Willem-Alexander becomes new Dutch king

Dutch King Willem-Alexander, Queen Maxima, right, and Princess Beatrix appear on the balcony of the Royal Palace in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Tuesday April 30, 2013. Around a million people are expected to descend on the Dutch capital for a huge street party to celebrate the first new Dutch monarch in 33 years. (AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa de Olza)

Dutch King Willem-Alexander, Queen Maxima, right, and Princess Beatrix appear on the balcony of the Royal Palace in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Tuesday April 30, 2013. Around a million people are expected to descend on the Dutch capital for a huge street party to celebrate the first new Dutch monarch in 33 years. (AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa de Olza)

Dutch King Willem-Alexander kisses his mother Princess Beatrix on the balcony of the Royal Palace in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Tuesday April 30, 2013. Around a million people are expected to descend on the Dutch capital for a huge street party to celebrate the first new Dutch monarch in 33 years. (AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa de Olza)

Dutch Princess Beatrix, left, clasps the hand of her son, King Willem-Alexander, after the Act of Abdication was signed to end her reign as Monarch, in the Mozeszaal or Mozes hall of the Royal Palace in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Tuesday April 30, 2013. Around a million people are expected to descend on the Dutch capital for a huge street party to celebrate the first new Dutch monarch in 33 years. (AP Photo/Bart Maat, pool)

Dutch Queen Beatrix, left signs the Act of Abdication in favour of her son, Prince Willem-Alexander, centre and Princess Maxima, right, in the Mozeszaal or Mozes hall of the Royal Palace in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Tuesday April 30, 2013. Around a million people are expected to descend on the Dutch capital for a huge street party to celebrate the first new Dutch monarch in 33 years. (AP Photo/Bart Maat, pool)

Dutch Queen Beatrix, left signs the Act of Abdication in favour of her son, Prince Willem-Alexander, centre and Princess Maxima, right, in the Mozeszaal or Mozes hall of the Royal Palace in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Tuesday April 30, 2013. Around a million people are expected to descend on the Dutch capital for a huge street party to celebrate the first new Dutch monarch in 33 years. (AP Photo/Bart Maat, pool)

AMSTERDAM (AP) ? Willem-Alexander became the first Dutch king in more than a century Tuesday and pledged to use his ceremonial position as head of state to help steer his country through uncertain economic times.

The generational change in the House of Orange-Nassau gave the Netherlands a moment of celebration, pageantry and brief respite as this trading nation of nearly 17 million struggles through a lengthy recession brought on by the European credit crisis.

Visibly emotional, the much-loved Beatrix ended her 33-year reign as queen in a nationally televised signing ceremony as thousands of orange-clad people cheered outside. Millions more were expected to watch on television.

Just over four hours later, King Willem-Alexander, wearing a fur-trimmed ceremonial mantle, swore an oath of allegiance to his country and the constitution in the historic New Church.

In a speech in the church, Europe's youngest monarch underscored the ceremonial nature of his monarchy in an egalitarian society but also the symbolic and economic value a king can deliver on state visits aimed at drumming up trade.

"I will proudly represent the kingdom and help discover new opportunities," he said.

The investiture ceremony was the final formal act on a day of high emotion within the House of Orange-Nassau and was to be followed by an evening boat tour around the historic Amsterdam waterfront.

The new king gripped his mother's hand and looked briefly into her eyes after they both signed the abdication document in the Royal Palace on downtown Amsterdam's Dam Square.

Beatrix looked close to tears as she then appeared on a balcony decked out with tulips, roses and oranges, overlooking 25,000 of her subjects.

"I am happy and grateful to introduce to you your new king, Willem-Alexander," she told the cheering crowd, which chanted: "Bea bedankt" ("Thanks Bea.")

Moments later, in a striking symbol of the generational shift, she left the balcony and King Willem-Alexander, his wife and three daughters ? the children in matching yellow dresses and headbands ? waved to the crowd.

"Dear mother, today you relinquished the throne. Thirty-three moving and inspiring years. We are intensely, intensely grateful to you," the new king said.

The former queen becomes Princess Beatrix and her son becomes the first Dutch king since Willem III died in 1890.

The 46-year-old king's popular Argentine-born wife became Queen Maxima and their eldest of three daughters, Catharina-Amalia, became Princess of Orange and first in line to the throne.

Willem-Alexander has said he wants to be a 21st century king who unites and encourages his people; not a "protocol fetishist," but a king who puts his people at ease.

He will do so as unemployment is on the rise in this traditionally strong economy. European Union figures released Tuesday showed Dutch unemployment continuing to trend upward to 6.4 percent ? still well below the EU average of 10.9 percent, but higher than it has been for years in the Netherlands.

"I am taking the job at a time when many in the kingdom feel vulnerable and uncertain," Willem-Alexander said. "Vulnerable in their work or health. Uncertain about their income or home environment."

Amsterdam resident Inge Bosman, 38, said she doubted Willem-Alexander's investiture would give the country much of an employment boost.

"Well, at least one person got a new job," she said.

Els Nederstigt, 38, said she got up at 5:30 a.m. to travel to Amsterdam and sat on a camping stool close to the Royal Palace wearing an orange cowboy hat and tiara.

"It's a special moment. I was a very small girl when Beatrix came to the throne so this is the first change in the monarchy I can really experience," she said. "We were here when Willem-Alexander and Maxima got married and what you remember is that you were there ? you forget how early you had to get up and how tired you were."

The square was overwhelmingly orange, but one blue and white Argentine flag being held up in front of the palace was emblazoned with the Dutch language text: "Netherlands thanks for loving and having faith in Maxima."

The day is expected to be a huge party culminating in a boat trip by the new king and queen around the Ij waterway, but security also was tight with thousands of police ? uniformed and plain clothes ? and an untold number of civil servants assisting in the logistics.

Police arrested two protesters on Dam Square ? one of them wearing a white shirt indicating he was a republican ? shortly after the abdication for not following officers' orders to leave. Amsterdam police released both without charge shortly afterward and apologized for detaining them.

At an anti-monarchist demonstration on the nearby Waterloo Square, protestors dressed in white instead of orange and carried signs mocking Willem-Alexander.

"Monarchy is a sexually-transmitted disease," one sign said.

Amsterdammer Jan Dikkers said he came out to show his disapproval for the inauguration of Willem-Alexander, who he said Dutch people only tolerate because "people like his wife."

He said Beatrix is overrated.

"People say the queen did a 'good job', but she didn't really do any job," Dikkers said. "Maybe she seems like a nice person, so people like her, but there's a difference."

The celebrations were peaceful across the city, in stark contrast to Beatrix's investiture in 1980 when squatters protesting a chronic housing shortage fought with police, and clouds of tear gas drifted through parts of the city.

The airspace above Amsterdam was closed Monday for three days. Dutch police swept Dam square for bombs, with assistance from German agents with sniffer dogs.

Royal guests from 18 countries are attending, including Britain's Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, and the Japanese Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako. Charles was also in attendance when Beatrix was crowned in 1980.

Observers believe Beatrix remained on the throne for so long in part because she was seen as a stabilizing factor in the country that struggled to assimilate more and more immigrants, mainly Muslims from North Africa, and shifted away from its traditional reputation as one of the world's most tolerant nations.

In recent years, speculation about when she might abdicate had grown, as she endured personal losses that both softened her image and increased her popularity further as the public sympathized.

Her husband Prince Claus died in 2002; and last year her youngest son, Prince Friso, was hit by an avalanche while skiing in Austria and suffered severe brain damage. Friso remains in a near comatose state.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-04-30-Netherlands-New%20King/id-5ad0fce4f00c428ca50105e1574aa67b

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Assad says rebel victory would destabilize Middle East

BEIRUT (Reuters) - President Bashar al-Assad has warned that if rebel forces battling to overthrow him take power in Syria, they could destabilize the Middle East for decades.

The Syrian leader, locked in a two-year conflict that he says has been fuelled by his regional foes, also criticized Turkey's leaders as "foolish and immature", and Arab neighbors who he said were arming and sheltering rebel fighters.

"If the unrest in Syria leads to the partitioning of the country, or if the terrorist forces take control ... the situation will inevitably spill over into neighboring countries and create a domino effect throughout the Middle East and beyond," he said in an interview with Turkish television.

Turmoil would spread "east, west, north and south. This will lead to a state of instability for years and maybe decades to come," Assad said in the interview, posted by the Syrian presidency on the Internet.

His remarks were an acid reiteration of his long-standing argument that Syria and the region will face a bleak future if he falls. His foes argue that his determination to keep power at all costs has already plunged his country into disaster.

The United Nations says at least 70,000 people have been killed in Syria's conflict. Daily death tolls of around 200 are not uncommon, monitoring groups say. More than a million refugees have fled the country and the Syrian Red Crescent says nearly 4 million have been displaced internally.

Neighboring Lebanon and Jordan are both struggling to cope with the flood of refugees, while the sectarian element of the conflict - with mainly Sunni Muslim and Islamist fighters battling a president from Syria's Alawite minority - has also raised tensions in neighbors such as Lebanon and Iraq.

While accusing opponents of using "sectarian slogans", Assad said the essence of the battle was between "forces and states seeking to take their people back into historic times, and states wanting to take their peoples into a prosperous future".

He appeared to be referring to the Sunni Muslim Gulf states Saudi Arabia and Qatar, absolute monarchies that have supported efforts to arm insurgents in an uprising which began with peaceful protests for reform and spiralled into civil war.

Assad said Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan was recruiting fighters with Qatari money to wage war in Syria, but warned his former friend that the bloodshed could not easily be contained: "The fire in Syria will burn Turkey. Unfortunately he does not see this reality."

Erdogan, he said, "has not uttered a single truthful word since the crisis in Syria began".

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Assad lived in his own "imaginary world".

"Such accusations are baseless and Turkey does not take such accusations seriously. Such claims are aimed at diverting attentions from the ongoing bloodshed in Syria."

NOT "HIDING IN A BUNKER"

Assad also condemned the Arab League, which has suspended Syria's membership and last month invited opposition leaders Moaz Alkhatib and Ghassan Hitto to attend a summit in his place.

"The Arab League itself lacks legitimacy," he said. "It is an organization that represents Arab states and not Arab people. It has lacked legitimacy for a long time because these Arab states themselves ... do not reflect the will of the Arab people."

Assad also dismissed Western countries that condemned his crackdown on the protest as hypocrites. "France and Britain committed massacres in Libya with the support and cover of the United States. The Turkish government is knee-deep in Syrian blood. Are these states really concerned about Syrian blood?"

Responding to rumors of his assassination spread by activists and fighters over the last two weeks, Assad said he was living as ever in Damascus, despite rebel advances in the outskirts of the city and regular mortar attacks on its center.

"I am not hiding in a bunker. These rumors (aim) to undermine the morale of the Syrian people. I neither live on a Russian warship nor in Iran. I live in Syria, in the same place I always did."

Assad, who has lost swathes of territory in the north and east of his country, is also battling to keep back rebel militias on the eastern and southern edges of Damascus.

In recent weeks, rebels have gained ground in the southern province of Deraa, cradle of the uprising, which could give them a platform for a fiercer assault on the capital.

The fighting in Deraa has alarmed Israel, which fears that four decades of relative calm on the front between the Syrian military and its own troops on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights could be threatened as Islamist rebel brigades take control of the Syrian side of the line.

(Additional reporting by Yesim Dikmen; Reporting by Dominic Evans; Editing by Kevin Liffey)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/assad-says-rebel-victory-destabilize-middle-east-104038182.html

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Hickory, NC 2009 Ford Escape Used SUV Taylorsville, NC Newton, NC Paramount Auto of Hickory for $12,937

*The advertised price does not include sales tax, vehicle registration fees, finance charges, documentation charges, and any other fees required by law. Internet Price may include rebates. Not all will qualify. All rebates to dealer. Contact dealer for details.We attempt to update this inventory on a regular basis. However, there can be lag time between the sale of a vehicle and the update of the inventory.

EPA mileage estimates are for newly manufactured vehicles only. Your actual mileage will vary depending on how you drive and maintain your vehicle.

Before purchasing this vehicle, it is your responsibility to address any and all differences between information on this website and the actual vehicle specifications and/or any warranties offered prior to the sale of this vehicle. Vehicle data on this website is compiled from publicly available sources believed by the publisher to be reliable. Vehicle data is subject to change without notice. The publisher assumes no responsibility for errors and/or omissions in this data the compilation of this data and makes no representations express or implied to any actual or prospective purchaser of the vehicle as to the condition of the vehicle, vehicle specifications, ownership, vehicle history, equipment/accessories, price or warranties.

Source: http://www.paramounthyundai.com/2009-Ford-Escape-Hickory-NC/vd/14054323

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'Will she or won't she' question following Clinton

NEW YORK (AP) ? Young supporters hold signs outside Hillary Rodham Clinton's speeches urging her to run for president. Audiences listen with rapt attention as she discusses the plight of women and girls in developing countries.

Even a long-expected book deal announcement generates lots of chatter.

Not long since Clinton stepped down as President Barack Obama's secretary of state, the "will she or won't she" question already is following her around, like the activists who held dark blue "Ready for Hillary" signs outside speeches at the Kennedy Center in Washington and New York's Lincoln Center.

This past week, Clinton came off a two-month break with a soft roll-out of sorts.

She gave her first two public speeches since leaving the State Department, released details of a book scheduled for June 2014 and plans to join an advisory board of the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition.

The mere makings of a public schedule for the runner-up of the 2008 Democratic presidential race is enough to get political tongues wagging over what it all means for the 2016 campaign.

The speeches and news coverage offered an early indication of some of what awaits her as she considers whether to seek the White House again in three years: adoring supporters, young and old, former political advisers to her husband begging her to run, and potential rivals sizing her up.

Tina Brown, editor in chief of Newsweek and the Daily Beast, which sponsored the meeting where Clinton spoke Friday, captured the buzz when introducing her.

"Of course," Brown said, "the big question now about Hillary is, what's next?" That elicited loud cheers, but no answer from the woman beside her on the stage.

Clinton avoided presidential politics, devoting a half-hour speech at the annual Women in the World conference in New York to the status of women across the globe.

Pointing to the U.S., she said America's position as a world leader demands that it devote full attention to empowering women to participate in the economy and society fully. She called for equal pay for women, allowing women to take advantage of family and medical leave from their jobs and encouraging women and girls to pursue careers in math and science.

"This truly is the unfinished business of the 21st century, and it is the work we are called to do," Clinton said. "I look forward to being your partner in all the days and years ahead. Let's keep fighting for opportunity and dignity."

The 65-year-old former first lady has said she has no plans to pursue the White House again but has refrained from ruling anything out. That's the standard disclaimer of people who very often decide to make such plans later, or sometimes don't.

Many Democrats view her as a worthy successor to Obama, with whom she waged a fierce struggle for the party's nomination in 2008. Her popularity soared as secretary of state, although that may have been in part because she cast aside the sharp brand of politics that made her a polarizing figure at times in the past, in favor of diligent diplomacy.

Some Clinton loyalists have tried to lower the speculation, noting that the last presidential election was only six months ago.

But James Carville, a former adviser to President Bill Clinton, signed on with the Ready for Hillary political action committee on Thursday, urging supporters to help lay the groundwork for a Hillary Clinton campaign.

Carville said the "enthusiasm and hunger" for a Hillary Clinton presidency was "unlike anything I've ever seen."

"It isn't worth squat to have the fastest car at the racetrack if there ain't any gas in the tank ? and that's why the work that Ready for Hillary PAC is doing is absolutely critical," Carville said. "We need to convert the hunger that's out there for Hillary's candidacy into a real grassroots organization."

Clinton is not expected to make a decision anytime soon. She has outlined plans to write a memoir about her time at the State Department, advocate on behalf of women and girls, and give speeches. With her book due out in the middle of 2014, she'll have an opportunity to travel the country in the months before the congressional elections.

Her biggest splash was her video announcement in support of gay marriage last month, a move that put her in line with most Democrats. Clinton had limited her comments on domestic policy as secretary of state and her departure has freed her to speak more openly about the issues.

Yet for the first time in 20 years, Clinton's schedule is open-ended.

Her first paid speech will be April 24 in suburban Dallas, a day before she joins her husband, Obama and political luminaries at the dedication of President George W. Bush's presidential library. A second paid speech is set for June 17 in Grand Rapids, Mich.

What remains clear is that until she makes a choice, her every word, appearance and association will be scrutinized ? and that she'll get plenty of encouragement.

About 50 young supporters, including many George Washington University students, gathered outside Clinton's first post-State Department speech at the annual Vital Voices Global Leadership Awards on Tuesday at the Kennedy Center.

About a dozen Hillary backers gathered along Amsterdam Avenue for the New York speech. Aaron James Darr, a 22-year-old actor, held a homemade sign that showed Clinton's image in front of yellow and orange beams and proclaimed "Hillary 2016."

"I've been waiting for five years ? all of us have been waiting for five years," said Darr. He recently formed a Broadway for Hillary 2016 group and said he wants to plan a "flash mob" in Times Square with supporters holding Hillary signs.

Democrats see Clinton in a uniquely powerful spot and are willing to wait ? for now.

"It's the most enviable position to be in because all you have to do is breathe the air every day," said Hank Sheinkopf, a Democratic strategist who advised her husband's presidential campaign. "What political figure has that luxury?"

___

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

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/she-wont-she-following-clinton-161020169--election.html

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Weak economic reports send stocks sliding lower

NEW YORK (AP) ? Stocks are closing broadly lower following weak reports on the U.S. economy. The Dow Jones industrial average fell 111 points, its worst drop in more than a month.

The Dow ended at 14,550 Wednesday, a decline of 0.8 percent.

Other indexes fell more. The Standard & Poor's 500 fell 1 percent, or 16 points, to close at 1,553. The Dow and S&P closed at record highs the day before.

The Nasdaq lost 1.1 percent, or 36 points, to 3,218.

Small company stocks had the worst declines. The Russell 2000 fell 1.7 percent, or 15 points, to 918.

Hiring and service industry growth weakened last month.

Three stocks fell for every one that rose on the New York Stock Exchange. Volume was heavier than usual, 4 billion shares.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/weak-economic-reports-send-stocks-sliding-lower-201158183--finance.html

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HTC First pictured ahead of Thursday's Facebook event

The mysterious Facebook event is quickly approaching, and as luck would have it, @evleaks is hooking us up with an image of the device that we'll be introduced to on Thursday, known as the HTC first. If this is indeed accurate, the press render you see above is what was previously known as the HTC Myst (as well as the Opera and Buffy, if you go back in time far enough). We still don't have any confirmation on specs, but there are whispers that it will feature a program called Facebook Home, which will serve as the phone's home screen and launcher. While we can't glean much from the image itself, it at least seems as though the first will offer the same three-button capacitive key layout as most Android devices -- this is important to note, as HTC's last attempt at a Facebook-integrated smartphone featured a unique button specifically for the social media service.

In terms of actual specs, Android Police leaked quite a few: it's a midrange phone with dual-core Snapdragon S4 Plus MSM8960 processor, 1GB RAM, 5MP rear camera, 1.6MP front-facing cam, Sense 4.5 on top of Android 4.1.2 and a 4.3-inch 720p display. We'll have a lot more info coming your way on Thursday morning, but this is a good taste to get you going in the meantime -- if you have a love for smartphones with deep Facebook integration, at least.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, HTC, Facebook

Comments

Source: @evleaks

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/St4IsJFFZ9k/

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Nicki Minaj Has 'A Lot Of Self-Control' On 'American Idol'

'I focus on the contestants. I don't know about anybody else,' Nicki says during 'MTV First.'
By Gil Kaufman, with additional reporting by Christina Garibaldi (@ChristinaMTV)

Keith Urban, Nicki Minaj and Randy Jackson on "American Idol"
Photo: Fox

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1704874/nicki-minaj-american-idol-control.jhtml

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