China rails against protectionism at party congress

BEIJING (Reuters) – China‘s top trade and investment officials are railing against what they call a rising tide of global protectionism that blocks its major companies from expanding overseas and further integrating into the global economy.

The officials, speaking on the sidelines of a week-long Communist Party Congress, said protectionism was emerging across the world, not just in the West. It damaged global growth, frayed relations and could see China focus its investments in neighboring Asian nations, the officials said.

“We are against it,” Industry Minister Miao Wei told reporters on Wednesday when asked what he thought about protectionism as he left the Great Hall of the People after the closing session of the congress.

Commerce Minister Chen Deming had set the tone earlier last week, deriding the “Cold War mentality” of Washington lawmakers who urged U.S. firms in a landmark report last month not to do business with two top Chinese telecom equipment makers because of risks to national security.

He was followed by Lou Jiwei, chairman and CEO of China Investment Corporation, who told Reuters a rise in protectionism was forcing a rethink at the country’s $ 482 billion sovereign wealth fund, which would not spend money in countries “that do not welcome us”.

“There are other places to invest,” Lou said.

Asia is a particularly favored option for CIC, thanks to some of the fastest rates of growth and development in the world – which are themselves levered to China’s own economic dynamism.

Li Ruogu, president of the Export-Import Bank of China, which is a main source of loans for Chinese firms investing abroad, complained of “added layers of protectionism” being stacked up against China’s increasingly outward-looking companies.

Comments in between from bosses of some of the biggest state-owned enterprises – all of which have a Communist Party secretary at the top of their management structure – have reinforced views in some quarters that Beijing is becoming increasingly sensitive to protectionism.

Fu Chengyu, chairman of China’s oil giant Sinopec Group, said in London on Tuesday that politics made deals in the West increasingly difficult.

Sinopec’s rival, CNOOC Ltd, is struggling to win regulatory backing from Canada’s government for a $ 15.1 billion bid for Nexen Inc. A decision has been repeatedly delayed even though it has been approved by shareholders.

Even before the congress started, officials from government-run think-tanks that directly feed into policymaking had spoken to Reuters about a perceived rising tide of protectionism and how China might best try to turn it.

RISING RHETORIC

China’s trading partners, in turn, complain that state-backed companies they compete with globally get unfair support from Beijing – either through subsidies, tax breaks, cheap bank loans, or a deliberately undervalued currency.

Since joining the WTO in 2001, China has had 29 complaints of unfair trade practices brought against it. Around two thirds have been launched by the United States and the European Union, with others coming from a mix of developing and developed economies.

Foreign analysts though see recent rising rhetoric driven by political transition in both Washington and Beijing, a rash of troubled cross-border takeovers and the toughest conditions in three years for the country’s export-focused factory sector.

“This is playing to a domestic audience in the sense that a lot of manufacturers, a lot of exporters, aren’t doing too well and they are putting pressure on the Ministry of Commerce to do something,” Alistair Chan, an economist at Moody’s Analytics, told Reuters.

“There isn’t a lot that the government can do to help global demand, but one thing they can do is advocate for less protectionism. In terms of an actual trade war, I think that risk is quite minimal.”

China’s economy depends heavily on trade and investment flows. Exports were worth about 31 percent of GDP in 2011, according to World Bank data, while an estimated 200 million Chinese jobs are in the export sector or supported directly by foreign investment.

China’s rapid rise to become the world’s biggest exporter and its second biggest economy in the space of barely three decades since landmark economic reforms began in the late 1970s have sparked concerns among the developed economies it is eclipsing and the emerging markets which it dwarfs.

The U.S. election campaign was notable for China-bashing. Defeated candidate Mitt Romney had promised to label Beijing a currency manipulator if he won and while President Barack Obama was less confrontational, he cited his credentials as bringing more trade cases against China than his predecessor.

JOBS FEARS

There is a widespread view in the United States that trading with China has caused American firms to slash jobs.

The Economic Policy Institute, a think-tank focused on the needs of low- and middle-income workers, reckons that 2.7 million jobs were lost in the United States between 2001 and 2011 as a result of increased trade with China – 2.1 million of them in manufacturing industry.

Meanwhile research from consultancy Rhodium Group in September analyzed 600 Chinese direct investment transactions in the United States between 2000 and 2012, concluding that U.S. units of Chinese majority-owned firms directly supported 27,000 jobs.

Assuming a steady investment trend, Rhodium reckons that number would jump to 200,000-400,000 by 2020.

Beijing is targeting outbound direct investments of $ 560 billion between 2011 and 2015.

Analysts estimate China could spend $ 2 trillion globally on FDI in the next 10 years, a salivating proposition for many of the world’s top economies struggling for growth and employment opportunities – but a risk for politicians who see government-backed entities on the hunt for strategic assets, investors say.

Andrew Morris, managing director of UK fund firm Signature, reacted to news earlier this month that CIC had taken a 10 percent stake in Heathrow Airport by lambasting the British government for not doing more to preserve “our nation’s prized assets… being hoovered up by ‘foreign powers’.”

(Additional reporting by Beijing Bureau; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)

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Canada seen needing to spell out rules for natural gas projects

CALGARY, Alberta (Reuters) – The fate of a handful of liquefied natural gas projects planned for Canada’s Pacific coast may depend on the Canadian government‘s willingness to spell out rules for foreign investment in the country’s energy sector, according to a study released on Thursday.

Apache Corp, Royal Dutch Shell Plc, Petronas, BG Group Plc and others are in the planning stages for LNG projects that would take gas from the rich shale fields of northeastern British Columbia and ship it to Asian buyers.

But the federal government’s decision last month to stall the C$ 5.2 billion ($ 5.2 billion) bid by Malaysia’s state-owned Petronas C$ 5.2 billion for Canada‘s Progress Energy Resources Corp could lessen the appetite of Asian buyers for Canadian LNG, energy consultants Wood Mackenzie said.

“Some potential off-takers of Canadian LNG like the idea … because it’s perceived as having low political risk, and another reason is because they see the potential for investment opportunities,” said Noel Tomnay, head of global gas at the consultancy.

“If there are going to be restrictions on how they access those opportunities, if acquisitions are closed to them, then clearly that would restrict the attractiveness of those opportunities. If would-be Asian investors thought that corporate acquisitions were an avenue that was not open to them then Canadian LNG would become less attractive.”

The Canadian government is looking to come up with rules governing corporate acquisitions by state-owned companies and has pushed off a decision on the Petronas bid as it considers whether to approve the $ 15.1 billion offer for Nexen Inc from China’s CNOOC Ltd.

Exporting LNG to Asia is seen as a way to boost returns for natural-gas producers tapping the Montney, Horn River and Liard Basin shale regions of northeastern British Columbia.

Though Wood Mackenzie estimates the fields contain as much as 280 trillion cubic feet of gas, they are far from Canada’s traditional U.S. export market, while growing supplies from American shale regions have cut into Canadian shipments.

Because the region lacks infrastructure, developing the resource will be expensive, requiring new pipelines and multibillion-dollar liquefaction.

Still Wood Mackenzie estimates that the cost of delivery into Asian markets for Canadian LNG would be in the range of $ 10 million to $ 12 per million British thermal units, similar to competing projects in the United States and East Africa.

($ 1 = $ 1.00 Canadian)

(Reporting by Scott Haggett; Editing by Leslie Adler)

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Lakers intrigued by chance to play for D’Antoni

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — Pau Gasol got home from the game and read about it on Twitter, while Dwight Howard got a midnight message on his BlackBerry. They shared most Los Angeles Lakers fans’ mix of surprise, trepidation and anticipation.

Just when everybody thought the Lakers were getting back together with Phil Jackson, they switched course in the middle of the night and went with Mike D’Antoni.

What a weekend in Hollywood — and the real drama isn’t over yet.

The Lakers reacted with ample excitement and a little bewilderment Monday to their front office’s surprising decision to hire D’Antoni as coach Mike Brown’s replacement over Jackson, the 11-time champion who discussed the job at his home Saturday and apparently wanted to return. D’Antoni didn’t even interview for the job in person, speaking to the Lakers over the phone.

“It has been crazy, but all this stuff will just make this team stronger,” said Howard, who has been in a Lakers uniform for about six weeks. “Everything that we’ve been through so far, it’s going to make us stronger, and we have to look at this as a positive situation.”

The Lakers’ third coach in four days won’t take over the team until later in the week. D’Antoni still hadn’t been cleared to travel Monday after undergoing knee replacement surgery earlier in the month, although the Lakers are optimistic the former Knicks and Suns coach will arrive in Los Angeles on Wednesday.

So interim coach Bernie Bickerstaff was still in charge Monday when the Lakers gathered for an informal workout ahead of Tuesday’s game against San Antonio. Just two weeks into the regular season, the Lakers (3-4) are about to start over with a new offense and another coaching staff — and a renewed certainty they’re expected to compete for a title this season.

“It’s been a zoo,” said forward Antawn Jamison, a 15-year NBA veteran who played for D’Antoni on a U.S. national team. “But as I was telling somebody, it’s just a typical day here in L.A. It’s interesting. … It should be a lot easier to adjust to than the system we were trying to get adjusted to early on in the season. We’ve got Steve (Nash) that can help us out.”

Two Lakers who supported both Brown and his two potential replacements weren’t available in El Segundo to weigh in on the hire. Nash missed the workout while getting treatment on his injured leg, while Kobe Bryant left before it ended to share a helicopter ride back home to Orange County with point guard Steve Blake, who needed an exam on his abdominal injury.

And the tall, professorial coach with all the rings wasn’t at the Lakers’ training complex at all.

Just 24 hours after Jackson seemed headed back to his oversized chair on the Staples Center bench, D’Antoni had the job.

It’s too soon to tell how the Buss family’s latest counterintuitive move will sit with Lakers fans, who chanted “We want Phil!” during the club’s weekend games, both victories after a 1-4 start.

“I think everybody had expectations about it, and they were all pretty high,” Gasol said of Jackson’s potential return. “We all understood what Phil brings to the table … and what he means to the city and the franchise. It just couldn’t work out for whatever reason.”

Jackson issued a statement to a handful of media outlets Monday, implying he was essentially offered the job after meeting with Lakers owner Jim Buss and general manager Mitch Kupchak. Jackson thought he would be able to come back to the Lakers on Monday with his decision, but instead was awakened by a midnight phone call from Kupchak.

“The decision is of course theirs to make,” Jackson said in his statement. “I am gratified by the groundswell of support from the Laker fans who endorsed my return, and it is the principal reason why I considered the possibility.”

The Lakers largely echoed the thoughts of Howard, who was looking forward to playing for Jackson: “Management had to do what they felt is best for the team, and we as players have got to find a way to win.”

The Lakers publicly offered no reason for passing over the coach with the most championships in NBA history. Although nobody could claim the Buss family is afraid of spending money, Brown is still owed well over $ 10 million for the remaining three seasons on his four-year, $ 18 million contract, while D’Antoni will make $ 4 million a season for the next three years — and their salaries together might be less than what Jackson would command.

The Lakers largely know what they would get with Jackson, but D’Antoni intrigues this older, top-heavy team with an urgency to contend for a title before Howard’s free agency next summer and Bryant’s possible retirement in a few years.

Howard and Gasol both believe D’Antoni’s up-tempo style can work well for the Lakers. Howard would seem to be a natural to partner with Nash in the pick-and-roll attacks loved by D’Antoni and Nash, although Gasol doesn’t immediately fit into the definition of a big man who can play on the perimeter and shoot 3-pointers.

“It’s a great system, (but) I don’t think he ever had a defender such as myself or a defender such as Dwight Howard on those teams,” Metta World Peace said. “I don’t think he ever coached those type of players, so his defense should be self-explanatory, and his offense is amazing, so it should be fun for Laker fans.”

The rest of the NBA sat back and watched the Lakers’ drama with amusement over the past two days, with Dallas owner Mark Cuban weighing in gleefully on the mess: “I hope they have to do it again and again and again.”

Jackson’s flirtation with the job is the strongest indication yet that he’s interested in coaching again, which makes him a prime candidate for another franchise. Yet D’Antoni also received praise around the league — even from New York, where he resigned last March after failing to win a playoff game in four years with the Knicks.

“Despite all the hoopla … that was going on about me and Mike, we actually have a pretty good relationship, especially behind closed doors,” Carmelo Anthony said. “We actually talked a lot, talked basketball. Hopefully he brings some positive energy over there. Anytime guys are losing like that, there’s always negativity, a lot of negative energy. So sometimes change is better.”

Added Dwyane Wade, who has played for D’Antoni on the U.S. national team: “He has a tough job ahead of him, but I’m sure he’s excited about the opportunity that he gets to be with America’s team.”

___

AP Sports Writers Brian Mahoney and Chris Duncan contributed to this report.

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‘Sesame Street’ Elmo puppeteer takes leave amid sex scandal

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – The puppeteer and voice behind the character Elmo on “Sesame Street” has taken a leave of absence from the children’s television show following allegations that he had a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old boy, producers said on Monday.

New York-based Sesame Workshop said in a statement that its own inquiry concluded that the claim of underage sexual conduct was unsubstantiated, and that puppeteer Kevin Clash has denied any wrongdoing and called the allegation “false and defamatory.”

But the company said Clash, 52, was disciplined after an internal investigation showed he “exercised poor judgment and violated company policy regarding Internet usage.”

The Sesame Workshop statement said the puppeteer was “taking actions to protect his reputation” and that Sesame Workshop has “granted him a leave of absence to do so.”

Neither Clash nor his personal publicist was immediately available for comment.

CNN quoted a statement from Clash acknowledging a relationship with his accuser but denying he had sexual contact with a minor.

“I am a gay man. I have never been ashamed of this or tried to hide it,” it quoted him as saying. “I had a relationship with the accuser, it was between two consenting adults, and I am deeply saddened that he is characterizing it as something other than what it was.”

The statement went on to say, “I’m taking a break from Sesame Workshop to deal with this false and defamatory allegation.”

Sesame Workshop said the matter came to its attention when it received a communication in June from accuser, now aged 23, alleging that he had a relationship with Clash beginning when he was 16 years old.

“We took the allegation very seriously and took immediate action,” the company said, adding that it met with the accuser twice and had “repeated communications with him.” The company said it also discussed the matter with Clash, who denied the allegations.

A spokeswoman for the show said she did not know whether law enforcement authorities were looking into the allegations.

Clash officially joined the “Sesame Street” cast in 1984, assuming the Elmo role that year.

Elmo’s character had debuted on the show in 1979, and though Clash was the third performer to animate the child-like shaggy red monster, Sesame Workshop credits him with turning Elmo into the international sensation he became.

For now, producers promised that Elmo would remain on the show despite the absence of Clash, saying “Elmo is bigger than any one person and will continue to be an integral part of ‘Sesame Street.’”

(Reporting and writing by Steve Gorman; Editing by Cynthia Johnston and Cynthia Osterman)

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Nesquik Recall Q and A: Are Your Kids Safe?

Nestlé announced late last week a recall of Nesquik for possible Salmonella contamination. Promoted by the Nesquik Bunny, the chocolate milk flavoring is consumed primarily by children. Here’s what you need to know to make sure your kids are safe from this Salmonella risk.

How Do I Know If My Nesquik Is Part of the Recall?

The Nesquik recall covers only chocolate powder in 10.9, 21.8 and 40.7 ounce canisters manufactured during October 2012. Any other Nesquik products are not subject to recall. According to CNN, 200,000 canisters of Nesquik are included in the recall.

Nesquik subject to the recall bears a Best Before date of October 2014. The applicable UPC codes and production codes include: for 40.7 ounce containers UPC 0 28000 68230 9 with production codes 2282574810 or 2282574820; for 21.8 ounce size, UPC 0 28000 68090 9 and production codes 2278574810, 2278574820, 2279574810, 2279574820, 2284574820, 2284574830, 2285574810, 2285574820, 2287574820, 2289574810, or 2289574820; and, for 10.9 ounce canisters, UPC 0 28000 67990 3 and product code 2278574810.

What About Ready-to-Drink Nesquik Served at My Kid’s School?

In June, Nestlé went after the school lunch market by offering eight-ounce ready-to-drink Nesquik. If your child’s school is serving ready-to-drink Nesquik, there’s no cause for concern. The recall covers only the powder variety of Nesquik, not the ready-to-drink type.

What Led to the Nesquik Recall?

Nestlé identifies a supplier of calcium carbonate used in the drink powder as the culprit. The recall notice says Omya, Inc., notified Nestlé of its own product recall due to Salmonella concerns. There have been no reports of illness associated with the Nesquik recall, Nestlé says.

What Is Calcium Carbonate?

Calcium carbonate is an additive included in powdered products to prevent caking and/or to increase calcium content, according to Self.

If My Child Gets Sick, How Will I Know Whether or Not It’s from Salmonella?

Salmonella infection symptoms include diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and fever. These normally develop within 72 hours of consuming contaminated food or drink. Most people who do contract salmonellosis get better in about a week without treatment. For infants, the elderly, pregnant women, and people with compromised immune systems, salmonellosis can be life threatening and medical treatment is advised.

Can I Get a Refund?

Yes. Return recalled Nesquik to the store where you bought it for a refund, or call Nestlé Consumer Services at (800) 628-7679.

Carol Bengle Gilbert writes about consumer issues for the Yahoo! Contributor Network.

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Thompson takes helm at NYTimes, faces stiff challenges

(Reuters) – Mark Thompson reported to work as the New York Times Co chief executive on Monday, confronting challenges ranging from making the publisher less dependent on advertising to trimming costs and figuring out what to do with its pile of cash.

Thompson is also dealing with questions pertaining to a series of scandals at the BBC, where he served as director-general from 2004 until September this year.

George Entwistle, who succeeded Thompson at the British broadcaster, resigned on Saturday and two of its top news directors stepped aside on Monday.

The BBC has come under fire for its handling of two investigations at its flagship news show, “Newsnight”. One is a massive sexual abuse scandal involving the late Jimmy Savile, a former presenter at the network. The other is a news story of an allegation that a former top politician sexually abused children, which was later proven to be false.

The latter report occurred after Thompson left the BBC. However, an unaired program about Savile was produced while Thompson was director-general of the broadcasting company.

In a staff memo obtained by Reuters, New York Times Chairman Arthur Sulzberger welcomed Thompson but sidestepped addressing the BBC scandals.

“We welcome him at a time of tremendous change and challenge, which must be met with equal focus and innovation,” Sulzberger said in the memo distributed on Monday.

“Mark will lead us as we continue our digital transformation, bolster our international growth, drive our productivity and introduce new technologies that will help us become better storytellers and enrich the experience for our readers and viewers.”

British ITV filmed Thompson as he arrived at the New York Times headquarters on Monday near Manhattan’s Times Square. “I’m looking forward to starting work there right now,” said Thompson, who was dressed in a navy blue suit, red tie and had a backpack slung over his right shoulder.

Asked if the BBC saga would be a distraction, he said: “I believe it will not in any way affect my job, which I’m starting right now as chief executive of the New York Times Company.”

Still, the volley of news about the turmoil at BBC has been coming fast across the Atlantic since a rival British broadcaster aired a bombshell investigation about Savile in October.

There is little to suggest the pace will slacken as the chairman of the BBC Trust called for a “thorough structural radical overhaul” of the organization, and police and parliament have opened inquiries.

Ken Doctor, an analyst with Outsell Research, said the BBC scandals will replace “hackgate” – the phone hacking controversy that shook News Corp’s British newspaper arm – in the UK popular press and in parliament.

Indeed, News Corp founder, Chairman and CEO Rupert Murdoch, who has criticized the publicly funded BBC in the past, tweeted on Saturday, “BBC getting into deeper mess. After Savile scandal, now prominent news program falsely names senior pol as pedophile.”

Thompson said in a letter to British lawmakers he would be happy to appear in front of the parliamentary committee or any other inquiry in the future.

The British investigations into the BBC could prove to be a distraction for Thompson if they are drawn out.

“It’s clearly a distraction,” Doctor said, who added that he believes Thompson should have stepped aside over the weekend.

“How big, how long this is going to last is unknown. For anybody who cares about the New York Times and its journalism this is an unneeded distraction.”

Doctor is another voice in a growing chorus to question whether Thompson is fit to serve as CEO.

New York Times Public Editor Margaret Sullivan wrote on Monday a second column about Thompson.

She praised the coverage in Times about the BBC saga and Thompson, saying it “pulled no punches in reporting,” and noted that the scandal is being felt in New York.

“It’s safe to say that everyone here – from the Times’ board of directors to the mail clerks — hopes that Mr. Sulzberger’s faith in Mr. Thompson will be rewarded,” she wrote.

“What happens in London reverberates in New York. And the chaos at the BBC – in which many of the people Mr. Thompson has supervised stepped aside as recently as this past weekend — feels uncomfortably close to home.”

Thompson did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding Entwistle’s resignation. Earlier, he declined to be interviewed about his plans for the New York Times.

TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS

Thompson took the helm at the New York Times just weeks after the company reported that it missed third-quarter revenue and profit expectations, which sent its stock tumbling 22 percent.

His arrival on Monday marks the first time the company has had a CEO since the abrupt ouster of Janet Robinson last December.

In addition to the business challenges, Thompson must also manage the desires of the Ochs-Sulzberger family, which has controlled The New York Times for more than 100 years. The company’s business issues have forced the family to forego a dividend since 2009.

“The first thing he will have to focus on is the balance sheet,” Barclay’s analyst Kannan Venkateshwar said of Thompson’s priorities.

Analysts widely expect the company to reinstate a dividend since it will end the year with about $ 1 billion in cash, due in part to sales of some of its newspapers and its digital group About.com. Debt is about $ 700 million and therefore is very manageable in the context of cash, Venkateshwar said.

Beyond the balance sheet, Thompson will have to tackle the declining advertising revenue in both print and digital while convincing readers to pay more for its products.

While the company’s circulation revenue – which includes both print and digital subscribers – makes up 52 percent of total revenue, that percentage must increase to offset persistent advertising losses.

“I think there are a lot of hurdles to the NYTimes.com pay model,” Morningstar analyst Jocelyn Mackay said. “I do wonder if their price point is too expensive.”

(Reporting by Jennifer Saba; Editing by Peter Lauria, Maureen Bavdek and Richard Chang)

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Lockheed says cyber attacks up sharply, suppliers targeted

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Pentagon‘s No. 1 supplier, Lockheed Martin Corp, on Monday cited dramatic growth in the number and sophistication of international cyber attacks on its networks and said it was contacting suppliers to help them shore up their security.

Chandra McMahon, Lockheed vice president and chief information security officer, said about 20 percent of the threats directed at Lockheed networks were considered “advanced persistent threats,” prolonged and targeted attacks by a nation state or other group trying to steal data or harm operations.

“The number of campaigns has increased dramatically over the last several years,” McMahon told a news conference. “The pace has picked up.”

She said the tactics and techniques were becoming increasingly sophisticated, and attackers were clearly targeting Lockheed suppliers to gain access to information since the company had fortified its own networks.

U.S. officials have stepped up their warnings about cyber attacks on U.S. banks and other institutions in recent months, warning that attackers are developing the ability to strike U.S. power grids and government systems.

Lockheed officials declined to say if any of the attacks they had seen originated in Iran, which has been linked to recent denial-of-service attacks against U.S. financial institutions.

Rohan Amin, Lockheed program director for the Pentagon’s Cyber Crime Center (DC3), said internal analysis showed that the number of campaigns had clearly grown, and multiple campaigns were often linked.

Lockheed recently wrested a $ 450 million contract to run the military cyber center away from long-time holder General Dynamics Corp.

“HUGE PROBLEM”

As the top information technology provider to the U.S. government, Lockheed has long worked to secure data on computer networks run by a range of civilian and military agencies. The company is also trying to expand sales of cybersecurity technology and services to commercial firms, including its suppliers, and foreign governments, Lockheed executives said.

“Suppliers are still a huge problem,” said Charlie Croom, Lockheed’s vice president of cybersecurity solutions, noting the large number of companies that provide products and components for Lockheed, which has annual sales of just under $ 47 billion.

Croom, the former head of the Pentagon’s Defense Information Systems Agency, said cybersecurity was a crucial area for Lockheed, but said it was difficult to pinpoint exactly how much business it generates because network security is part of nearly everything the company sells and does for the government.

He estimated that 5 to 8 percent of Lockheed’s revenues in the information systems sector were related to cybersecurity. Lockheed generated $ 9.4 billion sales in that division in 2011.

McMahon said Lockheed had seen “very successful” attacks against a number of the company’s suppliers, and was focusing heavily on helping those companies improve their security.

She said a well-publicized cyber attack on Lockheed’s networks in May 2011 came after the computer systems of two of its suppliers — RSA, the security division of EMC Corp and another unidentified company — were compromised.

“The adversary was able to get information from RSA and then they were also able to steal information from another supplier of ours, and they were able to put those two pieces of information together and launch an attack on us,” McMahon said.

She said Lockheed had been tracking the adversary for years before that attack, and was able to prevent any loss of data by using its in-house detection and monitoring capabilities.

One of the lessons the company learned was the importance of sharing data with other companies in the defense sector, and suppliers, to avert similar attacks, McMahon said.

“It’s just one example of how the adversary has been very significant and tenacious and has really been targeting the defense industrial base,” she said.

Social media, websites and malware introduced by emails remain major areas of concern, Lockheed executives said.

(Reporting By Andrea Shalal-Esa; Editing by Paul Tait)

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U2′s Bono to urge U.S. politicians not to cut aid programs

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Irish rocker and anti-poverty campaigner Bono will appeal to Democrats and Republicans during a visit to Washington this week to spare U.S. development assistance programs from cuts as Congress tries to avert the looming “fiscal cliff” of tax hikes and spending reductions early next year.

The U2 lead singer’s visit comes as the Obama administration and congressional leaders try to forge a deal in coming weeks to avoid the economy hitting the “fiscal cliff” – tax increases and spending cuts worth $ 600 billion starting in January if Congress does not act.

Analysts say the absence of a deal could shock the United States, the world’s biggest economy, back into recession.

Kathy McKiernan, spokeswoman for the ONE Campaign, said Bono will hold talks with congressional lawmakers and senior Obama administration officials during the November 12-14 visit.

During meetings he will stress the effectiveness of U.S. foreign assistance programs and the need to preserve them to avoid putting at risk progress made in fighting HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, she said.

Bono, a long-time advocate for the poor, will argue that U.S. government-funded schemes that support life-saving treatments for HIV/AIDS sufferers, nutrition programs for malnourished children, and emergency food aid make up just 1 percent of the U.S. government budget but are helping to save tens of millions of lives in impoverished nations.

The One Campaign would not elaborate which lawmakers and senior Obama administration officials Bono will meet.

On Monday, Bono will discuss the power of social movements with students at Georgetown University. He will also meet new World Bank President Jim Yong Kim for a web cast discussion on Wednesday on the challenges of eradicating poverty.

(Editing by W Simon)

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U.S. the New Saudi Arabia? Peak Oilers Scoff

The U.S. is set to increase oil production so much that it will overtake Saudi Arabia and become the world’s biggest producer by around 2017, the International Energy Agency said today.

The reaction from “peak oil” theorists? Not a chance. They continue to argue that the surge in U.S. production coming from shale oil and shale gas is a flash in the pan. Before long, they say, U.S. output will start falling again—as will global output. The price of oil will skyrocket and the industrial economy will be brought to its knees, they argue.

I first reached Kjell Aleklett in Sweden. He’s president of the Association for the Study of Peak Oil and a physics professor at Uppsala University. Aleklett acknowledged that peak oil theorists didn’t predict the U.S. output increase, but he said the jump doesn’t undermine their main case. “We were wrong that it was not possible for the U.S. [production] to swing back again. But we don’t know how high the swing will be,” Aleklett said.

“The shale production we are talking about now relies on thousands of wells drilled every year. If the drilling capacity should go down, or for some reason it becomes too expensive, then the production will go down very fast,” Aleklett said.

What’s more, he said, the U.S. success is not being duplicated in other countries. In densely populated Europe, Aleklett said, the best shale happens to be beneath the city of Paris, making it off-limits to production (unless the Eiffel Tower is converted into a production platform).

Aleklett also pointed out that the U.S. Energy Department’s own outlook contradicts that of the Paris-based International Energy Agency. In 2035, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, imports of crude oil, liquid fuels, and other petroleum, plus natural gas will still total about 24 quadrillion BTUs a year, nearly triple the level of exports.

Mark your calendar, by the way: Aleklett said the next meeting of the Association for the Study of Peak Oil is in Austin, Tex., on Nov. 30 and Dec. 1.

I then reached Jeremy Leggett, a British solar energy entrepreneur who is chairman of a company called Solarcentury and who writes about energy issues, including peak oil. His talking points were more polished than Aleklett’s, but he hit the same arguments. Like the Swede, he said he doesn’t think production from unconventional sources such as shale is sustainable for long.

“On the massive balance of probabilities, not withstanding the U.S. phenomenon, there’s going to be a descent of global production and much higher prices, by 2015 at the latest,” Leggett said.

I asked him if it’s harder for him to persuade people now than it was before the surprising resurgence in U.S. output. Yes, he said. “It’s a comfortable narrative, and people are desperate to believe comfortable narratives. It has set back the perception of the risk.” Dependence on oil and gas, said Leggett, “will blow up in our face.”

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Global deal agreed to fight tobacco smuggling

SEOUL (Reuters) – Global health officials agreed a deal on Monday to fight smuggling of tobacco products, a trade which robs governments of more than $ 40 billion in revenue each year and undercuts efforts to reduce smoking.

The measures include making it mandatory for member governments to license manufacturers and for tobacco packaging to be marked so the products can be tracked.

The agreement came at a meeting of the 176 member states to the World Health Organisation (WHO)’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in the South Korean capital Seoul and follows more than five years of negotiations.

“The protocol gives the world an orderly, rules-based instrument for countering and eventually eliminating a very sophisticated international criminal activity,” WHO Director General Margaret Chan told the conference.

“Illicit trade is bad for health because it circumvents measures like taxes and price increases that are known to reduce demand.”

Roughly one in 10 cigarettes, or 600 billion, are smuggled each year by organized gangs, experts say.

A study by the independent non-profit International Tax and Investment Center based in Washington said approximately 11 percent of the world cigarette market is illicit, resulting in annual loss in government revenue of more than $ 40 billion.

“There is evidence that the proceeds of the illicit trade in tobacco products funds both international criminal organizations

A network of civil society groups, the Framework Convention Alliance, called to pact a major step in curbing the illegal trade in tobacco products.

“The illicit trade in tobacco feeds the worldwide tobacco epidemic by flooding markets with cheap products and keeping tobacco taxes low,” it said.

However, some countries where major tobacco companies are based, notably the United States, will not be subject to the anti-smuggling agreement because they have not ratified the original pact.

Industry giants Philip Morris International and British American Tobacco have previously said they would back a pact with effective measures against illicit trade.

(Editing by Jonathan Thatcher)

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