarabedian, box-office analyst for Hollywood.com. "That's good news for Hollywood after the down-trending box office of 2011."

Oscar favorites "The Descendants," Hugo" and "The Artist" sought to capitalize on their recent Academy Awards nominations. Each expanded to more theaters and saw an uptick in business.

Fox Searchlight's "The Descendants," which is nominated for five Oscars including best picture, added 1,441 screens in its 11th week of release. It added $6.6 million and has now made $58.8 million, making it one of Fox Searchlight's most successful releases.

Sheila DeLoach, senior vice president of distribution for Fox Searchlight, said the film's nominations and its recent Golden Globes wins (for best drama and best actor, George Clooney) "played a big role" in its weekend box office.

Paramount's "Hugo," which led Oscar nominations with 11 including best picture, saw a 143 percent jump in business over its last weekend. In its tenth week of release, it earned $2.3 million, bringing its total to $58.7 million.

The Weinstein Co.'s "The Artist," with 10 Oscar nominations including best picture, expanded a modest 235 screens to bring it to a total of 897 screens in its 10th week of release. It earned $3.3 million, with a total of $16.7 million.

The Weinstein Co. is being careful with the black-and-white, largely silent film. Thus far, it has appealed particularly to older audiences.

"It's not the same type of picture as any other picture in the marketplace," said Erik Loomis, head of distribution for the Weinstein Co. "Now that the nominations are out, we're going to look to capitalize on it as best we can. ... We're being very, very meticulous with it. We're not throwing it out there and grabbing every theater we can. At some point, we'll open the floodgates on the movie, maybe closer to the awards."

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. "The Grey," $20 million.

2. "Underworld: Awakening," $12.5 million.

3. "One for the Money," $11.8 million.

4. "Red Tails," $10.4 million.

5. "Man on Ledge," $8.3 million.

6. "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close," $7.1 million.

7. "The Descendants," $6.6 million.

8. "Contraband," $6.5 million.

9. "Beauty and the Beast," $5.3 million.

10. "Haywire," $4 million.

___

Online:

http://www.hollywood.com/boxoffice

___

Universal and Focus are owned by NBC Universal, a unit of Comcast Corp.; Sony, Columbia, Sony Screen Gems and Sony Pictures Classics are units of Sony Corp.; Paramount is owned by Viacom Inc.; Disney, Pixar and Marvel are owned by The Walt Disney Co.; Miramax is owned by Filmyard Holdings LLC; 20th Century Fox and Fox Searchlight are owned by News Corp.; Warner Bros. and New Line are units of Time Warner Inc.; MGM is owned by a group of former creditors including Highland Capital, Anchorage Advisors and Carl Icahn; Lionsgate is owned by Lions Gate Entertainment Corp.; IFC is owned by Rainbow Media Holdings, a subsidiary of Cablevision Systems Corp.; Rogue is owned by Relativity Media LLC.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120129/ap_en_ot/us_box_office

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Rashad Evans earns title shot with UFC on Fox 2 decision

CHICAGO -- In a bout to decide the next light heavyweight title contender, Rashad Evans controlled Phil Davis on his way to a unanimous decision at the United Center on Saturday night. The judges saw it 50-45 on all three cards for Evans.

Davis landed a spinning leg kick, then ducked low into a takedown. Evans pushed him into the fence and fended off the takedown attempt. Every time Davis came in to try to get the takedown, Evans made him pay with a punch or two. Evans got a takedown at the 1:30 point of the first round, then moved to side control. From there, he put Davis into a crucifix hold and landed a bevy of short punches.

In the second round, Evans was aggressive, landing several punches early in the round. They clinched, but things slowed down considerably. They had a few striking exchanges, with Evans coming out on top. In the last 30 seconds, Evans took Davis down and again landed punches from side control.

Davis shot in for a takedown to start the third round. Davis drove him against the fence until he finally got the takedown. Evans reversed position and landed several lefts to Davis' face. They returned to their feet, and Davis got another takedown, and Evans returned to his feet while Davis held on for dear life.

Early in the fourth round, Davis landed a punishing rib kick, but Evans did not slow down. He continued to move forward, stalking Davis around the cage. When Davis shot in for a takedown, Evans fended him off before getting a takedown of his own.

Evans started the fifth round with a huge strike, and then held off Davis' attack. Evans caught a kick, then as he held the single leg, punched Davis until he went down. He stretched Davis into side control, and continued to land punches even as Davis worked to his feet. Evans controlled the rest of the round the way he controlled the whole fight.

With this win, Evans should punch his ticket for a fight with Jon Jones. The UFC announced Saturday that Jones' next bout will be in April in Atlanta. As long as Evans is healthy, the bout should be his.

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Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/rashad-evans-earns-title-shot-ufc-fox-2-031605165.html

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Santorum cancels morning events to be with child (The Arizona Republic)

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Biscotti

Front-facing cameras have made video chats possible on smartphones and tablets, just like they've been possible on webcams for over a decade. But HDTVs have been devoid of the technology, with a few minor exceptions. Now, you can get HDTV webcams that let you chat with friends or family from your couch. The Biscotti is an integrated webcam and chat device you can get for $199 direct from the company. It connects to your Wi-Fi network and makes Google Talk or Biscotti-to-Biscotti calls, and it has an HDMI passthrough so you can take calls while you watch TV. Its video quality doesn't live up to its price, though, and its lack of Skype makes video chats with other HDTV users who don't have Biscottis awkward. For much easier Skype video chats, the Tely Labs TelyHD ($249.99, 4 stars) offers a better experience (in a bulkier camera) for just a bit more.

Design and Interface
The Biscotti is the same size and shape as the baked good after which it's named, with a gently curving top surface and decidedly cookie-like dimensions of 0.8 by 6.2 by 1 inches (HWD). It weighs just 1.6 ounces and is completely black, with only a Biscotti logo and a red light on the front. The back of the device holds an HDMI input, an HDMI output, and a power port.

Because it's so small and light, the Biscotti is tough to properly place on or under an HDTV. It comes with some adhesive squares and zip-tie fasteners to keep it stable, but you'll need at least two so the cables don't torque the Biscotti sideways or pull it away. When the device weighs less than some of the cables you'd use to connect it to an HDTV or cable box, it's a small problem. The base is also just wide enough to keep it from resting on top of a thin HDTV. Since it's a single piece of plastic with no swivel or tilt function, getting it aligned just right for comfortable video chatting from a couch is nearly impossible. A digital pan and zoom function lets you center the picture on you by cropping the frame, but it's not as useful as a physical pan that can physically point the camera directly at you.

The Biscotti comes with a small, business card-sized remote control that's just under 0.4 inches thick. It has a direction pad and a back button, which are all you need to control the device. The buttons are flat, and while the direction buttons are large, the back button sits just under them, meaning you can accidentally press it when you want to press the down button and undo any text input you entered with the on-screen keyboard.

The interface and feature set of the Biscotti are both simple. The main menu is a set of three buttons that let you browse your friends list, go over recent calls, or change settings. The menu expands out from the buttons, turning into a three-layered menu of lists and options. The interface serves as an overlay for whatever you're watching over HDMI, thanks to the pass-through connection on the Biscotti. If you plug your cable box into it, you can watch TV while keeping Biscotti active, letting you view calls while your shows or movies play behind them, and letting you know whenever you receive a call.

You can only make calls to other Biscotti users or people on Google Plus, Google Talk, or Gmail who have video chat enabled. The lack of Skype support is a major issue, since Skype is one of the biggest names in video chatting, and many other HDTV webcams use it, like the Tely Labs TelyHD ($249.99, 4 stars). The Google support means you can still talk to most of your friends, if they have a webcam. It also supports voice calls over either service, if your friends don't have a webcam but have a microphone or headset.

Performance and Conclusions
Video quality is lacking with the Biscotti. While its camera is capable of high definition video, it can quickly drop to lower quality if the wireless connection isn't excellent. In the PCMag Labs, where the Wi-Fi signals are thick and cloudy, video looked blocky and was prone to hiccups. In a Google Talk video chat, the picture seemed pixelated and jagged, even when seen through a notebook screen. This isn't the high resolution and fluid picture of a Facetime call, or even an average webcam call with Skype. Video chat works well enough, but it doesn't look very smooth or sharp. Compared to the Logitech TV Cam (which requires a Logitech Revue) or the Microsoft Kinect (which requires an Xbox 360), the video quality falls short. The TelyHD, on the same Wi-Fi network, had a much more stable and higher quality video stream. The Biscotti doesn't have an Ethernet port like the TelyHD does, either, so if you don't have a good Wi-Fi network around your HDTV, you'll find yourself with unstable, disappointing video calls.

Google Talk connections were more erratic than direct Biscotti connections; even adding friends to the contact list took a few attempts to "invite" them before they registered. The video chat appears reliably in Google Talk or a Google Plus/Gmail screen with the chat support enabled, but if your friend uses a third party app with Google Talk, chat requests might not even appear at all.

Biscotti has some great ideas about HDTV video chats, but unfortunately its execution is lacking. The small, light camera is too small and light and isn't reliable in less than ideal Wi-Fi conditions. The HDMI pass-through is a great concept for taking video calls while you watch TV, but it can't make up for the disappointing call quality and lack of Skype. If you really want to make video calls with your HDTV, consider paying $50 more for the TelyHD, which looks better, can accept a wired network connection, and uses Skype to make video calls.

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/NJHuzab5rlQ/0,2817,2399154,00.asp

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UK police arrest Murdoch tabloid staff, raid offices (Reuters)

LONDON (Reuters) ? British police arrested four current and former staff of Rupert Murdoch's best-selling Sun tabloid plus a policeman on Saturday as part of an investigation into suspected payments by journalists to officers, police and the newspaper's publisher said.

Police also searched the paper's London offices at publisher News International, News Corp's British arm, in a corruption probe linked to a continuing investigation into phone hacking at its now closed News of the World weekly tabloid.

News Corp's Management and Standards Committee, set up in the wake of the phone hacking scandal, said Saturday's operation was the result of information it had passed to police.

"News Corporation made a commitment last summer that unacceptable news gathering practices by individuals in the past would not be repeated," the committee said in a statement confirming the arrests of four "current and former employees" of the Sun.

The committee is conducting a lawyer-led internal review of News International's remaining titles, which also include The Times and The Sunday Times newspapers, as part of a drive to mend the reputational damage done by the phone hacking scandal.

The committee's investigation into The Sun was "well advanced," News International chief executive Tom Mockridge said in an email sent to staff.

"News International is confronting past mistakes and is making fundamental changes about how we operate which are essential for our business.

"Despite this very difficult news, we are determined that News International will emerge a stronger and more trusted organization," he added.

News International was providing legal support for the four arrested "colleagues," Mockridge said.

The arrests included The Sun's crime editor Mike Sullivan, its head of news Chris Pharo, and former deputy editor Fergus Shanahan, a source familiar with the situation told Reuters.

Also arrested was the paper's former managing editor Graham Dudman, now a columnist and media writer, the source said.

Police said a 48-year-old man from north London and two other men from Essex, east of London, aged 48 and 56, were arrested at their homes. The fourth man, aged 42, was arrested after reporting to an east London police station.

A Sun reporter, who asked not to be named, said: "Everyone is a bit shocked, there is disbelief really. But there is a big difference between phone hacking and payments to the police."

A 29-year-old policeman serving with the Met Police's Territorial Policing Command, was arrested at the central London police station where he worked.

All five were being questioned on suspicion of corruption.

OPERATION ELVEDEN

Police searched the arrested men's homes as well as The Sun's offices in Wapping, east London.

Thirteen people have now been arrested over allegations that journalists paid police in return for information.

Their detentions are part of Operation Elveden - one of three criminal investigations into news-gathering practices.

Last week, News International settled a string of legal claims after it admitted that people working for the tabloid had hacked in to the private phones of celebrities and others to find stories.

The phone hacking scandal drew attention to the level of political influence held by editors and executives at News International, and other newspapers in Britain.

It embarrassed British politicians for their close ties with newspaper executives and also the police, who repeatedly failed to investigate allegations of illegal phone hacking.

(Additional reporting by Michael Holden; Editing by Ben Harding)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120128/wl_nm/us_newscorp_arrests

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MSF quits prisons in Libya city over "torture" (Reuters)

TRIPOLI (Reuters) ? Aid agency Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) has halted its work in detention centers in a Libyan city because it said its medical staff were being asked to patch up detainees mid-way through torture sessions so they could go back for more abuse.

Rights groups have repeatedly raised concerns about torture being used against people, many of them sub-Saharan Africans, suspected of having fought for Muammar Gaddafi's forces during Libya's nine-month civil war.

The agency said it was in Misrata, 200 km (130 miles) east of the Libyan capital and scene of some of the fiercest battles in the conflict, to treat war-wounded detainees but was instead having to treat fresh wounds from torture.

"Patients were brought to us in the middle of interrogation for medical care, in order to make them fit for more interrogation," MSF General Director Christopher Stokes said in a statement.

"This is unacceptable. Our role is to provide medical care to war casualties and sick detainees, not to repeatedly treat the same patients between torture sessions."

The agency said it has raised the issue with the authorities in Misrata and with the national army. "No action was taken," said Stokes. "We have therefore come to the decision to suspend our medical activities in the detention centers."

Reports of the mistreatment and disappearances of suspected Gaddafi loyalists are embarrassing for Libya's ruling National Transitional Council, which has vowed to make a break with practices under Gaddafi and respect human rights.

The allegations are also awkward for the Western powers which backed the anti-Gaddafi rebellion and helped install Libya's new leaders.

An official with the Libyan government said it paid attention to all credible reports of abuse.

"There is no doubt that there are acts of violation of human rights but these are to do with the mentality of the people who are in charge of these prisons," the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Reuters.

"Neither the government, nor the NTC, nor any Libyan group supports these acts. These actions are individual acts and the authorities will take a very serious view of them."

DETAINEE "BEATEN AND WHIPPED"

But the ability of the government in Tripoli to rein in torture is limited because, in most cases, it is carried out by locally based militias who are outside the NTC's chain of command.

U.N. human rights chief Navi Pillay, speaking to the Security Council in New York on Wednesday, said that detainees from Libya's civil war held by revolutionary brigades continue to be subjected to torture despite efforts by the provisional government to address the issue.

Human rights group Amnesty International said on Thursday it had evidence of several detainees dying after being subjected to torture, including some in Misrata.

It quoted one man who said he had been tortured earlier this month in the headquarters of Misrata security forces.

"They took me for interrogation upstairs. Five men in plain clothes took turns beating and whipping me," Amnesty quoted the man as saying.

"They suspended me from the top of the door by my wrists for about an hour and kept beating me. They also kicked me."

The International Committee of the Red Cross said on Thursday that it has visited 8,500 detainees across Libya but declined to comment on the MSF decision to suspend its work.

(Additional reporting by Stephanie Nebehay in Geneva; Writing by Christian Lowe; Edited by Diana Abdallah)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120126/wl_nm/us_libya_torture

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American economy not healthy yet, but it's healing (AP)

WASHINGTON ? The American economy may not be truly healthy yet, but it's healing.

The 2.8 percent annual growth rate reported Friday for the fourth quarter was the fastest since spring 2010 and was the third straight quarter that growth has accelerated.

Experts cautioned, however, that the pace was unlikely to last and that it's not enough to sharply drive down the unemployment rate.

Unemployment stands at 8.5 percent ? its lowest level in nearly three years after a sixth straight month of solid hiring. And Friday's Commerce Department report suggests more hiring gains ahead.

For the final three months of 2011, Americans spent more on vehicles, and companies restocked their supplies at a robust pace.

Still, overall growth last quarter ? and for all of last year ? was slowed by the sharpest cuts in annual government spending in four decades. And many people are reluctant to spend more or buy homes, and many employers remain hesitant to hire, even though job growth has strengthened.

The outlook for 2012 is slightly better. The Federal Reserve has estimated economic growth of roughly 2.5 percent for the year, despite abundant risk factors: federal spending cuts, weak pay increases, cautious consumers and the risk of a European recession.

Economists noted that most of the growth in the October-December quarter was due to companies restocking their supplies at the fastest rate in nearly two years. That pace is expected to slow.

"The pickup in growth doesn't look half as good when you realize that most of it was due to inventory accumulation," said Paul Ashworth, an economist at Capital Economics.

Ashworth expects annualized growth to slip below 2 percent in the current January-March quarter. Other economists have similar estimates.

Stocks opened lower after the government reported the growth figures. The Dow Jones industrial average closed down about 74 points. Broader indexes were mixed.

In a normal economy, roughly 3 percent growth is a healthy figure. It's enough to keep unemployment down ? but not so much growth as to ignite inflation.

But coming out of a recession, much stronger growth is needed. By some estimates, the economy would have to expand at least 5 percent for a full year to drive down the unemployment rate by 1 percentage point.

In many ways, the economy did end 2011 on a strong note. Companies invested more in equipment and machinery in December.

People are buying more cars, and consumer confidence has risen. Even the depressed housing market has shown enough incremental gains to lead some economists to detect the start of a turnaround.

In the final three months of 2011, consumer spending grew at a 2 percent annual rate. That was up modestly from the July-September quarter. Consumer spending is critical because it fuels about 70 percent of the economy.

Much of the growth was powered by a 15 percent surge in sales of autos and other long-lasting manufactured goods.

Incomes, which have been weak because of still-high unemployment, grew ever so slightly, at a tepid 0.8 percent annual rate, following two straight quarterly declines. Unless pay picks up, consumers who have dipped into savings in recent months may pull back.

"Consumers don't have much income growth, and to even achieve a 2 percent growth rate in spending in the fourth quarter, they had to run down their saving rate," said Nigel Gault, chief economist at IHS Global Insight.

And government spending at all levels fell at an annual rate of 4.6 percent in the fourth quarter and 2.1 percent for the year ? the sharpest drop since 1971. Defense cuts at the start and end of the year were a key factor. With Congress aiming to shrink budget deficits, the likelihood of further federal spending cuts could weigh on the economy.

Economic growth is measured by the change in the gross domestic product, or GDP. The GDP reflects the value of all goods and services ? from machinery to manicures to hotel bookings to jet fighters ? produced in the United States.

Friday's estimate of GDP growth was the first of three for the October-December quarter. The figure will be revised twice, in February and then in March.

Ian Shepherdson, an economist at High Frequency Economics, is among the more optimistic analysts. He said he thought business investment in capital goods would be stronger and consumer spending higher this year.

Many fear that a likely recession in Europe could cool demand for U.S. manufactured goods. Growth would slow. Without many more jobs and better pay, consumer spending could weaken.

The Fed signaled this week that a full economic recovery could take at least three more years.

Although things may not be good, they're getting better.

Gault predicts the economy will create an average of 150,000 jobs a month in 2012 based on his expectation that the year will be slightly stronger than 2011. Last year, the economy created an average 133,000 jobs a month.

"We are starting to see improvements in the housing market, and consumers are working down their debt levels," Gault said. "That is all good and will help us this year."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120127/ap_on_re_us/us_economy

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Did the Galaxy S III just pop up on Samsung's support site?

Seriously, we can't caveat this one enough -- there is no way of knowing if this is in fact the Galaxy S III or, if it is, when it might come to market -- but, it looks like Samsung's "next big smartphone" just made a cameo on the company's support pages. Listed as the GT-i9300, the mystery device reared its head over at the Global Download Center of the United Arab Emerites site. If Sammy is to keep with its naming scheme i93XX would be a flagship device -- the i90XX line was the Galaxy S, i91XX represents the S2 series, while the i9250 and i9220 are the Nexus and Note respectively. As we warned before though, this could be some mid-range device and Samsung could be changing its naming conventions. Or, perhaps, its yet another variation of an existing model. Still, we'll take this as a good sign that Seoul squad has something interesting brewing.

Did the Galaxy S III just pop up on Samsung's support site? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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FDA clears Pfizer drug for advanced kidney cancer

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The Food and Drug Administration has approved a new Pfizer drug for patients with advanced kidney cancer that has spread to other parts of the body despite treatment with at least one previous drug.

The Food and Drug Administration approved the company's drug Axitinib as a secondary option for patients with renal cell carcinoma, which starts in the lining of small tubes found in the kidney. Renal cell carcinoma is the most common form of kidney cancer, with an estimated 61,000 people in the U.S. newly diagnosed last year, according to the National Cancer Institute. Only about 11 percent of patients with advanced kidney cancer survive five years or more after diagnosis.

Like several other recent cancer drugs, Axitinib works by blocking proteins that promote tumor growth and cancer progression.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/bbd825583c8542898e6fa7d440b9febc/Article_2012-01-27-Kidney%20Cancer%20Drug-Pfizer/id-4ebfd219b22c4e4eb52dcc4660d8e266

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DoubleX Gabfest: The Weasel Face Edition

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Gingrich reiterates Palestinians 'invented' people (The Arizona Republic)

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PowerPad 16 USB station charges your iPad and 15 others

So you've found the perfect solution for staying juiced up during your month-long African safari, but how are you possibly going to keep all 16 iPads powered until just before it's time to go? Why the Datamotion Systems PowerPad 16 ES-IP-PP16 USB Charging Hub, of course! Sure, there's no practical household application for the PP16, even in the most gadget-obsessed of families, but it'd be more than welcome in an enterprise environment or even an airport (especially an airport). The PowerPad's maker claims that it was "designed for charging Apple devices," though there's no reason you wouldn't be able to put 16 2.1-amp USB ports to use with other battery-powered devices. And we do need to address the elephant in the room -- that rather beastly fan-sporting housing -- but as Datamotion points out, the thing can always live under a counter and out of view. Hit up the source link for a closer look.

Continue reading PowerPad 16 USB station charges your iPad and 15 others

PowerPad 16 USB station charges your iPad and 15 others originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Jan 2012 03:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/26/powerpad-16-usb-station-charges-your-ipad-and-15-others/

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Bernanke: Interest rate hike in 2014 "best guess" (AP)

WASHINGTON ? The Federal Reserve's announcement that it is unlikely to raise its benchmark interest rate until late 2014 is simply its "best guess," Ben Bernanke said Wednesday.

The Fed chairman made clear during a news conference Wednesday that the decision to leave interest rates unchanged for three more years was not ironclad.

The central bank's ability to forecast that far out is limited, Bernanke says, and the Fed could adjust the timetable for when it will raise rates if economic conditions change.

Still, he said the U.S. economy remains weak and all signs suggest the Fed won't change its record-low rate for another three years.

"We have to make a best guess," Bernanke said after the Fed concluded its two-day policy meeting. "Unless there is a substantial strengthening of the economy in the near term, I would think that it's a pretty good guess that we will be keeping rates low for some time from now."

The central bank has kept its key rate at a record low near zero for three years.

Bernanke also said the Fed has not ruled out bolder steps to boost economic growth, such as a third round of bond purchases.

"If inflation is going to remain below target for an extended period and unemployment progress is very slow ... there is a case for additional policy action," he said.

"I would not say we are out of ammunition. We still have tools."

Prior to the news conference, the Fed slightly reduced its outlook for U.S. economic growth this year. It forecasts the economy to grow between 2.2 percent and 2.7 percent in 2012, according to its updated economic forecasts. That's down from November's forecast of between 2.5 percent and 2.9 percent.

Many economists expect Europe will suffer a recession this year, which will slow U.S. growth.

Still, the Fed said it expects unemployment to fall as low as 8.2 percent. That's an improvement from November's forecast of 8.5 percent. The unemployment rate fell to 8.5 percent in December after the sixth straight month of solid hiring.

Inflation has been relatively tame and the Fed doesn't see that changing over the next three years.

The Fed's policies have made Bernanke a popular target for Republican presidential hopefuls. Several have criticized Bernanke for raising the risk of higher inflation.

Bernanke refused to answer a question asking whether he would resign if one of his critics wins the November election.

"I'm not going to get involved in political rhetoric," Bernanke said. "I have a job to do and as long as I'm here I will do everything I can to help the Federal Reserve. ... That's my answer."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120125/ap_on_bi_ge/us_bernanke_news_conference

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Greek debt talks resume in race against the clock (Reuters)

ATHENS (Reuters) ? Greece resumes tortuous negotiations on a debt swap with private creditors in Athens on Thursday, with all eyes on the European Central Bank after IMF chief Christine Lagarde said public sector holders of Greek debt may need to take a haircut too.

Athens, which needs a deal in the coming days to avert a messy default when a major bond redemption comes due in March, hopes the talks can be wrapped up this week.

The private creditors' top negotiator Charles Dallara is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Lucas Papademos at around 1 p.m. ET in Athens after experts meet to discuss technical details.

International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde put pressure on the ECB on Wednesday, saying it and other public creditors may need to accept losses if those taken by the private sector are not enough to bring Greece's debt burden down to a sustainable level.

Private sector creditors want others who lent money, and in particular the ECB which is Athens' single biggest creditor, to also take part in a deal. "We are ready to make an effort if everyone else (including the ECB) makes an effort," a source close to the talks said.

Another source familiar with the negotiations said the "coupon is parked for current time until we can get closer on detail of overall package." Asked if an overall package would include the ECB, the source said: "We would expect it to, still to be determined though."

Greek bankers and government officials said they have not heard of any new proposal from the creditors' top negotiators, after local media reported that private bondholders were willing to improve their "final offer" of a four percent interest rate to clinch a deal in time to avert a messy default.

"Until last week, we knew that the steering committee was authorized to concede up to 3.8 percent for the average coupon," one senior Greek banker told Reuters.

"But things are once again up in the air. You have to deal with politicians and 15 different governments asking for different things. We haven't got anything clear from the IIF yet, discussions start today."

ECB ROLE?

The interest rate on the new bonds has been the main stumbling block in the negotiations, with the IMF, Germany and other euro zone countries insisting it must be low enough to ensure that Greece's debt will be back on a more sustainable track by 2020.

The talks hit a hurdle after euro zone ministers rejected the creditors' offer for a 4 percent coupon on new bonds to be issued by Athens, increasing the chance that the latter would have to enforce losses.

"Discussions on technical and legal issues on the bond swap pertaining to the documents and the GDP warrants will start in the afternoon," a government official close to the talks told Reuters. "Talks with IIF's Dallara on the coupon will take place in the evening," the official said.

Several Greek media wrote on Thursday, without naming their sources, that the private creditors were planning to make a new offer of around 3.75 percent. One daily, Kerdos, said participation of public sector creditors including the ECB in the swap deal was a pre-condition for that offer.

The ECB has ruled out taking voluntary losses on its Greek bond holdings but is now debating how it would handle any forced losses and whether to explore legal options to avoid such a hit, central bank sources told Reuters on Wednesday.

One source close to talks among ECB policymakers said that while France, Italy and the ECB board in Frankfurt were against accepting losses, some national central banks, which have expressed reservations over the bond purchases from the start, now accepted that losses may be unavoidable.

"The ECB will not take losses on its Greek bond holdings voluntarily ... but there is a fierce debate within the ECB on how to handle forced losses," the source said.

The Institute of International Finance, which Dallara heads, said Thursday's discussions would be "informal" and aim to sort out all legal and technical issues quickly.

Dallara left Athens over the weekend after the last round of talks proved inconclusive.

The chairman of BNP Paribas, one of the banks on the committee leading talks for creditors suggested on Wednesday that bondholders would not retreat from their position easily.

Senior EU, IMF and ECB officials are holding talks with the Greek government in parallel with the debt swap talks, to flesh out a new 130-billion euro bailout for Greece. They have warned they need the debt swap to cut Greece's debt substantially in order to go ahead with the new loans.

But Germany does not expect the troika of foreign lenders to deliver a report on Greece's progress before a summit of European Union leaders on Monday, a senior German official said on Thursday, adding that this meant that Greece would not play a major role at the EU leaders summit.

(Additional reporting by Sarah White, Sophie Sassard and Tatiana Fragou; Writing by Ingrid Melander)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120126/bs_nm/us_greece

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Verizon confirms Droid RAZR MAXX launch date and price

$299.99 on-contract, coming this Thursday, Jan. 26

The word out of CES was that the Motorola Droid RAZR MAXX would be hitting store shelves on Jan. 26 for $299.99, and today we have the official confirmation of this from Verizon. As usual, that $299.99 price tag comes with a two-year service agreement, and puts the RAZR MAXX in line with Verizon's Galaxy Nexus, as well as the 32GB original RAZR.

Check out our hands-on coverage from CES for more on the Droid RAZR MAXX, which packs a massive 3300 mAh battery. And be sure to let us know in the comments if you'll be picking one of these up on Thursday.

Source: Verizon Wireless

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/eNo5mU8FRos/story01.htm

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Nigeria security forces kill 2 after sect attack (AP)

KANO, Nigeria ? A young man in traditional robes sobbed Tuesday as he stood in a pool of blood, surrounded by bullet-scarred walls left behind after a security raid in this northern Nigeria city recently assaulted by a radical Islamist sect.

Residents of this dusty neighborhood in the city of Kano pressed shoulder-to-shoulder inside the home, saying soldiers and others killed the man who lived here and his pregnant wife for no reason.

The local police commissioner acknowledged the attack and said it was part of the government's effort to root out the sect known as Boko Haram, responsible for killing at least 185 people in a Friday attack on the country's second-largest city.

Tuesday's killings highlight the dangers posed by possible reprisal killings and arbitrary arrests carried out by Nigerian security services who are trying to stop Boko Haram's increasingly sophisticated attacks. And while the sect remains amorphous and secretive, such assaults may only alienate the same population the government wants to save.

"He didn't belong to any religious group. Is it because of his beard?" asked relative Musa Ibrahim Fatega. "That means you cannot dress the way you are. Is it good? Is this how government is going to treat us?"

Friday's attack in Kano saw Boko Haram members spread through the city, attacking police stations, immigration offices and the local headquarters of the secret police. The attacks came after authorities refused to release suspected sect members earlier arrested, Kano state police commissioner Ibrahim Idris said.

Much of the bloodshed during Friday's attack occurred when Boko Haram gunmen threw improvised bombs made of aluminum cans and a white powder explosive, likely fertilizer. Foreign journalists saw the cans Tuesday, which had been stuffed with cotton at the top, each holding a simple detonator. Idris said gunmen threw the explosives, then fired randomly on those they saw fleeing the blast.

Police say they found 10 car bombs and about 300 of those unexploded cans after the attack ? potentially signaling Boko Haram planned further violence in the city of more than 9 million people.

Some Boko Haram gunmen also wore uniforms resembling those of the Mobile Police, the paramilitary arm of the nation's federal police, to take control of the streets during Friday's attack, Idris said. Others had camouflage uniforms like those worn by soldiers in the country, the commissioner said.

"Some of our police officers who saw them on the street thought they were their colleagues," Idris said. "They just shot them in cold blood."

The coordinated attack was Boko Haram's deadliest since they began a campaign of terror last year. Boko Haram has now killed at least 262 people in 2012, more than half of the at least 510 people the sect killed in all of 2011, according to an Associated Press count. Medical workers and emergency officials say they expect the toll may be even higher.

Boko Haram wants to implement strict Shariah law and avenge the deaths of Muslims in communal violence across Nigeria, a multiethnic nation of more than 160 million people split largely into a Christian south and Muslim north.

While the sect has begun targeting Christians in the north, the majority of those killed Friday appeared to be Muslim, officials said.

Nigeria's weak central government has been unable to stop Boko Haram's increasingly bloody attacks. Early Tuesday morning, security forces surrounded the Kano home and started a gun battle that lasted for hours. It left bullet holes peppering walls and the home's interior metal doors. Inside a living room, blood pooled around beige sofas, with a single rifle cartridge left behind.

A sedan inside the compound, also riddled with bullet holes, bore federal government license plates. The dead man previously worked for the country's education ministry, said Fatega, his relative.

Security forces took the two bodies away, leaving family members to try to figure out how to reclaim them for burial before sundown according to Islamic tradition. The scene around the house was tense as onlookers pressed against the front gate. A military attack helicopter circled overhead.

Idris said a "sister agency" carried out the attack on the house. Typically, police use that term when referring to the State Security Service, the county's secret police. Marilyn Ogar, a secret police spokeswoman, said she had no information about the attack.

Meanwhile, officers have withdrawn from Kano's streets, massing at the state headquarters where one Boko Haram suicide bomber detonated a car full of explosives Friday. Those there remain angry and tense, with one claiming he hadn't eaten for days. Coupled with a military which has used its firepower against civilians in the past, that raises the possibility of innocent people being caught up in security operations or killed, analysts warn.

Amnesty International issued a statement Tuesday warning the Nigerian government "not pursue security at the expense of human rights."

"The population in northern Nigeria are caught between being targeted by Boko Haram and Nigeria's counterterrorism measures that fail to prevent, investigate, prosecute or punish these acts," Amnesty said. Such government operations "often result in new human rights violations perpetrated by the security forces with impunity."

However, the situation remains much more simple for police.

"People attacking police stations, they are terrorists," Idris said. "That's it."

___

Jon Gambrell can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/jongambrellAP.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/africa/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120124/ap_on_re_af/af_nigeria_violence

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Gingrich: Romney self-deportation plan a fantasy (AP)

DORAL, Fla. ? Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich on Wednesday ridiculed rival Mitt Romney's call for self-deportation of illegal immigrants as an "Obama-level fantasy" that would be inhumane to long-established families living in America.

The former House speaker ripped that part of Romney's immigration policy during a forum Wednesday with the Spanish-language network Univision. The interviewer also asked sharp questions about Gingrich's marital history.

Gingrich laughed at the idea of self-deportation and said it wouldn't work.

During a debate earlier this week, Romney said he favors self-deportation over policies that would require the federal government to round up millions of illegal immigrants and send them back to their home countries. Advocates of Romney's approach argue that illegal immigration can be curbed by denying public benefits to them, forcing them to leave the United States on their own.

"You have to live in a world of Swiss bank accounts and Cayman Island accounts and automatically $20 million income for no work to have some fantasy this far from reality," Gingrich said, alluding to details in Romney's income tax returns made public on Tuesday. "For Romney to believe that somebody's grandmother is going to be so cut off that she is going to self-deport, I mean this is an Obama-level fantasy."

But Gingrich's campaign has spoken of the self-deportation policy he ridiculed Wednesday.

Romney's campaign directed reporters to past comments by Gingrich spokesman R.C. Hammond, who said that only a small percent of illegal immigrants would likely be allowed to stay in the U.S. under Gingrich's plan. Hammond went on to say that the vast majority of them would likely "self-deport."

At the forum, Gingrich spoke instead about border control and establishing a guest-worker program to better manage the influx of immigrants. Gingrich said he favors a path to citizenship for illegal immigrant children who serve in the military but not for simply completing college.

As to communist Cuba, not far off Florida's southern shore, Gingrich said he would be open to using everything up to covert operations to replace stalwart Fidel Castro's regime. "Hands off Cuba, that's baloney," he said. "The people of Cuba deserve freedom."

Florida is home to many Hispanics of Puerto Rican or Cuban descent and who view immigration policy as a priority. Thirteen percent of the state's registered voters are Hispanic.

While the questions were mostly about Hispanic concerns, moderator Jorge Ramos asked Gingrich whether it was hypocritical for him to criticize then-President Bill Clinton and pursue his impeachment in the 1990s when Gingrich was also being unfaithful to his second wife.

Gingrich snapped at the premise of the question and said it was Clinton's false testimony under oath that bothered him most.

"The fact is I've been through two divorces. I've been deposed both times under oath. Both times I told the truth in the deposition," Gingrich said. "I have never lied under oath. I have never committed perjury."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/gop/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120125/ap_on_el_pr/us_campaign_hispanics

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