Fewer adverse events with 'double kissing' crush stent than culotte

Mar. 10, 2013 ? Patients with a type of coronary lesion linked with poor prognosis fared significantly better with the stent technique known as double kissing crush than with culotte stenting, according to data from the DKCRUSH-III trial presented today at the American College of Cardiology's 62nd Annual Scientific Session.

DKCRUSH-III is the first head-to-head comparison of double kissing (DK) crush and culotte stent techniques in coronary artery disease. The study focused on bifurcation lesions, which involve a main branch and a smaller side branch forking off a major artery.

DK crush and culotte are two-stent procedures named for their configurations. The culotte technique places stents in the main artery and the side branch, overlapping them in the main vessel before the branch forks, akin to pants legs that meet at the seat. The DK crush technique extends a small piece of the branch stent into the main artery, where it is squeezed against the main artery's wall. This approach introduces two points where the balloons used in stenting inflate in the artery and connect for a "double kiss."

Bifurcation lesions are Y-shaped trouble spots, which account for about 15 percent of lesions treated with coronary stents. Bifurcation lesions present technical problems associated with higher rates of recurrent blockage at the treated site known as restenosis and lower rates of long-term favorable outcome. High morbidity and mortality are connected with a subset called unprotected left main coronary artery (ULMCA) disease. Approximately two-thirds of significant ULMCA disease involves the distal bifurcations. Such lesions magnify the challenge for the interventional cardiologist, who threads balloon-tipped catheters and stents through major arterial pathways and then must veer off to reach these smaller side channels. The best treatment for this lesion type has been a matter of debate.

"Angiographic follow-up at eight months found 12 cases of in-stent restenosis in the side branch with DK crush and 22 with culotte [6.8 percent vs. 12.6 percent]," said Jun-Jie Zhang, MD, an interventional cardiologist in the cardiovascular department of Nanjing First Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, in Nanjing, China. "Thus, we have to say that DK crush is superior to culotte stenting."

The multicenter study randomly assigned patients with ULMCA distal bifurcation lesions to treatment with DK crush (210 patients) or culotte (209 patients) stenting. At one year, major adverse cardiac events occurred in 6.2 percent of the DK crush patients and 16.3 percent of the culotte patients. The culotte approach had markedly higher rates of repeat intervention at the target lesion and the target vessel: 6.7 percent target lesion vs. 2.4 percent, and 10.5 percent target vessel vs. 4.3 percent. Clotting at the stent site was low in both groups.

"Although this trial did not include a bypass surgery group to contrast with the stenting techniques, the promising results achieved by DK crush were comparable with those after coronary artery bypass," Dr. Zhang said.

The study will extend clinical follow-up for participating patients to five years, and further research through the DKCRUSH-V study is ongoing.

DKCRUSH-III was funded by the Jiangsu Provincial Outstanding Medical Program.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by American College of Cardiology.

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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/vi27VXIXtRQ/130311101800.htm

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Designing interlocking building blocks to create complex tissues

Mar. 11, 2013 ? Researchers at Columbia Engineering have developed a new "plug-and-play" method to assemble complex cell microenvironments that is a scalable, highly precise way to fabricate tissues with any spatial organization or interest -- such as those found in the heart or skeleton or vasculature. The study reveals new ways to better mimic the enormous complexity of tissue development, regeneration, and disease, and is published in the March 4 Early Online edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

"George Eng, an MD/PhD student in my lab who just received his doctoral degree, designed a lock-and-key technique to build cellular assemblies using a variety of shapes that lock into templates much the way you would use LEGO building blocks," says Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic, who led the study and is the Mikati Foundation Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Columbia Engineering and professor of medical sciences. "What is really important about this technique is that these shapes are tiny -- just a fraction of millimeter, the thickness of a human hair -- and that their precise arrangements are made using cell-friendly hydrogels."

Tissue cells in the human body form specific architectures that are critical for the function of each tissue. Cardiac cells, for example, are aligned to create maximum force acting in one direction. Cells without specific spatial organization may never become fully functional if they do not recapitulate their intrinsic organization found in the body. The Columbia Engineering technique enables researchers to construct unique and controlled cell patterns that allow precise studies of cell function, so that, Vunjak-Novakovic adds, "we can now ask some of the more complex questions about how the cells respond to the entire context of their environment. This will help us explore cellular behavior during the progression of disease and test the effects of drugs, stem cells, and various other therapeutic measures."

Eng, who is the lead author of the PNAS paper, used computer-chip-fabrication technologies to make micrometer-sized subunits containing living cells and bioactive molecules, in specific building-block geometries, such as cylinders or cubes. Each shape is prepared to have its own unique biological properties and is then placed into its geometrically matching well on the hydrogel template. The assembling technique is simple: a mixture of various types of shapes is pipetted onto a template with a specific arrangement of the matching wells and placed on a laboratory shaker for a few minutes.

Each shape can dock only into its matching well -- the rectangular blocks dock only into the exact same rectangular wells, cylindrical blocks into cylindrical wells, and so on, in a lock-and-key manner. After up to ten short cycles of shaking, the template becomes filled with shapes to form a precisely defined pattern. This docking technique thus allows rapid assembly of a large number of subunits to create new tissues.

"We used a LEGO-like lock-and-key docking system to spatially localize different cell populations with high specificity and precision," Eng explains. "And, since each shape is docking independent of each other, large tissues can be organized simultaneously, instead of having to create a sequential, brick-by-brick type of organization. With this method, we can design and create better tissues for potential organ replacement."

"The beauty of this method is that complex configurations of living cellular material -- many different types of cells, molecules, and extracellular materials -- emerge in the lab in precise three-dimensional geometries in a way that can be used by anyone, as no special equipment is involved," Vunjak-Novakovic adds.

Eng is excited about leveraging the microtechnologies used to make computer chips with biomedical engineering techniques to make cells to fabricate new organs. "We develop new ideas and methods to try and alleviate disease by assembling tiny subunits of cells into larger, more functional organs," he says. "It's really like a scene from science fiction! To be on the frontier of scientific discovery, developing new methods and products that we hope will have therapeutic benefit for people is quite fulfilling and motivating. And there's such an exciting element of discovery in designing new cellular microenvironments, studying the rules that define cell communication and organization."

Next steps in the application of this new technique include fabrication of different types of functional tissues, such as well-organized cardiac muscle, a tissue whose function critically depends on its architecture and cell alignment, incorporating blood vessel networks along with organized cardiac cells. The method will also be extended to the design of pathological microenvironments of interest, such as tumor models.

"Our lab has worked for many years in building 'human-on-a-chip' systems that will allow us to see cellular responses representative of those of whole body physiology," says Vunjak-Novakovic. "We're also very interested in developing technologies that can advance biological experimentation and allow us to ask more complex questions. This study, which was conducted over the last four years, is contributing to both of these areas and helping us advance our methods for screening of therapeutic cells and factors."

The work in Vunjak-Novakovic's lab was done in collaboration with Biomedical Engineering Associate Professor Sam Sia's lab, which specializes in microtechnologies, and the Clean Room facilities at Columbia Engineering for microchip fabrication.

This research is supported by the National Institutes of Health, the Helmsley Foundation, and Columbia's MD/PhD program.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Columbia University School of Engineering and Applied Science. The original article was written by Holly Evarts.

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Journal Reference:

1. G. Eng, B. W. Lee, H. Parsa, C. D. Chin, J. Schneider, G. Linkov, S. K. Sia, G. Vunjak-Novakovic. Assembly of complex cell microenvironments using geometrically docked hydrogel shapes. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2013; DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1300569110

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/top_news/top_science/~3/qUKvIc3FdRs/130311150825.htm

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'Historic' day for shark protection

11 March 2013 Last updated at 08:09 ET By Matt McGrath Environment correspondent, BBC News

Three types of critically endangered but commercially valuable shark have been given added protection at the Cites meeting in Bangkok.

The body, which regulates trade in flora and fauna, voted by a two-thirds majority to upgrade the sharks' status.

Campaigners hailed the move as historic and said the vote represented a major breakthrough for marine conservation.

The decisions can still be overturned by a vote on the final day of this meeting later this week.

The oceanic whitetip, three varieties of hammerheads and the porbeagle are all said to be seriously threatened by overfishing.

Continue reading the main story

?Start Quote

Cites is ready to come of age for marine species?

End Quote Dr Colman O'Criodain WWF International

Their numbers have declined dramatically in recent years, as the trade in shark fins for soup has grown.

Manta rays are killed for their gill plates which are used in Chinese medicine.

Shark supporters have been attempting to get Cites to protect these species since 1994. But there has long been strong opposition to the move from China and Japan.

But a number of factors have changed the arithmetic.

Experts say the critical factor has been a shift in South American nations, who've come to understand that sharks are more valuable alive than dead.

"They've come to realise, particularly for those with hammerhead stocks, the tourist value of these species and the long term future that will be protected by a Cites listing," said Dr Colman O'Criodain from WWF International.

Regulate, not ban

While the vote to upgrade these shark species to Appendix 2 does not ban the trade, it regulates it. Both exporting and importing countries must issue licences. If a nation takes too many of these species, they can be hit with sanctions on the range of animal and plant products that are governed by Cites.

Continue reading the main story

Protected sharks

• The oceanic whitetip was once a widespread large shark species, but its numbers show a drastic decline
• It appears as bycatch in pelagic (open sea) fisheries, but its large fins are highly prized, used in shark's fin soup and in traditional medicine
• Hammerhead sharks are known for their distinctive head shape which may have evolved in part to enhance vision
• The great and scalloped varieties are endangered; the smooth hammerhead is considered vulnerable. All have been given added protection
• Porbeagles are found in cold and temperate waters of the North Atlantic and Southern Hemisphere
• Targeted commercial fishing and unintentional catches pose the biggest threat to this shark, which has a low reproductive rate

As the votes went on there were smatterings of applause in the hall and some high fives among campaigners.

"It is really significant for Cites to come of age like this," Dr Susan Lieberman told BBC News.

"To say we can deal with these species, we can manage the international trade and lets not be afraid of marine species."

The extension of the authority of Cites into the international trade in fish has long worried China and Japan and the Asian nations were strongly against these proposals.

But many West African countries, who have seen their native shark fisheries destroyed by large offshore operations, voted in favour of the restrictions.

Another factor was money. Especially cash from the European Union.

The head of delegation told the meeting that extra money would be made available to help poorer countries change their fishing practices.

"If there's a need for it the funding will be available," Feargal O'Coigligh told the meeting.

The amendments can still be overturned in the final session of this meeting. And this realisation is tempering the celebrations.

"Cites is ready to come of age for marine species, " said Dr O'Criodain.

"As long as we hold these results in plenary. Maybe warm champagne is the right note."

Follow Matt on Twitter.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-21741648#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

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Insider attack kills 2 US troops, 3 Afghans

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) ? Officials say an Afghan police officer opened fire inside a police station while U.S. forces were visiting, sparking a firefight that killed two U.S. troops and three Afghan policemen.

Monday's incident in Wardak province appears to be the latest in a series of insider attacks against coalition and Afghan forces. It comes a day after a deadline given by Afghans for U.S. special forces to withdraw from the province.

Deputy provincial Police Chief Abdul Razaq Koraishi says three Afghan officers were killed. A coalition military official says two U.S. forces were killed. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to disclose information pending an official statement.

The majority of U.S. troops in Wardak are special operations forces.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/insider-attack-kills-2-us-troops-3-afghans-103614161.html

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Japan routs Netherlands 16-4, advance to WBC semis

Japan's starter Kenta Maeda poses with a Japanese flag for photographers after beating the Netherlands in their World Baseball Classic second round game at Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Sunday, March 10, 2013. The game was called in the bottom of the seventh inning with a score of 16-4. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)

Japan's starter Kenta Maeda poses with a Japanese flag for photographers after beating the Netherlands in their World Baseball Classic second round game at Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Sunday, March 10, 2013. The game was called in the bottom of the seventh inning with a score of 16-4. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)

Japan's shortstop Hayato Sakamoto rounds bases after hitting a grand slam off Netherlands' pitcher Berry Van Driel in the seventh inning of their World Baseball Classic second round game at Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Sunday, March 10, 2013. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)

Japan's shortstop Hayato Sakamoto, right, celebrates with teammate Atsunori Inaba after hitting a grand slam off Netherlands' pitcher Berry Van Driel in the seventh inning of their World Baseball Classic second round game at Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Sunday, March 10, 2013. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)

Netherlands players sit at their dugout after being beaten by Japan in their World Baseball Classic second round game at Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Sunday, March 10, 2013. The game was called in the bottom of the seventh inning with a score of 16-4. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)

Netherlands' manager Hensley Meulens, left, scratches his head next to coach Robert Eenhoorn at their dugout in the fifth inning of their World Baseball Classic second round game against Japan at Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Sunday, March 10, 2013. Japan won 16-4 in the bottom of the seventh inning. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)

TOKYO (AP) ? Two-time defending champion Japan hit a record-tying six home runs, scoring in all seven innings Sunday to rout the Netherlands 16-4 and reach the World Baseball Classic semifinals.

Japan built a 12-0 lead by the sixth inning, when the Netherlands closed on Wladimir Balentine's three-run double and Andruw Jones' RBI single.

Hayato Sakamoto's grand slam in the seventh that made it 16-4 and tied the team record of six homers, set by Cuba against South Africa in 2009. The game was called under the 10-run mercy rule when the Netherlands failed to close the gap in the bottom half.

"We've achieved our first goal of advancing to the final round," Japan manager Koji Yamamoto said. "The hitters swung the bats today, and getting some early runs was a huge boost for us."

Takashi Toritani homered leading off the game, the first home run for Japan in five games at 16-nation tournament.

Nobuhiro Matsuda widened the lead to 3-0 with a two-run homer in the second, and Seiichi Uchikawa made it 6-0 with a three-run drive that chased Rob Cordemans, who allowed six runs and five hits in 1 1-3 innings.

Atsunori Inaba hit a solo homer in the third against Tom Stuifbergen, and Yoshio Itoi had a three-run homer in the fourth. Sakamoto's slam came off Berry Van Driel.

Japan outhit the Dutch 17-6. The Netherlands plays Cuba on Tuesday, with the winners joining Japan in the semifinals at San Francisco on March 17 or 18,

Japan scored 17 runs in its first four games of the tournament and wasn't expected to rely on the long ball. Yamamoto's team has no players from the American major leagues.

Kenta Maeda allowed one hit in five innings, struck out nine and walked one.

"My fastball and offspeed pitches were working well today," Maeda said. "I knew it was a big game, so just tried to stay calm and pitch in my usual way. We're happy to be going to the United States."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-03-10-BBI-WBC-Japan-Netherlands/id-340f12ae028842b0b292ca7648184d41

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Notorious B.I.G.'s kids to star in animated series

In this Dec. 6, 1995 file photo, Notorious B.I.G., who won rap artist and rap single of the year, clutches his awards at the podium during the annual Billboard Music Awards in New York. The children of late rapper Notorious B.I.G. will star in an animated series about maintaining the hip-hop legend's Brooklyn recording studio. Ossian Media announced Monday, March 11, 2013, that ?House of Wallace? will feature 16-year-old C.J. and 19-year-old T'yanna Wallace. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)

In this Dec. 6, 1995 file photo, Notorious B.I.G., who won rap artist and rap single of the year, clutches his awards at the podium during the annual Billboard Music Awards in New York. The children of late rapper Notorious B.I.G. will star in an animated series about maintaining the hip-hop legend's Brooklyn recording studio. Ossian Media announced Monday, March 11, 2013, that ?House of Wallace? will feature 16-year-old C.J. and 19-year-old T'yanna Wallace. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)

In this March 8, 1997 file photo, Notorious B.I.G., whose real name is Christopher Wallace gestures shortly before he was shot to death. The children of late rapper Notorious B.I.G. will star in an animated series about maintaining the hip-hop legend's Brooklyn recording studio. Ossian Media announced Monday, March 11, 2013, that ?House of Wallace? will feature 16-year-old C.J. and 19-year-old T'yanna Wallace. (AP Photo/Venus Bernardo-Prudhomme, File)

NEW YORK (AP) ? The children of late rapper Notorious B.I.G. will star in an animated series about maintaining the hip-hop legend's New York City recording studio.

Ossian Media announced Monday that "House of Wallace" will feature 16-year-old C.J. Wallace and 19-year-old T'yanna Wallace. The Notorious B.I.G., born Christopher Wallace, was shot to death in 1997. His character will appear in "spirit" and "guide them through the adversities they face" when trying to keep the Brooklyn studio open and out of a larger company's hand.

The show has yet to sign with a network, though a representative for Ossian says "a few serious networks are in discussion."

Notorious B.I.G.'s hits include "One More Chance," ''Hypnotize" and "Mo Money Mo Problems."

The series will also feature guest appearances from other musical artists.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2013-03-11-US-TV-Notorious-BIG/id-5f2f07dec723440db6728e3553d815be

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Why iPhone battery life sucks

You get a new iPhone, you add a bunch of push mail accounts, download apps that hit the GPS and light up notifications, you watch a ton of video and play as many games as you possibly can, you do it all over LTE while blaring your Bluetooth speaker, and you curse that the frakken battery doesn't last several days. Matthew Panzarino of The Next Web rightly claims battery life is the iPhone's -- is every phone's -- biggest flaw:

My time with the Mophie Juice Packs, and other battery packs like them, has led me to a simple conclusion. We don?t need the iPhone?s battery to be 10% better, or 20% better. We need it to be 100% better.

Battery life is the choke point of every piece of modern, mobile technology, and sadly there's little sign of radical, transformative improvement coming any time soon (just more "cheating" of the astonishing kind Panzarino describes in his piece). A 5-inch iPhone could potential pack more power, but a bigger screen to power could mitigate that as well. A watch-sized device running iOS could be a far greater battery challenge.

Maybe Apple will deliver a power revolution the way their focus and scale allowed them to deliver a Retina revolution. Absent that, maybe they could stop worrying about making the iPhone so goram thin, add a couple of millimeters back, and chock the extra space full of battery.

"Today we're delivering a phone that's every bit as thin as the iPhone 4... but achieves an astonishing 20 hours of battery life on Wi-Fi or LTE."

mophie built-in. I'm sure there's many people who'd make that trade-off in a heartbeat.

Hit the link below for more on the problem.

Source: The Next Web

• How to fix battery life issues with iOS 6 or iPhone 5

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/07VoVesQ5V8/story01.htm

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Kabul Explosion: Officials Say Apparent Suicide Mission Causes Multiple Casualties

KABUL, Afghanistan ? Militants staged two suicide attacks that killed at least 19 people on Saturday, the first full day of U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel's visit to Afghanistan. They were a fresh reminder of the challenges posed by insurgents to the U.S.-led NATO force as it hands over the country's security to the Afghans.

"This attack was a message to him," Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said of Hagel, in an email to reporters about the bombing outside the country's Defense Ministry in Kabul.

Hagel was nowhere near that attack, but heard it across the city. He told reporters traveling with him that he wasn't sure what it was when he heard the explosion.

"We're in a war zone. I've been in war, so shouldn't be surprised when a bomb goes off or there's an explosion," said Hagel, a Vietnam War veteran. Asked what his message to the Taliban would be, he said that the U.S. was going to continue to work with its allies to insure that the Afghan people have the ability to develop their own country and democracy.

In the first attack, a suicide bomber on a bicycle struck outside the Afghan Defense Ministry early Saturday morning, just as employees were arriving for work. About a half hour later, another suicide bomber hit a joint NATO and Afghan patrol near a police checkpoint in Khost city, the capital of Khost province in eastern Afghanistan, said provincial spokesman Baryalai Wakman.

Nine Afghan civilians were killed in the bombing at the ministry and 14 wounded, and two Afghan policemen and eight children died in the blast in Khost while another two Afghan civilians were wounded, according to a statement from President Hamid Karzai's office.

Karzai condemned the bombings, calling them un-Islamic. "The perpetrators of such attacks are cowards who are killing innocent children at the orders of foreigners," he said in a statement emailed to reporters. Karzai usually uses the term "foreigners" to refer to Pakistan, which he blames for failing to crack down on Taliban militants who take sanctuary there.

Hagel's first visit to Kabul as Pentagon chief comes as the U.S. and Afghanistan grapple with a number of disputes, from the aborted handover of a main detention facility ? canceled at the last moment late Friday as a deal for the transfer broke down ? to Afghan President Hamid Karzai's demand that U.S. special operations forces withdraw from Wardak province just outside Kabul over allegations of abuse.

The prison transfer, originally slated for 2009, has been repeatedly delayed because of disputes between the U.S. and Afghan governments about whether all detainees should have the right to a trial and who will have the ultimate authority over the release of prisoners the U.S. considers a threat.

The Afghan government has maintained that it needs full control over which prisoners are released as a matter of national sovereignty. The issue has threatened to undermine ongoing negotiations for a bilateral security agreement that would govern the presence of U.S. forces in Afghanistan after the current combat mission ends in 2014.

U.S. military officials said Saturday's transfer ceremony was canceled because they could not finalize the agreement with the Afghans, but did not provide details. Afghan officials were less forthcoming.

"The ceremony is not happening today," Defense Ministry spokesman Gen. Mohammad Zahir Azimi said, without elaborating.

Regarding Wardak, Karzai set a deadline for Monday for the pullout of the U.S. commandos, over allegations that joint U.S. and Afghan patrols engaged in a pattern of torture, kidnappings and summary executions.

"Each of those accusations has been answered and we're not involved," said Brigadier Adam Findlay, NATO's deputy chief of staff of operations, in an interview with The Associated Press Saturday. "There are obviously atrocities occurring there, but it's not linked to us, and the kind of atrocities we are seeing, fingers cut off, other mutilations to bodies, is just not the way we work."

Findlay said NATO officials have made provisional plans to withdraw special operations forces, if Karzai sticks to his edict after meetings this weekend with Hagel and top military commander in Afghanistan Gen. Joseph Dunford.

"What we've got to try to do is go to a middle ground that meets the president's frustration," but also keeps insurgents from using Wardak as a staging ground to launch attacks on the capital, Findlay said. "That plan would be that you would put in your more conventional forces into Wardak," to replace the special operators and maintain security, he said.

NATO officials see the weekend violence as part of the Taliban's coming campaign for the spring fighting season. "There's a series of attacks that have started as the snow is thawing. We had a potential insider attack yesterday ... and there's been a number of attacks on the border," Findlay explained.

The suspected insider attack occurred in Kapisa province in eastern Afghanistan several hours before Hagel arrived Friday. Three men presumed to be Afghan soldiers forced their way onto a U.S. base and opened fire, killing one U.S. civilian contractor and wounding four U.S. soldiers, according to a senior U.S. military official.

The official said investigators were "95 percent certain it was an insider attack," because the three men came from the Afghan side of the joint U.S.-Afghan base, and rammed an Afghan army Humvee through a checkpoint dividing the base, before jumping out and opening fire on the Americans with automatic weapons. All three attackers were killed.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly.

The Taliban said it was not behind the Tagab base attack, and has not yet weighed in on the attack in Khost, but the group claimed responsibility for the morning attack at the ministry shortly after it happened.

Pentagon spokesman George Little said Hagel was in a briefing at a U.S.-led military coalition facility in another part of the city when the explosion occurred. He said the briefing continued without interruption.

Azimi, the defense ministry spokesman, said the bomber on a bicycle struck just before 9 a.m. local time about 30 meters (yards) from the main gate of the ministry.

A man at the scene, Abdul Ghafoor, said the blast rocked the entire area.

"I saw dead bodies and wounded victims lying everywhere," Ghafoor told the Associated Press. "Then random shooting started and we escaped from the area."

The ministry said at least nine civilians were killed and others were wounded.

Reporters traveling with Hagel were in a briefing when they heard the explosion. They were moved to a lower floor of the same building as U.S. facilities in downtown Kabul were locked down as a security precaution.

___

Associated Press writers Lolita C. Baldor and Heidi Vogt contributed to this report from Kabul.

Dozier can be followed on Twitter at: ; Baldor at ; and Vogt at .

Links:

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/09/kabul-explosion-suicide-mission_n_2841857.html

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Skull cracked? Print a new one

Devin Coldewey , NBC News ? ? ? 51 min.

A patient with a damaged skull has undergone a radical new treatment: having 75 percent of his damaged skull replaced with a 3-D printed prosthetic. It's the first time such a skull replacement has been used.

The recipient of the historic skull plate is being kept anonymous, but was one of the hundreds of people each month in the U.S. alone who suffer serious damage to their skull ? serious, that is, but not irreparable.

For smaller plates, a piece of premade metal or plastic will serve, but for replacing larger portions of the skull (needless to say, the patient's 75 percent is at the high end), something more custom needed to be devised. Oxford Performance Materials specializes in this.

By scanning the skull of the patient and printing a custom skull using a proprietary body-friendly polymer, the company's team can create a prosthetic within two weeks that is perfectly fitted to the contours of the patient's brain and bone.

The process was only just approved by the Food and Drug Administration on Feb. 18, and the first operation took place this week.

No pictures of the actual patient with his new skull were made available, both to preserve his privacy and because such a photo would likely be quite gruesome such a short time after major surgery. The photo above, however, does show how the material would look before implanting.

Now that OsteoFab prosthetics, as they are called, are approved, OPM hopes to expand into other areas ? of both the world and the body. "We see no part of the orthopedic industry being untouched by this," OPM's president, Scott De Felice, told TechNewsDaily.

Devin Coldewey is a contributing writer for NBC News Digital. His personal website is coldewey.cc.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/futureoftech/skull-cracked-print-new-one-1C8780228

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Video: Eye-Opening Women: Caroline Kennedy (cbsnews)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories News, News Feeds and News via Feedzilla.

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In a rising economy, politicians look for credit

FILE - In this March 8, 2013 file photo, specialist Donald Civitanova, right, works at his post on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. When it comes to the economy, presidents usually get the rap for downturns and reap benefits from upturns. But the main factors affecting the current recovery and the record activity in the stock market may have less to do with high-profile fiscal policy fights in Washington than they do in the decisions of the Federal Reserve Bank, which has pumped trillions of dollars into the economy, kept interests rates at near zero and pushed investors away from low-yield bonds to stocks. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)

FILE - In this March 8, 2013 file photo, specialist Donald Civitanova, right, works at his post on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. When it comes to the economy, presidents usually get the rap for downturns and reap benefits from upturns. But the main factors affecting the current recovery and the record activity in the stock market may have less to do with high-profile fiscal policy fights in Washington than they do in the decisions of the Federal Reserve Bank, which has pumped trillions of dollars into the economy, kept interests rates at near zero and pushed investors away from low-yield bonds to stocks. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Increased hiring, lower unemployment, stock market on the rise. Who gets the credit?

It's a hotly debated point in Washington, where political scorekeeping amounts to who gets blame and who gets praise.

Following Friday's strong jobs report ? 236,000 new jobs and unemployment dropping to a four-year low of 7.7 percent ? partisans hurriedly staked out turf.

"Woot woot!" tweeted former White House economic adviser Austan Goolsbee. "With 12 million still unemployed?" countered Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell's spokesman, Don Stewart.

When it comes to the economy, presidents usually get the rap for downturns and reap benefits from upturns. But the main factors affecting the current recovery and the record activity in the stock market may have less to do with high-profile fiscal policy fights in Washington than they do in the decisions of the Federal Reserve Bank, which has pumped trillions of dollars into the economy, kept interests rates at near zero and pushed investors away from low-yield bonds to stocks.

"From a policy standpoint, this is being driven primarily by the Fed," said Mark Vitner, an economist at Wells Fargo.

Yet to some, Washington deserves little recognition.

"Economies recover," said Douglas Holtz-Eakin, a former director of the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office and now head of the American Action Forum, a conservative public policy institute. He acknowledged the Fed's monetary policies halted the initial free fall by the financial industry, but he said the economy has had to catch up to the Fed's low interest rates.

"It took a long time for the housing market for them to matter and for the auto market for them to matter," Holtz-Eakin said. "So I don't think that's a policy victory."

If Democrats are eager to give President Barack Obama acclaim for spurring the recovery with an infusion of spending in 2009, there are just as many Republicans who will claim his health care law and his regulatory regimes slowed it.

If there is common ground among economists, it is that the next step in fiscal policy should be focused on reining in long-term spending on entitlements programs, particularly Medicare, instead of continuing debates over short-term spending. But such a grand bargain has been elusive, caught in a fight over Obama's desire for more tax revenue and Republican opposition to more tax increases.

Obama and some Republicans are trying to move the process with phone calls and a dinner here and a luncheon there. Next week, the president plans to address Democrats and Republicans in the House and Senate in separate meetings to see, as he put it Saturday in his weekly radio and Internet address, "if we can untangle some of the gridlock."

Who gets credit does have political consequences. A strong economy would create more space for Obama to pursue other aspects of his second-term agenda. But it's an important question for the long term, too, because if the recovery is indeed accelerating it could validate the policies that the Obama administration and the Fed put in place.

Hiring has been boosted by high corporate profits and by strength in the housing, auto, manufacturing and construction sectors. Corporate profits are up. Still, it might be too soon to declare victory. While the recovery may be getting traction, the U.S. economy is not yet strong.

Economic growth is forecast to be a modest 2 percent this year. Unemployment, even as it drops, remains high nearly four years after the end of the Great Recession, with roughly 12 million people out of work.

Last year's early months also showed strong job gains only to see them fade by June.

March could prove to be a more telling indicator as the economy responds to a third month of higher Social Security taxes and as across-the-board spending cuts that kicked in March 1 begin to work their way through government programs. Economists say anticipation of the cuts already caused a downturn in the fourth quarter of last year as the defense industry slowed spending. The Congressional Budget Office and some private forecasters say the coming cuts could reduce economic growth by about half a percentage point and cost about 700,000 jobs by the end of 2014.

"My view is that aggressive monetary and fiscal policy response to the recovery has been a net positive," said Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Analytics.

But referring to the automatic cuts, he said, "Fiscal policies have turned from a very powerful tailwind to a pretty significant head wind." And, he added, "the economy is going to be tested again in the next few months."

Obama has been distancing himself from the potential consequences of the automatic cuts, even though he signed the legislation that put them in place. Initially, they were designed to be so onerous that it would force all sides to work out a long-term deficit-reduction and debt-stabilization package. But that agreement never materialized.

If the recovery has been slow, White House officials argue, it is because Republicans have been unwilling to yield to Obama's demands for deficit reduction that combines tax increases and cuts in spending.

Obama himself seemed to touch on that viewpoint in his weekly address.

"At a time when our businesses are gaining a little more traction, the last thing we should do is allow Washington politics to get in the way," he said while heralding good economic news. "You deserve better than the same political gridlock and refusal to compromise that has too often passed for serious debate over the last few years."

Vitner, the Wells Fargo economist, argues that if anyone deserves credit for the recovery, it is the American public and American businesses "for being able to tune out all the noise that's coming from Washington."

"It's remarkable," he said, "that in the face of so much political uncertainty we've been able to see the growth that we have."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-03-09-US-Economy-Who-Gets-Credit/id-369a7cd6141244b88c232322574e7333

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Luxury cars going green at Geneva Motor Show

Paul A. Eisenstein , The Detroit Bureau ? ? ? 19 hrs.

If your idea of a hybrid looks a lot like the Toyota Prius, something more fuel-efficient than fun-to-drive, you may need an attitude readjustment after getting a look at the new LaFerrari, the long-awaited replacement for the Italian automaker?s former flagship, the Ferrari Enzo, making its debut at this month?s Geneva Motor Show.

This is definitely not your typical gas-electric drivetrain, though the maker insists it will substantially reduce emissions and fuel consumption compared to a conventional gasoline engine. It also can churn out nearly 1,000 horsepower, launch from 0 to 60 in under three seconds and nudge 220 mph.

Meanwhile, if your image of a pure battery-electric vehicle, or BEV, is something akin to the sedate little Nissan Leaf, you might want to visit the Mercedes-Benz stand, a quick walk from Ferrari, where the German automaker is showing off the production version of its SLS AMG Electric Drive. With its 1200-pound lithium-ion battery pack, the gull-winged supercar is just a wee bit slower than La Ferrari, taking 3.6 seconds to hit 60, with its top speed ?just? 155 mph.

The Detroit Bureau: China set to become world's largest luxury car market

In fact, if you visit virtually any upscale brand on display at this year?s Geneva Motor Show, you?ll either find a hybrid, plug-in or electric vehicle on display ? or find out that the manufacturer is working on one or more. Luxury cars, it seems, are going green.

True, there are a number of battery-based models from mainstream manufacturers at Geneva?s PALExpo convention center. Hybrids are a big part of the Toyota display, the maker expecting them to generate 18% of its European sales this year, up from 13% in 2012. And then there?s Volkswagen AG which used the annual auto show to unveil its new XL1, a pint-sized two-seater that will deliver an astonishing 261 miles per gallon.

But there?s not the sort of high-voltage surge of interest in mainstream battery power one might have felt at the Geneva show in recent years, perhaps reflecting the relatively slow ramp-up of sales for products like the Nissan Leaf and Chevrolet Volt.

There are a number of reasons behind this slow adoption, lamented Carlos Ghosn, the CEO of Nissan and its French alliance partner Renault. They include the limited range of today?s batteries, the lack of a public charging infrastructure and high cost.

?People want environmentally friendly cars but they don?t want to pay for them,? Ghosn said, during a Geneva roundtable.

The lack of range is a factor that all manufacturers, mainstream or luxury, have to consider, said Heinz Hollerweger, the technical development chief at Audi AG. And it?s why the maker decided to scrub a program to produce a pure battery version of its own 2-seat supercar, the R8.

The Detroit Bureau: Shake-up at Toyota gives U.S. executives broad new power

But luxury buyers are, by nature, less worried about the price premium of battery technology, noted the executive. And there are other factors that may encourage them to spend the money for electrified offerings such as the new Audi A3 e-Tron, a plug-in hybrid also making its debut at the 2013 Motor Show ? Hollerweger adding that, ?We plan to add one more (plug-in) per year? to the Audi model mix.

Even luxury buyers are showing an interest in reducing emissions and improving fuel economy, industry planners note. And high-line vehicles such as the planned Bentley sport-utility vehicle due out in 2015 will have a tougher time meeting stricter mandates being passed in all key markets, from Berlin to Boston to Beijing.

There?s yet another reason to move ahead with the plug-in hybrid drivetrain Bentley confirmed this week that it is developing for its new sport-ute. Officials in a number of cities around the world are considering severe restrictions on conventionally powered vehicles, even outright bans in dense urban centers.

Based on the EXP 9F concept vehicle shown at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show, the Bentley plug-in will be able to switch to pure battery mode, if necessary, in the city. But unlike a pure BEV, it will offer the advantage of being able to switch back to gas or conventional hybrid modes for longer commutes or weekend journeys.

But for some high-end buyers, the biggest advantage for battery power is underscored by the LaFerrari and by the McLaren P1 supercar on display at the other end of the Geneva convention center. The two makers are fierce rivals both on the street and on the track, where they run traditional dominant Formula One teams.

Their new supercars borrow an F1 racing technology known as HY-KERS, or hybrid kinetic energy recovery systems. At its heart, the technology has a surprising amount in common with the Hybrid Synergy Drive in a Prius, recapturing energy normally lost during braking or coasting. And that can be used to reduce power demands during normal driving, boosting fuel economy and reducing emissions.

The Detroit Bureau: Finally, a first look at the production Alfa Romeo 4C

But HY-KERS also can pour out tremendous bursts of power, combining with LaFerrari?s already impressive 800-horsepower V-12 gasoline engine to boost the vehicle?s overall output to 963 hp.

Better yet, noted Audi?s Hollerweger, electric motors reach maximum tire-spinning torque the moment they start to spin, even as a conventional gasoline engine is revving up.

So, for any and all of those reasons, expect to see more and more luxury automakers adopt various forms of green technology as they seek to boost performance, deliver better mileage, reduce emissions and maintain the right to drive anywhere they please.

Copyright ? 2009-2013, The Detroit Bureau

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/luxury-cars-going-green-geneva-motor-show-1C8752834

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Arkansas adopts most restrictive U.S. abortion law

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) ? Arkansas now has the nation's most restrictive abortion law ? a near-ban on the procedure from the 12th week of pregnancy ? unless a lawsuit or court action intervenes before it takes effect this summer.

Lawmakers in the Republican-dominated Legislature defied Gov. Mike Beebe, overriding the Democrat's veto. The House voted 56-33 on Wednesday to override Beebe's veto, a day after the Senate voted to do the same.

The votes come less than a week after the Legislature overrode a veto of a separate bill banning most abortions starting in the 20th week of pregnancy. That bill took effect immediately after the final override vote, whereas the 12-week ban won't take effect until this summer.

Abortion rights proponents have said they'll sue to block the 12-week ban from taking effect. Beebe warned lawmakers that both measures would end up wasting taxpayers' money with the state defending them in court, where, he said, they are likely to fail.

The measures' supporters, who expected court challenges, were undaunted.

"Not the governor, nor anyone else other than the courts, can determine if something is constitutional or unconstitutional," Rep. Bruce Westerman, a Republican from Hot Springs, said in urging his colleagues to override Beebe.

Bill sponsor Sen. Jason Rapert, a Republican from Conway, watched the vote from the House gallery and said a number of law firms have offered to help the state defend the laws in court, if it comes to that.

"I'm just grateful that this body has continued to stand up for the bills that have passed. The eyes of the entire nation were on the Arkansas House of Representatives today," he said.

Beebe rejected both measures for the same reasons, saying they are unconstitutional and that they contradict the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that legalized abortion until a fetus could viably survive outside the womb. A fetus is generally considered viable at 22 to 24 weeks.

"The Arkansas Legislature has once again disregarded women's health care and passed the most extreme anti-women's health bill in the country," said Jill June, the CEO of Planned Parenthood of the Heartland. "With this bill, the Arkansas Legislature will force many women to seek unsafe care."

The 12-week ban would prohibit abortions from the point when a fetus' heartbeat can typically be detected using an abdominal ultrasound. It includes exemptions for rape, incest, the life of the mother and highly lethal fetal disorders. The 20-week prohibition, which is based on the disputed claim that a fetus can feel pain by the 20th week and therefore deserves protection from abortion, includes all of the same exemptions except for fetal disorders.

Six Democrats joined with Republicans in voting to override the veto of the 12-week ban. Last week, only two Democrats voted to override the veto of the 20-week ban.

"I think a lot of people felt some pressure after the last vote," said House Minority Leader Greg Leding, a Democrat from Fayetteville.

The measure is among several abortion restrictions lawmakers have backed since Republicans won control of the House and Senate in the November election. Republicans hold 21 of the 35 Senate seats, and 51 of the 100 seats in the House. It takes a simple majority in both chambers to override.

Beebe has signed into law one of those measures, a prohibition on most abortion coverage by insurers participating in the exchange created under the health care law.

Rep. Ann Clemmer, a Republican of Benton serving her third term in the House, asked her colleagues to support the override attempt, saying her votes on anti-abortion bills this year were the first time she could fully express her view on the issue at the Capitol. When Democrats held control, such bills never made it this far.

"If I say that I'm pro-life, at some point I have to do something about what I say I believe," said Clemmer, the bill's sponsor in the House.

Unlike the 20-week ban, which took effect immediately, the 12-week restriction won't take effect until 90 days after the House and Senate adjourn. Lawmakers aren't expected to wrap up this year's session until later this month or April.

In vetoing both measures, Beebe has cited the costs to the state if it has to defend either ban in court. The American Civil Liberties Union of Arkansas has vowed to sue if the state enacts the 12-week ban and said it is considering legal action over the 20-week restriction as well.

"I think today, for whatever reason, the Arkansas House turned its back on the women of Arkansas and said, we don't think you're capable of making your own decisions," said Rita Sklar, ACLU of Arkansas' executive director. Sklar said the group planned to file suit in federal court in the next couple weeks.

Beebe noted that the state paid nearly $148,000 to attorneys for plaintiffs who successfully challenged a 1997 late-term abortion ban.

The original version of Rapert's bill would have banned abortions as early as six weeks into a pregnancy, but he changed the measure after facing resistance from some lawmakers worried that it would require the use of a vaginal probe.

Women who have abortions would not face prosecution under Rapert's bill, but doctors who perform abortions in violation of the 12-week ban could have their medical licenses revoked.

___

Follow Andrew DeMillo on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ademillo

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/arkansas-adopts-uss-most-restrictive-abortion-law-210405671.html

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Samsung loses latest Apple patent suit in UK

LONDON (Reuters) - Apple won a patent infringement lawsuit on Thursday in an English court, which exonerates the iPhone maker from charges it unlawfully used Samsung technology.

Samsung had argued that three individual patents relating to processing and transmitting data on 3G mobile networks had been infringed, but the court found all three claims invalid.

This is the latest case in a global barrage of claims and counterclaims between the two companies, which between them account for one in every two smartphones sold worldwide.

Samsung said it was disappointed by the court's decision.

"Upon a thorough review of the judgment we will decide whether to file an appeal," a spokeswoman said.

Apple declined to comment.

The Korean company won a bittersweet legal victory over its California-based rival last summer when another British judge ruled its Galaxy tablet should not be blocked from sale in Britain.

(Reporting By Isla Binnie, editing by Paul Casciato)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/samsung-loses-latest-apple-patent-suit-uk-140444883--sector.html

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Florida Radio Ham issued $25,000 fine

Page last updated on: Tuesday, March 5, 2013

The ARRL reports on FCC action against an Advanced class radio amateur relating to transmissions on 465.300 MHz Read the ARRL story at http://www.arrl.org/news/florida-ham-issued-25-000-fine-for-operating-an-unlicensed-radio-transmitter-and-interfering-with-li

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illegitimacy sewer: Professions Within Food & Travel and leisure ...

If you are enthusiastic regarding journey and revel in assisting individuals, you might want to think about a profession like a journey broker, visit manual, or even journey manual. Oh yea, and also the benefits do not cease along with reputable wages and also the fulfillment of the work congratulations. Maybe you have desired to journey however did not very have the cash in order to strategy a visit? Individuals set up within the food as well as travel and leisure occupations might in no way experience this issue, because they frequently obtain decreased costs as well as lodging, or even appreciate familiarization outings which come gratis using the place. Before you decide to load up your own totes as well as take the sun?s rays prevent, review this particular satisfying profession route.

Well-liked Work within Food & Travel and leisure

Food as well as travel and leisure acts being an outdoor umbrella phrase with regard to numerous work, through resort celebration adviser in order to Costa Rican experience manual. Probably the most typical occupations with this area tend to be outlined beneath:

Visit manual: Guides focus on top people?either people or even groups?on excursions via locations associated with social or even physical importance. These types of locations can sometimes include new attractions, physical phenomena, as well as museums. Instructions ought to show excitement as well as comprehensive understanding of the actual locations that they?re accountable.

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Journey broker: Journey brokers set up several facets of the traveler?s journey. They might guide the customer?s plane tickets, cruise ships, as well as resort lodging. In the centre associated with any kind of journey agent?s duties is in-depth understanding. Through climate reviews in order to local meals security alerts, the journey broker should be continuously evaluated of each and every part of his/her customer?s location.

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Source: http://illegitimacy-sewer.blogspot.com/2013/03/professions-within-food-travel-and.html

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Kenya: Results sent for manual tally in capital

Kenyan election volunteers cheer as they wrap up the counting of ballots for Monday's general election at St Theresa Girl School, used as a polling and counting station, in the Mathare area of Nairobi, Kenya, Wednesday, March 6, 2013. Kenya on Monday held its first presidential election since the 2007 vote which ushered in months of tribal violence that killed more than 1,000 people and displaced 600,000 from their homes. Election officials in Kenya began counting ballots by hand on Wednesday after the early returns electronic system broke down, while a top presidential candidate levied charges against Britain's high commissioner that the U.K. is meddling in the vote. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)

Kenyan election volunteers cheer as they wrap up the counting of ballots for Monday's general election at St Theresa Girl School, used as a polling and counting station, in the Mathare area of Nairobi, Kenya, Wednesday, March 6, 2013. Kenya on Monday held its first presidential election since the 2007 vote which ushered in months of tribal violence that killed more than 1,000 people and displaced 600,000 from their homes. Election officials in Kenya began counting ballots by hand on Wednesday after the early returns electronic system broke down, while a top presidential candidate levied charges against Britain's high commissioner that the U.K. is meddling in the vote. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)

An electoral worker engages in a part of the tally verification process at the National Tallying Center in Nairobi, Kenya Wednesday, March 6, 2013. Election officials in Kenya are counting by hand the ballots from the nation's presidential election after abandoning the electronic tabulation system which has posted early returns. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

Electoral workers engage in the vote tally verification process at the National Tallying Center in Nairobi, Kenya Wednesday, March 6, 2013. Election officials in Kenya are counting by hand the ballots from the nation's presidential election after abandoning the electronic tabulation system which has posted early returns. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

Official representatives of the various political parties and electoral workers discuss while reviewing newly received results, at the National Tallying Center in Nairobi, Kenya Wednesday, March 6, 2013. Election officials in Kenya are counting by hand the ballots from the nation's presidential election after abandoning the electronic tabulation system which has posted early returns. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

An electoral worker at the call center of the the National Tallying Center reads a newspaper with a headline referring to problems in the vote counting and tallying process, in Nairobi, Kenya Wednesday, March 6, 2013. Election officials in Kenya are counting by hand the ballots from the nation's presidential election after abandoning the electronic tabulation system which has posted early returns. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) ? Kenya's election commission accepted responsibility on Wednesday for the failure of an electronic vote counting system that has left the country in an electoral limbo, while a leading presidential candidate accused Britain's high commissioner of meddling in the crucial election.

The election commission said that the final results of Monday's presidential election should be released Friday. Officials began transporting the tally sheets from voting locations to the capital to begin a count of the vote, the country's first since its 2007 election led to massive tribal violence that killed more than 1,000 people.

The coalition of Deputy Prime Minster Uhuru Kenyatta ? the candidate who faces charges at the International Criminal Court and is the son of Kenya's founding president ? accused the British high commissioner of "shadowy, suspicious and rather animated involvement" in efforts to get the election commission to decide that rejected ballots should still be counted in the overall vote total.

Kenyatta's party also asked the high commissioner, Christian Turner, to explain what it called "the sudden upsurge of British military personnel" in Kenya. British troops attend a six-week training course near Mount Kenya before deploying to Afghanistan. A new battle group arrived the week before Kenyans voted.

Britain's Foreign Office said claims of British interference "are entirely false and misleading." It said the British soldiers in Kenya are part of a regular training program planned nine months ago "completely unrelated to the Kenyan elections." It said Britain has no position on the rejected votes, saying that the election commission or the courts should decide.

"We have always said that this election is a choice for Kenyans alone to decide," the Foreign Office said, adding: "We urge all sides to ensure calm, avoid inflammatory statements, and to take any disputes to the courts."

Kenyatta and Prime Minister Raila Odinga are the top two contenders.

Kenyans grew increasingly frustrated that the announcements of public vote tallies stopped close to 48 hours after polls closed. The breakdown of the electronic vote system has meant that less than half of preliminary results were released. Officials ? who have been working to ensure violence doesn't break out this election ? are calling for patience.

"The delay is giving rise to conspiracy theories. People are panicking about the delay in the results of the elections. But unlike last election there is a level of restraint," said Kevin Muriunge, a 25-year-old student.

In an example of rising agitation, youths in the city of Garissa, near the Somali border, gathered near the vote tallying center and began rioting, drawing a response from police, who opened fire. One teenager was killed, said Musa Mohamed, a doctor at the Garissa hospital.

William Ruto, Kenyatta's running mate, urged the electoral commission to speed up the release of results.

"As we are all aware, the country is at a standstill at the moment," Ruto said.

At an evening news conference, the election commission chair, Ahmed Issack Hassan, tried to assure the country that all votes cast would be reflected in the final result. He urged any candidates to take any objections they have to court.

Referring to long voting lines during Monday's vote, Alojz Peterle, a former president of Slovenia and the chief observer in the European Union observer mission, said Kenyans have demonstrated they are capable of great patience.

"But even more patience is called for now," he added.

The election commission chairman announced late Tuesday that hundreds of thousands of ballots that were rejected for not following the rules would be counted in the overall vote total. That makes it very difficult, given the tight race, for either top candidate to reach the 50 percent mark needed to win outright.

Election observers from around the world said Wednesday that Kenya carried out a credible election, but the groups reserved final judgments until the process is completed. Some observers said a runoff between Odinga and Kenyatta is likely.

The partial preliminary results on Tuesday had shown an early lead for Kenyatta. Odinga's camp told supporters that the votes from his strongholds had not yet all been tallied.

The statement from Kenyatta's coalition Wednesday implied that the British high commissioner pressured the commission to make the decision on the spoiled ballots, thus ensuring a runoff.

John Stremlau, an election observer with The Carter Center, the body run by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, said it might be better for Kenyatta's coalition to use "foreign powers" as a whipping post than attacking Kenyans.

"It does seem to me to be a mindset of the old colonial era that the foreign powers would be dictating to the (election commission) in any way," Stremlau said, adding later: "There are going to be accusations in every election ... and they must be backed by evidence. Show the proof and let the judges decide and we'll all be better off."

Franklin Bett, an official in Odinga's party, echoed that statement. "Talk is easy. Let them come with the evidence."

Kenya is the lynchpin of East Africa's economy and plays a vital security role in the fight against Somali militants. The U.S. Embassy in Kenya is the largest in Africa, indicating this country's importance to U.S. foreign policy.

The U.S. has warned of "consequences" if Kenyatta is to win, as have several European countries, because Kenyatta is an ICC indictee.

Aisha Abdullahi, an African Union official, said it was good that Kenya had planned for a backup system ? the physical vote tallies ? given the breakdown in the electronic transmission system. He blamed the break-down on a failure of central computer servers.

"Yes, we in Africa are trying to catch up with you guys with electronic things," said Festus Mogae in response to a question from a European reporter. Mogae is a former president of Botswana and head of the Commonwealth observer mission.

"That it's failed is no surprise to me. It often does in our countries."

___

Associated Press reporters Rodney Muhumuza in Nairobi and Daud Yussuf in Garissa contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-03-06-Kenya-Election/id-71ce31788fab40f3983bca46340b94e9

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