Hard issues on table at Obama, Xi 'informal' summit

By Matt Spetalnick, Steve Holland and John Ruwitch

RANCHO MIRAGE, California (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, launched straight into discussing thorny issues at an informal summit and may delve deeper when they meet again on Saturday.

The two-day talks at a desert retreat near Palm Springs, California, was meant to be an opportunity for Obama and Xi to get to know each other, Chinese and U.S. officials have said, and to inject some warmth into often chilly relations while setting the stage for better cooperation.

After more than two hours of discussions, Xi and Obama said they had agreed on the need to work together to tackle cyber security issues, a major irritant as U.S. accusations of Chinese hacking intensify.

They also discussed the importance of improved military-to-military ties, an area hindered in the past by mistrust and poor communication.

"We are more likely to achieve our objectives of prosperity and security of our peoples if we are working cooperatively rather than engaged in conflict," Obama told reporters.

Ties between Beijing and Washington have been buffeted in recent months by strains over trade disputes, North Korea, human rights and each country's military intentions.

The United States says Chinese hackers have accessed American military secrets, an accusation China denies, and the White House itself faces questions at home over its own surveillance of emails and phone records.

In a reminder of how serious the United States is taking cyber security, the Washington Post on Saturday published details of what it said was a top secret document in which Obama last year called on national security leaders to develop destructive cyber warfare capabilities that could be triggered with "little or no warning" against adversaries around the world.

Obama said the two countries must strike a balance between competition and cooperation to overcome the challenges that divide them, and Xi pushed for a relationship that takes into account China's ascendancy.

Xi is expected to voice discomfort over Washington's strategic pivot toward Asia, a military rebalancing of U.S. forces toward the Pacific that Beijing sees as an effort to hamper its economic and political expansion.

Obama and Xi are due to hold a total of more than five hours of talks in Sunnylands, a 200-acre (81-hectare) estate on Bob Hope Drive that has hosted presidents including Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton and where afternoon June temperatures soar to 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43 Celsius) or more.

Obama will be looking to build on growing Chinese impatience with North Korea over its nuclear and missile programs, a shift that could bring Beijing - the closest thing Pyongyang has to an ally - closer to Washington's position.

"I think it's perhaps the most important meeting that they'll have in their tenure," said Paul Haenle, former China director on the National Security Council and director of the Carnegie-Tsinghua Center for Global Policy in Beijing.

"The biggest problem with the relationship is that we haven't had the deep and personal engagement at the very senior level that's required now to move forward to take the relationship to a new point."

(Editing by Louise Ireland and Sandra Maler)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/cyber-disputes-loom-large-obama-meets-chinas-xi-020327713.html

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Belmont Stakes could be wet, wide-open race

NEW YORK (AP) ? Orb and Oxbow. Oxbow and Orb. Anyway you draw it up, there will not be a Triple Crown on the line in the $1 million Belmont Stakes on Saturday.

Even without a Triple try, the Belmont is still an intriguing race. It matches Kentucky Derby winner Orb against Preakness winner Oxbow, Todd Pletcher sending out a record five horses and one of the largest fields in the 145-year history of a race also known as the "Test of the Champion."

So let's not overanalyze the rematch because there are many more story lines that will unfold when the 14-horse field begins its 1? -mile run around Belmont Park on what could be a wet track following 24 hours of rain.

Orb is looking to bounce back after his fourth-place finish in the Preakness, following his 2? -length win in the Derby. Oxbow is out to show his wire-to-wire Preakness win was not a fluke.

Todd Pletcher's quintet includes the filly Unlimited Budget, with Rosie Napravnik looking to become the second female jockey to win a Triple Crown race. Up-and-coming Freedom Child joins the Triple Crown fray for the first time off his 13? -length romp in the Peter Pan Stakes four weeks ago over a sloppy track at Belmont Park. And Kenny McPeek, who won the 2002 Belmont with Sarava at record odds of 70-1, is back again with 30-1 shot Frac Daddy.

"There's probably a few in there that don't figure, but they've got just as much license to run as Orb or Oxbow or anybody else," said Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey, whose Derby winner is the 3-1 morning-line favorite. "I'm not going to worry about because it makes this a good, solid field."

Revolutionary is the second choice at 9-2, with Oxbow third at 5-1 and Unlimited Budget and Freedom Child each at 8-1 in the field of 14 ? the largest since 1996 and one shy of the record set in 1983.

Weather could be a factor. A steady rain began early Friday and was expected to continue through Saturday morning, with as much as 3 inches predicted by the National Weather Service. The track was rolled and sealed after Thursday's races to compress the dirt so water doesn't seep into the racing surface.

If the track comes up wet, Orb, Golden Soul and Revolutionary ? the first three finishers in the Derby run over a sloppy track at Churchill Downs ? should be able to deal with it. So, too, should Freedom Child.

"I like what I'm seeing," said Freedom Child's trainer Tom Albertrani. "I'm getting all the good signs. He couldn't be doing any better."

The last Belmont run over the slop was two years ago when 24-1 long shot Ruler On Ice won. It also was the most recent Derby winner vs. Preakness winner matchup, with Preakness winner Shackleford fifth and Derby winner Animal Kingdom sixth.

In addition to Frac Daddy, there are few other long shots worth a look in 20-1 Will Take Charge and 15-1 Palace Malice.

D. Wayne Lukas will be out to win his 15th Triple Crown race with Oxbow, and he also trains Will Take Charge. The big colt may not have the nifty moves of some of his rivals, but Lukas says once he builds up a head of steam "he's dangerous."

Palace Malice is among Pletcher's squad ? the others are the filly, Revolutionary, Overanalyze and Midnight Taboo. Despite only one win in seven starts, Palace Malice, the son of two-time Horse of the Year Curlin, looks to have the potential to win at the top level.

"He's always impressed us in his training, and he's shown hints of that in some of his races although he hasn't completely followed through and won a big race that we feel like he's capable of doing," said Pletcher. "We think he's well meant for this race."

The Belmont is known as a rider's race because it takes a savvy jockey familiar with the lay of the land to navigate the nation's only 1? -mile oval. Belmont Park is like the Grand Canyon of racetracks, a much wider track than Churchill Downs or Pimlico, with long, sweeping turns.

It's also deceiving. Judging distance can be difficult. For example, at the top of the turn at Belmont, there's still a half mile left in the race. At other tracks, there's only a quarter mile to go.

Gary Stevens, who will be aboard Oxbow, knows all about the intricacies of the track. In 1997, he moved too soon aboard Silver Charm and had his Triple Crown spoiled by Touch Gold. A year later, he spoiled Real Quiet's Triple bid when Kent Desormeaux moved too early and Stevens' Victory Gallop won by a nose.

"''Belmont Park is like the ocean," said the recently unretired Stevens. "You can have a lot of fun in it, but it can hurt you if you don't respect it.

"It's a tricky place. It may look simple, but it's not simple. I think the best horse usually wins the Belmont, other than jockey error."

In the Preakness, Oxbow took charge from the start, set a slow pace and had enough left to win by 1? lengths. He should have plenty of company if he decides to gun for the lead on Saturday.

Look for Freedom Child, Frac Daddy and Palace Malice to give chase, with Orb, Golden Soul and Revolutionary back in the pack, most likely behind the mid-packers such as Unlimited Budget, Overanalyze and Will Take Charge. As the leaders move into the far turn, the real race riding should begin, with jockeys trying to pick the precise moment to ask their horse for a winning move.

Pletcher's Rags to Riches became the first filly in 102 years to win the Belmont in 2007. He believes any of his starters has a chance depending on how the race unfolds.

"The Belmont can be a very demanding race," he said. "Pace was a factor in both the Derby and Preakness and it'll dictate who is going to do what. A slower pace will allow some of these horses to run a little further and a fast pace will really expose some of them."

Despite the absence of a Triple Crown attempt, there's still a lot riding on the outcome. Says New Yorker Mike Repole, who owns Unlimited Budget, Overanalyze and Midnight Taboo: "Some owners get Kentucky Derby fever. I get Belmont Stakes fever."

___

Follow Richard Rosenblatt on Twitter at: http://www.twitter.com/rosenblattap

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/belmont-stakes-could-wet-wide-open-race-191516266.html

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Depositors, senior lenders safe in EU bank restructurings: EC official

By Foo Yun Chee

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Depositors and senior debt holders would be shielded from losses in any bank restructurings ordered by the European Commission, a senior Commission official said on Friday, the latest attempt to reassure savers that they would not be hit by bank problems.

Gert-Jan Koopman, deputy director-general for state aid at the EU executive body, said shareholders and junior debt holders would bear the burden under updated state aid rules that are set to come into force in August.

"If necessary, equity will be fully written down. The same goes for junior debt. But senior debt holders or depositors will not be required to be bailed in," Koopman told Reuters.

Concerns arose about whether depositors would be hit in bank rescues after Cyprus controversially forced savers to foot part of the bill for bailing out its banks.

Koopman said rescued banks, which need EU regulatory approval for their bailouts, would have to exploit their capital-raising ability to the maximum extent possible.

"Often banks have other means of contribution. One is to reduce their risk-weighted assets," Koopman said.

The European Commission is updating its rules governing when countries are allowed to assist banks in trouble. As regulator in such state-aid cases across the European Union, it has the power to set conditions, including the restructuring of a bank, or freezing dividend and coupon payments.

(Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; Editing by John O'Donnell and Greg Mahlich)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/depositors-senior-lenders-safe-eu-bank-restructurings-ec-095949153.html

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A Hubble view of NGC 1579: The Trifid of the North

June 7, 2013 ? Unlike the venomous fictional plants that share its name, the Trifid of the North, otherwise known as the Northern Trifid or NGC 1579, poses no threat to your vision. The nebula's moniker is inspired by the better-known Messier 20, the Trifid Nebula, which lies very much further south in the sky and displays strikingly similar swirling clouds of gas and dust.

The Trifid of the North is a large, dusty region that is currently forming new stars. These stars are very hot and therefore appear to be very blue. During their short lives they radiate strongly into the gas surrounding them, causing it to glow brightly. Many regions like the Trifid of the North -- named H II regions -- are clumpy and strangely shaped due to the powerful winds emanating from the stars within them. H II regions also have relatively short lives, furiously forming baby stars until the immense winds from these bodies blow the gas and dust away, leaving just stars behind.

The image, captured by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, shows the bright body of the nebula, with dark dust lanes snaking across the frame. The Trifid of the North glows strongly due to the many stars within it, like young binary EM* LkHA 101. Visible to the bottom right of the image, this binary is thought to be surrounded by a hundred or so fainter and less massive stars, making up a recently formed cluster. It lies behind a cloud of dust so thick that it is almost invisible to astronomers at optical wavelengths. Infrared imaging has now penetrated this dusty veil and is uncovering the secrets of this binary star, which is about five thousand times brighter than our own sun.

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Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/fJrFi_5zcuI/130607153636.htm

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Marathon men: Superstars who wrestled more than once in a night

It might have well been called, ?Monday Night Daniel Bryan? on June 3, as the submission specialist took over Raw by competing in two grueling matches in his latest attempt to prove to himself that he is not Team Hell No?s ?weak link.?

Kicking the night off with an explosive Six-Man Tag Team Match against The Shield, Bryan then made the somewhat rash decision to take on the ever-hungry Ryback later in the night.

Watch Bryan go berserk!

As remarkable as Bryan?s performance was, though, the former World Heavyweight Champion is hardly the first to perform double-duty on a given night of squared-circle action. After all, as WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair used to say, he?d wrestle six days a week, then twice on Sundays.

But to do what WWE?s submission specialist did on Raw is truly an accomplishment, as are the following examples of Superstars locking up more than once over the course of a given show.

Source: http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/2013-06-03/marathon-men-superstars-who-wrestled-more-than-once-in-a-night

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PFT: Peer blames head injuries for Jones' death

Getty Images

The Packers and Brett Favre are inching and lurching toward an inevitable reunion, with Favre returning to Lambeau Field as the prodigal son who is celebrated, not shunned.

Aaron Rodgers has openly supported a reconciliation.? CEO Mark Murphy has said the franchise needs Favre ?back in the family.?

Favre has now weighed in, via a radio interview with WGR 550 in Buffalo.

?[T]he things that transpired that led to us ?breaking up? if you will, to me, are over and done with,? Favre said, via the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.? ?When will that happen?? I don?t think either side is trying to push the issue . I think Mark Murphy ? and Mark really came in the last few weeks of my career in Green Bay ? he kind of came into a hornet?s nest if you will.? He?s been extremely great in trying to make this work.? In our discussions, it will happen.? I think both sides are genuine.? I?know they are.? And that?s the way it has to come across because that?s the way it should be.? We don?t want to go out there waving to the crowd with our backs to each other.? And I?don?t think that?s going to happen.?

Favre added that he ?really [doesn't] hold any regrets? about his entire career, but he realizes that the final days in Green Bay were awkward and ugly.

?It is what it is,? Favre said.? ?It?s over and done with.? I was at fault.? I feel that both sides had a part in it.? If you could go back would I or them have done things differently?? I?m sure both sides would.? But you can?t.?

He?s right that both sides were at fault.? Favre?s annual indecision about retiring compelled the team to draft Rodgers in 2005, and after three years on the bench the Packers were ready to use him.? So the Packers, instead of cutting Favre or trading him in the offseason, pushed Favre for a definitive answer as to his plans for 2008 in February, knowing that if pressed for an answer in any February his answer would be, ?I?m done.?

And then the Packers hoped to create an outcome in which Favre played neither for them nor anyone else ? especially not in the NFC North.? The Packers, once it became clear Favre wanted to play after the calendar reached the months when his desire typically returned, set up a clumsy showdown, forcing Favre to show up and putting him on the sidelines and ultimately engineering a trade to anywhere but Minnesota.

Which of course made Favre even more determined to play for the Vikings and stick it to the Packers.? Which he did in 2009, sweeping his former team.

But Green Bay had the last laugh.? After watching Favre?s Vikings blow a chance at getting to the Super Bowl, the Packers swept Brett in 2010 amid embarrassing revelations about his alleged texting habits ? and then won the Super Bowl without him.

So, yes, both sides were at fault and, yes, the Packers and Favre need to publicly reconcile, not via sound bites but from the middle of the 50 yard line at Lambeau Field.

The problem is that, with the cover that comes from being in a crowded stadium, there will be plenty of boos.? Enough to be heard.? And the only thing that will make them less audible will be the passage of time.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/06/06/lem-barney-im-sure-deacon-joness-death-is-due-to-head-injuries/related/

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Jumble of education topics facing Congress

WASHINGTON (AP) ? From pre-kindergarten to No Child Left Behind, from broadband-wired schools to college loans, students in every age group are suddenly finding the spotlight on Capitol Hill.

After months of relative neglect, education issues are getting the attention of lawmakers from both parties ? as well as President Barack Obama ? just as the school year is ending and, for many college students, the cost of education is about to go up.

Interest rates on new subsidized Stafford loans are set to double from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent if Congress doesn't act by July 1, but talks between Democrats and Republicans have largely broken down.

"Nobody's even sitting at the table. That's a problem," said Andrew Kelly, an education scholar at the conservative American Enterprise Institute.

The Republican-led House already has taken action on loans ? and drawn a veto threat from Obama. The Senate is set to take up student loans Thursday with competing Republican and Democratic versions of legislation. It's not certain either can clear the 60-vote threshold in the Senate.

Just before the Senate began to talk about student loans, Senate Republicans introduced their rewrite of the sweeping education law known as No Child Left Behind. Two days earlier, Democratic lawmakers introduced theirs.

House Republicans, too, are planning their own version of No Child Left Behind in coming weeks.

Meanwhile, Education Secretary Arne Duncan has been promoting Obama's early childhood program, although it seems headed nowhere. Obama has proposed working with states to set up programs for all 4-year-olds, and eventually all 3-year-olds, to prepare them for kindergarten.

And Obama is heading to North Carolina on Thursday to talk about putting high-speed Internet in schools.

In short: Scattershot ideas on education are tugging at Americans' attention and dividing Congress' priorities.

"You can't tell the bills without a program," said Terry Hartle, a top official with the higher-education lobbying group the American Council on Education.

Those are just the proposals getting serious or immediate consideration. Others ? Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren's proposal to offer students loans at the same rates available to Wall Street, for example, and Republican Sen. Marco Rubio's proposal to consolidate educational tax breaks ? are still sidelined despite fevered popularity among some constituencies in their parties.

Come July, college students will be hit with an extra $1,000 in student loan payments each year.

"If Congress doesn't act, student loans are going to be more expensive for students and parents struggling to pay for college," said Pauline Abernathy, a vice president at the Institute for College Access and Success.

Partisans are trying to find political advantage in their own positions and attempting to embarrass rivals. The committee devoted to electing Republicans to the Senate criticized potential Democratic candidates for joining other members of their party in voting against the GOP student loan bill in the House. Obama countered with a campaign-style event at White House event last week to criticize Republicans.

"Under normal circumstances, finding a way to avoid this should not be beyond the capability of Congress and the executive branch," said Hartle. "But in the current environment, when every minor skirmish turns into the Battle of Gettysburg, it becomes very hard to take care of things that would have been taken care of before."

Even so, other education advocates still see the potential for a deal similar to last summer's eleventh-hour agreement ? it came during the height of the 2012 presidential campaign ? that kept interest rates low for one more year.

"There's no question there's nothing like a deadline to force Congress' attention," said Abernathy, a former senior official in the White House and Education Department. "We have a July 1 deadline on student loans. The deadlines on the other issues have long since passed, such as No Child Left Behind. It's no question that it gets tougher to focus attention without that deadline."

Congress let the 2007 deadline for No Child Left Behind pass without action. Student loans, however, are a more immediate priority for families than standardized tests.

"It's a bread-and-butter, middle-class issue, paying for college," Kelly said. "Neither party wants to come across as the draconian one, or the one standing in the way of sustainable system."

___

Follow Philip Elliott on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/philip_elliott

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/jumble-education-topics-facing-congress-074817359.html

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