US played 'limited' role in botched French rescue bid

WASHINGTON: The United States said Sunday it played a limited support role in France's botched bid to rescue a kidnapped secret agent in Somalia.

"United States forces provided limited technical support to the French forces in that operation, but took no direct part in the assault on the compound where it was believed the French citizen was being held hostage," President Barack Obama said in a letter to Congress.

Saturday's failed attempt to free the French hostage from the Al Qaeda-linked Shebab group killed at least eight civilians, as well as 17 guerrillas. One French soldier died while another went missing.

"United States combat aircraft briefly entered Somali airspace to support the rescue operation, if needed," Obama wrote, adding that "these aircraft did not employ weapons during the operation."

"I directed U.S. forces to support this rescue operation in furtherance of U.S. national security interests," he wrote.

- AFP/jc

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Sangam ready for confluence of faith, 1.1 crore pilgrims may take Kumbh dip today

ALLAHABAD: Even as you read this, a sea of humanity would have already taken — or would be taking — a dip into Sangam's lapping waters along with a mass of saints rushing to take their first shahi snaan (royal bath) on Makar Sankranti on Monday. More than 1.1 crore pilgrims are expected to bathe on the first day of Mahakumbh, the festival that visits the banks of this confluence of the country's civilizational rivers, Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical as well as invisible Saraswati, every 12 years.

In fact, many of the akharas or groups of saints complete their splash into a majestically flowing Sangam well before sunrise, with others soon immersing themselves in the river with prayers on their quivering lips.

The mela administration said it has made elaborate arrangements for devotees who would be flocking to the city over the next 55 days. In fact, around 10-15 lakh pilgrims are already living in Sangam city's sprawling quarters, day and night. Most of them are in tents, make-shift shelters or with sectoral groups called akharas that are administered by sadhus and mahants.

There are people from virtually every state, with those from rural areas of UP, MP, Gujarat and Maharashtra accounting for the largest numbers. The administration has received applications from more than 100 organizations seeking land to pitch more tents, and their numbers are growing.

Wide-eyed tourists as well as professionals from abroad could not stop gushing at the sights. "This is huge," said Nick Oza, a photo-journalist from Arizona. "I don't know from where to begin and where to end!"

A young student from Bangalore, Laxman Sitapathy, said this was his first visit to a Kumbh and the experience is yet to sink in. "I had only seen Kumbh pictures. This far exceeds my expectations."

Joginder from Ludhiana, Punjab, said signboards in the Sangam city should be in other languages as well. "When people from across the world are coming for this mega event, there should be signages in more languages. Just a handful of cops or guides are not enough."

The mela administration has divided the Sangam area spread over around 40 sq km into seven zones or including Parade, Sangam, Akhara, Eyeject bridge, North Jhunsi, South Jhunsi and Arail. A zonal police officer along with magistrate has been appointed in-charge of each zone.

However, a number of organizations which were allotted land in different sectors have complained to Mela officials that their tents were too far away from the Sangam ghats and they had to walk up to 3-4 km for a dip. The mela administration said it's helpless, claiming the entire land on the banks of Ganga and Yamuna has been allocated.

ADM, Kumbh Mela, Ashutosh Kumar Dwivedi told TOI, "The main Sangam ghat is spread across 3,500 feet, while other ghats like sector 13 (2,600 feet), sector 12 (2,000 feet), sector 10 (800 feet), sector 9 (600 feet) and sector 8 (450 feet) have been prepared for the convenience of pilgrims and devotees.

None of this, however, is dampening people's fervor. Narendra Nath from Junagarh, Gujarat, said, "I am here with my family and 14 neighbours for a dip. We got a temporary shelter near Triveni Road and we are happy to share this blissful experience with others."

Work in considerable patches is yet unfinished. Basic civic amenities like water pipe connection, electricity are yet to reach out to every part of the make-shift town. Officials say they expect things to be much smoother by the date of the next Shahi snaan.

IG, Allahabad zone, Alok Sharma said, "Elaborate arrangements are in place with police teams carrying out frisking at different points and streets leading to Sangam area. Traffic police authorities have been asked to divert traffic and implement restrictions at certain points to ease flow of pilgrims."

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Pictures: Civil War Shipwreck Revealed by Sonar

Photograph by Jesse Cancelmo

A fishing net, likely only decades old, drapes over machinery that once connected the Hatteras' pistons to its paddle wheels, said Delgado.

From archived documents, the NOAA archaeologist learned that Blake, the ship's commander, surrendered as his ship was sinking. "It was listing to port, [or the left]," Delgado said. The Alabama took the wounded and the rest of the crew and put them in irons.

The officers were allowed to keep their swords and wander the deck as long as they promised not to lead an uprising against the Alabama's crew, he added.

From there, the Alabama dropped off their captives in Jamaica, leaving them to make their own way back to the U.S.

Delgado wants to dig even further into the crew of the Hatteras. He'd like see if members of the public recognize any of the names on his list of crew members and can give him background on the men.

"That's why I do archaeology," he said.

(Read about other Civil War battlefields in National Geographic magazine.)

Published January 11, 2013

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Dreamliner Nightmare: Another 787 Fuel Leak

Japan Airlines said a Boeing 787 Dreamliner jet leaked fuel while undergoing tests today at the airport near Tokyo, marking the latest in a string of highly-publicized problems for the jetliner as it undergoes a safety review by the U.S. government.

The Dreamliner being examined leaked around 25 gallons of fuel from a nozzle in the left wing, according to a spokesperson for Japan Airlines. It was reportedly the same aircraft that spilled fuel onto the runway at Logan International Airport in Boston earlier this week, The Associated Press reported.

On Monday, firefighters battled an electrical fire on a grounded Japan Airlines 787, also at Logan.

"We are aware of the event and are working with our customer," Boeing spokesman Marc Birtel said in an email to the Los Angeles Times.

The jetliner, which was unveiled as a luxurious and fuel-efficient way to travel, has recently been beset by problems.

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Japan's All Nippon Airways has reported a fuel leak, a 3-foot-long crack in a cockpit window and a malfunctioning computer in its fleet of 787s.

The Federal Aviation Administration announced a comprehensive review of the carbon-fiber plane to ensure it is safe to fly, however officials did not waver in their support of the aircraft.

"I would fly on one today," Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said at a joint news conference with Boeing on Friday.

The plane will not be grounded by the FAA, and will continue to fly during the review, FAA administrator Michael Huerta said.

"Nothing suggests the airplane is not safe," Huerta said. "We believe this is a safe aircraft. To validate the work during the certification process, we'll work with Boeing to check on systems design and production.

"We want to make sure that the approved quality-control process is in place. We want to see the entire picture and not focus on individual events, to determine the root causes of these events," he said.

Huerta said the review will focus on the Dreamliner's electrical system, including the battery and the power distribution panels, and how electrical and mechanical systems interact with one another.

Aviation experts say that, except for the fire, the issues have all been minor.

"If there was something seriously wrong with this plane there is no question they would ground it," ABC News aviation consultant John Nance said. "That's not the problem here, there's nothing seriously wrong with the 787."

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How NRA’s true believers converted a marksmanship group into a mighty gun lobby

In gun lore it’s known as the Revolt at Cincinnati. On May 21, 1977, and into the morning of May 22, a rump caucus of gun rights radicals took over the annual meeting of the National Rifle Association.

The rebels wore orange-blaze hunting caps. They spoke on walkie-talkies as they worked the floor of the sweltering convention hall. They suspected that the NRA leaders had turned off the air-conditioning in hopes that the rabble-rousers would lose enthusiasm.

The Old Guard was caught by surprise. The NRA officers sat up front, on a dais, observing their demise. The organization, about a century old already, was thoroughly mainstream and bipartisan, focusing on hunting, conservation and marksmanship. It taught Boy Scouts how to shoot safely. But the world had changed, and everything was more political now. The rebels saw the NRA leaders as elites who lacked the heart and conviction to fight against gun-control legislation.

And these leaders were about to cut and run: They had plans to relocate the headquarters from Washington to Colorado.

“Before Cincinnati, you had a bunch of people who wanted to turn the NRA into a sports publishing organization and get rid of guns,” recalls one of the rebels, John D. Aquilino, speaking by phone from the border city of Brownsville, Tex.

What unfolded that hot night in Cincinnati forever reoriented the NRA. And this was an event with broader national reverberations. The NRA didn’t get swept up in the culture wars of the past century so much as it helped invent them — and kept inflaming them. In the process, the NRA overcame tremendous internal tumult and existential crises, developed an astonishing grass-roots operation and became closely aligned with the Republican Party.

Today it is arguably the most powerful lobbying organization in the nation’s capital and certainly one of the most feared. There is no single secret to its success, but what liberals loathe about the NRA is a key part of its power. These are the people who say no.

They are absolutist in their interpretation of the Second Amendment. The NRA learned that controversy isn’t a problem but rather, in many cases, a solution, a motivator, a recruitment tool, an inspiration.

Gun-control legislation is the NRA’s best friend: The organization claims an influx of 100,000 new members in recent weeks in the wake of the elementary school massacre in Newtown, Conn. The NRA, already with about 4 million members, hopes that the new push by Democrats in the White House and Congress to curb gun violence will bring the membership to 5 million.

The group has learned the virtues of being a single-issue organization with a very simple take on that issue. The NRA keeps close track of friends and enemies, takes names and makes lists. In the halls of power, it works quietly behind the scenes. It uses fear when necessary to motivate supporters. The ultimate goal of gun-control advocates, the NRA claims, is confiscation and then total disarmament, leading to government tyranny.

“We must declare that there are no shades of gray in American freedom. It’s black and white, all or nothing,” Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre said at an NRA annual meeting in 2002, a message that the organization has reiterated at almost every opportunity since.

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Chavez not in coma, responding well to treatment: brother

CARACAS Ailing Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is not in a coma and is responding well to cancer treatment in Cuba, making daily progress, his brother said Saturday.

"Reports that the president is in a coma and that the family is discussing ending life support, are totally false," Adan Chavez, governor of the state of Barinas, said in a statement.

He "continues to respond well to his medical care and to make daily progress in his recovery."

Chavez has been out of public sight since undergoing surgery in Havana on December 11, the fourth such operation in the 18 months since his condition was made public.

Officials have said the fiery leftist leader is suffering from a severe pulmonary infection that has resulted in a "respiratory insufficiency," fueling speculation about his prospects for a full recovery -- and his political future.

The uncertainty surrounding Chavez's condition has rattled Venezuela, the nation with the world's largest proven oil reserves.

The government was forced to postpone the president's scheduled inauguration Thursday, as it became clear that he could not attend. Authorities insist the country's constitution allows Chavez to take the oath of office later on.

But the opposition has cried foul, calling for a medical board to review the absent leader's health -- a demand rejected by the Supreme Court, which said the delayed swearing-in was constitutional.

In Cuba on Saturday, President Raul Castro voiced his support for the Venezuelan leadership, his government's closest and most critical economic and political ally.

Castro made the comments during a meeting with Venezuelan Vice President Nicolas Maduro, who arrived in the Cuban capital late Friday to check on his ailing boss, who had a difficult fourth round of cancer surgery last month.

Raul Castro "expressed his confidence in the ability of the Venezuelan people and their institutions to address and overcome any challenge," a government statement said.

"Raul and Maduro shared their mutual satisfaction with the emotional demonstration of support for Venezuela and President Chavez on January 10 in Caracas," it added.

Two Chavez allies, Argentine President Cristina Kirchner and Peruvian President Ollanta Humala, also arrived in Havana on Friday.

"We all hope for a quick recovery," Humala said.

Kirchner refused to comment on Chavez's health when asked by reporters, saying it should be left to his family. She did, however, thank retired revolutionary icon Fidel Castro, 86, for hosting a luncheon for her in his home Friday.

Like Chavez, Castro has been sidelined by health problems and rarely appears in public since stepping aside as president of the communist country in 2006.

Throughout his illness, first detected in June 2011, Chavez -- in power for 14 years -- has refused to relinquish the powers of the presidency, even when leaving for Cuba for his latest surgery.

The Venezuelan constitution says new elections must be held within 30 days if the president-elect or president dies or is permanently incapacitated, either before he takes office or in the first four years of his six-year term.

-AFP/ac

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Punjab family ravaged by Alzheimer’s banks on gene test

NEW DELHI: A curious case from Punjab has rattled not just Kuldeep Kaur and her family but even the experts who have been striving for over a year to solve her case. Kaur, a 32-year-old mother of two, was living a healthy life till September 2011 when she suddenly developed memory loss. She stopped recognizing people, forgot meals and became urinary incontinent — a pattern observed in her family including her father, grandfather, great grandmother and several other blood relatives.

Kaur had been suffering from an extremely rare disease called familial Alzheimer's that runs into families. This was declared two days ago in a genetic test conducted by a research group based in France.

"This is the first time we have come across any such patient. Her 26-year-old brother had approached us two years ago for genetic testing, fearing that he might also suffer from the same fate as his family members. We did some testing but the mutation in gene could not be identified. Finally, a research group in France offered to do the genetic testing for free and the results came in," said Dr Sunita Bijarniya Mahay, metabolic physician and geneticist at the Center of Genetic Medicine, Ganga Ram Hospital.

Now they will do predicting testing on the brother and Kuldeep's blood relatives, Dr Sunita said, to rule out or confirm the possibility of mutation of the same gene in them. "Though there is no cure for familial Alzheimer's, the tests would help them beat the angst. We can also try to manage the positive cases using best post possible medical intervention," she added.

According to Harmohan Singh, Kuldeep's brother, most of their family members could not survive beyond 50 years. "We always thought it was a family curse and would lead to the extermination of our whole generation. But the finding of the gene responsible for the deaths has given us new hope," he said. Singh was eight when his father passed away due to the same disease.

"Kuldeep's condition is also worsening each day. She has developed urinary incontinent and has become very weak. Her children have been the worst sufferers of the tragedy and no one knows what future they have. We are poor and it is really difficult for us to even think of getting the tests done on each family member," he said.

According to Dr I C Verma, director of the center of genetic medicine at Ganga Ram Hospital, India has the largest number of patients having genetic disorders because of large number of births (27 million per year), consanguineous marriages (within relations), high frequency thalessemia and sickle cell disease.

"Prenatal genetic testing, which can help in timely identification of these risk factors, is available at most centers in India. We are now trying to acquire high-end services like Microarray Analysis that can analyse the minutest change in chromosome and next generation sequencing to multiple genes for possible mutation in one go.

"These new technologies will lead to the identification of the cause of intellectual disability, muscle weakness , brain disorders and many other genetic disorders. This will also lead to the development of newer therapies," he said.

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Pictures: Civil War Shipwreck Revealed by Sonar

Photograph by Jesse Cancelmo

A fishing net, likely only decades old, drapes over machinery that once connected the Hatteras' pistons to its paddle wheels, said Delgado.

From archived documents, the NOAA archaeologist learned that Blake, the ship's commander, surrendered as his ship was sinking. "It was listing to port, [or the left]," Delgado said. The Alabama took the wounded and the rest of the crew and put them in irons.

The officers were allowed to keep their swords and wander the deck as long as they promised not to lead an uprising against the Alabama's crew, he added.

From there, the Alabama dropped off their captives in Jamaica, leaving them to make their own way back to the U.S.

Delgado wants to dig even further into the crew of the Hatteras. He'd like see if members of the public recognize any of the names on his list of crew members and can give him background on the men.

"That's why I do archaeology," he said.

(Read about other Civil War battlefields in National Geographic magazine.)

Published January 11, 2013

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Poisoned Lottery Winner's Kin Were Suspicious

Urooj Khan had just brought home his $425,000 lottery check when he unexpectedly died the following day. Now, certain members of Khan's family are speaking publicly about the mystery -- and his nephew told ABC News they knew something was not right.

"He was a healthy guy, you know?" said the nephew, Minhaj Khan. "He worked so hard. He was always going about his business and, the thing is: After he won the lottery and the next day later he passes away -- it's awkward. It raises some eyebrows."

The medical examiner initially ruled Urooj Khan, 46, an immigrant from India who owned dry-cleaning businesses in Chicago, died July 20, 2012, of natural causes. But after a family member demanded more tests, authorities in November found a lethal amount of cyanide in his blood, turning the case into a homicide investigation.

"When we found out there was cyanide in his blood after the extensive toxicology reports, we had to believe that ... somebody had to kill him," Minhaj Khan said. "It had to happen, because where can you get cyanide?"

In Photos: Biggest Lotto Jackpot Winners

Authorities could be one step closer to learning what happened to Urooj Khan. A judge Friday approved an order to exhume his body at Rosehill Cemetery in Chicago as early as Thursday to perform further tests.

Lottery Winner Murdered: Widow Questioned By Police Watch Video

Moments after the court hearing, Urooj Khan's sister, Meraj Khan, remembered her brother as the kind of person who would've shared his jackpot with anyone. Speaking at the Cook County Courthouse, she hoped the exhumation would help the investigation.

"It's very hard because I wanted my brother to rest in peace, but then we have to have justice served," she said, according to ABC News station WLS in Chicago. "So if that's what it takes for him to bring justice and peace, then that's what needs to be done."

Khan reportedly did not have a will. With the investigation moving forward, his family is waging a legal fight against his widow, Shabana Ansari, 32, over more than $1 million, including Urooj Khan's lottery winnings, as well as his business and real estate holdings.

Khan's brother filed a petition Wednesday to a judge asking Citibank to release information about Khan's assets to "ultimately ensure" that [Khan's] minor daughter from a prior marriage "receives her proper share."

Ansari may have tried to cash the jackpot check after Khan's death, according to court documents, which also showed Urooj Khan's family is questioning if the couple was ever even legally married.

Ansari, Urooj Khan's second wife, who still works at the couple's dry cleaning business, has insisted they were married legally.

She has told reporters the night before her husband died, she cooked a traditional Indian meal for him and their family, including Khan's daughter and Ansari's father. Not feeling well, Khan retired early, Ansari told the Chicago Sun-Times, falling asleep in a chair, waking up in agony, then collapsing in the middle of the night. She said she called 911.

"It has been an incredibly hard time," she told ABC News earlier this week. "We went from being the happiest the day we got the check. It was the best sleep I've had. And then the next day, everything was gone.

"I am cooperating with the investigation," Ansari told ABC News. "I want the truth to come out."

Ansari has not been named a suspect, but her attorney, Steven Kozicki, said investigators did question her for more than four hours.

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Senate Democrats urge Obama to bypass Republicans on the debt ceiling

Democratic leaders in the Senate on Friday urged President Obama to consider bypassing Congress to prevent the nation from defaulting on its spending obligations if lawmakers cannot agree to raise the nation’s $16.4 trillion debt ceiling next month.

In a joint letter that served as a warning to congressional Republicans, Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) and his leadership team encouraged Obama to “take any lawful steps” to avoid default — “without Congressional approval, if necessary.”

The letter appeared to be an effort to push the White House to play hardball in its negotiations with Republicans as the federal government edges up against a legally imposed limit on borrowing.

Republicans have insisted that they will not increase the government’s borrowing authority without deep spending cuts, including to entitlement programs. On Friday they rejected the idea of unilateral action by the president.

“The Democrat leadership hiding under their desks and hoping the President will find a way around the law on the nation’s maxed-out credit card is not only the height of irresponsibility, but also a guarantee that our national debt crisis will only get worse,” said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) in a statement.

Michael Steel, a spokesman for House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio), said that Americans “will not tolerate” hiking the debt ceiling without spending cuts.

Obama has said he considers raising the limit — which the nation will hit in February — an obligation of Congress because doing so allows the government to pay off debts it has already incurred.

Unlike in the summer of 2011, when Obama negotiated with Boehner in an effort to pair a debt-ceiling increase with a broad deficit reduction package of spending cuts and new tax revenue, the president has insisted he will no longer negotiate spending concessions in exchange for a higher ceiling.

That has left both sides without a clear strategy for how to proceed in what is likely to be a bitter and protracted fight.

In their letter, Reid, Sen. Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.), Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) indicate that they will support Obama if he moves without Congress.

They wrote that the GOP position to block a debt-limit increase unless Democrats agree to cuts in Medicare and Social Security is “outrageous and absurd.”

They urge Obama to act unilaterally “in the event that Republicans make good on their threat by failing to act, or by moving unilaterally to pass a debt limit extension only as part of unbalanced or unreasonable legislation.”

One option some congressional Democrats have long advocated would involve Obama invoking the 14th Amendment to the Constitution to declare congressional action unnecessary for raising the limit.

The amendment holds that the validity of the country’s public debt “shall not be questioned.” Some constitutional experts believe that statement means that Congress cannot tie the government’s hands to borrow funds to meet obligations the government has already incurred.

The White House has indicated that Obama does not believe the Constitution gives him the right to ignore the congressionally imposed limit on borrowing.

Officials have been less definitive, however, about another route: allowing the Treasury Department to mint a trillion-dollar platinum coin to bolster the nation’s assets. The seemingly wacky idea has been gaining traction in recent days because of a law that allows the Treasury to mint coins of any value.

Asked recently about the coin, White House press secretary Jay Carney pointedly refused to rule it out as an option — though he repeatedly indicated that there “is no plan B” to congressional action.

In his statement, McConnell called the coin idea “ridiculous” and accused Democrats of considering “outright abdication of Congressional responsibility” in order to avoid cutting spending. The letter from Senate leaders came a week after a similar suggestion from House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). She told reporters last week that if she were president, she would invoke the 14th Amendment to raise the debt ceiling “in a second.”

“I’ve made my view very clear on that subject,” she said. But, she added, “I’m not the president of the United States.”

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