NH case against 2 big oil companies gets underway

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — The state of New Hampshire is launching its case against two major oil companies in what is expected to be the longest and most complex trial in state history.
The state's lawyers say ExxonMobil and Citgo should pay more than $700 million in damages to monitor and clean up groundwater contamination caused by the gas additive MTBE — methyl tertiary butyl ether — now banned in New Hampshire.
Lawyers for the oil companies say they have cleaned up their own sites and that contamination elsewhere was caused by third parties not named in the suit.
The lawsuit — filed in 2003 — is the only one brought by a state to reach trial on the issue of MTBE groundwater contamination. Most of the other MTBE cases nationwide were brought by municipalities, water districts or individual well owners, and all but one was settled or dismissed.
The jury trial begins Monday and is expected to last four months. It is being held in a federal courtroom on loan to the state so as not to monopolize one of three courtrooms at Merrimack Superior Court.
More than 50,000 exhibits have been marked and the witness list numbers 230.
It was clear from a pretrial conference Friday that jurors will be confronted with an alphabet soup of acronyms for various funds and agencies, will have to grapple with complex statistical analyses and will hear contradictory testimony by expert witnesses.
MTBE had been used in gasoline since the 1970s to increase octane and reduce smog-causing emissions. While it was credited with cutting air pollution, it was found in the late 1990s to contaminate drinking water when gasoline is spilled or leaks into surface or groundwater. New Hampshire banned its use in 2007.
Roughly 60 percent of New Hampshire's population gets its drinking water from wells, which drives up the estimated cost to test and treat contaminated water sources.

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Volkswagen reports record sales for 2012

BERLIN (AP) — German automaker Volkswagen AG says its 2012 group sales hit a record high as growing demand around the world more than offset sluggish sales in Europe.
It says Monday that more than nine million vehicles were delivered for the first time. The total of 9.07 million was up 11.2 percent from the 8.16 million delivered in 2011. December sales were also up 20.7 percent over the same month last year.
Geographically, North American sales spiked 26.2 percent to 841,500 vehicles, while those in South America rose 8.2 percent to 1.01 million. Asia-Pacific sales were 23.3 percent higher at 3.17 million.
Those increases helped offset a 6.5 percent drop in western Europe, excluding Germany, to 1.85 million vehicles. German sales rose 1.9 percent to 1.18 million vehicles.

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UPS $6.9 billion TNT Express takeover falls apart

AMSTERDAM (AP) — United Parcel Service Inc. has ditched its €5.2 billion ($6.9 billion) takeover of TNT Express NV after learning that European regulators would reject the deal in its current form.
Though TNT will receive a €200 million ($265.5 million) break fee, it faces an uncertain future on its own. Its shares plummeted 50 percent to € 4.083 in the first minutes of Monday trading in Amsterdam following the bid's failure.
UPS had offered to buy struggling TNT, Europe's second-largest delivery company, in May, to better compete with Europe's largest, Deutsche Post's DHL. But regulators said in October that the deal would lead to over-concentration in the sector.
In response, UPS offered to sell parts of the company's small package operations and airline assets but after meeting with regulators Jan. 11, UPS told TNT it saw no prospect of the deal being approved — and it wasn't interested in further concessions.
In its last earnings report, for the third quarter of 2012, TNT lost €3 million on sales of €1.8 billion. Former CEO Marianne-Christine Lombard quit the company in September mid-takeover, in a move that was criticized as "unethical" by TNT's chairman, Antony Bergmans, and interpreted by some as a sign the deal was in trouble, since she stood to gain a €2.6 million bonus for seeing it through to completion.
She was replaced on an interim basis by CFO Bernard Bot.
In a statement, TNT conceded that the "protracted merger process has been a distraction for management" and that it would now focus on reassuring customers, encouraging employees and making money.
"Management will provide an update on its strategy in due course," the company said.
UPS CEO Scott Davis said he was "extremely disappointed" with the stance taken by regulators.
"We proposed significant and tangible remedies designed to address the European Commission's concerns with the transaction," he said, adding that the deal would have benefited customers worldwide and supported economic growth "particularly in Europe."
The European Commission will publish its review of the deal within several weeks.
Before UPS's bid for TNT Express, some analysts thought rival FedEx might make a bid for the company, but FedEx executives said — in March 2012 at least — they had no plans to do so.

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Sports fans can pursue U.S. antitrust case over programs

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A federal judge on Wednesday allowed sports fans to pursue a lawsuit accusing Major League Baseball, the National Hockey League and various networks of antitrust violations in how they package games for broadcast on television or the Internet.
U.S. District Judge Shira Scheindlin in Manhattan said the subscribers could pursue claims that the packaging has reduced competition, raised prices, and kept them from watching their favorite teams located outside their home markets.
"Plaintiffs in this case - the consumers - have plausibly alleged that they are the direct victims of this harm," she wrote.
The defendants include Major League Baseball, the National Hockey League, several teams in both sports, cable TV company Comcast Corp, satellite TV provider DirecTV, Madison Square Garden Co and some regional sports networks.
DirecTV declined to comment, saying it had not reviewed the decision. Comcast and the NHL had no immediate comment. Other defendants did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Ned Diver, a lawyer for the subscribers, said in a phone interview: "We're very pleased with the decision. It's a total victory on the substance of the plaintiffs' claims."
Media companies, leagues and teams can often justify higher costs to watch their products by citing the higher costs of doing business, and that individual teams have rabid followings among viewers willing to pay more to watch events live.
"BLACKOUT" AGREEMENTS
The case arose from what the subscribers said were anticompetitive "blackout" agreements between service providers such as Comcast and DirecTV, sports networks and the leagues.
These subscribers contended that if they wanted to watch games from outside their home markets, they were required to buy packages that included all out-of-market games, even if they were interested only in one or a few nonlocal teams.
For example, a New York Yankees fan living in Colorado could not pay simply for access to that team's games, but had to buy a product such as the MLB Extra Innings television package.
The subscribers sought damages and a halt to arrangements that they said resulted in "reduced output, diminished product quality, diminished choice and suppressed price competition."
Other packages at issue are NHL Center Ice for television, and MLB.tv and NHL GameCenter LIVE for the Internet.
The defendants argued that the subscribers' alleged injuries were only indirectly related to the alleged wrongful conduct, and that Major League Baseball and NHL games did not qualify as "distinct products" subject to antitrust scrutiny.
Comcast, DirecTV and the sports networks also contended that their conduct was "presumptively legal."
PRESSURE TO SETTLE
Scheindlin nonetheless let much of the case go forward.
"Making all games available as part of a package, while it may increase output overall, does not, as a matter of law, eliminate the harm to competition wrought by preventing the individual teams from competing to sell their games outside their home territories in the first place," she wrote.
The judge did dismiss claims that Comcast, DirecTV and the sports networks conspired to monopolize markets, while allowing similar claims against Major League Baseball and the NHL to proceed. She also dismissed some individual plaintiffs from the case, saying they lacked standing to sue.
"There will be pressure on the defendants to settle before this gets to trial," which could cost "real money," said Geoffrey Rapp, a University of Toledo law professor in Ohio.
"The defendants are in some ways similar to record companies that had to adapt as a la carte options became available online, where people could buy one song rather than a whole album," he said. "Five or 10 years from now, these package-deal arrangements may no longer exist."
Among the dozens of defendants were the Yankees and its YES network; the Chicago White Sox baseball and Chicago Blackhawks hockey teams; the New York Rangers hockey team; and various Comcast SportsNet and Root Sports networks.
Last month, Rupert Murdoch's News Corp said it would buy a 49 percent stake in the YES network.
Baseball itself has had an antitrust exemption since 1922, but has long faced periodic calls from Congress and elsewhere that it be repealed.
The cases are Laumann et al v. National Hockey League et al, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 12-01817; and Garber et al v. Office of the Commissioner of Baseball et al in the same court, No. 12-03074.

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Rule changes may be best way to curb hockey aggression

(Reuters) - Trying to prevent fights and hockey injuries by teaching young hockey players about the dangers of aggression on the ice are less effective than rule changes, which adjust both culture and behavior at once, according to a Canadian study.
The researchers, whose findings appeared in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, concluded after reviewing past research on the subject that rules designed to curb aggression among hockey players - especially slamming into another player, known as body checking - are linked with fewer injuries.
"It's pretty clear from what we know right now that if we institute rule changes that automatically tell people within that sport what's acceptable and what's not... that we can reduce injuries three- to 12-fold by doing that," said Michael Cusimano, lead author of the study and a professor and neurosurgeon at the University of Toronto.
Hockey is notorious for its fighting and physical contact, and rates of reported concussions and spinal injuries have been rising among hockey players over more than a decade, Cusimano and his colleagues point out.
In many leagues, body checking is legal but often has some limits, such as prohibitions against hitting a player from behind or in the head. Some, but not all, studies have shown that body checking is linked with a higher chance of being hurt.
To get a sense of what the research has found to be the most effective ways of curbing aggression in youth hockey, Cusimano and his colleagues collected the results of 18 studies.
Among them, 13 studied the effect of league rules to limit aggression, while three studies focused on education and two looked at the effect of behavioral therapy on managing aggression.
The educational and therapy studies found that interventions resulted in fewer penalties, but couldn't say whether this had any impact on the rate of injuries.
In seven of the nine studies that compared injury rates between leagues that allowed body checking and those that didn't, players were less likely to get hurt if body checking was outlawed.
One study, for example, found a 12-fold difference in injuries between Pee Wee players in leagues that allowed body checking and those that didn't.
Cusimano said there need to be rules against aggression to keep young players safe, and they need to be enforced.
Alison Macpherson, an injury prevention researcher at York University in Toronto, who was not involved in the study, said others could argue that body checking is part of the game.
"There's a school of thought that if you reduce the age at which players start body checking, they will have learned how to do it before they're strong enough to cause damage," she said, but noted that studies have not backed that up.
Some leagues have begun to tighten their rules against body checking. Last year, USA-Hockey, which governs amateur ice hockey in the United States, moved up the age at which players can begin to use body checking from 11 to 13.
Macpherson said that in general hockey is a safe game that has made improvements in player safety.
"But they do play on a hard ice surface, so the potential for injury is always there. So I think we need to maintain the fun, maintain the sport, but keep it as safe as possible," she told Reuters Health. SOURCE: http://tinyrul.com/buqvd3I

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Owners and players to meet without feuding leaders present

NEW YORK (Reuters) - National Hockey League (NHL) owners and players will meet face-to-face on Tuesday in an attempt to broker a deal to end their bitter dispute that threatens to wipe out the season.
The meeting will take place in New York with the heads of the two feuding sides, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and NHL Players Association (NHLPA) Executive Director Don Fehr both agreeing to skip the meeting.
NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said in a statement on Sunday that at least six team owners would attend the meeting.
"We have confirmed with the union that we will attempt to schedule a players/owners-only meeting for some time on Tuesday afternoon in New York," Daly said.
"We expect the following NHL owners to attend: Ron Burkle (Pittsburgh Penguins), Mark Chipman (Winnipeg Jets), Murray Edwards (Calgary Flames), Jeremy Jacobs (Boston Bruins), Larry Tanenbaum (Toronto Maple Leafs) and Jeff Vinik (Tampa Bay Lightning)."
Bettman and Fehr agreed to stand aside and miss the meeting after previous attempts to reach a deal failed, raising fears the season could be lost.
Hundreds of games have already been canceled and just last week, a meeting with federal mediators broke up after two days of unsuccessful sessions.
"Neither the commissioner nor I will be present, although each side will have a limited number of staff or counsel present," Fehr said in a statement.
"There will be owners attending this meeting who have not previously done so, which is encouraging and which we welcome.
"We hope that this meeting will be constructive and lead to a dialogue that will help us find a way to reach an agreement."

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Video causes web furor over OH athletes' rape case

STEUBENVILLE, Ohio (AP) — An online video fueling social media reaction to the case of two eastern Ohio high school football players charged with rape isn't new evidence for state investigators handling the case, the attorney general said Friday.
The 16-year-old boys are set for trial Feb. 13 in juvenile court in Steubenville on allegations that they raped a teenage girl last August. Special prosecutors and a visiting judge are handling the case because local authorities knew people involved with the football team in the small city.
At a probable cause hearing last fall, teenagers not charged in the case testified that the victim was intoxicated and at times unresponsive on the night of the alleged assault, according to the local newspaper, the Steubenville Herald-Star.
Public interest increased this week with the online circulation of an unverified video, lasting more than 12 minutes, that purportedly shows another young man joking about the alleged rape victim, also 16. The video apparently was released by hackers who allege more people were involved and should be held accountable.
Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine's office said state investigators aiding local police were aware of the video before it spread online. They're not commenting on details of the video or what other evidence authorities have.
DeWine criticized the video Friday and said his heart goes out to rape victims.
"I think what is unique and different about this case is that the victim continues to be victimized every time that there is some image that's posted up on the Internet, every time that you have a despicable 12-minute video like we saw yesterday," he said. "You know, I can just imagine how I would feel if this was my daughter."
Attorneys for the defendants, Trent Mays and Ma'Lik Richmond, who played football for Steubenville High School, didn't immediately respond to Associated Press requests for comment Friday. The attorneys have denied the charges in court.
The boys were charged with rape after the teenage girl's parents contacted police about the alleged assault in mid-August. Mays also is charged with illegal use of a minor in nudity-oriented material.
Kidnapping charges against both defendants were dropped after a probable cause hearing, according to the court. The visiting judge has ruled the case will remain in juvenile court, not be moved to adult court.
Authorities continue pleading for anyone with information about what happened to come forward, and the investigation has spurred heated commentary online. Some support the defendants and question the character of the teenage girl, while others allege a cover-up or contend more people should be charged.
The latter group includes hacker-activists associating under the Anonymous and KnightSec labels who point to comments they say were posted around the time of the alleged attack on social media by several people who are not charged. A peaceful protest publicized by the hackers drew scores of people to the local courthouse last weekend.
In a related issue, student Cody Saltsman and his family sued a blogger and anonymous posters to her blog site in a case that arose from online comments suggesting the student might have been involved but not charged. The suit was settled with the operator of the crime blog acknowledging that there was no evidence of Saltsman's involvement in the rape, and Saltsman apologizing in a statement for tweets he sent the night of the alleged attack.
The alleged victim, who doesn't attend Steubenville schools, is "doing as well as I guess could be expected," said Bob Fitzsimmons, an attorney for her family. He said the publicity and online commentary has been tough on her family.
It's possible she could be compelled to testify in court next month, but that decision is up to prosecutors, Fitzsimmons said. He declined to comment on any facts of the case, including whether or how the victim knew Mays and Richmond.

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You Won't Believe How Many Americans Are Falling Asleep at the Wheel

Discovered: Scary numbers about sleeping while driving; our moon might get its own moon; decoding the malware genome; fighting HIV with HIV.
RELATED: An HIV Vaccine; LSD as Treatment for Alcoholism
Who are all these people falling asleep at the wheel? We all know about the dangers of drunk driving. And texting while driving. But new data suggests we might need more PSAs that raise awareness about the issue of drowsy driving. A report from U.S. Centers for Disease Control researchers found that among 150,000 drivers surveyed from around the country, 4.2 percent admit to falling asleep at the wheel at least once in the last month. Not year—month. If you break it down by year, as much as 11 percent have snoozed while driving. It's a wonder that only 2.5 percent of fatal car collisions stem from drowsy driving. If you're nodding off, pull over to any gas station and get yourself some Red Bull, people. [Los Angeles Times]
RELATED: Forget Big Gulps: Mayor Bloomberg's Latest War Is on Bad Drivers
Our moon might soon get a meta-moon. That giant rock orbiting our planet could soon have its own less-giant rock orbiting it, astronomers with the Keck Institute for Space Studies are saying. They plan to coax an asteroid into orbiting the moon this April so they can study it better. They aim to do these by sending a robotic spacecraft to drag an approximately 500 ton object into the moon's gravitational pull. "Such an achievement has the potential to inspire a nation," the researchers write.  [Discover]
RELATED: What Can Go Wrong with a Proven, FDA Panel-Approved Anti-HIV Drug?
Decoding malware "genome" could prevent future cyber attacks. Not all malware viruses are identical, but they often share certain encoded similarities. You might even say they have similar baseline "genetic" structures. Invincea labs' Josh Saxe is trying to crack that code in order to undertand how to prevent future malware attacks. "Our vision is to have a database of the world's malware, which people can use to share insights," he says about his and his colleagues research. His program is funded by the DARPA's Cyber Genome Program. [New Scientist]
RELATED: 48% of L.A. Crashes Are Hit-and-Runs
Fighting HIV with HIV. There's a saying about fighting fire with fire, but when it comes to HIV the approach might actually work. A new paper in Science Translational Medicine shows that injecting HIV-positive patients with an inactivated version of the virus can boost immune response, making people better equipped to stave off the active HIV in their bloodstream. "It is likely that the person’s immune system is already damaged, and so they cannot mount a sufficiently efficient functional antiviral response," says Statens Serum Institute physician Anders Fomsgaard. "It may be more optimal to vaccinate during antiretroviral therapy

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Occupy Steubenville: Anonymous vs. the Sheriff

The sheriff investigating the alleged rape in Steubenville, Ohio, has not made friends with Anonymous after the hacking collective's document dump this week accused him of being close with Steubenville High's football coach, deleting video evidence, and running "the largest illegal gambling operation in Jefferson County." So it was strange to see the sheriff on stage at the Occupy Steubenville rally Saturday afternoon.
RELATED: FBI Confirms Arrests in Anonymous Hacking Case
Jefferson County Sheriff Fred Abdalla has been targeted as the symbol of the corrupt nature surrounding the city and its relationship with the Big Red football program, ever since rape charges against two members of the team became national news again on Wednesday. Whether because of the increased attention or not, the investigation has deepened already — CNN reports the FBI offered "some technical assistance" to state authorities in charge of the case.
RELATED: LulzSec Scoffs at Report the U.K. Arrested One of Them
On Friday evening, Abdalla was declaring war against Anonymous. He had previously expressed his concerns about the information being distributed by the hacking group — the names of the accused, who are being charged as minors; the teammate whose video went viral and now may be in trouble with Ohio State University — but not to this level. Abdalla told WTRF in a new interview that he was "coming after" Anonymous.
RELATED: Turkish Cops Arrest 32 Alleged Anonymous Members
The hacking group wasn't threatened by the small town sheriff, though:
RELATED: Inside the Anonymous Hacking File on the Steubenville 'Rape Crew'
RELATED: How Two LulzSec Hackers Slipped Up
Still, some time between Friday night and Saturday afternoon, Abdalla had a change of heart. In the middle of the Anonymous-organized Occupy Steubenville gathering Saturday afternoon — many rape victims spoke to the crowd of more than 1,300 rallyers, with many more watching on UStream — Abdalla showed up and took the stage:
The crowd didn't receive him that well. Abdalla stuck around for a few minutes after this video ends, and was largely met with boos from the crowd. But it's pretty amazing that he showed up at all, considering what he said the night before.
Unfortunately, the video above doesn't contain the best part of Abdalla's appearance. The Anonymous member MC'ing the event — the one standing next to him in the picture above — actually got a chance to interview the sheriff at one point. When asked about the now notorious video of the member of the football team joking about raping the victim, Abdalla said he found it "disgusting." He told Anonymous that he was aware of the video's existence, but didn't watch it until three days ago, when Anonymous and their partners at LocalLeaks was first broadcast to the public via their constantly updating Steubenville Files.
Meanwhile, the city of Steubenville, in a direct response to the social-media storm swirled up by Anonymous and LocalLeaks, on Saturday set up a new site called Steubenville Facts. CNN reports:
With looking at the facts of the case, the rumors, the social media ... we proceeded in setting up SteubenvilleFacts.org that will present only the facts and provide information on the government of the city, as well as the transparency and the timeline of the evidence," Cathy Davison, the city manager, said during a news conference Saturday.
She said the website is meant to combat the perception that "everyone in Steubenville is acting or is like the individuals that are involved in the case. That we are a community that is run by football. That is not the case."

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Sudan: at least 30 Darfur rebels killed in clashes

KHARTOUM, Sudan (AP) — The Sudanese army says its soldiers have killed at least 30 rebels in clashes in Sudan's troubled North Darfur region.
The army spokesman, Col. Sawarme Khalid, says the rebel forces belong to Justice and Equality Movement. He told the semiofficial Sudan Media Center Wednesday that the army turned back a rebel attack in Jebel Marra area of North Darfur.
Darfur has been in turmoil since 2003, when ethnic Africans rebelled, accusing the Arab-dominated Sudanese government of discrimination. Rights groups charge the regime retaliated by unleashing Arab militias on civilians, a claim the government denies.
The U.N. estimates 300,000 people have died and 2.7 million have been displaced in the conflict.
Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has been indicted on war crimes charges by the International Criminal Court over Darfur.

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Iran annual inflation hits 27.4 percent

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran's central bank says the annual inflation rate hit 27.4 percent at the end of 2012, one of the highest rates ever quoted by Iranian authorities.
The soaring rate is attributed to Western sanctions over Iran's suspect nuclear program and government mismanagement.
The figure was posted on the bank's website Wednesday. It reflects worsening economic conditions under President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who has come under criticism both from reformist opponents and conservatives, former allies who helped him win a disputed election in 2009.
Besides rampant inflation, Iran's currency faces collapse. In October, the Iranian rial lost about 50 percent of its value within a week.
The West believes Iran may be aiming to develop nuclear weapons. Tehran denies this and says the program is for peaceful purposes.

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Iranians freed by Syrian rebels arrive in Damascus

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Syrian rebels on Wednesday freed 48 Iranians held captive since August in exchange for the release of more than 2,000 detainees in the first major prisoner swap of the country's civil war, officials said.
The exchange came just days after Assad vowed to press ahead with the fight against rebels despite international pressure to end the bloodshed that has left more than 60,000 people dead.
Iran is one of Assad's main backers and the Iranians, who were seized outside Damascus in August, were a major bargaining chip for factions trying to bring down his regime.
The group of 48 men arrived at the Sheraton hotel in several vans escorted by Syrian security forces. Iran's ambassador in Damascus, Mohammad Riza Shibani, greeted them with hugs and flowers.
Rebels claimed the captives were linked to Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard, but Tehran has denied that, saying the men were pilgrims visiting Shiite religious sites in Syria.
Shibani said their release was a result of elaborate and "tough" negotiations, but he did not provide any other details of the deal. The Syrian government, which rarely gives details on security related matters, had no official comment and it was not clear what prompted the exchange.
The rebels had threatened to kill the captives unless the Syrian regime halted military operations against the opposition.
A spokesman for a Turkish Islamic aid group that helped coordinate the release said the regime had agreed to release 2,130 people in exchange for the Iranians.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, speaking at a news conference during a visit to Niger, said four Turks and "a number of Palestinians" were among the prisoners being released by Syria.
He said one Turkish and one Qatari aid organization helped broker the deal, and that Turkey had been talking with the rebels.
"The rebels had made some preliminary preparations for the release, but we did not know what the Syrian reaction would be. In the end, it seems that they agreed," he said.
"There are still people being held in prisons and who are being aggrieved. Let's hope that they may be released as well and let's hope that the process is beneficial for all," Erdogan said. The news conference was broadcast live on Turkish television.
There were conflicting reports about how many of the prisoners in Syrian custody had been freed. Speaking in Istanbul, Umit Sonmez of the Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief said the 48 Iranians were handed over to aid workers soon after the Syrian regime let a group go.
Sonmez said the Syrian prisoners included "ordinary people or friends or relatives of the rebels."
"This is the largest prisoner exchange to date," Sonmez said. "We are pleased that people from all sides who were held and victimized have finally been freed."
Turkey's state-run agency Anadolu Agency also said a group of people, including women and children, held in the Syrian Interior Ministry building in Damascus had been released and were escorted onto buses. The report could not immediately be confirmed.
Bulent Yildirim, the head of the Turkish aid organization, told Anadolu in Damascus that 1,000 people have been released so far, including 74 women and a number of children between the ages of 13 and 15.
An official in Syria's Interior Ministry said Wednesday that a group or prisoners would be released later in the day from the police headquarters in Damascus. But the official, who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to give official statements, declined to say whether the release was related to the freed Iranians.
The reported deal would mark the first major prisoner swap since the uprising against Assad began in March 2011.
Regime forces and rebels have exchanged prisoners before, most arranged by mediators in the suburbs of Damascus and in northern Syria, but the numbers ranged from two to 20 prisoners. The Syrian Red Crescent also has arranged exchanges of bodies from both sides.
___
Fraser reported from Ankara, Turkey. Associated Press writers Ali Akbar Dareini in Tehran and Barbara Surk in Beirut contributed to this story.

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UPDATE 1-Soccer-Valencia, Malaga through to King's Cup quarters

* Valencia see off La Liga rivals Osasuna
* Malaga suffer scare against third-tier Eibar (Adds Valencia-Osasuna, quotes, byline)
MADRID, Jan 8 (Reuters) - Valencia eased past La Liga rivals Osasuna into the quarter-finals of the King's Cup on Tuesday, while Malaga flirted with danger against third-tier Eibar before a flurry of late goals put them safely into the last eight.
Valencia will play 2011 winners Real Madrid or Celta Vigo for a place in the semi-finals, with Celta holding a 2-1 advantage from last month's last 16, first leg ahead of their visit to the Bernabeu on Wednesday.
Malaga are facing a probable last-eight clash with holders Barcelona, who host Cordoba on Thursday having won their first leg 2-0 at the second-division Andalusian club.
Valencia went into their second leg against Pamplona-based Osasuna with a 2-0 lead and were cruising at a half-empty Mestalla when Tino Costa smashed in a free kick to open the scoring in the 34th minute.
However, Joseba Llorente pulled a goal back with a powerful low drive three minutes later and both sides squandered a number of chances before substitute Roberto Soldado struck with the last kick of the game for a 2-1 victory that sent Valencia through 4-1 on aggregate.
In the earlier kickoff at Malaga's Rosaleda stadium, Argentine midfielder Diego Buonanotte saved the Andalusian club from potential humiliation when he scored twice and created another in a 4-1 comeback win against lowly Eibar.
Lying second in their regional section of the Segunda B division and never having played in the top flight, Eibar knocked out 2012 finalists Athletic Bilbao in the previous round and held Malaga to a 1-1 draw at their tiny Ipurua stadium in the Basque Country in the first leg.
They took a surprise lead in the 12th minute of the return game when Ruben Arroyo was quickest to the rebound from a long-range Mikel Arruabarrena effort and goalkeeper Carlos Kameni could only deflect his weak shot into the net.
With Malaga fielding a weakened side, Eibar held on relatively comfortably until the 74th minute when Buonanotte exchanged passes with Javier Saviola and struck the ball high past Eibar keeper Xabi Iruretagoiena.
Two minutes later, Buonanotte set up Seba Fernandez to make it 2-1 on the night and substitute Francisco Portillo glanced a header into the net from a Nacho Monreal centre in the 82nd minute as the visitors' defences crumbled.
Their misery was complete when Guillermo Roldan was shown a straight red card four minutes from time and Buonanotte scored his second in added time to make it 5-2 on aggregate and set up a quarter-final meeting with holders Barcelona or Cordoba.
MATURITY, PATIENCE
"Nobody thought it was going to be easy," Malaga coach Manuel Pellegrini told a news conference.
"They are a team with a lot of confidence and they are having a great season," the Chilean added.
"Above all in the final 20 minutes we made the most of the space to win the game. It was tough but there was a maturity and patience there to achieve the result."
Sevilla are virtually assured of a place in the last eight after they won their first leg at Real Mallorca 5-0 and host the Balearic Islanders on Wednesday before Real Zaragoza seek to maintain a 1-0 advantage at home to Levante.

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Brazilian prostitutes keen to "learn the lingo" for 2014 World Cup

SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Prostitutes in the Brazilian city of Belo Horizonte are signing up in droves for free language classes in order to be ready for a barrage of foreign visitors to the tropical country during the 2014 soccer World Cup.
The women join many others in Brazilian society, from politicians to construction workers, who are racing the clock to prepare 12 host cities throughout the nation for the international soccer championship.
"When all this chatter about being ready for the World Cup started last year, we decided the women needed to be prepared for it too," Cida Vieira, president of the Minas Gerais state Association of Prostitutes, told Reuters on Tuesday.
The group has solicited volunteers to teach English, Spanish and even Portuguese, she said, explaining that some of the city's sex workers are immigrants who needed to learn Brazil's primary language.
Vieira said demand for the classes could surpass the 300 women who originally expressed interest, with calls coming in from as far away as Sao Paulo, about 509 km (316 miles) from Belo Horizonte.
"This is important for the dignity of the work, the women need to be able to negotiate a fair price and defend themselves," she said.

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Soccer-Youthful Villa playing dangerous game

LONDON, Jan 8 (Reuters) - Pioneers Aston Villa have put almost all their faith in young players this season but the bold policy is at risk of badly backfiring for the Premier League club after Tuesday's defeat at fourth tier Bradford City.
The 3-1 reverse in their Capital One (League) Cup semi-final first leg was the latest in a string of woeful displays from the 1982 European champions and damage has been done even if they salvage a trip to Wembley in the Jan. 22 second leg at home.
Manager Paul Lambert still believes they will get there and a cup final would be a big fillip for the Premier League strugglers and perhaps show their ideas are not folly after all.
"It is halftime, we have another chance to retrieve this and we will see what happens in a fortnight's time. We will be at home, have the crowd behind us, and we will have to do better than we did tonight, that is for sure," he told reporters.
Asked if Villa were favourites, he added: "Pretty sure we will be, being at home with the crowd behind us but it is a big game for us now."
Casual English football observers might have known as many of the Bradford players as Villa ones such is the Birmingham-based side's obsession with blooding youngsters but more painful results in the coming weeks could seriously spook them.
Villa had conceded 17 goals in their last four league games before the nervy 2-1 FA Cup third round win over second tier Ipswich Town on Saturday with a young backline and midfield being run ragged and looking very much their inexperienced age.
ESTABLISHED NAME
Many in the game have applauded Villa's approach in a time of mega money wages and transfers but fans will have expected something different when American Randy Lerner, former owner of the NFL's Cleveland Browns, took over the club in 2006.
The harsh realities of top-flight football mean money and experience count, especially for clubs not enjoying an excitable first season in the Premier League when average players often excel.
Villa are an established name and their perilous position in 16th in the Premier League, a point above the relegation zone, is sending shudders down their faithfuls' spines with the prospect of a humiliating cup exit also a real possibility.
"We have a great chance now and Villa will have to play exceptionally well to get to Wembley," said Bradford boss Phil Parkinson, not sounding at all like a kowtowing fourth tier manager who is happy his plucky side have got this far.
"We go there full of confidence and the pressure will be on them."
Villa flirted with relegation last season and then sacked manager Alex McLeish, who had started the policy of fielding players in their teens and early 20s, so they know the risks they are taking.
The rays of light for fans are the shock 3-1 league win at Liverpool last month and the power and pace of seven-million pound ($11 million) Belgium forward Christian Benteke, one of the few Villa players to have cost a sizeable amount of money.
Whether more funds are available in the January transfer window remains to be seen, as does the future of England striker Darren Bent after previously being mysteriously banished to the sidelines despite not being injured.
British television pundit Alan Hansen famously said in 1995 that "you can't win anything with kids" when a Manchester United team including young unknowns such as David Beckham and Gary Neville lost - ironically - at Aston Villa on the opening day of the Premier League season.
United went on to win a league and cup double that season.

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Congressional Dairy Fix Would Still Raise Milk Prices

Dairy Manufacturers and Consumer Groups Oppose New Program
WASHINGTON, Dec. 31, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) stated today that the legislation proposed by Congressional Agriculture Committee leaders would still cause a problem in the marketplace because it includes a controversial new program designed to limit the milk supply. That proposal, championed by Representative Collin Peterson (D-MN) yet resisted by consumer groups, food manufacturers and many dairy farmers, is known as the Dairy Security Act (DSA) and would require the government to intervene in milk markets to manipulate the supply of milk in order to keep milk prices artificially high.
"It is ironic that the threat of higher dairy prices for consumers, caused by the possible implementation of the 1949 Act, is being used to force Congress to pass a new program that will result in higher prices," said Jerry Slominski, IDFA senior vice-president for legislative and economic affairs.
The new program is included in a bill that would extend most existing farm programs for one year; it was placed on the House calendar by House Committee on Agriculture Chairman Frank Lucas (R-OK). That bill completely rewrites U.S. dairy policies, including the new program to control milk production, yet leaves all other agriculture programs unchanged. By insisting on its inclusion in the "fiscal cliff" legislation, its supporters are making it more difficult to pass that important legislation, should leaders come to an agreement on its details.
"The Dairy Security Act is a problem, not a solution," Slominski said. "IDFA supports an extension of existing dairy policies in the current farm bill to give Congress time to complete action on a new five-year farm bill and to allow for consideration of the alternative to the Dairy Security Act offered by Representatives Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) and David Scott (D-GA). We believe that alternative will pass if it is brought to the full House of Representatives for an up or down vote.
"A clean extension of the 2008 Farm Bill will avoid having the 1949 Act become relevant law and allow payments to dairy farmers when milk prices fall. The 1949 Act represents agriculture policies from the past and unless Congress passes a clean extension of the Farm Bill, Secretary Vilsack would be placed in the unenviable position of proposing rules to implement such policies. Although he will be able to delay any increase on consumer dairy prices for weeks if not months, Congress should still take action to avoid that situation," Slominski concluded.

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Book of Mormon Tickets Remain Atop Most Popular Theatre Tickets List

The Book of Mormon continues to remain at the top of our Most Popular Theatre Tickets list, said Felina Martinez at online ticket marketplace BuyAnySeat.com. The 9-time Tony Award winning musical is currently running at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre in New York, the Bank of America Theatre in Chicago, and the Curran Theatre in San Francisco.

Denver, CO (PRWEB) January 01, 2013
This bold, bawdy, hilarious and heartfelt musical opened in February of 2011. It went on to win nine Tony Awards including Best Musical.
Now after almost two years, it continues to top popularity polls and play to sold out crowds around the country. (Source: Wikipedia.com, BuyAnySeat.com)
From the creators of “South Park and “Avenue Q”, Coloradoans Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the Book of Mormon continues to receive an almost perfect 4.9 rating from audiences, while critics give it a 4.7 out of five stars. (Source: Entertainment-link.com)
“While this musical is not appropriate for younger children, especially those in their pre-teens, adult audiences appear to appreciate the show’s explicit and irreverent content,” said Felina Martinez at online ticket marketplace BuyAnySeat.com. “We continue to see The Book of Mormon tickets at the top of our Most Popular Theatre Tickets list.”
“Through-out the Holiday season, we’ve also seen major spikes in search traffic for discount Book of Mormon tickets for the current performances in New York, Chicago and San Francisco.”

“We still have a big selection of Book of Mormon tickets available however,” said Martinez. “And we’re proud to be able to offer fans a great selection, with a worry-free guarantee to protect their purchase,” said Martinez.
“To access the complete selection of cheap Book of Mormon tickets we now have available, customers can go to BuyAnySeat.com and search for Book of Mormon – then select their tickets,” said Martinez.
The musical itself tells the tale of two mismatched missionaries sent to deepest, darkest Africa to spread the good word. Those who have seen "South Park" probably won't need any warnings, but the producers have issued a parental advisory due to `explicit language’. What happens to these asymmetric missionaries in poor, hungry, AIDS-plagued Africa is... well, R-rated.
To some reviewers, the musical’s content is both revolutionary and classic, hilarious and humane, funny and obscene. Other critics have called it blasphemous, scurrilous and more foul-mouthed than David Mamet on a blue streak – yet with a heart and soul as pure and pristine as a Rodgers and Hammerstein or Disney show.
How offensive is it? Despite its adult theme and bawdy content, Entertainment Weekly and the Salt Lake Tribute call it “surprisingly sweet”, while Vogue magazine writes that the show "starts out as a potty-mouthed buddy comedy" before "winding up as a kind of parable," and concludes that the musical's "dirty little secret is its big heart."
To shop for The Book of Mormon tickets, visit BuyAnySeat.com.
About BuyAnySeat.com: An online ticket marketplace, BuyAnySeat.com connects sports, theater and other live entertainment fans to an extensive worldwide network of ticket sellers. The site’s simplified listings and navigational tools enable fans to easily locate, compare and purchase inexpensive, discounted or lower-priced tickets to virtually all advertised sports and entertainment events around the globe. The site, which is PCI-compliant and Norton Secured, also provides customers with a complete Worry-Free Guarantee on all ticket purchases. Based in Denver, Colorado, BuyAnySeat.com is a subsidiary of Denver Media Holdings. For more information, please visit http://buyanyseat.com.

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Breakout Consulting Offers New Clients $500 Off on Dream Client Marketing Campaign

Leading business consultancy offers businesses of all sizes to strategically target their dream client list.

(PRWEB) January 01, 2013
Breakout Consulting, a leading small business coaching and consulting firm based in Dearborn, MI is offering new clients a $500 discount on their Dream Client Marketing Campaign focused on attracting the most lucrative buyers in their marketplace. The customized marketing package includes all the research, creatives and marketing collateral necessary to execute an effective dream client or best buyer marketing strategy. Package price also includes coaching and guidance to ensure effective deployment of the campaign. New clients can expect to be interacting with prospective dream clients within 45 days of engaging Breakout Consulting for this service.
The promotional price of $495 is a 50% discount over the normal price and is offered to new clients only.
Additional details can be found on their website or by calling 313-757-1425.
About Breakout Consulting:
Breakout Consulting, LLC was founded in 2000 by Michael P. Berry, a seasoned business professional who has been involved at various levels of ownership and management in 23 different private and franchise brands. Coaching and consulting services focus on all aspects of business improvement including marketing, sales, profitability, growth, hiring, training, planning, policies and procedures for start-ups and small to medium sized businesses. Prospective clients are offered a complimentary initial consultation and receive a customized 12-point growth plan free of charge.

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Michael J. Fox to play newscaster dealing with Parkinson's in NBC show

PASADENA, Calif. - On his upcoming NBC TV comedy, Michael J. Fox will play a newscaster who quits his job because of Parkinson's Disease but returns to work in the show's first episode because a new medical regimen has helped him control many of the disease's symptoms.
NBC said Sunday the comedy closely tracks many aspects of Fox's personal life and tries to have fun with an image that has left him an object of pity-fueled admiration.
The show doesn't have a title yet. NBC Entertainment President Jennifer Salke said it will premiere in September. Although the schedule isn't set yet, NBC is aiming to put it on Thursday night, where "30 Rock" and "The Office" are leaving in the next few months.
Salke said Fox is meeting this week with actresses who could potentially play his wife on the show.

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NHL players in hurry-up mode to prepare for games with pending end to lockout

The clock is already ticking for NHL players preparing to return to the ice.
With the end to the lockout pending, there will only be time for a brief training camp before a compressed schedule of 48 or 50 games.
The next few weeks will quickly show whether players who haven't played a competitive game since last spring are ready for the rigours of a regular season.
"I don't think it'll be too tough," said Montreal Canadiens forward Travis Moen. "Guys are professionals, so you should have been keeping yourself in decent shape all this time.
"We'll have some time to skate before, and then you make the best of it."
The NHL and the players reached a tentative agreement early Sunday morning but no details on how many games each team would play or when the season would begin were released.
There may be a wide disparity in game-readiness when the season does finally get underway.
About 200 players got game action skating for European clubs during the lockout, and most teams sent a few of their younger players to the American Hockey League.
But most, like Montreal captain Brian Gionta, did their best just to stay fit and keep their skills sharp by skating a few times a week in small groups on rented ice.
"Their timing and game-readiness would be there for sure,'' he said of those who played during the lockout. "It'll take a few games to get caught up, but that's the reality of where we're at."
A big concern will be staying healthy.
Injuries in the NBA reportedly rose more than 14 per cent from the previous season after their lockout ended in December 2011. Teams played a 66-game schedule after a short training camp. Some, including commissioner David Stern, disputed the injuries were the result of the lockout.
The shortened NHL schedule will have teams averaging more than 3.5 games per week.
"It's one of the more obvious things that might happen, especially groins, hip flexors, that sort of thing," said Vancouver Canucks forward Chris Higgins. "I think you'll see some teams with troubles with that early on.
"Hopefully, you've been doing the right things leading up to this."
His teammate Manny Malhotra said even that may not be enough.
"Watching the NBA last year try to squeeze in as many games as possible, it’s very taxing on the body," said Malhotra. "(Hockey) is obviously a lot more physical game than basketball.
"I would see it being a real grind on the players with very little rest. We always say: 'You can ride a bike as much as you want, you can practise as much as you want, you can bag-skate as much as you want, but there’s no substitute for actual game action.'"
There isn't expected to be time for pre-season games, as coaches will have enough to do just getting players back on the same page. In some cases, teams have new coaches who will have little time to work in a new system.
Players looking to earn an NHL contract in camp must be as impressive as possible in intra-squad games.
Among them is veteran forward Steve Begin, who has a tryout invitation to the Calgary Flames camp.
"I won't have much time to show what I can do but I'm confident," the 34-year-old said. "I've been working hard all summer and the last three months.
"I haven't played a game in a year and a half, so I'm excited. I'll take my chance and do as much as I can."
One who shrugs at the compressed schedule is Canucks captain Henrik Sedin, who said it is "not a problem. We’re used to travelling. We’re used to playing pretty much every second night. If they throw in one or two more games over a certain period of time, that’s fine."
Many players had already lost an entire season during the 2004-05 lockout, but only a handful recall the 1994-95 stoppage, which also ended in January and was followed by a 48-game schedule.
The Detroit Red Wings (33-11-4) and Quebec Nordiques (30-13-5) were the top regular-season teams that season, but it was the fifth-place overall New Jersey Devils who won the Stanley Cup. The defending champion New York Rangers barely squeaked into the playoffs at 22-23-3.
Physical forward Jim Vandermeer, a free agent who played for San Jose last season, expects the short season to be a wild ride.
"It'll be really exciting for the fans," he said. "Every game is going to matter that much more.
"You really can't (waste) any games in an 82-game season let alone a shorter one. It's going to be a race to the finish. Everybody's going to be flying right off the bat. I'm sure it'll be a lot of fun to watch.

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