Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/167348418?client_source=feed&format=rss
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Wednesday, November 30, 2011
World stocks fall as Europe debt crisis festers (AP)
BANGKOK ? Asian stocks fell Wednesday after a meeting of Europe's finance ministers failed to stem fears that the euro currency union is hurtling toward a breakup. Banking stocks slumped after some of the world's top financial institutions were slapped with a credit rating downgrade.
Benchmark oil hovered below $99 per barrel and the dollar rose against the euro but fell against the yen.
Japan's Nikkei 225 index dropped 1.2 percent to 8,376.45 and South Korea's Kospi shed 0.7 percent to 1,841.79. Hong Kong's Hang Seng lost 1.9 percent to 17,911.21. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 fell marginally to 4,099.
Benchmarks in Singapore, Taiwan and mainland China were also lower. Indonesia, Malaysia and New Zealand rose.
Sentiment was dented after a meeting in Brussels of finance ministers from the 17 countries that use the euro ended without an announcement on plans to contain the debt crisis that is threatening to shatter the currency union.
The ministers sent debt-riddled Greece euro8 billion ($10.7 billion) to stem an immediate cash crisis, but they kicked more difficult issues ? such as whether countries should cede some control over their finances to a central European authority ? to the leaders of the European Union who meet next week.
In the latest sign of trouble, Italy was forced to pay a high interest rate on an auction of three-year debt Tuesday. The 7.89 percent rate was nearly three percentage points higher than last month, an enormous increase.
If Italy were to default on its debt of euro1.9 trillion ($2.5 trillion), the fallout could spell ruin for the euro common currency and send shock waves through the global economy. Such a prospect has left little appetite for risky assets.
Analysts at Credit Agricole CIB said in a report that "until concrete and detailed plans for a solution to the crisis are announced, the downward trend" in stocks will continue.
Ratings downgrades for many of the world's largest banks also drove investors to the sidelines, analysts said. Standard & Poor's on Tuesday lowered its credit ratings for 37 financial companies, including Bank of America Corp., Citigroup Inc. and HSBC Holdings PLC.
"The downgrade is affecting local stock market sentiment," said Dickie Wong, executive director of research at Kingston Securities Ltd. in Hong Kong. "I believe it gives pressure on the international banking sector, and some local banks will probably be down quite a bit today."
Hong Kong-listed Industrial & Commercial Bank of China, the world's largest bank by market value, fell 2.3 percent. Japan's Mizuho Financial Group lost 2 percent and Hong Kong shares of British bank HSBC Holdings fell 2.6 percent.
Insurance companies also fell. Hong Kong-listed China Life Insurance Co., the country's biggest life insurer, lost 3.5 percent. Ping An Insurance fell 5 percent. Japan's Tokio Marine Holdings shed 2.2 percent.
On Wall Street on Tuesday, a jump in U.S. consumer confidence sent stocks modestly higher. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 0.3 percent to close at 11,555.63. The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 0.2 percent to 1,195.19. The Nasdaq composite, which consists mostly of technology stocks, fell 0.5 percent to 2,515.51.
The Conference Board, a private research firm, said its Consumer Confidence Index climbed 15 points in November to 56.0 ? an improvement, but still well below the level of 90 that indicates an economy on solid footing.
Benchmark crude for January delivery was down 63 cents to $99.16 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract rose $1.58 to settle at $99.79 on Tuesday.
In currency trading, the euro slipped to $1.3328 from $1.3331 late Tuesday in New York. The dollar slipped to 77.88 yen from 77.93 yen.
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A bigger, better Infinity Blade 2 coming to iOS devices December 1 (Appolicious)
The best things in life are worth waiting for, particularly sequels to revolutionary video games you can play on mobile devices. Infinity Blade 2, a follow-up to the state-of-the-art title that debuted on Apple?s iOS devices a year ago, drops on Dec. 1 and is arguably the most anticipated game to hit the platform this year.
Developer ChAIR Entertainment raised the bar on what the iPhone (as well as iPad and iPod touch) was capable of creating in terms of graphics, and the original Infinity Blade was among the first games to use publisher Epic Games? Unreal Engine 3 to render its realistic 3-D graphics.
With Infinity Blade, ChAIR and Epic set a new standard on the kinds of games that could be brought to Apple?s mobile devices. The title featured a simple premise that had players taking on the role of a lone warrior venturing through a series of sword duels on the road to fighting the God King, a powerful final boss. When players were killed by the God King (as they often were), they would take on the role of their former character?s descendant ? retaining all the equipment and powers they had gained along the way ? to give battling the God King another go. The game packs graphics on-par with some console video games, and the developer received awards as well as plenty of sales for the title. The graphics on Infinity Blade 2, as you can see below, do not disappoint.
A hard act to follow
The follow up to Infinity Blade has some serious shoes to fill, but ChAIR is bringing quite a few new features to bear with the title. Right out of the gate, the game is optimized for Apple?s top-of-the-line hardware, leveraging the power of the dual-core A5 chips found in the iPhone 4S and the iPad 2. Graphically, Infinity Blade 2 should follow its predecessor in setting the bar for graphics on mobile devices across the board.
ChAIR is also bringing back everything that worked about Infinity Blade including its low-impact navigation system, simple but responsive touch controls and focus on a few core elements of sword-dueling fun. It's adding a lot more to the package the second time around. There?s a much bigger emphasis on the game?s storyline this time out, whereas Infinity Blade had very little. In fact, Epic and ChAIR have released a novella on iTunes called ?Infinity Blade: Awakening,? which bridges the gap between the two games.
In terms of technical improvements, ChAIR has worked on Infinity Blade 2?s touch controls to make them more responsive and let players feel more attuned to the actions of their characters. Sword-fighting is handled in much the same way: players dodge, block or parry enemy attacks until they can find an opening in that enemy?s defenses, at which point they slash away as quickly as possible to rack-up damage.
Bigger and better
But around this simple kernel, a lot of cool new things have been added. Navigation is straightforward, but the game world has been substantially expanded. You won?t just gather new equipment, you?ll actually gather materials to improve the items you find or forge new ones. ChAIR also added new fighting styles for players to explore. Instead of just battling with a sword and a shield, for instance, you?ll now be able to wield two weapons at once (or a two-handed weapon). All three styles fundamentally change the way you?ll have to approach Infinity Blade 2?s battles.
While ChAIR is improving a lot of what the first Infinity Blade had to offer for its second go-round, what is most interesting is how much the game is going to take advantage of everything that Apple?s iOS system has to offer. Along with the use of the A5 chip for some of the most stunning graphics available on the platform, the game will use iCloud to allow players to switch devices mid-game. Additionally, gamers will be able to take advantage of features found exclusively within iOS 5, Apple?s mobile operating system that debuted earlier this year. This includes playing the game on a TV screen using iOS 5?s HDMI output feature.
Infinity Blade 2 stands ready to be the first iOS title to really make use of everything the iPhone 4S, iPad 2 and iOS 5 have to offer. It?s hard not to be excited for ChAIR?s new release. It has a hefty pedigree to live up to following its first title, but it sounds like Infinity Blade 2 is going to be the game that sets the high water mark for iOS titles in 2012.
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Highlights: Euro zone finance ministers and officials (Reuters)
BRUSSELS (Reuters) ? Euro zone finance ministers and officials met in Brussels on Tuesday to agree on leveraging their EFSF bailout fund so it can help Italy or Spain should they need aid.
They also agreed to release the next aid payments to Greece and Ireland under their assistance programs.
Following are highlights of comments after the talks:
EUROPEAN FINANCIAL STABILITY FACILITY HEAD KLAUS REGLING ON EFSF:
"It should be clear that we do not expect investors to commit large amounts of money in the next few days or weeks. Leverage is a process over time. We only need to mobilize resources if and when we need to support a member state and when we use our new instruments.
"But the EFSF is now ready to implement both approaches. We will use both options simultaneously. The final amount of firepower will depend upon the concrete use and mix of instruments and the exact degree of protection, somewhere between 20 and 30 percent.
"The deployment of either instrument using leverage will only be made following a request from a member state, and any support from the EFSF will be linked to strict policy conditionality, monitoring and surveillance procedures."
EUROGROUP PRESIDENT JEAN-CLAUDE JUNCKER ON SITUATION IN ITALY:
"We were discussing the situation in Italy in the presence of the newly appointed prime minister, Mario Monti. He presented us the policy priorities of the new Italian government.
"We recognize that recent progress including the anticipation of the balanced budget to 2013 from 2014, the approval of two packages that will include the primary balance rising 3.5 percent of GDP by 2014, and the tabling of a constitutional amendment proposal to introduce a balance budget rule by mid-2012 represents a good basis to build on for an ambitious reform program that is needed to secure the announced deficit targets and boost economic growth."
"We have full confidence that Mario Monti will be able to deliver this program.
ON NEXT AID PAYMENT TO GREECE:
"The disbursement will take place once the IMF executive board has taken its decision in the beginning of December. Funds will be made available by mid-December.
"We reviewed the progress of the PSI (private sector involvement) operation. We called upon the Greek authorities and the representatives of its creditors to speed up negotiations to find an agreement in January ensuring the highest participation rate, while respecting the key parameters of the European summit of October 26/27."
ON EXPANDING EFSF AND IMF RESOURCES:
"We continue to explore further options to leverage the EFSF in light of market developments and investors' interest.
"We also agreed to rapidly explore an increase of the resources of the IMF through bilateral loans, following the mandate from the G20 Cannes summit, so that the IMF could adequately match the new firepower of the EFSF and cooperate even more closely."
Following are highlights of comments from before the talks:
SPANISH ECONOMY MINISTER ELENA SALGADO ASKED ABOUT A TWO-SPEED EURO ZONE:
"No, I don't agree with that. All we can do to work together is important to solve this crisis, we all contribute to the EFSF and those that can, we all help Greece."
ON EFSF LEVERAGING:
"We shouldn't talk about a maximum capacity, because markets would bet against that, I think we should look to raise its power as much as we can."
GERMAN FINANCE MINISTER WOLFGANG SCHAEUBLE ON LEVERAGING OF THE EFSF:
"It depends to a degree on how the markets develop and on which methods would be used to achieve such a leveraging."
ON BONDHOLDER LOSSES, GREECE AND INCLUDING PROVISIONS FOR PRIVATE SECTOR INVOLVEMENT IN THE PERMANENT EUROPEAN STABILITY MECHANISM:
"We are all agreed... That for the length of the EFSF, where we do not plan private sector participation, Greece remains a one-off. That cannot be called into question."
"When have a permanent stability mechanism as an international financial institution, the ESM, as soon as possible and if we then want to implement the provision, as we have agreed, that all European bonds have Collective Action Clauses, then it is of course the case, that what is in the ESM draft contract must stay as it is."
DUTCH FINANCE MINISTER JAN KEES DE JAGER ON ROLE OF IMF IN BAILOUT FUND:
"We will have to look at the IMF, which can also make available additional funds for the emergency fund. I think countries in Europe and outside of Europe should be prepared to give more money to the IMF. Then you have more money but it's still not enough."
"It could be through a general increase in resources -- of the SDRs -- it could be through new arrangements to borrow so bilateral loans and it should come from both Europe and non-European countries.
"Obviously, for a lot of countries, increasing the size of the EFSF is not an option now. The Netherlands does not block that option but several countries do not have the possibility to increase much more its capacity."
ON EFSF LEVERAGE:
"We have talked about leverage though private money, but it would be two or two and a half times an increase so not sufficient and we have to look for other solutions to complement the EFSF and that in my mind will be the IMF."
ON DISCUSSIONS WITH LIKE-MINDED EURO ZONE MEMBERS:
"I met with my German and Finnish colleagues on Friday to prepare a common view on this crisis. We envisage a larger role for the IMF, but also it's very important that we address long-term governance as well as conditionality.
"Only putting more money on the table will not solve the fundamentals of this crisis. We will have to do more reforms and more austerity, especially in southern Europe."
BELGIAN FINANCE MINISTER DIDIER REYNDERS ASKED ABOUT POSSIBILITY OF ECB LENDING TO THE IMF:
"We will discuss with the ECB. The ECB is an independent institution, so we will put on the table some proposals and after that it is for the ECB to take the decision."
ON EU-WIDE DECISIONS:
"There are two solutions (to the crisis), my preference is for a solution among the 27 but you cannot block those who share the same currency. If we cannot get a solution at 27, the euro zone must also be able to defend its currency."
LUXEMBOURG'S FINANCE MINISTER LUC FRIEDEN
ON EURO ZONE STABILITY:
"We need stability and confidence. We need to help Greece, maybe other states too. This has to be connected to strong conditions and if those are not respected we need to impose sanctions up to excluding a member state. That's not our goal but if that is necessary it has to happen.
"We need stability in the euro zone, that's why we need to work with the IMF, the ECB and with a strengthened EFSF and intervene where it is necessary."
ON LEVERAGING THE EUROPEAN FINANCIAL STABILITY FACILITY (EFSF) BAILOUT FUND:
"I think it will be very difficult to reach, in view of the changed market circumstances, the initially envisaged leverage goal, but we have to listen to the CEO of the EFSF before we can take a decision on this.
"I think the EFSF alone will not be able to solve all the problems, we have to do so together with the IMF and with the ECB, within the framework of its independence."
ON NEXT AID TRANCHE FOR GREECE:
"Based on the written consent by all party heads in Greece the conditions are met to pay the next tranche. But we have to discuss this, and also see what the commission and the ECB have to say about this. But I think the conditions are now met."
(Reporting by Daniel Flynn, Robert-Jan Bartunek, John O'Donnell, Robin Emmott)
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Wi-Fi-Connected Laptop Hurts Sperm, Study Suggests (LiveScience.com)
A computer with a wireless Internet connection hurts sperm, but not because the machine can heat up your lap, a new study suggests.
The findings showed that sperm cells collected in lab dishes and placed beneath a laptop with a wireless Internet connection for four hours had less motility and more DNA damage than sperm placed in another room, away from electronic devices but kept at the same temperature.
"It is well-known that increased temperature may decrease sperm quality, and the use of portable computers on the lap increases scrotal temperature," the researchers wrote in their study.
But the findings suggested it wasn't the temperature beneath the laptop that was affecting sperm; instead, the radiation from the laptop was slowing the swimmers, according to the study. ?
Laptops emit radiation
The researchers in Argentina and Virginia used semen samples from 29 healthy men, whose average age was 34. The laptop was set to download and upload information over the course of the experiment, so the wireless connection was actively being used. The temperature under the laptop was held constant at 77 degrees Fahrenheit by an air-conditioning system. ?
Wireless Internet connections use radio-frequency electromagnetic waves. When the researchers measured the radiation coming from a laptop wirelessly connected to the Internet, they found it was at least three times higher than an unconnected laptop, and seven to 15 times higher than radiation in a general setting, according to the study, though the levels varied over the course of the experiment, depending on the flow of information coming to or from the computer.
There was no difference between the sperm samples held under the laptop and those kept away from it in terms of the percentage of sperm that were dead at the end of the experiment, according to the study.
Still, sperm motility and having undamaged DNA are important for fertilizing an egg.
"We speculate that keeping a laptop connected wirelessly to the Internet on the lap near the testes may result in decreased male fertility," the researchers wrote in their conclusion.
Why sperm cells are vulnerable
Sperm cells are different from other cells in the body ? their DNA is highly condensed into a small area, the researchers noted. This could make them more vulnerable to the effects of such radiation.
It's plausible that the magnetic and electromagnetic fields produced by the radio waves damage molecules in sperm called phospholipids, which are a needed to keep membranes within a sperm cell intact, the study researchers wrote.
It is not known whether all laptop computers might have the same effects as those seen in this study, nor is it known what other factors might heighten or lessen the damage, the researchers wrote in their conclusion.
"However, we cannot discard the possibility that damage to sperm is caused by the low radiation produced by the computer without Internet connection," they wrote, and this possibility should be studied further.
The study was published online Nov. 23 in the journal Fertility and Sterility.
Pass it on: Radiation from wireless internet connections might damage sperm cells.
This story was provided by MyHealthNewsDaily, a sister site to LiveScience. Follow MyHealthNewsDaily on Twitter @MyHealth_MHND. Find us on Facebook.
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Assistant Syracuse coach hopes for "credible" investigation (Reuters)
NEW YORK (Reuters) ? An assistant Syracuse University basketball coach accused of inappropriate behavior with a ball boy is hoping for a "credible and expeditious review" of the matter by police, his lawyer said on Sunday.
Bernie Fine, who has called the accusations against him "patently false in every aspect", was accused of inappropriate behavior with the former ball boy, identified as Bobby Davis, now 39, and his stepbrother Mike Lang, now 45, when they were juveniles.
Fine, who was placed on administrative leave earlier this month, will no longer speak publicly about the case, his lawyer said.
"Mr. Fine will not comment on newspaper stories beyond his initial statement," attorney Karl Sleight said in a prepared statement in response to allegations by a third accuser, Zach Tomaselli, made on Facebook and carried in media reports.
"Any comment from him would only invite and perpetuate ancient and suspect claims. Mr. Fine remains hopeful of a credible and expeditious review of the relevant issues by law enforcement authorities," he added.
Syracuse police opened an investigation into Fine when Davis's stepbrother came forward with his own allegations.
The current probe comes six years after the university conducted its own investigation after hearing of the allegations in 2005. After a four-month investigation, launched after local police declined to open their own probe, the university was unable to corroborate the claims.
Attempts to reach police and city officials on Sunday for comment were unsuccessful.
Syracuse is the third major U.S. university to disclose alleged abuse since the announcement on November 5 that a longtime assistant football coach at Penn State was charged with sexually abusing eight boys over nearly 15 years.
Since then, South Carolina military college The Citadel admitted it had failed to take any action against a student accused of inappropriate behavior with children at a summer camp. The man has since been arrested and charged with sexually abusing boys.
Syracuse's basketball team is currently undefeated and the university in upstate New York is widely heralded as having one of the top college basketball programs in the country.
Fine's longtime boss, Hall of Fame coach Jim Boeheim, who has coached Syracuse for 34 years, previously issued a statement supporting Fine.
"I have known Bernie Fine for more than 40 years. I have never seen or witnessed anything to suggest that he would (have) been involved in any of the activities alleged," the statement said.
(Editing by Barbara Goldberg and Cynthia Johnston)
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Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Apple Tops Android In Mobile Ad Performance, But Windows Phone Still Leads The Pack
Mobile ad optimization platform?Smaato, Inc. released the results of its mobile ad report for Q3 2011 today and found that, for the third consecutive quarter, Windows Phone (156) led the company's "Smaato Index," a measure of mobile operating system click-through rates. In second place was RIM (113), which has now overtaken both Apple (89) and?Android (84) .Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/IXsSwphOaro/
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