Football: Anichebe return perfect timing, says Moyes






LONDON: Everton's Nigerian striker Victor Anichebe has returned to first team action at just the right time club manager David Moyes said on Tuesday.

The 24-year-old showed little sign of lacking match fitness as he returned to the side and scored in last Saturday's 2-1 English Premier League victory over West Ham leaving them fifth in the table.

Moyes, who has gained many admirers over the years for keeping Everton competitive by spending wisely the little money he has been allocated, is especially pleased Anichebe has returned now as the impressive Belgian international Kevin Mirallas is struggling with a hamstring problem.

Anichebe may well lead the line against third from bottom Wigan on Wednesday.

"Victor has played very well. He is an important player for us and a lot of people under-estimate what he can do for us," said the 49-year-old Scot, who has been in charge of Everton for 10 years.

"Not having him available means we have not been able to change many things in the attacking areas.

"Not having Mirallas available for the last couple of months at different times has meant we have been limited in forward areas and probably not won as many games as we should have.

"We want to keep him (Anichebe) fit and him to have a bit of self-confidence and I am sure that goal will do that for him."

Moyes, who has at times been slated as being the ideal replacement for Alex Ferguson when the venerable Scot steps down at Manchester United, will likely be without Mirallas while his highly-rated compatriot midfielder Marouane Fellaini is definitely out.

Fellaini, who will be serving the second of a three-match ban for headbutting Stoke's Ryan Shawcross, will be replaced by Leon Osman, whose form recently earned him a call-up to the England squad at the relatively advanced age of 31.

-AFP/ac



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Christmas celebrated with fervour across India

NEW DELHI: Cities were soaked in festive spirit and a spirit of yuletide pervaded the air as midnight masses, resonance of carols and merriment ushered in Christmas across the country on Tuesday.

As bells tolled, worshippers thronged churches and cathedrals decorated with twinking lights for the midnight service to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.

Sparkling Christmas trees and gift items adorned the marketplaces which wore a festive look as community feasts, exchange of greetings and colourful processions marked the occasion.

Traditional Christmas carols rendered the air festive with gospel bands enthralling the merry-makers with songs like 'Jingle Bells', 'Oh Holy Night' and 'Santa Claus Is Coming to Town'.

It was a busy day for Santa Claus, a man in red with a flowing white beard, who went from place to place cheering the revellers.

Redemption, rejoicing, feasting and singing marked the birth of Jesus Christ in the North-East which has sizeable Christians.

Meghalaya's capital Shillong was decked up for the occasion as buildings and street-corners were illuminated and decorated with Christmas trees, banners and festoons.

Long queues were seen in front of prominent bakeries in the city selling designer cakes.

Stores stocking Xmas merchandise were inundated with shoppers as sumptuous feast formed an important part of the celebrations in many homes.

Faithful across Nagaland celebrated Christmas with joy and religious fervour as bright sunshine enveloped the skyline since morning.

In Kerala, agog with festivities for the past few days, churches and homes were tastefully decorated.

In Tamil Nadu, worshippers, dressed in new outfits, attended midnight masses and special prayers in churches, including the famous Velankanni shrine.

Special prayers for world peace and safety for women were held in churches across Kashmir Valley where Christmas was celebrated with religious fervour.

"I prayed for the safety of women in the country...and that they can roam freely in Delhi and elsewhere," Mitchelle, a young girl from Mumbai on a visit to the picturesque Valley, said.

Tourists from different parts of the country and the world joined locals in merry-making.

President Pranab Mukherjee, Prime Minister Manmohan and a host of leaders greeted the nation on the occasion hoping the festival would strengthen values of brotherhood, tolerance and caring among people.

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Photos: Humboldt Squid Have a Bad Day at the Beach

Photograph by Chris Elmenhurst, Surf the Spot Photography

“Strandings have been taking place with increased frequency along the west coast over the past ten years,” noted NOAA’s Field, “as this population of squid seems to be expanding its range—likely a consequence of climate change—and can be very abundant at times.” (Learn about other jumbo squid strandings.)

Humboldt squid are typically found in warmer waters farther south in theGulf of California (map) and off the coast ofPeru. “[But] we find them up north here during warmer water time periods,” said ocean sciences researcherKenneth Bruland with the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC).

Coastal upwelling—when winds blowing south drive ocean circulation to bring cold, nutrient-rich waters up from the deep—ceases during the fall and winter and warmer water is found closer to shore. Bruland noted that climate change, and the resulting areas of low oxygen, “could be a major factor” in drawing jumbo squid north.

Published December 24, 2012

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Winter Storms, Tornado Threats for Christmas in US












Forecasts of snow, sleet and freezing rain threatened to complicate Christmas Day travel around the nation's midsection Tuesday as several Gulf Coast states braced for a chance of twisters and powerful thunderstorms.



A blizzard watch was posted for parts of Indiana and western Kentucky for storms expected to develop Tuesday amid predictions of up to 4 to 7 inches of snow in coming hours. Much of Oklahoma and Arkansas braced under a winter storm warning of an early mix of rain and sleet later turning to snow.



Some mountainous areas of Arkansas' Ozark Mountains could get up to 10 inches of snow amid warnings travel could become "very hazardous or impossible" in the northern tier of the state from near whiteout conditions, the National Weather Service said.



Early Tuesday, the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety said some bridges and overpasses were already becoming slick. Also, Kathleen O'Shea with Oklahoma Gas and Electric said the utility was tracking the storm system to see where repair crews might be needed among nearly 800,000 customers in Oklahoma and western Arkansas.



Elsewhere, areas of east Texas and Louisiana braced for possible thunderstorms as forecasters eyed a swath of the Gulf Coast from east Texas to the Florida Panhandle for the threat of any tornadoes.



Storms expected during the day Tuesday along the Gulf Coast could bring strong tornadoes or winds of more than 75 mph, heavy rain, quarter-sized hail and dangerous lightning in Louisiana and Mississippi, the weather service said.





"Please plan now for how you will receive a severe weather warning, and know where you will go when it is issued. It only takes a few minutes, and it will help everyone have a safe Christmas," Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant said.



Ten storm systems in the last 50 years have spawned at least one Christmastime tornado with winds of 113 mph or more in the South, said Chris Vaccaro, a National Weather Service spokesman in Washington, via email.



The most lethal were the storms of Dec. 24-26, 1982, when 29 tornadoes in Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee and Mississippi killed three people and injured 32; and those of Dec. 24-25, 1964, when two people were killed and about 30 people injured by 14 tornadoes in seven states.



In Alabama, the director of the Emergency Management Agency, Art Faulkner, said he has briefed both local officials and Gov. Robert Bentley on plans for dealing with a possible outbreak of storms.



No day is good for severe weather, but Faulkner said Christmas adds extra challenges because people are visiting unfamiliar areas and often thinking more of snow than possible twisters.



"We are trying to get the word out through our media partners and through social media that people need to be prepared," Faulkner said



During the night, flog blanketed highways at times in the Southeast, including arteries in Atlanta where motorists slowed as a precaution. Fog advisories were posted from Alabama through the Carolinas into southwestern Virginia.



Several communities in Louisiana went ahead with the annual Christmas Eve lighting more than 100 towering log teepees for annual bonfires to welcome Pere Noel along the Mississippi River between New Orleans and Baton Rouge. That decision came after fire chiefs and local officials decided to go ahead with the tradition after an afternoon conference call with the National Weather Service.



In California, after a brief reprieve across the northern half of the state on Monday, wet weather was expected to make another appearance on Christmas Day. Flooding and snarled holiday traffic were expected in Southern California.



———



Associated Press writer Bob Johnson in Montgomery, Ala., and Ken Miller in Oklahoma City, Okla., contributed to this report.



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Two firefighters shot dead in New York state: media






NEW YORK: Two firefighters were shot dead and two others wounded in New York state on Monday when at least one gunman opened fire as the emergency personnel responded to a blaze, local media reported.

The incident -- which comes as debate rages in the United States about gun control following the Newtown school massacre -- happened in Webster, a suburb of Rochester, the Democrat and Chronicle newspaper reported, citing officials.

- AFP/xq



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Nitish positive after finance minister's statement on special status

PATNA: With the demand of special category status to Bihar at the top of his agenda, chief minister Nitish Kumar sees a silver lining and a ray of hope for the state in finance minister P Chidambaram's statement in Rajya Sabha on Thursday. "Now, we can hope that something positive will emerge," said Nitish at a function here.

He said that Chidambaram while admitting Bihar's backwardness on various human development indexes said Bihar could not be left behind and criteria for grant of special status needed revisited. "I have been constantly pressing the centre to change the criteria so that Bihar and other backward states should also be considered for special status," the CM said.

The FM's response came in reply to a question by N K Singh of JD-U in the Rajya Sabha. Chidambaram had stated, "The current criteria for deciding backwardness, etc are based on terrain, population density, international borders, infrastructure backwardness etc. I think while these criteria have served useful purpose, it is perhaps time to revisit these criteria. I think what is important is that no state is left behind, no part of India should be left behind as we move forward. My current thinking is that we should look at the needs under different parameters."

"There may be other parameters also. But look at the mean in those parameters and measure the distance of each state from the mean; and, then devise plans and programmes, so that those who are farthest away from the mean, come closer to the mean. I am confident that with the support of all the sections of the House we would be able to devise a measure by which we can ensure that States which are far away from the mean in India are brought closure to the mean," he stated in Rajya Sabha.

Chidambaram also revealed that the plan document was ready and expected that the National Development Council (NDC) will endorse the plan document. "I doubt whether my thoughts can be crystalized into a plan of action through the NDC. But my thoughts will be crystalized and placed before the Fourteenth Finance Commission," the FM promised.

Expressing his happiness over the FM's plans to change the criteria, Nitish said he had made this plea before the Prime Minister too during his last meeting early this month. "It is heartening that the FM has used the same words in which we have made request to him. After our sustained struggle now the centre has eventually realized it and in principle accepted our demand for changing the criteria," Nitish said.

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Pictures: Fungi Get Into the Holiday Spirit


Photograph courtesy Stephanie Mounaud, J. Craig Venter Institute

Mounaud combined different fungi to create a Santa hat and spell out a holiday message.

Different fungal grow at different rates, so Mounaud's artwork rarely lasts for long. There's only a short window of time when they actually look like what they're suppose to.

"You do have to keep that in perspective when you're making these creations," she said.

For example, the A. flavus fungi that she used to write this message from Santa grows very quickly. "The next day, after looking at this plate, it didn't say 'Ho Ho Ho.' It said 'blah blah blah,'" Mounaud said.

The message also eventually turned green, which was the color she was initially after. "It was a really nice green, which is what I was hoping for. But yellow will do," she said.

The hat was particularly challenging. The fungus used to create it "was troubling because at different temperatures it grows differently. The pigment in this one forms at room temperature but this type of growth needed higher temperatures," Mounaud said.

Not all fungus will grow nicely together. For example, in the hat, "N. fischeri [the brim and ball] did not want to play nice with the P. marneffei [red part of hat] ... so they remained slightly separated."

Published December 21, 2012

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4 Firefighters Shot, 2 Killed Responding to NY Blaze













Two firefighters were shot and killed and two others taken to a nearby hospital after a gunman opened fire on them as they responded to a house fire in Webster, N.Y., this morning, according to authorities and local media.


Officials at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, N.Y., told ABCNews.com that two men were taken there this morning and were in "guarded condition" after suffering gunshot wounds.










"The responding firefighters, when they pulled up on the scene, were ... fired upon by one or more shooters," Webster Police Chief Gerald L. Pickering told reporters this morning.


There is "no active shooter, or shooters" at this time, Pickering said.


The fire spread to three homes on Lake Road, according to officials.


The fire department is back to fighting the blaze after waiting for police to safely evacuate nearby residents and secure the scene.



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Petitioners ask Obama to retaliate for Russia adoption ban






WASHINGTON: Tens of thousands of petitioners are calling for US President Barack Obama to escalate the diplomatic feud that led Moscow to propose a law barring Americans from adopting Russian children.

Two petitions on the White House web site are asking for US sanctions on the Russian lawmakers who help pass the law that one of the petitions says will "jeopardize lives and well-being of thousands of Russian orphans."

Moscow sees the ban on adoptions as retaliation for a US human rights law that allows the seizure of assets from Russian officials implicated in the 2009 death of a Russian lawyer who blew the whistle on a US$235 million police embezzlement scheme.

Under the US law -- dubbed the Magnitsky Act in tribute to the late lawyer -- those same officials would also be barred from entering the United States.

More than 37,000 people have signed one of the petitions saying they are "outraged with the actions of Russian law-makers."

According to the White House rules, there will be an official response if the petition reaches 25,000 signatures within 30 days.

These lawmakers "breached all imaginable boundaries of humanity, responsibility, or common sense and chose to jeopardize lives and well-being of thousands of Russian orphans, some of whom, the ill and the disabled ones, now might not have a chance of survival if the ban on international adoption is to be put in place," the petition continues.

The petitioners "urge this Administration to identify those involved in adopting such legislature responsible under 'Magnitsky Act' and thus included to the relevant list."

Likewise, a second petition, signed by more than 5,000 people, asks that the Magnitsky Act "be extended to supporters of this law in (the) Russian Duma."

The Duma passed the adoption ban without debate in a quick 420-7 vote on Friday as protesters picketed the building demanding the measure be voted down.

The Kremlin-dominated upper house is now expected to approve the bill next Wednesday before passing it on to President Vladimir Putin for his signature.

The Russian leader has indicated he is ready to put his name on the measure so that it could enter law on January 1.

The measure, which underscores the severity of the recent strain in Russia-US ties, would end about 1,000 adoptions a year.

Caregivers in particular fear the new rules will hit the most disadvantaged children because foreign adoptive parents are often ready to adopt kids rejected by Russian families.

- AFP/xq



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26 of 48 UP cabinet ministers have criminal past: Report

LUCKNOW: Akhilesh Yadav-led SP government, which came to power in Uttar Pradesh with a promise of providing an improved law and order, has 54 per cent of its ministers with criminal cases against them, a report has said.

The report, released today by Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and National Election Watch (NEW) after analysing election affidavits of the leaders, reveals that 26 of the 48 cabinet ministers have criminal cases against them.

Releasing the report here, ADR founder Trilochan Shastri and NEW state convener Sanjay Singh said nine ministers have declared serious charges like rape, murder, attempt to murder, kidnapping and dacoity against them.

Amroha MLA and minister of state for textiles Mehboob Ali has declared 15 cases against him, including that of attempt to murder, kidnapping and robbery, they said.

Similarly, food and civil supplies minister Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiyya has declared eight cases against himself, whereas minister of state for rural development Arvind Singh Gope has declared three cases against him, Singh and Shastri said quoting the report.

Minister of State for Stamp Manoj Kumar Singh Paras had declared a rape charge in his affidavit submitted to the Election Commission at the time of nominations, they said.

Information provided in the election affidavits reveals that 38 of 48 ministers are crorepatis, the report reveals.

Agriculture minister Kuwar Anand Singh, who is MLA from Nagina, has maximum assets of Rs 18.3 crore, followed by transport minister Raja Mahendra Aridaman Singh with assets worth Rs 14.79 crore, they said, quoting the report.

Chief minister Akhilesh Yadav himself owns assets worth Rs 4.85 crore, whereas his uncle and PWD minister Shivpal Singh has assets of more than Rs 6 crore, they said.

Panchayati Raj minister Balram Yadav has minimum assets worth Rs 16.31 lakh, Singh and Shastri said, adding that as per the report, the average asset possessed by a minister stands at Rs 2.79 crore.

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