Italian president at center of storm as deadlock continues

By James Mackenzie

ROME (Reuters) - Italy's 87-year-old President Giorgio Napolitano will face the greatest test of his career during his final weeks in office as he tries to end the standoff preventing a new government being formed more than a month after elections.

Following widespread reports he may resign to open the way for a new vote, Napolitano pledged to remain in office at the Quirinale palace until his term ends on May 15, averting the immediate threat of further turmoil.

He named 10 "wise men" including European Affairs Minister Enzo Moavero and senior politicians from the main center-left and center-right blocs to propose a series of urgent measures that could be backed by all parties.

Details will be announced on Tuesday but are expected to include cutting the cost of the bloated political system and replacing the widely criticized electoral law to avoid a repeat of the deadlock in future elections.

"It would be a disaster to go back to an election without have reformed the electoral law," Valerio Onida, former head of the Constitutional court who is part of the advisory group, told La Repubblica newspaper.

With financial markets already concerned about instability in the euro zone's third-largest economy, the prospect of Napolitano leaving raised alarm and moves to escape the impasse received a cautious welcome from commentators on Sunday.

"It was the right decision, it will avoid sending a dangerous signal to the markets and will show Italian institutions are solid and functioning," Enrico Letta, deputy head of the center-left Democratic Party told Reuters.

However, there were few illusions that summoning the "wise men", in line with a long tradition in Italian politics, offered more than a slim hope of overcoming the deep divisions that have prevented the parties from coming to an agreement.

"Political history shows, alas, that whenever someone wants not to decide something, what happens? They set up a nice commission," Daniela Santanche, a member of parliament close to former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, told La Stampa.

She said there was no alternative to Berlusconi's demand to share power in a coalition with the center-left formation led by Pier Luigi Bersani, which has repeatedly said it cannot deal with the scandal-plagued billionaire.

"Otherwise we go to elections, which we're sure of winning. There won't be any strange third ways," she said.

INSTABILITY

Napolitano, member of a student anti-fascist group during World War Two and a former communist, won wide respect in Italy and Europe for his handling of the 2011 political and financial market crisis which brought down the last Berlusconi government.

Newspapers reported on Sunday that European Central Bank President Mario Draghi called Napolitano to express concern his resignation would leave Italy without leadership at a time of mounting tension in financial markets.

However, Napolitano has acknowledged he has only limited power to force the parties to find a way out of political situation he said was "frozen between irreconcilable positions".

The three main blocs in parliament - Bersani's center-left, Berlusconi's center-right alliance and Beppe Grillo's anti-establishment 5-Star Movement - have all clung to demands that have prevented any government being formed.

Bersani, who won control of the lower house but fell short of the Senate majority that would allow him to govern, rules out a "grand coalition" with Berlusconi while Grillo refuses a pact with parties he blames for Italy's social and economic crisis.

Berlusconi and Grillo have both said they would not back a repeat of the kind of technocrat government led by Prime Minister Mario Monti, who will remain in office until a new government arrives.

The deeply divided parliament, along with regional representatives, will soon face the task of electing Napolitano's successor, who will have to oversee the birth of a new government or guide Italy into new elections.

Berlusconi, facing a verdict in his trial on charges of paying for sex with a minor as well as a decision on his appeal against a four-year sentence for tax fraud, has demanded the next president come from his side. He has already threatened to take protests to the streets if he does not get his way.

(Reporting By James Mackenzie; Editing by Sophie Hares)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/italian-president-center-storm-deadlock-continues-152016472.html

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Obama Calls Florida the 'Center of Basketball'

Obama in Miami

MIAMI - President Obama traveled to Florida to promote investment in infrastructure today, but it was clear he's got basketball on his mind.

As he opened his speech before a Miami crowd at a port site, the president ribbed the audience by boasting that his hometown team, the Chicago Bulls, snapped the Miami Heat's winning streak on Wednesday.

"Now before we get started, I've got to get into a sticky subject. I know you guys aren't happy with my Chicago Bulls. But I just want you to know the Heat are going to be just fine," the president said. "They're going to be ok. They are playing basketball the right way."

On Wednesday, the Bulls ended the Heat's 27-game winning streak with a 101-97 victory over the Miami team. The Heat's run became the second longest streak in NBA history and fell six wins short of the record 33 wins set by the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers.

The president also praised the Florida college basketball teams who have advanced in the March Madness tournament.

"The [Miami] Hurricanes - they had a great season? They deserve a big round of applause," Obama said. "Tonight, you've got Florida and Florida Gulf Coast going at it. One of them will go to the Elite 8."

"Let's face it, Florida is the center of basketball right now," he said.

Also Read

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-calls-florida-center-basketball-192607344--abc-news-politics.html

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Common gene variants explain 42% of antidepressant response

Mar. 28, 2013 ? Antidepressants are commonly prescribed for the treatment of depression, but many individuals do not experience symptom relief from treatment. The National Institute of Mental Health's STAR*D study, the largest and longest study ever conducted to evaluate depression treatment, found that only approximately one-third of patients responded within their initial medication trial and approximately one-third of patients did not have an adequate clinical response after being treated with several different medications. Thus, identifying predictors of antidepressant response could help to guide the treatment of this disorder.

A new study published in Biological Psychiatry now shares progress in identifying genomic predictors of antidepressant response.

Many previous studies have searched for genetic markers that may predict antidepressant response, but have done so despite not knowing the contribution of genetic factors. Dr. Katherine Tansey of Institute of Psychiatry at King's College London and colleagues resolved to answer that question.

"Our study quantified, for the first time, how much is response to antidepressant medication influenced by an individual's genetic make-up," said Tansey.

To perform this work, the researchers estimated the magnitude of the influence of common genetic variants on antidepressant response using a sample of 2,799 antidepressant-treated subjects with major depressive disorder and genome-wide genotyping data.

They found that genetic variants explain 42% of individual differences, and therefore, significantly influence antidepressant response.

"While we know that there are no genetic markers with strong effect, this means that there are many genetic markers involved. While each specific genetic marker may have a small effect, they may add up to make a meaningful prediction," Tansey added.

"We have a very long way to go to identify genetic markers that can usefully guide the treatment of depression. There are two critical challenges to this process," said Dr. John Krystal, Editor of Biological Psychiatry. "First, we need to have genomic markers that strongly predict response or non-response to available treatments. Second, markers for non-response to available treatments also need to predict response to an alternative treatment. Both of these conditions need to be present for markers of non-response to guide personalized treatments of depression."

"Although the Tansey et al. study represents progress, it is clear that we face enormous challenges with regards to both objectives," he added. "For example, it does not yet appear that having a less favorable genomic profile is a sufficiently strong negative predictor of response to justify withholding antidepressant treatment. Similarly, there is lack of clarity as to how to optimally treat patients who might have less favorable genomic profile.."

Additional research is certainly required, but scientists hope that one day, results such as these can lead to personalized treatment for depression.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Elsevier, via AlphaGalileo.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. Katherine E. Tansey, Michel Guipponi, Xiaolan Hu, Enrico Domenici, Glyn Lewis, Alain Malafosse, Jens R. Wendland, Cathryn M. Lewis, Peter McGuffin, Rudolf Uher. Contribution of Common Genetic Variants to Antidepressant Response. Biological Psychiatry, 2013; 73 (7): 679 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2012.10.030

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

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/mind_brain/depression/~3/z5l4WA6eDzU/130328091730.htm

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Lawmakers invite divisive Indian Hindu nationalist to visit

By Ross Colvin

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - A visiting U.S. congressional delegation on Thursday invited the chief minister of India's Gujarat state, Narendra Modi, to the United States, despite the fact that Washington has denied him a visa since 2005 because of deadly religious riots.

The invitation was a symbolic victory for Modi, a popular but divisive Hindu nationalist leader who is widely seen as harboring ambitions to become prime minister in 2014 and has been trying to win greater international acceptance.

However, the offer from Republican members of the U.S. House of Representatives is not likely to influence whether he eventually receives a visa from the State Department, which said such invitations have "no bearing" on their decisions.

Modi is accused by critics of not doing enough to stop - or of even quietly encouraging - riots in 2002 in which at least 1,000 people, mainly Muslims, were killed. He has denied the accusations but they have cast a shadow over his political ambitions and for years he was shunned by the West.

Indian media saw Thursday's visit by Representatives Aaron Schock, Cathy McMorris-Rodgers and Cynthia Lummis as a public relations coup for Modi, who has been trying to cultivate an image of a statesman. He quickly tweeted that the congressional delegation had lauded his leadership abilities.

It was the highest level U.S. delegation to meet Modi since the riots, an official in Modi's office said. The United States has maintained links with his administration at a consular level. U.S. companies such as Ford Motor Co. have major operations in Gujarat.

Schock, an Illinois congressman, told a news conference that American business leaders had encouraged him to visit Gujarat "because unlike other places in India our foreign investment is welcome".

"My colleagues and I were thoroughly impressed with our meeting with Modi and I will tell you that he is a very dynamic person and he has a pretty impressive track record here in the state of Gujarat.

"We extended an invitation to the chief minister to come to the United States and share with our colleagues some of what he's done here in the state."

McMorris-Rodgers, who is from Washington state and is the fourth-ranking Republican leader in the House of Representatives, said U.S. lawmakers would work with the Obama administration to ease the travel curbs on Modi.

The issue of human rights was not discussed during the 90-minute meeting, an official in Modi's office said.

There was no immediate comment from the State Department but Robert Blake, the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, said in February that the United States was not reconsidering its policy towards Modi.

"Visa decisions for all individuals are grounded in U.S. law and made by the Department of State on a case-by-case basis," said a U.S. State Department spokeswoman. "An invitation from a U.S. lawmaker has no bearing on any decision regarding potential visas."

"This case is no different. There has been no change to our visa policy. Our longstanding policy with regard to the Chief Minister is that he is welcome to apply for a visa and await a review like any other applicant," she added. "I am not going to speculate about what the outcome might be."

The lawmakers' trip came week after a British foreign minister met Modi in Gujarat, the most high-profile visit by a British official since the country ended its boycott of Modi in October. Modi has also been invited to a session of the European Parliament, his website said.

Diplomats in New Delhi say that given Modi's rising star, it is important for foreign governments to get to know him better.

(Additional reporting by Annie Banerji, Matthias Williams and Satarupa Bhattacharjya in New Delhi and Arshad Mohammed in Washington; Editing by Nick Macfie)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/lawmakers-invite-divisive-indian-hindu-nationalist-visit-195416307.html

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NJ boy, 4, found with dead mom was living on sugar

UNION, N.J. (AP) ? A naked, malnourished 4-year-old boy found inside an apartment with the body of his mother, dead for days, had resorted to eating from a bag of sugar and weighed only 26 pounds, well below normal, police said Wednesday as adoption offers poured in from around the world.

The boy's first request after being examined, police said, was a grilled cheese sandwich and a juice.

His mother, identified Wednesday as Kiana Workman, 38, of New York City's Brooklyn borough, was discovered dead Tuesday on the floor of her bedroom after maintenance workers at the apartment complex in northern New Jersey reported a foul odor. Because the chain lock was on, police said, the toddler couldn't get out.

Officer Joseph Sauer said the boy was naked but coherent and not crying when he kicked in the door and his partner lifted the youngster up by the arms and pulled him out of the overheated apartment.

"The only way to describe the little boy was it was like a scene from World War II, from a concentration camp, he was that skinny. I mean, you could see all his bones," Sauer told The Associated Press.

The apartment in this city 15 miles west of New York belongs to Workman's mother, who is recuperating from surgery at a nursing center, said police, who could not track down any other relatives.

The boy, now in state custody, remained in a hospital where he was being treated for malnourishment and dehydration, police said.

"Physically, he's fine. Whether there are any mental problems later on ... I'm not a child expert," Police Director Daniel Zieser said.

The boy was not strong enough to open the refrigerator and was unable to open a can of soup. Police said he told them he had been eating from a bag of sugar.

The boy could not say how long his mother had been dead.

Police said he put lotion on his mother, leaving behind handprints, in an attempt to help her.

Officer Sylvia Dimenna, who traveled in the ambulance with the boy and stayed with him at the hospital, said he was very bright and articulate but tired.

"He said he missed his mommy," she said.

Police initially estimated she had been dead five days before the discovery was made, but Zieser said Wednesday it may have been two to three. Nobody had talked to her for about a week.

The boy weighed 26 pounds, but at the age of 4? should have weighed 40 pounds or more, Zieser said.

"It's possible he was improperly cared for before the mother's death; we just don't know yet," Zieser said.

Autopsy results that would help them better determine the time of death were pending. Police said they did not suspect foul play.

Police said they were getting calls from around the world from people offering to adopt the child or donate money or toys.

"It's overwhelming," Zieser said.

"I just hope everything works out for the child," the police director said. "We're just going to take it one step at a time and do the best that we can for the child."

Police said they were trying to find someone in the family capable of taking care of the boy, including a brother of Workman believed to live out West. But he said it would be up to the state's child welfare agency to determine where the child is placed.

Zieser described the apartment complex as a well-maintained property with few problems.

But he said everyone there "basically stays to themselves."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/nj-boy-4-found-dead-mom-living-sugar-212828288.html

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Where Sheryl Sandberg gets it wrong

Facebook chief operating officer, Sheryl Sandberg, offers sound career advice to women with her 'lean in' initiative. But must the answer to gender inequity always be to make women more like men? Sometimes women also need to push back and speak out ? for the good of men, too.

By Amy E. Black / March 27, 2013

Sheryl Sandberg, chief operating officer of Facebook, speaks during an interview in New York March 12. Op-ed contributor Amy E. Black writes: 'The best way to close [the] ?ambition gap? is not to encourage women to ?man up? and over-estimate their contributions, but to encourage everyone...to tell the truth.'

Adrees Latif/Reuters

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Sheryl Sandberg?s ?Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead? has vaulted to the top of bestseller lists and spurred conversations in cubicles, around dinner tables, and across social media. The Facebook chief operating officer?s book, and the foundation that will be funded by book sales, challenge young women to ?lean in? to their ambitions instead of ?pulling back? by selling themselves short and not achieving their full professional potential.

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Ms. Sandberg acknowledges that external barriers hinder women in the workplace, but focuses most of her attention on internal barriers. She urges women to have greater confidence, perform at high levels, and challenge themselves with a singular focus on achievement.

Sandberg offers some sound advice, and young women (and men) determined to climb the workplace ladder should pay attention. But leaning in is not always sensible.

Workplace disparities between women and men persist, and Sandberg identifies several. But many of the external barriers women face require far more than a pep talk or consciousness-raising to overcome. At times, women should indeed lean in and forge full-steam ahead in their workplaces, but at other times they need to push back and speak out.

Some of her solutions hark back to the early years of second-wave feminism and its more problematic assumptions. Must the answer to gender inequity always be to make women more like men? Why can?t men and women learn from one another?

For example, Sandberg quotes studies that show women play down their capabilities. When asked to estimate their grade-point averages or other objectively measurable goals, women guess too low and men guess too high. When asked the secret to their success, women are more likely to attribute it to the assistance of others, whereas men tend to claim they did it all on their own.

The best way to close this ?ambition gap? is not to encourage women to ?man up? and over-estimate their contributions, but to encourage everyone ? men and women ? to tell the truth.

And the truth is: None of us fully owns our success. The recipe for individual achievements is a complex mix of work ethic, natural strengths and talents, personal background, access to networks, and the hard work of others.

As Sandberg notes, the dominant corporate culture rewards those who claim all the credit and ignores those who helped. Instead of leaning in and perpetuating the problem, women ? and men ? should be pushing back against the norm of self-promotion, demanding and rewarding honesty, and speaking out on behalf of those whose essential contributions are too often overlooked and underappreciated.

Leaning in at organizations that still play by men?s rules doesn?t empower women; it trivializes their contributions. Men and women often bring different perspectives to the workplace, and both are valuable. When women enter politics, for example, the agenda expands and lawmakers pay more attention to issues that were previously overlooked.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/fd9bTPyXIhA/Where-Sheryl-Sandberg-gets-it-wrong

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Google awards $1,000 for critical fix to Chrome

Marshall Honorof , TechNewsDaily ? ? ? 8 hrs.

Google has updated its Chrome Web browser to version number 26, patching two serious security flaws and a number of smaller ones.

For hackers, Chrome is one of the toughest Web browsers to crack, but that doesn't mean that it's perfect. Consequently, Google offers a $1,000 reward to whomever can point out major security flaws.

One Finnish code expert earned his share recently by pointing out a huge vulnerability in Chrome's audio systems, one of the two serious flaws patched by Tuesday's update.

Google will not divulge exactly how the security flaw worked until it has finished distributing patches to the majority of Chrome users. The issue involved the "use-after-free" functionality of Chrome's Web audio player.

Use-after-free refers to how a program allocates digital memory after finishing its task. For example, playing a song in Chrome requires a certain amount of system resources.

After the song's completion, those resources have to migrate elsewhere in the browser. By taking advantage of this newly freed memory, a hacker could introduce any number of malicious bits of code.

Atte Kettunen, the code expert who found the flaw, is a security expert based in Finland, and will receive $1,000 for his contribution to keeping Chrome safe.

Google offers the same prize to anyone who can find a major flaw in its popular, lightweight browser, although Kettunen was the only one who earned the honor this time around.

Google gave other vulnerabilities lower priority, or used its internal employees to find them (the $1,000 reward only applies to outsiders). The only other high-priority fix involves a potential data leakage between multiple tabs, while less likely candidates included oddities in Chrome's dev tools and its HTML processing. [See also: 5 Ways to Get the Most Out of Google Chrome]

Chrome updates automatically for Windows users; Mac and Linux users have to update manually.

If you want the update right now, it's quite simple to acquire. Select "About Google Chrome" in the program's main menu, and it will automatically search for, download and apply the update for version 26.

Remember: If you find a security flaw in the new version, don't keep it to yourself. There could be $1,000 in it for you.

Follow Marshall Honorof @marshallhonorof. Follow us @TechNewsDaily, Facebook or Google+.

Copyright 2013 TechNewsDaily, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653377/s/2a12244a/l/0L0Snbcnews0N0Ctechnology0Ctechnolog0Cgoogle0Eawards0E10E0A0A0A0Ecritical0Efix0Echrome0E2B9118594/story01.htm

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