French president to Rome for debt-crisis talks

French president to Rome for debt-crisis talks

French president to Rome for debt-crisis talks

His visit comes amid fresh fears that Eurozone leaders may have failed to control the spiralling debt crisis, which has forced a struggling Spain to ask for aid and may see Greece bow out of the zone after an election this weekend.

The pressure on EU leaders to agree crisis measures has been magnified by the pounding Italy has taken this week as unease over the country's fate saw its 10-year government bond yield leap over the warning 6.0-percent barrier.

The meeting, which comes as Prime Minister Monti seeks to secure allies as the debt-crisis sharks loom, marks a move to widen eurozone debt talks to beyond the usual Franco-German alliance and give Italy a more prominent role.

Thursday's talks are likely to focus on growth and debt management and will lay the ground for an important Rome summit between Italy, France, Germany and Spain on June 22, and a crucial EU leaders meeting in Brussels on June 28-29.

Diplomatic sources said Hollande's visit "is a sign that Paris wants to take advantage of the experience" of former European commissioner Monti, and is an attempt to "widen the circle beyond the tete-a-tete" with Berlin.

Monti and Hollande "want to work on common proposals" to tackle the crisis and favour the use of eurobonds and other new instruments as a way of reducing borrowing costs for the eurozone's weaker economies.

Some economic watchers have touted Monti as a possible "bridge" between the different crisis-busting stances held by France and Germany.

Paris and Berlin are growing closer to agreement on growth stimulus measures for the debt-stricken eurozone, French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said Wednesday, though he said some differences remained.

Like Monti, Socialist Hollande wants additional growth stimulus measures. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, however, emphasises the need for continued austerity budgets and economic reforms.

German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said in an interview in La Stampa newspaper on Wednesday that he hoped the new and "particularly close" collaboration between Italy and France would allow Monti to act as a mediator.

In a sign of the tetchy atmosphere between the eurozone's biggest economies, Schaeuble took a swipe at Paris, complaining that France was not measuring up to crisis-busting structural reforms by failing to adhere to retirement ages.

In contrast, he praised Monti's structural reforms and said Italy would not succumb to the debt crisis if it stuck to them.

Monti insisted Wednesday that he was "relaxed over Italy's standing on the international stage and on the markets," telling the cabinet that the country had a lower public deficit and unemployment rate than many other EU countries.

?He will likely be hoping to get France's public support to help allay market fears that Italy may soon follow Spain into the debt-crisis mire.

In the talks, which kick off at 1400 GMT, the leaders may also address foreign policy issues, from coordinated action on Syria to troop withdrawal from Afghanistan and the fight against Islamic terrorism in the Sahel.

Hollande's first official trip to see Monti -- who took power in November as the debt crisis peaked -- is likely to contrast starkly with the rather stormy encounters between their predecessors, Nicolas Sarkozy and Silvio Berlusconi.

The days when Germany and France cosied up to each other to the exclusion of Italy -- captured in a indiscreet smirk shared by Merkel and Sarkozy when quizzed about Berlusconi at a conference last year -- appear to be over.

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Exhausted Suu Kyi falls ill during news conference

In this image taken from AP Television News Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, puts her hand to mouth before becoming ill at a press confernce in Bern, Switzerland, Thursday, June 14, 2012. Suu Kyi said she felt exhausted after her long trip from Asia to Europe. A spokesman for the Swiss Foreign Ministry said Suu Kyi recovered enough to briefly attend a reception with government officials but then retired to her room. Suu Kyi was her first trip to Europe since 1988. (AP Photo/AP Television News) TV OUT

In this image taken from AP Television News Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, puts her hand to mouth before becoming ill at a press confernce in Bern, Switzerland, Thursday, June 14, 2012. Suu Kyi said she felt exhausted after her long trip from Asia to Europe. A spokesman for the Swiss Foreign Ministry said Suu Kyi recovered enough to briefly attend a reception with government officials but then retired to her room. Suu Kyi was her first trip to Europe since 1988. (AP Photo/AP Television News) TV OUT

Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi attends a news conference during the annual meeting of the International Labour Organization (ILO) in Geneva, Switzerland, Thursday, June 14, 2012. Suu Kyi said that investment in her country should strengthen its nascent process of democratization. The Nobel peace laureate spoke Thursday to the annual meeting of the ILO in Geneva on the first stop of her trip to Europe. (AP Photo/Keystone, Laurent Gillieron)

Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi speaks at a press conference during the 101st International Labour Organization (ILO) Conference at the European headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, Thursday, June 14, 2012. (AP Photo/Keystone/Laurent Gillieron)

Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi speaks at a news conference during the annual meeting of the International Labour Organization (ILO) in Geneva, Switzerland, Thursday, June 14, 2012. Suu Kyi said that investment in her country should strengthen its nascent process of democratization. The Nobel peace laureate spoke Thursday to the annual meeting of the ILO in Geneva on the first stop of her trip to Europe. (AP Photo/Keystone, Martial Trezzini)

Aung San Suu Kyi, the Myanmar opposition leader, left, arrives at the 101st International Labor Organization, ILO, Conference at the European headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, Thursday, June 14, 2012. Suu Kyi visits Switzerland, Norway, Ireland, Britain and France from June 13, 2012 to June 29, 2012. (AP Photo/Keystone, Martial Trezzini)

(AP) ? A rock star welcome greeted Aung San Suu Kyi as she embarked on her first trip to Europe in 24 years. But after a whirlwind of standing ovations, speeches and receptions, it all became too much, and she fell ill Thursday during a news conference in Switzerland.

The 66-year-old Nobel Peace Prize laureate became sick shortly after saying how exhausted she was after her long trip from Asia to Europe, which brought her to Geneva late Wednesday night. It was not known how her apparent exhaustion would affect the rest of a tightly-packed schedule, which includes delivering her Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech in Oslo on Saturday, 21 years after winning the award.

Suu Kyi looked pale as she took questions Thursday evening alongside Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter in the Swiss capital of Bern. After a few minutes, she pressed a finger to her lips and motioned to an aide who rushed to her side with a bag. She then bent over and threw up before being escorted out of the room by officials.

A spokesman for the Swiss Foreign Ministry said Suu Kyi recovered enough to briefly attend a reception with government officials later but then retired to her room.

"She's just a bit tired," spokesman Jean-Marc Crevoisier told The Associated Press. "I would be, too, after the long day she's had."

Earlier, the woman who has become an icon for the democracy movement had blamed age and lack of travel for her tiredness.

"Having stayed in one place for so long, I found the plane journey out to the West extremely exhausting and a little bit disorienting because I couldn't adjust to the new time as quickly as I might have 24 years ago," Suu Kyi told reporters. "It may, of course, have something to do with age. It may have to do with lack of practice."

The United Nations in Geneva was the first stop of her two-week European tour. Her appearance at a U.N. labor conference ? an unlikely venue for glitz and glamor ? had starry-eyed functionaries reaching for their camera phones to snap a picture as Suu Kyi smiled and shook hands with well-wishers.

"You fill this room with the light of your spirit," said Juan Somavia, the ILO's director general.

The evening before, as Suu Kyi arrived at her hotel shortly before midnight after a long flight, spontaneous applause erupted in the lobby as the staff recognized their special guest.

Suu Kyi, who endured 15 years of house arrest and once feared permanent exile if she ever left Myanmar, has become the country's most electric ambassador.

During this trip, Suu Kyi is expected to lay out how her country has changed and what still needs to be done before it can be called a proper democracy. She also had planned to address both houses of Britain's parliament, receive an honorary doctorate from Oxford, attend a U2 concert in Dublin, and deliver in Oslo the acceptance speech for the Nobel Peace Prize that she won in 1991.

At that time, Suu Kyi was detained by the military after leading a pro-democracy party to victory in Myanmar's 1990 election. The prize was picked up instead by her 18-year-old son Alexander.

"I've been so exhausted preparing for the trip that I've had no time to think about how I'm going to feel about Oslo, but perhaps this evening I'll sit back and think about it," Suu Kyi told reporters after her speech to the U.N. labor office.

The Geneva-based agency has long campaigned against forced labor in Myanmar, earning it a first stop on Suu Kyi's much-anticipated tour.

The leader of Myanmar's opposition National League for Democracy stepped carefully around sensitive subjects such as the ethnic unrest brewing in her country's western Rakhine province.

She said foreign investment must help ? not hurt ? Myanmar's goal of moving toward full democracy, referring to the exploitation of Myanmar's oil and gas riches, the subject of recent deals between the government and China. Western companies, too, have been eager to invest in the Southeast Asian nation as the sanctions it faced under military rule are gradually lifted.

"Any new investment that comes in because of the lifting or suspension of sanctions should add to the democratic process rather than subtract from it," Suu Kyi said.

Asked about the abuses committed by the junta during its decades-long rule, Suu Kyi struck a conciliatory note, citing fellow Nobel winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

"At this moment, what I want most of all is reconciliation and not retribution," she said.

She took the same high road when it came to her own suffering at the hands of the military, which barred her British husband from visiting her in Myanmar as he was dying from cancer.

"In some ways I don't think they really did anything to me," she said. "I do not think I have anything to forgive them for."

___

Jordans contributed from Geneva.

Associated Press

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A Father's Day salute to extremely cool tools

By Sean Fallon
Nerd Approved

In honor of Father's Day, we bring you a list of incredibly masculine tools that any dad would be proud to have in his toolbox. Or, if he's like me, he simply likes the idea of owning it. I'm the kind of guy that would spend money on a designer ax and just stare at it approvingly.

ThinkGeek

Dead On Annihilator Superhammer
Whether you're opening a beer or opening a zombie head, the Dead On Annihilator Superhammer has you covered. Features include a bottle opener, multipurpose wrench, nail puller, demolition ax and a deadly chisel. $39.99 ? ThinkGeek via Nerd Approved

Perpetual Kid

The Tool Tank
Some might call this keychain Tool Tank "adorable." But the fact is that this little tank packs a punch. Hidden inside the tracks are three adjustable screw heads. When it's time to fix something, just lock and load. $14.99 ? Perpetual Kid via Nerd Approved

ThinkGeek

KeyTool
This little multitool is compact enough to be hidden among your keys ? but it puts an arsenal of tools at your fingertips. Features include stainless steel construction, three different screwdrivers, a nail file, a fingernail cleaner, a bottle opener, a wire cutter and tweezers. With this key you can build a light aircraft out of bamboo and trash bags in a matter of hours like MacGyver, or get your nails done $7.99 ? ThinkGeek

Gear Up

The Crovel
Send a man out into the wilderness with a Crovel and he'll build a new civilization from scratch (complete with a casino and a Hooters). Basically, the Crovel is the Swiss Army Knife of shovels. At its heart the Crovel is a shovel and a crowbar, but it is also an ax, hammer, shovel, bottle opener, saw, machete and more. It even has 15 feet of parachute cord so you can use it as a grappling hook when you go out at night dressed as Batman to stop crime. $109.99 ? Gear Up via Nerd Approved

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Glowbar

Glowbar
The Glowbar Classic wrecking bar is a crowbar forged from high-carbon steel and features a blinding green glow thanks to a new Silicate-Aluminium-Oxide-based powder coating, which allows it to glow up to 10 times brighter than conventional glow-in-the-dark items. It's useful for working in the dark, I suppose, but it seems more fitting to use it as a melee weapon for killing Headcrabs. $49.99-$79.99 ? Glowbar via Nerd Approved

Nerd Approved

Mo-Tool
If there is one tool out there that can truly do it all, it would be this Mo-Tool. It includes standard Swiss Army-style features along with a hammer, pliers and an ax that are big enough to actually be useful. Still, all of this functionality is packed in a compact size. $30.84?? Amazon

Perpetual Kid

Space Intruder
This retro gaming-style keychain is one part flat-head screwdriver, one part phillips-head screwdriver and one part bottle opener. Only, in this case, achieving high scores involves completing small tasks around the house and drinking beer. $11.99 ? Perpetual Kid?via Nerd Approved

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Archie McPhee

The Switchblade Spork
I used to have problems with my wife stealing fries off my plate. Thanks to the Switchblade Spork, I've managed to protect my turf and keep the peace. Still, the truce between our rival gangs is tenuous at best. $7 ? Archie McPhee via That's Nerdalicious

Ian Sinclair

CardSharp
If you're looking for a utility knife that's easy to carry around, look no further than the CardSharp. It features a super light polypropylene body and a stainless steel surgical blade that folds up to the size of a credit card. Just don't confuse it was an ordinary credit card when you're at the cashier, because that won't end well. $25 ? Ian Sinclair

The Zombie-X Chainsaw Gun
Dad can never be too prepared for the zombie invasion. Plus, with the Zombie-X Chainsaw Gun from Doublestar, he can choose to use the chainsaw on trees in the yard or simply blast them down. Features include a working chainsaw and a Holographic Sight that projects a biohazard symbol on your undead target. Word is that this gun is already in production and will go on sale sometime soon. $TBA ? Armory Blog via Nerd Approved

TODAY consumer correspondent Janice Lieberman discusses some of the gadgets stores like Macy's and Nordstrom are using that some of the same functions as customer service representatives.

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Special Alan Turing issue Fundamenta Informaticae published

[ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 14-Jun-2012
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Contact: A. Engelen
a.engelen@iospress.nl
31-206-883-355
IOS Press

'Watching the Daisies Grow: from Biology to Biomathematics and Bioinformatics'

The journal Fundamenta Informaticae honours Alan Turing with a Special Issue: Watching the Daisies Grow: from Biology to Biomathematics and Bioinformatics.

In 1951 Alan Turing wrote a paper entitled The Chemical Basis of Morphogenesis in which he developed the reaction?diffusion theory, which became one of the basic models of theoretical biology and is also considered a foundation of chaos theory.

The story started much earlier, in spring 1923, as documented by his mother in a caricature called Hockey or Watching the Daisies Grow. Crucial motif in the drawing is that, while most players are engaged by the game, Turing is investigating a flower emerging just off the field.

In his Outline of the Development of a Daisy, Turing writes: "At a certain point in the development of the daisy the anatomical changes begin. From this point, as has been mentioned, it becomes hopelessly impracticable to follow the process mathematically."

Guest-editors Anna Gambin and Anna Marciniak-Czochra: "In this special issue, we present a selection of papers commemorating Alan Turing and arguing that he should be also considered the co-founder of biomathematics and bioinformatics. His late works were inspired by curiosity about the role of mathematics in natural phenomena. Turing's ideas on diffusion-driven instability leading to a formation of stable spatial structures provided mathematical explanations of symmetry break and de novo pattern formation during development, and the shapes of animal coat markings. They also led to the prediction of oscillating chemical reactions, the behavior which were first observed only about 10 years after Turing's death. In this volume, various applications of mathematical theories inspired by Turing's work to natural phenomena are considered."

###


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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: 14-Jun-2012
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: A. Engelen
a.engelen@iospress.nl
31-206-883-355
IOS Press

'Watching the Daisies Grow: from Biology to Biomathematics and Bioinformatics'

The journal Fundamenta Informaticae honours Alan Turing with a Special Issue: Watching the Daisies Grow: from Biology to Biomathematics and Bioinformatics.

In 1951 Alan Turing wrote a paper entitled The Chemical Basis of Morphogenesis in which he developed the reaction?diffusion theory, which became one of the basic models of theoretical biology and is also considered a foundation of chaos theory.

The story started much earlier, in spring 1923, as documented by his mother in a caricature called Hockey or Watching the Daisies Grow. Crucial motif in the drawing is that, while most players are engaged by the game, Turing is investigating a flower emerging just off the field.

In his Outline of the Development of a Daisy, Turing writes: "At a certain point in the development of the daisy the anatomical changes begin. From this point, as has been mentioned, it becomes hopelessly impracticable to follow the process mathematically."

Guest-editors Anna Gambin and Anna Marciniak-Czochra: "In this special issue, we present a selection of papers commemorating Alan Turing and arguing that he should be also considered the co-founder of biomathematics and bioinformatics. His late works were inspired by curiosity about the role of mathematics in natural phenomena. Turing's ideas on diffusion-driven instability leading to a formation of stable spatial structures provided mathematical explanations of symmetry break and de novo pattern formation during development, and the shapes of animal coat markings. They also led to the prediction of oscillating chemical reactions, the behavior which were first observed only about 10 years after Turing's death. In this volume, various applications of mathematical theories inspired by Turing's work to natural phenomena are considered."

###


[ 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.


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Evolution Explains Why Politics Is So Tribal

evolution, politics, science of righteousness,michael shermer Image: Illustration by Brian Cairns

Why do testicles hang the way they do? Is there an adaptive function to the female orgasm? What does it feel like to want to kill yourself? Does ?free will?...

Read More??

Which of these two narratives most closely matches your political perspective?

Once upon a time people lived in societies that were unequal and oppressive, where the rich got richer and the poor got exploited. Chattel slavery, child labor, economic inequality, racism, sexism and discriminations of all types abounded until the liberal tradition of fairness, justice, care and equality brought about a free and fair society. And now conservatives want to turn back the clock in the name of greed and God.

Once upon a time people lived in societies that embraced values and tradition, where people took personal responsibility, worked hard, enjoyed the fruits of their labor and through charity helped those in need. Marriage, family, faith, honor, loyalty, sanctity, and respect for authority and the rule of law brought about a free and fair society. But then liberals came along and destroyed everything in the name of ?progress? and utopian social engineering.

Although we may quibble over the details, political science research shows that the great majority of people fall on a left-right spectrum with these two grand narratives as bookends. And the story we tell about ourselves reflects the ancient tradition of ?once upon a time things were bad, and now they?re good thanks to our party? or ?once upon a time things were good, but now they?re bad thanks to the other party.? So consistent are we in our beliefs that if you hew to the first narrative, I predict you read the New York Times, listen to progressive talk radio, watch CNN, are pro-choice and anti-gun, adhere to separation of church and state, are in favor of universal health care, and vote for measures to redistribute wealth and tax the rich. If you lean toward the second narrative, I predict you read the Wall Street Journal, listen to conservative talk radio, watch Fox News, are pro-life and anti?gun control, believe America is a Christian nation that should not ban religious expressions in the public sphere, are against universal health care, and vote against measures to redistribute wealth and tax the rich.

Why are we so predictable and tribal in our politics? In his remarkably enlightening book, The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion (Pantheon, 2012), University of Virginia psychologist Jonathan Haidt argues that to both liberals and conservatives, members of the other party are not just wrong; they are righteously wrong?morally suspect and even dangerous. ?Our righteous minds made it possible for human beings,? Haidt argues, ?to produce large cooperative groups, tribes, and nations without the glue of kinship. But at the same time, our righteous minds guarantee that our cooperative groups will always be cursed by moralistic strife.? Thus, he shows, morality binds us together into cohesive groups but blinds us to the ideas and motives of those in other groups.

The evolutionary Rubicon that our species crossed hundreds of thousands of years ago that led to the moral hive mind was a result of ?shared intentionality,? which is ?the ability to share mental representations of tasks that two or more of [our ancestors] were pursuing together. For example, while foraging, one person pulls down a branch while the other plucks the fruit, and they both share the meal.? Chimps tend not to display this behavior, Haidt says, but ?when early humans began to share intentions, their ability to hunt, gather, raise children, and raid their neighbors increased exponentially. Everyone on the team now had a mental representation of the task, knew that his or her partners shared the same representation, knew when a partner had acted in a way that impeded success or that hogged the spoils, and reacted negatively to such violations.? Examples of modern political violations include Democrat John Kerry being accused of being a ?flip-flopper? for changing his mind and Republican Mitt Romney declaring himself ?severely conservative? when it was suggested he was wishy-washy in his party affiliation.

Our dual moral nature leads Haidt to conclude that we need both liberals and conservatives in competition to reach a livable middle ground. As philosopher John Stuart Mill noted a century and a half ago: ?A party of order or stability, and a party of progress or reform, are both necessary elements of a healthy state of political life.?

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Techniques For Good results Inside Your Personal Development

To ensure anyone to support yourself it is vital that you receive the appropriate information for proper self help methods. In the following paragraphs become familiar with how to cope with your feelings and be a person you are wanting to be. Make sure to remain optimistic throughout the procedure.

In terms of personal development, ensure that you know what selflessness is so you are living in such a way which you respond on it. This is important because you will only really know on your own if you allow yourself entirely to other people in every possible way.

Volunteering your time may be an extremely life-shifting experience. Private hospitals, soup kitchens, even local church buildings require volunteers for several jobs. Offering of your respective efforts and on your own can make you really feel essential and aid other folks at the same time. You will make new friends who happen to be all working together to get a valuable lead to.

Remember you will find typically implications to inaction. Whether we elect to shell out our bills delayed or convert inside a venture for operate two time beyond the timeline, generally there are actually adverse consequences for your inaction. We may just have to shell out a compact economic penalty about the expenses, however the later venture could mean our company is transferred up for the next advertising.

Many of us have took advantage of teachers and mentors. What would we now have accomplished with out them? This is only as real in personalized along with professional advancement. Our own growth positive aspects us even more whenever we may give it to others: teaching a staff, leading a younger performer, or maybe as being a very good listener.

When you established self improvement desired goals, set them a little previously mentioned where you feel comfortable. It?s that additional 5% on the top of the things you feel you can currently achieve that can make the much better individual. You?ll realize how deep the nicely of capacity is within you when you eventually attain this relatively out of reach target.

Speak to those who encourage you. See what sort of mantras they follow to enhance their own personal personalized strengths as well as to operate on their own individual flaws. Use their techniques as rules and follow them by case in point. Take advantage of other people?s energy to help increase your personal.

As you can see, personal development takes a custom-made strategy. The journey to self improvement will simply do well in the event you value your own worldview. By making use of the above tips and keeping yourself real to your private personality, it is possible to go ahead and take very first techniques to creating better practices and constructing a much stronger you1

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What It's Really Like to Be a Fly On a Wall [Design]

You might look at your kitchen, bedroom, even your bathroom, and only see a messy disaster. But photographer Menno Aden doesn't. He sees a work of art. Except that it probably helps that he photographs various rooms from the ceiling with a unique top-down perspective. More »


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Alleged Victim 1 to testify in Sandusky abuse trial

During the first day of Jerry Sandusky's sexual abuse trial, an alleged victim of the former Penn State assistant football coach testified about the "horsing around" that he says eventually turned into five years of sexual abuse during which Sandusky treated him like "his girlfriend." NBC's Michael Isikoff reports.

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By NBC News and msnbc.com staff

The child sex-abuse trial against former Penn State assistant coach Jerry Sandusky entered its second day Tuesday in a Bellefonte, Pa., courtroom, where alleged Victim 1 was expected to testify.

Sandusky, 68, denies all 52 counts alleging that he abused 10 boys over 15 years. Two grand jury reports accused him of having used his connection to one of the nation's premier college football programs to "groom" the boys, whom he met through his Second Mile charity for troubled children, for sexual relationships.


Victim 1 is the Central Mountain High School student who told the grand jury Sandusky had abused him for years at his home, during trips, and even on high school property, where Sandusky was a volunteer coach.

Former U.S. Attorney Kendall Coffey and former prosecutor Star Jones discuss the first day of Jerry Sandusky's sexual abuse trial and whether defense attorneys will advise the former Penn State assistant coach to take the stand.

Sandusky's attorney, Joe Amendola, says the boy, now 17 or 18 years old, was troubled, and his story evolved in a way that appears coerced.

The trial before a jury of seven women and five men heard opened in Centre County Court Monday, culminating months of breathless coverage that led to the firing of head coach Joe Paterno, who won more games than any other major college football coach in history, many of them with Sandusky at his side.

Paterno died in January, a few weeks after he was dismissed for having failed to report Sandusky's alleged abuse.

Victim 1 has been the most public of the alleged victims.

In the indictment, Victim 1 previously testified that Sandusky would "crack his back" in the basement bedroom at the Sandusky house. He would roll under the boy and then, lying face to face, would run his arms up and down his back to "crack it." This happened many times before Victim 1 entered 6th or 7th grade.

Accuser says Sandusky treated him like 'girlfriend' in graphic encounters

Victim 1 also testified that Sandusky performed oral sex on him more than 20 times between 2007 and 2008. During that same time, Victim 1 was forced to perform oral sex on Sandusky, he said, and touch his penis with his hands. Victim 1 then began distancing himself from Sandusky, asking his mother to tell him he wasn't home when he called.

The first of eight alleged victims ??identified as alleged Victim 4 ? testified Monday, saying he endured more than 40 "very uncomfortable" incidents involving Sandusky during a two-year period when he was 12 and 13 years old.

Disturbing details emerged at the sexual abuse trial of former assistant Penn State football coach Jerry Sandusky. During the emotional testimony, the first witness who was identified in court documents as 'Victim 4,' said he was a teenager when the abuse began. NBC's John Yang reports.

In rides in his car, Sandusky would put the man's hand on his knee, "basically like I was his girlfriend," which he said "freaked me out."

NBC: Former Penn State president could face charges in Sandusky case

"I could not stand it, and it happened almost every time I was in the car" with Sandusky, he said.

The witness said under cross-examination that he regretted not having come forward earlier. Had he done so, he said, he might not feel responsible "for these other victims being molested."

In his opening statement, Amendola painted the eight alleged victims as troubled youths out for a big payday in court.

Although the men are being identified by name in court, NBC News and msnbc.com do not identify the victims of alleged sexual assaults.

More content from msnbc.com and NBC News:

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New vision of animal cruelty at Indonesian abattoirs

Last Updated: Wed, 29 Feb 2012 19:53:00 +1100

The Indonesian Government says it will have to verify video that shows cattle being treated inhumanely at abattoirs.

The response comes after the latest violent footage involving livestock was broadcast by Radio Australia's parent company, the ABC, on Tuesday.

The video shows slaughterhouse workers cutting the neck of a cow while it was still conscious, a practice that's considered cruel.

Indonesia's Deputy Agriculture Minister, Rusman Heriawan, said the Indonesian Government would not turn a blind eye, and will investigate the latest footage before responding.

He also says the Agriculture Ministry will continue improving standards at the country's slaughterhouses in accordance with the agreement reached with Australia last year.


New footage from Indonesian abattoirs showing cattle being slaughtered without being stunned has raised questions about the Australian Government's latest regulations to curb animal abuse.

The footage, aired on the ABC, shows an abattoir worker slitting the throat of a steer without stunning it first, and cutting the animal up while it is still moaning.

Live cattle exports were banned for two months last year after the ABC aired vision showing similar mistreatment of cattle in an Indonesian abattoir.

RSPCA chief scientist Bidda Jones said the cruelty shown towards the cattle is unacceptable.

"These animals weren't stunned. They were just in the way shown on Four Corners. The door opens, the animal trips and falls onto its side and tries to get up, take a long time before its held down for the throat cut and the animals take a long time to die. It's an extremely distressing thing to watch."

Last year, the Australian government implemented strict guidelines aimed at stamping out the maltreatment of exported animals.

But Lyn White from Animals Australia said the new regulations have not changed a thing.

"Part of the government's response to the expose of last year was saying that there'd be greater transparency. That's clearly not the case. They are not even telling us which facilities have been accredited, probably through fear of investigators such as me returning to Indonesia and showing what's going on."

The Department of Agriculture said it has received a complaint regarding animal welfare in three Indonesian abattoirs, and is investigating whether the animals came from Australia.

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