Golf adopts rule to ban anchored putting stroke

Golf's governing bodies approved a rule Tuesday that outlaws the putting stroke used by four of the last six major champions, a move opposed by two major golf organizations that contend long putters are not hurting the game.

The Royal & Ancient Golf Club and U.S. Golf Association said Rule 14-1b will take effect in 2016.

"We recognize this has been a divisive issue, but after thorough consideration, we remain convinced that this is the right decision for golf," R&A chief executive Peter Dawson said.

The new rule does not ban the long putters, only the way they commonly are used. Golfers no longer will be able to anchor the club against their bodies to create the effect of a hinge. Masters champion Adam Scott used a long putter he pressed against his chest. British Open champion Ernie Els and U.S. Open champion Webb Simpson used a belly putter, as did Keegan Bradley in the 2011 PGA Championship.

"We strongly believe that this rule is for the betterment of the game," USGA President Glen Nager said. "Rule 14-1b protects one of the important challenges in the game ? the free swing of the entire club."

The announcement followed six months of contentious debate, and it might not be over.

The next step is for the PGA Tour to follow the new rule or decide to establish its own condition of competition that would allow players to anchor the long putters. PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem said in February the USGA and R&A would be "making a mistake" to adopt the rule, though he also has stressed the importance of golf playing under one set of rules.

"I think it's really important that the PGA Tour ? and all the professional tours ? continue to follow one set of rules," USGA executive director Mike Davis said. "We have gotten very positive feedback from the tours around the world saying that they like one set of rules, they like the R&A and USGA governing those. So if there was some type of schism, we don't think that would be good for golf.

"And we are doing what we think is right for the long-term benefit of the game for all golfers, and we just can't write them for one group of elite players."

The tour said in a statement it would consult with its Player Advisory Council and policy board to determine "whether various provisions of Rule 14-1b will be implemented in our competitions, and if so, examine the process for implementation."

PGA of America President Ted Bishop, who had some of the sharpest comments over the last few months, also said his group would discuss the new rule ? and confer with the PGA Tour ? before deciding how to proceed.

"We are disappointed with this outcome," Bishop said. "As we have said publicly and repeatedly during the comment period, we do not believe 14-1b is in the best interest of recreational golfers and we are concerned about the negative impact it may have on both the enjoyment and growth of the game."

Some forms of anchoring have been around at least 40 years, and old photographs suggest it has been used even longer. It wasn't until after Bradley became the first major champion to use a belly putter that the USGA and R&A said it would take a new look at the putting style.

"It can never be too late to do the right thing," Nager said.

Those in favor of anchored putting argued that none of the top 20 players in the PGA Tour's most reliable putting statistic used a long putter, and if it was such an advantage, why wasn't everyone using it?

"Intentionally securing one end of the club against the body, and creating a point of physical attachment around which the club is swung, is a substantial departure from that traditional free swing," Nager said. "Anchoring creates potential advantages, such as making the stroke simpler and more repeatable, restricting the movement and rotation of the hands, arms and clubface, creating a fixed pivot point, and creating extra support and stability that may diminish the effects of nerves and pressure."

The governing bodies announced the proposed rule on Nov. 28, even though they had no data to show an advantage. What concerned them more was a spike in usage on the PGA Tour, more junior golfers using the long putters and comments from instructors that it was a better way to putt. There was concern the conventional putter would become obsolete over time.

The purpose of the new rule was simply to define what a putting stroke should be.

"The playing rules are not based on statistical studies," Nager said. "They are based on judgments that define the game and its intended challenge. One of those challenges is to control the entire club, and anchoring alters that challenge."

The topic was so sensitive that the USGA and R&A allowed for a 90-day comment period, an unprecedented move for the groups that set the rules of golf. The USGA said about 2,200 people offered feedback through its website, while the R&A said it had about 450 people from 17 countries go through its website.

Among those who spoke in favor of the ban were Tiger Woods, Brandt Snedeker and Steve Stricker.

"I've always felt that in golf you should have to swing the club, control your nerves and swing all 14 clubs, not just 13," Woods said Monday.

Tim Clark and Carl Pettersson have used the long putter as long as they have been on the PGA Tour. Scott switched to the broom-handle putter only in 2011, and he began contending in majors for the first time ? tied for third in 2011 Masters, runner-up at the 2012 British Open, his first major victory in the Masters last month.

"It was inevitable that big tournaments would be won with this equipment because these are the best players in the world, and they practice thousands of hours," Scott said after winning the Masters. "They are going to get good with whatever they are using."

It was Clark's dignified speech to a players-only meeting ? with Davis from the USGA in the room ? that helped sway the tour's opinion to oppose the ban.

Davis and Dawson said their research indicated the opposition to the new rule was mainly in America. The European Tour and other tours around the world all backed the ban.

Players can still use the putter, but it would have to be held away from the body to allow free swing. Mark Newell, head of the USGA's rules committee, said the rule would be enforced like so many others in golf ? players would have to call the penalty on themselves.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/golf-adopts-rule-ban-anchored-putting-stroke-120609820.html

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NASA launching experiment to examine the beginnings of the universe

May 21, 2013 ? When did the first stars and galaxies form in the universe? How brightly did they burn their nuclear fuel?

Scientists will seek to gain answers to these questions with the launch of the Cosmic Infrared Background ExpeRIment (CIBER) on a Black Brant XII suborbital sounding rocket between 11 and 11:59 p.m. EDT, June 4 from the Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.

Jamie Bock, CIBER principal investigator from the California Institute of Technology, said, "The first massive stars to form in the universe produced copious ultraviolet light that ionized gas from neutral hydrogen. CIBER observes in the near infrared, as the expansion of the universe stretched the original short ultraviolet wavelengths to long near-infrared wavelengths today. CIBER investigates two telltale signatures of first star formation -- the total brightness of the sky after subtracting all foregrounds, and a distinctive pattern of spatial variations."

"The objectives of the experiment are of fundamental importance for astrophysics, to probe the process of first galaxy formation, but the measurement is also extremely difficult technically," he noted.

This will be the fourth flight for CIBER on a NASA sounding rocket. The previous launches were in 2009, 2010, and 2012 from the White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico. After each flight the experiment or payload was recovered for post-calibrations and re-flight.

For this flight CIBER will fly on a larger and more powerful rocket than before. This will loft CIBER to a higher altitude than those previously obtained, thus providing longer observation time for the instruments. The experiment, which will safely splash down in the Atlantic Ocean more than 400 miles off the Virginia coast, will not be recovered.

CIBER previously flew on two-stage Black Brant IX sounding rockets. Bock said, "The collection of data from the three flights allows us to compare data and rigorously test sources of potential systematic error from both the instrument and astrophysical foregrounds. We have been through the end-to-end process in analyzing our data, so we understand the benefits of going with a non-recovered Black Brant XII. We also know the performance of the instrument very well from these flights and that makes us confident going forward with this more capable but final flight."

The 70-foot tall four-stage Black Brant XII rocket will carry CIBER to an altitude of about 350 miles. According to Bock, "This flight is pioneering a new direction in the astrophysics program in that we are flying our instrument on a non-recovered Black Brant XII. The XII gives us a significantly higher trajectory, providing about 560 seconds of flight time above 250 km (155 miles) altitude, compared with 250 seconds on standard Black Brant IX flights out of White Sands."

"Our experience in the near-infrared waveband is that we see appreciable emission from the atmosphere up to 250 km. The higher trajectory allows us to do some new things that are not possible on a Black Brant IX. For example, we expect to have enough independent images of the sky to directly determine the in-flight gain of the infrared cameras, which will allow us to measure background fluctuations in single exposures. This gives us a much more direct way to compare with satellite data than the statistical combinations we have had to use to date. The higher trajectory of course comes with a price in that the payload is not recovered," he said.

CIBER is a cooperative instrument designed and built by the California Institute of Technology, University of California Irvine, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), and the Korean Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI). The same team is also developing an improved follow-on experiment, with more capable optics and detector arrays, that will be completed next year.

Backup launch days for this project are June 5 -- 10.

To find out more about NASA's sounding rocket missions, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sounding-rockets/

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_technology/~3/sky5GQFeHfc/130521134036.htm

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Footwear's (carbon) footprint: Bulk of shoes' carbon footprint comes from manufacturing processes

May 22, 2013 ? A typical pair of running shoes generates 30 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions, equivalent to keeping a 100-watt light bulb on for one week, according to a new MIT-led lifecycle assessment.

But what's surprising to researchers isn't the size of a shoe's carbon footprint, but where the majority of that footprint comes from.

The researchers found that more than two-thirds of a running shoe's carbon impact can come from manufacturing processes, with a smaller percentage arising from acquiring or extracting raw materials. This breakdown is expected for more complex products such as electronics, where the energy that goes into manufacturing fine, integrated circuits can outweigh the energy expended in processing raw materials. But for "less-advanced" products -- particularly those that don't require electronic components -- the opposite is often the case.

So why does a pair of sneakers, which may seem like a relatively simple product, emit so much more carbon dioxide in its manufacturing phase?

A team led by Randolph Kirchain, principal research scientist in MIT's Materials Systems Laboratory, and research scientist Elsa Olivetti broke down the various steps involved in both materials extraction and manufacturing of one pair of running shoes to identify hotspots of greenhouse-gas emissions. The group found that much of the carbon impact came from powering manufacturing plants: A significant portion of the world's shoe manufacturers are located in China, where coal is the dominant source of electricity. Coal is also typically used to generate steam or run other processes in the plant itself.

A typical pair of running shoes comprises 65 discrete parts requiring more than 360 processing steps to assemble, from sewing and cutting to injection molding, foaming and heating. Olivetti, Kirchain and their colleagues found that for these small, light components such processes are energy-intensive -- and therefore, carbon-intensive -- compared with the energy that goes into making shoe materials, such as polyester and polyurethane.

The group's results, Kirchain says, will help shoe designers identify ways to improve designs and reduce shoes' carbon footprint. He adds that the findings may also help industries assess the carbon impact of similar consumer products more efficiently.

"Understanding environmental footprint is resource intensive. The key is, you need to put your analytical effort into the areas that matter," Kirchain says. "In general, we found that if you have a product that has a relatively high number of parts and process steps, and that is relatively light [weight], then you want to make sure you don't overlook manufacturing."

Kirchain and his colleagues have published their results in the Journal of Cleaner Production.

The sum of a shoe's parts

In 2010, nearly 25 billion shoes were purchased around the world, the majority of them manufactured in China and other developing countries. As Kirchain and his co-authors write in their paper, "An industry of that scale and geographic footprint has come under great pressure regarding its social and environmental impact."

In response, companies have started to take account of their products' greenhouse-gas contributions, in part by measuring the amount of carbon dioxide associated with every process throughout a product's lifecycle. One such company, ASICS, an athletic equipment company based in Japan, approached Kirchain to perform a lifecycle assessment for a running shoe manufactured in China.

The team took a "cradle-to-grave" approach, breaking down every possible greenhouse gas-emitting step: from the point at which the shoes' raw materials are extracted to the shoes' demise, whether burned, landfilled or recycled.

The researchers divided the shoes' lifecycle into five major stages: materials, manufacturing, usage, transportation and end-of-life. These last three stages, they found, contributed very little to the product's carbon footprint. For example, running shoes, unlike electronics, require very little energy to use, aside from the energy needed to infrequently wash the shoes.

The bulk of emissions, they found, came from manufacturing. While part of the manufacturing footprint is attributable to a facility's energy source, other emissions came from processes such as foaming and injection molding of parts of a sneaker's sole, which expend large amounts of energy in the manufacture of small, lightweight parts. As Kirchain explains it, "You have a lot of effort going into the molding of the material, but you're only getting a very small part out of that process."

"What stood out was this manufacturing burden being on par with materials, which we hadn't seen in similar products," Olivetti adds. "Part of that is because it's a synthetic product. If we were looking at a leather shoe, it would be much more materials-driven because of the carbon intensity of leather production."

An improved design

In tallying the carbon emissions from every part of a running shoe's lifecycle, the researchers were also able to spot places where reductions might be made. For example, they observed that manufacturing facilities tend to throw out unused material. Instead, Kirchain and his colleagues suggest recycling these scraps, as well as combining certain parts of the shoe to eliminate cutting and welding steps. Printing certain features onto a shoe, instead of affixing them as separate fabrics, would also streamline the assembly process.

Kirchain and Olivetti view their results as a guide for companies looking to evaluate the impact of similar products.

"When people are trying for streamlined approaches to [lifecycle assessments], often they put emphasis on the materials impact, which makes a lot of sense," Olivetti says. "But we tried to identify a set of characteristics that would point you to making sure you were also looking at the manufacturing side -- when it matters."

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/matter_energy/technology/~3/TYIM0605Efg/130522123147.htm

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O'Malley using agenda, fundraising to explore 2016

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) ? His latest legislative achievements put him in the vanguard of his party's liberal base. He's been a top fundraiser for President Barack Obama. And he's ramping up his travel to help fellow Democrats around the country.

Little-known outside his home state, Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley has methodically checked the necessary boxes toward earning the reputation of good Democratic soldier as he considers whether to run for president in 2016 ? a White House bid that would face long odds.

It's very early. Obama still has more than three years left in his presidency. And no one is officially in the race.

Yet, O'Malley already is overshadowed by the buzz surrounding the mere prospect of a Hillary Rodham Clinton candidacy. If not her, talk in Democratic circles turns to Vice President Joe Biden.

Despite the hurdles, the 50-year-old former Baltimore mayor is publicly undaunted.

On a trip to Israel last month to seemingly boost his foreign policy credentials, O'Malley disclosed publicly what had been arguably the worst-kept secret in Annapolis ? that he would use the last half of this year to consider seeking the presidency. His Washington-area appearances at fundraisers Tuesday for Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire and June 12 for Iowa Senate candidate Bruce Braley are certain to raise eyebrows even further given that the two candidates represent states that traditionally weigh in first in a Democratic primary.

While O'Malley is one of the few Democrats openly talking about succeeding Obama, aides say he hasn't made any decisions about his political future. That includes whether he would run or not if Clinton, whom he endorsed and campaigned for during her 2008 race, decides to seek the nomination. Democratic insiders say the former secretary of state would be the heavy favorite should she launch a campaign.

A former head of the Democratic Governors Association, O'Malley is one of the party's top fundraisers and made clear his national aspirations when he worked to raise more than $1 million for Obama's re-election campaign, the most of any sitting Democratic office-holder.

Then, last fall, he headlined Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin's annual steak fry ? a must-stop for any presidential aspirant seeking to compete in the state's traditional leadoff caucuses. He followed that up with a springtime speech to party activists in South Carolina, another stop in the early primary contests.

Aides say O'Malley, now the DGA's finance chairman, will spend more time in places with active governors' races in 2014 ? states like Ohio, Pennsylvania and Florida ? giving him a way to court the party's elite without the media glare of early primary states. He also is scheduled to address the Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank with close ties to the Obama administration, on May 30.

Through it all, O'Malley will be overseeing implementation of his latest liberal legislative victories, new laws that would put him in lockstep with many party activists who play pivotal roles in primaries and caucuses.

He has successfully pushed through a measure to make Maryland's gun laws among the toughest in the country. A key provision would make Maryland the first state in nearly 20 years to require people who buy handguns to provide fingerprints to the state police. O'Malley also scored long-sought victories that have eluded him in earlier years, including repeal of capital punishment and a bill to help develop offshore wind power in Maryland.

In November and on O'Malley's watch, voters approved the state's same-sex marriage law and a state version of the Dream Act, which allows immigrants living in the country illegally to pay in-state tuition at public colleges and universities.

The governor, whose second term ends in January 2015, boasts of a data-driven approach aimed at managing his state through budget cuts and tough economic conditions.

"Who we are and what we're about is pretty clear and it makes it easier for people to accept some of those choices and some of those decisions," O'Malley said in an interview during the legislative session that ended April 9. "We don't expect many of them ever to be popular ? whether it's cuts or taxes. None of them are popular in isolation but as a whole it's part of the better choices we need to make for better results. I think the people in our state understand that we're better off than most."

Throughout his tenure, Republicans have tried to tag him as someone who places his national ambitions ahead of the state and point to tax increases ? he has raised taxes on the wealthy and boosted the state's gasoline tax to pay for transportation projects ? as a sign of what could come.

"Republicans would be thrilled to death to run against O'Malley if he became the nominee," said Matt Mackowiak, a Texas-based Republican strategist.

And that's a big if, judging by early polls that show him barely even registering.

Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller, a Democrat, sees a bright side for O'Malley, saying he has positioned himself to run well in the presidential primaries by promoting an agenda that sits well with the party's base.

"The good news is that he's a great Democrat, and he's a very progressive person and has put forth a very progressive agenda, and if that is what you believe in, then you'll think he'll make a great president," Miller said. "So his principal detractors are those who have a much more conservative philosophy and so he has all the makings to win a Democratic primary."

___

Thomas reported from Washington.

___

Follow Ken Thomas on Twitter: http://twitter.com/AP_Ken_Thomas

Follow Brian Witte on Twitter: http://twitter.com/APBrianWitte

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-05-21-O'Malley-2016/id-e83345e7bed24088a471af66f34981df

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Arias speaks on own behalf as jury considers death

Jodi Arias looks at her family on Monday, May 20, 2013 during the penalty phase of her murder trial at Maricopa County Superior Court in Phoenix, Ariz. Arias was convicted of first-degree murder in the stabbing and shooting to death of Travis Alexander, 30, in his suburban Phoenix home in June 2008. (The Arizona Republic, Rob Schumacher, Pool)

Jodi Arias looks at her family on Monday, May 20, 2013 during the penalty phase of her murder trial at Maricopa County Superior Court in Phoenix, Ariz. Arias was convicted of first-degree murder in the stabbing and shooting to death of Travis Alexander, 30, in his suburban Phoenix home in June 2008. (The Arizona Republic, Rob Schumacher, Pool)

Judge Sherry Stephens denies the request from Jodi Arias' defense attorneys Jennifer Wilmott and Kirk Nurmi to withdraw from the case on Monday, May 20, 2013 during the penalty phase of Arias' murder trial at Maricopa County Superior Court in Phoenix, Ariz. Arias was convicted May 8, 2013 of first-degree murder in the stabbing and shooting to death of Travis Alexander, 30, in his suburban Phoenix home in June 2008. (AP Photo/The Arizona Republic, Rob Schumacher, Pool)

Jodi Arias looks at her defense attorney Jennifer Wilmott on Monday, May 20, 2013 during the penalty phase of Arias' murder trial at Maricopa County Superior Court in Phoenix, AZ. Jodi Arias was convicted of first-degree murder in the stabbing and shooting to death of Travis Alexander, 30, in his suburban Phoenix home in June 2008. (The Arizona Republic, Rob Schumacher, Pool)

Jodi Arias' defense attorneys Jennifer Wilmott and Kirk Nurmi react after Judge Sherry Stephens denies their request to withdraw from the case on Monday, May 20, 2013 during the penalty phase of Jodi Arias' murder trial at Maricopa County Superior Court in Phoenix, Ariz. Jodi Arias was convicted of first-degree murder in the stabbing and shooting to death of Travis Alexander, 30, in his suburban Phoenix home in June 2008. (The Arizona Republic, Rob Schumacher, Pool)

PHOENIX (AP) ? When Jodi Arias addresses the jury in her murder trial one more time, the big question will be whether she pleads for mercy or repeats what she told a TV reporter minutes after her conviction: She would rather be executed than spend the rest of her life in prison.

After nearly five months of testimony in a case that has captured tabloid headlines with tales of sex, lies and violence, Arias' final words to the jury will soon bring the trial to an end.

Arias' own attorneys tried to quit the case and asked for a mistrial a day earlier after complaining the trial had become a witch hunt. But the judge swiftly rejected the requests. The defense then said they would call just one witness to testify ? Arias herself.

She is set to speak to the jury Tuesday morning. After closing arguments, the jury will begin deliberations and decide whether Arias should be sentenced to life in prison or face the ultimate punishment for the June 2008 shooting and stabbing death of boyfriend Travis Alexander in his suburban Phoenix home.

Arias initially claimed she knew nothing about the slaying. Then she blamed masked intruders before eventually settling on self-defense. Prosecutors argued she killed Alexander in a jealous rage because he wanted to end their relationship and go to Mexico with another woman.

The 32-year-old former waitress spent 18 days on the witness stand during the guilt phase of her trial, describing an abusive childhood, cheating boyfriends, dead-end jobs, a shocking sexual relationship with Alexander, and her contention that he had grown physically violent.

Jurors didn't believe her then, and experts say they likely will show no mercy now.

The victim suffered nearly 30 knife wounds, his throat was slit from ear to ear, and he was shot in the forehead. Arias then dragged him into his shower, where his decomposed body was found days later.

"I think they could put Mother Teresa on there, and it's not going to spare her life," said Phoenix defense attorney Mel McDonald, a former judge and federal prosecutor.

San Francisco-area criminal defense lawyer Michael Cardoza said her attorneys' request to quit the case and the defense decision not to call any witnesses on Arias' behalf could very well be a strategic move ? but one that could backfire.

"She could argue ineffective counsel on appeal, but the fact is, it's anything but ineffective because what they're doing is handing her an appeal," Cardoza said. "So it's actually very effective counsel."

Defense attorney Kirk Nurmi renewed his arguments in court on Monday that the judge should have sequestered the jury during the trial and that it should never have been broadcast live.

"The court had a duty to protect Ms. Arias' right to a fair trial, and failed to do so time and time again," Nurmi told the judge. "This cannot be a modern-day version of ... a witch trial."

Judge Sherry Stephens denied the mistrial request, prompting Nurmi to ask that he and co-counsel Jennifer Willmott be allowed to withdraw from the case. The judge swiftly denied that request, as well.

Arias' attorneys also tried without success to quit after she gave her post-conviction TV interview.

"Longevity runs in my family, and I don't want to spend the rest of my natural life in one place," Arias told Fox affiliate KSAZ from a holding cell inside the courthouse. "I believe death is the ultimate freedom, and I'd rather have my freedom as soon as I can get it."

Last week, Alexander's brother and sister tearfully described for the jury how his killing had torn their lives apart. This week, the defense planned to call its own witnesses, including a female friend and an ex-boyfriend of Arias, in hopes of convincing the jury her life is worth saving. They scrapped that plan, however, after claiming one key witness refused to testify after receiving death threats, then indicated to the judge Arias would be the only one speaking on her behalf.

While jurors are admonished daily not to pay attention to news accounts of the trial or discuss it with anyone, experts say many details would have been hard to avoid.

"In today's society, you can't help but hear or see things whether you're in the grocery line or walking by a newsstand," Cardoza said. "It's naive to think there are no outside influences that reach them."

Some also speculate that Arias might have been trying to play to jurors with her proclamation in the TV interview that she would rather die, hoping the panel won't give her what she says she wants.

"She has manipulated this jury before," said Phoenix defense lawyer Julio Laboy. "She could very well still be manipulating the jury."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-05-21-Boyfriend%20Slaying/id-ee8513dfef274fd391ce898f191f7c3f

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Suicide bomber kills 14 at Afghan province council

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) ? A suicide bomber struck outside a provincial council headquarters in northern Afghanistan on Monday, killing the council chief and at least 13 others, authorities said. The Taliban insurgency quickly claimed responsibility.

Seeking to weaken the Afghan government, Taliban insurgents have been carrying out attacks and assassinations intended to intimidate both officials and civilians ahead of next year's withdrawal of most international troops.

Baghlan provincial council leader Mohammad Rasoul Mohseni was entering the compound in the morning when the bomber ran up on foot and detonated his explosives in the provincial capital of Pul-e-Khumri, said Baghlan chief of police Asadullah Sherzad.

He said 14 people were killed, including Mohseni, and 11 were wounded.

Mohammad Zahier Ghanizada, a member of parliament from Baghlan, confirmed the council chief's death and added that Mohseni had previously received multiple death threats.

Also killed in the attack were six police bodyguards and seven civilians, Sherzad said.

Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid claimed in a text message to journalists that an insurgent operative carried out the targeted bombing.

"Today at 11 a.m. in front of the Baghlan provincial council office, we have carried out a suicide attack and killed the head of the council," it said.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai condemned the bombing Monday.

"Such attacks are against all human rights and the principles of Islam," Karzai said in a statement. "Perpetrators of such attacks are enemies of the Afghan nation and the puppets of foreigners."

Karzai left later Monday for a two-day state visit to India, where he is expected to request military aid.

Both Karzai and the U.S. have sought peace talks with the Taliban and other insurgent factions in preparation for most foreign troops leaving next year after more than 12 years of war, but the efforts have borne little fruit. The Taliban seek to re-establish the strict interpretation of Islamic law they imposed for five years before being ousted in the 2001 U.S.-led invasion over its sheltering of al-Qaida's terrorist leadership.

The insurgents last month launched a fierce new spring offensive that has in the past week alone seen the police chief of Farah province gunned down outside his home and twin bombings that killed nine people in an elite gated community for government officials and business owners outside of the southern city of Kandahar. Two bombs also exploded outside the provincial governor's office in Nangarhar province last week, killing one police guard.

Insurgents have also targeted members of the international coalition. A roadside bomb killed four American soldiers last week in the country's south, while another insurgent faction, Hizb-e-Islami, targeted a coalition convoy in the capital of Kabul two days later, killing two U.S. soldiers and four American contractors who were training Afghan troops to take over security.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/suicide-bomber-kills-14-afghan-province-council-075314027.html

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