Iranian group MEK coming off US terror list: Unrelenting campaign pays off

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton informed Congress Friday that she would remove a controversial Iranian opposition group from the US list of terrorist organizations, drawing to a close a dogged de-listing campaign by the group and its high-profile advocates that stretches back to the Bush administration.

The de-listing of the Mojahedin-e Khalq (MEK) was not unexpected, since Secretary Clinton was under court order to decide by Oct. 1 whether to remove the group from a list it had been on since 1997.

Clinton had said her decision would be guided in part by the group?s cooperation in relocating hundreds of its adherents from a refugee camp in Iraq, and in recent weeks the State Department had signaled that the relocation process was proceeding toward resolution.

Obama vs. Romney 101: 3 ways they differ on Iran

Under President Bill Clinton the MEK was placed on the terrorist list for the killing of six Americans in Iran in the 1970s and for a botched attack against the Iranian mission to the United Nations in 1992. Some Republican foreign-policy hawks charged the Clinton administration with listing MEK as a terrorist group in an effort to curry favor with the Iranian regime, but the group?s efforts at winning de-listing from the George W. Bush administration were unsuccessful.

The unrelenting de-listing campaign that began under Bush intensified under President Obama, with a number of prominent former officials from the Bush administration, including former Attorney General Michael Mukasey, taking up the group?s cause. Some prominent Democrats and former heavyweights from the Obama administration, including a former national security adviser, James Jones, also lent their name to the group?s cause.

The MEK began as a leftist organization opposed to the rule of the shah, and it initially supported the Iranian revolution. But many of its followers fled to Iraq after suffering under the revolution?s repression, and the group then sided with Saddam Hussein in the Iran-Iraq war ? a move that many Iranians have never forgiven.

The MEK has renounced violence and its members in the US insist that members and supporters inside Iran have been instrumental in providing useful and sometimes blockbuster information on the Iranian government?s covert activities, particularly its nuclear program.

Several members of Congress were quick to laud Clinton?s decision ? and to portray the group as transformed from a onetime opponent to a vital asset for the US in its dealings with Iran.

?The MEK long ago renounced violence, and in recent years has been actively working with US intelligence agencies to get information on activities inside Iran,? said Rep. Ted Poe (R) of Texas in a statement. ?Recently, we have seen that the real terrorists are the mullahs of Iran and the tiny tyrant in the desert, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, not the freedom fighters hoping for a democratic Iran.?

His colleague, Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R) of California, bemoaned the group?s original listing as ?a misguided attempt by the Clinton administration to gain favor with the government in Tehran.? He characterized the MEK as ?Iranians who desire a secular, peaceful, and democratic government. Nothing threatens the mullah dictatorship more,? he added, ?than openness and transparency.?

Just how the MEK is viewed inside Iran remains the subject of debate. Members and some high-powered supporters echo Representative Poe?s characterization of them as ?freedom fighters,? but other Iranian opposition groups that have formed in the US in recent years insist that the group is intensely disliked in Iran and widely distrusted.

The years-long removal under UN auspices of more than 3,000 MEK members from Camp Ashraf in Iraq is almost complete, with the goal of moving the Iranian refugees to third countries.

Obama vs. Romney 101: 3 ways they differ on Iran

Related stories

Read this story at csmonitor.com

Become a part of the Monitor community

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/iranian-group-mek-coming-off-us-terror-list-233757309.html

google project glass google goggles one tree hill projectglass stock act new york auto show khalid sheikh mohammed

Apple fans rejoice as iPhone 5 goes on sale worldwide

Featured

19 hrs.

Rosa Golijan

If you didn't stay up until 3 a.m. to pre-order an iPhone 5 last week, you were probably?too late to get one confirmed for shipment by Frida... Read more

4 hrs.

Rosa Golijan

Even though the atmosphere in lines around the world wasn't as exciting as?in past years?? in part thanks to sponsored human billboards and protesters?? the moment the clock chimed 8 a.m. at Apple's retail stores around the world, cheers erupted. The iPhone 5 has arrived.

The first person in line at Apple's flagship store in New York City is Hazem Sayed, the developer behind Vibe, an?app that lets its users broadcast anonymous messages to those nearby. He has spent well over a week sitting in front of the Apple Store on 5th Avenue and he does not regret a moment. "I'm as happy as I am tired," he tells reporters who crowd him as soon as he exits the store with his new?iPhone 5?in hand.

When asked whether he even has the energy to use his new smartphone after the long wait, Sayed smiles. "It's love at first sight," he says. "I'll stay up all night."

Love at first sight isn't eternal though. Sayed says he would consider selling his new gadget for twice what he paid, meaning about $1600 total. "The receipt is longer than the phone," he remarks absentmindedly as he holds up a crumpled slip of paper next to the device. He bought a black 64GB AT&T version of the iPhone.

Long after Sayed managed to escape the clutches of reporters, cheers continued?erupting?each time someone exited the Apple Store, with a new iPhone 5 in hand. The applause could be heard for blocks.

The iPhone 5 is the latest generation of Apple's popular smartphone. In appearance, it is similar to the iPhone 4S, its predecessor, though it has?a 4-inch display (rather than a 3.5-inch display) and is a bit thinner.?The iPhone 5 offers 4G LTE connectivity (meaning users will see faster data speeds), improved battery life, a faster processor, and a lighter body.?

Out of the box, the new smartphone will run iOS 6, the latest version of Apple's mobile operating system, which means that it will have?a significantly improved version of Siri, a new app called Passbook (which will store boarding passes, discount cards, and more for users), and about 200 new features.?

Much to the dismay of many, the new operating system does not offer a Google-powered Maps app, but instead uses Apple's own creation (which is not earning much praise so far).

If you are looking to pick up a shiny new iPhone 5, keep in mind that Apple's retail locations aren't the only place to get it. You can order one through the Apple website (though shipping dates are several weeks out) or through individual carriers' websites or telesales lines. You can also go to AT&T, Verizon or Sprint retail stores as well as to Walmart, Target, Best Buy and RadioShack.

Want more tech news?or interesting?links? You'll get plenty of both if you keep up with Rosa Golijan, the writer of this post, by following her on?Twitter, subscribing to her?Facebook?posts,?or circling her?on?Google+.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/gadgetbox/apple-fans-rejoice-iphone-5-goes-sale-worldwide-1B6029250

super bowl commercials 2012 mia amar e stoudemire m.i.a. adrianne curry hoekstra best superbowl commercials 2012

Video: Nasdaq & Dow's Five Most Tweeted Stocks

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/cnbc/49108158/

halftime show 2012 kelly clarkson super bowl 2012 giants ny giants ok go peyton manning super bowl nsx

KARMA RESORTS SIGNS WITH THE REGISTRY COLLECTION ...

Karma Resorts, a high-end luxury resort brand and part of the Karma Royal Group of companies, has signed a new affiliation agreement with The Registry Collection.

The first two Karma Resorts to affiliate to The Registry Collection under the new agreement will be Karma Kandara and Karma Jimbaran, both in Bali, Indonesia. The residential resort developments consist of high-end, boutique villa properties offering a luxury lifestyle and stay experience that is unique to the Karma brand.

Buyers have the choice of making either a whole-ownership property purchase or a fractional purchase with a four-week use period. Through the new affiliation agreement, owners can also enjoy membership with The Registry Collection, giving them access to an elite network of the finest vacation properties at some of the world?s premier destinations, as well as personal concierge and travel services that are available to the program?s members 24 hours a day.

John Spence, founder and chairman of the Karma Royal Group, said: ?In the true spirit of Karma, these residential resorts offer the purchaser a complete lifestyle concept. Exceptional accommodation is standard with Karma. Beyond that, we have introduced the Nammos Beach Club which, with live DJs and beach parties, is a new entertainment asset that will appeal to the younger buyer. This sits with the many other guest offerings such as Karma?s renowned authentic and personalized Spa and Wellness treatments, first-class restaurants and lounges.

Karma Kandara enjoys a prime cliff-top location with stunning views of the Balinese coast and Indian Ocean. The villas are appointed to an exceptionally high specification, each having a private pool. Without leaving the resort, guests can enjoy fine dining with fabulous views at the Di Mare Restaurant, as well as a range of other places to relax, such as the Wine Lounge,Temple Lounge and the Karma Spa, while the pace picks up at the exclusive award-winning Nammos Beach Club, accessed by Kandara?s private cable car.

Karma Jimbaran, like its sister resort, offers immaculate Balinese-style villa accommodations with private pools, while being just a short stroll from the white sands and turquoise waters of Jimbaran Baywhere exquisite sunsets and fresh seafood combine to make a memorable dining experience. On resort, guests benefit from the Karma signature amenities such as the Karma Lounge restaurant and the Karma Spa.

Dimitris Manikis, vice president, Business Development, RCI Europe, Middle East and Africa, said: ?The Karma properties are simply stunning and benefit from being offered by a well-established and trusted brand in the up-scale leisure property sector. Each property is a fabulous asset to our luxury property exchange portfolio, and they are great additions to the choices offered to members of The Registry Collection program.

?

Source: http://www.athoc.com.au/news-and-info/2012/09/karma-resorts-signs-with-the-registry-collection-program/

Eddie Murphy died Suzanne Barr Clint Eastwood speech Maria Montessori clint eastwood Julian Castro Chris Lighty

Myanmar's Suu Kyi to meet Clinton in Washington

WASHINGTON (AP) ? After years of decrying oppression against Myanmar's democracy leader, the United States is getting to celebrate her freedom as Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton welcomes Aung San Suu Kyi to the State Department at the start of her landmark tour of America.

Nine months after they met at the Nobel laureate's crumbling lakeside villa in Yangon, Suu Kyi and Clinton on Tuesday were to discuss the political changes in the country also known as Burma and whether Washington should ease its remaining economic sanctions in response to the reforms.

Hours before Suu Kyi touched down in Washington on Monday, Myanmar announced a new round of more than 500 prisoner releases, reportedly including political detainees. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said the U.S. has yet to identify those freed and declined to comment on whether the U.S. could soon waive its import ban.

Since Suu Kyi herself was freed from house arrest in late 2010 she has transitioned from dissident to parliamentarian. Now confident of her position in Myanmar and free to travel abroad without being barred from returning, Suu Kyi has in the past four months also visited Thailand and Europe, where she was accorded honors usually reserved for heads of state.

She's also assured of star treatment in the U.S., where she's revered by Democrats and Republicans alike. The ceremonial highlight of Suu Kyi's 17-day U.S. visit will come Wednesday when she is presented Congress' highest award, which she was granted in absentia in 2008 when she was still under house arrest. She also is likely to be welcomed to the White House.

That's a powerful sign of how a former pariah state has shifted from five decades of repressive military rule, gaining international acceptance. The Obama administration has been at the forefront of the re-engagement, which gathered steam when Clinton visited Myanmar in December. In July, the administration allowed U.S. companies to start investing there again.

"For her to come here and collect the Congressional Gold Medal and celebrate with the activists who have stood by her for so many years is momentous," said Suzanne Nossel, executive director of Amnesty International USA, which will host Suu Kyi on Thursday. The rights group hopes Suu Kyi's visit will help energize a new generation of activists.

But the administration is being careful to balance its plaudits for Suu Kyi with praise and recognition for the former general who has made the reforms possible, President Thein Sein. He arrives in the U.S. next week to attend the U.N. General Assembly's annual gathering of world leaders in New York. Any announcement on easing the import ban is likely to take place at that time.

In a sign of that diplomatic balancing act, a key aide to Thein Sein, Aung Min, who has been at the forefront of cease-fire negotiations with Myanmar's ethnic insurgents, will have high-level meetings at the State Department on Wednesday. He also will attend Suu Kyi's Congressional Gold Medal ceremony at the Capitol.

Suu Kyi is under political pressure from Thein Sein's government to urge the U.S. to remove the remaining sanctions. It's a step she appears willing to consider, although many of her longtime supporters in exile oppose it, saying reforms have yet to take root and Myanmar should not be rewarded at a time when ethnic violence is escalating in some parts of the country.

Fighting in northern Kachin state between the military and ethnic rebels continues and has displaced tens of thousands of people. Communal violence in western Rakhine state in June left scores dead, and Suu Kyi herself has faced some criticism for not speaking out in support of the region's downtrodden Rohingya Muslims, who are denied citizenship.

Despite her global standing and April election to parliament, Suu Kyi still has little clout in the military-dominated legislature, and rights activists fear that military cronies will benefit most as Myanmar opens up to foreign investors.

Suu Kyi will have a frenetic schedule in the U.S., combining high-level meetings with award ceremonies and get-togethers with Burmese expatriates and activists who long campaigned for her release.

On Wednesday, when she is presented with the congressional award, Suu Kyi will meet with House and Senate leaders. The White House has yet to announce whether she will meet President Barack Obama.

After Washington, she travels later in the week to New York City, where she worked from 1969 to 1971 at the United Nations. Suu Kyi then will go to Kentucky to address the University of Louisville, before traveling to meet with one of America's largest Burmese communities in Fort Wayne, Ind. She also will visit San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/myanmars-suu-kyi-meet-clinton-washington-064207095.html

monkees last train to clarksville tim tebow taylor swift post grad arpaio carol burnett neil degrasse tyson

For S. Korean men, makeup a foundation for success

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) ? Cho Won-hyuk stands in front of his bedroom mirror and spreads dollops of yellow-brown makeup over his forehead, nose, chin and cheeks until his skin is flawless. Then he goes to work with a black pencil, highlighting his eyebrows until they're thicker, bolder.

"Having a clean, neat face makes you look sophisticated and creates an image that you can handle yourself well," the 24-year-old college student said. "Your appearance matters, so when I wear makeup on special occasions, it makes me more confident."

Cho's meticulous efforts to paint the perfect face are not unusual in South Korea. This socially conservative, male-dominated country, with a mandatory two-year military conscription for men, has become the male makeup capital of the world.

South Korean men spent $495.5 million on skincare last year, accounting for nearly 21 percent of global sales, according to global market research firm Euromonitor International. That makes it the largest market for men's skincare in the world, even though there are only about 19 million men in South Korea. Amorepacific, South Korea's biggest cosmetics company, estimates the total sales of men's cosmetics in South Korea this year will be more than $885 million.

The metamorphosis of South Korean men from macho to makeup over the last decade or so can be partly explained by fierce competition for jobs, advancement and romance in a society where, as a popular catchphrase puts it, "appearance is power." Women also have a growing expectation that men will take the time and effort to pamper their skin.

Evidence of this new direction in South Korean masculinity is easy to find. In a crowded Seoul cafe, a young woman takes some lipstick out of her purse and casually applies it to her male companion's lips as they talk. At an upscale apartment building, a male security guard watches the lobby from behind a layer of makeup. Korean Air holds annual male makeup classes for its staff at Incheon International Airport.

"I can understand why girls don't like to go outside without makeup ? it makes a big difference," said Cho Gil-nam, a tall, stocky 27-year-old insurance fraud investigator in Seoul who starts important days by dabbing on makeup after finishing his multistep morning cleansing and moisturizing routine. He carries a multicolored cosmetics pouch so he can touch up in public bathrooms throughout the day.

While U.S. cosmetics companies report growing sales in male cosmetics, American men are often wary of makeup. "Men Wearing Makeup a Disturbing Trend" was how American columnist Jim Shea titled a recent post.

In South Korea, however, effeminate male beauty is "a marker of social success," according to Roald Maliangkay, head of Korean studies at Australian National University.

Amorepacific Corp. offers 17 men's brands, with dozens of products to choose from, and operates two Manstudio stores in Seoul that are devoted to men's skincare and makeup.

South Korean men are barraged daily with messages in popular media suggesting that flawless skin is a crucial part of any plan to get ahead at work and romance.

"In this society, people's first impressions are very important. A man's skin is a big part of that impression, so I take care of my skin," said Kim Deuk-ryong, a 20-year-old student.

It wasn't always this way. The ideal South Korean man used to be rough and tough.

Things began to change in the late 1990s, when the South Korean government relaxed a ban on Japanese cultural goods, exposing South Koreans to different ideas on male beauty, including popular comics featuring pretty, effeminate men.

James Turnbull, a writer and lecturer on Korean feminism, sexuality and popular culture, said the economic crisis that hit South Korea in 1997 and 1998 also played a role in shifting thinking. Struggling companies often fired their female employees first, angering women who had already seen their push for equal rights take a backseat to protest movements against Japanese colonizers and the autocratic governments that followed.

"The times were ripe for a sea-change in the popular images of men in the media," Turnbull said. Women, as a result, began questioning the kinds of men society told them they should find attractive.

In 2002, large numbers were attracted to a hero of South Korea's World Cup soccer team, Ahn Jung-hwan, who became a leading member of the so-called "flower men" ? a group of exceptionally good-looking, smooth-skinned, fashionable sports stars and celebrities who found great success selling male cosmetics. Men everywhere began striving to look like them, with the encouragement of the women around them, and a trend was born.

A decade later, ads featuring handsome, heavily made-up male celebrities are an unavoidable part of the urban scenery.

Kim Jong-hoon, a 27-year-old tech industry worker in Paju, said the endless media exposure to famous men with perfect skin helped steer his progression from soap and water to an elaborate regime that includes as many as eight steps, from cleanser to eye cream and lotion to a small amount of makeup powder.

"My skin wasn't bad, but the media constantly sends the message that skin is one of the most important things, so I wanted to take care of it," Kim said.

Once an oddity, men using makeup is now commonplace.

It's also a good source of conversation, said Kim Ae-kyung, 35, a female office worker.

"I feel like I have more to talk about with guys who use makeup ? we have more in common," Kim said.

___

AP photographer Hye Soo Nah and writer Minjeong Hong contributed to this story.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/korean-men-makeup-foundation-success-051134289.html

robert griffin iii dontari poe space shuttle nyc monkeypox nick perry 30 rock live nfl draft picks 2012

Researchers identify mechanism that leads to diabetes, blindness

Monday, September 17, 2012

The rare disorder Wolfram syndrome is caused by mutations in a single gene, but its effects on the body are far reaching. The disease leads to diabetes, hearing and vision loss, nerve cell damage that causes motor difficulties, and early death.

Now, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston and the Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research report that they have identified a mechanism related to mutations in the WFS1 gene that affects insulin-secreting beta cells. The finding will aid in the understanding of Wolfram syndrome and also may be important in the treatment of milder forms of diabetes and other disorders.

The study is published online in the journal Nature Cell Biology.

"We found something we didn't expect," says researcher Fumihiko Urano, MD, PhD, associate professor of medicine in Washington University's Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Lipid Research. "The study showed that the WFS1 gene is crucial to producing a key molecule involved in controlling the metabolic activities of individual cells." That molecule is called cyclic AMP (cyclic adenosine monophosphate).

In insulin-secreting beta cells in the pancreas, for example, cyclic AMP rises in response to high blood sugar, causing those cells to produce and secrete insulin.

"I would compare cyclic AMP to money," Urano says. "You can't just take something you make to the store and use it to buy food. First, you have to convert it into money. Then, you use the money to buy food. In the body, external signals stimulate a cell to make cyclic AMP, and then the cyclic AMP, like money, can 'buy' insulin or whatever else may be needed."

The reason patients with Wolfram syndrome experience so many problems, he says, is because mutations in the WFS1 gene interfere with cyclic AMP production in beta cells in the pancreas.

"In patients with Wolfram syndrome, there is no available WFS1 protein, and that protein is key in cyclic AMP production," he explains. "Then, because levels of cyclic AMP are low in insulin-secreting beta cells, those cells produce and secrete less insulin. And in nerve cells, less cyclic AMP can lead to nerve cell dysfunction and death."

By finding that cyclic AMP production is affected by mutations in the WFS1 gene, researchers now have a potential target for understanding and treating Wolfram syndrome.

"I don't know whether we can find a way to control cyclic AMP production in specific tissues," he says. "But if that's possible, it could help a great deal."

Meanwhile, although Wolfram syndrome is rare, affecting about 1 in 500,000 people, Urano says the findings also may be important to more common disorders.

"It's likely this mechanism is related to diseases such as type 2 diabetes," he says. "If a complete absence of the WFS1 protein causes Wolfram syndrome, perhaps a partial impairment leads to something milder, like diabetes."

###

Washington University School of Medicine: http://www.medicine.wustl.edu

Thanks to Washington University School of Medicine for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

This press release has been viewed 43 time(s).

Source: http://www.labspaces.net/123535/Researchers_identify_mechanism_that_leads_to_diabetes__blindness

south carolina primary results marco scutaro betty white ed reed football schedule jo paterno dead south carolina