US-Russia ties: Chill over Syria replaces warmth of Obama's 'reset' policy

Obama once touted improved US ties with Russia as a major achievement. But the contentious wrangle over Syria at the UN is threatening to undo the 'reset.'

Remember President Obama?s ?reset? of US-Russia relations? It may be time to hit the ?alert? button.

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The new day in relations between Washington and Moscow, which Mr. Obama has touted as a major foreign-policy achievement of his presidency, is looking more fragile all the time as the two powers take swipes at each other over everything from elections to missile defense.

The latest point of contention in a deepening split is Syria. Russia is using diplomatic wrangling over the Syrian crisis to cudgel the US and its NATO partners over their Libya action this year, and the US in return is accusing Russia of ?bombast.?

Things seem to be a long way from where they were in June, when Russian President Dmitri Medvedev cooed to the Financial Times that ?No one wishes the reelection of Barack Obama as US president as I do.?

The most recent focal point for an increasingly testy rift was the microphone outside the Security Council?s chambers at the United Nations in New York.

On Thursday, Russia?s UN ambassador, Vitaly Churkin, stood at the mike and told reporters that Libya, not Syria, was the priority subject for Security Council consideration, ?given the fact that we were led to believe by NATO leaders there are zero civilian casualties of their bombing campaign.? Russia wants the council to launch a probe into reports of civilian deaths caused by a NATO bombing campaign that was implemented as part of a plan to protect Libyan civilians from the regime of ousted leader Muammar Qaddafi.

That prompted the US ambassador to the UN, Susan Rice, to follow Ambassador Churkin to the microphone.

?Oh, the bombast and bogus claims,? she said. ?Is everyone sufficiently distracted from Syria now and the killing that is happening before our very eyes??

Russia, which holds the Security Council?s rotating presidency through December, surprised council members by proposing a Syria resolution last week. Russia and China vetoed a resolution on Syria in October on grounds that the text offered by European countries laid all the blame for Syria?s violence on the regime of President Bashar al-Assad while leaving out any reference to the existence of antigovernment violence, as Assad claims.

Russia?s proposed resolution was greeted cautiously by the US and European council members, who said it did not go far enough in rebuking the regime for violence that the UN estimates has now caused more than 5,000 deaths.

Friday?s double bombings in Damascus that claimed more than 40 lives, and which appeared to target government security and intelligence buildings, seem likely to bolster the Russian and official Syrian view that Syria is facing ?terrorist? activity and an intensifying civil conflict.

The US was quick to condemn the bombings, saying in a State Department statement that ?there is no justification for terrorism of any kind.?

But the statement also kept the focus on the regime?s violence, adding that ?for nine long months the Assad regime has used torture and violence to suppress the aspiration of the Syrian people for peaceful political change.? ?????????

That emphasis did not appear to open the door to UN action that would equally condemn violence from the Assad regime and from opposition forces.

Russia?s Churkin says there probably isn?t time this year to amend his country?s proposed Syria resolution in ways that would satisfy the council?s Western powers (the US, France, and Britain).

But given the turn US-Russia relations are taking, prospects for action in the new year hardly look brighter.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/A72WnWhmMfc/US-Russia-ties-Chill-over-Syria-replaces-warmth-of-Obama-s-reset-policy

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Male Spiders Let Mates Eat Them for Kids' Sake (LiveScience.com)

The unkind act of butchering and eating your mate after sex, typified by the female black-widow spider and praying mantis, may make for healthier babies, new research suggests.

The researchers found that a male orb-web spider makes the ultimate evolutionary sacrifice: giving his life for the health of his offspring.

Sexual cannibalism is the act of one partner eating the other after sex. In the orb-web spider Argiope bruennichi, the female tries to grab and wrap up the male at the onset of mating so she can snack on him during sex. In the lab, only about 30 percent of the males survive their first mating, but by letting the female gnaw on them, the males prolong the sex act, making it more likely they will inseminate their partner.

Of these survivors, half go on to find a second mate, while the others try again for the same female. Due to the male's anatomy, two copulations is the limit. (When you are facing a life without sex, is it really worth it to go on?)

"Two main hypotheses explain the evolution of sexual cannibalism," study researcher Klaas Welke, of the University of Hamburg in Germany, told LiveScience in an email. The males might be offering themselves up "to gain access to mating opportunities and to prolong their mating duration." Or, Welke said, it could be a "paternal investment into their own offspring, and they provide females with nutrients."

In the case of the orb-web spider, males tend to be much smaller than their mates; in this species, they're only one-tenth as heavy, and researchers weren't sure how much nutritional benefit the females can gain from such pipsqueak partners.

To see if eating their mates gave female spiders a nutritional advantage, the researchers divided the female orb-web spiders of their laboratory collection into three groups, allowing them to mate with one, two or three males. Half of each group of females also was allowed to eat their mates, while in the other instances, the researchers reached in and saved the male from his partner's clutches.

They then analyzed each female's eggs and resulting offspring. They counted and weighed the eggs and monitored how many offspring survived simulated cold-weather scenarios ? about 46 degrees Fahrenheit (8 degrees Celsius) ? and a 20-week stint of starvation.

The researchers thought that perhaps the nutritional bonus from multiple mates and meals would have an impact on females. It didn't. "We were surprised, because we had expected that any effect of male consumption would increase with every additional male consumed," Welke said.

What they did see, however, was that any cannibalism led to healthier offspring that survived better and had bigger eggs.

"Our findings suggest a paternal investment of males into their offspring," Welke said. "Sexual cannibalism may increase male reproductive success and may be very beneficial in a species with a high paternity insurance and a low rate of polyandry as found in Argiope bruennichi."

The study is published in the January 2012 issue of the journal Animal Behaviour.

You can follow LiveScience staff writer Jennifer Welsh on Twitter @microbelover. Follow LiveScience for the latest in science news and discoveries on Twitter @livescience and on Facebook.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/science/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20111223/sc_livescience/malespidersletmateseatthemforkidssake

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UK & World News: Cancer fears over breast implants

At least 250 women in the UK are planning legal action following concerns that their breast implants are linked to cancer.

Reports say women intend to sue the clinics where they underwent surgery to be fitted with the implants, manufactured by French company Poly Implant Prostheses (PIP).

French authorities are expected to formally announce on Friday that up to 30,000 women who received a specific type of implant in France could have them taken out.

But UK regulators have insisted there is no link with cancer and there is no need for women to have them removed.

The Guardian reported that at least 250 women with PIP breast implants intended to sue at least six clinics in the UK. The Daily Telegraph said dozens of women intend to sue, including some who say they have been left unable to work due to a pins-and-needles sensation in their arms and hands, and constant pain.

The Government said UK regulators had consulted experts in nine countries over the safety concerns.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) had spoken to health and regulatory teams and all agreed there was no evidence of an increased risk of the disease from the implants, the Department of Health said.

A spokesman said: "They all agreed that there was no evidence of any increase in incidents of cancer associated with PIP breast implants and no evidence of any disproportionate rupture rates. This is in line with UK findings. MHRA is currently advising that women with any concerns should make an appointment with their implanting surgeon and have a full discussion."

The implants have been linked to the death of a French woman from a rare form of cancer called anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL), and are implicated in another seven or eight cancer cases. The implants are filled with an unapproved non-medical grade silicone believed to be made for mattresses and there have been reports that the protective barriers are faulty.

New figures from the MHRA suggest 84,300 of the implants, manufactured by PIP, have been sold in the UK since 2001. Based on the assumption that each woman has two implants, an estimated 42,000 women in the UK could be affected, according to the MHRA. But the figure could be higher because women undergoing breast reconstructive surgery following cancer may only have had one implant.

Source: http://www.runcornandwidnesweeklynews.co.uk/runcorn-widnes-news/uk-world-news/2011/12/22/cancer-fears-over-breast-implants-55368-29995033/

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SPOILER ALERT! Who Won 'The X Factor'? (omg!)

SPOILER ALERT! Who Won 'The X Factor'?

America's choice for The X Factor's $5 million prize winner was announced on Thursday in one emotional, two-hour-long reveal. If you don't want to know who won, read no further.

MORE: Accident During X Factor Finale Injures Three

The Cinderella contestant of the competition, Melanie Amaro, was the belle of the ball as she was crowned the winner of the FOX reality show's first season in the US. The newly minted millionaire was literally speechless when host Steve Jones made his best attempt to get her to comment on the event. Steve's efforts proved futile once the singer was flanked by family and friends who stormed the stage.

"I've had such an incredible experience here," said the show's runner-up, Josh Krajcik, humbly conceding his defeat. "I couldn't be happier."

Chris Rene, who received the night's honorable mention gave similar parting words, saying, "I feel amazing that I got to do this ... God has blessed me on so many levels."

MORE: The Superstar Duets of The X Factor Finals

Melanie was initially cut from the competition early on before Simon Cowell realized his mistake and brought the 19 year old back on the show.

Before the big announcement, Justin Bieber set the Christmas tone, singing The Christmas Song as a duet with Stevie Wonder.

MORE: The X Factor Finalists Revealed!

The teen pop star made eliminated X Factor contestant Drew Ryniewicz's dreams come true when he escorted her onto the stage to sing the final note of his second number, Santa Clause is Coming to Town.

Now that Melanie has won the contest, she will also follow in the footsteps of music greats like Michael Jackson and Ray Charles by starring in her own Pepsi commercial.

"We came here, Steve, to find a superstar," said Melanie's proud mentor, Simon Cowell. "We found a superstar."

The finale also featured other notable performances by Leona Lewis, 50 Cent, Pit Bull and Ne-Yo.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/omg_rss/rss_omg_en/news_spoiler_alert_won_x_factor032300872/43988926/*http%3A//omg.yahoo.com/news/spoiler-alert-won-x-factor-032300872.html

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Judge upholds TV producer's extradition to Mexico (AP)

LOS ANGELES ? A Los Angeles federal judge on Wednesday upheld former reality show producer Bruce Beresford-Redman's extradition to Mexico to face charges in his wife's death.

U.S. District Judge Philip S. Gutierrez wrote that there are many pages of competent evidence supporting prosecution claims that the producer killed his wife during a family vacation in Mexico last year.

The Emmy-nominated producer of "Survivor" has been jailed in Los Angeles since November on a fugitive warrant.

His attorneys filed a petition for writ of habeas corpus in August arguing that his detention was not supported by facts in the case. Gutierrez disagreed, saying all evidence points to a homicide committed by Beresford-Redman.

He cited "pages upon pages of competent evidence demonstrating that the fugitive committed the offense for which extradition was sought, namely the aggravated homicide of the victim."

Gutierrez said materials presented to him documented "the infidelity, fighting, screaming from the hotel room, the fugitive's opportunity to dispose of the victim's body" and other evidence including scratches and abrasions fund on Beresford-Redman's body and his flight to avoid arrest in Mexico.

"All of this evidence points to homicide committed by the fugitive," said the judge's two-page ruling.

Beresford-Redman's attorney, Richard Hirsch, said he was weighing his options in the case and would make a statement later.

Hirsch could appeal the decision to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. If he does not appeal further, U.S. Attorney's spokesman Thom Mrozek said Mexico's extradition request would be submitted to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton for final disposition.

Prosecutors have presented statements from hotel guests who said they heard loud arguing and cries of distress coming from the couple's room on the night Monica Beresford-Redman went missing. Her body was found days later in a sewer cistern not far from the room the couple shared with their young children.

The producer's attorneys have claimed the noises came from Beresford-Redman and his children playing loud games throughout the night. They introduced statements from the couple's 6-year-old daughter to corroborate the claim, but judges who have reviewed the case were not swayed.

If he is convicted of aggravated homicide in Mexico, Redman faces 12 to 30 years in a Mexican prison.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111222/ap_on_en_tv/us_producer_s_wife_killed

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Why You'll Be Hearing from Xerox PARC a Whole Lot More [Xerox PARC]

Much has been written about Xerox PARC, its legendary R&D legacy, and its inability to make money off their groundbreaking innovations. But what many people don't know is that 10 years ago, it launched a new plan to turn research into dollars. This printed memory/logic circuit is the first fruit of the new plan. More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/J5tZ1rE-svo/why-youll-be-hearing-from-xerox-parc-a-whole-lot-more

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Can Google Maintain Android's Stunning Momentum? (NewsFactor)

Few tech products are rising as quickly in popularity as Google's Android operating system, which has soared from its launch in October 2008 via the HTC Dream to become the most popular platform both domestically and abroad.

Carriers seem to launch new Android devices made by HTC, Motorola, Samsung, Pantech, LG and others almost weekly, and Android-powered tablets are also starting to crowd shelves, with a Google-designed Nexus tablet promised in the next six months.

Android has been cutting into the market share of the declining BlackBerry devices made by Canada's Research In Motion, as Android devices gain more messaging and productivity functions. The latest figures from the NPD Group have Android sales up to 53 percent of the market for the year as of October, up from 42 percent in 2010.

Reveling in the success, Andy Rubin, Google's senior vice president for mobile services, took to Google+, the search giant's social networking site, and to his Twitter feed, to boast that "There are now over 700,000 Android devices activated every day."

That's enough people to fill a medium-sized city. (The population of Detroit is around 713,00 and the population of Miami is about 399, 000.) The 700,000 figure is a substantial bump from 300,000 activations claimed by Google last December.

New Devices Only

In a poke at cynics who might question that number, Rubin attached an addendum: "...and for those wondering, we count each device only once (i.e., we don't count resold devices), and 'activations' means you go into a store, buy a device, put it on the network by subscribing to a wireless service."

All this begs the question of whether Android can keep up that level of momentum as the novelty wears off and new adopters begin to hold on to their often-expensive devices.

"I'm not surprised, since they are turning up the heat at this time of year," said Ramon Llamas, a senior wireless analyst at IDC Research. "But come back to me in April, May or June when things may get a bit slower and they may be hard-pressed to have that kind of pace still moving forward. When you get right down to it, it seems to be seasonal."

Hardware Push?

But Llamas said the numbers are impressive, especially considering it does not seem to include those buying Wi-Fi only devices such as Android-powered tablets that do not require activation by a carrier.

He said it will be interesting to see whether Google begins to move further into hardware manufacture, instead of just firmware, if its planned acquisition of Motorola Mobility is approved by regulators.

"In the long term I have a hard time seeing that," he said. "I have to believe they will have an arm's-length relationship. As they learned from the first Nexus [smartphone] device, you can't just intermediate the carrier. It means you have to buy shelf space, maintain inventory....It's a different model than developing software."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/personaltech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nf/20111221/bs_nf/81487

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Andrew Jenks Has A Burning Question For Newt Gingrich

Star of MTV's 'World of Jenks' relives his political baptism as he sets out on the campaign trail with GOP hopefuls for 'Power Of 12.'
By Andrew Jenks


Andrew Jenks speaks with young voters in "Power Of 12: Our Voice"
Photo: MTV News

As the namesake for MTV's doc-style series "World of Jenks", I've landed in some pretty surprising places and met more than a few interesting characters. But I never thought the first time I shook hands with a presidential candidate would be while he signed copies of a children's book. Yet there I was at a Hilton Garden in Staten Island, where a group of mostly older book-buyers fiddled with their Sharpies in anticipation of GOP hopeful Newt Gingrich.

While the former House Speaker began scribbling his signature on copies of his books as well as "Sweet Land of Liberty" — written by wife Callista and featuring a cover illustration of the main character, Ellis the Elephant — I came to a sudden realization: There, at the Staten Island Tea Party Town Hall, I'd entered the world of politics. And On Tuesday, I made it official, helping MTV kick off the Power of 12, 11 months worth of election-year coverage, with the documentary short "Our Voice."

To be fair, though, I had always been a political junkie. I turn on the TV and go straight for the cable news stations. I DVR my favorite political morning show and watch it at night before scanning the nightly news programs ... it's gross.

But there I was at a Gingrich political press conference (also part of the Town Hall event) at the Hilton. CNN, ABC and other bigwig networks that I've watched on a daily basis were gathered to my left. I felt like too much of an outsider to be standing in the middle of the pack of aggressive-looking news types — pens out, adjusting their hair and their camera lenses. As I held onto my MTV microphone, the other reporters eyed me as if I had checked into the wrong event.

My friend and producer Monty, who had been to many of these political events, turned to me and asked, 'OK, Newt points at you — Go! What's your question?' Occasionally, Jonah, my lifelong friend and [director of photography], expressed concern about our audio levels.

Finally Gingrich walked in, though, and you could hear a pin drop. I've spoken with homeless people, convicted murderers, even people on their death beds, but this was different. I'd never seen a hush come over a room like that. A potential future president had just walked into an awkwardly named first-floor conference room (the Cherry Willow Suite?).

'SPEAKER!' 'MR. SPEAKER!' they started shouting, each one louder than the next.

I found myself acting out a real-life episode of "The West Wing" and soon, I was yelling just like everyone else, trying to get my question in. It didn't take long for it to click that this was how you played the game: being aggressive, sneaking into factories for a press conference, lingering around a car you suspect might be there to pick up a candidate, waiting three hours just to catch a politician walking down the hallway to use the bathroom. ... I can't imagine it had ever been that loud in the Cherry Willow Suite.

Suddenly, Monty gave me a puzzled look, "What was that?"

Next Question!

On the second go-around, I decided I was going for it. "Speaker! Mr. Speaker!"

My voice was being drowned out, and after it happened again for the third time, I took a deep breath.

Next Question!

So I shouted a combination of words that probably made little sense: "Jenks! MTV News! I'm traveling! The country! Everywhere and need to know!"

In what seemed like slow motion, Newt turned his head and looked right at me ... suddenly, everyone was looking at me, dead silent. I'm the only guy wearing a T-shirt, but the floor is mine.

For more on MTV's election coverage, check out the Power of 12. And make sure to catch the premiere of "Our Voice" on Tuesday at 4:54 p.m. ET/PT on MTV!

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1676326/andrew-jenks-power-of-12-our-voice.jhtml

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