American Airlines files for bankruptcy (Reuters)

(Reuters) ? American Airlines filed for bankruptcy protection on Tuesday to cut labor costs in the face of high fuel prices and dampened travel demand, capping a prolonged descent for what was once the largest U.S. carrier.

AMR Corp, the parent of American Airlines, also filed for bankruptcy and replaced its chief executive.

The company, which employs about 88,000, has been mired for years in fruitless union negotiations, complaining that it shoulders higher labor costs than rival domestic and foreign carriers that have already restructured in bankruptcy.

United Continental Holdings Inc's United Airlines and Delta Air Lines Inc, both of which used Chapter 11 to cut costs and later found merger partners, are now the largest U.S. carriers. American ranks third.

"The world changed around us," incoming Chief Executive Tom Horton told reporters on a conference call. "It became increasingly clear that the cost gap between us and our competitors was untenable."

AMR named Horton as chairman and chief executive, replacing Gerard Arpey, who retired.

American plans to operate normally while in bankruptcy, but the Chapter 11 filing could punch a hole in the pensions of roughly 130,000 workers and retirees.

AMR pension plans are $10 billion short of what the carrier owes, and any default could be the largest in U.S. history, government pension insurers estimated.

Ray Neidl, aerospace analyst at Maxim Group, said a lack of progress in contract talks with pilots tipped the carrier into Chapter 11, though it has enough cash to operate. The carrier's passenger planes average 3,000 daily U.S. departures.

"They were proactive," Neidl said. "They should have adequate cash reserves to get through this."

PROBLEMS TO ADDRESS

Bankruptcy gives AMR a chance to pare less profitable operations, and could result in the sale of flight routes. The process also gives AMR more flexibility, according to Jack Williams, a professor of law at Georgia State University.

"There are considerable tax benefits that they will be able to use in a bankruptcy case, and they will be able to more aggressively manage their liabilities," Williams said.

But analysts question whether the bankruptcy will address operational shortcomings that have eroded revenue.

"Bankruptcy is not necessarily the be-all, end-all," said Helane Becker, an analyst with Dahlman Rose & Co. "They've got more problems to address in addition to the cost problem."

Shares of AMR closed Tuesday down $1.36, or 84 percent, at 26 cents, down from a 52-week high of $8.89 on January 7. Stock typically is wiped out in bankruptcy.

Shares of rival airlines rallied on expectations that reduced competition could boost fares. AMR had kept a lid on industrywide fares in its effort to keep its airplanes full.

United Continental shares closed up 6.3 percent at $17.63, Delta rose 5 percent to $7.80 and US Airways Group Inc climbed 4.4 percent to $4.46.

AMR shares were halted 28 times on the NYSE on Tuesday for triggering a circuit breaker rule, activated when a stock moves up or down at least 10 percent within five minutes.

SLIMMED-DOWN AMR

In its bankruptcy petition filed in Manhattan, AMR reported assets of $24.72 billion and liabilities of $29.55 billion. The company has $4.1 billion in cash.

One bankruptcy rule is "don't wait too long," Harvey Miller, a partner at Weil, Gotshal & Manges representing AMR, said at a court hearing. "Don't wait until the course is irreversible. That is what American Airlines is doing today."

AMR's bankruptcy filing showed few details about how the company would proceed, said Stephen Selbst, a bankruptcy attorney with Herrick Feinstein in New York.

"It's possible they are still in negotiations and don't want to put something on paper that might prejudice those negotiations," he said.

Experts believe AMR stands to save billions by restructuring its obligations in bankruptcy.

"AMR will no longer have its defined benefit pension plan, helping absorb nearly $7 billion in debt," Morningstar equity analyst Basili Alukos said.

"I imagine the company can save between $1.2 billion to $1.5 billion in labor costs, in addition to savings on repair and maintenance and better fuel burn," he said.

MERGER IN THE OFFING?

AMR said the bankruptcy has no direct legal impact on non-U.S. operations. It also said it was not considering debtor-in-possession financing.

But it could susceptible to unsolicited takeover bids from rival carriers. AMR has long said it could thrive on its own.

Robert Herbst, an analyst with AirlineFinancials.com and a former American pilot, said there was a "95 percent" chance American would join up with another carrier within two years.

"US Airways is probably toward the top of the list but it wouldn't be the only (potential merger partner)," he said.

A US Airways representative did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment.

Most large U.S. carriers are the products of mergers.

United Continental combined the former United Airlines and Continental Airlines, while Delta bought the former Northwest Airlines. US Airways was formed from a 2005 merger with America West Airlines.

US Airways and United Airlines filed for bankruptcy protection in 2002, and Delta and Northwest in 2005. US Airways had tried to buy Delta out of bankruptcy.

Japan Airlines Co, one of American Airlines' alliance partners, filed for bankruptcy last year.

American Airlines said it would remain an active member of the oneworld global airline alliance.

LABOR PAIN

American struggled with labor costs despite massive concessions from unionized workers in 2003, which enabled it to avoid Chapter 11 at the time.

"That deal wasn't good enough," former American chief Robert Crandall told Reuters. "The other airlines that went bankrupt cut their costs much deeper than American.

"If you look at all of the elements of the problem, they all stem back to costs," he said. "It hasn't cut capacity effectively given the constraints" that labor placed.

Contract talks with pilots hit a wall in recent weeks over wages, benefits and work rules. Talks with unionized flight attendants have also flagged.

"While today's news was not entirely unexpected, it is nevertheless disappointing that we find ourselves working for an airline that has lost its way," David Bates, president of the Allied Pilots Association, said in a statement.

A wave of pilot retirements this year prompted speculation of a Chapter 11 filing, given that the retirements could preserve pensions that might be at risk of being terminated.

"The 18-month timeline allotted for restructuring will almost certainly involve significant changes to the airline's business plan and to our contract," Bates said.

The case is In re: AMR Corp, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Southern District Of New York, No. 11-15463.

(Reporting by Kyle Peterson in Chicago; Matt Daily, Nick Brown, Caroline Humer, Chuck Mikolajczak and Jonathan Stempel in New York; Tom Hals in Wilmington, Delaware; Karen Jacobs in Atlanta; John Crawley in Washington; John D. Stoll in Detroit; and Tanya Agrawal in Bangalore; Editing by Gopakumar Warrier, Maureen Bavdek, John Wallace, Derek Caney and Carol Bishopric)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111130/bs_nm/us_americanairlines

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Nation?s Oldest Birding Group Serves as a Collective Memory

[unable to retrieve full-text content]The Nuttall Ornithological Club, the nation?s oldest birding group, serves as a collective memory on the changing landscape of birds.

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Ask and Answer Questions About Personal Finance Tools

Every day we're on the lookout for ways to make your work easier and your life better, but Lifehacker readers are smart, insightful folks with all kinds of expertise to share, and we want to give everyone regular access to that exceptional hive mind. Help Yourself is a daily thread where readers can ask and answer questions about tech, productivity, life hacks, and whatever else you need help with.

Sticking to your budget during the holidays can be tough, but there are a lot of tools out there to help you. Whether you take advantage of your bank's online tools, or you use something like Mint.com to get a complete picture of your finances, ask and answer questions about personal finance tools in the comments.

Source: http://lifehacker.com/5863080/ask-and-answer-questions-about-personal-finance-tools

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As Kyoto Protocol Ends, An Uncertain Climate Future

AFP/Getty Images

Key provisions of the Kyoto Protocol expire in December of 2012, and experts say there's no real global framework in place to replace the treaty that was supposed to be the first step toward ambitious actions on climate change. Above, a coal-fired power plant in eastern China. China is now the leading carbon dioxide emitter in the world.

As diplomats from around the world gather in Durban, South Africa, for talks about climate change, a big question looms: What will become of the Kyoto climate treaty, which was negotiated with much fanfare in 1997. The treaty was supposed to be a first step toward much more ambitious actions on climate change, but it is now on the brink of fading into irrelevance. That could have major implications for the future of United Nations climate talks.

Even under the best of circumstances, the Kyoto protocol would have made a barely measurable dent in the amount of greenhouse gases flowing into the Earth's atmosphere.

We have very little space left in our atmosphere to be continuing to pollute before we cross certain thresholds where impacts will be inevitable.

- Jennifer Morgan, director, Climate and Energy Program, World Resources Institute

First, the United States decided not to ratify the treaty, so our emissions aren't covered by the pact. Then China leapfrogged the U.S. to become the world's biggest emitter of carbon dioxide. But China is treated like a developing country under the Kyoto treaty, which means it has no obligations. Even so, Europe and a few other nations have been soldiering on.

But Jennifer Morgan, director of the Climate and Energy Program at the World Resources Institute says the treaty's day of reckoning now looms.

"The Kyoto Protocol's first commitment period, its first set of targets, ends next year. So the big question is, 'What happens next?'" she says. "Do the Kyoto countries, like Europe, move forward and put their new targets into a legally-binding treaty?"

The prospects are slim: Canada, Japan and Russia say they are not interested in pledging new reductions under the treaty. The United States and China prefer an alternate approach, which came out of the climate talks two years ago in Copenhagen. They have pledged to take action individually, but not under a binding treaty. However, those commitments aren't enough to prevent a 2-degree increase in global temperature, the internationally agreed upon goal.

"We have very little space left in our atmosphere to be continuing to pollute before we cross certain thresholds where impacts will be inevitable," she says. "So no matter what you're looking at, the current commitments are really quite inadequate."

The Future Of The Kyoto Protocol

The European Union has been the Kyoto Protocol's biggest champion, but it has ambivalent feelings about it now. Michael Grubb, a professor of climate change and energy policy at the University of Cambridge, says on the plus side, Europe likes the treaty because it has spelled out international rules, such as standards for counting carbon emissions. Europe uses those rules to limit its own emissions.

"Europe does not want to kind of jump into a void where there aren't any really agreed rules that bind on anything," Grubb says. "It's very reluctant to kill off the only actual legal framework that we've got."

On the downside, Europe is disappointed that the rest of the world did not follow its example. And Grubb says the economic crisis there has diminished the continent's appetite for more aggressive action.

"So there's a feeling that Europe is in a bit of a holding position on climate change, I'd say."

The real fight over the Kyoto treaty comes from nations in the developing world. They see the pact as a critical symbol of commitment by the rich nations to clean up a problem they largely created. South Africa's foreign minister, Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, is presiding over the climate talks in Durban. And she says it's vital to these talks to either rekindle the Kyoto treaty, or to make progress on a successor.

"If this question is not resolved, the outcome on other matters in the negotiations will become difficult. A solution must be found," Nkoana-Mashabane says.

Her choice of words is quite diplomatic here: In fact, some nations have been threatening to pull the plug on the whole process if the Kyoto treaty is not reinvigorated. And they can do that, since the United Nations operates by consensus.

Alden Meyer, director of strategy and policy at the Union of Concerned Scientists, says that move would affect everything that's on the table at Durban, which is much more than commitments to limit emissions.

"If you think about it, it's actually counterproductive for developing countries to not move forward on adaptation, on reducing deforestation, on climate finance, because those are all things in their own self-interest. But the level of emotion and anger could be so big that they wouldn't think in those kind of terms and they would sort of block everything."

Technical structures set up by the Kyoto Protocol would live on even if nations didn't adopt new commitments under the treaty. But by now, the pact governs less than 20 percent of global emissions. So even if nations keep the treaty on life support in Durban, it has already lost its practical role as the foundation for a more ambitious climate agreement.

Source: http://www.npr.org/2011/11/29/142907053/as-kyoto-protocol-ends-an-uncertain-climate-future?ft=1&f=1007

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Romney Claims He Talks to Media Almost Daily (ABC News)

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Oakland Shooting: Gunfire Sends 8 People, Including Child, To The Hospital

OAKLAND, Calif. ? A hail of gunfire along an Oakland street has left eight people wounded, including a 1-year-old boy who authorities say was taken to the city's Children's Hospital in critical condition.

The gunfire broke out Monday evening in a liquor store parking lot after a crowd had gathered, police said. The victims were transported to local hospitals by others at the scene before officers arrived to find dozens of bullet casings.

The 1-year-old's father, who also was shot, drove his son to the hospital, where surgeons were trying to relieve swelling on his brain, relatives told KTVU-TV.

"We are aware of a 1-year-old boy who was shot ? possibly in the head ? in critical condition right now," Oakland Police Lt. Robert Chan told the station. The hospital declined to release any details about the victim.

The shootings just after 6 p.m. happened near Interstate 880 in the city's West Oakland neighborhood, Oakland police spokeswoman Ofc. Johnna Watson said.

The other victims' conditions were unclear, though police said their injuries did not appear life-threatening.

Investigators were seeking multiple shooters, but further details on suspects or a motive were not immediately available.

Television footage showed a van belonging to an Oakland rapper that was riddled with bullet holes and had apparently taken some of the victims to the hospital.

The rapper, who goes by the name Kafani, posted to Twitter on Monday that he had not been shot but to pray for his little cousin. He said news reports that he had been shooting a music video when the shooting took place were incorrect.

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/29/oakland-shooting_n_1117908.html

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Fungi: Another tool in bacteria's belt?

Monday, November 28, 2011

Bacteria and fungi are remarkably mobile. Now researchers at Tel Aviv University have discovered that the two organisms enjoy a mutually beneficial relationship to aid them in that movement ? and their survival.

Fungal spores can attach themselves to bacteria, "hitching a ride" wherever the bacteria travel. And while this allows them to travel further than they would on their own, says Prof. Eshel Ben-Jacob of TAU's Raymond and Beverly Sackler School of Physics and Astronomy, it's certainly not a one-way street. Bacteria live largely in the rhizosphere ? the environment that surrounds plant roots ? where air pockets can interrupt their progress, he explains. When faced with a gap, the bacteria can drop the fungal spores to form a bridge, and continue across the chasm.

The research, which was recently published in PNAS, was done in collaboration with Dr. Colin J. Ingham of Wageningen University and JBZ Hospital in the Netherlands, the paper's lead author; post-doctoral fellow Dr. Alin Finkelshtein; and graduate student Oren Kalishman working in Prof. Ben-Eshel's TAU lab.

This discovery contributes to our understanding of the way bacteria and fungi spread. Confirmation that the two organisms work in collaboration will help scientists fight disease-causing bacteria, or promote the spread of "good kinds" of bacteria or fungi, such as those that contribute to the health of plants. "In addition we now know that when you fight fungi, you are also fighting bacteria ? and vice versa," notes Prof. Ben-Jacob.

A bridge to mutual survival

Mobile or "motile" bacteria, such as Paenibacillus vortex, are known to be able to carry cargo. With this in mind, the researchers were motivated to test whether P. vortex would be able to carry non-motile fungi, aiding in its dispersion. In fact, they observed that not only can the bacteria transport the fungi over long distances, like humans being carried by air travel, but they are also able to recover fungal spores from life-threatening locations, moving them to new and more favorable places where they can germinate and start new colonies. "The bacteria entrap the spores and wrap them in their flagella, which are like arms," explains Prof. Ben-Jacob. "This is similar to the way the Lilliputians moved the giant Gulliver by trapping him in a mesh of ropes."

But the bacteria's services aren't free. In an experiment, the researchers created air gaps or "canyons" too large for bacteria to cross. When confronted with this challenge, the bacteria used the fungi's mycelia ? branch-like structures on the spores ? as natural bridges, enabling them to cross otherwise impenetrable gaps, notes Dr. Ingham.

"We see that upon encountering impossible terrains, the bacteria can bring fungal spores to help," Prof. Ben-Jacob continues. "The bacteria allow the fungi to germinate and form a colony, and then use the mycelia to cross obstacles."

Taking over new territories

Ultimately, this collaboration helps both the bacteria and the fungi to spread and thrive in highly competitive habitats. It's a sophisticated survival strategy, say the researchers, and contributes to our understanding of bacteria as smart organisms with an intricate social life. "The bacteria never let us down," Prof. Ben-Jacob says with a smile. "Just present them with a new challenge and you can be sure they'll provide new surprises."

These observations can also be applied to agriculture and medicine, showing new mechanisms by which bacteria and fungi can help one another to invade new territories in the rhizosphere ? as well as in hospitals and within our own bodies.

###

American Friends of Tel Aviv University: http://www.aftau.org

Thanks to American Friends of Tel Aviv University for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/115503/Fungi__Another_tool_in_bacteria_s_belt_

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Video: Rick Perry flubs voting age (cbsnews)

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Do you have the 'morning person' gene? (The Week)

New York ? German scientists pinpoint a specific gene that may divide early risers from droopy-eyed nappers

Why are some people alert and chipper in the morning while others can barely drag themselves out of bed? New research suggests that genetics may play a role. Specifically, it's a gene called ABCC9, which scientists have dubbed the "morning person" gene. Here's what you should know:

How did scientists find this gene?
German scientists studied more than 4,000 people across Europe. The subjects filled out questionnaires on their sleeping habits, and also had their genes analyzed. It turns out that "people with two copies of one common variant of the gene ABCC9 slept for a significantly shorter period than those with two copies of the other version,"?according to?Fox News.?To confirm the connection, scientists modified the ABCC9 gene in fruit flies, which noticeably shortened the length of time the insects slept.?

SEE MORE: Does dreaming help us overcome painful memories??

?

So what is this ABCC9 gene?
It codes for a protein that effectively acts as "a sensor of energy metabolism in the cell," says Science Daily. How does that affect sleep? It's not totally clear. Though researchers have identified a correlation between this gene and sleep habits, the exact causation mechanism remains a bit of a mystery.

But having the "morning person" gene is a good thing?
For go-getters, maybe. But this variant of ABCC9 has also been linked to cardiovascular problems. "Apparently, the relationships of sleep duration with other conditions such as heart disease and diabetes can be part explained by an underlying common molecular mechanism," says study author Dr. Karla Allebrandt. Previous studies also found a lack of sleep to be linked to calcium buildup in the heart's arteries.

What's the big takeaway here?
There's a "growing body of evidence suggesting a connection between sleep and cardiovascular health," says Carrie Gann at ABC News. But this study should also shift the way we look at sleep habits from a social standpoint. "Our society has equated sleepiness with defects of character, like laziness," as one sleep expert tells Gann, "but really, some people are generally sleepier during the day."?

Sources: ABC News, Fox News,?My Health Bowl,?Science Daily

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Barney Frank Won't Run for Re-Election (The Atlantic Wire)

Barney Frank, the 16-term Democratic congressman from Massachusetts, says he won't seek re-election in 2012. News reports cited a statement from Frank's office that said the congressman, known for his wit and liberal politics, would announce his intent to retire at a press conference later on Monday.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/uscongress/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/atlantic/20111128/pl_atlantic/barneyfrankwontrunreelection45438

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Capitol Exodus: Two More Democrats Will Exit Congress (ABC News)

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American student arrested in Cairo arrives in US (AP)

PHILADELPHIA ? At least one of three American students arrested during protests in Cairo arrived back in the U.S. Saturday evening, nearly three days after an Egyptian court ordered their release.

Gregory Porter, 19, was greeted by his parents and other relatives when he landed at Philadelphia International Airport. He and two other U.S. students had been arrested on the roof of a university building near Cairo's iconic Tahrir Square last Sunday after officials accused them of throwing firebombs at security forces fighting with protesters.

Porter took no questions at the airport, but said he was thankful for the help he and the other two young men received from the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, administrators at the university they were attending and attorneys in Egypt and the U.S.

"I'm just so thankful to be back, to be in Philadelphia right now," said Porter, who is from nearby Glenside, Pa., and attends Drexel University in Philadelphia.

Luke Gates, 21, and Derrik Sweeney, 19, left the Egyptian capital Saturday morning on separate connecting flights to Frankfurt, Germany, an airport official in Cairo said. The three were studying at the American University in Cairo.

Protests have been going on near Cairo's central Tahrir Square since Nov. 19, in anticipation of the landmark parliamentary elections due to start Monday. On Friday, the crowd grew to more than 100,000 people, and thousands remained there Saturday.

Gates, who attends Indiana University, was in the air Saturday morning and expected to return to Bloomington, Ind., later in the day, university spokesman Mark Land said. He said he spoke to Gates' father, Bill Gates, shortly after his son boarded a flight out of Egypt.

"He said he was doing very well and he was very excited to be on his way home," Land said.

His parents haven't disclosed information about Gates' flights and are "really hopeful they can spend a little time with him without having to answer a lot of questions" in the media spotlight, Land said.

Joy Sweeney told the AP that her son, a 19-year-old Georgetown University student from Jefferson City, Mo., would fly from Frankfurt to Washington, then on to St. Louis. She said family will meet him when he arrives at the airport late Saturday.

"I am ecstatic," Sweeney said Friday. "I can't believe he's actually going to get on a plane. It is so wonderful."

Sweeney said she had talked with her son Friday afternoon and "he seemed jubilant."

"He thought he was going to be able to go back to his dorm room and get his stuff," she said. "We said, `No, no, don't get your stuff, we just want you here.'"

The university will ship his belongings home, she said.

Sweeney had earlier said she did not prepare a Thanksgiving celebration this week because the idea seemed "absolutely irrelevant" while her son still was being held.

"I'm getting ready to head out and buy turkey and stuffing and all the good fixings so that we can make a good Thanksgiving dinner," she said Friday.

___

Associated Press writers Maggie Michael in Cairo; Sandy Kozel in Washington; Rick Callahan in Indianapolis; Maryclaire Dale in Philadelphia; and Dana Fields in Kansas City, Mo., contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111126/ap_on_re_us/us_egypt_american_students

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George Michael Scraps Entire Tour As He Battles Pneumonia

George Michael Scraps Entire Tour As He Battles Pneumonia

George Michael has been forced to axe his current tour after being diagnosed with a “severe” form of pneumonia. The singer was rushed to the [...]

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American student arrested in Cairo arrives in US

Gregory Porter, left, one of three U.S. students arrested during a demonstration in Cairo, and his attorney Theodore Simon, second from right, speak to members of the news media after arriving at Philadelphia International Airport, in Philadelphia, on Saturday Nov. 26, 2011, after an Egyptian court ordered the release of Porter and two other U.S. students who were arrested for throwing firebombs at security forces said Egyptian officials. (AP Photo/ Joseph Kaczmarek)

Gregory Porter, left, one of three U.S. students arrested during a demonstration in Cairo, and his attorney Theodore Simon, second from right, speak to members of the news media after arriving at Philadelphia International Airport, in Philadelphia, on Saturday Nov. 26, 2011, after an Egyptian court ordered the release of Porter and two other U.S. students who were arrested for throwing firebombs at security forces said Egyptian officials. (AP Photo/ Joseph Kaczmarek)

Gregory Porter, center, one of three U.S. students arrested during a demonstration in Cairo, walks with his mother Nancy Hansen, left, upon arriving at Philadelphia International Airport, in Philadelphia, on Saturday Nov. 26, 2011, after an Egyptian court ordered the release of Porter and two other U.S. students who were arrested for throwing firebombs at security forces said Egyptian officials. (AP Photo/ Joseph Kaczmarek)

FILE - In this Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2011 file image from Egyptian state television, three American students are displayed to the camera by Egyptian authorities following their arrest during protests in Cairo, where an Egyptian official said they were throwing firebombs at security forces. A spokeswoman for the American University in Cairo identified the students as Luke Gates, a 21-year-old Indiana University student from Bloomington, Ind.; Derrik Sweeney, a 19-year-old Georgetown University student from Jefferson City, Mo.; and Gregory Porter, a 19 year-old Drexel University student from Glenside, Pa. An official says an Egyptian court has ordered release of 3 US students arrested during Cairo unrest.(AP Photo/ Egyptian TV, File)

Nancy Hansen, left, smiles at her son Gregory Porter, one of three U.S. students arrested during a demonstration in Cairo, after meeting him at Philadelphia International Airport, in Philadelphia, on Saturday Nov. 26, 2011. Porter, 19, landed in Philadelphia after flying from Cairo to Paris. He and two other U.S. students had been arrested on the roof of a university building near Cairo's iconic Tahrir Square last Sunday after officials accused them of throwing firebombs at security forces fighting with protesters. (AP Photo/Joseph Kaczmarek)

Gregory Porter, center, one of three U.S. students arrested during a demonstration in Cairo, Egypt, walks beside his attorney Theodore Simon, right, after arriving at Philadelphia International Airport, in Philadelphia, on Saturday Nov. 26, 2011, after an Egyptian court ordered the release of Porter and two other U.S. students who were arrested for throwing firebombs at security forces said Egyptian officials. (AP Photo/ Joseph Kaczmarek)

PHILADELPHIA (AP) ? At least one of three American students arrested during protests in Cairo arrived back in the U.S. Saturday evening, nearly three days after an Egyptian court ordered their release.

Gregory Porter, 19, was greeted by his parents and other relatives when he landed at Philadelphia International Airport. He and two other U.S. students had been arrested on the roof of a university building near Cairo's iconic Tahrir Square last Sunday after officials accused them of throwing firebombs at security forces fighting with protesters.

Porter took no questions at the airport, but said he was thankful for the help he and the other two young men received from the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, administrators at the university they were attending and attorneys in Egypt and the U.S.

"I'm just so thankful to be back, to be in Philadelphia right now," said Porter, who is from nearby Glenside, Pa., and attends Drexel University in Philadelphia.

Luke Gates, 21, and Derrik Sweeney, 19, left the Egyptian capital Saturday morning on separate connecting flights to Frankfurt, Germany, an airport official in Cairo said. The three were studying at the American University in Cairo.

Protests have been going on near Cairo's central Tahrir Square since Nov. 19, in anticipation of the landmark parliamentary elections due to start Monday. On Friday, the crowd grew to more than 100,000 people, and thousands remained there Saturday.

Gates, who attends Indiana University, was in the air Saturday morning and expected to return to Bloomington, Ind., later in the day, university spokesman Mark Land said. He said he spoke to Gates' father, Bill Gates, shortly after his son boarded a flight out of Egypt.

"He said he was doing very well and he was very excited to be on his way home," Land said.

His parents haven't disclosed information about Gates' flights and are "really hopeful they can spend a little time with him without having to answer a lot of questions" in the media spotlight, Land said.

Joy Sweeney told the AP that her son, a 19-year-old Georgetown University student from Jefferson City, Mo., would fly from Frankfurt to Washington, then on to St. Louis. She said family will meet him when he arrives at the airport late Saturday.

"I am ecstatic," Sweeney said Friday. "I can't believe he's actually going to get on a plane. It is so wonderful."

Sweeney said she had talked with her son Friday afternoon and "he seemed jubilant."

"He thought he was going to be able to go back to his dorm room and get his stuff," she said. "We said, 'No, no, don't get your stuff, we just want you here.'"

The university will ship his belongings home, she said.

Sweeney had earlier said she did not prepare a Thanksgiving celebration this week because the idea seemed "absolutely irrelevant" while her son still was being held.

"I'm getting ready to head out and buy turkey and stuffing and all the good fixings so that we can make a good Thanksgiving dinner," she said Friday.

___

Associated Press writers Maggie Michael in Cairo; Sandy Kozel in Washington; Rick Callahan in Indianapolis; Maryclaire Dale in Philadelphia; and Dana Fields in Kansas City, Mo., contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2011-11-26-Egypt-American%20Students/id-48e1b3eb8a8542d5b9079343b04c66d3

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Mayor: Occupy LA must leave City Hall camp Monday

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and LAPD Chief Charles Beck announce plans to close City Hall Park to Occupy protesters as of midnight, Sunday, Nov. 27, Friday, Nov. 25, 2011, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Los Angeles Times, Robert Gauthier) NO FORNS; NO SALES; MAGS OUT; ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER OUT; LOS ANGELES DAILY NEWS OUT; VENTURA COUNTY STAR OUT; INLAND VALLEY DAILY BULLETIN OUT; SAN BERNARDINO SUN OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT, TV OUT

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and LAPD Chief Charles Beck announce plans to close City Hall Park to Occupy protesters as of midnight, Sunday, Nov. 27, Friday, Nov. 25, 2011, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Los Angeles Times, Robert Gauthier) NO FORNS; NO SALES; MAGS OUT; ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER OUT; LOS ANGELES DAILY NEWS OUT; VENTURA COUNTY STAR OUT; INLAND VALLEY DAILY BULLETIN OUT; SAN BERNARDINO SUN OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT, TV OUT

Protesters bang against the main entrance to City Hall as Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and LAPD Chief Charles Beck announce plans to close City Hall Park to Occupy protesters as of midnight, Sunday, November 27, Friday, Nov. 25, 2011, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Los Angeles Times, Robert Gauthier) NO FORNS; NO SALES; MAGS OUT; ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER OUT; LOS ANGELES DAILY NEWS OUT; VENTURA COUNTY STAR OUT; INLAND VALLEY DAILY BULLETIN OUT; SAN BERNARDINO SUN OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT, TV OUT

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? The mayor of Los Angeles set a deadline for anti-Wall Street protesters to leave an encampment by City Hall, while demonstrators elsewhere in California took their message about corporate greed to Black Friday shoppers, at times facing off with police.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa lauded the Occupy movement for "awakening the country's conscience," but he said that after 56 days, the encampments that flank the two grassy areas adjacent to City Hall must be removed by 12:01 a.m. Monday for public health and safety reasons.

At an afternoon news conference with police Chief Charlie Beck, Villaraigosa said the movement that has spread in two months from New York to numerous other U.S. cities has "awakened the country's conscience" ? but also trampled grass at City Hall that must be restored.

"The movement is at a crossroads," the mayor said. "It is time for Occupy LA to move from holding a particular patch of park land to spreading the message of economic justice and signing more people up for the push to restore the balance to American society."

The camp of about 485 tents was unsustainable because public health and safety could not be maintained, and the park had to be cleared, cleaned and restored for the public's access, he said.

Later Friday, protesters demonstrated in the streets near San Francisco's tony and touristy Union Square during the annual Macy's Christmas tree lighting ceremony, disrupting traffic but otherwise causing few other problems.

Lines of police officers in riot gear faced off with dozens of demonstrators who were trying to discourage shoppers from shopping at Macy's and other stores in the popular tourist area.

Demonstrators used signs to spread an anti-consumerism message. One, 9-year-old Jacob Hamilton, held a sign that read, "What is in your bag that's more important than my education?"

Earlier, some of the protesters from the Occupy movements in San Francisco and Oakland clashed with police when they briefly blocked the city's iconic cable cars until officers pushed them out of the street.

Some of the participants in what protesters called "Don't Buy Anything Day" sat down in the middle of Market Street, San Francisco's main thoroughfare, and blocked traffic while chanting, "Stop shopping and join us!"

"I wanted us both to be here for the children," said protester Steve Hamilton, a screenwriter who traveled to the city from Winters, Calif., with his son Jacob. "I see how the education deficit directly affects the schools; how the teachers struggle with so many kids in the classrooms and a lack of books. It's not fair to this generation."

A group of about 20 Occupy protesters in Sacramento marched from a park to a small outdoor mall where many of the storefronts are empty. A police officer on a bicycle trailed the crowd.

A few puzzled shoppers, many toting large shopping bags, stopped to stare at the crowd as they read a manifesto asking people to support local merchants.

At a Macy's store, the group stayed for several minutes chanting slogans such as, "They call it profit; we call it robbery." Several shoppers crowded around taking photos with their cellphones.

In Emeryville, a small city on San Francisco Bay, more than 60 people attended a Native American community's 10th annual Black Friday protest of the Bay Street Mall.

Corrina Gould, a lead organizer for Indian People Organizing for Change, said the goal is to educate shoppers that the mall was built in 2002 on a sacred Ohlone burial site.

About one-third of the people came from neighboring Oakland's Occupy movement, and Gould said having the new voices was invigorating.

In his comments, Villaraigosa told campers to start packing up their tents and said he believed the move would be peaceful, unlike some of the tumult other cities have seen.

"I'm proud of the fact that this has been a peaceful, non-violent protest," he said. "I trust that we can manage the closure of City Hall Park in the same spirit of cooperation."

Outside City Hall, Occupy LA protester Opamago Casciani, 20, said he found the Mayor's priorities insulting, and he intends to continue demonstrating peacefully through the deadline.

In response to the Mayor's comments, Casciani said "What I got from it is 'I value grass more than the people.'"

Beck said police will be patient with laggards who were working to leave at the time of the deadline ? but said the city's law enforcement will no longer look the other way.

"After 56 days of not enforcing three city laws that prohibit the use of that park, the time is now," said Beck.

___

Associated Press writers Juliet Williams in Sacramento and Terry Collins in Emeryville contributed to this report. Beth Duff-Brown reported from San Francisco.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2011-11-26-Occupy%20California/id-d68902e0a8c349989914186add74cfde

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India retail opening cheers big local firms, disappoints others (Reuters)

MUMBAI (Reuters) ? India's move to open its supermarket sector to foreign investors brought relief to its capital-starved local chains but failed to impress small-shop owners who dominate retail in the country, despite rules intended to safeguard small operators.

New Delhi approved its biggest reform in years by allowing global supermarket giants such as Wal-Mart Stores Inc and Tesco to enter India with a 51 percent stake in the hope it would attract capital to build much-needed supply chains and improve efficiency to alleviate food-driven inflation.

"This is an extremely important step for domestic retailers as this will get in much-needed capital, apart from domain knowledge," said Thomas Varghese, chief executive of Aditya Birla Retail.

Chain stores account for just 6 percent of a $500 billion retail market dominated by street stalls and corner shops.

Many Indian chains are cash-strapped and loss-making, struggling to build scale given high costs, poor supply chains and scarce real estate and have been eyeing equity investments and joint venture partnerships with global firms to build scale.

Vijay Karwal, head of consumer, retail and healthcare for Asia at Royal Bank of Scotland based in Hong Kong expects more than $5 billion in foreign investment into the Indian retail sector over the next five to seven years.

Given the relative lack of modern retail infrastructure in India, and particularly in the enabling back-end infrastructure ... the vast majority of investment this change is expected to trigger would be greenfield investment into new retail sites and infrastructure," he said.

Shares in Indian retailers Pantaloon Retail, Shoppers Stop, Trent jumped -- bucking a fall in the wider stock market -- on expectations that they will form tie-ups with foreign players, and not just compete with them.

Debashish Mukherjee, partner and vice-president at consultancy firm AT Kearney, expects joint ventures and investments in local players from overseas operators over the next six months.

"The set of transactions which will happen fast is foreign players who are in existing joint ventures with Indian firms, the increase or decrease in stake, will happen quickly," he said. "The second are a set of deals that are waiting to happen and have been just waiting for the announcement."

SMALL SHOPS UNHAPPY

To appease opponents, the government said foreign stores will only be permitted in cities of more than 1 million -- of which India has more than 50 -- and individual states can decide whether to allow global players on to their patch.

It also insists that foreign retailers source almost a third of their produce from small industries, invest at least $100 million in India and spend half of that on infrastructure such as cold storage and warehouses.

Many small shop owners fear for their livelihoods.

"It will affect my business as families prefer going to air-conditioned stores with fancy packaged goods these days," said Vinod Jain, a 27-year-old small grocery shop owner in the Lower Parel neighborhood of central Mumbai.

A trade group representing so-called "kirana" shop owners is planning protests.

"The move to let the foreign retailers in will most certainly lead to job losses," said Praveen Khandelwal, general secretary of the Confederation of All India Traders.

"They should have worked on some kind of protectionist mechanism for smaller traders before coming out with this policy," he said.

Foreign retailers who welcomed the Indian government's move to open the sector also view the entry conditions with caution.

"Some of the conditions look quite stringent. The investment in particular -- it's all quite big money. We'd need to know the details, and how that would be accounted for," said an official with a major global retailer who did not wish to be identified.

(Additional reporting by Sumedha Deo in Mumbai, Saeed Azhar in Singapore and Mark Potter in London, Editing by Tony Munroe)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/india/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111125/india_nm/india607327

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With sifting of GOP field, do voters want safe Romney or risky Gingrich? (Seattle Times)

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Greek activists take on the power company (AP)

VERIA, Greece ? The Robin Hoods in this northern Greek town sport rubber gloves, fuses and orange stickers.

Nearly two years of pay cuts, job cuts and tax hikes have pummeled living standards in debt-crippled Greece and the country is facing record unemployment and a fourth year of recession in 2012. On a personal level, that means many in Veria can't pay for basic necessities such as electricity and end up getting cut off from the grid.

That's where the "Citizens of Veria" activists step in.

The group illegally reconnects needy households back to the electric grid in a direct challenge to the country's dominant power provider, the Public Power Corporation.

"By cutting off power, (PPC) punishes young children, elderly people and generally those who can't cope without it," said activist Nikos Aslanoglou. "We decided that we had to reconnect them. We're not hiding, everybody knows who we are."

He says the group has so far reconnected dozens of households, particularly in the villages and small towns outlying Veria.

Greece sank into a financial crisis in 2009 after it emerged that authorities had been falsifying financial data for years. The fallout from that blocked the country's access to bond markets. Greece only escaped bankruptcy with a euro110 billion ($147 billion) international rescue loan in May 2010, and when that was not enough, a second, euro130 billion ($174 billion) rescue deal that awaits final approval.

In return, the government has promised to slash bloated budget deficits through harsh austerity measures.

As jobs become rarer and worse-paid, many in this northern farming region are falling through a weakening social safety net. In the village of Agia Marina, 9 miles (15 kilometers) from Veria, activists recently reconnected the house of a disabled, 34-year-old single mother, who lives with four of her five children.

As they left, they placed an orange sticker on the electricity meter that reads: "Citizens of Veria. Social solidarity. We are reconnecting the power."

The woman's eldest daughter, a 19-year-old student, said before the activists came her siblings ? aged from 6 to 18 ? had to study by candlelight or with oil lamps in an unheated house.

"Our only income is a euro400-euro500 ($535-$668) welfare payment every two months," said the student, Vasso. "PPC disconnected us because we owed them money, and we were left in the dark for about a month, but then some gentlemen came and reconnected us. Now we have heating again."

She didn't want her full name used because she was afraid authorities would track down her family.

What the activists are doing is illegal and can be punished by more than ten years' imprisonment depending on the size of the outstanding bills, although in most cases sentences do not exceed five years.

"Greek law treats the theft of electricity like any other common theft," University of Thessaloniki law professor Lambros Margaritis said.

Undeterred, a three-strong activist team recently reconnected a house in the small town of Meliki, where a 54-year-old woman lives with her two unemployed sons in their thirties. Working deftly, it took them 15 minutes.

"We're not stealing, the electricity consumption is recorded," Aslanoglou said. "The poor houseowners can't face consequences, it's us who do the reconnecting."

Hence the stickers.

Veria activists claim their campaign is catching on in other parts of the country ? particularly since the introduction in September of a deeply resented new property tax levied through power bills. People who can't pay the new tax face losing their power supply.

That prospect has enraged even PPC employees, who staged a sit-in at a company office in Athens to disrupt the collection of the new emergency tax.

While the Veria municipal authority says have-nots should not be disconnected over the new tax, Mayor Haroula Ousountzoglou says the activists are going too far.

"What the group is doing may be very romantic, it is, however, dangerous," Ousountzoglou told the AP. "PPC just goes and cuts off the electricity again, and imposes additional charges."

In cases of repeated illegal reconnection, homeowners can also face prosecution ? or have their link severed at the nearest electricity pole, a drastic move that activists are powerless to counter.

PPC public relations officer Kimon Stergiotis warned that the company is determined to protect its interests.

"To illegally reconnect cut power links poses severe threats to the life and property of unsuspecting citizens," he said. "In any case, PPC will use the law to its utmost severity."

Ousountzoglou said her town has about 330 families on a welfare program that sometimes includes assistance in paying power bills.

"But our funds are constantly dwindling, and I keep making the rounds of local firms to ask for contributions," she added.

The Veria mayor has threatened to sue PPC if people who really can't pay the property tax are left without power.

"We told them we're not joking," she said. "PPC can't behave like that to needy people."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111126/ap_on_bi_ge/eu_greece_power_battle

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Wall Street falls for sixth day (Reuters)

NEW YORK (Reuters) ? Stocks suffered a sixth straight day of losses on Wednesday as frustration over the euro zone's debt crisis, coupled with weak Chinese factory data, further dented investor sentiment.

A weak German bond sale sparked fears the debt crisis was even beginning to threaten Berlin, with the leaders of France and Germany still at odds over a longer-term structural solution.

The poor demand for German government bonds showed that investors viewed investing in the euro zone as being too risky.

Debt problems plaguing Europe and the United States have pressured markets, knocking the S&P 500 down more than 7 percent over the last six sessions. World stocks hit their lowest in six weeks on Wednesday.

"A poor auction of German bonds added to recent worries that the risks from the debt mess are spreading to the core of the euro zone," said WhatsTrading.com options strategist Frederick Ruffy.

All 10 S&P 500 sectors were negative, with financials among the biggest decliners over concerns about exposure to European debt. JPMorgan Chase & Co (JPM.N) dropped 3.5 percent to $28.38 and Citigroup Inc (C.N) lost 3.9 percent to $23.51.

Economically sensitive stocks such as energy and commodity-related issues also slid. The PHLX oil service sector index (.OSX) dropped 3.7 percent and the S&P materials sector (.GSPM) fell 2.8 percent. Schlumberger Ltd (SLB.N) lost 3.6 percent to $66.50 and DuPont and Co (DD.N) shed 2.9 percent to $44.08.

The Dow Jones industrial average (.DJI) sank 236.17 points, or 2.05 percent, to 11,257.55 at the close. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index (.SPX) dropped 26.25 points, or 2.21 percent, to 1,161.79. The Nasdaq Composite Index (.IXIC) lost 61.20 points, or 2.43 percent, to 2,460.08.

The S&P 500's six-day decline is the longest such streak since a seven-day slide that ended August 2.

Reflecting heightened fears in the market, the CBOE Volatility Index, or VIX (.VIX), Wall Street's so-called fear gauge, jumped 6.3 percent.

Volume was light ahead of the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday, when markets are closed. About 6.9 billion shares changed hands on the New York Stock Exchange, NYSE Amex and Nasdaq, below the current daily average of 8 billion shares.

"There is no buying demand, but this does not mean that there is a really strong offer, either. It just means that we might be working off the 'oversold-ness' with this choppy action, 1160-1180 on the S&P," said Joseph Cusick, senior market analyst at OptionsXpress Holdings Inc in Chicago.

One of the few bright spots was Deere & Co (DE.N), which climbed 3.9 percent to $74.72 after quarterly earnings beat expectations and sales shot up 20 percent.

Adding to market worries, data showed Chinese manufacturing shrank the most in 32 months in November, intensifying concerns about a global economic slowdown. U.S. crude oil fell 1.8 percent on fears of reduced demand from China, the world's No. 2 economy.

U.S. data painted a mixed picture and showed little reason for optimism. New jobless claims rose last week and consumer spending barely increased in October, while another report showed new orders for durable goods, which include long-lasting manufactured items such as refrigerators, rose.

(Reporting by Angela Moon; Editing by Jan Paschal)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111123/bs_nm/us_markets_stocks

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Bahrain hints at evidence of Iran protest links (AP)

MANAMA, Bahrain ? In a 500-page report detailing widespread abuses in Bahrain's crackdowns, it's a brief section on Iran that has brought the strongest pushback Thursday in the Gulf kingdom ? authorities clinging to their claims that Tehran had a role in the Shiite-led uprising despite the report's findings.

Bahrain suggested it may have classified intelligence of Iranian links to the 10-month-old unrest, though independent investigators said they found nothing to back the allegations.

The report's short reference to Iran touches some of the most powerful Arab Spring narratives among the Gulf's Sunni leaders. Accusations about plotting by Shiite giant Iran have been used to justify crushing measures, such as sending Saudi-led military forces to reinforce Bahrain's embattled monarchy.

It also reflects the bolder political strategies by Gulf nations to get involved in uprisings elsewhere ? such Saudi's leaders mediating a possible exit for Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh ? while keeping unwavering pressure on suspected Iran-leaning dissent at home. Saudi's Interior Ministry said at least four people have been killed this week in clashes in the heavily Shiite city of Qatif.

The findings by a special commission that investigated Bahrain's turmoil were a direct slap at fears by the Western-allied Gulf states that Iran seeks to use Bahrain as a foothold to try to undermine the region's Sunni regimes. The commission released a major report Wednesday.

The official Bahrain News Agency said national security concerns prevented sharing all intelligence on Iran with the commission. Officials in Iran have sharply denounced the crackdowns on Bahrain's Shiite majority, but they insist Iran has no direct ties to the conflict.

The news agency also repeated statements by Bahrain's king that Iranian propaganda has fueled bloodshed and clashes on the strategic island, which is home to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet. Earlier this month, Bahrain claimed it dismantled an Iranian-linked terror cell that plotted attacks on high-profile targets including the Saudi Embassy.

Mustafa Alani, a regional analyst at the Geneva-based Gulf Research Center, said Bahraini officials are in a "difficult position" by their claims of protecting sensitive intelligence while openly accusing some Shiite activists of working with Iranian agents.

The special commission's report ? authorized by Bahrain's rulers in a bid to ease tensions ? highlighted details of abuses, including torture, excessive force and legal shortcomings under a special security court.

At least 35 people have been killed in violence related to the uprising, including several members of the security forces.

Bahrain's Shiites comprise about 70 percent of the island nation's 525,000 citizens. They have complained of widespread discrimination, such as being blocked from top government or military posts. The monarchy has offered some concessions but refused to bow to protest demands to surrender control of top positions and main policies.

Many of the report's conclusions had been previously noted by rights groups and opposition activists.

The burden fell on Bahrain's authorities to prove their charges of Iranian links to the protests.

The report said evidence presented by Bahrain's government "does not establish a discernible link between specific incidents" during the time period studied from February and March.

The commission noted that most of the government's claims on Iranian involvement related to alleged intelligence operations, making them impossible to independently investigate "due to security and confidentiality considerations."

Bahrain's king, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, lashed back at the findings, insisting Tehran's role was clear to "all who have eyes and ears."

He pointed to Iran's Arabic-language broadcasts that "fueled the flames of sectarian strife," but gave no details on the extent of possible secret intelligence that was not shared.

Bahrain is a critical U.S. ally, and Washington has taken a cautious line: Urging Bahrain's leaders to open more dialogue with the opposition, but avoiding too much public pressure.

In Washington, the White House on Wednesday commended the king for appointing the commission and said in a statement that it is "incumbent upon the government of Bahrain to hold accountable those responsible for human rights violations and put in place institutional changes to ensure that such abuses do not happen again."

A statement by the European Union's foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, urged Bahraini authorities to "open a new chapter ... of national reconciliation."

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Murphy reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Associated Press writer Adam Schreck in Dubai contributed to this report.

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Online: http://files.bici.org.bh/BICIreportEN.pdf

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111124/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_bahrain

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