Traditional IT vendors the opportunity to enter Automotive Where ...

In the April 23 start of the 11th Beijing Motor Show, Shenzhen Hang Sheng Electronic Co., Ltd, Huizhou Huayang Group, Nanjing Automobile Control System Co., Ltd., Fu veteran of the domestic automotive manufacturers have appeared in Beijing International Exhibition Centre. Huayang Group display the latest, advanced navigation and information system digital screen car navigation entertainment system, as well as car black box similar to the vehicle collision avoidance system. From the components, laser head, the movement has already started the Huayang Group, veteran automotive electronics business.

Although the show is still a professional gathering of automotive electronics manufacturers, but there are already some prophetic tradition of IT vendors to find in the automotive electronics market, then their chance Where?

Software as a breakthrough

4 23, the leader in the field of software outsourcing Neusoft Group announced the acquisition of six million euros to the global automotive navigation software provider, ISG R & D center in Hamburg, Germany. The R & D center for the European automobile manufacturers to provide navigation systems and mapping software outsourcing services.

Point in early April 8, China Electronics Technology Group Corporation and the Swedish government investment promotion agency based in the Investment Promotion Agency signed a strategic cooperation agreement, beginning with the Swedish automotive industry related businesses to fully cooperate. As a co-carrier, a subsidiary of China Electronics Technology Group Corporation Ltd Waterhouse infrastructure software will be set up in Sweden, Price Waterhouse Europe, with many of Sweden?s leading automotive electronics manufacturers based on the joint commitment to automotive electronics product development software and service.

These are good news. ?Domestic and foreign automotive electronics technology in the software than the hardware gap. Disparities, opportunities are also great.? Society of Automotive Engineers for years, said senior adviser to Chen, in view of the overall strength of IT companies stronger in the future, software will become the traditional IT manufacturers in the automotive electronics breakthrough. Neusoft and Price Waterhouse

two software companies that cut into the automotive electronics from a large number of software development can improve their automotive electronics R & D capabilities. In 2006, the acceptance of ?Computer World? interview, the chairman and CEO of Neusoft Group, said Liu Jiren, to enhance Neusoft?s navigation system and map software, technical strength. 4 years later, Liu Jiren honor its commitments, Neusoft in the field of navigation systems and mapping software has its own technical standards, which is its ability to lead the automotive important reason for outsourcing services.

Worth mentioning is that through this acquisition, Neusoft not only into the European automotive electronics market, but also to the 100% holding ISG of Harman International Industries Group and its subsidiaries provide navigation systems, audio systems and The offshore software engineering services, software development and technical support. In an interview, Liu Jiren pleased that this acquisition is in the automotive electronics outsourcing Neusoft another breakthrough. ?Starting today, we have basically completed the globalization of the automotive electronics layout.?

Cut in specific ways, the practice of foreign IT companies should learn from. In 2009, Intel and located in California, Volkswagen Electronics Research Laboratory jointly developed the IVI System (car infotainment system). Industry insiders believe that, with professional automotive electronics vendors, IT vendors to quickly understand both the automotive design process, but also quick test application compatibility in a variety of models, this is a way of saving time and labor.

Addition to software, the embedded chip, integrated solutions, such as automatic parking, unmanned and so on, local IT companies have the opportunity. In addition, Chen said many years, IT vendors to enter the industry chain, it should be from the body electronics, infotainment systems and other non-automotive safety products and gradually cut into, but at the core of automotive ECU (electronic control unit) must much more difficult, This also means that, IT firms from the mainstream automotive market still far, and professional automotive manufacturers same fate.

Pong vehicle and seeking cooperation

Traditional IT vendors to Denver in the automotive electronics field, we must cling to a tree, whether it is automobile manufacturers, or professional automotive electronics manufacturers. Neusoft in the automotive electronics field layout, the key is to cling to a foreign automotive manufacturers? From the date of creation, Neusoft on the world?s second largest automotive electronics manufacturers to provide software outsourcing services to Alpine. Today, there are already 19 years experience in cooperation with ISG?s parent company, Neusoft?? Harman entered the world?s top automotive club. ?Based on our experience and foreign customers, we only do the best in the software to be able to enter the international club automotive electronics.? Liu Jiren said.

Addition to automotive electronics through embedded software into the club, the local IT vendors can also directly with the vehicle manufacturers to enter the automotive industry chain, which is a direct and efficient way.

2008, the blind information as new models FAW Car parts suppliers. Two years later, set autonomous navigation, portable audio-visual entertainment in one-vehicle computer can be used in various models of FAW, and now, with FAW Qiming Information has already begun pre-loaded into the automotive electronics market.

Cooperation with FAW, so blind information This traditional IT vendors in the automotive marketplace. Today, the blind is not only a variety of information products, also account for a large share of the market: The vehicle has a blind information before the vehicle navigation system installed, installed after the huge market for the ?commander links? portable navigation device, ?handsome Link ?ST-VT100-vehicle mobile data terminal positioning,? handsome pass ?QM-AutoPC100 portable car computer,? handsome pass ?ST-VT100-L1 vehicle traveling data recorder and other own-brand car electronics.

Although the waterfront to quickly cut into the automotive vehicle, however, is able to cling to car manufacturers, ?thigh? and only a handful of IT companies. Domestic auto prices generally low, firms invest in the automotive electronic device is not much, IT vendors can hardly renowned for their real money. Now, the domestic auto ?high walk? has become the trend, industry insiders believe, IT companies into the automotive electronics industry chain is facing a good opportunity.

Earned by the 3G services

In the 11th Motor Show, Chang?an Automobile, Shanghai Automotive have announced co-operation with China Unicom. Roewe 350 Shanghai Automotive is the first launch of a new strategy for car, relying on the Roewe 350 platform, the Shanghai Automotive cooperation with Unicom?s 3G Internet, introduced Inkanet intelligent network traffic system. Through the 3G network, the system can provide users with information retrieval, stock

Source: http://www.riredistricting.org/traditional-it-vendors-the-opportunity-to-enter-automotive-where-it-automotive-electronics-automotive-electronics-industry-hc360-hc-network.html

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Superbowl 2012 In Los Angeles: Where To Go For Beers & Burgers

To celebrate the Super Bowl, City Tavern is "going long" on February 5 with an all-day happy hour featuring meatballs, chorizo pigs in a blanket, $10 craft beer growlers and more. The best seats in the house will be at the Table Tap booths, where groups of 8 can pour their own beer and have prime views of the flat screen TVs. The bar also opens early at 2:30pm. Reservations highly recommended.

www.citytavernculvercity.com

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/30/superbowl-2012-los-angeles_n_1241831.html

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EU rejects call for control over Greek budget (AP)

BRUSSELS ? The European Union's executive body is rejecting calls from Germany to establish a eurozone budget commissioner who would directly control tax and spending decisions in debt-ridden Greece.

The European Commission said Saturday that "executive tasks must remain the full responsibility of the Greek government, which is accountable before its citizens and its institutions."

The Commission, the European Central Bank, and the International Monetary Fund already have unprecedented powers over Greek spending, after negotiating with Athens stringent austerity measures and economic reforms in return for a first, multi-billion euro bailout.

They are reviewing implementation of these measures and discussing a second bailout.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120128/ap_on_bi_ge/eu_europe_financial_crisis

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Deficit focus questioned as answer to euro crisis (AP)

FRANKFURT, Germany ? Europe is getting tougher on government debt. After more than two years struggling to rescue financially shaky governments, leaders of the 17 countries that use the euro are ready to agree on a treaty that will force member countries to put deficit limits into their national laws.

At first glance, it seems logical ? after all, the crisis erupted after too many governments spent and borrowed too much for too long.

But a number of economists ? and some politicians ? say the focus on cutting deficits is misplaced and that more fundamental problems are being left unaddressed.

It's how the euro was set up in the first place, they say ? one currency, but multiple government budgets, economies moving at different speeds and no central treasury or borrowing authority to back them up.

Until those institutional flaws are tackled, the economists say, the euro will remain vulnerable. So far, Greece, Ireland and Portugal have turned to other eurozone governments and the International Monetary Fund for emergency funds to avoid defaulting on their debts.

Nonetheless, European leaders are pushing a new anti-debt treaty as the leading edge of their effort to reassure markets. European Union leaders hope to agree on the treaty's text at a meeting starting Monday, and sign it by March.

The proposed treaty pushes countries to limit "structural" deficits ? shortfalls not caused by ups and downs of the business cycle ? to a tight 0.5 percent of gross domestic product or face a fine. That comes on top of other recent EU legislation intended to tighten observance of the eurozone's limits: overall deficits of 3 percent of GDP and national debt of 60 percent of GDP.

European leaders are also urging countries to improve growth by reducing regulation and other barriers to business.

Yet economists like Jean Pisani-Ferry, director of the Bruegel think tank in Brussels, says it's striking that governments are focusing on budget rules, given Europe's earlier experience with them. An earlier set of rules were largely ignored at the behest of France and Germany in the first years after the euro's 1999 launch.

And some of the countries that now are in the deepest trouble ? such as Spain and bailed-out Ireland ? stayed well within the debt limit for years.

"This suggests that the simplistic view ? that a thorough enforcement of the rules would have prevented the crisis ? should be treated with caution," Pisani-Ferry wrote in a recent article for Bruegel.

Some European politicians are also voicing doubts about focusing primarily on deficits. They include new Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti, who has warned that growth is the real answer to shrinking debt in the long term. International Monetary Fund head Christine Lagarde has urged a broader approach. She calls for a willingness to share the burden of supporting banks and other financial risks so troubles in one country don't become a crisis for the entire currency bloc.

Here are four reasons for concern cited by economists ? but not yet on the summit agendas of the eurozone's leaders.

NO COMMON BORROWING: Without a central, pan-European treasury, there's no steady central source of support for eurozone countries that run into economic or financial trouble. Many economists say issuing jointly guaranteed "eurobonds" would make sure no one country would ever default and governments would always be able to borrow. Governments would give up some of their sovereignty, allowing review of their spending and borrowing plans, to get the money.

Pisani-Ferry argues that this would protect governments from the kind of self-fulfilling bond market panic fueled by fears of default, that pushed Greece, Ireland and Portugal over the edge.

Yet the idea of more collective responsibility remains unpopular in prosperous EU countries such as Germany, Finland and the Netherlands. They can borrow cheaply due to their strong finances and would likely pay more to borrow at the rate that includes the shaky ones.

Eurobonds would also likely require a time-consuming change to the European Union's basic treaty ? which currently bans members from assuming each other's debts. There would also have to be a mechanisms in place to stop countries with shoddy finances from borrowing too much.

Opponents say that's unrealistic. "If you have mutual debt responsibility, and freedom of each country to borrow, then each country can drive the eurozone into bankruptcy," said Kai Konrad, managing director of the Max Planck Institute for Tax Law and Public Finance in Munich.

BANK BAILOUTS: Europe currently has no safety mechanism that would stop a country from sinking under the weight of having to bail out banks based in that country.

At the moment, each country bears the brunt of rescuing its own banks. This can create serious problems in a crisis.

For example Ireland's loosely regulated banks borrowed heavily and loaned out money freely for speculative real estate projects. When the real estate market collapsed and the loans were not paid back, the Irish government had to step in to guarantee the bank's bonds ? and quickly went broke. Ireland had a very low debt level of only 25 percent of annual economic output in 2007. As bank losses moved to the government's balance sheet, by 2011 debt hit 106 percent of annual GDP. The country remains on EU-IMF life support.

Simon Tilford of the Centre for European Reform in London draws an analogy with U.S. insurer AIG, which was bailed out by the U.S. federal government in 2008. AIG was incorporated in the U.S. state of Delaware, yet Delaware did not go bankrupt handling the rescue. The central government stepped in.

TRADE IMBALANCES: Economists point out that gaps in how well countries compete and trade with one another have steadily widened since the euro was created.

Greece's current account deficit ? the broadest measure of trade ? is even worse than its budget deficit. It buys and borrows far more than it sells and earns abroad.

Normally trade imbalances are evened out by fluctuating exchange rates ? but that can't happen within the euro. Countries can improve their competitiveness by doing what Germany did in the 2000s ? cut labor costs to business by cutting general unemployment benefits. They can cut red tape and taxes. But that takes years.

Meanwhile, the region is also hampered by an inflexible pan-euro interest rate. Low interest rates ? set by the European Central Bank to see Germany and France through stagnation in the early 2000s ? were too low to control wage inflation and reckless borrowing in places like Greece and Ireland. Wage costs and debt levels rose. Competitiveness and exports declined, weakening the economy and undermining government finances.

CENTRAL BANK POWERS: Yet another structural issue is the limited power of the European Central Bank to support governments.

The bank resisted calls to buy larger amounts of government bonds. That resistance observes the spirit of the EU basic treaty, which forbids the central bank from financing governments.

But it's a constraint that central banks such as the U.S. Federal Reserve and the Bank of England don't have. They can buy up their country's debt, a move that can push down government borrowing costs and reassure markets the state will always pay its debts.

The ECB remains "a limited-purpose central bank," says Tilford.

He notes that Britain has more debt than Spain, 81 percent of GDP versus 67 percent, yet borrows at just over 2 percent annual interest for its 10-year bonds, while Spanish debt for the same period has a 5 percent-plus interest rate. One difference: markets know the Bank of England has the ability to support the government in a crisis by buying bonds and driving down interest rates.

Many of these issue were raised before the currency was launched in 1999, then got less attention.

Tilford says that "the tendency has been to say the currency union needs all these things but in practice it's not necessarily the case" so long as countries obey budget rules and manage their finances well.

"It's become harder to maintain that kind of argumentation now, given how bad things have got."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/eurobiz/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120128/ap_on_bi_ge/eu_fixing_the_euro

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Yemeni president arrives in US for treatment

NEW YORK?? The embattled president of Yemen arrived in the United States on Saturday for medical treatment, Yemen's foreign press office said.

President Ali Abdullah Saleh arrived at an unspecified location in the U.S., after a journey that took him from Oman through London.

His staff has said he is in the United States to be treated for injuries suffered during an assassination attempt in June.

Saleh's travel plans in the United States have not been disclosed for security reasons.

After months of unrest, Saleh agreed in November to relinquish power.

The U.S. and its allies have pressured Saleh to leave Yemen permanently, but it is unclear how long he will remain in the U.S.

In a speech before he left for Oman, he promised to return home before Feb. 21 presidential elections.

Washington has been trying to get Saleh to leave his homeland, but it does not want him to settle permanently in the United States, fearing it would be seen as harboring a leader considered by his people to have blood on his hands.

Saleh was traveling on a chartered Emirates plane with a private doctor, translator, eight armed guards and several family members, an official in the Yemeni president's office said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

In November, Saleh handed over his powers to his vice president and promised to step down completely after months of protests by millions across the country demanding an end to his nearly 33-year rule. A national unity government was formed between his ruling party and the opposition.

But opponents say he has continued to interfere in the work of a unity government through his allies and relatives in key posts ? particularly his son and nephew, who command the country's most elite and powerful military units. As a result, the past two months have seen persistent violence, power struggles and delays in reforms.

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Saleh agreed to step down in return for a sweeping immunity from prosecution on any crimes committed during his rule, a measure that has angered many in Yemen who want him tried for the deaths of protesters in his crackdown on the uprising against him. Protests have continued demanding his prosecution and the removal of his relatives and allies from authority.

Even since the protests against his rule began a year ago, Saleh has proved a master in eluding pressure to keep his grip, though over the months his options steadily closed around him. He slipped out of signing the accord for the power handover three times over the months before finally agreeing to it.

He was badly burned in a June explosion in his compound in Sanaa. He received medical treatment in neighboring Saudi Arabia for three months. American officials had hoped he would remain there, but the Yemeni leader returned home and violence worsened anew.

His maneuvering and the turmoil on the ground left the United States struggling to find a stable transition in the country to ensure a continued fight against al-Qaida militants based in the country, who make up the most active branch of the terror network in the world. Saleh was a close ally of Washington in the fight, taking millions in counterterrorism aid.

During the past year of turmoil, al-Qaida-linked militants outright took control of several cities and towns in the south, including Zinjibar, the capital of Abyan province.

On Friday, government forces battled with the militants near the town of Jaar, which they also control. At least five people were killed in the fighting, Yemeni security officials said Saturday, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the press.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46174269/ns/world_news-mideast_n_africa/

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Djokovic edges Murray, sets up final vs Nadal (AP)

MELBOURNE, Australia ? Novak Djokovic overcame his breathing problems and fatigue to beat friend Andy Murray 6-3, 3-6, 6-7 (4), 6-1, 7-5 Friday in a nearly five-hour Australian Open semifinal.

Facing second-ranked Rafael Nadal in the final on Sunday, he'll try to become only the fifth man since in the Open Era started in 1968 to win three straight majors, joining Rod Laver, Pete Sampras, Roger Federer and Nadal.

"I'm extremely delighted to be in the final," Djokovic said. "What can be a bigger challenge than playing against Rafa Nadal, one of the greatest players ever."

Despite appearing tired and sore after the second set, Djokovic rallied to beat Murray in a rematch of the 2011 final at Melbourne Park to reach his third consecutive Grand Slam final.

After wasting a chance to serve out the match at 5-3 in the fifth and letting Murray back into the contest, Djokovic cashed in his first match point when the Scottish player missed a forehand after four hours, 50 minutes.

Djokovic dropped onto his back, fully laid out on the court. He got up and shook hands with Murray, before jogging back out onto the court like a boxer, dropping to his knees and crossing himself.

"You have to find strength in those moments and energy, and that keeps you going," he said. "At this level, very few points decide the winner.

"I think we both went through a physical crisis. You know, him at the fourth set, me all the way through the second and midway through the third. It was a very even match throughout, from the first to the last point."

It was already after 12:30 a.m. Saturday when he got up again and pumped his arms triumphantly.

"Andy deserves the credit to come back from 2-5 down. He was fighting. I was fighting," Djokovic said. "Not many words that can describe the feeling of the match.

"It was a physical match ... it was one of the best matches I played. Emotionally and mentally it was equally hard."

It was a bitter setback for Murray, who lost the previous two Australian finals.

Murray believes he's already improved in the few weeks since hiring eight-time major winner Ivan Lendl as coach.

"Yeah, it was tough at the end 'cause, you know, obviously you come back, then you get close to breaking," he said. "But a different player, a different attitude to this time last year. I'm proud of the way I fought."

Djokovic finished last year at No. 1 after winning three of the four majors, including a straight-sets win over Murray in the Australian final. His only loss at a Grand Slam in 2011 was against Federer in the French Open semifinals.

It was phenomenal season after previously only winning one major ? the 2008 Australian Open ? and not returning to a final for 11 Grand Slams.

"To be honest, I think I matured as a player. I started to believe on the court I could win majors," he said. "Rafa and Roger are the most dominant players for the last seven, eight years. ... It was very hard to take away the titles from them. They will not give you the titles. You have to earn it."

Djokovic's 70-6 win-loss record in 2011 included those six wins over Nadal in finals ? including Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. However, Nadal will have an extra day to prepare for this final.

In 2009, Nadal beat Fernando Verdasco in a 5-hour, 14-minute semifinal before facing Federer in the final and winning less than 24 hours later.

On Friday night, both Djokovic and Murray had form dips ? but Djokovic's were more obvious. He led by a set and a break before Murray started coming back. Then Djokovic started walking gingerly and appeared to be struggling for breath ? just as he had been in his straights sets quarterfinal win over No. 5-ranked David Ferrer.

At one point, he pointed to his nose and seemed to indicated to his support group that he was having trouble breathing.

In the opening game of the third set, Djokovic had to fend off five break points before holding a game that lasted 14 minutes, then asked the chair umpire for a handful of tissues to blow his nose.

He said his breathing problems were from allergies, and said he'd seen a doctor.

He stayed in the points, despite Murray scrambling and trying to get him involved in long rallies. Relentlessly pushing the limits hurt Murray in the end, finishing with 86 unforced errors against 47 winners. Djokovic had 69 unforced errors and 49 winners.

After winning a tight third-set tiebreaker but then virtually conceding the fourth set, Murray rallied again after falling behind 5-2 in the fifth. He broke Djokovic at love when the Serb was serving for the match and rallied to tie it 5-5, putting all the pressure back on the defending champion.

But Djokovic composed himself and seemed to gather energy as the match wore on. He held serve and then broke Murray to finish it off.

"I'm going to try to recover," Djokovic said. "Obviously, it's going to be physical as well."

Despite being friends and childhood rivals, this was only the second meeting between Djokovic and Murray at a Grand Slam. Djokovic beat Murray in the 2011 Australian final and had a 6-4 lead in their overall head-to-heads at tour level.

Murray won the Brisbane International and came into the semifinal on a 10-match winning streak with Lendl in his box.

The blue-and-white crossed Scottish flags fluttered in the crowd, held by fans with the flag painted on their faces and some wearing their tartan Tam hats. The support was evenly split at Rod Laver Arena, encouraging both players in the tense final set.

The Maria Sharapova vs. Victoria Azarenka women's final on Saturday night is previewed by local media as a battle of the two loudest grunters on the tour.

Azarenka, who won the Sydney International title the weekend before the season's first major, has been mocked by the crowd for her hooting sounds. She'll be playing her first Grand Slam final.

Sharapova has won three majors, but none since the 2008 Australian Open. She also displays a loud, piercing sound when hitting the ball.

The winner will move to the top of the rankings. Caroline Wozniacki, who came into the tournament as No. 1, will drop three places after her quarterfinal loss to 2011 champion Kim Clijsters.

In the men's doubles final Saturday, American twins Bob and Mike Bryan are aiming for a Grand Slam record 12th major when they take on Leander Paes and Radek Stepanek.

Russians Svetlana Kuznetsova and Vera Zvonareva won the women's doubles final on Friday with a 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 victory over the Italian duo of Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci.

Bethanie Mattek-Sands and her Romanian partner Horia Tecau advanced to the mixed doubles final with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Indian pair Sania Mirza and Mahesh Bhupathi. They'll play Elena Vesnina of Russia and Leander Paes of India.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120127/ap_on_sp_te_ga_su/ten_australian_open

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India's 'untouchable' queen faces election test

LUCKNOW, India?? After driving through a red-carpeted tunnel of plaster elephant tusks in an Ambassador, India's retro-looking national car, the chief minister of India's largest state swept past a coterie of her party's workers, who bowed and touched her feet.

Diamonds adorned the diminutive figure of "the Dalit Queen," encrusting her necklace, a bracelet, her earrings, a nose-ring and her watch, as she accepted a few bouquets of flowers and marched about briskly in the marigold-draped party headquarters.

But the huge crowds of gaping admirers were missing this year; there was no garland of banknotes, no upper-caste Brahmin on hand to symbolically pop a morsel of birthday cake into the mouth of an "untouchable" who has risen from the bottom of India's social pile to become one of the most powerful women in the world.

That's because election campaign rules are now in effect for staggered polls to be held in February and March in Uttar Pradesh.

Mayawati, who uses one name, is far from a sure bet to win another term as chief minister of the northern state whose population of 200 million would rank as the fifth-most populous in the world if it were a country.

Rainbow of castes
If she doesn't, it would be a blow to her undisguised ambition to one day become prime minister of India, a goal that looked reasonable back in 2007 when she won a huge mandate from the state's voters by appealing to a rainbow of castes, which still define the socio-economic status for many of India's 1.2 billion people.

Launching the seventh, gilt-edged volume of an autobiography that runs to thousands of pages and is printed in Hindi and English, Mayawati bemoaned Election Commission rules that obliged her to row back on her usual birthday beneficence.

"Normally, my birthday is an occasion to give away thousands of crores (a crore is 10 million rupees or $188,000) in welfare schemes for Dalits and other backward castes, but because of the election code of conduct we could not do that this year," she said.

Mayawati's nemesis in the election is Rahul Gandhi, scion of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty that has ruled the country for most of its six decades of independence.

A relative greenhorn in the hurly-burly of Indian politics, Gandhi has staked his future on the performance of the venerable but troubled Congress party in Uttar Pradesh.

Although she presides over one of the most poverty-plagued states of India ? its per-capita income is just above 50 percent of the national average ? Mayawati's extraordinary personal extravagance preserves a tradition set over the centuries by a succession of rulers in the plains of the river Ganges.

Pink marble monuments
In the five years since she took office, she has blanketed hundreds of acres of prime real estate in the state capital Lucknow and elsewhere in pink marble and sandstone monuments.

Statues of marble elephants and icons of the lower castes, including a dozen of herself, occupy memorial parks created on a scale not seen in India since the British built New Delhi in the fading days of their empire.

A federal government report found that Uttar Pradesh lavished more than $400 million on such projects between 2007 and 2009 alone ? and the building continues.

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"She's taken it straight out of the pages of the Mughals and the first British Viceroys who built huge statues. These are abiding icons that the Dalits always hankered after but never had themselves," Ajoy Bose, author of a biography of Mayawati, said.

Like the Nawabs, descendents of Persian courtiers who governed the region in the 18th century, Mayawati likes to flaunt her wealth.

On paper, she is India's richest chief minister, with declared assets of $16 million that include a shopping mall in New Delhi and $169,000 in jewelry.

But unlike many of her peers in other states, she is open about her income and pays taxes on it.

A U.S. diplomatic cable released by WikiLeaks last year recounted how she once sent a private jet to fetch a pair of sandals from Mumbai, 620 miles away.

According to the cable, one minister was forced to do sit-ups in front of Mayawati as a punishment for a minor offence; those wanting to become election candidates for her Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) had to pay tens of thousands of dollars for the privilege.

US cable: 'First-rate egomaniac'
But, unlike her aristocratic Mughal, Nawab and British predecessors, she hails from India's "Dalit" castes, who were marginalized for centuries on the bottom rungs of Hinduism's social ladder. Still today, the idea that a Dalit could become prime minister is as outlandish for many Indians as the thought of a black president once was in the United States.

One of nine children of a poor government clerk, Mayawati grew up in a Delhi slum and became a school teacher before launching into politics. Aides say she's a news junkie, who obsessively watches the many all-news channels now available in India.

She is often ridiculed by urban middle classes for her monumental personality cult ? the U.S. cable described her as a "first-rate egomaniac" ? and yet Mayawati still has many supporters in Uttar Pradesh, where economic growth has picked up and law and order have improved on her watch.

Mayawati's aides point out that she has spent far more on building roads and joining villages to the electrical grid than she has on the icons to herself and the Dalit people.

"Once you get the infrastructure on the ground, Uttar Pradesh will grow on its own," said a senior official in her inner circle, who asked not to be identified.

Sympathetic analysts even liken her park-building spree to that of the Nawab of Lucknow, Asaf-Ud-Dowlah, who employed 20,000 people to build a shrine during a harsh 1784 famine, a project some historians call an example of pre-Keynesian economics.

Economic growth
That might be a stretch, but electrification and rural welfare projects have undoubtedly contributed to economic growth, which at seven percent annually in her first four years of office, was the state's fastest-ever rate.

A report by the central government's economic Planning Commission last year said Mayawati's pro-Dalit policies had begun to improve the dire nutrition situation in the state, where 42 percent of children under five are underweight.

Even critics admit crime has fallen noticeably since she took over as chief minister in 2007 from Mulayam Singh Yadav, a former wrestler many remember for presiding over a surge in gang violence, with gun-wielding goons threatening shopkeepers.

In the mainly Dalit village of Bhaddi Kheda, an hour's drive from Lucknow, families have been given grants to build modest new houses to replace mud-walled hovels. New toilets improve sanitation, and muddy lanes have been paved.

Most importantly, said villager Saptruhan Das, Dalits who for generations were terrorized by higher castes now feel protected because the police are on their side.

"Yadav people would come and misbehave with the women," Das said, referring to former Chief Minister Yadav's caste. "In some places, they'd give us work but beat us. Now with Mayawati in power, nobody dares."

According to an opinion poll conducted in Uttar Pradesh for India Today magazine last November, 69 percent said that Mayawati had fulfilled the expectations of Dalits.

Ability matters more than caste
But nearly 9 out of 10 voters said competence mattered more than the chief minister's caste, two-thirds wanted a change of guard, and the poll showed that Yadav was more favored than Mayawati as the best person to lead the state.

Indeed, Yadav's Samajwadi Party could well emerge from the election with more seats in the 403-member state assembly than Mayawati, though probably not enough for a majority, forcing him to ally with Gandhi's Congress for a return to power.

It is too soon to write off the wily Mayawati. She has outwitted every opponent who has crossed her path since the 1990s, first forming several short-lived coalition governments and then storming home with a single-party majority in 2007.

She still pulls in crowds of easily 100,000 at election rallies, far more than her opponents, including Gandhi. And she has a knack for turning adversity into advantage.

Take the flap over the life-sized elephant statues Mayawati had erected in a sprawling Lucknow park, which she opened in 2008 and named after the untouchable leader who wrote India's constitution, Dr. B.R Ambedkar.

The Election Commission this month ordered all statues of Mayawati and of elephants ? her party's electoral symbol ? to be covered during the campaign. So now, dozens of hulking elephant statues are clad in yellow plastic sheeting, and plyboard boxes have been built around bronze Mayawati statues.

"I thank the Election Commission for this order," she said. "It is going to benefit the party and has given us free publicity."

Despite her bravado, Mayawati is likely to lose the votes of millions who believe that corruption has gone from bad to worse and the fruits of economic growth have been unevenly spread both across the sprawling state and its castes.

System of bribes
Speaking on condition of anonymity, one businessman in the state described a well-organized system of bribe-paying to bureaucrats and constant harassment of companies for pay-offs.

"You have to be really desperate to do business in Uttar Pradesh. You have to pay for virtually everything," he said. "Since you have to pay out even if you follow the law ? why follow the law?"

Apart from a couple of companies seen as close to her administration including Jaypee Group, which built the track used for India's first Formula One race last year, Uttar Pradesh has missed out on India's industrial growth of the past decade.

Construction, particularly state-funded building of roads, has been the main driver of the state's economy, along with agriculture. Manufacturing has stagnated, hobbled by regular power cuts, high taxes and corruption.

Dalit villager Chote Lal, 28, says life has improved for his caste under Mayawati, but he still does not have enough food to feed his seven children properly.

"There are no jobs, no factories ? she should have brought in industry," he said.

This may be Mayawati's undoing: not the statues and the personal extravagance, but the sense she has not done enough to lift living standards evenly across so vast a population.

"Overall, her performance is a mixed bag," said Bose, her biographer. "She has clearly been disappointing. She had a great chance to do more."

This is especially felt among higher castes and Muslims, whose votes helped propel Mayawati to power with a majority in 2007 but who now feel her pro-Dalit policies have not taken them into account.

"We want a government that works for development, not one that works for one particular caste or religion," said Mohammed Ahmed Khan, a Muslim farmer in the village of Dharai Mafi.

Copyright 2012 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46146380/ns/world_news-south_and_central_asia/

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NASA sees development of tropical storm 09S in southern Indian Ocean

ScienceDaily (Jan. 25, 2012) ? NASA's Aqua satellite passed over the low pressure system called System 97S on Jan. 24 and observed a large area of strong thunderstorms around its center that hinted at further development. On Jan. 25, the low strengthened into the ninth tropical depression and now a tropical storm of the Southern Indian Ocean.

NASA's Aqua satellite passed over Tropical Storm 09S on January 25 at 7:05 UTC (2:05 a.m. EST), and the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument measured the cloud top temperatures. Just as they appeared in infrared imagery on January 24, thunderstorm cloud tops around the entire center of circulation and in some of the bands of thunderstorms that circled the center from northwest to northeast were colder than -63 Fahrenheit (-52.7 Celsius). Temperatures that cold indicate uplift (and evaporation) of air is very strong, and it pushes the cloud tops to the top of the troposphere. When cloud tops get that high, they tend to drop heavy rainfall (around 2 inches/50 mm per hour).

AIRS infrared imagery revealed that the convection continues to strengthen and during the early hours on January 25, bands of thunderstorms were developing around the center.

Although Tropical Storm 09S has moved in a westerly direction over the last couple of days, a weather system (elongated area of high pressure, called a ridge) will begin pushing it eastward toward Western Australia late on January 25. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center has forecast Tropical Storm 09S (TS09S) to come closest to the coastline of Western Australia by January 29 and 30, 2012.

At 1500 UTC (10 a.m. EST) on January 25, TS09S had maximum sustained winds near 35 knots (40 mph/~65 kph). It was located near 16.0 South latitude and 107.8 East longitude, about 515 nautical miles (~592 miles/~953 km) northwest of Learmonth, Australia. The storm was still moving to the west at 5 knots (~6 mph/9 kph), but is expected to change course to the east-southeast.

The Joint Typhoon Warning Center expects that Tropical Storm 09S will continue to strengthen over the next couple of days and could reach Cyclone status.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center. The original article was written by Rob Gutro.

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Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/jjCDJP4t3YY/120125163408.htm

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Obama to propose tax credit for natgas trucks (reuters)

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Fed to show members' views on interest rate moves (AP)

WASHINGTON ? Federal Reserve policymakers on Wednesday will give a clearer picture of where they expect short-term interest rates to be in the next few years.

The Fed's quarterly economic forecast will show where members of the policy committee expect the rate to be at the end of each of the next three years. And it will signal when each member expects the first rate hike will occur.

The change is intended to reassure consumers and investors that they will be able to borrow cheaply well into the future. And some economists said it could lead to further Fed action to try to invigorate the economy.

Many private economists expect the forecasts will show the Fed is unlikely to increase the rate before 2014. That would mark a shift from the Fed's plan to keep the rate low at least until mid-2013.

The Fed will offer the views of those officials at the conclusion of its two-day meeting. The forecast on interest rates will be released along with the Fed's updated projections for economic growth, unemployment and inflation.

Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke will discuss the forecasts and Fed policy at a news conference after the meeting.

The economy is looking a little better, according to a raft of recent private and government data. Companies are hiring more, the stock market is rising, factories are busy and more people are buying cars. Even the home market is showing slight gains after three dismal years

Still, the threat of a recession in Europe is likely to drag on the global economy. And another year of weak wage gains in the United States could force consumers to pull back on spending, which would slow growth.

Most economists don't expect the Fed to drastically alter their forecasts. Some expect a more positive outlook for unemployment after rate fell to 8.5 percent in December ? the lowest rate in nearly three years.

The decision to share policymakers' views on interest rates is the Fed's latest effort to make its communications with the public more open and explicit.

Until last year, the Fed has been fairly cryptic about the future direction of interest rates. The rate has been a record low near zero since December 2008.

The Fed may also include a statement on its long-term goals, although most economists expect the Fed will delay its release until a later meeting. The statement could provide clarity on the Fed's targets for the two parts of its congressional mandate, keeping inflation and unemployment low.

No announcements are expected Wednesday of any further Fed action to try to lift the economy. Most analysts think Fed members want to put off any new steps, such as more bond purchases, to see if the economy can extend the gains it's made in recent months.

That's true even though the new roster of voting members is more likely to support further steps to boost the economy.

Twice last year, Fed action to try to further lower long-term rates drew three dissenting votes out of 10. But the three members who dissented have rotated off the voting panel. They have been replaced by officials thought to be more supportive of moves that Bernanke may push.

The Fed has taken previous steps to strengthen the economy, including purchases of $2 trillion in government bonds and mortgage-backed securities to try to cut long-term rates and ease borrowing costs.

The idea behind the Fed's two rounds of bond buying was to drive down rates to embolden consumers and businesses to borrow and spend more. Lower yields on bonds also encourage investors to shift money into stocks, which can boost wealth and spur more spending.

Some Fed officials have resisted further bond buying for fear it would raise the risk of high inflation later. And many doubt it would help much since Treasury yields are already near historic lows. But Bernanke and other members have left the door open to further action if they think the economy needs it.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120125/ap_on_bi_ge/us_federal_reserve

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Euro zone may yet escape recession as services jump: PMIs (Reuters)

LONDON (Reuters) ? The euro zone may yet escape recession thanks to a surprise upturn in the service sector that outweighed the ongoing contraction in manufacturing this month, surveys showed on Tuesday.

Markit's Flash Eurozone Purchasing Managers' Composite Index (PMI), often seen as a growth indicator, jumped to 50.4 from December's 48.3, its highest reading in four months.

That easily beat the highest forecast of 49.5 in a Reuters poll, which gave a median prediction of 48.5.

"The index seems to have bottomed out in October and we've had three months of improvement. Three months we see as a turning point signal, and we are beginning to get a bit more confident," said Chris Williamson, chief economist at data provider Markit.

"So it may not be a recession in the euro zone but a very brief period of decline."

A Reuters poll last week predicted the euro zone would wallow in a mild recession until the second half of this year and shrink in 2012 by around 0.3 percent.

But some of the recent growth was spurred by reducing backlogs of work, with the composite sub-index remaining below 50 at 47.2, albeit up slightly from December's 46.4.

Firms were also forced to cut prices for the second month to drum up business, despite input costs rising.

In a worrying sign for policymakers, the big two economies of Germany and France supported growth in the bloc, the rest of which remained firmly in contraction territory, Markit said.

Earlier data from Germany, the backbone of the bloc, showed its service sector expanded at its fastest pace in seven months - far quicker than expected - while manufacturing activity increased for the first time in four months.

France's service sector grew at its fastest pace since August, but factory sector activity declined for the sixth straight month.

SERVICES BOOST

The service sector PMI rose to 50.5 this month from 48.8 in December, the first time it has been above the 50 mark that divides growth from contraction since last August.

That beat both the median prediction of 49.0 and the highest forecast of 50.0 in a Reuters poll.

The manufacturing PMI came in at 48.7, above December's 46.9 and also beating both the top-end forecast and a median prediction for 47.3 in a Reuters poll.

Factory output held steady this month, with the index at 50.0, considerably higher than December's 47.1.

Despite the continued contraction, factories took on extra workers this month. The jobs sub-index rose to 50.5 from 49.9, but service sector firms reduced their workforce as they battled to rein in costs.

Official data showed the unemployment rate held steady at 10.3 percent in November but a Reuters poll predicts it will rise this year.

OPTIMISTIC

Services firms, ranging from banks to hotels, grew more optimistic about the future with the business expectations index jumping to 56.0 this month from December's 53.6, the highest reading since August.

"We saw companies more confident in the outlook that they think the euro zone's crisis may be coming to some sort of conclusion with some deal-making on Greek bonds in particular," Williamson said.

The bloc has struggled as the debt crisis that began in Greece over two years ago has raged on, threatening to rip the currency union apart, while it has also been hurt by a global economic slowdown.

But France and Germany said on Monday that a deal with private sector investors to reduce Greece's debt burden was "taking shape" although Athens needed to stick to its reform promises to secure a new EU/IMF program it needs to avoid default by March.

- Detailed PMI data are only available under license from Markit and customers need to apply to Markit for a license.

To subscribe to the full data, click on the link below: http://www/markit.com/information/register/reuters-pmi-subscriptions

For further information, please phone Markit on +44 20 7260 2454 or email economics@markit.com

(Editing by Hugh Lawson)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/eurobiz/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120124/bs_nm/us_eurozone_pmi

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Tesla is racing to the finish line for Model S prep, talks up 'Supercharging'

Despite losing two of its big kahunas, electric car maker Tesla is stepping on the throttle of its new Model S project like a battery-powered bat out of hell. While recently doing some 'splainin with Autoblog, Tesla Vice President of Communications Ricardo Reyes confirmed that initial deliveries of the four-door sedan are still on track for mid-2012 in the United States, followed by a European launch six months later. Reyes also talked up the creation of Supercharging locations to help long-driving Model S users with higher-capacity 60kWh and 85kWh batteries charge their car from 10 percent to 90 percent in 45 minutes -- Model S cars with the lower-end 40kWh battery won't be able to Supercharge, though. Tesla already announced a tax-credit fueled $49,900 price tag for the base model in December. Folks who prefer their electric vehicle to come with some more chest hair will be happy to know that the Feb. 9 unveiling of the seven-seat Model X SUV is still on track.

Tesla is racing to the finish line for Model S prep, talks up 'Supercharging' originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Jan 2012 03:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/25/tesla-racing-finish-line-model-s-production-supercharging/

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Video: Two Horse Race: Mitt vs. Newt

Debating whether Mitt Romney or Newt Gingrich is a stronger candidate to face President Obama in the 2012 election, with Dick Armey, FreedomWorks, and fmr Gov. Tim Pawlenty, (R-MN).

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Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/cnbc/46108554/

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Communications Degree Admission and Course Requirements ...

Get to know the different admission requirements for a communications degree including the course requirements for various concentration areas.

Do you know what you can do with a communications degree?
A communications degree can put you in various career paths connected to communications such as journalism, teaching, journalism and more.
Both the admission and course requirements for this degree vary, and this depends on the focus of the program and the school you are attending.

Communications degree students with a journalism concentration are often required to undergo a few writing and editing classes.
Those with a focus on advertising should take more classes about public relations.
In general, communication degrees require several classes that every student will have to take, irrespective of the areas of concentration.

Before enrollment, most communication program departments often require interested applicants to take an entrance exam.
The purpose of the test is to know each student?s level of proficiency in grammar and writing.
Besides assessing each applicant, the placement test may also serve as a screening tool to determine which classes are necessary before taking up the core curriculum that make up the requirements of communications degree.

Applicants that scored too low may have to attend the introductory language classes.
However, those that get exceptionally high scores may not be required to get prerequisite courses.
During the first to second years, course requirements will focus on the basics of communications program.

Every student will be required to attend classes on writing compositions and speech communications, regardless of the degree program.
These two classes are important since they provide foundation for the rest of the classes in the communication curriculum.
Other basic classes include psychology and sociology.

During the third and fourth years of the program, the course requirement for communications will start to focus on the student?s chosen concentration.
Students going to print journalism field will likely be required to take basic classes on feature writing, news writing and copy-editing.
Those who want to be an advertising specialist will concentrate on public relations and marketing classes.

The head or director of the communications department may assist students in determining the best classes that are needed for their chosen specialty.
Just to add to the classroom communications requirements, students are usually expected to take an internship related to their respective specialty.
For instance, print journalism students will practice at a local magazine or newspaper while radio journalism may do duties at a local radio station.

An internship usually consists of between four to 12 credits towards this degree.
Apart from completing internships, many degree programs encourage students to join extracurricular activities that matches with the curriculum.
Debate teams, film festivals, college newspapers, TV stations and radio stations are great choices for extracurricular activities.

For those interested in taking up a masters in communication, most schools require a bachelor?s degree from an accredited university or college.
Of course, an official transcript should be submitted with at least 2.75 cumulative GPA and a professional resume.
In addition, applicants are requested to write an application essay, more or less a 500-word essay about the things you expect to gain by completing the degree; the essay will also demonstrate your writing skills.

However, for applicants with less than 2.75 GPA, some schools may accept applications provided you have an above average score on GRE (Graduate Record Exam) or MAT (Miller Analogies Test).
Applicants are subjected for review of potential as a communications degree graduate student.
To add, applicants whose bachelor?s degrees are not related to communication may have to take up prerequisite courses in addition to the core curriculum of the masters degree.

Source: http://www.podcampfoundation.com/2012/01/communications-degree-admission-and-course-requirements/

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Bid for Iran nuclear talks confronts old snags

FILE - In this Friday, Aug. 20, 2010 file photo, an Iranian security guard walks past a gate of the Bushehr nuclear power plant as its reactor building is seen in background, just outside the city of Bushehr 750 miles (1,245 kilometers) south of the capital Tehran, Iran. The last time Iran's nuclear envoys held talks with the U.S. and other world powers, the negotiations limped along until a parting shot by the Islamic Republic: Its labs boosted the enrichment levels of uranium in reply to demands for a full-scale freeze. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi, File)

FILE - In this Friday, Aug. 20, 2010 file photo, an Iranian security guard walks past a gate of the Bushehr nuclear power plant as its reactor building is seen in background, just outside the city of Bushehr 750 miles (1,245 kilometers) south of the capital Tehran, Iran. The last time Iran's nuclear envoys held talks with the U.S. and other world powers, the negotiations limped along until a parting shot by the Islamic Republic: Its labs boosted the enrichment levels of uranium in reply to demands for a full-scale freeze. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi, File)

FILE - In this Tuesday, April 3, 2007 file photo, technicians work at the reactor building of the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant, some 750 miles (1,245 kilometers) south of the capital Tehran, Iran. The last time Iran's nuclear envoys held talks with the U.S. and other world powers, the negotiations limped along until a parting shot by the Islamic Republic: Its labs boosted the enrichment levels of uranium in reply to demands for a full-scale freeze.(AP Photo/ISNA, Sot Akbar, File)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) ? The last time Iran's nuclear envoys held talks with the U.S. and other world powers, the negotiations limped along until a parting shot by the Islamic Republic: Its labs boosted the enrichment levels of uranium in reply to demands for a full-scale freeze.

Since then, the standoff has only become tenser. The European Union on Monday joined the U.S. with new sanctions targeting Iran's critical oil exports. Authorities in Tehran fired back with another threat to block tankers in the Persian Gulf ? even while offering to restart international talks after a one-year gap.

Yet one thing hasn't changed since the last round of meetings in January 2011. The chances of Iran agreeing to stop enriching uranium ? the core dispute between Tehran and its foes ? still appear slim.

Iran portrays its ability to make nuclear fuel as akin to a patriotic cause: showcasing the country's technological advances, elevating its international stature and proudly defying Western nuclear controls like other nations in the past ? including North Korea since the 1990s and China in the 1960s.

Iran strongly denies that it seeks nuclear weapons and says it only wants to enrich uranium to fuel reactors for energy and research. But Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has linked control of the entire nuclear cycle to part of Iran's "national identity."

"Iran's right for uranium enrichment is nonnegotiable," said conservative Iranian lawmaker Ali Aghazadeh. "There is no reason for Iran to compromise over its rights. But Iran is open to discussions over concerns about its nuclear program."

The bloc on the other side of the negotiating table ? the five permanent Security Council members plus Germany ? has not publicly spelled out any clear strategies if talks resume in Turkey as a proposed venue. It's highly unlikely, however, that they would back off the insistence that Iran suspend uranium enrichment, which Washington and others fear could lead to weapons-grade nuclear material.

The potential dead ends are clearly marked even before any agreement to reopen dialogue.

Iranian officials hammer the point that halting uranium enrichment is off the agenda. Some in the West, meanwhile, question whether Iran's outreach is simply another tactic to buy time for its nuclear program under pressure from cyberattacks and targeted killings that Tehran has blamed on Israel and its allies.

In Paris last week, French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said the European Union has made specific proposals for dialogue with Iran, but "unfortunately the country has not committed in a transparent and cooperative way in this process of talks."

On Monday in Brussels, the EU's foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton urged Tehran to offer "some concrete issues to talk about."

"It is very important that it is not just about words; a meeting is not an excuse, a meeting is an opportunity and I hope that they will seize it," she said as the EU adopted its toughest measures yet on Iran with an oil embargo and freeze of the country's central bank assets.

Iranian lawmaker Aghazadeh snapped back: "The West is not seeking a genuine dialogue."

"It's unlikely that any new round of talks will bring any understanding," he added. "There is lack of trust on both sides. Iran won't retreat from its position."

The situation carries strong echoes the last talks in January 2011. When the main talks foundered, Brazil and Turkey tried their hand by reviving proposals to provide Iran with reactor fuel rods from 20 percent enriched uranium in exchange for suspending the enrichment work.

It fell apart when Iran pushed ahead with a pilot program to make its own 20 percent enriched uranium. That's still far below the level needed for a warhead, but it boosts Iran's stockpile of higher-grade nuclear material and was seen as a powerful snub to Western demands.

In a news conference on Saturday, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman, Ramin Mehmanparast, used the word "justice" to describe what Tehran hopes to achieve from any possible talks.

It covers a lot of ground in explaining Iran's views.

Tehran considers its nuclear program as fully within U.N. rules ? which permit enrichment with oversight ? although U.N. watchdogs and other question how much of Iran's work is secret. Tehran also seeks to shift the nuclear spotlight onto Israel, which is believed to have an atomic arsenal despite its policy of neither confirming nor denying its military capabilities.

But, above all, the Islamic Republic sees its nuclear advancement as an integral part of its self-declared goal of becoming the Muslim world's answer to Western military and technological dominance.

Iran has announced sweeping plans for upgrades to its armed forces, including new warships and surveillance drones similar to the unmanned CIA spy craft captured last month. Iran's state media has claimed aerospace engineers have launched objects into orbit and are working on sending an astronaut into space.

"The nuclear program is a huge part of what's shaping Iran's world view," said Mehrzad Boroujerdi, an Iranian affairs expert at Syracuse University. "Khamenei sees it as part of his legacy. In a way, it's like the nationalization of the Suez Canal for Egypt. It's a defining issue and one of major national importance."

It also is one of the few patches of common ground in a country deeply divided since the clashes and crackdowns after President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's disputed re-election in 2009. Even opposition groups that rail against the ruling theocracy often support the nuclear program as a point of pride.

"The issue is protecting national interests," said Iranian political analyst Davoud Hermidas Bavand.

Yet he believes that talks ? even if they at first appear ill-fated ? are the only option to avoid deeper tensions that could lead to a military conflict in the Gulf.

"Talks offer a window to get out of the current impasse," he said.

The question still circles back to whether it could bring some concessions from Iran on uranium enrichment.

Meir Javedanfar, an Iranian-born analyst based in Israel, described Khamenei as stuck between "Obama and a hard place."

Khamenei cannot easily roll back the Iranian nuclear program, but is hit with increasing blows from sanctions that have isolated and eroded Iran's economy.

"Should he ignore it, the Iranian economy, the health of which is crucial to the survival of the regime, could collapse," he wrote in a Sunday commentary.

Keeping the ruling system in place, however, could also drive Iran's nuclear advances closer toward weapons, others contend.

"They perceive the whole nuclear issue as an insurance policy of sorts," said the analyst Boroujerdi. "There are those who say, 'If we are a nuclear power then the West wouldn't dare touch us.' And this, in their mind, helps ensure the survival of the system."

___

Associated Press writer Ali Akbar Dareini in Tehran, Iran, contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-01-24-ML-Iran-Enrichment-Commitment/id-451ada1a076e4f03b96c9f41bf7865b4

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Scrambled GOP race heads to Florida

Republican presidential candidate and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich prepares to walk off stage with his grand daughter Maggie Cushman, after Gingrich spoke during a?South Carolina Republican presidential primary night rally, Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012, in Columbia, S.C. Newt Gingrich won the South Carolina primary. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Republican presidential candidate and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich prepares to walk off stage with his grand daughter Maggie Cushman, after Gingrich spoke during a?South Carolina Republican presidential primary night rally, Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012, in Columbia, S.C. Newt Gingrich won the South Carolina primary. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Republican presidential candidate and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich speaks during a?South Carolina Republican presidential primary night rally, Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012, in Columbia, S.C. Callista Gingrich looks on at right. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum speaks during a South Carolina Republican presidential primary-night rally at The Citadel, Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012, in Charleston, S.C. Santorum says it's a "wide open race" for the GOP nomination, even after finishing a distant third in Saturday's primary. He'd hoped to build momentum from a late victory in the Iowa caucuses. (AP Photo/Rainier Ehrhardt)

Republican presidential candidate, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum speaks during a South Carolina Republican presidential primary night rally at the Citadel, Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012, in Charleston, S.C. Santorum says it's a "wide open race" for the GOP nomination, even after finishing third in Saturday's primary. (AP Photo/Rainier Ehrhardt)

Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, stands with his wife Ann as he speaks at his South Carolina primary election night reception at the South Carolina State Fairgrounds in Columbia, S.C., Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich won the Republican primary Saturday night. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) ? A suddenly scrambled Republican presidential contest now shifts to Florida, a day after Newt Gingrich stopped Mitt Romney's sprint to the GOP nomination by scoring a convincing victory in South Carolina.

The air of inevitability that surrounded Romney's candidacy just days ago is gone, at least for now. And his rivals, led by Gingrich, have 10 days before Florida's Jan. 31 contest to prove South Carolina was no fluke.

Florida, being much larger, more diverse, and more expensive, brings new challenges to Gingrich, who again must overcome financial and organizational disadvantages as he did Saturday.

"We don't have the kind of money at least one of the candidates has. But we do have ideas. And we do have people," Gingrich, the former House speaker, told cheering supporters Saturday night. "And we proved here in South Carolina that people power with the right ideas beats big money. And with your help, we're going to prove it again in Florida."

Romney struck a defiant tone before his own backers gathered at the South Carolina State Fairgrounds, saying: "I will compete in every single state." And wasted no time jabbing at Gingrich, saying: "Our party can't be led to victory by someone who also has never run a business and never led a state."

Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, having finished third in South Carolina, vowed to compete in Florida and beyond. His presence in the race ensures at least some division among Florida's tea party activists and evangelicals, a division that could ultimately help Romney help erase any questions about his candidacy by scoring a victory of his own a week from Tuesday.

Texas Rep. Ron Paul likely will not be a factor in Florida, having declared that he's bypassing the expensive state in favor of smaller subsequent contests.

As the first Southern primary, South Carolina has been a proving ground for Republican presidential hopefuls in recent years. Since Ronald Reagan in 1980, every Republican contender who won the primary has gone on to capture the party's nomination.

Returns from 95 percent of the state's precincts showed Gingrich with 41 percent of the vote to 27 percent for Romney. Santorum was winning 17 percent, Paul 13 percent.

But political momentum was the real prize with the race to pick an opponent to President Barack Obama still in its early stages.

Already, Romney and a group that supports him were on the air in Florida with a significant television ad campaign, more than $7 million combined to date.

Gingrich readily conceded that he trails in money, and even before appearing for his victory speech he tweeted supporters thanking them and appealing for a flood of donations for the Jan 31 primary. "Help me deliver the knockout punch in Florida. Join our Moneybomb and donate now," said his Internet message.

Aides to Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, had once dared hope that Florida would seal his nomination ? if South Carolina didn't first ? but that strategy appeared to vanish along with the once-formidable lead he held in pre-primary polls.

Romney swept into South Carolina 11 days ago as the favorite after being pronounced the winner of the lead-off Iowa caucuses, then cruising to victory in New Hampshire's first-in-the-nation primary.

But in the sometimes-surreal week that followed, he was stripped of his Iowa triumph ? GOP officials there now say Santorum narrowly won ? while former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman dropped out and endorsed Romney and Texas Gov. Rick Perry quit and backed Gingrich.

Romney responded awkwardly to questions about releasing his income tax returns, and about his investments in the Cayman Islands. Gingrich, the former speaker of the House, benefited from two well-received debate performances while grappling with allegations by an ex-wife that he had once asked her for an open marriage so he could keep his mistress.

By primary eve, Romney was speculating openly about a lengthy battle for the nomination rather than the quick knockout that had seemed within his grasp only days earlier.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-01-22-GOP%20Campaign/id-39ef51b3a8e54784a88903af43cf4949

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