Afghanistan seeks India's help as West pullout nears

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India will step up training of the Afghan police and military after a request on Monday by President Hamid Karzai, who also urged Indian businesses to invest in his battle-weary nation as it gears up for the departure of NATO troops.

The extra help is likely to be welcomed by the United States, which sees India as a stabilizing power in South Asia. But it may unnerve Pakistan, which frets about losing influence in neighboring Afghanistan.

"We do want to expand that as required and wished by Afghanistan. We will respond," said India's Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid when asked about the security program following a lecture given by the Afghan president in New Delhi.

In June, U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta called on India to do more to support both the Afghan economy and security forces as Western nations prepare to end their combat missions there in 2014.

India and Afghanistan reached an agreement last year for some senior Afghan officers to receive training in India. A few hundred police and army officers have so far benefited from the program, an Indian official said. Khurshid said India had also provided some "vehicle and mobility equipment".

India is worried that a Taliban resurgence after 2014 would weaken its own security and wants to step carefully to support the Afghan government and economy without triggering countermeasures from Pakistan, which is fearful of being hemmed in by its larger neighbor.

Khurshid said India would only gradually develop its program to train military officials and police in step with Afghan requirements.

"I don't think we should do anything in haste that could alarm people," he said.

Perhaps conscious of the sensitivity of a larger Indian role in Afghanistan's defense, Karzai and India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh made only passing mention of security issues in statements on Monday, instead emphasizing the importance of economic cooperation to stabilize the fractious region.

"President Karzai and I agreed to intensify our cooperation with a special focus on deepening our economic engagement in areas ranging from agriculture and small businesses to mining and infrastructure," Singh said.

India has pledged $2 billion in development aid to Afghanistan and is building roads and railways that could help extract Afghan minerals through Iran. Last year a group of Indian companies won a bid to mine iron ore in Afghanistan.

(Editing by Tom Pfeiffer)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/afghanistan-seeks-indias-help-west-pullout-nears-180358022--sector.html

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Intruder snatches keys in Tower of London security scare

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Keys to a restaurant and conference room in the Tower of London were stolen early last week. The fortress is one of London's top historic tourist attractions.

By NBC News staff and news services

LONDON - A burglar broke into the grounds of the Tower of London - the ancient fortress that is home to the?Crown Jewels - and snatched several keys before being spotted and escorted off the premises, officials said Monday.

Police are now investigating the crime, at one of the British capital's most famous landmarks.

Keys to a restaurant and conference rooms were taken last Tuesday,?according to a statement from Historic Royal Palaces, the independent charity that runs the Tower on behalf of its owner, the queen.

The keys were stolen from a sentry box at the site, officials told the Associated Press on Monday.?

The intruder also took a key to an internal lock to the Tower drawbridges?that is not accessible from the outside.

"At no point was the security of the Tower at risk," the statement said. After getting around the Tower's main gate, the intruder was captured?and escorted off the premises.

Tower officials changed the affected locks immediately after the incident.

The Tower was historically guarded by Yeomen Warders - popularly known as Beefeaters - although in practice they know act as tour guides and security is provided by private contractors.

While officials maintain that security systems at the Tower are "robust," the statement admitted that proper procedures were not "carried out to the expected standard."?

"A staff disciplinary procedure is underway to address this issue," it added.

The Tower was originally built in the early 1080s.

/

From Buckingham Palace to Trafalgar Square to the River Thames, the venerable London exudes history.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Source: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/11/12/15111774-intruder-snatches-keys-in-tower-of-london-security-scare?lite

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Schizophrenia genetic networks identified; Connection to autism found

ScienceDaily (Nov. 11, 2012) ? Although schizophrenia is highly genetic in origin, the genes involved in the disorder have been difficult to identify. In the past few years, researchers have implicated several genes, but it is unclear how they act to produce the disorder. A new study by researchers at Columbia University Medical Center identifies affected gene networks and provides insight into the molecular causes of the disease.

The paper was published November 11 in the online edition of the journal Nature Neuroscience.

Using an unbiased collection of hundreds of mutations associated with schizophrenia, the Columbia researchers applied a sophisticated computational approach to uncover hidden relationships among seemingly unrelated genes. The analysis revealed that many of the genes mutated in schizophrenia are organized into two main networks, which take part in a few key processes, including axon guidance, synapse function, neuron mobility, and chromosomal modification.

The study also uncovered an intriguing connection between schizophrenia and autism. "If we hadn't known that these were two different diseases, and had put all the mutations into a single analysis, it would have come up with very similar networks," said the study's senior author, Dennis Vitkup, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Biomedical Informatics, the Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, and the Columbia Initiative in Systems Biology at Columbia University Medical Center. "It shows how closely the autism and schizophrenia genetic networks are intertwined," he added.

Although it will take time to translate the findings into practical treatments, the study provides insight into the molecular causes of schizophrenia. It also suggests that mutations associated with schizophrenia, autism, and probably many other psychiatric disorders, are likely to converge on a set of interrelated molecular processes.

Computer analysis uncovers genetic networks

To discover potential connections among genes mutated in schizophrenia, Dr. Vitkup and colleagues developed a computational approach, called NETBAG+, to identify networks of genes likely to be responsible for the same genetic phenotype. They then gathered the strongest mutations that had been observed in schizophrenia by other researchers -- including a set of de novo mutations recently described by a team of Columbia researchers led by Maria Karayiorgou, MD, and Joseph A. Gogos, MD, PhD -- and fed them into the program.

The program uncovered two genetic networks. Genes in the first network are involved primarily in axon guidance, synapse function, and cell migration. Genes in the second network are involved in chromosomal organization and remodeling.

Parts of both networks are highly active during prenatal development, suggesting that changes in the brain that cause schizophrenia later in life are laid down very early in life.

Connection to autism

Dr. Vitkup also compared his schizophrenia networks with networks found in neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism. One schizophrenia network is strongly related to an autism network he described in a study published last year. Both networks contain genes involved in axon guidance, synapse function, and cell migration.

"Our recent mutational analysis showed that this overlap includes primarily genes that are important for early fetal development. This is not surprising, because some cases of schizophrenia and likely many cases of autism have neurodevelopmental origin," said Dr. Karayiorgou.

The close relationship between genetic networks involved in autism and schizophrenia raises an intriguing question: How can mutations in the same or related genes cause two different disorders?

"I like to use the analogy of car brakes," said Dr. Vitkup. "Different mechanical malfunctions of the brake mechanism can have very different functional consequences, from rapid acceleration to stalling."

Dr. Vitkup looked at large mutations called copy number variants (CNVs) that can lead to either schizophrenia or autism. CNVs involve long stretches of the genome containing several genes that have been either duplicated or deleted. Duplication of a region increases the "dosage" of its genes; deletion of a region decreases the dosage.

In CNVs involved in the growth of dendrites, or dendritic spines, at the ends of neurons, he found decrease in growth to be more common in schizophrenia and increase in growth more common in autism. "That's consistent with what's been found by postmortem brain studies," he said.

"Evidence of functional convergence among risk genes is consistent with the notion that schizophrenia and autism are both primarily diseases of neuronal communication. However, they have distinct clinical features and the challenge remains to identify the critical neural circuits and mechanisms that differentiate them," said Dr. Joseph A. Gogos. "This is a step in that direction."

Dr. Vitkup predicts that many more genes involved in schizophrenia and autism will eventually be found -- possibly up to 1000 genes for each disorder -- but a significant fraction of them will likely fall into the networks and pathways identified in the current study.

"Until a few years ago, people were looking for just a handful of genes responsible for autism and schizophrenia, so the idea that many hundreds of genes are involved is a big change in thinking," Dr. Vitkup said. "Our study and the studies of our collaborators suggest that in the search for the causes of complex genetic disorders, it will be more productive to look for common pathways and gene circuits than for a handful of causal genes. This type of network analysis gives us a way to begin to make sense of what's happening."

Study points way to future approaches to gene discovery

"To uncover all of the processes and molecular pathways involved in schizophrenia and related disorders, more gene searches are clearly necessary," said Dr. Vitkup.

Until recently, the hunt for disease genes was focused primarily on analyses of common genetic mutations, using so-called genome-wide association studies (GWAS). But according to Drs. Vitkup, Karayiorgou, and Gogos, a complementary, possibly less expensive, approach may be more fruitful. "By looking at individuals with schizophrenia who are born into families with no history of the disorder," Dr. Vitkup said, "we can identify de novo mutations that are likely to have caused their disorder."

Drs. Karayiorgou and Gogos recently used this approach to uncover many dozens of new schizophrenia mutations from several hundred families; nearly every mutation was unique to one patient.

"Our study demonstrates that through network-based analyses of rare de novo mutations, it is possible to implicate relevant molecular processes," said Dr. Vitkup. "Applying similar methods to larger cohorts of patients, we should be able to delineate all of the pathways and molecular processes underlying complex psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia."

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Columbia University Medical Center, via Newswise.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.


Journal Reference:

  1. Sarah R Gilman, Jonathan Chang, Bin Xu, Tejdeep S Bawa, Joseph A Gogos, Maria Karayiorgou, Dennis Vitkup. Diverse types of genetic variation converge on functional gene networks involved in schizophrenia. Nature Neuroscience, 2012; DOI: 10.1038/nn.3261

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/QCNFYa1stxo/121111153933.htm

Richard Mourdock d t p zynga Tropical Storm Sandy W

Robbie Williams takes UK pop charts' crown

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/robbie-williams-takes-uk-pop-charts-crown-190324091.html

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Black Friday 2012: best laptop deals so far

Black Friday is a time for great laptop deals. Here are the best laptop deals so far in leaked ads for Black Friday 2012.

By Jeff Somogyi,?Contributor / November 10, 2012

For Black Friday, Walmart is selling the Compaq Presario CQ58, a basic 15.6-inch laptop with a dual-core processor for $179.

Courtesy of Hewlett-Packard/File

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Laptops are among the hottest items of the holiday season, so it's no surprise that we've seen so many mentioned in this year's?leaked Black Friday ads?so far. What?is?surprising though is that, so far, only one of the deals matches our?Black Friday predictions. However, that doesn't mean there aren't good deals to be had! Below, we've rounded up the best of the Black Friday Laptop deals so far, including a very enticing budget system from Walmart.

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  • Compaq Presario CQ58 15.6" 2GB RAM 320GB HDD Laptopfor $179 at Walmart
    While we haven't found deals that support all of our?Black Friday laptop predictions, here's one that does. We bet that we'd see a basic 15" to 16" laptop with a dual-core processor for $179... and that's exactly what Walmart is offering with this Compaq laptop. Pretty spot-on!?

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Heat a Home for the Holidays, Night of Family Fun - Royal Oak, MI ...

A fun family and pet-friendly night of holiday cheer that will warm?your heart and help a family in need

WHAT:?Usher in the holiday season and help keep families in our community warm this winter by attending??Heat a Home for the Holidays - A Night of Family Fun,??a benefit for?The Heat And Warmth Fund (THAW)?hosted by?English Gardens?on Thursday, November 29th. This special family and pet-friendly fundraising event will raise support and awareness for families in our area who are struggling to stay warm.??

WHEN:??5:30 ? 8:30 pm?Nov. 29

WHERE:?English Gardens Royal Oak,?4901 Coolidge Hwy.?

DETAILS:?English Gardens? experts will provide demonstrations in energy-efficient LED holiday lighting, decorating tips and crafts. Children will delight in a visit with Santa and fun-filled activities. Bring your camera to capture family and pet photos with Santa. Local caroling groups will perform throughout the store. There will be pizza donated by Dominos Pizza, hot chocolate and cookies to enjoy.?

TICKET PRICE:?? ? $15 per family (pre-registration) or $20 per family at door with each family receiving a $10 English Gardens coupon that can be redeemed at any location up to one week after the event. Tickets can be purchased at?www.englishgardens.com.

About The Heat and Warmth Fund

The Heat And Warmth Fund?(THAW), is an independent non-profit (501(c)(3) agency that provides emergency energy assistance to Michigan residents in need and advocates for long-term energy solutions. THAW was established in 1985 in order to improve the quality of life in Michigan and prevent human suffering by providing assistance to low-income individuals facing an energy crisis. To learn more about THAW, to inquire about assistance, or to make a donation, visit?www.thawfund.org?or call?1-800-866-8429.

Source: English Gardens

Source: http://royaloak.patch.com/announcements/heat-a-home-for-the-holidays-night-of-family-fun

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Some cellphone fees waived for Sandy victims

1 hr.

Verizon Wireless and AT&T, the nation's two largest wireless carriers, are waiving various cellphone?fees?for those hurt by Superstorm Sandy.?

Verizon says that customers in parts of New Jersey and New York will not be billed usage charges for domestic voice and text message usage between Oct. 29, when Sandy Hit, and Nov. 16.

AT&T is?waiving voice and text overage charges through the end of November for customers affected by Sandy.?

"AT&T will also extend the late-payment window for wireless customers who are behind and waive late payment fees," an AT&T spokesman told NBC News.

AT&T's offer applies to customers in affected areas in?New York, New Jersey, Eastern Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Connecticut, he said.?

Verizon customers who are eligible for the assistance, which will be handled automatically, the carrier says, are in these areas:

New Jersey: Atlantic County, Bergen County, Burlington County, Camden County, Cape May County, Cumberland County, Essex County, Gloucester County, Hudson County, Hunterdon County, Mercer County, Middlesex County, Monmouth County, Morris County, Ocean County, Passaic County, Salem County, Somerset County, Sussex County, Union County, and Warren County.

New York: ?Bronx County, Kings County, Nassau County, New York County, Putnam County, Queens County, Richmond County, Rockland County, Suffolk County, and Westchester County.

Customers won't "see an actual credit on the bill, but simply won?t see any usage charges for voice and text activity during that period," Verizon says on its?Q-and-A page?here.

AT&T and?T-Mobile are continuing to let customers who live in Sandy's path use roaming on the other's carrier's?network.?AT&T and T-Mobile both use the same type of?wireless standards, GSM and UMTS, for their networks. Verizon Wireless and Sprint use a different standard, one known as CDMA.?

A spokeswoman for Sprint told NBC News Friday?that the carrier's "current credits and waivers for customers impacted by Hurricane Sandy include late fees, overage charges, roaming and call forwarding fees, between Oct. 29 and Nov. 28, and a renewal extension for prepaid services."

The waiver applies to Sprint customers in "select counties" in Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania?and Rhode Island. To learn more, check here.

The carrier also says affected prepaid customers on Boost Mobile Monthly Unlimited, Virgin Mobile Beyond Talk and payLo by Virgin Mobile Unlimited Talk and Text plans "will receive extended service if they are at risk of not making their payment due date. Boost Mobile Pay As You Go and payLo customers will receive a $10 account credit."

With cellphone service nearly fully restored by the four major carriers, here are some non-service related steps?carriers have taken:

  • Verizon says it is matching customers'?text-to-donate contributions to American Red Cross relief efforts up to $1 million.
  • AT&T Thursday announced a $1 million contribution to a nonprofit organization founded by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie for relief efforts. AT&T Foundation has also given a $250,000 grant to the Red Cross' Disaster Relief fund, and $225,000 in grants to local non-profit groups in the Tri-State region.
  • T-Mobile has?pledged $100,000 to the Red Cross,?and is matching up to another $100,000 for all new donations from its customers. T-Mobile customers have already contributed more than $100,000 via text donations to the Red Cross, the carrier said recently on its blog.
  • The Sprint Foundation has donated $500,000 to Red Cross relief efforts, and will match all Red Cross donations made by?Sprint "employees, retirees and members of the Sprint board of directors."

Check out Technolog, Gadgetbox, Digital Life and In-Game on?Facebook,?and on?Twitter, follow Suzanne Choney.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/technolog/verizon-att-waive-various-charges-sandy-victims-1C6978884

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Power Brands Consulting Is a Dependable Beverage Consulting ...

People like having choices and options in almost everything they buy. Taste and preference in beverages can be as diversified as peoples? preferences in clothing and career choices. As a consulting business in the beverage industry, Power Brands Consulting knows the importance on having experts who can provide guidance in multiple forms of beverage creation types.

Power Brands Reviews has experts who can provide guidance in the formulation and creation in common and popular choice beverages in soft drinks, juice drinks, enhanced waters, teas, energy drinks, cocktail mixers, and many more. If there is anything related to the beverage industry, Power Brands Reviews has someone knowledgeable in the area. And the experts can follow the beverage from formulation all the way to sales, marketing, and distribution.

One tip-off that informs companies both large and small that Power Brands Consulting is a business you can trust is their past customers. Power Brands Consulting has helped in one fashion or another, customers such as Pepsi, Gatorade, Vitamin Fizz, Power Water, and LYF. Not only has Power Brands Reviews worked with recognizable customers in the past, but they have won awards for various parts of their beverage services. Their latest award in beverage creation was for Neuro Sun, which was awarded Beverage World?s 2011 Best Functional Drink. Power Brands Consulting had assisted in the formulation, graphic design, and launch of the beverage product.

And while their past awards are notable and demonstrates their abilities, for a new company looking to break into the beverage industry, their past awards may not be enough to demonstrate all their capabilities. For those looking for a more thorough demonstration of Power Brands Reviews knowledge of the industry, their company has multiple websites to review. Two of their most informative websites include powerbrands.us and manufacturingdrinks.com. Both sites are extremely detailed and demonstrate Power Brands Consulting?s deep understanding of the beverage world.

One of the newer websites for the Power Consulting Reviews is powerbrandsreviews.com which currently features two articles about the importance of marketing and finding a suitable producer. Both articles demonstrate Power Brands Consulting?s understanding of taking a beverage past creation into production, marketing, and sales. So if you have any questions about the beverage industry or are looking for a beverage consultant to trust, get into contact with Power Brands Consulting at: 16501 Sherman Way, Suite 215, Van Nuys, CA 91406 or by calling (888) 675-1245

Source: http://www.briefingwire.com/pr/power-brands-consulting-is-a-dependable-beverage-consulting-business

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