Current Scenario of the Indian Real Estate

The Indian real estate market has seen a sharp upturn in the recent years. Even when the world economy was reeling from the aftershock of the huge recession that hit hard even some of the largest & leading economy, the Indian real estate market remained immune to the downturn that was seen in almost every other sector. The real estate sector witnessed and is still getting investment from a large number of investors of both India and abroad. It has been a golden harvest even in this turbulent financial market. For most investors, real estate has been a refuge from the burn most bear due to the downturn in almost every other sector.

The question arises what kept the real estate such a prosperous option even during a time when every other investment option seemed such a huge risk. Studies have revealed the transparency in the way the real estate sector works and the strong legal rules guiding almost every aspect governing investments in this sector has made it a great option for the investors. With India becoming one of the major targets for the Foreign Direct Investors, the need for new property is on the rise. People need more residential complexes, places to build shopping malls, offices, industries, and even agricultural lands. And they need these in proper locations which will benefit the business. Thus the demand for real estate properties at some of the key locations within the country skyrocketed within a few years.

India today is a fast growing economy and almost 50% of the population comprises of the young, dynamic generation. As they establish themselves in the society, their requirements also increase. From tourism department to hospitality, all are grabbing the opportunity. The high income younger generation today is their primary target. Thus, demand for real estate is also on the rise. Space is required for hotels, restaurants, leisure activity zones, etc.

While the rise can be seen in all the parts of India, but the major towns and metro cities are most in demand. And it can be safely assumed that an investment at property in India is one of the safest options which can yield a high return for certain. With the continuing rise of the price of properties available in India it is one of the smartest choices when the question of investment decision arises.

One might be apprehensive given the recent news of major frauds happening in the financial sector, but one can always rely upon some of the oldest available options when it comes to buy real estates. There are many websites as well as companies which deal in the sector and one can always rely upon these to grab a great deal. These property sites will also provide excellent guidance to the first time investors. With such lucrative options available and such high returns guaranteed, the Indian real estate sector is one of the primary investment options one should look out for.

Source: http://www.therealestate.in/2013/06/current-scenario-of-the-indian-real-estate.html

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40 ex-Anglo staff lose jobs in London and Belfast

40 ex-Anglo staff lose jobs in London and Belfast

Saturday, June 29, 2013

Forty employees of the former Anglo Irish Bank, IBRC in special liquidation, have been made redundant at the bank?s London and Belfast offices.

In a statement issued yesterday, liquidators of the bank Kieran Wallace and Eamonn Richardson of KPMG said that they were using an insolvency provision to remove protection for the staff that would have seen them automatically transferred over to another company, Capita.

Capita is taking over the winding-down of the IBRC loan book that has been transferred to Nama.

The bank workers? union the IBOA said it was disappointed by the actions of the receivers.

BOA general secretary Larry Broderick said he was shocked that there was no commitment by Capita to take on the staff.

?While the decision to transfer the management of these assets to Capita is no real surprise under the circumstances, we are shocked and disappointed that no commitment has been made to implement legislation covering the rights of workers on the transfer of business,? he said.

Staff who have been made redundant will only receive statutory redundancy payments and are not guaranteed employment with Capita.

?It appears that, once the redundancies have taken place, Capita intends to hand-pick the staff they want to employ.

?The rest of the workers will be left to face compulsory redundancy on inferior terms than were previously agreed with the Republic?s Government as recently as 18 months ago,? said Mr Broderick.

In a statement, a spokesperson for Capita said it would make a number of positions available for employees.

?Capita Asset Services has not yet been in a position to commence engagement with the employees currently working on the Nama loan book within IBRC in London and Belfast.

?Nevertheless, we are committed to making available a significant number of permanent employment opportunities to the affected group.?

? Irish Examiner Ltd. All rights reserved

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Epigenetics study discovers cancer risks double when two carcinogens present at 'safe' levels

(Medical Xpress)?Science knows that arsenic and estrogen can cause cancer. At certain very low levels, the chemicals offer little to no threats to human health.

However, new research conducted by Texas Tech University scientists has found that low doses of both chemicals together ? even at levels low enough to be considered "safe" for humans if they were on their own ? can cause cancer in prostate cells.

The combination of the two chemicals was almost twice as likely to create cancer in prostate cells, the research found. The study published online in the peer-reviewed journal The Prostate.

Kamaleshwar Singh, an assistant professor at The Institute of Environmental and Human Health (TIEHH) at Texas Tech said the findings could have an impact on health regulations regarding the "safe" doses of these chemicals and others. Most regulations are set by testing one chemical at a time on cells. Very few if any have looked at multiple chemicals at the same time.

"The majority of cancers are caused by environmental influences," Singh said. "Only about 5 to 10 percent of cancers are due to genetic predisposition. Science has looked at these chemicals, such as arsenic, and tested them in a lab to find the amounts that may cause cancer. But that's just a single chemical in a single test. In the real world, we are getting exposed to many chemicals at once."

Singh said he became interested in studying two chemicals at once after looking at arsenic's carcinogenic properties in a previous paper.

Because cigarette smoke and well water in some areas, including India, Mexico and even Lubbock county, can contain arsenic, Singh and his doctoral student, Justin Treas, wondered how the carcinogenic properties might change when paired with the presence of another carcinogenic chemical.

The two focused on estrogen because of the chemical's abundance. Many plastics, such as food can liners and bisphenol A (BPA), release small amounts of chemicals that mimic estrogen in the body.

"Co-exposure was creating a greater impact," Singh said. "That was one of the important findings of our study. The next thing we wanted to know is how these two chemicals are creating a greater effect."

Unlike stronger chemicals that do major damage to the DNA in a cell, such as benzene, arsenic and estrogen aren't major mutagens Singh said. Instead, their presence tends to stop certain genes from expressing. The process is called DNA hypermethylation.

In the experiment, human prostate cells were treated about once a week for six months with arsenic, estrogen and a combination of the two. Many of the tests involved levels of arsenic, estrogen or both at levels considered safe by the Environmental Protection Agency.

Treas said the two chemicals stopped the MLH1 gene, which is responsible for sending the signal to start the self-destruct sequence when a cell is damaged. Because the self-destruct couldn't activate, the cells became cancerous after exposure.

"With the lower dose not killing the cell, it's causing damages that go under the cell's radar," Treas said. "We found when you have two compounds together, lower doses could be more serious problem."

Explore further: Exposure to low doses of BPA linked to increased risk of prostate cancer in human stem cells

Source: http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-06-epigenetics-cancer-carcinogens-safe.html

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Abortion fight in Texas

Yes indeed, Texas Gov. Rick Perry has cut women to the quick with his insulting and condescending comments regarding Democratic State Senator Wendy Davis, who blocked the highly restrictive abortion bill with her filibuster of more than 10 hours. But then again, what can you expect from a man, who once suggested that Turkey?s leaders are Islamic terrorists?

In any case, women are intelligent enough to make their own decision concerning the necessity to terminate a pregnancy, carry a baby to full term and or raise a child as a single mother. Until Gov. Perry gets his medical degree, I suggest he and fellow Republicans remove their long arm of government and stop interfering with a woman?s right to choose.

? JoAnn Lee Frank, Clearwater, Fla.?

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/chicagotribune/voiceofthepeople/~3/RI_kjJLLzZE/chi-20130628-frank_briefs,0,6143375.story

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SmackDown live results: June 28, 2013

All WWE programming, talent names, images, likenesses, slogans, wrestling moves, trademarks, logos and copyrights are the exclusive property of WWE, Inc. and its subsidiaries. All other trademarks, logos and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. ? 2013 WWE, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This website is based in the United States. By submitting personal information to this website you consent to your information being maintained in the U.S., subject to applicable U.S. laws. U.S. law may be different than the law of your home country. WrestleMania XXIX (NY/NJ) logo TM & ? 2013 WWE. All Rights Reserved. The Empire State Building design is a registered trademark and used with permission by ESBC.

Source: http://www.wwe.com/shows/smackdown/2013-06-28/smackdown-live-results-june-28-2013

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Obama tells leaders to follow Mandela's example

U.S. President Barack Obama and South African President Jacob Zuma, not pictured, address a press conference following their meeting at Union Building in Pretoria, South Africa, Saturday June 29, 2013.(AP Photo/Jerome Delay)

U.S. President Barack Obama and South African President Jacob Zuma, not pictured, address a press conference following their meeting at Union Building in Pretoria, South Africa, Saturday June 29, 2013.(AP Photo/Jerome Delay)

U.S. President Barack Obama gestures during a news conference with South African President Jacob Zuma, not pictured, at the Union Building on Saturday, June 29, 2013, in Pretoria, South Africa. The president is in South Africa, embarking on the second leg of his three-country African journey. The visit comes at a poignant time, with former South African president and anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela ailing in a Johannesburg hospital. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

El presidente Barack Obama, izquierda, habla con su contraparte de Sud?frica Jacob Zuma el s?bado, 29 de junio del 2013 en Pretoria, Sud?frica. (Foto AP/Evan Vucci)

U.S. President Barack Obama and South African President Jacob Zuma address a press conference following their meeting at Union Building in Pretoria, South Africa, Saturday June 29, 2013.(AP Photo/Jerome Delay)

U.S. President Barack Obama flanked by First Lady Michelle Obama, left, waves with South African President Jacob Zuma, second right, and his wife Tobeka Madiba Zuma, right, on the steps of Union Building in Pretoria, South Africa, Saturday June 29, 2013. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)

JOHANNESBURG (AP) ? President Barack Obama encouraged leaders in Africa and around the world Saturday to follow former South African President Nelson Mandela's example of country before self, as the U.S. president prepared to pay personal respects to relatives who have been gathered around the critically ill anti-apartheid icon.

"We as leaders occupy these spaces temporarily and we don't get so deluded that we think the fate of our country doesn't depend on how long we stay in office," Obama said.

Obama spoke at a news conference with South African President Jacob Zuma in the midst of a weeklong tour of the continent that also included stops in Senegal and Tanzania. But many other African nations are embroiled in religious, sectarian and other conflicts.

Obama decided to avoid stopping in his father's home nation of Kenya because of international disputes there. The International Criminal Court is prosecuting Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta for crimes against humanity, including murder, deportation, rape, persecution and inhumane acts allegedly committed by his supporters in the violent aftermath of Kenya's 2007 elections.

"The timing was not right for me as the president of the United States to be visiting Kenya when those issues are still being worked on, and hopefully at some point resolved," Obama said. He noted he's visited Kenya several times previously and expects he will as well in the future.

Obama and Zuma appeared at the Union Buildings that house government offices and the site of Mandela's 1994 inauguration as the country's first black president after 27 years behind bars for his activism.

The 94-year-old Mandela has been in a nearby hospital for three weeks after being admitted with a lung infection. Zuma told reporters that Mandela is in critical but stable condition and the whole nation is praying that he will improve.

Obama visited with two of Mandela's daughters and eight of his grandchildren Saturday at the Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory, part of the former president's foundation. Obama said he told the family he hopes Mandela draws comfort from the time he's spending with loved ones.

"I also reaffirmed the profound impact that his legacy has had in building a free South Africa, and in inspiring people around the world ? including me," Obama said in a statement after the visit. "That's a legacy that we must all honor in our own lives.

Obama also spoke by telephone with Graca Machel, Mandela's wife, while she stayed at his bedside in the hospital. Machel said she drew strength from the call and that Obama added a characteristic "touch of personal warmth."

"I am humbled by their comfort and messages of strength and inspiration, which I have already conveyed" to Mandela, she said.

The White House said that in accordance with the family's wishes, Obama was not planning to visit with Mandela.

In nearby Pretoria earlier, Obama revered Mandela as "one of the greatest people in history," referred to him by his clan name as he praised South Africa's historic integration from white racist rule as a shining beacon for the world.

"The struggle here against apartheid for freedom, Madiba's moral courage, this country's historic transition to a free and democratic nation has been a personal inspiration to me, it has been an inspiration to the world," Obama said.

"The outpouring of love that we've seen in recent days shows that the triumph of Nelson Mandela and this nation speaks to something very deep in the human spirit, the yearning for justice and dignity that transcends boundaries of race and class and faith and country," Obama said. "That's what Nelson Mandela represents, that's what South African at its best represents to the world, and that's what brings me back here."

Zuma told Obama he and Mandela are "bound by history as the first black presidents of your respective countries."

"Thus, you both carry the dreams of millions of people in Africa and in the diaspora who were previously oppressed," Zuma said, reading from a prepared statement.

On other topics, Obama declined to commit to supporting South Africa's bid for a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council. He said the U.N.'s structure needs to be updated and it would be "odd" for an expanded Security Council not to have African representation.

"How we do that and what fashion is complicated, it's difficult and it involves all kinds of politics," Obama said.

"Everybody wants a seat at the table, but when it comes time to step up and show responsibility, sometimes people want to be free riders," Obama said, adding he wasn't referring to South Africa specifically.

Zuma responded that he wishes the process of change at the U.N. would speed up.

Obama also said he wants to boost trade with Africa and plans to renegotiate an African trade pact to improve it for American businesses. He said he welcomes competition from other nations who have been aggressive in pursuing commercial opportunities in Africa, including China.

"I don't feel threatened by it. I think it's a good thing," he said. He added: "Our only advice is make sure it's a good deal for Africa." He said that includes making sure foreign investment employs Africans and doesn't tolerate corruption or take its natural resources without compensation for Africans.

Obama also is paying tribute to South Africa's fight against apartheid by visiting the Soweto area Saturday afternoon for a town hall with students at the University of Johannesburg. At least 176 young people were killed in Soweto township 27 years ago this month during a youth protest against the apartheid regime's ban against teaching local Bantu languages. The Soweto Uprising catalyzed international support against apartheid, and June is now recognized as Youth Month in South Africa.

The university plans to bestow an honorary law degree on the U.S. president.

Protesters under police watch demonstrated outside the university against Obama's record on surveillance and foreign policy. Demonstrators from a range of trade unions and civil society groups chanted, "Away with intelligence, away," holding posters depicting Obama with an Adolf Hitler moustache.

"People died in Libya. People are still dying in Syria," said 54-year-old Ramasimong Tsokolibane. "In Egypt, in Afghanistan in Pakistan drones are still killing people. So that's why we are calling him a Hitler. He's a killer."

Obama has been trying to inspire the continent's youth to become civically active and part of a new democratically minded generation. Obama hosted young leaders from more than 40 African countries at the White House in 2010 and challenged them to bring change to their countries by standing up for freedom, openness and peaceful disagreement.

Obama wraps up his South Africa stay Sunday, when he plans to give a sweeping speech on U.S.-Africa policy at the University of Cape Town and take his family to Robben Island to tour the prison where Mandela spent 18 of his 27 years behind bars.

Obama has visited the island before, but said it's a particular privilege to bring his daughters back to learn its lessons.

___

Associated Press Television News reporter Bram Janssen contributed to this report.

___

Follow Nedra Pickler on Twitter at https://twitter.com/nedrapickler and Julie Pace at https://twitter.com/jpacedc

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-06-29-AF-Obama/id-e98b31506a1b4405a94523f430cc9356

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Judge scrutinizes Facebook deal to end privacy lawsuit over ads

Facebook

Dan Levine Reuters

7 hours ago

Reuters file

SAN FRANCISCO ? Child rights advocates tried to convince a U.S. judge on Friday that a Facebook legal settlement did not go far enough to keep content created by minors out of the hands of advertisers.

Five plaintiffs filed a proposed class action against Facebook in 2011, saying the social networking giant's "Sponsored Stories" program shared user's "likes" of certain advertisers without paying them or allowing them to opt out.

The case has highlighted tension between privacy concerns and Facebook's drive to monetize user content.

Under the terms of a proposed settlement, Facebook will pay $20 million to compensate class members, and promised to give users more control over how their content is shared ? changes which plaintiff lawyers estimate to be worth up to $145 million. Facebook charged advertisers nearly $234 million for Sponsored Stories between January 2011 and August 2012, court filings show.

U.S. District Judge Richard Seeborg in San Francisco preliminarily approved the settlement last year, but he still must give it a final sign-off."

At a hearing on Friday, Children's Advocacy Institute attorney Robert Fellmeth told Seeborg that no minors should have their content shared with advertisers. Seeborg did not say how he would rule, but said his role is only to say if the settlement is fair.

"My function here is not to craft the perfect policy for minors," Seeborg said.

Related story: Facebook to pull ads from pages with sex, violence

Earlier this month, Facebook announced a retooling of its advertising product offerings and eliminated the term "Sponsored Stories," though the company can still share its members likes of different products. Facebook attorney Michael Rhodes said in court on Friday that the legal settlement would still cover those types of advertising practices.

Under the deal, impacted Facebook users can claim a cash payment of around $10 each to be paid from the settlement fund, and plaintiff lawyers are seeking $7.5 million in fees. Any money remaining would then go to charity.

Seeborg called the $145 million valuation of changes to Facebook's site "highly speculative." However, plaintiff lawyer Robert Arns said the changes were very significant. "We think it sets a new standard for all social media sites in the U.S.," Arns said.

The case in U.S. District Court, Northern District of California is Angel Fraley et al., individually and on behalf of all others similarly situated vs. Facebook Inc, 11-cv-1726.

Copyright 2013 Thomson Reuters.

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US Lab to Reduce Biomedical Testing on Chimpanzees (Voice Of America)

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Could a diet high in fish and flax help prevent broken hips?

June 27, 2013 ? Higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids in the blood may reduce the risk for hip fractures in postmenopausal women, recent research suggests.

Scientists analyzed red blood cell samples from women with and without a history of having a broken hip. The study showed that higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids from both plant and fish sources in those blood cells were associated with a lower likelihood of having fractured a hip.

In addition to omega-3s, the researchers looked at omega-6 fatty acids, which are generally plentiful in a Western diet. The study also showed that as the ratio of omega-6 fatty acids to omega-3s increased, so did the risk for hip fracture.

Though the study did not define the mechanisms for these relationships, the researchers hypothesized that inflammation may contribute to bone resorption, the breaking down of bone caused by the release of cells called osteoclasts.

"Inflammation is associated with an increased risk of bone loss and fractures, and omega-3 fatty acids are believed to reduce inflammation. So we asked if we would see fractures decrease in response to omega-3 intake," said Rebecca Jackson, the study's senior author and a professor of endocrinology, diabetes and metabolism at The Ohio State University.

"One thing that was critically important was that we didn't use self-report of food intake, because there can be errors with that. We looked directly at the exposure of the bone cell to the fatty acids, which is at the red blood cell level," said Jackson, also associate dean for clinical research in Ohio State's College of Medicine. "Red blood cell levels also give an indication of long-term exposure to these fatty acids, which we took into account in looking for a preventive effect."

Broken hips are the most common osteoporosis-related fractures, with an estimated 350,000 occurring annually in the United States. About 20 percent of people die in the year following a hip fracture.

The research is published in a recent issue of the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research.

The observational study did not measure cause and effect, so the researchers say the findings are not definitive enough to suggest that taking omega-3 supplements would prevent hip fractures in postmenopausal women.

"We don't yet know whether omega-3 supplementation would affect results for bone health or other outcomes," said Tonya Orchard, assistant professor of human nutrition at Ohio State and first author of the study. "Though it's premature to make a nutrition recommendation based on this work, I do think this study adds a little more strength to current recommendations to include more omega-3s in the diet in the form of fish, and suggests that plant sources of omega-3 may be just as important for preventing hip fractures in women."

Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are both polyunsaturated fatty acids and essential fatty acids, meaning they contribute to biological processes but must be consumed because the body does not produce them on its own. Previous research has suggested that while both types of fatty acids are linked to health benefits, omega-3 fatty acids have anti-inflammatory properties and omega-6 fatty acids seem to have both anti- and pro-inflammatory effects.

The researchers used blood samples and hip fracture records from the Women's Health Initiative (WHI), a large national prospective study of postmenopausal women that enrolled participants between 1993 and 1998 and followed them for 15 years. For this new work, the sample consisted of red blood cell samples and records from 324 pairs of WHI participants, half of whom had broken their hips before Aug. 15, 2008, and the other half composed of age-matched controls who had never broken a hip.

The analysis showed that higher levels of total omega-3 fatty acids and two other specific kinds of omega-3s alone were associated with a lower risk of hip breaks in the study sample.

On the other hand, women who had the highest ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids had nearly twice the risk of hip fractures compared to women with the lowest ratios. The current typical American diet contains between 15 and 17 times more omega-6 than omega-3, a ratio that previous research has suggested should be lowered to 4-to-1, or even 2-to-1, by increasing omega-3s, to improve overall health. The primary omega-6 fatty acid in the diet is linoleic acid, which composes about 99 percent of Americans' omega-6 intake and is found in corn, soybean, safflower and sunflower oils.

The specific omega-3 sources associated with lower risk for broken hips were ALA (alpha-linolenic acid), which comes from plant sources such as flaxseed oil and some nuts, and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid), which is found in fatty types of fish. The other marine-sourced omega-3, DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), on its own did not have a significant link to lower hip-fracture risk, "but all three omega-3s were in the protective direction," Orchard said.

Jackson, who was a vice chair of the WHI for more than a decade, said continuing analyses of data from the WHI will dig down to the genetic influences on metabolism and absorption of nutrients, and whether such genetic differences could affect health risk factors in postmenopausal women.

This work was supported by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences. The WHI was funded by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.

Co-authors include Steven Ing of the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism; Bo Lu of the Division of Biostatistics; and Martha Belury of the Department of Human Nutrition, all at Ohio State; as well as Karen Johnson of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center and Jean Wactawski-Wende of the State University of New York, Buffalo.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_health/~3/GCZvb2QNB8w/130627151640.htm

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Suicide bomb kills 4 in Syrian capital's Old City

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) ? A suicide bomber blew himself up near the headquarters of Syria's Greek Orthodox Church in Damascus' Old City, killing at least four people Thursday, minutes after the patriarch had entered the cathedral, state-run TV and a church official said.

The blast in the ancient quarter of narrow streets and historic buildings was the first reported suicide attack of the Syrian civil war inside the Old City, although other such bombs have struck the capital of Damascus during the conflict.

The blast struck in the vicinity of the Virgin Mary Cathedral in the predominantly Christian neighborhood of Bab Sharqi, the broadcast said, although it was not clear if the church was the attacker's target.

Several people also were wounded, the TV said.

SANA, Syria's state-run news agency, said a nearby clinic run by a Muslim charity appeared to be the target. That was also the view of Bishop Ghattas Hazim, who spoke to The Associated Press from Lebanon.

Lebanon's Al-Mayadeen TV, which has reporters in Damascus, said the target of the attack appeared to be a nearby post of the National Defense Forces, a paramilitary force fighting the rebels who are trying to topple President Bashar Assad.

Residents also disagreed about the target, with some saying the bomber may have detonated the explosives prematurely. Pro-government gunmen were seen roaming the streets afterward.

The blast occurred nearly 15 minutes after John Yazigi, the Eastern Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, entered the church, but he was unhurt, according to Hazim, an aide.

A government official told the AP that the bomber was wearing a belt of explosives and blew himself up near the church. Both the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media, and state TV said at least four people were killed. SANA said eight people were wounded.

An AP reporter who visited the area saw that the explosion occurred about 50 meters (yards) from the church and damaged several shops. An antiques shop suffered the worst damage, with its windows shattered and objects strewn about.

"I heard an explosion. Then glass started flying, and the place was full of dust," said shop owner Abdo Muqri, whose right arm and forehead were injured. "I was watching television inside. Had I been near the door, I would have been dead."

State-owned Al-Ikhbariya TV showed a body near the shop.

About three hours after the blast, two shells struck the area. A wounded man and woman were seen being rushed away.

Bab Sharqi and the nearby Bab Touma, two main areas of the Old City, were famous for their restaurants and cafes that used to be packed until late at night before the civil war began.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights estimated this week that more than 100,000 people have been killed since the start of the conflict more than two years ago. It began with peaceful protests against Assad's rule, then became an armed conflict after the regime used the army to crack down on dissent and some opposition supporters took up weapons to fight back.

Churches have been targeted before in the civil war, mostly in the central city of Homs and Syria's largest city of Aleppo in the north.

Yazigi divides his time between Damascus and the Balamand Monastery in northern Lebanon. Yazigi took the post of patriarch earlier this year replacing Ignatius Hazim, who died in December.

One of the gravest attacks against Christians came in April when two bishops, including Yazigi's brother, Boulos, were kidnapped in a rebel-held area in northern Syria. He is still missing.

Christians are one of the largest religious minorities in Syria, making up about 10 percent of the population of 23 million people. They have tried to stay on the sidelines of the conflict, although as Islamic militants have increasingly joined with the opposition, many Christians have been leaning toward the regime.

As the bloodshed has intensified, hopes for an international conference to try to reach a political settlement between the regime and opposition have faded. Washington and its allies have said they will help arm the rebels.

In Berlin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned against shipping weapons to the rebels, telling parliament that in her view, "the risks would be incalculable."

She did not explain why, but critics fear that Western arms would only prolong the conflict without tipping the scales decisively. There are also concerns that the weapons, including anti-aircraft missiles, could fall into the hands of Islamic extremists who might use them against Western targets.

"Whether it would be successful or not is a different question, but in my view the risks would be incalculable," Merkel said. "But I think everyone who has a heart understands the wish to stop the killing in Syria and to remove the Assad regime."

In Moscow, the Defense Ministry said that Russia has withdrawn all military personnel from its naval base in Syria and replaced them with civilian workers.

The ministry did not say when the switch at the base at Tartus took place or how many personnel were deployed there. The minor facility is Russia's only naval outpost outside the former Soviet Union and consists of several barracks and depots used to service Russian navy ships in the Mediterranean.

The ministry statement said that Tartus has continued to service the Russian navy ships.

The ministry didn't explain why it was replacing military personnel with civilians, but the move could be part of efforts by Moscow to portray itself as an objective mediator trying to broker peace talks in the civil war.

Russia has been Assad's main ally, shielding his regime from the U.N. Security Council's sanctions and continuing to provide it with weapons.

Moscow also has an unknown number of military advisers in Syria who help its military operate and maintain Soviet- and Russian-built weapons that make up the core of its arsenal.

___

Associated Press writers Robert H. Reid in Berlin and Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/suicide-bomb-kills-4-syrian-capitals-old-city-193808345.html

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Legal How-To: Subletting Your Apartment - Law and Daily Life

As you take off for a long-awaited summer vacation, you may want to know how to sublet your apartment.

Renting out your place is a great way to shoulder costs and, in some cases, meet new folks. But the subletting process can be daunting -- and in some jurisdictions, it may even be unlawful, depending on the circumstances.

Thankfully, there are certain steps you can take for a smooth(er) subletting process. Here are five steps you'll want to consider:

1. Make sure it's legal to sublet. Before all else, make sure short-term leases are legal in your area. In New York City, for example, it's illegal to rent out a single-family home, apartment, or room for less than 30 days if you aren't living there. Other cities and states have similar restrictions. Violating such laws may result in hefty fines, so be sure to check your local laws before you list your casa on Craigslist or Airbnb.
2. Ask your landlord for permission. Micro-sublets can potentially jeopardize your lease. That's because most rental agreements include a clause that limits your ability to sublet or have guests stay for long periods of time without your landlord's approval. So check your lease and get written consent from your landlord saying it's OK to sublet your apartment.
3. Find a trustworthy tenant. At the end of the day, the subtenant isn't responsible to your landlord. You still are. So choose your subtenant wisely! You'll be liable for any nonsense that goes on while you're gone. You may want try to look for a subtenant through reliable friends and/or family. If you plan on using Craigslist or Airbnb, try to interview potential candidates -- perhaps via a service like Skype for out-of-towners -- and consider getting references. It might not hurt to take a peek at his or her Facebook profile, either.
4. Put your sublease agreement in writing. The sublease agreement is between you (the original tenant) and the subtenant. The subtenant pays you rent and is covered by the same lease terms you agreed to. As for the exact wording of these agreements, your local library will likely carry titles that include examples of subleases; you can also find a variety of sublease agreement templates for purchase online that are tailored to your state.
5. Get a security deposit. When you're making sublet agreements, especially for short-term leases, there's a very real possibility that potential subtenants will flake on you. Sometimes the ol' virtual handshake isn't enough -- even after you become Facebook friends. To make sure your subletters keep their word, seal the deal by requiring a security deposit. It's also a good way to ensure the subtenants stay on their best behavior. It'll help cover any maintenance or repairs that need to be performed while you're subletting.

Need more help?

Subletting your apartment has a certain legal art to it. Because of the legal implications involved, you'll want to be very careful in how you word your sublease agreement. That's where an experienced landlord-tenant attorney can come in handy.

If you're using a template for your agreement, another option is to sign up for a prepaid legal plan. Some plans, like those offered by LegalStreet, include attorney contract reviews (up to 10 pages) at no extra charge. LegalStreet plans also include unlimited phone consultations with licensed lawyers in your area, in case you have questions about your sublease, or any other legal issue that may arise.

(Disclosure: LegalStreet and FindLaw.com are owned by the same company. FindLaw.com also has a business relationship with U.S. Legal Forms, which offers template legal forms for purchase.)

Are you facing a legal issue you'd like to handle on your own? Suggest a topic for our Legal How-To series by sending us a tweet @FindLawConsumer with the hashtag #HowTo.

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Source: http://blogs.findlaw.com/law_and_life/2013/06/legal-how-to-subletting-your-apartment.html

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Sam Mendes NOT Confirmed to Direct Next Bond Film

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Two-headed turtle hatches at San Antonio zoo

SAN ANTONIO (AP) ? A two-headed turtle has hatched at the San Antonio Zoo and officials have named her Thelma and Louise.

The female Texas cooter arrived June 18 and will go on display Thursday at the zoo's Friedrich Aquarium.

Zoo spokeswoman Debbie Rios-Vanskike (van SKYKE') said Wednesday that the two-headed turtle appears healthy and is able to swim and walk. She says experts at the zoo don't foresee any health issues for Thelma and Louise, named for the female duo in the 1991 Oscar-winning road movie of the same name.

The San Antonio Zoo is no stranger to two-headed reptiles. The facility was home to a two-headed Texas rat snake named Janus from 1978 until the creature's death to 1995.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/two-headed-turtle-hatches-san-antonio-zoo-170418385.html

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Trayvon Martin was followed by Zimmerman, witness tells murder trial

By Tom Brown and Barbara Liston

SANFORD, Florida (Reuters) - In the minutes before he died Trayvon Martin told a friend with whom he was speaking by phone that a "creepy" man was "watching him," jurors in the murder trial of neighborhood watchman George Zimmerman heard on Wednesday.

Rachel Jeantel, 19, whose identity had been a closely guarded secret until her appearance in court, testified that she had spent several minutes on the phone listening to the unarmed black teen describe his efforts to get away from Zimmerman, until the line suddenly went dead.

Jeantel said Martin, then 17, "kept complaining that the man was looking at him," as he walked back to the house where he was staying with his father in the central Florida town of Sanford.

Zimmerman, 29 and part Hispanic, was a neighborhood watch volunteer in the Retreat at Twin Lakes community in Sanford at the time of the February 26, 2012, killing. He has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and could face life imprisonment if convicted.

Martin was a student at a Miami-area high school and a guest of one of the homeowners. He was walking back to the house after buying snacks at a nearby convenience store when he was shot in the chest during a confrontation with Zimmerman.

Martin family lawyer Ben Crump said Jeantel's testimony helps undermine Zimmerman's claim that he acted in self-defense.

Jeantel, with whom Martin had been friends since elementary school in Miami, told the court that Martin tried to run away and thought he had lost the stranger, until he reappeared. She heard Martin ask the man, "Why are you following me?" before the voice of "a hard-breathing man" replied, "What are you doing around here?"

Next she heard a bump, the sound of grass and Martin saying, "Get off!, Get off!" before the line was cut.

The racially charged case triggered civil rights protests and debates about the treatment of black Americans in the U.S. justice system, since police did not arrest Zimmerman for 44 days.

Earlier on Wednesday jurors listened to telephone calls that Zimmerman had made to police in the months before he killed Martin.

Defense attorneys had objected to use of the tapes in the trial, describing the five phone calls made between August 2011 and February 2012 as "irrelevant" and contending that they would tell jurors nothing about Zimmerman's thinking on the night he shot Martin.

Seminole County Circuit Judge Debra Nelson denied their objection and allowed the calls to be entered as evidence on Wednesday.

Prosecutors have said the calls, in which Zimmerman reported what he described as suspicious activity by black men, demonstrated "profiling" and were key to understanding the defendant's state of mind on February 26, 2012 when he called police to report Martin, minutes before shooting him in the chest at point-blank range.

To win a conviction for second-degree murder, the prosecution must convince jurors that Zimmerman acted with "ill will, hatred, spite or an evil intent," and "an indifference to human life," according to Florida jury instructions.

"It's not a whodunit. It is what was Zimmerman's state of mind before he did it and did he act in justifiable self-defense," said David Weinstein, a Miami lawyer and former prosecutor.

In the Zimmerman phone calls, he can be heard reporting what he described as suspicious behavior by various black men, using words or phrases similar to those he used to report Martin to the police.

"They typically run away quickly," he said in one call, referring to two men whom he said matched the description of suspects in a recent neighborhood burglary.

The six-member panel of acting jurors who will decide Zimmerman's fate are all women, five of whom are white and one Hispanic.

In opening statements on Monday, the prosecution portrayed Zimmerman as a man with a concealed weapon who committed a vigilante-style killing, while Zimmerman's defense team laid out the self-defense argument.

Under Florida's Stand Your Ground law, which was approved in 2005 and has since been copied by about 30 other states, people fearing for their lives can use deadly force without having to retreat from a confrontation, even when it is possible.

(Editing by David Adams, Bernard Orr, Toni Reinhold)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/judge-rules-police-calls-relevant-trayvon-martin-murder-134911688.html

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Video: PFT: Hernandez's lawyer answers charges

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Dogs are somewhat like young human children, study finds

When exploring their environments, dogs treat their owners similar to the way young children treat their parents, new research?reveals.?

By Elizabeth Barber,?Contributor / June 24, 2013

A child gleefully pets a springer spaniel named Hector at the Northern Minnesota English Springer Spaniel Club?s Fun Trials Saturday in May 2013.

Kelly Humphrey/Brainerd Dispatch/AP

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Treating our dogs like our babies might, it turns out, be somewhat reasonable.

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A new study has found?that the relationship between dogs and their owners?is similar?in character to that between parents and their babies.

In human parent-child bonding, infants perceive their caregivers as a ?secure base? as they begin to explore the world, tentatively reaching out into the unfamiliar with the confidence that someone known is observing their mini-adventure and is waiting to fold them back into what is safe and secure. Now, a study published in PLOS ONE?has?tested the confidence-levels of dogs with and without their owners and found that the same ?secure base effect? is also found in owner-dog bonding.

To note differences in dog behavior with and without their owners,?Lisa Horn?and?colleagues from the Vetmeduni's Messerli Research Institute?studied the behavior of dogs under three different conditions: "absent owner," "silent owner," and "encouraging owner.? In each of the situations, the dog could earn a food reward by interacting with dog toys.

When the owner was present, the dog tended to pursue the food reward, confidently addressing the dog toy challenges. Whether or not the owner was vocal didn?t affect the dog?s behavior; the owner?s presence was alone was enough to encourage the animal?s ambitions.

In the ?absent owner? part of the experiment, the researchers replaced the animals? caregiver with a stranger to the dog. In that experiment, the dogs largely declined to interact with the strangers and expressed limited interest in achieving the food reward. The scientists proposed that in that situation, the dog lacks the security it needed to bravely face the world and tackle the food reward tasks.

Scientists have proposed that dog might have been our first domesticated animal, sharing a common ancestor with the grey wolf some 15,000 years ago. Vaguely a child-equivalent in some homes, the dog ? with its muscled-face that registers emotions we can translate into our own language ? has accumulated a number of scientific studies and inherited lore that suggest it can make moral-like decisions.

Two years ago, researchers found that dogs learn from their owner?s facial cues to perform good behavior when their owner is watching and to save the misbehavior until their owner?s back is turned, like a wised-up child pilfering from the cookie jar.

No word from the pro-cat camp on how this might tilt the cat-dog debate.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/science/~3/47dWedxi8Q4/Dogs-are-somewhat-like-young-human-children-study-finds

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DFL Rep. Winkler tweets and deletes 'Uncle Thomas' to Supreme Court Justice (Star Tribune)

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4 Behaviors That Result In Divorce (90 Percent Of The Time)

psychcentral.com:

In any?marriage or long-term, romantic relationship, there are a number of challenges that have the potential to completely wreck your relationship. However, if it?s any consolation at all,?researchers have observed that there are just four behaviors?that, when avoided, greatly improve your chances for the long-term health and happiness of your relationship.

Read the whole story at psychcentral.com

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/26/4-behaviors-that-result-i_n_3506105.html

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For nationwide gay marriage, more battles ahead (The Arizona Republic)

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Sharp announces first THX-certified 4K TV, the $8,000 Aquos Ultra

Sharp has just revealed the Aquos Ultra at CE Week, a 70-inch Ultra HDTV the company says is the only THX-certified 4K model on the market. Calling it the company's "best designed TV ever," Sharp said that it put the model through "four hundred rigorous performance tests" to gain the THX nod, which is meant to assure that programming is reproduced as closely as possible. On top of the 3,840 x 2,160 pixel count, the model features advanced HD upscaling tech via a dual-core signal processor, pre-calibrated THX Movie viewing modes, a dual subwoofer system with 35 watts of sound output, Sharp's SmartCentral Smart TV platform and a flash-enabled web browser. You'll also be able to change channels or send video directly from your smartphone via the Beam app, and watch 3D films at 4K with the set's passive technology. If you're not dissuaded by the $8,000 price tag, it'll be up for grabs in mid-August -- check the PR after the break for more.

Filed under: Home Entertainment

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/06/26/sharp-announces-the-8-000-70-inch-4k-aquos/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget

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Daily Chronicle | Coding camps for kids rise in popularity

ATLANTA ? The video game Jacob Asofsky is creating is simple: "Someone who is trying to take over the world and you try to stop them."

The 12-year-old from Florida is spending two weeks at a summer camp in a program that teaches programming skills to young people.

"It's about having fun, but it also gives them the tools to be able to do this at home because they don't have this in school," said Taylor Jones, director of the iD Tech Camp at Atlanta's Emory University.

So-called coding camps for children are becoming more popular amid a growing effort to expand access to computer programming and inspire more youths to seek computer science degrees and careers in technology. Their rise underscores a seeming mismatch in the U.S. economy: people like Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Tumblr founder David Karp illustrate the opportunities programming skills can create, yet universities are not graduating enough code-savvy students to meet employers' demands.

The iD Tech Camps, which have grown from 200 students in 1999 to 28,000 enrolled this year in courses at dozens of locations nationwide, use interest in gaming to build bridges to computer programming and hopefully careers in Web developing, film animation and app creation for smart phones. Courses start at $829 for a one-week course during the day with overnight students paying $1,348.

On a recent weekday, Asofsky was attending an iD Tech Camp on the campus with some 95 other youths under the age of 17. He was using the gaming software RPG Maker to create a video game in which the main character travels around the world, buys animals and armor and interacts with others along the way.

"I have to say the interface of actually making a game is just as fun as playing a game," Asofsky said. "It's a lot like playing a game inside a game."

Early courses for children starting at age 7 use the photo and illustration software Adobe Photoshop and the gaming software Multimedia Fusion to create a simple arcade-style game.

"We sit down and talk about what makes games fun," said instructor Melissa Andrews, who was working with the youngest group of campers. "We get it down to the basics so they can make their own game."

Courses for older children include designing apps, creating sophisticated, 3-D, first-person shooter games using the Unreal Developer's Kit ? also known as UDK ? and learning programming languages like Java and C++. The idea is to build self-confidence and spark interest in learning how computers work, all to perhaps plant the seed of a future career in programming.

There will be 1.4 million computing jobs by 2020 but only 400,000 computer science students by that time, according to Code.org, a nonprofit with a list of who's who in the tech world on its advisory board including Twitter creator Jack Dorsey and Dropbox CEO Drew Houston.

And the jobs pay well. The median annual wage for a computer programmer, for instance, was $71,380 in 2010, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Meanwhile, jobs for network and computer systems administrators are growing at double the national average, with a median annual salary of $69,160.

Yet high schools and universities seem to be out of step with the job market. Nine out of 10 high schools don't offer computer programming classes and the number of students graduating from college with a computer science degree is down from a decade ago, according to Code.org.

Earlier this year, President Barack Obama said programming should be a required course in high school, similar to foreign languages.

"Given how pervasive computers and the Internet is now and how integral it is into our economy and how fascinated kids are with it, I want to make sure they know how to actually produce stuff using computers and not just simply consume stuff," Obama said during a Google+ Hangout.

Yale Oseroff's high school back in Virginia doesn't offer programming classes. The 17-year-old is spending his fourth year at an iD Tech Camp working through C++, a popular programming language used for systems and application software, for drivers to communicate between an operating system and devices like printers and to create some video games.

"I'm learning (computer) networking, which is what I want to do in college," he said, as he worked on developing a program to capture usernames and passwords and store them in a database.

On the Georgia Tech campus, the Institute for Computing Education offers a variety of camps clustered into elementary, middle and high school groups. Courses include making apps with App Inventor, creating moving sculptures with the WeDo Robotics systems that uses rotational motion and creating animations using Alice software.

Barbara Ericson, director of computer outreach at the Institute for Computing Education at Georgia Tech, said people sometimes ask: why not wait until children are older to start teaching them how to program?

"Anything over the age of 7 is capable, they are capable of learning reasoning," she said.

During a presentation earlier this month at a technology conference in Washington, D.C., Code.org founder Hadi Partovi said less than 5 percent of U.S. high school students spend class time learning computer science while it's a graduation requirement in China. He noted that many "software" jobs are outside the tech industry such as banking, retail, government and entertainment, which makes programming skills particularly versatile.

"It could mean starting your own company," he said. "But it could mean you're a doctor and you're tired of entering the same data into a chart using paper and you want to write an app that does it for you."

There are 43 hours, 10 minutes remaining to comment on this story.

Source: http://www.daily-chronicle.com/2013/06/25/coding-camps-for-kids-rise-in-popularity/aid1aq1/

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Edmonton Humane Society opens doors to public ... - Metro News

The pets at the Edmonton Humane Society (EHS) are about to get a lot more friends visiting them.

EHS has launched a virtual tour of its main building with Google Tours to give the general public a better idea about the organization?s behind-the-scenes action.

?We?re hoping more and more people will be drawn to come into the building directly,? EHS spokesperson Shawna Randolph said Monday. ?It helps connect us with the rest of the world.?

The facility?s digital tour is the largest Edmonton building featured in Google Tours at 47,000 square feet.

?I thought it would be a really good tool for them,? said Jim Whitesell, the photographer that approached EHS about the project.

Whitesell hopes his photographs enlighten the public, much like the experience enlightened him.

?I have a much better understanding about what goes on at the Edmonton Humane Society now. It?s important for everybody to be able to see that,? he said.

The tour also features signs filled with EHS information.

?It?s not just looking at pictures, you?re learning about us as you take the tour,? said Randolph.

The tour is available online now.

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Source: http://metronews.ca/news/edmonton/717730/edmonton-humane-society-opens-doors-to-public-internet-with-launch-of-virtual-tour/

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'Playboy' Paul Giamatti joins 'Downton Abbey'

TV

Ree Hines TODAY contributor

15 hours ago

Evan Agostini / AP

Paul Giamatti.

There was a time when Cora (Elizabeth McGovern) was the lone Yank on "Downton Abbey," but those days are long gone.

Last season, her mother, Martha (Shirley MacLaine), arrived on the scene -- much to the displeasure of the Dowager Countess (Maggie Smith) -- and next season, the American invasion will continue.

The next non-Brit on his way to the Abbey is Cora's brother, and if Lady Violet cringed at every Americanism out of Martha's mouth, she's bound to be positively apoplectic about Harold, as played by the oh-so-modern American Paul Giamatti.

Yes, that's right. The man who once played Kenny "Pig Vomit" Rushton in Howard Stern's "Private Parts" is joining the show.

At first the actor might seem like an odd fit for the "Dowton" ensemble, but fans can take heart. Giamatti already mastered the art of the perfect period piece performance in HBO's "John Adams," for which he won an Emmy, and it's not like he'll be channeling any of his past crude, nerdy or neurotic on-screen personas for his "Downton" role. In fact, according to TVLine, Giamatti's Harold is a "maverick, playboy" type.

Executive producer Gareth Neame told TVLine that Harold would be "free spirited," and that he -- along with mom Martha -- holds the promise of upsetting "the Grantham apple cart" by the end of season four.

But there's still a long wait for the beginning of season four -- at least for Harold's fellow Americans. "Downton Abbey" returns to PBS Jan. 5, 2014.

Source: http://www.today.com/entertainment/american-invasion-downton-abbey-continues-paul-giamatti-joins-cast-6C10423979

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Leap Motion starts expanded beta, opens dev portal to the public, shows off Airspace app store (hands-on)

Slowly but surely Leap Motion is making its way toward a commercial release. Today, the company has announced it's moving into the next phase of beta testing and that it will be opening up its developer portal to the public later in the week. While this still won't get folks a Leap device any faster, it will let them dig into Leap's tools and code base in preparation for when they finally get one. The move marks a shift from the company's previous SDK-focused beta to a consumer-focused one that'll serve to refine the UX in Windows and OSX. Within each operating system, there will be two levels of Leap control: basic, which essentially allows you to use Leap in place of a touchscreen, and advanced to allow for more 3D controls enabled by Leap's ability to detect the pitch and yaw of hands in space.

CEO Michael Buckwald gave us this good news himself, and also gave us a preview of Airspace, Leap's app store, and a few app demos for good measure. As it turns out, Airspace is a two-pronged affair -- Airspace Store is showcase for all software utilizing the Leap API and Airspace Home is a launcher that keeps all the Leap apps that you own in one convenient place. There will be 50 apps in Airspace at the start of the beta, with offerings from pro tools and utility apps to casual games, and we got to see a few examples.

Gallery: Leap Motion Airspace store and apps preview

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/AqxUoj6sNAQ/

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