Iran and North Korea Sign Tech Agreement To Produce ‘iPhone Killer’

PYONGYANG, NORTH KOREA (The Global Edition) – Iran and North Korea signed a scientific and technological cooperation agreement Saturday, in an effort to join the brightest minds from both countries and to create a smartphone that will finally topple iPhone from its throne, reports Gizmodo. According to pictures coming from military satellites, Iranian state owned tech company AAK, best known for their efforts to compete on the nuclear market, is already said to be working with North Korea’s only company, government-run “Kim LCC” to produce the new smartphone labeled by dictatorships’ experts as “the iPhone killer” and appropriately named ‘iPhoneKilla’. Setting up joint scientific and technological laboratories, exchange of scientific teams between the two countries, and the transfer of technology in the fields of handheld devices is already underway, local sources report. Iranian state TV did not provide further details on the upcoming device, but said it will feature a bigger, brighter screen with both a touchpad and a physical keyboard, rounded square corners, preinstalled applications, and “other neat stuff”. Leaked satellite image of iPhoneKilla sketch This technical accord between Pyongyang and Tehran is likely to raise suspicions in the West, where the general public doubts anyone could make a device “as sweet” as the iPhone. Apple has frequently accused North Korea of providing Iran with advanced portable computer technology capable of targeting Western European geek markets. Last year, Iran denied a TechCrunch report that said that North Korea and Iran appear to have been regularly exchanging sketches of the mobile device, brainstorming icon design ideas, and high resolution screen materials. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told Kim, the North Korean Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly, that North Korea and Iran have “a common enemy in Apple’s best-selling product.” Iran and North Korea’s joint effort smartphone would use the operating system “Leader”, developed in Iran in the last decade of Ayatollah’s rule. The only North Korean company “Kim” will be in charge of making the hardware for the upcoming device, The Global Edition has discovered. In a recent blog post about the countries’ plans, Gizmodo’s Sam Biddle wrote, “Nobody thinks Iran and North Korea can pull off a real smartphone, but we have to wait and see. If they succeed in their intentions, they will effectively kill the Samsung Galaxy too, because it’s basically the same thing as the iPhone.” According to rumors from Iranian tech community blogs, the price of the new device will not exceed 1,200,284.0000 Iranian rial (12,975,200 North Korean won). This is not the first time that Iran and North Korea were expected to team up. Last year, espionage analysts revealed that the two countries may be developing a tablet together, with the aim to make it affordable to third world countries

Iran and North Korea Sign Tech Agreement To Produce ‘iPhone Killer’

PYONGYANG, NORTH KOREA (The Global Edition) – Iran and North Korea signed a scientific and technological cooperation agreement Saturday, in an effort to join the brightest minds from both countries and to create a smartphone that will finally topple iPhone from its throne, reports Gizmodo. According to pictures coming from military satellites, Iranian state owned tech company AAK, best known for their efforts to compete on the nuclear market, is already said to be working with North Korea’s only company, government-run “Kim LCC” to produce the new smartphone labeled by dictatorships’ experts as “the iPhone killer” and appropriately named ‘iPhoneKilla’. Setting up joint scientific and technological laboratories, exchange of scientific teams between the two countries, and the transfer of technology in the fields of handheld devices is already underway, local sources report. Iranian state TV did not provide further details on the upcoming device, but said it will feature a bigger, brighter screen with both a touchpad and a physical keyboard, rounded square corners, preinstalled applications, and “other neat stuff”. Leaked satellite image of iPhoneKilla sketch This technical accord between Pyongyang and Tehran is likely to raise suspicions in the West, where the general public doubts anyone could make a device “as sweet” as the iPhone. Apple has frequently accused North Korea of providing Iran with advanced portable computer technology capable of targeting Western European geek markets. Last year, Iran denied a TechCrunch report that said that North Korea and Iran appear to have been regularly exchanging sketches of the mobile device, brainstorming icon design ideas, and high resolution screen materials. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told Kim, the North Korean Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly, that North Korea and Iran have “a common enemy in Apple’s best-selling product.” Iran and North Korea’s joint effort smartphone would use the operating system “Leader”, developed in Iran in the last decade of Ayatollah’s rule. The only North Korean company “Kim” will be in charge of making the hardware for the upcoming device, The Global Edition has discovered. In a recent blog post about the countries’ plans, Gizmodo’s Sam Biddle wrote, “Nobody thinks Iran and North Korea can pull off a real smartphone, but we have to wait and see. If they succeed in their intentions, they will effectively kill the Samsung Galaxy too, because it’s basically the same thing as the iPhone.” According to rumors from Iranian tech community blogs, the price of the new device will not exceed 1,200,284.0000 Iranian rial (12,975,200 North Korean won). This is not the first time that Iran and North Korea were expected to team up. Last year, espionage analysts revealed that the two countries may be developing a tablet together, with the aim to make it affordable to third world countries

US Navy Successfully Tests New Anti-Ballistic Missile over Pacific

The latest upgrade to America’s primary defense against a missile attack from belligerent enemies, assuming one ever launched a ballistic missile against the US, has successfully destroyed a test missile off the coast of Hawaii this week, writes Robert Beckhusen for Wired News. The Raytheon-built Standard Missile-3 interceptor is key to the next phase of an anti-missile shield being built by the United States in and around Europe, Pentagon’s Missile Defense Agency (MDA) announced. “Initial indications are that all components performed as designed,” the agency said in a statement. The Pentagon plans to deploy increasingly capable SM-3 versions up to around 2020 to boost defenses against missiles that could be fired by enemies, specifically at this time, Iran and North Korea. According to the MDA, the test involved a short-range target missile launched on Wednesday from the military’s Kauai-based Pacific Missile Range. The target missile then flew over the Pacific Ocean, where it was tracked by the Aegis cruiser USS Lake Erie, and was then destroyed in mid-flight with a “kinetic” interceptor launched from the ship, “using only the force of a direct impact,” the Pentagon’s statement read. That means the test missile was brought down by blunt-force trauma, writes Robert Beckhusen for Wired News. Raytheon was happy with the results, telling David Wichner of the Arizona Daily Star, “Obviously, we’re very happy and pleased – it was a great day not only for Raytheon, but for the whole industry-government team,” explained Wes Kremer, vice president of Air and Missile Defense Systems for Raytheon. “The [interceptor] does not have a warhead. It’s a kill vehicle, and it maneuvers into the path of the threat, and the threat is destroyed by the kinetic energy of the impact,” Kremer told Beckhusen. “So there’s no warhead, it can’t be a near miss, and then it blows up; so it’s literally a skin-to-skin contact between the kill vehicle and the target.” The interceptor had failed to knock out its target in its maiden intercept test in September, leading to a continuing delay in Raytheon’s production, writes Wichner. The interceptor is due to be deployed on land in Romania by 2015 in the second stage of President Barack Obama’s “phased adaptive” approach to missile defense. It will also be used on ships equipped with Lockheed Martin’s “Aegis” anti-missile combat system. The Aegis system, named after the mythological shield carried by Zeus, ties together sensors, computers, displays, weapons launchers and weapons. A total of 27 specially equipped Aegis warships are set up for ballistic missile defense – 23 in the US Navy and four in the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force. What makes this intercept device different from its predecessor is a device called a two-color infrared seeker, which expands the interceptor’s range and helps it find its target more quickly. This is also more maneuverable, owing to “a more flexible throttleable divert and attitude control system” according to the Pentagon statement. As of right now, the SM-3 system and its planned follow-up, the SM-6, have further upgrades in store and are also expected to be installed on more ships like the Lake Erie and the USS Monterrey, currently deployed to the Mediterranean with the SM-3 interceptor missiles on board, reports Jim Wolf for Reuters. By 2020, the upgrades should have progressed to the point to be able to stop intercontinental missiles. Two more tests for the Block 1B are scheduled for later this year and with the near-inevitability of some kind of missile defense shield over Europe implemented in the coming years, the systems better work.

Who Was The Best James Bond?

The Gold Standard: In NPR's survey, most readers chose Sean Connery (above, in Goldfinger), as the best James Bond. Daniel Craig placed second in our survey. It's official: Sean Connery IS James Bond, according to NPR readers who weighed the question this week. The final results show that

, the spy known for his playfulness, his ruthlessness — and his ability to look good in a suit. Today marks the Bond film franchise's 50th anniversary. Six actors have played James Bond in the Eon Productions films that began in 1962, when Connery established the role in Dr. No. He went on to star in six of the first seven Bond films. And more than 50 percent of those who voted think that he made the most of his head start. "Sean Connery," commented reader Pops Parker, is "the clear number one. There is humanity behind the noble facade and the man has an unassuming style." Several others who wrote in followed Connery's name with "of course" — suggesting it's a no-brainer that the man who first immortalized the line "Bond... James Bond" and romped with Ursula Andress and Honor Blackman made the role his own. Who Was The Best James Bond? (Closed) Sean Connery

Sean Connery 56.3% (9,902 Clicks) Daniel Craig

Daniel Craig 27.81% (4,892 Clicks) Pierce Brosnan

Pierce Brosnan 8.17% (1,437 Clicks) Roger Moore

Roger Moore 5.27% (927 Clicks) Timothy Dalton

Timothy Dalton 1.3% (228 Clicks) George Lazenby

George Lazenby 1.15% (203 Clicks) Total: 17,589 "Certainly Sean [Connery]

was a fantastic first Bond,

" says Michael G. Wilson, step-son of original Bond film producer Albert "Cubby" Broccoli, in an interview with Morning Edition's David Greene. "He really set the bar, and everyone else has to measure up to that." Eon Productions, the company that Broccoli co-founded to produce the James Bond films, is now run by Wilson and his step-sister, Barbara Broccoli. The company will soon release its 23rd Bond movie. The current Bond, Daniel Craig, placed a strong second in our survey, with more than a quarter of the votes. Many readers said they like the intensity and the humanity they feel in Craig's portrayal. And for both Craig and Connery, some folks just admit to being enthralled by their good looks and effortless cool. Craig was praised for bringing "Bond back from the dead," as Mark Novak wrote, after Pierce Brosnan's run ended with 2002's Die Another Day. And he did it in Casino Royale, a box office hit that retraced Bond's origins and revived the edge and sophistication that marked Connery's best films. Many voters said Craig's mix of strong acting skills and "physical prowess" won them over. But others docked him a few points because he doesn't share the tall and dark-haired physical traits of the other actors. At 5 feet 10, the blue-eyed and blond-haired Craig is the only Bond to stand less than 6 feet 1. But to NPR reader Brim Stone, Craig's appearance helps to put him ahead of the others — because he is "by far the least concerned with the condition of his hair." Some readers who sided with Connery added that they expect Craig to strengthen his position as more viewers see him in the role. He returns as Bond in Skyfall, which has its U.S. debut in November. Many readers who prefer Pierce Brosnan's portrayal point to his charm, his good looks, and his ability to pull off action scenes like the fencing duel in Die Another Day. Others find him too "suave." But it's indisputable that when GoldenEye was released in 1995, Brosnan breathed fresh life into a franchise that had lain dormant for six years — the longest gap in the Bond films. And it should be noted that if Brosnan hadn't been attached to the NBC TV series Remington Steele in 1987, he would almost certainly have been the Bond who followed Moore. Famously, the burst of publicity over his looming choice as 007 led TV executives not to kill the show, and Brosnan's contract required him to turn the role down. If that hadn't happened, Brosnan might have reached his reported goal of appearing in six Bond films, instead of four. And his case as the best Bond could have been that much stronger. Timothy Dalton and Roger Moore provoked some of the most polarized responses, with Dalton alternately praised for the light-hearted The Living Daylights and shunned for the "disturbingly vicious" License to Kill, to quote commenter David Brown. Impressions of Moore seem to depend on which phase of his career is being considered. Is he the 1970s box office power behind Live and Let Die and The Spy Who Loved Me, or the 58-year-old who chased Grace Jones around Paris in A View to a Kill in 1985? "Roger Moore played the role for too long," wrote Sarah Rasul, boiling down the sentiments of several voters. And perhaps he did. But Moore also set the record for starring as James Bond — an apt seven times. (Connery also played the role seven times, but one of those was the not-quite-official Never Say Never Again, a 1983 remake of his own Thunderball). With the metal-toothed Jaws as his recurring nemesis, Moore put a sense of humor and fun into the role that, for better or worse, made Bond more approachable. Armed with two of the most agile eyebrows ever captured on film, Moore often seemed to invite his audience in on the fun. His successor, Timothy Dalton, brought more subtlety to the role, along with a focus that leads many fans to see his two films as a crucial transition phase. A commenter who wrote in as "Stanford White Cat" says that Dalton, an accomplished stage actor, got Bond back on track from being a "gadget toting womanizer" to the more complex character of an elite spy. Fans of the Ian Fleming novels that introduced the Bond character seem particularly likely to endorse Dalton, thanks to his no-nonsense approach. But Dalton didn't get a chance to build a true body of work, as he appeared in fewer Bond films than anyone except George Lazenby. And then there was one. What to say about George Lazenby? He had the tough job of following Sean Connery, who had become so identified with James Bond that he stepped away from the role to avoid being typecast. After a gap of only two years, the Australian Lazenby stepped into the breach. And 1969's On Her Majesty's Secret Service didn't grab the fans — or the money — that its predecessors had. As perhaps the most athletic Bond, Lazenby had no trouble with the role's physical demands. But his voice was dubbed in sections of the film, and he decided before its debut that he didn't want to continue in the role. Today, Lazenby seems to benefit from fans who are either suckers for an underdog, outright revisionist, or Australian. At 30, he was the youngest actor to play Bond. For our survey, Lazenby figures in one of the funniest comments. It came from Dave J, who wrote, "A vote for lazenby is like a vote for ralph nader." But the remark didn't impress Lois Immerman, who responded with "Two words: BOBSLED CHASE; Lazenby is the MAN." While our informal survey might not have settled this question for all time, it has at least put the actors into perspective, and into a rough pecking order. Each of them have their good points, as our more open-minded readers note. And all of them were at the mercy of the moviemakers behind their projects. Many readers say that the films featuring Connery and Craig benefit from having the best scripts and the strongest cinematography. As Donald Westrich notes, "I never thought I'd say it, but Craig by a nose over Connery.... thanks to the script writers for Casino Royale II, which allowed Craig to invest the Bond character with a depth earlier portrayers never had a chance to explore, even if they'd been capable of doing so." Each Bond film also reflects its era, from the neato gadgetry of the 1960s to the cheesey indulgence of the 1980s. In the 21st century, producer Barbara Broccoli says, Craig "has allowed the audience into Bond's inner life. Into the complexities, the conflicts that Bond expresses in the novels." Spanning 50 years, the Bond films have served as landmarks in many viewers' lives. And their appreciation for the actors who played 007 sometimes changed over the years, as well. As reader Will Wood put it, "I grew up with Moore, and I liked him until I turned twelve, then I saw Connery and he clearly reset the bar for me. When I was in my twenties I decided to read the books, and I have to say, the Ian Fleming character is a restless, angry, violent, heavy drinking, barely in control, and deeply cynical spy fully aware that his license to kill is also a license to be killed." The resourceful and volatile spy portrayed in Fleming's books is also the character that the current version of Bond aspires to, Broccoli says. "And that Bond is, yes, a lot darker," she says, "but he also has vulnerability." Note: Our informal survey was restricted to actors who portrayed Bond in the widely seen Eon/Broccoli-produced films.

The Gold Standard: In NPR's survey, most readers chose Sean Connery (above, in Goldfinger), as the best James Bond. Daniel Craig placed second in our survey. It's official: Sean Connery IS James Bond, according to NPR readers who weighed the question this week. The final results show that

, the spy known for his playfulness, his ruthlessness — and his ability to look good in a suit. Today marks the Bond film franchise's 50th anniversary. Six actors have played James Bond in the Eon Productions films that began in 1962, when Connery established the role in Dr. No. He went on to star in six of the first seven Bond films. And more than 50 percent of those who voted think that he made the most of his head start. "Sean Connery," commented reader Pops Parker, is "the clear number one. There is humanity behind the noble facade and the man has an unassuming style." Several others who wrote in followed Connery's name with "of course" — suggesting it's a no-brainer that the man who first immortalized the line "Bond... James Bond" and romped with Ursula Andress and Honor Blackman made the role his own. Who Was The Best James Bond? (Closed)

Sean Connery 56.3% (9,902 Clicks)

Daniel Craig 27.81% (4,892 Clicks) Pierce Brosnan 8.17% (1,437 Clicks) Roger Moore 5.27% (927 Clicks) Timothy Dalton 1.3% (228 Clicks) George Lazenby 1.15% (203 Clicks) Total: 17,589 Create Your Own Poll "Certainly Sean [Connery] was a fantastic first Bond," says Michael G. Wilson, step-son of original Bond film producer Albert "Cubby" Broccoli, in an interview with Morning Edition's David Greene. "He really set the bar, and everyone else has to measure up to that." Eon Productions, the company that Broccoli co-founded to produce the James Bond films, is now run by Wilson and his step-sister, Barbara Broccoli. The company will soon release its 23rd Bond movie. The current Bond, Daniel Craig, placed a strong second in our survey, with more than a quarter of the votes. Many readers said they like the intensity and the humanity they feel in Craig's portrayal. And for both Craig and Connery, some folks just admit to being enthralled by their good looks and effortless cool. Craig was praised for bringing "Bond back from the dead," as Mark Novak wrote, after Pierce Brosnan's run ended with 2002's Die Another Day. And he did it in Casino Royale, a box office hit that retraced Bond's origins and revived the edge and sophistication that marked Connery's best films. Many voters said Craig's mix of strong acting skills and "physical prowess" won them over. But others docked him a few points because he doesn't share the tall and dark-haired physical traits of the other actors. At 5 feet 10, the blue-eyed and blond-haired Craig is the only Bond to stand less than 6 feet 1. But to NPR reader Brim Stone, Craig's appearance helps to put him ahead of the others — because he is "by far the least concerned with the condition of his hair." Some readers who sided with Connery added that they expect Craig to strengthen his position as more viewers see him in the role. He returns as Bond in Skyfall, which has its U.S. debut in November. Many readers who prefer Pierce Brosnan's portrayal point to his charm, his good looks, and his ability to pull off action scenes like the fencing duel in Die Another Day. Others find him too "suave." But it's indisputable that when GoldenEye was released in 1995, Brosnan breathed fresh life into a franchise that had lain dormant for six years — the longest gap in the Bond films. And it should be noted that if Brosnan hadn't been attached to the NBC TV series Remington Steele in 1987, he would almost certainly have been the Bond who followed Moore. Famously, the burst of publicity over his looming choice as 007 led TV executives not to kill the show, and Brosnan's contract required him to turn the role down. If that hadn't happened, Brosnan might have reached his reported goal of appearing in six Bond films, instead of four. And his case as the best Bond could have been that much stronger. Timothy Dalton and Roger Moore provoked some of the most polarized responses, with Dalton alternately praised for the light-hearted The Living Daylights and shunned for the "disturbingly vicious" License to Kill, to quote commenter David Brown. Impressions of Moore seem to depend on which phase of his career is being considered. Is he the 1970s box office power behind Live and Let Die and The Spy Who Loved Me, or the 58-year-old who chased Grace Jones around Paris in A View to a Kill in 1985? "Roger Moore played the role for too long," wrote Sarah Rasul, boiling down the sentiments of several voters. And perhaps he did. But Moore also set the record for starring as James Bond — an apt seven times. (Connery also played the role seven times, but one of those was the not-quite-official Never Say Never Again, a 1983 remake of his own Thunderball). With the metal-toothed Jaws as his recurring nemesis, Moore put a sense of humor and fun into the role that, for better or worse, made Bond more approachable. Armed with two of the most agile eyebrows ever captured on film, Moore often seemed to invite his audience in on the fun. His successor, Timothy Dalton, brought more subtlety to the role, along with a focus that leads many fans to see his two films as a crucial transition phase. A commenter who wrote in as "Stanford White Cat" says that Dalton, an accomplished stage actor, got Bond back on track from being a "gadget toting womanizer" to the more complex character of an elite spy. Fans of the Ian Fleming novels that introduced the Bond character seem particularly likely to endorse Dalton, thanks to his no-nonsense approach. But Dalton didn't get a chance to build a true body of work, as he appeared in fewer Bond films than anyone except George Lazenby. And then there was one. What to say about George Lazenby? He had the tough job of following Sean Connery, who had become so identified with James Bond that he stepped away from the role to avoid being typecast. After a gap of only two years, the Australian Lazenby stepped into the breach. And 1969's On Her Majesty's Secret Service didn't grab the fans — or the money — that its predecessors had. As perhaps the most athletic Bond, Lazenby had no trouble with the role's physical demands. But his voice was dubbed in sections of the film, and he decided before its debut that he didn't want to continue in the role. Today, Lazenby seems to benefit from fans who are either suckers for an underdog, outright revisionist, or Australian. At 30, he was the youngest actor to play Bond. For our survey, Lazenby figures in one of the funniest comments. It came from Dave J, who wrote, "A vote for lazenby is like a vote for ralph nader." But the remark didn't impress Lois Immerman, who responded with "Two words: BOBSLED CHASE; Lazenby is the MAN." While our informal survey might not have settled this question for all time, it has at least put the actors into perspective, and into a rough pecking order. Each of them have their good points, as our more open-minded readers note. And all of them were at the mercy of the moviemakers behind their projects. Many readers say that the films featuring Connery and Craig benefit from having the best scripts and the strongest cinematography. As Donald Westrich notes, "I never thought I'd say it, but Craig by a nose over Connery.... thanks to the script writers for Casino Royale II, which allowed Craig to invest the Bond character with a depth earlier portrayers never had a chance to explore, even if they'd been capable of doing so." Each Bond film also reflects its era, from the neato gadgetry of the 1960s to the cheesey indulgence of the 1980s. In the 21st century, producer Barbara Broccoli says, Craig "has allowed the audience into Bond's inner life. Into the complexities, the conflicts that Bond expresses in the novels." Spanning 50 years, the Bond films have served as landmarks in many viewers' lives. And their appreciation for the actors who played 007 sometimes changed over the years, as well. As reader Will Wood put it, "I grew up with Moore, and I liked him until I turned twelve, then I saw Connery and he clearly reset the bar for me. When I was in my twenties I decided to read the books, and I have to say, the Ian Fleming character is a restless, angry, violent, heavy drinking, barely in control, and deeply cynical spy fully aware that his license to kill is also a license to be killed." The resourceful and volatile spy portrayed in Fleming's books is also the character that the current version of Bond aspires to, Broccoli says. "And that Bond is, yes, a lot darker," she says, "but he also has vulnerability." Note: Our informal survey was restricted to actors who portrayed Bond in the widely seen Eon/Broccoli-produced films.

Romney Campaign Expands Focus Beyond the Economy

Mitt Romney, pictured here at a September campaign event in Westerville, Ohio, hopes to focus part of his campaign's message on concerns about the nation’s growing debt. From the start, Mitt Romney’s campaign was premised on the belief that the economy’s struggles would make President Obama politically vulnerable. Grim economic statistics, the assumption went, would make Mr. Romney’s argument for him. There is little evidence that the strategy is working, at least not to the degree that Mr. Romney had hoped. Polls show voters growing somewhat more optimistic, and increasingly willing to trust the president as much as they do Mr. Romney on jobs and the economy. With the race now in the home stretch and the debates starting on Wednesday, Mr. Romney’s campaign appears to be shifting course, abandoning its hope of making the election a simple referendum on Mr. Obama’s jobs record. Instead, Mr. Romney intends to hit the White House with a series of arguments — on energy, health care, taxes, spending and a more direct attack on Mr. Obama’s foreign policy record. Some top aides at Mr. Romney’s campaign headquarters in Boston fear their simple message has become muddled. One suggested last week that Mr. Obama’s campaign motto, “Forward,” has been more effective — easy to understand, easy to remember and easy to say — than Mr. Romney’s “Believe in America” slogan. But advisers say Mr. Romney is armed with a litany of arguments for his face-off with Mr. Obama in Denver this week. And in television advertisements and speeches in the days ahead, the campaign plans to frame the election as a critical choice for voters. In one effort to move beyond the economic argument, Mr. Romney accused Mr. Obama of major foreign policy failures in an opinion article published on Monday in The Wall Street Journal. Mr. Romney said the president had allowed the nation’s influence to atrophy by “stepping away” from its allies. “Amid this upheaval, our country seems to be at the mercy of events rather than shaping them,” Mr. Romney wrote. “We’re not moving them in a direction that protects our people or our allies. And that’s dangerous.” The Republican campaign also hopes to seize on concerns about the nation’s growing debt amid polling that suggests Mr. Romney still retains a sizable edge over the president regarding who will rein in spending in Washington. “Our message is very clear, which is we cannot afford four more years like the last four years, and we need a real recovery,” Ed Gillespie, a senior adviser to Mr. Romney, said after briefing reporters on Monday morning. “Whether it’s job creation, health care, energy or debt, the message is we cannot afford four more years like the last four years. We know this resonates with voters.” Democrats have been trying all along to turn the 2012 race into a “choice” election between the policies and personalities of both candidates, so that the single focus is not the economy. And while it is too soon to know if the Republicans’ multipronged strategy will hurt Mr. Obama, the election is now being fought on the president’s preferred ground. “They had no choice but to move on to our playing field,” said Senator Charles E. Schumer, Democrat of New York. “When they go to the choice argument, they are stuck.” When Mr. Romney announced his candidacy in the summer of 2011, his top advisers — in particular his senior strategist, Stuart Stevens — repeatedly said they believed that the country’s economic woes would keep voter attention focused squarely on the president. Mr. Romney embraced that approach from the beginning with a YouTube video announcing his candidacy in which he said, “President Obama’s policies have failed.” Mr. Romney has seized on weak job numbers to argue that Mr. Obama has been unable to repair the economy, and on Friday the federal government will issue its report for September, including an updated unemployment estimate. But polls suggest that the economic argument has not worked as Mr. Romney had hoped. A CNN/ORC International poll, conducted Sept. 28 to Sept. 30 and released on Monday, showed the candidates tied on the question of who would best handle the economy. Other polls indicate that voters increasingly believe the country is headed in the right direction. After the political conventions, Mr. Romney’s campaign had planned to use a new slogan to highlight the president’s economic failures: “This isn’t what a recovery looks like.” The phrase was used a few times, but appears to have faded as the campaign has embraced a broader message. Aides stress that Mr. Romney will continue to press the economic case against the president. But rather than focusing on Mr. Obama, they plan to stress that voters need to make a choice between two men with different visions of the world. In the briefing with reporters on Monday, aides used the word “choice” more than a dozen times. Aides said their warnings about “another four years” will provide the campaign with an opportunity to demonstrate that Mr. Romney is the better choice and has a better plan for America when it comes to the economy, foreign policy, health care and energy. “It’s important for us to lay out the important contrast, the important choice these voters face, on the issues they care about,” said Kevin Madden, a spokesman and senior adviser to the Republican campaign. Michael Barbaro and Jeremy W. Peters contributed reporting.

Attack in Garissa comes hours after grenade blast on church

Attack in Garissa comes hours after grenade blast on church in capital Nairobi killed a child and wounded three others. Kenya has been hit by grenade and gun attacks since it entered Somalia last October in pursuit of al-Shabab [Reuters] Two Kenyan police officers have been shot dead in the northern town of Garissa, near the border with Somalia, police said. The shooting on Sunday came hours after a nine-year-old boy was killed in the capital Nairobi by a grenade attack on a church by suspected sympathisers of Somalia's al-Shabab group and days after Kenyan troops led an offensive against the fighters in their last stronghold of Kismayo in Somalia. Herman Ndiema, Garissa's deputy police chief, told the Reuters news agency the two officers were killed as they walked to a technical college they had been assigned to guard. Their killers drove up to them in a taxi, shot them dead, and then jumped out to steal their guns, he said.

"We suspect sympathisers of the al Shabaab militant group were behind the attack and we have sealed all exit routes to nab them," Ndiema said. The stolen guns, G3 rifles, were later recovered a short distance from the scene of the attack, a regional administrator said. Security was stepped up in the town with members of the security forces patrolling it by car. Kenya has been hit by a series of grenade and gun attacks since it sent troops into Somalia last October in pursuit of the al-Shabab group whom it blamed for kidnapping its security personnel and Western tourists. The killing of the police officers and the attack on the church came days after Kenyan troops launched a surprise offensive on the southern Somali port of Kismayo, al-Shabab's last stronghold, forcing the rebels to flee. Al Jazeera's Mohammed Adow, reporting from Nairobi, said "there is an increasing nervousness about these attacks and people are afraid [the attacks] will become bolder". "There are also fears that since places of worship are being targeted, such events might stir religious hostilities ...leaders are appealing to people to keep calm," our correspondent said. Police had warned there was a heightened risk of attacks soon after the Kenyan army led an assault against the rebels in Kismayo under cover of darkness on Thursday, local newspapers said on Sunday. 'Kicks of a dying horse' Earlier in the day, a nine-year-old boy was killed and three other children wounded when a hand grenade was thrown into a Sunday school session in a church in the capital Nairobi, police and medical staff said. Police said attackers threw the grenade into the Sunday school service in St Polycarp's church on Nairobi's Juja Road. The grenade exploded, spraying the children with shrapnel and fatally injuring the boy. "We suspect this blast might have been carried out by sympathisers of al Shabab," Charles Owino, a police spokesman, said. "These are the kicks of a dying horse since, of late, Kenyan police have arrested several suspects in connection with grenades," he said. Police also said they had found bomb making equipment in a bag on a bus carrying passengers from Garissa to Nairobi on Friday. All 60 passengers on board had been detained after no one admitted ownership of the bag, the papers said. Masked assailants launched simultaneous gun and grenade raids on two churches in Garissa in July, killing at least 17 people.

The Iranian version of the Onion article copied the original word-for-word

Iran's semi-official Fars news agency has apologised to its readers for republishing - as fact - a fake news article by the US satirical website the Onion. Fars on Friday picked up the story about a supposed survey showing an overwhelming majority of rural white Americans would rather vote for Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian president, than Barack Obama, the US president. But the story was made up, like everything in the just-for-laughs newspaper, which is headquartered in Chicago. The English-language service of Fars republished the story several days after it appeared in the Onion. "Unfortunately an incorrect item was released on our website on Friday which included a fake opinion poll on popularity rate of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and US President Barack Obama," the news agency’s editor in chief was quoted as saying on the Fars website. "The news item was extracted from the satirical magazine, the Onion, by mistake and it was taken down from our outlook in less than two hours. "Although it does not justify our mistake, we do believe that if a free opinion poll is conducted in the US, a majority of Americans would prefer anyone outside the US political system to President Barack Obama and American statesmen," he added. 'Other blunders' The Fars apology article then continued by citing a number of blunders by other news outlets. The Iranian version of the Onion article copied the original word-for-word, even including a made-up quote from a fictional West Virginia resident who said he would rather go to a baseball game with Ahmadinejad because "he takes national defence seriously, and he'd never let some gay protesters tell him how to run his country like Obama does". Homosexual acts are punishable by death in Iran, and Ahmadinejad famously said during a 2007 appearance at Columbia University that "in Iran we don't have homosexuals like in your country". The Iranian version of the article leaves out only the Onion's description of Ahmadinejad as "a man who has repeatedly denied the Holocaust and has had numerous political prisoners executed". The story appeared to have been taken down by about mid-day, Chicago time. The Onion reveled in the fact that it had been taken seriously. Will Tracy, the editor of the Onion, put out a tongue-in-cheek statement that referred to Fars as "a subsidiary of The Onion" that has acted as the paper's Middle Eastern bureau since it was founded in the mid-1980s by Onion publisher T Herman Zweibel. "The Onion freely shares content with Fars and commends the journalists at Iran's Finest News Source on their superb reportage,'' Tracy said in jest. It is not the first time a foreign news outlet has been duped by the Onion. In 2002, the Beijing Evening News, one of the Chinese capital's biggest newspapers, picked up a story from the Onion that claimed members of Congress were threatening to leave Washington unless the building housing them underwent a makeover that included more bathrooms and a retractable dome.

A suicide car bomb has exploded in the Kurdish city

State TV reports four killed near police barracks in Qamishli, as fierce fighting continues in Aleppo. A suicide car bomb has exploded in the Kurdish city of Qamishli, state television said, killing four in the first such attack in Syria's Kurdish region which has kept out of the conflict between rebels and the regime. Government forces and rebels, meanwhile, pressed on for the northern city of Aleppo on Sunday - the main battleground since July of Syria's 18-month conflict. The broadcaster said at least four people were killed in the Qamishli blast, while the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said eight members of the security forces were killed and that the attack targeted their headquarters in the city. "A suicide terrorist using a car laden with explosives attacked the western district of Qamishli," the television said. The Britain-based Observatory said "at least eight members of the security forces were killed, and 15 were injured," adding that the blast was followed by heavy gunfire. The Qamishli attack comes less than a week after a twin bomb attack struck the heavily-guarded Syrian army headquarters in the heart of Damascus, killing at least four of its guards. An Islamist rebel group claimed the Damascus attack. Sunday's bombing was the first time since the outbreak of the anti-regime revolt that Qamishli witnessed such a violent attack, Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman said. Abdel Rahman said the military pulled out of Kurdish regions in northeastern Syria, including Qamishli, several months ago and the rebel Free Syrian Army (FSA) had no presence in the city, although some other fighters are based there. The Qamishli blast came as intense fighting swept Syria's second city Aleppo after a night of heavy shelling that destroyed houses and killed at least three people, including two civilians, said the Observatory. Aleppo has been gripped by fighting on an unprecedented scale since Thursday and the Observatory, which relies on a network of activists on the ground, said that rebel mortar fire damaged two helicopters at the area's Al-Nairab military airport. The army, for its part, shelled several other districts of Aleppo and battled rebels in Aleppo's northern district of Jandul, the Observatory said. "There were many rebels and soldiers killed, but both sides are trying to conceal their casualties," Abdel Rahman said. In Damascus province, rebels killed nine soldiers when they attacked a military checkpoint on the road linking the capital with Qatana to the southwest, the Observatory reported. Four people were also killed in the town of Irbin in Damascus province, the Observatory said. A Kurdish activist, Raad Basho, was gunned down outside his home in the Kurdish city of Hasakeh, said the Observatory, whose nationwide toll for Sunday excluding the Qamishli attack was at least 66 people killed - 34 troops, 22 civilians and 10 rebels

At least 90 people were wounded in the wave of attacks that stretched from the oil-rich city of Kirkuk

people and wounded 90, officials said, in the latest instance of what appeared to be co-ordinated violence. The deadliest attack came in the town of Taji, a former al-Qaeda stronghold just north of Baghdad, where three explosive-rigged cars went off within minutes of each other on Sunday morning. Police said eight people died and 28 were injured in the back-to-back blasts that began around 7:15am local time. In all, at least 90 people were wounded in the wave of attacks that stretched from the oil-rich city of Kirkuk in Iraq's north to the southern Shia town of Kut. Spokesmen for the government and Baghdad's military command could not immediately be reached for comment, and no one claimed responsibility for the violence immediately. Hakim al-Zamili, a member of parliament's security and defence committee, said the attacks were a sign al-Qaeda "is still in business". Prison break He said a deadly weekend prison break in Tikrit in which many al-Qaeda-linked convicts escaped, likely boosted the network's morale and spurred Sunday's assault. "Al-Qaeda leaders have no intention of leaving this country or letting Iraqis live in peace," al-Zamili said. "Thus, we should expect more attacks in the near future. The situation in Iraq is still unstable ... and repetition of such attacks shows that our security forces are still unqualified to deal with the terrorists," he added. Al Jazeera's Jane Arraf, reporting from neighbouring Jordan, said al-Qaeda has been indisputably weakened over the last years. "Since the group rose to prominence in the wake of the US invasion, al-Qaeda has made a series of blunders, if you will, that meant that there was far less support for them, even among the communities where you'd expect there to be support," our correspondent said. "The tribes turned against them, they were severely weakened. So it is not the al-Qaeda that we knew, but it is amazingly resilient and it is clearly still there." Shortly after the Taji attacks, police said a suicide bomber set off his explosives-packed car in the Shia neighborhood of Shula in northwest Baghdad. One person was killed and seven wounded. Police could not immediately identify the target. "So many people were hurt. A leg of a person was amputated," lamented Shula resident Naeem Frieh. "What have those innocent people done to deserve this?" And in Baghdad's bustling Karradah neighbourhood, a parked car laden with explosives went off next to a police patrol, killing a police officer and a civilian, other officials said. Eight other people were injured. The blast was followed minutes later by another parked car bomb as people gathered, killing three civilians and injuring 12 others, they added. Secondary bomb blasts targeting those coming to help the wounded are a common insurgent tactic. An Associated Press cameraman was knocked to the ground in the second explosion and an AP photographer was slightly injured. Police officers targeted Elsewhere in the country, another suicide bomber drove a minibus into a security checkpoint in Kut, located 160 kilometres southeast of Baghdad. Three police officers were killed and five wounded, general Hussein Abdul-Hadi Mahbob said. And in Iraq's north, another policeman was killed when security forces were trying to defuse a car bomb parked on the main highway between the cities of Kirkuk and Tuz Khormato, said Kirkuk police chief general Sarhad Qadir. A second policeman was wounded in the blast, Qadir said. In mid-morning, another parked car bomb went off next to a bus carrying Iranian pilgrims in the town of Madain, killing three Iraqis and injuring 11 others including seven Iranians, another police officer and health official said. In the town of Balad Ruz, 75 kilometres northeast of Baghdad, a parked car bomb targeted a passing police patrol, killing two policemen and injuring seven others, a police officer and health official said. And in the nearby town of Khan Bani Saad, yet another parked car bomb exploded near a market and killed one civilian and injured nine others, they added. Two Iraqi soldiers were killed in the town of Tarmiyah, 50 kilometres north of Baghdad, when their patrol hit a roadside bomb, another police officer and health official said. Six other people, including four civilians were wounded. Earlier this summer, the Iraqi wing of al-Qaeda, also called the Islamic State of Iraq, launched a campaign dubbed "Breaking the Walls," which aimed at retaking strongholds from which it was driven by the American military. Violence has dropped since the height of Iraq's bloodshed a few years ago, but Iraqi forces have failed to stop the attacks that continue to claim lives almost daily

Toll reaches thousands as US soldier

Toll reaches thousands as US soldier

, civilian contractor and two Afghan soldiers are killed in latest "insider attack". A US soldier and a civilian contractor have been killed in Afghanistan by an Afghan soldier, bringing the total number of US soldier deaths in the 11-year-old conflict to 2,000. A US official, who asked not to be identified, told Reuters news agency on Sunday that an American soldier and a civilian contractor had been killed in the incident in eastern Afghanistan. The attack happened at about 1230 GMT on Saturday in the Sayd Abad district just outside a joint US-Afghan base in Wardak province, an Afghan defence ministry spokesman said on Sunday.

NATO forces would only say that it was a "suspected insider attack" and that a NATO service member and civilian contractor were killed.

Saturday's attack brings the total number of ISAF troops killed in 36 such attacks this year to 52, accounting for about 15 per cent of all coalition casualties in the war. Al Jazeera's Bernard Smith, reporting from Kabul, quoted witnesses as saying the gunfire had erupted after a dispute between International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) soldiers, who were manning the checkpoint, and an Afghan National Army patrol. "[The NATO troops] were searching vehicles [carrying] men, women and children, and an Afghan Army patrol came along the highway [from their own checkpoint]. The Afghan patrol complained that the NATO troops were checking women and children, and it seems as a result of this confrontation a firefight broke out," reported Smith. "It's a particularly grim day for the American forces because that death brings to two thousand the number of troops killed here in Afghanistan in more than ten years," he said. So-called insider attacks are now among the biggest threats to coalition troops.

Josh Earnest, deputy spokesman to US President Barack Obama, said that top officials were aware of the details of the latest attack. "Make no mistake ... these attacks do not diminish in any way the commitment of the president, the commitment of our men and women in uniform or the commitment of our allies to follow through and complete successfully the mission to end the war in Afghanistan in 2014," Earnest said. He added that the US and its allies had taken a number of steps to mitigate the risk of insider attacks, including greater vetting of Afghan forces. Supposed allies One out of ever six of every NATO death in Afghanistan has been a result of insider attacks. The toll has steadily risen in recent months with a spate of attacks by Afghan army and police - supposed allies - against US and NATO troops. The attacks raise questions about whether countries in the US-led coalition in Afghanistan will achieve their aim of helping the government in Kabul and its forces stand on their own after most foreign troops pull out in little more than two years. According to the Afghanistan index kept by the Washington-based research centre Brookings Institution, about 40 per cent of the American deaths were caused by improvised explosive devices. The majority of those were after 2009, when Barack Obama, the US president, ordered a surge that sent in 33,000 additional troops to combat heightened Taliban activity. The surge brought the total number of US troops to 101,000, the peak for the entire war. "There are concerns that despite all NATO's efforts to reduce insider attacks, what it really needs is for the Afghan security forces, the Afghan military to unite in strong condemnation of these attacks," our correspondent said. He added though that in some parts of the Afghan military there is no desire to see NATO forces still in Afghanistan. "That sort of attitude is permeating to troops lower down the ranks," he said. 'Mad as hell' General John Allen, the top US commander in Afghanistan, has said that he is "mad as hell" about attacks by Afghan soldiers on foreign troops, but expected them to continue until a full combat forces pullout is complete in 2014. Speaking to the US television station CBS in a programme to be aired on Sunday, Allen said: "I'm mad as hell about them, to be honest with you. [...] We're willing to sacrifice a lot for this campaign, but we're not willing to be murdered for it." Allen added that the "vast majority of Afghans [are] with us in this", according to excerpts of the interview released by the network.

NATO attributes about 20 per cent of the attacks to infiltration by Taliban fighters into Afghan security forces while the rest are believed to result from cultural differences and personal animosities between the allies. The so-called green-on-blue attacks pose a serious question to NATO plans , which portrayed the advising and training of Afghan forces as the key to the scheduled pullout of foreign troops. Earlier this month, ISAF announced a scaling back of joint operations with its Afghan partners following a dramatic rise in such assaults, in which Afghan soldiers turn their weapons on their Western allies. Allen said that just as homemade bombs had become the signature weapon of the Iraq war, he believed that in Afghanistan, "the signature attack that we're beginning to see is going to be the insider attack". On Thursday, Leon Panetta, the US defence secretary, announced that ISAF had restarted most joint operations with Afghan forces. It is unclear whether the latest attack will have an impact on those plans, an ISAF spokesperson said. Not the last Mark Kimmitt, former US assistant secretary of state, told Al Jazeera that he expected to see more incidents of insider attacks in Afghanistan. "It is clear that the insurgents see this as a valuable way, not only to drive a wedge between the Afghans and the coalition forces, but more importantly to drive a wedge between the coalition forces and the nations from where they come," he said. "The milestone of 2,000 is bad enough, but the fact that this was done by one of our own allies is not only galling, but it is a sense of betrayal and I think that the [US] public will see it that way."