Clinton to face Congress on Libya assault

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and former president Bill Clinton look on during the ceremonial swearing-in ceremony during the 57th President Inauguration, Monday, Jan. 21, 2013, on the West Front of the Capitol in Washington. (AP Photo/Win McNamee, Pool)

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and former president Bill Clinton look on during the ceremonial swearing-in ceremony during the 57th President Inauguration, Monday, Jan. 21, 2013, on the West Front of the Capitol in Washington. (AP Photo/Win McNamee, Pool)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton faces tough questions in her long-awaited congressional testimony concerning the assault on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, that killed Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans.

Clinton is the sole witness Wednesday at back-to-back hearings before the Senate and House foreign policy panels on the September raid, an independent panel's review that harshly criticized the State Department and the steps the Obama administration is taking to beef up security at U.S. facilities worldwide.

Clinton had been scheduled to testify before Congress last month, but an illness, a concussion and a blood clot near her brain forced her to postpone her appearance.

Her marathon day on Capitol Hill will probably be her last in Congress before she steps down as secretary of state. President Barack Obama has nominated Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., to succeed her, and his swift Senate confirmation is widely expected. Kerry's confirmation hearing is scheduled for Thursday.

Clinton's testimony will focus on the attack after more than three months of Republican charges that the Obama administration ignored signs of a deteriorating security situation in Libya and cast an act of terrorism as mere protests over an anti-Muslim video in the heat of a presidential election. Washington officials suspect that militants linked to al-Qaida carried out the attack.

"It's been a cover-up from the beginning," Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., the newest member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said Tuesday.

Politics play an outsized role in any appearance by Clinton, who sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 2008 and is the subject of constant speculation about a possible bid in 2016. The former first lady and New York senator ? a polarizing figure dogged by controversy ? is about to end her four-year tenure at the State Department with high favorable ratings.

A poll early last month by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press found 65 percent of Americans held a favorable impression of Clinton, compared with 29 percent unfavorable.

Challenging Clinton at the hearing will be two possible 2016 Republican presidential candidates ? Florida's Marco Rubio and Kentucky's Rand Paul, also a new member of the committee.

Clinton did little to quiet the presidential chatter earlier this month when she returned to work at the State Department after her illness. On the subject of retirement, she said, "I don't know if that is a word I would use, but certainly stepping off the very fast track for a little while."

State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said Tuesday that Clinton would focus on the Accountability Review Board's independent assessment of the attack and the State Department's work to implement its findings.

"Systematic failures and leadership and management deficiencies at senior levels within two bureaus of the State Department resulted in a Special Mission security posture that was inadequate for Benghazi and grossly inadequate to deal with the attack that took place," the panel said in its report last month.

The report singled out the Bureau of Diplomatic Security and the Bureau of Near East Affairs, saying there appeared to be a lack of cooperation and confusion over protection at the mission in Benghazi. The report described a security vacuum in Libya after rebel forces toppled the decades-long regime of strongman Moammar Gadhafi.

The report made 29 recommendations to improve diplomatic security, particularly at high-threat posts.

Nuland said Clinton "pledged not only to accept all 29 of the recommendations, but to have the implementation of those recommendations well under way before her successor took over. So I think she'll want to give a status on that."

Asked for the number of State Department employees fired for their handling of Benghazi, Nuland said four people were put on administrative leave. They included Eric Boswell, who resigned from the position of assistant secretary of diplomatic security.

But Nuland declined to say if Boswell and the others still are working for the department in some capacity.

Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., a member of the Senate committee, questioned the status of the FBI investigation and whether any individual has been implicated.

"My last understanding is that there is no one currently still being held for questioning, no one's been prosecuted for this or held accountable even though the president promised that to be the case," he said.

Still, Barrasso insisted that the hearing will be respectful.

Presiding over the Senate session will be Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., the next chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee. It would be unusual for Kerry to oversee the hearing.

"My hope is we look at this as a positive constructive opportunity to build much greater security for our diplomatic missions across the world," Menendez said. "That's how I'm going to the hearing. I hope my colleagues have the same type of view."

___

Associated Press writers Bradley Klapper and Andrew Miga contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-01-23-Clinton-Libya/id-81cf6ed33a874739a13c503200c05e94

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Same players, different ties: France's delicate role in Mali

For Malians, the French-led intervention has been an emotional roller-coaster. At times critical of their former colonizer in the past, many are now cheering French troops.

By John Thorne,?Correspondent / January 21, 2013

A French soldier secures a perimeter on the outskirts of Diabaly, Mali, some 320 miles north of the capital Bamako Monday Jan. 21. French and Malian troops were in the city whose capture by radical Islamists prompted the French military intervention.

Jerome Delay/AP

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The first casualty named in the two-week old fight to liberate northern Mali from Islamists militants was a Frenchman. Damien Boiteux, a lieutenant, was reported killed while flying his helicopter into battle near the city of Konna.

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For Younouss Dicko, a Malian political party leader, the story of Lt. Boiteux inspires a mix of sorrow, gratitude ??and a certain watchfulness.

?It?s valorous of France to come aid Mali,? he says. ?But the French know there are limits. I think that with friendship and brotherhood, they won?t stay longer than necessary or interfere too much in our internal affairs.?

France never sought this battle. After decades of meddling in Africa, it says it wants former colonies to look after themselves. For Malians, French-led intervention has been an emotional roller-coaster. At times critical of their former colonizer in the past, many are now cheering French troops.

The drama is playing out against a backdrop of colonial history and human ties that still link French and Malian society ??sometimes complicated by old wounds, sometimes transcending them. For now, smiles abound. But a misstep by Paris could swiftly sour things.

?There?s never been a moment in French-Malian relations when people have supported France this much,? says Gregory Mann, an associate history professor and Mali specialist at Columbia University in New York.???But France could make just one or two mistakes, and lose goodwill quickly.?

French Sudan

France first came to Mali amid the 19^th-century Scramble for Africa, as European powers gobbled up the continent in a race to build empires and extract resources. By mid-century, French colonialists in Senegal were eyeing the territory that would eventually become modern Mali.

In the words of Louis Faidherbe, a colonial administrator and an architect of France?s African empire, writing in 1863, ?if?you use the Senegal River to gain a route to the Sudan and the banks of the Niger, you will create a French colony that will count among the most beautiful in the world.?

It was in that colony, called French Sudan but is present-day Mali, that Mr. Dicko grew up. His family lived in Zaman, a town east of Timbuktu, and as a boy he was sent to the French school in nearby city of Gourma Rharous. In what he regards as a tactful nod to local sensibilities, French authorities brought in Quranic scholars to provide Islamic study.

Dicko earned a doctorate at the University of Montpellier, in France, and taught quantum mechanics at the University of Bamako. Today he heads the Rally for Development and Solidarity party, as well as COPAM, a coalition of parties and other groups critical of Mali?s current government.

?I don?t have any personal grievances from colonization, save that it?s a form of subjugation,? he says. ?Even if you don?t register a precise act against you, you know that you have a master. You have a boss. And that hurts.?

Poor, but free

After the Second World War, an exhausted France began shedding colonies. With some exceptions ??notably Algeria, which France fought a bloody and unsuccessful war to retain ? French Africa was disassembled in orderly fashion. Mali gained independence in 1960.

One day in 1972, Dicko went home on vacation from teaching in Bamako, and overheard a group of men debating the merits of independence. Some said Mali had become a poorer, hungrier place under its strongman presidents, Modibo Keita and Moussa Traour?.

?Then one of the men leapt up and said, ?You like slavery? Me, today I?m hungry and poor, but I?m free?,? recalls Dicko.

Between them, Mr. Keita and Mr. Traour? ? who toppled his predecessor ??ran Mali until 1991, when Traour? was himself overthrown in a coup that established democracy and free elections. Along the way, the country has tended to forge an independent path from its former colonizer.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/Wljb9gV-cIU/Same-players-different-ties-France-s-delicate-role-in-Mali

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2013 Astrological Awakening: GoldRing Spiritual Astrology 01/22 by ...

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Source: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/rysa/2013/01/23/2013-astrological-awakening-goldring-spiritual-astrology

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Protein structure: Immune system foiled by a hairpin

Public release date: 21-Jan-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Luise Dirscherl
dirscherl@lmu.de
49-892-180-2706
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitt Mnchen

The innate immune system detects invasive pathogens and activates defense mechanisms to eliminate them. Pathogens, however, employ a variety of tricks to block this process. A new study led by Karl-Peter Hopfner of Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet (LMU) in Munich shows how the measles virus thwarts the system, by means of a simple hairpin-like structure.

The innate immune system is the body's first line of defense against invasive pathogens and noxious chemicals. Essentially the system consists of an array of receptors that recognize particular molecular conformations which are characteristic of pathogenic organisms and viruses. Among the classes of molecules bound by these receptors are viral nucleic acids, which are bound specifically by so-called RIG-I-like receptors in the cytoplasm of infected cells. One of these is MDA5, which polymerizes into filaments on long double-stranded RNAs that indicate the presence of RNA viruses. RIG-I itself binds to shorter terminal segments of viral RNAs.

However, viruses have come up with a plethora of ways to avoid triggering immune defense measures. "The virus that causes measles, for instance, produces a so-called V protein, which binds specifically to MDA5 and one other RIG-I-like receptor, and thus impairs recognition of virus-infected cells by the adaptive immune system, although it does not inhibit RIG-I itself," says Professor Karl-Peter Hopfner of LMU's Gene Center. Indeed this kind of competition between viral and cellular proteins largely determines the distribution and - above all - the virulence of viral pathogens.

A hairpin opens up the receptor

"We have been able to crystallize the complex formed by the V protein and MDA5 for the first time, and have determined its three-dimensional structure in detail," Hopfner reports. This structure also permitted Hopfner's team, in collaboration with LMU virologist Professor Karl-Klaus Conzelmann, to clarify the mode of action of the V protein. The analysis revealed that it inserts a hairpin loop into the core secondary structure of MDA5, unfolding the protein and allowing V to bind to a segment that is normally buried in the interior of the molecule. This in turn prevents MDA5 from forming filaments and signaling the presence of viral RNA.

This finding was completely unexpected, and explains why MDA5, but not RIG-I, is inhibited by the V protein: This internal sequence is different in RIG-I and this is the reason why RIG-I is not targeted by the viral product. "Our work provides a detailed insight into the mechanisms viral proteins use to inhibit host protein function. It may also open opportunities for new therapeutic interventions," Hopfner concludes.

###

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 21-Jan-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Luise Dirscherl
dirscherl@lmu.de
49-892-180-2706
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitt Mnchen

The innate immune system detects invasive pathogens and activates defense mechanisms to eliminate them. Pathogens, however, employ a variety of tricks to block this process. A new study led by Karl-Peter Hopfner of Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet (LMU) in Munich shows how the measles virus thwarts the system, by means of a simple hairpin-like structure.

The innate immune system is the body's first line of defense against invasive pathogens and noxious chemicals. Essentially the system consists of an array of receptors that recognize particular molecular conformations which are characteristic of pathogenic organisms and viruses. Among the classes of molecules bound by these receptors are viral nucleic acids, which are bound specifically by so-called RIG-I-like receptors in the cytoplasm of infected cells. One of these is MDA5, which polymerizes into filaments on long double-stranded RNAs that indicate the presence of RNA viruses. RIG-I itself binds to shorter terminal segments of viral RNAs.

However, viruses have come up with a plethora of ways to avoid triggering immune defense measures. "The virus that causes measles, for instance, produces a so-called V protein, which binds specifically to MDA5 and one other RIG-I-like receptor, and thus impairs recognition of virus-infected cells by the adaptive immune system, although it does not inhibit RIG-I itself," says Professor Karl-Peter Hopfner of LMU's Gene Center. Indeed this kind of competition between viral and cellular proteins largely determines the distribution and - above all - the virulence of viral pathogens.

A hairpin opens up the receptor

"We have been able to crystallize the complex formed by the V protein and MDA5 for the first time, and have determined its three-dimensional structure in detail," Hopfner reports. This structure also permitted Hopfner's team, in collaboration with LMU virologist Professor Karl-Klaus Conzelmann, to clarify the mode of action of the V protein. The analysis revealed that it inserts a hairpin loop into the core secondary structure of MDA5, unfolding the protein and allowing V to bind to a segment that is normally buried in the interior of the molecule. This in turn prevents MDA5 from forming filaments and signaling the presence of viral RNA.

This finding was completely unexpected, and explains why MDA5, but not RIG-I, is inhibited by the V protein: This internal sequence is different in RIG-I and this is the reason why RIG-I is not targeted by the viral product. "Our work provides a detailed insight into the mechanisms viral proteins use to inhibit host protein function. It may also open opportunities for new therapeutic interventions," Hopfner concludes.

###

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-01/lm-psi012113.php

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Organizing Consultant: How Can You Look For A Professional ...

Organizing Consultant

The organizing market is relatively recent considering that other professions for example medical, legal and accounting happen to be around for 100s of years. These industries allow us rules, rules and standards within the centuries to be able to keep standards high and safeguard the general public from individuals who don?t meet them.

Since the organizing consultant market is so youthful, until 2007 (once the BCPO?s certification credential was created), there hadn?t been rules established, apart from a voluntary code of ethics marketed through the National Association of Professional Coordinators (NAPO). Regrettably, it is really an unenforceable code. Anybody can produce a website or print up business card printing and call themselves a ?professional organizer.? They are able to also violate every area of the code and never possess a single sanction placed against them. In the end hope these kinds of individuals are few in number, but they do exist, and people should know this.

Selecting the best Organizing Consultant

So, how can you locate an experienced, knowledgeable and reliable organizing consultant who's the best fit for the situation? How can you make certain the person you?re going to invite into private regions of your existence or business could be reliable? Simple: Question them.

Listed here are a couple of good examples of knowledge you ought to be seeking:

1. Are you currently a Licensed Professional Organizer? or are you currently employed and trained with a Licensed Professional Organizer??

To be able to be qualified to accept certification exam in the Board of Certification for Professional Coordinators (BCPO), a person must acquire within three consecutive years 1500 hrs of compensated client work, throughout which there would have been a change in abilities (i.e., teaching, and not simply shuffling papers or purchasing baskets). Certification implies that the person practical knowledge and understanding. To locate a CPO? in your town, visit http://bit.ly/FindCPO. If you would like a specialist, employ a CPO.

2. What fitness perhaps you have caused by across the country known Licensed Professional Organizers? or experts in psychology, project management software, spatial planning, or any other fields associated with organizing and productivity?

You would like your doctors and lawyers to become up-to-date around the latest information within their fields. These are the duties your organizing consultant or productivity consultant should be expected to do.

3. Is the company insured?

Anybody who's managing a legitimate business will carry commercial insurance (known as NAPO SURE - not only liability under their home owners insurance plan). Should they have employees, they must be connected.

4. What types of organizing or productivity projects do you have practice?

Organizing falls into two broad groups: commercial and residential. Within each category, you will find areas. You need to look for a professional organizer or organizing consultant firm who is an expert in the thing you need for the situation. Request these to describe their organizing process/approach or perhaps a typical working session to ascertain if this can be a method that you?d feel at ease.

5. Are you able to provide references?

Many parts of our jobs may be confidential in nature, any professional that has developed a customer base may have a minimum of 2 or 3 references they are able to provide.

For a in depth listing of inquiries to request to be able to locate an organizer who?s best for you, visit http://bit.ly/POquestions.

6. Are you associated with the local chapter of National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO)?

When the professional organizer you've obtained online is seriously interested in her/his profession, they'll be associated with the national group that encourages the organizing profession, along with the local chapter. If you reside in San Antonio, visit www.NAPOSanAntonio.com for information. NAPO separates the professionals in the pack. Make certain you select a professional to utilize.

Source: http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/organizing-consultant-how-can-you-look-for-a-professional-organizer-who-s-best-for-you

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Google announces Q4 2012 earnings: impressive revenues of $14.42 billion, excluding Motorola Home

Earnings season is swinging into high gear and today's big player is Google. The internet giant just announced its earnings for the fourth quarter of 2012, and unsurprisingly it's still raking in the dough. For the three month period ending December 31st, 2012 the company pulled in $14.42 billion in revenue -- a staggering 36 percent increase year-over-year. That doesn't even include revenue generated by Motorola's recently spun off Home division, which would have pushed the total to $15.24 billion. 2012 also marked the first year that the company broke the $50 billion barrier for total revenues. Of course, bringing in all that money means nothing if you can't actually turn a profit. Good news for investors is that Google saw a net income of $2.89 billion this quarter, up from $2.71 billion the same time last year and $2.74 billion last quarter. Not surprisingly, a large chunk of that cash is coming from Google's own properties and advertising -- with Google-owned sites accounting for 67 percent of revenues and ads pulling in $12 billion on their own.

Obviously, a vast majority of Big G's income is coming from the US, $5.99 billion in this quarter, but international markets are still hugely important for the company. 53 percent of its revenues came from overseas ventures, including $1.3 billion from the UK alone.

Motorola Mobility, on the other hand, isn't faring so well. While pulling in $1.51 billion in revenue, the phone manufacturer lost $353 million as its new parent company continues to try to turn around the business. Whether or not Mountain View is succeeding is debatable as revenues continue to drop and losses increase for the beleaguered, former icon. There is a sizable war chest at its disposal however, as Google claims to have $48.1 billion in cash or its equivalent on hand. For more financial fun check out the PR after the break and check back here for updates from the earnings call this afternoon.

Update: Larry Page briefly touched on the ongoing drama over Nexus 4 stock saying, "clearly there's work to be done managing our supply better, and that is a priority to our teams." Though, we're not sure how much control Page actually has over that.

Nickesh Arora, Google's Senior Vice President and Chief Business Officer, took a pretty big chunk of time to talk about the spread of YouTube and the earning power of ads. In case you continue to doubt that the streaming service is a viable money-making platform, Arora said he estimates Gangnam Style has raked in $8 million through ads. Who said making an ass of yourself isn't a viable career choice?

Show full PR text

Google Inc. Announces Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2012 Results

Google Inc. reported consolidated revenues of $14.42 billion for the quarter ended December 31, 2012. Consolidated revenues would have been $15.24 billion had Motorola Home been included.

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. - January 22, 2013 - Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) today announced financial results for the quarter and the fiscal year ended December 31, 2012.

"We ended 2012 with a strong quarter," said Larry Page, CEO of Google. "Revenues were up 36% year-on-year, and 8% quarter-on-quarter. And we hit $50 billion in revenues for the first time last year - not a bad achievement in just a decade and a half. In today's multi-screen world we face tremendous opportunities as a technology company focused on user benefit. It's an incredibly exciting time to be at Google."

Q4 Financial Summary

In December 2012, we entered into an agreement with Arris Group, Inc. and certain other persons to dispose the Motorola Home business for a total consideration of approximately $2.35 billion in cash and stock, subject to certain adjustments. The transaction is expected to close in 2013. As a result, financial results related to the Home business are presented as net loss from discontinued operations on the consolidated statements of income, and are excluded from all other results unless otherwise noted. Assets and liabilities of the Home business are not presented separately because they are not material.

Google Inc. reported consolidated revenues of $14.42 billion for the quarter ended December 31, 2012, an increase of 36% compared to the fourth quarter of 2011. Google Inc. reports advertising revenues, consistent with GAAP, on a gross basis without deducting traffic acquisition costs (TAC). In the fourth quarter of 2012, TAC totaled $3.08 billion, or 25% of advertising revenues.

Operating income, operating margin, net income, and earnings per share (EPS) are reported on a GAAP and non-GAAP basis. The non-GAAP measures, as well as free cash flow, an alternative non-GAAP measure of liquidity, are described below and are reconciled to the corresponding GAAP measures at the end of this release.

GAAP operating income in the fourth quarter of 2012 was $3.39 billion, or 24% of revenues. This compares to GAAP operating income of $3.51 billion, or 33% of revenues, in the fourth quarter of 2011. Non-GAAP operating income in the fourth quarter of 2012 was $4.27 billion, or 30% of revenues. This compares to non-GAAP operating income of $4.04 billion, or 38% of revenues, in the fourth quarter of 2011. Had we included Home, non-GAAP operating income in the fourth quarter of 2012 would have been $4.31 billion.
GAAP net income including net loss from discontinued operations in the fourth quarter of 2012 was $2.89 billion, compared to $2.71 billion in the fourth quarter of 2011. Non-GAAP net income in the fourth quarter of 2012 was $3.57 billion, compared to $3.13 billion in the fourth quarter of 2011.
GAAP EPS including impact from net loss from discontinued operations in the fourth quarter of 2012 was $8.62 on 335 million diluted shares outstanding, compared to $8.22 in the fourth quarter of 2011 on 329 million diluted shares outstanding. Non-GAAP EPS in the fourth quarter of 2012 was $10.65, compared to $9.50 in the fourth quarter of 2011.
Non-GAAP operating income and non-GAAP operating margin exclude stock-based compensation (SBC) expense, as well as restructuring and related charges recorded in our Motorola Mobile business. Non-GAAP net income and non-GAAP EPS exclude the expenses noted above, net of the related tax benefits, as well as net loss from discontinued operations. In the fourth quarter of 2012, the expense related to SBC and the related tax benefits were $700 million and $152 million compared to $536 million and $114 million in the fourth quarter of 2011. In the fourth quarter of 2012, restructuring and related charges recorded in our Motorola Mobile business were $178 million, and the related tax benefits were $65 million. In addition, net loss from discontinued operations, in the fourth quarter of 2012, was $21 million. In the fourth quarter of 2012, non-GAAP operating income with Home included the impact from Home of $35 million and excludes the above SBC expense and restructuring and related charges.
Q4 Financial Highlights

Revenues and other information - On a consolidated basis, Google Inc. revenues for the quarter ended December 31, 2012 was $14.42 billion, an increase of 36% compared to the fourth quarter of 2011.

Google Revenues (advertising and other) - Google revenues were $12.91 billion, or 89% of consolidated revenues, in the fourth quarter of 2012, representing a 22% increase over fourth quarter 2011 revenues of $10.58 billion.
Google Sites Revenues - Google-owned sites generated revenues of $8.64 billion, or 67% of total Google revenues, in the fourth quarter of 2012. This represents a 18% increase over fourth quarter 2011 Google sites revenues of $7.29 billion.

Google Network Revenues - Google's partner sites generated revenues of $3.44 billion, or 27% of total Google revenues, in the fourth quarter of 2012. This represents a 19% increase from fourth quarter 2011 Google network revenues of $2.88 billion.

Other Revenues - Other revenues from Google were $829 million, or 6% of total Google revenues, in the fourth quarter of 2012. This represents a 102% increase over fourth quarter 2011 other revenues of $410 million.

Google International Revenues - Google revenues from outside of the United States totaled $6.9 billion, representing 54% of total Google revenues in the fourth quarter of 2012, compared to 53% in the third quarter of 2012 and 53% in the fourth quarter of 2011.

Foreign Exchange Impact on Google Revenues - Excluding gains related to our foreign exchange risk management program, had foreign exchange rates remained constant from the third quarter of 2012 through the fourth quarter of 2012, our Google revenues in the fourth quarter of 2012 would have been $130 million lower. Excluding gains related to our foreign exchange risk management program, had foreign exchange rates remained constant from the fourth quarter of 2011 through the fourth quarter of 2012, our Google revenues in the fourth quarter of 2012 would have been $193 million higher.

Google revenues from the United Kingdom totaled $1.30 billion, representing 10% of Google revenues in the fourth quarter of 2012, compared to 10% in the fourth quarter of 2011.

In the fourth quarter of 2012, we recognized a benefit of $37 million to Google revenues through our foreign exchange risk management program, compared to $25 million in the fourth quarter of 2011.

Reconciliations of our non-GAAP international revenues excluding the impact of foreign exchange and hedging to GAAP international revenues are included at the end of this release.

Paid Clicks - Aggregate paid clicks, which include clicks related to ads served on Google sites and the sites of our Network members, increased approximately 24% over the fourth quarter of 2011 and increased approximately 9% over the third quarter of 2012.

Cost-Per-Click - Average cost-per-click, which includes clicks related to ads served on Google sites and the sites of our Network members, decreased approximately 6% over the fourth quarter of 2011 and increased approximately 2% over the third quarter of 2012.

TAC - Traffic acquisition costs, the portion of revenues shared with Google's partners, increased to $3.08 billion in the fourth quarter of 2012, compared to $2.45 billion in the fourth quarter of 2011. TAC as a percentage of advertising revenues was 25% in the fourth quarter of 2012, compared to 24% in the fourth quarter of 2011.

The majority of TAC is related to amounts ultimately paid to our Network members, which totaled $2.44 billion in the fourth quarter of 2012. TAC also includes amounts ultimately paid to certain distribution partners and others who direct traffic to our website, which totaled $634 million in the fourth quarter of 2012.

Motorola Mobile Revenues (hardware and other) - Motorola Mobile revenues were $1.51 billion, or 11% of consolidated revenues in the fourth quarter of 2012.

Other Cost of Revenues - Other cost of revenues, which is comprised primarily of data center operational expenses, amortization of intangible assets, content acquisition costs, credit card processing charges, and manufacturing and inventory-related costs, increased to $3.14 billion, or 22% of revenues, in the fourth quarter of 2012, compared to $1.25 billion, or 12% of revenues, in the fourth quarter of 2011.

Operating Expenses - Operating expenses, other than cost of revenues, were $4.81 billion in the fourth quarter of 2012, or 33% of revenues, compared to $3.38 billion in the fourth quarter of 2011, or 32% of revenues.

Amortization Expenses - Amortization expenses of acquisition-related intangible assets were $289 million for the fourth quarter of 2012. Of the $289 million, $153 million was as a result of the acquisition of Motorola, of which $116 million was allocated to Google and $37 million was allocated to Motorola Mobile.

Stock-Based Compensation (SBC) - In the fourth quarter of 2012, the total charge related to SBC was $708 million, compared to $536 million in the fourth quarter of 2011.

We currently estimate SBC charges for grants to employees prior to January 1, 2013 to be approximately $2.5 billion for 2013. This estimate does not include expenses to be recognized related to employee stock awards that are granted after December 31, 2012 or non-employee stock awards that have been or may be granted.

Operating Income - On a consolidated basis, GAAP operating income in the fourth quarter of 2012 was $3.39 billion, or 24% of revenues. This compares to GAAP operating income of $3.51 billion, or 33% of revenues, in the fourth quarter of 2011. Non-GAAP operating income in the fourth quarter of 2012 was $4.27 billion, or 30% of revenues. This compares to non-GAAP operating income of $4.04 billion, or 38% of revenues, in the fourth quarter of 2011.

Google Operating Income - GAAP operating income for Google was $3.75 billion, or 29% of Google revenues, in the fourth quarter of 2012. This compares to GAAP operating income of $3.51 billion, or 33% of Google revenues, in the fourth quarter of 2011. Non-GAAP operating income in the fourth quarter of 2012 was $4.42 billion, or 34% of Google revenues. This compares to non-GAAP operating income of $4.04 billion in the fourth quarter of 2011, or 38% of Google revenues.

Motorola Mobile Operating Loss - GAAP operating loss for Motorola Mobile was $353 million, or -23% of Motorola Mobile revenues in the fourth quarter of 2012. Non-GAAP operating loss for Motorola Mobile in the fourth quarter of 2012 was $152 million, or -10% of Motorola Mobile revenues.

Interest and Other Income, Net - Interest and other income, net, was $152 million in the fourth quarter of 2012, compared to an expense of $18 million in the fourth quarter of 2011.

Income Taxes - Our effective tax rate was 18% for the fourth quarter of 2012.

Net Income - GAAP net income in the fourth quarter of 2012 was $2.89 billion, compared to $2.71 billion in the fourth quarter of 2011. Non-GAAP net income was $3.57 billion in the fourth quarter of 2012, compared to $3.13 billion in the fourth quarter of 2011. GAAP EPS in the fourth quarter of 2012 was $8.62 on 335 million diluted shares outstanding, compared to $8.22 in the fourth quarter of 2011 on 329 million diluted shares outstanding. Non-GAAP EPS in the fourth quarter of 2012 was $10.65, compared to $9.50 in the fourth quarter of 2011.

Cash Flow and Capital Expenditures (including Home) - Net cash provided by operating activities in the fourth quarter of 2012 totaled $4.67 billion, compared to $3.92 billion in the fourth quarter of 2011. In the fourth quarter of 2012, capital expenditures were $1.02 billion, the majority of which was for production equipment, data center construction and facilities-related purchases. Free cash flow, an alternative non-GAAP measure of liquidity, is defined as net cash provided by operating activities less capital expenditures. In the fourth quarter of 2012, free cash flow was $3.65 billion.

We expect to continue to make significant capital expenditures.

A reconciliation of free cash flow to net cash provided by operating activities, the GAAP measure of liquidity, is included at the end of this release.

Cash - As of December 31, 2012, cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities were $48.1 billion.

Headcount - On a worldwide basis, we employed 53,861 full-time employees (37,544 in Google and 11,113 in Motorola Mobile and 5,204 in Motorola Home) as of December 31, 2012, compared to 53,546 full-time employees as of September 30, 2012.

Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Mobile, Google

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UN: Prisoners still tortured in Afghan prisons

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) ? The United Nations said Sunday that Afghan authorities were still torturing prisoners, such as hanging them by their wrists and beating them with cables, a year after the U.N. first documented the abuse and the Afghan government promised detention reform.

The report shows little progress in curbing abuse in Afghan prisons despite a year of effort by the U.N. and international military forces in Afghanistan. The report also cites instances where Afghan authorities have tried to hide mistreatment from U.N. monitors.

The slow progress on prison reform has prompted NATO forces to once again stop many transfers of detainees to Afghan authorities out of concern that they would be tortured.

In multiple detention centers, Afghan authorities leave detainees hanging from the ceiling by their wrists, beat them with cables and wooden sticks, administer electric shocks, twist their genitals and threaten to shove bottles up their anuses or to kill them, the report said.

In a letter responding to the latest report, the Afghan government said that its internal monitoring committee found that "the allegations of torture of detainees were untrue and thus disproved." The Afghan government said that it would not completely rule out the possibility of torture at its detention facilities, but that it was nowhere near the levels described in the report and that it was checking on reports of abuse.

The findings, however, highlight the type of human rights abuses that many activists worry could become more prevalent in Afghanistan as international forces draw down and the country's Western allies become less watchful over a government that so far has taken few concrete actions to reform the system.

As one detainee in the western province of Farah told the U.N. team: "They laid me on the ground. One of them sat on my feet and another one sat on my head, and the third one took a pipe and started beating me with it. They were beating me for some time like one hour and were frequently telling me that, 'You are with Taliban and this is what you deserve.'"

More than half of the 635 detainees interviewed had been tortured, according to the report titled Treatment of Conflict-Related Detainees in Afghan Custody: One Year On. That is about the same ratio the U.N. found in its first report in 2011.

It's a troubling finding given the amount of international attention and pledges of reform that came after the first report. At that time, the NATO military alliance temporarily stopped transferring Afghans it had picked up to national authorities until they could set up a system free of abuse. Though it said the findings were exaggerated, the Afghan government promised after the first report to increase monitoring.

But little appears to have changed. Once NATO forces resumed the transfers and decreased inspections, torture quickly returned to earlier levels, the report said. And even though the international military force was making a serious effort to delay transfers if there was risk of torture, about 30 percent of 79 detainees who had been transferred to Afghan custody by foreign governments ended up being tortured, the report said. That's higher than in 2011, when the U.N. found that 24 percent of transferred detainees were tortured.

"Torture cannot be addressed by training, inspections and directives alone," said Georgette Gagnon, the head of human rights for the U.N. mission in Afghanistan, explaining that there has been little follow-through by the Afghan government.

In particular, the U.N. report found that the Afghan government appeared to be trying to hide the mistreatment and refusing to prosecute those accused of torturing prisoners.

The U.N. team received "multiple credible reports" that in some places detainees were hidden from international observers in secret locations underground or separate from the main facility being inspected. Also, the observers said they saw what appeared to be a suspicious increase in detainees held at police facilities when an intelligence service facility nearby was being monitored.

And particularly in the southern province of Kandahar, the U.N. received reports that authorities were using unofficial sites to torture detainees before transporting them to the regular prison.

In a letter responding to the U.N. report, Gen. John Allen, the commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, said that his staff had written letters to Afghan ministers urging them to investigate more than 80 separate allegations of detainee abuse during the past 18 months.

"To date, Afghan officials have acted in only one instance," Allen said in the letter. In that case Afghan authorities did not fire the official in question, but transferred him from Kandahar province to Sar-e-Pul in the north.

The report documents what it called a "persistent lack of accountability for perpetrators of torture," noting that no one has been prosecuted for prisoner abuse since the first report was released.

Aimal Faizi, a spokesman for the Afghan president, said torture and abuse of prisoners was not Afghan policy.

"However, there may be certain cases of abuse and we have begun to investigate these cases mentioned in the U.N. report," he said. "We will take actions accordingly."

But he said that while the Afghan government takes the allegations in the report very seriously, "we also question the motivations behind this report and the way it was conducted." He did not elaborate.

The NATO military alliance responded to the most recent report by stopping transfers of detainees to seven facilities in Kabul, Laghman, Herat, Khost and Kunduz provinces ? most of them the same facilities that were flagged a year ago. The transfers were halted in October, when the U.N. shared its preliminary findings with the military coalition.

"This action is a result of concerns over detainee treatment at certain Afghan detention facilities," said Jamie Graybeal, a spokesman for the international military alliance in Kabul.

He said there has been no suspension of transfers to the massive detention center next to Bagram Air Field outside of Kabul. That facility has been particularly contentious because the U.S. has held back from transferring all the detainees it holds there to Afghan custody.

But as international troops draw down in Afghanistan, there will be fewer people to monitor the Afghan detention centers. Allen said in his letter that the NATO military alliance planned to focus on monitoring only a subset of Afghan facilities in the future.

And even the manner in which the U.N. report was compiled and released shows the waning influence of Western allies over the Afghan government. Both last year and again on Sunday, the report was released without a news conference. Instead, it was quietly posted on the U.N. website in what appeared to be an effort to avoid publicly antagonizing the Afghan government that it criticizes in the report.

"I think it's being dealt with in the appropriate way. Maybe we don't need to do it publicly," Gagnon said, noting that there have been plenty of discussions with the Afghan government about how to improve the prison system.

Asked what progress had been made toward improving the prison system since 2011, Gagnon was at a loss to give an example. But, she stressed: "There has been quite a lot of effort."

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/un-prisoners-still-tortured-afghan-prisons-153153274.html

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