Syrian army, Hezbollah attack rebels in border town: opposition

By Khaled Yacoub Oweis

AMMAN (Reuters) - Syrian troops supported by Hezbollah militants launched an offensive to retake a major town near Lebanon from rebels on Sunday, the heaviest fighting yet involving Lebanese armed group, opposition activists said.

At least 32 people were killed when rebel fighters clashed with mechanized Syrian army units and Hezbollah guerillas in nine points in and around the town of Qusair, 10 km (six miles) from the border with Lebanon's Bekaa valley, they said.

Speaking from Qusair, activist Hadi Abdallah said Syrian warplanes bombed Qusair in the morning and shells were hitting the town at a rate of up to 50 a minute.

"The army is hitting Qusair with tanks and artillery form the north and east while Hezbollah is firing mortar rounds and multiple rocket launchers from the south and west," he said.

"Most of the dead are civilians killed by the shelling."

The region near the Orontos River has been segregated into Sunni and Shi'ite villages in the civil war that grew out of protests against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

It is vital for Assad, who belongs to the Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shi'ite Islam, to keep open a route from Shi'ite Hezbollah's strongholds in the Bekaa to areas near Syria's Mediterranean coast inhabited by co-religionist Alawites.

Opposition sources say Syria's coastal region could serve as an Alawite statelet in case Assad falls in Damascus, in a potential fragmentation of Syria along ethnic and sectarian lines that raises the prospect of many more deaths.

Sources in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley said shells fired by rebels hit the edges of the town of Hermel, a stronghold of Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran, but no casualties were reported.

Syrian Television said the army is "leading an operation against terrorists in Qusair", with troops reaching the town's center.

"Our heroic forces are advancing toward Qusair and are chasing the remnants of the terrorists and have hoisted the Syrian flag on the municipality building. In the next few hours we will give you joyous news," the television said.

The United Nations says at least 80,000 people have been killed in the conflict, which started with peaceful demonstrations against four decades of family rule by Assad and his late father.

The protests were met by bullets, sparking an armed uprising that turned into a civil war mainly pitting majority Sunnis against the Alawite sect, which has controlled Syria since the 1960s.

(Editing by Philippa Fletcher)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/syrian-army-hezbollah-attack-rebels-border-town-opposition-132854254.html

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Powerball jackpot could go higher than $600M

By Karen Brooks

AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - The Powerball jackpot Saturday night could be even higher than the record $600 million being advertised, possibly rivaling the largest lottery jackpot in U.S. history, a Texas Lottery official said on Saturday.

"Oftentimes, the advertised amount is lower than what the actual jackpot ends up being," said Kelly Cripe, a spokeswoman for the Texas Lottery. "It's entirely possible this $600 million jackpot will end up being a bigger jackpot."

The Powerball record in November was advertised at $550 million, but ended up being $587.5 million when the winning numbers were drawn, thanks to last-minute sales.

Powerball officials told participating states on Saturday they would not be raising the advertised number for the drawing, Cripe said.

There had been speculation the advertised amount for the lottery would be increased to surpass $656 million - the largest jackpot in U.S. history, set by the Mega Millions jackpot in March 2012. The lottery is offered in 43 states, Washington, D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

That prize was split between winners in Maryland, Kansas and Illinois.

Chances of winning the Powerball on Saturday were one in 175 million, Cripe said.

If the drawing yields no winner, all records will be shattered as the jackpot for Wednesday would go to $925 million.

But players across the country weren't pushing their luck, shelling out bills for the nighttime drawing.

"It's only a couple bucks for a small daydream," said Russell Williams, 35, a salesman in Austin, Texas.

In New York City, talent acquisition agent Michelle Amici was playing the "if I win" game.

"Not sure that I'd buy anything," she said. "Rather, I'd attempt to quench my wanderlust by traveling the world. I'd also donate a large portion to education reform."

El Paso, Texas, mom Bonnie Carreno rarely plays but was taking a chance on this one. "I only ever buy a ticket when I see the amazing numbers in the headlines," she said.

For Austin marketing professional Becky Arreaga, the odds are not so long that she was discouraged about her chances.

"As long as the odds are 1 in anything, I'm in," said Arreaga, a partner at Mercury Mambo marketing firm. "I truly believe I could be the one."

"Just takes one ticket to win," echoed Tela Mange of Austin.

The popular lottery has not had a winner in two months.

The $2 tickets allow players pick five numbers from 1 to 59, and a Powerball number from 1 to 35. The numbers will be drawn Saturday at 10:59 p.m. EDT (02:59 GMT on Sunday) in Tallahassee, Florida.

(Reporting by Karen Brooks; Editing by Greg McCune, Doina Chiacu)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/powerball-jackpot-could-higher-600-million-161816661.html

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Leader of Toots and the Maytals injured at concert

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) ? Officials say the leader of the reggae band Toots and the Maytals was injured when a 19-year-old man threw a bottle and hit the singer during a concert in Richmond.

Police said Sunday the man has been charged with aggravated assault. Authorities have not identified him.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports that (http://bit.ly/17PhlkD ) Frederick "Toots" Hibbert was treated at a hospital for a cut to his head and released.

Hibbert was hit by a glass bottle thrown from the crowd Saturday night as the band was performing at the Dominion Riverrock outdoor sports and music festival. The band stopped playing after he was hit.

Festival organizers say Hibbert was in good spirits despite the traumatic event and regretted that the concert had to be stopped early.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2013-05-19-Musician%20Injured/id-f5820fa3bcc04e4ebacda33e7716106f

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FBI searches apartment in ricin letter case

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) ? Authorities in hazardous materials suits searched a downtown Spokane apartment Saturday, investigating the recent discovery of a pair of letters containing the deadly poison ricin.

Few details have been released in the case, and no arrests have been made. Federal investigators have been searching for the person who sent the letters, which were postmarked Tuesday in Spokane.

The letters were addressed to the downtown post office and the adjacent federal building, but authorities have not released a potential motive. They also have not said whether the letters targeted anyone in particular.

Ricin is a highly toxic substance made from castor beans. As little as 500 micrograms, the size of the head of a pin, can kill an adult if inhaled or ingested.

There have been no reports of illness connected to the letters.

FBI agents, Spokane police and U.S. Postal Service inspectors descended on the three-story apartment building Saturday morning and the investigation continued into the afternoon.

FBI spokeswoman Ayn Sandalo Dietrich would not say whether agents were questioning anyone in connection with the case.

"We are not actively looking for a subject," Sandalo Dietrich said. "We are not asking the public's help in bringing someone in."

Despite the hazmat suits, officials said apartment residents were not at risk, and people were seen coming in and out of the brick building in the city's historic Browne's Addition neighborhood.

"There's no public risk," Sandalo Dietrich said.

Scott Ward has lived in the building for three years, and lives on the second floor near the apartment that was being searched. He said he does not know the neighbor who lives in that apartment.

"He's a guy with a big beard," Ward said. "He sticks to himself."

"He doesn't talk," said Ward, who added he was awakened about 7 a.m. by the sounds of "banging and what sounded like a big vacuum."

Building resident Jim Lehman said he was asleep when he was called by a friend. "He said, 'hey Jim, you're surrounded,'" Lehman said. Lehman said he saw workers in hazardous material suits working in a second floor apartment.

"It was all gas masks and the door was open and there were hoses in there," Lehman said.

Sandalo Dietrich would not say specifically why the FBI was searching the apartment.

"Information we developed led us to believe this was a productive spot to search," she said.

Two letters containing the substance were intercepted at the downtown Spokane post office Tuesday.

The Postal Service has received no other reports of similar letters, said Jeremy Leder of the Postal Inspection Service on Saturday.

In a statement following the discovery, the Postal Service said the "crude form of the ricin suggests that it does not present a health risk to U.S. Postal Service personnel or to others who may have come in contact with the letter."

The Spokane investigation comes a month after letters containing ricin were addressed to President Barack Obama, a U.S. senator and a Mississippi judge. A Mississippi man has been arrested in that case.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/fbi-searches-apartment-ricin-letter-case-191809079.html

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Can Medical Bills Cause Bankruptcy? | Finance on Deann Aproach

M??t bankruptcies occur f?r reasons beyond ??r control. A? medical bills continue t? soar t? extraordinary heights, those wh? ??n?t afford adequate health insurance h??? n? ?h???? b?t allocate th??r savings t? vital treatments ?n? procedures. Once th??? individuals r?n out ?f cash, th?? m??t resort t? bankruptcy. Here?s a brief look ?t th? correlation between bankruptcy ?n? medical expenses ?n th? U.S.

Rising Medical Costs
In recent years, medical costs h??? become more daunting th?n ???r f?r struggling families ?n? individuals. According t? a study b? health care consulting firm Milliman Inc., healthcare costs f?r th? average family ?f four exceed ,000. Those forced t? file f?r bankruptcy ?ft?n pay much more th?n thatespecially considering th?t ?n average night ?n a hospital costs nearly ,000.

Health-Related Filings
According t? th? American Journal ?f Medicine, ???t over 62% ?f ??? bankruptcies ?n 2007 w?r? filed b?????? ?f insurmountable medical debtsup fr?m 46% ?n 2001. Aft?r exhausting th??r savings, many people sell th??r cars, jewelry, ?n? homes. Aft?r months ?f trying t? keep up w?th medical debts, th??? individuals h??? n? ?h???? b?t t? resort t? bankruptcy.

H?w Bankruptcy Helps
Bankruptcy ?? a ??rf??t?? legal ?n? h?n??t way t? eliminate insurmountable debtsespecially ?f those debts ?r? ?f a chiefly medical nature. Chapter 7 bankruptcy ??n immediately eliminate m??t debts, including outstanding medical bills, b?t involves th? seizure ?n? sale ?f personal property. Chapter 13 bankruptcy ??n ???? eliminate outstanding debts, b?t ?n?? ?f th? debtor adheres t? a three t? five-year repayment ???n. Before selecting a bankruptcy option, ?t?s always a ???? ???? t? speak w?th ?n experienced bankruptcy attorney.

Millions ?f Americans ?r? ???t one illness away fr?m financial r??n, despite being ?n general ???? health ?n? obtaining th? best health insurance possible. In case ?f medical emergencies, h?w???r, th? law permits bankruptcy ?? a strong safety net. If ???r medical bills ?r? becoming insurmountable, consider bankruptcy ?? a solution t? ???r financial problems. Y?? ??n contact Gary Brenner Law Offices f?r ?n? further q???t??n?.

Source: http://www.deannaproach.com/can-medical-bills-cause-bankruptcy/

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lern2play Resources and Information. This website is for sale!

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Obama takes Cabinet secretaries out to play golf

WASHINGTON (AP) ? President Barack Obama has taken two Cabinet secretaries out for a round of golf ? in the rain.

The White House said Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius (seh-BEEL'-yuhs) and outgoing Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood joined the president Saturday at Andrews Air Force Base. LaHood is running the Transportation Department until the Senate confirms Obama's choice of Charlotte, N.C., Mayor Anthony Foxx as successor.

Reporters saw Sebelius climb into the president's SUV before the motorcade left the White House. She's overseeing the president's health care law.

Before he got into the vehicle, Obama looked up at the grey sky with an outstretched hand. A steady rain was falling by the time he arrived about a half hour later.

White House assistant chef Sam Kass completes the foursome.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-takes-cabinet-secretaries-play-golf-165709657.html

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