Combine your family dog’s name with the name of your old hometown and what do you get? In the case of Environmental Protection Agency administrator Lisa Jackson, you get in trouble with some legislators for having a less-than-obvious e-mail handle.
The EPA’s inspector general has begun auditing how Jackson has used this secondary e-mail account, “Richard Windsor,” named for her dog and the New Jersey township, East Windsor, at the request of congressional Republicans.
NEW YORK: The euro pushed higher against the dollar Tuesday, helped by improvements in Greece's financial status and a Spanish debt sale, and as Washington continued to battle over the looming fiscal cliff.
Meanwhile the yen slipped to its lowest level since April 2011 as Japan's incoming prime minister pressed the central bank for more stimulus.
The euro reached its best level since the beginning of May, ending at $1.3225 at 2300 GMT, up from $1.3161 late Monday.
The seven-month high for the euro came "on the back of successful sales of Greek and Spanish bills," said Benjamin Spier of Daily FX.
"Spain sold 3-month and 6-month bills for 3.52 billion euros, better than the maximum target of 3.5 billion euros. Greece sold 13-week treasury bills for 1.3 billion euros at a 4.11 percent yield," he said.
Shortly afterward, Greece's credit rating was upgraded by Standard & Poor's from "selective default" to B-, with a stable outlook, following Athens' debt buyback that earned it fiscal breathing space and new bailout funds releases from the eurozone.
The upgrade "reflects our view of the strong determination of European Economic and Monetary Union (eurozone) member states to preserve Greek membership in the eurozone," S&P said.
Meanwhile, the dollar got no help from Washington politicians, who have not yet reached a deal on a long-term deficit reduction plan that would also help the country avoid crunching tax hikes and spending cuts slated for January 1.
The yen continued to fall, setting 20-month lows against the dollar and euro, two days after the Liberal Democratic Party swept to a general election victory that is returning Shinzo Abe to the premiership.
Abe met with Bank of Japan governor Masaaki Shirakawa at his party's headquarters Tuesday and told the central banker he wanted to set a two percent inflation target, in the opening salvo of his battle to kickstart the economy.
"I told him I want to reach a policy accord with the BoJ for the two percent inflation target that I promoted throughout the election campaign," Abe told reporters.
The dollar rose to 84.28 yen from 83.87 yen Monday, while the euro hit 111.47 yen from 110.40
In other currencies, the dollar slipped to 0.9134 Swiss francs, while the pound gained to $1.6247.
- AFP/fa
Some 150 developing countries lost $5.9 trillion by way of illegal outflows in those 10 years, the Global Financial Integrity said in a report, which showed that the financial crisis has not adversely affected the production and flow of corrupt money.
The report, co-authored by an economist of Indian origin, Dev Kar, said the global outflows rose from $776 billion in 2009 amid the financial crisis to $859 billion in 2010. The all-time high of $871 billion was in 2008.
Malaysia with $64 billion in illegal outflows took the second position followed by Mexico. The bulk of illegal money flows accounting for 61% came from Asia. It is followed by just over 15% from the Western hemisphere and just over 10% from West Asia-Gulf and North Africa.
Illegal money out of China was $420 billion in 2010 and exceeded $2.7 trillion for the decade ending in 2010, which was nearly half that period's total for all developing countries.
Photograph courtesy Jack Fusco
A Geminid meteor streaks across the sky above the beach in Ocean City, New Jersey, in a picture taken December 14. The piles come from sand blown onto city streets during Hurricane Sandy.
The annual Geminid meteor shower, which peaked last weekend, usually produces dozens of shooting stars per hour—making it one of the strongest and most reliable celestial shows around.
(Related: "Sky-watchers Get Set for Cosmic Fireworks Show.")
Published December 18, 2012
Photograph by Wally Pacholka, TWAN
Ten meteors on seven different frames combined to show the radiant—the point in the sky from which the Geminid meteors appear to originate.
The picture was taken December 14 in Yosemite Valley, California.
Published December 18, 2012
Photograph by Jeffrey Phelps, AP
A Geminid meteor zooms over a barn in Saukville, Wisconsin, on December 14.
Historically the Geminids were overlooked by most amateur astronomers simply because the annual event occurs so close to the busy holiday season and frigid winter nights—but that's beginning to change thanks to its rising intensity over the past few decades.
Published December 18, 2012
Photograph by Abir Sultan, European Pressphoto Agency
Israelis relax in a hot spring near the Dead Sea during the peak of the Geminid meteor shower in a long-exposure photograph taken December 14.
Since Geminids hit the atmosphere at about 20 miles per second (32 kilometers per second)—slower than other meteor showers—they create beautiful long arcs across the sky that can last for a second or two.
Published December 18, 2012
Photograph by Tom Cuccio, Your Shot
Geminids slice the sky over a glittering Aspen, Colorado, in a picture taken December 14.
Geminid meteors appear to radiate from the shower's namesake constellation, Gemini, the twins from Greek legend.
Published December 18, 2012
Photograph by Jay Cassario, My Shot
A Geminid shoots over the Hurricane Sandy-damaged remains of the 59th Street Pier in Ocean City, New Jersey, on December 14.
Most annual meteor showers happen when Earth passes through clouds of debris left behind by passing comets, causing tons of dust to rain down on the planet in short periods of time.
The Geminids are unusual, though, because they're thought to be the only annual meteor shower created by an asteroid-like object: 3200 Phaethon.
Published December 18, 2012
Photograph by Sunna Gautadottir, Your Shot
Geminid meteors light the sky over Borgarnes, Iceland, on December 15.
"There were so many of them," said photographer Sunna Gautadottir, "and it was just way too beautiful to describe in words."
Published December 18, 2012
Photograph courtesy Dennis di Cicco, Sky & Telescope
Published December 18, 2012
Sandy Hook Elementary School shooter Adam Lanza may have tried to sabotage his own computer before going on a murderous rampage that claimed the lives of 20 children, but experienced investigators said today that law enforcement forensic experts could still recover critical evidence from the damaged drives.
Connecticut State Police Lt. Paul Vance revealed Monday that a computer crimes unit was working in conjunction with a forensics laboratory to "dissect" any evidence relevant to the case, but he declined to comment further on what type of evidence was involved and in what condition it was in. Later that day, law enforcement officials told ABC News that police recovered a badly damaged computer from Lanza's home that appeared to have been attacked by a hammer or screwdriver.
Sources said if they can still read the computer's hard drive, they hope to find critical clues that may help explain Lanza's motives in the killing.
Former FBI forensic experts told ABC News that in cases similar to this one, damage to the computer does not necessarily mean the computer files cannot be accessed.
"If he took a hammer to the outside, smashed the screen, dented the box, it's more than likely the hard drive is still intact," said Al Johnson, a retired FBI special agent who now works privately examining digital evidence and computer data. "And even if the hard drive itself is damaged, there are still steps that can be taken to recover everything."
Brett Harrison, a former FBI computer forensics expert who now works with a D.C. consulting firm, said that authorities have a great deal of technology at their disposal to retrieve that data. How much is recovered, he said, will depend entirely on how much damage was done to the well-insulated "platters" -- discs lodged deep inside the machine -- where Lanza's every digital footstep was recorded.
It is likely, he said, that Lanza's computer has been moved to a "clean room" where, if the discs are intact, they could be removed and then carefully re-inserted in a fresh hard drive. If the calibrations are done correctly, investigators would still be able to unlock the clues on the discs.
If the discs aren't in perfect condition, Harrison said, "There is equipment they can use to read the data off a record even if a portion of it is damaged."
Johnson said it is tedious work done in a clean environment because the tolerances of the discs is so precise – even a particle of dust could destroy crucial evidence.
"We're talking about a tolerance of less than a human hair," said Johnson, who now does computer forensics for a South Carolina-based investigative firm.
Police have not said exactly what they expect to find on the computer's hard drive, but the former FBI experts said typically there could be record of visits to violent web sites, or to online stores that sell ammunition, or to email that might reveal if Lanza shared any hints of his plans with others.
"I'm not big on speculation," Harrison said, "but you're talking about potentially finding all the normal things that people do with their computer – Facebook pages, internet activity, email, you name it."
For now, the FBI is keeping mum on what kind of computer forensic help it could be offering in the case.
"At this time, in deference to the ongoing investigation being conducted by the CSP, the FBI is not releasing information regarding operational or forensic assistance provided in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting," an FBI spokesperson said.
Click Here for the Blotter Homepage.
CAIRO: Egypt's opposition is calling for mass protests on Tuesday over alleged polling violations after Islamists backing President Mohamed Morsi claimed victory in the first round of a referendum on a new charter.
A group of top judges, meanwhile, announced on Monday it would boycott supervision of the second round, and Germany said it has postponed debt relief for Egypt because of concerns over the country's commitment to democracy.
Adding to the complications for Morsi, the prosecutor general named by the president as he temporarily assumed sweeping powers last month handed in his resignation, a judicial source told AFP.
"The prosecutor general has submitted his resignation under pressure from protesters," said the source, referring to magistrates who have been clamouring for his immediate departure.
The Supreme Judicial Council will examine prosecutor general Talaat Ibrahim Abdallah's resignation next Sunday, a day after the second and final round of voting in the referendum, the source said.
The opposition coalition, the National Salvation Front, urged Egyptians to "take to the streets on Tuesday to defend their freedoms, prevent fraud and reject the draft constitution" ahead of the second round.
It claimed "irregularities and violations" marred the initial stage of the referendum last weekend across half of Egypt that Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood said resulted in a 57 percent "yes" vote, according to its unofficial tally.
On the legal front, the State Council Judges Club, whose members took part in overseeing the first round as required by law, said it would boycott next Saturday's vote because the authorities had failed to live up to their promises.
The association has demanded that a "siege" of the Supreme Constitutional Court by Brotherhood supporters be lifted. But the action has continued without any intervention by the authorities, it said.
In Germany, a spokesman for the overseas development ministry said a plan to forgive up to 240 million euros ($316 million) of Cairo's debt had been delayed indefinitely.
Germany's Development Minister Dirk Niebel said earlier he had serious reservations. "There is the danger that the dictatorial system of ousted president (Hosni) Mubarak is returning," he told the daily Berliner Zeitung.
Niebel said Berlin had cancelled talks on development aid scheduled for mid-December and that future assistance was dependent on Egypt's progress toward democracy and the rule of law.
Also increasing the pressure, Mohamed ElBaradei, the Salvation Front's coordinator and a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, renewed his call for Morsi to cancel the referendum altogether and enter talks with the opposition.
"Last chance: cancel the ill-reputed referendum and begin a dialogue to close the rift," he wrote on Twitter, although a spokesman for ElBaradei's group said the comment was not a call to boycott the second round.
Large protests both for and against the proposed constitution have been staged during the past three weeks, sparking violent clashes and revealing deep divisions in society over Morsi's rule.
Early this month, eight people were killed and more than 600 hurt when rival protesters fought outside the presidential palace in Cairo.
The opposition says the constitution weakens human rights, especially those of women, and undermines the independence of judges while strengthening the military.
It fears Islamists propelled into power after a revolution last year that toppled Mubarak's 30-year regime want to establish sharia-style laws.
Morsi, though, argues the slender majority he won in June presidential elections gives him a mandate for change and that the draft constitution is a key step to securing stability.
The opposition claims Saturday's first round of the referendum, which took place in the biggest cities of Cairo and Alexandria and in eight other regions, had numerous violations.
Those included monitors not being allowed into some polling stations, judges not present in all as required and some fake judges employed, and women prevented in some cases from casting their ballot.
- AFP/fa
In the older days purely vegetarian 'dham' or community feasts was served but now non-vegetarian delicacies too are finding a prominent place in the menu fueling the demand for mutton and chicken for post victory celebrations. As sacrificing goats to local deities on the fulfillment of wishes is a common practice in many parts of the state, supporters of many candidates have already purchased goats from shepherds.
The tradition of sacrificing a goat is common in the districts of Lahaul-Spiti, Kullu, Mandi, Kinnaur, Chamba and Sirmaur district. "We had promised to offer goats on winning the election. All arrangements have been made for a grand feast but we are not disclosing it before the results," said the supporter of a candidate from Kullu district.
According to sources in Sirmaur district, order for mutton and chicken has already been placed with meat sellers by the supporters of candidates while in some pockets goats have been kept in the stock. Many of the candidates said that as reaching out to individual voters is not possible after the results, so a good community meal is the best option to thank the voters.
"Earlier we had the restriction of Election Commission but now we would serve the community lunch," a leader from Mandi district said. During this assembly election campaign, candidates stayed away from serving meals as the EC kept a hawk's eye on which nominee or his kin holds or attends a large community feast, and had threatened to include it in their poll expenditure.
The EC had decided that if a candidate is present at a marriage function with many guests, then the district electoral officer would serve him a show-cause notice, asking why the entire cost of the function should not be added to his election expenditure. The results are to be announced on December 20.
Scientists have found a new culprit in spreading the disease that's been driving the world's frogs to the brink of extinction: crayfish.
In the last few decades, the disease caused by the chytrid fungus has been a disaster for frogs and other amphibians. More than 300 species are nearly extinct because of it. Many probably have gone extinct, but it can be difficult to know for sure when a tiny, rare species disappears from the face of the Earth. (Related photos: "Ten Most Wanted 'Extinct' Amphibians.")
"This pathogen is bad news. It's worse news than any other pathogen in the history of life on Earth as far as we know it," says Vance Vredenburg, a conservation biologist at San Francisco State University who studies frogs but did not work on the new study.
The chytrid fungus was only discovered in the late 1990s. Since then, scientists have been scrambling to figure out how it spreads and how it works.
One of the biggest mysteries is how chytrid can persist in a frogless pond. Researchers saw it happen many times and were perplexed: If all of a pond's amphibians were wiped out, and a few frogs or salamanders came back and recolonized the pond, they would also die—even though there were no amphibians in the pond to harbor the disease. (Learn about vanishing amphibians.)
One possible reason is that chytrid infects other animals. For a study published today in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Taegan McMahon, a graduate student in ecology at the University of South Florida in Tampa, looked at some possible suspects and focused on crayfish, those lobsterlike crustaceans living in freshwater. They seemed like a good possibility because they're widespread and because their bodies have a lot of keratin, a protein the fungus attacks.
In the lab, McMahon exposed crayfish to the disease and they got sick. More than a third died within seven weeks, and most of the survivors were carrying the fungus. She also put infected crayfish in the water with tadpoles—separated by mesh, so the crustaceans wouldn't eat the baby frogs—and the tadpoles got infected. When McMahon and her colleagues checked out wetlands in Louisiana and Colorado, they also found infected crayfish.
That means crayfish can probably act as a reservoir for the disease. The fungus seems to be able to dine on crayfish then leap back to amphibians when it gets a chance. No one knows for sure where the fungus originally came from or why it's been such a problem in recent decades, but this research suggests one way that it could have been spread. Crayfish are sometimes moved from pond to pond as fish bait and are sold around the world as food and aquarium pets. (Related photos: "New Giant 'Bearded' Crayfish Species.")
The study doesn't answer every last question about the disease. For one thing, crayfish are common, but they aren't everywhere; there are no crayfish in some of the places where frogs have been hardest hit, Vredenburg says. But, he says, the new research shows that "we need to start looking a little more broadly at other potential hosts."
A computer at the Connecticut home where Newtown, Conn., school shooter Adam Lanza lived with his mother was badly damaged, perhaps smashed with a hammer, said police who hope the machine might still yield clues to the gunman's motive.
The computer's hard drive appeared to have been badly damaged with a hammer or screw driver, law enforcement authorities told ABC News, complicating efforts to exploit it for evidence.
Officials have "seized significant evidence at [Lanza's] residence," said Connecticut State Police spokesman Paul Vance, adding that the process of sifting through that much forensic evidence would be a lengthy and "painstaking process."
Authorities also told ABC News that the weapons used in Friday's rampage at Sandyhook Elementary School, which left dead 20 children and seven adults including Lanza's mother Nancy, were purchased by his mother between 2010 and 2012.
According to the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms, Lanza visited shooting ranges several times in recent years, and went at least one time with his mother.
The first funeral for a child killed in the massacre was held today in Fairfield, Conn., where mourners gathered to remember the too-short life of first-grader Noah Pozner.
Authorities also revealed this morning that two adult women shot during the rampage survived and their accounts will likely be integral to the investigation.
"Investigators will, in fact, speak with them when it's medically appropriate and they will shed a great deal of light on the facts and circumstances of this tragic investigation," Connecticut State Police Lt. Paul Vance said at a news conference today.
Both survivors are women and are now home from the hospital after being shot, police said. Officials had previously mentioned just one adult survivor. The women have not been identified and police did not give details on their injuries.
READ MORE: School nurse hid from gunman.
Both adults, Vance said, were wounded in the "lower extremities," but did not indicate where in the building they were when they were injured.
Moving trucks were seen outside Sandy Hook Elementary School this morning, as school officials prepare to move furniture and supplies to a vacant school in neighboring Monroe.
Sandy Hook itself will remain a secure crime scene "indefinitely," said Vance.
Emily Friedman/ABC News, Handout
CLICK HERE for complete coverage of the tragedy at Sandy Hook.
Police say Adam Lanza, 20, forced his way into Sandy Hook Elementary School on Friday, spraying bullets on students and faculty. Lanza killed 20 children and six adults before turning the gun on himself.
Lanza also killed his mother Nancy Lanza at the home they shared before going to school.
"There are many, many witnesses that need to be interviewed," Vance said. "We will not stop until we have interviewed every last one of them."
Vance said the investigation could take weeks or months to complete. "It's not something done in 60 minutes like you see on T.V."
Some of the other key witnesses will be children who survived the shooting spree by playing dead, hiding in closets and bathrooms and being rescued by dedicated teachers.
"Any interviews with any children will be done with professionals...as appropriate," Vance said. "We'll handle that extremely delicately when the time arises."
CLICK HERE for a tribute to the shooting victims.
The first funerals for victims of the shooting are today, beginning with 6-year-olds Noah Pozner and Jack Pinto.
Officials said today that the Sandy Hook Elementary School, where the shooting took place, will be closed "indefinitely."
Both the school and the home where shootings took place are being held by police as crime scenes and Vance predicted authorities would spend "months" investigating the elementary school.
All Newtown schools are closed today to give residents more time to cope. Every school except for Sandy Hook is expected to re-open Tuesday.
The town of Monroe has offered to open to Sandy Hook students the Chalk Hill School, a former middle school that currently houses the town's EMS and recreational departments.
Officials in Monroe, less than 10 miles from Newtown, say the building could be ready for students by the end of the week, but have not yet set a date to resume classes.
Nearly 100 volunteers are working to ensure the building complies with fire and security regulations and are working to retorfit the school with bathroom facilities for young children.
"We're working to make the school safe and secure for students," said Monroe Police Department spokesman Lt. Brian H. McCauley.
The neighboring community's school is expected to be ready to accommodate students in the next few days, though an exact schedule has not yet been published.
While the families grieve, federal and state authorities are working around the clock to answer the question on so many minds: "Why?"
ABC News has learned that investigators have seized computers belonging to Adam Lanza from the home he shared with his mother. Three weapons were found at the school scene and a fourth was recovered from Lanza's car. Lanza had hundreds of rounds and used multiple high-capacity magazines when he went on the rampage, according to Connecticut State Police.
Vance said that every single electronic device, weapon and round will be thoroughly examined and investigated as well as every aspect of Lanza's life going "back to the date of birth."
ABC News has learned that both the shooter and his mother spent time at an area gun range; however it was not yet known whether they had shot there.
NEWTOWN, Conn. — The gunman who stormed into an elementary school here Friday carried “numerous” high-capacity ammunition magazines for his semiautomatic rifle, as well as multiple magazines for two other guns, police said Sunday afternoon.
In all, 20 year-old Adam Lanza had hundreds of bullets with him when he shot out a pane of glass and entered Sandy Hook elementary school at 9:30 a.m. Friday. Police said that Lanza had used one gun — a “Bushmaster” brand rifle, whose design can be traced the M-16 weapon developed for U.S. troops in Vietnam — to kill 20 children and six adults inside.
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