Drugs That Control Genes May Treat Lung Cancer

Researchers Report Some Success Against Advanced Lung Cancer With Epigenetic Drugs

Nov. 9, 2011? -- A new approach to treating cancer appears to help certain patients with advanced lung cancer, and researchers say they think they may have a way of spotting those who will benefit.

The small study is generating big excitement in the world of cancer treatment because it demonstrates that so-called epigenetic drugs may work when traditional chemotherapy has failed.

Epigenetic drugs work by controlling gene expression -- the way information from genes is used to create products such as proteins.

The study is published in Cancer Discovery.

"This is a ... groundbreaking study, showing that by modifying the epigenetics of a cancer cell we can get real responses in lung cancer," said Jeffrey A. Engleman, MD, PhD, director of thoracic oncology at Massachusetts General Hospital, in Boston, in a news briefing. "And getting real responses in lung cancer is actually quite difficult, so we take special notice of therapies that can do this." He was not involved in the research.

New Approach to Treating Cancer

All 45 patients recruited for the study had non-small-cell lung cancer, the leading cancer killer in the U.S.

All had tumors that had spread beyond their lungs despite treatment with an average of three other therapies.

"These are patients with very advanced disease" who have little chance of survival, says study researcher Charles Rudin, MD, PhD. He is professor of oncology and associate director for clinical research at Johns Hopkins University Kimmel Cancer Center in Baltimore.

Rudin says that he has consulted for Syndax Pharmaceuticals, the company that makes one of the drugs tested in the study.

Most patients with cancer this advanced are only expected to survive for about four months, the researchers note.

After treatment with a combination of the medications Vidaza, which is FDA approved to treat certain rare blood disorders, and the experimental pill entinostat, however, the average survival for the entire group was 6.4 months.

Doctors who wrote an editorial on the study note that this result was just shy of the same average survival (6.7 months) seen in patients treated with Tarceva, the only medication that's approved to treat patients with non-small-cell lung cancer that has spread to other organs.

The figure from the new study, however, included 11 patients who dropped out of the study before finishing a single cycle of treatment.

Among patients who finished at least one full treatment cycle, the average survival was even higher, about 8.6 months.

What's more, four of 19 patients who got chemotherapy after the experimental drug combo had dramatic responses to those treatments, "raising the hypothesis that maybe the epigenetic therapy is in some way priming the tumor for response to chemotherapy," Rudin says.

In total, seven patients who took part in the trial are still alive; two have survived for more than four years.

Source: http://www.webmd.com/lung-cancer/news/20111109/drugs-that-control-genes-may-treat-lung-cancer?src=RSS_PUBLIC

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Video: Close encounters with Mitt Romney

Penn State reportedly planning Paterno's exit

Penn State administrators are discussing how to manage Joe Paterno's departure as the football coach, the New York Times reported Tuesday, citing two unnamed people briefed on talks among the school's top officials.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036697/vp/45198192#45198192

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Italy: Can Berlusconi Withstand a Panicking Economy? (Time.com)

In the topsy-turvy world of Italian politics, it's a rare event that can be summarized in anything as short as a paragraph, let alone something as simple as a thin jagged line. And yet, on Monday, there it was: an entire day's drama ? over the possible resignation of the country's flamboyant Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi ? condensed into an easy-to-comprehend, unmistakable graphic. For a few hours, at least, those looking to follow the fate of the Italian government (and Europe, for that matter) could forget about backroom political machinations in Rome and simply watch the peaks and plunges of the yields of Italian government bonds.

Bond yields, a measure of what a government will need to pay to roll over its debt, offer a solid indication of how investors are regarding a country's economy. During good times, when the money is sure to be paid back, yields will be low. When a country hits a rough patch ? as Greece, Portugal and Ireland did earlier this year ? they can soar so high that a country becomes unable to pay what it owes. (See photos of the economic protests in Athens.)

Italy's cost of borrowing has been rising steadily since July, as worries have increased that the country's growth will prove too anemic to sustain its level of spending. The European Central Bank has stressed its commitment to shoring up Italy's finances, but the country's neighbors have also demanded it carry out a series of painful economic reforms. What's less clear is whether Berlusconi's government, weakened by infighting and scandal, will be capable of passing measures that would be difficult to push through Parliament by the strongest of Prime Ministers. "Financially, the economic situation is much worse in Spain," says Franco Pavoncello, a political scientist at Rome's John Cabot University. (Italy, for example, is not running a particularly large budget deficit, which is at 4% of GDP, compared with Spain, which was at more than 9% at one point.) "But politically, it's somehow been resolved [in Madrid]." What drives the cost of Italian bonds is simply a question of politics. "Markets go where they see weakness," says Pavoncello. "And today they see weakness in Italy."

And so when Monday morning began with a sudden leap in bond yields, the world started to pay attention. It had been a long, eventful weekend, following a tumultuous week, for Berlusconi's government. With the political drama in Greece serving as a backdrop, the increasingly embattled Prime Minister watched members of coalition fray away. By Sunday night, there had been three defections from his already weakened parliamentary majority. Others in his party were calling openly for his resignation, and close allies were speculating about the collapse of the government and new elections as early as January.

And so, it wasn't too much of a surprise that yields shot up in a steep climb as soon as the markets opened. By 9:30 a.m., the situation was turning critical. The yield on 10-year bonds had risen to 6.64%, their highest since the introduction of the euro in 1999 and close to the levels that pushed Greece, Portugal and Ireland into requiring emergency bailouts. Yields continued to hover at just-below-record levels, while Berlusconi was said to be consulting with his family and close friends about his future. Then, as rumors began to trickle out that he had decided to resign, the market pressure suddenly eased. "It's a question of hours, some say of minutes," wrote Giuliano Ferrara, a close ally and former spokesperson for Berlusconi, at about 11 a.m. on the website of the newspaper he edits. (See how the politics of sex impacted Berlusconi's career.)

The reprieve lasted about two hours. Yields sank back down to regain about half their territory before stabilizing while the markets waited for confirmation. Instead, at about 1 p.m. came the denial: "The rumors of my resignation are without foundation," Berlusconi wrote on his Facebook page. Italy's cost of borrowing shot straight back up, spending the rest of the afternoon chopping up and down and ending the day with yields back nearly at their peak levels.

The drama has, of course, just begun. On Tuesday, Berlusconi faces a confidence vote over a routine budget measure ? one of the more than 50 he has faced since he took power in 2008. Though few doubt his survival on that vote, he has said he plans to call yet another one, this time over the controversial reform measures demanded by the European Union. "I want to look into the faces of those who try to betray me," he told a friendly Italian newspaper. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister's support continues to plunge, and the opposition is considering demanding its own vote, of no confidence, in another effort to bring the government down. Whatever happens in the upcoming days, only one thing is certain: it won't be as simple to summarize.

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Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/time/20111109/wl_time/08599209886100

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Foster, Tate top 100 yards in Texans' 30-12 win

 Arian Foster

By CHRIS DUNCAN

updated 4:39 p.m. ET Nov. 6, 2011

HOUSTON - The Texans again turned to their potent running game and fast-improving defense to win another game without Andre Johnson.

Arian Foster rushed for 124 yards, Ben Tate ran for 115 and both scored touchdowns in the Texans' 30-12 win over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.

The Texans (6-3) finished with a franchise-record 261 rushing yards and had a pair of 100-yard rushers for the second time in three games. They moved three games over .500 for the first time, and have now won three in a row without Johnson, who's missed five games with a right hamstring injury.

The Browns (3-5) totaled 172 yards, the third straight opponent the Texans have held under 200.

Colt McCoy, making his first NFL start back in the state where he starred in college, was sacked four times and completed only 14 passes for 146 yards with an interception.

He got little support from former Texas teammate Chris Ogbonnaya, who started in place of injured running backs Peyton Hillis and Montario Hardesty sidelined. Ogbonnaya fumbled on his first carry, and finished with 28 yards on 13 carries.

The Texans scored on their opening series for the sixth time this season when Tate weaved his way through the Browns' defense for a 27-yard touchdown run.

The Browns' 25th-ranked offense was inept early, with Ogbonnaya losing the ball on Cleveland's first play from scrimmage. Defensive end J.J. Watt recovered at the Browns 28, and Schaub scrambled for another score for a 14-0 lead less than eight minutes into the game.

Joshua Cribbs delivered Cleveland's biggest play of the half, a 63-yard kickoff return. He was flagged for grabbing Brice McCain's facemask, though, and the Browns settled for Phil Dawson's 50-yard field goal.

The Browns have scored only six points in the first quarter this season.

Houston's final rushing total surpassed the team record, set in last year's opener against Indianapolis, when Foster rushed for 231 yards by himself.

Tate and Foster traded carries in this one, with each breaking his share of long runs.

Tate started a series with a 24-yard run into Cleveland territory. Tate had a nine-yard run before Foster stiff-armed cornerback Sheldon Brown on a 19-yard touchdown with 8:06 left in the first half.

Texans safety Quintin Demps intercepted McCoy on the second-to-last play of the half, setting up Neil Rackers' 28-yard field goal that made it 24-3.

McCoy was sacked twice and Cleveland's offense produced 70 yards in the first half. Rookie outside linebacker Brooks Reed, who's replaced the injured Mario Williams, sacked McCoy again early in the third quarter.

Foster started Houston's next drive with a 27-yard run to go over 100 yards for the 13th time in his career. The Texans used seven minutes on the march, and Rackers kicked a 21-yard field goal to stretch the lead to 27-3.

Dawson and Rackers added field goals to make it 30-6, and McCoy finally got the Browns moving with a 20-yard pass to Cribbs in the fourth quarter.

McCoy took a hard hit from Reed after throwing a 24-yard pass to Greg Little to the Houston 5, and McCoy found Cribbs for a touchdown with 4:51 left. Nose tackle Shaun Cody intercepted McCoy on the 2-point conversion attempt.

The Browns finished with 10 first downs.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Dolphins make first win look easy

??Matt Moore threw for 244 yards and three touchdowns, Reggie Bush had 92 yards rushing and another score and the Miami Dolphins won their first game of the season in a big way, 31-3 over the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.

Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/45183164/ns/sports-nfl/

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Jets beat Bills for first road victory

NY forces three turnovers, moves into tie with Buffalo for 2nd in AFC East

Image: SanchezGetty Images

Jets quarterback?Mark Sanchez looks to pass during New York's victory over Buffalo on Sunday.

updated 4:29 p.m. ET Nov. 6, 2011

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. - The New York Jets' back-to-basics formula ? smashmouth defense and running the ball ? has them firmly back in the AFC East playoff race at midseason.

The Jets forced three turnovers, including Jim Leonhard's recovery of Fred Jackson's fumble that set up LaDainian Tomlinson's 1-yard plunge early in the second half of a 27-11 win over the Buffalo Bills. Mark Sanchez then put the Jets up 20-3 by hitting Santonio Holmes for an 8-yard touchdown.

Sanchez went 20 of 28 for 230 yards to overcome a pair of first-half turnovers: an interception and fumble. Fullback John Conner also scored on a 1-yard plunge, while Nick Folk hit two of three field-goal attempts, including a 50-yarder into the wind.

Led by Shonn Greene's 76 yards, New York gained 126 on the ground, the team's second-best total of the season. Greene did not finish the game after sustaining a head injury in the fourth quarter.

Coming out of their bye week, the Jets (5-3) extended their win streak to three following a three-game skid and moved into a tie with the Bills (5-3). It was also New York's first road win of the season after three straight losses. And it came against an opponent that opened 4-0 at "home," including last week's 23-0 win over Washington at Toronto.

The Jets' defense held firm the entire game, and essentially secured the victory in the first minute of the fourth quarter. With Buffalo down 20-3 and threatening, Bart Scott and Calvin Pace combined to stuff Jackson for no gain on fourth-and-inches at the New York 15 yard line.

The Jets responded with a 14-play, 84-yard drive capped by Conner's TD.

Pace also had an interception, as did David Harris, while Sione Pouha forced Jackson's fumble that set up Tomlinson's score to put the Jets ahead 13-0 in the third quarter.

The Jets contained an offense among the NFL's most prolific so far this season. Buffalo entered the game averaging 30.1 points, and had scored 20 or more points in each game.

Jackson, averaging 153 yards from scrimmage, was limited to 82 yards rushing and 38 receiving. He also fumbled for the first time this season.

Ryan Fitzpatrick finished 15 of 31 for 191 yards and two interceptions. He produced a mean-nothing 7-yard touchdown pass to David Nelson with 3:14 left, and the quarterback then ran the ball in for a 2-point conversion.

Otherwise, the Bills looked like their former popgun selves against what remains a dominant Jets defense. Through their first eight possessions, the Bills had as many turnovers as first downs ? three. The Bills also managed just 73 net yards in the first half.

The loss came as a huge letdown for a pompom waving, passionate fan-base that filled Ralph Wilson Stadium. Many of the fans wore white to match their team wearing all white uniforms for the first time since 1986.

It was a sloppy, mistake-filled first half in which the Jets blew several opportunities despite holding a large edge in time of possession: 20:47-9:13. Sanchez was picked off by Jairus Byrd at the end of an 87-yard drive.

The only score of the first half came on Nick Folk's 49-yard field goal.

Bills Hall of Fame owner Ralph Wilson made his first appearance of the season at Orchard Park after he missed his team's first four home games while recovering from a broken hip.

? 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Dolphins make first win look easy

??Matt Moore threw for 244 yards and three touchdowns, Reggie Bush had 92 yards rushing and another score and the Miami Dolphins won their first game of the season in a big way, 31-3 over the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.

Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/45182865/ns/sports-nfl/

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Oscars, Jones to honor Vanessa Redgrave in London (AP)

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. ? Vanessa Redgrave will be honored at the film academy's first European tribute to an actor.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences says it will honor Redgrave Sunday in London, where she is starring with James Earl Jones in the stage production of "Driving Miss Daisy."

Jones, who is to receive an honorary Oscar Saturday at the academy's Governors Awards, will fete his co-star in person. The 80-year-old actor is skipping the Governors Awards ceremony in Los Angeles to continue "Daisy's" run without interruption.

He plans to participate by video in the Governors Awards, where veteran makeup artist Dick Smith is also receiving an honorary Academy Award for his distinguished career in film and Oprah Winfrey will be presented with the academy's humanitarian award.

Meanwhile, across the pond, the academy will honor Redgrave for her five decades in film. The 74-year-old actress has been nominated for six Academy Awards and won for her supporting role in 1977's "Julia." This latest honor does not involve an Oscar statuette.

Redgrave and Jones played Miss Daisy and her loyal chauffer, Hoke, on Broadway before the production moved to London.

The academy honored producer Jeremy Thomas in London last year. Previous London honorees include Terry Gilliam, Harold Pinter and Lewis Gilbert.

___

Online:

www.oscars.org

___

AP Entertainment Writer Sandy Cohen can be reached at www.twitter.com/APSandy.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/movies/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111107/ap_en_mo/us_oscars_redgrave_jones

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Cain accuser sticks to allegation; he presses on (AP)

WASHINGTON ? A lawyer for one of Republican presidential hopeful Herman Cain's accusers declared Friday that she had alleged "several incidents of sexual harassment" in a complaint filed more than a decade ago.

The lawyer, Joel Bennett, said his client accepted a financial settlement as part of an agreement to leave her job at the National Restaurant Association shortly after lodging the complaint. Bennett did not name the woman, who he said had decided not "to relive the specifics" of the incidents in a public forum.

Cain has denied ever sexually harassing anyone and is trying to overcome the controversy and resume normal campaign activities.

In a statement late in the day, the restaurant association said Cain had disputed the woman's allegations at the time she made them more than a decade ago. He was CEO of the organization at the time.

Bennett's comments to reporters outside his law office came at a time Cain was making a concerted effort to show he would no longer allow the controversy to dominate his unlikely challenge for the GOP presidential nomination.

Cain drew cheers of support Friday from conservative activists as he delivered a speech focused on the U.S. economy. He is trying to convert his meteoric rise in opinion polls into a campaign organization robust enough to compete with Mitt Romney, Rick Perry and other rivals in early primary and caucus states.

In an appearance before the Americans For Prosperity Foundation, the career businessman pitched his trademark 9-9-9 economic program and referred only elliptically to the controversy that has overshadowed his campaign in recent days. "I've been in Washington all week, and I've attracted a little bit of attention," he said to knowing laughter from his audience.

Not everyone sounded ready to let it fade, despite Cain's repeated denials.

In Georgia, the state party chairwoman, Sue Everhart, said, "I think he has to completely put it behind him or it will continue to be a problem. He's got to do the housekeeping duties and clean this up."

She suggested Cain should coax the restaurant trade group to permit one of his accusers to make a public statement. That was before the woman's lawyer read her statement, with the trade group's permission.

The accuser, whose identity has not been made public, signed a confidentiality agreement when she left the organization more than a decade ago after accusing Cain, then the trade group's head, of sexual harassment. At the time of her departure, she received a financial settlement. The lawyer declined to say how much it had been.

At least two other women have made similar allegations, and a former pollster for the restaurant association has said he witnessed yet another episode.

The controversy surfaced as Cain, a black man in a party that draws its support overwhelmingly from white voters, was rising to the top in public opinion polls. His campaign announced Friday that donations so far this week have totaled $1.6 million, described as a fourfold increase over the average take for an entire month.

Official figures won't be available for weeks, but to judge from Cain's existing campaign organization, it could hardly come at a better time for him.

In Iowa, where caucuses kick off the campaign year on Jan. 3, Cain has a modest presence at best.

He let more than two months lapse between visits on Aug. 13 and Oct. 22, and aides say they don't expect him to return to the state until Nov. 19.

He employs four full-time staff in the state, while Perry and Rep. Michel Bachmann of Minnesota each have 10 on their campaign payroll. Romney, who is still evaluating how strenuously to compete in the state, also has a bigger staff than Cain.

Cain also trails his rivals in the endorsement competition in Iowa, an important but hardly foolproof indication of a candidate's viability.

Lisa Lockwood, a spokesman for Cain's campaign in Iowa, said he has the support of Dean Kleckner, a former state Farm Bureau president and a party activist, and Pottawattamie County Chairman Jeff Jorgenson.

By contrast, Romney, Perry, Bachmann and former Sen. Rick Santorum have netted endorsements from state lawmakers and local party officials whose own networks could potentially prove beneficial.

So far, Cain has not run television commercials in the state, unlike Bachmann, Perry and Rep. Ron Paul of Texas.

In South Carolina, which hosts the first Southern state caucus, Cain has a staff of four and shows evidence of grassroots support. He won a straw poll of 110 women at a state Federation of Republican Woman meeting last weekend, followed closely by former Speaker Newt Gingrich, Bachmann and Romney.

Perry appears to have the largest organization in the state, and enjoys the support of roughly a dozen state lawmakers as well as one member of the state's congressional delegation, Rep. Mark Mulvaney.

Nationally, Cain also lags several of his rivals in fundraising, based on reports filed through the end of September, the most recent available.

At the time, Perry, the Texas governor, reported cash on hand of $15 million. Romney, the former Massachusetts governor making his second presidential run, reported $14.6 million in the bank.

Cain's cash on hand was $1.3 million, and his filing indicated he was more reliant on small donors ? those giving $200 or less ? than either Romney or Perry.

While polls are notoriously fickle, particularly before the first ballots are cast in a presidential race, Cain shot up rapidly in recent weeks, largely at Perry's expense, and his aides were eager to circulate the results of a Washington Post survey taken as the sexual harassment controversy was unfolding.

It showed him in a statistical tie for first with Romney, who had 24 percent support to 23 for Cain. Perry had 13, followed by Gingrich with 12.

Seven in 10 Republicans polled said reports of the allegations don't matter when it comes to picking a candidate.

But in a sign of possible danger ahead, the poll found that Cain slipped to third place among those who see the accusations as serious, and Republican women were significantly more likely than men to say the allegations make them less apt to support the businessman. The survey found that support for Cain was basically steady over the four nights of interviewing, though new accusations were surfacing.

In South Carolina, LaDonna Riggs, chairwoman of the Spartanburg County Republican Party, said she had seen nothing so far that would cause party activists to abandon Cain. "You give me some substance to the questions and then we can talk," she said.

"If there's truth to it, then it could hurt him. But right now, it's just allegations," said Cyrus Hill, a 67-year-old retiree from Granger, Iowa. "Allegations aren't going to end him.

Dave Roszak, 51 and a resident of Clive, Iowa, said, "If it turns out he isn't being honest, it will take him down."

_____

Associated Press writers Tom Beaumont and Phil Elliott in Iowa, Steve Peoples in New Hampshire and Jim Davenport in South Carolina contributed to this story.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111104/ap_on_el_pr/us_cain

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'Breaking Dawn' Exclusive Clip: Check Out A Preview!

Watch a 10-second sneak peek before Rob, Kristen and Taylor join us live tonight at 7:56 p.m. ET on MTV.
By Kara Warner


Ashley Greene, Nikki Reed and Kristen Stewart in "Twilight: Breaking Dawn - Part 1"
Photo: Summit Entertainment

Can you stand it, "Twilight" fans? There are only a few hours until the premiere of an exclusive clip from "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1," followed by a lengthy Q&A with stars Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner as part of "MTV First: Breaking Dawn" tonight at 7:56 p.m. ET on MTV and MTV.com.

For those dying to know more about the clip Stewart, Pattinson and Lautner will be introducing, we have a special sneak peek for you right here, right now. The clip opens with Bella's mom entering the room in which Alice and Rosalie are helping Bella get ready for her wedding day.

"Crap, my mascara!" mom Renee Dwyer (Sarah Clarke) says when she sees Bella, at which point Alice hands her a tissue.

"Thanks," she says, dabbing at her eyes. "Charlie, get in here!" she calls to Bella's father (Billy Burke).

Charlie pops his head into the frame tentatively. "You sure?" he asks, at which point our teaser ends. Those in need of extra ogling and analysis can head over to Hollywood Crush for a photo from the clip, and then don't forget to tune in to MTV at 7:56 p.m. tonight to see the clip in its entirety, followed by a Q&A with the "Twilight" trio on MTV.com.

We haven't seen much from the highly anticipated nuptials between Bella and Edward, but Pattinson and co-star Peter Facinelli did tell us how pretty everything and everyone looked during filming.

"[Kristen] looked amazing," Pattinson told us of seeing Stewart in Bella's wedding dress. "I really didn't do anything much but just stand there."

"[The wedding scene was] beautiful and spectacular," Facinelli chimed in. "It's funny, because whenever we have a big important scene on 'Twilight' [movies], it rains. I was doing the baseball sequence [from 'Twilight'], and it was raining. But you never see it on film," he said of the crew's movie magic. "With this wedding, it rained the whole time we shot the two scenes. But you'll never see it on film; they block out the rain. They put tarps up, and you'll never see it. But for us, it was very wet and muddy and cold."

Be sure to tune in to "MTV First: Breaking Dawn - Part 1," which kicks off tonight at 7:56 p.m. ET on MTV, followed by a Q&A with Kristen, Rob and Taylor on MTV.com!

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1673670/twilight-breaking-dawn-kristen-stewart-preview-clip.jhtml

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Saif al-Islam Gaddafi may try to flee Libya: ICC (Reuters)

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) ? The International Criminal Court is still receiving information that Muammar Gaddafi's son Saif al-Islam may try to flee Libya with the help of mercenaries, the court's chief prosecutor said on Wednesday.

Luis Moreno-Ocampo also said he was investigating whether the former Libyan leader and his spy chief ordered mass rapes as they battled an insurgency earlier this year. Gaddafi died shortly after his capture last month by the former rebels, now the government forces.

But Ocampo told the U.N. Security Council his investigations would not be confined to Gaddafi's forces.

"There are allegations of crimes committed by NATO forces, allegations of crimes committed by NTC-related forces ... as well as allegations of additional crimes committed by pro-Gaddafi forces," he said in a speech to the council.

"These allegations will be examined impartially and independently by the (prosecution)."

NATO has denied allegations that it deliberately targeted civilians during its seven-month campaign of air strikes against Gaddafi's forces, which ended on Monday. Libya's National Transitional Council has vowed to investigate alleged executions and abuse of suspected Gaddafi supporters.

Human rights groups have said that NTC forces singled out sub-Saharan African migrant workers for arbitrary arrest and detention due to assumptions that they supported Gaddafi.

Libya's interim leadership has said it would like to try Saif al-Islam and former intelligence chief Abdullah al-Senussi in Libya. Both men have been indicted by the ICC for crimes against humanity and other war crimes.

"We are also receiving information that a group of mercenaries may be endeavoring to facilitate his (Saif al-Islam's) escape from Libya," Ocampo said. "We are calling upon states to do all they can to disrupt any such operation."

Saif al-Islam may be heading for Niger, which risks upsetting pro-Gaddafi Tuareg nomads if it hands him over to the ICC as it has promised to do if he shows up there.

POTENTIAL SURRENDER

Ocampo said people linked to Saif al-Islam had approached his office with questions "about the legal conditions attaching to his potential surrender to the court."

They included "what would happen to him if he appeared before the judges, could he be sent back to Libya, what would happen if he were to be convicted, what would happen if he were acquitted?" The intermediaries were told it would be possible to request that Saif al-Islam not be returned to Libya.

However, Ocampo wrote in a report submitted to the 15-nation Security Council that it was also possible for both men to be tried in Libya if they submit a formal request. It would then be up to ICC judges to decide.

Another possibility, he said, was for the ICC to conduct its own trials inside Libya.

Libya's Deputy U.N. Ambassador Ibrahim Dabbashi, in a speech to the council, did not make clear where he thought the two men should be tried if arrested but promised "consultation and close cooperation" with the court.

Dabbashi also said Libya's new rulers would make sure all those involved in crimes not covered by ICC jurisdiction received "transparent investigations and fair and just trials in Libyan courts."

Ocampo's probe of crimes committed during eight months of violence and war in Libya resulted in new investigations, including the possible use of rape by Gaddafi's side to persecute their enemies.

"While it is premature to draw conclusions on specific numbers, the information and evidence indicates at this stage that hundreds of rapes occurred during the conflict," he said.

Ocampo's office was interviewing potential witnesses who "indicated that Muammar Gaddafi, al-Senussi and other high officials were discussing the use of rape to persecute those considered dissidents or rebels."

The prosecutor's office was also searching for the personal assets of both Saif al-Islam and Senussi "for the potential benefit of the victims." Ocampo urged all U.N. member states to help the court locate the two men.

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice told the council Libyans could now rest assured that Gaddafi could never again persecute them the way he did for over four decades.

"But this does not and cannot justify the apparently brutal way that he met his death," she said. "We welcome the announcement of an investigation into Gaddafi's death."

(Editing by Christopher Wilson)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111102/wl_nm/us_libya

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