SEOUL, South Korea (AP) ? Asian stock markets mostly rose on Monday as investors awaited the European Central Bank's interest rate decision later this week after disappointing U.S. growth data.
Australia's S&P/ASX 200 gained 0.4 percent to 5,118.00 and Hong Kong's Hang Seng edged up 0.1 percent to 22,568.15. Stocks in Taiwan, Indonesia and New Zealand also rose but South Korea's Kospi lost 0.2 percent to 1,941.35. Markets in mainland China and Japan were closed for holidays.
The U.S. government said Friday that the economy expanded 2.5 percent in the first quarter over a year earlier, falling short of expectations of 3 percent growth and compounding worries about the global economy. The report came after Japan said its consumer prices fell 0.9 percent in March, underlining challenges to the government's efforts to pull the economy out of a long spell of debilitating deflation.
The downbeat reports were tempered by expectations the European Central Bank will either lower interest rates or expand financial support for the 17-country euro area at its meeting Thursday, said Lim Ho-sang, a Seoul-based economist at Samsung Futures.
Investors are also waiting for more data to better assess the health of the U.S. private sector as the weaker-than-expected growth of the U.S. economy largely stemmed from lower government spending. U.S. March housing sales and April employment figures are scheduled to be released this week.
Benchmark oil for June delivery was down 38 cents to $92.62 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract fell 64 cents to $93 a barrel on Friday.
In currencies, the euro rose to $1.3049 from $1.3029. The dollar fell to 97.59 yen from 98.03 yen.
Apr. 29, 2013 ? Researchers at the University of Arizona's Tumamoc Hill have digitized 106 years of growth data on individual plants, making the information available for study by people all over the world.
Knowing how plants respond to changing conditions over many decades provides new insights into how ecosystems behave.
The permanent research plots on Tumamoc Hill represent the world's longest-running study that monitors individual plants, said co-author Larry Venable, director of research at Tumamoc Hill.
Some of the plots date from 1906 -- and the birth, growth and death of the individual plants on those plots have been periodically recorded ever since.
The century-long searchable archive is unique and invaluable, said Venable, a UA professor of ecology and evolutionary biology who has been studying plants on Tumamoc since 1982.
"You can see the ebb and flow of climate, and you can see the ebb and flow of vegetation," he said.
Lead author Susana Rodriguez-Buritica said, "Long-term data sets have a special place in ecology."
The records have allowed scientists to estimate life spans for desert perennials, some of which are very long-lived, Venable said.
In addition, data from the plots on Tumamoc Hill reveal changes in the Sonoran Desert and have been important to key advances in the science of ecology.
For example, the Tumamoc plant censuses helped overturn the long-standing idea that plant communities progress through a series of steps to a stable collection of species known as a climax community.
"The desert wasn't progressing toward a climax community," he said. Instead of being in synch, each species and plot was changing to its own rhythm.
Rodriguez-Buritica, a postdoctoral research associate in the UA department of ecology and evolutionary biology, Venable and their co-authors Helen Raichle and Robert H. Webb of the U.S. Geological Survey and Raymond M. Turner, formerly of USGS, have published a description of their data in the Ecological Society of America's journal Ecology and archived the data set with the society at http://www.esapubs.org/archive/ecol/E094/083/.
The title of their paper is, "One hundred and six years of population and community dynamics of Sonoran Desert Laboratory perennials." The National Science Foundation, the USGS and the U.S. National Park Service funded the archiving.
Landmark research on the physiology and ecology of desert plants has been conducted on Tumamoc Hill ever since the Carnegie Institution of Washington established the Desert Laboratory there in 1903 to study how plants cope with living in the desert.
The first permanent plots, generally 33 feet by 33 feet (10 meters by 10 meters), were established in 1906 by Volney Spalding; nine of his original plots remain to this day. Additional plots were established by Forrest Shreve in the 1910s and 1920s. Two more plots were added in 2010. Currently, there are 21 plots.
For every perennial plant within each plot, the ecologists recorded the species, the area the plant covered and its location. Even seedlings were identified and mapped.
In addition to the written records, repeated photographs of the plots have been taken since 1906. Those photographs are in the Desert Laboratory Collection of Repeat Photography at the USGS in Tucson, Ariz.
Over the years, botanists and ecologists have helped census and re-census the plots. Co-author Turner took over the work when he came to the UA as a botany professor in 1957, continued while a botanist for USGS and continues to do in retirement. In 1993, co-author Webb took up the project and is keeping the censuses going.
Sorting through data recorded from 2012 back to 1906 was a huge challenge, said Rodriguez-Buritica. She had something to build on: Janice Bowers of USGS had begun to archive the records but retired before finishing. Initially, Rodriguez-Buritica and Venable thought a year would do it -- but the task ended up taking much longer.
The records were in several places -- some at the library or in storage at Tumamoc and some in the UA library's Special Collections.
One of the challenges Rodriguez-Buritica faced is that methods of collecting and recording information about plants have changed over time.
Spalding, who established the very first plots in 1906, worked long before the age of computers -- he recorded his observations in a small notebook. Ecologists continued to record their field observations in paper notebooks and created maps on graph paper well into the latter part of the 20th century.
All those paper records had to be digitized.
Only in the last 20 years have scientists been pinpointing plant locations and other observations directly onto a map within their computers by using GPS and GIS technology.
Upon reviewing and checking the data, Rodriguez-Buritica realized that she needed to standardize the information collected over a century so that other scientists could analyze it. Her expertise in applied statistics and spatial ecology was perfect for the job.
She also computerized the series of maps created over time so new investigators could see all the plant location maps created since 1906.
By putting all the information into a standardized digital format and making it easily accessible on the Web, Rodriguez-Buritica, Venable and their colleagues have ensured that other researchers can build on and expand this unique data set.
Tumamoc Hill is one of the birthplaces of plant ecology, Venable said.
"In the first half of the 20th century, all the great plant ecologists either worked here or came though here," he said. "Plant ecologists from the Desert Lab were key in founding the Ecological Society of America and its flagship journal, Ecology. It is satisfying to see the project come full circle and be permanently archived 100 years later by the journal that these researchers started."
The Desert Lab and Tumamoc Hill have been designated as a National Environmental Study Site, a National Historic Landmark, an Arizona State Scientific and Educational Natural Area and are on the National Register of Historic Places.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Arizona. The original article was written by Mari N. Jensen.
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Journal Reference:
Susana Rodriguez-Buritica, Helen Raichle, Robert H. Webb, Raymond M. Turner, Larry Venable. One hundred and six years of population and community dynamics of Sonoran Desert Laboratory perennials. Ecology, 2013; 94 (4): 976 DOI: 10.1890/12-1164.1
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.
The FCC isn't the only agency playing with devices we don't even know exist, and its Chinese equivalent has recently had some hands-on time with an unknown Huawei smartphone, codename P6-U06. Luckily, there are a few pics and specs to accompany the filing, which tell us it weighs 120g (4.2 ounces) and measures 132.6 x 65.5 x 6.18mm (5.2 x 2.6 x 0.2 inch), meaning it could be the super-slim P series handset a Huawei exec hinted at in January. It didn't materialize at MWC, but the same exec promised more was to come in 2013, possibly starting with this P6-U06.
Those dimensions house a 4.7-inch TFT screen at 720p resolution, quad-core 1.5GHz processor, 2GB RAM, an 8-megapixel camera on the back and an unusually large 5-megapixel sensor in the shooter up front. Unsurprisingly, Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean is listed as the OS, while GSM / WCDMA radios suggest Asia as the target market (not to mention the Chinese certification). That's all we've got on the P6-U06 for now, but in lieu of official press shots, the handset strikes a couple more candid poses after the break.
For example, if x86 chips were more competitive with ARM processors from a performance-per-watt perspective, then Microsoft wouldn't be as reliant on Metro-style apps for functionality. And if more developers were creating Metro-style apps, then consumers wouldn't have to go to the legacy desktop mode as much to get things done. (Until the company releases a Metro-style Office, Microsoft really can't wag its finger too much at third parties.)
Two police officers shot as Italian government sworn in
ROME (Reuters) - Two Italian police officers were shot and wounded on Sunday outside the prime minister's office in Rome just as new premier Enrico Letta's government was being sworn in just a kilometer (mile) away. It was not clear whether the attack by a man police said was unemployed was linked to the launch of the new government at a time of deep political divisions and social tensions exacerbated by a long slump in the euro zone's third largest economy.
Iraq watchdog suspends 10 TV channels for inciting violence
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq has suspended the licenses of satellite news network Al Jazeera and nine other channels, accusing them of inciting violence through their coverage of recent sectarian clashes. The Communication and Media Commission (CMC) regulator criticized their reporting of violence triggered by a security forces raid on a Sunni Muslim protest camp in Hawija on Tuesday.
Algeria president's health improving: state news agency
ALGIERS (Reuters) - Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika's state of health "is progressing well", his doctor was quoted as saying on Sunday, a day after he was transferred to France for medical tests. Bouteflika, 76, was taken to Paris Val-de-Grace hospital on Saturday night after what the North African state's official news agency APS described as a "transient ischemic attack", or minor stroke.
Fugitive owner arrested as Bangladesh building toll reaches 377
DHAKA (Reuters) - The owner of a factory building that collapsed in Bangladesh killing hundreds of garment workers was arrested on Sunday trying to flee to India, as hopes of finding more survivors from the country's worst industrial accident began to fade. Mohammed Sohel Rana was arrested by the elite Rapid Action Battalion in the border town of Benapole, Dhaka District Police Chief Habibur Rahman told Reuters, ending a four-day manhunt that began after Rana Plaza, which housed factories making low-cost garments for Western retailers, caved in on Wednesday.
Bulgaria's center right on track for election win: poll
SOFIA (Reuters) - Bulgaria's center-right GERB party is on course for election victory on May 12 despite resigning from the government after mass protests against low living standards in February, a poll showed on Sunday. The state-funded NPOC survey put ex-premier Boiko Borisov's GERB at 23.6 percent and the Socialists at 17.7 percent. On this basis, however, a hung parliament looked likely since a party needs over 43 percent of votes for a majority.
Syria's neighbors cautious about U.S.-led intervention
ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Syria's neighbors, wary of stirring a conflict that could spill back over their borders, would be reluctant partners in a U.S.-led intervention but are ultimately likely to support limited military action if widespread use of chemical weapons is proven. The White House disclosed U.S. intelligence on Thursday that Syria had likely used chemical weapons, a move President Barack Obama had said could trigger unspecified consequences, widely interpreted to include possible U.S. military action.
Libya to help ease Egypt crisis with $1.2 billion oil deal
TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Libya will soon start shipping oil to neighboring Egypt on soft credit terms, two senior Libyan officials said, as Cairo struggles to pay for energy imports and avoid fuel shortages. The officials told Reuters that Tripoli would supply Cairo with $1.2 billion worth of crude at world prices but on interest free credit for a year, with the first cargo expected to arrive next month.
Iceland set for coalition talks after government ousted
REYKJAVIK (Reuters) - Iceland's center-right parties prepared for coalition talks on Sunday after defeating the ruling Social Democrats in elections with promises of ending austerity measures five years after a financial collapse. With nearly all the ballots counted, the Independence Party took 26.7 percent of the vote and the Progressive Party 24.4 percent, both gaining 19 seats in the Althing, or parliament.
Germany's Greens lurch left in bid to beat Merkel
BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany's Greens lurched to the left at a party congress in Berlin over the weekend by endorsing a "soak-the-rich" campaign for new taxes, a risky attempt to win power in September's election that upset the party's pragmatist wing. Ignoring warnings against raising too many taxes at once from their most successful leader, Greens state premier Winfried Kretschmann, the 800 delegates voted to push to raise the top income tax rate to 49 percent from 42 percent and introduce an annual 1.5 percent wealth tax on assets above a million euros.
Building collapses in northern France, two dead
PARIS (Reuters) - Part of a five-storey residential building collapsed in the center of the northeastern French city of Reims on Sunday, killing two people and injuring at least 10, officials said. The collapse, which left several apartments dangling in open air, may have been caused by a gas explosion and investigations were continuing, regional official Michel Bernard told BFM-TV.
26 April 2013Last updated at 05:56 ETBy Jason PalmerScience and technology reporter, BBC News
New measurements suggest the Earth's inner core is far hotter than prior experiments suggested, putting it at 6,000C - as hot as the Sun's surface.
The solid iron core is actually crystalline, surrounded by liquid.
But the temperature at which that crystal can form had been a subject of long-running debate.
Experiments outlined in Science used X-rays to probe tiny samples of iron at extraordinary pressures to examine how the iron crystals form and melt.
Seismic waves captured after earthquakes around the globe can give a great deal of information as to the thickness and density of layers in the Earth, but they give no indication of temperature.
That has to be worked out either in computer models that simulate the Earth's insides, or in the laboratory.
X-ray vision
Measurements in the early 1990s of iron's "melting curves" - from which the core's temperature can be deduced - suggested a core temperature of about 5,000C.
"It was just the beginning of these kinds of measurements so they made a first estimate... to constrain the temperature inside the Earth," said Agnes Dewaele of the French research agency CEA and a co-author of the new research.
"Other people made other measurements and calculations with computers and nothing was in agreement. It was not good for our field that we didn't agree with each other," she told BBC News.
The core temperature is crucial to a number of disciplines that study regions of our planet's interior that will never be accessed directly - guiding our understanding of everything from earthquakes to the Earth's magnetic field.
"We have to give answers to geophysicists, seismologists, geodynamicists - they need some data to feed their computer models," Dr Dewaele said.
The team has now revisited those 20-year-old measurements, making use of the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility - one of the world's most intense sources of X-rays.
To replicate the enormous pressures at the core boundary - more than a million times the pressure at sea level - they used a device called a diamond anvil cell - essentially a tiny sample held between the points of two precision-machined synthetic diamonds.
Once the team's iron samples were subjected to the high pressures and high temperatures using a laser, the scientists used X-ray beams to carry out "diffraction" - bouncing X-rays off the nuclei of the iron atoms and watching how the pattern changed as the iron changed from solid to liquid.
Those diffraction patterns give more insight into partially molten states of iron, which the team believes were what the researchers were measuring in the first experiments.
They suggest a core temperature of about 6,000C, give or take 500C - roughly that of the Sun's surface.
But importantly, Dr Dewaele said, "now everything agrees".
SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea rejected on Friday a South Korean proposal for talks aimed at restarting a joint factory zone saying the South has acted in an "unpardonable" manner to jeopardize a "precious" legacy of the rivals' bid to seek peace.
The North's National Defense Commission, its supreme leadership body, repeated that what it saw as the reckless behavior of the South had thrown into question the safety of the zone's operation and had forced it to stop access there.
The Kaesong industrial zone is just inside North Korea.
"If the South's puppet regime turns a blind eye to reality and continues to pursue a worsening of the situation, we will be forced to take a final and decisive important measure," a spokesman for the commission was quoted as saying.
The Kaesong industrial zone opened in 2004 as part of a so-called sunshine policy of engagement and optimism between the two Koreas, still technically at war after their 1950-53 war conflict ended in a truce, not a treaty.
About 53,000 North Koreans worked at the complex where 123 South Korean companies have set up small- and medium-sized factories.
The zone was a lucrative source of cash for the impoverished North, providing it with almost $90 million a year. South Korean manufacturers have been paying about $130 a month to North Korea for each of the workers they employed.
The North withdrew its workers this month amid spiraling tension between the two Koreas. North Korea said the United States and the South were to blame because of what it sees as threatening U.S. and South Korean military exercises.
On Thursday, South Korea proposed formal talks between the governments as the 170 or so South Korean workers who remain there are believed to be running out of food and other supplies. It had demanded an answer from the North by Friday.
North Korea has prevented South Korean workers and supplies from getting in to the zone since April 3.
The number of South Koreans in the zone has dwindled from the 700 or so normally needed to keep the factories running to about 170, seen as the minimum number needed to safeguard assets at the 1 trillion won ($894.73 million) park.
North Korea stepped up defiance of U.N. Security Council resolutions in December when it launched a rocket that it said had put a scientific satellite into orbit. Critics said the launch was aimed at developing technology to deliver a nuclear warhead mounted on a long-range missile.
The North followed that in February with its third test of a nuclear weapon. That brought new U.N. sanctions which in turn led to a dramatic intensification of North Korea's threats of nuclear strikes against South Korea and the United States. (Reporting by Jack Kim; Editing by Robert Birsel)
NBC's Michael Isikoff reports on what a source, inside the hospital room with Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, is telling him about Tsarnaev's interaction with investigators. NBC analyst Roger Cressey also joins to discuss what authorities are now saying about the Tsarnaev brothers' possible plans for an attack on New York City.
By Michael Isikoff, National Investigative Correspondent, NBC News
A badly wounded but awake Dzhokhar Tsarnaev showed little signs of fear or remorse during his hospital room court hearing earlier this week and his heart monitor didn?t register a blip when he was told he was facing the death penalty in the Boston Marathon bombing case, according to a source familiar with the events inside the hospital room when he was read his rights.
Tsarnaev?s face was splotched and swollen, his left hand was bandaged, and he was unable to talk during the brief court hearing presided over by U.S. Judge Marianne Bowler on Monday afternoon.
The surviving bombing suspect mouthed rather than said the word ?no? when asked if he could afford a lawyer and nodded in the affirmative when asked if he understood his rights.
But Tsarnaev appeared to fully follow the proceeding, the source said. The most telling moment, the source said, came early on when, after Tsarnaev was informed of the two charges against him, the judge asked prosecutor William Weinreb to spell out the possible penalties he was facing.
?Your honor, the maximum penalty is death,? Weinreb said, according to a public transcript of the proceeding.
?
Tsarnaev showed no reaction ? nor did his heart monitor register any change, the source said. ?There was no blip at all,? said the source.
But heart monitors don?t always register emotional responses ??and there is no way to tell what impact medications Tsarmaev may have been given had, according to medical experts.
There have also been conflicting reports about Tsarnaev?s mental state in the days after his capture. ?Over the weekend, he?s in and out of lucidity,? Rep. Mike Rogers, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said on MSNBC?s ?Andrea Mitchell? show on Thursday. ?He?s got ? he?s on medication, he?s talking, but he?s not talking, he?s unconscious, he?s going for medical procedures.?
But those present at the bedside court hearing were convinced that Tsarnaev was fully cognizant of the circumstances he was facing, the source said. Judge Bowler agreed. ?I find the defendant is alert, mentally competent and lucid,? she said, according to the transcript. ?He is aware of the nature of the proceedings.?
Handout / FBI via Reuters
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, has been charged in the Boston Marathon bombing.
The court proceeding erupted as a source of controversy Thursday when Rogers charged that Judge Bowler had interfered with FBI questioning of Tsarnaev ? and that the Justice Department failed to object ? when she ordered that Tsarnaev be read his rights on Monday, a day after he was charged in a then-sealed complaint at 6:47 p.m. Sunday.
?
FBI agents were questioning Tsarnaev ? and getting his responses in writing ? under a ?public safety exception? that allows agents to obtain information from criminal suspects for 48 hours without reading them their constitutional rights informing them they have the right to remain silent and a right to a lawyer. The information that agents got ? including the disclosure Thursday that Tsarnaev and his brother had talked about driving to Times Square to set off more bombs ? came during those sessions over the weekend.
But Rogers said Thursday that FBI agents ?weren?t quite finished with him? when Bowler directed that the court hearing take place that Monday. ?To have the court affirmatively push their way in, is ? A) I think it's wrong, and B) we should have given the FBI the time that they needed.? Justice Department officials ?have a lot of explaining to do.?
Bowler, asked by NBC News about Rogers? charges in her federal courtroom in Boston Thursday, replied: ?The court does not comment.?
A? federal law enforcement official disputed Rogers? account, telling NBC News that FBI agents had already left the hospital room and wrapped up their questioning before the court hearing took place mid-day Monday. In a statement emailed to reporters Thursday, Justice Department spokesman Dean Boyd said that, after the criminal complaint was filed, the rules of criminal procedure required the judge to advice the defendant of his rights.?
?The prosecutors and FBI agents in Boston were advised of the scheduled initial appearance in advance of its occurrence,? he said.?
Four explosions struck fuel barges carrying natural gas in the Mobile River in Alabama on Wednesday. Officials planned to let the barges burn because of the instability of the situation.?
By Staff,?Associated Press / April 24, 2013
Tug boats maneuver around the Carnival cruise ship Triumph on the east side of the Mobile River earlier this month. On Wednesday two fuel barges on the river exploded, rattling windows and blowing open doors in communities nearby.
AP Photo/AL.com, Bill Starling
Enlarge
Firefighters from Mobile, Ala., and U.S. Coast Guard crews responded Wednesday night to four explosions and a fire on fuel barges in the Mobile River.
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Officials were responding to two explosions and a fire at natural gas barges when a third explosion occurred, Mobile Fire and Rescue spokesman Steve Huffman said. It was not immediately clear if the third explosion was on one of the barges that were already engulfed in flames.
A fourth explosion was reported just before 10 p.m. CDT.
Three people were hospitalized with burns and information on their conditions was not immediately available.
Fire officials said they planned to let the barges burn into the night because the situation was too unstable.
The explosions happened in an area of the river east of downtown Mobile, Huffman said. U.S. Coast Guard Petty Ofc. Carlos Vega said the blast happened in a ship channel near the George C. Wallace Tunnel ? which carries traffic from Interstate 10 under the Mobile River.
The explosions rattled the windows of houses in downtown, blew doors open in the Spanish Fort area and aftershocks were reported in Bay Minette and Fort Morgan, according to the Mobile Press-Register. Video from WALA-TV (http://bit.ly/15NEYJl) shows flames engulfing a large section of the barge.
Coast Guard officials were on their way to the scene Wednesday night and the cause of the explosion was not immediately clear, Vega said.
The explosion comes two months after a Carnival cruise ship was towed to Mobile after becoming disabled during a February cruise by an engine room fire, leaving thousands of passengers to endure cold food, unsanitary conditions and power outages. The ship is still undergoing repairs there and was sheltering in place late Wednesday.
Two shipyard workers fell into Mobile Bay on April 3 during a windstorm that dislodged the disabled Carnival Triumph cruise ship from its mooring. While one worker was rescued, the other's body was pulled from the water more than a week later.
Children and their parents gathered in Dorchester, Mass., last weekend to paint a 100-foot-long banner in memory of Martin Richard, the 8-year-old boy killed in last week's bombings at the Boston Marathon.
By Matthew DeLuca, Staff Writer, NBC News
BOSTON -- With song, brushes and buckets of paint, children in Boston are using the arts to try to express feelings about last week's marathon bombings for which even their parents do not have words.
"Painting for Peace? was inspired by 8-year-old Martin Richard, the youngest person killed in the attack near the finish line of the Boston Marathon. Parents and their children turned out last weekend in Dorchester, Mass., the Richard family's home, to paint a 100-foot-long roll of wallpaper with swirls of color and the message held up on an art project by the gap-toothed boy in a picture that went around the world last week: "No more hurting people. Peace."
"It was just the most obvious message that was on everybody's minds," said Liz Carney, who organized the project with her group Dot Art. "We were seeing that image and that message everywhere. A message about peace had a really important place in our response, in our community."
The sign now greets drivers passing under the Savin Hill Bridge over Interstate 93 heading into Boston. About 25 to 50 volunteers of all ages showed up to help create the banner, cards and other paintings and drawings over the weekend, Carney said.
"It was really a very heartfelt expression of peace and solidarity by our neighborhood," Carney said. "I had a lot of parents say how grateful they were to bring their kids to be a part of it, that the children in our community sometimes need a place to express things that are beyond words, and using their hands and having a place to tangibly put their energy is really important."
Boston-area children have turned to art projects like this one in Dorchester to help heal the wounds left by last week's marathon bombings.
Martin Richard?s sister Jane, 7, is among the 425 children from across the city who take singing lessons with the Boston City Singers. Not all of the youngest singers know all the details about the deadly blasts, but they know Jane was among the more than 260 people injured in the attack. Jane Richard lost a leg in the explosions; the children's mother, Denise, was seriously injured.
When a group of 4-to-6-year-old singers went back to Boston City Singers on Wednesday, parents were invited to stay if they wanted, managing director Melissa Graham said. Everything went well even when one little boy had a question about their missing classmate?she said.
"One little boy said, 'Janie got hurt, is she going to be OK?'" Graham said. "And the conductor said, 'Yes, Janie is going to be OK. That was just an accident. Janie got hurt, she is going to be OK.'"
Boston City Singers charges tuition but does not turn away children on a financial basis, and makes up for costs with fundraising and grants, Graham said. The same way the children forget about whose parents have more money while making a song together, she said, maybe they will forget about the bombings for a little while when the youth choral group performs at "Children Sing for Peace" on Saturday at St. Mark Church in Dorchester.
The concert, which includes the Cambridge Children's Chorus and other local singing groups, will be about community and not about the bombs allegedly set off by brothers Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. Other singers will come from the local Neighborhood House Charter School, which Jane and Martin attended and where their mother works.
"Song is one of those things that unites people," Graham said. "It gives the community a chance to feel like they are doing something."
The same need for expression was clear to Margery Buckingham when children came into the Dorchester Arts Collaborative on Tuesday. She said the week of arts and crafts she had planned for the 8-to-12-year-olds would not continue as though nothing had happened.
In a press conference a victim of the Boston Marathon bombing shares the story that left her with an amputated leg.
"One little girl said how she didn't sleep all night because she was so frightened," said Buckingham, education director at the collaborative, which fosters the arts in Dorchester.
Heidi Katz, an arts therapist from nearby Roxbury, Mass., came in on Thursday, Buckingham said. She did drawings and spoke with the children, and brought rhythm instruments for them to play. She asked the children where they felt safe.
"With most of our children it was at home and in church," Buckingham said. "And one little girl said, 'In my heart.'"
Buckingham called parents to let them known beforehand that the arts therapist would be coming, in case they did not want their children to participate. All the children showed up, and parents sent two more.
"It's something we have to do again," Buckingham said. "These feelings aren't going to go away."
TOKYO (Reuters) - Bank of Japan policymakers are divided over whether the central bank can meet its inflation target in two years, underlining concerns it has set an unrealistic goal in its battle to end 15 years of deflation despite plans for a massive burst of monetary stimulus.
The central bank held off on offering any fresh policy initiatives following the April 4 policy meeting, when new Governor Haruhiko Kuroda stunned markets by promising to inject about $1.4 trillion into the economy to hit the 2 percent inflation target in roughly two years.
The BOJ's semi-annual economic report, which is based on forecasts from the BOJ board's nine members, showed the degree to which other policymakers share Kuroda's view.
Their median forecast shows they expect core consumer inflation, the central bank's preferred gauge for price trends, to reach 1.9 percent in the year to March 2016, close to the bank's target. But the forecasts of the board members ranged widely, from 0.8 percent to 2.3 percent.
And while the BOJ officially said it expected to achieve 2 percent inflation towards the latter half of its projection period out to March 2016, board members Takahide Kiuchi and Takehiro Sato dissented against that view, underlining the division in the board.
"The BOJ's inflation forecast is quite ambitious and probably pretty hard to achieve," said Yuichi Kodama, chief economist at Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance in Tokyo.
"There's no guarantee that by expanding base money, the BOJ can heighten inflation expectations," he said. "It would be tough to achieve 2 percent inflation in Japan with monetary easing alone."
A gap in the views of future inflation poses a dilemma for the BOJ because its policy relies so much on shaping market and public expectations, or trying to nudge people into spending more on the belief that prices will finally start to rise in the future.
In a reminder of the task ahead, data on Friday showed core consumer prices fell from a year earlier for the fifth straight month in March, even as the yen's recent fall pushed up import costs. Core prices, which include all items except for volatile food costs, fell 0.5 percent.
Kuroda has vowed to do whatever it takes to achieve its price target in two years, putting the central bank's reputation on the line to restore an inflation level that has rarely been hit since the early 1990s.
The BOJ's median projection is much higher than the forecasts of 10 private-sector economists gathered in a Reuters poll this week. The poll shows a median forecast for core inflation of around 1 percent in 2015/16, almost half the BOJ readout.
A lack of progress in meeting the target may undermine public expectations of future price moves and force the BOJ into taking further monetary action despite unleashing the world's most intense burst of monetary stimulus earlier this month, some analysts say.
"When the BOJ updates these forecasts again, there could be speculation that it will increase debt purchases again because it won't be close to meeting its target," said Hiroaki Muto, senior economist at Sumitomo Mitsui Asset Management Co.
"With yields already so low, this could make banks afraid to buy more government debt."
REITERATES BASE MONEY TARGET
The BOJ reiterated its pledge to expand base money, its new policy target, at an annual pace of 60 trillion yen ($604 billion) to 70 trillion yen. Base money is the combined amount of cash and deposits parked with the central bank.
"Personally, I think many on the board feel that inflation will reach around 2 percent in the first half of fiscal 2015," Kuroda told reporters, referring to the year to March 2016.
The BOJ report forecast stronger economic growth in the next few years than it had projected in January and higher inflation.
It suggested that the fall in the yen, as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has pushed through aggressive policies to lift the economy, will boost exports and put upward pressure on nominal wages. Higher wages are critical to getting Japanese consumers spending again after years of deflation.
"Quantitative and qualitative monetary easing is expected not only to work through such transmission channels as long-term interest rates and asset prices, but also to lower real interest rates through a pickup in inflation expectations," the BOJ said in its report.
The BOJ forecasts that core consumer inflation, excluding the impact of an expected hike in the national sales tax, would reach 1.4 percent in 2014/15, higher than its January projection of 0.9 percent.
A Reuters poll this week of 10 analysts showed most of them expect core CPI to rise around 0.5 percent in the year to March 2015, about a third of the pace projected by the BOJ. The poll's forecasts also excluded the expected hike in the sales tax.
($1=99.3750 yen)
(Additional reporting by Kaori Kaneko and Tetsushi Kajimoto; Editing by Neil Fullick and Shri Navaratnam)
DHAKA (Reuters) - A block housing garment factories and shops collapsed in Bangladesh on Wednesday, killing nearly 100 people and injuring more than a thousand, officials said.
Firefighters and troops dug frantically through the rubble at the eight-storey Rana Plaza building in Savar, 30 km (20 miles) outside Dhaka. Television showed young women workers, some apparently semi-conscious, being pulled out.
One fireman told Reuters about 2,000 people were in the building when the upper floors slammed down onto those below.
Bangladesh's booming garments industry has been plagued by fires and other accidents for years, despite a drive to improve safety standards. In November 112 workers died in a blaze at the Tazreen factory in a nearby suburb, putting a spotlight on global retailers which source clothes from Bangladesh.
"It looks like an earthquake has struck here," said one resident as he looked on at the chaotic scene of smashed concrete and ambulances making their way through the crowds of workers and wailing relatives.
People and rescuers gather after an eight-story building housing several garment factories collapsed in Savar, near Dhaka, Bangladesh, Wednesday, April 24, 2013. Dozens were killed and many more are ... more? People and rescuers gather after an eight-story building housing several garment factories collapsed in Savar, near Dhaka, Bangladesh, Wednesday, April 24, 2013. Dozens were killed and many more are feared trapped in the rubble. (AP Photo/ A.M. Ahad) less? "I was at work on the third floor, and then suddenly I heard a deafening sound, but couldn't understand what was happening. I ran and was hit by something on my head," said factory worker Zohra Begum.
An official at a control room set up to provide information said 96 people were confirmed dead and more than 1,000 injured. Doctors at local hospitals said they were unable to cope with the number of victims brought in.
CRACKS IN BUILDING
Mohammad Asaduzzaman, in charge of the area's police station, said factory owners appeared to have ignored a warning not to allow their workers into the building after a crack was detected in the block on Tuesday.
Five garment factories - employing mostly women - were housed in the building, including Ether Tex Ltd., whose chairman said he was unaware of any warnings not to open the workshops.
"There was some crack at the second floor, but my factory was on the fifth floor," Muhammad Anisur Rahman told Reuters. "The owner of the building told our floor manager that it is not a problem and so you can open the factory."
He initially said that his firm had been sub-contracted to supply Wal-Mart Stores Inc, the world's largest retailer, and Europe's C&A. In a subsequent interview he said he had been referring to an order in the past, not current work.
Wal-Mart did not immediately respond to requests for comment. C&A said that, based on its best information, it had no contractual relationship with any of the production units in the building that collapsed.
The website of a company called New Wave, which had two factories in the building, listed 27 main buyers, including firms from Britain, Denmark, France, Germany, Spain, Ireland, Canada and the United States.
"It is dreadful that leading brands and governments continue to allow garment workers to die or suffer terrible disabling injuries in unsafe factories making clothes for Western nations' shoppers," Laia Blanch of the U.K. anti-poverty charity War on Want said in a statement.
November's factory fire raised questions about how much control Western brands have over their supply chains for clothes sourced from Bangladesh. Wages as low as $38.50 a month have helped propel the country to no. 2 in the ranks of apparel exporters.
It emerged later that a Wal-Mart supplier had subcontracted work to the Tazreen factory without authorization.
Buildings in the crowded city of Dhaka are sometimes erected without permission and many do not comply with construction regulations.
(Additional reporting by Andrew Biraj; Writing by John Chalmers; Editing by Andrew Roche)
New imaging technology could reveal cellular secretsPublic release date: 25-Apr-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Emil Venere venere@purdue.edu 765-494-4709 Purdue University
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Researchers have married two biological imaging technologies, creating a new way to learn how good cells go bad.
"Let's say you have a large population of cells," said Corey Neu, an assistant professor in Purdue University's Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering. "Just one of them might metastasize or proliferate, forming a cancerous tumor. We need to understand what it is that gives rise to that one bad cell."
Such an advance makes it possible to simultaneously study the mechanical and biochemical behavior of cells, which could provide new insights into disease processes, said biomedical engineering postdoctoral fellow Charilaos "Harris" Mousoulis.
Being able to study a cell's internal workings in fine detail would likely yield insights into the physical and biochemical responses to its environment. The technology, which combines an atomic force microscope and nuclear magnetic resonance system, could help researchers study individual cancer cells, for example, to uncover mechanisms leading up to cancer metastasis for research and diagnostics.
The prototype's capabilities were demonstrated by taking nuclear magnetic resonance spectra of hydrogen atoms in water. Findings represent a proof of concept of the technology and are detailed in a research paper that appeared online April 11 in the journal Applied Physics Letters. The paper was co-authored by Mousoulis; research scientist Teimour Maleki; Babak Ziaie, a professor of electrical and computer engineering; and Neu.
"You could detect many different types of chemical elements, but in this case hydrogen is nice to detect because it's abundant," Neu said. "You could detect carbon, nitrogen and other elements to get more detailed information about specific biochemistry inside a cell."
An atomic force microscope (AFM) uses a tiny vibrating probe called a cantilever to yield information about materials and surfaces on the scale of nanometers, or billionths of a meter. Because the instrument enables scientists to "see" objects far smaller than possible using light microscopes, it could be ideal for studying molecules, cell membranes and other biological structures.
However, the AFM does not provide information about the biological and chemical properties of cells. So the researchers fabricated a metal microcoil on the AFM cantilever. An electrical current is passed though the coil, causing it to exchange electromagnetic radiation with protons in molecules within the cell and inducing another current in the coil, which is detected.
The Purdue researchers perform "mechanobiology" studies to learn how forces exerted on cells influence their behavior. In work focusing on osteoarthritis, their research includes the study of cartilage cells from the knee to learn how they interact with the complex matrix of structures and biochemistry between cells.
Future research might include studying cells in "microfluidic chambers" to test how they respond to specific drugs and environmental changes.
A U.S. patent application has been filed for the concept. The research has been funded by Purdue's Showalter Trust Fund and the National Institutes of Health.
###
Note to Journalists: Journalists can obtain a copy of the research paper by contacting Emil Venere, Purdue News Service, at 765-494-4709, venere@purdue.edu
Writer: Emil Venere
Sources:
Corey Neu 765-496-1426 cpneu@purdue.edu
Charilaos "Harris" Mousoulis cmousoul@purdue.edu
IMAGE CAPTION:
This image illustrates the concept for a new type of technology that combines two biological imaging methods - atomic force microscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance - to create a new way to study cancer-cell metastasis and other disease-related processes. (Purdue University image/ Xin Xu)
A publication-quality image is available at https://news.uns.purdue.edu/images/2013/neu-microcoil.jpg
ABSTRACT
Atomic Force Microscopy-Coupled Microcoils for Cellular-Scale Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
Charilaos Mousoulis,1 Teimour Maleki,2 Babak Ziaie,1,2,3 and Corey P. Neu1,a
1 1Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, Purdue University
2 2Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Purdue University
3 Birck Nanotechnology Center, Purdue University
We present the coupling of atomic force microscopy (AFM) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) technologies to enable topographical, mechanical and chemical profiling of biological samples. Here, we fabricate and perform proof-of-concept testing of radiofrequency planar microcoils on commercial AFM cantilevers. The sensitive region of the coil was estimated to cover an approximate volume of 19.4 10 3 lm3 (19.4 pl). Functionality of the spectroscopic module of the prototype device is illustrated through the detection of 1H resonance in deionized water. The acquired spectra 14 depict combined NMR capability with AFM that may ultimately enable biophysical and biochemical studies at the single cell level. VC 2013 AIP Publishing LLC. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4801318].
[ | E-mail | Share ]
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
New imaging technology could reveal cellular secretsPublic release date: 25-Apr-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Emil Venere venere@purdue.edu 765-494-4709 Purdue University
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Researchers have married two biological imaging technologies, creating a new way to learn how good cells go bad.
"Let's say you have a large population of cells," said Corey Neu, an assistant professor in Purdue University's Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering. "Just one of them might metastasize or proliferate, forming a cancerous tumor. We need to understand what it is that gives rise to that one bad cell."
Such an advance makes it possible to simultaneously study the mechanical and biochemical behavior of cells, which could provide new insights into disease processes, said biomedical engineering postdoctoral fellow Charilaos "Harris" Mousoulis.
Being able to study a cell's internal workings in fine detail would likely yield insights into the physical and biochemical responses to its environment. The technology, which combines an atomic force microscope and nuclear magnetic resonance system, could help researchers study individual cancer cells, for example, to uncover mechanisms leading up to cancer metastasis for research and diagnostics.
The prototype's capabilities were demonstrated by taking nuclear magnetic resonance spectra of hydrogen atoms in water. Findings represent a proof of concept of the technology and are detailed in a research paper that appeared online April 11 in the journal Applied Physics Letters. The paper was co-authored by Mousoulis; research scientist Teimour Maleki; Babak Ziaie, a professor of electrical and computer engineering; and Neu.
"You could detect many different types of chemical elements, but in this case hydrogen is nice to detect because it's abundant," Neu said. "You could detect carbon, nitrogen and other elements to get more detailed information about specific biochemistry inside a cell."
An atomic force microscope (AFM) uses a tiny vibrating probe called a cantilever to yield information about materials and surfaces on the scale of nanometers, or billionths of a meter. Because the instrument enables scientists to "see" objects far smaller than possible using light microscopes, it could be ideal for studying molecules, cell membranes and other biological structures.
However, the AFM does not provide information about the biological and chemical properties of cells. So the researchers fabricated a metal microcoil on the AFM cantilever. An electrical current is passed though the coil, causing it to exchange electromagnetic radiation with protons in molecules within the cell and inducing another current in the coil, which is detected.
The Purdue researchers perform "mechanobiology" studies to learn how forces exerted on cells influence their behavior. In work focusing on osteoarthritis, their research includes the study of cartilage cells from the knee to learn how they interact with the complex matrix of structures and biochemistry between cells.
Future research might include studying cells in "microfluidic chambers" to test how they respond to specific drugs and environmental changes.
A U.S. patent application has been filed for the concept. The research has been funded by Purdue's Showalter Trust Fund and the National Institutes of Health.
###
Note to Journalists: Journalists can obtain a copy of the research paper by contacting Emil Venere, Purdue News Service, at 765-494-4709, venere@purdue.edu
Writer: Emil Venere
Sources:
Corey Neu 765-496-1426 cpneu@purdue.edu
Charilaos "Harris" Mousoulis cmousoul@purdue.edu
IMAGE CAPTION:
This image illustrates the concept for a new type of technology that combines two biological imaging methods - atomic force microscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance - to create a new way to study cancer-cell metastasis and other disease-related processes. (Purdue University image/ Xin Xu)
A publication-quality image is available at https://news.uns.purdue.edu/images/2013/neu-microcoil.jpg
ABSTRACT
Atomic Force Microscopy-Coupled Microcoils for Cellular-Scale Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
Charilaos Mousoulis,1 Teimour Maleki,2 Babak Ziaie,1,2,3 and Corey P. Neu1,a
1 1Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, Purdue University
2 2Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Purdue University
3 Birck Nanotechnology Center, Purdue University
We present the coupling of atomic force microscopy (AFM) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) technologies to enable topographical, mechanical and chemical profiling of biological samples. Here, we fabricate and perform proof-of-concept testing of radiofrequency planar microcoils on commercial AFM cantilevers. The sensitive region of the coil was estimated to cover an approximate volume of 19.4 10 3 lm3 (19.4 pl). Functionality of the spectroscopic module of the prototype device is illustrated through the detection of 1H resonance in deionized water. The acquired spectra 14 depict combined NMR capability with AFM that may ultimately enable biophysical and biochemical studies at the single cell level. VC 2013 AIP Publishing LLC. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4801318].
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
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RadioShack is ready and waiting to give you your Galaxy S4 this coming Saturday
The Samsung Galaxy S4 will be available for purchase for Sprint and AT&T at RadioShack this Saturday, April 27th. The highly anticipated device has been garnering a lot of attention recently now that we've finally received solid release dates.
RadioShack has also announced that it will offer accessories for the S4 and a deal that specifies if you spend at least $30, you will get a $10 off coupon for future purchases. This is pretty much guaranteed if you purchase a new S4. It also offers a trade in policy for past devices, so you can get some money towards your new purchase.
If you're on Sprint or AT&T, you'll soon be able to purchase a S4 at RadioShack. Who will be be in line this Saturday? Tell us in the Samsung Galaxy S4 Forum!
BAGHDAD (AP) ? Security forces stormed a Sunni protest camp in northern Iraq on Tuesday, sparking deadly clashes in several towns and sharply intensifying rage at the Shiite-led government. The unrest and a spate of other attacks, mostly targeting Sunni mosques, killed at least 56 people.
The violence could mark an ominous turning point in the four-month Sunni protest movement, which is posing a stubborn challenge to Iraq's stability a decade after the toppling of Saddam Hussein.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attacks on three Sunni mosques, and it was unclear if there was any connection to the storming of the protest camp. Sunni extremists such as al-Qaida have in the past targeted moderate Sunnis. But if Shiite militias were behind the attacks, it would raise fears of a return to the open sectarian fighting of 2006 and 2007 when Iraq was on the brink of civil war.
The raid on the protest camp drew harsh condemnations from Sunni leaders and foreign diplomats, and raised fears that Iraq is being pushed back toward all-out sectarian fighting like that fueling civil war in neighboring Syria.
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki swiftly announced the formation of a special ministerial committee to investigate what happened, underscoring worries that anger over the incident could spill out of control.
"What happened today is a total disaster," parliament speaker Osama al-Nujaifi, a Sunni, said at a televised news conference. He appealed for calm and called for those responsible to stand trial.
"If this bloodshed spreads to other provinces, God forbid, there will be a huge fire that we cannot put out," he said.
The security crackdown began at dawn in the former insurgent stronghold of Hawija, about 240 kilometers (150 miles) north of Baghdad. Like many predominantly Sunni communities, the town has seen months of protests accusing the government of neglect and pursuing a sectarian agenda.
The raid occurred four days after a checkpoint jointly run by the police and army near the town came under attack. Militants seized a number of weapons before retreating into the crowd of protesters, according to the Defense Ministry. Authorities had been trying to negotiate with local and tribal officials to hand over those responsible.
Iraq's Defense Ministry said 23 people were killed Tuesday in Hawija, including three soldiers as well as militants who were using the protest grounds as a safe haven. It said members of al-Qaida and Saddam's outlawed Baath Party were among the militants' ranks.
In its account of the raid, the Defense Ministry said it warned demonstrators to leave the protest area Tuesday before moving in.
Amateur video posted on YouTube by protest supporters shows dozens of officers in riot gear and at least four anti-riot water cannon trucks facing off against a group of men. Many of the civilians were carrying swords, and security forces could be heard urging them to retreat as a helicopter hovered overhead.
It was not possible to verify the video's authenticity, but it appeared consistent with Associated Press reporting of the incident.
As Iraqi forces tried to make arrests, they came under heavy fire from several types of weapons and were targeted by snipers, according to the Defense Ministry account. Authorities reported detaining 75 people and seizing multiple machine guns, hand grenades, daggers and swords.
Outrage over the morning raid soon spread through other Sunni parts of the country.
Gunmen tried to storm army posts in the nearby towns of Rashad and Riyadh, leaving 13 of them dead, according to Defense Ministry, police and hospital officials.
Demonstrators also clashed with police in the restive western province of Anbar.
In Fallujah, mosque loudspeakers urged residents to protest in solidarity with Hawija. About 1,000 took to the streets, with some chanting "War, war." Clashes later erupted between gunmen and security forces in the center of the city, leading authorities to announce an overnight curfew.
A policeman near a protest site in Fallujah was killed by sniper fire, according to local officials. In nearby Ramadi, protesters threw stones at a military convoy and set army vehicles ablaze.
Police and health officials separately provided details of several other attacks, including the three at Sunni mosques.
In Baghdad's Dora neighborhood early Tuesday, two bombs went off near a mosque, killing seven worshippers and wounding 17.
Then in the evening, a bomb exploded as people were leaving a mosque in the town of Muqdadiya, about 90 kilometers (60 miles) north of Baghdad, killing eight worshippers and wounding 20 others. And gunmen opened fire on worshippers leaving a mosque in northeastern Baghdad, killing three worshippers and wounding nine.
Gunmen also shot and killed an electoral official in the Shiite neighborhood of Sadr City in the capital.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to release details.
But the day's main focus was the storming of the camp at Hawija. The town was the site of some of the fiercest fighting between U.S. and Iraqi forces, who faced frequent deadly attacks by al-Qaida in Iraq and other insurgents.
Salim al-Jubouri, a protest spokesman in the northern city of Mosul, suggested the Hawija killings marked a turning point.
"We have given up on peaceful struggle. Our next move is armed struggle and we have weapons to do this," he said, adding that some armed tribesmen were considering heading to Hawija.
Sheik Adbul-Malik al-Saadi, an influential Iraqi Sunni cleric who lives in Jordan, urged restraint but reminded followers that they have the right to self-defense. "Whoever is killed defending his honor or property or country is a martyr," he said in a statement.
The United Nations envoy to Iraq, Martin Kobler, strongly condemned the use of violence in an emotional plea for restraint.
"I'm saddened but I'm also angered that it was not possible to prevent this tragedy," he said at a news conference in Kirkuk, pointedly noting that most of the dead were "on the side of the demonstrators."
Without laying blame for the incident, the U.S. Embassy expressed regret that blood was shed before efforts to find a peaceful solution were given time to succeed. It urged all sides to avoid violence and provocative actions, and said it has been in touch with senior leaders to help defuse political and sectarian tensions.
Smoldering tensions along Iraq's Sunni-Shiite divide have been intensifying for months, pressured by Sunni protests that began in December and what officials fear is a strengthening of al-Qaida and other Sunni-backed militants.
Iraqi Sunnis say they face discrimination, particularly in the application of a tough anti-terrorism law that they believe unfairly targets their sect. The government frequently carries out arrests in Sunni areas on charges of al-Qaida or Baathist ties.
The Sunni protests in several cities have been largely peaceful, though there have been occasional incidents of violence. In January, at least five protesters were killed in clashes with security forces in Fallujah.
Tuesday's violence came three days after Iraqis in much of the country cast ballots for provincial officials. Voting was delayed in protest-wracked Anbar and Ninevah provinces because of government concerns about security.
The Cabinet announced Tuesday that voting is now scheduled in those provinces for July 4.
___
Associated Press writers Sinan Salaheddin, Qassim Abdul-Zahra and Sameer N. Yacoub contributed reporting.
___
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