Obama readies for annual correspondents' dinner

Late-night television host and comedian Conan O'Brien tours the Brady Press Briefing room of the White House in Washington, Friday, April, 26, 2013. O'Brien visited the White House ahead of his schedule hosting of the annual White House Correspondents Dinner on Saturday. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Late-night television host and comedian Conan O'Brien tours the Brady Press Briefing room of the White House in Washington, Friday, April, 26, 2013. O'Brien visited the White House ahead of his schedule hosting of the annual White House Correspondents Dinner on Saturday. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Late-night television host and comedian Conan O'Brien gives a 'thumbs-up' as he tours the Brady Press Briefing room of the White House in Washington, Friday, April, 26, 2013. O'Brien visited the White House ahead of his schedule hosting of the annual White House Correspondents Dinner on Saturday. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Late-night television host and comedian Conan O'Brien tours the Brady Press Briefing room of the White House in Washington, Friday, April, 26, 2013. O'Brien visited the White House ahead of his schedule hosting of the annual White House Correspondents Dinner on Saturday. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The annual gathering not far from the White House brings together journalists, government officials, politicians and media personalities for what's usually an evening of light-hearted banter and celebrity gawking.

Presidents are made fun of and they poke at themselves, too.

But President Barack Obama's scheduled appearance Saturday night at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner was coming at a somber time, nearly two weeks after the deadly Boston Marathon bombing and 10 days after a devastating fertilizer plant explosion in West, Texas.

In 1995, in the aftermath of the Oklahoma City bombing, President Bill Clinton dispensed with the traditional presidential humor to remember victims and praise journalists for their coverage of the explosion.

Coincidentally, this year's dinner entertainer, comedian and late-night TV talk-show host Conan O'Brien, also headlined that 1995 gala.

Obama spent the afternoon on the golf course at Andrews Air Force Base with former U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk and two White House aides.

Six journalists, including Associated Press White House Correspondent Julie Pace, were to be awarded prizes for their coverage of the presidency and national issues.

The New Yorker's Ryan Lizza won the Aldo Beckman Award, which recognizes excellence in the coverage of the presidency.

Pace won the Merriman Smith Award for a print journalist for coverage on deadline.

ABC's Terry Moran was the winner of the broadcast Merriman Smith Award for deadline reporting.

Reporters Jim Morris, Chris Hamby and Ronnie Greene of the Center for Public Integrity won the Edgar A. Poe Award for coverage of issues of national significance.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2013-04-27-Obama-Correspondents/id-f1c7f6d049544bf49971564b437c0cfc

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Bills & Accounts Manager ? Manilla (for iPhone)

The iPhone, incredible little device that it is, can help you manage almost any aspect of your life, including your money. Apps for personal finance generally put in front of you information that you might need quickly and while on the go, such as your bank account balance or a reminder that a bill is due imminently. The iPhone app Manilla (free)?its full name is "Bills & Accounts Manager -documents, travel, money & household organizer - Manilla" but for the purpose of this review, let's just call it Manilla?is a central place for checking not just your checking balance, but also other accounts, subscriptions, and bills. It delivers on what it says it will do, but doesn't offer anything unique, whereas other apps along the same lines, such as the Mint.com iPhone app, offer valuable advice on what to do with your money through budgeting features and suggestions for financial accounts with better interest rates.

Mint is our Editors' Choice in this space because it gives you actionable tips on how to manage your money rather than just showing you how much you have. Manilla works fine as a way to check your balances or get reminders of upcoming bills, but it doesn't offer anything unique that might make it a compelling app.

Sign Up
When you launch the Manilla app for the first time, you'll have to create an account using your email address, and by entering your ZIP code,? a red flag that the service is for people in the U.S. only.

The app requires that you enter two security challenge questions, and one of mine asked for the house number of my childhood address, but rejected it for being only two digits long, which did not inspire my confidence. I chose different security questions and moved on to finish setting up by connecting to some of my personal and financial accounts.

Also when you first set up, you can choose to unlock the app with either a four-digit PIN or an email address login and password combo.

Another slightly befuddling step was that Manilla asked me specifically to add my mobile provider as a service, which I don't have because another family member manages that account, but didn't provide a clear option to skip this step if I didn't want to do it. Through trial-and-error, I bypassed the request by tapping "browse all accounts."

Manilla in Action
One area where Manilla has a tighter focus than Mint is in the number and kinds of subscriptions you can put into your Manilla account. While Mint's wheelhouse is money and utility bills, Manilla lets you connect to magazine subscriptions, your Netflix account, and even travel reward programs. Competitor Pageonce for iPhone? likewise includes the ability to connect to travel accounts, although Manilla goes one step further by reminding you when travel points will expire.

Manilla does have a calendar view, which I preferred to its list view, for reminders. It told me my Jetblue points would expire in May, which is quite frankly something I didn't know and am glad I do now. Other than that bit of information, Manilla didn't deliver anything I couldn't get elsewhere (and already do). It has a section called "Documents" that, in my weeks of testing, never turned up anything other than PDFs from Manilla further advertising its services.

Vanilla Manilla
Manilla's iPhone app works as advertised, but replicates the core functionality of both Mint's and Pageonce's iPhone apps?and seeing as Mint adds so much more on top of that core functionality, it's the personal finance mobile app we recommend.?

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/zZGP5y6WzcY/0,2817,2417697,00.asp

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Rubio: Beyonce trip to Cuba 'hypocritical'

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Sen. Marco Rubio says entertainers Beyonce and Jay-Z missed a chance while in Cuba to see firsthand the effects of political oppression.

The Republican lawmaker from Florida calls their recent trip "hypocritical" and he takes issue with the U.S. government's approval of the visit as a cultural mission.

Beyonce and Jay-Z marked their wedding anniversary in Havana last week.

U.S. citizens aren't allowed to travel to Cuba for mere tourism, though they can obtain licenses for academic, religious, journalistic or cultural exchange trips. These people-to-people licenses were reinstated under the Obama administration.

Rubio, a Cuban-American, says such trips provide money to the Castro government to oppress the Cuban people.

Rubio discussed the trip during interviews Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union," ABC's "This Week" and NBC's "Meet the Press."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/rubio-beyonce-trip-cuba-hypocritical-161455879--politics.html

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Telus reportedly in talks to buy Mobilicity, spectrum likely to be the prize

Canadians have been enjoying a minor renaissance in wireless competition since its AWS auction allowed a slew of smaller carriers to join the fray. Unfortunately, that diversity might be shrinking soon. The Globe and Mail reportedly has documents showing that Telus has been in active talks to buy Mobilicity through a share buyout deal. While the apparent leak doesn't mention the exact motivations, it's thought to be a spectrum grab when LTE on major Canadian carriers primarily leans on the very AWS frequencies that Mobilicity also uses for its 3G service. Neither Telus nor Mobilicity is commenting, although we'd note that there may be a few roadblocks (however temporary) if the scoop is accurate. Rules meant to preserve competition will prevent Telus from buying any newcomers' spectrum until early 2014, and Mobilicity left the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association just this week while accusing the industry group of being a puppet for bigger networks like Telus. If negotiations are real and still in progress, there could be some very awkward meetings ahead.

[Image credit: Andrew Currie, Flickr]

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile

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Source: The Globe and Mail

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South African Cardinal Claims He's Not Homophobic 'Because I Don ...

Cardinal Wilfrid Fox Napier

A South African cardinal has made the claim that he is not homophobic, and has used as his evidence that he doesn?t know any lesbian or gay people.

Agence France Presse?reports that Cardinal?Wilfrid Fox Napier, OFM, of Durban, South Africa, recently stated in a newspaper interview:

?I can?t be accused of homophobia because I don?t know any homosexuals.?

The cardinal didn?t stop there, though. ?The news report continues:

The Archbishop of Durban also lashed out as US conditions on aid, including distribution of condoms, and the promotion of gay rights as ?a new kind of slavery.?

? ?With the same-sex marriages, we are carrying out someone else?s agenda,? he said.

? ?It?s a new kind of slavery, with America saying you won?t get aid unless you distribute condoms, legalise homosexuality??

?Same-sex marriages are legal in South Africa.

?His comments prompted outrage, just weeks after he was forced to apologise for describing paedophilia as a sickness and not a crime.

? ?Paedophilia is actually an illness ? it is not a criminal condition,? he told the BBC last month.?

The cardinal?s comment as homophobia can only be described as ludicrous. ?We can analyze it in a number of different ways:

1. He doesn?t realize that he he knows gay people, many of whom likely serve in the church he leads.
2. Perhaps the gay people around him are fearful of acknowledging their orientations to him because he has not shown that he would be accepting.
3. He needs to get out in the world and start meeting some lesbian and gay people and developing relationships with them.
4. He is not telling the whole truth.

With LGBT issues so prominent in world and church discussions, ?one would think that if the cardinal indeed does not know any lesbian or gay people that he would think it important to go out and meet some. ?In one sense, ?to not know any gay or lesbian people is the very definition of homophobia, and so his claim that he is not homophobic falls totally flat. ?His very denial indicates that in fact he is?very homophobic.

If his attitude were an isolated phenomenon, it could perhaps be dismissed. ?But I fear that it is part of a trend which exists among the hierarchy. ?I have two examples. ?When I was visiting Poland a few years ago, I met with a group of LGBT Catholics in Warsaw. ?We shared experiences with one another. ?Their leader said that he had written to the Polish Bishops? Conference to request that they appoint a priest-chaplain for the LGBT group. ?The response they received from the bishops was that there was no need to appoint a chaplain because there were no homosexuals in Poland.

Similarly, when New Ways Ministry?s Sister Jeannine Gramick had an accidental meeting with then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger on an airplane, she asked him if he knew any lesbian or gay people. His response was that he had seen homosexuals protesting Pope John Paul II?s visit to Berlin. ?That was his acknowledged extent of ?knowing? lesbian and gay people.

These stories indicate a willful ignorance on the part of church leaders, and that is a dangerous and harmful phenomenon. ?The fact that a cardinal can proudly say he doesn?t know any gay and lesbian people, and then claim that this proves he isn?t homophobic, reveals the low level of leadership that the Catholic Church currently operates under. ?If church leaders truly don?t know lesbian or gay people, then how informed can their thinking be on LGBT topics?

Our church deserves leaders who will get over their blatant homophobia and go out to meet and dialogue with the people upon whom they comment so frequently and glibly.

?Francis DeBernardo, New Ways Ministry

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FDA Approves Software For iPhone-Based Vision Test

Because if you write a press release to try and talk up investors, you only talk about the SAM (serviceable available market), not the TAM (total available market) for your products. Here's the original source [myvisiontrack.com]...

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic retinopathy (DR) and other retinal diseases afflict more than 40 million people in countries with advanced health care systems. Roughly 13 million people suffer from these diseases in the United States.

For example, the EU has roughtly 8 million people that suffer from wet-AMD and DR. If you have any of these diseases and you are in a country w/o advanced health care systems, you are simply classified as blind (which is the eventual outcome for these diseases). This software (even if it were available and worked), will not help folks that are unfortunate enough to live in a country where appropriate treatments are unavailable.

Sadly, with wet-AMD, there is no actual effective treatment today. There are some drugs known to slow the advance, of this disease, but not reverse it. With DR, there is some hope when reversing the diabetic aspect, but that is not really a great situation either.

Source: http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdotScience/~3/s9m_2sfil74/story01.htm

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Merkel, Putin air differences on NGOs

HANNOVER, Germany (AP) ? Germany's leader has pressed home her concerns over Russian controls on non-governmental organizations, telling President Vladimir Putin that they should be able to work freely.

Putin met with Chancellor Angela Merkel at an industry fair in Hannover. The trip highlights Russia's interest in developing foreign trade, including further business ties with Germany.

But ties have been strained lately by the Kremlin's heavy-handed response to opposition groups and pressure on NGOs. Two German think-tanks were among groups targeted in recent searches.

Putin stood his ground, insisting Monday that Russia has a right to know where NGOs' funding comes from and how it is used.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/merkel-putin-air-differences-ngos-093729383--finance.html

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White House says it won't press Dems on gay marriage (Washington Bureau)

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Fetal exposure to excessive stress hormones in the womb linked to adult mood disorders

Apr. 6, 2013 ? Exposure of the developing fetus to excessive levels of stress hormones in the womb can cause mood disorders in later life and now, for the first time, researchers have found a mechanism that may underpin this process, according to research presented April 7 at the British Neuroscience Association Festival of Neuroscience (BNA2013) in London.

The concept of fetal programming of adult disease, whereby the environment experienced in the womb can have profound long-lasting consequences on health and risk of disease in later life, is well known; however, the process that drives this is unclear. Professor Megan Holmes, a neuroendocrinologist from the University of Edinburgh/British Heart Foundation Centre for Cardiovascular Science in Scotland (UK), will say: "During our research we have identified the enzyme 11?-HSD2 which we believe plays a key role in the process of fetal programming."

Adverse environments experienced while in the womb, such as in cases of stress, bereavement or abuse, will increase levels of glucocorticoids in the mother, which may harm the growing baby. Glucocorticoids are naturally produced hormones and they are also known as stress hormones because of their role in the stress response.

"The stress hormone cortisol may be a key factor in programming the fetus, baby or child to be at risk of disease in later life. Cortisol causes reduced growth and modifies the timing of tissue development as well as having long lasting effects on gene expression," she will say.

Prof Holmes will describe how her research has identified an enzyme called 11?-HSD2 (11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2) that breaks down the stress hormone cortisol to an inactive form, before it can cause any harm to the developing fetus. The enzyme 11?-HSD2 is present in the placenta and the developing fetal brain where it is thought to act as a shield to protect against the harmful actions of cortisol.

Prof Holmes and her colleagues developed genetically modified mice that lacked 11?-HSD2 in order to determine the role of the enzyme in the placenta and fetal brain. "In mice lacking the enzyme 11?-HSD2, fetuses were exposed to high levels of stress hormones and, as a consequence, these mice exhibited reduced fetal growth and went on to show programmed mood disorders in later life. We also found that the placentas from these mice were smaller and did not transport nutrients efficiently across to the developing fetus. This too could contribute to the harmful consequences of increased stress hormone exposure on the fetus and suggests that the placental 11?-HSD2 shield is the most important barrier.

"However, preliminary new data show that with the loss of the 11?-HSD2 protective barrier solely in the brain, programming of the developing fetus still occurs, and, therefore, this raises questions about how dominant a role is played by the placental 11?-HSD2 barrier. This research is currently ongoing and we cannot draw any firm conclusions yet.

"Determining the exact molecular and cellular mechanisms that drive fetal programming will help us identify potential therapeutic targets that can be used to reverse the deleterious consequences on mood disorders. In the future, we hope to explore the potential of these targets in studies in humans," she will say.

Prof Holmes hopes that her research will make healthcare workers more aware of the fact that children exposed to an adverse environment, be it abuse, malnutrition, or bereavement, are at an increased risk of mood disorders in later life and the children should be carefully monitored and supported to prevent this from happening.

In addition, the potential effects of excessive levels of stress hormones on the developing fetus are also of relevance to individuals involved in antenatal care. Within the past 20 years, the majority of women at risk of premature delivery have been given synthetic glucocorticoids to accelerate fetal lung development to allow the premature babies to survive early birth.

"While this glucocorticoid treatment is essential, the dose, number of treatments and the drug used, have to be carefully monitored to ensure that the minimum effective therapy is used, as it may set the stage for effects later in the child's life," Prof Holmes will say.

Puberty is another sensitive time of development and stress experienced at this time can also be involved in programming adult mood disorders. Prof Holmes and her colleagues have found evidence from imaging studies in rats that stress in early teenage years could affect mood and emotional behaviour via changes in the brain's neural networks associated with emotional processing.

The researchers used fMRI (Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging) to see which pathways in the brain were affected when stressed, peripubertal rats responded to a specific learned task. [1].

Prof Holmes will say: "We showed that in stressed 'teenage' rats, the part of the brain region involved in emotion and fear (known as amygdala) was activated in an exaggerated fashion when compared to controls. The results from this study clearly showed that altered emotional processing occurs in the amygdala in response to stress during this crucial period of development."

Abstract title: "Perinatal programming of stress-related behaviour by glucocorticoids." Symposium: "Early life stress and its long-term effects -- experimental studies."

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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/top_news/top_health/~3/eVqdzmTpLPM/130407090835.htm

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Brits Shocked at Easy Availability of Knives (Powerlineblog)

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Kerry mourns 1st diplomat killed since Benghazi

ISTANBUL (AP) ? Secretary of State John Kerry is mourning the first death of an American diplomat on the job since last year's Sept. 11 attack on the U.S. diplomatic installation in Benghazi, Libya.

Anne Smedinghoff, 25, was one of six Americans killed in an attack Saturday in Afghanistan.

Smedinghoff, an Illinois resident, was on her second tour in Afghanistan after returning last summer. She aided Kerry on his visit there last month.

Visiting Istanbul, a clearly emotional Kerry told consulate workers on Sunday that Smedinghoff stood for everything America stands for.

He says she died trying to make a difference by providing young Afghans with education.

Smedinghoff previously served in Venezuela.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-04-07-Kerry-Afghanistan/id-867023bc1b2e4eb7885dffe4e004b855

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Obama: Proposed budget not his 'ideal plan'

President Barack Obama speaks at the Denver Police Academy in Denver, Wednesday, April 3, 2013. Ratcheting up pressure for Congress to limit access to guns, Obama said that steps taken recently by Colorado to tighten its gun laws show "there doesn't have to be a conflict" between keeping citizens safe and protecting Second Amendment rights to gun ownership. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

President Barack Obama speaks at the Denver Police Academy in Denver, Wednesday, April 3, 2013. Ratcheting up pressure for Congress to limit access to guns, Obama said that steps taken recently by Colorado to tighten its gun laws show "there doesn't have to be a conflict" between keeping citizens safe and protecting Second Amendment rights to gun ownership. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Confronting bipartisan criticism, President Barack Obama conceded Saturday his proposed budget is not his "ideal plan" but said it offers "tough reforms" to the nation's benefit programs while closing loopholes for the wealthy, a mix that he argued will provide long-term deficit reduction without harming the economy.

In his first comments about a budget he is to release Wednesday, Obama said he intends to reduce deficits while at the same time providing new spending for public works projects, early education and job training.

"We don't have to choose between these goals - we can do both," Obama said in his weekly radio and internet address.

Obama's budget calls for slower growth in government benefits programs for the poor, veterans and the elderly, as well as higher taxes, primarily from the wealthy. Some of its details, made public Friday, drew a fierce response from liberals, labor unions and advocates for older Americans and prompted an unimpressed reaction from Republican House Speaker John Boehner.

"It's a compromise I'm willing to accept in order to move beyond a cycle of short-term, crisis-driven decision-making, and focus on growing our economy and our middle class for the long run," Obama said.

Obama proposes spending cuts and revenue increases that would result in $1.8 trillion in deficit reductions over 10 years, replacing $1.2 trillion in automatic spending cuts that are otherwise poised to take effect over the next 10 years.

Counting reductions and higher taxes that Congress and Obama have approved since 2011, the 2014 budget would contribute to a total $4.3 trillion in total deficit reduction by 2023.

The key deficit reduction elements of the plan incorporate an offer Obama made to Boehner in December as both men sought to avert an impending "fiscal cliff" of automatic, across the board spending cut and broad tax increases

Obama's plan has two central features -- $580 billion in new taxes that Republicans oppose and a new inflation formula, rejected by many liberals, that would reduce the annual cost of living adjustments for a broad swath of government programs, including Social Security and benefits for veterans.

In his address, Obama said he would achieve deficit reduction by making "tough reforms" to Medicare and by enacting "commonsense tax reform that includes closing wasteful tax loopholes for the wealthy and well-connected."

Obama, however, made no mention of the effect his budget would have on Social Security and on other social safety net programs, a key feature of his proposal and one that drew hostile reaction from some of his most ardent political backers.

Obama rejected a House Republican budget that aims to balance the budget in 10 years with steep cuts in domestic spending. His remarks reflected the White House's argument that Obama's blend of tax increases and spending cuts have widespread public support and will ultimately change the terms of the fiscal debate in Washington.

"My budget will reduce our deficits not with aimless, reckless spending cuts that hurt students and seniors and middle-class families ? but through the balanced approach that the American people prefer, and the investments that a growing economy demands," he said.

Still, Obama has been unable to move House Republicans from their opposition to higher taxes. And his proposed reduction in the growth of benefits drew swift objections from allies.

"The president should drop these misguided cuts in benefits and focus instead on building support in Congress for investing in jobs," AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said in a statement Friday.

Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback delivered the Republican radio address, arguing that "the ideas on how to fix the federal government are now percolating in the states."

"You see, you don't change America by changing Washington ? you change America by changing the states," he said. "And that's exactly what Republican governors are doing across the country ? taking a different approach to grow their states' economies and fix their governments with ideas that work.

Brownback, a former House member and U.S. senator, called for a "taxing structure that encourages growth, an education system that produces measurable results, and a renewed focus on the incredible dignity of each and every person, no matter who they are."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-04-06-Obama/id-25a7ee8b866d4bb090abbf954e4c1b63

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Witness at ex-dictator's trial links Guatemalan president to war crimes

By Mike McDonald

GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) - A former member of Guatemala's armed forces implicated President Otto Perez in civil war atrocities as he testified on Thursday at the genocide trial of ex-dictator Efrain Rios Montt.

Hugo Reyes, who was stationed as an army engineer in a violent region of Guatemala under Rios Montt's 1982-1983 rule, said Perez commanded soldiers who burned down homes and shot and killed civilians during the civil war, which pitted leftist insurgents against a series of right-wing governments.

Perez, a retired army general who was elected president in 2011, also known as major Tito Arias during the civil war, has previously denied involvement in war crimes.

Reyes, speaking to the court by video link from an undisclosed location, said he witnessed the killing of farmers on an army base near the village of Nebaj in northwestern Guatemala by troops under the command of Perez and another officer.

"The soldiers under the orders of Major Tito Arias, known as Otto Perez Molina, Francisco Marin and the officers they were in charge of, and the commander of the company of engineers, coordinated the burning (of homes) and pulling people out so they could execute them," Reyes, 47, told the court.

There were gasps in the court as he spoke, and people who had been chatting fell silent. Throughout his testimony, Reyes kept his face hidden with the peak of the baseball cap he wore.

Before Perez took office in 2012, Reuters asked him about testimony linking him to war crimes during the 1960-1996 war in which around 200,000 people died and another 45,000 disappeared. Perez said the allegations were "completely false."

As president, Perez is protected by amnesty granted to public officials and cannot be subpoenaed.

Rios Montt, who left Congress last year, was ordered to stand trial in January when a judge found sufficient evidence linking him to the killing of more than 1,700 indigenous people in a counterinsurgency plan carried out under his command.

RETRIBUTION

Prosecutors allege Rios Montt turned a blind eye as soldiers used rape, torture and arson against leftist rebels and targeted indigenous people in a "scorched earth" offensive that killed at least 1,771 members of the Mayan Ixil group.

Rios Montt, 86, has yet to take the stand in the trial, the first in which a country has prosecuted one of its former heads of state for genocide and crimes against humanity.

Reyes, now a mechanic, related how soldiers took kidnapped civilians to a military base where they were tortured, killed and dumped in mass graves.

"Some had their tongues cut out and their fingernails removed and other injuries," he said. "The army officers said to them: 'Sons of bitches, talk or we'll cut out your tongues.'"

Many of the victims of the conflict were ethnic Maya.

"Indian seen, Indian dead. That was the motto they had," said Reyes, the only former member of the armed forces prosecutors have lined up for the witness stand.

Perez, a conservative, was the first military man to take the Guatemalan presidency since the end of the war.

He won election not long after Guatemala began sentencing military officials for crimes committed during the war, and human rights activists raised concerns that Perez might obstruct efforts to bring army officials to justice.

Perez sought to allay those fears, and there was jubilation among victims' families when Rios Montt went to trial.

But when Reyes was asked by a lawyer working for the prosecution if he feared he had put his life in danger by testifying, he said he was afraid of retribution from Perez and his former military comrades.

"I'm totally sure that they feel nothing in their soul torturing and disappearing someone," he said.

(Editing by Dave Graham and Mohammad Zargham)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/witness-ex-dictators-trial-links-guatemalan-president-war-005338947.html

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CA-NEWS Summary

U.S. to send missile defenses to Guam over North Korea threat

SEOUL/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States said it would soon send a missile defense system to Guam to defend it from North Korea, as the U.S. military adjusts to what Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel called a "real and clear danger" from Pyongyang. Hours later, South Korea's Yonhap news agency said North Korea had moved what appeared to be a mid-range Musudan missile to its east coast. It was not clear if the North planned to fire the rocket or was just putting it on display as a show of force, one South Korean government source was quoted as saying.

China mobilizes to fight new bird flu; Japan, HK on guard

BEIJING (Reuters) - China said it was mobilizing resources nationwide to combat a new strain of deadly bird flu that has killed four people, as Japan and Hong Kong stepped up vigilance against the virus and Vietnam banned imports of Chinese poultry. The H7N9 bird flu strain does not appear to be transmitted from human to human but authorities in Hong Kong raised a preliminary alert and said they were taking precautions at the airport.

Iran's Jalili vows stronger defense of nuclear policy

ALMATY (Reuters) - Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili sounded a defiant note ahead of a new round of talks with world powers in Kazakhstan, saying on Thursday they had to recognize Iran's right to a nuclear program to see any breakthrough. Jalili also said the Islamic Republic would defend its right to enrich uranium with "more rigor" after its presidential election in June.

Florence mayor challenges Bersani, calls for coalition with Berlusconi

ROME (Reuters) - Florence mayor Matteo Renzi launched a clear challenge to Italian center-left leader Pier Luigi Bersani on Thursday, calling for a government coalition with former premier Silvio Berlusconi or new elections in June. Bersani won a majority in the lower house but not the Senate in February elections, leaving his center-left group unable to govern alone. He failed last week in efforts to forge a viable majority in parliament after his overtures to the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement were rebuffed.

U.S. official puts onus on Iran in upcoming nuclear talks

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Progress in this week's nuclear talks between Iran and six major powers depends on how Tehran responds to a proposal offered by the six in February, a senior U.S. official said on Wednesday. "How far we get ... depends on what the Iranians come back with in terms of a response on the substance to our proposal," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Palestinian funerals draw thousands in tense West Bank

ANABTA, West Bank (Reuters) - Thousands of mourners turned out on Thursday for the funerals of three Palestinians, including two teenagers killed by Israeli army gunfire in some of the worst violence in the occupied West Bank in years. The upsurge in unrest was triggered on Tuesday by the death of Maysara Abu Hamdeya, a 64-year-old prisoner serving a life term in an Israeli jail and suffering from cancer.

Nightclub dancer "Ruby" stands up for Berlusconi outside court

MILAN (Reuters) - The nightclub dancer at the center of former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi's sex trial staged a dramatic protest outside the court on Thursday, alleging that she had been unfairly pressured as part of a campaign against Berlusconi. Karima El Mahroug's emotional and at times contradictory statement in defense of Berlusconi follows a protest by parliamentarians from his party outside the court last month as the media magnate tries to have the trial moved away from Milan.

U.S. sends F/A-18 warplanes to Philippine military drills

MANILA (Reuters) - Washington is this week deploying a dozen F/A-18 fighters to the Philippines, the first time it has sent so many of the aircraft there, to take part in annual military drills with a close security ally amid rising tension in the Asia-Pacific region. The presence of the warplanes is not connected to tensions on the Korean peninsula, a Philippine army spokesman said.

Mozambique police raid opposition headquarters

MAPUTO (Reuters) - Mozambican police raided the headquarters of the opposition Renamo party, arresting up to 15 people and firing teargas, the opposition and local media said on Thursday, fuelling tension before next year's election. Renamo's head of security, Osufo Madate, said a bullet grazed the stomach of one party member during Wednesday's raid, which he blamed on the ruling Frelimo party.

Desmond Tutu wins $1.7 million Templeton Prize

LONDON (Reuters) - South African anti-apartheid campaigner Desmond Tutu has won the 2013 Templeton Prize worth $1.7 million for helping inspire people around the world by promoting forgiveness and justice, organizers said on Thursday. A leading human rights activist of the late 20th century, the former Anglican archbishop of Cape Town played a pivotal role in the downfall of apartheid and subsequently worked to heal wounds in South Africa's traumatized society.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ca-news-summary-000420370.html

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Box for Android scores new sharing and media playback options

Box subscribers that are enjoying the cloud service on an Android handset or slate can't complain about lack of updates to the app, and the same goes for those on one of the other platforms. Today, however, it's Box for Android that's on the receiving end of some more practical and valuable features, with version 2.1.5 bringing additional options to the app's shared link permissions and the ability to (finally) preview media files. It's worth nothing, though, that while all users can sample audio recordings on the go, the video feature, on the other hand, will only be available to folks with a Box Enterprise account -- and mum's the word on whether or not we can expect that to change at some point in the future. Either way, we'll leave you with the vid after the break for now, which lets all interested (and curious) parties see the new bundle in action before they potentially get going with the download.

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Software, Mobile

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Via: Android Central

Source: Google Play

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/04/05/box-for-android-update/

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