DUBAI (Reuters) - HSBC Holdings said on Tuesday it is considering selling its majority stake in Dar Es Salaam Investment Bank, which has made it the main international lender in Iraq.
There has been speculation in the Iraqi banking market about the 70.1 percent holding for some time and Simon Cooper, HSBC's chief executive for the Middle East and North Africa, told reporters in April its presence in Iraq was under review.
"Following a strategic review, it was decided to explore options for the disposal of HSBC's shareholding in DES (Dar Es Salaam)" the lender said in a regulatory filing in London, adding it would not participate in a proposed capital increase for DES.
As part of a three-year global restructuring, HSBC has cut retail banking business in some Middle Eastern nations and merged its operations in Oman with a local bank. It has also scaled back its Islamic banking operations.
Selling its DES stake could be complicated by the domination of Iraq's banking sector by two state-owned lenders - Rafidain and Rashid - with the rest divided among a large number of small players.
Iraq's security and political problems have put many global lenders off operating in the country, despite the agreed potential of its emerging banking system.
However, Standard Chartered has said it hopes to open branches in the country this year and Citigroup Inc said on Monday it would open a representative office in Baghdad.
Some Middle Eastern lenders have operations in Iraq, including Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank and Qatar National Bank . Lebanon's Bank Audi said it would launch in Iraq in 2013.
DES, which focuses on corporate and consumer banking and has 14 branches in Iraq, has had a partnership with HSBC since October 2005.
Speculation that HSBC might pull out of Iraq had been fed by the absence of its name on a $1.35 billion initial share sale of telecom firm Asiacell in January, a deal in which it had been due to be a bookrunner.
(Reporting by Brenton Cordeiro in Bangalore; Writing by David French in Dubai; Editing by Ruth Pitchford)
CINCINNATI (AP) ? An aerobatic pilot and a wing walker killed in a fiery crash at an air show over the weekend had clean safety records, according to Federal Aviation Administration records released Monday, when new details emerged about the lives and love stories of the fallen performers.
Neither wing walker Jane Wicker, who had a pilot's license, nor pilot Charlie Schwenker had accidents in the past or was disciplined for any reason, FAA spokesman Roland Herwig said the agency records show. The information was released as the result of a public records request by The Associated Press.
Wicker and Schwenker, both of Virginia, were killed Saturday in a crash captured on video and witnessed by thousands of horrified spectators at the Vectren Air Show near Dayton. Wicker was performing a stunt on the wing of the plane when it suddenly went down, exploding on impact. Federal aviation officials are investigating the crash.
Wicker, a 44-year-old divorced mother of two teenage boys, was engaged to be married next year on top of an airplane. Her fiance, a pilot and airplane mechanic she met three years ago, was learning how to wing walk himself for what the pair called "the world's most unusual wedding," according to a website on which they talk of how they met, how he proposed in Las Vegas and their plans.
"Their story has just begun and a lifetime of adventure is in store for this couple," according to the site wingwalkwedding.com. "Their future looks loftier every day."
Schwenker, 64, would have celebrated his nine-year wedding anniversary on Tuesday. His wife, Susan Gantz, said it was love at first sight when they went on a blind date 20 years ago. She said her husband was "the most amazing human being."
"From the day we met, we knew," Gantz said through tears. "We knew that it was something way, way special. He knew it, and I knew it. I felt like I'd known him my whole entire life."
Gantz, a nurse who loves gardening, said she and her husband loved going on long walks with their dog, Tucker. Schwenker would stare up at birds and planes in the sky, Gantz at all the flora and fauna along the way.
"I'm the earth person; he was the sky person," Gantz said.
She said Schwenker, a longtime ski patrolman and a civil engineer passionate about conserving and providing safe water, was no daredevil but an exacting pilot who took no unmeasured risks.
"When you see these guys it seems really risky, but they are the most careful, cautious, safety-conscious people you'll ever meet," Gantz said. "If the plane didn't sound right, if something was off, he wouldn't fly.
"I absolutely know something went wrong with the plane," she said.
Friends and family were working on planning funerals. Also planned for Schwenker was a celebration of his life that will include a flyover, his wife said.
Wicker is the third wing walker to die in two years.
From 1975 to 2010, just two wing walkers were killed in the United States, one in 1975 and another in 1993, said John Cudahy, president of the Leesburg, Va.-based International Council of Air Shows.
In 2011, Todd Green fell 200 feet to his death at an air show in Michigan while performing a stunt in which he grabbed the landing gear of a helicopter. That year, Amanda Franklin died two months after being badly burned in a plane crash during a performance in South Texas when the engine lost power. The pilot, her husband, Kyle Franklin, survived.
Cudahy said the recent spike in deaths appears to be a coincidence.
"It's not entirely an anomaly but not quite as dangerous as it would appear to be," Cudahy said.
It's too early to say whether Saturday's crash will lead to any changes in already high safety standards among wing walkers and their pilots, he said.
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Associated Press writer Verena Dobnik in New York contributed to this report.
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Follow Amanda Lee Myers on Twitter at https://twitter.com/AmandaLeeAP
Edward Snowden may now be far from Hong Kong, but the South China Morning Post has just revealed more details from an interview he granted on June 12th while he was still there. According to the paper, Snowden reportedly said that he took a job with NSA-contractor Booz Allen Hamilton in order to gather additional evidence about the spy agency's activities. "My position with Booz Allen Hamilton granted me access to lists of machines all over the world the NSA hacked," he said. "That is why I accepted that position about three months ago." He reportedly further said "correct on Booz," when asked if he specifically went to Booz Allen to gather evidence of surveillance. As the paper notes, Snowden also said that he took pay cuts "in the course of pursuing specific work" in an online Q&A with The Guardian last week, and he's also indicated that he has more information he intends to leak, saying that he'd like to "make it available to journalists in each country to make their own assessment."
Computer models shed new light on sickle cell crisisPublic release date: 24-Jun-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Kevin Stacey kevin_stacey@brown.edu 401-863-3766 Brown University
PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] Using powerful computer models, researchers from Brown University have shown for the first time how different types of red blood cells interact to cause sickle cell crisis, a dangerous blockage of blood flow in capillaries that causes searing pain and tissue damage in people with sickle cell disease.
The models showed that the rigid, crescent-shaped red blood cells that are the hallmark of sickle cell disease don't cause these blockages on their own. Instead, softer, deformable red blood cells known as SS2 cells start the process by sticking to capillary walls. The rigid sickle-shaped cells then stack up behind the SS2s, like traffic behind a car wreck.
The findings, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, could provide a way to evaluate drug treatments aimed at easing or preventing sickle cell crisis, also known as vaso-occlusion.
"This is the first study to identify a specific biophysical mechanism through which vaso-occlusion takes place," said George Karniadakis, professor of applied mathematics at Brown and the study's senior author. "It was a surprising result because the common wisdom was that it was just the sickle cells that block the capillary."
Sickle cell disease is a genetic condition that affects an estimated 75,000 to 100,000 people in the United States, mostly of African or Hispanic descent. Abnormal hemoglobin, the protein that enables red blood cells to carry oxygen, causes sickle cells to acquire their crescent shape and rigidity. That elongated shape and inability to bend were thought to be the reason sickle cells caused blockages in capillaries.
But while sickle-shaped cells are the hallmark of the disease, they're not the only type of red blood cell present in people with the condition. Research from the 1980s found that there are actually four types of sickle red blood cells, and not all of them are rigid and sickle-shaped. One cell type, the SS2 cell, retains the round shape and the soft malleability of normal red blood cells.
"They look like healthy cells," Karniadakis said, "except they're sticky."
The SS2 cells have receptors on their membranes that cause them to adhere to the walls of blood vessels. Sickle-shaped cells have those same sticky proteins, but Karniadakis's model showed that the SS2 cells are much more likely to get stuck. "Because [SS2 cells] are deformable, they have a larger contact area with the vessel wall, and so they stick better," Karniadakis said.
Once those cells become stuck, they effectively make the vessel diameter smaller, causing the rigid sickle-shaped cells to get stuck behind them.
The models, based on experimentally derived data on real cells, allow the researchers to manipulate the cells' characteristics to see which ones cause blood blockages. For example, if the researchers reduced the stickiness or softness of the SS2 cells, blockages failed to form. Likewise, if they reduced the rigidity of the sickle-shaped cells, blood kept flowing. It's the two conditions working in tandem that causes the blockages, but the SS2 cells are the ones that start the cascade.
"In the end the rigid sickle cells are really playing a secondary role because the causality starts with the deformable cells that stick to the wall," Karniadakis said.
The researchers hope that the models could be used to evaluate drugs aimed at treating sickle cell crisis.
"If a drug is trying to target the cells' adhesive properties, or if it's trying to make cells more flexible, we can test them and see if they prevent occlusion in the model," Karniadakis said.
###
The first author on the paper is Huan Lei, a postdoctoral researcher in applied mathematics at Brown. The work was funded by the National Institutes of Health (R01HL094270) and the new Collaboratory on Mathematics for Mesocopic Modeling of Materials (CM4), supported by the Department of Energy. Computations were made possible by a DOE/Innovative and Novel Computational Impact on Theory and Experiment Award.
Editors: Brown University has a fiber link television studio available for domestic and international live and taped interviews, and maintains an ISDN line for radio interviews. For more information, call (401) 863-2476.
[ | 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.
Computer models shed new light on sickle cell crisisPublic release date: 24-Jun-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Kevin Stacey kevin_stacey@brown.edu 401-863-3766 Brown University
PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] Using powerful computer models, researchers from Brown University have shown for the first time how different types of red blood cells interact to cause sickle cell crisis, a dangerous blockage of blood flow in capillaries that causes searing pain and tissue damage in people with sickle cell disease.
The models showed that the rigid, crescent-shaped red blood cells that are the hallmark of sickle cell disease don't cause these blockages on their own. Instead, softer, deformable red blood cells known as SS2 cells start the process by sticking to capillary walls. The rigid sickle-shaped cells then stack up behind the SS2s, like traffic behind a car wreck.
The findings, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, could provide a way to evaluate drug treatments aimed at easing or preventing sickle cell crisis, also known as vaso-occlusion.
"This is the first study to identify a specific biophysical mechanism through which vaso-occlusion takes place," said George Karniadakis, professor of applied mathematics at Brown and the study's senior author. "It was a surprising result because the common wisdom was that it was just the sickle cells that block the capillary."
Sickle cell disease is a genetic condition that affects an estimated 75,000 to 100,000 people in the United States, mostly of African or Hispanic descent. Abnormal hemoglobin, the protein that enables red blood cells to carry oxygen, causes sickle cells to acquire their crescent shape and rigidity. That elongated shape and inability to bend were thought to be the reason sickle cells caused blockages in capillaries.
But while sickle-shaped cells are the hallmark of the disease, they're not the only type of red blood cell present in people with the condition. Research from the 1980s found that there are actually four types of sickle red blood cells, and not all of them are rigid and sickle-shaped. One cell type, the SS2 cell, retains the round shape and the soft malleability of normal red blood cells.
"They look like healthy cells," Karniadakis said, "except they're sticky."
The SS2 cells have receptors on their membranes that cause them to adhere to the walls of blood vessels. Sickle-shaped cells have those same sticky proteins, but Karniadakis's model showed that the SS2 cells are much more likely to get stuck. "Because [SS2 cells] are deformable, they have a larger contact area with the vessel wall, and so they stick better," Karniadakis said.
Once those cells become stuck, they effectively make the vessel diameter smaller, causing the rigid sickle-shaped cells to get stuck behind them.
The models, based on experimentally derived data on real cells, allow the researchers to manipulate the cells' characteristics to see which ones cause blood blockages. For example, if the researchers reduced the stickiness or softness of the SS2 cells, blockages failed to form. Likewise, if they reduced the rigidity of the sickle-shaped cells, blood kept flowing. It's the two conditions working in tandem that causes the blockages, but the SS2 cells are the ones that start the cascade.
"In the end the rigid sickle cells are really playing a secondary role because the causality starts with the deformable cells that stick to the wall," Karniadakis said.
The researchers hope that the models could be used to evaluate drugs aimed at treating sickle cell crisis.
"If a drug is trying to target the cells' adhesive properties, or if it's trying to make cells more flexible, we can test them and see if they prevent occlusion in the model," Karniadakis said.
###
The first author on the paper is Huan Lei, a postdoctoral researcher in applied mathematics at Brown. The work was funded by the National Institutes of Health (R01HL094270) and the new Collaboratory on Mathematics for Mesocopic Modeling of Materials (CM4), supported by the Department of Energy. Computations were made possible by a DOE/Innovative and Novel Computational Impact on Theory and Experiment Award.
Editors: Brown University has a fiber link television studio available for domestic and international live and taped interviews, and maintains an ISDN line for radio interviews. For more information, call (401) 863-2476.
[ | 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.
With the summer solstice here, now is the time many cultures actively embrace and celebrate live music. The lingering daylight and sultry evenings are prime time for outdoor concerts, and nothing amplifies the experience more than a breathtakingly beautiful setting. Read on for Cheapflights.com's venues of choice for settling in for a show, whether by a rock legend, local musicians and or full symphony, surrounded by some of the best nature, history and culture have to offer in terms of ambiance.
Red Rocks, Morrison, Colorado, United States
More than a mile high and forged by over 160 million years of shifting sands and sandstone, Red Rocks is an amphitheater like no other. The natural acoustics, amazing surrounding landscape and big sky vistas combine to make a concert setting as truly outdoors as possible. And, if the star power coming from the sky isn?t enough of a draw, the star power on stage will get you. Imagine a line-up of intimate (fewer than 10,000 people and seats as close as 10 feet from the stage) shows from Sting, Darius Rucker, Big Head Todd, Widespread Panic, Robert Plant, the Doobie Brothers, Steely Dan, BB King and Peter Frampton and George Thorogood as your summer?s entertainment. That?s just a sampling of what?s on tap at Red Rocks in 2013. Search and compare <a href="http://www.cheapflights.com/flights-to-colorado/" target="_hplink">cheap flights to Colorado</a>.
Slane Castle, County Meath, Ireland
Along the shores of the River Boyne, 30 minutes north of Dublin, lies Slane Castle, the ancestral home of the Conyngham family. For over 300 years, that family has called the castle home but, for the last 30 plus years, so has rock and roll. Starting with Thin Lizzy in 1981, concerts in a natural amphitheater in the shadow of the castle have been a summer tradition at Slane. Now crowds of 80,000 people flock to the 1,500 acre estate for majestic shows from classic bands like the Rolling Stones (2007) to more modern favorites like Oasis (2009) and Kings of Leon (2011). This summer Bon Jovi will grace the grounds, giving audiences a mix of classic rock and regal living. U2 is best able to attest to life at the castle, having performed there three times and even lived and recorded there during the making of ?The Unforgettable Fire.? That?s what we call proof that U2 is music royalty in Ireland. Search and compare <a href="http://www.cheapflights.com/flights-to-ireland/" target="_hplink">cheap flights to Ireland</a>.
Th??tre Antique d?Orange, Orange, France
This classic Roman amphitheater showcases the setting and acoustics of the ancients. A UNESCO World Heritage site, Th??tre Antique features an incredibly preserved stage wall that bore witness to the shows of Roman times. Now the 100 meter (328 foot) long, 37 meter (120 foot) high wall serves as the backdrop to an annual opera festival, the Chor?gies d?Orange, and a diverse and international music line-up ranging from The Cure in 1986 to DJ Laurent Wolf?s 2009 ?Wash My World Festival? to upcoming shows by Chinese piano icon Lang Land and Italian opera duo Patrizia Ciofi and Leo Nucci. Audiences enjoy the excellent sound quality projected from the wall and marvel over the statue of Apollo at center stage and the columns and complex array of theater entrances and structures that date back thousands of years. The setting brings added resonance to the big voices (and names) it hosts. Search and compare <a href="http://www.cheapflights.com/flights-to-france/" target="_hplink">cheap flights to France</a>.
The Gorge Amphitheater, George, Washington, United States
The Columbia River canyon, the Cascade Mountains and The Who. That?s what you get as a show sitting on the lawn at The Gorge Amphitheater. The simple stage and hillside seating make it clear the scenery, a sweeping vista down Columbia River with a backdrop of the Cascade Mountains, and the music are the draws. The Who is just one of many big names to perform backed up by the gorgeous view. The Gorge has hosted everyone from David Bowie to the Dave Mathews Band and been the site of numerous festivals, including Lilith Fair and Lollapalooza. Look for John Mayer, Phish and Black Sabbath, among others, this summer. Search and compare <a href="http://www.cheapflights.com/flights-to-washington-state/" target="_hplink">cheap flights to Washington</a>.
Dalhalla, R?ttvik, Sweden
It seems fitting that Earth, Wind and Fire is one of the acts coming to Dalhalla this summer. This limestone quarry turned music venue is another great example of the elements delivering a natural stage. Thanks to a meteorite strike that made the region ripe with limestone and 50 years of excavation, a perfectly shaped acoustic bowl emerged. Now crowds descend into the 55 meter (180 foot) deep, 400 meter (,1300 foot) long hole for the ultimate in surround sound experiences. The dramatic layers of rock that rise above just add to the visual effect. Look for Toto, Sting and Patti Smith to add their music to the mix this summer as well. Search and compare <a href="http://www.cheapflights.com/flights-to-sweden/" target="_hplink">cheap flights to Sweden</a>.
Kootenay Lake, Kaslo, British Columbia, Canada
Here?s a venue you won?t find every day. In fact, it only exists for a three-day music festival held each August. The stage for the Kaslo Jazz Festival floats just off the beach on a serene lakefront, with deep blue water, bobbing boats and even some distant hilltops as a backdrop. With attendees lounging in beach chairs or swimming around the stage, the whole event has a casual summertime feel. However, when the musicians take to the floating stage, the energy spikes and the crowd dives into the music as well. With performances from the likes of Tiempo Libre, Dave Brubeck and a host of other jazz, funk and blues performers, the festival (now in its 22nd year) offers a great combination of setting and sound. Search and compare <a href="http://www.cheapflights.com/flights-to-british-columbia/" target="_hplink">cheap flights to British Columbia</a>.
Sarawak Cultural Village, Kuching, Borneo, Malaysia
This outdoor museum is a living exhibit of the many tribes and cultures of Malaysia. Visitors can explore the homes and lifestyles of various native populations in this ethnically diverse region and are treated to daily dance and music performances. However, the biggest show is the annual Rainforest World Music Festival. For three days, the chance to see and explore cultures at the Sarawak Cultural Village goes global as music groups from Ireland, Korea, South Africa, Australia, Colombia and elsewhere take to the stage. Festival goers feast on the native rhythms from every corner of the world. And they do so deep in the rainforest of Borneo. Search and compare <a href="http://www.cheapflights.com/flights-to-malaysia/" target="_hplink">cheap flights to Malaysia</a>.
Odeon of Herodes Atticus, Athens, Greece
Built initially between 160 and 174 AD by Herodes Atticus in memory of his wife, this amphitheater on the southern slope of the Acropolis is a storied as well as scenic venue. For more than 1,500 years, the Roman-style marble theater was little more than a ruin, damaged by fire and buried under farmland. However, as modern Greece emerged, so too did the Herodeon, as it is often called. Extensively restored in the middle of the 20th century, the Herodeon is a center piece of the annual Athens Festival, a summer long program of arts and entertainment dating back to 1955. In addition to hosting a summer of classical, jazz and folk performers for the Athens Festival including, this year, the Greek National Opera as well as Diana Krall and Haris Alexiou, the reborn ruin has been center stage for a number of historic music moments. Elton John, Sting, Yanni and Andrea Boccelli have all performed major events here in the shadow of the Acropolis. Search and compare <a href="http://www.cheapflights.com/flights-to-greece/" target="_hplink">cheap flights to Greece</a>.
Jones Beach Theater, Wantagh, NY, United States
An iconic landmark for Long Island and the greater New York area, this waterfront amphitheater once had a true standout stage. It was on an island all its own with a moat separating the audience from the performers. A boat had to deliver the stars of the show to perform. The moat has since been filled in, but the feeling of seeing a show with the waves lapping at your feet remains. The Jones Beach Theater is part of the Jones Beach Park, a stretch of protected beaches just 33 miles (or a subway ride) from Manhattan. It features expansive views of picturesque Long Island Sound and the Atlantic as well as good acoustics for all 15,000 seats. And, in true New York style, even after taking a severe blow from Hurricane Sandy last fall, the show will go on at Jones Beach. The restoration efforts wrapped up just in time for the opening of the 2013 season. Expect to take in Fleetwood Mac, One Direction, Lil? Wayne and Train along with the view this summer. Search and compare <a href="http://www.cheapflights.com/flights-to-new-york/" target="_hplink">cheap flights to New York</a>.
Ushua?a Beach Hotel, Ibiza, Spain
There is a lot of scenery on this Spanish island, where the hot Mediterranean sun blazes. A renowned party spot, Ibiza is a mix of blue waters, stunning sunsets, big rock faces, large yachts and scantily clad tourists. In the midst of this scene lies Ushua?a Beach Hotel. Steps from the beach, the hotel features a courtyard with a giant asymmetrical pool and a stage that, from early afternoon, pulses with electronic music. A mix of local artists and DJs keeps the party going all summer with a dancing crowd surging every corner of the pool deck and the balconies of the overlooking hotel rooms. The high tech light show often keeps going until the rising sun takes over. Search and compare <a href="http://www.cheapflights.com/flights-to-spain/" target="_hplink">cheap flights to Spain</a>.
Photo credit: Ushuaia Ibiza Beach Hotel/Palladium Hotel Group
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HONG KONG (AP) ? A former National Security Agency contractor says that U.S. hacking targets in China included the nation's mobile-phone companies and two universities hosting extensive Internet traffic hubs in the latest allegations as Washington pushes Hong Kong to extradite the ex-contractor.
The latest charges from Edward Snowden came in a series of reports published over the weekend by the South China Morning Post, Hong Kong's leading English-language daily. The newspaper, which appears to have access to Snowden, said Saturday he is still in Hong Kong and not in police custody.
On Saturday, the Obama administration warned Hong Kong against dragging out the extradition of Snowden, reflecting concerns over a possible long legal battle before he ever appears in a U.S. courtroom to answer espionage charges for revealing two highly classified surveillance programs.
A formal extradition request would also pit Beijing against Washington at a time China is trying to deflect U.S. accusations that it carries out extensive surveillance on American government and commercial operations.
The U.S. has contacted authorities in Hong Kong to seek Snowden's extradition, the National Security Council said Saturday in a statement. The NSC advises the president on national security.
Snowden told the South China Morning Post that "the NSA does all kinds of things like hack Chinese cellphone companies to steal all of your SMS data." It added that Snowden said he had documents to support the hacking allegations, but the report did not identify the documents. It said he spoke to the paper in a June 12 interview.
With a population of more than 1.3 billion, China has massive cell-phone companies. China Mobile is the world's largest mobile network carrier, with 735 million subscribers, followed by China Unicom with 258 million users and China Telecom with 172 million users.
Snowden said Tsinghua University in Beijing and Chinese University in Hong Kong, home of some of the country's major Internet traffic hubs, were targets of extensive hacking by U.S. spies this year. He said the NSA was focusing on so-called "network backbones" in China, through which enormous amounts of Internet data passes.
Snowden is believed to be hiding in an unknown location in Hong Kong, where he has been holed up since admitting to providing information to the news media about highly classified NSA surveillance programs. He has not been seen publicly since he checked out of a Hong Kong hotel on June 10.
The newspaper reports came after a one-page criminal complaint against Snowden was unsealed Friday in federal court, revealing he had been charged with espionage and theft.
The Obama administration on Saturday warned Hong Kong against slow-walking his extradition, with White House national security adviser Tom Donilon saying in an interview with CBS News: "Hong Kong has been a historically good partner of the United States in law enforcement matters, and we expect them to comply with the treaty in this case."
Some Hong Kong lawmakers have called on Beijing to intervene and instruct the Hong Kong government on how to handle the situation before his case goes through the courts, but Beijing has yet to comment. The Hong Kong government has also not commented.
But China's state-run media have used the case to poke back at Washington after the U.S. had spent the past several months pressuring China on its international spying operations..
A commentary published Sunday by Xinhua News Agency said Snowden's disclosures of U.S. spying activities in China have "put Washington in a really awkward situation."
"Washington should come clean about its record first. It owes ... an explanation to China and other countries it has allegedly spied on," it said. "It has to share with the world the range, extent and intent of its clandestine hacking programs."
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Investigators have found what they believe are human remains in a search of the former home of late New York mobster Jimmy Burke, suspected mastermind of the 1978 Lufthansa cargo heist, New York City Medical Examiner spokeswoman Ellen Borakove told Reuters on Thursday. She said the medical examiner's Office is checking material FBI agents scouring the Queens home found a day earlier, and it appears they are human remains. "I think they are," Borakove said, declining to comment further. ...
A new batch of leaked photos give us a glimpse of the future: Fuji's next model of interchangeable-lens cameras, the X-M1. The new camera is rumored to be a cheaper, entry-level version of their popular X-series line, with a body-only price of around $600, according to speculation.
The M1 looks very similar to the X-E1. The biggest changes are the articulating display and lack of a viewfinder. The control scheme is pared down, as you would expect on a cheaper model, and it is said to feature WiFi connectivity.
Other than the viewfinder and controls, the guts should sport the same fantastic 16 Megapixel X-Trans sensor found in the X-E1 and X-Pro1, with access to the same set of great Fujinon lenses.
Speaking of lenses, the leak included images of the upcoming 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 kit lens, as well as a 27mm f/2.8 pancake lens. The new kit lens is a cheaper alternative to Fuji's existing 18-55 f/2.8-4.0 zoom lens, while the pancake should be a great low-profile carry-around option.
The pictures were originally posted to Digital Camera Info, and they appear to legit, based on the similarity to Fuji's official images of their other cameras.
The X-M1 would be a great addition to the Fujifilm lineup. Their X-series mirrorless cameras offer terrific image quality and controls, though they have always been on the expensive side. If the X-M1 falls under $700, it could become a prime competitor to one of our favorite mirrorless cameras, the Sony NEX-6. [FujiRumors]
WINNFIELD, La. (AP) ? Police in north Louisiana say a 36-year-old man is accused of killing the 18-year-old rapper known as Lil Snupe in an argument that broke out during a video game at a friend's apartment.
A news release says Winnfield police got a warrant Friday to arrest Tony Holden of Winnfield in the death of the rapper, whose actual name is Addarren Ross of Jonesboro.
Ross died Thursday morning at an apartment in Winnfield. He had been shot twice in the chest.
Holden could not be reached Friday. The phone at the only listing under that name was not answered.
Ross had recently signed a recording deal with the Meek Mill's Dream Chasers label.
Police describe Holden as a convicted violent felon who should be considered armed and dangerous.
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After last year's Galaxy Camera, Samsung split in two directions. It went closer to the phone with the Galaxy S 4 Zoom, shrinking the form factor (and some of the specs) for something that closer approximates a pocket-friendly device, and it got serious about interchangeable-lens cameras. This is the Galaxy NX, an ILC with LTE connectivity that's capable of capturing at 8.6 fps and contains a hybrid autofocus system made by Samsung. In fact, the company says it's behind every part of this new device, from the quad-core 1.6GHz Pega-Q processor, to the 4.8-inch LCD screen, to even the shutter mechanism. With a "DSLR-class" 20.3-megapixel APS-C CMOS image sensor we've seen on other NX cameras, new DRIMe IV image processor and ISO settings from 100 to 25,600, Samsung appears to be making a serious pitch for photographers interested in more than just an Instagram hook-up. This mirrorless shooter will be compatible with the full gamut of NX lenses, currently totaling 13. We paired the Galaxy NX with its 18-55mm OIS kit lens and tested it out for a bit. Read up on our impressions after the break.
Update: Now with a dollop of video from the Premiere event in London.
A Freedom of Information Act request from The Atlantic Wire for the military records of Edward Snowden was "withheld in its entirety" by the Department of the Army. Despite the public value of better understanding the NSA leaker's first stint as a government employee, the Army exercised a legal exemption allowing it to reserve information that could "reasonably be expected to interfere with enforcement proceedings." Experts question that decision.
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Our initial request, sent on June 10, asked for "The military records of Edward Snowden, formerly employed by the United States Army, originally from Elizabeth City, North Carolina." At the time ??and still today ??not much was known about Snowden's time in the Army Reserve, during which he apparently sought a position with the special forces.
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What little we do know comes thanks to a Guardian article on the same day, in which the paper's Spencer Ackerman reported that the Army had refused to release the service record without citing a reason. The Army did, however, share the tenure of his service and the reason for his discharge: "he broke both his legs in a training accident." And it revealed Snowden's birthday. Today, he turns 30. Yesterday, the Wire received a response to our request for the complete file. In it, Army Information Release Specialist Monique Wey Gilbert cited the seventh of the FOIA's nine exemptions. (The eighth, if you're wondering, is "information that concerns the supervision of financial institutions.")
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It's not clear if charges have yet been filed against Snowden. The Justice Department has repeatedly indicated that it plans to do so, and, during his interview with Charlie Rose, President Obama indicated that an investigation was "taking place," and that "the case has been referred to the DOJ" for that purpose.
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Given that Snowden's military service lasted from May to September of 2004, according to the Army spokesman Ackerman spoke with, it's highly unlikely that it is conducting any enforcement action. Alex Abdo, staff attorney at the ACLU's National Security Project, told The Atlantic Wire by phone that the exemptionwas "not inconsistent with our experience" ??but generally for those facing enforcement action by the military. The ACLU has seen information withheld under a 7(a) exemption, specifically in a case being investigated by the Army Criminal Investigation Division. Whether or not the Army withheld the information at the behest of the Department of Justice is unclear; a Justice spokesperson declined to comment.
That we know Snowden's period of service raises a question of its own. Under FOIA, the government is supposed to release any information that it possibly can. Clearly, the length of Snowden's enlistment is information that would be included in his personnel file and, therefore, should have been released under our request. "It's not supposed to withhold whole batches of documents just because some of it is withholdable," Abdo told us. "It's suprising that they're withholding everything."
Eugene Fidell, who teaches military justice at Yale Law School, agreed. "If they denied access to the entire record, en masse, I think that's problematic," Fidell told us by phone. He, too, had seen the exemption used in the past, but "not simply for personnel records." Fidell suggested that detailed records, which, for example, might explore a psychiatric condition or stigmatizing discharge, could be withheld under FOIA's sixth exemption. Even Snowden had a right to privacy, Fidell pointed out, ironic though it might be.
The FOIA process allows for an appeal of a withholding; the Army does so through its Initial Denial Authority. We plan to exercise that option in an effort to present as full a picture as possible of a man who left high school, then the Army, and then the NSA before he was supposed to.
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Public release date: 24-Jun-2013
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