BMW ACTIVEHYBRID 5

BMW ACTIVEHYBRID 5

LA SOLUZIONE OTTIMALE PER OGNI DESIDERIO DEI CLIENTI.

LA SOLUZIONE OTTIMALE PER OGNI DESIDERIO DEI CLIENTI.

Offerte BMW per aziende: offerte personalizzate con Service su misura.

Offerte BMW per aziende: offerte personalizzate con Service su misura.

BMW Yachtsport

BMW Yachtsport

IRRESISTIBILE. IL DESIGN DELLA BMW SERIE 4 CABRIO

IRRESISTIBILE. IL DESIGN DELLA BMW SERIE 4 CABRIO.

Massimo 140 g/km CO2. Per 30.

Massimo 140 g/km CO2. Per 30.

BMW Serie 6 Gran Coupé

BMW Serie 6 Gran Coupé

La BMW Serie 6 Gran Coupé è la vettura adatta per tutti coloro che amano l'eccezionalità. BMW ha reintrepretato la coupé, dando vita ad un'automobile quattro porte che, grazie alla sua dinamicità e bellezza, permette di riscoprire tutti i giorni il piacere di guidare.

La BMW Serie 6 Gran Coupé è la prima BMW Coupé quattro porte che affascina per il design, combinando sportività e comfort. Il baricentro ribassato sottolinea con linee a V la dinamicità del suo design; nell'abitacolo sorprendono i materiali ricercati con lavorazione di pregio; i pellami più fini e i legni più pregiati si adattano perfettamente ai desideri dei passeggeri. Con il suo cockpit orientato al guidatore e la configurazione 4+1, che offre, per viaggi brevi, una comoda sistemazione a tre passeggeri sui sedili posteriori, la BMW Serie 6 Gran Coupé esprime al meglio il desiderio di perfezione.

Newsletter BMW

Newsletter BMW

La famiglia BMW Cabrio.

La famiglia BMW Cabrio.

BMW Serie 6 Cabrio

BMW Serie 6 Cabrio

BMW Serie 6 Cabrio.

Viaggiare significa fare nuove scoperte. E quale occasione è migliore di un viaggio open air a bordo di una BMW Serie 6 Cabrio? Date libero sfogo ai sensi per scoprire il mondo in un ambiente lussuoso, creato con materiali accuratamente selezionati e perfettamente lavorati. Dopo aver aperto automaticamente la capote tramite la semplice pressione di un pulsante, i pregiati legni e il moderno alluminio brillano alla luce del sole. Sedili in esclusiva pelle con tecnologia SunReflective

 BMW danno una fresca accoglienza anche nelle giornate più calde, mentre il generoso vano bagagli della BMW Serie 6 Cabrio offre spazio più che sufficiente per l'utilizzo di tutti i giorni.

APERTO A TUTTO. IL VANO BAGAGLI DELLA BMW SERIE 4 CABRIO.

APERTO A TUTTO. IL VANO BAGAGLI DELLA BMW SERIE 4 CABRIO.

L'ATLETA INCONTRA L'ESTETA.

L'ATLETA INCONTRA L'ESTETA.

Richiesta di prenotazione BMW i8

Richiesta di prenotazione BMW i8

BMW Serie 1 (5 porte)

BMW Serie 1 (5 porte)

La BMW Serie 1 a 5 porte apre nuove dimensioni di un piacere di guidare senza limiti, indipendentemente che si scelga la dinamica Sport Line o la raffinata Urban Line. Le linee caratteristiche del suo design di impatto preannunciano sportività e temperamento da condividere con i passeggeri. 

Configuratore Ruote Complete BMW.

Configuratore Ruote Complete BMW.

Se per la vostra BMW desiderate un design inimitabile in ogni dettaglio, scegliete un set di Ruote Complete BMW, le sole che garantiscono uno stile unico, studiato apposta per la vostra auto.

Accessori Originali BMW. I dettagli contano.

Accessori Originali BMW. I dettagli contano.

Presso tutti i Centri BMW Service potete scoprire l'ampia gamma di accessori ed equipaggiamenti per la vostra BMW: gli unici a garantirvi sempre il massimo del comfort, della sicurezza e del design, offrendovi le soluzioni migliori per trasportare in tutta comodità e sicurezza le vostre attrezzature sportive, per intrattenere i passeggeri durante il viaggio e per organizzare al meglio tutti gli spazi all'interno dell'auto.

Assicurazione gratuita sugli Pneumatici Approvati BMW

Assicurazione gratuita sugli Pneumatici Approvati BMW

Pneumatici BMW, piacere di guidare. Assicurato.

Scegliete di viaggiare in sicurezza: gli Pneumatici Approvati da BMW con il marchio della stella sono sviluppati dai principali produttori di pneumatici esclusivamente per BMW e sono sottoposti ad accurati test per verificarne la massima qualità. Inoltre, l’acquisto degli Pneumatici presso i Centri BMW Service offre un'assicurazione gratuita di 24 mesi contro danni, vandalismo e furto.

Piacere di guidare con gli Pneumatici BMW

Piacere di guidare con gli Pneumatici BMW

Solo le caratteristiche ideali per gli Pneumatici Approvati da BMW.

Per garantire un comportamento di guida ottimale, nel corso di prove approfondite, ingegneri specializzati determinano le caratteristiche ideali degli Pneumatici BMW. Vengono eseguiti collaudi con attrezzature specifiche in diverse condizioni di carico statico e dinamico (per es. stress test al Nürburgring).

Pneumatici BMW sviluppati per ogni modello

Gli Pneumatici BMW sono approvati e sviluppati specificamente per ogni modello.

Scegliendo gli Pneumatici BMW con il marchio della stella, potete essere certi di utilizzare un prodotto sviluppato specificamente per il vostro modello. Infatti gli Pneumatici Approvati da BMW vengono concepiti in stretta collaborazione con i principali produttori del settore, sono adattati all'assetto di ogni singolo modello e garantiscono pertanto un comportamento di guida ideale.

Tips to Getting the Cheapest Airline Flights

Tips to Getting the Cheapest Airline Flights

After interviewing 10 travel agents in the area, we’ve compiled the very best tips for finding the cheapest flights.

1. Book your flight 21 days before you want to fly: Booking a flight is like playing a game of chicken. Airlines want to get the most money possible for their tickets and have sophisticated computer algorithms that adjust their prices automatically. Book too early, and you might miss out on some major deals. Book too late, and you might be shocked to see prices skyrocket. The general consensus is to book your flight 21 days before your planned departure date to get the best deals.
2. Tuesday is the best day of the week: Most airlines update their reservation systems on a Tuesday at 7pm GMT. People tend to buy the bulk of their tickets on the weekend, so airlines make changes on one of the slowest days of the week – Tuesday.
3. Fly on Tuesday or Wednesday: Tuesday and Wednesday are the least busy days at airports, and are also the cheapest days to fly. As an added bonus, you’ll also have less people to deal with at the airport. Friday and Sunday are the peak flying days of the week, and are the worse, and most expensive days to fly.
4. Book Early for International Flights: The best deals for international flying are found 11-12 weeks in advance. You can also try flying into smaller airports, which sometimes have better deals.
5. Eat Your Cookies: Delete your Internet browser cookies if you’ve visited an airline site within the last 30 days. It’s been discovered that some airlines will raise prices for previous visitors to their websites.
6. Compare Prices: Use travel search engines, in addition to airline websites, to make sure you’re getting the best deal possible.

What really is Life Insurance?

What really is Life Insurance?

Life insurance is a contract made with a life insurance company where premiums are paid on the life of the insured (person) according to the terms of the policy. In return, on the death of the insured, the company makes a lump-sum payment to the beneficiaries.

Term life insurance provides protection for a set period of time as stated within the contract. 

Permanent insurance, such as universal or whole life, provides complete lifetime coverage. Many times income tax on life insurance payments is tax-free, but you should make inquiries from your insurance provider. Whole life can also be used as an estate-planning tool to help preserve the wealth you plan to transfer to your beneficiaries.

Life insurance can be a pretty complex and tricky subject, so it’s best to research your options and talk to an insurance professional. Compare prices and policies with different companies to get the best deal; you’ll see huge differences in offerings between companies 

Finding the best credit card for YOUR needs

Finding the best credit card for YOUR needs

Lots of people think negatively about credit cards but they can be an incredible useful financial tool, if used correctly.

Many cards provide travel insurance, identity protection, reward points, cash-back, and more. If you carry a balance, your number one goal should be to get the lowest interest-rate possible. If you make monthly payments, then selecting a card becomes more difficult.

A few tips for selecting a credit card: 

1. Check your credit report at least once a year.
2. Look at past statements and figure out how often you carry a balance, how much interest you’ve paid, and how often you’re late with payments. 
3. Don’t settle on the first credit card that is offered in the mail – do research. 
4. Use the Internet to research your best options; you’ll even see ads with great offers. 
5. Think of getting different cards for different types of purchases. Some cards give two or three times more points for some purchases. Many people will have an airline card just for travel purchases. 

Obama hits the road to sell minimum wage, savings proposals

- President Barack Obama on Wednesday set out to highlight his initiatives to fight income disparity with visits to a big-box wholesaler and a steel plant a day after launching a renewed push to raise minimum wage for millions of poor Americans.

In a symbolic trip the day after his annual State of the Union address, Obama sought to raise momentum for proposals he announced to lift workers' incomes and make it easier for Americans to put money away for retirement.

The trip is also aimed at helping Democrats win seats in November's congressional elections by focusing on a popular theme that touches on the economy and income inequality.

Obama announced on Tuesday he would sign an executive order lifting the minimum wage for workers with new federal contracts to $10.10 and urged Congress to do the same for Americans nationwide. The current federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour.

Although Obama's action will only affect a relatively small number of workers, it drew praise from members of his Democratic Party, many of whom were discouraged by the flawed rollout of his signature healthcare reform law last autumn.

"The increase in the minimum wage is a very powerful message. It resonates across the country," said Senator Ed Markey from Massachusetts. "I think this will really give some wind to this year's Obama agenda."

Republicans oppose a broad increase in the minimum wage, saying it could harm the economy. "When you raise the cost of something, you get less of it," House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner told a news conference on Tuesday.

After a year in which Obama's policy proposals failed to gain traction in a divided Congress, the president said he would opt for executive actions if his initiatives were stymied by Republicans who control the House of Representatives.

Vice-president Joe Biden, however, said in television interviews on Wednesday that the president did want to work with Congress and was confident of cooperation in some key areas, including reform of immigration policy.

"I think you're going to see much more cooperation with Congress this year than you have the past five years," Biden told NBC's "Today" program.

"We're ready to work with the Congress," he said. The legislature's low public approval rate for the legislature, many of whose members face elections in November, would help motivate them to action, he said.

CHAMPIONING THE MIDDLE CLASS

Obama plans to highlight his proposals on a visit on Wednesday to a Costco bulk retail store in Lanham, Maryland, on the outskirts of Washington.

"Profitable corporations like Costco see higher wages as the smart way to boost productivity and reduce turnover," Obama said in his speech.

The White House says Costco and similar businesses have supported previous increases to the minimum wage because higher earnings for employees build a stronger work force and increase morale and profitability over the long run.

Democrats are trying to reinforce the image of Obama, whose poll numbers are low, as a hero of the middle class, much as he presented himself during the 2008 and 2012 presidential campaigns.

"Raising the minimum wage is not just a matter of fairness or a means of combating inequality; it is also needed to jumpstart our economy," the Center for American Progress, a liberal-leaning Washington think tank, said in a statement.

"Increasing the minimum wage would put money in the pockets of workers, who are likely to spend that money immediately at businesses in their communities."

Later in the day he will travel to a U.S. Steel plant in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, where he will discuss his savings proposals. Administration officials said the plant was an example of a place that offered very good retirement accounts.

Obama said in his speech he would direct the Treasury Department to create a savings bond-like instrument called MyRA, which would have a guaranteed return without risk of losing money.

JP Morgan IT executive plunges to death at bank's London HQ

- A JP Morgan tech executive fell to his death from the U.S. bank's 33-storey tower in London's Canary Wharf financial district on Tuesday in what British police said was a "non-suspicious" incident.

Police were called to the glass skyscraper at 8:02 GMT, where a 39-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene after hitting a lower 9th-floor roof. Witnesses said the body remained on the roof for several hours.

London police said no arrests had been made and the incident was being treated as non-suspicious at this early stage.

A source familiar with the matter confirmed the deceased was Gabriel Magee, a vice president with the JP Morgan's corporate and investment bank technology arm, who had been an employee since 2004.

"We are deeply saddened to have lost a member of the JP Morgan family at 25 Bank Street today," JP Morgan said in a statement. "Our thoughts and sympathy are with his family and his friends."

"The 9th floor roof of JP Morgan is visible from my office window," tweeted Hetal V Patel. "For a long time the body was left cordoned and unattended. Weird. #Wharf."

The JP Morgan building has been the headquarters of the bank's Europe, Middle East and Africa operation since July 2012. It was previously occupied by Lehman Brothers, whose staff left with their belongings in cardboard boxes after the investment bank filed forbankruptcy on September 15, 2008.

Home to Barclays, Citi, Credit Suisse, HSBC, JP Morgan, Morgan Stanley, State Street and Thomson Reuters, Canary Wharf, lies to the east of the City of London.

Though the details of Tuesday's incident are still unclear, occasional suicides by people working in London's big banks have provoked criticism of the demands placed on some financial services workers.

A Bank of America exchange manager jumped in front of a train and another man jumped from a seventh-floor restaurant, both in 2012. A German-born intern at Bank of America died of epilepsy last year in London.

On Tuesday, when asked about the death of William Broeksmit, a former senior manager at Deutsche Bank, London police said a 58-year-old man had been found hanging at a house in South Kensington on Sunday afternoon.

'I'll break you in half,' U.S. congressman threatens reporter

- U.S. Representative Michael Grimm was caught on a television camera saying to a reporter, "I'll break you in half," after he was asked in an interview about a federal investigation into campaign finance violations.

The Staten Island, New York Republican had just walked away after the interview on Tuesday night in the Capitol building in Washington with cable channel NY1 News. He was asked about the arrest this month of one of his fundraisers.

With the camera still rolling, Grimm returned and confronted the reporter, Michael Scotto. He could be heard saying, "I'll break you in half," and NY1 said he threatened to throw Scotto over a balcony.

Grimm issued a statement late Tuesday, saying the reporter had taken a "cheap shot" by asking a question about a topic other than President Barack Obama's State of the Union address, which the president had just delivered.

A fundraiser for Grimm, Diana Durand, was arrested this month on charges she illegally funneled more than $10,000 to his campaign.

The Top 5 Diet Pill Ingredients for 2014

The Top 5 Diet Pill Ingredients for 2014

Supplement companies are always looking for the best ingredients to help with weight loss. Though there doesn’t seem to be a magic cure for losing weight, these six ingredients seem to be helpful in supporting a plan for diet and exercise.

1. Green Tea: Green tea has been drunk for thousands of years and its been known to have great health properties overall. One thing that has been discovered recently is that it contains EGCG. This has demonstrated the ability to increase your metabolism and help you burn fat throughout the day. To get the proper positive metabolic effect, you need to drink at least 3-4 cups of green tea every day, or take a supplement that contains green tea. Look for a supplement that discloses its EGCG levels on the label.
2. Capsaicin: If you are a fan of spicy food you might have heard of Capsaicin. It’s the active ingredient that makes spicy food hot. It also helps speed up your metabolism, suppress your appetite, and is a powerful antioxidant.
3. African Mango: African Mango has been shown to lower blood sugar and cholesterol levels. It also has an extremely high fiber content, and increases leptin levels, which help you to feel full for a longer period after having a meal. This lessens your desire to eat throughout the day, which aids overall health.
4. Cinnamon: It’s been proven to regulate blood sugar and also has a positive effect on your metabolism. It has a mild appetite suppression effect as well. (This doesn’t seem to work for me in cookie form.) Early research on ginger also shows similar results to cinnamon.
5. Synephrine: Years ago, when ephedrine came on the scene, it was inexpensive and worked better than anything previously on the market. Synephrine is chemically similar to ephedrine and seems to have comparable effects. It’s a great thermogenic, but those with medical conditions really need to talk to their doctor before taking it.

How to lose weight

How to lose weight

More than one-third of adults in the United States are obese. In fact, the furor over obesity, which some have termed an “epidemic,” has reached such proportions that one big-city mayor has gone about banning large-sized, sugary soft drinks and the First Lady has been on a crusade to control the dietary offerings in public schools.
Even many adults who do not fit the clinic definition of obese are still overweight, and a large percentage are looking for the best ways to lose weight.

Shedding pounds largely comes down to the two-pronged factors of diet and exercise. Not modifying the first one enough, and not getting enough of the second one, ends up giving the individual a recipe for being overweight. 
Conditions related to obesity include heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and certain types of cancer, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Counseling someone to eat less and exercise more might be the simplest advice possible, but it’s also, partially, an oversimplification. When it comes to diet, no one needs to starve themselves in order to lose weight. It has more to do with the types of food you eat than how much you eat.

Reduce the amount of red meat in your diet. If you don’t want to eliminate red meat altogether, choose cuts of meat with less fat content. Limit your intake of salt and starches. If you’ve got to have potato chips alongside your sandwich at lunch, opt for the baked potato chips that are less greasy and contain less fat than the deep-fried chips. You might find you’re really not sacrificing that much in terms of taste.

A diet rich in fruits, vegetables, egg whites, skinless poultry, fish and nonfat dairy products will certainly aid in the mission of losing weight. Drink more water and less sugary drinks. If you have to have a soda, a diet soda is a better option, but seltzer is an even better choice than that.

In terms of exercise, it’s important—if not always easy—to make sure you get at least some physical activity each and every day. Cardio and strength training burn lots of calories. If your feet or your stamina level won’t allow for a regular jogging regimen, then make sure you take lots of walks. Next time you need to mail a letter, walk to the mailbox instead of driving. Try to work in a daily walk in your neighborhood. And if you intend on more rigorous, formal exercising at the gym or fitness center, be sure to pace yourself and don’t build up to an overly ambitious workout agenda too quickly.

There are thousands of diet fads among us.  However, sometimes the best advice is common sense.  Work towards a healthy diet and integrate regular exercise.  You would be surprised at the results small changes can make.

Gunmen kill Egyptian general, ousted president defiant at trial

After the buzz of the holidays has worn off and the New Year’s resolutions are all but forgotten, there is still much to be excited about during these winter months. Located 90 minutes from Mt. Hood, a popular winter destination, and less than 30 minutes from downtown Portland, Oregon’s Washington County is a hot cool-weather destination with many things to do, see and taste.

With more than 35 wineries and tasting rooms, wine lovers will enjoy flights of fancy with tastes of estate-grown Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Riesling and other varietals. Visitors can map out a self-guided wine tour or drive along the Vineyard and Valley Scenic Tour Route, a 60-mile journey through rural towns and the north Willamette Valley farm and wine country.

After a wine tour of the area, weary travelers can settle in to a warm and cozy coffeehouse. The Pacific Northwest is known for its coffee, and Oregon’s Washington County has a great selection of local roasters and coffeehouses, great places to sip in the local flavor and culture of the destination.

Although it’s located just minutes from the bustling city of Portland, Washington County bursts with natural rural beauty, and nature lovers, cyclists and hikers gravitate to Washington County to take advantage of the area’s many outdoor attractions. 

For cyclists, the 50-mile Tualatin Valley Scenic Bikeway is a challenging and scenic ride through rural towns. The bikeway features the best of the northern Willamette Valley, from friendly downtowns to fertile farmlands and lush natural areas. Hikers also have variety of nature trails and forested pathways from which to choose, each providing amazing and picturesque views. 

Winter months are prime sightings for bald eagles, red tail hawks, turkey vultures and other birds of prey. Birders and nature lovers flock to watch these birds in action at the area’s protected wildlife preserves and nature parks. Navigating the more than a dozen sites is made easier with the newly published Nature Passport, a guide to all of the prime bird and wildlife watching sites and outdoor recreation spots throughout Oregon’s Washington County.  

From bird watching to wine tasting, and many things in between, plan your own Oregon’s Washington County winter getaway. View this digital visitor guide for ideas and inspiration.

Gunmen kill Egyptian general, ousted president defiant at trial

 - Gunmen on a motorbike killed a senior Egyptian Interior Ministry official outside his home in Cairo on Tuesday, putting pressure on the military-backed government as it struggles to contain an Islamist insurgency.

The death of General Mohamed Saeed, head of the technical office of the minister of interior, suggested militants were stepping up their campaign against the state at a delicate time in Egyptian politics.

Army chief Field Marshal Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who toppled president Mohamed Mursi in July, is expected to announce his candidacy for the same post in the coming days, a move that will anger the Muslim Brotherhood to which Mursi belonged.

Sisi unveiled a political roadmap meant to lead to free and fair elections and stability when he toppled Mursi following mass protests against his rule. Egypt has instead witnessed chaos and increasingly brazen Islamist militants.

The Brotherhood accuses Sisi of staging a coup that has undermined democratic gains made since an uprising ousted autocrat Hosni Mubarak in 2011. Hundreds of its supporters were killed in clashes with security forces across Egypt in August.

In the violence since Mursi was toppled, hundreds of members of the security forces have also been killed.

Although authorities have managed to reduce the size of street protests, there is no quick solution for curbing militant violence, as the site of Saeed's assassination suggests.

A bullet shattered the window of the car he was in during broad daylight - a reminder of the Islamist insurgency that raged for several years in the 1990s until Mubarak crushed it.

Saeed's assassination came hours before Mursi appeared in court at a Cairo police academy to face charges of kidnapping and killing policemen after a jailbreak during the uprising.

Mursi, who faces charges in three other cases, was not allowed to freely scream slogans against Sisi and the army-backed government, as he did in previous court sessions.

This time he was held in a glass cage with a sound system controlled by the court, another example of the crackdown on dissent which has drawn criticism from human rights groups.

At one point Mursi said he was still the legitimate president of Egypt, and asked the judiciary not to engage in political revenge.

Screaming at the judge, he said: "Who are you? Don't you know who I am?" "I am the chief of Egypt's Criminal Court," replied the judge. At other times Mursi, in a white training suit, paced in his cage.

Other Brotherhood leaders, held in a separate glass cage, waved to people in the courtroom.

A list of 132 defendants published by state media indicated some were Palestinians still on the run..

They also say Hamas has provided funding for Egyptian militant groups based in Sinai who have claimed bombing and shooting attacks like the one on Tuesday.

OLD ENEMIES

The Egyptian state and militants are old enemies. Islamists in the army opposed to President Anwar al-Sadat's peace treaty with Israel gunned him down in 1981.

Egypt is the birthplace to some of the world's most notorious militants, including al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri.

Political violence has hit the economy hard in Egypt, which is of strategic importance because of its peace treaty with Israel and control of the Suez Canal.

Billions of dollars from Gulf Arab states which poured in after Mursi was toppled have kept the economy afloat in the face of street protests, even though tourism revenue, a main source of foreign currency, sank by 41 percent to $5.9 billion in 2013.

Frequent bombings by Islamists, which get widespread news coverage, could greatly cut the chances of an economic rebound.

"Political order and security are a pre-requisite for growth. Without it, there's no prospect of a recovery in investment or pick up in the tourism industry and other risk-sensitive sectors of the economy," said Simon Williams, chief Middle East economist at HSBC.

"If the next phase of the (political) transition is successful, confidence may turn in the latter half of this year. But for us, recovery is a 2015 story, not before."

Militant groups based in the largely lawless Sinai Peninsula have killed hundreds of police and soldiers since Mursi's downfall, but the Islamist insurgency appears to be taking root beyond the region that borders Israel and the Gaza Strip.

Egyptian authorities make no distinction between the Brotherhood, which says it is a peaceful movement, and al Qaeda-inspired Islamist militants in the Sinai.

Analysts say authorities still don't have a full grasp of who may be behind the attacks.

"Knowing who is doing what, and who is cooperating with whom, is still a big question facing security authorities in Egypt," said Gamal Soltan, who teaches political science at the American University in Cairo.

Last week, six people were killed in a wave of bomb attacks targeting policemen in Cairo. And a Sinai-based militant group brought down an army helicopter with a missile, killing five soldiers.

While Egyptians see Sisi as a strong leader who can crush militancy, his biggest challenge may be to support the economy.

Egypt's central bank has burned through at least $20 billion - roughly half its reserves - supporting the local currency since the 2011 uprising.

Congress secretly approves U.S. weapons flow to 'moderate' Syrian rebels

 - Light arms supplied by the United States are flowing to "moderate" Syrian rebel factions in the south of the country and U.S. funding for months of further deliveries has been approved by Congress, according U.S. and European security officials.

The weapons, most of which are moving to non-Islamist Syrian rebels via Jordan, include a variety of small arms, as well as some more powerful weapons, such as anti-tank rockets.

The deliveries do not include weapons such as shoulder-launched surface-to-air missiles, known as MANPADs, which could shoot down military or civilian aircraft, the officials said.

The weapons deliveries have been funded by the U.S. Congress, in votes behind closed doors, through the end of government fiscal year 2014, which ends on September 30, two officials said.

The apparently steady weapons flow contrasts with the situation last summer, when lethal U.S. aid to the Syrian rebels dried up for a time due to congressional reservations.

Congressional committees held up weapons deliveries for months over fears that U.S. arms would not prove decisive in the rebels' efforts to oust President Bashar Assad and his government and could well end up in the hands of Islamist militants.

A U.S. official familiar with recent developments said national security officials and members of Congress are more confident that weapons delivered to southern Syria are going to, and remaining in, the hands of moderate rebels rather than militant jihadist factions.

Congress approved funding for weapons deliveries to the Syrian rebels in classified sections of defense appropriations legislation, two sources familiar with the matter said. It was not clear when the funding was approved, but unclassified defense funding passed Congress in late December.

Some additional budget tweaks may be necessary to ensure that all the approved funding is fully available for disbursement during the current fiscal year.

Yet, officials who support providing U.S. arms to the rebels acknowledge that this has not greatly increased U.S. expectations of victory by anti-Assad forces, whether moderate or militant.

"The Syrian war is a stalemate. The rebels lack the organization and weapons to defeat Assad; the regime lacks the loyal manpower to suppress the rebellion. Both sides' external allies... are ready to supply enough money and arms to fuel the stalemate for the foreseeable future," said Bruce Riedel, a former senior CIA analyst and sometime foreign policy adviser to President Barack Obama.

Both U.S. and European officials said that "moderate" rebels had recently consolidated their positions in the Syrian south, where they are pushing out elements linked to al-Qaeda. More militant factions remain dominant in the north and east.

Another recent development favorable to more moderate factions is that Kurdish groups that had been providing weapons and other aid financed by donors in the Gulf state of Qatar indiscriminately to both moderate and religious extremist rebel factions had greatly reduced their involvement in the arms traffic, one of the officials said.

A White House spokeswoman had no comment. Other U.S. agencies did not respond to requests for comment.

The United States and Britain suspended non-lethal aid to northern Syria in December after reports that Islamist fighters seized Western-backed rebel weapons warehouses, highlighting fears that supplies could end up in hostile hands.

"We hope to be able to resume assistance to the SMC shortly, pending security and logistics considerations," said the official, referring to the Supreme Military Council moderate rebel group. "But we have no announcements at this time," he said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Non-lethal aid was resumed to civilian groups in that region in late December.

Obama to lay out go-it-alone approach in big speech

- President Barack Obama will lay out a strategy for getting around a divided Congress and boosting middle-class prosperity on Tuesday in a State of the Union speech that reflects some scaled-back legislative ambitions after a difficult year.

Obama will make clear in his 9 p.m. address that he is willing to bypass U.S. lawmakers and go it alone in some areas by announcing a series of executive actions that do not require congressional approval.

The White House said Obama would announce he is issuing an executive order to raise the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour for federal contract workers with new contracts.

In his address, Obama will also call on Congress to pass a bill that would increase the federal minimum wage for all workers to $10.10 an hour from $7.25 and index that to inflation going forward.

The executive order for new contracts or existing contracts in which terms are being changed would take effect at the beginning of next year, with janitors and construction workers among the beneficiaries. Issuing the order allows Obama to bypass Congress in a limited way, with Republicans opposed to a broad increase in the minimum wage.

White House officials said Obama would also announce new executive actions on retirement security and job training to help middle-class workers expand economic opportunity.

"In this year of action, the president will seek out as many opportunities as possible to work with Congress in a bipartisan way. But when American jobs and livelihoods depend on getting something done, he will not wait for Congress," Obama senior adviser Dan Pfeiffer said in an email to supporters sketching out the themes of the speech.

With three years left in office, Obama has effectively reduced for now his ambitions for grand legislative actions.

The address, Obama's sixth such speech in the House of Representatives chamber, is aimed at addressing income inequality, with middle-class Americans struggling to get ahead even while wealthier people prosper in the uneven economic recovery.

The president's most significant speech of the year has been weeks in the making, with Obama working on it at night and chief speechwriter Cody Keenan during the day, with input from academics, policy experts, elected officials, former administration officials and business executives.

White House spokesman Jay Carney said the speech was a big chance to speak to U.S. lawmakers but "even more importantly, to the millions of Americans, millions of Americans who tune in."

"And the president looks forward to that and will offer in his address his vision and his agenda for moving the country forward, and the steps that we can take to expand opportunity for all Americans," he told reporters.

Attending the speech will be a variety of Americans who will sit with his wife, Michelle Obama, in order to stress issues that are important to the White House, such as heroes from last year's Boston Marathon bombings, a firefighter who led the rescue response to an Oklahoma tornado, and an openly gay basketball player.

'COMES DOWN TO ECONOMIC ISSUES'

One of Obama's goals is to lay out a narrative that Democratic congressional candidates can adopt in the run-up to November elections as they try to hold on to their Senate majority and challenge Republicans for control of the House.

The party that controls the White House typically loses seats in the "midterm" elections, which presents Obama with a bit of a challenge.

"It comes down to economic issues," said Andy Smith, director of the University of New Hampshire Survey Center. "The economy is going to be the thing that determines whether people have confidence in the president. If the economy is doing well, people will forgive a lot of the things the president has done or not done."

Obama is trying to recover from a difficult fifth year in office, when immigration and gun control legislation failed to advance in Congress, his healthcare law struggled out of the starting gate, and he appeared uncertain about what to do about Syria's civil war.

Obama will talk up themes from the speech in a two-day road trip that will include stops in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Tennessee.

Obama's Republican opponents will be listening for clues as to whether the two sides can work together on issues like expanding trade. They are taking a dim view of Obama's go-it-alone plans.

"The truth is, without going outside his authority - something sure to be received poorly by the American people and Congress - there is little the president can do on his own to make a real difference. If there were, why hasn't he already done so?" said Brendan Buck, spokesman for House Speaker John Boehner.

Flatulent cows start fire at German dairy farm - police

Methane gas from 90 flatulent cows exploded in a German farm shed on Monday, damaging the roof and injuring one of the animals, police said.

High levels of the gas had built up in the structure in the central German town of Rasdorf, then "a static electric charge caused the gas to explode with flashes of flames," the force said in a statement.

One cow was treated for burns, a police spokesman added.

IAB reader spots the Maruti Celerio demo car at the dealership

IAB reader spots the Maruti Celerio demo car at the dealership




Reader Ravindra sent this snap of the first Maruti Celerio to arrive in his city’s major Maruti dealership. Bookings for the Celerio have been officially open for two days now. The Celerio’s teaser website is live, and the company is harping on the 23.1 kmpl fuel efficiency figure the Automated Manual Transmission (AMT) variants were awarded in the ARAI te

The Celerio is the successor to the A-Star (Alto globally) which keeps its 1.0-liter KB10 petrol engine that is tuned to produce 67 bhp @ 6,000 rpm and 9.1 kgm @ 3,500 rpm. It is mated to a new 5-speed manual gearbox or an Automated Manual Transmission.

The Celerio features a 235-liter boot space and 60:40 split rear bench. Gizmos include an integrated audio system with USB, Aux-in and Bluetooth for phone and audio streaming, steering wheel with audio buttons, electrically adjustable side mirrors, tilt-adjustable steering wheel, driver airbag, rear wash/wipe and rear defogger.

Expect Maruti to announce the prices of the Celerio during the Auto Expo which begins on the 5th of next month.