Report: Iran unveils 'advanced' new fighter jet

By Yeganeh Torbati and Pravin Char, Reuters

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- Iran unveiled what it said was a new, domestically built fighter jet on Saturday, local media reported.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said at a ceremony in Tehran that the Qaher 313 demonstrated Iran's growing self-reliance in the field of military technology.

Iran's functional air force has been limited to perhaps as few as a few dozen strike aircraft, either Russian or ageing U.S. models acquired before the 1979 Iranian revolution.

The Islamic Republic, under an international arms embargo, has long struggled to find spare parts and some military experts say the fleet is outdated.

"This advanced fighter jet with unique physical characteristics has a very low radar cross section and therefore is capable of operating at low altitudes," Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi said of the Qaher 313, according to Mehr news agency.

Tensions in the region have simmered over Tehran's nuclear program. Israel has threatened to bomb its nuclear sites if diplomacy and sanctions fail to stop Iranian nuclear activity the West suspects is aimed at developing a weapons capability.

At schools, in shops, and on the streets of big cities and small towns, daily life plays out in Iran.

Iran denies the weapons charge, saying it seeks only electricity and medical isotopes.

"Now the speed of Iran's development in science and technology does not depend on circumstances, it depends on our will," Ahmadinejad said on Saturday in remarks carried on state television. "We should set higher targets. We see that it is possible, we have the capabilities."

"This project carries the message of brotherhood, peace, and security and it doesn't pose any threat to anyone. There is no intention to interfere in any other country's affairs," he said.

Iran often holds military drills and announces weapons advances that it says are for purely deterrent purposes, though some analysts are skeptical of such reported advances because they cannot be independently verified.

Western sanctions levied on Iran's energy and banking sectors have damaged its economy and limited oil sales, a major source of revenue for the government. But Tehran has shown no sign of backing down from what it says is its right to enrich uranium for civilian uses.

Iran is commemorating the 34th anniversary of the 1979 Islamic revolution that toppled the U.S.-backed Shah in 10 days of events that began on Thursday.

Related:

Full coverage of Iran on NBCNews.com

Copyright 2013 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions.

Source: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/02/16818131-report-iran-unveils-advanced-new-fighter-jet?lite

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Mistakenly freed killer captured while watching TV

FILE - In this undated file photo provided by the Cook County Sheriff's Office in Chicago shows Steven L. Robbins from Gary, Ind. Police in Indiana and Illinois are hunting for Robbins, 44, a convicted murderer who was mistakenly released from custody Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2013, in Chicago, where he was sent Tuesday to face a drug charge while serving a 60-year prison sentence in Indiana. (AP Photo/Cook County Sheriff's Office, File)

FILE - In this undated file photo provided by the Cook County Sheriff's Office in Chicago shows Steven L. Robbins from Gary, Ind. Police in Indiana and Illinois are hunting for Robbins, 44, a convicted murderer who was mistakenly released from custody Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2013, in Chicago, where he was sent Tuesday to face a drug charge while serving a 60-year prison sentence in Indiana. (AP Photo/Cook County Sheriff's Office, File)

CHICAGO (AP) ? Two days after a stunning series of errors allowed a convicted murderer to walk out of a Chicago jail where he did not need to be in the first place, police recaptured the man at a northern Illinois home where he was found watching TV.

Steven L. Robbins, 44, put up no resistance Friday night as police burst through the door of a townhome in Kankakee, about 60 miles south of Chicago, said Cook County Sheriff's Office spokesman Frank Bilecki.

"He was in the living room or kitchen area watching TV, taken by total surprise," Bilecki said, adding that it appears the homeowner might know an acquaintance of Robbins.

The mistaken release of the prisoner, who was serving a 60-year sentence in Indiana for murder, focused attention on an antiquated corner of the criminal justice system that still relies extensively on paper documents instead of computers in moving detainees around and keeping tabs on their court status.

The episode prompted promises of change, but also some finger-pointing about who was ultimately to blame for a mistake with precedent in the Cook County system.

"We're not ducking the fact we dropped the ball. We made mistakes," Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart said Friday. "The public deserves much more. We're going to find out what went wrong here."

In Robbins' case, his transfer to Illinois to begin with was the result of a mistake, officials said.

He was brought before a Cook County Circuit Court judge on Tuesday and Wednesday over drug and armed violence charges in a case that it turns out had been dismissed in 2007. But because law enforcement authorities were still seeing an active arrest warrant, his transfer was requested and approved, according to Dart's office.

In a second lapse that Dart took responsibility for, he acknowledged that paperwork was lost that would have made it clear to Illinois officials that Robbins was to be returned to Indiana custody. As a result, he was allowed to walk out of the Cook County Jail's main gate on Wednesday evening. It took another 24 hours before the public was alerted that he was on the loose.

But Dart and Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez, both prominent local Democrats, exchanged tense words Friday about who should accept responsibility for having Robbins brought to Chicago from Indiana.

Alvarez said her office had told Dart's office that Robbins' drug and armed violence case was closed. But Dart's office proceeded to bring him to Chicago, she said, because of confusion over the outcome of the case and because Robbins demanded to stand trial.

"The Cook County Sherriff's Police, despite the fact that the assistant state's attorney told them that they didn't have to bring him back, they thought it would be better if they did bring him back to get this all cleared up because the guy keeps writing letters demanding trial," Alvarez told reporters.

But Dart said his office sought ? and was granted ? permission from the state attorney's office to bring Robbins to Chicago. The sheriff showed The Associated Press a copy of the extradition request from September signed by one of Alvarez's prosecutors.

Robbins, a Gary, Ind., native, was serving a sentence for murder and weapons convictions out of Marion County in Indiana.

Witnesses to the 2002 killing told police Robbins was arguing with his wife outside a birthday party in Indianapolis when a man intervened, telling Robbins he should not hit a woman, according to court documents.

Witnesses said Robbins then retrieved a gun from a car and shot the man in the chest before fleeing. He started serving his sentence in October 2004.

He was expected to be transferred back to the state prison in Michigan City, Ind., on Saturday.

"We are grateful that law enforcement caught him before he committed another crime," Indiana Department of Corrections spokesman Doug Garrison said.

It is not the first time a prisoner has been mistakenly freed from the Cook County Jail. In 2009, Jonathan Cooper, who was serving a 30-year manslaughter sentence in Mississippi, was brought to Chicago to face charges that he failed to register as a sex offender.

Prosecutors dropped the charges because, as an inmate, he could not comply with the Sex Offender Registration Act. A clerk reportedly failed to include the Mississippi sentence information in Cooper's file, and jail staff released him.

Cooper turned himself in several days later.

___

Associated Press writers Don Babwin in Chicago and Pamela Engel and Charles D. Wilson in Indianapolis contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-02-02-US-Mistaken-Release/id-7c1c72bbad0e4b4e8bdd4f017c676cb9

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WALKING THE BEAT: What's The Right Property-Tax Rate ...

BY JOE SHEA STIVALA/ CITY COUNCIL: Councilman Jim KENNEY?S thought the real-estate tax rate ought to be about 1.0 is a GOOD START. The proposed 1.3 would be DEVASTATING to homeowners and commerce! Actually, the tax rate would be best at about $700-800 per $100,000 of the value of your home. Remember during the Board of Revision era ? they looked at determining the value of real estate in the marketplace for taxing purposes, not to meet a Mayor?s spending needs. Now with MAYORAL CONTROL of that office (now called OPA or ?Ohhh-pah?), the tax rate can be set to give the Mayor ALL he wants to spend. KENNEY correctly says a hard look at HOW the money is spent is in order?. Another CONCERN is the massive decline in voluntary payments to the City in lieu of taxes from large EXEMPT institutions. These payments were once large and civic-minded. Now they pay like the 1%.

The Jannie BLACKWELL measure on notification of neighbors, for input on development, had to override a mayoral veto for passage. Councilman Bill Green should NOT have voted with the Mayor on the bill. It can be remembered and might come up in a mayoral campaign?. Kenney is wrong to try to make the Office of INSPECTOR GENERAL permanent. We already have too many investigators. The City CONTROLLER and DISTRICT ATTORNEY already do the job! With too little corruption, they will be tripping over each other. For cases that ?fall between the cracks? ? set up a SMALL unit with the DA or Controller. The Inspector General?s office says it pays for themselves. How much does the City save when an employee is fired for a between-the-cracks case, and sues ? then gets his job back ? with BACK PAY and benefits? As a POLICE CHIEFS Life Member, I often had lunch with former Inspectors General who had a WEE-sized staff. The size of this unit is much LARGER ? more salary and benefits. The KENNEY proposal should NOT PASS.

Councilperson MARIAN TASCO has been named to the National League of Cities Community & Economic Development Steering Committee, where she will make policy in the housing, parks, economy and the new field of international business?. MORE HAPPY NEWS: FEB. 6 is the birthday for Milt BORNSTEIN, extraordinary scholar; and State Rep. Brendan BOYLE. Also Judge John BRAXTON ? an incredible fellow of unending energy for the common good. On the 7^th it will be the birthday of State REP. Kevin BOYLE. No, he was not born a day apart from his brother.

The Democratic STATE COMMITTEE will meet on the 8^th-9^th in Hershey?. State REPS. Louise BISHOP and Mike McGEEHAN are promoting their child sexual-abuse bill, a key, timely issue. The public needs this measure!

The Inquirer-Daily News drivers voted on a two-year contract with management. So I guess the owners won?t want to sell. Joe INEMER, business manager of Local 16N (printers) says the publications? most-valuable ASSET is its PEOPLE. Agreed!? State Sen. Anthony Hardy WILLIAMS has co-introduced legislation to change how judges are chosen. Did he not introduce a similar bill before?? Williams, a nice guy who is mentioned as the leading contender for Mayor of Philly, should DROP IT. We do not want another 1% MAYOR. The concept of having the Governor select names for judges, with Senate confirmation is LAZY and ROYALIST government. It SHUTS OUT too many potentially qualified persons from the SELECT FEW LIST. In America, we leave selection to the PEOPLE. This is not DOWNTON ABBEY!

And now Gov. CHRISTIE moves to privatize the New Jersey Lottery. Fresh and with a glow from hurricane-relief efforts, he follows Corbett in this endeavor. Lawmakers and citizens: SUE him to stop it. Privatization does not save money, and gives a one-shot big cash high to state coffers. CHRISTIE, who has been low-key of late, will have to return to the old bluster mode if he wants to be a presidential or VEEP candidate?. GOV. CORBETT, in an interview, seemed more concerned for the well-being of the State Attorney General Kathleen KANE in her look at the Penn State matter. He says she needs to be ?careful.? He says he did not think that she had ?ever been involved in a Grand Jury.? If so, SO WHAT (?). A one-time prosecutor said Kane risks hurting office morale. BLARNEY! He says she could turn up evidence that could undermine pending prosecution actions. If she turns up new evidence, then that is HELPFUL!

WHO was voted the Third Best Mayor in the World by the 2012 World Mayor Project? No, it was not Nutter. It is Joko WIDODO, Mayor of Jakarta, Indonesia. ?Mr. Fix-it?, as he is known, is out AMONG the people, talking with them about education and health care, and fixing problems. For Jakarta?s big flooding problems (like Eastwick); he has a plan. Transit, he got federal money. But in Philly, It may be time to change the charter for a stronger CITY COUNCIL, weaker Mayor form of government?. Hats off to State Rep. Mike O?BRIEN, who has been a foremost people?s advocate on your A.V.I. REAL-ESTATE TAX INCREASE. O?Brien grilled the City Finance Director, Rob Dubow, on the delay in presenting your new market value. ?Quiet? Dubow said City Council will get the values next week. BUT ARE THEY GOOD VALUES? If they do not reflect sales in the last three years of comparable properties and BOOM SALE YEARS of 2006-08 or 2006-08 mixed with current sales; then they should be THROWN OUT. (It will have been a wasted year.) It is UP TO CITY COUNCIL to check this!! It can be easily done by checking sales. Bankers, appraisers and assessors use the most current three years.

The mayoral investigation of the Provisional Ballot issue continues with a MEASLY two hearings for the public, one in City Hall and another in a church in North Philly. No, not other neighborhoods? It will be interesting to see if the ?public? are the usual talking heads, which can be relied on for a quote. Some POLS say the probe is just a TAKEOVER to remove elected Commissioners (?). Can?t they get (or want to) it straight? The Founding Fathers wanted elected officials. If you don?t agree, then MOVE out of the USA! Start making BETS on if a recommendation to eliminate elected Commissioners in favor of drones will be in the final report.

Source: http://www.phillyrecord.com/2013/01/walking-the-beat-whats-the-right-property-tax-rate/

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On Target Web Solutions Enters into a Strategic Marketing ...

Orlando, FL (1888PressRelease) February 01, 2013 - On Target Web Solutions, a leading Internet Marketing & SEO company in Orlando, has announced that it has entered into a strategic partnership with Atlantic.Net to assist with their online marketing initiatives.

As a part of the agreement, On Target Web Solutions will assist Atlantic.Net with content syndication, as well as help enhance their search engine visibility by leveraging their expertise as a full-service online marketing agency. In addition, On Target will assist with Atlantic.Net's overall PR and social media marketing initiatives.

"Our company is focused on creating valuable partnerships with our clients to not only set higher goals, but also to achieve them," said Tom Jelneck, President and Founder of On Target Web Solutions. "We are very excited to work with Atlantic.Net to assist them with growing their business online."

"We are confident in On Target Web Solutions' ability to deliver quality service. We had many options to choose from and we picked them for their strong reputation and work ethic," said Adnan Raja, Marketing Director of Atlantic.Net. "With higher online visibility, we can increase our competitive edge in the hosting market."

For more information about the SEO and content marketing services offered by On Target Web Solutions, please visit http://ontargetwebsolutions.com/content-marketing/ or call 407-830-4550, nationwide at 866-998-6886.

About On Target Web Solutions, Inc.?
On Target Web Solutions was founded by Tom Jelneck in July 2005 in Orlando, Florida. Specializing in Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Internet Marketing, Social Media Marketing and Web Design, On Target engages online tools to achieve successful growth for businesses while educating clients about ethical online business practices.

About Atlantic.Net
Atlantic.Net (http://www.atlantic.net/) is a market-leading Cloud Hosting Solutions Provider recognized for providing exceptional business hosting service, simplifying complex technologies, and building a brand that businesses trust since 1994. Atlantic.Net specializes in providing Cloud Servers, Colocation, Dedicated Servers and Virtualization Hosting Services. Atlantic.Net owns and operates a SSAE 16 (SOC 1) TYPE II (Formerly SAS 70) audited and certified data center infrastructure and is dedicated to implementing tailored hosting solutions that enable clients to enjoy the benefits of cost savings.

http://www.ontargetwebsolutions.com/

###

Source: http://www.1888pressrelease.com/on-target-web-solutions-enters-into-a-strategic-marketing-pa-pr-452858.html

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Halozyme falls after analyst downgrade

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Shares of Halozyme Therapeutics tumbled 8 percent Thursday after a Wall Street analyst downgraded the specialty drugmaker, saying that European regulators may not approve a key cancer drug this year.

THE SPARK: Wedbush analyst Gregory Wade downgraded the stock to "neutral" from "outperform," based on negative comments from Swiss drugmaker Roche, which has been collaborating with Halozyme on an injectable form of its cancer drug, Herceptin.

"As a result of Roche's comments we are removing our expectation that Herceptin will receive approval in 2013," Wade states in a note first released Wednesday. European approval of injectable Herceptin would have triggered an automatic Roche payment to Halozyme. Without that payment, Wade lowered his 2013 revenue estimate to $45 million from $53 million. He recommends investors stay "on the sidelines" until the chances for Herceptin winning European approval become more clear.

THE BIG PICTURE: Halozyme's Enhanze technology is designed to temporarily break down a substance in the body that forms a barrier between cells, so that drugs can be absorbed faster. That would allow some drugs to be delivered by an injection instead of an IV drip.

Several companies are testing use of the company's recombinant hyaluronidase enzyme, including Roche and Pfizer, the world's biggest drug company.

Roche is testing the company's recombinant hyaluronidase enzyme for use with the cancer drugs Herceptin and MabThera.

The company's stock took a battering in August, when the FDA temporarily halted the study of a ViroPharma International drug that used Halozyme's enzyme. The agency was concerned about possible side effects on fertility, reproduction and fetal development from antibodies produced in response to the enzyme. ViroPharma said in September that the FDA gave the company permission to resume testing of the drug, which is designed for patients with a rare genetic disease that causes swelling.

SHARE ACTION: Shares of Halozyme Therapeutics Inc., based in San Diego, fell 40 cents to close at $6.69.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/halozyme-falls-analyst-downgrade-201830231.html

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States, GOP Lawmakers Eye Tougher Election Laws

The run-up to the 2012 elections was one of court battles and legislative jockeying over Republican-backed voter ID and elections laws that critics called bald-faced attempts to suppress turnout and disenfranchise Democratic voters.

Now with 2013 legislative sessions getting under way, those fights show no signs of slowing.

Lawmakers in as many as a dozen states are considering new or tougher voter ID laws this year, many of which are expected to become law despite criticism similar moves received in 2012. Indeed, it already seems likely more states will have stricter elections administration schemes come 2014 than there were just last year.

In North Carolina, for example, a voter ID requirement is expected to easily pass the GOP-dominated legislature and gain the favor of new Republican Governor Pat McCrory this session. Former Democratic Governor Bev Perdue vetoed a similar measure last year. In Virginia, Republican lawmakers, including two GOP candidates for attorney general, are proposing to strengthen the state?s identification requirement that currently allows utility bills, bank statements or other paperwork.

Lawmakers in Montana, Nevada, Iowa, Idaho, Missouri, West Virginia, Arkansas and elsewhere are also considering voter ID proposals of varying scope this year.

The movement in the states comes as the U.S. Supreme Court prepares to hear arguments on a pair of elections cases in coming weeks, ensuring that tension over elections law will remain in the months ahead.

In late February, the court will hear a challenge to a key provision of the Voting Rights Act that gives the federal government preclearance authority over elections law changes in jurisdictions with a history of voter discrimination. That provision has proven significant in either forcing states to moderate voter ID laws (such as in the case of South Carolina) or in blocking particularly harsh ones (as happened with Texas? law).

Then in March, the court will hear arguments over an Arizona law that required voters to show proof of citizenship to register to vote or cast their ballots. A federal court said the requirement violated the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, which Congress passed to standardize registration and encourage turnout. Arizona has called the decision an overreach that infringed on its authority to regulate elections; the outcome could be significant in future state-federal disputes over election administration.

The battles extend into state courts as well, where opponents will continue to mount legal challenges to block or weaken the requirements. And in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, already-enacted voter ID laws remain before the courts.

Last year, the Wisconsin Supreme Court decided against a fast-tracked decision that might have allowed the requirement to be in place on Election Day, leaving the matter unresolved. An April election, in which state Supreme Court Justice Patience Roggensack (considered a member of the court?s 4-3 conservative majority) faces re-election, could swing the eventual outcome.

In Pennsylvania, a hearing this summer will decide whether to permanently strike down the state?s voter ID law or allow it for future elections. A Commonwealth Court judge blocked the measure on narrow grounds last year because the state was found to have too little time to properly implement it. Because of that, most expect it will eventually be allowed to proceed.

And so it seems the greatest momentum and prospect for change remains with those pushing voter ID and similar measures, particularly as courts have generally approved such laws in recent years. But the news hasn?t been completely dire for anti-voter ID and elections advocates.

Florida Gov. Rick Scott, who was under fire for paring back early voting last year, has since come out in favor of more early voting. In Ohio, the scene of many elections battles, Secretary of State Jon Husted has ordered local governments to convene formal hearings to document alleged voter fraud. Advocates have long doubted the existence of any such fraud, but many say forcing governments to compile evidence, rather than allowing hearsay to stand in its place, could prove helpful in the broader debate.

Still, such positive signs for advocates are small compared to the calls for national elections reform that took hold after Election Day. On the night he was re-elected, President Obama vowed to advocate for reforms to help stem irregularities, long lines and other issues that plagued polling places last November.

A few sweeping proposals have been proposed in Congress, but have so far gained little traction. They include standardized administration, competitive grants and even a national requirement for same-day registration. But as with many other issues in Washington, they?ve become quickly embroiled in squabbling over spending, federal overreach and partisanship.

Source: http://www.pewstates.org/projects/stateline/headlines/states-gop-lawmakers-eye-tougher-election-laws-85899446618

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Real estate investment trust to buy RBS building in downtown ...

January 30, 2013 ?|? Staff Writer ?|? Print Article ?|? Email this Article

KBS Real Estate Investment Trust III will pay $126.5 million for the RBS office building in downtown Minneapolis.

The key Minneapolis office building includes 678,045 square feet. Brookfield Office Properties is the seller of the property.

The building is home to 34 tenants, good enough for an 83-percent lease rate. RBC Wealth Management is the main anchor of the building, accounting for 270,000 square feet. The building also includes about 70,000 square feet of retail space, Gaviidae Common II.

Tags | KBS, Minneapolis, Minnesota, Office, RBS building

? 2013 Real Estate Communications Group. Duplication or reproduction of this article not permitted without authorization from the Real Estate Publishing Group. For information on reprint or electronic pdf of this article contact Mark Menzies at 312-644-4610 or menzies@rejournals.com

Source: http://www.rejournals.com/2013/01/30/real-estate-investment-trust-to-buy-rbs-building-in-downtown-minneapolis/

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