An Afternoon With Bad Piggies, Rovio?s Next Hit

leadYou've probably already heard, but just in case you forgot to wear your Angry Birds merchandise, Bad Piggies has just hit the scene. It's Rovio's latest and greatest, and it brings something slightly different to the mix. Instead of flinging birds through the sky, or space, you're actually much more concerned with the Pigs. The goal is to reach the finish line of a map by constructing vehicles (both terrain and aircraft) and loading pigs inside.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/jyJxn4MWBxs/

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Ex-finance minister to challenge Merkel in 2013

BERLIN (AP) ? Germany's main opposition party embarked Friday on an uphill struggle to oust Chancellor Angela Merkel, choosing a respected former finance minister who helped steer the country through the financial crisis as her challenger in next year's election.

Peer Steinbrueck, 65, emerged as the center-left Social Democrats' candidate after a monthslong guessing game over which of three potential challengers would face Merkel in the parliamentary vote expected next September.

Party chairman Sigmar Gabriel declared that Steinbrueck is the right candidate for a campaign in which tougher regulation of banks and markets will be a central issue.

"Taming the financial markets and winning back democratic control over them is the central condition for creating a new social balance in Germany and Europe," Gabriel said at a news conference.

The Social Democrats have long accused Merkel's center-right governing coalition of doing too little to prevent financial excesses. Earlier this week, Steinbrueck presented a plan that, among other things, called for big European banks to build up a ?200 billion ($258 billion) rescue fund rather than relying on taxpayer-funded aid.

But polls suggest that, while Steinbrueck is well-placed to attract swing voters, the Social Democrats will struggle to unseat the popular, 58-year-old Merkel, Germany's leader since 2005.

The Social Democrats consistently trail her conservative Christian Democrats, and surveys show no majority for their hoped-for coalition with the Green party.

Polls also show no majority for Merkel's current coalition with the pro-market Free Democrats, which has become notorious for its infighting, but suggest Merkel would be well placed to lead another "grand coalition" of right and left with the Social Democrats.

That's the combination under which Steinbrueck served as finance minister from 2005 to 2009, when he worked closely with the chancellor to limit the fallout from the demise of U.S. investment bank Lehman Brothers.

This time, he's keen to avoid ending up as Merkel's junior partner again.

"We want to oust this government," Steinbrueck said. "It is evident that this government won't be re-elected in a year's time but we don't want it to be only partially replaced."

One significant source of Merkel's popularity is her handling of the debt crisis in the 17-nation eurozone.

The Social Democrats and the Greens have criticized Merkel for what they decry as a too-little, too-late response ? but then they end up supporting her plans in Parliament.

They have extracted limited concessions from her, such as a commitment to support investments to foster economic growth in Europe, but haven't persuaded her to back any kind of pooling of eurozone countries' debt.

Steinbrueck has a reputation for plain speaking, which hasn't always made him popular with fellow Social Democrats. As a minister, he once remarked that his party appeared to the public like "crybabies" in the face of Merkel's popularity.

In 2009, he called for European governments to use "the whip" against neighboring Switzerland in the fight against tax evasion.

His successor, Wolfgang Schaeuble, has taken a more diplomatic approach, negotiating a deal with Switzerland. But with the election in sight, the Social Democrats have vowed not to let that through Parliament's upper house, where Merkel's coalition lacks a majority.

Steinbrueck was governor of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany's most populous state, from 2002 to 2005 but lost the state to Merkel's conservatives ? a result blamed largely on the unpopularity of the Social Democrat-led national government at the time.

Steinbrueck's most serious rival, former Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, said he didn't want to try another run at the chancellery.

Steinmeier was Merkel's challenger in the 2009 election, when the Social Democrats slumped to their worst result in post-World War II Germany, winning just 23 percent of the vote.

___

Juergen Baetz in Berlin contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ex-finance-minister-challenge-merkel-2013-090438153--finance.html

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U.S. drops Iranian MEK dissident group from terrorism list

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department on Friday formally removed the Iranian dissident group Mujahadin-e Khalq from its official list of terrorist organizations, but underscored serious concerns about the group which is seeking to recast itself as an Iranian opposition force.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton took the decision, effective on Friday, in view of the MEK's public renunciation of violence, the absence of confirmed acts of terrorism by the MEK for more than a decade, and their cooperation in the peaceful closure of their paramilitary base in Iraq, the State Department said in a statement.

"With today's actions, the Department does not overlook or forget the MEK's past acts of terrorism, including its involvement in the killing of U.S. citizens in Iran in the 1970s and an attack on U.S. soil in 1992," the statement said.

"The Department also has serious concerns about the MEK as an organization, particularly with regard to allegations of abuse committed against its own members."

Clinton was in New York this week for a meeting of the U.N. General Assembly. Iran on Thursday blamed the MEK, which it called "a terrorist sect," for accosting a senior Iranian diplomat in New York and condemned the U.S. decision remove the group from the terrorism list.

The MEK's Paris-based leader Maryam Rajavi, who has sought to rebrand the group as a potential opposition force in Iran, welcomed the decision.

"This designation was a gift to the mullahs' (clerical) regime, and removing it is a major blow because they understand better than anyone else the potential of the movement to operate and flourish in Iran," she told Reuters in an interview.

"This decision should put an end to a policy of appeasement which has existed for the past 15 years, and it has once again proven that wherever there is a fraction of freedom and justice our resistance will be the victorious one."

But a senior U.S. official, briefing reporters after Clinton's decision was announced, said Washington did not see the group as viable opposition or democratic movement.

"We have no evidence and we have no confidence that the MEK is an organization that can promote democratic values that we would like to see in Iran," the official said. "They are not part of our picture in terms of the future of Iran."

INTENSE LOBBYING

Officials said last week that Clinton had decided to remove the MEK from the terrorism list, but the formal announcement was made only after appropriate notification of Congress.

The U.S. decision comes after years of intense lobbying by the MEK, which had seen many of its members stranded in Iraq as the group fell out of Baghdad's favor after Saddam Hussein's downfall in 2003.

The group marshaled the support of dozens of members of Congress as well as political, government and media notables.

Public figures who have endorsed the MEK's campaign included former CIA directors R. James Woolsey and Porter Goss, former Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge, former FBI Director Louis Freeh, and Mitchell Reiss, a former State Department official who is a top foreign policy adviser to Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney.

Prominent Democratic Party figures who have supported the MEK have included former Pennsylvania and Vermont Governors Ed Rendell and Howard Dean. People familiar with its activities said that the MEK had paid generous fees to some of those who made speeches in support of its de-listing.

A senior U.S. official dismissed suggestions that the lobbying campaign had played a role in the group's rehabilitation.

"These decisions are made on the merit and not made to appease any group of lobbyists no matter how famous they are," the official told reporters.

"The United States government is not going to take anyone off the list if it genuinely believes that they pose an imminent threats, that they are going to commit terrorist acts, or that they are somehow wedded to violence."

LEAVING CAMP ASHRAF

The United States had repeatedly said its decision on the MEK's terrorist designation hinged partly on the group's remaining members leaving Camp Ashraf, an Iraqi base where they had lived for decades, and moving to a former U.S. military base in Baghdad from which they were expected to be resettled overseas.

Officials said this month that the final large group of dissidents had moved from Camp Ashraf to the new location, ending a long standoff with Iraqi authorities.

The group, also known as the People's Mujahideen Organization of Iran, calls for the overthrow of Iran's clerical leaders and fought alongside Saddam's forces in the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s. It also led a guerrilla campaign against the U.S.-backed Shah of Iran during the 1970s, including attacks on American targets.

Removal from the list means Washington will no longer block the group's property and interests in property in the United States and that U.S. entities may engage in transactions with the MEK without obtaining a license.

(Additional reporting by Nicholas Vinocur in Paris; editing by Mohammad Zargham)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-formally-drops-iranian-mek-dissident-group-terrorism-192238384.html

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Alzheimer's Detection More Difficult In Seniors Over 80 | Michigan ...

Researchers have discovered that Alzheimer?s disease progresses slower in people over the age of 80 than in younger seniors. This gradual decline can delay detection and treatment of Alzheimer?s disease in the oldest seniors. Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine analyzed data from more than 700 people ages 65 to 90, collected as a part of the Alzheimer?s Disease Neuroimaging initiative study.

They found that seniors in their 60s and 70s experienced faster rates of cognitive decline and brain tissue loss during the early stages of Alzheimer?s than their older counterparts. Although it is unclear why this difference exists, researchers hypothesized that the older seniors may have dementia plays Alzheimer?s, which can stall the full effects of the disease, or an unknown factor that inhibits full expression of symptoms.

This gradual decline challenges the effectiveness of traditional screening techniques. If older patients are not showing the same deterioration from one year to the next, doctors may be less likely to diagnose Alzheimer?s disease, which may lead to these patients receiving improper care.

Read more: http://nslpn.com/industry-spotlight/2012/08/09/alzheimer%E2%80%99s-often-more-difficult-to-detect-in-those-over-80/

Attorney Christopher J. Berry is a Metro Detroit estate planning and elder law lawyer who helps families, seniors, veterans and business owners with their important legal needs. Oakland County estate planning lawyer, Christopher Berry is a partner in the Bloomfield Hills law firm of Witzke Berry PLLC. Mr. Berry practices in the areas of estate planning, business, probate, veterans benefits & Medicaid planning. Follow Christopher on Twitter @chrisberryesq

Source: http://michiganelderlawcenter.com/alzheimers-detection-more-difficult-seniors-over/

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'Ultimate Silent Security': Bitdefender Antivirus Plus 2013 ...

Bitdefender Releases 2013 Line of Antivirus Products 01

Bitdefender has released its 2013 generation of products, Antivirus Plus, Internet Security and Total Security, announcing all-round improvements, as well as new features. Photo: Bitdefender Corp.

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Bitdefender for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

As one of the editors at TheBlogIsMine, I spend much time during the day in the Internet. Even people, who don?t work at the computer, spend countless hours online each day whether it?s social media, photo sharing, Skype, catching up on the latest news or reading interesting blogs such as TheBlogIsMine.

As technology continues to expand, the number of ways that our computers can be harmed increase dramatically each year. However, ordinary users, to my mind, don?t need to worry about various e-threats such as computer viruses, spyware, malware, scams and?phishing attacks.

However, there is Bitdefender Antivirus Plus 2013, the #1 antivirus software with ?Editor?s Choice? awards from CNET and PC Mag magazines, offers award-winning protection against all kinds of viruses, spyware, trojans and identity theft without slowing down your computer. What makes it so special?

Bitdefender Antivirus Plus 2013 is the latest addition to the developer?s collection, and it has been built to keep up with the recently created or improved threats that wander on the internet. The program is a powerful, accurate and highly configurable antivirus tool that delivers everything you need to keep your PC malware-free.

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The core antivirus engine is constantly scanning all your internet, email and instant messaging traffic, for instance, detecting and blocking known threats before they?re able to install.

Two additional proactive technologies are used to uncover brand new threats, while keeping false alarms to a minimum. And the results are so good that independent testing labs AV-Comparatives awarded the program their highest Advanced+ rating in the January-September 2012 Retrospective/Proactive test.

The installation process of Bitdefender Antivirus Plus 2013 is rather simple and painless. It doesn?t cause any headache because there is nothing to configure during the installation process. Simply click on the Install button to get the Bitdefender installer running. You don?t even need to choose custom installation as the standard one will do all for you.

Moreover, for Antivirus Plus 2013 version, BitDefender takes privacy and security to new levels. BitDefender Antivirus Plus 2013 debuts with ?several new features, among them:

  • BitDefender Safepay: A secure standalone Web browser that automatically opens when you visit banking and shopping sites. The browser is run in what is commonly called a sandbox mode, a separate virtual environment on your PC. Since the browser is isolated, it prevents many types of attacks that malware uses to capture your sensitive activity, such as keystroke logging, phishing, and network spoofing.
  • USB Immunizer: Scans and cleans any malware found on USB drives and other removable media, from CDs to remote network drives. It?s designed to protect you from threats like the Flame virus, and should help keep you from accidentally carrying malware and infecting PCs when you connect your USB drive or other removable media.
  • Device Anti-Theft: Included only in the BitDefender Total Security 2013, this tool will allow you to remotely lock, wipe, and locate your laptop?similar to those ?find my phone? apps you may have used on your smartphone or tablet.
  • BitDefender Autopilot: Hate the disruptive pop-ups that traditionally come with the antivirus software territory? You?ll be able to enjoy your browsing without interruption with this feature. It runs in the background, pop-up-free.
  • Social Network Protection: Facebook and Twitter have become an integral part of our lives, and with them, so too has come the fear of falling victim to scams, hackings, and other privacy violations. With Social Network Protection feature, all of the links you receive from friends across various social media sites will be filtered, and your privacy settings will be monitored.
  • Parental Control Options:?This feature allows parents to block inappropriate content, restrict Web access between certain hours, and it helps them remotely monitor their children?s online activity ? even on Facebook!

Staying protected online is very important to us here, at TheBlogIsMine, as we don?t want that our credit card information or other important data will be stolen. We also don?t want to experience a virus that could harm the files on our PCs because there are a lot of important files saved on our computers.

So, put it all together and there?s a lot of power here for your money: if you need the #1 antivirus software with top-notch protection against both online and offline threats then Bitdefender Antivirus Plus 2013 will be an excellent choice for you.

Need even more security?! No problem! Bitdefender Total Security 2013 is right for, however, with a slightly higher price tag than ?Antivirus Plus 2013. For more information, you can visit the official page of Bitdefender Total Security 2013. For trial purpose, you can put Total Security 2013 a test drive for 30 days.

The last but not the least: BitDefender is giving away a Dell Inspiron laptop pre-loaded with its Total Security 2013 software. Find out how to enter the giveaway contest here.

Source: http://www.theblogismine.com/2012/09/28/ultimate-silent-security-bitdefender-antivirus-plus-2013/

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Voter registration problems widening in Florida

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) ? What first appeared to be an isolated problem in one Florida county has now spread statewide, with election officials in nine counties informing prosecutors or state election officials about questionable voter registration forms filled out on behalf of the Republican Party of Florida.

State Republican officials already have fired the vendor it had hired to register voters, and took the additional step of filing an election fraud complaint against the company, Strategic Allied Consulting, with state officials. That complaint was handed over Friday to state law-enforcement authorities.

A spokesman for Florida's GOP said the matter was being treated seriously.

"We are doing what we can to find out how broad the scope is," said Brian Burgess, the spokesman.

Florida is the battleground state where past election problems led to the chaotic recount that followed the 2000 presidential election.

The Florida Democratic Party called on the state to "revoke" the ability of state Republicans to continue to register voters while the investigation continues. Oct. 9 is the deadline to register to vote in the Nov. 6 presidential election.

"It is clear that the Republican Party of Florida does not have the institutional controls in place to be trusted as a third-party, voter registration organization," said Scott Arceneaux, executive director of the Florida Democratic Party.

The Republican Party of Florida has paid Strategic Allied Consulting more than $1.3 million, and the Republican National Committee used the group for work in Nevada, North Carolina, Colorado and Virginia.

The company said earlier this week that it was cooperating with elections officials in Florida. It said the suspect forms were turned in by one person, who has been fired.

"Strategic has a zero-tolerance policy for breaking the law," Fred Petti, a company attorney, said Thursday.

An email request to the company seeking additional comment, following the company's instructions, was not immediately returned Friday.

In Florida, it is a third-degree felony to "willfully submit" any false voter registration information, a crime punishable by up to five years in prison.

In recent years, Florida's Republican-controlled Legislature ? citing suspicious voter registration forms turned in by the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, or ACORN ? has cracked down on groups holding voter registration drives.

The League of Women Voters filed a federal lawsuit against some of the restrictions and Florida agreed earlier this month to drop a new requirement to turn in registration applications within 48 hours after they are signed. The state has reinstated a 10-day deadline.

The questionable forms tied to the Republican Party have showed up in South Florida, including Miami-Dade, as well as counties in southwest and northeast Florida as well as the Florida Panhandle.

Election officials in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties on Thursday handed over more than 100 suspect forms to local prosecutors. They did so days after officials in Palm Beach County also alerted prosecutors.

Ann Bodenstein, the elections supervisor for Santa Rosa County, said her staff started raising questions after an employee saw a form that changed the home address of a neighbor.

Paul Lux, election supervisor for Okaloosa County, said questionable forms in the Florida Panhandle appear to have all come from Strategic's effort based at the local Republican Party headquarters. He said his office has turned up dozens of suspect forms.

Lux said there have been forms that listed dead people and were either incomplete or illegible. He met with local prosecutors on Friday, but added that his staff was still going through hundreds of forms dropped off by Strategic employees.

Lux, who is a Republican, said he warned local party officials earlier this month when he first learned the company was paying people to register voters.

"I told them 'This is not going to end well,'" Lux said.

But Lux added that he did not blame the Republican Party of Florida.

"I can't place the blame on RPOF if they hired a firm and that firm wasn't following the rules they were given to follow," Lux said.

The state party filed the complaint against Strategic Allied Consulting with state election officials, who late Friday handed the case over to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

An FDLE spokeswoman said the agency would not automatically open a criminal investigation, but would review to see if there were "possible criminal acts."

___

Follow Gary Fineout on Twitter: http://twitter.com/fineout

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/voter-registration-problems-widening-florida-154156242--election.html

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Skiing Off A Helicopter

For those who are looking for something really thrilling, Helicopter Skiing (Heli Skiing for short) offers a lot of promise. This usually involves jumping off the flying craft and onto the trail to ski or snowboard. It first came up as an idea in the 1960s and since then it has captivated a large number of amateur and professional skiers worldwide. Usually, the environment and conditions wherein to do this type of skiing is highly selected and specific, and the presence of guides are required. Generally speaking, it is completely safe to do, though nothing is certain and guaranteed. But there is no denying that this is one good experience to add to ones ski portfolio.

Visiting the Powder Capital

Helicopter skiing is popular and done in many parts of the world, including Australia, Chile, Greenland, Iceland, the US and many more. For instance, certain Famous Ski Resorts in Chile offers these one-of-a-kind activities. Professional skiers often visit the country for this activity because of its powder snow, which is an optimal condition for heli skiing (the snow quality is also the reason why people call Chile the Powder Capital of the Andes). Moreover, the high peaks of the mountains in that country are also a top choice for professionals.

Heli Skiing in New Zealand

Another collection of venues to check out when one want to helicopter ski are the Reputed Ski Resorts in New Zealand. One of these is the Heli-Park. Helicopter rides in this resort is free (you have to pay for the access pass to the resort, though) and it offers the skier the choices of ride or ski powder, chutes, rock drops, wide open bowls, and many more. Another one is the Harris Mountains Resort. Located at the Southeren Alps, it offers rides to the peak as well as a picnic lunch.

Safety and Concern

As mentioned above, helicopter skiing is a generally safe activity. One concern about the activity, however, is avalanche. That is why most heli skiing resorts employ guides and experts who are well-trained and experienced when it comes to evaluating the mountains snow conditions. These professionals are must meet the standard of certain legal entities before being hired. Other hazards include mountain-related, snow-related, and, most notably, physical-related dangers. The first two are criticized as being damaging to the environment. Indeed, certain groups oppose the activity as a result. Financial trouble is also one downside about heli skiing. In most cases, this usually involved lost pre-paid reservations in case of bad weather (some ski resorts in New Zealand, Chile and others do not issue refunds).

Source: http://goarticles.com/article/Skiing-Off-a-Helicopter/6995095/

About the Author:
Southern Boarding is an experienced Content writer and publisher for Business Development. Visit at http://www.southernboarding.com/ to know more about Perisher Ski Resort and Mendoza Argentina.

Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Skiing-Off-A-Helicopter/4181743

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D-Day for al-Qaida in Somalia? - World News - MSNBC

By NBC News wire services

MOGADISHU, Somalia --?Troops launched an amphibious assault before dawn Friday on the al-Qaida militant group al-Shabab's last stronghold in Somalia.

Other African Union forces were traveling overland to link up with the joint Kenyan-Somali force in the port city of Kismayo.

The commander of the U.N-backed African Union troops, Lt. Gen. Andrew Gutti, said the aim was to "liberate the people of Kismayo to enable them to lead their lives in peace, stability and security."

Col. Cyrus Oguna, the Kenyan military's top spokesman, said the attack met minimal resistance, but al-Shabab denied that the city had fallen and said fighting was taking place.

Oguna told The Associated Press that al-Shabab, which formally merged with al-Qaida in February, had incurred "heavy losses" but that Kenyan forces have not yet had any injuries or deaths.

"We came from the beach side and we're moving towards the main city. Our surveillance aircraft are monitoring every event taking place on the ground," he told Reuters.

"For now, we're not everywhere. We've taken a large part of it without resistance, I don't see anything major happening," he said.

Born in the USA, but now among Somalia's Islamist terrorists

Residents in Kismayo, a city of about 193,000 people, contacted by The Associated Press said that Kenyan troops had taken control of the port, but not the whole city.

"Al-Shabab fighters are on the streets and heading toward the front line in speeding cars. Their radio is still on the air and reporting the war," resident Mohamed Haji told The Associated Press. Haji said that helicopters were hitting targets in the town in southeastern Somalia.

At an international one-day summit Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron said the world would "pay a price" if it fails to help Somalia overcome terrorism, piracy and starvation. ITV's Lee Comley reports.?

Another resident, Ismail Suglow, told Reuters that he could hear shelling from the ships and that the rebels were responding with anti-aircraft guns.

"We saw seven ships early in the morning and now their firing looks like lightning and thunder. Al-Shabab have gone towards the beach. The ships poured many AU troops on the beach," he added.

Expert: War on terror at 'critical' point as al-Qaida looks to regroup in Africa

On Thursday, residents said planes had dropped leaflets on Kismayo warning civilians to evacuate within 24 hours, Reuters reported.?More than 10,000 residents fled Kismayo in the last several weeks.

Resident Faduma Abdulle said Friday that she is now leaving too.

She said al-Shabab made an announcement on its radio station Friday to trick residents into moving toward the invading troops.

"They told residents through their radio to loot a Kenyan ship that washed up on the coast, but instead the residents who rushed there were attacked by helicopters," she said. "Some of them have died but I don't know how many. The situation is tense and many are fleeing. It's a dangerous situation."

A U.S. military spokesman, Lt. Cdr. Dave Hecht, said the U.S. Africa Command, known as AFRICOM, is closely monitoring the situation but that "we are not participating in Kenya's military activities in the region."

Militants: Taking city not 'a piece of cake'
Al-Shabab said it would not give up Kismayu easily.

"Going into Kismayo is not a piece of cake. We are still fighting them on the beach where they landed," Sheik Abdiasis Abu Musab, al-Shabab's spokesman for military operations, told Reuters on Friday. "For us, this is just the beginning, our troops are spread everywhere."

Oguna said the assault is part of a four-prong attack involving Kenyan forces currently in villages outside Kismayo.

The amphibious assault landed between 10:30 p.m. Thursday and 2 a.m. Friday local time (3:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Thursday ET)?, he said. Some of the troops had night-vision goggles, he said.

Somali Olympic chief killed in Mogadishu suicide blast

African Union troops pushed al-Shabab out of Mogadishu in August 2011, ending four years of control of the capital by the fighters.

The Ugandan and Burundian troops that make up the bulk of the African Union force in Mogadishu have slowly been taking control of towns outside of Mogadishu.

The expanding control by AU troops sent al-Shabab fighters fleeing south toward Kismayo, north to other regions of Somalia and across the Gulf of Aden to Yemen, according to American and African Union officials.

Kenya police: Imminent attack by suicide bombers thwarted

Al-Shabab still holds sway across many small, poor villages of southern Somalia. The loss of Kismayo would be significant.

The militants taxed goods coming into its port. Al-Shabab lost its major source of financing last year when it was pushed out of Bakara market in Mogadishu, where it also charged taxes.

The march toward Kismayo by the Kenyan forces has been nearly a year in the making.

Masked 'goons' kill at least 17 in attacks on churches in Kenya

Kenyan troops entered Somalia last October after a string of kidnappings inside neighboring Kenya, including of Westerners in and around the beach resort town of Lamu, which is also seeing the construction of a new port and could one day be final point of a new oil pipeline from South Sudan.

Kenyan forces were bogged down by rain and poor roads for months but have making slow and steady progress toward Kismayo in recent weeks.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

More world stories from NBC News:

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Source: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/09/28/14135846-d-day-for-al-qaida-in-somalia-troops-storm-beaches-at-last-stronghold

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New York Times Taps Deborah Needleman for Fashion Mag

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - The New York Times has lured Deborah Needleman away from rival The Wall Street Journal to run herd at its fashion and lifestyle magazine.

Needleman will oversee T: The New York Times Style Magazine, the paper said Thursday. She will replace Sally Singer, who was pushed out last August after reportedly clashing with management and failing to boost ad pages.

In a statement, Jill Abramson, executive editor of The New York Times, said Needleman had been tapped to strengthen T's reach.

"Deborah is a creative and innovative editor with an impeccable sense of style and design," Abramson said in a statement.

At the Journal, Needleman oversaw the style magazine and the weekend lifestyle section.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/york-times-taps-deborah-needleman-fashion-mag-231951106--finance.html

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U.S. responded to Benghazi attack as terrorism on ?Day One?: Source

When gunmen struck the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, on Sept. 11 of this year, the response from American officials was almost simultaneous: They immediately set about collecting information about the attackers, some of whom were quickly identified as foreigners, and tracing links from them to known extremist groups, a knowledgeable source has told Yahoo News.

The source's description came as fresh news accounts cast doubt on the White House's insistence that it has been forthright all along about what it knew about the attack. (I tweeted on Sept. 21 that this same source informed Yahoo News that the administration privately labeled the attack as terrorism on "Day One.")

"Friendly Libyans were saying almost immediately that the organized attackers (not the protesters) seemed to be mostly foreigners. By the 13th, people were?beginning?to be identified and rolled up," the source, who has been critical of the administration in the past, told Yahoo News. One early asset: Social media, where videos and photos of the attack gave intelligence officials early clues to what really happened.

"In this case, the intel has been spot-on from the beginning," the source said. American intelligence reached the conclusion that the assault on the consulate was terrorism "on Day One" and "the Brits, the French, Italians all said the same thing ? within 48 hours." The source agreed to detail the American response to the tragedy on condition of anonymity.

The day after the attack, President Barack Obama used his first public remarks on the tragedy to declare that "no acts of terror will ever shake the resolve of this great nation, alter that character, or eclipse the light of the values that we stand for." That contradicts Republican charges that the president has refused to label the attack as "terrorism."

The issue is not merely an inside-the-Beltway word game. A formal finding of terrorism enabled the U.S. government to respond with more military and intelligence assets than if the attack had been judged to be merely a criminal act.

But top aides, including Jay Carney, the White House press secretary, and Susan Rice, the ambassador to the United Nations, argued for days afterward that the violence was linked to an Internet video that ridicules Islam. That film has sparked angry demonstrations across the Muslim world. Carney eventually said it was "self-evident" that it was terrorism?a day after National Counterterrorism Center Director Matt Olsen told senators that it was, while insisting there was no evidence of "significant ... planning." Olsen also said the administration was looking at "connections" between the attackers and al-Qaida, including a regional offshoot, al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb.

Rice told NBC News on Sept. 16, five days after the attack, that the incident was "initially a spontaneous reaction" to protests in Cairo against the film. "What we think then transpired in Benghazi is that opportunistic extremist elements came to the consulate as this was unfolding."

Yet Obama himself told "The View" this week that the sophistication of the attack showed it "wasn't just a mob action."

Administration officials have underlined that there is an FBI investigation into the attack, and said they will not offer definitive conclusions into what happened in Benghazi until that probe wraps up. They have also accused Republicans, led by Mitt Romney, of trying to score political points with the death of Chris Stevens, the American ambassador to Libya, who died as a result of the attack.

"Let's be clear about this:?Every step of the way, the information that we have provided to you and the general public about the attack in Benghazi has been based on the best intelligence we've had and the assessments of our intelligence community," Carney told reporters on Thursday.

But the anonymous source pointed to the relative silence from Obama's national security adviser, Tom Donilon, and Director of National Intelligence James Clapper.

"They knew the real story from the beginning and were not paraded around to make statements," the source told Yahoo News. "Understand that the first bits of information from something like this are usually not reliable, but at the end of 24 hours, folks should have a pretty good idea of what happened ... or they are not doing their job."

Asked about the evolving administration line, the anonymous source said that "confusion and misinformation always helps an operational response."

"How much is subjective, but it is always good not to let your?opponent?have insight into what you know and don't know," the source said. "However, as you can tell, this was a?clumsy, some would characterize (it as) very?sophomoric, response by the administration" at the communications level.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/source-u-responded-benghazi-attack-terrorism-day-one-215656818--election.html

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