Source: http://rss.news.yahoo.com/rss/security
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Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Security News Headlines - Yahoo! News
Avoid Traffic Jams with INRIX Android App
July 15, 2013 9:54 AM Text Size: A . A . A
Price: Free-$25
There is truly one thing that unites us all: traffic, and how we all loathe being its victim. Enter INRIX, a recently updated app that seeks to save us all from road rage, and from wasting precious moments (and gas money) on a clogged freeway.
The free version of the app allows you to store up to two destinations (we chose work and home) with two route options, and calculates the amount of time it will take you to get there from your current location based on current traffic conditions and predictions for congestion along the way. It also calculates a predicted travel time for different departure times, so you can see if waiting 30 minutes to leave will save you 20 minutes in the car. The premium version (for $24.99) adds features such as unlimited saved destinations, access to live traffic cameras, and gas price data.
What We Like: INRIX takes the guesswork out of deciding with route will get you to your destination fastest. The app aggregates real-time predictive traffic data from millions of GPS equipped vehicles, mobile devices, and road sensors. It also looks at historic traffic data to predict traffic in the future?you might not need to avoid that jam 45 minutes away if it will be clear by the time you get there. And INRIX can automatically text or email your arrival time to anyone waiting on the other end of your trip so they know when exactly you will arrive.
What We Don't: INRIX pinpoints the traffic and gives you multiple route options, including surface streets, but it generally sticks to the main roads. If you know a good shortcut, there are some cases in which you might beat the software. And, for now, it does not offer turn-by-turn directions, which would be handy for unfamiliar routes.
Senators scramble to cut deal on nominees, avoid showdown
By Thomas Ferraro and Richard Cowan
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. senators scrambled on Tuesday to cut a deal to confirm seven of President Barack Obama's executive-branch nominees and end a Democratic threat to strip Republicans of their power to block such nominations with procedural roadblocks known as filibusters.
"We are making progress," said Republican Senator Bob Corker, one of a number of lawmakers involved in bipartisan talks over nominations that intensified in recent days.
It remained unclear if they would have an agreement by 11 a.m. ET, when the Democratic-led Senate is set to begin voting on the first of the seven nominees.
The nominations are: Richard Cordray to be director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau; Richard Griffin, Sharon Block and Mark Pearce to be members of the National Labor Relations Board; Fred Hochberg to be president of the U.S. Export-Import Bank; Thomas Perez to be labor secretary, and Gina McCarthy to be head of the Environmental Protection Agency.
Filibuster have long been a central tool in the Senate to permit the minority to extend debate and pressure the majority to compromise.
But in recent years, each side, when in the majority, has accused the minority of using the filibuster to create partisan gridlock rather than to find bipartisan solutions.
Democrats have accused Republicans of selectively blocking Obama nominees, not because of their qualifications but because Republicans do not like the agencies that they would head.
Reid has said that unless all seven nominees up for votes on Tuesday are confirmed, Democrats were prepared to ignite for the first time "the nuclear option," a procedural power play that would be used to change Senate rules on filibusters.
Democrats, who control the Senate 54-46, have said their aim would be to reduce to 51 from the current 60 the number of votes needed to end filibusters against executive branch nominees.
Normally 67 votes are needed to change Senate rules, but Democrats could do it with just 51 under the nuclear option, which would involve a ruling by the Democratic chair.
Such action would cap years of Senate partisan battles and paralysis and likely trigger even more fights and gridlock between Obama's Democrats and Republicans.
While Reid has threatened to change the rules on filibusters, he has said he wants to maintain the 60-vote threshold needed to end its use on judicial nominations and legislation.
Members of the Senate have been fighting over Obama's nominations for years. After Reid scheduled votes on the seven nominees for Tuesday, all 100 senators met for more than three hours Monday night to again try to hash out their differences.
According to Senate aides, Republican Senate Leader Mitch McConnell offered to permit all seven nominees to be confirmed, if Reid promised in return not to try to change rules on filibusters for the rest of this Congress.
Reid countered by asking if McConnell would promise not to filibuster any more of Obama's nominees, an aide said.
McConnell declined, prompting Reid to declare, "No deal," the aide said.
"A lot of folks said we should avoid this, and urged the leaders to find a way," Democratic Senator Carl Levin told a breakfast meeting of reporters on Tuesday sponsored by the Christian Science Monitor newspaper.
A Senate Democratic aide said there was the possibility that negotiations could continue throughout the day, even as votes on the nominations were being held on the Senate floor.
(Additional Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Philip Barbara)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-senators-fail-cut-deal-head-showdown-filibuster-030703173.html
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Africa: Russian Investment Needs Credit Support
Over the past few years Russian companies have shown an increasing interest towards investment and preparedness to compete with other foreign players in Africa, but they have also complained bitterly of lack of state financial support and investment credit guarantees from policy banks and money-lending institutions. China, India and Japan, and more recently the United States have provided funds to support companies ready to carry out projects in various sectors in African countries.
This situation has sparked discussions among policy experts. For instance, Dr Martyn Davies, Chief Executive Officer of the South African based Frontier Advisory (Pty) Ltd, does not think that the Chinese model of financing various infrastructure and construction projects in Africa is replicable considering the current structure/nature of the Chinese policy banking system, adding that Russia?s banking sector operates quite differently.
There are now approximately 50 leading Chinese state-owned enterprises that are all Fortune 500 firms that are present in Africa, with the majority of these active in infrastructure and construction in Africa, he explained to Buziness Africa.
Explaining further, he said although the rapidity of and pervasiveness of their market entry into Africa has taken many by surprise, and the main factor that has assisted this speedy market engagement was that the projects were largely ?de-risked? from a financial perspective.
Arguably the single greatest risk of contracting (with governments) in Africa is ultimately getting paid. In the case of the Chinese contracted projects, the Chinese state?s so-called policy banks have provided finance and have underwritten the infrastructure roll-out very often supported by sovereign guarantees from the recipient African state. No other (even development) banks have been willing to absorb such financial risks on infrastructure projects in Africa. This accounts for China?s ?success? in building infrastructure in Africa in recent years, according to the academic professor.
?It is almost impossible for the model to be replicated in a true commercial sense. The only likelihood of similar financial structures arising is in the case of tied-aid for commercial purposes. I would argue that the strategy of China Inc. is resulting in a rethinking of how aid/developmental capital is being allocated or spent in Africa by other partners. This is especially the case with Japanese aid to Africa, with the recent Fifth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) meeting and the commercial outcomes from it evidence of this,? Davies concluded assertively.
In July last year, the former Chinese President Hu Jintao delivered a speech at the opening ceremony of the Fifth Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) where he indicated explicitly that ?China will expand cooperation in investment and financing to support sustainable development in Africa. China provided $20 billion dollars of credit line to African countries to assist them in developing infrastructure, agriculture, manufacturing and small and medium-sized enterprises.?
In June this year, Japan made a five-year commitment of $32 billion dollars in public and private funding to Africa, and the money will be used in areas prioritized as necessary for growth by the Fifth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD).
Japan?s new pledge is nearly four times larger than its last commitment to the group. The plan of action is ambitious. Japanese funds will help in a number of areas, including trade, infrastructure, private sector development, health and education, good governance and food production
Suffice to say that the United States, Britain, Brazil and India have followed concretely Chinese footsteps with financial commitment towards sustainable development projects in Africa. These steps have, indeed, made competition keen for bidding for available infrastructural projects on the continent.
During the official working meeting with Barack Obama, South African President Jacob Zuma told his colleague: ?The United States? strategy towards sub-Saharan Africa that you launched last year is well-timed to take advantage of this growing market. We look forward to strengthening the US-Africa partnership and we are pleased with the growing bilateral trade and investment.? For example, there are 600 US companies operating in South Africa which have created in excess 150,000 jobs for local people.
Many experts still believe that Russian authorities have to provide incentives. Charles Robertson, Global Chief Economist at Renaissance Capital, thinks that the major problem is incentives. China has two major incentives to invest in Africa. First, China needs to buy resources, while Russia does not. Second, Chinese exports are suitable for Africa ? whether it is textiles or iPads, goods made in China can be sold in Africa. Russia exports little except oil and has (roughly 2/3 of exports), steel and metals (which is either not cost effective to sell in Africa, or again is the same as Africa is selling) and military weapons.
?Most importantly, Chinese firms see African growth as benefiting China, while Russia has less to gain from this. There is little incentive for Russian firms to operate in Africa?though Renaissance Capital sees opportunities, as does Rusal, and a few others. The problem is not investment credits or guarantees,? Robertson pointed out.
In his objective views, Russia has a northern hemisphere focus. And that explains why Russia has shown low financial commitment in its foregn policy implementation in Africa as compared to countries such as Japan, India and China.
According to Jimmy Saruchera, a Director at Schmooze Frontier Markets, an investment fund that works to support small-and-medium sized businesses in new emerging markets, suggested that both Russia and Africa needed work on a good trade policy, stable and transparent institutions are the fundamental ingredients, then tools such as credits and export guarantees can be more effective.
Dr Scott Firsing, a visiting Bradlow fellow at the South African Institute for International Affairs (SAIIA) and a senior lecturer in international studies at Monash University in Johannesburg, said ?the absence of export credit guarantees can be a real obstacle to some in countries such as Russia because there are businesses and policy holders that look for these guarantees to help alleviate the fear of doing business in high risk markets like Africa.?
Export credit guarantees show the exporter protection against the main risks, which include political and commercial risks, in places such as Africa. This has been very successful for countries like South Africa, which even manage to stockpile cash over time due to the premiums being more than the payouts. Moreover, one can deduce that without such cover or this ?safety net?, South African companies might have never taken such risks or would have been unable to bid or win contracts in developing economics, according to his explanation to Buziness Africa.
?I would suggest such a move that Russia has to design a policy strategy. One of China?s policy banks, the Chinese Development Bank (CDB) is the country?s largest lender for funding acquisitions and investments overseas, totaling more than its four main commerical banks. This has helped expand the overseas presence of Chinese companies like ZTE Corp and Huawei that wouldn?t have been previously unlikely without the assistance from such a policy bank,? he added.
According to Dr Firsing: a similar statement can be made of the importance of American institutions like their Export-Import Bank that supports American companies and their expansion into African markets. Obama?s latest African Power Initative sees the Export-Import Bank granting up to US$5 billion in support of U.S. exports for the development of power projects across sub-Saharan Africa. Russia can learn a lot from the approach of these countries.
Professor David H. Shinn, an Adjunct Professor at the Elliott School of International Affairs George, Washington University, suspects that Russia?s problem goes well beyond investment credits and export credit guarantees. Just look at Russian trade with Africa. It is embarrassingly low. Turkey has twice as much trade with Africa as Russia. Most Russian investment in Africa goes into large energy and mineral projects. China is investing in just about everything.
Professor Shinn, who was a former U.S. ambassador to Ethiopia (1996-99) and Burkina Faso (1987-90), wrote in an email interview to Buziness Africa, that lack of or weakness of Russian government incentives for investing outside Russia seems to be the significant part of its African policy problem, that compared, China does a lot of project financing in Africa.
He argued that western countries are also at a disadvantage because there is much more separation between the government and the private sector and there is no equivalent government state-owned sector, at least, not in the United States. Most Chinese investment in Africa occurs with the large state-owned companies, which work closely with the government. President Barack Obama recently tried to energize the US private sector in Africa during his recent visit, especially with the Power Africa initiative.
Interestingly, Russian policy experts have repeatedly called for state support for corporate investment initiatives as well as helping systematically private entrepreneurs to make strong strategic inroads into mutually viable investment sectors and to raise economic presence in Africa.
?Until recently, Africa was poorly represented in macro-economic forecasting and research, especially in terms of Russian-African relations,? wrote Professor Aleksei Vasiliev and Evgeny Korendiasov both from the Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute of African Studies (IAS). Vasiliev is the current Director of the IAS and former Special Presidential Envoy to African Countries while Korendiasov retired Russian Ambassador and now the Head of the Department for Russian-African Research at the IAS.
They both authored an article published in June that Russia has officially declared promoting relations with Africa a priority goal. Assurances made by Russian officials in their statements that Africa is ?in the mainstream of Russia?s foreign policy? have not been substantiated by systematic practical activities, and the development of relations between Russia and Africa has so far nothing to boast about.
According to the academic researchers, currently the scope for Russian-African partnership is significantly expanding and of the 48 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, Western experts consider 24 to be democratic countries.They both argued that ?through large-scale and purposeful participation in the international development assistance, Russia strives to advance its foreign policy priorities and strengthen the positions of Russian business in the African economic space.?
But, they pointed out unreservedly that the situation in Russian-African foreign trade will change for the better, if Russian industry undergoes technological modernization, the state provides Russian businessmen systematic and meaningful support, and small and medium businesses receive wider access to foreign economic cooperation with Africa.
Among other policy recommendations, they stressed ?defining clear guidelines and priorities of Russian policy towards Africa, creating conditions for the promotion of Russian goods and investments in African markets, setting up mechanisms of financial support by the state of export and investment projects which is a compulsory condition for successful Russian business activity on the African continent and introducing tariff preferences for trade with African partners.?
***Kester Kenn Klomegah, a former editorial staff of The Moscow Times, is a frequent contributor to Inter Press Service. He is also a keen foreign policy observer and an independent researcher on China?s and Russia?s policy in Africa. In 2004 and 2009, he won the Golden Word Prize for series of analytical articles highlighting Russia?s economic cooperation with African countries.
Do you have a story or an article to publish? Please email us to spyghana79@gmail.com.
Source: http://www.findata.co.nz/News/22406144/Africa_Russian_Investment_Needs_Credit_Support.htm
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Monday, July 15, 2013
Heat on Spain PM over alleged phone texts
MADRID (AP) ? Conservative Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy faces a likely barrage of questions at a press conference after a newspaper published alleged text message exchanges between him and a jailed former party treasurer.
The leading opposition Socialist party and others have demanded Rajoy resign.
Rajoy is scheduled to face the press Monday with visiting Polish counterpart Donald Tusk.
El Mundo on Sunday published what it said were friendly text messages between Rajoy and former Popular Party treasurer Luis Barcenas.
Barcenas is at the heart of a probe into a slush fund that allegedly made payments to top party figures including Rajoy. Barcenas is to be quizzed by a judge in the case again Monday.
Rajoy has denied that he or other party figures received illegal payments.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/heat-spain-pm-over-alleged-phone-texts-084523791.html
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Detained Iranian diplomat released on bail after 4 months |Yahoo! News Canada
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - A senior Iranian diplomat linked to Iran's reformists was released from a Tehran prison on bail on Sunday after four months in detention, sources familiar with the case said.
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Bagher Asadi, who has been a senior diplomat at Iran's U.N. mission in New York and was recently a director at the secretariat of the so-called D8 group of developing nations in Istanbul, was arrested in mid-March in the Iranian capital, the sources told Reuters in April.
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The same sources, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said that an Iranian media report published on Sunday about Asadi's release was accurate. They said it remained unclear why he was arrested in the first place and what the status is of the case against him.
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The sources said they doubted Asadi's release from prison represented a move by Iranian authorities to relax what analysts and Western diplomats have described as a crackdown on dissidents in Iran ahead of the June presidential election.
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Tehran's U.N. mission responded to a request for comment by referring Reuters to a report on Asadi's release by Iran's ISNA student news agency.
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The 61-year-old diplomat was held at Tehran's notorious Evin Prison in solitary confinement for months and without access to a lawyer for his entire detention, the sources told Reuters.
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Iran's reformists were sidelined after Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the conservative former mayor of Tehran, won the presidential election in 2005, replacing reformist Mohammad Khatami. The sources said Asadi's arrest may have been linked to the pre-election crackdown on dissidents.
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Ahmadinejad will step down soon. Hassan Rohani, a pragmatic conservative widely seen as a relative moderate, won last month's vote.
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In January 2004, Asadi wrote an opinion piece that ran in The New York Times in which he made clear his affinities with the reformist philosophy of Khatami, who was president at the time.
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Former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan appointed Asadi in 2003 to a panel of eminent persons on U.N. relations with civil society.
(Reporting by Louis Charbonneau)
Read the full article...Source: http://iranian.com/posts/view/post/17452
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Hollywood, 'Glee' co-stars mourn Cory Monteith
Celebs 
15 hours ago
Jordan Strauss / AP
Cory Monteith?s "Glee"co-stars are remembering the 31-year-old actor, who died unexpectedly Saturday in a Vancouver hotel. Police have not yet given a cause of death, but no foul play is suspected.
Shortly after the news broke Saturday night, "Glee?s" Mark Salling tweeted ?no? ? and the message was soon retweeted nearly 12,000 times, with fans expressing their grief. (Salling's original tweet has since been deleted.) Kristin Chenoweth tweeted ?You will be loved,? while Dot-Marie Jonessaid she was ?heartbroken.?
PHOTOS: Hollywood's Notable Deaths of 2013
Others in Hollywood were also paying their respects, with Zooey Deschanel tweeting ?This is such sad news about @CoryMonteith - what an absolutely tragic loss of a very talented young man.? Chloe Grace Moretztweeted ?everyone close to him and affected by this loss you?re in my prayers.?
Source: http://www.today.com/entertainment/hollywood-glee-co-stars-mourn-cory-monteith-6C10629986
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