Yemen: Man tied to USS Cole bombing killed in US strike

By NBC News and msnbc.com news services

Updated at 11:17 a.m. ET: Yemeni security and military officials revised the number of suspected militants killed in a U.S. airstrike Tuesday down to four people killed, and said one of the victims was a man suspected of involvement in the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole.

Tribal officials in the southern Abyan province said the strike hit the militants late Monday as they were holding an important meeting at the school. Yemeni security officials had originally put the death toll at 15 people but later lowered that figure. They also said 12 militants were wounded in the strikes.

They said one of the suspected militants killed was named Abdel-Monem al-Fathani who was involved in the bombing of the USS Cole, which killed 17 American sailors and injured 39 others. The attack on the U.S. destroyer occurred while it was in the Yemeni port of Aden for refueling.

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A Western official in Washington confirmed the U.S. carried out a strike against suspected leaders from al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, saying initial indications were that five people were killed. The official did not say where the strike occurred or specify whether it was carried out by a drone or a warplane.

Updated at 9:15 a.m. ET: U.S. airstrikes targeting leaders from Yemen's active al-Qaida branch killed 15 suspected militants, Yemeni officials said on Tuesday.

Yemeni security and military officials said missiles struck a school and a car in Abyan province in an area between Lauder and Mood where the militants were believed to be hiding.

NBC News also reported Tuesday that members of a Yemeni tribe had kidnapped six United Nations aid workers. They were demanding money and the release of one of their members from jail.

According to NBC, the U.N. aid workers include a German, French, Colombian, Iraqi and Lebanese.

A Western official in Washington confirmed the U.S. carried out a strike against suspected leaders from al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, but said initial indications were that five people were killed. The official did not say where the strike occurred or specify whether it was carried out by a drone or a warplane.

All the officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to release the information.

Also Tuesday, Yemen's information minister, Ali al-Amrani, escaped an assassination attempt in the capital Sanaa, an aide said.

Unidentified assailants opened fire on the minister's car after the weekly cabinet meeting and then fled, Amrani's secretary, Abdel-Basset al-Qaedi, said.

The minister was not hurt, he said.

Updated at 2:33 a.m. ET: At least 11 people, including several alleged local?al-Qaida leaders, were killed in an overnight airstrike in southern Yemen, local residents said Tuesday.

They said an unidentified drone attacked two vehicles east of the city of Lauder in Abyan province in southern Yemen.

A tribal leader said at least four of those killed were local al-Qaida leaders. Residents said no civilians were hurt in the airstrike.

The United States has used drones repeatedly to attack al-Qaida militants in Yemen. Last September, a U.S. drone killed U.S.-born cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, described by U.S. officials as "chief of external operations" for al-Qaida in Yemen.

Al-Qaida has exploited unrest and protests against President Ali Abdullah Saleh to strengthen its hold on remote areas in southern Yemen in recent months.

An opposition-led government has been set up in Yemen after Saleh agreed in November to transfer authority to his deputy ahead of presidential elections in February.

But protests have continued and activists are pressing on with demands that Saleh be tried for alleged killings of demonstrators and that the government is purged of members of his family.

More from msnbc.com and NBC News:

Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Source: http://worldnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/31/10275742-us-airstrikes-in-yemen-kill-man-suspected-of-connection-to-uss-cole-bombing

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Strike on summit day shows task at hand

BRUSSELS (AP) ? German Chancellor Angela Merkel and other European leaders meeting for a summit will only have to look out of the window to see the biggest problem with their steady diet of austerity and belt-tightening to fix the financial crisis: disgruntled workers organizing a nationwide strike to protest the direction in which Europe is heading.

That is, if the 27 government leaders can even get to European Union headquarters in time for Monday's meeting.

Belgium's three main unions are joining hands as of late Sunday in a 24-hour strike to protest national budgetary measures that have in part been imposed on Belgium by the EU. If the country hadn't met cost-cutting targets, financial sanctions would have been imposed.

Instead of a beacon for a better future, many Europeans are starting to see the EU as a death knell, one that is suffocating them with austerity instead of supporting them with job-boosting measures.

"We fully understand the sentiments of all Europeans, especially here in Belgium, where we are so close, the frustrations and doubt and the worries," European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said.

The question is where to find money to boost growth when debt is preoccupying everyone. The austerity measures raise taxes and cut benefits for hundreds of thousands of workers in Belgium. And Monday's strike has been mirrored in many other member states.

Overall, 23 million people are jobless across the EU, 10 percent of the active population.

"Europe has to offer jobs, social protection and perspective for the future. Otherwise it risks losing the support of its citizens," said the strike manifesto of the ACV union.

For Monday, Thalys and Eurostar bullet trains to Brussels have already been cut, one airport has been closed and Brussels international airport is expecting heavy disruption. Contingency plans have been made to get the 27 European leaders to the center of Brussels, but even then convoys could end up in choking traffic if workers block the capital's beltway during morning rush hour.

No major demonstrations are planned but the union leaders will head to the summit site to deliver a symbolic "eurobond" ? pressing for a joint pooling of debt in the eurozone, a measure that has been steadfastly opposed by Germany.

The noise of workers and lack of growth is having a profound impact on Monday's summit.

Even if the debt crisis in Greece will take center stage for part of the meeting, "at the same time, we need to take active measures to enhance growth and competitiveness and above all create jobs," EU president Herman van Rompuy said.

The leaders, though, will be happy to learn that Greece and investors who own its bonds have reached a tentative deal to significantly reduce the country's debt and pave the way for it to receive a much-needed euro130 billion bailout.

Negotiators for the investors announced the agreement Saturday and said it could become final within the next week. If the agreement works as planned, it will help Greece remain solvent and help Europe avoid a blow to its already weak financial system, even though banks and other bond investors will have to accept multibillion-dollar losses.

Still, it doesn't resolve the weakening economic conditions in Greece and other European nations as they rein in spending to get their debts under control.

Under the agreement, investors holding euro206 billion in Greek bonds would exchange them for new bonds worth 60 percent less.

Without an agreement, bankruptcy would loom large for Greece and raise a big question mark over the euro currency shared by 17 nations.

Another divisive issue is a German proposal that debt-ridden Greece temporarily cede sovereignty over tax and spending decisions to a powerful eurozone budget commissioner before it can secure further bailouts.

The idea was quickly rejected by Barroso's Commission and the government in Athens, both insisting the budget remain a national prerogative.

At the same time, the EU also has to deal with an increasingly tough labor market.

Spain's brutal unemployment rate has soared to nearly 23 percent and closed in on 50 percent for those under age 25, leaving more than 5 million people ? or almost one out of every four ? out of work as the country slides toward recession.

To help jump-start the EU toward more growth and employment, the EU Commission is proposing to the summit leaders to redirect euro82 billion in existing funds toward countries in dire need of help to fix their labor market.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2012-01-29-EU-EU-Summit/id-878dfc713fc942588ff2279c059ee0ea

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Troops seize Damascus suburbs back from rebels (Reuters)

AMMAN (Reuters) ? Troops seized eastern suburbs of Damascus from rebels late on Sunday, opposition activists said, after two days of fighting only a few kilometers from the centre of power of President Bashar al-Assad.

"The Free Syrian Army has made a tactical withdrawal. Regime forces have re-occupied the suburbs and started making house-to-house arrests," an activist named Kamal said by phone from the eastern al-Ghouta area on the edge of the capital.

A spokesman for the Free Syrian Army of defectors fighting Assad's forces appeared to confirm that account.

"Tanks have gone in but they do not know where the Free Syrian Army is. We are still operating close to Damascus," Maher al-Naimi told Reuters by phone from Turkey.

Activists said earlier on Sunday soldiers had moved into the suburbs at dawn, along with at least 50 tanks and other armored vehicles. At least 19 civilians and rebel fighters were killed in that initial attack, they said.

Fighters had taken over districts less than eight km (five miles) from the heart of the city. The areas have seen repeated protests against Assad's rule and crackdowns by troops in the 10-month-old uprising.

"It's urban war. There are bodies in the street," said an activist speaking from the suburb of Kfar Batna.

Residents of central Damascus reported seeing soldiers and police deployed around main squares.

The escalating bloodshed prompted the Arab League to suspend the work of its monitors on Saturday. Arab foreign ministers, who have urged Assad to step down and make way for a government of national unity, will discuss the crisis on February 5.

ARAB PEACE PLAN

Arab League chief Nabil Elaraby left for New York where he will brief representatives of the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday to seek support for the Arab peace plan.

He will be joined by Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani, whose country heads the League's committee charged with overseeing Syria.

Elaraby said he hoped to overcome resistance from Beijing and Moscow over endorsing the Arab proposals.

A Syrian government official said the Arab League decision to suspend monitoring would "put pressure on (Security Council) deliberations with the aim of calling for foreign intervention and encouraging armed groups to increase violence".

Assad blames the violence on foreign-backed militants.

The opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported 41 civilian deaths across Syria on Sunday, including 14 in Homs province and 12 in the city of Hama. Thirty-one soldiers and members of the security forces were also killed, most in two attacks by deserters in the northern province of Idlib, it said.

State news agency SANA reported the military funerals of 28 soldiers and police on Saturday and another 23 on Sunday.

After mass demonstrations against his rule erupted last spring, Assad launched a military crackdown. Growing numbers of army deserters and gunmen have joined the protesters in a country of 23 million people regarded as a pivotal state at the heart of the Middle East.

The insurgency has crept closer to the capital. The suburbs, a string of mainly conservative Sunni Muslim towns, known as al-Ghouta, are home to the bulk of Damascus's population.

One activist said mosques there had been turned into opposition field hospitals and were appealing for blood supplies. "They (the authorities) cut off the electricity. Petrol stations are empty and the army is preventing people from leaving to get fuel for generators or heating," he said.

The Damascus suburbs have seen large demonstrations demanding the removal of Assad, a member of the minority Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shi'ite Islam that has dominated the mostly Sunni Muslim country for the last five decades.

In Rankous, 30 km (20 miles) north of Damascus by the Lebanese border, Assad's forces have killed at least 33 people in recent days in an attack to dislodge army defectors and insurgents, activists and residents said on Sunday.

IRAN SAYS ASSAD NEEDS TIME

Iran said Assad must be given time to implement reforms.

Tehran at first wholeheartedly supported Assad's hardline stance against the 10 months of popular protests. It has since tempered its rhetoric, but it condemns what it calls foreign interference in Syrian affairs.

"They have to have a free election, they have to have the right constitution, they have to allow different political parties to have their activities freely in the country. And this is what he has promised," Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said.

"We think that Syria has to be given the choice of time so that by (that) time they can do the reforms."

Syria has said it will hold a referendum on a new constitution soon, before a multi-party parliamentary election that has been much postponed. Under the present constitution, Assad's Baath party is "the leader of the state and society".

France, which has been leading calls for stronger international action on Syria, said the Arab League decision highlighted the need to act.

The United Nations said in December more than 5,000 people had been killed in the protests and crackdown. Syria says more than 2,000 security force members have been killed by militants.

On Friday, the U.N. Security Council discussed a European-Arab draft resolution aimed at halting the bloodshed. Britain and France said they hoped to put it to a vote next week.

Russia joined China in vetoing a previous Western draft resolution in October, and has said it wants a Syrian-led political process, not "an Arab League-imposed outcome" or Libyan-style "regime change".

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120130/wl_nm/us_syria

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RBS CEO turns down bonus amid criticism of payout (AP)

LONDON ? Royal Bank of Scotland chief executive Stephen Hester will not be accepting a 1 million pound ($1.5 million) bonus that drew criticism from British public and politicians, the bank said Sunday.

Spokesman David Gaffney said Hester would not receive the bonus of 3.6 million shares he was awarded last week by the board of the largely state-owned bank.

The British government spent 45 billion pounds bailing out RBS three years ago. It still owns an 82 percent stake, and politicians had criticized the reward at a time when Britons face painful spending cuts and tax hikes.

The government ? which has insisted it has no control over the bank's bonuses ? welcomed the announcement.

"This is a sensible and welcome decision that enables Stephen Hester to focus on the very important job he has got to do, namely to get back billions of pounds of taxpayers' money that was put into RBS," Treasury chief George Osborne said.

The decision follows Saturday's announcement that RBS chairman Philip Hampton was waiving his own bonus of 1.4 million pounds in shares.

Hester and Hampton were brought in after Fred Goodwin, who led RBS's ill-fated takeover of Dutch bank ABN Amro, stepped down in October 2008 as the government was spending billions to prop up the bank.

The board of directors decided last week to award Hester a bonus of 3.6 million shares ? worth just under 1 million pounds at Friday's closing share price of 27.74 pence. That came on top of his annual salary of 1.2 million pounds.

Prime Minister David Cameron said Saturday that Hester's bonus was "a matter for him," but pointed out it was much less than last year's.

The government claimed it had no control over bonuses awarded by the bank, and said replacing Hester if he resigned would be more costly than paying the reward.

But many politicians were critical. London Mayor Boris Johnson, a Conservative like Cameron, said he found the bonus "absolutely bewildering."

Rachel Reeves, Treasury spokeswoman for the opposition Labour Party, said Sunday the sum was inappropriate "when families are feeling the pinch."

"It's time the government explained why they have allowed these bonuses to go through unchallenged," she said.

Before the bank's announcement, the Labour Party said it would force a vote in the House of Commons next month calling for Hester to be stripped of his bonus.

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

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911 call reveals frantic efforts to help Moore (omg!)

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? A 911 recording revealed frantic efforts by friends of Demi Moore to get help for the actress who was convulsing as they gathered around her and tried to comfort her.

Moore was "semi-conscious, barely," according to a female caller on the recording released Friday by Los Angeles fire officials.

The woman tells emergency operators that Moore, 49, had smoked something before she was rushed to the hospital on Monday night and that she had been "having issues lately."

"Is she breathing normal?" the operator asks.

"No, not so normal. More kind of shaking, convulsing, burning up," the friend says as she hurries to Moore's side, on the edge of panic.

Another woman is next to Moore as the dispatcher asks if she's responsive.

"Demi, can you hear me?" she asks. "Yes, she's squeezing hands. ... She can't speak."

When the operator asks what Moore ingested or smoked, the friend replies, but the answer was redacted.

Asked if Moore took the substance intentionally or not, the woman says Moore ingested it on purpose but the reaction was accidental.

"Whatever she took, make sure you have it out for the paramedics," the operator says.

The operator asks the friend if this has happened before.

"I don't know," she says. "There's been some stuff recently that we're all just finding out."

Moore's publicist, Carrie Gordon, said previously that the actress sought professional help to treat her exhaustion and improve her health. She would not comment further on the emergency call or provide details about the nature or location of Moore's treatment.

The past few months have been rocky for Moore.

She released a statement in November announcing she had decided to end her marriage to fellow actor Ashton Kutcher, 33, following news of alleged infidelity. The two were known to publicly share their affection for one another via Twitter.

Moore still has a Twitter account under the name mrskutcher but has not posted any messages since Jan. 7.

Meanwhile, Millennium Films announced Friday that Sarah Jessica Parker will replace Moore in the role of feminist Gloria Steinem in its production of "Lovelace," a biopic about the late porn star Linda Lovelace. A statement gave no reason for the change. The production, starring Amanda Seyfried, has been shooting in Los Angeles since Dec. 20.

During the call, the woman caller says the group of friends had turned Moore's head to the side and was holding her down. The dispatcher tells her not to hold her down but to wipe her mouth and nose and watch her closely until paramedics arrive.

"Make sure that we keep an airway open," the dispatcher says. "Even if she passes out completely, that's OK. Stay right with her."

The phone is passed around by four people, including a woman who gives directions to the gate and another who recounts details about what Moore smoked or ingested. Finally, the phone is given to a man named James, so one of the women can hold Moore's head.

There was some confusion at the beginning of the call. The emergency response was delayed by nearly two minutes as Los Angeles and Beverly Hills dispatchers sorted out which city had jurisdiction over the street where Moore lives.

As the call is transferred to Beverly Hills, the frantic woman at Moore's house raises her voice and said, "Why is an ambulance not on its way right now?"

"Ma'am, instead of arguing with me why an ambulance is not on the way, can you spell (the street name) for me?" the Beverly Hills dispatcher says.

Although the estate is located in the 90210 ZIP code above Benedict Canyon, the response was eventually handled by the Los Angeles Fire Department.

By the end of the call, Moore has improved.

"She seems to have calmed down now. She's speaking," the male caller told the operator.

Moore and Kutcher were wed in September 2005.

Kutcher became a stepfather to Moore's three daughters ? Rumer, Scout and Tallulah Belle ? from her 13-year marriage to actor Bruce Willis. Moore and Willis divorced in 2000 but remained friendly.

Moore can be seen on screen in the recent films "Margin Call" and "Another Happy Day." Kutcher replaced Charlie Sheen on TV's "Two and a Half Men" and is part of the ensemble film "New Year's Eve."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/omg_rss/rss_omg_en/news911_call_reveals_frantic_efforts_help_moore_081828516/44335531/*http%3A//omg.yahoo.com/news/911-call-reveals-frantic-efforts-help-moore-081828516.html

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Why exotic animal trade grows in Asia

Rising wealth?lifts demand for exotic pets and delicacies in Asia. Meahwhile, enforcers are stretched thin.

On a traffic-snarled Jakarta roadside, a market trader thrusts out a forearm with a terrified looking primate clasping tightly to his skin.

Skip to next paragraph

"You can have it for 300,000 rupiah [$30]," he says of the slow loris, a protected species whose sluggish movement makes it easy prey for poachers. The destruction of its habitat and its low reproduction rate are why the loris is classified as facing extinction under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, which bans their trade.

But here at the Jatinegara market, there is no attempt to conceal the sale of loris or many other endangered species. Orangutans, Sumatran tigers, and Javan eagles are just a few of the threatened species in Indonesia's animal markets.

It is a scenario that has been playing out across Southeast Asia for centuries, but with increased speed in the past decade, as a burgeoning class of wealthy Asians who cherish rare creatures as exotic pets, delicacies, or for supposed medicinal qualities fuel a booming and illegal trade.

The plunder ? a small piece of the greater challenge of environmental conservation in Indonesia ? is happening in conjunction with habitat depletion, and conservationists fear some species will soon disappear while new ones tumble onto the endangered list.

"Rare animals have become status symbols. They are trophies for people to demonstrate their wealth and the collateral damage of Asia's economic rise," says James Compton, senior director for Asia-Pacific at Traffic, a conservation group that monitors wildlife trade.

"We will see some local populations of endemic species disappear very quickly. Look at what happened to the tiger population over the past 100 years," he says.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations Wildlife Enforcement Network predicts that between 13 and 42 percent of the region's animal and plant species will be wiped out this century, mostly due to logging and loss of habitat.

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organi?za?tion estimates that Indonesia loses 6.2 million acres of forest ? equivalent to the size of Vermont ? every year. By 2008, Indonesia had lost 72 percent of its ancient forests, and what remains is threatened by commercial logging, forest fires, and clearing for palm oil plantations, according to Green?peace.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/R1JCakEFUpA/Why-exotic-animal-trade-grows-in-Asia

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[OOC] Flower in the Ashes

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Gates injects $750M in troubled Global Fund

Bill Gates poses next to a cut out of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair to promote the Global Fund's 10th anniversary at the World Economic Forum, WEF, in Davos, Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012. Gates announced a US dollar 750 million contribution to the Global Fund to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus)

Bill Gates poses next to a cut out of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair to promote the Global Fund's 10th anniversary at the World Economic Forum, WEF, in Davos, Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012. Gates announced a US dollar 750 million contribution to the Global Fund to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus)

Bill Gates, co-chairman of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, right, and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, coordinating minister for economy and minister of finance of Nigeria, left, attend a plenary session at the 42nd annual meeting of the World Economic Forum, WEF, in Davos, Switzerland, Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012. The overarching theme of the meeting, which will take place from Jan. 25 to 29, is "The Great Transformation: Shaping New Models". (AP Photo/Keystone, Jean-Christophe Bott)

Bill Gates, co-chairman of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, speaks during a plenary session at the 42nd annual meeting of the World Economic Forum, WEF, in Davos, Switzerland, Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012. The overarching theme of the meeting, which will take place from Jan. 25 to 29, is "The Great Transformation: Shaping New Models". (AP Photo/Keystone, Jean-Christophe Bott)

DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) ? Bill Gates pledged $750 million on Thursday to fight three killer diseases and rescue a beleaguered health fund whose financial losses have cost it donor support.

The Microsoft founder said he is lending his "credibility" to the Geneva-based Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria by making the donation through a promissory note so the fund "can immediately use the money and save lives."

Gates' announcement at the World Economic Forum ? a magnet for the world's business and political elites who pushed for the fund's creation ? was part of an orchestrated attempt by the fund to galvanize donors on its 10th anniversary.

"These are tough economic times, but that is no excuse for cutting aid to the world's poorest," Gates told reporters.

He downplayed the $23 billion fund's reported losses of tens of millions of dollars to corruption, misuse and undocumented spending that were highlighted in Associated Press stories, and said it is "disappointing" to see how people have focused on a "small misuse of funds."

A donor backlash over AP reports about poor financial monitoring and the fund's losses uncovered by its own internal watchdog, the inspector general's office, prompted the organization last year to cancel more than $1 billion in planned new spending mainly to expand existing programs. The fund's executive director, Dr. Michel Kazatchkine, this week also announced his resignation.

"The internal checks and balances have worked in every case," Gates said. But, he added, "If you're going to do business in Africa, you're going to have some losses."

The public-private fund has helped change the fortunes of many of the world's poor through its prevention and treatment programs among 150 countries, Gates said.

The fund says it has provided antiretroviral treatment to 3.3 million people, detected and treated 8.2 million people with tuberculosis, and given 230 million bed nets to families to prevent malaria over its 10-year existence. It says it also has helped prevent 1.3 million pregnant women from passing on HIV to their babies, cared for 5.6 million orphans and kept 7.7 million others alive.

"It's a breathtaking achievement," U2 rock star Bono said in a compilation of fund supporters' statements from the fund Thursday.

A former Japanese prime minister, Naoto Kan, told the news conference that his nation has contributed $1.3 billion to the fund. Kan also said the fund's "transparency" must be maintained ? which includes auditors and investigators in the inspector general's office uncovering and publicizing its own losses ? as the fund goes through a series of reforms launched last year after the AP stories.

"The European debt crisis is shaking the world economy, which in turn seriously affects the fortunes of the Global Fund. But it doesn't mean the significance of the Global Fund is less," Kan said. "The corruption exists. It's regrettable, but that's reality."

Global Fund board Chairman Simon Bland said the fund is "transforming the way we do business" by streamlining the organization and will continue to "hold ourselves accountable" for what it spends.

"There will be no shying away from that transparency," Bland said.

Bland told AP he has hired the London accounting firm RSM Tenon Group to look into internal fund allegations that Kazatchkine, a French immunologist, improperly allocated several million dollars of fund money to benefit charity activities of France's first lady, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, and firms run by her close friend.

Bland said the firm has produced a confidential report that he intends to make public which lends little support to the allegations. France is the second-largest contributor to the fund behind the United States, and Bruni-Sarkozy serves as one of its ambassadors.

Kazatchkine, who has been at odds with the inspector general's office that has been uncovering the losses, resigned after the board decided to create a position of general manager to chart a new direction. The position was among a series of recommendations by a high-level panel created to address the problems raised in AP articles.

"I believe it is untenable that there are two heads in an organization and that's why I decided to leave," he told AP.

Kazatchkine said the Global Fund "can't be more transparent than we have been."

"We're by far the most transparent organization in development," he said at Davos. "Fighting corruption, yes, of course, and I have repeatedly said zero tolerance for corruption. Yet we also have to recognize that this business is not without risk. And risk, or the sense of risk, can also paralyze action."

___

Frank Jordans contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/bbd825583c8542898e6fa7d440b9febc/Article_2012-01-26-EU-Davos-Forum-AIDS-Fund/id-161de23bd4c5497b9245050544e77397

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Thailand elephants now poached for their meat

BANGKOK?? A new taste for eating elephant meat ? everything from trunks to sex organs ? has emerged in Thailand and could pose a new threat to the survival of the species.

Wildlife officials told The Associated Press that they were alerted to the practice after finding two elephants slaughtered last month in a national park in western Thailand.

"The poachers took away the elephants' sex organs and trunks ... for human consumption," Damrong Phidet, director-general of Thailand's wildlife agency, said in a telephone interview. Some meat was to be consumed without cooking, like "elephant sashimi," he said.

Poachers typically just remove tusks, which are most commonly found on Asian male elephants and fetch thousands of dollars on the black market. A market for elephant meat, however, could lead to killing of the wider elephant population, Damrong said.

"If you keep hunting elephants for this, then they'll become extinct," he said.

Consuming elephant meat is not common in Thailand, but some Asian cultures believe consuming animals' reproductive organs can boost sexual prowess.

Damrong said the elephant meat was ordered by restaurants in Phuket, a popular travel destination in the country's south. It wasn't clear if the diners were foreigners.

The accusation drew a quick rebuttal from Phuket Governor Tri Akradecha, who told Thai media that he had never heard of such restaurants but ordered officials to look into the matter.

Poachers seek 'big money'
Poaching elephants is banned, and trafficking or possessing poached animal parts also is illegal. Elephant tusks are sought in the illegal ivory trade, and baby wild elephants are sometimes poached to be trained for talent shows.

"The situation has come to a crisis point. The longer we allow these cruel acts to happen, the sooner they will become extinct," Damrong said.

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The quest for ivory remains the top reason poachers kill elephants in Thailand, other environmentalists say.

Soraida Salwala, the founder of Friends of the Asian Elephant foundation, said a full grown pair of tusks could be sold from 1 million to 2 million baht ($31,600 to $63,300), while the estimated value of an elephant's penis is more than 30,000 baht ($950).

"There's only a handful of people who like to eat elephant meat, but once there's demand, poachers will find it hard to resist the big money," she cautioned.

Thailand has fewer than 3,000 wild elephants and about 4,000 domesticated elephants, according to the National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department.

The pachyderms were a mainstay of the logging industry in the northern and western parts of the country until logging contracts were revoked in the late 1980s.

Domesticated animals today are used mainly for heavy lifting and entertainment.

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

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46159448/ns/us_news-environment/

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Shadowgun: The Leftover update hitting this week, free for owners of Shadowgun

Shadowgun fans rejoice; once iOS exclusive add-on pack "The Leftover" will be hitting the Android Market this week. Best of all, current Shadowgun players will recieve it as a free of charge update. 

It features four new levels, and a storyline that follows on directly after the events of the original game. These are just two among many other new features, so fans will be well catered for while waiting for the next Shadowgun title. 

No exact date has been provided, but an administrator on the official Madfinger Games forums dropped the news that "The Leftover" will be landing this week. 

via Droid Gamers

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/HgzAdkJuao0/story01.htm

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Dayton: Vikings stadium must be at Dome to pass (AP)

ST. PAUL, Minn. ? Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton told Vikings owner Zygi Wilf on Monday that the team's new stadium will have to be at the Metrodome site if a stadium bill is to pass the Legislature this year, Dayton's spokeswoman said.

The Vikings have said they prefer a Ramsey County proposal to build a $1.1 billion stadium in suburban Arden Hills.

Dayton spokeswoman Katharine Tinucci said it's not that the Democratic governor necessarily prefers the Metrodome site. But he believes that the stadium must be at that site if the bill is to pass during the legislative session that convenes Tuesday.

"I can't say this is the governor's favorite (site)," Tinucci told The Associated Press.

Vikings vice president Lester Bagley did not immediately return a phone message Monday night.

The Vikings' lease at the Metrodome has expired, and team owners have said that 30-year-old facility is no longer profitable enough compared with other NFL facilities. Fans fear that no new stadium could drive the team to another city.

Along with the Arden Hills and current Metrodome locations, one possible Minneapolis site for the stadium is near the Basilica of St. Mary Catholic Church, not far from the Minnesota Twins' Target Field. However, the basilica's rector, the Rev. John Bauer, said last week that church leaders do not want the stadium so close to their building and that they are exploring legal options.

Dayton said last week another possible Minneapolis site, near the city's Farmer's Market, is no longer under active discussion.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120124/ap_on_sp_fo_ne/fbn_vikings_stadium

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Pakistan rejects U.S. report on NATO attack (Reuters)

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) ? Pakistan's military Monday rejected U.S. findings on a November 26 NATO cross-border air attack that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers, reducing the chances of a resolution of the dispute and an improvement in ties which are at their lowest in years.

"Pakistan does not agree with several portions and findings of the investigation report, as these are factually not correct," the military said in a statement after a detailed review of the U.S. investigation.

The U.S. report released on December 22 found both American and Pakistani forces were to blame for the incident near the Afghan border, inflaming already strained ties.

"Affixing partial responsibility of the incident on Pakistan is therefore unjustified and unacceptable," said the Pakistani military.

Pakistan responded to the attack by shutting down ground routes to supply U.S.-led NATO forces in Afghanistan and forced the United States to vacate an air base used to launch drone flights.

"This is going to affect the relationship. The relationship was already in the doldrums, it was in bad shape. I don't know if it has the capacity to get any worse," said Mahmud Durrani, a retired Pakistan army major general.

"It's very unusual because normally allies fight side by side."

Last week, a senior Pakistani security official told Reuters the routes would be reopened, but heavy tariffs would be imposed.

"The fundamental cause of the incident of 26th November, 2011, was the failure of U.S./ISAF (International Security Assistance Force) to share its near-border operation with Pakistan at any level," said the military.

The death of the Pakistani soldiers dug in along the mountainous, isolated border area, along with the initial NATO response, has incensed Pakistanis and marked yet another setback in the Obama administration's efforts to improve chronically troubled ties with an uneasy ally.

The U.S. military blamed Pakistani soldiers for firing at NATO forces as they prepared for a mission in the remote corner of eastern Afghanistan.

The U.S. investigation also conceded a critical error by U.S. troops, who told Pakistan the cross-border shooting was taking place about 9 miles away due to mapping error. Pakistan responded by saying it had no troops there.

Pakistan admitted that its posts engaged in "speculative "fire," including the use of mortar bombs, which the U.S. interpreted as hostile fire.

But it denies that it fired in the direction of the Afghan and NATO forces and was instead firing at "suspected militant movement."

(Additional reporting by Rebecca Conway and Chris Allbritton; Writing by Michael Georgy; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/asia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120123/wl_nm/us_pakistan_usa

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Artist Captures the Beauty of Disintegration via Pellet Gun [Image Cache]

It's amazing what some high-speed photography and a few well-placed BB's can accomplish. Artist Alan Sailer created this stunning series, dubbed, Color Explosion Photos. Who know a simple pellet gun could cause all this Technicolor destruction? [Flickr via Faith is Torment via Buzzfeed]

More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/EHhSjX9A8kA/

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8 Ways to Finance Your Startup with Debt: Part 1

There?s good and bad news to share about startup financing for a small business.? Keep in mind, we are only looking at debt options so think of loans and lines of credit that you pay back to a lender.? We are not looking at any equity solutions such as angel investors, venture capital, etc.? The good news is that there are options.? The bad news is that nothing is easy nowadays and if you have damaged credit or you?re looking for several hundred thousand dollars it?s much less likely to happen purely with debt.

I have split these 8 solutions into two parts based on the likelihood and value factors.? Simply put, likelihood just asks the question, ?How likely is it that this type of financing can be obtained by a higher percentage of people??? Value is all about how much value would each form of financing bring to business owners who utilized this form of financing.? So let?s get started.

Here are the 4 most likely forms of debt financing for small business startups:

Credit Cards
This is absolutely, positively, without doubt the most common form of financing for small business startups.? Additionally, credit card financing ? when it is done right ? is arguably the least expensive form of financing.? From a benefit perspective they also do not require collateral like many other forms of financing.? The problem is that when credit card financing is not done correctly ? and normally it is not ? you will hurt your credit profile, pay too much in interest, you will not properly separate your personal & business credit, and you?ll likely miss out on some good tax benefits.

ROB?s
Technically known as Rollovers as Business Startups ? are only an option for people who have saved up some adequate retirement funds.? It?s also much more risky than most other forms of financing.? This is a very popular form of financing for new franchisees.? The downside is you?re risking your future basically since you?re tapping your retirement savings.? The upside is that you can access a sizeable amount of capital if you have a nice nest egg waiting for you.

Trade Credit
Maybe it?s not as popular but it is very common.? Examples of trade credit ? which is also referred to as vendor credit ? would be a line of credit at Staples, or Dell, or any other company where you need to purchase their goods or services for your business.? There are many forms of trade credit where you can obtain loans and lines of credit that are revolving in nature?meaning the balances are not due in full and can be spread out over several months or several years.? However, the most common ?terms? attached to trade credit are Net 30.? So there is not the same value or ability to finance nearly as much since you?re only delaying the purchase by a month or maybe two.

Equipment Financing
Most startup companies need some type of equipment.? Ideally, if the goal is to use your capital in the best way possible, you wouldn?t use a working capital loan or line of credit to purchase equipment.? Sometimes it is necessary but, often times, you can get a loan or lease specifically for your equipment and then leave your cash, working capital loans, and credit cards available for other uses.

With over 15 years of small business lending experience, Kris Roglieri is the Founder of Commercial Capital Training Group and President of a national commercial finance company.? According to Roglieri:

?In the last 4 years, the number one characteristic of defaulted loans or leases in a lenders portfolio were companies that had less than 2 years time in business so most lenders only finance companies that are more than two years in business or their underwriting requirements are very tough and stringent.? If you?re seeking to finance equipment as a startup you should have good personal credit, some experience in your industry, and hopefully at least 6-12 months of liquidity.?

In Part 2 we?ll discuss the other 4 most common debt solutions for startups.

Credit Card Photo via Shutterstock

About the Author

Tom Gazaway is President of Hawkeye Management, a firm that specializes in unsecured business credit lines for small business owners. Through their pre-qualification process and detailed analytics, they match small business owners with lenders who will issue business credit without collateral. Tom also blogs at The Small Business Lending Blog.

Connect with Tom Gazaway:

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Source: http://smallbiztrends.com/2012/01/8-ways-to-finance-your-startup-with-debt-part-1.html

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Average age of US vehicles hits record 10.8 years (AP)

DETROIT ? That clunker in America's driveway has reached a record old age, but there are signs that people may be growing confident enough in the economy to get a whiff of that fresh new car scent very soon.

The average age of a car or truck in the U.S. hit a record 10.8 years last year as job security and other economic worries kept many people from making big-ticket purchases such as a new car.

That's up from the old record of 10.6 years in 2010, and it and continues a trend that dates to 1995, when the average age of a car was 8.4 years, according to a study of state vehicle registration data by the Southfield, Mich.-based Polk automotive research firm.

However, Polk Vice President Mark Seng says that a rebound in sales last year and expected growth for the next couple of years is likely to slow the growth rate in the age of cars as a whole in America. Polk has not predicted if or when the age will start to drop, but Seng doesn't see that happening for at least two or three years, if not longer.

"It's going to take the good economy several years of very high sales again, and people being willing to let go of those older vehicles that they've been holding onto," Seng said.

Last year, auto sales rebounded a bit to 12.8 million vehicles, especially in November and December, when sales were unusually strong. In 2010, U.S. sales totaled 11.6 million after hitting a 30-year low of 10.4 million in 2009. Polk expects sales around 13.7 million this year, rising by about 1 million per year through 2015, when they reach about 16 million. That's back to around what industry analysts consider normal, and approaching the U.S. sales peak of 17 million in 2005.

But even a 1 million per year sales increase will have little impact on the average age because there are more than 240 million cars and trucks on the roads in the U.S., Seng says.

The aging of the American auto fleet has been a big boon for repair shops and companies that sell replacement auto parts, and Seng expects that to continue. He says people can hang onto their cars longer because automakers are making them far better than they did in 1995, the first year that Polk began tracking the average age.

Shares of major auto parts stores, such as AutoZone Inc., O'Reilly Automotive Inc. and Advance Auto Parts Inc., have easily outpaced the S&P 500 index since late 2007 when the recession began.

Polk also says the number of vehicles in the U.S. has been falling since 2008, but that trend reversed itself last year. In 2010, there were 240 million cars and trucks registered in the U.S. That grew slightly to 240.5 million last year, the company said.

The aging vehicle trend and relatively slow sales have kept auto companies and parts makers from hiring new workers in great numbers, and that helps to hold unemployment at relatively high levels. Last month, the unemployment rate fell to 8.5 percent ? still high, but the lowest level in three years.

But that started to change last year as sales started to rebound. Last January, Ford said it would hire 7,000 workers over the next two years. During the summer, GM said it would add 2,500 at the Detroit factory that makes the Chevrolet Volt electric car. Volkswagen hired 2,000 for a new plant in Tennessee, and Honda added 1,000 in Indiana. Just last week Chrysler announced plans to add 1,250 jobs at two Detroit factories next year, mainly to build a diesel version of the Jeep Grand Cherokee.

The industry will add 167,000 jobs by 2015, a 28 percent increase over current levels, predicts The Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor, Mich.

Government estimates show Americans spent roughly $40 billion more on new cars and trucks in 2011 than in 2009. Based on annualized figures from the first quarter of 2011, new-car spending totaled $206 billion, or 1.3 percent of the gross domestic product, Commerce Department data shows. That compares with $166 billion in 2009, about 1.2 percent of the country's economy.

Polk said the average age of a car in the U.S. last year was 11.1 years, while the average truck was 10.4 years old.

In 2010, the average age of a car was 11 and the average truck was 10.1 years old.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120117/ap_on_bi_ge/us_aging_cars

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UT Brownsville Preps for Final Baseball Season

Brendan Fitzgerald

Brendan is the weekend sports anchor and reporter.

Read?more: Local, Sports, UT Brownsville Scorpions, College Baseball, NAIA, Rio Grande Valley, Texas, Bryan Aughney, College BROWNSVILLE, TX -- As UT Brownsville opens spring baseball practice, the typical excitement is joined by frustration and sorrow that the program will be cut after this season.

Source: http://www.valleycentral.com/sports/story.aspx?id=708266

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Romney: I'll release tax records in April

Texas Gov. Rick Perry, left, speaks as former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney listen at the South Carolina Republican presidential candidate debate in Myrtle Beach, S.C., Monday, Jan. 16, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, Pool)

Texas Gov. Rick Perry, left, speaks as former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney listen at the South Carolina Republican presidential candidate debate in Myrtle Beach, S.C., Monday, Jan. 16, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, Pool)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney says he's "happy" to release his tax records and suggested he would do so in April if he becomes the Republican nominee for president.

Under tough questioning during a presidential debate Monday, Romney said he has looked at the campaigns of past GOP nominees who released their tax information around tax day, which is April 15. Romney earned millions of dollars at a venture capital firm. He said there's nothing in the records to indicate anything amiss.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry suggested Romney should follow other candidates and release the returns before the nomination contest is decided.

The comments came during the first of two debates ahead of the South Carolina primary Saturday. Romney, who won the Iowa and New Hampshire contests, is the front-runner.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2012-01-16-GOP%20Debate-Romney-Tax%20Return/id-9dfedad8bebb40e4be593915c397f2d5

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Rihanna Armani Underwear Ads: Provocative!

Good girl gone bad Rihanna stars in a new Emporio Armani Underwear campaign, and the black and white photos are definitely provocative!

Which is the point of said ads, of course. We're guessing.

Starting off in a t-shirt and jeans, RiRi changes into a jean jacket with no bra and shorts, then a camisole, and finally just a bra and panties.

You get the idea. Click to enlarge the Rihanna pics below:

No word if she was smoking Kush prior to, during or after this shoot, but we have to say, Armani has a keeper in the 23-year-old singer.

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2012/01/rihanna-armani-underwear-ads-provocative/

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India Muslim group: bar Rushdie from literary meet (AP)

LUCKNOW, India ? Prominent Muslim clerics in India are asking the government to bar author Salman Rushdie from visiting the country to attend a literary festival because of his 1988 book "The Satanic Verses," which they consider blasphemy.

The Darul Uloom seminary's head Maulana Abdul Qasim Nomani said Tuesday that the government should respect the feelings of Muslims and not allow Rushdie to attend the Jaipur Literary Festival that begins Jan. 21.

Rushdie spent years in hiding after Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini urged that he be killed for blasphemy because of "The Satanic Verses." The book also was banned in India.

The 150-year-old seminary preaches an austere form of Islam that has inspired millions of Muslims, including the Taliban.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/asia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120110/ap_on_re_as/as_india_salman_rushdie

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Man who found kidney via Facebook recovering from surgery

by KING 5 News

KING5.com

Posted on January 8, 2012 at 6:01 PM

Updated yesterday at 6:02 PM

SEATTLE - A Seattle man is home five days after a kidney transplant thanks to help from Facebook.

On Sunday, Damon Brown enjoyed time at home with his wife, Bethany, and their children. The 38-year-old hopes to return to work in about eight weeks.
????
Damon found his kidney donor after creating a page on Facebook. The donor ended up being someone who worked with Damon's wife years ago.

"There was no Facebook 10 years ago,? he said. ?Who would've known. This definitely wasn't in the cards but now with Facebook it does open the doors for a lot of things. I would've never been able to reach this many people with my story. "

Damon says he went on Facebook Saturday to check-in with his donor to make sure she's healing well since the surgery.

Source: http://www.king5.com/news/local/Man-who-turned-to-Facebook-for-kidney-now-recovering-from-surgery-136916978.html

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Google gets more personal with search results (AP)

SAN FRANCISCO ? Google is sifting through the photos and commentary on its blossoming social network so its Internet search results can include more personal information.

The additional personal touches that began to roll out Tuesday mark another step toward one of Google's most ambitious goals. The Internet search leader eventually hopes to know enough about each of its users so it can tailor its results to fit the unique interests of each person looking for something.

Different people should start seeing different search results more frequently now that Google Inc. is importing content from its 6-month-old Plus service, a product that the company introduced in an attempt to counter the popularity of Facebook's online hangout and Twitter's short-messaging hub. Google's main search results page also will start highlighting more content from an older online photo service called Picasa.

Facebook and Twitter pose a threat to Google because they don't allow Google's search engine to log the avalanche of photos, links and observations tumbling through those services. That's troublesome to Google because its search engine could become less useful if its system can't analyze what people are signaling is important to them so those preferences can be factoring into the results.

Google is tackling that challenge with an addition to its results called "Search, plus Your World."

The feature will be automatically turned on beginning Tuesday for all English-language searches made by users logged into Google. Turning off the personal results permanently will require changing a setting in Google's personal preferences. The personal results can also be excluded on a search-by-search basis by clicking on an icon of the globe on the results page (the personal results will be denoted by a button featuring a human's silhouette).

If the new formula works as Google expects, the search results will include pertinent information culled from the requestor's Plus account. For instance, a query about the San Francisco 49ers might include links and comments made about the football team by other people in one of the social circles on the user's Plus account. A search request that includes the name of a dog owned by the user or a friend might turn up photos of the pet that have been posted on Plus and Picasa.

"This is going to open up a whole new avenue in search," said Ben Gomes, a Google fellow.

Google isn't the first to do this. Microsoft Corp.'s Bing search engine has been mining some of the preferences and other information shared on Facebook since May. But Google's emphasis on more personal results figures to attract more attention because its search engine is so dominant. It handles about two-thirds of the Internet search requests made in the U.S. while Bing processes less than one-third, including the activity that it comes through a partnership with Yahoo Inc.

Facebook, though, has greater insights into personal tastes. That's because its nearly 8-year-old social network boasts more than 800 million users who share more than 1.5 billion photos alone each week. In October, Google said Plus had more than 40 million users. Google hasn't updated the information since then, although some external studies have estimated Plus began the new year with 60 million to 70 million users.

Some of Google's changes may help prod more people into joining Plus.

As part of Tuesday's expansion, the profile pictures of Plus accountholders will appear in the drop-down suggestions on Google's search box. So when typing in "Mary," you may see those named Mary in your circle along with those Google believes you'd find interesting.

In another twist, searches on general topics such as "music" and "sports," will generate suggestions on people, companies and places that have Plus accounts.

While Google is hoping the addition of more personal results will make its search engine even more useful, the changes also could spook some people as they realize how much information is being compiled about them. Google tried to minimize privacy concerns by recently switching to technology that encrypts all its search results to protect the information from slipping out.

Previous privacy missteps by both Google and Facebook resulted in both companies entering into settlements with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission. The FTC agreements require Google and Facebook to submit to external audits of their privacy practices every other year.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/search/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120110/ap_on_hi_te/us_tec_google_personal_search

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