Navy investigating cheating on subs

HARTFORD, Conn.?? The Navy's inspector general for the Atlantic submarine force is investigating claims that pervasive cheating has tainted exams administered to enlisted sailors and officers as part of their nuclear training.

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The official leading the inquiry, Pat Urello, told The Associated Press that it began in August in response to a complaint that originated in Groton, Conn., the home port of an attack submarine that was rocked by an exam-cheating scandal last year.

The investigation could lead to changes for the submarine force, said Urello, the force inspector general.

"We have powers to take corrective action if corrective action is warranted," he said. Urello, who works for the submarine force commander in Norfolk, Va., said he could not provide further details.

'Not a widespread issue'
After the cheating ring was discovered aboard the Groton-based USS Memphis last November, the Navy fired the commanding officer and kicked off 10 percent of the crew. Navy officials said it reflected a rare lapse in integrity, but several former submarine officers told the AP for a story in August that it is not uncommon for sailors to receive answer keys or other hints before training exams.

Cmdr. Monica Rousselow, a spokeswoman for the submarine force, said the Navy has an obligation to investigate cheating allegations but authorities do not believe the problem extends beyond a few isolated cases.

"We stand by our statistics that show this is not a widespread issue and that there are rare occurrences of cheating that are being handled accordingly," she said.

Norman Polmar, a naval affairs expert and author, said he has heard murmurings of cheating in the submarine force for years. He said he hopes the inspector general will address the issue more deeply than previous investigations into individual submarines that "slapped a few hands."

"Everything I've heard indicates it's a significant problem within the submarine force," he said.

One former submarine officer who has described cheating as pervasive, Christopher Brownfield, said in an email that the investigation is a sign the Navy is taking the issue seriously.

"It's important to note that the IG does not toe the party line. They should have no qualms about finding and reporting any problems, if they still exist," said Brownfield, who wrote in a book published last year that his superiors aboard the USS Hartford urged him to accept an answer key to pass a nuclear qualification exam. "Their focus will likely be upon current operations, not upon the past."

Exam and inspection processes
The leadership of each submarine designs exams for crew members from the engineering department, who have to make it through rigorous training before going to sea with responsibility for maintaining the vessels' nuclear reactors. The training exams taken during deployments are part of a continuing training program that also includes drills and oral exams.

Several former submariners interviewed by the AP said there is no doubt the crews know how to handle the technology, but vessel commanders competing for the highest proficiency ratings have made the exams so difficult that they have little to do with the skills sailors actually need. As a consequence, they say, crew members sometimes bend the rules to pass.

Several former submariners say they have seen cheating firsthand or heard from sailors on other vessels that shortcuts on exams are common.

"There is a serious problem throughout the naval nuclear training process and fleet examination and inspection process that condones cheating and deceptive tactics to allow a ship to look better than its peers. Basically it's a competition," said a former member of the nuclear-trained personnel aboard the Memphis who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because he said he feared repercussions from the Navy. "It's so common a practice that people don't even realize that it's wrong."

Scandal on the Memphis
In the case of the Memphis, investigators found sailors were emailed the answers before qualification exams, took tests outside the presence of proctors and openly asked officers for answer keys. The sub's commander was relieved of duty, and 13 crew members were punished for their roles in the cheating ring.

The Navy has described the episode aboard the Memphis as highly unusual.

Officials at Naval Reactors, the agency that oversees the Navy's nuclear propulsion program, have said that roughly 16,000 nuclear-trained officers and enlisted sailors take several exams every year, and on average there are one or two cheating cases per year that result in the removal of nuclear qualifications.

In the wake of the scandal on the Memphis, submarine squadron commanders and commanding officers were encouraged to make any changes that might be necessary to prevent such cheating.

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

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45327120/ns/us_news-life/

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Murdoch lawyer says phone hacking 'shameful' (AP)

LONDON ? A lawyer for Rupert Murdoch's British newspapers said Tuesday that phone hacking was wrong and shameful, but insisted the huge criminal investigation it sparked proves journalists are not above the law.

Rhodri Davies told a judge-led inquiry into British media practices that Murdoch's News International apologized "unreservedly" for eavesdropping on cell phone voice mail messages of celebrities, politicians and crime victims.

He said the hacking "was wrong, it was shameful and it should never have happened."

"News International intends to ensure that what happened at the News of the World will not happen again and that fair compensation will be paid to those who suffered from it," Davies said.

For years Murdoch executives insisted that hacking was limited to private investigator Glenn Mulcaire and reporter Clive Goodman, who were both jailed in 2007 for eavesdropping on the phones of royal aides.

Davies said it clearly went much wider, but insisted that illegal activity had been curtailed ? if not stopped ? after the two men were caught. Police believe illegal voicemail interception continued until at least 2009.

Davies said that "lessons were learned when Mr. Goodman and Mr. Mulcaire went to jail."

He said that if phone hacking did continue after 2007, it was not "the thriving cottage industry which existed beforehand."

He also questioned a claim by the inquiry's lawyer about the scale of the illegal eavesdropping.

Inquiry counsel Robert Jay said Monday that five journalists had asked investigator Mulcaire to carry out 2,266 tasks.

Davies said News International wanted those figures checked.

He said that "2,266 taskings is 2,266 too many, five journalists commissioning them from the News of the World is five too many ... but nonetheless we think it is necessary to be accurate as far as possible."

Davies disputed a claim by actor Jude Law that his phone was hacked by the News of the World's sister paper, The Sun. Davies said he could not go into detail because of confidentiality issues.

Murdoch shut down the 168-year-old News of the World in July as the scale of phone hacking became clear. Several senior executives at his News Corp. have resigned over the scandal, which has rattled Britain's political, police and media establishments.

More than a dozen journalists have been arrested and questioned about phone hacking and police bribery, and News Corp. faces dozens of lawsuits from alleged victims.

The inquiry, led by judge Brian Leveson, is examining media ethics and could suggest a new regulatory regime for the press.

Dozens of prominent people who accuse the press of intrusion are lined up to participate including actor Hugh Grant, Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling, actress Sienna Miller and former Formula One boss Max Mosley.

News International and its rival media groups are all eager to avoid new restrictions, arguing that the current form of self-regulation through the Press Complaints Commission can be strengthened.

"Our plea is for the press not to be over-regulated," Davies said. "It is not for it to be above the law."

____

Online: The Leveson Inquiry: http://www.levesoninquiry.org.uk/

Jill Lawless can be reached at: http://twitter.com/JillLawless

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As Glaciers Melt, Bhutan Faces Risk of 'Mountain Tsunamis' (Time.com)

This post is in partnership with Worldcrunch, a new global-news site that translates stories of note in foreign languages into English. The article below was originally published in Le Monde.

(THIMPU) ? The Kingdom of Bhutan, tucked between India and China in the foothills of the Himalaya mountain range, is paying the price for global industrialization. To the north of the country, a chain of Himalayan glaciers is rapidly retreating ? by between 20 m and 30 m per year. Experts blame climate change and predict that by 2035, the glaciers could be gone altogether.

Water flows from these melting glaciers until it breaks the natural ice dams that hold it in place. That, in turn, can result in devastating floods like the one that occurred in 1994, when a torrent of mud killed dozens of people in Bhutan and wiped out entire villages. Western scientists call this phenomenon a glacial-lake-outburst flood, or GLOF. With 24 of its 2,674 glacial lakes considered unstable, Bhutan is preparing in the coming years for even deadlier "mountain tsunamis," as the phenomenon is sometimes referred to.

Bhutan is one of the first countries in the world to make GLOF prevention a national priority. In 2005, the government received environmental-protection funds financed in part by the U.N. Development Programme. The money was earmarked in part to help Bhutan drain water from Thorthormi Glacial Lake and reinforce its natural dams. But at that high altitude, the work is difficult, dangerous and ultimately costly. (See photos of Bhutan's new king.)

The air is too thin for helicopters to be of much use. Instead, a group of some 350 residents had to hike 10 days in order to set up a base camp at 5,000-m elevation. From there, volunteer students, retired soldiers and traditionally clothed villagers work knee-deep in glacial water, using the few tools they have to try to open a drain canal and build stone walls to reinforce the lake. Every year their efforts are interrupted by the arrival of winter.

"Thanks to satellite imagery, it's possible to identify the most dangerous glaciers. But it's impossible to say when or where a catastrophe will happen," says Pradeep Mool, an engineer with the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, based in Kathmandu, Nepal.

Researchers take various factors into account when assessing GLOF risk: topography, the likelihood of avalanches that could cause a lake to overflow, how solid a glacial lake's natural dikes are and the volume of water the lake contains.

The causes of glacial floods are various and difficult to evaluate. And at high altitude, in extreme-climate conditions, collecting such information can be extremely dangerous. Dowchu Dukpa, an engineer with Bhutan's Ministry of the Environment, recalls how scientists struggled to measure water levels on Thorthormi Lake. "The winds were extremely strong and almost capsized [the researchers'] boat," he says. (Read about Bhutan's royal wedding.)

Authorities have identified certain high-risk zones and, in an effort to save lives, prohibited construction in those areas. They now plan to set up an electronic alert system. Sensors placed in the glacial lakes will keep track of water levels. If the level quickly drops, a message will be relayed by SMS so that residents ? alerted via cell phones ? will know to seek shelter.

Water Woes for 750 Million?
Although these "tsunamis from above" may be the most immediate danger, they are not the only threat facing the people of Bhutan. As the Himalayan glaciers disappear, so too will the rivers on which the kingdom depends. Water, after all, is the country's most precious resource. Bhutan depends on it to irrigate its fields, which support thousands of farmers, and to feed its hydroelectric plants, which generate about 40% of the country's wealth each year. Water is to Bhutan what oil is to Kuwait.

Decreasing water levels in the rivers will also have an impact on countries farther downstream, potentially affecting the entire region. Members of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change calculate that the melting of the Himalayan glaciers will cause water supply problems for some 750 million people.

Even though Bhutan is hardly responsible for climate change, it nevertheless wants to be a world leader in sustainable development. Thanks to the forests that cover 82% of its territory, it is one of the few countries on the planet to absorb more greenhouse gasses that it emits. Written into the constitution, in fact, is a commitment to keep at least 60% of its territory forested.

Says Ugyen Tshewang, who directs Bhutan's national environmental commission: "We're threatened by the melting glaciers, yet we cannot exert any pressure on the industrialized countries."

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New Space Station Crew to Launch Into Orbit Tonight (SPACE.com)

Three spaceflyers will launch to the International Space Station tonight (Nov. 13), to begin a months-long mission to the orbiting outpost.

NASA astronaut Dan Burbank and Russian cosmonauts Anton Shkaplerov and Anatoly Ivanishin are slated to launch aboard a Russian-built Soyuz rocket tonight at 11:14 p.m. EST (0415 GMT Nov. 14) from the Baikonour Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.?

Tonight's liftoff will be the first manned flight of the Soyuz rocket since the Russian-built booster suffered a failure in August. It will also be the first trio of station crewmembers to launch to the complex since NASA grounded its fleet of space shuttles in July after 30 years of service.

On Aug. 24, a Soyuz rocket carrying a robotic cargo freighter suffered a crippling malfunction minutes after launch. The booster and Progress 44 cargo ship crashed in Siberia, and the 2.9 tons of supplies onboard were lost.

The crash was a rare accident for the steadfast Soyuz rockets, and the incident prompted investigations into the cause of the problem. An investigation by Russia's Federal Space Agency and an independent NASA panel pinpointed a gas generator malfunction in the rocket's third stage as the root of the issue.

While the inquiry was underway, Russian space officials halted spaceflight operations to the station since similar versions of the Soyuz rocket are used to launch unmanned Progress vehicles and crewed Soyuz capsule to the space station. [50 Great Russian Rocket Launch Photos]

On Oct. 30, in what was the first supply run to the orbiting complex since the August crash, an unmanned Progress 45 cargo ship successfully launched to the station carrying nearly 3 tons of supplies for the orbiting outpost.

Burbank, Shkaplerov and Ivanishin are expected to arrive at the space station on Wednesday (Nov. 16) at 12:33 a.m. EST (0530 GMT), and dock their Soyuz TMA-22 spacecraft to the Russian Poisk module. The three spaceflyers will join the rest of the station's Expedition 29 crew: commander Mike Fossum of NASA, Japanese astronaut Satoshi Furukawa and Russian cosmonaut Sergei Volkov.

Burbank will become commander of the space station's Expedition 30 mission once Fossum, Furukawa and Volkov depart.

"My job as a member of the Expedition 29 crew, I?m flight engineer on that crew, and as commander of Expedition 30, first and foremost I think is to make sure that we?re safe, that everybody on the crew is safe and that the space station is operated safely," Burbank said in a preflight interview. "And then beyond that is to be a lab technician, to be a collaborator with the scientists on the ground doing the science, and to do that utilization and that?s in a bit of a contrast from the kinds of missions I?ve done before in the shuttle, but I?m really looking forward to it."

Fossum, Furukawa and Volkov were the last space station crew to welcome a visiting space shuttle. The trio arrived at the outpost in June and will return to Earth on Nov. 21.

You can follow SPACE.com staff writer Denise Chow on Twitter @denisechow. Follow SPACE.com for the latest in space science and exploration news on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.

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Kindle Fire Adds Hulu Plus and ESPN to Its App Bounty [Amazon]

Those concerned about Amazon's curated Kindle Fire app approach have less and less reason to be concerned; in addition to the slew of games, Netflix, and Pandora announced earlier this week, Amazon's got ESPN and Hulu Plus in its stable. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/ZuI_pIkUnuc/kindle-fire-adds-hulu-plus-and-espn-to-its-app-bounty

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AP source: Papelbon, Phillies agree at $50 million (AP)

PHILADELPHIA ? Jonathan Papelbon can do his Irish Jig on Broad Street.

A person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press that the Philadelphia Phillies and Papelbon have agreed to a $50 million, four-year contract that's the largest ever for a reliever. The person spoke on condition of anonymity Friday because the deal had not yet been announced and is subject to Papelbon passing a physical.

Papelbon, who turns 30 on Nov. 23, had 219 saves over seven seasons with the Boston Red Sox, including 31 this year, when he made $12 million. He will replace Ryan Madson, who also is a free agent.

B.J. Ryan's $47 million, five-year contract with Toronto signed before the 2006 season had been the largest for a reliever.

Madson's agent, Scott Boras, and Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. were close to a $44 million, four-year deal on Monday. But Amaro told Boras the following day that team president Dave Montgomery wouldn't approve the deal. That offer included a vesting option that would have taken the contract to $57 million over five years.

The Phillies have long been opposed to giving pitchers contracts beyond three years. They made an exception last year when they signed left-hander Cliff Lee to a $120 million, five-year deal.

The right-handed Papelbon, a four-time All-Star, helped the Red Sox to the 2007 World Series title. He donned a kilt and danced his trademark Irish jig at the championship celebration.

Papelbon can do whatever he likes if he can help the Phillies secure another World Series title. The five-time NL East champions are seeking their second Series victory since 2008. They lost in the World Series to the New York Yankees in 2009, were eliminated in the NLCS in 2010 and got knocked out in the NL division series this year.

Madson was outstanding in his first year as the team's closer, converting 32 of 34 chances. He was Brad Lidge's setup man for the previous three years, and spent his first nine seasons in Philadelphia. Madson was 47-30 with a 3.59 ERA and 52 saves in 491 career games, including 18 starts.

Papelbon, a starter in the minor leagues, has converted 88.3 percent of his save opportunities to go with a 23-19 record and a 2.33 ERA in 396 career appearances. He had a career-high 41 saves in 2008.

Signing a closer and re-signing former NL MVP Jimmy Rollins were Philadelphia's top two offseason priorities. Rollins, a three-time All-Star shortstop, wants to return to the Phillies and the team wants to bring him back at the right price.

Papelbon is a Type A free agent, meaning the Phillies will have to forfeit their first draft pick in next year's amateur draft to Boston.

Papelbon's agreement was first reported by CSNPhilly.com.

__

AP Sports Writer Ronald Blum in New York contributed to this report.

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Australia poised to fight big tobacco in courts (AP)

CANBERRA, Australia ? The Australian government said Thursday it is ready to fight big tobacco companies in court to enact the world's toughest laws on cigarette promotion ? rules that would ban logos and other advertising on cigarette packs.

The Senate passed in an amended form legislation on Thursday that would prohibit tobacco companies from displaying their distinctive colors, brand designs and logos on cigarette packs in a bid to make smoking less attractive to the young. The legislation is expected to become law with the House of Representatives accepting the amendment later this month.

Cigarettes would be sold in drab, olive green packs, with brand names dwarfed by health warnings and graphic images of smoking's consequences.

The government said that the laws will come into force in December 2012.

Tobacco giants argue that the move illegally diminishes the value of their trademarks. They have threatened a court battle for billions of dollars in compensation.

Health Minister Nicola Roxon said her government was "determined to take away the last method of advertising" cigarettes in Australia.

"We're not going to be bullied into not taking this action just because tobacco companies say they might fight us in the courts," she told reporters. "We're ready for that if they do take legal action."

British American Tobacco Australia Ltd., the Australian market leader, on Thursday warned it will soon challenge the law in the Australian High Court, and claimed the government was on "shaky legal ground."

"No other country in the world has implemented plain packaging and there are many good reasons for that," spokesman Scott McIntyre said in a statement.

Australia is a relatively small tobacco market, where the rate of smokers is 17 percent and falling, compared with around 20 percent of American adults. But tobacco companies fear that if Australia's law stands, countries with more lucrative and growing markets could adopt the same strategy.

The warnings and often gruesome, full-color images of the consequences of smoking, such as mouth cancer and gangrenous toes, would cover 75 percent of the packs' front. Graphic health warnings currently cover only 30 percent.

Offenders would face fines of up to 1.1 million Australian dollars ($1.2 million) for a company and AU$220,000 for an individual. Australia already bans advertising at the point of sale.

Hong Kong-based Philip Morris Asia Limited, which owns the Australian affiliate Philip Morris Limited, filed a notice of claim against the government in an Australian court in June arguing that the legislation violates a bilateral investment treaty between Australia and Hong Kong.

Philip Morris says the treaty protects companies' property, including intellectual property such as trademarks. It says plain packaging severely diminishes the value of the company's trademark.

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Italy's debt crisis: Why everyone is panicking (The Week)

New York ? Fears that Italy will not be able to pay its creditors raises fears of another global economic meltdown

World financial markets erupted in turmoil this week, as fears mounted that Italy could default on its massive government debt. The crisis has already cost Italy's controversial prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, his job. But why is it scaring people across Europe, and even here in the U.S.? Here, a brief guide:

Is Italy really in such bad shape?
In a word, yes. The country has financed years of lavish social benefits by borrowing and borrowing, piling up $2.6 trillion in sovereign debt. That's 130 percent of the country's gross domestic product of $2 trillion ? way beyond what economists say any country can manage for long. As investors lose faith that Italy's leaders will ever get their finances in order, Italy is having to offer a higher and higher interest rate on its bonds just to borrow enough money to get by. On Wednesday, that rate spiked above 7 percent, the tipping point at which economists say a country's debt becomes unsustainable. Shortly after Greece, Portugal, and the Irish Republic hit that level, they had to be bailed out.

Why don't European leaders just rescue Italy, too?
It's too big to bail out. It's basically "Greece on steroids," says Kevin Drum at Mother Jones. Italy's economy is the eighth largest in the world, more than six times larger than Greece's. And Italy owes its creditors more than Greece, Ireland, Portugal, and Spain combined owe. It would take nearly $1 trillion to rescue Italy, Capital Economics' John Higgins tells Forbes, but the European Financial Stability Facility ? the EU's bailout fund ? has as little as $340 billion left in it.

Can Italian leaders clean up their own act?
Maybe, but it might be too late. Berlusconi's final act was putting together an austerity plan that would slash the country's budget deficit from 3.6 percent of GDP to 2 percent, which is quite low. Take out the interest on its debt, and Italy already runs a surplus. But Italy has let its total debt grow so large that it will have to borrow 300 billion euros ? "a massive 19 percent of GDP" ? in private capital markets just to pay off bonds that mature in 2012. "No one wants to lend to a country when that country would use the loan to pay the interest on previous loans," says Robert Peston at BBC News, "That's throwing good money after bad."

What happens if Italy defaults?
Many people fear that Italy's collapse could send borrowing costs spiralling higher across Europe, spreading the crisis to other big economies, such as France. To pay off its debts, Italy might even abandon the euro and pay its creditors with a new domestic currency, at a one-to-one exchange. "The currency would then 'float' (i.e., sink)," says The Economist, and the magnitude of its drop in value would determine how much Italy's default would cost the banks and other investors that lent it euros. The losses could cripple Europe's financial system and spark runs on banks in Italy, then in other debt-burdened countries. Businesses would go under. The chaos could "send shockwaves around the world," says Michael Schuman at TIME, "that would rival, even possibly exceed, the ones we saw extend from Wall Street in 2008."

Sources: CNBC, BBC News, Mother Jones, MarketWatch,?Forbes, The Economist, TIME

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Church can be liable for abuse by priests, rules judge

THE Catholic Church and senior bishops can be held legally responsible for sexual abuse by priests, the High Court in Britain has ruled in a landmark judgment.

Mr Justice MacDuff gave a decision in favour of a 47-year-old woman who claims that she was sexually assaulted as a child by the late Fr Wilfred Baldwin, a priest of the Portsmouth diocese, at a Hampshire children's home run by an order of nuns.

Giving his decision on a preliminary issue in her damages action, he ruled that the church "may be vicariously liable''.

The Portsmouth Roman Catholic Diocesan Trust was given leave to appeal.

Lord Faulks, for the trust, said that the Catholic Church "takes sexual abuse extremely seriously and it is entirely concerned to eradicate it".

During the hearing of the issue in July, the judge was told by Elizabeth-Anne Gumbel, representing the woman at the centre of the abuse claim, that the issue was whether the church "can ever be vicariously liable in any situation for any tort at all".

Lawyers for the alleged victim said it was the first time a court had been asked to rule on whether the "relationship between a Catholic priest and his bishop is akin to an employment relationship".

Ms Gumbel told the judge the preliminary issue was "essentially whether Fr Baldwin should be treated as having been in the position of an employee" of the trustees of the Portsmouth Roman Catholic Diocesan Trust.

She said: "The preliminary issue is intended to determine an issue of wide general importance in respect of claims against the Catholic Church.

"That is whether any priest carrying out his work as a Roman Catholic priest is in a position akin to an employee for the purposes of imposing vicarious liability on the relevant diocesan trustees or bishop of the Roman Catholic diocese."

If the answer was "yes", then the next issue would be whether the priest was carrying out the actions complained of in circumstances which were "closely connected" with his role and/or work as a priest.

If the answer was "no", there would be "no circumstances where the Roman Catholic Church was liable for the actions of one of its priests."

In his written ruling, Mr Justice MacDuff made clear that it had been agreed for the purposes of the litigation that the trustees of the Portsmouth Roman Catholic Diocesan Trust "stood in the place of the Bishop of Portsmouth at the material time".

He said: "The issue is whether the diocesan bishop should be held vicariously liable for the torts of the priest of his diocese."

The claimant, who is seeking damages for personal injury, alleges that she was sexually abused and raped by Fr Baldwin, who died in 2006, when she was resident at the Firs Children's Home in Waterlooville, Hampshire, between May 1970 and May 1972.

Mr Justice MacDuff said the issue "turns upon the relationship between Fr Baldwin and the defendant (the trust)".

He said: "The defendant contends that Fr Baldwin was not its employee, nor was the relationship 'akin to employment' and that vicarious liability cannot attach to the relationship which exists between them."

Contract

In the preliminary issue, he only had to decide "whether the nature of the relationship (between Fr Baldwin and the defendants) is one to which vicarious liability may -- I emphasise may -- attach".

The differences from a contract of employment were that there was "no real element of control or supervision, no wages, no formal contract and so on".

He added: "But are those differences such that the defendants should not be made responsible for the tortious acts of the priest acting within the course of his ministry?

"There are, it seems to me, crucial features which should be recognised. Fr Baldwin was appointed by and on behalf of the defendants.

"He was so appointed in order to do their work; to undertake the ministry on behalf of the defendants for the benefit of the church."

The judge added: "It was they who appointed him to the position of trust which (if the allegations be proved) he so abused." (? Daily Telegraph, London)

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