Until now, augmented reality has been mostly used as a way of giving you more information about the world around you, but a new iPhone app uses your surroundings to remix the music you're listening to.
Source: http://gizmodo.com/this-musical-iphone-app-uses-your-phones-camera-to-rem-1445200256
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Daisy Coleman, now 16, looks at trophies and other awards she's won for beauty pageants, dancing and sports. She has attempted suicide at least twice since waking up in freezing temperatures on her doorstep.
Daisy Coleman, now 16, looks at trophies and other awards she's won for beauty pageants, dancing and sports. She has attempted suicide at least twice since waking up in freezing temperatures on her doorstep.
Nearly two years after allegations of a sexual assault rocked a small Missouri town, the case may be reopened.
A county prosecutor in Maryville, Mo., has requested that an independent attorney look at accusations of rape and other charges against two former high school athletes — despite his earlier decision to drop the case.
The Internet activist group Anonymous, which crusaded for another high-profile rape case, is taking credit for this turnaround.
The Events
The first thing Daisy Coleman remembers is her surprise that she was still alive.
Back on Jan. 8, 2012, Daisy was found at 5 a.m. propped up on the porch of her family's home in Maryville, a town of 12,000 set in farm country. The 14-year-old had been outside about three hours, unconscious, in freezing temperatures in just a T-shirt and sweatpants. Her hair was wet; vomit was splattered nearby. She doesn't remember dragging herself to the front door.
"What I do remember is me and my friend were drinking in my bedroom without my mom's permission," she says. "And then this guy texted me and he's like, 'Hey, you want to hang out?' And I was like, 'Well, I'll have to sneak around. It's like 1 in the morning.' "
The guy who texted Coleman was Matthew Barnett, then a 17-year-old high school athlete. Barnett picked up Daisy and her 13-year-old friend. Along with some other boys, they sneaked into Barnett's parents' home, where they drank more.
According to sheriff's reports, Barnett admitted to having sex with Coleman but said it was consensual. His buddy, then-17-year-old Jordan Zech, videotaped part of it on an iPhone. Another underage boy said he had sex with Daisy's friend despite her saying "no," the reports said.
"Did a crime occur?" Sheriff Darren White said in July, when NPR member station KCUR reported the story. "Hell yes, it occurred. Was it a horrible crime? Yes, it was a horrible crime. Did these boys need to be punished for it? Absolutely."
The Charges
Barnett and Zech were charged as adults under Missouri law and the underage boy was prosecuted as a juvenile.
But then a toxic mix of small-town gossip and social media kicked in.
Coleman says she was cyberbullied by the boys' friends. Her mom, Melinda Coleman, accused law enforcement of protecting the boys. Authorities accused her of being uncooperative.
Then came the next blow to the family: County prosecutor Robert Rice dropped the case, just three months after the charges were filed, citing insufficient evidence.
Rice, an up-and-coming Republican, was accused of dropping the charges because of the Barnett family's deep political ties — Matthew Barnett's grandfather, Rex, is a former state legislator. Rice denies that claim.
Sheriff White blamed the alleged victim and her family for destroying the case. "We have victims that are harpooning the case," he said. "At least the suspects were smart enough to keep their mouths shut after it all happened."
The Reaction
The boys graduated from high school and went to college in nearby towns. The Colemans moved 40 miles away, and Daisy, now 16, struggled with the aftermath of the alleged sexual assault. She attempted suicide at least twice.
"I just felt like if I'm this ugly on the inside, I might as well look it on the outside," she says. "You're the s-word, you're the w-word, ... b-word. Just, after a while, you start to believe it."
But the Colemans didn't give up. She and her mother talked to local NPR member station KCUR and other reporters. The stories gained traction online, and the self-proclaimed Internet "hactivist" group Anonymous took up the cause via YouTube.
"If Maryville won't defend these young girls," the video says, "if the police are too cowardly or corrupt to do their jobs, if the justice system has abandoned them, then someone else will have to stand for them."
Anonymous is a mostly online collective of international activists. The group is credited with leaking the video of the rape victim in the Steubenville, Ohio, case last year, which led to the conviction of two young men. This week, Anonymous called for a "Twitterstorm" to spread word of the case, and other social media users planned a protest for Maryville next week.
Law enforcement reacted. At a press conference Wednesday, Rice said he has "asked the court to appoint a special prosecuting attorney to conduct an independent review of the facts and determine whether to refile charges."
Barnett's mother — visibly angry — told reporters that her son is being threatened and needs an escort to his classes. The Colemans are thrilled that the case is being re-examined. And the protest that was set for next week is now being called a candlelight rally for justice.
Note: NPR does not normally identify alleged rape victims, but does so in this case because Coleman and her family have publicly identified themselves in the media.
PROVO, Utah (AP) — Prosecutors have brought a bathtub into court to demonstrate how a former Utah doctor charged with murder in his wife's death found her listless body.
Martin MacNeill is accused of killing his wife, Michele, after convincing her to get a face lift, giving her a lethal combination of prescription drugs for recovery and then helping her into the bathtub.
The trial is resuming for a second day Friday with testimony from neighbors, police and paramedics, and prosecutors said they're showing the same model of bathtub the couple used at their home in 2007. Defense lawyers say they aren't objecting to the demonstration.
Prosecutors say Martin MacNeill plotted his wife's death to carry on an affair with his mistress, who the doctor invited to his wife's funeral and asked to marry him weeks later.
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PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 18-Oct-2013
ShareContact: Rob Gutro
robert.j.gutro@nasa.gov
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center
The Indian state of Punjab has two growing seasonsone from May to September and another from November to April. In November, Punjab farmers typically sow crops such as wheat and vegetables; but before they do that, farmers often set fire to fields to clear them for planting. That was probably the case on October 18, 2013, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA's Aqua satellite captured this natural-color image.
Red outlines show the approximate locations of active burning. Punjab comprises only about 1.6 percent of India's land surface, but thanks to fertile soils and the adoption of agricultural advances, the state grows about one-fifth of India's wheat. Preparing for planting with fire has the benefit of clearing out some pests that eat crops and turning crop residues from the previous season into fertilizing ash.
But the smoke also can harm human health, aggravating heart and lung disease. Humans evolved in the presence of fire and healthy young adults can generally withstand vegetation smoke. But older adults, children, and people with chronic health conditions are at risk. The smoke may include thousands of compounds, including carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and particulate matter. These components have the potential to affect human health, but exactly how different types of smoke affect people is not yet fully understood.
###
NASA's Aqua satellite collected this natural-color image with the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer, MODIS, instrument on June 05, 2013. Actively burning areas, detected by MODIS's thermal bands, are outlined in red. NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz LANCE/EOSDIS MODIS Rapid Response Team, GSFC. Caption by Lynn Jenner with information from NASA's Michon Scott
Share
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 18-Oct-2013
ShareContact: Rob Gutro
robert.j.gutro@nasa.gov
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center
The Indian state of Punjab has two growing seasonsone from May to September and another from November to April. In November, Punjab farmers typically sow crops such as wheat and vegetables; but before they do that, farmers often set fire to fields to clear them for planting. That was probably the case on October 18, 2013, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA's Aqua satellite captured this natural-color image.
Red outlines show the approximate locations of active burning. Punjab comprises only about 1.6 percent of India's land surface, but thanks to fertile soils and the adoption of agricultural advances, the state grows about one-fifth of India's wheat. Preparing for planting with fire has the benefit of clearing out some pests that eat crops and turning crop residues from the previous season into fertilizing ash.
But the smoke also can harm human health, aggravating heart and lung disease. Humans evolved in the presence of fire and healthy young adults can generally withstand vegetation smoke. But older adults, children, and people with chronic health conditions are at risk. The smoke may include thousands of compounds, including carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and particulate matter. These components have the potential to affect human health, but exactly how different types of smoke affect people is not yet fully understood.
###
NASA's Aqua satellite collected this natural-color image with the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer, MODIS, instrument on June 05, 2013. Actively burning areas, detected by MODIS's thermal bands, are outlined in red. NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz LANCE/EOSDIS MODIS Rapid Response Team, GSFC. Caption by Lynn Jenner with information from NASA's Michon Scott
Share
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Senate leaders are continuing to negotiate on legislation to raise the nation's borrowing authority and provide temporary government funding but a deal is not expected to be announced on Tuesday, Senate aides said.
Lawmakers said a deal was close but there remained details to be worked out. The Senate and House of Representatives are scheduled to hold sessions on Wednesday and they could debate any deal that Senate leaders ultimately strike.
Congress is racing against a Thursday deadline, when the Treasury Department says it will bump up against its legal borrowing limit.
(Reporting By Richard Cowan; Editing by David Brunnstrom)
The Hong Kong government has faced a wave of complaint this week, after they rejected upstart television network HKTV’s application for a free-to-air license.
Established by local entrepreneur Ricky Wong, Hong Kong Television Network (HKTV) has hired hundreds of actors and TV professionals and produced more than 300 hours of original programming since it was founded in 2009, in a bid to take on the territory’s sole player in fictional television, TVB. Wong says he has invested more than $116 million in the venture.
STORY: Michael Bay Attacked on 'Transformers 4' Set in Hong Kong
But the company’s hopes were dashed this week when Hong Kong’s Commerce and Economic Development Bureau announced that it would be issuing free TV licenses to the city’s two pay-TV operators, PCCW and i-Cable, but not to HKTV. The two winning networks will compete with TVB and Asia Television, which have been operating alone in the free TV space for decades.
Wong told Hong Kong newspaper the South China Morning Post he was shocked by the decision, as it was the government that invited him to make a bid for a license in the first place.
"In 2009, the government called me to invite me [to bid]. On December 31, 2009, we submitted the application," he told the SCMP.
“The news itself is a shock to the management and to the staff as well…I believe this decision goes against public opinion,” he said in a press briefing, adding that he viewed the process as “unfair, unreasonable and non-transparent.”
PHOTOS: Inside Hollywood's Surprise Trip to 'China's Oscars'
The decision has sparked outcry from local politicians, radio hosts and the Hong Kong public, who had all been enthusiastic about the prospect of an energized new producer of serial TV dramas and other high-quality, Chinese-language programming offers. In recent years, many viewers have complained about a decline in quality of TVB content.
Politicians and about 400,000 local people signed a Facebook petition set up shortly after the decision. It demands that the government give a full account of the reasons for denying Wong's HKTV a license. Thousands have said they will protest outside government headquarters in Hong Kong this weekend.
Wong said at least 320 of HKTV’s 500 will have to be laid off at the end of the month. He said he may attempt to sell the TV shows already produced to other Chinese language markets.
A source inside the government told the SCMP it has been careful about publicly indicating its rationale for the decision, as lawsuits are likely. A commerce minister did say, however, that a consultancy hired by the department predicted the city could not sustain five television stations. He said HKTV's bid was viewed as less strong than those of PCCW and i-Cable, both of which have been operating in the city’s pay TV space for over a decade.
Hong Kong Television Network is listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange. Its shares climbed 36 percent ahead of the government’s announcement, and then plummeted 39 percent on Wednesday after the license application was rejected, according the Wall Street Journal.
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:
18-Oct-2013
ShareContact: Jane Diane Fraser
jfraser@hsf.ca
613-569-4361 x273
Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada
Montreal Receiving dialysis at home while sleeping not only improves kidney health and quality of life for people with kidney disease, it could also decrease their risk of heart disease, says new study presented at the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress.
"Patients with end-stage renal disease have at least a five-fold increase in cardiovascular complications," says Dr. Christopher Overgaard, one of the study's authors and a cardiologist at the Toronto General Hospital. "Longer dialysis, done while patients are sleeping, may improve the health of arteries and could lower the risk of developing heart disease."
The study found that after patients transitioned to overnight dialysis, there were improvements in coronary artery function.
Because of the frequency and duration of overnight dialysis, toxins are more evenly and gently removed from the blood. "Increasing the number of hours patients receive their treatment results in less toxin buildup in their blood for shorter durations," says Dr. Overgaard.
Impaired endothelial function a condition that reduces blood vessel's ability to dilate puts kidney patients at a significantly higher risk for the development of atherosclerosis (the buildup of fat in the walls of arteries). Atherosclerosis, in turn, can eventually lead to serious problems including heart attacks, stroke or even death.
Conventional hemodialysis in a clinic typically involves dialysis three times a week, for three to four hours at a time upwards of 12 hours a week.
Contrast that with what's called overnight "home" hemodialysis, done while patients sleep at home. This method allows dialysis six times a week, for up to 12 hours at a time, for up to 72 hours.
Beyond the clinical benefits, patients on overnight dialysis no longer have to revolve much of their schedule around clinic trips.
"This method also improves quality of life by having the dialysis in the comfort of your home, while sleeping, instead of being stuck in a dialysis unit for hours," says Dr. Overgaard. "Old-fashioned dialysis is stressful."
A dialysis machine functions as a kidney for people whose kidneys aren't functioning properly; in essence, cleaning their blood.
"This could be revolutionary for kidney patients," says Dr. Beth Abramson, Heart and Stroke Foundation spokesperson. "A simple change in the way we deliver care can make a significant difference. In addition to benefits to kidney function and quality of life, it could lower their risk of heart disease."
She adds that high blood pressure and diabetes are two common causes of kidney disease and all Canadians should be mindful of reducing these risks.
The Canadian Cardiovascular Congress is co-hosted by the Heart and Stroke Foundation and the Canadian Cardiovascular Society.
###
Statements and conclusions of study authors are solely those of the study authors and do not necessarily reflect Vascular 2013 host organizations' policy or position. They make no representation or warranty as to their accuracy or reliability.
The Heart and Stroke Foundation's mission is to prevent disease, save lives and promote recovery. A volunteer-based health charity, we strive to tangibly improve the health of every Canadian family, every day. 'Healthy lives free of heart disease and stroke. Together we will make it happen.' Heartandstroke.ca
HSF spokesperson Beth Abramson is the author of the newly released book Heart Health for Canadians.
Vascular 2013 is a unique, one-time Canadian event bringing four separate scientific meetings together under one roof: the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress, the Canadian Diabetes Association/Canadian Society of Endocrinology and Metabolism Professional Conference, the Canadian Stroke Congress and the Canadian Hypertension Congress. vascular2013.ca
It is a joint initiative of the Canadian Cardiovascular Society, Canadian Diabetes Association/Canadian Society of Endocrinology and Metabolism, the Canadian Stroke Network, the Heart and Stroke Foundation, and Hypertension Canada.
For more information and/or interviews, contact the
VASCULAR 2013 MEDIA OFFICE AT 514-789-3402 (Oct 17-20)
OR
Massy Forget Langlois Public Relations
Christian Ahuet, Consultant
514-842-2455, ext. 29 / Cell. 514-994-7496
Congress information and media registration is at http://www.vascular2013.ca
After October 20, 2013 contact:
Jane-Diane Fraser
Heart and Stroke Foundation
jfraser@hsf.ca
613-569-4361x273
Share
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:
18-Oct-2013
ShareContact: Jane Diane Fraser
jfraser@hsf.ca
613-569-4361 x273
Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada
Montreal Receiving dialysis at home while sleeping not only improves kidney health and quality of life for people with kidney disease, it could also decrease their risk of heart disease, says new study presented at the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress.
"Patients with end-stage renal disease have at least a five-fold increase in cardiovascular complications," says Dr. Christopher Overgaard, one of the study's authors and a cardiologist at the Toronto General Hospital. "Longer dialysis, done while patients are sleeping, may improve the health of arteries and could lower the risk of developing heart disease."
The study found that after patients transitioned to overnight dialysis, there were improvements in coronary artery function.
Because of the frequency and duration of overnight dialysis, toxins are more evenly and gently removed from the blood. "Increasing the number of hours patients receive their treatment results in less toxin buildup in their blood for shorter durations," says Dr. Overgaard.
Impaired endothelial function a condition that reduces blood vessel's ability to dilate puts kidney patients at a significantly higher risk for the development of atherosclerosis (the buildup of fat in the walls of arteries). Atherosclerosis, in turn, can eventually lead to serious problems including heart attacks, stroke or even death.
Conventional hemodialysis in a clinic typically involves dialysis three times a week, for three to four hours at a time upwards of 12 hours a week.
Contrast that with what's called overnight "home" hemodialysis, done while patients sleep at home. This method allows dialysis six times a week, for up to 12 hours at a time, for up to 72 hours.
Beyond the clinical benefits, patients on overnight dialysis no longer have to revolve much of their schedule around clinic trips.
"This method also improves quality of life by having the dialysis in the comfort of your home, while sleeping, instead of being stuck in a dialysis unit for hours," says Dr. Overgaard. "Old-fashioned dialysis is stressful."
A dialysis machine functions as a kidney for people whose kidneys aren't functioning properly; in essence, cleaning their blood.
"This could be revolutionary for kidney patients," says Dr. Beth Abramson, Heart and Stroke Foundation spokesperson. "A simple change in the way we deliver care can make a significant difference. In addition to benefits to kidney function and quality of life, it could lower their risk of heart disease."
She adds that high blood pressure and diabetes are two common causes of kidney disease and all Canadians should be mindful of reducing these risks.
The Canadian Cardiovascular Congress is co-hosted by the Heart and Stroke Foundation and the Canadian Cardiovascular Society.
###
Statements and conclusions of study authors are solely those of the study authors and do not necessarily reflect Vascular 2013 host organizations' policy or position. They make no representation or warranty as to their accuracy or reliability.
The Heart and Stroke Foundation's mission is to prevent disease, save lives and promote recovery. A volunteer-based health charity, we strive to tangibly improve the health of every Canadian family, every day. 'Healthy lives free of heart disease and stroke. Together we will make it happen.' Heartandstroke.ca
HSF spokesperson Beth Abramson is the author of the newly released book Heart Health for Canadians.
Vascular 2013 is a unique, one-time Canadian event bringing four separate scientific meetings together under one roof: the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress, the Canadian Diabetes Association/Canadian Society of Endocrinology and Metabolism Professional Conference, the Canadian Stroke Congress and the Canadian Hypertension Congress. vascular2013.ca
It is a joint initiative of the Canadian Cardiovascular Society, Canadian Diabetes Association/Canadian Society of Endocrinology and Metabolism, the Canadian Stroke Network, the Heart and Stroke Foundation, and Hypertension Canada.
For more information and/or interviews, contact the
VASCULAR 2013 MEDIA OFFICE AT 514-789-3402 (Oct 17-20)
OR
Massy Forget Langlois Public Relations
Christian Ahuet, Consultant
514-842-2455, ext. 29 / Cell. 514-994-7496
Congress information and media registration is at http://www.vascular2013.ca
After October 20, 2013 contact:
Jane-Diane Fraser
Heart and Stroke Foundation
jfraser@hsf.ca
613-569-4361x273
Share
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
'Wire' Star Idris Elba
I NEVER Really Watched the Show
Breaking News
Idris dropped the bomb while talking to Playboy this week -- and said he was forced to watch an episode or two during screenings ... but never once by choice.
Don't worry Stringer fans ... Idris doesn't have anything against the show, he just claims it's too hard to watch because he's critical of his own work.
Idris, if you decide to watch on HBO Go ... skip the last season (but it's still one of the best shows ever).
Get TMZ Breaking News alerts to your inbox
By Roberta Rampton
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama and Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta congratulated each other on Thursday for surviving extended budget crises and pledged to work together to advance U.S.-EU trade talks and address security issues.
The two leaders met at the Oval Office on the day after Congress agreed to fund the U.S. government until January and averted a debt default by lifting the nation's debt ceiling until February. The U.S. government reopened after a 16-day shutdown.
Letta said the U.S. deal would help keep global interest rates low, which is vital for his debt-laden nation.
"It is his success, but it is also our success, because yesterday's decision was very important for the stability of the markets in the world," Letta told reporters after meeting with Obama.
"I'm very glad for yesterday's result. It's very important for our country," he said.
Letta is facing his own budget headaches.
Earlier this month, he won a confidence vote in Parliament after a challenge by former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. This week, he unveiled a new budget with tax and spending cuts.
Obama congratulated him for winning the vote of confidence and for his budget. "I think it's clear that Italy is moving in the right direction in stabilizing its finances and embarking on reforms that will make it more competitive," Obama said.
Domestic reaction to Letta's budget - which must be approved by the Italian Parliament by the end of the year - has been sharply negative, and may pose a new threat to the stability of Letta's coalition government.
Obama and Letta said they talked about how to expand the European economy and the importance of an EU-U.S. trade agreement known as the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, which would be the world's biggest free-trade deal.
Italy will hold the presidency of the European Union in 2014, and Letta said, "My dream would be to sign" the trade deal next year.
"We have to protect against protectionism," he said.
However, the latest round of EU-U.S. talks were scuttled earlier this month because of the U.S. government shutdown, complicating talks.
Obama and Letta agreed to work together to address security issues in Libya and Syria. Obama praised the "concrete efforts" to destroy Syria's chemical weapons stockpile.
"We both believe it's important to build off that success, or at least that good start, to also talk about the humanitarian suffering that the Syrian people are experiencing," Obama said.
Letta said he spoke about Italy's concerns over migration from "failed states in Africa" and from Syria.
More than 300 African migrants died in a recent shipwreck at Lampedusa, off Sicily, part of a surge of migration from North Africa that has been exacerbated by the civil war in Syria, chaos in Libya and instability in Egypt.
"We don't want to have Mediterranean as a dead sea. Mediterranean has to be a sea of life," Letta said.
(Additional reporting by Mark Felsenthal; Editing by Sandra Maler and Cynthia Osterman)
By Louis Charbonneau and Yeganeh Torbati
GENEVA (Reuters) - The United States described two days of nuclear negotiations with Iran as the most serious and candid to date after Western diplomats said Tehran hinted it was ready to scale back sensitive atomic activities to secure urgent sanctions relief.
But a senior U.S. administration official told reporters after the conclusion of negotiations between Iran and six world powers that no breakthroughs had been achieved and many disagreements remained. Other Western diplomats involved in the talks said there had been no apparent narrowing of differences between Tehran and the six nations over its nuclear ambitions.
"I've been doing this now for about two years," the official said on condition of anonymity. "And I have never had such intense, detailed, straightforward, candid conversations with the Iranian delegation before.
The White House spokesman, Jay Carney, echoed the remarks, saying Iran's proposal showed "a level of seriousness and substance that we had not seen before". But he cautioned that "no one should expect a breakthrough overnight".
Washington's ally Israel, which has told the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China - the six nations negotiating with Iran - not to trust Tehran, said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu plans to speak next week with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry about the Geneva talks and sanctions should not be eased until Iran proves it is dismantling its program.
Netanyahu on October 1 told the U.N. General Assembly Iran's new President Hassan Rouhani, widely seen as a pragmatist and centrist, was a "wolf in sheep's clothing" and that Israel was ready to act alone to keep Tehran from getting nuclear weapons.
Follow-up talks between the six powers and Iran will be held in Geneva on November 7-8.
Tehran denies allegations by Western powers that it is seeking the capability to produce atomic bombs.
But so far it has defied U.N. Security Council demands that it halt enrichment and other sensitive nuclear activities, leading to multiple rounds of crippling international sanctions that have reduced Iranian oil exports, caused inflation to soar and the value of the Iranian rial currency to plummet.
Western officials have said that they need Iran to increase the transparency of its nuclear program, stop enriching uranium to 20 percent, reduce its uranium stockpiles and take other steps to assure the world it does not want atomic weapons.
'IMPORTANT CONTRIBUTION'
In a rare joint statement highlighting the dramatic shift from confrontation to dialogue since Rouhani took office in August, negotiators from Iran and the six world powers said Tehran's new proposal aimed at defusing longstanding suspicions over the nature of its nuclear program was an "important contribution" now under careful consideration.
Details of Iran's proposal, presented during two days of negotiations in Geneva, have not been released, and Western officials were unsure whether Tehran was prepared to go far enough to clinch a breakthrough deal.
The joint statement, read out by European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, said Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif "presented an outline of a plan as a proposed basis for negotiation" and the talks were "substantive and forward looking," without elaborating.
Zarif, who is also Iran's chief negotiator, said Tehran looked to a new era in diplomatic relations after a decade of tension, in which concerns about the Islamic state's nuclear ambitions fuelled fears of a new war in the Middle East.
"We sense that members of the (six powers) also have exhibited the necessary political will in order to move the process forward. Now we need to get to the details," he told reporters after being brought into the auditorium in a wheelchair due to severe back pain.
After Tuesday's initial round, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi suggested Tehran was prepared to address long-standing calls for the U.N. nuclear watchdog to have wider and more intrusive inspection powers.
Araqchi met the head of the U.S. delegation, Undersecretary of State Wendy Sherman, on Tuesday, the third bilateral contact between the two nations since Rouhani's election in June. They followed a telephone call between Rouhani and President Barack Obama last month, the highest level U.S.-Iranian contact since Iran's Islamic Revolution in 1979.
Washington cut off diplomatic ties with Tehran in 1980.
The sequencing of any concessions by Iran and any sanctions relief by the West could prove a stumbling block en route to a landmark, verifiable deal. Western officials have repeatedly said that Iran must suspend enriching uranium to 20 percent fissile purity, their main worry, before sanctions are eased.
Rouhani's election opened the door to serious negotiations with the six powers, Western envoys say.
Britain said it hoped this week's talks would lead to "concrete" results but that Iran must take the initiative. "Iran will need to take the necessary first steps on its program and we are ready to take proportionate steps in return," Foreign Secretary William Hague said.
Russia warned against undue optimism. "The result is better than in Almaty (talks held in April) but does not guarantee further progress," Sergey Ryabkov, Russia's deputy foreign minister and Iran negotiator, told Interfax. "There could have been better cooperation."
COMPLETE HALT TO ENRICHMENT OUT OF QUESTION
Western diplomats were hesitant to divulge specifics about the negotiations due to sensitivities involved - both in Tehran, where conservative hardliners are skeptical about striking deals that could curtail the nuclear program, and in Washington, where hawks are reluctant to support swift sanctions relief.
In a sign of U.S. congressional skepticism, Senator Marco Rubio, seen as a potential 2016 Republican presidential nominee, introduced a non-binding resolution in the U.S. Senate arguing that current sanctions on Iran must be kept and more added until Tehran "completely" abandons its suspected nuclear arms program.
Israel on Wednesday also urged Western powers not to give up economic sanctions on Iran until Tehran proves it is dismantling its nuclear program. "Iran should be tested by its actions, not its proposals," a senior Israeli official said on condition of anonymity in a message sent from Netanyahu's office.
But Iran, diplomats said, has made much more concrete proposals than in the past, when ideological lectures and obfuscations were the norm, to the point that Iranian negotiators were worried about details being aired in public before they had had a chance to sell them back in Tehran.
Diplomats said other proposals Iranian envoys had made regarding eventual "confidence-building" steps included halting 20 percent enrichment and possibly converting at least some of existing 20 percent stockpiles - material that alarms the powers as it is only a short technical step away from weapons-grade - to uranium oxide suitable for processing into reactor fuel.
Iran has made clear for years that it does not intend to renounce uranium enrichment, despite U.N. Security Council demands that it do so.
Diplomats say the United States and its European allies have resigned themselves to the fact that Tehran will have to be allowed to maintain some enrichment capabilities, though the scale of its enrichment work will likely be the subject of heated negotiations in the coming months.
Western diplomats say that conceding to demands for zero Iranian enrichment from U.S. and Israeli hawks would undermine Rouhani's authority at home by exposing him to accusations of a sell-out from conservative hardliners in the clerical and security elite.
Most Iranians of whatever political persuasion equate the quest for nuclear energy with national sovereignty, modernization and a standing equal to the Western world.
(Additional reporting by Fredrik Dahl, Yeganeh Torbati, Justyna Pawlak and Stephanie Nebehay in Geneva, Marcus George in Dubai, Kiyoshi Takenaka in Tokyo, Alexei Anishchuk in Moscow and Patricial Zengerle in Washington; Editing by Mark Heinrich, Giles Elgood and Eric Walsh)
Carlo Allegri/Invision/AP
Hillary Clinton at Tuesday night's event
Hillary Clinton accepted the Elton John AIDS Foundation's first-ever Founder's Award at the organization's annual benefit in New York on Tuesday night.
Although she was honored by the accolade, Clinton echoed a theme expressed by many of the stars in attendance: that there's much more work to be done to combat the disease.
PHOTOS: Hillary Clinton, Ron Perelman Honored at 2013 Elton John AIDS Foundation Benefit
"We still have so far to go," the former secretary of state said in her acceptance speech. "There are so many challenges that confront us. If we are to continue to build on the progress, and yes, there has been progress, then we have to continue to advocate and demand for governments, international organizations, foundations, all of us, to be persistent…and ensure that we don't falter."
"If we're going to beat AIDS, we have to reach out to everyone," she added.
Elton John also received an award at Tuesday's gala, from the Harvard AIDS Initiative.
"I really hope that all of you will join me in being equally stubborn when it comes to ending AIDS because that is what will be required to end this epidemic," he told the well-heeled crowd at Cipriani Wall Street in lower Manhattan. "We're going to have to stubbornly insist on full funding for all proven methods of preventing HIV infection…Treatment for everyone. Treatment for all…We're going to have to keep yelling and screaming about the way our country treats racial and sexual minorities and, of course, the poor. We're going to have to be downright stubborn, not just this year, not next year, not the next, but for many years to come."
Indeed, John vowed to be stubborn about AIDS for the next 20 years if necessary, but he said he doesn't think it will take that long to achieve an AIDS-free generation and world.
Nevertheless, John added, "We have so much more work to do and we'll be there until the bitter end."
STORY: Hillary Clinton to Get Elton John Foundation Honor
Other honorees at the event, which raised $3.45 million, included Food Network star Sandra Lee, John's longtime agent Howard Rose and mogul Ron Perelman, who prompted cheers from the crowd when he referred to Clinton as "the next president of the United States." Clinton looked nonchalant when the camera cut to her, but after Perelman continued to sing her praises and said the highly rumored candidate has his vote, Clinton could be seen mouthing "Oh my God," as if she couldn't believe all of the attention.
Matt Lauer was a last-minute substitute host at the event after Anderson Cooper had to go to Washington to cover the debt-ceiling crisis, which Lauer joked "sounded like a lame-ass excuse."
Earlier, The Hollywood Reporter asked Lauer what the entertainment industry could do to continue to raise awareness of AIDS and combat the disease.
"Talk, talk, talk, spread the word, get out there, come to events like this and raise money," Lauer said. "I mean, when you stop and think about what Elton has done in 20 years…a lot of it is something you can't put a price tag on, it's just a discussion and getting out there and putting his reputation on line and spreading the word that way."
STORY: Elton John to Pen Book on AIDS Epidemic
Tony-winning actress Judith Light echoed Lauer's call for a continued dialogue on the issue.
"We did and we do so much in terms of the awareness, and I don't think it's just the entertainment industry that has to do something, I think it's about those of us who are committed to this issue and have been committed to this issue for a long time, talking to other people and finding ways, just like Elton has, to make it a prominent issue again, to say to people, 'This is not over,' " she said.
The former Who's the Boss star, who's performed on Broadway for the past few years, told us that she recently starred in a pilot for Amazon, making her just the latest actor to join the Internet revolution.
Meanwhile, fellow Broadway alum Jeremy Jordan, who left his starring role in Newsies after he joined the second-season cast of NBC's now-canceled Smash, said he misses the stage and hopes to "come back as soon as possible." In fact, he's doing a weeklong Stephen Sondheim show in November called A Bed and a Chair.
"It's only a week, and it's not Broadway, but it will be nice to come back to New York for a hot sec," he said.
Other celebs in attendance included Billy Joel, Alec Baldwin, Allison Williams, Courtney Love, Lisa Marie Presley and rock band Heart, who performed at the end of the night.
Getty Images
Van Halen (L to R): Alex Van Halen, David Lee Roth, Eddie Van Halen and Wolfgang Van Halen
When famous people marry, their spouses often take on a famous last name. That benefit can even survive divorce. But can it be used as a commercial asset?
Witness a new lawsuit by ELVH Inc., which is the intellectual property holding company of the world-famous rock band Van Halen. The group was eponymously named after its family members -- guitarist Eddie Van Halen and drummer Alex Van Halen (bassist Wolfgang Van Halen, Eddie's son, came into the fold in 2006, replacing Michael Anthony).
In 1984, Alex married Kelly Carter. Twelve years later, he divorced Kelly Van Halen. Now, nearly two decades after the divorce papers were finalized, ELVH is taking Kelly Van Halen to a California federal court over her use of her name in trade. Specifically, Alex Van Halen's ex-wife has named her construction and interior design company after herself, which the plaintiff asserts is a trademark infringement.
Way back in 1891, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled, "A man's name is his own property, and he has the same right to its use and enjoyment as he has to that of any other species of property. If such use be a reasonable, honest, and fair exercise of such right, he is no more liable for the incidental damage he may do a rival in trade than he would be for injury to his neighbor's property by the smoke issuing from his chimney, or for the fall of his neighbor's house by reason of necessary excavations upon his own land."
The question here is whether senior family name users like Eddie and Alex can permanently enjoin junior family name users like Kelly from using "Van Halen" in a commercial enterprise. The outcome might depend on whether it can be shown that Kelly had intent to trade upon the goodwill or reputation of the famous band's moniker.
STORY: Van Halen's 'A Different Kind Of Truth': What the Critics are Saying
In the lawsuit, Kelly is said to have filed two trademark applications on "Kelly Van Halen" for products like chairs, children's blankets, bathing suits, building construction, interior design services and more.
The band is opposing the trademarks on the ground that the mark -- her real name -- is "confusingly similar to Plaintiff's VAN HALEN Marks in sound, appearance and commercial impression."
It's also asserted that goods in the apparel and fashion space "are either identical or closely related to the goods sold by Plaintiff," and that Kelly Van Halen is diluting Van Halen, passing off Van Halen and committing unfair competition for Van Halen.
ELVH is represented by the law firm of Kinsella Weitzman.
E-mail: Eriq.Gardner@THR.com
Twitter: @eriqgardner
(Reuters) - American Airlines on Wednesday said it plans to add nonstop flights to Hong Kong and Shanghai from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport next year.
AMR Corp's American, which hopes to exit bankruptcy protection by merging with US Airways Group
The Justice Department filed a lawsuit in August challenging the proposed merger with US Airways, saying it would lead to higher prices. A federal trial in the case is set to begin on November 25.
(Reporting by Karen Jacobs)
Get a glimpse behind the scenes of the Japanese Grand Prix with @AnthonyFrench[1]’s round-up of the best Tweets from the race weekend.
It may only have been the media day at the circuit but even so the stands were packed – some fans had even arrived to watch set-up the day before.
As the second practice session drew to a close the paddock was stunned by news from Spain that former Marussia test driver Maria de Villota had passed away. Many of the teams and drivers paid their respects to De Villota on Twitter[2].
On the track Mercedes and Red Bull took turns at the top of the times sheets while several drivers were caught out by the punishing Suzuka track.
The infamous Spoon and Degner corners continued to reap a harvest of the unwary and unfortunate, but Red Bull steered clear of trouble to lock out the front row. But for the first time this year Mark Webber[3] was ahead of Sebastian Vettel.
A poor start by the Red Bull duo let Romain Grosjean[4] seize an early lead for Lotus. Vettel played his strategic cards to perfection to get ahead of the both, passing Grosjean in the final stint for his ninth win of 2013.
Fernando Alonso’s[5] place ensured the drivers’ championship would not be won for at least one more race.
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