Ohio air show resumes after stuntwoman, pilot die

A stunt plane loses control as a wing walker performs at the Vectren Air Show just before crashing, Saturday, June 22, 2013, in Dayton, Ohio. The crash killed the pilot and the stunt walker instantly, authorities said. (AP Photo/Thanh V Tran)

A stunt plane loses control as a wing walker performs at the Vectren Air Show just before crashing, Saturday, June 22, 2013, in Dayton, Ohio. The crash killed the pilot and the stunt walker instantly, authorities said. (AP Photo/Thanh V Tran)

Flames erupt from a plane after a stunt plane crashed while performing with a wing walker at the Vectren Air Show, Saturday, June 22, 2013, in Dayton, Ohio. The crash killed the pilot and the wing walker instantly, authorities said. (AP Photo/Thanh V Tran)

A wing walker performs at the Vectren Air Show just before crashing, Saturday, June 22, 2013, in Dayton, Ohio. The crash killed the pilot and the stunt walker instantly, authorities said. (AP Photo/Thanh V Tran)

Flames erupt from a plane after it crashed at the Vectren Air Show at the airport in Dayton, Ohio. The crash killed the pilot and stunt walker on the plane instantly, authorities said. (AP Photo/Dayton Daily News, Ty Greenlees)

This photo provided provided WHIO TV shows a plane after it crashed Saturday, June 22, 2013, at the Vectren Air Show near Dayton, Ohio. There was no immediate word on the fate of the pilot, wing walker or anyone else aboard the plane. No one on the ground was hurt. (AP Photo/WHIO-TV)

CINCINNATI (AP) ? An air show in southwestern Ohio reopened with a moment of silence Sunday, a day after a pilot and wing walker died in a horrifying, fiery crash in front of thousands of spectators.

The Vectren Air Show near Dayton, which closed right after Saturday's crash, resumed Sunday in honor of pilot Charlie Schwenker and veteran stuntwoman Jane Wicker, both of Virginia.

"As a pilot, you accept the fact that accidents do happen ? it's an accepted risk we take," said John King, president of the Flying Circus Airshow, which had trained Wicker.

"They were both dedicated to flying and the act. They were true, ultimate professionals," King said. "I don't know of anyone who could have done any better than what they were doing."

Wicker and Schwenker were killed when their plane crashed in front of spectators who screamed in shock as the aircraft became engulfed in flames. No one else was hurt.

Video of the crash showed their plane gliding through the sky before abruptly rolled over, crashing and exploding into flames. Wicker, performing at the Dayton show for the first time, had been sitting atop the 450 HP Stearmans.

The decision to resume the show a day after the crash was an emotional one supported by Wicker's ex-husband, said air show general manager Brenda Kerfoot.

"He said, 'This is what Jane and Charlie would have wanted,'" Kerfoot said. "'They want you to have a safe show and go out there and do what you do best.'"

Wicker, 44, who lived in Bristow, Va., was a mother of two boys and engaged to be married, Kerfoot said.

"She was a well-rounded, delightful woman who was passionate about aviation," said Kerfoot. "She was in the business for a very long time and was well-loved by the air show community; she would certainly have wanted the show to go on."

Schwenker, 64, of Oakton, Va., was married.

The cause of the crash is unclear and the conclusion of an investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board likely will take months. The NTSB planned a mid-afternoon news conference Sunday to discuss the accident.

Wicker's website says she responded to a classified ad from the Flying Circus Airshow in Bealeton, Va., in 1990, for a wing-walking position, thinking it would be fun. She was a contract employee who worked as a Federal Aviation Administration budget analyst, the FAA said.

In one post on Wicker's site, the stuntwoman explains what she loved most about her job.

"There is nothing that feels more exhilarating or freer to me than the wind and sky rushing by me as the earth rolls around my head," the post says. "I'm alive up there. To soar like a bird and touch the sky puts me in a place where I feel I totally belong. It's the only thing I've done that I've never questioned, never hesitated about and always felt was my destiny."

She also answered a question she said she got frequently: What about the risk?

"I feel safer on the wing of my airplane than I do driving to the airport," she wrote. "Why? Because I'm in control of those risks and not at the mercy of those other drivers."

A program for the air show touted Wicker as a performer of "heart-stopping" feats who did moves that "no other wing walker is brave enough to try."

"Wing riding is not for this damsel; her wing walking style is the real thing," the program said. "With no safety line and no parachute, Jane amazes the crowd by climbing, walking, and hanging all over her beautiful ... aircraft.

"Spectators are sure to gasp as this daredevil demonstrates in true form the unbelievable art of wing walking," it says.

On the video of the crash, an announcer narrates as Wicker's plane glides through the air.

"Keep an eye on Jane. Keep an eye on Charlie. Watch this! Jane Wicker, sitting on top of the world," the announcer said, right before the plane makes a quick turn and nosedive.

Some spectators said they knew something was wrong because the plane was flying low and slow.

Thanh Tran, of Fairfield, said he could see a look of concern on Wicker's face just before the plane went down.

"She looked very scared," he said. "Then the airplane crashed on the ground. After that, it was terrible, man ... very terrible."

In 2011, wing walker Todd Green fell 200 feet to his death at an air show in Michigan while performing a stunt in which he grabbed the skid of a helicopter.

In 2007, veteran stunt pilot Jim LeRoy was killed at the Dayton show when his biplane slammed into the runway while performing loop-to-loops and caught fire.

Still, King said, in the four decades since Flying Circus started, many kids have been so inspired watching the show that they later became military and commercial pilots.

"Our show takes them back to the barnstorming era of air shows," he said. "It's amazing how many people have taken up aviation careers because of their first exposure to the Flying Circus."

___

Associated Press writer Verena Dobnik in New York contributed to this report.

___

Follow Amanda Lee Myers on Twitter at https://twitter.com/AmandaLeeAP

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-06-23-Air%20Show%20Crash/id-9c921c9687504b91bb5099097143a5b2

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Researchers prevent cancer spread by blocking tissue scarring

Friday, January 25, 2013

What to fear most if faced by a cancer diagnosis is the spread of the cancer to other parts of the body. This process called metastasis accounts for over 90% of cancer patient deaths and therefore is a strong focus for cancer researchers. Researchers at BRIC, University of Copenhagen have shown that the enzyme Lysyl Oxidase (LOX) can create a "scarred" microenvironment that enhances cancer spreading. By blocking activity of the LOX enzyme, the researchers succeeded in significantly decreasing metastasis in a model of breast cancer.

'When we inhibit the activity of LOX in our cancer models, we show a dramatic reduction in metastasis. This suggests that therapeutic targeting of LOX can keep the tumour microenvironment "healthy" and thereby decrease metastasis, says Associate Professor Janine Erler from BRIC, who has headed the research.

Metastasis of breast cancer cells in the lung

In humans, LOX is an enzyme that is produced in response to tissue injury or chronic inflammation in our organs. It reacts to damage signals and "glues" collagen molecules together to form the scar-like structure. The result can be a fibrotic environment. The new findings from Janine Erler's research group show that persistent injury to lung and liver results in a fibrotic microenvironment that supports the growth of new tumours, and thereby enhances metastasis of breast cancer cells to these organs. Blocking LOX prevents the formation of this fibrotic microenvironment, thereby preventing enhanced metastasis to these organs.

'It is well-known that signals from fibrotic tissues can enhance tumour progression and metastasis, but the underlying mechanisms have remained unclear - Our new results provide insight into the link between fibrosis and cancer progression. Such a biological understanding is crucial if we are to develop effective therapies preventing tumour metastasis, says PostDoc Thomas Cox from Janine Erler's laboratory, who undertook the experimental investigation.

Development of new anti-fibrotic therapies

Currently, LOX-targeting therapies are under development for use in the clinic against cancer, as it has been known for some while that metastatic tumours express increased amounts of LOX. Yet, the new results from Janine Erler's group are the first to show that LOX promotes distant metastasis through structural changes in the organ microenvironments in response to persistent injury. The next step for the researchers is to dig deeper into the mechanisms underlying the relationship between fibrosis and cancer metastasis, and also to test their findings in other cancer models such as gastric and colon cancer.

'Further, our study indicates that LOX-targeting therapy can be relevant not only for cancer patients, but also to prevent fibrosis in patients with chronic inflammation or patients who has been exposed to persistent organ injury. This opens up for an even wider applicability of our biological findings, which strongly motivates the basic research in my laboratory, says Janine Erler.

###

The results have just been published in the international journal Cancer Research (Cox et al, Cancer research, Jan 23, 2013).

University of Copenhagen: http://www.ku.dk

Thanks to University of Copenhagen for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/126450/Researchers_prevent_cancer_spread_by_blocking_tissue_scarring

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Polycom's Videoconferencing Business Unfazed by Ambitious ...

Okay, so we don?t have flying cars yet. But, we do have video conferencing. And, in growing numbers businesses are adopting video conferencing into their overall Unified Communications strategy. But, I?m not so bullish on the video conferencing market as most people might be. Why? Well one word??Cloud?.

Yes, Video is here to stay and will continue to be deployed more and more. But, what company in their right mind today would want to invest in a video conference or ?Telepresence? system that costs $100k +? I know, people will argue that ?you can set-up a conference room with intelligent cameras that follow the discussion, that produce high-quality HD video, that can see the entire room, etc., etc.

However, with the rapid adoption of Cloud services and the ?as a Service? model, I think you?re going to see video sold more as an add-on to Hosted PBX offerings. In fact, Polycom already recognizes this because many enterprise Hosted VoIP companies are already using their bridging equipment in their cloud environments making video bridges an ?as a Service? offer.

More and more people are becoming road warriors or work from home employees. With the advent of cloud based video bridges it makes location a moot point. That?s the beauty of the Cloud.

The discussion of image quality and intelligent cameras doesn?t outweigh the benefit of mobility. Most people would prefer to be untethered and unrestricted as opposed to sitting in a stuffy conference room.

The large players like Polycom, Cisco and LifeSize will continue to sell their equipment. I just think the face of their customer is going to change and the sales numbers will be coming more and more from the many enterprise hosted VoIP companies that are growing exponentially.

Source: http://www.vocalpointcg.com/polycoms-videoconferencing-business-unfazed-by-ambitious-startups-ceo-says/

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Yellow Raincoat: Leaked Justin Bieber Track?

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Be Careful When Rekindling a Relationship | Psych Central News

By Rick Nauert PhD Senior News Editor
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on January 23, 2013

Apparently getting back together with an old boyfriend or girlfriend is a relatively common occurrence. Unfortunately, the practice could lead to problems.

A new study of relationship patterns finds that nearly half of older teenagers and young adults break up and get back together with previous dating partners.

Additionally, over half of this group have sex as part of the reconciliation process.

In the study, published in the Journal of Adolescent Research, Sarah Halpern-Meekin, Wendy Manning, Peggy Giordano and Monica Longmore studied data on 792 daters and cohabiters ages 17 to 24.

This age cohort is also known as ?emerging adults.? The researchers studied two relationship patterns specifically ? reconciliation with an ex, or breaking up and getting back together, and ?sex with an ex,? when couples break up, yet remain sexually involved.

Investigators found that approximately 44 percent of emerging adults who had been in a romantic relationship in the past two years had experienced at least one reconciliation with an ex-romantic partner.

Moreover, 53 percent of those who reported reconciliations also reported having sex with their ex.

Furthermore, racial minorities in particular were even more likely to experience reconciliation or sexual relationships with previous romantic partners.

These findings led study authors to discuss the implications of reconciliations with previous romantic partners. In their analysis, researchers warn that emerging adults who reconcile may be prone to a behavior pattern that involves cycling through relationship formation.

?Furthermore, having sex with an ex may be problematic because former partners can have difficulty moving on from an old relationship or building new romantic attachments,? they said.

Source: SAGE Publications

APA Reference
Nauert PhD, R. (2013). Be Careful When Rekindling a Relationship. Psych Central. Retrieved on January 23, 2013, from http://psychcentral.com/news/2013/01/23/be-careful-when-rekindling-a-relationship/50696.html

?

Source: http://psychcentral.com/news/2013/01/23/be-careful-when-rekindling-a-relationship/50696.html

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'Getting worse': Egypt's gays fear government crackdown - World News

Ahmed Youssef / EPA

Eighteen days of popular protest culminated in the downfall of Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak on Feb. 11, 2011.

By Duncan Golestani, Correspondent, NBC News

CAIRO, Egypt -- Maha remembers going to Tahrir Square on Jan. 25, 2011. The 27-year-old office worker only wanted to look around the Cairo intersection filled with thousands of protesters. But seeing Egypt's revolution unfold before her, she left to get friends and quickly returned. Without planning to, Maha became one of the highly visible gay men and women who took to the streets shouting for change.

"We don't get freedom anywhere. No voice, nothing," said Maha, who declined to give her surname "So, the first chance at revolution, we fought."

Nearly two years after the ouster of former leader Hosni Mubarak, Maha sits smoking a shisha with her friend Noor at a back-street cafe in downtown Cairo. Together, the women have made this location a "safe place" for gays, somewhere they can come and be themselves.

Unlike in other major cities around the world, there is no flag or signage to indicate this is a "gay" cafe. People know about it through word-of-mouth and the online forum, "Bedayaa." They talk about the time since the revolution with a weariness that contrasts with the excitement they initially felt.

Many of Egypt's gays and lesbians thought sexual freedom was on the horizon. "There was a moment of hope but the last few years has killed it," Maha says, adding: "Nothing much has changed, it is very hard." She is interrupted by Noor: "I think it is getting worse," she says.

The women remember sitting with gay male friends at another cafe three months after the revolution, when locals complained about it and called nearby military police, who then found make-up in the bag of one of the boys. They were all taken away for questioning for "making a mess" in the area.

Egypt has no specific laws banning homosexuality although there are plenty of ways to charge someone suspected of engaging in homosexual acts. Police will often charge gay people with "debauchery" or breaking the country's law of public morals. The election of an Islamist president in Egypt, and the passing last month of a new constitution, has also increased fears among the country's gay men and women that anti-gay legislation could soon be introduced. "We think in two or three months they will put a law to discriminate," Maha says.

Many others fear a government crackdown is only a matter of time. The most notorious pre-revolution attack on gay men took place in 2001, when Cairo police raided a Nile boat, arresting dozens of gay men. Along with others taken from the streets, they became known as the "Cairo 52." But now, the Muslim Brotherhood is not just a power to be appeased - it is the dominant power in Egypt's new government.

The natural instinct for most gay Egyptians is to try not to draw attention to themselves but taking part in the revolution has brought greater visibility -- at a cost. Alongside other minorities the gay community has been criticized for its role in the uprising.

Adel Ramadan, a legal officer at the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, describes the derogatory language used to attack the groups that took to the streets. "After? the fall of Mubarak, the criticism of those groups has always contained a sexual element. Whether it's the women who are participating are called prostitutes or 'loose' women, or men are called homosexuals."

AP

The former Egyptian president faces charges of corruption and complicity in deaths of protesters.

Maha believes this kind of rhetoric has led to an increase in verbal abuse. She thinks some people feel emboldened to shout and call names, knowing the authorities will be on their side. A popular term with some members of the Muslim Brotherhood is "shewaz," a derogatory term for homosexuals that loosely translates as "perverts."

While gay advocacy organizations are active in other predominantly Muslim countries such as Lebanon, Egypt's support groups are not well organized and struggle to be heard. The Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights is a human rights group that will talk about gays but this cause is not a priority for them. Another group that works with them asked that it not be named for fear of reprisals.

Despite their fears, gay life continues in Cairo. Men still meet on one of the city's bridges, and the Internet and social media help bring people together. Kholoud Bidak is an activist who is thinking of setting up an online forum. She was also in Tahrir Square in January 2011 and was stunned at the number of gay men and women at the heart of the protests. She has been disappointed in the two years that followed, but believes the gay community has at least gained recognition from human rights groups, which were previously uninterested. "They are finally starting to acknowledge LGBTs, 'oh, they were in the revolution since day one very, very effectively.' I thought that is very positive."

She remains scared by the anti-gay rhetoric from some politicians and clerics but tries to stay upbeat. "There is some hope," she says. "How? I don't know."

Related:?

Oasis of tolerance or 'Republic of Shame'? Two faces of gay life in Beirut

'Men don't have to worry about being caught': Sex mobs target Egypt's women?

In Egypt's elections, politics is a new family affair

Source: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/01/23/16644770-getting-worse-egypts-gays-fear-government-crackdown?lite

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Mars rover Opportunity now in 10th year

The older, smaller cousin of NASA's huge Mars rover Curiosity is quietly celebrating a big milestone Thursday ? nine years on the surface of the Red Planet.

NASA's Opportunity rover landed on Mars the night of Jan. 24, 2004 PST (just after midnight EST on Jan. 25), three weeks after its twin, Spirit, touched down. Spirit stopped operating in 2010, but Opportunity is still going strong, helping scientists better understand the Red Planet's wetter, warmer past.

"No one could've imagined how good the exploration and scientific discovery would be for this vehicle, looking from the perspective of nine years ago," said John Callas, Opportunity's project manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. "It's been a phenomenal accomplishment."

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The headline-stealing Curiosity rover, for its part, touched down on Aug. 5, 2012, marking the next step in Mars exploration. The car-size Curiosity weighs about 1 ton ? five times more than either Spirit or Opportunity.

Long-lived rovers
Spirit and Opportunity were originally supposed to spend three months searching for evidence of past water activity on the Red Planet. The golf-cart-size robots found plenty of such signs at their separate landing sites, showing that Mars was not always the cold and arid planet we know today. [ Most Amazing Discoveries by Spirit and Opportunity ]

For example, in 2007 Spirit uncovered an ancient hydrothermal system in Gusev Crater, suggesting that two key ingredients for life as we know it ? liquid water and an energy source ? were both present in some parts of Mars long ago.

And Opportunity is currently inspecting clay deposits along the rim of Mars' huge Endeavour Crater. Clays form in relatively neutral (as opposed to acidic or basic) water, so the area may once have been capable of supporting primitive microbial life, researchers say.

"This is our first glimpse ever at conditions on ancient Mars that clearly show us a chemistry that would've been suitable for life at the Opportunity site," Opportunity principal investigator Steve Squyres, of Cornell University, said of the discovery at a conference last month.

The rovers rolled far beyond their 90-day warranties. Spirit finally stopped communicating with Earth in March 2010, after getting mired in soft sand and failing to maneuver into a position that would allow it to slant its solar panels toward the sun over the 2009-2010 Martian winter. NASA declared the rover dead in 2011.

But Opportunity keeps chugging along. It has put 22.03 miles (35.46 kilometers) on its odometer since landing on Mars ? just 1 mile (1.6 km) off the all-time record for most ground covered on the surface of another world. The Soviet Union's unmanned Lunokhod 2 rover holds that mark, traveling 23 miles (37 km) on the moon back in 1973.

The great engineering that allowed Spirit and Opportunity to keep roving for so long is a big part of the six-wheeled robots' legacy, mission team members say.

"These are magnificently designed machines," Callas told SPACE.com. "We really have greatly expanded the exploration envelope by having a vehicle that can not only last so long but stay in very good health over that time, such that we can continue exploring."

Still in good health
While Opportunity is showing signs of its advanced age, such as an arthritic robotic arm, the rover remains in good shape overall.

"Its health right now is miraculously good," Callas said.

Still, the rover team is treating every day as a gift at this point, knowing that Opportunity could conk out at pretty much any time. Indeed, the sun will rise one day without a message from Opportunity, and its handlers will have to face the rover's death and the end of an amazing mission.

"It's going to be hard; it'll be the end of a great era," Callas said. "But we'll have to remember that we've had such a good run."

Follow SPACE.com senior writer Mike Wall on Twitter@michaeldwall or SPACE.com @Spacedotcom. We're also on Facebook and Google+.

? 2013 Space.com. All rights reserved. More from Space.com.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/50575686/ns/technology_and_science-space/

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ITT Exelis to supply tactical radios for an undisclosed foreign country ...

ITT Exelis has been awarded a US foreign military sales (FMS) programme contract for delivery of a wide range of communications equipment to an undisclosed foreign military customer.

Awarded by the US Communications-Electronics Command (CECOM), the $25m FMS award covers supply of Exelis International's single-channel ground and airborne radio system (SINCGARS) VHF base stations and vehicular systems in single and dual radio configurations.

Additional supplies include Spearhead VHF handheld radios, unit and intermediate level spares, installation services, as well as field service representative support to the customer.

ITT Exelis international night-vision and tactical communications systems business area vice president Ken Harrison said the contract built on the customer's substantial Exelis-installed radio product base in a challenging security environment.

"We will continue to work hard to fulfil US and allied communications requirements with our tactical radio products," Harrison added.

The latest award forms part of an indefinite-delivery indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) FMS contract awarded by CECOM to the company in 2008, and brings the total value of orders received to $451m to date.

Exelis RT-1702 SINCGARS is an advanced software upgradeable radio, designed to provide secure VHF voice and IP data communications capabilities to tactical units in both mounted and dismounted configurations in the 30-88MHz frequency range.

The radio, when combined with available embedded 12 channel GPS receiver option, will also enable the soldier to effectively share GPS data with other tactical systems in the battlefield.

So far, more than 600,000 SINCGARS radios have been delivered by the company the US military and its 30 allies worldwide.

Fully interoperable with RT-1702 SINCGARS radio, the Spearhead VHF is a portable handheld tactical radio capable of offering secure, frequency-hopping voice and packet data with integrated GPS in a small, lightweight package to dismounted soldiers in the 30-88MHz frequency range.

Source: http://www.army-technology.com/news/newsitt-exelis-supply-tactical-radios-undisclosed-foreign-country

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Germany, France to present joint euro reform proposals

BERLIN (Reuters) - The leaders of Germany and France promised to put forward common proposals to deepen Europe's economic and monetary union by May, as they put on a show of unity on the 50th anniversary of the pact that sealed their post-war reconciliation.

Angela Merkel, a conservative, and Francois Hollande, a socialist, have had an uneasy relationship since the French president swept into office eight months ago vowing to reverse German-backed austerity policies aimed at shoring up the euro.

But the two leaders, born less than a month apart in the summer of 1954, rejected the suggestion that ties between Berlin and Paris were difficult, highlighting the steps they have taken together to shore up the single currency bloc.

"It may be our best-kept secret that the chemistry actually works," said Merkel, who refused to meet with Hollande during last year's French election campaign while openly supporting his conservative opponent Nicolas Sarkozy.

Hollande pointed to the fiscal compact on budget discipline, a December deal on banking supervision and the agreement to keep Greece in the euro zone as fruits of the strong relationship between him and Merkel.

"It has not escaped you that we do not belong to the same political family. Despite that, if you look back at the past eight months, I'm very happy with what France and Germany have been able to accomplish to get the euro zone out of its crisis," he said. "If you look at the results, it's clear we're on the same wavelength."

On one of the most divisive issues between the two countries -- deeper economic and fiscal integration -- the two promised to come up with joint proposals before a summit of EU leaders scheduled for June.

Berlin and Paris have a different vision of a closer union, with Merkel favoring tighter central controls over budgets and Hollande seeking more solidarity and risk-sharing, in the form of a big euro zone budget to deal with economic shocks.

"It is about a deeper cooperation in economic policy with the goal of social security, employment, growth and financial stability," Merkel told reporters gathered in the chancellery in Berlin for a joint news conference.

Festivities were being held in Berlin fifty years after Konrad Adenauer and Charles de Gaulle signed the Elysee Treaty that sealed the post-war friendship between the former foes.

On Monday evening Merkel and Hollande answered questions from French and German students for over an hour. On Tuesday evening, they will attend a concert at the Berlin Philharmonic.

After their news conference, the two leaders were to speak in the Reichstag building where Adolf Hitler once presided as part of a joint session of parliament.

In a joint declaration, they said they would encourage unions, employers and workers in their countries to establish joint working groups to make proposals on competitiveness.

They also vowed to examine closer cooperation in specific industrial areas, including renewable energy, raw materials and transport, but did not provide any details.

(Reporting by Noah Barkin, Stephen Brown, Andreas Rinks, Emmanuel Jarry, Catherine Bremer)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/france-germany-prepare-plans-deeper-economic-union-merkel-125730553--business.html

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Sundance 2013: Gravitas Ventures acquires three films from Slamdance

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Gravitas Ventures has acquired two documentaries and a comedy from Slamdance, the distributor announced on Monday.

Steven Feinartz's documentary "The Bitter Buddha," Michael Urie's comedy "He's Way More Famous Than You" and Peter Baxter's documentary "Wild in the Streets" will be released on video on demand in the next three months in more than 100 million homes in North America.

"The Bitter Buddha," which profiles alt-comic Eddie Pepitone's quirky lifestyle and imprint on the comedy world, will debut in select theaters February 15 and go to VOD four days later.

Baxter's "Wild in the Streets," which documents a centuries-old sports rivalry between two villages in England on opposite banks of the river Henmore, is set to be released on VOD on April 23. No date was announced for a theatrical release.

And "He's Way More Famous Than You," which premiered at Slamdance, will be released on VOD April 8, followed by a theatrical run on May 10. It follows Halley Feiffer, whom Gravitas described as a "once-up-and-coming indie film starlet," as she strives for Hollywood fame.

"We are thrilled to be working with such an array of talent coming out of Slamdance," Melanie Miller, vice president of acquisitions at Gravitas, said in a statement. "Nobody channels the cultural zeitgeist quite like Eddie Pepitone, no one with a competitive edge would want to be left out of hundreds of years of bloody town tradition in 'Wild In The Streets.' And, who doesn't want to work and co-star in a movie with Halley Feiffer?"

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/sundance-2013-gravitas-ventures-acquires-three-films-slamdance-022818151.html

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Obama gives unexpected nod to climate as second term priority

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama said on Monday he will confront climate change in his second term in office, an unexpected vow that puts the politically charged issue among his domestic priorities alongside gun control and immigration reform.

Linking climate change to devastating weather and fires, Obama said the country could grow its economy while protecting itself from the worst effects of a phenomenon scientists say is getting worse due to man-made pollutants.

"We will respond to the threat of climate change, knowing that the failure to do so would betray our children and future generations," the president said, dedicating more than a minute of his roughly 20-minute address to the issue.

By pointing to the topic in detail in his second Inaugural Address, the Democratic president committed the White House to try to mitigate the emission of greenhouse gases - an area where he had uneven success during his first four years in office.

While Obama won a commitment from the auto industry to increase fuel efficiency standards in coming years, a more comprehensive plan to put a price on greenhouse gases fell flat in Congress.

Climate change was a mostly dormant issue during last year's presidential campaign, and environmentalists hoped that Obama would put the topic squarely on his agenda in a second term.

Obama said in his address that the United States should be a leader in sustainable energy and framed the issue as a matter of national security and economic opportunity.

"We cannot cede to other nations the technology that will power new jobs and new industries - we must claim its promise," he said.

Scientists say emissions from cars and coal-fed power plants are among the sources of carbon dioxide warming the planet.

Last year was the hottest on record in the United States, scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said this month.

Scientists caution that no single weather event can be blamed on climate change, but the force of Hurricane Sandy, which devastated parts of New York and New Jersey in October, and a withering drought in the Midwest, are seen as harbingers.

"Some may still deny the overwhelming judgment of science, but none can avoid the devastating impact of raging fires, and crippling drought, and more powerful storms," Obama said.

Climate change activists, who say the phenomenon is worsening and will increasingly affect human health and budgets, said they were heartened by the president's words.

"My hope is renewed," Larry Schweiger, president of the National Wildlife Federation, said in a statement. "Confronting climate change is not a cause of a president or a party but an imperative for the American people."

Obama might find it impossible to revive the climate bill while his Republican Party rivals control the House of Representatives, but White House officials have said they plan to use executive power to make progress on the issue.

"I'll tell you what my green dream is: that we finally face up to climate change," Vice President Joe Biden said at a National Wildlife Federation inaugural celebration on Sunday night.

In the coming months, the Environmental Protection Agency is expected to outline standards for power plant emissions. If those rules are as strong as environmentalists want, it could go a long way toward curtailing emissions for a source of 40 percent of the country's carbon gas.

(Additional reporting by Valerie Volcovici; Editing by Mohammad Zargham)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-gives-unexpected-nod-climate-second-term-priority-203653111.html

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Did an 8th century gamma ray burst irradiate Earth?

Jan. 21, 2013 ? A nearby short duration gamma-ray burst may be the cause of an intense blast of high-energy radiation that hit the Earth in the 8th century, according to new research led by astronomers Valeri Hambaryan and Ralph Neuh?user.

The two scientists, based at the Astrophysics Institute of the University of Jena in Germany, publish their results in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

In 2012 scientist Fusa Miyake announced the detection of high levels of the isotope Carbon-14 and Beryllium-10 in tree rings formed in 775 CE, suggesting that a burst of radiation struck the Earth in the year 774 or 775. Carbon-14 and Beryllium-10 form when radiation from space collides with nitrogen atoms, which then decay to these heavier forms of carbon and beryllium. The earlier research ruled out the nearby explosion of a massive star (a supernova) as nothing was recorded in observations at the time and no remnant has been found.

Prof. Miyake also considered whether a solar flare could have been responsible, but these are not powerful enough to cause the observed excess of carbon-14. Large flares are likely to be accompanied by ejections of material from the Sun?s corona, leading to vivid displays of the northern and southern lights (aurorae), but again no historical records suggest these took place.

Following this announcement, researchers pointed to an entry in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle that describes a ?red crucifix? seen after sunset and suggested this might be a supernova. But this dates from 776, too late to account for the carbon-14 data and still does not explain why no remnant has been detected.

Drs. Hambaryan and Neuh?user have another explanation, consistent with both the carbon-14 measurements and the absence of any recorded events in the sky. They suggest that two compact stellar remnants, i.e. black holes, neutron stars or white dwarfs, collided and merged together. When this happens, some energy is released in the form of gamma rays, the most energetic part of the electromagnetic spectrum that includes visible light.

In these mergers, the burst of gamma rays is intense but short, typically lasting less than two seconds. These events are seen in other galaxies many times each year but, in contrast to long duration bursts, without any corresponding visible light. If this is the explanation for the 774 / 775 radiation burst, then the merging stars could not be closer than about 3000 light years, or it would have led to the extinction of some terrestrial life. Based on the carbon-14 measurements, Hambaryan and Neuh?user believe the gamma ray burst originated in a system between 3000 and 12000 light years from the Sun.

If they are right, then this would explain why no records exist of a supernova or auroral display. Other work suggests that some visible light is emitted during short gamma-ray bursts that could be seen in a relatively nearby event. This might only be seen for a few days and be easily missed, but nonetheless it may be worthwhile for historians to look again through contemporary texts.

Astronomers could also look for the merged object, a 1200 year old black hole or neutron star 3000-12000 light years from the Sun but without the characteristic gas and dust of a supernova remnant.

Dr Neuh?user comments: ?If the gamma ray burst had been much closer to the Earth it would have caused significant harm to the biosphere. But even thousands of light years away, a similar event today could cause havoc with the sensitive electronic systems that advanced societies have come to depend on. The challenge now is to establish how rare such Carbon-14 spikes are i.e. how often such radiation bursts hit the Earth. In the last 3000 years, the maximum age of trees alive today, only one such event appears to have taken place."

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Royal Astronomical Society (RAS).

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. V. V. Hambaryan, R. Neuhaeuser. A Galactic short gamma-ray burst as cause for the 14C peak in AD 774/5. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 2013 [link]

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_technology/~3/lC_HgjtuG2Q/130121083255.htm

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U.S. gives tribute to memory of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr

ATLANTA (Reuters) - America's concern over gun violence became the focus of speeches in Atlanta on Monday honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who led a non-violent struggle for civil rights before he was gunned down at age 39.

Crowds gathered at commemorative services across the country on the national holiday in King's honor, the same day as President Barack Obama's second inauguration ceremonies and little more than a month after the Connecticut mass shooting that touched off a national outcry over gun control.

In a ceremony in King's hometown of Atlanta, his daughter Bernice King spoke at Ebenezer Baptist Church, where King was once a pastor. She recalled her father's reaction after their family home in Montgomery, Alabama, was bombed in 1956 during a boycott of the local bus system.

Some black residents of the city were "armed that day, ready to protect their homes," but King urged them to put away their guns, Bernice King said.

"This apostle of nonviolence perhaps introduced one of the greatest experiences of gun control that we've ever heard of in the history of our nation," said Bernice King, who is chief executive of the King Center in Atlanta.

An assassin's bullet ended King's life on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee, human rights activist Elisabeth Omilami reminded the crowd at Ebenezer Baptist Church.

"Dr. King was a victim of gun violence," said Omilami, daughter of Hosea Williams, one of King's lieutenants in the civil rights movement.

The church crowd gathered before a giant screen to witness the inauguration ceremony in Washington and hear Obama's speech which touched on King's "I Have a Dream" speech delivered 50 years ago in Washington.

Obama last week proposed a package of measures intended to reduce gun violence following the Newtown, Connecticut, school shooting that killed 20 first grade students and six staff members.

In his speech on Monday, Obama recalled King's dream for freedom for all Americans, regardless of their race, ethnicity, or geographic or economic status.

"Our journey is not complete until all our children, from the streets of Detroit to the hills of Appalachia to the quiet lanes of Newtown, know that they are cared for, and cherished, and always safe from harm," said Obama, who used a Bible that belonged to King at his swearing-in ceremony.

King's father, Reverend Martin Luther King Sr., also was a pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church. It sits on Atlanta's historic Auburn Avenue near the King Center, established in 1968 by the slain activist's widow Coretta Scott King, who died in 2006. On the avenue not far from the church is King's grandparents' home, where he was born in 1929.

King received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964.

Nearly a million people visit the King Center each year, viewing an eternal flame honoring King and crypts holding the remains of King and his wife and attending an array of programs promoting non-violent social change.

Around the country, where Martin Luther King Day has been a federal holiday since 1986, banks, financial markets and government offices were closed.

A march along Auburn Avenue was set for later in the day, and a rally to address such issues as education, housing, peace, justice and voter registration, organizers said.

Also planned was a Day of Service, with an array of community service projects in Atlanta in honor of King.

(Additional reporting by Ellen Wulfhorst; Editing by Barbara Goldberg and Mohammad Zargham)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-gives-tribute-memory-dr-martin-luther-king-161348831.html

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Obama to be sworn in for 2nd term at White House

President Barack Obama listens as first lady Michelle Obama speaks at Burrville Elementary School in Washington, Saturday, Jan. 19, 2013, after the first family participated in a community service project for the National Day of Service as part of the 57th Presidential Inauguration. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

President Barack Obama listens as first lady Michelle Obama speaks at Burrville Elementary School in Washington, Saturday, Jan. 19, 2013, after the first family participated in a community service project for the National Day of Service as part of the 57th Presidential Inauguration. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

FILE - In this Jan. 20, 2009, file photo, Barack Obama, left, takes the oath of office from Chief Justice John Roberts, not seen, as his wife Michelle, holds the Lincoln Bible and daughters Sasha, right and Malia, watch at the U.S. Capitol in Washington. Obama's second inauguration is shaping up as a high-energy celebration smaller than his first milestone swearing-in, yet still designed to mark his unprecedented role in American history with plenty of eye-catching glamour. A long list of celebrity performers will give the once-every-four years right of democratic passage the air of a star-studded concert, from the bunting-draped Capitol's west front of the Capitol, where Obama takes the oath Jan. 21, to the Washington Convention Center, which is expected to be packed with 40,000 ball-goers that evening. (AP Photo/Chuck Kennedy, Pool)

The West Front of the Capitol in Washington, is dressed in red, white and blue before the 57th Presidential Inauguration and President Barack Obama's second inauguration, Saturday, Jan. 19, 2013. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama stain a bookshelf at Burrville Elementary School in Washington, Saturday, Jan. 19, 2013, as the the first family participated in a community service project for the National Day of Service, part of the 57th Presidential Inauguration. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Vice President Joe Biden, second from left, accompanied by his wife Jill Biden, left, and members of the Biden family, flashes a thumbs up as they joined National Day of Service volunteers as part of the 57th Presidential Inauguration in Washington, Saturday, Jan. 19, 2013. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Formally embarking on his second term, President Barack Obama will take the oath of office Sunday surrounded by family in an intimate inauguration at the White House, 24 hours before re-enacting the ceremony before an excited crowd of hundreds of thousands outdoors at the Capitol.

The subdued swearing-in is a function of the calendar and the Constitution, which says presidents automatically begin their new terms at noon on Jan. 20. Because that date fell this year on a Sunday ? a day on which inaugural ceremonies historically are not held ? organizers scheduled a second, public swearing-in for Monday.

A crowd of up to 800,000 people is expected to gather on the National Mall to witness that event, which will take place on the Capitol's red, white and blue bunting-draped west front. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, who famously flubbed the oath of office that Obama took in 2009, will swear the president in both days.

Vice President Joe Biden will also be sworn in Sunday in a small, early morning ceremony at the Naval Observatory, his official residence. Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who was appointed by Obama during his first term, will administer the oath of office to the vice president.

Once the celebrations are over, Obama will plunge into a second-term agenda still dominated by the economy, which slowly churned out of recession during his first four years in office. The president will also seek to cement his legacy with sweeping domestic changes, pledging to achieve both an immigration overhaul and stricter gun laws despite opposition from a divided Congress.

But for one weekend at least, Washington was putting politics aside. Obama called the nation's inaugural traditions "a symbol of how our democracy works and how we peacefully transfer power."

"But it should also be an affirmation that we're all in this together," he said Saturday, as he opened a weekend of inaugural activities at a Washington elementary school.

Only a small group of family members is expected to attend Obama's Sunday swearing-in, including first lady Michelle Obama and daughters Malia and Sasha. A small group of reporters will also be in the room to witness the event.

Roberts will administer the oath of office shortly before noon in the White House Blue Room, an oval space with majestic views of the South Lawn and the Washington Monument. Named for the color of the drapes, upholstery and carpet, the Blue Room is not typically used for ceremonies and instead has primarily been a reception room as well as the site of the only presidential wedding held in the White House, between then-President Grover Cleveland and Frances Folsum in 1886.

Later Sunday, Obama and Biden will speak at an inaugural reception attended by supporters.

But the president will save his most expansive remarks for Monday, when he delivers his second inaugural address to the crowd gathered on the Mall and millions more watching across the country and the world. Obama started working on the speech in early December and was still tinkering with it into the weekend, aides said.

The president's address will set the stage for the policy objectives he seeks to achieve in his second term, including speeding up the economic recovery, passing comprehensive immigration and gun control measures and ending the war in Afghanistan. However, aides said Obama would save the specifics of those agenda items for his Feb. 12 State of the Union address.

The president launched a weekend of inaugural activities Saturday by heading up a National Day of Service. Along with his family, Obama helped hundreds of volunteers spruce up a Washington area elementary school.

His shirt sleeves rolled up, Obama donned a pair of rubber gloves, picked up a paint brush and helped volunteers stain a bookshelf.

Obama added the service event to the inaugural schedule in 2009 and is hoping it becomes a tradition followed for future presidents.

Mrs. Obama, speaking to volunteers Sunday, espoused the importance of giving back in the midst of the weekend of pomp, circumstance and celebration.

"The reason why we're here, why we're standing here, why we're able to celebrate this weekend is because a lot of people worked hard and supported us, and we've got a job to do and this is a symbol of the kind of work that we need to be doing the next four years," Michelle Obama said at Burrville Elementary.

___

Follow Julie Pace at http://twitter.com/jpaceDC

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-01-20-Obama-Inauguration/id-f00083791af04f62aebb28c2a398e87e

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Insurgents launch 8-hour attack on Afghan traffic cops

Omar Sobhani / Reuters

Afghan security forces run on the roof of the Kabul traffic police headquarters as it is attacked by insurgents on Jan. 21, 2013.

Reuters reports ??Suicide bombers and gunmen launched an eight-hour assault on the headquarters of the Kabul traffic police on Monday, Afghan officials said, in the second coordinated attack on a government building in less than a week.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the operation in which all five attackers and three traffic police officers were killed, interior ministry officials said.

The attack raised the possibility that insurgents were shifting tactics, testing Afghan security forces in Kabul after a series of high-profile attacks on Western targets last year. Read the full story.

Omar Sobhani / Reuters

Afghan police officers run to the Kabul traffic police headquarters as it is attacked by insurgents on Jan. 21, 2013.

Shah Marai / AFP - Getty Images

Black smoke billows from the Afghan police headquarters during an attack in Kabul on Jan. 21, 2013.

Aref Karimi / AFP - Getty Images

More than ten years after the beginning of the war, Afghanistan faces external pressure to reform as well as ongoing internal conflicts.

Source: http://photoblog.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/01/21/16622511-suicide-bombers-launch-attack-on-afghan-traffic-cops?lite

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Did Dave Grohl Put On The Greatest Sundance Show Ever?

The Foo Fighters joined former members of Nirvana and Stevie Nicks for an epic Sound City Players performance in Park City, UT.
By Joel Hanek

Dave Grohl performs with the Sound City Players at Sundance on friday
Photo: Jason Merritt/ Getty Images

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1700516/dave-grohl-sound-city-players-sundance-2013.jhtml

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Video: Panel weighs in on foreign policy of Obama?s second term

A Second Take on Meeting the Press: From an up-close look at Rachel Maddow's sneakers to an in-depth look at Jon Krakauer's latest book ? it's all fair game in our "Meet the Press: Take Two" web extra. Log on Sundays to see David Gregory's post-show conversations with leading newsmakers, authors and roundtable guests. Videos are available on-demand by 12 p.m. ET on Sundays.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032608/vp/50526010#50526010

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Records link California home and Te'o case

FILE - In this Nov. 17, 2012, file photo, Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o walks off the field following an NCAA college football game against Wake Forest in South Bend, Ind. A story that Te'o's girlfriend had died of leukemia _ a loss he said inspired him to help lead the Irish to the BCS championship game _ was dismissed by the university Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2013, as a hoax perpetrated against the linebacker. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, File)

FILE - In this Nov. 17, 2012, file photo, Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o walks off the field following an NCAA college football game against Wake Forest in South Bend, Ind. A story that Te'o's girlfriend had died of leukemia _ a loss he said inspired him to help lead the Irish to the BCS championship game _ was dismissed by the university Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2013, as a hoax perpetrated against the linebacker. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, File)

CARSON, Calif. (AP) ? When Notre Dame football star Manti Te'o ordered two dozen white roses delivered to 21503 Water Street, he says he thought they were headed to the home of his dead girlfriend, Lennay Kekua. In fact, the man implicated as the ringleader of a false-identity hoax and many of his relatives have lived in the single-story, stucco bungalow, according to publicly available records and interviews with neighbors.

Water Street, in a working-class community 13 miles south of downtown Los Angeles, adds another element to the Te'o-Lennay Kekua hoax: the house six doors down, at 21403 Water, belongs to a family named Kekua ? an uncommon Hawaiian name but the same one as the fictitious girlfriend at the center of the ruse.

Two members of the real Kekua family told The Associated Press they had never heard of a "Lennay Kekua."

The Kekua fabrication came to light Wednesday, when Deadspin.com revealed that the story of Te'o's girlfriend dying from leukemia last September was a fake ? because Lennay Kekua never existed.

Deadspin suggested Ronaiah Tuiasosopo was the person responsible for carrying out the hoax. Te'o said Friday he had been contacted by the 22-year-old Tuiasosopo, and that the man had admitted to masterminding the scam. Members of the Kekua family and others in the neighborhood told the AP on Saturday that Ronaiah Tuiasosopo had lived at 21503 Water St. and has visited it since moving out about a year ago.

The AP reviewed a compilation of documents about the property from a variety of sources, such as real estate and bankruptcy records.

In specifying where he had sent the roses, Te'o said Friday in an interview with ESPN that he still didn't know who lives at 21503 Water Street or of any possible connection between the address and the hoax.

But he did say he knew the residents had accepted delivery of the bouquet. "They sent me a picture of the roses, of them getting it," he said. And they also sent a photo of the flowers that Te'o's parents had delivered "as proof" that their tribute to the nonexistent girlfriend had been received.

Publicly available records indicate that Tuiasosopo used to live at 21503 Water Street. One neighbor said Saturday that Ronaiah had lived in the house for several years, until about a year ago. Another neighbor said that in her 27 years living on the block there had always been a Tuiasosopo living in 21503, including Ronaiah, his father and an uncle, Navy.

Multiple public records indicate that Navy, who played football for Utah State and the Los Angeles Rams, was a brother of former USC football player Titus Tuiasosopo, Ronaiah's father. A neighbor said Navy had lived at 21503 until his death in 2011.

A Cadillac still registered to Navy Tuiasosopo was parked in the driveway of Titus Tuiasosopo's home in Palmdale, about 90 miles north of Carson, on Saturday. Titus is the pastor of Oasis Christian Church of the Antelope Valley in Lancaster, Calif., and Ronaiah is active in the church band, and most recently has been living with his father.

In a joint interview Saturday, Barbara Kekua, 78, said she has lived at 21403 Water Street since it was built about 50 years ago. Her daughter, Kris Kekua, 45, grew up there, and moved back two years ago, across the street to 21406 Water, to be near her mother.

The two Kekua women said they do not know why their name was chosen for the scheme.

Kris recalled that when the story of Lennay Kekua's supposed death made national sports headlines last fall, friends asked if she was related. "I'm like, 'I don't know who that is,'" she said.

Kris said she had grown up with Titus and Navy on the block.

____

Associated Press reporter Tami Abdollah and researcher Lynn Dombek contributed to this story.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-01-19-FBC-Te'o-California/id-58d97ec11b7e4f6d926f0e2ec5a643f8

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US Government Still Leaning On Europe To Dilute Data Protection Reform Proposals

The U.S. government is continuing to lobby Brussels to water down plans to reform privacy legislation. The European Union's executive and legislative bodies are in the process of reforming the region's data protection rules -- a long overdue wrangle since current legislation dates back to 1995, when Facebook was not even a gleam in 11-year-old Mark Zuckerberg's eye.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/TyaFHpzSaDY/

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Syrian FM calls on rebels to disarm and negotiate

BEIRUT (AP) ? Syria's foreign minister invited the country's rebels on Saturday to lay down their weapons and take part in a national dialogue, saying everyone who participates will be included in a new Cabinet with wide executive powers.

Walid al-Moallem said in a live interview on state TV late Saturday that any opposition parties could join the Cabinet as long as they reject foreign intervention in Syria. The Syrian government has started contacting "representatives of the Syrian people," he added.

Earlier this month, President Bashar Assad dismissed calls that he step down, vowing to keep fighting the rebels. Assad also proposed a national reconciliation conference, elections and a new constitution ? concessions offered previously over the course of the uprising that began in March 2011. The opposition says that Assad can play no role in a resolution to the conflict.

"I tell the young men who carried arms to change and reform, take part in the dialogue for a new Syria and you will be a partner in building it. Why carry arms," al-Moallem said in the hour-long interview. "Those who want foreign intervention will not be among us."

He accused Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey of arming and financing the rebels in Syria. He said that Jabhat al-Nusra, an al-Qaida-linked group which the U.S. has declared a terrorist organization but which fights alongside Syrian rebels, had brought fighters from 27 countries to fight in Syria.

Last month, the international envoy tasked with Syria's crisis, Lakhdar Brahimi, proposed a plan to end Syria's war with a cease-fire followed by the formation of a transitional government to run the country until new elections can be held.

Brahimi did not mention Assad by name, but said the transitional government would have "full executive powers" and would replace the Syrian leader. The plan was unveiled by world powers at an international conference in Geneva in June. Al-Moallem said that the Geneva conference does not require Assad to leave power.

The interview came as activists reported violence in different areas of Syria.

In the northern province of Idlib, Syrian troops fought intense battles Saturday against rebels who are trying to capture two military bases in the northwest and step up their attacks on army compounds elsewhere in the country, activists said.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and the Local Coordination Committees said the rebels destroyed at least one tank near the town of Khan Sheikhoun in Idlib province. The rebels, who have been battling for weeks to take control of bases in Wadi Deif and Hamdiyeh, are working to cut off supply routes to the compounds, the Observatory said.

Attacks on government bases are a recent focus of fighting in Syria's civil war, which according to the United Nations has left more than 60,000 people dead since the conflict began in March 2011.

Last week, rebels captured the nearby air base of Taftanaz in a significant blow to President Bashar Assad's forces, who increasingly rely on airpower.

The rebels also have been trying to capture other air bases in the northern province of Aleppo, and, according to activists, were attacking the air base of Mannagh near the Turkish border.

In Turkey, state-run Anadolu news agency said Syria's air force targeted a mosque and a school building that was apparently sheltering displaced Syrians in the town of Salqin, some four miles (six kilometers) from the border with Turkey in Idlib province. Dozens of people were killed and wounded.

At least 30 people wounded in the attack were taken across the border to Turkey for treatment, and two died in Turkish hospitals, the news agency said.

The displaced Syrians were eating when the school was attacked, according to Anadolu, who interviewed witnesses who has crossed into the Turkish border province of Hatay. The wounded included women and children, the agency said.

Syria's official news agency SANA said troops had targeted rebel hideouts in Salqin, killing and wounding some of them.

Also in Turkey on Saturday, members of the newly-restructured Syrian opposition held a conference in Istanbul aiming to nominate representatives for a transitional government.

"We have some ideas, some proposals," said one opposition member, Abdul Ahad Astephoa, without mentioning any specifics.

The group, known as the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces, was formed in Qatar in November amid international pressure to unite factions within the opposition.

Rami Abdul-Rahman, who heads the Observatory, said the government was sending reinforcements to the central city of Homs where rebels have controlled some neighborhoods for more than a year. Residents of Homs, Syria's third largest city, were one of the first to rise up against Assad and many refer to it as "the capital of the revolution."

"It seems they are preparing for a big attack on Homs," Abdul-Rahman said by telephone.

The Observatory and the LCC said troops attacked several suburbs of the capital, Damascus, as well as Homs and the southern rebel-held town of Busra al-Harir. The shelling and air raids targeted the Damascus suburbs of Douma, Daraya and Moadamiyeh where regime forces have been on the offensive for weeks, they said.

___

Associated Press writer Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey, contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/syrian-fm-calls-rebels-disarm-negotiate-203324096.html

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