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Monday, June 18, 2012

White House congratulates Greece on elections

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The White House is congratulating the Greek people for holding that country's election in difficult times.

The statement from the press secretary called on Greece to quickly form a new government that can make "timely progress" on the economic challenges facing the Greek people. The White House called on Greece to remain in "the euro area while respecting a commitment to reform."

The White House promised to engage Greece in the spirit of partnership" that has long guided the alliance between U.S. and Greece.

The New Democracy party came in first in Greece's election Sunday and immediately proposed forming a pro-euro coalition government ? a development that eased, at least briefly, deep fears that the vote would unleash new economic woes.

Associated Press

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Obama to speak with EU leaders after G20 dinner: White House

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Sunday, June 17, 2012

Opposition cries for help as Syria forces pound Homs

Syria's opposition issued a cry for help on Sunday as regime forces pounded rebel bastions in Homs province and activists warned that hundreds of civilians were trapped with little food or water.

The opposition Syrian National Council (SNC), meeting in Istanbul, also demanded the deployment of armed peacekeepers a day after a UN observer mission said it was suspending operations because of the relentless bloodshed.

The mission chief, General Robert Mood, meanwhile, urged the warring parties to "allow women, children, the elderly and the injured to leave conflict zones, without any preconditions and ensure their safety."

"I call on the parties to take immediate action to ease the pain of Syrians trapped in the violence and the UN Supervision Mission in Syria (UNSMIS) stands ready to monitor their release, once the decision is taken," he said.

Violence cost at least another 37 lives on Sunday, taking the overall weekend death toll across the country to 108, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Regime forces pounded rebel areas of the Old City of Homs and outlying towns, including Rastan and Talbisseh, in a bid to crush armed insurgents, the watchdog said, with deadly violence also reported in other parts of Syria.

A civilian was killed in the Homs city rebel bastion of Khalidiyeh, which was "being shelled and shot at by regime forces" while six others were killed in assaults on Rastan and Talbisseh, the Observatory said.

The situation in Rastan was also dire and most residents had fled to neighbouring villages, anti-regime activist Nidal al-Hakim told AFP via Skype.

Many people were "critically" wounded and there is a shortage of medication, while authorities have cut off electrical supplies and water from the besieged city, said Hakim.

"We couldn't bury our martyrs in the cemetery because... it is targeted by Assad's forces," he added.

Abu Bilal, another activist speaking from the Old City of Homs, said the regime assault on several parts of the central city was "suffocating."

"They are shelling us all the time. There's very little food and water, and we're running out of medication."

The Observatory has said that more than 1,000 families were stuck in the area, with dozens injured.

SNC chief Abdel Basset Sayda accused the regime of President Bashar al-Assad trying to commit new "atrocities" in Homs and Rastan. "The country is under a violent attack, especially Homs," Sayda told journalists in Istanbul.

SNC spokeswoman Bassma Kodmani said the situation in Homs city was growing increasingly desperate, citing food and water shortages.

Towns, including Rastan, "are living through tragic hours and days. We are calling for immediate humanitarian intervention in favour of the people of Syria", she said.

Earlier the SNC issued a statement urging the United Nations to pressure Assad's regime using Chapter VII of the UN charter, which allows measures to be imposed on a country under penalty of sanctions or force.

The opposition specifically demanded that observers tasked with monitoring a UN-backed ceasefire -- that has been flouted daily since going into effect on April 12 - be armed.

A YouTube video uploaded on Sunday by activists showed clouds of black and grey smoke rising over buildings in the Old City of Homs.

The thump of shelling and gunfire ripped through the silence of what appeared to be a ghost town.

Another video showed widespread destruction in the Homs district of Jourat al-Shiah, including deserted streets and a shelled building on fire.

"We don't have any milk for the children, nor water, nor electricity," a mother of two whose house was destroyed says on the video.

"We are not scared. We don't want weapons or money. We just want a way to get our children out of here," she says.

The authenticity of the videos could not immediately be verified.

Home to rebel hideouts, Homs has been under intermittent attack by regime forces ever since its district of Baba Amr was relentlessly pounded for a month before being retaken by the regime early March.

Sunday's dead also included a 17-year-old boy "who was thrown from a fifth floor apartment by security forces after they raided his home in the (Damascus province) town of Daraya," the Observatory said citing activists.

UNSMIS suspended its operations two months into its three-month mandate on Saturday, blaming the intensifying violence threatening the 300-strong force.

Mood said the observers "will not conduct patrols and will stay in their locations until further notice," citing the force's inability to carry out its duties.

More than 14,400 people have died in the 16-month uprising against the regime of President Bashar al-Assad, according to the watchdog.

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Dolby confirms 14 theaters for inaugural screening of Pixar's 'Brave' with Atmos audio

If you want to be among the first to experience Dolby's new Atmos surround sound experience, the company has released a list of 14 theaters that will have it up and running in time to show the first movie with the technology. Disney / Pixar's Brave hits the screens June 22nd and thanks to the Atmos setup is ready to direct sound to listener's ears from as many as 64 speaker feeds and 128 simultaneous inputs, combining with 3D visuals to increase viewer immersion. Not sold yet? Check out a few instructional videos about intelligent surround sound, and why 13.1 channels just wouldn't have been enough, plus of course, the list of all fourteen theaters.

Continue reading Dolby confirms 14 theaters for inaugural screening of Pixar's 'Brave' with Atmos audio

Dolby confirms 14 theaters for inaugural screening of Pixar's 'Brave' with Atmos audio originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 16 Jun 2012 15:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Saturday, June 16, 2012

China Counting Down to Launch Space Docking Mission Saturday

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Mickey Mouse on Mercury? That's goofy!

NASA / JHUAPL / CIW

A June 3 image from NASA's Messenger probe shows a scene in Mercury's southern hemisphere, northwest of Magritte Crater. Three overlapping craters form the head and ears of a "Mickey Mouse" shape.

By Alan Boyle

We've had the Face on Mars, the Smiley Face on Mars, even the Elephant Face on Mars?? and now we've got the Mickey Mouse Face on Mercury, courtesy of NASA's Messenger probe.

The mousy shape comes from three overlapping craters in Mercury's southern hemisphere, northwest of a larger crater known as Magritte. The biggest crater in this scene, which serves as Mickey's head, measures about 65 miles (105 miles) across.

This picture was taken during Messenger's extended mission, with the aim of collecting imagery when the sun is near the horizon. Such conditions produce long shadows that highlight small-scale surface features. The result is that the Mercury mission's mapmakers get a better sense of the lay of the land.

Messenger became the first spacecraft to orbit Mercury back in March 2011, and the end of its one-year primary mapping mission?marked the beginning of a one-year extension. Which means we may be hearing more about Mickey, Magritte and their Mercurial friends?for months or years to come.

Where in the Cosmos
The Mickey Mouse Face on Mercury was today's featured image for our "Where in the Cosmos" Facebook contest. It took just a couple of minutes for Leslie Kebschull and Brad Perdew to come up with the locale for the cartoonish craters. Their entries came in just three seconds apart. To reward their quick minds and fingers, I'm sending them a pair of 3-D glasses, courtesy of Microsoft Research's WorldWide Telescope. (Microsoft is a partner in the msnbc.com joint venture.)

To get in on next week's contest, click the "like" button for the Cosmic Log Facebook page. And while you're at it, sign up for the Tech/Science email newsletter, which is sent out Monday through Friday. That's a great way to get your daily dose of Cosmic Log as well as other goodies from msnbc.com's Space and Science sections.

Alan Boyle is msnbc.com's science editor. Connect with the Cosmic Log community by "liking" the log's Facebook page, following @b0yle on Twitter and adding the?Cosmic Log page?to your Google+ presence. You can also check out?"The Case for Pluto,"?my book about the controversial dwarf planet and the search for new worlds.

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