Costa Rica files formal protest with FIFA? |? And?

Associated Press Sports

updated 6:06 a.m. ET March 25, 2013

ZURICH (AP) - FIFA is studying a protest from the Costa Rica soccer federation, which wants a World Cup qualifier against the United States replayed after losing 1-0 in a snowstorm.

"FIFA will now analyze the content of the letter and next steps will be determined in due course," the governing body said Monday in a statement.

The Costa Rican federation said Sunday that the "physical integrity" of players and officials was affected, "ball movement became impossible" and field markings were not visible in Friday's match played in Commerce City, Colo.

The federation also urged FIFA to punish match officials, including referee Joel Aguilar of El Salvador, for allowing the match to proceed.

For the protest to have a chance of succeeding, it must meet specific requirements stated in the 2014 World Cup Regulations.

One clause says that when a field becomes unplayable, the protesting team's captain "shall immediately lodge a protest with the referee in the presence of the captain of the opposing team."

Costa Rica also had to file written protests with the match coordinator within two hours of the final whistle, and to FIFA's administration by registered letter within 24 hours, "otherwise they shall be disregarded," the regulations state. FIFA had yet to determine whether Costa Rica had followed those procedures.

U.S. captain Clint Dempsey scored in the 16th minute to lift his team to second place in the six-team CONCACAF region qualifying group after two matches. Costa Rica is last.

The top three teams qualify directly for the tournament in Brazil, and the fourth-place team faces New Zealand in a playoff.

? 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Heat about to turn up on US

Tuesday's game against Mexico ? in front of 100,000 fans in the sweltering Azteca heat ? poses an entirely different challenge than Friday's win over Costa Rica.

Mike Stobe / Getty Images

Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/51316338/ns/sports-soccer/

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Inhabitat's Week in Green: the Soundscraper, bedroom algae biofuel lab and the revival of the gastric-brooding frog

Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green.

The first week of spring kicked off with a bang for the architecture community as Japanese architect Toyo Ito was awarded the 2013 Pritzker Prize. Meanwhile Christo unveiled the world's largest inflated indoor sculpture in Germany and MIT researchers announced plans to 3D print a pavilion inspired by the technique that silkworms use to build their cocoons. Inhabitat also showcased several futuristic skyscraper concepts -- including the Soundscraper, which transforms auditory vibrations into clean energy, and the Zero Skyscraper, which is a post-apocalyptic survival structure. And we profiled some fascinating adaptive-reuse projects, including a grain elevator that was transformed into a student housing complex in Oslo and a Cold War-era missile silo that was converted into an underground home in Upstate New York.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/7FTdufu5wN8/

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Shouldn't We Worry If Patents Are Negatively Correlated With Growth?

Last week I attended an event on software patents at GW Law School. The event made me uncomfortable because it was?as one would expect at a law school event?dominated by lawyers. The concerns of the legal academics, practitioners, and lobbyists participating in the round table discussion were very different from those one would expect for a policy audience. For example, the participants agreed that there is no elegant way to partition software patents from other patents under current law and that current Supreme Court jurisprudence is unsophisticated, relying on the wrong sections of the U.S. Code.

Missing from the discussion was the single most important fact about patents: that they are negatively correlated with economic growth.

It is pretty easy to eyeball this relationship using data from the USPTO on number of patents granted and from the BLS on real GDP per capita.

Patent grants have exploded in the past two decades or so, and real GDP per capita growth has declined over the same period. Now, patent proponents can argue (rightly) that correlation is not causation?growth could have been?even worse over the past few decades had we not had strong patent protection. But correlation is?correlated with causation, so proponents of strong patent laws should have to explicitly make that argument using real evidence.

In addition to U.S. time-series data, we can examine the international cross-sectional evidence. As Petra Moser concludes in her recent JEP article:

Overall, the weight of the existing historical evidence suggests that patent policies, which grant strong intellectual property rights to early generations of inventors, may discourage innovation. On the contrary, policies that encourage the diffusion of ideas and modify patent laws to facilitate entry and encourage competition may be an effective mechanism to encourage innovation.

Taken together, absent some additional evidence from patent proponents, this time-series and cross-sectional evidence suggests we are on the wrong side of the Tabarrok Curve.

If there is any evidence that software patents in particular have a positive effect on innovation or growth, I have yet to see it. Here?s hoping proponents of the current system will take up the challenge and respond with such evidence. But if they do not, then we should abolish software patents even if it means adopting some relatively bizarre legal formulations as the lawyers fear.

Eli Dourado / Eli is a research fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University with the Technology Policy Program. His research focuses on Internet governance, the economics of technology, and political economy. His personal site is elidourado.com.

Source: http://techliberation.com/2013/03/25/shouldnt-we-worry-if-patents-are-negatively-correlated-with-growth/

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C. African Republic president overthrown by rebels

FILE - In this Jan. 5, 2013 file photo, government security forces in a pickup truck drive past a demonstration calling for peace as negotiators prepare for talks with rebels from the north, in downtown Bangui, Central African Republic Saturday. On Friday, March 22, rebels took the town of Damara, beginning a new march to take the capital, Bangui, said a rebel spokesman. Panic spread throughout the capital, with the neighborhoods closest to the northern gate of the city emptying out, as frightened residents locked up their shops, packed their bags and yanked their children out of school. Banks and government offices closed early.(AP Photo/Ben Curtis, File)

FILE - In this Jan. 5, 2013 file photo, government security forces in a pickup truck drive past a demonstration calling for peace as negotiators prepare for talks with rebels from the north, in downtown Bangui, Central African Republic Saturday. On Friday, March 22, rebels took the town of Damara, beginning a new march to take the capital, Bangui, said a rebel spokesman. Panic spread throughout the capital, with the neighborhoods closest to the northern gate of the city emptying out, as frightened residents locked up their shops, packed their bags and yanked their children out of school. Banks and government offices closed early.(AP Photo/Ben Curtis, File)

FILE - In this Jan. 2, 2013 file photo, a convoy of Chadian soldiers fighting in support of Central African Republic president Francois Bozize moves along the road in Damara, about 70km (44 miles) north of the capital Bangui, Central African Republic Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2013. On Friday, March 22, rebels took the town of Damara, beginning a new march to take the capital, Bangui, said a rebel spokesman. Panic spread throughout the capital, with the neighborhoods closest to the northern gate of the city emptying out, as frightened residents locked up their shops, packed their bags and yanked their children out of school. Banks and government offices closed early.(AP Photo/Ben Curtis, File)

FILE - In this Jan. 8, 2013 photo, Francois Bozize, president of the Central African Republic, speaks to the media in front of a map of the country in the colors of its flag, at the presidential palace in Bangui, Central African Republic. On Friday, March 22, rebels took the town of Damara, beginning a new march to take the capital, Bangui, said a rebel spokesman. In power since 2003, Bozize is himself the result of a rebel occupation. After years as a high-ranking military officer, Bozize launched a rebellion in 2001, taking Bangui two years later, when the then-president was out of the country.(AP Photo/Ben Curtis, File)

BANGUI, Central African Republic (AP) ? Rebels overthrew Central African Republic's president of a decade on Sunday, seizing the presidential palace and declaring that the desperately poor country has "opened a new page in its history." The country's president fled the capital, while extra French troops moved to secure the airport, officials said.

The rebels' invasion of the capital came just two months after they had signed a peace agreement that would have let President Francois Bozize serve until 2016. That deal unraveled in recent days, prompting the insurgents' advance into Bangui and Bozize's departure to a still unpublicized location.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned the unconstitutional seizure of power and called for the swift restoration of constitutional order, U.N. spokesman Martin Nesirky said.

The U.N. chief appealed for calm and reiterated that the January peace agreements "remain the most viable framework to ensure durable peace and stability in the country," Nesirky said. Ban also expressed deep concern at reports of serious human rights violations.

Witnesses and an adviser to Bozize said rebel trucks were traveling throughout the town on Sunday hours after the palace was seized. Former colonial power France confirmed the developments, issuing a statement that said French President Francois Hollande "has taken note of the departure of President Francois Bozize."

"Central African Republic has just opened a new page in its history," said a communique signed by Justin Kombo Moustapha, secretary-general of the alliance of rebel groups known as Seleka.

"The political committee of the Seleka coalition, made up of Central Africans of all kinds, calls on the population to remain calm and to prepare to welcome the revolutionary forces of Seleka," it said.

Central African Republic, a nation of 4.5 million, has long been wracked by rebellions and power grabs. Bozize himself took power in 2003 following a rebellion, and his tenure has been marked by conflict with myriad armed groups.

The rebels reached the outskirts of Bangui late Saturday. Heavy gunfire echoed through the city Sunday as the fighters made their way to the presidential palace, though the president was not there at the time.

"Bozize left the city this morning," said Maximin Olouamat, a Bozize adviser. He declined to say where the president had gone.

The last public news of Bozize's whereabouts came Friday, when state radio announced he had returned from a visit to South Africa.

Coverseas Worldwide Assistance, a Swiss-based crisis management firm that has contacts on the ground, said it believed Bozize was headed toward neighboring Congo. Bangui is located along the Oubangui River that separates the two countries.

Congolese government spokesman Lambert Mende, however, said he had no knowledge of Bozize crossing into Congo.

U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said in a statement Sunday that the United States was "deeply concerned about a serious deterioration in the security situation" in Central African Republic.

"We urgently call on the Seleka leadership which has taken control of Bangui to establish law and order in the city and to restore basic services of electricity and water," the statement said.

Rebels from several armed groups that have long opposed Bozize joined forces in December and began seizing towns across the sparsely populated north. They threatened at the time to march on Bangui, but ultimately halted their advance and agreed to engage in peace talks in Libreville, the capital of Gabon.

A deal was signed Jan. 11 that allowed Bozize to finish his term, which expires in 2016, but the rebels soon began accusing the president of failing to fulfill promises made.

They demanded Bozize send home South African forces who were helping bolster the country's military. They also sought to integrate some 2,000 rebel fighters into Central African Republic's armed forces.

Earlier this month, the rebels again took control of two towns and threatening to advance on the capital.

Late Saturday, Bangui was plunged into darkness after fighters cut power to much of the city. State radio went dead, and fearful residents cowered in their homes.

An unspecified number of French citizens have taken refuge in the French Embassy, a French diplomat said on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to be publicly named according to Foreign Ministry policy. The diplomat said extra French troops were brought in to secure the Bangui airport.

Hundreds of French soldiers already were in the country, some of whom were sent in to protect French interests in the former colony. Bozize had appealed to Hollande for help, but the French president said he would not be protecting the government. Other French soldiers have been providing technical support and helping to train the local army, according to the French defense ministry.

South African Brig. Gen. Xolani Mabanga, the country's military spokesman, said there had been "intense" fighting this weekend between rebels and South African forces. "Our base was attacked by the rebels as they were advancing toward the capital," he said.

"We have suffered some casualties," he said. He declined to provide the number of casualties, pending the outcome of an investigation.

The peace deal also had created a prime minister post, which was given to opposition leader Nicolas Tiangaye, who had been sheltering at a military base for forces from regional neighbors known as FOMAC.

The United States urged the rebels to "provide full support" to Tiangaye, citing the "continued legitimacy" of the peace deal signed in January.

___

Krista Larson reported from Dakar, Senegal. Associated Press writers Christopher Torchia in Johannesburg and Angela Charlton in Paris contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-03-24-AF-Central-African-Republic-Rebel-Advance/id-e8113f1eeb9241c98fbf5c30121b2e4a

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Does Apple Need a Bigger Stick - or Charm School?

Apple, in so many ways, is now king of the hill. As such, behind every rock on the Web there seems to be a new charge to knock Apple down. If a competitor isn't charging the hill, Apple seems to be the target for stone-throwing. It's not that this is unexpected; the rise and fall of companies -- and Hollywood starlets -- is commonplace.

Source: http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632000/s/294eac73/l/0L0Stechnewsworld0N0Crsstory0C77470A0Bhtml/story01.htm

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General: Heart attack killed a suffering Chavez

In this photo released by Miraflores Press Office, Hugo Chavez' mother Elena Frias, third from left, and brothers Adan, second from left, Argenis, first right, and Adelis, fourth from right, stand next to the flag-draped coffin containing the body of Venezuela's late President Hugo Chavez on display during his wake at a military academy where his body will lie in state until his funeral in in state in Caracas, Venezuela, Wednesday, March 6, 2013. Seven days of mourning were declared, all schools were suspended for the week and friendly heads of state were expected for an elaborate funeral Friday. (AP Photo/Miraflores Presidential Press Office)

In this photo released by Miraflores Press Office, Hugo Chavez' mother Elena Frias, third from left, and brothers Adan, second from left, Argenis, first right, and Adelis, fourth from right, stand next to the flag-draped coffin containing the body of Venezuela's late President Hugo Chavez on display during his wake at a military academy where his body will lie in state until his funeral in in state in Caracas, Venezuela, Wednesday, March 6, 2013. Seven days of mourning were declared, all schools were suspended for the week and friendly heads of state were expected for an elaborate funeral Friday. (AP Photo/Miraflores Presidential Press Office)

Supporters hold a doll depicting of the late President Hugo Chavez as they wait in line to see his body outside the Fort Tiuna military academy in Caracas, Venezuela, Wednesday, March 6, 2013. Chavez's body will lie in sate at the academy until his funeral, scheduled for Friday. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)

In this photo released by Miraflores Press Office, Argentina's President Cristina Fernandez, left, Venezuela's interim President Nicolas Maduro, second from left, Uruguay's President Jose Mujica, third from left, Bolivia's President Evo Morales, fourth from left, and Mujica's wife, Uruguayan Senator Luc?a Topolansky stand next to the flag-draped coffin containing the body of Venezuela's late President Hugo Chavez on display during his wake in Fort Tiuna military academy where his body will lie in state in Caracas, Venezuela, Wednesday, March 6, 2013. Seven days of mourning were declared, all schools were suspended for the week and friendly heads of state were expected for an elaborate funeral Friday. (AP Photo/Miraflores Presidential Press Office)

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) ? President Hugo Chavez died of a massive heart attack after great suffering and inaudibly mouthed his desire to live, the head of Venezuela's presidential guard said late Wednesday.

"He couldn't speak but he said it with his lips ... 'I don't want to die. Please don't let me die,' because he loved his country, he sacrificed himself for his country," Gen. Jose Ornella told The Associated Press.

The general said he spent the last two years with Chavez, including his final moments, as Venezuela's president of 14 years battled an unspecified cancer in the pelvic region.

Ornella spoke to the AP outside the military academy where Chavez's body lay in state. He said Chavez's cancer was very advanced when death came but gave no details.

Ornella did not respond when asked if the cancer had spread to Chavez's lungs.

The government announced on the eve of Chavez's death that he had suffered a severe new respiratory infection. It was the second such infection reported by officials after Chavez underwent his fourth cancer surgery in Cuba on Dec. 11.

Venezuelan authorities have not said what kind of cancer Chavez had or specified exactly where tumors were removed.

During the first lung infection, near the end of December, doctors implanted a tracheal tube to ease Chavez's breathing, but breathing insufficiency persisted and worsened, the government said.

Ornella said that Chavez had "the best" doctors from all over the world but that they never discussed the president's condition in front of him.

The general said he didn't know precisely what kind of cancer afflicted Chavez, but added: "He suffered a lot."

He said that Chavez knew when he spoke to Venezuelans on Dec. 8, three days before his final surgery in Cuba, that "there was very little hope he would make it out of that operation."

It was Chavez's fourth cancer surgery and previous interventions had been followed by chemotherapy and radiation.

Ornella echoed the concern of Vice President Nicolas Maduro that some sort of foul play was involved in Chavez's cancer.

"I think it will be 50 years before they declassify a document (that) I think (will show) the hand of the enemy is involved," he said.

The general didn't identify who he was talking about, but Maduro suggested possible U.S. involvement on Tuesday. The U.S. State Department called the allegation absurd.

Maduro, Chavez's self-anointed successor, said Chavez died Tuesday afternoon in a Caracas military hospital.

The government said Chavez, 58, had been there since returning from Cuba on Feb. 18.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-03-07-LT-Venezuela-Chavez's-Death/id-41240fd53e34437a8883ff24bbb6dd72

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Kenya media self-censoring to reduce vote tension

An election official reads a copy of The Standard newspaper while waiting for election results to be announced at the National Tallying Center, in Nairobi, Kenya Thursday, March 7, 2013. Kenyan media members told The Associated Press on Thursday that the Media Owners Association agreed not to sensationalize headlines or even put political press conferences live on the air, to avoid airing hate speech or political attacks that could incite violence, with the result of presidential elections to be announced later this week. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

An election official reads a copy of The Standard newspaper while waiting for election results to be announced at the National Tallying Center, in Nairobi, Kenya Thursday, March 7, 2013. Kenyan media members told The Associated Press on Thursday that the Media Owners Association agreed not to sensationalize headlines or even put political press conferences live on the air, to avoid airing hate speech or political attacks that could incite violence, with the result of presidential elections to be announced later this week. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

In an attempt to fill the long stretches of time without briefings to the media or announcement of electoral results, a choir sings songs in front of electoral results boards at the National Tallying Center, in Nairobi, Kenya Thursday, March 7, 2013. Kenyan media members told The Associated Press on Thursday that the Media Owners Association agreed not to sensationalize headlines or even put political press conferences live on the air, to avoid airing hate speech or political attacks that could incite violence. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

Roadside vendors carry on their business near Nairobi South B slums in Nairobi, Kenya Thursday, March 7, 2013. Uhuru Kenyatta is leading in early polls. The coalition of Kenya's prime minister Raila Odinga says the vote tallying process now under way to determine the winner of the country's presidential election "lacks integrity", should be stopped, and the counting process should be restarted using primary documents from polling stations. (AP Photo/Sayyid Azim)

A television presenter files a report from the National Tallying Center, where election results are announced, in Nairobi, Kenya Thursday, March 7, 2013. Kenyan media members told The Associated Press on Thursday that the Media Owners Association agreed not to sensationalize headlines or even put political press conferences live on the air, to avoid airing hate speech or political attacks that could incite violence. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

Supporters of presidential candidate Uhuru Kenyatta relax near his posters on the wall in Nairobi, Kenya Thursday, March 7, 2013. Uhuru Kenyatta is leading in early polls. The coalition of Kenya's prime minister Raila Odinga says the vote tallying process now under way to determine the winner of the country's presidential election "lacks integrity", should be stopped, and the counting process should be restarted using primary documents from polling stations(AP Photo/Sayyid Azim)

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) ? It's the biggest news of the year in Kenya: A presidential election with huge potential for violence. Why then are the headlines so boring, the TV broadcasts so dull? The answer: Kenyan media are self-censoring the story to avoid fanning the flames of conflict.

Kenya's Media Owners Association told The Associated Press that media leaders made a "gentleman's agreement" to balance the national interest and the public's right to know, including not reporting anything that could incite ethnic tensions and not airing political statements live.

It's a noble goal. After Kenya's 2007 president vote vicious tribe-on-tribe violence killed more than 1,000 people. Small bouts of violence have been reported in Kenya in the days after Monday's presidential election, though the country has remained largely peaceful.

But media self-censorship raises concerns about the public's right to know.

"The editors are not allowing inflammatory statements to get into the newspapers," said Kenfrey Kiberenge, a reporter for the Daily Nation, Kenya's most widely read paper. Kiberenge said there was a deliberate effort to avoid what he called "inflaming passions."

Media messages that incite violence have been a deadly problem in Africa. Rwanda's 1994 genocide was preceded by ethnic hate speech and accusations on radio and in newspapers. After the 2007-08 election violence in Kenya, the International Criminal Court indicted radio broadcaster Joshua Sang, whom the court accused of coordinating a campaign of killing.

"We actually made a mistake in 2007 as Kenyan media," said Dennis Okari, a TV reporter for KISSTV, who noted that many media outlets are owned or overseen by political leaders.

"At that time many media houses had actually taken sides. Some were supporting (Prime Minister) Raila Odinga, some were backing (President) Mwai Kibaki," he said. "We were partly blamed for the postelection violence. This time things have been done a bit different."

Okari said the Media Owners Association decided that media outlets would broadcast a message of peace this election, and that all stories must be checked to ensure they aren't inciting violence. TV stations, he said, have agreed not to put statements by politicians live on air, in case they contain a dangerous message.

Kiprono Kittony, the chairman of the Media Owners Association, said he thinks the media has done a "fantastic job" keeping the public informed without compromising peace and security.

"Article 34 of the constitution has given media freedom and we contend that freedom comes with responsibility, which is what we are doing, being responsible," he said.

Tom Rhodes, East Africa's representative for the Committee To Protect Journalists, said he fears such censorship will lead to the Kenyan public not being adequately informed. In some cases, he said, keeping the peace has trumped the truth.

"While it is commendable that the Kenyan media is taking precautions this time around to ensure not to incite any violence through sensational reporting, many local journalists that I have spoken to express their frustrations over their editors who cull their stories in the name of maintaining peace," Rhodes said.

Okari acknowledged that such self-censorship is a thin line for journalists to walk. On the one hand you are trying to ensure coverage doesn't kick off violence, on the other hand journalists have a duty to inform the public, he said.

The role of local and international journalists in Kenya's election has been actively discussed on Twitter, where many Kenyans blame international media for sensationalizing the story. Okari took to Twitter on Thursday and said: "As a Journalist i refuse to be used to INDIRECTLY send a mixed message to an intended audience in the name of Public Knowledge/Information."

The 2008 government report reviewing the last election found that violence was fanned by live radio talk shows in which DJs were unable to control guests using hate speech. Words and phrases such as "let's claim our land," ''mongoose has come and stolen our chicken," and "get rid of weeds" were aired, the report said.

Haron Mwangi, the chief executive of the Media Council of Kenya, said journalists underwent more training on media ethics and social responsibility ahead of Monday's vote. Kenyan reporters and editors are being more balanced and analytical, he said. He said he had heard of the Media Owners Association decision.

"Given the context of the Kenya situation, I think it's fair," he said. "For Kenya the best thing now is we want peace, we want things to normalize, we want to continue with our lives, and that's the quest Kenyans have now. And if the media is responding to that public interest I think that is good."

Violence by a separatist group on Kenya's coast on Monday killed 19 people. But those deaths weren't even mentioned on the front page of the Daily Nation. David Matsanga, who runs a media consultancy called Africa World Media, said newspapers are doing a better job of focusing on what he called the big picture.

"They have done a good job to some extent, for example by pointing out the weaknesses of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission," he said, before noting he believed presidential candidate Raila Odinga has gotten more coverage than his opponent, Uhuru Kenyatta.

Final results in the election are expected to be announced on Friday.

___

Associated Press reporter Rodney Muhumuza contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-03-07-Kenya-Election-Media/id-b3cf6775b1c44aa8b571ffe443f27d2b

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