Official: Israeli warplanes fly over Lebanon

BEIRUT (AP) ? Israeli warplanes flew over southern Lebanon Friday, two days after the Jewish state launched an airstrike near Damascus, as Syria's army chief of staff warned against testing his country's capabilities.

Gen. Ali Abdullah Ayoub made his comments Thursday during a visit to some military units in the country. The Al-Baath newspaper, the mouthpiece of President Bashar Assad's ruling party, quoted Ayoub as saying Syria will never change its stance "no matter how much the enemy carries out provocative and hostile acts."

The latest overflights came after officials said Israel launched a rare airstrike Wednesday inside Syria, targeting a convoy carrying anti-aircraft weapons bound for Hezbollah, the powerful Lebanese militant group allied with Syria and Iran.

The general's comments reflected increased tensions between Syria and Israel, which up to now has refrained from actions that could be interpreted as intervention in Syria's civil war.

Israel had no comment on Lebanon's description of the air force flights over the border region. There were no reports of airstrikes. Israeli planes frequently fly over southern Lebanon, and Lebanon often files complaints with the U.N. over the incursions into its airspace.

According to a U.S. official, the Israeli airstrikes Wednesday targeted trucks containing SA-17 anti-aircraft missiles. The trucks were next to the research center the Syrians identified, and the strikes hit both the trucks and the facility.

Advanced anti-aircraft missiles like the SA-17 in the hands of Hezbollah could change the strategic equation, which so far has allowed Israel to send warplanes over Lebanon practically unopposed.

The Syrian military denied that the target of the attack was a weapons convoy. It said low-flying Israeli jets crossed into the country over the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and bombed a scientific research center. The facility is in the area of Jamraya, northwest of Damascus, about 15 kilometers (10 miles) from the Lebanese.

The air raid raised tension in the already boiling region as a result of Syria's 22-month civil war that has left more than 60,000 people dead, according to the U.N. Many fear Syria's civil war could spill to neighboring countries.

Syria and its close ally Iran threatened retaliation, and Arab nations along with Russia condemned the raid.

In Israel, Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor declined to comment on Israeli media reports that its embassies were instructed to be alert for threats after Syria's warnings. Syrian-allied Hezbollah has been accused of staging deadly attacks against Israelis abroad in past years.

At home, Israel positioned an additional "Iron Dome" rocket defense system in northern Israel on Thursday, security officials said, after moving another to the northern city of Haifa earlier this week. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the battery's placement with reporters.

Capt. Eytan Buchman, an Israeli military spokesman, said the military's home front command has not raised its alert level.

The main Syrian opposition criticized the government for not defending the country against the Israeli air raid saying the Syrian army is busy shelling civilian areas in Syria.

"This is not the first time that Israelis warplanes attacked targets inside Syria. Israelis have gotten used to condemnations and strong words that turn out to be nothing more than media bubbles," said a statement issued by the Syrian National Coalition.

"The tragedy is that the regime's, warplanes, helicopters and artilleries were bombarding homes of villagers and turning children into dead bodies and destroying houses over their inhabitants while at the same time , Israeli warplanes were attacking another position," the group said.

"Those who were watching the attacks of warplanes were not able to differentiate between Assad's warplanes and those of the Zionists," the coalition said. "The butchers are many but the victim is one: Syria."

Ayoub, the Syrian military commander, said the "battle with the Zionist enemy continues." He said rebel gunmen fighting against his troops are "tools of the Zionist entity." Israel and Syria have been bitter enemies for six decades.

"We know our capabilities and readiness to use all these capabilities at the suitable time," Ayoub said. "Those who think they can test our armed forces are mistaken."

The uprising against Assad began in March 2011 with pro-reform protests and developed into a civil war. The Syrian government says there is no uprising in Syria but a conspiracy against the country because of its support for anti-Israeli groups.

In Lebanon, the security official said the Israeli fighter planes were seen heading from southern Lebanon toward the eastern Bekaa Valley bordering Syria. He spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.

Butros Wanna, a resident in the southern Lebanese town of Marjayoun, near the border with Israel, said Israeli flights have been intense for the past four days.

"There is something not normal going on. Warplanes are always in the air," said Wanna.

____

Associated Press writers Lolita Baldor in Washington and Tia Goldenberg in Jerusalem contributed.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/official-israeli-warplanes-fly-over-lebanon-095625965.html

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Blackberry Q10 flashes pearly whites in brief sortie

A previously unseen Blackberry Q10 in alluring white made a blink-or-you'll-miss-it appearance at last night's Blackberry 10 Experience event in New York. Crackberry was on hand to snap a few photos before the 3.1-inch, dual-processor toting device went back into the pocket of Blackberry CMO Frank Boulben. The color certainly lends it a heaping dose of James Bond-esque elegance, to our eyes -- as for our other thoughts on the physical-key toting handset, check our recent hands-on.

Filed under: Cellphones, RIM

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Source: Crackberry

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/31/blackberry-q10-flashes-pearly-whites-in-brief-sortie/

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Banco Santander Earnings - Business Insider

Spanish bank Santander, the biggest in the eurozone by market value, said its net profit plunged in 2012 as it wrote off nearly 19 billion euros ($26 billion) on bad loans and property assets in Spain.

The charges slashed net profit last year by nearly 60 percent but left Santander's balance sheet looking more secure.

The group said it made 12.7 billion euros in provisions for non-performing loans in Spain and another 6.1 billion euros for Spanish real estate exposure -- 18.8 billion euros in total.

A property market collapse in 2008 left Spain's banks awash with bad loans and destroyed millions of jobs.

The banking sector as a whole is expected to book more than 80 billion euros in new provisions on their 2012 accounts under a Spanish government drive to clean up their books.

The provisions in 2012 left Santander with 73 percent of its bad loans in Spain covered, up from 61 percent previously. They also allowed the bank to meet new Spanish legislation requiring better coverage of real estate exposure.

The bank said that net profit dropped 59 percent from the level the previous year to 2.2 billion euros, after declining by 35 percent in 2011.

Stripping out the huge charges in Spain, however, Santander said its would have boosted net profit by 2.0 percent to 23.6 billion euros.

"Profits reached a turning point in 2012," chairman Emilio Botin said in a statement.

"In 2013, with the exceptional write-offs behind us, we should see a marked increase in earnings based on the group's recurrent revenues and cost control," he said.

Net interest income in 2012 rose 3.6 percent to 30.2 billion euros while gross income climbed 2.2 percent to 43.7 billion euros.

Spain last year won agreement for a rescue loan of up to 100 billion euros from the eurozone to finance a banking sector clean-up.

Four Spanish banks and a so-called bad bank that has taken over many risky loans have received 39.5 billion euros so far from the European Union credit.

Santander and another bank BBVA are among the few that have not had to ask for outside aid.

Santander said its doubtful loans rose to 4.54 percent of total loans in 2012 from 3.89 percent a year earlier.

In Spain, the bad loan ratio was higher -- at 6.74 percent, down from 5.49 percent a year earlier -- but well below the industry average, the bank stressed.

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/banco-santander-earnings-2013-1

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Score Settling (talking-points-memo)

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

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/281754907?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Can Social Media Affect Your Credit History? | Social Media Today

Whether you run a small business or have been hunting for a job or loan recently, you may come to find out that your credit past is still following you around.

As many individuals discover over time, their credit history impacts their lives more than they may have ever realized. With a negative credit background, it can be hard to get a small business loan to open or keep a company running, along with getting the job you so desired.

In order to break away from a less-than-stellar credit past, keep in mind that social media can play both a positive and negative role going forward.

On the negative side:

* Keep the noise down - As more and more job applicants are discovering these days, many employers are turning to social media in order to get a better feel for the candidates applying for jobs with them. In the event you have a negative credit history, don?t go promoting on Twitter, Facebook or other social venues that you are spending money like it is going out of style. While it may seem innocent to you, some prospective employer may take those comments as an example of reckless behavior, not to mention bad decision making;

* The ship is going down - If you run a small business, don?t use social media to alert the world that you?re borrowing and borrowing has not paid off. If you should want a loan from a financial institution, they could come across such information by doing a search of your name online. When they see that you?ve had problems with money, they?re less inclined to offer you that loan that may determine whether your company sinks or swims. You may just be looking for a small infusion of money to revamp how you do business in the first place, meaning you will now accept credit cards online in order to open an Internet store, expand your business to larger digs in order to comfortably add more employees, or branch out in advertising your business beyond the local area. As in the other example, keep a lid on bad financial times. If word does get out and you are confronted over it, be honest about making some bad business moves, noting you have learned from such mistakes.

On the positive side:

* Seeking help - While some financial institutions will in fact turn you down for a small business loan with a checkered credit history, there are some companies that will assist you. By doing a simple Google search with a term like ?get small business loan with bad credit,? you can find countless providers looking to help you out. It is important to remember that some such companies will be looking out for themselves only, so make sure you read the fine print of what they may be offering you. Also keep in mind that you will pay more money for such a loan due to your background. Visit the company?s social media sites that you?re interested in to get a feel for how they deal with consumers, especially in answering their questions and solving their problems in a timely manner;

* Know who you hire - Finally, the shoe may be on the other foot if you are the business owner hiring individuals to come work with you. You can use social media to get a feel for how they have handled money over time, especially if they will be working in a financial capacity for you. If you discover through tweets, shares, or pins that someone has a problem handling money, paying their bills on time, etc. you may pass on them for the next candidate.

With all that social media can afford you, make sure you use it wisely, especially when you have a skeleton or two in your financial past.

Source: http://socialmediatoday.com/thomasd/1198781/social-media-and-your-credit-history

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The Protein Klotho Paves The Way For Future Multiple ... - Kiefit.com

A team of researchers at Boston University School of Medicine have identified a new drug target for Alzheimer's disease and multiple sclerosis. They discovered the importance of a protein called Klotho which helps maintain healthy myelin - an insulating material allowing communication between nerve cells. As people begin to age the levels of Klotho in the brain also begin to decrease. They published their findings online in Journal of Neuroscience. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a condition in which the myelin inside the brain and spinal cord becomes damaged, causing demyelination...

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Source: http://www.kiefit.com/Health_Fitness/the-protein-klotho-paves-the-way-for-future-multiple-sclerosis-drugs/

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Pigeons' prominent plumage traces to one gene

Mutation appears to have arisen once and then spread through breeding

By Tina Hesman Saey

Web edition: January 31, 2013

Enlarge

FEATHER FASHION

Pigeons with crests, like the cowl on this Old German owl pigeon, carry a mutation in a single gene that causes feathers on the neck and head to grow in the wrong direction.

Credit: Courtesy of Sydney Stringham

A change in a single gene ruffles the feathers of all pigeons with collars and crests, a new study shows.

Many breeds of rock pigeons have these crests, even though they come from different branches of the pigeon family tree. So it was a surprise that all the birds owe their fancy plumage to the same mutation in a gene called EphB2, Michael Shapiro of the University of Utah and colleagues report online January 31 in Science. The researchers found that the mutation arose once and spread to many different types of pigeons through breeding programs. They don?t yet know whether the mutation arose in a wild ancestor of domesticated pigeons or if it sprang up only after domestication.

As different species evolve, some traits show up again and again. Scientists debate whether each occurrence comes from the same genetic mechanism, as in the pigeons, or from different mutations with the same result, says James Hanken, an evolutionary biologist at Harvard University.

The finding in pigeons may help answer the question in other species. Pinpointing the genes behind feather colors, ornamentation or other characteristics in bred species might give researchers clues about the causes of similar features in wild birds, says Scott Edwards, a Harvard University evolutionary biologist who specializes in birds. Cardinals and blue jays also have crests, but no one knows yet whether those feathered cowlicks arise thanks to changes in the same gene as in pigeons. Alternatively, tweaks in multiple genes could give the wild birds their distinctive styles.

Enlarge

GENE DE PLUME

feather crests like the one decorating an Indian fantail pigeon (shown) and some other rock pigeons stem from a mutation that arose only once and spread to many domesticated varieties by breeding.

Credit: Courtesy of Mike Shapiro

?We still don?t know whether the genetics of domestic species are simpler than those of wild species,? Edwards says.

To make the discovery, Shapiro?s colleagues in China and Denmark deciphered the genome of a male Danish tumbler pigeon. That bird?s blueprint served as reference for putting together the genomes of 40 other rock pigeons, all members of the species Columba livia, including individuals from 36 breeds and two feral pigeons.

Rock pigeons, which account for more than 350 breeds including most familiar, garden-variety pigeons, are not native to North America. All the wild pigeons there owe at least some of their heritage to escaped domesticated birds, especially to racing homers, which are homing pigeons bred to race, the researchers discovered from comparing the DNA of feral pigeons to the domesticated breeds.

Shapiro, who is interested in genes that give rise to physical characteristics, decided to investigate feather crests because earlier studies had indicated that just one gene might be involved. But no one had delved deeply into pigeon genetics, so the researchers had no idea where to look for the crest gene.

?It must have been a very nerve-wracking study,? Edwards says. The researchers may have come up empty handed.

To track down the gene, Shapiro?s group pooled genetic data from pigeons that have crests and compared that information with data from breeds with smooth heads and necks. Just one part of the genome stood out as differing between the two groups. Closer examination revealed that all the birds with crests carried a single change in the EphB2 gene. That mutation causes feathers on the neck and head to grow in the wrong direction--upward toward the face, rather than downward toward the torso.

?This mutation that we found appears to be the on/off switch for crest development,? Shapiro says. He doesn?t yet know why the mutation affects feathers only on the head and neck.

Crests come in many shapes and sizes, and Shapiro thinks other genes play a role in determining how big and elaborate the ornaments grow. The researchers are trying to track down those modifying genes and to determine whether EphB2 is involved in crest development in other bird species.

Source: http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/347984/title/Pigeons_prominent_plumage_traces_to_one_gene

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