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Sunday, June 23, 2013

Saturday, June 22, 2013

Summer car sales may be back in vogue

Economic recovery is pressuring automakers to boost car sales and grab market share. They're likely to offer cash discounts, low-interest financing, and other auto deals this summer. ?

By Kelli B. Grant,?CNBC.com / June 21, 2013

A low-interest rate banner hangs on the side of an unsold Toyota Corolla at a dealership in Lakewood, Colo., in 2010. Pressure is building on carmakers to once again offer cash discounts and other incentives to boost summer car sales.

David Zalubowski/AP/File

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After a few years of late-starting, lackluster deals, the summer auto sale may be back in full force.

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Light vehicle sales were up 8.2 percent in May compared to the previous year, according to research firm Autodata Corp. Sales year-to-date are 7.3 percent higher than in 2012. That demand, paired with fairly lean inventory on lots, should have put automakers in the driver's seat as it did last year?which led to cash discounts, financing deals and other offers staying fairly flat.

But the recovering economy has put automakers under some pressure this year to keep up the momentum by increasing sales and gaining market share, said Lincoln Merrihew, vice president of transportation at market research firm Compete. "That can get pretty tough," he said.

At an American International Automobile Dealers Association meeting in May, executives for brands including?Kia?and?Hyundai?predicted a competitive summer with incentives that could limit profitability.

Miami Heat Fans Watch Final Game Of NBA Finals

MIAMI, FL - JUNE 20: Fans celebrate in the streets after the Miami Heat won the NBA title against the San Antonio Spurs on June 20, 2013 in Miami, Florida. The Heat won back to back championships. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Miami Heat Fans Watch Final Game Of NBA Finals

MIAMI, FL - JUNE 20: Fans react after the Miami Heat won the NBA title against the San Antonio Spurs June 20, 2013 in Miami, Florida. The Heat won back to back championships. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Miami Heat Fans Watch Final Game Of NBA Finals

MIAMI, FL - JUNE 20: Fans celebrate in the streets after the Miami Heat won the NBA title against the San Antonio Spurs on June 20, 2013 in Miami, Florida. The Heat have won back to back championships. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Miami Heat Fans Watch Final Game Of NBA Finals

MIAMI, FL - JUNE 20: Brandon Opalka beats on a metal bowl as he and othe fans react after the Miami Heat won the NBA title against the San Antonio Spurs on June 20, 2013 in Miami, Florida. The Heat have won back to back championships. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Miami Heat Fans Watch Final Game Of NBA Finals

MIAMI, FL - JUNE 20: A fan wearing a Lebron James jersey celebrates after the Miami Heat won the NBA title against the San Antonio Spurs June 20, 2013 in Miami, Florida. The Heat won back to back championships. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Miami Heat Fans Watch Final Game Of NBA Finals

Miami Heat fans celebrate the Championship after the Heat's win against the San Antonio Spurs after the Game 7 of the NBA final basketball series in Miami on Friday, June 21, 2013. The Heat beat the San Antonio Spurs 88-95. (AP Photo/Javier Galeano)

Miami Heat fans climb the sign stanchion outside American Airline Stadium while celebrating in Miami on Thursday June 20, 2013 after the Heat won the 2013 NBA Championship against the San Antonio Spurs. The Heat beat the San Antonio Spurs 95-88 in Game 7 of the NBA finals to win their second straight title. (AP Photo/Javier Galeano)

Miami Heat Fans Watch Final Game Of NBA Finals

Miami Heat fans celebrate the Championship after the Heat's win against the San Antonio Spurs after the Game 7 of the NBA final basketball series in Miami on Friday, June 21, 2013.. The Heat beat the San Antonio Spurs 88-95. (AP Photo/Javier Galeano)

Miami Heat Fans Watch Final Game Of NBA Finals

MIAMI, FL - JUNE 20: Fans react as they watch on television the Miami Heat win the NBA title against the San Antonio Spurs June 20, 2013 in Miami, Florida. The Heat won back to back championships. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Miami Heat Fans Watch Final Game Of NBA Finals

Fans cheer during the second half in Game 7 of the NBA basketball championship game between the Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. The Miami Heat won 95-88. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)(AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

Miami Heat fans react while watching the Game 7 in the NBA Finals between the Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Javier Galeano)

Miami Heat fans react while watching the Game 7 in the NBA Finals between the Heat and the San Antonio Spurs in Miami, on Thursday, June 20, 2013. (AP Photo/Javier Galeano)

Drake

Aubrey Drake Graham, known as Drake watches play between the Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs during the first half in Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

2013 NBA Finals - Game Seven

MIAMI, FL - JUNE 20: Miami Heat fans pose for a photograph prior to the Miami Heat against the San Antonio Spurs in Game Seven of the 2013 NBA Finals on June 20, 2013 at American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2013 NBAE (Photo by Bruce Yeung/NBAE via Getty Images)

2013 NBA Finals - Game Seven

MIAMI, FL - JUNE 20: Miami Heat fans poses for a picture in the team store prior to the game against the San Antonio Spurs during Game Seven of the 2013 NBA Finals on June 20, 2013 at American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2013 NBAE (Photo by Bruce Yeung/NBAE via Getty Images)

2013 NBA Finals - Game Seven

MIAMI, FL - JUNE 20: A fan holds up a sign prior to the start of Game Seven of the 2013 NBA Finals between the Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs on June 20, 2013 at the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2013 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)

2013 NBA Finals - Game Seven

A fan holds a sign before the first half in Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships between the Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Dylan Roston, 13, of Miami, watches teams swarm up before the first half in Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships between the Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs, Thursday, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

San Antonio Spurs v Miami Heat - Game 7

MIAMI, FL - JUNE 20: Miami Heat fans pose outside AmericanAirlines Arena before the Heat take on the San Antonio Spurs in Game Seven of the 2013 NBA Finals on June 20, 2013 in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

San Antonio Spurs v Miami Heat - Game 7

Brian Przystup of Miami watches the teams work out before the first half in Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships between the Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs, Thursday, June 20, 2013 in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Diego M., of Miami, holds signage before the first half in Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships between the Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs, Thursday, June 20, 2013 in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

Nelson Gomez of Doral, Fla., raises a home-made trophy as the San Antonio Spurs arrive at the American Airlines Arena before the first half in Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships between the Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs, Thursday, June 20, 2013 in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

Nelson Gomez, right, and his family friend Joshua Castaneda arrive for Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships between the Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs, Thursday, June 20, 2013 in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

Fans cheer as the San Antonio Spurs team bus arrives for Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships against the Miami Heat, Thursday, June 20, 2013 in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/21/miami-fans-celebrate-2013_n_3476379.html

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Russian NGO forcibly evicted from Moscow office

MOSCOW (AP) ? Law enforcement agents forcibly evicted the head of one of Russia's leading human rights groups and about a half dozen others from his Moscow office early Saturday, in the latest attack on a Russian non-governmental organization.

Lev Ponomaryov, 72, who heads For Human Rights, said he was beaten all over his body when security forces stormed the building at around 2 a.m. and dragged him out. Dozens of riot police had raided the office on Friday and ordered employees to leave, but they had refused.

Russia's human rights ombudsman, Vladimir Lukin, said the NGO was evicted illegally from the city-owned property. The organization has had difficulties extending the lease, but Lukin said it had the right to remain until the issue was resolved in court.

The U.S. democracy watchdog Freedom House condemned the "violent assault" and called on the international community to "register its strong opposition to such thuggish tactics."

For Human Rights is one of hundreds of Russian non-governmental organizations that have come under pressure in recent months as part of President Vladimir Putin's crackdown on dissent following unprecedented street protests last year.

Many organizations have been raided to check compliance with a new law that requires all NGOs that receive foreign funding and engage in vaguely defined political activities to register as foreign agents, a term that carries Cold War connotations of spying. Putin has accused the U.S. State Department of funding Russian NGOs with the aim of undermining his government.

Ponomaryov, with what appeared to be a bruise under his left eye, returned to the street outside his office on Saturday afternoon to speak with supporters. He said doctors had counted dozens of small bruises on his body as the result of a "rapid-fire beating" as he was being dragged across the floor.

Moscow police said its officers were at the scene, but the forced eviction was carried out by a private security firm. Sergei Mitrokhin, the leader of the liberal Yabloko party, who was among those evicted, said the operation was directed by a man in plainclothes who appeared to be a security services officer, the Gazeta.ru news portal reported.

Amnesty International said it sent a representative to Ponomaryov's office on Friday to observe the raid.

"In Russia, we have witnessed how authorities are using every trick in the box to stop human rights activists criticizing their policies," the group said in a statement. "The attempt to evict For Human Rights from publicly owned offices seems to be yet another attempt to block their important human rights work."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/russian-ngo-forcibly-evicted-moscow-office-121338410.html

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Friday, June 21, 2013

Rivalries complicate arms pipeline to Syria rebels

BEIRUT (AP) ? Syria's rebels have received shipments of more powerful weapons from Gulf allies in recent weeks, particularly anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles, that have already helped stall aggressive new advances by regime forces.

But those same shipments have sparked feuding and squabbling among rebel factions, illustrating the complications the United States will face as it starts directly arming the rebels, a major policy shift by the Obama administration.

Every shipment enters a tangle of complex rebel politics, with dozens of brigades and battalions operating on the ground, riven by jealousies, rivalries and competition, with radical Islamist fighters dominant. Moderate brigades complain Islamists are being favored. Islamists say they are being unfairly blamed. On the ground, rebels are making efforts to organize themselves to better funnel weapons and more effectively fight, but they often stumble over the same splits.

The new shipment earlier this month? said to be only the second sent by Gulf countries since November, and the first ever known to include some anti-aircraft missiles ? caused a stir among rebels who say it went to one of the extreme Islamist groups, Ahrar al-Sham. The group is the strongest member of the Syrian Islamist Front, made up of 11 Islamist factions, which appears to be increasingly posing as a parallel to the Western-backed Free Syrian Army, a loose umbrella group of rebel fighters.

"The distribution was not fair," said Zeineddine al-Shami, a spokesman for the First Brigade of the Free Syrian Army in the Damascus area. "It was random, based on the people they know."

Rebels in the Damascus area have struggled in recent weeks against a stepped-up campaign by regime forces, backed by Lebanese Hezbollah and Iraqi Shiites fighters, to push them out of suburbs that have been rebel strongholds.

Ahrar al-Sham is one of the most well-established rebel groups to emerge in the Syrian conflict, with fighting units in nearly all the provinces. It has coordinated to some degree with the new unified Supreme Military Council of the Free Syrian Army, created in December to incorporate the disparate rebel brigades, but it still maintains an independent command.

Although it calls itself a moderate Islamist group, activists and residents in areas the group controls describe them as hardcore. Alongside Jabhat al-Nusra, an al-Qaida-linked force that includes many foreign jihadis, Ahrar al-Sham controls Raqaa, the only city the rebels managed to fully seize in Syria. One activist reported seeing Ahrar al-Sham fighters threatening to cut off an old man's hands for smoking, a vice for observant Muslims.

Ahrar al-Sham denied it received the weapons.

Its leader Abdullah al-Hamawi wrote on his Twitter account Wednesday that reports his group has received new anti-tank missiles "can only be taken in the context of attempts to incite factions against each other."

Whether the denial is true or not, it reflects the deep sensitivity among the factions over who gets weapons.

"They deny it for a simple reason, because of the high competition, even conflict, between groups," Mustafa Alani, a Dubai-based expert on Gulf countries' policies including aid to Syrian rebels, said. "And they don't want to appear as having been adopted by outside parties."

President Barack Obama has resisted directly arming rebels, fearing getting mired in the conflict, now in its third year with some 93,000 estimated dead. The U.S. is also concerned that stronger weapons could fall into the hands of extremists. Until now, it has only consulted as regional allies including Saudi Arabia and Qatar began sending ammunition and lighter arms last year through Jordan and Turkey, while the Americans provided non-lethal equipment. The countries have never publicly confirmed their involvement in arms shipments.

But earlier this month, Obama announced the United States would begin providing arms and ammunition, after President Bashar Assad's military dealt the rebels serious setbacks. U.S. officials say they want weapons to go to more moderate factions. The most likely funnel would be the Supreme Military Council, headed by Gen. Salim Idris, a defector from Assad's military.

The recent shipment was provided by Gulf nations, not directly by the U.S, according to activists.

Alani said it included Russian anti-tank missiles, which rebels have previously obtained from raids on Syrian military arsenals, and some Chinese anti-aircraft missiles in small quantities. The United States and its allies have been highly reluctant to provide anti-aircraft missiles to the rebels, but the rebels have been desperate for them to counter regime aircraft that relentless pound their positions.

Alani would not say how many anti-aircraft or anti-tanks missiles were in the shipment, but said a figure of 250 missiles that has circulated was "exaggerated."

He said there was already evidence of rebels using the new anti-tanks missiles in the city of Aleppo to counter two weeks of intensified regime assaults on their neighborhoods, and in the southern province of Daraa. "This could change the features of the battle greatly in favor of the rebels."

The shipment also illustrates the problem of defining moderate or Islamist factions. Alani said Ahrar al-Sham is seen by some as a relatively moderate Islamist force.

FSA leaders argue that funneling weapons through Idris' command structure will strengthen moderates and sideline Islamic radicals, who have been among the most powerful fighters in the field. Idris has been criticized by some rebels for being ineffective in providing weapons ? but if he becomes the gatekeeper for arms, he could also come under heavy criticism and backlash for doling out to some groups and not others.

Over the past six months, Idris' council has worked to create regional command centers, integrate disparate groups and establish coordination with the more Islamist groups.

But efforts to integrate rebels also run into issues of vanity and territorial disputes, said al-Shami, the Damascus rebel spokesman.

In recent months, the FSA formed an umbrella group for 12 brigades in the Damascus suburb of Eastern al-Ghouta to better defend it, he said. Months later, a new group of different brigades started operating in the same area, after their own unification process.

"There are also a lot of differences, in the way of thinking and method of working. There was also selfishness."

Some groups recognize Idris as chief of staff. But others mock the FSA as a virtual myth or perceive FSA rebels as disunited, hungry for plunder and ? in the eyes of Islamists ? not of moral caliber.

Abu Bilal al-Homsi, an activist connected to rebels in the besieged central city of Homs, said the FSA re-organization of brigades was targeted against the Islamist factions. He said the FSA wants to create Syrian "Sahwa" groups, referring to U.S.-allied groups of Sunni fighters in Iraq that battled al-Qaida.

"There is no FSA. It is a lie," he said in an interview through Skype. "These new weapons will be aimed at every brigade that raises the flag of 'There is no god but God.'" He was referring to the Islamic declaration of faith that serves as the insignia on black flags carried by jihadist groups.

Much of the rebels' arsenal has come from weapons taken from the military in raids or bought from corrupt regime officials. Part of the strength of radicals like Jabhat al-Nusra has been that they were often the first to seize weapons, which they could distribute to win over other factions, said activist Rami Jarrah, who has traveled with rebels around Syria.

Radical factions have also benefited from smuggled weapons provided by rich Gulf clerics and families who have vowed support for Islamist rebels as the conflict takes increasingly sectarian overtones, he said.

Activist Hadi Abdullah coordinated among battalions on the ground during the recent battle for Qusair, which ended this month with regime forces capturing the town. His role also involved dealing with donors and financiers, including rich Arabs and exiled Syrians.

"I've developed a complex from donors." Some of them made incredible demands, he said, such as asking rebels to film their operations and call it by the donor's name. Others would say here is the money, buy weapons but don't use them yet. "Why store it? What is their aim? We refuse that."

Alani said "different intentions" among international arms providers bring another complication.

"There is a big difference," he said. "The regional states, specially the Gulf states ... want the arm supply to help (rebels) to score a military victory. The Americans and the European Union want only to restore balance because they think once you restore balance both parties will be ready to come to the table."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/rivalries-complicate-arms-pipeline-syria-rebels-212456714.html

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Hoeven-Corker Changes Nothing (Powerlineblog)

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What You Need to Know About Hybrid Cloud Security and Other Risks

hybrid cloud computing solutions According to a report published by Gartner, the cloud is about to transition into a prolonged phase towards mainstream adoption. Its ?hype? bubble, which affects all burgeoning technologies before they are fully embraced, burst somewhere in the midpoint of 2012. 2013 is considered a critical year for hybrid clouds and they are are an important consideration for businesses because they are still parsing out which functions can be exposed to the risks of public cloud and which are best left private. In the general case this will mean gradual cloud network migration as the risks are vetted by one by one. Some of the challenges hybrid cloud introduces are in compliance, security management, and meeting service-level agreements (SLA).

Compliance

High-stakes enterprises benefit from implementing hybrid cloud solutions, but they must also remain compliant with regulations such as PCI and HIPAA. Maintaining compliance with such standards using cloud systems is not as inherently onerous as some would think ? in fact they were designed to be platform-agnostic. For example, if requirements such as a firewalls or encryption of personal data are in place, it does not matter what technology or architecture is used to implement them. However, with a hybrid cloud data moves with relative ease between public and private, meaning that there are additional points of scrutiny adding to the challenge of compliance. Not only must the public and private components of the solution be up to standard, the coordination between the two must be compliant as well.

Security Management

In order to manage the security of a network, multiple controls must be in place such as authentication and credentials. Hybrid cloud introduces the complication that these security items may need to be replicated on both the public and private side, meaning potential skew and additional points by which access may be compromised.

SLA Issues

Public cloud providers go out of their way to make good on SLA promises of uptime that exceeds 99% and approaches perfect availability. However, when an organization mixes public cloud with private cloud, it must account for the fact that it may not be able to meet such an SLA from the private side and should craft its agreements realistically.

For more on the risks and challenges of cloud network migration, contact a trusted cloud solution provider.

Source: http://www.aetechgroup.com/what-you-need-to-know-about-hybrid-cloud-security-and-other-risks/

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