Erivedge Approved to Treat Basal Cell Carinoma (HealthDay)

MONDAY, January 30 (HealthDay News) -- Erivedge (vismodegib) has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat the most common form of skin cancer, basal cell carcinoma, the agency said Monday.

The drug was approved for people for whom surgery or radiation aren't options, and for people with basal cell that has spread to other parts of the body, according to an FDA news release.

Basal cell usually is a slow-growing, painless type of cancer that begins in the top layer of skin, often on areas most exposed to the sun.

Erivedge was evaluated in clinical studies involving 96 people with basal cell carcinoma. The most common side effects included muscle spasms, hair loss, weight loss, nausea, diarrhea, fatigue, distorted taste, loss of appetite and constipation.

The drug was approved with an FDA's label warning that pregnant women who take Erivedge could have babies at greater risk of severe birth defects or death. "Pregnancy status must be verified prior to the start of Erivedge treatment," the agency release advised.

Erivedge is marketed by Genentech, based in San Francisco, Calif.

More information

Medline Plus has more about basal cell carcinoma.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/cancer/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20120131/hl_hsn/erivedgeapprovedtotreatbasalcellcarinoma

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John Arensmeyer: The State of Small Business: Credit and Jobs ...

For too long, small businesses have been struggling to bear the brunt of the recession. Lending has all but dried up for small employers, and too many lawmakers are spending more time playing politics than working to pass smart legislation to help them. If small businesses are going to help fix our country's employment problem, they need increased access to credit and smart jobs legislation. How do we know small business owners feel this way? We asked them.

According to a national poll of 500 small business owners released Jan. 26 by Small Business Majority, Main Street Alliance and the American Sustainable Business Council, an overwhelming 90 percent of small employers believe credit availability is a problem for small businesses. Employers also agree when it comes to lending, banks are less friendly than they were four years ago: 61 percent say it is harder to get a loan now than it was then.

Banks' loan portfolios have been reduced by more than $47 billion since the pre-recession peak--and that affects business owners across the country. Take Sandra Garratt, for instance. Since 1992, she has operated several organic clothing companies. As an early investor in innovative manufacturing--and one who has been named entrepreneur of the year, at that--she thought she'd be able to obtain a loan, or at least a line of credit for her business. She was wrong. She had to take time away from the business to care for aging parents, which negatively affected her credit. Despite her business acumen and accolades, every bank has turned her down. She's now forced to turn business away regularly because of an inability to stock fabric.

It's the experiences of real small business owners like Sandra that explain why 90 percent of entrepreneurs want community banks' and credit unions' lending authority expanded. And more than three-fourths of them support incentivizing community banks to boost their small business lending. Without these kinds of measures, many small business owners are forced to take extreme measures--like turning to credit cards.

Anyone familiar with credit cards knows their terms and conditions can make your head spin, and that debt can build in the blink of an eye. Yet despite the risk they pose, more than half of small business owners have used credit cards to help finance their business. But owners know they can cause problems, which is why four in five support requiring the credit card industry to provide clearer disclosure of terms and interest rates.

The bottom line is small business owners need increased cash flow to keep their doors open and hire more workers. But that can't happen without the help of smart policies that boost the private sector. Besides increased access to credit, small business owners also support current proposals being debated in Congress, and highlighted by the president in his 2012 State of the Union address, that aim to stimulate the economy and create jobs.

When asked about various provisions included in the president's American Jobs Act, small business owners were particularly supportive of investments in infrastructure: 69 percent favor investing $50 billion in projects to improve roads, bridges and water systems, and six in 10 small business owners support creation of a nationwide wireless network.

Innovation has historically been one of the driving forces behind entrepreneurship. It's no wonder small business owners recognize the potential and opportunity for innovation to stimulate the private sector. It's not just a select group of small business owners that feel this way, either--survey respondents' political views run the gamut: 50 percent of respondents identified as Republican, 32 percent as Democrat and 15 percent as independent.

Small businesses need a hand if they're going to help rebuild the economy. Today's credit barrier limits small business expansion and strains entrepreneurs' capacity to put America back to work. While lawmakers in Congress are using partisan rhetoric to dismantle proposals aimed at creating jobs, entrepreneurs are repeatedly voicing their support for these exact ideas. For their sake, legislators need to focus on bettering credit conditions and try to repair our jobs problem.

John Arensmeyer is the founder and CEO of Small Business Majority. Follow him on
Twitter at @SmlBizMajority.

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Follow John Arensmeyer on Twitter: www.twitter.com/SmlBizMajority

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-arensmeyer/the-state-of-small-business_b_1242111.html

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Join the Engadget HD Podcast live on Ustream at 5:30PM

It's Monday, and almost as regular an occurrence as the day itself, we're here to help by letting you listen into the recording booth when the Engadget HD podcast goes to mp3 at 5:30PM. Please be a part of it by reviewing the list of topics after the break, then participating in the live chat as you listen in.

Continue reading Join the Engadget HD Podcast live on Ustream at 5:30PM

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Man arrested in slayings of SC officer, Ga. woman (AP)

AIKEN, S.C. ? A 26-year-old man was arrested Saturday after police say he killed his girlfriend in Georgia, and then fatally shot a South Carolina police officer responding to a report of suspicious activity, authorities said.

Police in South Carolina said Joshua Tremaine Jones faces charges of murder and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime in the death of Aiken police Master Cpl. Sandra Rogers.

The South Carolina law Enforcement Division said officers were responding Saturday morning to a report of suspicious activity involving two cars, and that Rogers was shot after stopping one of the vehicles.

Jones was arrested hours later at a residence in Batesburg.

Saturday evening, a visibly moved Aiken Public Safety director Charles Barranco told reporters that Rogers had died at an area hospital. The Aiken native had spent a nearly 28-year career with the department; she was 49.

In neighboring Georgia, The Augusta Chronicle reported that Jones also faces murder charges in the death of his girlfriend, 21-year-old Cayce Vice. Police found her body in her apartment Saturday morning after she didn't show up for work at a Five Guys restaurant and coworkers became concerned; she had been shot in the head.

Richmond County sheriff's Capt. Scott Peebles told the newspaper ( http://bit.ly/yO5JS7) that the agency had obtained warrants for Jones for murder and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Peebles confirmed that Vice had sworn out a complaint against Jones for assault earlier this month.

A phone message left late Saturday for the Richmond County Sheriff's Office was not immediately returned.

James Jones, the suspect's father, told reporters that his son had past run-ins with the law and "was going through some mental problems." Jones said his son had run away from home and moved in with Vice. He said his son is from North Augusta and briefly lived in Atlanta.

Jones said that when he returned from work Friday, his son had taken his blue BMW without permission and left. Jones said he and his other son drove around searching but couldn't locate him.

Jones said his heart goes out to the victim' families, and that he's devastated as a father.

"I just went straight to God and said, `I cannot believe this.' After all that I have taught him, I just never thought that my family would have to deal with something like this," Jones said.

The Aiken public safety department issued a statement Saturday evening praising Rogers as "an invaluable street cop who exemplified the model of a Public Safety Officer," according to WLTX-TV in Columbia, S.C.

"Master Corporal Rogers was a highly skilled investigator and senior patrol officer on her shift," the statement said. "Please keep the Rogers family and Aiken Public Safety in your prayers as once again we deal with this tragic loss."

Last month, hundreds of people gathered to mourn another Aiken police officer killed in the line of duty. Officer Scotty Richardson, 33, died in the early hours of Dec. 21 after being shot in the head during a traffic stop at an apartment complex the night before. Aiken is a city of 30,000 that's located about 20 miles northwest of Augusta.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/us/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120129/ap_on_re_us/us_multi_state_slayings

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Azarenka routs Sharapova to win Australian title

Victoria Azarenka of Belarus hold the trophy during the awarding ceremony after defeating Maria Sharapova of Russia in their women's singles final at the Australian Open tennis championship, in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)

Victoria Azarenka of Belarus hold the trophy during the awarding ceremony after defeating Maria Sharapova of Russia in their women's singles final at the Australian Open tennis championship, in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)

Victoria Azarenka of Belarus kisses the trophy during the awarding ceremony after defeating Maria Sharapova of Russia in their women's singles final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)

Victoria Azarenka of Belarus celebrates after defeating Maria Sharapova of Russia in the women's singles final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

Victoria Azarenka of Belarus celebrates after defeating Maria Sharapova of Russia in the women's singles final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

Victoria Azarenka of Belarus reacts after winning a point against Russia's Maria Sharapova during the women's singles final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Andrew Brownbill)

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) ? Victoria Azarenka started celebrating, then suddenly did a double-take to ask her coach, "What happened?"

The answer: She had just produced one of the most lopsided Australian Open final victories to capture a Grand Slam title and the No. 1 ranking for the first time.

Azarenka routed three-time Grand Slam winner Maria Sharapova 6-3, 6-0 in 1 hour, 22 minutes on Saturday night, winning 12 of the last 13 games after dropping her first service game and falling behind 2-0.

"It's a dream come true," she said. "I have been dreaming and working so hard to win the Grand Slam, and being No. 1 is pretty good bonus. Just the perfect ending and the perfect position to be in."

Azarenka had won 11 straight matches, including a run to the Sydney International title, and reached her first Grand Slam final. Her previous best performance at a major was a semifinal loss to Petra Kvitova at Wimbledon last year. Sharapova had all the experience, being in her sixth major final and having won three ? dating to her 2004 Wimbledon title.

But it didn't unnerve the 22-year-old Azarenka, the first woman from Belarus to win a singles major. She's also the seventh different woman to win a Grand Slam since Francesca Schiavone won the 2010 French Open, and the fifth different winner in as many majors.

Azarenka became only the third woman to earn the No. 1 spot after winning her first major title. She moved from No. 3 to No. 1 in the rankings, helped by Caroline Wozniacki's loss in the quarterfinals.

The third-seeded Azarenka set up championship point with a stunning forehand, her 14th clean winner, and sealed it when Sharapova netted a backhand.

She dropped to her knees at the baseline with her hands over her face. She got up, held her hands up and jogged over to her coach, Sam Sumyk, in the stands to celebrate.

"The best feeling, for sure," Azarenka said. "I don't know about the game. I don't know what I was doing out there. It's just pure joy what happened. I can't believe it's over."

And she paid special credit to her grandmother, "the person who inspires me the most in my life."

Azarenka has been a distinctive presence at Melbourne Park as much for her shrieks and hoots with each shot and seemingly boundless energy as for her white shorts, blue singlet and lime green head and wrist bands.

Against Sharapova, she maintained the frenetic movement that has been the hallmark of her performance in Australia, her 25th consecutive major. She won the Sydney International title last weekend and is on a 12-match winning streak ? the first player since 2004 to win a WTA tour event the week before winning a major.

"She did everything better than I did today. I had a good first couple of games, and that was about it," Sharapova said. "Then she was the one that was taking the first ball and hitting it deep and aggressive. I was always the one running around like a rabbit, you know, trying to play catch-up all the time."

Sharapova also won only three games in a 2007 final loss to Serena Williams, who also conceded only three games in the 2009 final against Dinara Safina.

When Sharapova won the first two games, there was no indication of how lopsided the match would be. Azarenka took control after holding for the first time, breaking Sharapova at love and then holding again on a three-game roll.

Sharapova held, finishing off with an ace, to level the score at 3-3 in the first set but then didn't win another game.

Azarenka started dictating the points, coming to the net at times, hitting winners from the baseline and forcing the 24-year-old Russian to the extremes on both sides of the court. Sharapova seemed barely able to move by comparison, and had 30 unforced errors in the match.

The second set was completely lopsided and lasted only 36 minutes, with Sharapova winning only 12 points.

"As in any sport, you have your good days, you have your tough days and you have days where things just don't work out," said Sharapova, who has now been on the losing end of two of the most lopsided scorelines in a final at Melbourne Park.

In the men's doubles final, Leander Paes and Radek Stepanek denied Bob and Mike Bryan their record 12th Grand Slam title, beating the American twins 7-6 (1), 6-2.

The 33-year-old Bryans were attempting to secure their place as the most decorated doubles team since the Open Era began in 1968. They remain tied at 11 major titles with Australian duo Mark Woodforde and Todd Woodbridge.

On Sunday, defending champion Novak Djokovic takes on Rafael Nadal in a men's singles final featuring the top two players in the rankings. Djokovic won three of the four majors last year and beat Nadal in six finals in 2011 among his 70 match wins for the season.

Azarenka had her best season in 2011, winning 55 of 72 matches to finish the year at No. 3.

There was a time when she'd momentarily flirted with the idea of quitting the sport during a quick trip home to Minsk after a loss at Doha. But she was quickly set straight by her family, including her grandmother, who had reportedly worked three jobs until the age of 71.

She couldn't get through to her family immediately "because my phone is freaking out right now," but she texted them from the court.

"I made a pretty smart decision, not walking out, right? That was pretty special," she said. "There's always ups and downs, now I'm up."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-01-28-TEN-Australian-Open/id-be05ef7643e540a291718e74f37d3494

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Ayla Reynolds Case: Blood Found At Home Where Maine Tot Was Last Seen

PORTLAND, Maine -- Investigators have been analyzing blood found in the basement of a Maine home where a missing toddler was last seen six weeks ago, an official said Saturday.

The blood was found early in the investigation into Ayla Reynolds' disappearance from her father's home in Waterville, state police spokesman Steve McCausland said. The state crime laboratory has been running tests on it since then, but it was unclear when results would be available.

Ayla's father, Justin DiPietro, reported her missing Dec. 17. He had put her to bed the night before in the home he shares with his mother and said she wasn't there the next morning.

McCausland called the discovery of the blood "troubling." He declined to discuss how much blood was found in the basement or how old it might have been.

Ayla was 20 months old when she disappeared. She had been staying with her father at the time in the house where DiPietro lives with his mother. Her mother, Trista Reynolds, lives in Portland.

DiPietro told police she was wearing green pajamas with polka dots and the words "Daddy's Princess" on them and had a soft cast on her broken left arm.

DiPietro, his mother and a third adult were home the night of Dec. 16, and police have questioned all three, McCausland said.

"We believe they have not given us the full story," he said.

Trista Reynolds was participating in a vigil Saturday for the girl and could not be reached for comment. DiPietro did not immediately return a message left on his cellphone.

The two came face to face for the first time since Ayla's disappearance at the vigil on the City Hall steps in downtown Waterville, said Bob Vear, a friend of the DiPietro family who organized the vigil. They spoke privately for about 10 minutes before giving each other a hug, Vear said.

A woman who answered DiPietro's mother's cellphone hung up after being asked about the blood.

The blood was among hundreds of pieces of potential evidence that were removed from their home as part of a criminal investigation into the girl's disappearance. The discovery of the blood was first reported Saturday by WCVB-TV in Boston.

Ronald Reynolds, who is Trista Reynolds' father, said DiPietro hasn't been forthcoming with his version of what happened or what he knows. DiPietro has said he took a polygraph test, but has declined to say what the results were.

"They haven't given the full story, but this family has gone through so much pain, so much hurt," said Reynolds, who lives in Portland. "We're going into two months now and don't know anything, and all we get is the runaround."

Vear said he was first made aware of the blood sample Dec. 24, but he doesn't think it'll amount to anything.

"I cut myself at home all the time," he said. "It could be Justin's, it could be the baby's. There were five or six people in the house that night."

Investigators are searching for Ayla Reynolds, a 20-month-old Maine girl believed to have vanished from her bed while her family slept. Reynolds' father, Justin DiPietro, told investigators he last saw the child at around 8 p.m. on Dec. 16 when he put her to sleep in her own bedroom. The following morning, at around 8:50 a.m., he called police to say her bed was empty. This photograph was posted on a Facebook page dedicated to the missing toddler. Investigators are searching for Ayla Reynolds, a 20-month-old Maine girl believed to have vanished from her bed while her family slept. Reynolds' father, Justin DiPietro, told investigators he last saw the child at around 8 p.m. on Dec. 16 when he put her to sleep in her own bedroom. The following morning, at around 8:50 a.m., he called police to say her bed was empty. This photograph was posted on a Facebook page dedicated to the missing toddler.

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Ayla Reynolds

Investigators are searching for Ayla Reynolds, a 20-month-old Maine girl believed to have vanished from her bed while her family slept. Reynolds' father, Justin DiPietro, told investigators he last saw the child at around 8 p.m. on Dec. 16 when he put her to sleep in her own bedroom. The following morning, at around 8:50 a.m., he called police to say her bed was empty. This photograph was posted on a Facebook page dedicated to the missing toddler. "; var coords = [-5, -72]; // display fb-bubble FloatingPrompt.embed(this, html, undefined, 'top', {fp_intersects:1, timeout_remove:2000,ignore_arrow: true, width:236, add_xy:coords, class_name: 'clear-overlay'}); });

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/28/ayla-reynolds-case-blood-_n_1239245.html

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New Paris Hotel Bar Offers Jaw-Dropping Views (PHOTOS)

"; var coords = [-5, -78]; if( HPConfig.current_vertical_name == 'homepage' ) { coords = [-5, -70]; } else if( HPConfig.current_vertical_name == 'mapquest' ) { coords = [-5, -68]; } FloatingPrompt.embed(this, html, undefined, 'top', {fp_intersects:1, timeout_remove:2000,ignore_arrow: true, width:236, add_xy:coords, class_name: 'clear-overlay'}); });

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/27/new-paris-hotel-bar-offers-views_n_1236759.html

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Prevalence of oral HPV infection higher among men than women

Thursday, January 26, 2012

The overall prevalence of oral human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is approximately 7 percent among men and women ages 14 to 69 years in the United States, while the prevalence among men is higher than among women, according to a study appearing in JAMA. The study is being released early online to coincide with its presentation at the Multidisciplinary Head and Neck Cancer Symposium.

"Oral HPV infection is the cause of a subset of oropharyngeal [relating to the mouth and pharynx] squamous cell carcinomas (OSCC). Human papillomavirus?positive OSCC are associated with sexual behavior in contrast to HPV-negative OSCC that are associated with chronic tobacco and alcohol use. At least 90 percent of HPV-positive OSCC are caused by high-risk (or oncogenic) HPV type 16 (HPV-16), and oral infection confers an approximate 50-fold increase in risk for HPV-positive OSCC. The incidence of OSCC has significantly increased over the last 3 decades in several countries, and HPV has been directly implicated as the underlying cause," according to background information in the article. "Although oral HPV infection is the cause of a cancer that is increasing in incidence in the United States, little is known regarding the epidemiology of infection."

Maura L. Gillison, M.D., Ph.D., of the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbus, and colleagues examined the prevalence of oral HPV infection in the United States. The researchers used data from a cross-sectional study as part of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2009-2010, a statistically representative sample of the U.S. population. Men and women ages 14 to 69 years examined at mobile examination centers were eligible. Participants (n = 5,579) provided a 30-second oral rinse and gargle with mouthwash. For detection of HPV types, DNA purified from oral exfoliated cells was evaluated via testing methods.

The researchers found that the overall prevalence of oral HPV infection was 6.9 percent, and the most prevalent HPV type detected was HPV-16 (1.0 percent). The prevalence of oral HPV infection had peaks in different age ranges, with a first peak in prevalence observed among those 30 to 34 years of age (7.3 percent) and a second, higher peak among those ages 60 to 64 years (11.4 percent). Men had a significantly higher prevalence than women for overall oral HPV infection (10.1 percent vs. 3.6 percent). Prevalence of HPV was higher among current smokers and heavy alcohol drinkers and among former and current marijuana users.

The authors also found that oral HPV prevalence was associated with several measures of sexual behavior, including higher prevalence among individuals who reported ever having had sex vs. not (7.5 percent vs. 0.9 percent). Prevalence of HPV increased with lifetime or recent number of partners for any kind of sex, vaginal sex, or oral sex.

In analysis inclusive of individuals 14 to 69 years of age, factors independently associated with prevalent oral HPV included age, sex, lifetime number of sexual partners, and current number of cigarettes smoked per day.

The researchers write that their data provide evidence that oral HPV infection is predominantly sexually transmitted. "Taken together, these data indicate that transmission by casual, nonsexual contact is likely to be unusual."

"Our results have important research as well as public health implications. Natural history studies of cervical HPV infection were essential for the development of public health interventions, such as HPV vaccination to prevent and HPV detection to screen for cervical cancer," they write. "Natural history studies of oral HPV infection are therefore necessary to understand the effects of age, sex, and modifiable risk factors (e.g., smoking and sexual behavior) on the incidence and duration of oral HPV infection."

"Vaccine efficacy against oral HPV infection is unknown, and therefore vaccination cannot currently be recommended for the primary prevention of oropharyngeal cancer. Given an analysis of U.S. cancer registry data recently projected that the number of HPV-positive oropharyngeal cancers diagnosed each year will surpass that of invasive cervical cancers by the year 2020, perhaps such vaccine trials are warranted. Such trials could inform ongoing discussions regarding the benefits of HPV vaccination for males, given the higher prevalence of oral HPV infection demonstrated here as well as higher incidence of HPV-positive OSCC among men," the authors conclude.

(JAMA. 2012;307[7]doi:10.1001/JAMA.2012.101.

###

JAMA and Archives Journals: http://www.jamamedia.org

Thanks to JAMA and Archives Journals for this article.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/117091/Prevalence_of_oral_HPV_infection_higher_among_men_than_women

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Nokia posts $1.38 billion loss in fourth quarter (AP)

HELSINKI ? Mobile phone maker Nokia Corp. on Thursday posted a fourth-quarter net loss of euro1.07 billion ($1.38 billion) as sales slumped 21 percent even as the company's first Windows smartphones hit markets in Europe and Asia.

The loss compares with a profit of euro745 million in the same period a year earlier.

Nokia said net revenue ? including both its mobile phones and its network divisions ? fell from euro12.6 billion in the fourth quarter of 2010 to euro10 billion, with smartphone sales plunging 23 percent.

Nokia has lost its once-dominant position in the global cell phone market, with Android phones and iPhones overtaking it in the growing smartphone segment.

The Finnish company is attempting a comeback with phones using Microsoft's Windows software, a struggle that Nokia CEO Stephen Elop characterized as a "war of ecosystems."

He said Nokia has sold "well over" 1 million such devices since the launch of the Lumia line in the fourth quarter, in line with company expectations.

Including other models, Nokia sold 19 million smartphones in the quarter. By comparison, Apple sold 37 million iPhones in the same period.

The Lumia 710 and Lumia 800 hit stores in Europe and Asia in November while T-Mobile started offering the 710 in the U.S. in January.

"From this beachhead of more than 1 million Lumia devices, you will see us push forward with the sales, marketing and successive product introductions necessary to be successful," Elop said. "We also plan to bring the Lumia series to additional markets including China and Latin America in the first half of 2012."

Nokia shares rose more than 5 percent to euro4.28 ($5.54) in afternoon trading in Helsinki.

Michael Schroeder, analyst at FIM bank in Helsinki, said markets had welcomed Elop's comments on sales of Lumia.

"It definitely alleviated concerns about a horror scenario, expected by some. Although a million is not a lot in the market, it was better than expected," Schroeder said.

The company said it would not provide annual targets for 2012 as it was in a "year of transition" but added that it expects operating margins in the first quarter of this year to be "about break-even, ranging either above or below by approximately 2 percentage points."

It repeated the target of cutting costs by more than euro1 billion by 2013.

Neil Mawston from Strategy Analytics in London said Nokia "was not out of the woods yet," but its quarterly result was in line with expectations.

"Nokia is not necessarily dead in the water. Profit margins were a bit higher than expected and Nokia has not lost its third position in smartphones although it is suffering in North America and western Europe," Mawston said.

Nokia proposed a dividend of euro0.20 per share for 2011 and said that chairman and former CEO Jorma Ollila will step down at the annual meeting in May. A nomination committee proposed board member Risto Siilasmaa as the new chairman.

___

Ritter reported from Stockholm.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/earnings/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120126/ap_on_bi_ge/eu_finland_earns_nokia

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New Xbox said to be six times as powerful as the Xbox 360 (Yahoo! News)

Will Microsoft's next machine blow its current console out of the water?

The current?video game console generation is entering its twilight years, and with that inevitability comes the unceasing rumors of what each company's next hardware will be capable of. Nintendo has already shown its hand by?unveiling the Wii U, and now some tasty tidbits are beginning to surface regarding the next Xbox from?Microsoft. Popularly nicknamed the Xbox 720, some new, well-sourced rumors suggest that it will be six times as powerful as the current console.

The?Xbox 360 is no slouch, and it can still play host to the?hottest new releases, but the hardware is approaching its 6th birthday and some serious advancements have been made in the world of graphics processing in the last half decade. The new Xbox will reportedly run on a derivative of AMD's 6670 graphics chip, which supports 1080p HD, 3D, and linking to multiple external displays.

Compared to the Wii U, the Xbox 720 should be roughly 20% more powerful, though the stats of the two systems appear to be close enough that players may not notice a difference. Like Microsoft, Sony has yet to officially reveal anything about its followup to the?PlayStation 3, but based on their console release history, a new machine is undoubtedly in the works. Where the PlayStation 4 will stack up in comparison to the new systems by Nintendo and Microsoft is anyone's guess.

(Source)

This article originally appeared on Tecca

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Sundance documentary examines rape in US military (omg!)

PARK CITY, Utah (AP) ? The Department of Defense estimates that more than 19,000 military men and women were sexually assaulted by fellow troops in 2010 while serving in the United States armed forces. At least 20 percent of servicewomen and 1 percent of men ? an estimated 500,000 troops ? have experienced sexual trauma while serving.

These troubling statistics motivated documentarian Kirby Dick and producer Amy Ziering to make "The Invisible War," a film that examines the epidemic of rape within the military, how it affects victims and why so few cases are prosecuted. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, where it is a contender in the U.S. documentary competition.

The statistics "were just so astonishing that at first we didn't believe it," said Dick, adding that he was equally surprised that no film had been made on the subject.

Through interviews with rape survivors and military officials, "The Invisible War" suggests that it's not just the violence and harassment that traumatizes victims but the absence of impartial justice and personal retaliation they often experience after reporting the incident. A rape survivor's first step toward judicial recourse is to report the attack to her commander ? even if he was the attacker ? and it's his decision whether to investigate and prosecute, regardless of the evidence.

"If they investigate it, and the investigator comes back and says, 'I've got a slam-dunk case. I can put this serial perpetrator behind bars,' the commander can, on his or her own, decide, 'No, we're not going to send this case to court martial,'" Dick said.

A 2009 study shows that only 8 percent of military sex offenders are prosecuted.

"The Invisible War" introduces viewers to Kori Cioca, who left the Coast Guard after being beaten and raped by her supervisor. Five years later, she still suffers from post-traumatic stress and has yet to receive Veterans Administration approval for the surgery she needs to repair the injuries she suffered during the attack. The perpetrator, who continues to serve in the Coast Guard, hit her so hard that he permanently dislocated her jaw.

Viewers also meet Marine Corps 1st Lt. Ariana Klay, who served in Iraq before being gang-raped by a senior officer and his friend while stationed at the elite Marine Barracks in Washington, D.C. Klay's husband, also a Marine, cried as he described his concern and fear that his wife would commit suicide.

Other rape survivors shown in the film, including Cioca, said they also contemplated suicide.

Hannah Sewell, who comes from a military family, said she has trouble convincing herself that she is still a virgin after being raped while serving in the Navy. Her father, wearing his own military uniform, recounts the story through tears.

Dick and Ziering traveled the country to interview some 70 survivors of military rape.

"We weren't really ready for all the stories we heard," Ziering said. "Each one had a lot of similarities and all were equally horrific."

Ziering said she was encouraged to learn that in units where commanders did not tolerate any kind of sexual harassment, rape at the hands of military colleagues was not an issue. That helped her and Dick to remain optimistic throughout the project. The filmmakers were also gratified by the film's reception at Sundance, where politicians such as U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer of California; U.S. Rep. Jackie Speier, Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom and U.S. Rep. Mike Turner of Ohio attended the premiere. Grammy winner Mary J. Blige has also pledged to write an original song for the film.

"Our great hope was and continues to be that capturing (survivors') experience and their trauma will help change things for hundreds of thousands of men and women who are in the armed forces," Dick said.

There's also "a history of hope," he said, because when the military set out to banish the segregation and racism that reigned among troops in the early 1960s, they made significant strides in just over a decade.

"They can do the same thing with this," he said.

So why don't they?

"They don't take it seriously enough," Ziering said. "They don't really see, and what we're hoping the film will show is the repercussions of it. They don't understand the amount of damage this is doing and how it really is a national security issue, and also costing taxpayers billions of dollars in just caring for people with this kind of trauma.

"Once that message gets through to them, they will be motivated to make a change, because it's a no brainer. They have to do something."

___

AP Entertainment Writer Sandy Cohen is on Twitter: www.twitter.com/APSandy .

___

Online:

www.invisiblewarmovie.com

www.sundance.org/festival

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/omg_rss/rss_omg_en/news_sundance_documentary_examines_rape_us_military101519990/44297205/*http%3A//omg.yahoo.com/news/sundance-documentary-examines-rape-us-military-101519990.html

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Morning Links (Theagitator)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories News, RSS and RSS Feed via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/190409801?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Mitt faces a perfect mess (Politico)

Perfect resume, perfect looks, perfect family, and a perfect roster of skilled campaign operatives and blue-chip endorsements: Mitt Romney has them all.

Yet he comes out of his drubbing in South Carolina with a perfect problem.

Continue Reading

Romney goes after Gingrich

Rarely has there been a figure in American politics whose personality and achievements?taken as individual parts?so powerfully conveyed both uncommon success and a kind of reassuring conventionality.

But these same traits?taken as a whole?have produced someone struggling mightily to connect with the national mood and moment, much less reassure voters that his experiences and values align with their own.

The widening gap between Romney in theory, a man who oozes plausibility as a potential president, and Romney in practice, a candidate who just might be missing some kind of intangible something, is now a dominant storyline in the GOP presidential race.

There may be many reasons Romney had troubles in South Carolina?more than 70 percent of primary voters on Saturday wanted someone else?but the fact that he lost so resoundingly to a man with a political and personal journey as turbulent as Newt Gingrich's suggests a possibility more far-reaching than last weekend?s surprise.

Americans may prefer politicians with visible flaws?outsized appetites and messy scandals like Gingrich and Bill Clinton?or at least with twisting and improbable personal journeys. Of the past two presidents, George W. Bush had two decades of drift and excess before finding direction, and Barack Obama described his own history of alienation and painful searching that preceded his political success.

By these lights, human frailties are the new political norm, and the every-hair-in-place smoothness of Romney's political persona, combined with his wealth, that comes off as insular and even odd.

?Redemption is far better box office than perfection,? said New Hampshire GOP strategist Pat Griffin.? ?We can all relate to redemption.? Very few people can look at the perfectly coiffed Romneys, all good posters for oral hygiene, and say, ?That?s me!?

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/politics/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/politico_rss/rss_politico_mostpop/http___www_politico_com_news_stories0112_71806_html/44270676/SIG=11m987utp/*http%3A//www.politico.com/news/stories/0112/71806.html

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Awards Tour 2012: Academy Awards Nominations

X on 01-24-2012 07:53 AM

Rooney took swinton's place, but it's ok, they're both great.
But why the fuck is fassbender not in the list?, good for oldman, but come on! at least he might get the bafta.
And where is albert brooks?, he was the runner-up, obviosly plummer will win, and where is viggo mortensen?
Fincher deserved a nod for best director, I only watched 35 minutes of the tree of life, I swear I couldn't resist it any longer!

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1924361/news/1924361/

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Rep. Giffords to resign from Congress this week

FILE - This Jan. 8, 2012 file photo shows Rep. Gabrielle Giffords waving at the start of a memorial vigil remembering the victims and survivors one year after the Arizona congresswoman was wounded in a shooting that killed six in Tucson, Ariz. Giffords announced, Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012 she will resign from Congress this week. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, file)

FILE - This Jan. 8, 2012 file photo shows Rep. Gabrielle Giffords waving at the start of a memorial vigil remembering the victims and survivors one year after the Arizona congresswoman was wounded in a shooting that killed six in Tucson, Ariz. Giffords announced, Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012 she will resign from Congress this week. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, file)

This video image provided by the Office of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords shows Giffords and her husband, Mark Kelly, walking. Giffords announced Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012 she intends to resign from Congress this week to concentrate on recovering from wounds suffered in an assassination attempt a little more than a year ago. (AP Photo/Office of Gabrielle Giffords)

FILE - In this Jan. 2, 2012, file photo Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, left, accompanied by her husband, former astronaut Mark Kelly, reacts after leading the Pledge of Allegiance at the start of a memorial vigil remembering the victims and survivors one year after the Arizona congresswoman was wounded in a shooting that killed six othersin Tucson, Ariz. Giffords said Sunday Jan, 22, 2012, that she will resign from Congress this week. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

This video image provided by the office of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords shows Giffords announcing her plans to resign, Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012. (AP Photo/Office of Gabrielle Giffords)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Rep. Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona announced Sunday she intends to resign from Congress this week to concentrate on recovering from wounds suffered in an assassination attempt a little more than a year ago that shook the country.

"I don't remember much from that horrible day, but I will never forget the trust you placed in me to be your voice," the Democratic lawmaker said on a video posted without prior notice on her Facebook page.

"I'm getting better. Every day my spirit is high," she said. "I have more work to do on my recovery. So to do what's best for Arizona, I will step down this week."

Giffords was shot in the head and grievously wounded last January as she was meeting with constituents outside a supermarket in Tucson, Ariz. Her progress had seemed remarkable, to the point that she was able to walk dramatically into the House chamber last August to cast a vote.

Her shooting prompted an agonizing national debate about super-charged rhetoric in political campaigns, although the man charged in the shooting later turned out to be mentally ill.

In Washington, members of Congress were told to pay more attention to their physical security. Legislation was introduced to ban high-capacity ammunition clips, although it never advanced.

Under state law, Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer must call a special election to fill out the remainder of Giffords' term, which ends at the end of 2012.

House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said he saluted Giffords "for her service and for the courage and perseverance she has shown in the face of tragedy. She will be missed."

In a statement, House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi of California said that "since the tragic events one year ago, Gabby has been an inspiring symbol of determination and courage to millions of Americans."

Democratic officials had held out hope for months that the congresswoman might recover sufficiently to run for re-election or even become a candidate to replace retiring Republican Sen. Jon Kyl.

The shooting on Jan. 8, 2011, left six people dead, a federal judge and a Giffords aide among them. Twelve others were wounded.

A 23-year-old man, Jared Lee Loughner, has pleaded not guilty to 49 charges in the shooting. He has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and is being forcibly medicated at a Missouri prison facility in an effort by authorities to make him mentally ready for trial.

In the months since she was shot, Giffords, 41, has been treated in Houston as well as Arizona as she re-learned how to walk and speak.

She made a dramatic appearance on the House floor Aug. 2, when she unexpectedly walked in to vote for an increase in the debt limit. Lawmakers from both parties cheered her presence, and she was enveloped in hugs.

More recently, she participated in an observance of the anniversary of the shooting in Arizona.

In "Gabby: A Story of Courage and Hope," a book released last year that she wrote with her husband, the astronaut Mark Kelly, she spoke of how much she wanted to get better, regain what she lost and return to Congress.

She delivers the last chapter in her own voice, saying in a single page of short sentences and phrases that everything she does reminds her of that horrible day and that she was grateful to survive.

"I will get stronger. I will return," she wrote.

Giffords was shot in the left side of the brain, the part that controls speech and communication.

Kelly commanded the space shuttle Endeavour on its last mission in May. She watched the launch from Cape Canaveral, Fla.

Kelly, who became a NASA astronaut in 1996 and made four trips into space aboard the space shuttle, retired in October.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-01-22-Giffords-Resign/id-c164e4fcebda4709a02ef3723169c16b

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Build Your First Robot: Step-By-Step-Plans

Wire Up
Prepare the wiring and electrical components:

Jumper wires. Construction goes faster with pre-made jumper wires for the BYFR?s main electrical cables. You want an assortment of five or 10 female-female jumpers, 3" long.

Speaker. There are no circuits to build but you need to solder wires to a speaker, battery leads, and switches. I?ve specified a piezo speaker; don?t use an ordinary 8? dynamic speaker. It?ll draw too much current and possibly damage the Arduino.

Snap headers.? Breakaway header pins are used to connect the wiring to the Arduino and breadboard. Be sure to get the double-long header pins, which are long on both sides of the center barrier.

Source: http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/engineering/robots/build-your-own-robot?src=rss

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Video: Tracking Google's Impact

Is Google dragging down the Nasdaq? Warren Meyers, DME Securities, with the trade on the stock ahead of the closing bell, the outlook on housing, and what investor need to watch on Monday.

Related Links:

Business & financial news headlines from msnbc.com

Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/cnbc/46075633/

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Bleacher Report Arrives On iPad With New Team Stream App

Bleacher Report, the popular site for sports fans now boasting 22 million uniques per month, just released its Team Stream app for the iPad. Similar to Team Stream for iPhone and Android smartphones, the new Team Stream HD app features news and analysis and supports push notifications for breaking news. This is the first tablet-optimized experience from the company, but it's not the only one: the company is also pushing out an iPad-optimized HTML5 browsing experience, too.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/DM0dZV6FZpU/

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Top official dismisses concerns about Kim Jong Un (AP)

PYONGYANG, North Korea ? A senior North Korean official dismissed concerns about Kim Jong Un's readiness to lead, saying he spent years working closely with his late father and helping him make key policy decisions on economic and military affairs.

In the first interview with foreign journalists by a high-level North Korean official since Kim Jong Il's Dec. 17 death, Politburo member and Kim family confidante Yang Hyong Sop told The Associated Press that North Koreans were in good hands with their young new leader. He emphasized an unbroken continuity from father to son that suggests a continuation of Kim Jong Il's key policies.

"We suffered the greatest loss in the history of our nation as a result of the sudden, unexpected and tragic loss of the great leader Kim Jong Il," he said in the interview Monday at Mansudae Assembly Hall, seat of the North Korean legislative body.

"But still, we are not worried a bit," he added, "because we know that we are being led by comrade Kim Jong Un, who is fully prepared to carry on the heritage created by the great Gen. Kim Jong Il."

Despite Yang's assertion of a lengthy behind-the-scenes role for Kim Jong Un, the world was introduced to the heir only in September 2010, prior to which he had been kept out of the public eye for most of his life. Though still in his 20s, he was quickly promoted to four-star general and named a vice chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea.

The new ruler's youth and quick ascension to power have raised questions in foreign capitals about how ready he is to rule over this nation of 24 million with a nuclear program as well as chronic trouble feeding all its people.

Yang said he had no concerns about Kim's ability to lead.

"The respected comrade Kim Jong Un had long assisted the great Gen. Kim Jong Il," he told AP. "It's not a secret that he has helped the great general in many different aspects ? not only in military affairs but also the economy and other areas as well."

Daily life in this cold, somber capital has begun to return to normal one month after Kim's death, reportedly from a heart attack while riding on his private train.

The white mourning bouquets and massive portraits of the departed leader have been cleared from Pyongyang's main buildings and monuments. People are busy getting back to daily life, with children whizzing down icy slopes on wooden sleds and workers running to catch morning buses and trams as the Kim Jong Un ode "Footsteps" blares over loudspeakers.

Vast Kim Il Sung Square, where a sea of mourners converged after Kim's death, was ghostly quiet except for a few people who scurried quickly across the frigid plaza.

In recent weeks, as North Koreans filled the capital's streets with their emotive mourning and the government staged elaborate funeral proceedings, party and military officials moved quickly to install Kim's son as "supreme leader" of the people, party and military.

A soft-spoken octogenarian who is vice president of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly and a standing member of the powerful Political Bureau of the Communist party's Central Committee, Yang has long-standing ties with the Kim family that stretch back to his close alliance with the nation's founder, Kim Il Sung.

During a 2010 interview with Associated Press Television News in Pyongyang, he provided the first confirmation by a government official that Kim Jong Un would eventually become the nation's next leader.

"He knows what the exact intention of the great Gen. Kim Jong Il was," he said Monday.

His comments this week indicated there would be little change to major policies laid out by Kim Jong Un's father in the three years before his death. Yang said the new leader was focused on a "knowledge-based" economy and looking at economic reforms enacted by other nations, including China.

The North has increasingly looked to China for guidance on how to revitalize its moribund economy, particularly as South Korea, Japan and other nations have frozen trade and aid to the North amid concerns about its nuclear ambitions.

Little is known about Kim Jong Un's background and experience, though North Koreans have been told he studied at Kim Il Sung Military University and was involved in military operations such as the November 2010 artillery attack on a South Korean island that killed four South Koreans.

Earlier this month, North Korea's state-run broadcaster aired a documentary about the new leader that began filling in some blanks from before his public debut.

The footage shows him observing the April 2009 launch of a long-range rocket and quotes him threatening to wage war against any nation attempting to intercept the rocket, which North Korea claimed was carrying a communications satellite but the United States, South Korea and Japan say was really a test of its long-range missile technology.

It was the first indication of his involvement in that controversial launch.

Yet if Kim Jong Un was playing a prominent behind-the-scenes role prior to 2010, his training period would have been much shorter than that of his Kim Jong Il, who spent 20 years working under his own father, Kim Il Sung. Even after his father's death, Kim Jong Il observed a three-year mourning period before formally assuming leadership.

___

Follow AP's Korea Bureau Chief Jean H. Lee at twitter.com/newsjean and Chief Asia Photographer David Guttenfelder at twitter.com/dguttenfelder.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/un/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120118/ap_on_re_as/as_nkorea_kim_jong_un

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Heather Locklear & Jack Wagner Headed To Court?

Uh oh, looks like ex-loves Heather Locklear and Jack Wagner could be in some hot water! An argument involving the couple could find each of them facing criminal charges, for real. The latest drama to involve the former Melrose Place love birds is a fight that occurred between them last December. According to the LAPD there is now a file on the two and they must meet with the City Attorney’s Office for a hearing. Why you ask, well to determine if one or even both of them should be charged with criminal battery. Those are some pretty serious charges I must say but according to the file the police have it was quite the blowout fight between Jack and Heather. As for what went down between them, well all that we know is that there was a heated argument between Wagner and Locklear at his home at the end of last year. Things got physical and the cops were called, however at the time neither party wanted to press charges. Fast forward a few weeks later and now they are set to have an informal meeting with the City Attorney’s Office. Even though neither party wanted to press charges [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RightCelebrity/~3/tfemIFNknV4/

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Wikipedia, Google protest US antipiracy proposals (AP)

NEW YORK ? January 18 is a date that will live in ignorance, as Wikipedia started a 24-hour blackout of its English-language articles, joining other sites in a protest of pending U.S. legislation aimed at shutting down sites that share pirated movies and other content.

Reddit.com shut down its social news service for 12 hours. Other sites made their views clear without cutting off surfers. Google blacked out the logo on its home page, directing surfers to a page where they could add their names to a petition against the bills.

Local listings site Craigslist took a middle route, changing its local home pages to a black screen directing users to an anti-legislation page. After 10 seconds, a link to the main site appears on the home page, but some surfers missed that and were fooled into thinking the whole site was blacked out.

The Internet companies are concerned that the Stop Online Piracy Act in the House and the Protect Intellectual Property Act under consideration in the Senate, if passed, could be used to target legitimate sites where users share content.

The 24-hour Wikipedia blackout is an unprecedented move for the online encyclopedia. The decision was reached after polling the community of contributors, but dissenters say political advocacy undermines the site's mission as a neutral source.

However, it's not complete: the block can be bypassed by changing browser settings to disable JavaScript, or by using the version of the site designed for cellphone screens.

There's also a "mirror" or copy, of Wikipedia called The Free Dictionary, but it's not up to date.

___

Online:

Wikipedia for mobiles: http://en.m.wikipedia.org/

"Mirror" site of Wikipedia: http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/internet/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120118/ap_on_hi_te/us_tec_internet_protest

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France seeks to brush off S&P's downgrade (AP)

PARIS ? French President Nicolas Sarkozy secured a small boost from Moody's rating agency Monday following a bruising downgrade last week of the way the country had been handling its economy.

Moody's said Monday it was maintaining France with a top AAA rating and stable outlook for its debt. Rival agency Standard & Poor's, more downbeat about the prospects for France and Europe as a whole, stripped France of its long-cherished triple A rating last Friday.

In early trading, markets appeared to brush off S&P's decision to cut the credit ratings of nine European countries, including France. Though the downgrades late Friday had been expected, they served as a reminder that the 17 countries that use the euro as their currency still have a long way to go to get a handle on the two-year debt crisis.

Europe's economies will likely remain the focus of attention across markets all week as a number of bond auctions are due at the same time as Greece tries to clinch a debt-reduction deal with its private investors.

Sarkozy's budget minister Valerie Pecresse said Monday she was optimistic that S&P's knockdown would not lead to a rise in the country's borrowing costs. A short-term French bond auction later on that day is seen as a test of the impact of the downgrade.

In its announcement, Moody's cited the French economy's overall strength but said bleak growth prospects in France and the region present "risks to the French government's fiscal consolidation plans."

Moody's had said in October it was putting France on review, as Sarkozy and other European leaders struggled to find solutions to Europe's protracted debt crisis.

Moody's said Monday it "will update the market during the first quarter of 2012 as part of the initiative to revisit the overall architecture of our sovereign ratings in the EU."

The rating agency detailed the strengths of the French economy, but noted that the country's debt levels have deteriorated because of the "global economic and financial crisis" and were now among the weakest of all AAA countries.

"France, like other eurozone sovereigns, may face a number of challenges in the coming months. The need to provide additional support to other European sovereigns or to its own banking system cannot be excluded. In that case this could give rise to significant new (contingent) liabilities for the government's balance sheet," Moody's warned.

Moody's notes the government has less room to maneuver than during the 2008 meltdown. "The domestic and external economic growth outlook presents significant risks to the French government's fiscal consolidation plans."

Sarkozy meets later Monday with Spain's new Prime Minister, Mariano Rajoy, whose country was also downgraded Friday by S&P.

The S&P move was especially brutal for France, one of the world's biggest economies and a financier of bailouts for smaller, poorer eurozone countries.

Sarkozy has yet to speak publicly about the downgrade, leaving his government ministers to try to calm the public.

Pecresse said on Europe-1 radio Monday that she doesn't expect "mechanical consequences" of the downgrade because France has "credibility" and is a "sure value."

She noted that the United States didn't see its borrowing costs spike after last August's decision by Standard & Poor's to strip it of its AAA rating. Like France, the U.S. is rated AA+.

Pecresse and the prime minister promised to continue cost-cutting reforms, despite criticism from the left ? and S&P itself ? that austerity measures alone could crimp growth.

Sarkozy's challengers for the presidency have seized on the downgrade as what they call evidence that his policies are wrong-headed and ineffective.

Sarkozy hasn't announced his candidacy but is near certain to seek a second term in two-round elections in April and May. He trails Socialist Francois Hollande in polls and is facing increasing pressure from far-right candidate Marine Le Pen and a centrist, Francois Bayrou.

It will be a bruising battle for Sarkozy, a dynamic leader who has a strong international profile but is widely disliked at home. Leftists say he has coddled the rich, while many of those who supported him in his 2007 campaign say he hasn't fulfilled his promises.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/europe/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120116/ap_on_bi_ge/eu_europe_financial_crisis

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Citi misses forecasts; 4Q profit down 11 percent

In this Jan. 6, 2012 photo, a Citibank customer makes a transaction at an ATM, in New York. Citigroup said Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012, its income fell 11 percent in the fourth quarter of 2011due to lower investment banking income, an accounting charge, and a decline in the value of its assets. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

In this Jan. 6, 2012 photo, a Citibank customer makes a transaction at an ATM, in New York. Citigroup said Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012, its income fell 11 percent in the fourth quarter of 2011due to lower investment banking income, an accounting charge, and a decline in the value of its assets. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

NEW YORK (AP) ? Choppy financial markets hurt Citigroup's investment banking profits, and the bank missed Wall Street expectations. The bank said Tuesday that profit fell 11 percent in the last three months of last year.

Besides making less money on investment banking, the bank lost money because of a quirky accounting rule related to the value of its corporate bonds.

Citi made $1.16 billion, or 38 cents per share, on revenue of $17.2 billion. The results fell short of the 54 cents per share estimated by analysts surveyed by FactSet, a provider of financial data.

A year earlier, in the fourth quarter of 2010, Citigroup made $1.3 billion on revenue of $18.4 billion.

Citigroup's broad international profile helped its results. Its business and consumer loans grew 14 percent to $465 billion, with most of the growth coming from Latin America and Asia.

As Americans pay down debt, the bank's credit card portfolio is improving. The number of Citi customers late with payments by 90 days or more fell 30 percent from the same period a year earlier.

Its losses from loans fell 40 percent, a bigger decline than the bank had anticipated. That allowed Citi to take a profit of $1.5 billion from the reserves the bank had kept aside for such losses.

But the volatile stock and bond markets in the fourth quarter led to a decline of 45 percent in Citi's investment banking revenue, to $638 million. The bank made less money on debt and equity underwriting and fees from advising on mergers and acquisitions.

Citi, one of the worst-hit banks during the financial crisis, has been reducing the toxic loans in its portfolio ? a condition of its $45 billion federal bailout. Those assets declined 25 percent in the fourth quarter, reducing overall revenue.

The bank also took a loss of $40 million because of an accounting rule that applies to the value of the corporate debt that the bank sells to investors. The value of that debt rose in the fourth quarter, but the bank had to take a loss because it would have had to pay more to buy it back on the open market.

For all of 2011, Citigroup's income was $11.3 billion on revenues of $78.4 billion, compared to net income of $10.6 billion on revenues of $86.6 billion for the full year 2010.

This marks the bank's second straight full year of profits. Citi's results were badly hurt during the financial crisis, posting close to $40 billion in losses from 2008 and 2009 combined.

Citi's stock was down 3 percent at $29.77 in pre-market trading.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2012-01-17-Earns-Citigroup/id-6a45580104ec43d3b7b8333be7663eae

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The Psychometer: Who Has Gone Too Far This Week? (PICTURE)

Our Psychometer scientists took some time off for the holidays, but they're back to examine who went too far this week. Luckily, they had their work cut out for them -- anyone who follows the news knows that their beakers (they are scientists after all) runneth over. Who do you think went craziest?

Also on HuffPost:

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/16/the-psychometer-who-has-gone-too-far_n_1209152.html

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