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Egypt sets trial date for accused foreign NGO workers

The trial of 43 people accused in a case involving foreign funding will take place in a criminal court on February 26, Egyptian state news agency MENA said Saturday. Egyptian authorities have announced that 43 non-Egyptians working for civil-society organizations face prosecution. They include 16 Americans, among them Sam LaHood, the son of U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, according to the State Department. Egypt had put the number of Americans at 19. Egyptian officials have blamed continuing unrest in their country on foreign interference they attribute, in part, to the organizations. In December, authorities carried out 17 raids on the offices of 10 organizations, including the U.S.-based Freedom House, National Democratic Institute and the International Republican Institute. A spokesman with the general prosecutor's office said the raids were part of an investigation into allegations that the groups had received illegal foreign financing and were operating without a proper license. The U.S. State Department said Tuesday it had received a 24-page document from Egyptian authorities that lays out the charges against the staff of U.S. and international democracy-building groups. Briefing reporters Friday, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said that its legal team had held a number of meetings since then. "We continue to work very hard on these issues. So we need to let that work go forward and hope we can solve this in earliest days," she said. Nuland had said Tuesday that no speedy resolution of the case was expected. "We are continuing to work as hard as we can with the Egyptian government to work our way through this, and we continue to insist that our people have done nothing wrong and that they ought to be allowed to come home," she said then. Seven Americans, including LaHood, who is the director of Egypt operations for the International Republican Institute, have been ordered not to leave the country. A "handful" of American employees of the organizations have taken refuge in the U.S. Embassy, Nuland said.

Published: Sat, 18 Feb 2012 14:20:44 GMT

NATO looking into reports of chopper crash in Afghanistan

A local official reported a NATO helicopter crashed Saturday in eastern Afghanistan, though there was no immediate confirmation from coalition forces. A spokesman for NATO's International Security Assistance Force, Capt. Justin Brockhoff, said ISAF officials are looking into the reported incident but have no indications that any ISAF aircraft have been lost. Abdul Rahman Sarjang, the chief of police in eastern Laghman province, said it was an American helicopter that crashed, but he had no other details.

Published: Sat, 18 Feb 2012 14:16:32 GMT

Obama budget proposal under fire in GOP address

In his weekly address, President Barack Obama spoke on U.S. manufacturing competitiveness, while Washington Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers used the Republican response to hammer the budget proposal he sent to Congress on Monday. The president made no mention of his budget, and in his remarks -- taped at the Washington state Boeing plant he visited Friday -- said that the U.S. is making progress toward becoming a more desirable place for manufacturing. "It's now getting more expensive to do business in places like China," he said. "Meanwhile, America is more productive than ever. And companies like Boeing are realizing that even when we can't make things cheaper than China, we can make things better. That's how we're going to compete globally." He argued for the manufacturing tax policy changes he outlined in his State of the Union address in January. "No company should get a tax break for outsourcing jobs. Instead, tax breaks should go to manufacturers who set up shop here at home," Obama said. "Bigger tax breaks should go to high-tech manufacturers who create the jobs of the future. And if you relocate your company to a struggling community, you should get help financing that new plant, that new equipment, or training for new workers." "And Congress should send me that kind of tax reform right away," he continued, mirroring a theme of urgency from his January address. McMorris Rodgers -- whose district does not include the Everett, Washington, plant that Obama visited Friday -- argued that the president's budget would instead make the country less competitive with manufacturing giants such as China. "Instead of leading the effort to bring down our debt and make tough choices, the president is proposing that we spend more and more," she said. "All his wasteful spending puts us deeper in debt to China. All his tax hikes would destroy jobs and make it tougher to compete with China." His $3.8 trillion proposal, she said, reneges on Obama's promise to halve federal deficits by the end of his first term. http://articles.cnn.com/2012-02-13/politics/politics_obama-congress-budget_1_trillion-budget-spending-cuts-federal-budget "He won't even come close," she said. "Because of the president's failure to control spending, the government will run trillion-dollar deficits in each of his four years in office. President Obama's broken promises have left our country broke." The administration predicted that under this proposal, the deficit would reach $1.3 trillion, then drop to $901 billion in 2013. And McMorris Rodgers argued that the spending cuts are not new sacrifices, but previously negotiated cuts and mirage. "More than half of the proposed 'savings' in the president's budget for the next year -- about $2 trillion -- are already law," she said. "These savings come from the Budget Control Act -- the bill congressional Republicans insisted that the president sign last year in response to his demand for an increase in the nation's debt limit." She continued, "Another almost $1 trillion in 'savings' comes from what we call the 'war gimmick' -- money that was never requested and will never be spent on wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Those aren't real savings." Capitol Hill is expected to be quiet in the week ahead, as the House and Senate voted on Friday to extend the payroll tax cut, unemployment benefits and Medicare reimbursements.

Published: Sat, 18 Feb 2012 13:38:03 GMT

Battle looms over cutting nuclear arsenal

The Pentagon is currently analyzing U.S. nuclear options under the Nuclear Posture Review Implementation Study -- a process that could result in significant cuts in the number of warheads. And one senior Republican senator is sounding a warning. "Obviously this is going to create a huge stir in Congress," Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Arizona, said during a keynote address Thursday at a nuclear deterrence summit in Arlington, Virginia. "We will have a battle royal in Congress if the president moves forward with these kinds of plans." As recently as last month, the Defense Department did not discount the possibility of further cuts to its arsenal eventually. "It is possible that our deterrence goals can be achieved with a smaller nuclear force, which would reduce the number of nuclear weapons in our inventory as well as their role in U.S. national security strategy," the Pentagon said in releasing its latest strategic guidance review last month. James Miller, the acting defense undersecretary for policy, told the same summit Wednesday that the Pentagon is looking at "a number of options" regarding the size of its nuclear arsenal, but refused to go into detail as no decision has been made yet. "It is absolutely appropriate for the president and the Pentagon to look at those [lower] levels," Stephen Young with the Union of Concerned Scientists told CNN. Today's geopolitical order is much different than 20 years ago, Young said. There's no longer a Soviet Union, there's no longer a massive army looming over Europe, the current role of nuclear weapons is much smaller and so there's no need for a massive nuclear arsenal," he said. The current U.S.-Russian arms treaty, known as New START, went into effect a year ago and requires that each side cap its strategic nuclear warheads at 1,550 by 2018. It also limits each nation to 700 deployed strategic launchers and heavy bombers, with another 100 held in reserve. But there is precedent in cutting the U.S. nuclear arsenal below treaty-mandated levels. The administration of former President George W. Bush cut the arsenal to 2,200 warheads, while both the United States and Russia were permitted 6,000 each under the START treaty in force at that time. Some analysts say any reduction below what the Russian Federation maintains in its arsenal is unlikely to happen in the current era. "Russia right now is putting more emphasis on the role of nuclear weapons in its policy," Clark Murdock, director of the Project on Nuclear Issues at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told CNN. Murdock said making deep cuts in the number of U.S. warheads is "just politically out of the question," in the face of Russian nuclear modernization. Defense officials are unambiguous when it comes to the importance of the U.S. nuclear arsenal. "We continue to believe that U.S. forces play a critical role in 21st century strategic deterrence, primarily because they cast a long and very dark shadow over the decision-making of any adversary contemplating a strategic attack on the United States or our allies," said Greg Weaver, deputy director of Plans and Policy at U.S. Strategic Command. He also spoke Thursday at the nuclear deterrence summit. For Kyl, who recently announced he will not seek re-election, concerns over the nuclear arsenal go beyond its size. He told Thursday's summit audience that he found the pace of modernizing the nuclear infrastructure "disheartening." Paul Hommert, director of Sandia National Laboratories, told the same audience that the nation's stockpile is "the oldest it has ever been," with many of the weapons having been designed and constructed in the 1970s and '80s. "The net result of that is that there is a fair amount of work that is embedded in what's coming forward to us." But in an era of fiscal austerity, with a mandate to cut $497 billion out of the defense budget over the next 10 years, the need to modernize the nuclear arsenal may come at the cost of the current infrastructure. Gen. James Cartwright, the former vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in July that the current nuclear "triad"of submarines, ballistic missiles, and bombers was not sustainable or even practical in a post- Cold War and budget conscious era. Weaver, with Strategic Command -- which oversees the U.S. nuclear arsenal -- said the modernization of the arsenal will have to take a lot into account. Our challenge," he said, is to ensure that U.S. nuclear forces "can ... play [effective deterrence roles] now and in the years to come, and we don't know how many years to come."

Published: Sat, 18 Feb 2012 13:37:57 GMT

Friends, family say goodbye to Whitney Houston

A close friend of Whitney Houston's family may have said it best: They would have loved her, even if she couldn't sing. But how she could sing. Houston, the six-time Grammy Award winner and only artist to consecutively chart seven No. 1 hits, will be remembered Saturday in the Newark, New Jersey, church where she performed as a child in front of her family and community. In addition to her family, those expected to celebrate Houston's life at New Hope Baptist Church will include entertainment mogul Tyler Perry; "The Queen of Soul," Aretha Franklin; Grammy Award winner Stevie Wonder; and Academy Award winner Kevin Costner. The fact that Houston's funeral will bring a coterie of "A-listers" together is hardly surprising. After all, she had worked for nearly 30 years with the best in the business. But it isn't her fame that will be most celebrated at the invitation-only funeral beginning at noon, said family friend and Pastor Marvin Winans. Instead, the message to the 1,500 mourners expected to fill the red-brick church -- and the millions more watching on television or online -- will be reminiscent of words from the Apostle Paul. "And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." For a few hours Saturday, the story won't be about Houston's reported drinking days before she died or about the prescription pills being tested as investigators seek a cause of her still-unexplained death a week ago at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California. In Newark, 2,700 miles away from Los Angeles, they will remember the 11-year-old girl nicknamed "Nippy," who followed in the footsteps of her mother, Cissy, by singing in the junior gospel choir. They will remember Houston the superstar, returning for Easter Sunday services, never loosing her roots after making it big. They will remember, through tears and joy, that incredible voice. Houston's family will be comforted by neighbors and fellow church members in what the family is calling a "home going" service, according to the funeral invitation that features a photo of a smiling Houston. Still, the singer's death at age 48, after a much-publicized struggle with addiction and a tumultuous marriage to R&B bad boy Bobby Brown, has raised questions about fame and the fragility of life -- finding meaning in the unexpected loss of such a talented individual. In the words of Winans, who will deliver the eulogy, "Faith plays a great part in how we cope with uncertainties in life. It is not something that we run from in difficulty, it is something we run to." That belief in God, and tradition, will permeate Saturday's service. Friday night, Franklin paid tribute to Houston at a Radio City Music Hall concert in New York. "We will always remember her kindness, her grace, her smile and her dynamic performances. But she's moved on up just a little bit higher now, and we don't wonder where she is," said Franklin. The Houston family opted to forgo a public memorial service. They didn't "want to have a parade," Winans told CNN's Anderson Cooper. Their message, he said: "We want to do this with dignity." There will not be a customary funeral procession, Newark police Director Samuel DiMaio said Thursday. Houston's family and her body will arrive at an undisclosed time, he said. "I would advise the public that there really is going to be nothing to see here at the church," DiMaio said. "The best thing to do would be to stay home and watch the service on television. .... The funeral is not going to be the traditional procession that we would normally have." A perimeter has been set up for four blocks in two directions, and two blocks in the other directions, DiMaio said. The closest the public will be able to get is a staging area two blocks away. Houston leaves behind an 18-year-old daughter, Bobbi Christina Brown; her mother, Cissy; brothers; a cousin; and a host of relatives and friends. Cissy Houston and Bobbi Christina attended a private viewing Friday, accompanied by producer Clive Davis, a longtime mentor of the singer. Born in 1963 in Newark, Houston had musical greatness in her blood. Cissy Houston is a gospel great and cousin Dionne Warwick was a successful pop singer. Franklin is a close family friend. After various appearances while a teen and performing backup vocals for Chaka Khan on "I'm Every Woman," Houston had her big break. As the story goes, Davis spotted Houston in 1983 in a New York nightclub performing and signed her on the spot. Houston released her debut album, "Whitney Houston," in February 1985 to wide acclaim. A generation danced their way through the 1980s to a string of her hits, including the poppy "How Will I Know," "Saving All My Love For You," "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" and "The Greatest Love Of All." Her rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner" at the 1991 Super Bowl and "I Will Always Love You" in the movie "The Bodyguard," in which she made her acting debut, cemented her superstar status. But by the time the movie opened, Houston's clean-cut pop image had begun to tarnish with her marriage to Bobby Brown. The two met in 1989 and married three years later. Their relationship became tabloid fodder, with every misstep chronicled and the couple's relationship a subject of constant speculation. Brown's notorious hard-partying led him to several run-ins with the law and stints in jail. While Houston managed to maintain a successful music and movie career through the end of the 1990s, starring in "The Preacher's Wife" and "Waiting To Exhale," her behavior turned increasingly erratic amid reports of heavy drug use. By the 2000s, her career was in free fall as her album sales dropped off and her voice began to show signs of wear. She and Brown divorced in 2007. Recently, Houston was working to turn around her career -- and image -- with a star turn in the upcoming movie "Sparkle,'' the remake of a 1976 film that is said to be loosely inspired by the Supremes. Pastor Winans' brother, Benjamin "BeBe" Winans, said his sister, CeCe, will perform "Don't Cry for Me" at Saturday's service. Houston performed the song in many countries, Winans told A.J. Hammer of HLN's "Showbiz Tonight." The song is about life, loss and hope. "My death was meant to be Don't carry guilt or shame The reason why I came soon you'll see. Don't cry for me"

Published: Sat, 18 Feb 2012 13:04:29 GMT

Pope appoints 22 new Cardinals

Pope Benedict appointed 22 new cardinals at the Vatican on Saturday, with his choices for the lofty role likely to influence who will appointed as the next pontiff. The Vatican named the new cardinals last month, but they were officially appointed in a special ceremony at St. Peter's Basilica. Among those elevated to the College of Cardinals were New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan, cementing his standing as the top Catholic in the United States, and Archbishop Edwin F. O'Brien of Baltimore. Others include Archbishop Thomas Collins, from Toronto, as well as the Bishop of Hong Kong, John Tong Hon, and Major Archbishop George Alencherry from India Senior clerics from Germany, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Romania and Brazil are also represented, as well as several from Italy. The College of Cardinals was established in 1150. Its main role is to advise the current pope and pick his successor. "This is the most exclusive club in the Catholic Church," said John Allen, CNN's Vatican analyst. "In many cases, you also become, at least informally, a candidate to be the next pope, because the next pope will almost certainly come from the roughly 120 cardinals under the age of 80." Once a cardinal reaches 80, he is no longer able to participate in the election of the pope or enter the secret conclave where cardinals gather when the time comes to select the next pope, typically upon the prior pope's death. The new cardinals each professed their faith and swore an oath of obedience to Pope Benedict and his successors during Saturday's ceremony, called the Consistory, at the Vatican. They then walked one by one to the pontiff, knelt in front of him and received the traditional red hat, a gold ring, and a document with the name of the cardinal's titular church in Rome. The pope and newly-created cardinal then embraced. Pope Benedict also announced seven new saints, including the first Native American saint, a 17th-Century Mohawk woman called Kateri, or Catherine, Tekakwitha, who was a Catholic convert. Existing members of the College of Cardinals and the new cardinals-elect came together for a day of prayer and reflection Friday, in preparation for the ceremony, according to the Holy See Press Office. Dolan addressed the gathering on the subject of evangelization, saying there was a need to challenge a growing secularization of society.

Published: Sat, 18 Feb 2012 13:04:24 GMT

Honeymoon over as Lin, Knicks lose

It had to end some time. The New York Knicks seven-game winning streak, sparked by the surprising play of Jeremy Lin, ended Friday. Despite scoring 26 points against the New Orleans Hornets , Lin and the Knicks lost. Lin, 23, who has played electrifying basketball in recent games, got off to a slow start Friday and was plagued by turnovers. After the game, Lin lamented the nine turnovers he had and blamed himself for the loss. "Nine turnovers is obviously never going to get it done," Lin told reporters. "It is on me in terms of taking care of the ball. If everyone credits me for the last seven games then I deserve this one on my shoulders." Despite the close lose to the Hornets, 89-85, the improbable story that the New York media dubbed "Linsanity" and the exploits of the Harvard-educated point guard continues. Lin grabbed international attention this month when he was called off the bench and immediately became the Knicks' go-to-guy. The then unknown Asian-American point guard scored 25 points to help his team beat the New Jersey Nets that first game. Lin turned more heads February 10 after getting the better of Kobe Bryant -- arguably the NBA's top player -- scoring 38 points in the Knicks' win over the Los Angeles Lakers. Linsanity reached a fever pitch earlier this week when the one-time bench warmer hit a game-winning shot against the Toronto Raptors. Lin will get a chance to start a new winning streak Sunday when the Knicks take on the NBA champions Dallas Mavericks.

Published: Sat, 18 Feb 2012 07:42:27 GMT

J&J's McNeil unit recalls Infants' Tylenol

The healthcare company McNeil is recalling more than half a million bottles of Infants' Tylenol because of consumer complaints about the difficulties of using the dosing system. McNeil is recalling about 574,000 bottles after receiving a "small number" of complaints regarding the so-called "dosing syringe" of the orally-administered over-the-counter painkiller. The company said that in some cases the "flow restrictor was pushed into the bottle when inserting the syringe." The recall applies to one-ounce bottles of grape-flavored Infants' Tylenol Oral Suspension. The company said there have been "no adverse events" from the problem and that "the risk of series adverse medical event is remote." The company said that consumers can continue to use the product, despite the voluntary recall, so long as the flow restrictor remains in place at the top of the bottle. McNeil, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, has had numerous recalls in the recent past, especially with Tylenol. The U.S. government took over three Tylenol plants last year for failure to comply with federally-mandated manufacturing procedures.

Published: Sat, 18 Feb 2012 05:42:05 GMT

WHO: Bird flu data still on hold

Two studies about a genetically altered strain of H5N1 influenza, a deadly avian flu, should be published in their full form, but not yet, experts at a meeting organized by the World Health Organization concluded Friday. There has been concern the research on bird flu could be used for terroristic purposes. WHO said in a statement that "understanding of this research through communications and the review of biosafety and biosecurity" issues that the research raises is crucial, but did not say specifically how or when this review will happen. WHO also said that it would extend the temporary moratorium on research with the laboratory-modified viruses, but research on the avian influenza found in nature must continue for public health protection. The naturally occurring H5N1 bird flu virus has a high death rate associated with it; 60% of all humans who have been infected have died, said Dr. Keiji Fukuda, assistant director-general of health security and environment for the World Health Organization. A research group in the Netherlands and a separate group at the University of Wisconsin have each created a mutated version of the H5N1 virus that can more easily transmit from mammal to mammal than the virus found in nature. They tested the mutated virus on ferrets, which closely mimic the human response to the flu. The journal Science was going to publish the Dutch paper, and the journal Nature was going to publish the American paper. Both journals decided to refrain from publishing the studies so far. Concerns about the research were first raised in December, the fear being that a highly transmittable virus could be used in a biological weapon. The National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity said in January that the data could be used to help prepare for a possible outbreak in the future. However, the board recommended the studies be published without "methods or details" to prevent misuse by terrorists. Science and Nature jointly released a statement on the matter. Friday, the World Health Organization said more public health benefit would come from publishing the entire manuscripts than "urgent" partial publishing. But the WHO is going to continue its assessment of the biosafety and biosecurity aspects first. "If you just have scientists in the room and no security people, it's not enough," Science Editor-in-Chief Bruce Alberts said Friday at the American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia. "The other side of the equation is, what do we know about the ease at which al Qaeda, for example, could actually produce this thing?" Alberts said the original plan was to publish a redacted version of the papers in the middle of March, but that will not happen in light of the WHO decision. "My reading is that both Nature and Science are to wait until we get some further information from WHO and other authorities about when we are to publish the full manuscripts," Alberts said. Experts say it's important to get this information out about avian influenza to the people doing surveillance, especially in countries like Indonesia that have the biggest problems with this disease. But considering the risks for terrorism is important, Alberts said. "Obviously this cannot go on for years," he said. The best outcome would be the establishment of an international version of the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity, he said. There also is talk of other ways to get information to people who need it besides publication of the papers, Alberts said. For instance, there could be a list of 50 genetic mutations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that could be screened for; the technology for that exists. That could be done openly because all the mutations of H5N1 that are being kept secret have already been found individually in other viruses. It's only in combination that these mutations are dangerous. Alberts suggests a database of these mutations could be available to public health officials in developing countries, for example. So where is this secret information? The Science paper is in a locked electronic file, and everyone who reviewed the papers was told to destroy their copies, Alberts said. The whereabouts of the Nature paper were not revealed at the American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting.

Published: Sat, 18 Feb 2012 05:40:49 GMT

Feds broaden piracy case against Megaupload.com

A month after carrying out one of the largest anti-piracy crackdowns ever, federal authorities have added charges and broadened their case against the defendants. The 90-page superseding indictment, which was returned Thursday in the Eastern District of Virginia, adds counts of criminal copyright infringement, conspiracy to commit money laundering and wire fraud against Megaupload.com and Megavideo.com. The websites were shut and several of their alleged leaders were arrested in January. The defendants allegedly reproduced copyrighted works from third-party websites, including from YouTube.com, so that they could be copied and distributed via Megavideo.com and to give the false impression that the website hosted content that was primarily generated by users and was not copyright-infringing content, the indictment says. "In contrast to legitimate Internet distributors of copyrighted content, Megaupload.com does not make any significant payments to the copyright owners of the many thousands of works that are willfully reproduced and distributed on he Mega Sites each and every day," the government says. In addition, the document says that the defendants' claim of more than 180 million registered users is not supported by their own records, which show only 66.6 million registered users as of January 19. Those records also show that just 5.86 million of these users ever uploaded a file to Megaupload.com or Megavideo.com, meaning that more than 90% of the sites' registered users used the systems solely to download, it says. Among those indicted is Kim Dotcom, the founder of Megaupload. His lawyer said after the initial indictment that his client is innocent, a law-abiding entrepreneur committed to raising his young family in New Zealand. Dotcom is a resident of New Zealand, where he employs more than 50 staff, and Hong Kong, where he has a suite at the Grand Hyatt Hotel. The superseding indictment cited the case of one alleged infringer referred identified only as "VV." Over six years, VV had uploaded nearly 17,000 files to Megavideo.com, which resulted in more than 334 million views, it said. Though VV had been the subject of numerous takedown e-mails, none of those files had been deleted, it said. The government also added property, bank accounts, jet skis, jewelry and watches to the list of assets subject to forfeiture, and estimated the value at at least $175 million. The defendants were first charged in a five-count indictment returned on Jan. 5 and unsealed on Jan. 19. The counts were: conspiracy to commit racketeering, conspiracy to commit copyright infringement, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and two counts of copyright infringement. Five of the seven individuals indicted have been arrested, and at least $50 million in assets have been "restrained," the Department of Justice said in a news release. Last month, Megaupload's fans turned the table on the feds. "Hacktivist" collective Anonymous said it set its sights on the U.S. Department of Justice and apparently knocked the agency's website offline. The DOJ website glitches came soon after various Twitter accounts associated with Anonymous took aim at the agency. Anonymous's favorite weapon for these attacks is a "distributed denial of service" (DDoS) attack, which directs traffic to a website and overwhelms its servers, causing it to crash. The practice involves neither hacking nor any breach of security. It was Anonymous' largest attack ever, according to an Anonymous representative, with 5,635 people using a networking tool called a "low orbit ion cannon." A LOIC is software tool that aims a flood of traffic at a targeted site. Authorities said the "Mega Conspiracy" organization had generated more than $175 million in illegal profits through advertising revenue and the sale of premium memberships. According to the indictment, Megaupload, which launched in 2005, was once the 13th most-visited website on the Internet, serving as a hub for distribution of copyrighted television shows, images, computer software and video games. The site's popular MegaVideo subsidiary was widely known in tech circles for its broad selection of pirated content, including movies and episodes of hit TV shows. To shut Megaupload, federal authorities executed 20 search warrants in eight countries, seizing 18 domain names and $50 million worth of assets, including servers located in Virginia, Washington, the Netherlands and Canada. The individuals indicted are citizens of New Zealand, Germany, Slovakia and the Netherlands. No U.S. citizens were named. However, Megaupload has servers in Ashburn, Virginia, and Washington, which prompted the Virginia-based investigation.

Published: Sat, 18 Feb 2012 03:27:27 GMT

White House predicts 2 million more jobs in 2012

The United States economy is on the road to recovery, the White House said Friday, with stronger job growth expected this year. But income inequality and Europe's debt crisis could still pose challenges, according to a report released by President Obama's Council of Economic Advisers. "While actions taken to prevent a deeper recession and to strengthen the recovery have made a difference, the nation is still recovering from that profound crisis and the problems that led to it," the Economic Report of the President said. The document, which totals 446 pages, is the administration's blueprint for the economy, which outlines a plan to "recover, rebalance and rebuild." Much like Obama's recent State of the Union address, it focuses heavily on income inequality, and building an America where "everyone gets a fair shot." One way to do that is job creation. While 1.8 million jobs were created last year, the economy still needs to add about 5.6 million jobs to get back to 2008 employment levels -- and that's without accounting for population growth. New forecasts from the Council of Economic Advisers estimate 2 million jobs will be added in 2012. The report calls attention to a "manufacturing revival," along with a rise in exports. Obama traveled to a Boeing factory in Everett, Wa., Friday to champion his policies of promoting manufacturing and exports. "Two years ago, I set a goal of doubling U.S. exports over five years," Obama said in a White House press release. "Today, we're on track to meet that goal -- ahead of schedule." One major challenge the White House points to is Europe's debt crisis. Europe buys about a fifth of U.S. goods that are exported and about 40% of U.S. service exports. "Global and U.S. economic performance will depend, in part, on the swift resolution of problems in the euro area," the report said. While it's true that manufacturing jobs have been a bright spot in the U.S. recovery and exports have risen rapidly over the last two years, Obama often fails to mention the rise in imports too. When imports rise faster than exports, it subtracts from U.S. economic growth. Since Obama announced his intention to double exports, they have risen 33.5%, but imports have grown even faster, up 36%. The report comes just hours after Congress passed a bipartisan bill extending the payroll tax cut and unemployment benefits. Those programs are more likely to soften the blow of rising gas prices, than add to economic growth. "The payroll tax cut provides some cushion for families in case they see their costs go up, possibly because of gasoline prices or for other reasons over the course of the year," said Alan Krueger, chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers.

Published: Sat, 18 Feb 2012 03:24:23 GMT

Syrian protesters hail 'resistance'

Thousands of Syrians defied their government's relentless, bloody crackdown by staging hundreds of public protests Friday in cities nationwide. Video posted by activists on YouTube showed protesters gathered in Daraa under a banner that read: "Shed the blood, cast off the cowards." The opposition Local Coordination Committees counted 613 demonstrations, 158 of them in Idlib alone. Demonstrators took to the streets of Idlib, Daraa, Homs, Hama and suburban Damascus, chanting for the end of President Bashar al-Assad's regime, and focused their attention on "popular resistance" -- the theme of the protests. Activists have been staging mass protests every Friday, the Muslim holy day, since the unrest began roiling the country nearly a year ago. They focus on a different theme every week. The popular resistance theme comes as calls for an armed struggle have intensified. Conflict has occurred every day in Syria for months and it flared Friday amid the mass protests. At least 61 people died across Syria, including 12 military defectors executed in the town of Jassem in Daraa province and an 11-year-old boy in the Damascus suburbs, said the Local Coordination Committees of Syria, an opposition group that organizes and documents demonstrations. The state-run Syrian Arab News Agency reported that six members of the army and law enforcement who had been killed by "armed terrorists" in the Damascus countryside, Homs, Idlib and Daraa, were buried Friday. While protesters took to the streets in some areas of the volatile city of Homs, unrest engulfed other areas of the city. Security forces shelled the flashpoint city on Friday, the 14th consecutive day of bombardment during which Syrian forces targeted neighborhoods including Baba Amr, a bastion of anti-government sentiment where 15 people died Friday, the LCC said. Dima Moussa, a Syrian activist in Chicago in contact with army officers, said the regime is planning to launch an invasion Saturday morning on Baba Amr. "They are planning a massive ground invasion of Baba Amr, no matter what the cost is and no matter what the number of casualties is, even if they have to annihilate everyone in the neighborhood. Assad forces started their moves from all directions since noon today," said Moussa, who is a member of the Revolutionary Council of Homs and the Syrian National Council. All services had been cut to Baba Amr, where residents were collecting rain because they have no running water, she said. The only news from the neighborhood was coming from the few people who had satellite devices, she said. "Medical supplies and food are nearly completely unavailable," she said about the neighborhood, which has been under siege for two weeks. "People are now at a stage when they are hoping to get killed if they are going to be bombed, instead of getting injured, as getting injured only means a slow death or living forever with some sort of a disability or disfigurement," she said. Earlier, Syria TV said terrorists had sabotaged an oil pipeline in Baba Amr and another nearby neighborhood, Sultania. It is the second such pipeline incident in three days. The dark plumes rising from the pipeline could work in the military's favor, Moussa said. "The massive amounts of smoke have certainly made the regime's movements and preparations a lot easier," she said. The perils for foreigners were reflected by a British travel advisory issued Friday, which urged its citizens "to leave now by commercial means whilst these are still available." The violence has enraged world powers, including many in the West, and it has outraged many in the Muslim world. In neighboring Iraq, hundreds of demonstrators took to the streets of Falluja to support the uprising. Falluja is in Anbar, a province that is largely Sunni -- much like Syria's opposition. The al-Assad regime is dominated by the Alawite minority. Attempts by international forces to stop the violence have failed. French President Nicolas Sarkozy urged Syrian opposition forces to unite if they want to prevail. "We will not accept that a dictator is allowed to massacre his own people but the revolution cannot come from the outside, it must be born from within," Sarkozy said at a joint news briefing with British Prime Minister David Cameron at the Elysee Palace in Paris. On Thursday, the U.N. General Assembly passed by an overwhelming margin a nonbinding resolution endorsing the Arab League plan for the Syrian president to step down. It was unclear what effect, if any, the resolution might have on what many world leaders see as a relentless campaign by al-Assad's forces to stamp out the opposition. The symbolic resolution was introduced into the General Assembly after China and Russia blocked the Security Council from approving enforceable measures aimed at curbing the violence. China and Russia were among the dissenting votes in Thursday's symbolic vote, which marks the strongest U.N. statement to date condemning al-Assad's regime. It calls on Syria to end immediately human rights violations and attacks against civilians, and condemns violence by al-Assad's forces and the opposition. "We have marshaled the great weight of international opinion against the Assad regime," Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told reporters Friday in a joint news conference with European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton. Clinton said the United States and other world powers are working "to determine ways forward, to strengthen the opposition, to help them convey to the entire Syrian population that they are seeking an inclusive, peaceful, democratic transition." For nearly a year, al-Assad has denied reports that his forces are targeting civilians, saying they are fighting armed gangs and foreign fighters bent on destabilizing the government. But the vast majority of accounts from within the country say that Syrian forces are slaughtering civilians as part of a crackdown on anti-government opposition calling for al-Assad's ouster. The United Nations says that well over 5,000 people have died in more than 11 months, though it does not have a recent death count due to the conditions in the country. The LCC puts the number at more than 7,000. CNN cannot independently confirm opposition and government reports of violence because the Syrian government has severely restricted the access of international journalists.

Published: Sat, 18 Feb 2012 01:49:59 GMT

Authorities: Suicide attack on U.S. Capitol foiled

A 29-year-old man from Morocco was arrested Friday and charged with attempting to bomb the U.S. Capitol building in a suicide attack, authorities said. Suspect Amine El Khalifi made an initial appearance in court and, if convicted, faces a maximum penalty of life in prison, according to the Justice Department. He allegedly went to a parking garage near the Capitol on Friday and received what he thought was a vest with explosives and a firearm, both of which had been rendered inoperable by law enforcement. He was arrested before leaving the garage. "Today's case underscores the continuing threat we face from homegrown violent extremists," said Assistant Attorney General for National Security Lisa Monaco. "Thanks to a coordinated law enforcement effort, El Khalifi's alleged plot was thwarted before anyone was harmed." The suspect was charged with attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction against government property. Authorities say the public was never in any danger. As news of the arrest broke, the Senate had just wrapped up voting on a payroll tax cut extension deal. The House of Representatives had already voted on the deal and members had left, or were leaving. Tourists were also at the Capitol, as is usual. During his initial court appearance, El Khalifi wore blue pants and a green T-shirt with the words "Ready in Season" on the back. He had short black hair, a trimmed, thin beard and tattoos on his inner arm. He stood straight, showed no emotion and did not speak. A preliminary hearing in the case is scheduled for Wednesday. The suspect, an immigrant from Morocco, is in the United States illegally. He had been closely monitored as part of a lengthy and extensive undercover operation, police said, adding that U.S. Capitol Police had been "intimately" involved in the investigation. The suspect entered the United States in June 1999 on a B2 visa -- which allows for trips for pleasure, tourism or medical treatment, according to an FBI affidavit. His visa expired that same year and he has been living in the United States illegally ever since. In January 2011, a confidential source reported to the FBI that El Khalifi met with other individuals at a residence in Arlington, Virginia. A person there produced what appeared to be weapons and El Khalifi "expressed agreement with a statement by this individual that the 'war on terrorism' was a 'war on Muslim,' and said that the group needed to be ready for war," the affidavit read. At another point, El Khalifi allegedly said he would "be happy killing 30 people," it said. One law enforcement official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told CNN that authorities are searching two locations in Virginia in connection to the investigation -- one in Arlington, the other in Alexandria. A second law enforcement official said El Khalifi is not connected to a terrorist organization and was acting alone. El Khalifi thought he had met al Qaeda members who would assist him, but in fact he was dealing with undercover FBI agents, said the second source, who declined to say whether the FBI has audio or video recordings of the suspect talking to undercover agents about his plans. A third source briefed on the matter said the suspect was identified through an existing criminal, not terrorism investigation. When asked about possible entrapment, the U.S. government source said the suspect went out on his own to buy component pieces for an improvised explosive device. After news of the arrest broke, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor hailed the work of the FBI and the U.S. Capitol Police in thwarting the alleged attack. "These brave members of our law enforcement community make daily sacrifices in their work to keep us safe and deserve tremendous credit for their efforts leading up to today's successful sting," he said. President Barack Obama was informed on Thursday about the FBI's plan to arrest El Khalifi, a White House spokesman said. Top congressional leaders were also briefed on the arrest and operation, a congressional source said, though it was not clear exactly when. Unlike some other recent attacks on the Capitol, Friday's alleged suicide plot involved a suspect willing to kill himself. In September last year, a federal grand jury indicted a man for allegedly plotting to use large remote-controlled model airplanes filled with explosives to attack the Capitol and the Pentagon. A man was arrested in September 2008 two blocks from the Capitol after an officer spotted a rifle in his car. And in July 1998, a gunman fired shots in the Capitol building, killing two U.S. Capitol Police officers.

Published: Sat, 18 Feb 2012 01:30:09 GMT

N.J. governor vetoes same-sex marriage bill

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie on Friday vetoed a bill that would allow same-sex couples to wed, setting up a confrontation with a Democrat-controlled legislature that has vowed to eventually get the bill into law. The General Assembly on Thursday passed the measure, which the Senate had approved Monday. Lawmakers have until the legislative session ends in January 2014 to override Christie's veto. They would need a two-thirds majority in both houses to succeed. Christie, the subject of speculation as a possible GOP vice presidential candidate, has said the issue "should not be decided by 121 people in the statehouse in Trenton." He has advocated putting the issue to a referendum. "I continue to encourage the Legislature to trust the people of New Jersey and seek their input by allowing our citizens to vote on a question that represents a profoundly significant societal change," Christie said in a statement. "I have been just as adamant that same-sex couples in a civil union deserve the very same rights and benefits enjoyed by married couples, as well as the strict enforcement of those rights and benefits." Recent polling, meanwhile, suggests that New Jersey voters are slightly in favor of legalizing such marriages. Fifty-two percent of state voters approve the measure, the first time the figures have crossed the 50% threshold, according to a recent Quinnipiac University poll. The study includes a margin of error of 2.6 percentage points. Gay rights groups, which had expected the governor's veto, have pledged to override it. "By vetoing the bill that would ensure that all loving, committed New Jersey couples and their families can share in the freedom to marry, with all its protections and meaning, Governor Christie planted his feet firmly on the wrong side of history, said Evan Wolfson, president of the group Freedom to Marry, which had lobbied in favor of the bill. New Jersey currently allows for civil unions, which Christie says he supports. With Hawaii and Delaware joining the list last month, five other states currently recognize such unions. A similar battle is also shaping up in Maryland, where Gov. Martin O'Malley -- a Democrat -- has pushed for his state to join the seven others that allow same-sex couples to marry. On Friday, the Maryland House of Delegates voted 71-67 to legalize same-sex marriage. But no Senate vote has been set, and opponents of the measure have pressed to take the matter to a statewide referendum. Washington state, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Iowa, New York and the District of Columbia currently allow such marriages.

Published: Sat, 18 Feb 2012 01:01:54 GMT

Barge collision spills oil into the Mississippi

A barge collision near New Orleans spilled oil into the Mississippi River on Friday, prompting authorities to close a five-mile stretch of the waterway. The St. Charles Parish Department of Waterworks shut down both of its water intakes located in New Sarpy and Luling because of the spill, but said the incident did not pose a public threat. The area had been reopened, with some restrictions, by Friday afternoon as investigators continued to assess the damage, officials said. No injuries have been reported, and preliminary estimates put the spill at less than 10,000 gallons of crude oil. Response agencies have remained on the scene. The spill was started after a tanker barge towed by a motorized vessel, Settoon, ran into a construction barge towed by the tugboat Alydar just before 2 a.m. Friday near Reserve in St. John Parish, west of New Orleans. U.S. Coast Guard spokeswoman Lt. Suzanne Kerver said the tanker barge suffered a 10 feet by 5 feet gash above the water line, allowing crude oil to spill out of the 214,000-gallon tank. The leak has since been contained, said Lt. Paul Rhynard, also of the Coast Guard. Oil Mop, a contracted cleanup company, was on the scene and has deployed 100 feet of boom, Kerver said. "One of our priorities is to facilitate the safe continuation of commercial traffic," said Coast Guard Capt. Pete Gautier. "Safety is paramount, and the unified command is working to minimize the impact this spill has on people, the environment and commerce."

Published: Fri, 17 Feb 2012 23:28:09 GMT

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