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ESPN apologizes for headline on Jeremy Lin

ESPN apologized Saturday for an offensive headline about New York Knicks sensation Jeremy Lin that appeared on its mobile website after the team's season-high, seven-game winning streak came to an end. The streak, which began when the unlikely star came off the Knicks' bench to guide the team to win-after-improbable-win, helped transform the Harvard graduate of Taiwanese descent into a global brand -- giving rise to the catchphrase "Linsanity." But early Saturday morning, the network put forth a headline that read "Chink in the Armor," referencing the Knicks' 89- 85 loss Friday night to the New Orleans Hornets at Madison Square Garden, according to ESPN spokesman Kevin Ota. The headline was up for 35 minutes before being removed. "We are conducting a complete review of our cross-platform editorial procedures and are determining appropriate disciplinary action to ensure this does not happen again," the network said in a statement. "We regret and apologize for this mistake." The network also apologized for a question an ESPN anchor posed Wednesday night when asking about Lin. "ESPN apologizes for the incident, and is taking steps to avoid this in the future," the statement said. Anchor Max Bretos asked, "If there is a chink in the armor, where can Lin improve his game?"

Published: Sat, 18 Feb 2012 19:23:34 GMT

Costner, speaking at her funeral, recalls Houston's courage

Actor Kevin Costner received a standing ovation Saturday from those celebrating the life of Whitney Houston after he spoke of her courage when she tried out for a starring role in the movie "The Bodyguard." Speaking at the singer's homegoing service in Newark, New Jersey, Costner recounted his own second thoughts of putting her up for the role. She was a novice, he said, and there were questions of whether choosing a person of color would be good for the box office. Doubts began to spread to the young entertainer. In the end, Costner, said, Houston nailed the tryout and went on to further fame and success. "So off you go Whitney, off you go, escorted by an army of angels to your heavenly father," Costner told mourners at the funeral. "And when you sing before him, don't you worry. You'll be good enough." Houston's casket, covered with a large spray of flowers, rested in front of the altar at New Hope Baptist Church. At 11, Houston got her start in the junior gospel choir at the Newark church. "We're here today with hearts broken, but with God's strength we celebrate the life of Whitney Houston," said Pastor Joe Carter. Clapping and swaying mass choirs opened the midday homegoing service, performing rousing versions of gospel standards. Singer Kim Burrell adapted the lyrics to the Sam Cooke song, "A Change is Gonna Come," for the service. Stevie Wonder and Alicia Keys also performed. Wonder, who sang "Ribbon in the Sky" -- adapting it to refer to Houston -- said millions will continue loving the late singer. Speakers, including Bishop T.D. Jakes and director-producer Tyler Perry, spoke of Houston's faith -- and the promise of tomorrow. Jakes delivered, to applause, a message of victory over death. "Death has not won. Your tears may flow. The flowers might wither," he said. "You will find people you love may leave you outwardly, but (they) will not leave you inwardly." Houston's cousin, singer Dionne Warwick, introduced performers and speakers, including Perry. "I am completely thankful to God for all he has done her life," Perry said. "There is a grace that kept on carrying her. ... Whitney Houston loved the Lord." Oprah Winfrey, Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Spike Lee, and Houston's former husband, Bobby Brown, were among those on hand. Brown walked by Houston's casket with his head down before the service began. Police said Brown and his entourage later left the church during the service. Guests held in their hands an invitation with a cover featuring a photo of a smiling Houston. The six-page funeral program contained color family photos and a letter from Cissy Houston, the singer's mother. The letter included the message, "God said 'It's time, Nippy (Whitney's childhood nickname). Your work is done.'" It was signed, "Thanks for being such a wonderful daughter. Love, Mommie." Music executive Clive Davis, credited with discovering a young Whitney Houston in 1983, told mourners that the late pop superstar "stepped forward and shattered" him when he heard her perform "The Greatest Love of All" for the first time. Gospel singer and longtime friend BeBe Winans was visibly emotional as he recalled a memory of Houston's love for his family and her sense of humor. With his sister, CeCe Winans, by his side, he told the story of how Houston, then a major celebrity, informed them of her intent to sing background vocals on their new tour. When they told her she was too big a star to do that now, Houston responded, "You're my brother and sister, right?" The exchange went on for a few minutes and then Houston told them, "Y'all broke right? I'm rich, right? So I can buy what I want to for y'all." Winans, still emotional, said that is the Whitney Houston he would remember. Then he sang, "I Really Miss You." "Queen of Soul" Aretha Franklin, who was scheduled to sing "The Greatest Love of All" at the service, has leg spasms and could not perform or attend the service, she said in a statement. Franklin performed a tribute to Houston Friday night at Radio City Music Hall in New York. Patricia Houston, the singer's sister-in-law and former manager, was to speak at the end of the service, followed by Warwick, according to the program. Under bright sunshine, a golden hearse with a black-and-white picture of Houston carried the singer's body to the red-brick church Saturday morning. She will be laid to rest Sunday at the Fairview Cemetery in Westfield, just south of Newark. Balloons left in front of the church by adoring fans bobbed in a soft breeze. A cake in the fellowship hall, given by fans, read, "The Greatest Love of All," the title of one of Houston's many hits. The heart-shaped cake was adorned with red roses and lilies. Guests at the service arrived on a black carpet, went to the church fellowship hall and were escorted to their seats by ushers dressed in black suits and purple ties. "There is a sense of sadness," the Rev. Jesse Jackson told HLN, CNN's sister network. "We lost a lot." Some 1,500 people were expected at the service. A perimeter was set up around the church by police, for four blocks in two directions and two blocks in the other directions. The closest the public was able to get was a staging area two blocks away. Police said the best way for fans to share the experience was through television and the Internet. Houston, the six-time Grammy Award winner and the only artist to chart seven consecutive No. 1 hits, died a week ago in Beverly Hills, California, at the age of 48. She is survived by her mother and daughter, Bobbi Kristina Brown, 18. Saturday, the story wasn't about Houston's publicized battles with drug addiction and reported drinking in the days before she died or about the prescription pills being tested as investigators seek a cause of her still-unexplained death at the Beverly Hilton. In Newark, 2,700 miles away from Los Angeles, they were remembering the 11-year-old girl who followed in the footsteps of her mother by singing in the junior gospel choir. They were remembering Houston the superstar, returning for Easter Sunday services, never losing her roots after making it big. They were remembering, through tears and joy, that incredible voice. A belief in God and tradition permeated the funeral. In the words of Marvin Winans, "Faith plays a great part in how we cope with uncertainties in life. It is not something that we run from in difficulty, it is something we run to." The Houston family opted to forgo a public memorial service. They didn't "want to have a parade," Winans told CNN's Anderson Cooper this week. Their message, he said: "We want to do this with dignity."

Published: Sat, 18 Feb 2012 19:18:47 GMT

Officials: Dutch prince severely injured in Austrian avalanche

A member of the Dutch royal family was severely injured in an avalanche at an Austrian ski resort Friday, local authorities told CNN. Prince Johan Friso, 43, a son of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, was skiing outside the bounds of the ski resort with friends at the resort of Lech am Arlberg when he was hit by an avalanche, a spokesman for the state of Vorarlberg said. No one else in the group was affected, the spokesman said. The prince was under the snow for a "short period of time," the spokesman said. He was wearing an electronic beacon that helped rescuers quickly find him, he said. The prince was airlifted to a hospital in Innsbruck, where he is in intensive care, authorities said. Doctors described the prince as stable but not out of danger, according to a statement from the queen. Lech am Arlberg is in Austria's Vorarlberg state, a popular skiing area in western Austria. The region's avalanche agency reported there was a considerable to great chance of avalanches in Lech on Friday. It cited new snowfall on top of a packed layer of snow that could cause snow slabs to slide off. The prince gave up his right to the throne when he married in 2004 without Parliament's permission. He and his wife live in London with their two daughters.

Published: Sat, 18 Feb 2012 18:42:01 GMT

Egypt sets trial date for accused NGO workers

The trial of 43 people in Egypt accused in a case involving foreign funding will take place in a criminal court February 26, the spokesman for the general prosecutor's office said. Americans are among other Westerners and Egyptians who work for civil society groups who face prosecution on charges of illegal foreign funding as part of an ongoing crackdown on nongovernmental organizations. Among the Americans is Sam LaHood, the son of U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, according to the State Department. Egypt put the number of Americans at 19. The employees of the American and European NGOs have been charged with operating in Egypt without licenses. An investigation by authorities revealed that the organizations received millions of pounds from abroad under the names of NGO employees and not through their official bank accounts. Ashraf El-Ashmawi and Sameh Abu Zeid, the two judges handling the cases, said the charges could lead to five-year prison sentences. "These organizations conducted unlicensed and illegal activities without the knowledge of the Egyptian government," said El-Ashmawi. "Documents confiscated during the raids on the NGOs offices confirm illegal foreign funding." Documents also showed that foreign workers employed by the NGOs deliberately had tourist -- not work -- visas, and did not pay taxes. Khalid Abu Bakr, a civil rights lawyer in Cairo, said the 43 suspects would have to be present in court, inside the iron cage that holds defendants in Egyptian criminal trials. Authorities said a travel ban has been imposed on the suspects. "Suspects will not be detained but those who do not attend will be issued an arrest warrant," Abu Bakr told CNN. He added that the defense lawyers would request a postponement in the hearing "until the witnesses give their testimonies and more details are presented." The court did allow the American counsel from the embassy to attend the trial. Egyptian officials have blamed continuing unrest in their country on foreign interference they attribute, in part, to the organizations. In December, authorities carried out 17 raids on the offices of 10 organizations, including the U.S.-based Freedom House, National Democratic Institute and the International Republican Institute. Adel Saeed, a spokesman with the general prosecutor's office, said the raids were part of an investigation into allegations that the groups had received illegal foreign financing and were operating without a proper license. The U.S. State Department said Tuesday it had received a 24-page document from Egyptian authorities that lays out the charges against the staff of U.S. and international democracy-building groups. Briefing reporters Friday, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said that its legal team had held a number of meetings since then. "We continue to work very hard on these issues. So we need to let that work go forward and hope we can solve this in earliest days," she said. Nuland had said Tuesday that no speedy resolution of the case was expected. "We are continuing to work as hard as we can with the Egyptian government to work our way through this, and we continue to insist that our people have done nothing wrong and that they ought to be allowed to come home," she said then. Seven Americans, including LaHood, who is the director of Egypt operations for the International Republican Institute, have been ordered not to leave the country. A "handful" of American employees of the organizations have taken refuge in the U.S. Embassy, Nuland said. Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, who serves as IRI board chairman, is expected to visit Egypt soon. McCain said that while he will address the situation of the detained Americans, he will not attempt to negotiate their release. "That is the job of the administration, but we will have conversations with military leaders and others who I have known for many, many years on a personal basis," he said Tuesday on Capitol Hill.

Published: Sat, 18 Feb 2012 18:18:06 GMT

iPad manufacturer Foxconn hikes Chinese workers' wages

The largest supplier of Apple's iPads and iPhones said Saturday that it increased wages by up to 25 percent for workers at its factories in China. The announcement by Taiwan-based Foxconn Technology Group follows reports the company's Chinese-based factories were under scrutiny over questionable labor practices. Wages for assembly line workers at Foxconn's Chinese plants were increased by 16 percent to 25 percent, far exceeding China's government-mandated minimum monthly compensation levels in Shenzhen, the statement said. The base pay for workers who have successfully completed a probation period jumps to 2200 to 2500 RMB ($349 to $397) a month, Foxconn said. The state-minimum is 1500 RMB (about $238). Additionally, Foxconn said it was taking steps to reduce overtime at the Chinese factories. Foxconn's wage increases comes on the heels of the arrival this week of an independent labor-rights organization, which included Apple representatives, at the vast Foxconn plant in Shenzhen, known as Foxconn City. The team plans to interview thousands of employees in Shenzhen and other locations about their working and living conditions, including their compensation and working hours, according to the Fair Labor Association. The audit comes amid growing public concern about labor conditions in the overseas factories that many U.S. gadget makers rely on to make their devices. Apple is one of many companies that outsources its manufacturing, but as the industry's most popular and profitable company, it's under the most intense spotlight. Foxconn, one of Apple's largest critical suppliers, has drawn the harshest criticism from labor activists. A spate of suicides at the company's factories in 2010 garnered media coverage of alleged harsh working conditions, including unsafe facilities and illegal amounts of overtime. A story published late last month by The New York Times documented the human toll of a Foxconn plant explosion that killed several workers. Apple has conducted its own supplier audits since 2006, and releases some of its findings on its website. Its latest report, released last month, detailed nearly two dozen labor and human rights violations, including the use of underage workers. In more than 100 facilities, excessive work hours were "commonplace," according to Apple's report, and most of those plants failed to pay proper overtime wages. Two facilities were deemed repeat offenders, and Apple cut ties with one of them. Partnering with the Fair Labor Association for independent assessments is a new step for Apple, which has said that its suppliers have promised unrestricted access and full cooperation. The FLA plans to conduct similar inspections this spring at two more Apple suppliers, Quanta and Pegatron.

Published: Sat, 18 Feb 2012 17:58:07 GMT

Conservatives urge 'immediate' U.S. action on Syria

Prominent U.S. conservatives want the Obama administration to "take immediate action" against the Syrian regime, including "no-go zones" for President Bashar al-Assad's military and "self-defense aid" to resistance forces. Fifty-six foreign policy experts and former U.S. government officials signed a letter dated Friday calling for proactive U.S.-led steps against the government. It comes as Syrian citizens and activists plead for world powers to help stop the government's bloody crackdown. They include Karl Rove, the former Bush administration adviser; Paul Bremer, in charge of the U.S. occupation in Iraq after the 2003 invasion; R. James Woolsey, former CIA chief; Robert McFarlane, former Reagan national security adviser, and Dan Senor, a former Bremer adviser and spokesman for the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq. The letter can be found on the Foreign Policy Initiative website. "We believe that the United States cannot continue to defer its strategic and moral responsibilities in Syria to regional actors such as the Arab League or to wait for consent from the Assad regime's protectors, Russia and China," the letter said. Russia and China have vetoed strong action against the al-Assad regime at the U.N. Security Council. The letter calls for Syrian safe zones and no-go zones for al-Assad's forces around "Homs, Idlib, and other threatened areas, in order to protect Syrian civilians." "The United States should work with like-minded countries like Turkey and members of the Arab League in these efforts," the letter said. The group wants to "establish contacts" with the Free Syrian Army, the fledgling resistance force of military defectors. It called for a "full range of direct assistance, including self-defense aid to the FSA" and wants to do so with Middle East and European allies. The letter calls for improving "U.S. coordination with the political opposition groups" and to "provide them with secure communications technologies and other assistance that will help to improve their ability to prepare for a post-Assad Syria." It wants the administration to work with lawmakers to impose "crippling U.S. and multilateral sanctions" on the Syrian government, specifically the energy, banking and shipping sectors. The letter cites the Syrian government's bloody siege in the city of Homs, and says the regime "poses a grave threat to national security interests." One Syrian activist group, the Local Coordination Committees of Syria, says more than 8,500 people have died in the unrest, now in its 12th month. It notes that Syria has maintained "a strategic partnership with the terror-sponsoring government of Iran, as well as with Hamas and Hezbollah" and it has "facilitated the entry of foreign fighters into Iraq, who killed U.S. troops." It says foreign powers intervened in support of the al-Assad regime, citing Russia's supply of arms and supplies, and reports of Iran and Hezbollah operating in Syria. "The lack of resolve and actions by the responsible members of the international community is only further emboldening the Assad regime," the letter said. "Unless the United States takes the lead and acts, either individually or in concert with like-minded nations, thousands of additional Syrian civilians will likely die, and the emerging civil war in Syria will likely ignite wider instability in the Middle East." The United States, the European Union, the Arab League and Turkey have initiated a range of sanctions against Syria. The Obama administration has also denounced al-Assad's regime "Assad has no right to lead Syria, and has lost all legitimacy with his people and the international community," Obama said February 4. "A Syria without Assad could be a Syria in which all Syrians are subject to the rule of law and where minorities are able to exercise their legitimate rights and uphold their identities and traditions while acting as fully enfranchised citizens in a unified republic." Despite a General Assembly non-binding resolution endorsing an Arab League plan for al-Assad to step down, world powers haven't been able to stop the bloodshed. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Friday said the United States has not been "deterred" by Security Council vetoes and is moving forward with a group called the Friends of Syria, a coalition of Arab, Western and others countries. The group, which will meet Friday in Tunisia, was formed after Russia and China stood in the way of a Security Council measure to deal with Syria. "We are doing all we can to determine ways forward, to strengthen the opposition, to help them convey to the entire Syrian population that they are seeking an inclusive, peaceful, democratic transition," Clinton said. Victoria Nuland, State Department spokeswoman, said Friday that the president doesn't rule out "any option." "That said, we do not think that more guns into Syria ... or international intervention in Syria is the right answer. We don't think further militarizing the situation is going to bring peace and stability and a democratic transition to the people of Syria," she said. "We are instead focused on strengthening and unifying the opposition so that it is prepared and ready for that day when Assad cedes power, which he will eventually, so that the Arab League proposal or something like it can be implemented. And we're in the short term very focused on strengthening our humanitarian support to those suffering in Syria."

Published: Sat, 18 Feb 2012 17:37:14 GMT

Pope appoints 22 new Cardinals

Pope Benedict appointed 22 new cardinals at the Vatican on Saturday, with his choices for the lofty role likely to influence who will appointed as the next pontiff. The Vatican named the new cardinals last month, but they were officially appointed in a special ceremony at St. Peter's Basilica. Among those elevated to the College of Cardinals were New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan, cementing his standing as the top Catholic in the United States, and Archbishop Edwin F. O'Brien of Baltimore. Others include Archbishop Thomas Collins, from Toronto, as well as the Bishop of Hong Kong, John Tong Hon, and Major Archbishop George Alencherry from India Senior clerics from Germany, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Romania and Brazil are also represented, as well as several from Italy. The College of Cardinals was established in 1150. Its main role is to advise the current pope and pick his successor. "This is the most exclusive club in the Catholic Church," said John Allen, CNN's Vatican analyst. "In many cases, you also become, at least informally, a candidate to be the next pope, because the next pope will almost certainly come from the roughly 120 cardinals under the age of 80." Once a cardinal reaches 80, he is no longer able to participate in the election of the pope or enter the secret conclave where cardinals gather when the time comes to select the next pope, typically upon the prior pope's death. The new cardinals each professed their faith and swore an oath of obedience to Pope Benedict and his successors during Saturday's ceremony, called the Consistory, at the Vatican. They then walked one by one to the pontiff, knelt in front of him and received the traditional red hat, a gold ring, and a document with the name of the cardinal's titular church in Rome. The pope and newly-created cardinal then embraced. Pope Benedict also announced seven new saints, including the first Native American saint, a 17th-Century Mohawk woman called Kateri, or Catherine, Tekakwitha, who was a Catholic convert. Existing members of the College of Cardinals and the new cardinals-elect came together for a day of prayer and reflection Friday, in preparation for the ceremony, according to the Holy See Press Office. Dolan addressed the gathering on the subject of evangelization, saying there was a need to challenge a growing secularization of society.

Published: Sat, 18 Feb 2012 15:53:27 GMT

NATO looking into reports of chopper crash in Afghanistan

A local official reported a NATO helicopter crashed Saturday in eastern Afghanistan, though there was no immediate confirmation from coalition forces. A spokesman for NATO's International Security Assistance Force, Capt. Justin Brockhoff, said ISAF officials are looking into the reported incident but have no indications that any ISAF aircraft have been lost. Abdul Rahman Sarjang, the chief of police in eastern Laghman province, said it was an American helicopter that crashed, but he had no other details.

Published: Sat, 18 Feb 2012 14:16:32 GMT

Obama budget proposal under fire in GOP address

In his weekly address, President Barack Obama spoke on U.S. manufacturing competitiveness, while Washington Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers used the Republican response to hammer the budget proposal he sent to Congress on Monday. The president made no mention of his budget, and in his remarks -- taped at the Washington state Boeing plant he visited Friday -- said that the U.S. is making progress toward becoming a more desirable place for manufacturing. "It's now getting more expensive to do business in places like China," he said. "Meanwhile, America is more productive than ever. And companies like Boeing are realizing that even when we can't make things cheaper than China, we can make things better. That's how we're going to compete globally." He argued for the manufacturing tax policy changes he outlined in his State of the Union address in January. "No company should get a tax break for outsourcing jobs. Instead, tax breaks should go to manufacturers who set up shop here at home," Obama said. "Bigger tax breaks should go to high-tech manufacturers who create the jobs of the future. And if you relocate your company to a struggling community, you should get help financing that new plant, that new equipment, or training for new workers." "And Congress should send me that kind of tax reform right away," he continued, mirroring a theme of urgency from his January address. McMorris Rodgers -- whose district does not include the Everett, Washington, plant that Obama visited Friday -- argued that the president's budget would instead make the country less competitive with manufacturing giants such as China. "Instead of leading the effort to bring down our debt and make tough choices, the president is proposing that we spend more and more," she said. "All his wasteful spending puts us deeper in debt to China. All his tax hikes would destroy jobs and make it tougher to compete with China." His $3.8 trillion proposal, she said, reneges on Obama's promise to halve federal deficits by the end of his first term. http://articles.cnn.com/2012-02-13/politics/politics_obama-congress-budget_1_trillion-budget-spending-cuts-federal-budget "He won't even come close," she said. "Because of the president's failure to control spending, the government will run trillion-dollar deficits in each of his four years in office. President Obama's broken promises have left our country broke." The administration predicted that under this proposal, the deficit would reach $1.3 trillion, then drop to $901 billion in 2013. And McMorris Rodgers argued that the spending cuts are not new sacrifices, but previously negotiated cuts and mirage. "More than half of the proposed 'savings' in the president's budget for the next year -- about $2 trillion -- are already law," she said. "These savings come from the Budget Control Act -- the bill congressional Republicans insisted that the president sign last year in response to his demand for an increase in the nation's debt limit." She continued, "Another almost $1 trillion in 'savings' comes from what we call the 'war gimmick' -- money that was never requested and will never be spent on wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Those aren't real savings." Capitol Hill is expected to be quiet in the week ahead, as the House and Senate voted on Friday to extend the payroll tax cut, unemployment benefits and Medicare reimbursements.

Published: Sat, 18 Feb 2012 13:38:03 GMT

Battle looms over cutting nuclear arsenal

The Pentagon is currently analyzing U.S. nuclear options under the Nuclear Posture Review Implementation Study -- a process that could result in significant cuts in the number of warheads. And one senior Republican senator is sounding a warning. "Obviously this is going to create a huge stir in Congress," Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Arizona, said during a keynote address Thursday at a nuclear deterrence summit in Arlington, Virginia. "We will have a battle royal in Congress if the president moves forward with these kinds of plans." As recently as last month, the Defense Department did not discount the possibility of further cuts to its arsenal eventually. "It is possible that our deterrence goals can be achieved with a smaller nuclear force, which would reduce the number of nuclear weapons in our inventory as well as their role in U.S. national security strategy," the Pentagon said in releasing its latest strategic guidance review last month. James Miller, the acting defense undersecretary for policy, told the same summit Wednesday that the Pentagon is looking at "a number of options" regarding the size of its nuclear arsenal, but refused to go into detail as no decision has been made yet. "It is absolutely appropriate for the president and the Pentagon to look at those [lower] levels," Stephen Young with the Union of Concerned Scientists told CNN. Today's geopolitical order is much different than 20 years ago, Young said. There's no longer a Soviet Union, there's no longer a massive army looming over Europe, the current role of nuclear weapons is much smaller and so there's no need for a massive nuclear arsenal," he said. The current U.S.-Russian arms treaty, known as New START, went into effect a year ago and requires that each side cap its strategic nuclear warheads at 1,550 by 2018. It also limits each nation to 700 deployed strategic launchers and heavy bombers, with another 100 held in reserve. But there is precedent in cutting the U.S. nuclear arsenal below treaty-mandated levels. The administration of former President George W. Bush cut the arsenal to 2,200 warheads, while both the United States and Russia were permitted 6,000 each under the START treaty in force at that time. Some analysts say any reduction below what the Russian Federation maintains in its arsenal is unlikely to happen in the current era. "Russia right now is putting more emphasis on the role of nuclear weapons in its policy," Clark Murdock, director of the Project on Nuclear Issues at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told CNN. Murdock said making deep cuts in the number of U.S. warheads is "just politically out of the question," in the face of Russian nuclear modernization. Defense officials are unambiguous when it comes to the importance of the U.S. nuclear arsenal. "We continue to believe that U.S. forces play a critical role in 21st century strategic deterrence, primarily because they cast a long and very dark shadow over the decision-making of any adversary contemplating a strategic attack on the United States or our allies," said Greg Weaver, deputy director of Plans and Policy at U.S. Strategic Command. He also spoke Thursday at the nuclear deterrence summit. For Kyl, who recently announced he will not seek re-election, concerns over the nuclear arsenal go beyond its size. He told Thursday's summit audience that he found the pace of modernizing the nuclear infrastructure "disheartening." Paul Hommert, director of Sandia National Laboratories, told the same audience that the nation's stockpile is "the oldest it has ever been," with many of the weapons having been designed and constructed in the 1970s and '80s. "The net result of that is that there is a fair amount of work that is embedded in what's coming forward to us." But in an era of fiscal austerity, with a mandate to cut $497 billion out of the defense budget over the next 10 years, the need to modernize the nuclear arsenal may come at the cost of the current infrastructure. Gen. James Cartwright, the former vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in July that the current nuclear "triad"of submarines, ballistic missiles, and bombers was not sustainable or even practical in a post- Cold War and budget conscious era. Weaver, with Strategic Command -- which oversees the U.S. nuclear arsenal -- said the modernization of the arsenal will have to take a lot into account. Our challenge," he said, is to ensure that U.S. nuclear forces "can ... play [effective deterrence roles] now and in the years to come, and we don't know how many years to come."

Published: Sat, 18 Feb 2012 13:37:57 GMT

J&J's McNeil unit recalls Infants' Tylenol

The healthcare company McNeil is recalling more than half a million bottles of Infants' Tylenol because of consumer complaints about the difficulties of using the dosing system. McNeil is recalling about 574,000 bottles after receiving a "small number" of complaints regarding the so-called "dosing syringe" of the orally-administered over-the-counter painkiller. The company said that in some cases the "flow restrictor was pushed into the bottle when inserting the syringe." The recall applies to one-ounce bottles of grape-flavored Infants' Tylenol Oral Suspension. The company said there have been "no adverse events" from the problem and that "the risk of series adverse medical event is remote." The company said that consumers can continue to use the product, despite the voluntary recall, so long as the flow restrictor remains in place at the top of the bottle. McNeil, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, has had numerous recalls in the recent past, especially with Tylenol. The U.S. government took over three Tylenol plants last year for failure to comply with federally-mandated manufacturing procedures.

Published: Sat, 18 Feb 2012 05:42:05 GMT

WHO: Bird flu data still on hold

Two studies about a genetically altered strain of H5N1 influenza, a deadly avian flu, should be published in their full form, but not yet, experts at a meeting organized by the World Health Organization concluded Friday. There has been concern the research on bird flu could be used for terroristic purposes. WHO said in a statement that "understanding of this research through communications and the review of biosafety and biosecurity" issues that the research raises is crucial, but did not say specifically how or when this review will happen. WHO also said that it would extend the temporary moratorium on research with the laboratory-modified viruses, but research on the avian influenza found in nature must continue for public health protection. The naturally occurring H5N1 bird flu virus has a high death rate associated with it; 60% of all humans who have been infected have died, said Dr. Keiji Fukuda, assistant director-general of health security and environment for the World Health Organization. A research group in the Netherlands and a separate group at the University of Wisconsin have each created a mutated version of the H5N1 virus that can more easily transmit from mammal to mammal than the virus found in nature. They tested the mutated virus on ferrets, which closely mimic the human response to the flu. The journal Science was going to publish the Dutch paper, and the journal Nature was going to publish the American paper. Both journals decided to refrain from publishing the studies so far. Concerns about the research were first raised in December, the fear being that a highly transmittable virus could be used in a biological weapon. The National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity said in January that the data could be used to help prepare for a possible outbreak in the future. However, the board recommended the studies be published without "methods or details" to prevent misuse by terrorists. Science and Nature jointly released a statement on the matter. Friday, the World Health Organization said more public health benefit would come from publishing the entire manuscripts than "urgent" partial publishing. But the WHO is going to continue its assessment of the biosafety and biosecurity aspects first. "If you just have scientists in the room and no security people, it's not enough," Science Editor-in-Chief Bruce Alberts said Friday at the American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia. "The other side of the equation is, what do we know about the ease at which al Qaeda, for example, could actually produce this thing?" Alberts said the original plan was to publish a redacted version of the papers in the middle of March, but that will not happen in light of the WHO decision. "My reading is that both Nature and Science are to wait until we get some further information from WHO and other authorities about when we are to publish the full manuscripts," Alberts said. Experts say it's important to get this information out about avian influenza to the people doing surveillance, especially in countries like Indonesia that have the biggest problems with this disease. But considering the risks for terrorism is important, Alberts said. "Obviously this cannot go on for years," he said. The best outcome would be the establishment of an international version of the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity, he said. There also is talk of other ways to get information to people who need it besides publication of the papers, Alberts said. For instance, there could be a list of 50 genetic mutations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that could be screened for; the technology for that exists. That could be done openly because all the mutations of H5N1 that are being kept secret have already been found individually in other viruses. It's only in combination that these mutations are dangerous. Alberts suggests a database of these mutations could be available to public health officials in developing countries, for example. So where is this secret information? The Science paper is in a locked electronic file, and everyone who reviewed the papers was told to destroy their copies, Alberts said. The whereabouts of the Nature paper were not revealed at the American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting.

Published: Sat, 18 Feb 2012 05:40:49 GMT

Feds broaden piracy case against Megaupload.com

A month after carrying out one of the largest anti-piracy crackdowns ever, federal authorities have added charges and broadened their case against the defendants. The 90-page superseding indictment, which was returned Thursday in the Eastern District of Virginia, adds counts of criminal copyright infringement, conspiracy to commit money laundering and wire fraud against Megaupload.com and Megavideo.com. The websites were shut and several of their alleged leaders were arrested in January. The defendants allegedly reproduced copyrighted works from third-party websites, including from YouTube.com, so that they could be copied and distributed via Megavideo.com and to give the false impression that the website hosted content that was primarily generated by users and was not copyright-infringing content, the indictment says. "In contrast to legitimate Internet distributors of copyrighted content, Megaupload.com does not make any significant payments to the copyright owners of the many thousands of works that are willfully reproduced and distributed on he Mega Sites each and every day," the government says. In addition, the document says that the defendants' claim of more than 180 million registered users is not supported by their own records, which show only 66.6 million registered users as of January 19. Those records also show that just 5.86 million of these users ever uploaded a file to Megaupload.com or Megavideo.com, meaning that more than 90% of the sites' registered users used the systems solely to download, it says. Among those indicted is Kim Dotcom, the founder of Megaupload. His lawyer said after the initial indictment that his client is innocent, a law-abiding entrepreneur committed to raising his young family in New Zealand. Dotcom is a resident of New Zealand, where he employs more than 50 staff, and Hong Kong, where he has a suite at the Grand Hyatt Hotel. The superseding indictment cited the case of one alleged infringer referred identified only as "VV." Over six years, VV had uploaded nearly 17,000 files to Megavideo.com, which resulted in more than 334 million views, it said. Though VV had been the subject of numerous takedown e-mails, none of those files had been deleted, it said. The government also added property, bank accounts, jet skis, jewelry and watches to the list of assets subject to forfeiture, and estimated the value at at least $175 million. The defendants were first charged in a five-count indictment returned on Jan. 5 and unsealed on Jan. 19. The counts were: conspiracy to commit racketeering, conspiracy to commit copyright infringement, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and two counts of copyright infringement. Five of the seven individuals indicted have been arrested, and at least $50 million in assets have been "restrained," the Department of Justice said in a news release. Last month, Megaupload's fans turned the table on the feds. "Hacktivist" collective Anonymous said it set its sights on the U.S. Department of Justice and apparently knocked the agency's website offline. The DOJ website glitches came soon after various Twitter accounts associated with Anonymous took aim at the agency. Anonymous's favorite weapon for these attacks is a "distributed denial of service" (DDoS) attack, which directs traffic to a website and overwhelms its servers, causing it to crash. The practice involves neither hacking nor any breach of security. It was Anonymous' largest attack ever, according to an Anonymous representative, with 5,635 people using a networking tool called a "low orbit ion cannon." A LOIC is software tool that aims a flood of traffic at a targeted site. Authorities said the "Mega Conspiracy" organization had generated more than $175 million in illegal profits through advertising revenue and the sale of premium memberships. According to the indictment, Megaupload, which launched in 2005, was once the 13th most-visited website on the Internet, serving as a hub for distribution of copyrighted television shows, images, computer software and video games. The site's popular MegaVideo subsidiary was widely known in tech circles for its broad selection of pirated content, including movies and episodes of hit TV shows. To shut Megaupload, federal authorities executed 20 search warrants in eight countries, seizing 18 domain names and $50 million worth of assets, including servers located in Virginia, Washington, the Netherlands and Canada. The individuals indicted are citizens of New Zealand, Germany, Slovakia and the Netherlands. No U.S. citizens were named. However, Megaupload has servers in Ashburn, Virginia, and Washington, which prompted the Virginia-based investigation.

Published: Sat, 18 Feb 2012 03:27:27 GMT

White House predicts 2 million more jobs in 2012

The United States economy is on the road to recovery, the White House said Friday, with stronger job growth expected this year. But income inequality and Europe's debt crisis could still pose challenges, according to a report released by President Obama's Council of Economic Advisers. "While actions taken to prevent a deeper recession and to strengthen the recovery have made a difference, the nation is still recovering from that profound crisis and the problems that led to it," the Economic Report of the President said. The document, which totals 446 pages, is the administration's blueprint for the economy, which outlines a plan to "recover, rebalance and rebuild." Much like Obama's recent State of the Union address, it focuses heavily on income inequality, and building an America where "everyone gets a fair shot." One way to do that is job creation. While 1.8 million jobs were created last year, the economy still needs to add about 5.6 million jobs to get back to 2008 employment levels -- and that's without accounting for population growth. New forecasts from the Council of Economic Advisers estimate 2 million jobs will be added in 2012. The report calls attention to a "manufacturing revival," along with a rise in exports. Obama traveled to a Boeing factory in Everett, Wa., Friday to champion his policies of promoting manufacturing and exports. "Two years ago, I set a goal of doubling U.S. exports over five years," Obama said in a White House press release. "Today, we're on track to meet that goal -- ahead of schedule." One major challenge the White House points to is Europe's debt crisis. Europe buys about a fifth of U.S. goods that are exported and about 40% of U.S. service exports. "Global and U.S. economic performance will depend, in part, on the swift resolution of problems in the euro area," the report said. While it's true that manufacturing jobs have been a bright spot in the U.S. recovery and exports have risen rapidly over the last two years, Obama often fails to mention the rise in imports too. When imports rise faster than exports, it subtracts from U.S. economic growth. Since Obama announced his intention to double exports, they have risen 33.5%, but imports have grown even faster, up 36%. The report comes just hours after Congress passed a bipartisan bill extending the payroll tax cut and unemployment benefits. Those programs are more likely to soften the blow of rising gas prices, than add to economic growth. "The payroll tax cut provides some cushion for families in case they see their costs go up, possibly because of gasoline prices or for other reasons over the course of the year," said Alan Krueger, chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers.

Published: Sat, 18 Feb 2012 03:24:23 GMT

Syrian protesters hail 'resistance'

Thousands of Syrians defied their government's relentless, bloody crackdown by staging hundreds of public protests Friday in cities nationwide. Video posted by activists on YouTube showed protesters gathered in Daraa under a banner that read: "Shed the blood, cast off the cowards." The opposition Local Coordination Committees counted 613 demonstrations, 158 of them in Idlib alone. Demonstrators took to the streets of Idlib, Daraa, Homs, Hama and suburban Damascus, chanting for the end of President Bashar al-Assad's regime, and focused their attention on "popular resistance" -- the theme of the protests. Activists have been staging mass protests every Friday, the Muslim holy day, since the unrest began roiling the country nearly a year ago. They focus on a different theme every week. The popular resistance theme comes as calls for an armed struggle have intensified. Conflict has occurred every day in Syria for months and it flared Friday amid the mass protests. At least 61 people died across Syria, including 12 military defectors executed in the town of Jassem in Daraa province and an 11-year-old boy in the Damascus suburbs, said the Local Coordination Committees of Syria, an opposition group that organizes and documents demonstrations. The state-run Syrian Arab News Agency reported that six members of the army and law enforcement who had been killed by "armed terrorists" in the Damascus countryside, Homs, Idlib and Daraa, were buried Friday. While protesters took to the streets in some areas of the volatile city of Homs, unrest engulfed other areas of the city. Security forces shelled the flashpoint city on Friday, the 14th consecutive day of bombardment during which Syrian forces targeted neighborhoods including Baba Amr, a bastion of anti-government sentiment where 15 people died Friday, the LCC said. Dima Moussa, a Syrian activist in Chicago in contact with army officers, said the regime is planning to launch an invasion Saturday morning on Baba Amr. "They are planning a massive ground invasion of Baba Amr, no matter what the cost is and no matter what the number of casualties is, even if they have to annihilate everyone in the neighborhood. Assad forces started their moves from all directions since noon today," said Moussa, who is a member of the Revolutionary Council of Homs and the Syrian National Council. All services had been cut to Baba Amr, where residents were collecting rain because they have no running water, she said. The only news from the neighborhood was coming from the few people who had satellite devices, she said. "Medical supplies and food are nearly completely unavailable," she said about the neighborhood, which has been under siege for two weeks. "People are now at a stage when they are hoping to get killed if they are going to be bombed, instead of getting injured, as getting injured only means a slow death or living forever with some sort of a disability or disfigurement," she said. Earlier, Syria TV said terrorists had sabotaged an oil pipeline in Baba Amr and another nearby neighborhood, Sultania. It is the second such pipeline incident in three days. The dark plumes rising from the pipeline could work in the military's favor, Moussa said. "The massive amounts of smoke have certainly made the regime's movements and preparations a lot easier," she said. The perils for foreigners were reflected by a British travel advisory issued Friday, which urged its citizens "to leave now by commercial means whilst these are still available." The violence has enraged world powers, including many in the West, and it has outraged many in the Muslim world. In neighboring Iraq, hundreds of demonstrators took to the streets of Falluja to support the uprising. Falluja is in Anbar, a province that is largely Sunni -- much like Syria's opposition. The al-Assad regime is dominated by the Alawite minority. Attempts by international forces to stop the violence have failed. French President Nicolas Sarkozy urged Syrian opposition forces to unite if they want to prevail. "We will not accept that a dictator is allowed to massacre his own people but the revolution cannot come from the outside, it must be born from within," Sarkozy said at a joint news briefing with British Prime Minister David Cameron at the Elysee Palace in Paris. On Thursday, the U.N. General Assembly passed by an overwhelming margin a nonbinding resolution endorsing the Arab League plan for the Syrian president to step down. It was unclear what effect, if any, the resolution might have on what many world leaders see as a relentless campaign by al-Assad's forces to stamp out the opposition. The symbolic resolution was introduced into the General Assembly after China and Russia blocked the Security Council from approving enforceable measures aimed at curbing the violence. China and Russia were among the dissenting votes in Thursday's symbolic vote, which marks the strongest U.N. statement to date condemning al-Assad's regime. It calls on Syria to end immediately human rights violations and attacks against civilians, and condemns violence by al-Assad's forces and the opposition. "We have marshaled the great weight of international opinion against the Assad regime," Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told reporters Friday in a joint news conference with European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton. Clinton said the United States and other world powers are working "to determine ways forward, to strengthen the opposition, to help them convey to the entire Syrian population that they are seeking an inclusive, peaceful, democratic transition." For nearly a year, al-Assad has denied reports that his forces are targeting civilians, saying they are fighting armed gangs and foreign fighters bent on destabilizing the government. But the vast majority of accounts from within the country say that Syrian forces are slaughtering civilians as part of a crackdown on anti-government opposition calling for al-Assad's ouster. The United Nations says that well over 5,000 people have died in more than 11 months, though it does not have a recent death count due to the conditions in the country. The LCC puts the number at more than 7,000. CNN cannot independently confirm opposition and government reports of violence because the Syrian government has severely restricted the access of international journalists.

Published: Sat, 18 Feb 2012 01:49:59 GMT

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