Alabama official ordered to issue marriage licenses to gay couples

By Jonathan Kaminsky
MOBILE, Ala. (Reuters) - A federal judge on Thursday ordered an Alabama official to start issuing marriage
licenses to gay couples in compliance with an earlier order, but couples in most counties were still unable
to obtain licenses.
U.S. District Judge Callie Granade's order clarified that Mobile County Probate Court Judge Don Davis was
compelled to adhere to her previous ruling striking down the state's gay marriage ban despite a
contravening order from Alabama Supreme Court Justice Roy Moore that led many state judges to refrain
from issuing licenses to gay couples.
Granade's directive marked the latest twist in the controversy over gay marriage in Alabama, where
probate judges have faced conflicting orders from federal and state courts. The resulting disarray has
allowed same-sex couples to marry in places such as Birmingham, while those applying for marriage
licenses in dozens of counties have been turned away.
Alabama is the 37th U.S. state where gay marriage has been legalized, and the first in the Deep South,
where many voters are socially conservative.
The U.S. Supreme Court refused on Monday to grant a request from Alabama's Republican attorney
general to keep the weddings on hold until it decides later this year whether laws banning gay matrimony
violate the U.S. Constitution.
But Moore ordered state judges to defy Granade's ruling and uphold the state's gay marriage ban, an
order his office said remained in effect despite the Supreme Court's action.
Granade's order on Thursday applied specifically to Mobile County, where, within an hour of the ruling,
same-sex couples who had been waiting in line at a county building began to receive licenses.
Among those in line was Meredith Miller, 32, who said plans to wed her partner of almost nine years on
Valentine's Day would mean an end to fears of being shut out from making decisions on each other's
behalf in the event of a medical emergency.
"The worry that is always in the back of your mind, the worry that a lot of couples don't ever have to
experience, that is going to go away now," Miller said.
NARROW RULING
Attorneys for four same-sex couples named as plaintiffs in the suit, among them Miller and her partner,
had urged Granade to issue a broad ruling to compel all judges in the state to begin granting marriage
licenses to same-sex couples.
But with the ruling applying narrowly to Davis, none of the judges in the other 43 of Alabama's 67 counties
that have refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples changed course in its immediate
aftermath, gay rights advocates said.
J. Michael Druhan, the lawyer for Davis, whose county is the most populous of those that have refused to
issue the licenses, told Granade during a hearing before her order that the probate judge was stuck
between the conflicting court directives and simply wanted guidance.
Druhan likened Davis, who had kept his office's marriage license operations shuttered since Granade's
earlier ruling went into effect on Monday, to a U.S. soldier frozen to the spot after stepping on a mine in a
Vietnamese paddy field.
"If he stands there and does nothing, the snipers are going to shoot him in the head," he said. "If he
moves, the mine's going to blow him to pieces."
Most legal experts say Alabama's probate judges, who are elected officials in a state that passed a gay
marriage ban in 2006 with 81 percent of the vote, will ultimately have little choice but to follow the federal
court's ruling.
Among those waiting for marriage licenses in Mobile was Mack Douglas, 28, who with his girlfriend was
relieved the office was open for the first time this week.
Douglas said he was raised to believe homosexuality was wrong and it felt a bit awkward to be waiting in
line with so many same-sex couples.
"When everyone was walking over here, I kind of stared off the other way," he said. "I kind of blocked it
out of my mind."
(Editing by Peter Cooney)

'Glimmer of hope' for Ukraine after new ceasefire deal

By Vladimir Soldatkin and Pavel Polityuk
MINSK (Reuters) - Germany, France, Russia and Ukraine agreed to a deal offering a "glimmer of hope" for
an end to conflict in eastern Ukraine, but the United States and NATO said further intense fighting on
Thursday ran counter to the spirit of the accord.
The agreement, announced after more than 16 hours of discussions in the Belarussian capital Minsk, was
followed swiftly by allegations from Kiev of a new, mass influx of Russian armour into rebel-held eastern
Ukraine.
It calls for a ceasefire between Ukrainian forces and Russian-backed separatists starting Sunday, the
withdrawal of heavy weapons from the front line and constitutional reform to give eastern Ukraine more
autonomy.
Fighting has intensified in recent days as the rebels try to take control of Debaltseve, a strategic transport
hub that would link the two separatist-controlled areas of eastern Ukraine, where elections are
contemplated under the accord.
The White House, under pressure from Congress to provide arms to the stretched Ukrainian military, said
the deal was "potentially significant" but urged Russia to withdraw soldiers and equipment, and give
Ukraine back control over its border.
"The United States is particularly concerned about the escalation of fighting today, which is inconsistent
with the spirit of the accord," it said in a statement.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg echoed that line and told Norwegian news agency NTB: "Russia
must end its support for the separatists and withdraw its forces and military equipment from eastern
Ukraine."
Russia denies arming the rebels and sending troops to fight alongside them, despite what Ukraine and its
Western allies say is overwhelming evidence. The conflict has killed more than 5,000 people since last
April.
Keeping up the pressure on Russia, diplomats said the European Union would go ahead on Monday with a
new round of sanctions against 19 Ukrainian separatists and Russians, regardless of the new ceasefire.
The asset freezes and travel bans, the latest in a long series of sanctions by the EU and United States,
have piled intense economic pressure on Russia's energy-exporting economy, which has also been hit by a
halving of world oil prices since last June.
After an EU summit in Brussels, the leaders of Germany, France and the European Council said wider
sanctions were possible if Russia violated the ceasefire agreement.
U.S. officials also said they were not taking sanctions off the table and bluntly warned the separatists
against seizing more land before Sunday's ceasefire formally takes effect.
"We are trying to send the message as strongly as we can that any effort to grab more land between now
and Saturday night ... will seriously undercut this agreement," a senior U.S. official who spoke on condition
of anonymity told reporters in Washington.
"TOUGH AND EMOTIONAL"
The Minsk talks were the culmination of a dramatic initiative by France and Germany following an upsurge
in fighting in which the separatists tore through an earlier ceasefire line agreed to last September.
Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Ukraine of prolonging the negotiations, which seemed close to
failure at several points.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko "did everything to achieve the
possibility of an end to the bloodshed." She said Putin put pressure on the rebels to agree to the truce
"towards the end" of the talks.
"This is a glimmer of hope, no more no less," Merkel told reporters on arriving, straight from the talks in
Minsk, at a European Union summit in Brussels. "It is very important that words are followed by actions."
Russia's RIA news agency quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying the talks were "tough and
very emotional."
The accord could delay the imposition of new sanctions against Moscow, although the U.S. State
Department said it had not taken any options off the table. Secretary of State John Kerry said sanctions
could be eased if it were implemented.
Fighting has surged in the past few weeks with more than 70 Ukrainian servicemen and at least 24
civilians killed so far this month, according to Reuters calculations based on official Ukrainian figures.
A Ukrainian military spokesman said about 50 tanks, 40 missile systems and 40 armoured vehicles had
crossed overnight into eastern Ukraine from Russia. It was not immediately possible to verify the figures,
which were higher than in previous such statements. Moscow dismisses them as groundless.
NATO has said there is overwhelming evidence of Russian armour entering Ukraine but declined to
comment on the latest report.
"The intensity of fighting is evidenced by a sharp increase in the number of people trying to leave front-line
towns," spokesman Andriy Lysenko said in a daily briefing held on Thursday before the deal was
announced.
Rebel fighters accuse Kiev of shelling civilian areas, an accusation the Ukrainian military rejects.
The fighting has destabilised Ukraine militarily and economically. As the deal was reached, Ukraine was
offered a $40 billion lifeline by the International Monetary Fund to stave off financial collapse.
Russia's economy has also suffered, from the sanctions imposed for its support for the separatists in
eastern Ukraine and annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region last year. Russian shares surged on Thursday
after the deal was announced and the rouble gained but then slipped back.
WEAPONS WITHDRAWAL
The agreement addressed some of the main stumbling points, including a "demarcation line" between
separatists and Ukrainian forces, which the rebels wanted to reflect gains from a recent offensive that
shredded an earlier ceasefire deal.
The compromise was that the rebels will withdraw weapons from a line set by the earlier Minsk agreement
in September, while the Ukrainians will withdraw from the current front line, creating a 50 km (30 mile)-
wide buffer zone.
Ukraine will also get control of its border with Russia, but in consultation with the rebels and only after the
regions gain more autonomy under constitutional reform by the end of 2015.
Kiev has made clear, however, that it will not accept independence for the "People's Republics" the rebels
have declared.
The ceasefire and heavy weapons pullback would be overseen by the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe, a Europe-wide security body.
French President Francois Hollande, who also took part in the negotiations, said there was still much work
to be done on the Ukraine crisis, but the agreement was a real chance to improve the situation. "The
coming hours will be decisive," he said later in Brussels.
Pro-Moscow separatists tightened the pressure on Kiev by launching some of the war's worst fighting on
Wednesday, killing 19 Ukrainian soldiers in assaults near the railway town of Debaltseve.
On Thursday, senior rebel commander Eduard Basurin said his side would deliver on the ceasefire but that
in the meantime Ukrainian troops should surrender Debaltseve. He said the separatists were holding
"counter-attack" operations to prevent the soldiers from breaking out.
As the fighting has escalated, Washington has begun openly talking of arming Ukraine to defend itself from
"Russian aggression," raising the prospect of a proxy war between one-time Cold War foes.
As the French and German leaders' peace initiative was announced, pro-Russian rebels appeared
determined to drive home their advantage ahead of a deal. Armoured columns of Russian-speaking
soldiers with no insignia have been advancing for days around Debaltseve, where heavy fighting has
occurred this month.
(Additional reporting by Elizabeth Piper and Maria Kiselyova, Pavel Polityuk, Elizabeth Pineau, Polina Devitt,
Aleksandar Vasovic, Alessandra Prentice, Margarita Chornokondatrenko, Gabriela Baczynska, Alexander
Winning, Lidia Kelly, Richard Balmforth, Andrei Makhovsky, Roberta Rampton and Arshad Mohammed;
writing by Giles Elgood, Philippa Fletcher and Mark Trevelyan; editing by Andrew Roche and David Storey)

Obama to encourage companies to share cyber threat data

SAN FRANCISCO/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama is set to sign an executive order on
Friday aimed at encouraging companies to share more information about cybersecurity threats with the
government and each other, a response to attacks like that on Sony Entertainment.
The order sets the stage for new private-sector led "information sharing and analysis
organizations" (ISAOs) - hubs where companies share cyber threat data with each other and with the
Department of Homeland Security.
It is one step in a long effort to make companies as well as privacy and consumer advocates more
comfortable with proposed legislation that would offer participating companies liability protection, the
White House said.
"We believe that by clearly defining what makes for a good ISAO, that will make tying liability protection to
sectoral organizations easier and more accessible to the public and to privacy and civil liberties
advocates," said Michael Daniel, Obama's cyber coordinator, in a conference call with reporters.
Obama will sign the order at a day-long conference on cybersecurity at Stanford University in the heart of
Silicon Valley.
The move comes as big Silicon Valley companies prove hesitant to fully support more mandated
cybersecurity information sharing without reforms to government surveillance practices exposed by former
National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden.
Cybersecurity industry veterans said Obama's anticipated order would be only a modest step in one of the
president's major priorities - the defense of companies from attacks like those on Sony and Anthem Inc.
Obama has proposed legislation to require more information-sharing and limit any legal liability for
companies that share too much. Only Congress can provide the liability protection through legislation.
Businesses are unlikely to share a lot of timely and "actionable" cyber intelligence without liability relief,
said Mike Brown, a vice president with the RSA security division of EMC Corp.
"Until that gets resolved, probably through legislation, I'm not sure how effective continued information-
sharing will be," said Brown, a retired Naval officer and former cyber official with the Department of
Homeland Security.
Senator Tom Carper, the top Democrat on the Senate Homeland Security committee, introduced a bill this
week that incorporates much of Obama's plan. But Republicans control Congress, and they have yet to
sign on to the idea.
"This is an urgent matter and we are working with anyone that we can up on the Hill to make that
happen," said Daniel, who had not yet reviewed Carper's bill.
Getting a bill through Congress will require at least the support of big Silicon Valley companies such as
Google Inc and Facebook Inc.
Those companies, however, have refused to give full support to cybersecurity bills without some reform of
surveillance practices exposed by Snowden that have hurt U.S. technology companies' efforts to win
business in other countries.
"Obviously there have been tensions," Daniel told reporters.
"But I think that's the kind of thing where the only way to get at that is to continue to have dialogue and
to continue to engage, and the president has been committed to that," he said.
Google, Facebook and Yahoo are not sending their chief executives to the Stanford conference because of
the rift, according to an executive at a major technology company. Apple Inc Chief Executive Tim Cook will
give an address.
Obama also will meet privately with some executives on Friday. They are expected to press again for
surveillance reform and support for strong encryption, which some in the administration have faulted
recently on the grounds that it enables criminals and terrorists to hide their activity.
Big technology companies and a host of startups have been beefing up encryption in Snowden's wake to
make blanket intelligence collection overseas more difficult.
(Additional reporting by Roberta Rampton and Jim Finkle; Editing by Andrew Hay and Sandra Maler)

Joke of the day

The Mafia was looking for a new man to make weekly collections from all
the private businesses that they were "protecting."
Feeling the heat from the police force, they decide to use a deaf and
dumb person for this job.
If he were to get caught, he wouldn't be able to communicate to the
police what he was doing.
On his first week, the collector picks up over $40,000.
He gets greedy, decides to keep the money and stashes it in a safe place.
The Mafia soon realizes that their collection is late, and sends some of
their hoods after the deaf and dumb collector.
The hoods find the collector and ask him where the money is.
The deaf and dumb collector can't communicate with them, so the Mafia
drags the guy to an interpreter.
The Mafia hood says to the interpreter, "Ask him where da money is."
The interpreter signs, "Where's the money?"
The dumb man signs back, "I don't know what you're talking about."
The interpreter tells the hood, "He says he doesn't know what you're
talking about."
The hood pulls out a .38 and places it in the ear of the dumb collector.
"Now ask him where the money is!"
The interpreter signs, "Where is the money?
The deaf man signs back, "The $40,000 is in a tree stump in Central
Park."
The interpreter says to the hood, "He says he still doesn't know what
you're talking about, and doesn't think you have the balls to pull the
trigger."

Barcelona confirm signing of Liverpool striker Luis Suárez on five-year deal.

Liverpool have agreed to sell striker Luis Suarez to Barcelona on a five-year
deal for a fee of about £75m.
The Uruguay forward, 27, is serving a four-month ban for biting Italy's Giorgio
Chiellini during the World Cup.
Suarez, who won the PFA Player of the Year award last season after scoring 31
league goals, will travel to the Spanish club next week for a medical.
"Luis is a very special talent and I thank him for the role he has played," said
Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers.
Suarez says he and his family will "always be Liverpool supporters".
Suarez, last season's Premier League top scorer, signed for Liverpool from Ajax
in 2011 for £22.7m, and had four years left on his contract.
"I hope you can all understand why I have made this decision," said Suarez,
who is banned from "all football-related activity" as he serves his third
suspension for biting an opponent.
"This club did all they could to get me to stay, but playing and living in Spain,
where my wife's family live, is a lifelong dream and ambition. I believe now the
timing is right."

'Fast & Furious 7' Racing Scene SCRAPPED We Can't Tolerate Another Death

A critical scene for the upcoming "Fast & Furious 7" came to a screeching halt
Thursday ... after studio suits pulled the plug because it was just too
dangerous ... too risky.Sources connected with the production tell TMZ ... the
shoot was being prepped at the Willow Springs International Raceway near
Palmdale -- 45 minutes from where Paul Walker tragically died.Members of the
crew tell TMZ ... producers brought in drivers who are "authentic street racers"
for the scene, where a souped-up yellow Chevelle races another car and
dramatically pops a wheelie, as bystanders stand right by the track and cheer.
A similar scene appeared in the first F&F.The scene was being prepped for
several days. Vin Diesel and other stars were there. But just before filming,
we're told the suits from Universal abruptly cancelled the shoot, saying it was
too dangerous.Someone who was at the track tells TMZ ... a person from the
production told some staffers they couldn't get the proper insurance to shoot
the race.But the word circulating among the staff is that they are extremely
cautious because of what happened to the star of their movie. They believe a
second crash -- even though Paul's was not film-related -- could jeopardize
the entire franchise.

Fun time for Cristiano Ronaldo and girl friend.

Ronaldo and girl friend Irina sheikh are arguably one of the best couple out there. The world best player posted this pix  (below) on his  twitter handle and captioned it "morning ride". Work hard, play hard.