Research in Motion announces BBX, 'combines the best of BlackBerry and QNX'


And it's real, folks -- RIM has made BBX, its latest mobile platform, official at its DevCon keynote. Dan Dodge, President of QNX, mentioned that the new OS is a "single, unified platform for the whole world," incorporating Enterprise, NOC and cloud services. BBX will offer over 100 open source libraries and is certified for POSIX, which should entice more developers to use the new platform. High on RIM's priority list, additionally, is HTML5, which is being touted as a bridge between older versions of BlackBerry and BBX.

Developing...

Be sure to check out the BlackBerry DevCon liveblog happening right now!

Continue reading Research in Motion announces BBX, 'combines the best of BlackBerry and QNX'

Research in Motion announces BBX, 'combines the best of BlackBerry and QNX' originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 Oct 2011 11:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/10/18/research-in-motion-announces-bbx-combines-the-best-of-blackber/

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Cyber war might never happen

[ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 18-Oct-2011
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Katherine Barnes
katherine.barnes@kcl.ac.uk
44-207-848-3076
King's College London

Cyber war, long considered by many experts within the defense establishment to be a significant threat, if not an ongoing one, may never take place according to Dr. Thomas Rid of King's College London

Cyber war, long considered by many experts within the defence establishment to be a significant threat, if not an ongoing one, may never take place according to Dr Thomas Rid of King's College London.

In a paper published in The Journal of Strategic Studies, Dr Thomas Rid, from the Department of War Studies, argues that cyber warfare has never taken place, nor is it currently doing so and it is unlikely to take place in the future.

Dr Rid said: 'The threat intuitively makes sense: almost everybody has an iPhone, an email address and a Facebook account. We feel vulnerable to cyber attack every day. Cyber war seems the logical next step.

'Cyber warfare is of increasing concern to governments around the world, with many nations developing defensive and reportedly offensive - capabilities.'

Recent events, such as a highly sophisticated computer worm known as Stuxnet, which was reported to have damaged the Iranian nuclear enrichment programme, have fuelled speculation that cyber warfare is imminent. There have also been alleged acts of cyber warfare originating from Russia aimed at Estonia and Georgia.

However, Dr Rid states that to constitute cyber warfare an action must be a potentially lethal, instrumental and political act of force, conducted through the use of software. Yet no single cyber attack has ever been classed as such and no act alone has ever constituted an act of war.

Dr Rid concludes: 'Politically motivated cyber attacks are simply a more sophisticated version of activities that have always occurred within warfare: sabotage, espionage and subversion.'

Dr Rid specialises in cyber security and conflict, irregular conflict and counterterrorism. He is currently researching how armies use social media and is working on a project on the subject of cyber security.

###

CONTACT
Katherine Barnes
International Press Officer
King's College London
T +44 (0) 20 7848 3076
M +44 (0) 7850 919019
Email katherine.barnes@kcl.ac.uk

NOTES TO EDITORS

Cyber War Will Not Take Place, Journal of Strategic Studies Published online: 05 October 2011
DOI: 10.1080/01402390.2011.608939
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01402390.2011.608939)

About Department of War Studies (www.kcl.ac.uk/warstudies)

Rated third for teaching excellence alongside Oxford and Cambridge in the 2011 Guardian University Guide for Politics and voted third for the volume of world-leading and internationally excellent research in the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise.

The War Studies Group -comprising the departments of War Studies and Defence Studies-contributes to public life, participates in national and international networks, maintaining its international reputation for excellence in scholarship and policy-relevant research.

About King's College London (www.kcl.ac.uk)

Follow us on Twitter: @KingsCollegeLon

King's College London is one of the top 30 universities in the world (2011/12 QS international world rankings), and was The Sunday Times 'University of the Year 2010/11', and the fourth oldest in England. A research-led university based in the heart of London, King's has nearly 23,500 students (of whom more than 9,000 are graduate students) from nearly 140 countries, and some 6,000 employees. King's is in the second phase of a 1 billion redevelopment programme which is transforming its estate.

King's has an outstanding reputation for providing world-class teaching and cutting-edge research. In the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise for British universities, 23 departments were ranked in the top quartile of British universities; over half of our academic staff work in departments that are in the top 10 per cent in the UK in their field and can thus be classed as world leading. The College is in the top seven UK universities for research earnings and has an overall annual income of nearly 450 million.

King's has a particularly distinguished reputation in the humanities, law, the sciences (including a wide range of health areas such as psychiatry, medicine, nursing and dentistry) and social sciences including international affairs. It has played a major role in many of the advances that have shaped modern life, such as the discovery of the structure of DNA and research that led to the development of radio, television, mobile phones and radar. It is the largest centre for the education of healthcare professionals in Europe; no university has more Medical Research Council Centres.

King's College London and Guy's and St Thomas', King's College Hospital and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trusts are part of King's Health Partners. King's Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre (AHSC) is a pioneering global collaboration between one of the world's leading research-led universities and three of London's most successful NHS Foundation Trusts, including leading teaching hospitals and comprehensive mental health services. For more information, visit: www.kingshealthpartners.org.

The College is in the midst of a five-year, 500 million fundraising campaign World questions|King's answers created to address some of the most pressing challenges facing humanity as quickly as feasible. The campaign's three priority areas are neuroscience and mental health, leadership and society, and cancer. More information about the campaign is available at www.kcl.ac.uk/kingsanswers.


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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.


[ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 18-Oct-2011
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Katherine Barnes
katherine.barnes@kcl.ac.uk
44-207-848-3076
King's College London

Cyber war, long considered by many experts within the defense establishment to be a significant threat, if not an ongoing one, may never take place according to Dr. Thomas Rid of King's College London

Cyber war, long considered by many experts within the defence establishment to be a significant threat, if not an ongoing one, may never take place according to Dr Thomas Rid of King's College London.

In a paper published in The Journal of Strategic Studies, Dr Thomas Rid, from the Department of War Studies, argues that cyber warfare has never taken place, nor is it currently doing so and it is unlikely to take place in the future.

Dr Rid said: 'The threat intuitively makes sense: almost everybody has an iPhone, an email address and a Facebook account. We feel vulnerable to cyber attack every day. Cyber war seems the logical next step.

'Cyber warfare is of increasing concern to governments around the world, with many nations developing defensive and reportedly offensive - capabilities.'

Recent events, such as a highly sophisticated computer worm known as Stuxnet, which was reported to have damaged the Iranian nuclear enrichment programme, have fuelled speculation that cyber warfare is imminent. There have also been alleged acts of cyber warfare originating from Russia aimed at Estonia and Georgia.

However, Dr Rid states that to constitute cyber warfare an action must be a potentially lethal, instrumental and political act of force, conducted through the use of software. Yet no single cyber attack has ever been classed as such and no act alone has ever constituted an act of war.

Dr Rid concludes: 'Politically motivated cyber attacks are simply a more sophisticated version of activities that have always occurred within warfare: sabotage, espionage and subversion.'

Dr Rid specialises in cyber security and conflict, irregular conflict and counterterrorism. He is currently researching how armies use social media and is working on a project on the subject of cyber security.

###

CONTACT
Katherine Barnes
International Press Officer
King's College London
T +44 (0) 20 7848 3076
M +44 (0) 7850 919019
Email katherine.barnes@kcl.ac.uk

NOTES TO EDITORS

Cyber War Will Not Take Place, Journal of Strategic Studies Published online: 05 October 2011
DOI: 10.1080/01402390.2011.608939
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01402390.2011.608939)

About Department of War Studies (www.kcl.ac.uk/warstudies)

Rated third for teaching excellence alongside Oxford and Cambridge in the 2011 Guardian University Guide for Politics and voted third for the volume of world-leading and internationally excellent research in the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise.

The War Studies Group -comprising the departments of War Studies and Defence Studies-contributes to public life, participates in national and international networks, maintaining its international reputation for excellence in scholarship and policy-relevant research.

About King's College London (www.kcl.ac.uk)

Follow us on Twitter: @KingsCollegeLon

King's College London is one of the top 30 universities in the world (2011/12 QS international world rankings), and was The Sunday Times 'University of the Year 2010/11', and the fourth oldest in England. A research-led university based in the heart of London, King's has nearly 23,500 students (of whom more than 9,000 are graduate students) from nearly 140 countries, and some 6,000 employees. King's is in the second phase of a 1 billion redevelopment programme which is transforming its estate.

King's has an outstanding reputation for providing world-class teaching and cutting-edge research. In the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise for British universities, 23 departments were ranked in the top quartile of British universities; over half of our academic staff work in departments that are in the top 10 per cent in the UK in their field and can thus be classed as world leading. The College is in the top seven UK universities for research earnings and has an overall annual income of nearly 450 million.

King's has a particularly distinguished reputation in the humanities, law, the sciences (including a wide range of health areas such as psychiatry, medicine, nursing and dentistry) and social sciences including international affairs. It has played a major role in many of the advances that have shaped modern life, such as the discovery of the structure of DNA and research that led to the development of radio, television, mobile phones and radar. It is the largest centre for the education of healthcare professionals in Europe; no university has more Medical Research Council Centres.

King's College London and Guy's and St Thomas', King's College Hospital and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trusts are part of King's Health Partners. King's Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre (AHSC) is a pioneering global collaboration between one of the world's leading research-led universities and three of London's most successful NHS Foundation Trusts, including leading teaching hospitals and comprehensive mental health services. For more information, visit: www.kingshealthpartners.org.

The College is in the midst of a five-year, 500 million fundraising campaign World questions|King's answers created to address some of the most pressing challenges facing humanity as quickly as feasible. The campaign's three priority areas are neuroscience and mental health, leadership and society, and cancer. More information about the campaign is available at www.kcl.ac.uk/kingsanswers.


[ Back to EurekAlert! ] [ | E-mail | Share 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/2011-10/kcl-cwm101811.php

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Greece faces second day of general strike

A piece of plaster torn from a building and thrown by a protester shatters as it hits the paint-spattered helmet of a riot policeman, during clashes in central Athens, Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2011. Greek anger over new austerity measures and layoffs erupted into violence Wednesday, as demonstrators hurled chunks of marble and gasoline bombs and riot police responded with tear gas and stun grenades that echoed across Athens' main square. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

A piece of plaster torn from a building and thrown by a protester shatters as it hits the paint-spattered helmet of a riot policeman, during clashes in central Athens, Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2011. Greek anger over new austerity measures and layoffs erupted into violence Wednesday, as demonstrators hurled chunks of marble and gasoline bombs and riot police responded with tear gas and stun grenades that echoed across Athens' main square. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

ATHENS, Greece (AP) ? Greeks furious at the government's austerity measures are vowing to turn out in force on the streets of Athens on the second day of a general strike, as lawmakers vote on the intensely unpopular new measures needed to secure continued payment from an international bailout fund.

Unions plan demonstrations, with one intending to encircle parliament in an attempt to prevent lawmakers getting into the building for the vote. On Wednesday, riots broke out during a protest march by more than 100,000 people.

The austerity bill won initial approval with a majority vote Wednesday, and lawmakers now vote on the details.

The measures include the suspension on reduced pay of 30,000 public servants and the suspension of collective labor contracts, and have angered even deputies from the governing Socialist party.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2011-10-20-EU-Greece-Financial-Crisis/id-31ed7d0088a048d0a7540d5579e7ebc2

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Impurity atoms introduce waves of disorder in exotic electronic material

ScienceDaily (Oct. 17, 2011) ? It's a basic technique learned early, maybe even before kindergarten: Pulling things apart -- from toy cars to complicated electronic materials -- can reveal a lot about how they work. "That's one way physicists study the things that they love; they do it by destroying them," said S?amus Davis, a physicist at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory and the J.G. White Distinguished Professor of Physical Sciences at Cornell University.

Davis and colleagues recently turned this destructive approach -- and a sophisticated tool for "seeing" the effects -- on a material they've been studying for its own intrinsic beauty, and for the clues it may offer about superconductivity, the ability of some materials to carry electric current with no resistance. The findings, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences the week of October 17, 2011, reveal how substituting just a few atoms can cause widespread disruption of the delicate interactions that give the material its unique properties, including superconductivity.

The material, a compound of uranium, ruthenium, and silicon, is known as a "heavy-fermion" system. "It's a system where the electrons zooming through the material stop periodically to interact with electrons localized on the uranium atoms that make up the lattice, or framework of the crystal," Davis said. These stop-and-go magnetic interactions slow down the electrons, making them appear as if they've taken on extra mass, but also contribute to the material's superconductivity.

In 2010, Davis and a group of collaborators visualized these heavy fermions for the first time using a technique developed by Davis, known as spectroscopic imaging scanning tunneling microscopy (SI-STM), which measures the wavelength of electrons of the material in relation to their energy.

The idea of the present study was to "destroy" the heavy fermion system by substituting thorium for some of the uranium atoms. Thorium, unlike uranium, is non-magnetic, so in theory, the electrons should be able to move freely around the thorium atoms, instead of stopping for the brief magnetic encounters they have at each uranium atom. These areas where the electrons should flow freely are known as "Kondo holes," named for the physicist who first described the scattering of conductive electrons due to magnetic impurities.

Free-flowing electrons might sound like a good thing if you want a material that can carry current with no resistance. But Kondo holes turn out to be quite destructive to superconductivity. By visualizing the behavior of electrons around Kondo holes for the first time, Davis' current research helps to explain why.

"There have been beautiful theories that predict the effects of Kondo holes, but no one knew how to look at the behavior of the electrons, until now," Davis said.

Working with thorium-doped samples made by physicist Graeme Luke at McMaster University in Ontario, Davis' team used SI-STM to visualize the electron behavior.

"First we identified the sites of the thorium atoms in the lattice, then we looked at the quantum mechanical wave functions of the electrons surrounding those sites," Davis said.

The SI-STM measurements bore out many of the theoretical predictions, including the idea proposed just last year by physicist Dirk Morr of the University of Illinois that the electron waves would oscillate wildly around the Kondo holes, like ocean waves hitting a lighthouse.

"Our measurements revealed waves of disturbance in the 'quantum glue' holding the heavy fermions together," Davis said.

So, by destroying the heavy fermions -- which must pair up for the material to act as a superconductor -- the Kondo holes disrupt the material's superconductivity.

Davis' visualization technique also reveals how just a few Kondo holes can cause such widespread destruction: "The waves of disturbance surrounding each thorium atom are like the ripples that emanate from raindrops suddenly hitting a still pond on a calm day," he said. "And like those ripples, the electronic disturbances travel out quite a distance, interacting with one another. So it takes a tiny number of these impurities to make a lot of disorder."

What the scientists learn by studying the exotic heavy fermion system may also pertain to the mechanism of other superconductors that can operate at warmer temperatures.

"The interactions in high-temperature superconductors are horribly complicated," Davis said. "But understanding the magnetic mechanism that leads to pairing in heavy fermion superconductors -- and how it can so easily be disrupted -- may offer clues to how similar magnetic interactions might contribute to superconductivity in other materials."

This research was supported by the DOE's Office of Science, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, and the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research. Additional collaborators included Mohammad Hamidian and Ines Firmo of Brookhaven Lab and Cornell, and Andy Schmidt now at the University of California, Berkeley.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted (with editorial adaptations by ScienceDaily staff) from materials provided by DOE/Brookhaven National Laboratory.

Journal Reference:

  1. Mohammad H. Hamidian, Andrew R. Schmidt, In?s A. Firmo, Milan P. Allan, Phelim Bradley, Jim D. Garrett, Travis J. Williams, Graeme M. Luke, Yonatan Dubi, Alexander V. Balatsky, and J. C. Davis. How Kondo-holes create intense nanoscale heavy-fermion hybridization disorder. PNAS, October 17, 2011 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1115027108

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/Nr5Og8WXtN0/111017170835.htm

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How To Clean Automotive Upholstery

Maintaining or repairing the ?looks-like-new? condition of their automobiles is a eating interest for most car owners. most owners have an interest in preserving their investment, and in enjoying the better use of their vehicle so long as possible. Other entrepreneurs are interested in restoring a vehicle to the best situation possible in order to sell it or get a good trade-in value. still others are attempting to restore a vehicle as a hobby, joining the many proud owners of classic and antique vehicles. these consumers need quality automotive cleaning goods that will enable them to fix up their autos speedily, with as little energy as possible. One particular difficulty, especially with older vehicles, is how to clean automotive upholstery. Is it different from household furniture upholstery? can the particular upholstery be washed in place or must it be removed? Must you use products that are usually uniquely for these indoor automotive fabrics?

Even brand-new vehicles can become dirty. A misplaced cup of coffee, a forgotten and melted waxy blemishes, a wad of nicotine gum tracked into the vehicle on the driver?s shoe, or even a sick puppy can present a daunting cleaning problem. If the problem was neglected in the event it was fresh, or perhaps if it was only somewhat cleaned and then allowed to age with the automobile, it may be extremely difficult to remove. it is always best to deal with stains immediately.

In general, the same product that will clean a leather or even vinyl chair must work on a leather or perhaps vinyl car interior. Automotive carpeting should reply to the same techniques as household carpet, based on the fibers applied. The same can be said pertaining to fabric upholstery. as a result, the first step in washing your car?s interior is to determine what it is manufactured from.

Second, try to evaluate which may have created the blemish. this step may be challenging if the stain has been there for a although or if you have only acquired the car. Poured cola and grease may leave spots that are similar in color, but they would respond best to different types of area removers. it is important to pick the correct automotive cleaning products for the job or spot.

Unusual stains ought to be dealt with first, prior to an attempt is made to neat and refresh the entire inside surface. Gum or other, similar, sticky materials need careful handling. You?ll find products available now that will freeze them in place, changing their chemical substance composition, and thus enabling easy removal simply by scraping them away.

Other interferes, like the above mentioned crayon, also need special handling. Waxy blemishes is wax centered, but also has color. its removal may need two steps as well as entirely different items, depending on how horribly it has melted in the fabric. A product uniquely formulated for crayon elimination is a good first step.

Sugar-based food and drink spills on fabric, even old ones, can be taken off with a good area remover. this step should be followed by a thorough business. If these spots are on the regular sewing of vinyl or leather, they may answer the spot cleaner on your own. Grease-based stains should react to being blotted with a great degreaser, such as Formula 21 years of age Grease Stain Eliminator.

Once all the special stains have been addressed appropriately, give the inside a thorough, all-over cleaning, depending on the upholstery variety. Leather and vinyl can be cleaned with a specially formulated product including Fuller Vinyl and Leather Cleaner. Built-up dust on older seats could also respond to washing with a good degreasing product such as Fulsol All-Purpose Degreaser. Fabric seats and also carpets should be able to manage a thorough steam cleaning. Care should be taken to not necessarily get the fabric too wet. because the furniture and carpet cannot be removed to dried up, work slowly within small areas, simply dampen the surface sufficient to remove the dirt. Leaving the gates and or windows open up for a while following your cleaning is complete may also hasten your trying time. Check with the company before treating as well as steam-cleaning antique fabrics.

With a little pre-planning and care, and with the right automotive detailing products, you can grow to be an expert in how you can clean automotive upholstery.

Learn more about One Piece Pajamas. Stop by Hal J. Boudreau?s site where you can find out all about latexmattresstopperreview.com and what it can do for you.

Source: http://marvellousoffers.com/how-to-clean-automotive-upholstery/

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Sales from Bieber's Christmas CD to go to charity (AP)

NEW YORK ? Justin Bieber is in the holiday spirit: The singer is the first artist on the Universal Music roster to have part of his album sales benefit a charity.

Sales from "Under the Mistletoe," his Christmas album that is out on Nov. 1, will go to various charities, including Pencils of Promise and the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

"Universal never actually allowed money from the album to go to charity, so it's kind of a unique thing and I'm very happy and proud of what we've done," the 17-year-old said in an interview from Lima, Peru on Monday.

Bieber said he isn't sure how much of the sales will go to charity, but thanks his team for helping him achieve his goal of wanting help others during the holiday season.

"I tell them basically what I want and they kind of go and help me get it done," said Bieber, who will also donate money to various food banks.

"Under the Mistletoe" features collaborations with Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men, among others. He said he wanted to "work with people who had great experiences with Christmas albums."

"They were all great people and fun to be around," said the Canadian-born entertainer, who appears on a "super festive" version of Carey's classic song "All I Want for Christmas."

Chris Brown co-wrote and co-produced the song "Christmas Eve," which Bieber says "all the ladies will like." And there are also tunes featuring Usher and country trio the Band Perry.

"They've been really successful and great in the country world, so I wanted to get them on my Christmas album and cross some barriers and try to get some different audience members to listen to my music," he said.

Bieber, who also raps on the Busta Rhymes-assisted "Drummer Boy," said he enjoys performing different styles of music.

"I guess I can be pretty versatile ? being able to do country music and put out a record of me rapping on the Internet," he said. "I just think that with the Internet, not a lot of artists can be taken seriously if they try to change lanes and so I made it kind of apparent at first that I love to do everything and people kind of take me seriously when I switch over, so I'm really lucky to be able to have that."

____

Online:

http://www.justinbiebermusic.com/

____

Mesfin Fekadu covers entertainment for The Associated Press. Follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/musicmesfin

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/music/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111018/ap_en_mu/us_music_justin_bieber

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French Socialists to choose presidential nominee (AP)

PARIS ? France's Socialists and sympathizers on Sunday are choosing their nominee for next year's presidential election ? an expected showdown with embattled conservative President Nicolas Sarkozy.

The main opposition party was holding a runoff to choose its standard-bearer as many French people worry about high state debt, cuts to education spending, anemic economic growth and lingering unemployment.

The contest pits former current party boss Martine Aubry against her predecessor, Francois Hollande. He is the former partner of the Socialists' last presidential nominee: Segolene Royal. Aubry is best known as the author of France's fabled 35-hour workweek law passed in the late 1990s.

Aubry and Hollande were the survivors as the six-person Socialist field was winnowed down last week in the first phase of the unprecedented party primary in which more than 2 million people cast ballots.

Starting with Charles de Gaulle in 1958, France has had a string of conservative presidents over the last half-century, but only one Socialist: Francois Mitterrand.

The party's primary this year has been designed in part to help overcome years of dissension within its ranks. The primary is open to voters beyond those in the Socialist Party, though some conditions apply.

Hollande, the top vote-getter in the first round, has since received expressions of support from the other four candidates who lost out last Sunday ? a tacit sign that any Socialist victory is their highest priority.

"If Martine Aubry had been ahead, and Francois Hollande behind, I would've chosen Martine Aubry," Arnaud Montebourg, who placed third last week after staking out the party's left wing, told i-Tele TV network.

Both Aubry and Hollande say trimming state debt is a priority, but have kept to Socialist party dogma on issues such as shielding citizens from the whims of the financial markets and raising taxes on the rich.

The party's nominee will face questions about how to keep France competitive at a time when sluggish growth will rein in state spending and emerging economies such as China, India and Brazil keep booming.

Hollande, seen as a party moderate who favors greater integration with Europe, is little-known outside of France and has provided no dramatic proposals for saving the euro, shrinking debts, solving tensions with immigrants or other French woes.

Aubry has repeated her hopes for "a strong left" to face Sarkozy ? seen by many as a jab at Hollande ? and insisted she would unite ideological allies such as Green Party supporters for the presidential race finale.

In an interview published Saturday in Le Parisien newspaper, Aubry said the phrase "soft with the weak, and hard on the powerful" was one that fits her well.

Recent polls suggest Aubry and Hollande could beat Sarkozy in the presidential election next spring. The incumbent's favorability ratings have hovered near the 30-percent level for months, but he is a strong campaigner and senses a rightward-majority tilt in the French electorate.

Sarkozy, who was elected to a five-year term in 2007, has not announced whether he will run again, but most political observers expect that he will.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/europe/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111016/ap_on_re_eu/eu_france_socialist_primary

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US House group files motion in gay marriage suit (AP)

SAN FRANCISCO ? Gays and lesbians are not entitled to the same heightened legal protection and scrutiny against discrimination as racial minorities and women in part because they are far from politically powerless and have ample ability to influence lawmakers, lawyers for a U.S. House of Representatives group said in a federal court filing.

The filing Friday in San Francisco's U.S. District Court comes in a lesbian federal employee's lawsuit that claims the government wrongly denied health insurance coverage to her same-sex spouse. Karen Golinski says the law under which her spouse was denied benefits ? the Defense of Marriage Act ? violates the U.S. Constitution's guarantee of equal protection.

But attorneys representing the House's Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group counter that DOMA is subject to a lower level of court scrutiny because gays and lesbians don't meet the legal criteria for groups who receive heightened protection from discrimination. Under that lower standard, DOMA is constitutional, they argue.

"A spate of recent news stories only confirms the conclusion that homosexuals are far from politically powerless," the filing says, arguing that the court should deny Golinski's motion for summary judgment in her favor. "Accordingly, gays and lesbians cannot be labeled `politically powerless' without draining that phrase of all meaning."

The filing cites a poll of Americans showing support for gay candidates, New York's decision to legalize gay marriage, and the lifting of the "don't ask, don't tell" policy that prohibited gays and lesbians from serving openly in the armed forces.

Golinski's attorney, Tara Borelli, said in a phone interview Saturday, "We don't think that DOMA can survive a court review under any level."

A recent ruling by a District Court judge in Massachusetts supported that view, Borelli said.

Golinski's case has received support from the Obama administration. In a brief filed in July that urged the court to find DOMA unconstitutional, the administration argued that it reflected Congressional hostility to gays and targeted an immutable characteristic ? sexual orientation ? that has nothing to do with someone's ability to contribute to society.

The administration also characterized gays and lesbians as minorities with limited political power. It had previously said it would not defend the marriage act.

The House's Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group stepped in to defend it.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/crime/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111015/ap_on_re_us/us_gay_marriage_federal_employees

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