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Sunday, March 10, 2013

Libyan congress temporarily suspends sessions over security

TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Libya's General National Congress has temporarily suspended its sessions due to security concerns after a violent protest that left its members barricaded in a meeting room for several hours and a gun attack on its leader's car.

The congress had been due to hold a session on Sunday but congress leader Mohammed Magarief said that meeting as well as Tuesday's would be canceled. He said the lack of a secure meeting hall was also one of the reasons for the suspension.

"We will not meet under pressure or while being threatened," Magarief told a news conference late on Saturday. He did not say whether the suspension would last beyond Tuesday.

Gunmen in a crowd of Libyans demanding that lawmakers pass a bill barring former associates of ousted dictator Muammar Gaddafi from power shot at Magarief's car last Tuesday.

Magarief was driving away from a building on the outskirts of the capital Tripoli where lawmakers had gathered to vote on the bill when the unknown assailants shot at his car.

Protesters had stopped him and about 100 congress members from leaving for several hours.

Congress members were forced to move from their headquarters in February when it was occupied by wounded former rebel fighters demanding compensation for injuries sustained in the 2011 war.

The group of about 30 left the building on Tuesday but damage still remains in the hall. Magarief said it needed some repair work before members could meet there again.

Insecurity persists in Libya, and politicians, state buildings and oil installations have become a focal point of protests as the government struggles to impose order on a vast and divided country awash with weapons.

Last week, unknown assailants stormed the building of the private al-Assema television station in Tripoli, abducting its owner and other staff members. They were eventually released within 24 hours.

(Reporting by Ali Shuaib; Writing by Marie-Louise Gumuchian; Editing by Alison Williams)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/libyan-congress-temporarily-suspends-sessions-over-security-185110354.html

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Saturday, March 9, 2013

Facebook tries to stay hip with jazzier News Feed

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg speaks at Facebook headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif., Thursday, March 7, 2013. Zuckerberg on Thursday unveiled a new look for the social network's News Feed, the place where its 1 billion users congregate to see what's happening with their friends, family and favorite businesses.(AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

MENLO PARK, Calif. (AP) ? Facebook doesn't want to be dismissed as an Internet has-been before its social network even enters its adolescence.

In an effort to remain hip, it is infusing the focal point of its website with a more dynamic look and additional controls designed to empower its 1 billion users to sort streams of photos and other material into more organized sections that appeal to their personal interests.

The changes unveiled Thursday are an attempt to address complaints that Facebook's hub ? the News Feed ? is degenerating into a jumble of monotonous musings and disjointed pictures. This has come as users' social circles have widened from a few dozen people to an unwieldy assortment of friends, family, businesses, celebrities, co-workers and fleeting acquaintances.

That evolution requires a more nuanced approach than the computer-generated algorithms that Facebook has been relying on to pick out the most relevant content to display in each user's News Feed. The growing popularity of smartphones and tablet computers equipped with high-quality cameras also is turning the News Feed into a more visual gallery, another shift that Facebook is tackling by carving out more space to display photos and video.

Facebook Inc. CEO Mark Zuckerberg hopes the makeover turns the News Feed into something like a newspaper tailored to fit the particular interests of each user on every visit to the website.

"This gives people more power to dig deeper into the topics they care about," Zuckerberg said while discussing the makeover at Facebook's Menlo Park, Calif., headquarters.

By keeping Facebook relevant, Zuckerberg hopes to avoid the fate of his company's social networking forerunners, Friendster and MySpace. Those once-trendy sites quickly flamed out, largely because they didn't say attuned to the changing interest of fickle audience. Making that mistake is even more costly in an age of increasingly short attention spans and technological tools that make it easy to find some other diversion with a quick click of the computer mouse or the swipe of a finger on a smartphone.

"They needed to freshen things up," said Brian Blau, research director of consumer technologies for Gartner Inc. "This should bring a lot of cooler things" into the News Feed.

Although Zuckerberg didn't say it, the overhaul also appears to be aimed at carving out more space to show larger and more compelling ads within the News Feed as Facebook seeks to boost its revenue and stock price.

Previous tweaks to the News Feed have triggered howls of protest among Facebook's users. Hoping to minimize the grousing this time around, Facebook intends to roll out the changes in phases. It will probably be at least six months before everyone who accesses Facebook on a personal computer sees the revamped News Feed, the company said. New mobile applications featuring the changes should be released within that time frame too.

The transition is likely to be completed before Facebook celebrates its 10th birthday next February.

The facelift is likely to be more jarring for those who only visit Facebook on a PC because it incorporates some features already deployed in the social network's mobile applications for smartphones and tablet computers.

The new features will enable users to choose to see streams of content that may feature nothing but photos or posts from their closest friends, family members or favorite businesses. Or they can just peruse content about music, or sports, as if they were grabbing a section of a newspaper. Other newspaper-like changes will include lists of events that users' social circles have flagged for the upcoming weekend and other summaries meant to resemble a table of contents.

Facebook still intends to rely on algorithms to select some material to feature on the main part of the News Feed, much like newspaper editors determine what goes on the front page.

The additional space being devoted to photos and video is an acknowledgement how dramatically the composition of Facebook's content has changed during the past 16 months. About 50 percent of the posts on News Feed now include a photo or video now, up from 25 percent in November 2011, according to Facebook's data.

Bigger pictures also will give advertisers a larger canvass to make their marketing pitches. Facebook is hoping marketers will seize the opportunity to develop more creative ways to entice and intrigue customers so advertising can become a more acceptable fixture on the social network.

More than anything else, the changes are meant to make Facebook a more fun place to hang out.

"This is all about keeping people engaged," Blau said.

Although Facebook's website remains one of the Internet's top destinations, there have been early signs that the social network is losing some of its pizazz, particularly among younger Web surfers who are starting to spend more time on other fraternizing hubs such as Tumblr, Pinterest and Instagram, a photo-sharing site that Facebook bought for $521 million last summer.

A phenomenon, known as "Facebook Fatigue," was recently documented in a report from Pew Research Center's Internet and American Life Project. The study found that about 61 percent of Facebook users had taken a hiatus for reasons that range from boredom to too much irrelevant information to Lent.

That's a worrisome trend for Facebook because the company needs to ensure that its audience keeps coming back so it can learn more about their interests and, ultimately, sell more of the advertising that brings in most of the company's revenue.

"I don't think it had turned into a crisis, but Facebook was probably seeing some internal data that was telling them they needed to do something," said Greg Sterling, a senior analyst for Opus Research.

Facebook has been struggling to find the right balance between keeping its fun-loving audience happy and selling enough ads to please investors who want the company to accelerate its revenue growth.

Wall Street seems to think the redesigned News Feed might be a step in the right direction. Facebook's stock gained $1.13, or 4.1 percent, to close Thursday at $28.58. The shares still remain 25 percent below the $38 that they fetched in Facebook's initial public offering last May.

The mobile-friendly redesign of News Feed underscores the company's intensifying focus on smartphones and tablet computers as more of its users rely on those devices to interact on the social network.

About 23 percent, or $306 million, of Facebook's advertising revenue came from the mobile market during the final three months of last year. Zuckerberg thinks more than half of Facebook's revenue will be coming more mobile devices within the next few years ? a goal that should be easier to reach if the redesigned News Feed turns out to be as compelling as he envisions.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-03-08-Facebook-Remixed%20News%20Feed/id-fd44081bb9264d3093b4612eb9fc0378

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Family: Woman killed by lion was a tragic accident

This undated photo provided by Paul Hanson shows his sister, Dianna Hanson. Dianna Hanson, a 24-year-old intern at the Cat Haven in Dunlap, Calif., was mauled to death by a lion at the exotic animal park on Wednesday, March 6, 2013. (AP Photo/Paul Hanson)

This Oct. 12, 2012 photo released by JP Marketing shows a 4-year-old male African lion named Couscous at Cat Haven, a private wild animal park in Dunlap, Calif. Authorities say the lion killed a female intern-volunteer on Wednesday, March 6, 2013, at Cat Haven, where the cat had been raised since it was a cub. The intern was attacked and fatally injured after getting into an enclosure with the lion, Fresno County sheriff's Sgt. Greg Collins said. (AP Photo/JP Marketing, Vicken Massoyan)

This 2012 photo provided by the KFSN-TV shows a 4-year-old male African lion named Couscous at Cat Haven, a private wild animal park in Dunlap, Calif. Authorities say the lion killed a female intern-volunteer on Wednesday, March 6, 2013, at Cat Haven, where the cat had been raised since it was a cub. The intern was attacked and fatally injured after getting into an enclosure with the lion, Fresno County sheriff's Sgt. Greg Collins said. (AP Photo/KFSN-TV) OUT KGPE, KSEE, KMPH, KFTV; FRESNO BEE OUT, VISALIA TIMES-DELTA OUT

This 2012 photo provided by KFSN-TV shows a 4-year-old male African lion named Couscous at Cat Haven, a private wild animal park in Dunlap, Calif. Authorities say the lion killed a female intern-volunteer on Wednesday, March 6, 2013, at Cat Haven, where the cat had been raised since it was a cub. The intern was attacked and fatally injured after getting into an enclosure with the lion, Fresno County sheriff's Sgt. Greg Collins said. (AP Photo/KFSN-TV) OUT KGPE, KSEE, KMPH, KFTV; FRESNO BEE OUT, VISALIA TIMES-DELTA OUT

Dale Anderson, founder of Project Survival Cat Haven near Dunlap, Calif. speaks to the media Thursday, March 7 2013 a day after Cat Haven sanctuary worker Dianna Hanson, 24, died from a lion attack. (AP Photo/Eric Paul Zamora, The Fresno Bee)

FRESNO, Calif. (AP) ? Family members of the young woman killed in a lion attack at a Central California animal park say they believe no rules were broken and the volunteer worker's death was a tragic accident.

Investigators think the 550-pound male African lion lifted the door of a partially closed feeding cage with its paw and killed 24-year-old Dianna Hanson as she cleaned a bigger enclosure area Wednesday, Fresno County Coroner David Hadden has said.

Hanson died immediately from a broken neck, according to the coroner's autopsy report. Other injuries were sustained after her death, the report states.

Family members say they're relieved the young woman was killed instantly when the lion swiped or lunged at her at Cat Haven, a 100-acre private zoo run by the nonprofit group Project Survival.

"We're thankful to know she didn't suffer," Hanson's brother, Paul R. Hanson, told The Associated Press.

Family members said Friday they don't believe it was a mauling, but rather a lion's rough play that turned tragic.

"It sounds like it was an accident. Maybe the latch had not been completely closed. ... You know, house cats are smart, they can open doors," Paul Hanson said. "It wasn't a vicious attack ... because you would expect severe lacerations and biting on the neck and that was not the case."

Paul Hanson and his wife Tiffany Windle-Hanson, who was the victim's college roommate, believe the facility followed safety protocols.

"It was just a tragic accident," Windle-Hanson said.

Investigators were focusing on the cage door that the 5-year-old animal managed to escape through to reach the volunteer intern.

"The lion had been fed, the young woman was cleaning the large enclosure, and the lion was in the small cage," Hadden said. "The gate of the cage was partially open, which allowed the lion called Cous Cous to lift it up with his paw."

Hadden said the lion then ran at Hanson.

The coroner said Hanson was talking with a co-worker on a cellphone in the moments before she was killed. The co-worker became concerned when the conversation ended abruptly and Hanson failed to call back. The co-worker then called authorities when she went to check on Hanson.

Family members say Hanson was actually using a walkie-talkie, which they understood to be the policy at the animal park.

"She wasn't distracted, she wasn't like that," Windle-Hanson said. "It's a safety protocol to have walkie-talkies there, which is important in case a situation like this occurs."

Sheriff's deputies shot Cous Cous after the animal couldn't be coaxed away from Hanson's body.

Hanson had been working for two months as an intern at Cat Haven.

Her father, Paul Hanson, described his daughter as a "fearless" lover of big cats and said her goal was to work with the animals at an accredited zoo. She died doing what she loves, he said.

Hanson's Facebook page is plastered with photos of her petting tigers and other big cats. She told her father she was frustrated that Cat Haven did not allow direct contact with animals.

"Dianna had a tremendous respect for big cats. It's something she wanted to do since she was 3 years old," said Dianna Hanson's aunt, Karen Postema, who lives in Laurel, Mont.

"She was a vivacious, terrific kid, and we are heartbroken about her death," she said. "But we wanted people to know that she loved what she was doing, and we don't want this accident to cast dispersions on her character or hurt the program at Cat Haven."

Dale Anderson, the owner of the zoo, said safety protocols were in place but he would not discuss them because they are a part of the law enforcement investigation.

Anderson said he's the only person allowed in the enclosure when lions are present.

"We want to assure the community that we have followed all safety protocols," Anderson said. "We have been incident-free since 1998."

He said the facility will reopen to the public Sunday.

When the attack occurred, Anderson said he and two other Cat Haven workers had left to take a cheetah to exhibit at a school. Hanson and another worker remained at the facility.

Whether Hanson was performing a function that placed her in danger is being investigated by Cal-OSHA, which also is trying to determine if employees were properly instructed about potential danger, as required.

In addition, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which enforces the federal Animal Welfare Act, is also looking to understand why the lion turned on the intern.

USDA inspectors conduct multiple unannounced inspections of Cat Haven every year and never had found a violation, Sacks said. Federal regulations pertain only to animal treatment.

Cat Haven breeds and keeps lions, tigers, jaguars, lynx and other exotic cats and takes them out for public appearances. There are 29 wild cats left at the park, including one female lion that lived with Cous Cous in the same enclosure.

On Friday, Hanson's family announced that a fund has been set up in her memory and urged people to donate to the wildlife organizations she loved, including Cat Haven.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-03-09-Fatal%20Lion%20Attack/id-6bc2a915ea73470db60ffe8596fdf971

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Thunder hold off Smith, Knicks as Anthony sits

New York Knicks' J.R. Smith (8) drives past Oklahoma City Thunder's Serge Ibaka during the first half of an NBA basketball game Thursday, March 7, 2013, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

New York Knicks' Amare Stoudemire (1) shoots over Oklahoma City Thunder's Serge Ibaka (9) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Thursday, March 7, 2013, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Oklahoma City Thunder's Kevin Durant (35) reacts after scoring during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the New York Knicks Thursday, March 7, 2013, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

NEW YORK (AP) ? The Kevin Durant-Carmelo Anthony duel was postponed, though J.R. Smith filled in nicely ? for three quarters.

The Oklahoma City Thunder finally silenced the Knicks' streaky shooter in the fourth, hanging on to beat New York 95-94 on Thursday night when Smith missed a turnaround jumper just before the buzzer.

"We've been hurt on those game-winners a couple of times this year and we didn't want that to happen again," Durant said. "So we just had to lock in and get a stop."

Durant scored 34 points, including two free throws with 1:38 left that put Oklahoma City in front for good. He also had eight rebounds and six assists.

Russell Westbrook struggled over the final three quarters but finished with 21 points, six rebounds and five assists, plus provided tough defense on Smith's last shot in the Thunder's first trip to New York since Dec. 22, 2010.

Kevin Martin had 16 points as Oklahoma City posted its third straight win, fighting off a spirited effort by a Knicks team missing Anthony. The All-Star forward missed his second straight game with what the Knicks said is a stiff and sore right knee.

"It was a great fight. I mean we put up a heck of a fight out there tonight," Knicks forward Amare Stoudemire said. "We played great defensively, offensively we were playing well, the ball was moving, so we can be happy with the way we played but still a little upset that we lost down the stretch."

Smith scored a season-high 36 points but was just 2 of 9 from the field in the final period, 1 of 5 on 3-pointers. He said afterward he probably should've tried to drive on the last possession.

"My jumper was pretty much good all night except for the fourth quarter and just didn't go in," Smith said.

Neither team led by more than two points over the final 10? minutes. Durant scored 12 in the final period while Westbrook was shut out.

Smith missed a 3-pointer with 33 seconds left but the Knicks had a final chance after Durant was off on a jumper with about 9 seconds to go. Smith got the ball in about the same spot where he hit a winning jumper against Phoenix earlier this season, but his shot was long as the Knicks had their two game-winning streak snapped.

Anthony was hurt Monday in Cleveland, falling to the court without contact as he tried to catch a pass. Coach Mike Woodson said he is day to day and doesn't believe the injury is serious, but the Knicks said the same about Jeremy Lin last season and others in recent years, so their fans won't relax until they see Anthony back on the floor.

He surely would like that to be sometime before the Knicks visit Denver next Wednesday for his long-awaited first trip back since the Nuggets traded him in February 2011.

In the meantime, the Knicks showed again they've got enough guys to compete without him ? but not enough to beat a top team like the Thunder.

Raymond Felton and Stoudemire each had 16 points for the Knicks, who were playing their fourth game in five nights against the rested and more athletic Thunder.

The Knicks were only 4 of 18 in the fourth quarter, making just 1 of 9 3-pointers.

"In the fourth quarter we just tried to come out and play lockdown defense, and I think that's what we did," Durant said.

Anthony's injury prevented a matchup between the NBA's top two scorers, his 28.2 points per game slightly behind the 28.6 Durant came in averaging as he tries to lead the league for the fourth straight season.

But it was still a loud crowd for the Thunder's first game here in more than two years, since they weren't scheduled for a game at Madison Square Garden in the lockout-shortened 2011-12 season.

"You missed it last year with the shortened season," said Oklahoma City coach Scott Brooks, who played for the Knicks in the 1996-97 season. "It's one of those things, especially for myself because I like coming here and seeing all the excitement, and that was one of the disappointing things of looking at least season's schedule. We didn't have a stop here in New York City."

He said it would be exciting and he was right, mostly because of Smith's big night.

The reserve guard shoots often even when he's not doing it accurately, and just Sunday he threw up 14 3-point shots against Miami while making just three. But the Knicks needed him to keep shooting without Anthony, and he was locked in during the middle two quarters.

"He was making some tough shots. He's one of the guys in this league that you can guard well and he can make a tough shot. He was in a zone," Brooks said.

The Thunder scored 16 straight points, going ahead by 10 en route to a 35-26 lead behind 15 first-quarter points from Westbrook. The Knicks fought back to tie it at 48 on a basket by Kenyon Martin, on his second 10-day contract and getting his first extended playing time since signing late last month. Smith scored 18 in the second period, but the Thunder regrouped to take a 59-56 lead to the locker room.

The Knicks surged into the lead with nine straight points, highlighted by Stoudemire's dunk over Serge Ibaka, and went ahead 75-69 with 2:07 left in the third. Smith made sure they kept that margin going to the fourth, hitting two 3-pointers in the final 34 seconds to make it 81-75.

NOTES: Oklahoma City G Ronnie Brewer didn't play. Brewer was a starter for the Knicks to begin the season, but eventually lost his place in the rotation entirely after a lengthy slump and was dealt to the Thunder for a second-round pick at the trade deadline. ... The Knicks wore jerseys saying "Nueva York" as part of the NBA's Latin Nights series.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-03-08-BKN-Thunder-Knicks/id-eb515c242e4740aaa7c210fb6c2e6d06

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Friday, March 8, 2013

Idol boys go to church, go bilingual and get mad

American Idol 12 - top 20

One more round of deep cuts before we finally get to the top 10. Tonight, the boys sing for your votes.

Elijah Liu: ?Stay.? HE LOVES THE LADIES. DID YOU KNOW THAT? I think all this LL Elijah they?re pushing on us will backfire. It?s alternately too precious and creepy. Just let the boy sing. He makes a good choice in Rihanna?s ?Stay.? It?s of the moment and right in his range. Much better than his last performance, but still no vocal powerhouse. And it doesn?t really go anywhere.

?I think I would be willing to stay,? Nicki Minaj says. Meh. Maybe for a minute. Randy Jackson thinks ?it stayed in first gear.? I?ll give it to him when he?s right. Also, Mariah Carey never knows how to gracefully end critiques. Awkward smiles all around.

Cortez Shaw: ?Locked Out of Heaven.? OUCH ? that clip of Cortez singing ?Titanium? last week was painful. This is barely better. Bruno Mars is the business, y?all. And this performance is not the business. No star power. He eventually gets whiny and seems bored by the end.

Done with Cortez. I have been for a few weeks.

(Side note: I?ll be reviewing Bruno?s big RodeoHouston debut Thursday night in my annual, epic Rodeo trek.)

Nicki clocks his ?long johns.? I can?t ?

Charlie Askew, Top 10 Male Perform ~ American?

Charlie Askew: ?Mama.? OK, let?s start with the critiques. Keith calls it ?not fully genuine.? Nicki doesn?t want to see his arms or ponytail or earring or mustache. ?I didn?t even get it,? Randy adds. Mariah stumbles around hating it.

?I needed to vent,? Charlie says. ?A lot of people think I?m a very happy, buoyant person a lot of the time, and the only reason I smile so much is because I feel like I have to.?

Indeed, this was a dark, strange performance. But I didn?t hate it. There was something brave about it. And I?d take Charlie on a bad day over a lot of these guys. Still, there?s definitely something going on that needs to be addressed offstage.

Nick Boddington: ?Iris.? Of course this guy is singing this song. Boddington and his bowler hat bore me to tears. His vocal is nice enough. But we?ve seen/heard this all before. For years.

Burnell Taylor, Top 10 Male Perform ~ American?

Burnell Taylor: ?I?m Here.? Let?s put aside the ?80s outfit and overly theatrical hand gestures. Burnell has the gift of pure emotion in his voice and delivery. Keith is right in that no one sounds like Burnell. The judges (Keith) keeps telling the wrong singers that they?re able to balance traditional and modern sounds. Burnell can actually do it. He?s one of my favorites.

Paul Jolley: ?Just a Fool.? Paul has a great voice. But he has second-guessed himself throughout the competition. You can hear it in his voice and see it in his performance. He?s also a little dull. This was better than last week, but still not great.

Annnnnd he wants to be the guy version of Taylor Swift. STOP IT PAUL JOLLEY. Just stop.

Lazaro Arbos: ?Feeling Good.? Seriously? This song? Now? Out of all the guys in this thing, Lazaro probably has the widest window of choices. Voters will stick with him whatever he does. He, and the song, are crowd-pleasers. But this is utterly safe, and his vocal isn?t even all that dynamic. The judges really need to start pushing him and stop handling him as if he?s made of glass. I KNOW YOU WANT TO SAY SOMETHING MARIAH. SAY IT.

Curtis Finch Jr.: ?I Believe I Can Fly.? Sure, this is another predictable choice. But Curtis does his thing, hits that quivering note again, and follows it with another wow note. The judges are on their feet. He certainly knows how to work a song, a word, a moment. Nicki is fanning herself. EVEN QUEEN MARIAH STANDS. We?re suddenly all at church.

I absolutely recognize Finchy?s talent. But I also think he?s a bit old-fashioned.

Devin Velez: ?Somos Novios (It?s Impossible).? Look, I?m all for switching it up with Spanish lyrics. And Devin has a beautiful voice. Probably one of the best in the competition. But let us not forget season 10?s Karen Rodriguez, who did the bilingual thing so much that it became predictable, and even annoying, after just a few weeks. It starts to seem like a trick.

Vincent Powell, Top 10 Male Perform ~ American?

Vincent Powell: ?End of the Road.? Our Houston boy closes the show. Vincent seems to be straining in the beginning, and this song choice isn?t going to help him kick the old-fashioned tag. He?s doing some great things vocally, but it?s inconsistent. He pulls the mic away when he shouldn?t and seems nervous.

?Nerves got on top of your talent,? Keith says. Nicki doesn?t like the song choice. ?It just wasn?t your best,? Randy says. Mariah saw ?moments of brilliance.?

So who?s on to the top 10? I think it?ll be Charlie (still), Burnell, Lazaro, Devin and probably Curtis over Vincent. I think. But that?s probably wrong. Maybe?

?American Idol? chooses its top 10 7 p.m. Thursday on Fox.

Catch me recapping ?Idol? during the 5 p.m. news Thursdays and Fridays on Fox!

Source: http://blog.chron.com/tubular/2013/03/idol-boys-go-to-church-go-bilingual-and-get-mad/

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Egypt's police protest against Muslim Brotherhood

CAIRO (AP) ? Thousands of low-ranking policemen on strike across Egypt on Thursday refused orders to work and protested what they claim is the politicization of the force in favor of the president's Muslim Brotherhood party.

The strike, in its fourth day, is a rare show of defiance by policemen against their superiors. It threatens to unravel a security force already weakened by two years of unrest following the ouster of longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak.

For decades, Egypt's police aggressively targeted the Brotherhood and other Islamist groups that were once outlawed. Policemen say they are now being forced to confront protesters angry with Mubarak's successor, President Mohammed Morsi, and his Brotherhood supporters. They also are angry that they can be tried in military courts and complain that current laws do not protect them when they carry out their duties.

The Interior Ministry said in a statement Thursday that it stands at equal distance from all parties, and that the ministry is being objective in its duties.

The ministry, which oversees police in Egypt, relies on low-ranking policemen to protect government buildings, particularly in the face of angry protests in Suez Canal cities and in areas north of Cairo in the Nile Delta region. Hundreds of policemen have been wounded in the past six weeks of unrest in those areas, and several have been killed in the anti-government protests.

In Cairo, dozens of policemen blocked the entrance to one of the city's main police stations and expressed anger at Morsi's policies. Others held a sit-in outside Morsi's house in his hometown of Zagazig, northeast of the capital.

South of the capital, in Assiut and Luxor, policemen protested what they say is new Interior Minister Mohammed Ibrahim's attempts to use the force to protect the Brotherhood.

Security officials in the Interior Ministry said that the former interior minister refused orders to direct police against anti-Morsi protesters outside the presidential palace in Cairo in December. They say that the Brotherhood was also enraged that police did not protect the group's offices that month from being torched by Egyptians angry with Morsi's handling of the drafting of the constitution.

The strike comes just two days before a court is expected to hand down verdicts to defendants standing trial for a deadly soccer riot that killed 74 people in the canal city of Port Said. Nine security officials are among the 73 people on trial. Earlier, 21 people in the case were handed death sentences, which can be appealed, sparking a wave of violent protests in the city that led to 40 deaths in late January and accusations that police used excessive violence to clamp down on rioters.

Anger is also boiling in the Nile Delta province of Dakahliya, where protesters and policemen accuse the new security director there of ordering heavy-handed tactics to suppress anti-Brotherhood protests. Sami al-Meehy was appointed the province's security chief in recent days, just as anger there was mounting against the Brotherhood and a civil disobedience campaign began. Police there are accused of intentionally running over and killing a protester last weekend.

A similar strike last month by thousands of low-ranking policemen led to work stoppages for five days. They were demanding better firepower, wages and working conditions. The ministry said it agreed to purchase 100,000 new 9mm pistols and improve health care facilities for policemen, ending February's strike.

The police force, once a frightening and powerful underpinning of Mubarak's rule, has been accused by rights activists of carrying out the same brutal tactics under Morsi.

Egypt's uprising, which began two years ago on a day meant to commemorate police, was largely rooted in widespread hatred of security forces under Mubarak. More than 100 policemen have been put on trial for the killings of protesters, and all but two were acquitted.

Allegations of torture at the hands of police persist, and more than 70 people have been killed in nationwide protests since late January. Rights groups allege that police are still operating with impunity.

The latest allegation took place late Wednesday in the Nile Delta city of Mahalla. Hundreds of residents took to the streets to protest the killing of Ibrahim el-Kady, his wife, their daughter and their daughter's fianc?. According to Mahalla activist Samuel Adly, police were chasing a suspect when they fired at the wrong car, killing the four.

Security officials say they are investigating the incident.

The family's son told the satellite channel Al-Jazeera Mubashir Misr alleges that policemen were behind the killing. He said he saw men dressed in police uniform firing on his father's car, which was parked outside the family's house.

Lawlessness also has plagued parts of Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, where two British tourists were freed just hours after their kidnapping on Thursday.

A military intelligence official said the couple was released unharmed after police promised the Bedouin kidnappers that they would release a detained relative who had been arrested and accused of smuggling weapons from Libya to Egypt. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release the information.

Tourists have been targeted in the past by Bedouin in Sinai wanting to pressure police to free detained relatives. Tourists are typically not held long and released unharmed.

In another development, Egypt's electoral commission said it had suspended parliamentary elections and canceled the dates of the vote after a court ordered a stop to the elections. It said that the timetable set earlier for the parliamentary vote is no longer valid after Cairo Administrative Court issued a ruling on Tuesday. The ruling said the Islamist-dominated transitional parliament had improperly pushed through a law organizing the elections without allowing the Supreme Constitutional Court to review it.

The court annulled a decree by Morsi calling for the election. The cancellation of the vote was welcomed by Morsi's opposition which had decided to boycott the vote.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/egypts-police-protest-against-muslim-brotherhood-163059363.html

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Payday Loans: Helping You in Times Of Financial Need | Banking ...

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Source: http://www.nuncnow.org/payday-loans-helping-you-in-times-of-financial-need

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