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They said senior executives of the International Energy Agency (IEA) discussed on Thursday an existing plan to release up to 14 million barrels per day (bpd) of government-owned oil stored in the United States, Europe, Japan and other importers.This rate of release could be kept up for a month, offsetting most of the 16 million barrels a day of crude passing through the world's most important shipping lane that could be halted by an Iranian blockade. Iranian officials have threatened in recent weeks to block the strait if new sanctions imposed by the United States and planned by the European Union, with the aim of discouraging Iran's nuclear program, harm Tehran's oil exports.Earlier this week Iran said it would take action if the United States sailed an aircraft carrier through the strait,canada goose outlet and followed this by announcing new military exercises, shortly after completing 10 days of naval drills in neighboring seas. Real Admiral Ali Fadavi, naval commander of the Revolutionary Guards Corps, said the exercises next month would focus directly on the Strait of Hormuz, which leads out of the Gulf and provides the outlet for most oil from the Middle East."Today the Islamic Republic of Iran has full domination over the region and controls all movements within it," Fadavi said in remarks reported by the Fars news agency. After years of sanctions that had little impact, Western countries have adopted a far more direct approach in recent months, imposing sanctions that explicitly impact the oil industry that provides 60 percent of Iran's state revenue.canada goose cheap outletThe new U.S. measures would cut off any institution that deals with the Iranian central bank from the U.S. financial system. If implemented fully, it would make it impossible for most countries' refineries to buy Iranian crude. But Washington has to balance its determination to isolate Tehran with concern that driving its oil off markets will raise prices and hurt the fragile global economy. Brent crude futures hovered above $113 a barrel on Friday, up nearly $7 since Obama signed the new sanctions law.To ease the impact on markets, the new U.S. measures take effect over several months, and the offer of waivers gives countries time to find other suppliers. Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest oil exporter and a foe of Iran, says it will make up for any supply shortfall. Traders and analysts believe Iran is unlikely to block the strait. canada goose"Neither side wants a war. A lot of this rhetoric is overstated," said Cliff Kupchan, Iran analyst at Eurasia Group.If Iran did try to blockade the strait, it would be no match for a U.S. fleet led by the giant supercarrier John C. Stennis, accompanied by a guided-missile cruiser and flotillas of destroyers and submarines. The Combined Maritime Force protecting Gulf shipping also includes countries such as Britain, France, Canada, Australia and the Gulf Arab states, under the command of a U.S. admiral.There are other ways in which Iran could provoke a Western response, from missiles within range of U.S. targets in the region, to small boats that could attack a ship near shore, to allied militia in Palestine and Lebanon that can strike Israel.

told the Wall Street Journal that the potential deal was an effort to boost its share price, its shares have plummeted 21 percent since the news was revealed."We see substantial value in what we've built with our Nook business in only two years, and we believe it's the right time to investigate our options to unlock that value," Lynch told the Journal. Barnes & Noble cautioned that its year-end results would show higher losses than previously forecasted – between $1.40 and $1.10 per share as opposed to the $0.63 Wall Street was predicting. canada goose outletThe company blames disappointing sales of the Nook Simple Touch and investments in advertising while insisting other e-reader and e-book sales were strong.Also read: Amazon Sold Millions of Kindles -- But Won't Say Exactly How Many In the world of e-books its Kindle has been a game changer, but Barnes & Noble has been a primary competitor with its Nook.Both companies released a new series of products in November – including their first tablet computers – but this news suggests Amazon’s products have fared better than Barnes & Noble’s.Amazon does not release its sales figures, canada goose cheap outletbut did recently say it was shipping off more than 1 million Kindle products a week. Barnes & Noble also cut the prices of its tablets for the November launch, which some interpreted as an effort to compete with Amazon’s bargain pricing.Lynch has disputed the notion that it is falling behind in a competition with Jeff Bezos' company. canada gooseMeanwhile, he said Apple's iPad is not a direct competitor since Barnes & Noble -- like Amazon -- is more focused on selling e-books and e-readers than tablets.

Yahoo Inc. has named Scott Thompson, president of eBay Inc.'s PayPal division, as its new CEO, the fourth one in less than five years for the struggling Internet company.Yahoo, which announced its choice Wednesday, has been without a permanent CEO since early September. It fired Carol Bartz after losing patience with her attempts to turn around the company during her 2 ½ years on the job. Tim Morse, Yahoo's chief financial officer, canada goose outlethas been interim CEO since Bartz's ouster. Thompson has served as president of PayPal, eBay's online payment service, since January 2008.canada goose cheap outlet He previously served as PayPal's senior vice president and chief technology officer.Yahoo said Thompson's new job starts on Jan. 9. Morse will return to his CFO post.Yahoo Chairman Roy Bostock said Thompson's track record of building on existing resources "to reignite innovation and drive growth" is "precisely the formula we need at Yahoo." It will be a big task. Yahoo, which is based in Sunnyvale, Calif., has been losing ground in the fast-growing Internet advertising market to Google Inc. and Facebook Inc. for years. Mainly for this reason, its stock price has not topped $20 for the past three years. Yahoo's board has been reviewing a possible sale of all or part of the company since Bartz's ouster last fall. There are several potential suitors, including China's Alibaba Group, which may partner with private equity firms in a joint bid. Wednesday's announcement signals that Yahoo is not looking to sell the entire company. Thompson, who was PayPal's chief technology officer before becoming president, is a technologist, with no skills in restructuring or media, said BGC Partners analyst Colin Gillis."Payments and ads are not the same thing," he said.But the analyst added that Yahoo could have done worse, and Thompson has had "a good run" at PayPal.canada goose"He's certainly going to have an opportunity to prove himself," he said, adding that it "remains to be seen how desirable this job was. "Whoever steps in this role is not going to have an easy time," Gillis said.Yahoo's stock fell 38 cents, or 2.3 percent, to $15.91 in morning trading following the announcement.Shares of eBay, meanwhile, dropped $1.21, or 3.9 percent, to $30.13. Gillis, though, said Thompson's departure won't hurt eBay."PayPal is much bigger than any one individual," he said. "Some new blood may even help reinvigorate it."

The wave of momentum carrying former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum washed ashore at the Republican caucus site at Shuler Elementary School here Tuesday night.By 6 p.m., caucusgoers had started congregating as Santorum's campaign bus was parked outside, while supporters of Rep. Ron Paul of Texas were busy planting signs around the school. Phil Tuning, the caucus chair at Shuler, said they expected about 500 people in the school gymnasium. Clive and surrounding Dallas County west of Des Moines are primarily Republican territory. Many of the crowd sat cross-legged on the gymnasium floor.Republican John McCain carried the county in 2008 against Democrat Barack Obama. mulberry bagsTuning said about 42% of registered voters in Clive are Republicans, compared with about 23% who are Democrats. Leading the Santorum backers were Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, the Arkansas couple with 19 children and stars of the reality show 19 Kids and Counting. Jim Bob Duggar is a Republican former state representative.The Duggars endorsed Santorum, who has seven children of his own, on Monday, and Jim Bob Duggar spoke on his behalf at the Clive caucus. While voters waited on bleachers to cast their ballots, the Duggar family worked their way around the large Shuler Elementary gymnasium greeting voters and asking them to support Santorum.They found some new converts to Santorum's cause, which had seemed a lost one until last month. Jerry Floyd, who works for the state of Iowa but is originally from Texas, said he was voting for Santorum because he supports his values but said he voted for Texas Gov. Rick Perry in the Ames straw poll this summer.mulberry sale"It was a tough decision," Floyd, 43, said. "Texas is kind of self-existent. I think he takes a lot of credit for some things that maybe he shouldn't get a whole lot of credit for.""I don't know that he's ready for the big stage," Floyd said. Ron Nesbit, a retired sales and marketing consultant, said he initially liked businessman Herman Cain but decided on Santorum recently because of his family values message. "I liked Herman Cain and had done business with him," Nesbit said. "I liked him, but I hadn't made my mind up until last week." "I'm for Ron Paul. I'm probably his oldest supporter," said Hintz, owner of an educational business, from Clive. "I truly believe in everything good about him and what he wants for America."Hintz then turned to Larry Griggs, a retired voter from Clive, and said, "Are you a Ron Paul fan?"Griggs shrugged noncommittally. Hintz was undeterred.mulberry bags for sale"I'm going to turn you into a Ron Paul fan when I'm done!" she said.Griggs, 70, said he was considering Paul and Perry before making what has become a steady chorus from Republican voters here this year: "I really haven't 100% made up my mind."

Whether you are just starting a New Year's diet or struggling to maintain a healthy weight, a provocative new study offers some timely guidance. It isn't so much what you eat, the study suggests, but how much you eat that counts when it comes to accumulating body fat.canada goose outletThe findings are the latest in a string of studies to challenge claims that the secret to healthy weight loss lies in adjusting the amount of nutritional components of a diet—protein, fat and carbohydrates. The diet industry has offered dozens of strategies recommending raising or lowering carbohydrates, protein or fat.In the study, to be published in Wednesday's issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, 25 young, healthy men and women were deliberately fed nearly 1,000 excess calories a day for 56 days, but with diets that varied in the amounts of protein and fat. While those on a low-protein diet—about 5% of total calories—gained less weight than those on a normal- or high-protein regimen, body fat among participants in all three groups increased by about the same amount. canada goose cheap outletTypical protein consumption is about 15% of calories, while the U.S. government recommends it make up between 17% and 21% of total daily calories. "The body was confronted with excess calories, but it didn't care where they came from," said George Bray, a researcher at Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, La., and lead author of the report. "The only thing it can do is put them into fat." The findings suggest that it matters little whether a diet is high or low in fat, carbohydrates or protein, it's calories that build body fat. After eight weeks, all participants in the study gained weight. The 16 men and nine women made similar gains. The low protein-diet group gained about seven pounds, about half the 13.3 pounds added on by the normal protein participants and 14.4 pounds put on by the high protein group.Researchers said that previous studies had led them to expect that a high-protein diet would lead to lower weight gain. Yet despite the differences in protein and fat intake, the level of body fat increased by essentially the same amount among all the participants. Turkey, chicken, tuna and pork chops were among the protein sources. The menu items were the same for each participant, Dr. Bray said, but a participant on the low-protein diet would have gotten more mayonnaise and less tuna in a tuna fish salad, while the high-protein diet was extra tuna with little mayonnaise.canada gooseAn editorial accompanying the study said that because the diet increase "the risks of overnutrition beyond that detected by body mass index…the magnitude of the obesity epidemic may have been underestimated." The editorial, by Zhaoping Li and David Heber of the Center for Human Nutrition at the David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, urged clinicians to focus on "fat reduction rather than simply weight loss" in treating patients with obesity.

Chas Dodd hit Brandon Coleman for an 86-yard touchdown pass late in the fourth quarter and Jawan Jamison ran for two scores to lead Rutgers over Iowa State 27-13 in the Prinstripe Bowl on Friday.The Scarlet Knights (9-4) ran their bowl winning streak to five and improved to 2-0 this season at Yankee Stadium, where they beat Army last month. canada goose outletRutgers, which played in one bowl game before 2005, is 5-1 in the postseason under coach Greg Schiano. The Cyclones (6-7) finished the season on a three-game losing streak, their last win coming on Nov. 18 in Ames, Iowa, when they pulled off the biggest upset of the season against Oklahoma State.That night Jared Barnett threw for 376 yards. In this game, Steele Jantz relieved Barnett in the second quarter and helped pull the Cyclones within 20-13 in the fourth on Jeff Woody's 20-yard touchdown run with 10:00 left. After an exchange of punts left Rutgers deep in its own end, Dodd went deep to Coleman. The 6-foot-6 redshirt freshman went over 5-7 cornerback Jeremy Reeves, then outran the corner to the end zone to make it 27-13 with 5:47 left.canada goose cheap outletIt was Coleman's only catch, but it turned out to be the play of the game.Jamison, another redshirt freshman giving Rutgers fans hope for more bowls to come, finished with 134 yards on 27 carries. The Scarlet Knights missed the postseason last year for the first time since 2004, but rebounded this season to challenge for the Big East title behind a defense that came in ranked 14th in the nation.There was also some inspiration from a fallen former teammate. On the next possession, Iowa State couldn't handle one of Rutgers' many blitzes, and Khaseem Greene and Wayne Warren swarmed and stripped Barnett. Scott Vallone scooped up the fumble and returned it 12 yards to the Iowa State 4. The Cyclones managed to hold Rutgers to San San Te's 21-yard field goal. Jantz, who was Iowa State's starter the first half of the season, replaced Barnett after the sack.The Cyclones' defense didn't hold up as well on Rutgers' next possession. canada gooseThe Scarlet Knights marched 66 yards, 49 on the ground, and Jamison juked his way into the end zone from 12 yards out to make 17-6.Justin Francis finished Rutgers' strong second half by blocking Zach Guyer's 44-yard field goal attempt with 57 seconds left. Iowa State jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the first quarter, with Guyer kicking field goals of 40 and 46 yards on the Cyclones' first two possessions. Inaccurate throws by Barnett were key in stalling each drive.The redshirt freshman was 2 for 7 before giving way to Jantz.

With time running short, Republican presidential candidates Rick Santorum, Rick Perry and Newt Gingrich battled Thursday to win over a pivotal crop of undecided conservative voters. Of all the candidates, only Mitt Romney seemed to largely escape attack as he worked to win a state that long seemed out of reach until this week."Don't settle for what's not good enough to save the country," the newly ascendant Santorum implored Iowans at city hall in Coralville, canada goose outleturging voters to put conservative principles above everything else and suggesting that his rivals, and specifically Ron Paul, lacked them. For the first time, though, the former Pennsylvania senator became a target."When he talks about fiscal conservatism, every now and then it leaves me scratching my head because he was a prolific earmarker," Perry, the Texas governor, said of Santorum as the day began, referring to special spending projects members of Congress seek. "He loaded up his bill with Pennsylvania pork.'"Perry also slapped at Santorum in a radio ad and in a new TV commercial that lumps him in with Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Paul and says: "The fox guarding the henhouse is like asking a congressman to fix Washington: bad idea." The maneuvering underscored the fluid — if not convoluted — state of the GOP presidential race as Tuesday's caucuses loom while cultural conservatives and evangelical Republicans, who make up the base of the electorate here, canada goose cheap outletcontinue to be divided. That lack of unity paves the way for someone who is seen as less consistently conservative. Five days out, public and private polling show Romney and Paul in strong contention to win the caucuses, with coalitions of support cobbled together from across the Republican political spectrum and their get-out-the-vote operations — beefed up from their failed 2008 bids — at the ready. They're the only two with the money and the organizations necessary to ensure big turnouts on Tuesday. Three others — Santorum, Perry and Gingrich — will have to rely largely on momentum to carry supporters to precinct caucuses. Each was working to convince fickle conservatives that he alone would satisfy those who yearn for a nominee who would adhere strictly to GOP orthodoxy.Bachmann, meanwhile, worked to convince backers that her cash-strapped campaign was not in disarray after a top supporter in Iowa abandoned her to back Paul.After state Sen. Kent Sorenson bolted as her Iowa campaign chairman, Bachmann continued to bleed staff, losing her Iowa political director, Wes Enos, on Thursday. Some evangelical pastors have said they've urged her to quit the race. The worst Romney faced from his rivals were veiled shots.Santorum said Republicans must draw a clear contrast with Obama, rather than nominate a Republican with moderate tendencies out of political expedience."We need someone who has the bold, sharp contrasts, not just to win the election but to govern the country. Not just someone who is a little bit better," Santorum told supporters.Perry was asked about family dynasties and the questioner cited, canada gooseamong other families, the Romneys. Perry stopped short of criticizing Romney's privileged upbringing. He mentioned his own humble beginning in small-town Texas before adding: "I'm glad you gave me the opportunity to reflect my differences with Mitt." Gingrich, for his part, spent the day trying to wrap himself in President Ronald Reagan's cloak, announcing the backing of the late president's son, Michael, and, a day earlier, support from Reagan economic adviser Arthur Laffer.Even as the polls show him sliding, Gingrich projected an upbeat image."The strategy of focusing on jobs and economic growth, staying positive and being pretty relentless in answering questions at every meeting is working," he insisted.

Smoke inhalation killed the three young daughters and the mother of a New York advertising executive in a Christmas morning house fire in Stamford, the Connecticut Office of the Chief Medical Examiner said Wednesday.A fifth victim, Lomer Johnson, 71 years old, died from trauma to the head and neck, likely the result of a fall or being hit with an object as he tried to escape the blaze, the medical examiner's office said. canada goose outletMr. Johnson, who also suffered smoke inhalation, fell through a landing as he tried to rescue one of his granddaughters, authorities have said. All the deaths were ruled accidental. Stamford fire investigators have determined that improperly discarded fireplace embers sparked a blaze that gutted the home and became too intense for firefighters to save the victims. Officials have said a security and smoke-detection system for the 19th-century Victorian wasn't set up.The causes of the deaths were released as workers removed debris from the seaside property owned by ad executive Madonna Badger, who escaped with companion Michael Borcina.Mr. Borcina, whose company was overseeing large-scale renovations of the home, was released from Stamford Hospital Wednesday morning, a spokeswoman said. canada goose cheap outletAuthorities said Mr. Borcina put the embers in a bag that he placed in a trash can, causing a fire that spread quickly through the house. Killed along with Mr. Johnson were his wife, Pauline Johnson, also of Southbury, Conn., and Ms. Badger's three daughters, 9-year-old Lily and 7-year-old twins Sarah and Grace.Abby Ballin, the girlfriend of the girls' father, Matthew Badger, who is separated from Ms. Badger, said the girls enjoyed activities such as drawing, painting, singing and acting. She said Lily was particularly fond of the "impersonations of accents.""Their home was always filled with music and colorful art could be seen everywhere," she said via email. canada goose"Their spirits will live on forever and ever in the hearts of their family and loved ones...there are no words to express how marvelous they are." The New York City fire department sent a debriefing team to Stamford to help firefighters there cope with the emotional toll of the fire. All but two of the 70 firefighters who responded spent much of Tuesday with the team and local counselors and psychologists, said Stamford Fire Chief Antonio Conte.The last fatal fire in the city was in 1987, "but for these firefighters most of them were not on the job in 1987," Mr. Conte said. "This by far is their first fatal fire."

Officials in Colombia's second-largest city on Monday inaugurated a giant, outdoor escalator for residents of one of its poorest neighborhoods. For generations, the 12,000 residents of Medellin's tough Comuna 13, which clings to the side of a steep hillside, canada goose outlethave had to climb hundreds of large steps authorities say is the same as going up a 28-story building. "It turned out very well," said Mayor Alonso Salazar, adding that he has not heard of any such project elsewhere in this world. Salazar said officials from Rio de Janeiro plan to visit Medellin to see if such an escalator would work in that city's favelas, canada goose cheap outletwhich also cling precariously to hillsides. Comuna 13 residents came out to celebrate and study the $6.7 million escalator which officials say will shorten the 35-minute hike on foot up the hillside to six minutes. Use of the escalator is free. Cesar Hernandez, head of projects for Medellin, said the electric stairway is divided into six sections and has a length of 384 meters (1,260 feet). canada gooseAn escalator goes up and a second goes down. Authorities plan to build a covering for inclement whether. Salazar described Comuna 13 as the city's district that has "suffered the greatest urban violence... but lately this has been receding and we hope this social package will help it move forward."

Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda of Japan arrived in Beijing on Sunday for a two-day state visit that was originally aimed at improving bilateral ties, but is now expected to focus on the uncertainty over North Korea’s intentions after the death of Kim Jong-il.canada goose outlet Speaking before he left Tokyo, Mr. Noda told reporters that he planned “to exchange views and information in detail so as to avert a harmful effect on peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.” Mr. Noda was expected to ask the Chinese government to try to revive the six-party talks on dismantling North Korea’s nuclear weapons program, Japan’s Kyodo news service reported.But his influence may be limited. In office only since September, Mr. Noda’s diplomatic skills are mostly untested, and China has conspicuously thrown its support behind North Korea and Mr. Kim’s son and designated successor, Kim Jong-un.Mr. Noda was expected to meet the Chinese prime minister, Wen Jiabao, on Sunday and President Hu Jintao on Monday. China presides over the six-party talks, which have been stalled since 2008. North Korea pulled out of the negotiations in April 2009 to protest a United Nations resolution condemning its suspected test launching of an intercontinental ballistic missile.“We are currently facing a new situation in East Asia,” canada goose cheap outletThe Associated Press quoted Mr. Noda as telling reporters after mentioning the death of Kim Jong-il. “On this issue, it is very timely to exchange views with the host of the six-party talks and the country with the most influence on North Korea.” The future of North Korea’s nuclear program tops a long list of concerns about its direction as Kim Jong-un, who is believed to be in his 20s and who has little government experience, seeks to consolidate his hold on power.The stakes for Japan are especially high. North Korea’s ballistic missiles pose a direct military threat to Tokyo, and enmity between the two states lingers over Japan’s 35-year occupation of the Korean Peninsula before and during World War II. Japan and North Korea do not have diplomatic relations. A September 2010 collision between a Chinese fishing boat and a Japanese Coast Guard vessel in the disputed region threw a chill over bilateral ties and led to anti-Japan demonstrations across China.Both sides have been working to stabilize relations before the 40th anniversary next year of the resumption of diplomatic relations between the two governments.canada gooseapan said last week that it may make a symbolic purchase of $10 billion in renminbi-denominated Chinese government bonds, the first such purchase by a developed nation.Japan also sent a destroyer, the Kirisame, to the Chinese port of Qingdao on a five-day good-will visit last week.