Mali official: French military arrived to help

BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — French military personnel are now helping Mali's military to fight radical Islamist rebels who control northern Mali and have advanced into the country's center, a Malian official said Friday.
Col. Abdrahmane Baby, a military operations adviser for the foreign affairs ministry confirmed that French troops had arrived in the country but gave no details about how many were there or what they specifically were doing.
"They are here to assist the Malian army," he told reporters in the capital, Bamako.
The announcement confirms reports from residents in central Mali who said Friday they saw Western military personnel arrive in the area, and that planes had landed at a nearby airport throughout the night.
The arrival of the French appears to be a response to a major push south by the Islamists, who seized the town of Konna on Thursday. The rebels have moved further south, toward the city of Mopti, where the Malian military has a major base. It is the furtherest south the rebels have gone since they grabbed control of northern Mali last year.
Earlier Friday, French President Francois Hollande said that the former colonial power was ready to help stop the advance of the Islamist extremists but did not specify what that would entail.
French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian wrote on his Twitter account Friday: "On the phone with (U.S. Defense Secretary) Leon Panetta about the Malian crisis. This afternoon with my European counterparts."
Residents who live near an airport about 30 miles (50 kilometers) from the captured town of Konna reported hearing planes arrive throughout the night. They could not say who, or what the planes were bringing.
The United Nations Security Council condemned the capture of Konna and called on U.N. member states to provide assistance to Mali "in order to reduce the threat posed by terrorist organizations and associated groups."
A regional military intervention to take back northern Mali from the Islamists was not likely before September, though the advance by the al-Qaida linked forces in the desert nation in northwest Africa creates pressure for earlier military intervention.
"France, like its African partners and the entire international community, cannot accept that," Hollande said in a speech to France's diplomatic corps, referring to the Islamists' advances.
A top French diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter, said that France is now able to deploy military assets — notably air power — over Mali "very quickly."
He insisted that Hollande's speech is "not just words. ... When you say that you are ready to intervene, you have to be."
However, he declined to provide details about how such military action might take shape. France's position has been complicated because kidnappers in northern Mali hold seven French hostages.
For months, Hollande has said France would not send ground forces into Mali, and France is sticking to those plans, the official said. But Hollande's speech suggested that French air power could be used, the official said.
The fighting Wednesday and Thursday over the town of Konna represents the first clashes between Malian government forces and the Islamists in nearly a year, since the time the militants seized the northern cities of Gao, Kidal and Timbuktu.
The Islamists seized the town of Douentza four months ago after brief standoff with a local militia, but pushed no further until clashes broke out late Wednesday in Konna, a city of 50,000 people, where fearful residents cowered inside their homes. Konna is just 45 miles (70 kilometers) north of the government-held town of Mopti, a strategic port city along the Niger River.
"We have chased the army out of the town of Konna, which we have occupied since 11 a.m.," declared Sanda Abou Mohamed, a spokesman for the Ansar Dine militant group, speaking by telephone from Timbuktu.
A soldier, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to journalists, acknowledged that the army had retreated from Konna. He said several soldiers were killed and wounded, though he did not have precise casualty figures. "We didn't have time to count them," he said.
While Konna is not a large town, it has strategic value as "the last big thing ... on the road to Mopti," said J. Peter Pham, director of the Africa program at the Washington-based Atlantic Council.
"I think the real target here is to seize the airstrip in Mopti, either to hold it or blow enough holes in it to render it useless," Pham said. "If you can seize the airstrip at Mopti, the Malian military's and African militaries' ability to fly reconnaissance in the north is essentially clipped."
Al-Qaida's affiliate in Africa has been a shadowy presence for years in the forests and deserts of Mali, a country hobbled by poverty and a relentless cycle of hunger. Most Malians adhere to a moderate form of Islam, where women do not wear burqas and few practice the strict form of the religion.
In recent months, however, the terror syndicate and its allies have taken advantage of political instability to push into Mali's northern towns, taking over an enormous territory they are using to stock weapons, train forces and prepare for jihad.
The Islamists insist they want to impose Shariah only in northern Mali, though there long have been fears they could push further south. Bamako, the capital, is 435 miles (700 kilometers) from Islamist-held territory.
The retreat by the Malian military raises questions about its ability to participate in a regional intervention.
Late last year, the 15 nations in West Africa, including Mali, agreed on a proposal for the military to take back the north, and sought backing from the United Nations.
The U.N. Security Council has authorized the intervention but imposed certain conditions. Those include training of Mali's military, which has been accused of serious human rights abuses since a military coup last year sent the nation into disarray.
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French troops in Mali to fight extremists

BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — France's military started an air operation Friday to help Malian soldiers fight radical Islamists, drawing the former colonial power into a military intervention to oust the al-Qaida-linked militants nine months after they seized control of northern Mali.
The arrival of the French dramatically ups the stakes in a conflict taking place in a swath of lawless desert where kidnappings and brutality have flourished.
It also comes as the Islamists advance ever closer toward the most northern city still under government control and after they fought the Malian military for the first time in months.
French President Francois Hollande said Friday that the operation would last "as long as necessary" and said it was aimed notably at protecting the 6,000 French citizens in Mali. Kidnappers currently hold seven French hostages in the country.
"French army forces supported Malian units this afternoon to fight against terrorist elements," he said.
The foreign minister, Laurent Fabius, said, "To the question of whether there was an aerial intervention, the response is yes." He wouldn't comment on troops on the ground, arguing that such information would give "hints to terrorists." He said France had discussed the move with U.S. officials earlier Friday.
France's announcement comes after residents in central Mali said they had seen Western military personnel arriving in the area, and that planes had landed at a nearby airport throughout the night.
Col. Abdrahmane Baby, a military operations adviser for the foreign affairs ministry, also confirmed in the Malian capital of Bamako that French troops had arrived in the country. He gave no details about how many were there or what they specifically were doing.
"They are here to assist the Malian army," he told reporters in the capital of Bamako.
France has led a diplomatic push for international action in northern Mali but efforts to get an African-led force together, or to train the weak Malian army, have dragged.
The French quickly mobilized after the Islamists seized a key town on Thursday, pushing closer to the army's major base in central Mali.
The United Nations Security Council has condemned the capture of Konna and called on U.N. member states to provide assistance to Mali "in order to reduce the threat posed by terrorist organizations and associated groups."
France's position has been complicated because for months, Hollande has said France would not send ground forces into Mali.
The French foreign minister insisted that the recent advances by the extremists made intervention necessary, and said the aim of the operation is to "stop the advance of criminal and terrorists groups on the south" of Mali.
Late last year, the 15 nations in West Africa, including Mali, agreed on a proposal for the military to take back the north, and sought backing from the United Nations.
The U.N. Security Council authorized the intervention but imposed certain conditions. Those include the training of Mali's military, which has been accused of serious human rights abuses since a military coup last year sent the nation into disarray.
The fighting Wednesday and Thursday over the town of Konna represents the first clashes between Malian government forces and the Islamists in nearly a year, since the militants seized the northern cities of Gao, Kidal and Timbuktu.
The Islamists seized the town of Douentza four months ago after brief standoff with a local militia, but pushed no further until clashes broke out late Wednesday in Konna, a city of 50,000 people, where fearful residents cowered inside their homes. Konna is just 45 miles (70 kilometers) north of the government-held town of Mopti, a strategic port city along the Niger River.
"We have chased the army out of the town of Konna, which we have occupied since 11 a.m.," declared Sanda Abou Mohamed, a spokesman for the Ansar Dine militant group, speaking by telephone from Timbuktu.
A soldier, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to journalists, acknowledged that the army had retreated from Konna. He said several soldiers were killed and wounded, though he did not have precise casualty figures. "We didn't have time to count them," he said.
While Konna is not a large town, it has strategic value as "the last big thing ... on the road to Mopti," said J. Peter Pham, director of the Africa program at the Washington-based Atlantic Council.
"I think the real target here is to seize the airstrip in Mopti, either to hold it or blow enough holes in it to render it useless," Pham said. "If you can seize the airstrip at Mopti, the Malian military's and African militaries' ability to fly reconnaissance in the north is essentially clipped."
Al-Qaida's affiliate in Africa has been a shadowy presence for years in the forests and deserts of Mali, a country hobbled by poverty and a relentless cycle of hunger. Most Malians adhere to a moderate form of Islam, where women do not wear burqas and few practice the strict form of the religion.
In recent months, however, the terror syndicate and its allies have taken advantage of political instability to push into Mali's northern towns, taking over an enormous territory they are using to stock weapons, train forces and prepare for jihad.
The Islamists insist they want to impose Shariah only in northern Mali, though there long have been fears they could push further south. Bamako, the capital, is 435 miles (700 kilometers) from Islamist-held territory.
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Peace deal announced for C. African Republic

LIBREVILLE, Gabon (AP) — Central African Republic President Francois Bozize and the rebels who sought to overthrow him have reached a deal that will allow him to stay in office until his term ends in 2016, officials said Friday.
The announcement came after several days of peace talks in Gabon, which were organized after an alliance of rebels groups swept through the north of the country and seized control of a dozen towns.
On Friday, Bozize publicly shook hands with the rebel representatives — whom he had denounced as terrorists just two days before — and other political opponents to seal the deal that spares his ouster.
The rebel offensive stopped short of the capital of Bangui but posed the gravest threat to Bozize during his nearly 10 years in power.
"The president, backed into a corner, was forced to make a number of concessions and to make true of his promise to encourage a government of national unity," Margaret Vogt, U.N. special envoy to Central African Republic, told the U.N. Security Council by videoconference from Libreville, Gabon.
Bozize said he would move to dissolve the government Saturday so that a national unity government could be formed that would be led by a prime minister chosen by the political opposition.
"For me, it's a victory for peace because from now on Central Africans in conflict zones will be finally freed from their suffering," Bozize said upon arriving at the airport back in Bangui. "I ask everyone to stay calm. As for me, I still remain the president of Central African Republic."
News of the agreement, which includes a cease-fire, was met with relief on the streets of Bangui, the capital of Central African Republic.
"This agreement could help to calm the anxiety of people who are truly afraid," said Albert Mbaya, 40, a philosophy professor in Bangui.
While Friday's agreement appears to suggest a swift resolution to the rapidly advancing rebellion, it still remains to be seen whether forces on the ground will abide by the deals reached in Gabon.
Seleka, which means alliance in the local Sango language, is made up of four separate groups — some of whom have previously fought one another.
Friday's announcement also does not explicitly address some of the broader grievances raised by the rebels, including aid to the deeply impoverished north of Central African Republic.
The fighters, who began their collective offensive on Dec. 10, had previously called for Bozize to step down from power and had dismissed his calls to form a national unity government.
Under the deal announced Friday, neither the prime minister nor the president would be eligible to take part in the next presidential election, Vogt said.
Friday's agreement also includes a provision that legislative elections will be organized in a year, according to a statement read by Chadian Foreign Affairs Minister Moussa Faki Mahamat.
"The mandate of President Bozize is a constitutional question. We cannot challenge the Central African Republic's constitution," said Chadian President Idriss Deby, who presided over the closing ceremony for the talks.
Bozize seized power in 2003 after a rebellion, and later went on to win elections in 2005 and 2011, though the United States and others have described the votes as deeply flawed.
His government gained support earlier this month when militaries from neighboring countries Chad, Gabon, Republic of Congo and Cameroon all sent forces to help stabilize Central African Republic. Additionally, South Africa also has sent military aid.
Despite Central African Republic's wealth of gold, diamonds, timber and uranium, the government remains perpetually cash-strapped. The land-locked nation of 4.4 million, a former French colony, is among the poorest countries in the world.
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Former Yankees manager Joe Torre wants focus on child abuse

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A government commission co-led by former New York Yankees manager Joe Torre said on Wednesday that the U.S. federal and local governments are not doing enough to identify and treat child victims of abuse and violence.
At a meeting with representatives from major federal departments, the commission of academics, law enforcement officials and others, issued 56 recommendations to help child victims, including expanded training for social workers.
Torre, whose own childhood with an abusive father led him to start a charitable foundation focusing on the issue of child abuse, said many social workers and law-enforcement officials simply did not know how to spot signs of domestic abuse.
"I don't think society knows how to react, even if they think something's going on," said Torre, who won four World Series championships with the Yankees and is now an executive in Major League Baseball.
The failure of Penn State University to report former assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky for child abuse - charges Sandusky was convicted of this year - was one example, Torre said.
The commission, set up by the Justice Department and known as the Task Force on Children Exposed to Violence, has held hearings for the past year. U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder has made the issue a priority.
Banging his fist on a table for emphasis, Holder told the commission its ideas would not sit on a shelf gathering dust, and that he would push the White House for support.
"The Justice Department is a big organization with a lot of tentacles in a lot of places, and my hope is to use the time I have as attorney general to continue the effort," Holder said at a news conference after the meeting.
President Barack Obama has not said whether he wants Holder to serve into a second term, though Holder is expected to stay on as the chief U.S. law enforcement official at least into early 2013.
Holder said there was a moral imperative for the U.S. government to support child victims - whether they have witnessed violence at home, in gangs or elsewhere - and a financial incentive to do so if those children are kept off a path to crime.
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Korean closer Lim heading to Chicago Cubs

(Reuters) - South Korean closer Lim Chang-yong is set to sign a deal with Major League Baseball's Chicago Cubs, though the sidearm pitcher is unlikely to be able to take the mound again until late next season.
The 36-year-old righthander, who had elbow surgery earlier this year, told reporters at Incheon Airport on Thursday he had long dreamed of signing for a major league team.
Lim tallied 296 saves in his 18-year career in Korea and Japan and could wind up pitching against compatriot Choo Shin-soo, who was acquired by the Cubs' NL Central rivals Cincinnati on Tuesday.
"I want to play the kind of baseball that I'm known for, and give the fans enjoyment," said Lim, adding that the deal was worth up to $5 million over two years.
Lim, who spent the last five season in Japan with the Tokyo Yakult Swallows and is known for his scorching fastball, said the Cubs would give him enough time to recover from the surgery before putting him into the bullpen.
"After enough rehab I want to get back on the mound in the middle or towards the end of next season," said Lim, adding that the Cubs were placing more importance on 2014 for the former Japanese baseball All Star.
Lim made his professional debut with South Korea's Haitai Tigers in 1995 and also played with the Samsung Lions in Korea.
He earned a bronze medal at the Sydney Olympics and was part of the South Korean team that finished second at the 2009 World Baseball Classic.
"I'm happy that my dream has finally came true," said Lim.
"I'm not young any more and I wanted to do something that I've never experienced before.
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Braves swap starter Hanson for Angels reliever Walden

(Reuters) - The Atlanta Braves borrowed from their starting rotation to boost their bullpen by trading Tommy Hanson to the Los Angeles Angels for hard-throwing reliever Jordan Walden, the Major League Baseball teams said on Friday.
Both young pitchers have shown glimmers of greatness but slipped back last season.
Hanson, 26, who broke into the majors midway through the 2009 season and went 11-4 with a 2.89 ERA, was 13-10 with a 4.48 ERA last season and has struggled to regain his velocity after enduring shoulder and back discomfort during the 2011 season.
Walden, 25, who saved 32 games for the Angels in 2011 along with a 5-5 record and 2.98 ERA, lost his closer's job last season and posted a 3-2 mark with a 3.46 earned run average out of the bullpen.
"As we looked at our young pitching, we felt like we would be able to cover our starting needs," Braves General Manager Frank Wren said. "The area we wanted to reinforce was to put another power arm in our bullpen.
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Verizon narrows AT&T’s smartphone lead

Earlier this week, AT&T (T) announced it had activated 10 million smartphones in the fourth quarter of 2012, up from 9.4 million in the same quarter a year earlier. On Wednesday, Verizon (VZ) announced it activated 9.8 million smartphones last quarter. This is just 200,000 units below AT&T. But more importantly, it’s up a robust 2.1 million units from the 7.7 million smartphones Verizon activated a year earlier.
[More from BGR: iPhone 5 now available with unlimited service, no contract on Walmart’s $45 Straight Talk plan]
The two U.S. mega-carriers closed the year running neck and neck in smartphone activations. It’s fascinating that Verizon has been able to improve its competitive position relative to AT&T so much in just one year.
[More from BGR: Is Samsung the new Apple?]
It is worth pointing out that the iPhone represented 55% of Verizon’s smartphone activations in Q4. Verizon also announced that in this past Christmas quarter, its smartphone growth was “stimulated by a higher mix of Apple (AAPL) smartphones.” It sounds like the iPhone may have topped 60% of Verizon’s total smartphone units.
After the iPhone debuted at Verizon in February 2011, the immediate impact on the Verizon-AT&T rivalry seemed to have been muted. It took some time for the iPhone boost to kick in for Verizon. During the years when AT&T held iPhone exclusivity, Verizon built up reasonably strong fan bases for Android models built by Samsung (005930), Motorola and HTC (2498).
Now that iPhone makes up most of Verizon’s smartphone sales, it still gets that extra boost from being the leading Android operator. Motorola’s DROID RAZR models are solid performers at Verizon right now.
The tightening smartphone competition between Verizon and AT&T inevitably raises the question of how the carriers will treat the new BlackBerry and Windows Phone models launching in 2013. AT&T has initially been far more supportive of Windows Phones. Will the Verizon surge give AT&T an incentive to throw serious marketing money behind BlackBerry 10 and Windows Phone models this spring? Is Verizon going to remain chilly towards Microsoft (MSFT) and keep the focus on its strong Android-Apple stable?
The allocation of marketing resources has rarely been as important as it will be in the second quarter of 2013.

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Holmes Took Cell-Phone 'Selfies' with Black Contacts, Guns, and Tongue Out

Preliminary hearings on the legal fate of accused Aurora movie theater shooter James Holmes wrapped today, after the revelation of disturbing images from Holmes's cell phone. The defense chose not to call any witnesses yet.
RELATED: Expert: Aurora Suspect's 'House Bomb' a Favorite of Iraqi Insurgents
By withholding their case at this juncture, the defense let prosecutors end the hearing on an upsetting note. This morning they presented photos Holmes took of himself at about 6:30 p.m. on the night of the shooting, as he brandished the weapons he allegedly used to kill 12 people gathered to watch a midnight screening of The Dark Knight Rises at Aurora's Century 16 theater. In one of these disturbing self-takes, Holmes's eyes are blackened out by dark contact lenses. In another, he's smiling. One shot even has him sticking his tongue out. Because this is a closed-door hearing, the general public can't see these photos. But court sketch artist Bill Robles drew a quick take on one of the shots, as tweeted by CNN's Jim Spellman.
Incomplete sketch of James Holmes self portrait wearing black contacts and showing a gun. Chilling #cnn @hlntv twitter.com/jimspellmancnn…
— jim spellman (@jimspellmancnn) January 9, 2013
Other photos retrieved from Holmes's phone show his personal arsenal and interiors of the movie theater a few days before the attack — all evidence of Holmes' "identity, deliberation and extreme indifference," according to the prosecution.
RELATED: Did James Holmes Send a Notebook Outlining Aurora Massacre?
Since the case hasn't gone to trial yet (this hearing was only held to determine whether a trial is called for), the defense chose not to play its full hand. Holmes's attorneys said this wasn't the time or venue for them to examine witnesses, so we didn't get to hear from the two they subpoenaed to testify about Holmes's mental health. They "had a change of position" about calling these witnesses to the stand. Now we wait until Friday, when Judge William Sylvester will have to determine whether the case goes to trial or not.
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RIM to launch six new BlackBerry 10 devices in 2013

Research In Motion (RIMM) has wisely decided not to put all its eggs in the high-end basket and will be releasing a wide range of smartphones selling at different price points this year, FierceWireless reports. At the Consumer Electronics Show this week, RIM CMO Frank Boulben said that his company plans to release six different BlackBerry 10 devices in 2013 that will include phones in the high, medium and low prices ranges. Having low-end BlackBerry 10 devices is particularly crucial for RIM if it wants to expand upon the success it’s had over the past year in emerging markets such as South Africa and Nigeria, where the company is coming under pressure from a flood of low-cost Android handsets.
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U.S. Housing Market Still On Life Support

With each passing year, the former Oracle of the Fed, Alan Greenspan, is reminded that there really was a housing bubble and lowering interest rates to record lows just matters worse.  Nearly four years after the housing market peak in 2007, record low mortgage rates are no match for falling incomes and 9% unemployment.
The Case-Shiller Home Price Index, released on Tuesday, showed that nation wide home prices did not register a significant change in the third quarter of 2011, with the U.S. National Home Price Index up by only 0.1% from its second quarter level. Home prices are down 3.9% across the board and are now back to their first quarter of 2003 levels.
From August to September, housing prices have fallen the most in Atlanta, with a 5.9% decline, followed by Tampa Bay and San Francisco, both with a 1.5% drop in housing prices.
Boston, New York, Washington and Los Angeles remain the most expensive cities in the lower 48 states.
"The plunging collapse of prices seen in 2007-2009 seems to be behind us," says David M. Blitzer, Chairman of the Index Committee at S&P Indices. "Any chance for a sustained recovery will probably need a stronger economy."
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