Country music stars were all dressed up with somewhere to go: the Country Music Awards.
The event in Nashville, Tenn., on Wednesday night was another chance for Taylor Swift to be belle of the ball and this time she did it in a bateau-neck red gown with embroidery and a thin leather belt by Elie Saab.
But there were other stars who took this moment in the spotlight to shine — in sequins and baubles — including Jennifer Nettles, who wore a crystal-and-mirror beaded gown by Naeem Khan on the red carpet and a Georges Chakra blush-colored beaded jumpsuit onstage.
Carrie Underwood did several outfit changes. Among them: She wore a midnight-blue gown with white porcelain cherry blossoms by Theia and a short, black tuxedo-style romper by Chagoury decorated with Swarovski crystals.
Kacey Musgraves went with a short-hemline head turner, choosing a yellow handkerchief dress by Sally LaPointe for her performance. Earlier she was in a Blumarine outfit with a short dress under a long, sheer floral overlay. Kimberly Perry of The Band Perry did the short-long switch, too, in a 14-karat gold and sterling mesh mini by Rubin Singer when she was singing and a more delicate ivory-colored embroidered gown for the arrivals line.
Connie Britton did her own two-in-one turn in a Georges Hobeika gown that had a demure black-beaded collar and a slim, sexy bodice.
___
Follow Samantha Critchell and AP Fashion coverage on Twitter at @AP_Fashion and @Sam_Critchell.
Cost-effective method accurately orders DNA sequencing along entire chromosomes
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:
7-Nov-2013
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Contact: Leila Gray leilag@uw.edu 206-685-0381 University of Washington
A major step toward improving the quality of rapid, inexpensive genome assembly
A new computational method has been shown to quickly assign, order and orient DNA sequencing information along entire chromosomes. The method may help overcome a major obstacle that has delayed progress in designing rapid, low-cost -- but still accurate -- ways to assemble genomes from scratch. Data gleaned through this new method can also validate certain types of chromosomal abnormalities in cancer, research findings indicate.
The advance was reported in Nature Biotechnology by several University of Washington scientists led by Dr. Jay Shendure, associate professor of genome sciences.
Existing technologies can quickly produce billions of "short reads" of segments of DNA at very low cost. Various approaches are currently used to put the pieces together to see how DNA segments line up to form larger stretches of the genetic code.
However, current methods produce a highly fragmented genome assembly, lacking long-range information about what sequences are near what other sequences, making further biological analysis difficult.
"Genome science has remained remarkably distant from routinely assembling genomes to the standards set by the Human Genome Project," said the researchers. They noted that the Human Genome Project tapped into many different techniques to achieve its end result. Many of these are too expensive, technically difficult, and impractical for large-scale initiatives such as the Genome 10K Project, which aims to sequence and assemble the genomes of 10,000 vertebrate species.
Members of the Shendure lab that developed what they hope will be a more scalable strategy were Joshua N. Burton, Andrew Adey, Rupali P. Patwardhan, Ruolan Qiu, and Jacob O. Kitzman.
To more completely assemble genomes, they tapped into a technology called Hi-C, which measures the three-dimensional architecture and physical territories of chromosomes within the nuclei of cells. Hi-C maps the physical interactions between regions of the chromosomes in a genome, including contact within a chromosome and with other chromosomes. The results indicate which regions tend to occur near each other within three-dimensional space in a cell's nucleus.
The researchers speculated that this interaction data, because it offers clues about the position of and distances between various regions of the chromosome, might reveal how DNA sequences are grouped and lined up along entire chromosomes. They wondered if the interaction data could show them which regions of the genome are near each other on each chromosome.
Their investigation of this possibility led them to create what they named LACHESIS (an acronym for "ligating adjacent chromatin enables scaffolding in situ"). The map of physical interactions generated by Hi-C was interpreted by the LACHESIS computational program to assign, order and orient genomic sequences into their correct position along chromosomes, including DNA positioned close to the centromere, the "pinch waist" gap in the chromosome shape.
The researchers combined their new approach with other cheap and widely used sequencing methods to generate chromosome-scale assemblies of the human, mouse and fruit fly genomes. The researchers were able to cluster nearly all scaffolds -- collections of short DNA segments whose position relative to each other is unknown -- into groups that corresponded to individual chromosomes.
They then ordered and oriented the scaffolds assigned to each chromosome group, and validated their results by comparing them to the high-quality reference genomes for these species that were generated by the Human Genome Project. In the case of human genomes, they achieved 98 percent accuracy in assigning tens of thousands of sequences of contiguous DNA to chromosome groups and 99 percent accuracy in ordering and orienting these sequences within chromosome groups.
"We think the method may fundamentally change how we approach the assembly of new genomes with next-generation sequencing technologies," noted Shendure.
While he and his team cite many areas in which the computational and experimental methods can be improved, the approach is an important step in his lab's long-term goal to facilitate the assembly, for a variety of species, of low-cost, high-quality genomes that meet the rigorous standards set by the Human Genome Project.
###
The research was supported by grants HG006283 and T32HG000035 from the National Human Genome Research Institute, and graduate research fellowships from the National Science Foundation.
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Cost-effective method accurately orders DNA sequencing along entire chromosomes
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:
7-Nov-2013
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]
Share
Contact: Leila Gray leilag@uw.edu 206-685-0381 University of Washington
A major step toward improving the quality of rapid, inexpensive genome assembly
A new computational method has been shown to quickly assign, order and orient DNA sequencing information along entire chromosomes. The method may help overcome a major obstacle that has delayed progress in designing rapid, low-cost -- but still accurate -- ways to assemble genomes from scratch. Data gleaned through this new method can also validate certain types of chromosomal abnormalities in cancer, research findings indicate.
The advance was reported in Nature Biotechnology by several University of Washington scientists led by Dr. Jay Shendure, associate professor of genome sciences.
Existing technologies can quickly produce billions of "short reads" of segments of DNA at very low cost. Various approaches are currently used to put the pieces together to see how DNA segments line up to form larger stretches of the genetic code.
However, current methods produce a highly fragmented genome assembly, lacking long-range information about what sequences are near what other sequences, making further biological analysis difficult.
"Genome science has remained remarkably distant from routinely assembling genomes to the standards set by the Human Genome Project," said the researchers. They noted that the Human Genome Project tapped into many different techniques to achieve its end result. Many of these are too expensive, technically difficult, and impractical for large-scale initiatives such as the Genome 10K Project, which aims to sequence and assemble the genomes of 10,000 vertebrate species.
Members of the Shendure lab that developed what they hope will be a more scalable strategy were Joshua N. Burton, Andrew Adey, Rupali P. Patwardhan, Ruolan Qiu, and Jacob O. Kitzman.
To more completely assemble genomes, they tapped into a technology called Hi-C, which measures the three-dimensional architecture and physical territories of chromosomes within the nuclei of cells. Hi-C maps the physical interactions between regions of the chromosomes in a genome, including contact within a chromosome and with other chromosomes. The results indicate which regions tend to occur near each other within three-dimensional space in a cell's nucleus.
The researchers speculated that this interaction data, because it offers clues about the position of and distances between various regions of the chromosome, might reveal how DNA sequences are grouped and lined up along entire chromosomes. They wondered if the interaction data could show them which regions of the genome are near each other on each chromosome.
Their investigation of this possibility led them to create what they named LACHESIS (an acronym for "ligating adjacent chromatin enables scaffolding in situ"). The map of physical interactions generated by Hi-C was interpreted by the LACHESIS computational program to assign, order and orient genomic sequences into their correct position along chromosomes, including DNA positioned close to the centromere, the "pinch waist" gap in the chromosome shape.
The researchers combined their new approach with other cheap and widely used sequencing methods to generate chromosome-scale assemblies of the human, mouse and fruit fly genomes. The researchers were able to cluster nearly all scaffolds -- collections of short DNA segments whose position relative to each other is unknown -- into groups that corresponded to individual chromosomes.
They then ordered and oriented the scaffolds assigned to each chromosome group, and validated their results by comparing them to the high-quality reference genomes for these species that were generated by the Human Genome Project. In the case of human genomes, they achieved 98 percent accuracy in assigning tens of thousands of sequences of contiguous DNA to chromosome groups and 99 percent accuracy in ordering and orienting these sequences within chromosome groups.
"We think the method may fundamentally change how we approach the assembly of new genomes with next-generation sequencing technologies," noted Shendure.
While he and his team cite many areas in which the computational and experimental methods can be improved, the approach is an important step in his lab's long-term goal to facilitate the assembly, for a variety of species, of low-cost, high-quality genomes that meet the rigorous standards set by the Human Genome Project.
###
The research was supported by grants HG006283 and T32HG000035 from the National Human Genome Research Institute, and graduate research fellowships from the National Science Foundation.
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Share
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Sometimes the best isn't good enough: Most American fourth and eighth graders still lack basic skills in math and science despite record high scores on a national exam.
Yes, today's students are doing better than those who came before them. But the improvements have come at a snail's pace.
The 2013 Nation's Report Card released Thursday finds that the vast majority of the students still are not demonstrating solid academic performance in either math or reading. Stubborn gaps persist between the performances of white children and their Hispanic and African-American counterparts, who scored much lower.
Overall, just 42 percent of fourth graders and 35 percent of eighth graders scored at or above the proficient level in math. In reading, 35 percent of fourth graders and 36 percent of eighth graders hit that mark.
Still, as state and federal policies evolve in the post-No Child Left Behind era, the nation's school kids are doing better today on the test than they did in the early 1990s, when such tracking started, with more improvement in math than in reading. Students of all races have shown improvement over the years.
The results come from the National Assessment of Educational Progress, or NAEP, which is given every two years to a sample of fourth and eighth graders.
This year's results, compared to results in 2011, show average incremental gains of about one or two points on a 500-point scale in math and reading in both grades, although the one-point gain in fourth grade reading was not considered statistically significant.
"Every two years, the gains tend to be small, but over the long run, they stack up," said Jack Buckley, commissioner of the Education Department's National Center for Education Statistics.
Buckley said he was "heartened" by some of the results, "but there are also some areas where I'd hoped to see improvement where we didn't."
Today, President W. Bush's landmark education law No Child Left Behind, which sought to close achievement gaps among racial groups and have every student doing math and reading at grade level by 2014, has essentially been dismantled.
After Congress failed to update the law before it was due for renewal in 2007, President Barack Obama allowed states to get waivers from it if they showed they have their own plans to prepare students. Most states took him up on the offer.
Meanwhile, a majority of states are rolling out Common Core State Standards with the goal of better preparing the nation's students for college or a job. The states-led standards establish benchmarks for reading and math and replace goals that varied widely from state.
Academic scholars have long debated what effects the law and other state-led reforms have had on test scores.
This year, Tennessee and the District of Columbia, which have both launched high-profile efforts to strengthen education by improving teacher evaluations and by other measures, showed across-the-board growth on the test compared to 2011, likely stoking more debate. Only the Defense Department schools also saw gains in both grade levels and subjects.
In Hawaii, which has also seen a concentrated effort to improve teaching quality, scores also increased with the exception of fourth grade reading. In Iowa and Washington state, scores increased except in 8th grade math.
Specifically pointing to Tennessee, Hawaii and D.C., Education Secretary Arne Duncan said on a conference call with reporters that many of the changes seen in these states were "very, very difficult and courageous" and appear to have had an impact.
Chris Minnich, executive director of the Council of Chief State School Officers, said the biggest problem revealed in the results is the large gap that exists between the performances of students of different races.
There was a 26-point gap, for example, between how white and African American 4th graders performed on the math section. In eighth grade reading, white students outperformed Hispanic students by 21 points.
"We still have a situation where you have kids that are left behind. They aren't given the same instruction. They aren't given the same expectations as other kids," Minnich said. He said it's time for "doubling down and making sure the gaps get smaller."
Duncan said too many African-American and Hispanic children start kindergarten a year or two behind and that early childhood programs are key to leveling the playing field. Duncan and Obama have lobbied for congressional passage of a preschool-for-all program.
This test specifically looked at the performance of American children, but the results from other recent assessments and studies have shown American children and adults scoring below peers in many other countries.
The exam was given this year to about 377,000 fourth graders and 342,000 eighth graders in public and private schools. However, state-specific numbers are only from public schools.
In math, students were asked to answer questions about topics such as geometry, algebra and measurement. In reading, students were told to read passages and recall details or interpret them.
Among the other results:
—More boys than girls scored at or above the proficient level for both grades in math. In reading, more girls than boys scored at or above that mark.
—Twenty-five out of the 52 states or jurisdictions measured had a higher average score in 2013 than in 2011 in at least one subject and grade.
—Five states had a lower score than two years ago in at least one subject and grade: Massachusetts, Montana, North Dakota, Oklahoma, and South Dakota.
—Hispanic students were the only racial or ethnic group that saw improvements in math scores in both fourth and eighth grades; Asian/Pacific Islanders students had the highest percentage of students performing at or above the proficient level in both math and reading.
Completely fed up with paparazzi harassment, Kristen Bell ran into a group of aggressive photogs at LAX Airport, and claims she had to hide in the bathroom until her ride came for her in order to escape their pictures and questions.
The photographers reportedly chased the 33-year-old out of her hiding place when she made her exit, and Perez Hilton only made matters worse, by posting about the incident directly to her on Twitter. After he uploaded the photos of her during the situation at the airport on his website, Hilton stated that he cared about nothing more than her safety, and respect for her private space.
He also tweeted to her, writing, “@IMKristenBell Kristen Bell Begs The Paparazzi To Stop Flashing Her At LAX!”
Kristen fired back at the gossip reporter, tweeting, “@PerezHilton and yet the only reason they continue to harass is because your site & others buy the pictures :(”
NEW YORK (AP) — Shares of Twitter went on sale to the public for the first time Thursday, instantly leaping more than 70 percent above their offering price in a dazzling debut that exceeded even Wall Street's lofty hopes.
By the closing bell, the social network that reinvented global communication in 140-character bursts was valued at $31 billion — nearly as much as Yahoo Inc., an Internet icon from another era, and just below Kraft Foods, the grocery conglomerate founded more than a century ago.
The stock's sizzling performance seemed to affirm the bright prospects for Internet companies, especially those focused on mobile users. And it could invite more entrepreneurs to consider IPOs, which lost their luster after Facebook's first appearance on the Nasdaq was marred by glitches.
In Silicon Valley, the IPO produced another crop of millionaires and billionaires, some of whom are sure to fund a new generation of startups.
Twitter, which has never turned a profit in the seven years since it was founded, worked hard to temper expectations ahead of the IPO, but all that was swiftly forgotten when the market opened.
Still, most analysts don't expect the company to be profitable until 2015. Investors will be watching closely to see whether Twitter was worth the premium price.
Thursday's stock surge was "really not as important as you might think," said Kevin Landis, a portfolio manager with Firsthand Funds, which owns shares in Twitter. "What really matters is where the stock is going to be in six months, 12 months."
The most anticipated initial public offering of the year was carefully orchestrated to avoid the dysfunction that surrounded Facebook's IPO.
Trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "TWTR," shares opened at $45.10, 73 percent above their initial offering price.
In the first few hours, the stock jumped as high as $50.09. Most of those gains held throughout the day, with Twitter closing at $44.90, despite a broader market decline.
The narrow price range indicated that people felt it was "pretty fairly priced," said JJ Kinahan, chief strategist at TD Ameritrade.
The price spike "clearly shows that demand exceeds the supply of shares," said Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter.
Earlier in the day, Twitter gave a few users rather than executives the opportunity to ring the NYSE's opening bell. The users included actor Patrick Stewart, who played Captain Jean-Luc Picard in "Star Trek: The Next Generation"; Vivienne Harr, a 9-year-old girl who ran a lemonade stand for a year to raise money to end child slavery; and Cheryl Fiandaca of the Boston Police Department.
Twitter raised $1.8 billion Wednesday night when it sold 70 million shares to select investors for $26 each. But the huge first-day pop left some analysts wondering whether the company could have raised more. Had Twitter priced the stock at $30, for instance, the company would have taken away $2.1 billion. At $35, it would have reaped nearly $2.5 billion. That's a lot for a company that's never made a profit and had revenue of just $317 million last year.
If the price stays this high, or goes even higher, shareholders will no doubt be happy. But the money that they might make from any stock sale doesn't go to the company.
Named after the sound of a chirping bird, Twitter's origins date back to 2005, when creators Noah Glass and Evan Williams were trying to get people to sign up for Odeo, a podcasting service they created. Odeo didn't make it.
By early 2006, Glass and fellow Odeo programmer Jack Dorsey began work on a new project: teaming with co-worker Christopher "Biz" Stone on a way to corral text messages typically sent over a phone.
It was Glass who came up with the original name Twttr. The two vowels were added later. The first tweets were sent on March 21, 2006.
By 2007, Twitter was incorporated with Dorsey as the original CEO and Williams as chairman. Dorsey and Williams would eventually swap roles. Both remain major shareholders, though neither runs the company. Glass, meanwhile, was effectively erased from Twitter's history, writes New York Times reporter Nick Bilton in "Hatching Twitter: A true story of money, power, friendship, and betrayal."
Since those early days, the site has attracted world leaders, religious figures and celebrities, along with CEOs, businesses and countless marketers and self-promoters.
The company avoided the trouble that plagued Facebook's high-profile debut, which suffered technical glitches that had lasting consequences. On that first day, Facebook closed just 23 cents above its $38 IPO price and later fell much lower. The stock needed more than a year to climb back above $38.
The Securities and Exchange Commission later fined Nasdaq $10 million, the largest fine ever levied against an exchange.
Those problems likely led Twitter to the NYSE.
At its IPO price, Twitter was valued at roughly 28 times its projected 2013 revenue — $650 million based on its current growth rate. In comparison, Facebook trades at about 16 times its projected 2013 revenue, according to analyst forecasts from FactSet.
Google Inc. meanwhile, is trading at about 7 times its net revenue, the figure Wall Street follows that excludes ad commissions.
Research firm Outsell Inc. puts Twitter's fundamental value at about half of the IPO price, said analyst Ken Doctor. That figure is based on factors such as revenue and revenue growth.
"That's not unusual," Doctor said. "Especially for tech companies. You are betting on a big future."
As a newly public company, one of Twitter's biggest challenges will be to generate more revenue outside the U.S.
More than three-quarters of Twitter's 232 million users are outside the U.S. But only 26 percent of Twitter's revenue comes from abroad. The company has said that it plans to hire more sales representatives in countries such as Australia, Brazil and Ireland.
Twitter shares entered a declining market. Wall Street had its worst day since August as traders worried that the Federal Reserve could cut back on its economic stimulus.
Investors grew concerned about a surprisingly strong report on U.S. economic growth in the third quarter, which led many to believe the Fed could start pulling back as soon as next month, earlier than many anticipated.
After 33 record-high closes this year, an increasing number of investors believe the stock market has become frothy and is ready for a pullback.
___
AP Technology Writer Michael Liedtke in San Francisco and AP Markets Writer Ken Sweet in New York contributed to this story.
Checking some items off her to-do list, Jennifer Garner stepped out in Santa Monica on Thursday (November 7).
Accompanied by her adorable son Samuel Affleck, the "Elektra" actress rocked a casual ensemble as she ran a few errands.
Miss Garner recently wrapped up on the set of her upcoming film "Imagine."
Per the synopsis, "Imagine" is about "an old letter written to him by John Lennon and Yoko Ono inspires an aging musician to live life differently, and he sets out to reconnect with his biological son."
Starring alongside side Jennifer are A-list stars including Al Pacino, Josh Peck and Brian Smith. The film is slated to hit theaters in 2014.
This combination of Sept. 10 and 23, 2013 photos provided by NASA shows six comet-like tails radiating from a body in the asteroid belt, designated P/2013 P5. The Hubble Space Telescope discovered it in the asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. A research team led by the University of California at Los Angeles believes the asteroid is rotating so much that its surface is flying apart. It’s believed to be a fragment of a larger asteroid damaged in a collision 200 million years ago. (AP Photo/NASA, ESA, D. Jewitt - UCLA)
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — This is one strange asteroid.
The Hubble Space Telescope has discovered a six-tailed asteroid in the asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. Scientists say they've never seen anything like it. Incredibly, the comet-like tails change shape as the asteroid sheds dust. The streams have occurred over several months.
A research team led by the University of California, Los Angeles, believes the asteroid, designated P/2013 P5, is rotating so much that its surface is flying apart. It's believed to be a fragment of a larger asteroid damaged in a collision 200 million years ago.
Scientists using the Pan-STARRS telescope in Hawaii spotted the asteroid in August. Hubble picked out all the tails in September.
The discovery is described in this week's issue of Astrophysical Journal Letters.
You might have the ambition and desire to be the next Deadmau5, but the price of someDJ controllers aren't exactly wallet-friendly. Thankfully there are plenty of affordableoptions out there, and one of them has just arrived from Pioneer. Dubbed the DDJ-SB, it claims similar basic features and operability with DDJ-SX that debuted last year, but at almost half the cost. A 2-channel controller, the DDJ-SB uses the popular Serato DJ Intro software and touts two decks with large jog wheels for easy scratching, a "filter fade" function for smoother transitions, multiple performance pads and a USB interface so you can hook it up easily to your computer. Sure, you'll still need some knowhow to fully make use of it, but at only $299 each, you could invest your savings on a few DJ lessons. Head past the break for a video of the DDJ-SB in action.
"In rewriting these applications, some features from iWork '09 were not available for the initial release," says Apple's support document. "We plan to reintroduce some of these features in the next few releases and will continue to add brand new features on an ongoing basis."
Many of the most common complaints from users of iWork '09 are addressed in the document, including improvements to AppleScript support for Numbers and Keynote, more presenter display options in Keynote, keyboard shortcuts for styles in Pages, and many more.
If you've been holding off upgrading to iWork '13, remember that the installers do not replace your current iWork '09 versions, so you can continue to rely upon those for any features that Apple hasn't yet integrated. As to whether subsequent upgrades will return all the missing features, it's too early to say, but it seems likely that Apple is looking to make sure that its productivity suite helps make its customers, well, productive.
This Thursday, Nov. 7, 2013 satellite image provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows Typhoon Haiyan over the Philippines, at 22:30 UTC (5:30 p.m. EST). Haiyan, the world's strongest typhoon of the year, slammed into the Philippines early Friday. It had been poised to be the strongest tropical cyclone ever recorded at landfall, a weather expert said. (AP Photo/NOAA)
This Thursday, Nov. 7, 2013 satellite image provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows Typhoon Haiyan over the Philippines, at 22:30 UTC (5:30 p.m. EST). Haiyan, the world's strongest typhoon of the year, slammed into the Philippines early Friday. It had been poised to be the strongest tropical cyclone ever recorded at landfall, a weather expert said. (AP Photo/NOAA)
This early Thursday, Nov. 7, 2013 satellite image provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows the eye, right, of Typhoon Haiyan, off the coast of the Philippines, at approximately 05:25 UTC (12:25 a.m. EST). Haiyan, the world's strongest typhoon of the year slammed into the Philippines early Friday. It had been poised to be the strongest tropical cyclone ever recorded at landfall, a weather expert said. (AP Photo/NOAA)
This image provided by the U.S. Naval Research Lab shows Typhoon Haiyan taken by the NEXSAT satellite Thursday Nov. 7, 2013 at 2:30 a.m. EDT. Gorvernment forecasters said Thursday that Typhoon Haiyan was packing sustained winds of 215 kilometers (134 miles) per hour and ferocious gusts of 250 kph (155 mph) and could pick up strength over the Pacific Ocean before it slams into the eastern Philippine province of Eastern Samar on Friday. (AP Photo/US Naval Research Lab)
Philippine Coast Guard Chief Rear Adm. Rodolfo Isorena checks newly-acquired rubber boats following blessing ceremony Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2013 in Manila, Philippines. Isorena said the new single-hull aluminum boats and rubber boats will be deployed to central Philippines in preparation for the onslaught of super typhoon "Haiyan" which is expected to make a landfall in central Philippines this weekend. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)
Filipino workers bring down a giant billboard along a busy highway as they prepare for the possible effects of powerful Typhoon Haiyan in suburban Makati, south of Manila, Philippines Thursday, Nov. 7, 2013. Philippine officials say thousands of villagers, including those from a central province devastated recently by an earthquake, are being evacuated ahead of the arrival of one of Asia's most powerful typhoons this year. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — One of the most powerful typhoons ever recorded slammed into the Philippines early Friday, and one weather expert warned, "There will be catastrophic damage."
The U.S. Navy's Joint Typhoon Warning Center shortly before Typhoon Haiyan's landfall said its maximum sustained winds were 314 kilometers per hour (195 mph), with gusts up to 379 kilometers per hour (235 mph).
"195-mile-per-hour winds, there aren't too many buildings constructed that can withstand that kind of wind," said Jeff Masters, a former hurricane meteorologist who is meteorology director at the private firm Weather Underground.
Masters said the storm had been poised to be the strongest tropical cyclone ever recorded at landfall. He warned of catastrophic damage.
Local authorities reported having troubles reaching colleagues in the landfall area.
The local weather bureau had a lower reading on the storm's power, saying its speed at landfall in Eastern Samar province's Guiuan township had sustained winds at 235 kilometers (147 miles) per hour, with gusts of 275 kph (170 mph). The bureau takes measures based on longer periods of time.
Authorities in Guiuan could not immediately be reached for word of any deaths or damage, regional civil defense chief Rey Gozon told DZBB radio. Forecaster Mario Palafox with the national weather bureau said it had lost contact with its staff in the landfall area.
The storm was not expected to directly hit the flood-prone capital, Manila, further north.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said more than 125,000 people had been evacuated from towns and villages in the typhoon's path.
Typhoon Haiyan's wind strength at landfall had been expected to beat out Hurricane Camille, which was 305 kilometers per hour (190 mph) at landfall in the United States 1969, Masters said.
The only tiny bright side is that it's a fast-moving storm, so flooding from heavy rain — which usually causes the most deaths from typhoons in the Philippines — may not be as bad, Masters said.
"The wind damage should be the most extreme in Phillipines history," he said.
The storm later will be a threat to both Vietnam and Laos and is likely to be among the top five natural disasters for those two countries, Masters said. The storm is forecast to barrel through the Philippines' central region Friday and Saturday before blowing toward the South China Sea over the weekend, heading toward Vietnam.
President Benigno Aquino III on Thursday warned people to leave high-risk areas, including 100 coastal communities where forecasters said the storm surge could reach up to 7 meters (23 feet). He urged seafarers to stay in port.
Aquino ordered officials to aim for zero casualties, a goal often not met in an archipelago lashed by about 20 tropical storms each year, most of them deadly and destructive. Haiyan is the 24th such storm to hit the Philippines this year.
The president also assured the public of war-like preparations: three C-130 air force cargo planes and 32 military helicopters and planes on standby, along with 20 navy ships.
"No typhoon can bring Filipinos to their knees if we'll be united," he said in a televised address.
___
Associated Press writers Oliver Teves and Teresa Cerojano in the Philippines and Seth Borenstein in Washington contributed to this report.
A quick heads up for you folks (OK, you few folks) out there sporting Google Glass. The November update — XE11 — is now available.
New this month is the ability to designate home and work locations on Glass — just like you can in Google Maps, the easier to find your way home or to work. (And, more important, to route you around any traffic.)
You'll also be getting personalized calendar search, so you can ask Glass to show you what's coming up.
There's a new setup scheme as well, but you'll need to do a hard-reset to see that.
And finally there's a new shortcut in the notification drawer of your phone for screencasting.
Google's also changed up the shortcut for initiating a search. Instead of long-pressing the touchpad, you'll need to tap it three times slowly when the display is off.
TORONTO (AP) — A new video that surfaced Thursday shows Toronto Mayor Rob Ford in a rambling rage, using threatening words including "kill" and "murder," as the saga that has gripped Canadians for months took yet another twist.
The mayor told reporters moments after the video was posted online that he was "extremely, extremely inebriated" in it and "embarrassed" by it. The context of the video is unknown and it's unclear who the target of Ford's wrath is. The video, which appeared at length on the Toronto Star's website and in clips on the Toronto Sun's website, prompted another round of calls for Ford to step down.
It's been a whirlwind of a week for Ford, who on Tuesday admitted to smoking crack in a "drunken stupor" about a year ago. Police said last week they had obtained a different, long-sought video that shows Ford smoking a crack pipe.
Police obtained that video in the course of a massive drug investigation into the mayor's friend and occasional driver.
Despite immense pressure from allies and critics, the mayor of North America's fourth largest city has refused to resign or take a leave of absence.
Ford said Thursday he made mistakes and "all I can do is reassure the people. I don't know what to say."
"When you are in that state ... I hope none of you have ever or will ever be in that state," Ford said.
"It's extremely embarrassing. The whole world is going to see it."
In the new video, a visibly agitated Ford paces around, waves his arms and rolls up his sleeves as he says he'll "make sure" the unknown person is dead.
Ford tells another person in the room, possibly the man filming the video, that he wants to "kill" someone in an expletive-laced rant. "Cause I'm going to kill that (expletive) guy," Ford says. "No holds barred brother. He dies or I die."
At one point he says "My brothers are, don't tell me we're liars, thieves, birds?" and then later refers to "80-year-old birds."
The Toronto Star that it purchased the video from "a source who filmed it from someone else's computer" and that "the person with the computer was there in the room."
City Councilor James Pasternak urged Ford to make a "dignified exit."
"The video is very disturbing," he said. "It's very upsetting, it's very sad."
City Councilor Giorgio Mammoliti, a Ford ally, urged the mayor to enter rehab and said in a statement he fears "that if the mayor does not get help now he will succumb to health issues related to addiction."
Ford lawyer Dennis Morris told The Associated Press the context of the video "is skeletal."
"What we have to do is find out when it was taken," he said. "Was it taken eight, 10 months ago or a short time ago? I'm going to try to find that out too. Maybe the Toronto Star knows better."
Asked if Ford told him about the tape, Morris said: "I can't comment, but I don't think we really know."
Earlier Thursday, Morris said he was in talks with the police for Ford to view the video that shows the mayor smoking crack, as city councilors stepped up their efforts to force him from office.
The mayor's travails were taking their toll on his supporters. Canada's finance minister became emotional when asked about Ford, a longtime friend.
Police are seeking to question Ford. Morris previously said Ford would be willing to go view the tape but would not answer questions.
Police have not charged Ford, saying the video didn't provide enough evidence against him. A police spokesman declined to comment.
Municipal law makes no provision for the mayor's forced removal from office unless he's convicted and jailed for a criminal offence.
City Councilor Denzil Minnan-Wong, a member of Ford's executive committee, said Thursday he plans to amend a motion he has filed that would ask Ford to take a leave of absence. The amendment takes the unprecedented step of asking the province of Ontario to pass legislation to remove the mayor if he does not agree to take a leave of absence. The measure could be voted on next Wednesday.
The province, however, has no plans to step in and amend the law to allow Ford to be forced from office, Ontario Municipal Affairs Minister Linda Jeffrey reaffirmed Thursday.
Premier Kathleen Wynne has said she's concerned that Ford's personal issues were making it difficult for the city to carry on normally. But she said it was up to police, the courts or the mayor to take action.
Ford acknowledged a drinking problem for the first time Sunday, saying on his radio show that he was "hammered" in public at a street festival in August and "out of control" drunk, carrying a half empty bottle of brandy around city hall after St. Patrick's Day last year. He then made his stunning confession to reporters Tuesday that he had smoked crack while drunk.
The mayor has called on police to release the tape, but police said they are prohibited from doing so because it is evidence before the courts. Police said the video will come out when Ford associate Alexander Lisi goes to trial on drug and extortion charges.
Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair has also said police have a second tape, but he has declined to discuss what's on it. Police spokesman Mark Pugash told the AP the video released Thursday is not the tape Blair talked about.
The allegations about Ford smoking crack first emerged earlier this year when reporters from the Toronto Star and the U.S. website Gawker separately said they saw that video, but they did not obtain a copy.
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Follow Rob Gillies on Twitter at —http://twitter.com/rgilliescanada
TORONTO (AP) — A new video that surfaced Thursday showed Toronto Mayor Rob Ford threatening to "murder" someone and "poke his eyes out" in a rambling rage, deepening the conviction among both critics and allies that he is no longer fit to lead North America's fourth largest city.
The mayor told reporters moments after the video was posted online that he was "extremely, extremely inebriated" in it and "embarrassed" by it. The context of the video is unknown and it's unclear who the target of Ford's wrath is. The video, which appeared at length on the Toronto Star's website and in clips on the Toronto Sun's website, prompted round of calls for Ford to step down.
The controversy surrounding Ford escalated last week when police announced they had obtained a different, long-sought video that shows Ford smoking a crack pipe. After months of evading the question, Ford admitted Tuesday to smoking crack in a "drunken stupor" about a year ago.
Despite immense pressure, the mayor has refused to resign or take a leave of absence.
Ford, who is married with two school age children, said Thursday he made mistakes and "all I can do is reassure the people. I don't know what to say."
"It's extremely embarrassing. The whole world is going to see it," said Ford, who is 44.
City councilors stepped up efforts to force Ford out of office, although there is no clear legal path for doing so.
In the blurry and shaky new video, Ford paces around, frantically waves his arms and rolls up his sleeves as he says he'll "make sure" the unknown person is dead.
Ford tells another person in the room, possibly the man filming the video, that he wants to "kill" someone. "Cause I'm going to kill that (expletive) guy," Ford says. "No holds barred brother. He dies or I die."
At one point he says "My brothers are, don't tell me we're liars, thieves, birds" and then later refers to "80-year-old birds."
The Toronto Star said that it purchased the video for $5,000 from "a source who filmed it from someone else's computer" and the paper said it was told "the person with the computer was there in the room."
City Councilor James Pasternak urged Ford to make a "dignified exit."
"The video is very disturbing," he said. "It's very upsetting, it's very sad."
Ford lawyer Dennis Morris told The Associated Press the context of the video "is skeletal." ''Was it taken eight, 10 months ago or a short time ago?" he said.
Earlier Thursday, Morris said he was in talks with the police for Ford to view the video that appears show the mayor smoking crack. Morris said Ford would not answer questions.
Police obtained that video in the course of a drug investigation into the mayor's friend and occasional driver. They have not charged Ford, saying the video doesn't provide enough evidence against him.
Ford, who grew up in a wealthy and politically influential family, was elected to City Hall three years ago on a wave of conservative backlash in Toronto's outer suburbs against perceived wasteful spending.
But city councilors say they have been mostly working around Ford since he took office. The mayor's power is more limited in Toronto, a city of 2.7 million people, than in many large U.S. cities; he has just one vote on a council of 44 members.
Municipal law makes no provision for the mayor's forced removal from office unless he's convicted and jailed for a criminal offence.
City Councilor Denzil Minnan-Wong, a member of Ford's executive committee, said Thursday he plans to amend a motion he has filed that would ask Ford to take a leave of absence. The amendment, which could be voted on next Wednesday, takes the unprecedented step of asking the province of Ontario to pass legislation to remove the mayor if he does not agree to take a leave of absence.
The province, however, has no plans to step in and amend the law to allow Ford to be forced from office, Ontario Municipal Affairs Minister Linda Jeffrey reaffirmed Thursday.
City Councilor Giorgio Mammoliti, a Ford ally, urged the mayor to enter rehab and said in a statement he fears "that if the mayor does not get help now he will succumb to health issues related to addiction."
Ford acknowledged a drinking problem for the first time Sunday and apologized.
In a television interview, Ford's mother and sister acknowledged he had problems but insisted he was not an addict of any sort and defended his ability to continue on as mayor.
His mother, Diane, said she told her son during a family meeting last week to get a driver, lose weight, get an alcohol detector in his car and watch the company he keeps. But she insisted he did not need to enter rehab.
"I didn't say shape up or ship out, but I did say, 'Rob, you maybe got to smarten up a little bit," Diane told CP24 television. "He's got a huge weight problem and he knows that and I think that' is the first thing he needs to attack."
"If he was really, really in dire straits and really needed help I'd be the first one ... I'd put him in my care and take him there," she said.
His sister Kathy added, "Robbie is not a drug addict. I know because I'm a former addict."
The allegations about Ford smoking crack first emerged earlier this year when reporters from the Toronto Star and the U.S. website Gawker separately said they saw that video, but they did not obtain a copy.
Police said they are prohibited releasing it because is evidence before the courts.
Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair has said police have a second tape, but he has declined to discuss what's on it. Police spokesman Mark Pugash told the AP the video released Thursday is not the tape Blair talked about.
___
Follow Rob Gillies on Twitter at —http://twitter.com/rgilliescanada
There is a path to sanity for the national Republican Party to be gleaned from the mixed election results on Tuesday night — not just sanity, actually, but victory.
The problem is that professional Republicans of all stripes will have to swallow some medicine — and as we know, everybody always thinks the other guy should take the medicine while he should get the candy.
Former President Jimmy Carter and his grandson, Georgia state Sen. Jason Carter, watch a baseball game between the Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies in Atlanta on Aug. 14.
John Bazemore/AP
Former President Jimmy Carter and his grandson, Georgia state Sen. Jason Carter, watch a baseball game between the Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies in Atlanta on Aug. 14.
John Bazemore/AP
Jimmy Carter's grandson is running for Carter's old job — governor of Georgia.
Democratic state Sen. Jason Carter formally announced Thursday he will challenge Republican Gov. Nathan Deal, joining a long list of relatives of famous politicians on ballots in 2014.
In fact, Georgia voters will determine the fate of a second statewide legacy candidate next year: Michelle Nunn. She's running as a Democrat to become the state's next senator, a position her father, Sam Nunn, held for 24 years.
The practice of dynasty politics is a familiar phenomenon. But, notably, 2014 is shaping up as an election year that will feature legacy candidates from some of the nation's most accomplished and best-known political clans — the families of past presidents and vice presidents.
Republican George P. Bush, the grandson of George H.W. Bush and nephew of George W. Bush, is the favorite to become the next land commissioner of Texas as he embarks on his own political career. Dick Cheney's daughter Liz is challenging Wyoming Sen. Mike Enzi in a GOP primary.
Then there's Democratic Rep. Joe Kennedy III, the great-nephew of John F. Kennedy and sixth member of the Kennedy family to serve in Congress, who is likely to win a second term in Massachusetts' 4th District.
As for the current administration, Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden, the son of Vice President Biden, is running for re-election in 2014 — a recent poll ranked him as the most popular elected official in the state. Farther down along family trees, Milton Wolf, a distant cousin of President Obama's and a Tea Party enthusiast, is challenging Kansas Sen. Pat Roberts in the Republican primary.
Looking ahead to 2016, presidential families figure to be well-represented again: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the wife of Bill Clinton, and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, the son of George H.W. Bush, are both top White House prospects.
Clickhereto hear NPR Special Correspondent Susan Stamberg's 2002 interview with Jimmy and Jason Carter.
Georgia Sen. Jason Carter, D-Decatur, talks to members of the media after filing his formal candidacy papers to run for governor at the State Ethics Commission Thursday, Nov. 7, 2013 in Atlanta. Carter is the grandson of former U.S. President Jimmy Carter. (AP Photo/Atlanta Journal-Constitution, ) MARIETTA DAILY OUT; GWINNETT DAILY POST OUT; LOCAL TV OUT; WXIA-TV OUT; WGCL-TV OUT MBI (REV-SHARE)
Georgia Sen. Jason Carter, D-Decatur, talks to members of the media after filing his formal candidacy papers to run for governor at the State Ethics Commission Thursday, Nov. 7, 2013 in Atlanta. Carter is the grandson of former U.S. President Jimmy Carter. (AP Photo/Atlanta Journal-Constitution, ) MARIETTA DAILY OUT; GWINNETT DAILY POST OUT; LOCAL TV OUT; WXIA-TV OUT; WGCL-TV OUT MBI (REV-SHARE)
Georgia State Sen. Jason Carter (D-Decatur) arrives for a news conference with his wife Kate, and son Henry, where he announced he has filed paperwork to run for governor, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2013, in Atlanta. Carter is the grandson of former President Jimmy Carter. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)
Georgia State Sen. Jason Carter (D-Decatur) announces he has filed paperwork to run for governor during a news conference Thursday, Nov. 7, 2013, in Atlanta. Carter is the grandson of former President Jimmy Carter. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)
Georgia Sen. Jason Carter, D-Decatur, talks to members of the media after filing his formal candidacy papers to run for governor at the State Ethics Commission Thursday, Nov. 7, 2013 in Atlanta. Carter the grandson of former U.S. President Jimmy Carter. (AP Photo/Atlanta Journal-Constitution, ) MARIETTA DAILY OUT; GWINNETT DAILY POST OUT; LOCAL TV OUT; WXIA-TV OUT; WGCL-TV OUT MBI (REV-SHARE)
ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia has been a solidly Republican state for much of the past decade and there has been little good news for Democrats until now, with Jason Carter launching a bid for governor and joining Michelle Nunn on the ballot in 2014.
Democrats are expected to invest heavily in the state next year, which will come two short years before the 2016 presidential race and feature the grandson of former President Jimmy Carter and the daughter of former U.S. Sen. Sam Nunn. The money will be used to build up the statewide organization — registering voters, setting up a broad donor network and recruiting grassroots supporters — in the hopes of eventually turning Georgia into a true battleground state.
"Senator Carter's entrance into the governor's race, along with Michelle Nunn's candidacy, has created an unbelievable amount of excitement and optimism among Georgia Democrats," said Tharon Johnson, an Atlanta-based Democratic strategist who led President Barack Obama's re-election effort in the South.
Jason Carter, a 38-year-old attorney and state lawmaker from Atlanta, said Thursday he plans to run for governor. The decision shakes up the 2014 race as Republican Gov. Nathan Deal seeks re-election. Deal already faces two primary opponents and will now have to deal with the prospect of a Carter campaign that is likely to be well-funded and focused on the governor long before the general election. Carter is not expected to face serious primary opposition.
When asked about Carter's announcement, Deal spokesman Brian Robinson said the governor was "focused on keeping Georgia the No. 1 place to do business and creating jobs and developing a skilled workforce."
There is no doubt Georgia Democrats still face a tough political climate, and it remains to be seen how much outside money will flow into the state and how well Nunn and Carter will appeal to independent voters. Republicans currently hold every statewide office and a large majority in the General Assembly. Both U.S. senators are Republican, as well as most of the congressional delegation. The state has voted for every Republican presidential nominee since 2000, with Obama receiving 45.5 percent of the vote last year.
Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, considered a likely Democratic candidate for statewide office in coming years, said Carter is one of the most talented politicians in the state because of his ability to connect with voters. Reed said work done now will only benefit Democrats in the long run.
"It's really an issue of resources," Reed said in an interview this week. "It's not about just messaging. You've got 600,000 unregistered African-American voters who nobody is communicating with in Georgia. You have more than 200,000 Latino voters that nobody is communicating with."
Republicans, meanwhile, feel confident Deal will win re-election, arguing he has made tough fiscal decisions during a challenging time and demonstrated an ability to create jobs and grow the economy. They point to comments made this summer by Reed, who said Deal had done a good job as governor. The two have partnered on major economic development deals and together advocated the Obama administration for money to deepen the Port of Savannah.
Eric Tanenblatt, an Atlanta-based GOP strategist who served as finance co-chair of the Mitt Romney presidential campaign, said Republicans cannot ignore the fact that Georgia's electorate is changing. The state has seen an influx of out-of-state residents and an increasing minority population.
"We are still a very conservative state and a Republican state," Tanenblatt said. "That being said, the demographics in Georgia are changing and the Republican Party needs to recognize that. And some in the party do, and I am hoping that others will start to recognize that as well."
Nunn, who is running for U.S. Senate, has some primary opposition but is considered a favorite to advance. Republicans have a crowded field of candidates in the Senate race, and a runoff is likely.
Meanwhile, Carter is pledging to build a coalition of urban and rural voters with a focus on education and the economy. He plans to stay in the state Senate for next year's legislative session.
"What you see in rural Georgia now is a systematic underfunding of education, and folks are ready to see that change," Carter said in an interview. "Folks in Georgia are less partisan than people think. They are going to vote for the candidate who is going to make education a priority and make the economy work for them."
So far Carter's path closely mirrors that of his grandfather. Jimmy Carter served two terms in the Georgia Senate before running for governor. Although Jimmy Carter lost his first bid in 1966, he won four years later.
The former president said in a statement that he was proud and excited about his grandson's announcement.
"Georgia faces serious challenges ahead and would greatly benefit from a smart and fresh leader focused on improving our schools, creating opportunities for a more prosperous middle class and restoring a sense of trust and transparency back to state government," Jimmy Carter said.
A big question will be how the former president will factor into the campaign. When Jason Carter first ran for office, his grandfather didn't start campaigning until a few days before the election. At the time, Jason Carter told The Associated Press he wanted to prove he could do the hard work on his own and didn't want to be "trading on my family name."
Carter said Thursday that his grandfather remains an important figure in his life.
"He's given me advice and it's the same advice that grandfathers give their grandsons: Work as hard as you can, always tell the truth and you will be OK," Carter said. "One of the most important things he has said is that it's much more important to be a good person than a good politician."
Carter's decision to run for governor was first reported by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Challenging Deal in the Republican primary are state schools Superintendent John Barge and Dalton Mayor David Pennington. On the Democratic side, former state Sen. Connie Stokes announced Thursday that she was exiting the race for governor and would instead campaign for lieutenant governor.
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Follow Christina Almeida Cassidy on Twitter: http://twitter.com/AP_Christina
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Thousands of people evacuated villages in the central Philippines on Thursday before one of the year's strongest typhoons strikes the region, including a province devastated by an earthquake last month.
Typhoon Haiyan intensified and accelerated as it moved closer to the country with sustained winds of 225 kilometers (140 miles) per hour and ferocious gusts of 260 kph (162 mph). It could further strengthen and pick up speed as it moves over the Pacific Ocean before slamming into the eastern province of Samar early Friday, government forecaster Buddy Javier said.
As of 9 p.m., the eye of the typhoon was 338 kilometers (211 miles) southeast of Eastern Samar province's Guiuan township. The storm was moving at 39 kph (24 mph), up from its earlier speed of 33 kph (20 mph).
The storm was not expected to directly hit Manila further north. The lowest alert in a four-level typhoon warning system was issued in the flood-prone capital area, meaning it could experience winds of up to 60 kph (37 mph) and rain.
The U.S. Navy's Joint Typhoon Warning Center in Hawaii said it was the strongest tropical cyclone in the world this year. Cyclone Phailin, which hit eastern India on Oct. 12, packed sustained winds of up to 222 kph (138 mph) and stronger gusts.
President Benigno Aquino III warned people to leave high-risk areas, including 100 coastal communities where forecasters said the storm surge could reach up to 7 meters (23 feet). He urged seafarers to stay in port.
Aquino also assured the public of war-like preparations: three C-130 air force cargo planes and 32 military helicopters and planes on standby, along with 20 navy ships.
"No typhoon can bring Filipinos to their knees if we'll be united," he said in a televised address.
Governors and mayors supervised the evacuation of landslide- and flood-prone communities in several provinces where the typhoon is expected to pass, said Eduardo del Rosario, head of the government's main disaster-response agency. School classes and plane flights were canceled in many areas.
Aquino ordered officials to aim for zero casualties, a goal often not met in an archipelago lashed by about 20 tropical storms each year, most of them deadly and destructive. Haiyan is the 24th such storm to hit the Philippines this year.
Edgardo Chatto, governor of Bohol island province in the central Philippines, where an earthquake in October killed more than 200 people, said soldiers, police and rescue units were helping displaced residents, including thousands staying in small tents, move to shelters. Bohol is not forecast to receive a direct hit but is expected to be battered by strong winds and rain, government forecaster Jori Loiz said.
"My worst fear is that the eye of this typhoon will hit us. I hope we will be spared," Chatto told The Associated Press by telephone.
Gov. Roger Mercado of landslide-prone Southern Leyte province said more than 6,000 residents had been evacuated to shelters, government and emergency personnel had been put on alert, and relief goods have been packed for distribution.
"All we are doing now is we are praying, praying hard," he told ABS-CBN News Channel.
Mayor Emiliana Villacarillo of Eastern Samar's Dolores township said residents of her town did not want to be evacuated because the weather was fine on Thursday but "we forced them and hauled them to evacuation centers."
Haiyan is forecast to barrel through the country's central region Friday and Saturday before blowing toward the South China Sea over the weekend, heading toward Vietnam.
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Associated Press writers Oliver Teves and Teresa Cerojano contributed to this report.
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