NEW YORK (Reuters) ? U.S. stock futures jumped in early electronic trading on Sunday on the latest round of proposals out of Europe designed to corral the growing euro zone debt crisis.
U.S. stocks suffered their worst week in two months last week. The lack of a credible solution to Europe's debt crisis kept investors away from risky assets and downgrades of Belgium and Hungary added to the gloom.
Germany and France are exploring radical ways to integrate euro zone countries in order to impose tighter budget control. In addition, media reports that the International Monetary Fund was preparing a rescue plan for Italy bolstered sentiment.
S&P 500 futures rose 21 points. Dow Jones industrial average futures gained 146 points, and Nasdaq 100 futures were up 26 points.
The U.S. market's seven-day losing streak attracted early short-covering as Asian markets traded higher and the euro rebounded from recent losses. But recent rallies on hopes for a solution have not lasted long.
Last week, the S&P 500 fell 4.7 percent, giving back almost two-thirds of its gains in October, the market's best month in 20 years. The Dow was off 4.8 percent for the week and the Nasdaq fell 5.1 percent.
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@aforethought In a fantasy world, I buy myself a brand new Hilux and drive it for the next 20 years. Big bet on oil prices though!Il y a environ 4 heuresvia Twitterrific for Mac en r?ponse ? aforethought
RIYADH (Reuters) ? Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh signed a deal on Wednesday under which he will step down after 33 years in power and 10 months of protests against his rule that brought the country to the brink of civil war.
Celebrations erupted in the capital Sanaa as Saleh inked the agreement that made him the fourth leader to be forced from power in 10 months of mass protests that have swept the Arab world. Yemenis danced in the streets, set off fireworks and waved flags as Saleh finally agreed to step down.
Under the agreement, signed with opposition leaders at a ceremony hosted by Saudi King Abdullah at the royal palace in Riyadh, Saleh will immediately transfer his powers to his deputy, Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi. In return he will retain the title of president until a new head of state is elected.
"I declare the turning of a new page in the history of Yemen," Saudi King Abdullah said in a brief statement before the signing ceremony, also attended by Crown Prince Nayef.
"Saudi Arabia will remain the best supporter for Yemen," the king added.
Hadi would form a new government with the opposition and call an early presidential election within three months.
"This is as honorable an exit as he (Saleh) can get, considering the circumstances," said Ghanem Nusseibeh, a London-based analyst. "But the key thing is how the deal will be implemented and if the coalition government will be strong enough to take charge of the whole country," he added.
The United States and the European Union hailed the accord.
"This represents an important step forward for the Yemeni people, who deserve the opportunity to determine their own future," President Barack Obama said in a statement.
The Pentagon said the United States and Yemen would continue to work together against militants. "Despite the political instability in Yemen, we have been able to preserve important counter-terrorism relationships with that country."
In Brussels, EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said Saleh's signing of the deal should open the way to national reconciliation and a transition to democracy.
"The agreement is only the beginning, but it is a very important beginning. It allows the Yemeni people the much needed hope that their country can turn a page in its history and embrace a new future," she said in a statement.
Saudi state television broadcast live the signing ceremony, where Saleh was shown chatting and sipping traditional coffee with King Abdullah. Saleh spent three months in Riyadh undergoing treatment following an assassination attempt in June.
The attempt on Saleh's life came after he ducked out of the deal, which ushered in street battles that devastated parts of his capital Sanaa.
The 69-year-old leader, who has ruled Yemen since 1978, asked Saudi Arabia and members of the U.N. Security Council to ensure the implementation of the accord, brokered by Yemen's Gulf Arab neighbors.
"We aspire with confidence to the brothers in Saudi Arabia ... to review, help and oversee the implementation of the accord and the operational mechanism," he said.
MONTHS OF BLOODSTAINED PROTESTS
Hundreds of people have been killed during months of protests seeking Saleh's ouster. The political deadlock has reignited simmering conflicts with separatists and militants, raising fears that Yemen's al Qaeda wing could take a foothold on the borders of Saudi Arabia, the world's top oil exporter.
Details of the power transfer deal -- drawn up by Yemen's richer neighbors in the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) earlier this year, and thwarted by Saleh on three separate occasions -- were hammered out by U.N. envoy Jamal Benomar, with support from U.S. and European diplomats.
"This is a very good day for Yemen and we hope it provides the framework for a reform process during the transition that will lead to...free and fair elections," he told Reuters at the signing ceremony.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told reporters in New York that Saleh had told him in a telephone conversation on Tuesday that he intended to "come to New York to take medical treatment immediately after signing this agreement."
A Yemeni official had said on Tuesday that the accord was facing opposition from some senior politicians in Saleh's General People's Congress (GPC).
Saudi fears about chaos in Yemen are shared by Washington, which regards the country as a front line against al Qaeda and long backed Saleh as a key to its campaign against Islamist militants.
PROTESTERS DENOUNCE DEAL "WITHIN THE REGIME"
The deal to nudge him from power was denounced by some of the youth protesters who have emerged as a presence in Yemen's politics, and regard the parties that negotiated his exit partners in the crimes of which they accuse Saleh.
"We will remain on the streets until our demands are met," activist Samia al-Aghbari told Reuters. "Saleh's crimes won't end with time, so we will pursue him and all the killers."
But others welcomed the deal as a first victory of their uprising.
"This is a great victory," Badr Ali Ahmed, an activist at Change Square, said. "We have achieved one of the goals of the revolution, which is to bring down the head of the regime, and God willing we will achieve the rest."
Hamdan al-Haqab, a field organizer, said: "We were not part of this initiative, but since it happened, we consider it to be the first achievement of the revolution ... We will continue to achieve all our goals."
A Yemeni official said that renegade general Ali Mohsen, a longtime Saleh ally who turned on him after protests began, and Sadeq al-Ahmar, a tribal notable who also threw his weight against Saleh, could try to block the deal which excludes them.
Those figures, along with Saleh's son and a nephew who commands a key paramilitary unit, form a balance of forces on the ground that analysts say none is likely to tip, making a political resolution the only way out of Yemen's deadlock.
Witnesses said Ahmar fighters and Saleh forces traded shelling in the Soufan and al-Hasaba neighborhoods in Sanaa, where the tribal chief lives, and that sounds of explosions could be heard from a distance.
There were no reports of casualties. The area was the scene of heavy clashes earlier this year, where scores of people from both sides died.
(Additional reporting by Mohammed Ghobari in Sanaa; Writing by Sami Aboudi; Editing by Samia Nakhoul and Giles Elgood)
TOKYO (Reuters) ? Japan's disgraced Olympus Corp is set for a tense boardroom showdown on Friday when its former chief executive confronts the men who sacked him a month ago with his own call for their resignations over a huge accounting scandal.
Michael Woodford, still an Olympus director despite being fired as CEO and blowing the whistle over the scandal, plans to attend the firm's scheduled board meeting in Tokyo, his first return to the boardroom since it unanimously dumped him on October 14.
Backed by some big shareholders, he says he is willing to reclaim the top job and clean up the once-proud maker of cameras and endoscopes.
"I want to take the opportunity to look the directors in the eye and tell them what I think is best for the company," Woodford told reporters on the eve of the meeting, having flown back to Japan from a month of self-exile in his native Britain.
Woodford, who says he was sacked for questioning a string of unusual payments to obscure firms, had fled Japan immediately after his dismissal, citing fears for his safety amid speculation the scandal could somehow involve organized crime.
But this week he returned to the eye of the storm, flying back to meet police, prosecutors and regulators investigating the scandal, which has wiped out more than half of Olympus's market value and raised the prospect that it could be delisted from the Tokyo stock market and forced to sell core businesses.
Olympus initially denied any wrongdoing after sacking Woodford, a rare foreign CEO in Japan, but later admitted it had hidden investment losses from investors for two decades and used some of $1.3 billion in M&A payments to aid the cover-up.
Late on Thursday, three directors blamed for the concealment quit their directorships, including former President and Chairman Tsuyoshi Kikukawa, which promised to ease at least some of the worst boardroom tension Woodford could face on Friday.
But the CEO-turned-whistleblower still wants the rest of the board to go, including the new president, Shuichi Takayama, who has said that the current management team is ready to quit only once "the path to Olympus's revival became clear."
Some major foreign shareholders have called for Woodford to be immediately reinstated as CEO, but the 51-year-old himself says he does not believe that will happen at Friday's meeting.
"I just hope they understand the game is up and do the decent thing, stop damaging the company. Don't look for self-interest, look for the 45,000 people (who work for Olympus)," Woodford told reporters on Thursday.
"Have some shame, have some dignity, that's what I want to tell them."
Olympus has until December 14 to straighten out its accounts and report its half-year results to the stock market. If it misses that deadline, it will be automatically delisted.
(Writing by Mark Bendeich; Editing by Edmund Klamann)
According to NPR, a recent meeting of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which included more than 200 scientists, concluded with a report stating it expects climate change to bring more intense weather events. The panel specifically noted more rainfall, heat waves and other natural disasters are in the forecast as a result of climate change.
The IPCC notes the frequency of heavy rainfall will likely increase this century in many different regions. Additionally, more powerful hurricanes and typhoons are likely to occur, but these events will see a gradual, small increase instead of a steep one. With the debut of this report, here are some facts about climate change:
* Since the industrial revolution, the burning of fuel and constant deforestation has led to the release of greenhouse gases, especially carbon dioxide, in the atmosphere, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
* These greenhouse gases prevent heat from re-entering space and create a warming effect, also known as global warming or climate change, on the earth.
* The Washington State Department of Ecology notes while climate change can impact weather events, it also has the potential to impact agriculture, human health, water resources, and energy use.
* Despite the fact there is a warming trend, different regions will experience changes differently as well and there is the possibility that a few areas could see temperatures drop instead of increasing.
* In the late 1990s, numerous nations attempted to join together to establish the Kyoto Protocol, a treaty designed to ensure countries would commit to combating climate change.
* The U.S. failed to ratify the treaty over concerns that China and India would not have to follow the outlined changes or commit to reducing their own emissions.
* Nearly a decade later in Copenhagen, Denmark, world leaders met again to discuss and reach agreements on the growing concern of global warming.
* The 2009 summit focused on the dispute between the U.S. and China and if the nations couldn't agree it could have potentially killed any further international agreements at the summit.
* President Barack Obama also attended and spoke at the summit to help work out disagreements over China joining the pledge and although they fell short of expectations, agreements were finally reached.
Rachel Bogart provides an in-depth look at current environmental issues and local Chicago news stories. As a college student from the Chicago suburbs pursuing two science degrees, she applies her knowledge and passion to both topics to garner further public awareness.
According to new consumer survey data from ChangeWave Research, Amazon's Kindle Fire is poised to become the first real competitor to the Apple iPad, with one in five planned tablet buyers (22%) indicating they will purchase the Kindle Fire. This is the first time since the original iPad's launch that the number two device ever achieved a double-digit percentage in terms of consumer interest.
Capital is one of the biggest requirements for real estate. So many people want to get started in real estate investing, but do not have the money to do so.
Sometimes it can seem like a Catch-22 kind of situation. You want to invest in real estate to make money, but you need money to invest in real estate. Many people wonder how they will ever be able to get started in real estate investing if they are unable to come up with the money to do so.
A grant can be the answer for you here.
You may have previously heard that there are grants available for people who want to start their own businesses. Naturally, this leads you to wonder if there are grants for real estate investing.
The simplest answer is that there are grants available for almost anything you want to do. That answer would translate to mean that there are indeed grants for real estate investing. The key to getting grants for real estate investing is first finding these grants.
If you have ever tried to search for grants for real estate investing, you might have noticed that the process is a lot like searching for college scholarships. There are plenty of grants for real estate investing out there, but many of them have very specific requirements. For example, the requirement for a grant might be phrased as something like ?Must be a descendant of George Washington living the state of New Mexico?. That example might be a little overboard, but you get the hint.
After looking at the requirements for so many different grants for real estate investing, you might think that there is no hope of ever getting a grant. Of course if you give up, you will never know if you can receive grants for real estate investing. You can succeed in getting grants for real estate investing if you don?t first try to get the grants.
To obtain grants for real estate investing, you must first know how to write a grant proposal. This is not a skill that is inherent. While you might be effective at other kinds of writing, grant proposals have their own format. This format must be followed if you want to receive grants for real estate investing. If you are not aware of the format for grant proposals, you can find information on the internet or through purchasing reference material from a bookstore. Alternatively, you can hire someone to write grants for you.
To improve the odds at receiving grants for real estate investing, you should apply for every grant you come across. If you think you meet the criteria in even the slightest way, it is worth a try to write the grant proposal.
In the case that you are paying someone to write your grant proposals, chances are you don?t want to spend the money to have more than ten grant proposals written for you. You can pay someone to write a few, and then use those as a guideline for drafting your own.
The key to finding grants for real estate investing is persistence. Continue trying until you have exhausted your resources, you may find that it pays off in the end.
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Amitabh Bachchan has turned down the request to show the pictures of the new addition in his family as he wants to keep the baby out of the public eye. He has refused to show the world a peek at Abhishek ? Aishwarya?s baby as he says it is a personal thing. “Many asking for [...]
After their 4-year-old daughter lost her valiant, 33-month fight to brain cancer, the Agins were overwhelmed with grief and medical bills. The mourning parents decided to file for a tax extension to get their paperwork in order.
But, within 24 hours of filing in October, the Agins' return was rejected. Someone had already fraudulently claimed their daughter, Alexis.
"We were left to prove that our deceased daughter is, in fact, our daughter," Jonathan Agin told the Huffington Post.
The Agins are just one of a cluster of families who say their child's Social Security number was stolen soon after passing away. After someone dies, the Social Security Administration publishes the deceased's Social Security number, along with additional information that it's not required to reveal, in its "Death Master File." Genealogy websites, and other subscribers, can purchase the list from the Department of Commerce, and publish it online.
Thieves can use such resources to nab Social Security numbers, and tend to look for babies' and children's numbers in particular.
"They're an attractive target," Director of Consumer Protection Susan Grant said of children in general. "They don't already have credit problems. They don't even have a credit report. They're kind of like a blank slate."
However, kids suffering from fatal diseases, like Alexis did, are perhaps the most vulnerable to such fraud. The little girl who loved to color and travel when she wasn't getting experimental treatments, ultimately succumbed to diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma. That brain cancer affects about 300 kids per year and has a median survival rate of just 11 months, according to UpToDate.com.
"Considering the number of kids who pass away each year from DIPG and the number of families who have contacted us," Agin said, "I do think that the community is being targeted."
After sending out a message on various social networking sites, Agin heard from 11 other parents whose children also died from the same disease and had their identities stolen.
While the Federal Trade Commission doesn't keep track of specific demographics affected by fraud, it found that identity theft totaled over $50 billion in 2002.
Part of the reason why recently deceased children are vulnerable to identity theft, though, is that there is minimal legwork involved in pulling off the crime.
Parents of ill children often share their stories online in order to raise awareness and find supportive outlets, making it simple for fraudsters to identify potential victims. If the kids pass away, the thieves need to only spend a few minutes on the Social Security Administration's Death Master File before filling out an entire tax form.
"It has created, in many respects, the perfect crime," said Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) of the Death Master File in September congressional hearings.
Nelson introduced legislation in September that would restrict public access to Social Security numbers and would require the administration to wait at least two years before publishing them.
But, the Social Security Administration doesn't necessarily need legislation to restrict what it puts forth.
A 1980 lawsuit ruled that the administration had to publish Social Security numbers after someone dies, but the administration has also expanded the amount of information it offers to include date of birth and last known residential state and zip code.
"According to the Social Security Administration, the additional information became part of the Death Master File based on requests from subscribers," The Office of the Inspector General concluded in a 2008 audit report. "However, we could not confirm this because the Social Security Administration did not maintain any supporting documentation."
Where the administration does need new legislation is on toughening up its prosecuting policies, according to victims and activists.
When Maria Reilly found out that her 7-year-old son's identity had been stolen after he died from brain cancer, she was devastated, yet determined to get answers.
However, the Internal Revenue Service wouldn't offer her any details about the case.
"Of course we wanted to know who did this. How did this happen?" Reilly asked. "They had to protect the privacy of whoever did this, which is ironic."
Nelson's legislation would classify the act of using another's Social Security or Taxpayer Identification numbers to file a false federal tax return as a felony, punishable by five years in prison and a fine of at least $25,000.
At this point, experts say, it's unlikely that the IRS is even going after thieves that are involved in such small-scale crimes because the agency is so strapped for resources.
But for the parents who have to watch someone profit off of their dead children, there's no excuse not to prosecute to the full extent.
"When you watch your child fight to live and then someone just so casually decides to use their identity for something so selfish, it's a lot to swallow," Reilly said. "I think we would all like to know how it goes forward after it's been discovered."
SLIDESHOW:
Liam Reilly progressively lost his ability to walk, talk, swallow and eventually breathe, due to diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma, a rare brain cancer. Liam died when he was 7 years old. Soon after he passed away, fraudsters stole Liam's Social Security number and claimed him as a dependent.
Liam Reilly progressively lost his ability to walk, talk, swallow and eventually breathe, due to diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma, a rare brain cancer. Liam died when he was 7 years old. Soon after he passed away, fraudsters stole Liam's Social Security number and claimed him as a dependent.
MORE SLIDESHOWSNEXT?>??|??<?PREV
Liam Reilly
Liam Reilly progressively lost his ability to walk, talk, swallow and eventually breathe, due to diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma, a rare brain cancer. Liam died when he was 7 years old. Soon after he passed away, fraudsters stole Liam's Social Security number and claimed him as a dependent.
Four robots have set out on an epic 33,000 nautical mile (66,000km) journey across the Pacific Ocean.
Created by US firm Liquid Robotics, the four are aiming to set the record for the longest distance at sea travelled by an unmanned craft.
Throughout their journey the robots will gather lots of data about the composition and quality of sea water.
The journey is expected to take about 300 days, and is designed to inspire researchers to study ocean health.
The robots were launched from the St Francis Yacht Club on the edge of San Francisco harbour on 17 November.
Initially the four will travel as a flotilla to Hawaii and then will split into two pairs. One will go on to Australia and the other will head to Japan to support a dive on the Mariana Trench - the deepest part of the ocean.
The robots manage to move thanks to interaction between the two halves of the autonomous vehicle. The upper half of the wave-riding robot is shaped like a stunted surfboard and it is attached by a cable to a lower part that sports a series of fins and a keel.
Sensor readings
Interaction between the two parts brought about by the motion of the waves enables the robot to propel itself.
Electrical power for sensors is provided by solar panels on the upper surface of the robot.
On their epic journey, the four robots will take sensor readings every 10 minutes to sample salinity, water temperature, weather, fluorescence, and dissolved oxygen.
About 2.25 million data points will be gathered during the voyage and the wandering route they will take passes through regions never before surveyed.
The data set will be fed back as it is gathered and then shared with anyone that registers their interest with Liquid Robotics.
The company is also seeking innovative suggestions about what to do with the data being gathered. The winning entry in this competition will win six months of access to the wave-riding robots to complete the research.
The wave-riding robots are veterans of ocean-going science and helped monitor the spread of oil during the Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Before now the longest single journey they have undertaken was over a distance of 2,500 miles.
WASHINGTON (AP) ? The number of people applying for unemployment benefits fell last week to the lowest level since early April, a sign that layoffs are easing and hiring may pick up.
Weekly applications dropped by 5,000 to a seasonally adjusted 388,000, the Labor Department said Thursday. It was the fourth decline in five weeks.
The four-week average, a less volatile measure, dropped to 396,750. That's the first time the average been below 400,000 in seven months.
Applications need to consistently drop below 375,000 to signal sustained job gains. They haven't been that low since February.
The job market "is still weak but there are hopeful signs of some modest improvement," Steven Wood, an economist at Insight Economics, in a note to clients.
The number of people receiving benefits also fell to the lowest level since Sept. 2008, when Lehman Brothers collapsed and the financial crisis intensified.
Some people may no longer be getting benefits because they've found jobs. But a larger number have likely used up all their benefits, Wood said.
The benefit rolls fell 57,000 to 3.6 million in the week ended Nov. 5. That's one week behind the applications data. The figure is the lowest since Sept. 20, 2008.
That doesn't include about 3 million additional people receiving extended benefits from emergency programs put in place during the recession. All told, 6.8 million people received benefits during the week ended Oct. 29, the latest data available.
The pace of hiring over the past few months has been mixed. The economy added only 80,000 jobs in October, the fewest in four months. But the government also said this month that employers added more jobs in August and September than it had initially reported. The unemployment rate dipped to 9 percent.
The economy is growing but not quickly enough to generate many jobs. A series of reports this week shows manufacturers are producing more goods and consumers are spending more in retail stores.
Inflation may be peaking, too, largely because gas prices have fallen. That could help boost consumer spending, which fuels 70 percent of economic activity.
Stronger consumer spending this summer was a key reason the economy grew at an annual rate of 2.5 percent in the July-September quarter. Many economists forecast similar or slightly better growth for the October-December quarter.
The economy needs to grow at nearly double that rate ? consistently ? to make a significant dent in the unemployment rate, which has been near 9 percent for more than two years.
Economists worry that consumers can't sustain their spending growth from this summer without more jobs and higher pay. Consumers spent more in the third quarter while earning less. Many dipped into their savings to make up the difference.
A rebound in manufacturing could lead to more hiring. Factory output grew in October for the fourth straight month, the Federal Reserve said Wednesday. Production of trucks, electronics and business equipment all rose.
One concern is that Europe's debt crisis could worsen and trigger a recession. That could slow demand for U.S. exports and stunt job growth.
Verbatim‘s 2nd generation mobile keyboard will work with Bluetooth-enabled iPad, iPad2, iPhone, and other smartphones and tablet devices with HID keyboard support. It can be be paired with up to six devices at one time. ?The keyboard will fold up and stow away into a carrying case so you can take it along with you. [...]
TOLEDO, Ohio ? Chrysler is counting on a new Jeep sport utility vehicle and its strong brand name to help withstand uncertainty in the European auto market and expand into new markets in China and Russia, the automaker's chief executive said Wednesday.
The company announced plans to spend $500 million at its Ohio assembly complex that will make the new model and add 1,100 jobs by late 2013. The expansion is part of a $1.7 billion investment to build the new Jeep.
Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne said Jeep is becoming the star of its European market and that sales have been doubling.
"It's the best brand Chrysler owns by a long margin," he said. "It's got a glorious history."
Italian automaker Fiat SpA, which now controls Chrysler, has been hit hard this year by slumping overall sales in Europe. It has been turning more toward business in the United States and Brazil, said Marchionne, who is CEO of both companies.
He said next year will be even worse in Europe. "The majority of the growth and expectations around Fiat are unfortunately outside the European context," he said
Marchionne said that he's confident the leaders forming the Italy's new government can help it avoid financial disaster, but he added that instability there could influence where it locates its new headquarters when Fiat combines with Chrysler.
He is working toward bringing the two automakers together and faces the thorny political issue of where to base the company. The instability in Italy can't be overlooked, he said Wednesday.
"I would be lying to you if I told you it didn't," he said. "It's one of the things we'll look at. That's not to say the current situation would force us to move away from Italy. We're committed to the industrial back bone of the country."
Premier Mario Monti formed a new Italian government on Wednesday puts bankers, diplomats and business executives in charge instead of politicians. The former European Union competition commissioner said economic growth is a top priority and will put out an emergency plan Thursday
"Monti has all of the qualities to get this done," Marchionne said. "It's in the interest of every Italian to get behind him."
Whether the country can recover soon depends on its political forces, he said. "If they do, it can be done relatively quickly," he said. "The execution may take longer, but the plan can be put in place." `
Sales of the stylish Fiat 500 mini car have been far below expectations in the United States since its debut in March, Marchionne said. It's Fiat's first vehicle in the U.S. since it pulled out of the market in 1983.
He blamed the low sales on a lack of dealerships selling the Fiat and said more are coming on line.
While Fiat is struggling, Chrysler is moving toward its first annual profit since 2005 behind strong third quarter sales of its new or revamped Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram cars and trucks.
Marchionne thinks the Jeep brand can continue to grow worldwide behind its unique history. Originally made for the military, workers in Toledo have been producing Jeeps since 1941.
"The horrible thing about Jeep is it hasn't been exploited internationally," he said. "It's off-road capabilities are unique in the marketplace and we need to preserve that going forward."
No decision has been made on what the new model will be called. Marchionne said it will be more technologically advanced than the Jeep Grand Cherokee.
The assembly plant in Ohio that now has 1,800 workers makes the Jeep Wrangler and Liberty along with the Dodge Nitro and will be central to the company's future and its SUV exports, Marchionne said.
It's likely the plant will build more vehicles in the coming years, he said. He also didn't rule out expanding Wrangler production at the plant if sales take off outside the U.S.
CANBERRA, Australia ? Australia will for the first time forcibly deport an Afghan asylum seeker whose application for protection was rejected, the government said Tuesday.
Refugee advocates have condemned the decision, saying those deported face persecution.
Ismail Mirza Jan is to be deported Saturday from Sydney's Villawood Immigration Detention Center to Afghanistan under a new agreement with Kabul, Immigration Minister Chris Bowen said in a statement. Jan had argued that as an ethnic Hazara, he faced death at home, but Australian immigration authorities have determined that he could return to Afghanistan safely.
Afghanistan is the main source of a growing number of asylum seekers who travel to Australia by boat, adding political pressure on the Australian government to deter new arrivals.
It is not clear how many other Afghan asylum seekers Australia could force to return home. But at the end of June, 1,055 Afghans were in Australian detention centers fighting decisions that deny them refugee visas.
Bowen said an agreement reached with Kabul in January stipulates that Afghanistan will readmit any national not entitled to Australian protection. Afghanistan has previously refused to accept Afghans who would not return voluntarily.
"It's a fundamental part of our immigration system that if people are found not to be genuine refugees, that they should be removed," Bowen said.
Jan left Afghanistan as a teenager and said he no longer has family there. He told Australian Broadcasting Corp. that he would die if sent to Kabul.
"I told immigration, 'It's OK ? if you send me, you can send my dead body to my country because either way, I am dead,'" the 27-year-old told ABC in an interview broadcast late Monday.
The Hazara were persecuted when the Taliban ruled Afghanistan, but their standing has improved since the war began. Many are active in the business world and several hold government positions, including one of Afghanistan's vice presidents.
Ian Rintoul, spokesman for the Australian advocacy group Refugee Action Coalition, said Jan flew into Australia last year on a fake Turkish passport and failed to tell Australian authorities that Britain and Ireland had previously rejected his asylum claims.
Australia did not reject his claims due to dishonesty but because authorities did not believe he would be persecuted in Afghanistan, Rintoul said.
"His deportation sets a dangerous precedent and we're hoping that Afghanistan won't accept him," Rintoul said.
The Australian government won't release details of Jan's case, citing privacy concerns.
Afghan Ambassador to Australia Nasir Ahmad Andisha declined to comment Tuesday.
Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commissioner Mohammad Farid Hamidi urged the Australian government to review Jan's case.
"The situation in Afghanistan is not good enough," Hamidi told ABC. "The security is getting worse day by day."
Phil Glendenning, director of Sydney-based human rights group Edmund Rice Center, said his research found that at least 11 failed asylum seekers who returned voluntarily to Afghanistan from Australia in the past seven years were killed, including some Hazaras. He suspected the true figure was higher.
"We have very serious concerns about the safety of Hazaras in Afghanistan," Glendenning said. "I think it's deteriorating."
The photographer's mantra is "the best camera is the one that's with you" -- a lazy philosophy that gets them out of having to walk everywhere with a DSLR in case the aliens invade. Fortunately, if they're toting 'round ASUS' new Eee Pad Transformer Prime, it won't matter. Instead they can use the eight megapixel, f/2.4 aperture auto-focusing snapper to capture the carnage in glorious HD, with a back-illuminated CMOS to ensure that color enhancement is 30 percent better than similar devices. We've got some sample shots from the company to show off just how good your pictures will be (if you've got the backing of a major hardware corporation, a world-class lighting rig and Photoshop) if you start capturing life with just this handy transforming tablet.
SPARTANBURG, S.C. -- Tonight?s debate here will be the first forum in which candidates talk about foreign policy for more than a few minutes. ?And since none of them have run away with the vote in this crucial primary state yet, they will probably all want to address the foreign policy issues most pertinent to South Carolina voters and lawmakers.
Here?s a list of some of the policy issues that might perk up South Carolinian ears listening to tonight?s debate.
Nuclear waste
Between its seven commercial nuclear reactors and the giant Savannah River Site, a former nuclear weapons plant, South Carolina is home to millions of pounds of radioactive waste that was destined for the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear repository, before the Obama administration?s decision to halt work on the Nevada site.
While most candidates at the debate in Las Vegas last month said they opposed the repository, that position doesn?t sit well with South Carolina voters.
South Carolina Rep. Joe Wilson penned an op-ed last week saying he was ?startled to hear candidates jump at the opportunity to agree with President Obama and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on shutting down the nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain? in the Oct. 18th debate.
Trans-Canada pipeline
Wilson and his colleague, Rep. Jeff Duncan, have also been vocal in opposing the Obama administration?s delay of a decision on the Keystone XL project, a 1,700-mile oil pipeline that would carry Canadian crude from Alberta to the U.S.
The two congressmen are circulating an open letter to the candidates today urging them to support the Keystone project: ?South Carolina voters want a President armed with a real energy plan that will grow our economy and make us energy independent by expanding our access to all forms of energy.?
This issue is also of particular importance to one influential member of South Carolina?s political class: David Wilkins, the former ambassador to Canada under president George W. Bush, who is a Perry supporter.
Wilkins called the U.S. decision to delay approval of the project ?catastrophic,? yesterday according to CBC News in Canada. "It?s the longest permitting process in the history of the world, I think. It sends a bad message that we?re not open for business,? Wilkins said.
Immigration
Illegal immigration is particularly resonant with voters in the Palmetto State, which recently passed a stringent law similar to that passed in Arizona last year. Texas Gov. Rick Perry may have an especially big challenge tonight, given his support of the DREAM Act in Texas and his statement in September (which he subsequently recanted) that those who don?t support it ?don?t have a heart.?
A federal court is challenging parts of South Carolina?s law, including its requirement for police to check immigration status whenever there is ?reasonable suspicion? that someone is in the country illegally.
South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley defended the law last month, saying through a spokesman, ?If the feds were doing their job, we wouldn't have had to address illegal immigration reform at the state level. But, until they do, we're going to keep fighting in South Carolina to be able to enforce our laws."
Foreign investment in America?
Several large international corporations are headquartered in South Carolina, including BMW and Michelin. Haley has made courting other foreign companies a centerpiece of her administration, heralding each new business deal with a jubilant press release or other pageantry.
In fact, she held a press conference on Oct. 6th to announce the decision of German-based tire company Continental to build a new plant in South Carolina. She did catch flack though earlier this year for an economic development trip to France and Germany that featured five-star accommodations and a lavish ?chalet? at the International Paris Air Show.
Because of South Carolina?s focus on bringing foreign companies here, look for Republican candidates to be asked how they would encourage investment here, both from foreign business and from American companies based abroad.
Defense funding
South Carolina is also a military hub, so look for candidates to emphasize their opposition to defense cuts as well as the ?triggers? built into the deficit super committee?s negotiations that would cut between $500 and $600 billion in the defense budget.
While plenty of platforms can go viral with consumers, VC idol Peter Thiel said today that he's impressed by platforms adding legions of small businesses. Speaking at the annual conference of electronic medical record platform Practice Fusion, Thiel explained "High paid sales people can get big companies, mass marketing can get consumers, but it's difficult to get small businesses". If you see a platform managing to sign lots of small businesses, it could be a winner. Investors take note.
A bill giving businesses tax credits for hiring military veterans became the first part of President Barack Obama's sweeping American Jobs Act to pass the Senate on Thursday. It's also the first bit of jobs-bill cooperation for the Senate in a while, Politico notes. After Republicans blocked the American Jobs Act as a whole back in October, Democrats tried to introduce it piece by piece, but the two bills they've brought to the Senate floor have both failed. Earlier on Thursday, Democrats scored some retribution on the Republicans by defeating its alternative jobs plan. But later, in an especially rare bit of bipartisanship, the vote to approve the veteran-hiring bill (on the eve of Veterans' Day, no less) was 94-to-1, with only Sen. Jim DeMint, a South Carolina Republican, saying the government shouldn't "privilege one American over another when it comes to work." DeMint's counterpart, Lindsey Graham, had the quote of the day, however, with this pep talk: "There is more potential [for bipartisanship] than people realize. You just got to want it."
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 9 (HealthDay News) -- A number of factors associated with math disability in children have been identified by researchers.
The study included 177 children in 12 public schools in Missouri who were tested one to three times a year from kindergarten through fifth grade.
The results showed that those who had trouble understanding the fundamental concept of exact numerical quantities -- for example, that the printed numeral 3 represents three dots on a page -- when they started school were diagnosed with a math learning disability by fifth grade.
Additional early factors associated with a math learning disability included: difficulty recalling answers to single-digit addition problems; distractibility in class; and difficulty understanding complex math problems that can be broken down into smaller problems that can be solved individually.
The students with a math disability did make limited progress but, by fifth grade, were not at the level of their classmates in being able to recall number facts or in their ease of adding sets of dots and numerals together. The math-disabled students did match their classmates in other areas by fifth grade, such as the use of counting to solve problems.
It's not clear whether the factors identified in the study actually cause math disability or are associated with other, unidentified factors, the University of Missouri researchers noted.
The study, published in the Journal of Educational Psychology, was funded by the U.S. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD).
"The search for factors underlying difficulty learning mathematics is extremely important," Kathy Mann Koepke, director of the NICHD's Mathematics and Science Cognition and Learning Development and Disorders program, said in an institute news release. "Once we identify such factors, the hope is that we can modify them through appropriate teaching methods to help people who have difficulty learning and using math," Mann Koepke added.
"Math skills are important for higher education and for entry into many higher paying technical fields," she noted. "Math skills have many health implications. For example, many American adults lack even the basic math skills necessary to estimate the appropriate number of calories in their diets or to calculate the time intervals at which to take their medications."
More information
Michigan State University has more about math disability.
JERUSALEM ? Israel's Supreme Court on Thursday ordered former President Moshe Katsav to spend seven years in prison after rejecting the disgraced politician's appeal of a rape conviction and other sex crimes.
The unanimous decision of the three-judge panel capped a long and sordid chapter in Israeli politics that captured the country's attention for more than five years and ended with Katsav becoming the highest-ranking Israeli official ever sentenced to prison. He is to start serving his sentence on Dec. 7.
The ruling was seen as a major triumph for women's rights ? and specifically, rape victims' rights ? and for a legal system willing to take on some of the country's most influential figures.
Katsav, who has proclaimed his innocence throughout the affair, sat stone-faced throughout Thursday's ruling, briefly smiling wryly as it became clear his appeal was being rejected. He left the court grim-faced, surrounded by supporters, and made no comment to reporters.
Katsav, 65, was convicted last December of raping a former employee when he was a Cabinet minister and of sexually harassing two other women during his term as president from 2000 to 2007. He received a seven-year prison sentence in March, but was allowed to stay out of jail pending his appeal.
The court had not been expected to overturn the conviction, though experts had said there was a chance the sentence would be revised. Reading their opinions, the judges said Katsav's testimony had not been credible and accused him of exploiting his status as a high public official.
The former president "fell from the loftiest heights to the deepest depths," Judge Salim Joubran told the hushed court. "Such a senior official should be a role model to his subordinates. Every woman has a right to her own body. A right to dignity. A right to freedom. No one has the liberty to take any of those from her."
Katsav's attorney, Avigdor Feldman, said he "did not agree" with the outcome of the appeal and faulted the judges for believing the rape victim despite serious holes in her testimony.
"They would have believed her if she said the rape occurred on Venus," Feldman said.
But prosecutor Naomi Granot saw a triumph for the Israeli legal system. "This Supreme Court ruling confirms that in the state of Israel, all are equal before the law," she declared.
Katsav has maintained he was the victim of a political witch hunt.
Israel's presidency is a largely ceremonial office, typically filled by a respected elder statesman who is capable of rising above politics and serving as the country's moral compass.
The case against Katsav, which broke in 2006 after he told police one of his accusers was trying to extort money from him, shocked Israelis by portraying a man widely seen as a bland official as a predatory boss who repeatedly used his authority over female employees to force sexual favors.
Katsav reluctantly resigned two weeks before his seven-year term was to expire in 2007 under a plea bargain that would have allowed him to escape jail time.
He was replaced by Nobel peace laureate and former prime minister Shimon Peres, whom he had bested in the 2000 presidential race, decided in the Israeli parliament. Then, in a dramatic reversal, Katsav rejected the plea bargain, vowing to prove his innocence in court.
Judges, however, were not convinced, accused him of lying and sentenced him to jail in March. His long record of public service did not factor in his favor, they said, instead accusing him of exploiting his lofty positions to become a sexual offender.
Katsav's conviction was a stunning fall from grace for a man who rose from humble beginnings to become a symbol of success for Mizrahi Jews, those of Middle Eastern descent who for decades were an underclass in Israel. The country's elite has long been dominated by Jews of European origin.
In one of the more bizarre moments in the case, Katsav accused prosecutors and the media of plotting his demise and accused them of being out to destroy him because he didn't belong to the European-descended elite.
After his sentencing in March, one of Katsav's lawyers said the former president was so distraught over his impending prison sentence that he was at risk of committing suicide.
The verdict against Katsav was seen as a victory for women's rights in a decades-long struggle to chip away at the nation's macho culture, which once permitted political and military leaders great liberties.
Miriam Schler, director of the Tel Aviv Rape Crisis Center, told Israeli Channel 10 news that Katsav's sentence was "very meaningful."
"This is a day with a very important message to rape victims in the state of Israel, that the justice system can be trusted," Schler said.
It also highlighted the justice system's increased willingness to prosecute powerful figures who see themselves as above the law.
In recent years, Israel has seen a former finance minister sent to prison for embezzling funds and a justice minister convicted of forcibly kissing a female soldier. Former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was forced to resign to face corruption charges. His trial is still in court.
These days, you can purchase just about anything you want on the Internet. However, you can still benefit from a human, face-to-face experience for some purchases ? such as your investments. And that?s why you may want to work with a financial professional. Unlike a computer interface, a financial professional will take the time to truly know your situation today ? and then help you make adjustments tomorrow. Let?s first look at two key areas a financial professional will consider today: ? Your risk tolerance ? By asking the right questions, a financial professional can help you determine if you?re a moderate, conservative or aggressive investor and then recommend those investments that are suitable for your risk tolerance. ? Your time horizon ? If you?re saving for a down payment on a new home you expect to purchase within two or three years, you may want an investment that offers significant preservation of principal. But if you?re saving for retirement, and you?re three decades away from it, you?ll likely need investments that offer the potential for growth. Your financial advisor can help you choose the mix of short- and long-term investments that can help you make progress toward all your goals. Now, let?s look at the types of milestones that a financial professional can help you with as your life progresses: ? New child ? When you bring a new child into your life, you also add new responsibilities. Do you have sufficient life insurance? Do you plan on helping the child pay for college? If so, what college funding vehicles should you consider? A financial professional can help you answer these questions. ? New spouse ? Whether you?re getting married for the first time, or you?re remarrying, you?ll have to reconcile your financial picture with that of your new spouse. A financial professional can review both your situations and possibly recommend ways for you to reduce debt, eliminate redundancies in your investment portfolios and consolidate insurance coverage. ? Career change ? When you change jobs, you may have to make many investment-related decisions: Should you move the assets from your old employer?s 401(k) to an IRA? Or should you roll over your old 401(k) to your new employer?s plan, if a rollover is allowed? Knowing your options when you leave your job can help you make the right choice for your retirement savings. A qualified financial professional can help you review and understand your rollover options. ? Retirement ? Once you retire, you?ll have several issues to consider: How much can you withdraw from your investments each year? From which accounts? Should you rebalance your portfolio to provide more potential sources of income? What about the transfer of your wealth? A financial professional who is familiar with your situation can help you make the right moves to enjoy the retirement lifestyle you?ve envisioned. So, when you really want to invest, leave the ?virtual? world behind and connect with a financial professional ? someone who has gained insight into your individual needs and who has the experience and expertise to help you build, maintain and adjust a portfolio that can help you move toward your goals.
This article was written by Edward Jones for use by your local Edward Jones Financial Advisor.
Contact the writer Posted by Newsroom on Nov 9th, 2011 and filed under Financial Focus. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response by filling out the following comment form, or trackback to this entry from your site.
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According to new consumer survey data from 
While plenty of platforms can go viral with consumers, VC idol Peter Thiel said today that he's impressed by platforms adding legions of small businesses. Speaking at the