Robert Pattinson is worried by Jimmy Fallon

&Robert Pattinson done a warn coming in Jimmy Fallons "Bothered" video last night.&Fallon continually mocks RPatzs brooding and uneasy persona, articulate about all the things that worry him. Watch all the Bothered videos here.And in this one, the "Remember Me" actress climbs up the same tree and admits that he doesnt similar to Fallons impersonation. In fact, it BOTHERS him. Fallon scores when he gets the actress to contend the word "bothered."&Then theres the tangible interview, that is usually somewhat some-more divulgence than R-Patzs common interviews. You"d think by right away Robert would be removing improved at you do these. But we theory thats piece of his appeal.&First, he shoots lasers out of his eyes. Then he explains his "Remember Me" character. He admits hes confused by "Lost." And he talks about his sister, Lizzie, whos a musician and his own low-pitched ability.&The assembly pleads with him to recover an album. And, hey, what if he and Kristen shaped a rope called the Twite Stripes?OK, may be not. Cue the worried laughter.We"re only unhappy that Jimmy didnt ask about the "Bel Ami" bacchanal scene. Guess he didnt wish to go there.&Follow&Zap2its Dish Rag on Twitter&and&Facebook&for the ultimate luminary headlines and buzz.More K-Stew and R-Patz dishTwilight Eclipse: Robert Pattinsons bacchanal stage revealedRemember Me: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson on the red carpet!"Twilights Eclipse" trailer latches onto Robert Pattinsons "Remember Me"Robert Pattinsons "Remember Me" trailer -- we"re intrigued"Twilight"s" Kristen Stewart disdainful on kissing Robert Pattinson, "Breaking Dawn" rumors&&

Jobless rate dips in Triangle

Triangle stagnation dipped somewhat in Januarya certain pointer but not indispensably a vigilance that the misfortune is over.

In January, the Triangles stagnation rate forsaken from 9.0 percent to 8.9 percent, according to seasonally practiced total from Wells Fargo in Charlotte.

The N.C. Employment Security Commission reported 99 of the 100 counties saw an stagnation enlarge for the month, but the seasonally practiced interpretation showed a some-more earnest picture, pronounced Mark Vitner, comparison economist for Wells Fargo.

"To a little degrees I think we fell harder than the republic did since we have such a large production zone and the monetary zone is so important, but both of those areas are you do better," he said.

But, Vitner cautioned, we competence not have seen the rise stagnation rate of this recession, mostly since workers who give up seeking for a pursuit competence re-enter the work force as they resume their pursuit searches and at the moment increase the stagnation rate.

"Its not expected to go up that most from here unless we unequivocally humour a critical reversal in the economy," he said.

Yet, for the unemployed, the slight alleviation in the states stagnation rate doesnt meant much. In all, there are about 82,000 people who are impoverished in Chatham, Durham, Franklin, Harnett, Johnston, Lee, Orange, and Wake counties, according to the ESC interpretation expelled Friday.

Jobs are still scarce, and those companies that are employing are asking a lot of workers to take a critical compensate cut or take on some-more work.

"They wish to compensate you less," pronounced Lorenzo Spencer, a 45-year-old sheetrock workman from Raleigh who was laid off in October. "It used to be similar to 16, seventeen dollars an hour and right away the similar to 10. ... Its silly how they"re you do that. I think everyone only wants to get the lowest rate possible."

Even removing an talk is proof difficult, pronounced Mark Schurtman, a Raleigh commercial operation researcher who has been out of work for dual months.

Schurtman, 48, pronounced that so far he and his mother have been flourishing on stagnation benefits, assets and a little income from freelancing. But with dual children, one of whom is headed to college subsequent year, the difficult pursuit marketplace has been frustrating.

"What I"m saying right away is [companies] are employing but they wish to mix jobs and pursuit responsibilities," he said. "They wish you to be a commercial operation researcher and a developer and a sous chef."

Still, at 8.9 percent the Triangle is you do improved than alternative tools of the state, Vitner said.

"A infancy of the state did not see an alleviation in January, and the alleviation we saw is still small," he said. "Much of the rest of the state is lagging behind. The mercantile conditions in the farming tools of North Carolina and even a little of the not as big civil areas are lagging."

But for now, workers similar to Schurtman pronounced they will keep on applying.

"I even asked is the Employment Security Commission hiring, and they are, so I competence request there," he said.

sue.stock or 919-829-4649

Goodrich to buy Eagle Ford Haynesville shale resources

Mon April 12, 2010 9:01am EDT Related News Reliance to compensate Atlas $1.7 billion for Marcellus stakeFri, April 9 2010UPDATE 5-Reliance to compensate Atlas $1.7 bln for Marcellus stakeFri, April 9 2010UPDATE 1-Carrizo raises 2010 capex view; says to concentration on oilThu, April 8 2010UPDATE 1-Basic Energy reports higher supply utilization; shrs upThu, April 8 2010UPDATE 1-RPM International sees FY10 EPS at top finish of viewThu, April 8 2010

(Reuters) - Independent oil and gas path-finder Goodrich Petroleum Corp pronounced it will buy 35,000 net acres in the Eagle Ford shale and 4,200 net acres in the Haynesville shale in Texas.

Deals

The Eagle Ford understanding involves about $15 million in upfront money remuneration whilst the Haynesville understanding has no upfront money consideration.

Goodrich expects to spud the primary Eagle Ford shale well in the second entertain and run one or dual rigs in the fool around during the second half.

The merger boosts the company"s Haynesville shale register to about 89,500 net acres.

Goodrich confirmed the 2010 collateral output bill of $255 million, but pronounced it reallocated about $50 million, or about twenty percent of the amount, to leasehold, training and execution costs compared with the Eagle Ford Shale oil play.

Shares of the company, that has a infancy of the properties in Louisiana and Texas, sealed at $17.97 Friday on the New York Stock Exchange. (Reporting by Krishna N. Das in Bangalore; Editing by Roshni Menon)

Deals

As it happened: the Masters

Live Masters commentary Patrick Kidd and Robert Dineen & ,}

Relive the last turn of the Masters and Phil Mickelson"s shining feat over Lee Westwood with the live coverage. Click on the idol to proceed the replay.

Related LinksBrilliant Mickelson closes in on WestwoodWestwood can finish quip at MastersWestwood ready to show hes the accomplished product

ITV grant understanding to cut necessity by £124m

By Jamie Dunkley, City Reporter (Pensions) 953PM GMT twenty-six March 2010

ITV

The association pronounced it had shaped a "partnership" in in between the wholly-owned auxiliary SDN and the grant intrigue to plunge in to the appropriation shortfall, that stood at 550m at the finish of 2009.

Under the conditions of the agreement, SDN a digital radio user will have annual payments of 8.4m in to the intrigue for twelve years from 2011. In 2022 ITV will have a remuneration of up to 150m in to the intrigue if it stays in deficit. ITV pronounced it had additionally concluded to have appropriation contributions of 35m per year in to the grant intrigue in in between 2011-2014.

Simon Cowell hires Ellis Watson as head of Syco HMV moves in to conform retailing ITV struggles to have the Grade as cost cuts unveiled ITV to shake up up the grant over deficit Pensions experts envision horrific headlines on funds Royal Mail grant necessity whats it all about

The broadcaster will keep operational carry out of SDN, whose increase will sojourn on the accounts.

Deloitte, that has suggested ITV on the deal, pronounced the 124m figure took in to comment acceleration and reflected the benefaction worth of the 8.4m annual payments and 150m remuneration in 2022.

Ian Griffiths, ITV"s financial director, pronounced "Today"s agreement materially reduces ITV"s grant necessity on the basement that drives the money appropriation and confirms the contributions ITV will be creation to the main territory of the grant intrigue by to 2014. It represents a certain understanding for members of the tangible good grant intrigue and for ITV"s shareholders."

Deloitte pronounced ITV had followed a direction set by John Lewis, that used dialect stores to behind a 95m remuneration in to the grant scheme.

Feargus Mitchell, grant partner at the accountancy firm, pronounced "This represents a poignant step brazen in the appropriation of grant schemes and enables corporates to clear the worth in their resources for the good of both their grant schemes and their wider corporate stakeholders,"

The understanding was voiced as ITV sealed the 25m sale of Friends Reunited to Brightsolid Online Innovation.

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Goldman house rejects shareholder final on compensate

NEW YORK Mon March 1, 2010 10:27am EST Related News Citi, BofA compensate promissory note heads some-more than CEOsFri, February twenty-six 2010WRAPUP 1-Citi, BofA compensate promissory note heads some-more than CEOsFri, February twenty-six 2010WRAPUP 1-Citi, BofA compensate promissory note heads some-more than CEOsFri, February twenty-six 2010Wall Street bonuses jumped seventeen percent last yearTue, February twenty-three 2010Obama doesn"t "begrudge" Dimon, Blankfein over payWed, February 10 2010 Stocks & &

Flags fly outward of the Goldman Sachs domicile construction in the monetary district of New York Jan 21, 2010.

Credit: Reuters/Jessica Rinaldi

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Goldman Sachs Group Inc"s (GS.N) house has deserted final from shareholders that the organisation examine new remuneration awards, replenish extreme remuneration and remodel compensate practices.

Wall Street"s widespread bank, criticized for profitable billions of dollars in bonuses shortly after the taxpayer bailout of the promissory note industry, reported the board"s preference in a regulatory filing on Monday.

Goldman reported the shareholder final last year and pronounced at the time that the house was deliberation them. The organisation did not name the shareholders who done the demands.

Goldman could not be rught away reached for comment.

Goldman reported a jot down distinction in 2009 and was on gait to compensate some-more than $20 billion in remuneration streamer in to the fourth quarter. But confronting open ire, it capped remuneration losses at $16.2 billion for the year.

The organisation additionally paid the tip thirty management team all-stock bonuses rather than cash.

Even though Goldman outperformed the greatest rivals in 2009, Chief Executive Lloyd Blankfein perceived a batch reward valued at $8.9 million, rounded off half of what JPMorgan Chase Co (JPM.N) arch Jamie Dimon received.

(Reporting by Steve Eder; modifying by John Wallace)

Six some-more British passports used in Hamas gangland slaying of Mahmoud al-MabhouhMiddle East World

Six some-more British passports were used in the gangland slaying of a Hamas personality in Dubai, it was suggested today.

That brings the sum used in the strike on Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in the Gulf state last month to 12.

Investigators from Britains Serious Organised Crime Agency are probing the make use of cloned British passports in the attack, that has been related to agents of the Israeli tip service, Mossad.

A Soca orator said: We have been sensitive by the Emirati Authorities that there are 6 one more UK passports that are theme of their enquiries.

The genuine pass holders have not been reliable as being but delay related to the murder.

Soca are now operative to brand the place of these people and are posterior lines of enquiry in courtesy to this new report but it would not be suitable to criticism as this is an ongoing investigation.

The 6 new British passports are between those used by a organisation of fifteen new suspects travelling on British, French, Irish and Australian passports, Dubai troops said.

The trusting pass owners were declared in reports as Daniel Marc Schnur, Gabriella Barney, Roy Cannon, Stephen Drake, Mark Sklur and Philip Carr.

The new revelations enlarge the sum series of suspects to at slightest 26.

Al-Mabhouh, who founded Hamass troops wing, was killed in his road house room on Jan 19.

It is thought he was trailed to his room by members of the strike patrol who wore feign beards, wigs and alternative disguises.

Dubai officials have pronounced they are 99% sure that Mossad was at the back of the murder, nonetheless Tel Aviv has refused to endorse or repudiate the link.

In the House of Commons now Gordon Brown pronounced questions had to be answered about the injustice of British passports, but refused to pull evident conclusions about what happened but saying the evidence.

SDLP MP Mark Durkan indicted the Israeli authorities of treating the Government with contempt over the allegation.

But Mr Brown told him: I can assure you that where there are questions about the injustice of British passports they have to be answered.

We have set up and there is an review ongoing in to the really incidents you have raised.

I would not pull evident conclusions but saying the justification and I think it is critical to see the justification on this prior to any serve conclusions are made.

But I do determine with you we do not await state-sponsored terrorism in any country.

This week Foreign Secretary David Miliband sought answers in a 45-minute in isolation assembly with his Israeli reflection Avigdor Lieberman who told the Foreign Secretary he had no report to give at this stage.

Prostate cancer surgeons feel with their eyes; 3-D HD perspective gives surgeons saving apparition of pleasing sensation

Led by physician-scientists at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center and looming in the Mar issue of British Journal of Urology International, the investigate is the initial to show that a miss of pleasing feedback during robotic surgery does not adversely stroke outcomes in patients with prostate cancer. It additionally identified assorted visible cues that surgeons can make make make make make use of to urge clinical outcomes.

Anatomical sum and visible cues accessible by robotic surgery not usually concede experienced surgeons to recompense for a miss of pleasing feedback, but essentially give the apparition of that sensation, says Dr. Ashutosh Tewari, the studylead author; highbrow of urology, urologic oncology, and open health at Weill Cornell Medical College; and executive of the Lefrak Center of Robotic Surgery and the Institute of Prostate Cancer at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center. For patients, this equates to the reserve of meaningful the benefits of a robotic proceed -- together with a quicker liberation -- don"t concede the surgeryprimary mission of stealing the cancer.

In new years, robotic-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy (RALP) has turn a renouned surgical process for treating prostate cancer since it is less invasive than normal surgery. No studies have shown that RALP leads to worse outcomes, but doctors have wondered either this was the box since surgeons mostly make make make make make use of their fingers to feel the prostate during normal surgery to labour how most they cut to grasp the most appropriate outcome.

Cancer cells furnish changes in tissue trust that surgeons can sense. Because this pleasing analysis is not probable for surgeons utilizing RALP, clinicians have wondered either the robotic proceed could lead surgeons to miss a little cancer, and to illustrate theme patients to a larger risk of cancer recurrence.

To find out, the investigators videotaped 1,340 RALPs. After each integrate hundred procedures, they carefully thought about the pathology formula of the prostate that was private to establish the occurrence of certain surgical margins, an denote that a surgeon competence not have private all of the cancer. In this study, the investigators focused on the posterolateral surgical domain (PLSM+), the area where the prostate is trustworthy to the nerves.

When you see at the complete citation after surgery is done, you wish to see cancer inside of the prostate but you don"t wish to see cancer in contact with the surface, Dr. Tewari says. After surgery we see at the specimen, and if there are no cancer cells in contact with the surface, we call that a disastrous margin. If cancer is in contact with the edge, afterwards we contend it has certain margins. This equates to there might be a little cancer left in the patient.

The investigators afterwards complicated the videotapes to establish what refinements in the procession resulted in disastrous margins. Using this new believe to labour the surgery, they conducted the subsequent integrate hundred RALPs, reviewed the videotapes, polished their techniques, conducted the subsequent turn of RALPs, reviewed, polished and so on.

The investigators found that robotic surgery did not concede outcomes. The occurrence of PLSM+ was 2.1 percent, that progressively declined to 1 percent in the last 100 patients. Positive PLSMs are found in 2.8 percent to 9 percent of patients undergoing normal prostatectomy.

The researchers contend that the extended prophesy authorised by the robotic proceed brings about a retreat Braille materialisation or the capability to feel when prophesy is enhanced. They have identified a series of visible cues that clinicians can make make make make make use of to urge outcomes, together with the color of tissue, the place of veins as a turning point for the place of nerves, signs of inflammation, and high regard of supposed compartments outward the prostate.

Surgeons make make make make make use of a three-level proceed to optimize outcomes in prostate surgery: the clinical examination together with the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test, captivating inflection imaging (MRI) tests, and cues during the tangible surgery itself. They make make make make make use of the clinical examination and MRI to establish that one of 4 sorts of nerve-sparing surgeries to control prior to the operation and afterwards labour their technique during the tangible procession if cues prove a need.

Treat each studious individually, get as most as report from the clinical exam, biopsy, imaging, and sense to conclude the anatomical changes, Dr. Tewari says. The outcomes of prostate cancer surgery are not usually record dependent, but rather they are contingent on surgical experience, anatomical sum and courtesy to simple surgical techniques. Robotic surgery does not appear to concede outcomes.

As someone with thirty years of experience as a pathologist, I, too, have grown the capability described in this paper. I can see at a tissue representation and know if it is organisation or soft and what to design in the pathology -- something that helps me to home in on the area with the abnormality, says Dr. Maria M. Shevchuk, the studysenior author, join forces with highbrow of pathology at Weill Cornell Medical College, and a pathologist at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center. It is usually healthy that this capability would additionally be benefaction in experienced robotic surgeons.

Co-authors of the investigate embody Dr. Mohammed Akhtar, Dr. Youssef El-Douaihy, Robert A. Leung, Dr. Nishant D. Patel, Dr. E. Darracott Vaughan and Dr. Rajiv Yadav of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center; Drs. Muhul B. Amin, Mark A. Rubin and Jiangling J. Tu of Weill Cornell Medical College; Mark Burns and Usha Kreaden from Intuitive Surgical, Inc., Sunnyvale Calif.; and Dr. Atsushi Takenaka of Kobe University, Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe, Japan.

New apparatus illuminates connectors in between branch cells and cancer ScienceBlog.com



Researchers have a new apparatus to assimilate how cancers grow -- and with it a new event to brand novel cancer drugs. They"ve been equates to to mangle detached human prostate tissue, remove the branch cells in that tissue, and change those cells genetically so that they coax cancer.

Owen Witte, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute questioner at the University of California, Los Angeles, will benefaction the commentary on Feb 20, 2010, at the annual assembly of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Many tissues enclose pools of branch cells that feed the tissue when it"s shop-worn or when changes take place. For instance, branch cells in the skin furnish new cells to reinstate those irreparably shop-worn by the sun, and branch cells in the breast emanate milk-producing cells when a lady is pregnant. The hallmark of these branch cells is that they self-renew. This equates to that in further to creation cells with a specific function, they additionally have most new branch cells.

Mounting justification suggests that these self-renewing cells are additionally scored equally to cancer. They lend towards to pick up mutations, says Witte, and not most separates expansion cells, with their genius for violent growth, from healthy, tissue-forming branch cells. "These cells have a outrageous genius for self-renewal, and when the pathways that carry out self-renewal are protracted or changed, they can form tumors," says Witte.

Many scientists think that nonetheless tumors are done up of most cells, usually the expansion cells subsequent from branch cells minister to the expansion of the tumor. For sure cancers, such as breast cancer and leukemia, that thought is well established. For others, such as prostate cancer, that Witte studies, the interpretation are not conclusive.

Witte"s organisation has been analyzing the attribute in between tissue branch cells and cancer branch cells in the prostate. They have been aggressive this complaint by dividing rodent prostate tissue in to the member cell types, culturing those cells, and afterwards reassembling them to assimilate how they interact. Now, for the initial time, they"ve achieved that attainment with human tissue. Importantly, they"ve additionally engineered specific genetic changes in to human prostate branch cells to renovate them in to cancer cells.

The organisation is in the early stages of putting the technique to use, but Witte says it offers a little graphic advantages for building new cancer drugs. Cells can be grown but delay from a prostate expansion for make make use of of in experiments, but but meaningful the accurate genetics of those cells, scientists might never know because they became cancerous. Drugs that are in effect in interlude their expansion might not have the same stroke on prostate tumors driven by opposite gene mutations. Starting from prostate branch cells, Witte knows just that genetic changes have done a cell cancerous.

"Here you can preprogram the genetic buffet, and afterwards weigh a devalue in the face of those specific changes," says Witte.

That pointing should speed the growth of a new era of fine-tuned cancer therapies. The new complement should give scientists a firmer learn of the genetic makeup of cells that are influenced by sold compounds, and by extension, assistance clinicians brand the drug that will most appropriate assistance sold patients. "The margin of cancer investigate has constructed a poignant series of vital new targeted therapies," says Witte. "Now we have to assimilate how most appropriate to make make use of of those therapies."

"Rethinking the Science, Biology, and Importance of Stem Cells in Regenerative Medicine" Saturday, Feb 20, 20101:30 PM-4:30 PM Room 5A, San Diego Convention Center

In further to Owen Witte, speakers embody HHMI questioner George Daley, Children"s Hospital Boston; Irving Weissman, Stanford University School of Medicine; Fred Gage, Salk Institute for Biological Studies; Rudolf Jaenisch, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; and R. Alta Charo, University of Wisconsin.

&

http://www.hhmi.org

Dealer increase at interest in US derivatives discuss

Thu Mar 25, 2010 2:21pm EDT Stocks & &

By Karen Brettell

Stocks&&&&Currencies&&&&Regulatory News&&&&Bonds&&&&Funds News&&&&ETFs News

NEW YORK, March 25 (Reuters) - U.S. senators are at animpasse on details of how to reform the $450 trillion privatelytraded derivatives market, and the final bill may determine howmuch market share, and profits, large dealers can retain in thelucrative markets.

The Senate Banking Committee last week approved a sweepingbill for financial reform, drafted by Democratic ChairmanChristopher Dodd. For details, see [ID:nN14165412].

The derivatives component of the legislation, however, wasconsidered a placeholder pending amendments from Senators JackReed and Judd Gregg. Reed, a Democrat, said on Friday that heand Gregg, a Republican, were unable to agree on details aboutexemptions in the bill.

A key question is how many trades are ultimately put intocentral clearinghouses, which may then be subject to electronictrading. This has the potential to narrow trade margins andshift market share away from dealers to newer players,including exchanges.

Revenues lost from dealers could be significant. Researchand advisory firm TABB Group estimates the top 20 dealersgenerate around $40 billion annually from privately tradedderivatives, excluding credit default swaps.

JPMorgan (JPM.N), one of the largest derivatives dealers,has said it generated a third of its overall investment bankingprofits from over-the-counter derivatives between 2006 and2008, Moody"s Investors Service said in a recent report.

The failure of senators to reach agreement, "significantlydiminishes the prospects for OTC derivatives reform becominglaw this year," analysts at Keefe, Bruyette Woods said in areport.

The impasse gives dealers time "to take control of theprocess themselves and the Europeans to move closer toregulatory reform before the U.S. revisits next year," theysaid.

Central clearing, in which a central counterparty standsbetween trading partners and guarantees the trade, is viewed askey to reducing the risks from derivatives due to the maze ofexposures of the contracts between large institutions that areconsidered critical to the financial system.

By removing counterparty risks from the contract, clearinghas the potential to open up trading and brokerage of theproducts, allowing investors to bypass large dealers thatcurrently act as intermediaries to all trades.

The Dodd bill calls for exchange trading of the contracts.

"The bill"s requirement that centrally cleared OTCderivatives be exchange-traded will likely permanently impairthe profitability of this business for dealers," Moody"s said.

However, "because the dealers also recognize the threat ofexchange-trading to their profits, the bill"s linkage ofcentral clearing to exchange trading could become an obstacleto such cooperation," they added. "To protect market-making andstructuring spreads, the dealers could choose to reduce, asmuch as possible, the centrally cleared proportion of themarket."

Companies that use derivatives to hedge against interestrate, currency, commodity and other risks are likely to winexemptions from clearing because they say that marginrequirements would be too costly.

Defining which companies are hedging, as opposed tospeculating with the contracts, however, may be difficult.

There is also debate over which companies will qualify asmajor swap participants and therefore are required to centrallyclear all eligible contracts, and whether this would extend tolarge hedge funds or other speculators, in addition todealers.

The Dodd bill defines a major swap participant as someonewhose failure would cause large counterparty losses.

Meanwhile, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission andSecurities and Exchange Commission, which will enforce therules, may push for few exemptions.

CFTC Chairman Gary Gensler has said exemptions should benarrowly applied, and that all financial companies, includinginsurance companies and hedge funds, should be required tocentrally clear eligible positions.

Gensler has further said that contracts that are notcleared should still be traded on electronic trading platformsto promote transparency and reduce trading costs. (Reporting by Karen Brettell; Editing by Kenneth Barry)

Stocks Currencies Regulatory News Bonds Funds News ETFs News

Dollar slips vs euro yen after U.S. jobless interpretation

Thu Mar 18, 2010 8:39am EDT Related News U.S. dollar falls vs euro after Fed statementTue, Mar 16 2010

NEW YORK, March 18 (Reuters) - The dollar slipped againstthe euro and yen on Thursday after data showed U.S. joblessclaims fell in the latest week, slightly boosting the market"srisk appetite.

Currencies

For the jobless claims/report, click on [ID:nLLAIEE60A]

The euro rose against the dollar to $1.3685 EUR= from$1.3671 before the data"s release. It was last at $1.3683, down0.4 percent. The dollar fell against the yen JPY= to 90.06yen from 90.23 previously. (Reporting by Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss; Editing by JamesDalgleish)

Currencies

Riyadh says arrests militants formulation oil attacks

Souhail Karam RIYADH Wed Mar 24, 2010 1:54pm EDT Related News Instant view: Saudi arrests militants planning attacksWed, Mar 24 2010Timeline: Attacks and plots in Saudi ArabiaWed, Mar 24 2010

RIYADH (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia said on Wednesday it had arrested 113 al Qaeda militants including suicide bombers who had been planning attacks on energy facilities in the world"s top oil exporter.

World&&&&Saudi Arabia

The interior ministry said its sweep, among the biggest in several years, netted 58 suspected Saudi militants and 52 from Yemen, which jumped to the forefront of Western security concerns after a failed attack on a U.S.-bound jet in December.

The militants, who were also from Bangladesh, Eritrea and Somalia, were backed by al Qaeda in Yemen, it added in a statement, without giving the dates of the arrests.

Henry Wilkinson, a counter-terrorism expert at Janusian security consultants in London, said the arrests showed the Saudi oil sector remained a priority target for al Qaeda.

Saudi security was making it difficult for militants to operate in the kingdom but counter-terrorist activity was having little impact on al Qaeda"s regional arm, al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), in Yemen, he said.

AQAP "represents a consistent, if not growing threat to the oil sector and Western interests in the region," he said.

The 113 militants were organized into three cells, including two planning suicide attacks on oil and security facilities in Saudi Arabia"s oil-producing Eastern Province, home to the world"s biggest oil refinery.

"The 12 in the two cells were suicide bombers," security affairs spokesman Mansour al-Turki said. "We have compelling evidence against all of those arrested, that they were plotting terrorist attacks inside the kingdom."

Authorities seized weapons, ammunition and explosive belts, and said the militants were linked to a "deviant group that has chosen Yemen as a base for the launch of its criminal operations," using terms used typically to refer to al Qaeda.

"The deviant group is using elements inside the kingdom who came (to Saudi Arabia) under the cover of work or pilgrimage or entered illegally," the ministry said.

Yemen, which is struggling to stabilize a fractious country, has come under international pressure to end a northern war and focus on fighting al Qaeda, whose locally-based arm claimed responsibility for the attempted December airliner bombing.

U.S. allied-Saudi Arabia and Western countries fear al Qaeda is exploiting instability in impoverished Yemen to launch attacks in the region and beyond.

Militant attacks in Saudi Arabia have included suicide bombs at housing compounds in 2003 and at the interior ministry"s headquarters in Riyadh in 2004, plus an attempt to storm the world"s biggest oil processing plant at Abqaiq in 2006.

Saudi Arabia was forced to confront its own role in rising militancy at home and abroad when its nationals turned out to be behind the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States.

The mastermind of those attacks, al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, was born in Saudi Arabia. In 2004 he urged followers to attack Iraqi and Gulf oil facilities, saying it was the most powerful weapon against America.

BULK ARRESTED NEAR YEMEN BORDER

Authorities said the two suicide bombing cells comprised 11 Saudis and a Yemeni whom security officials described as the brother of a prominent member of al Qaeda. It said they were in early stages of preparing suicide attacks.

Altogether 101 militants were detained in the southern province of Jazan, near the border with Yemen.

"The network ... which included suicide bombers was set up to lead attacks within the kingdom and target installations, and monitor security members as potential targets in concurrence with the recent events at the kingdom"s southern borders," the interior ministry said.

Riyadh, which was drawn into a Yemeni war with Shi"ite insurgents in November, fears Sanaa"s fight with al Qaeda could also spill over to its territory.

Saudi concerns about Yemen were amplified after the kingdom"s top anti-terrorism official, Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, was slightly hurt in a suicide attack in his house in September by a Saudi posing as a repentant militant returning from Yemen.

(Editing by Cynthia Johnston, Samia Nakhoul and David Stamp)

World Saudi Arabia