Pope wades into crowds, surprising onlookers

VATICAN CITY (AP) ? Walking up to crowds, shaking hands with surprised bystanders in the street, mixing his formal speeches with off-the-cuff remarks, Pope Francis stamped his own style on the papacy Sunday.

His humor and down-to-earth manner captivated those filling St. Peter's Square in Rome to overflowing, and he worked the crowd in a way that had to give his security staff palpitations. Rome Mayor Gianni Alemanno, in the square himself, estimated the crowd's size at 300,000.

"Brothers and sisters, 'Buon giorno,'" Francis said in Italian in his first welcome from the window of the papal residence, setting an informal tone that has become the defining spirit of his young papacy.

Earlier Sunday, he made an impromptu appearance before the public from a side gate of the Vatican that startled passers-by and prompted cheers as he shook hands and kissed babies. Francis had just finished celebrating Mass and delivering a six-minute homily ? brief by church standards ? in the Vatican's tiny parish church, St. Anna, when he walked outside to greet parishioners one by one, just as an ordinary pastor does after weekly services.

Francis started speaking at the window even before the stroke of noon ? the appointed time for the weekly papal address. The windows of the papal study in the Apostolic Palace were opened for the first time since Francis' predecessor, Benedict XVI, gave his last Sunday blessing on Feb. 24. Four days later, Benedict went into retirement, the first pontiff to do so in nearly 600 years.

Francis, the first pope from Latin America, was elected Wednesday and has been staying in a hotel on the Vatican's premises until the papal apartment is ready.

"The pope is down-to-earth. He is a people person and it is amazing," said Emanuel Anatsui from Britain. "He is going to do wonderfully for the church."

After Mass, Francis again put his security detail to the test as he waded into an intersection just outside St. Anna's Gate. Francis stepped up to the crowd, grasping outstretched hands. The atmosphere was so casual that several people even gripped Francis on the shoulder.

"Francesco! Francesco!" children shouted his name in Italian. As he patted one little boy on the head, he asked "Are you a good boy?" and the child nodded.

"Are you sure?" the pope quipped.

At one point he glanced at his watch and turned to an aide ? as if to ask "How much time do I have?"

The pope then ducked back inside the Vatican's boundaries to dash upstairs for the address to St. Peter's Square.

Often abandoning the prepared text in his hand, Francis told the crowd that he wanted to talk about mercy, saying he was inspired by a book about forgiveness that he was reading. Citing the author, an elderly German cardinal, and praising him as a "top-notch" theologian, Francis quipped: "Don't think I'm making publicity for my cardinals' books!" drawing a roar of laughter from the crowd.

Francis said mercy can "change the world" and make it "less cold and more just."

He spoke only in Italian ? ending with "Buon pranzo" (Have a good lunch) ? a wish that triggered nods of approval from the crowd in Rome, where a leisurely Sunday family lunch is a cherished tradition.

But Francis did tweet in English and other languages, saying: "Dear friends, I thank you from my heart and I ask you to continue to pray for me.'"

Past pontiffs have used the Sunday window greetings to offer brief reflections and wishes in several languages.

Vatican spokesman the Rev. Federico Lombardi said Francis would likely stick with Italian, a language he's comfortable with for spontaneous remarks. Lombardi left open the possibility the 76-year-old pope would use other languages in future public appearances.

During his window speech, Francis also talked about of his family's roots in Italy's northwestern Piedmont region. He told the crowd that by naming himself as pope after St. Francis of Assisi, an Italian patron saint, he was "strengthening my spiritual tie with this land, where, as you know, my family has its origins."

The crowd was cheering wildly when Francis appeared at the window, but fell into rapt silence when he began to speak. Some people's eyes welled up. Many people waved the blue-and-white flag of Argentina, the pope's homeland. Some people held their children aloft or on their shoulders to get a better look.

"We are so proud. He is Argentine, but also belongs to the rest of the world," said Ivana Cabello, 23, of Argentina.

Angela Carreon, a 41-year-old Rome resident originally from the Philippines, ventured that Francis "looks like John Paul II. "

"I hope he is like him," she said. "He has a heart."

The globe-trotting Polish-born John Paul II, who died in 2005, loved to charm the crowds.

Several hundred extra traffic police were deployed Sunday to control crowds and vehicles for Francis' first window speech as well as the annual Rome marathon. Bus routes were rerouted and many streets were closed off to channel the curious and the faithful up the main boulevard from the Tiber river to St. Peter's Square.

Giant video screens were set up so the huge crowd could get a close look at Francis, and dozens of medical teams were on hand for any emergencies. In the last hour before noon, a large backup formed of people trying to squeeze through three openings in the fence ringing the front of the square. But by the time Francis appeared, all had calmly found a viewing spot.

Among Francis' first formal meetings is an appointment Monday with Argentine President Cristina Fernandez. That will provide an opportunity to see if the new pope's easygoing manner still holds ? the two have been on opposite sides for many years. As Buenos Aires archbishop, Francis had lobbied hard against the government's move to legalize gay marriage and make contraceptives available for free.

On Tuesday, Fernandez will join other world leaders and senior international envoys, including U.S. Vice President Joe Biden and the president of Jesuit-run Georgetown University, for Francis' formal installation as pope.

__

Associated Press writers Daniela Petroff and Karl Ritter contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/pope-wades-crowds-surprising-onlookers-184944876.html

wheres my refund Fast And Furious 6 superbowl ads Super Bowl Ads 2013 Buffalo Wild Wings Superbowl Start Time cbs

Cameron tells fractious party to stay focused

By Tim Castle

LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister David Cameron sought to quell talk of a leadership challenge after a run of political setbacks, telling activists in his Conservative party on Saturday to concentrate on winning the next national election in 2015.

Cameron is under pressure from a growing number of party legislators and activists who have broken ranks to say they are unhappy with his policies. The economy is stagnant, heading for a possible third recession in four years, and the Labour opposition holds a 10-point lead in opinion polls.

Home Secretary Theresa May provoked media speculation she was aiming for Cameron's job when she delivered a speech last week that went well beyond her brief.

"Anyone in this party who's in any doubt who we should be fighting, what we should be debating, where our energies should be focused - I tell you: our battle is with Labour," Cameron told party members at a rally in central London.

"This is a bunch of self-satisfied Labour socialists who think they can spend your money better than you can, make decisions better than you can and tell you what to do, and we should never, ever let that lot near government again."

Half-way through a five-year term, many Conservative MPs are growing restless, fearful of defeat at the next national election and fed up with ruling in coalition with the Lib Dems.

Hit by the loss of Britain's top-notch AAA credit rating in February, Conservative spirits were further depressed when the party was beaten into third place in a vote for a parliamentary seat that it needs to win in 2015 to rule alone without a coalition.

Speaking days before a closely watched budget statement, Cameron told activists to hold their nerve, invoking the memory of former Conservative leaders including Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher, saying the party was building an "aspiration nation".

"We always knew we'd face pretty big challenges right now. It's mid-term ... We are recovering from the deepest recession since records began," he said.

Perhaps mindful of how deeply the issue divides his party, Cameron made no mention of his support for gay marriage. Last month, half his legislators voted against government plans to extend the right to marry to homosexual couples.

Although Cameron spoke to applause, Conservative commentator Iain Dale said he would have to do more to win over doubters within the party as well as voters across the country.

"When you talk to a Conservative audience ... you need to put a bit of red meat in there to get them going, and he didn't really do that this morning," Dale told BBC television.

(Editing by Mark Trevelyan)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/cameron-tells-fractious-party-stay-focused-160258179.html

9/11 Memorial 911 masterchef Dictionary.com Chicago teachers strike september 11 2001 september 11 2001

Disney, News Corp. 'finalizing' plans for Hulu

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? Disney and News Corp. are "finalizing" their future plans for Hulu as the online video streaming service prepares for the departure of CEO Jason Kilar.

That's according to a blog post by Kilar on Thursday. Kilar is to leave the company at the end of March. Replacing him as interim CEO will be Andy Forssell, Hulu's senior vice president of content.

The Walt Disney Co. and News Corp., the parent companies of broadcasters ABC and Fox, jointly own Hulu with NBC owner Comcast Corp., but have an awkward relationship with the service.

The broadcasters independently offer streaming of full TV shows on computers and apps, often for free, yet a paid portion of Hulu known as Hulu Plus requires a monthly $8 fee for many of the same shows.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/495d344a0d10421e9baa8ee77029cfbd/Article_2013-03-15-Hulu-Future/id-c76d32f885fc4870b1ffaad3d5b7f9f7

john carlson greg smith catamount mike dantoni bulls heat goldman sachs brandon carr

Bailout lenders grant Portugal easier debt targets

LISBON, Portugal (AP) ? Portugal's finance minister says the country's bailout lenders have agreed to ease its debt-reduction targets amid deteriorating economic prospects.

Portugal needed a ?78 billion ($101 billion) rescue in May 2011 when investors, worried by its high debts and meager growth, stopped lending it money.

It has struggled to recover its financial health due to austerity measures and a wider economic downturn in Europe.

The Portuguese economy contracted 3.2 percent last year and is forecast to shrink 2.3 percent in 2013 for a third straight year of recession. The unemployment rate, currently at 17.2 percent, is forecast to reach 18.5 percent in 2014.

Finance Minister Vitor Gaspar said Friday the bailout lenders are giving Portugal an extra year, until 2015, to get the budget deficit below 3 percent.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/bailout-lenders-grant-portugal-easier-debt-targets-102744945--finance.html

super bowl 2012 soul train nevada caucus ufc 143 what time does the super bowl start ben gazzara nfl hall of fame 2012

The Beal Deal with Jill Whalen (@JillWhalen)

Spring is in the air! Can you feel it?

Spring is the picture of new life and growth, so let?s ask a few questions of someone that practically gave birth to the concept of SEO copywriting.

(How?s that for a cheesy segue?)

Today?s guest is one of the matriarchs of search engine optimization?none other than Jill Whalen. Jill has been in this business for almost 20 years and has been consistent in her messaging about the importance of great copywriting in SEO. And, it?s not an exaggeration to say that she practically invented the niche.

Let?s ask her how she got her start, who hires her, which up-and-comer she respects the most, and how she?s developed a thick skin. Onwards!

Q1. You started your SEO career in 1995. Tell us how you got into this industry?

There was no information on SEO at the time so I had to figure things out for myself.

The short version is that I was a mom at home with a parenting website trying to figure out how to get it found in the search engines of the day. There was no information on SEO at the time (nor was there even a name for it) so I had to figure things out for myself. It became apparent very quickly that what you said on the pages of your site was being used as a major relevance determining factor. So I just made sure to use the words I wanted my site to be found for within the page content itself and it worked like a charm. I started helping other sites do the same thing and explained the concept to others within forums and email lists, and basically invented the discipline of ?SEO copywriting.? ?I was probably the first SEO to hire professional copywriters for my client work rather than trying to do it myself. I?ve always found there to be a difference between one who?s good at understanding SEO and one who?s a great copywriter (although there are definitely overlaps). It?s cool to now see so many focusing on what?s now known as content marketing, which sprung from a lot of the seeds I sowed back in the day.

Q2. You?ve been in this space for almost 20 years?Jill, how have you not burned yourself out by now?

I was sick of incompetent and sometimes unethical SEOs running rampant in our industry

Right before Panda and Penguin I was definitely burned out. I was sick of?Google making me look foolish?and I was sick of incompetent and sometimes unethical SEOs running rampant in our industry. I was seriously trying to decide what other areas of marketing I might want to get into (personal branding was one idea). But once Google put their money where their mouth was and started enforcing their guidelines, it breathed new life into me. SEO again became what I had always claimed it was: making your site the best it can be for your users and the search engines. While the incompetent and unethical SEOs are still peddling their snake oil, their methods rarely provide positive long-term results now. In many ways, they keep me in business as so many companies need help cleaning up their messes.

That said, I?ve never tired of trying to figure out what might be keeping any given website from reaching its potential. I?ve always found it to be like solving a puzzle. Even more so now with all the Google Panda and Penguin penalties. My focus lately is reviewing sites that have been penalized and getting to the bottom of why. I seem to have a pretty good instinctual knack for understanding what Google wants in a site and what they don?t. Even back in the old days my methods always involved ?thinking like a search engine.? I?also still love teaching others about SEO, especially in smaller groups such as in-house training days within a company or small seminars that I?occasionally?put on.

Q3. Who hires?Jill?Whalen? What does a typical client look like for you?

Right now I only offer site audit reviews and training. So a typical client is one that either wants to take their site to the next level in terms of their organic search engine traffic or one that has been losing organic traffic and wants to know why. The businesses who hire me range in size from solo professionals and other small businesses to major universities and hospitals. As you can imagine, in 18 years of business I?ve worked with companies in pretty much every industry there is! The key for a client being a good fit for my services is that they need to have the resources to implement my SEO recommendations, as I don?t offer implementation. Often that means I work with a lot of businesses who have their own IT and Marketing teams. But I do also often work with highly motivated do-it-yourself business owners who are willing to spend the time and money to make the recommendations themselves. They?re usually the most satisfying clients to work with as I get to see how well my recommendations play out in the real world. It?s especially rewarding to see the traffic to a previously penalized site improve.

Q4. Who?s come on to the SEO scene in the past few years that has impressed you the most, and why?

I?m likely not familiar with many of the fresh new SEO faces of the last few years. But in terms of the younger generation of SEOs, even though she?s been around for a long time now, for the past few years I?ve been most impressed with your very first interviewee, Lisa Barone. She tends to have a similar take on SEO as I do in terms having to have a great website if you want to get anywhere with it. Plus she?s one of the very few people in the space whose articles I can read (and like), because she is a great writer. Too many in our industry (and all over the Internet in general) are not very good writers. And yet they write about SEO anyway. While they may have interesting information to share, if I can?t get through the first paragraph then I?m not interested.

Q5. Social networks seem to get all of the buzz, yet your High Rankings forum continues to flourish. What?s the secret to its success?

I?m not sure that ?flourish? would actually describe the High Rankings Forum. It does get a good amount of traffic every day, but interaction is fairly low as compared to some other forums. But I can say that HRF is the most spam free forum in the world! Unfortunately, that is also why interaction is low because I don?t allow people to post just for the sake of posting. Every post from new users has to be approved by a moderator (often me) and I disapprove 10 times more than I approve.

I think my success in this area has been due to my consistency

That said, what is still flourishing is my High Rankings Advisor Newsletter. It still has over 20k subscribers and according to my open rates a good 4000+ of them open and read each issue! And that doesn?t count those who just the articles on the blog. I think my success in this area has been due to my consistency ?(publishing every other week since 2002) and also my ability to boil SEO down to its very essence. People come to High Rankings confused about SEO and leave having a much better understanding of it. The same can be said for my clients and those who attend my classes. When they read my stuff or hear me talk about it, they realize it?s really not scary. And they?re even happier when they learn that it?s not about tricking the search engines but simply about making sure your site is technically spiderable as well as relevant and worthwhile to their target audience.

Q6. You?re not afraid to poke fun at yourself, what?s the craziest stunt you?ve pulled?

?when Danny S. still owned the Search Engine Watch Forums he came about an inch away from banning me?

I actually am uncomfortable tricking people so even if I think of a funny joke I want to play on someone, I just can?t do it. ?I have to tell them right away that I?m just kidding or I feel bad!

But to your point of me not being afraid to poke fun at myself, that?s definitely true. I think I learned at a very young age that if you make fun of your own self then nobody else can. Well they can try, but you don?t care because it?s nothing you haven?t said about yourself already anyway. Basically it takes their power away. (Man I must have been teased a lot as a kid!) ?But you know, that?s what gives you a thick skin. And that has certainly come in handy in this business over the years, especially in the old days when I was online picking fights all the time. (As an aside, many years ago when Danny S. still owned the Search Engine Watch Forums he came about an inch away from banning me at one point.) I?ve finally matured (at age 51!) where I don?t feel the need to pick fights or even to answer back others who try to pick fights, but it was a long time coming! When I see bad SEO info now (and I still see it every day) I no longer feel the need to correct it. I just move on.

Thanks Jill. We may have to ask Danny about that incident sometime.

Source: http://www.marketingpilgrim.com/2013/03/the-beal-deal-with-jill-whalen.html

easter bunny navy jet crash virginia beach isiah thomas passover easter recipes live free or die hard carlos pena

Colo. lawmakers pass sweeping gun-control bills

By Keith Coffman

DENVER (Reuters) - Both chambers of the majority Democratic Colorado legislature approved a package of four gun-control measures on Wednesday, capping months of debate in a state that has experienced two of the deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history.

The most controversial of the bills that are now headed to the desk of Democratic Governor John Hickenlooper is a ban on ammunition magazines with more than 15 rounds, which the governor said he will sign into law.

The passage of the bills could push Colorado to the forefront of a national gun control debate reignited by several mass shootings last year, including the December massacre of 20 children and six adults at a school in Newtown, Connecticut.

The sponsor of the Colorado magazine-limit bills, state House Representative Rhonda Fields, told fellow lawmakers in a floor debate on Wednesday the proposal was about "saving lives."

"These are weapons that should be used in a theater of war and not in our local theaters," said Fields, a Democrat whose district includes the suburban Denver movie theater where a gunman killed 12 people in a shooting rampage last July.

Colorado was also the site of the 1999 massacre at Columbine High School, where two teenagers shot dead a teacher and 12 other students before committing suicide.

Other bills included in the package of gun-control laws approved by Colorado lawmakers included a measure to make firearm buyers pay for their own background checks and a ban on online certification for concealed-carry permits, both of which Hickenlooper has said he supports.

Another measure would bar gun purchases by people convicted of domestic violence crimes. Hickenlooper had previously said he was undecided about that until he could see the final version.

One remaining gun-control measure to require background checks for all firearms transfers was sent to a conference committee on Wednesday, so that both chambers could hash out differences between the Senate and House versions.

The proposals that won final approval on Wednesday had received little Republican support.

Republican House minority leader Mark Waller issued a statement after the bills' passage, calling Democrats "out of touch" with their constituents.

"More than 200,000 Coloradans are out of work but Democrats are more concerned with passing legislation that will send hundreds of jobs out of our state without any increase in public safety to show for it," Waller said in a statement.

Waller was referring to Magpul, a Colorado-based manufacturer of ammunition magazines that has vowed to leave the state and take away its hundreds of jobs if the magazine-limits bill becomes law.

The Colorado legislature's action follows the passage in New York state in January of a sweeping gun-control law that bans assault weapons and magazines that hold more than seven rounds of ammunition, requires gun owners to register most guns with the states and requires universal background checks.

President Barack Obama has put forward a number of federal gun-control proposals in the wake of the Newtown killings.

On Tuesday, a divided U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee advanced to the full Senate a measure endorsed by Obama that would require criminal background checks for all gun buyers.

(Editing by Alex Dobuzinskis and Eric Walsh)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/colorado-lawmakers-approve-sweeping-gun-control-measures-014819045.html

Allegiant Air Melissa Rycroft mega millions Cyber Monday Deals 2012 Sasha McHale Boy Meets World elizabeth taylor

Netanyahu faces rocky future in new coalition

File - In this March 10, 2013 file photograph, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends the weekly cabinet meeting in his Jerusalem office. Netanyahu signed a coalition deal Friday March 15, 2013, with rival parties to form the next government, a spokesman said, in an agreement that was stalled for weeks due to tough negotiations. (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner, File)

File - In this March 10, 2013 file photograph, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends the weekly cabinet meeting in his Jerusalem office. Netanyahu signed a coalition deal Friday March 15, 2013, with rival parties to form the next government, a spokesman said, in an agreement that was stalled for weeks due to tough negotiations. (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner, File)

JERUSALEM (AP) ? Forced to rely on the support of two fast-rising rivals in his new governing coalition, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu now faces a reshaped and rocky landscape that could spell trouble ahead: An unwanted culture war with the country's ultra-Orthodox minority as well as pressure to make peace overtures to the Palestinians.

After weeks of difficult negotiations, Netanyahu, who barely hung onto his job, was forced to cede significant power to his new partners, liberal former TV anchorman Yair Lapid and his unlikely ally, pro-settlement hard-liner Naftali Bennett.

Both men make no secret that they want to be prime minister one day, and each can bring down the government at will.

This new constellation is expected to force the cautious Netanyahu, who presided over a broad and stable coalition during his previous four-year term, to confront some of the nation's most contentious issues.

Both Lapid and Bennett have vowed to end years of preferential treatment for the country's small but politically powerful ultra-Orthodox minority. Lapid and the junior partner in the coalition, former Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, will also put heavy pressure on Netanyahu to take a softer line toward the Palestinians. With President Barack Obama visiting next week, Netanyahu could be forced sooner than later to make difficult decisions about the Palestinians.

"The next term will be one of the most challenging in the history of the state," Netanyahu said Thursday. "We are facing great security and diplomatic challenges."

The ultra-Orthodox minority makes up roughly 8 percent of the country's 8 million people. Because of Israel's coalition system, their political parties have traditionally wielded power far beyond their numbers by guaranteeing a string of prime ministers a parliamentary majority.

Ultra-Orthodox political parties have used their kingmaker status to secure vast budgets for their religious schools and seminaries and to win automatic exemptions from compulsory military service for tens of thousands of young men to pursue religious studies. Older men collect welfare stipends while continuing to study full time.

The system has led to high rates of unemployment in the ultra-Orthodox community, and has bred widespread resentment among the general public. Attempts by ultra-Orthodox activists to impose their customs on broader society, such as pushing for gender-segregated buses, have further angered the public.

Both Lapid and Bennett tapped into this resentment to make great gains in the Jan. 22 election, promising to bring a "sharing of the burden" of military service and paying taxes. Lapid's Yesh Atid Party, running in its first election, emerged as the second-largest faction in parliament, with 19 of 120 seats. Bennett's rejuvenated Jewish Home captured 12 seats.

Netanyahu's Likud-Yisrael Beitenu bloc won 31 seats. Although it's the largest single faction, it is well below its 42-seat level in the previous parliament and far short of the 61 seats needed for a majority. With Lapid, Bennett and Livni's dovish "Movement" on board, Netanyahu controls a 68-seat majority.

Tough negotiations lasted nearly six weeks before it was finalized Friday, just a day ahead of a deadline that could have triggered new elections.

"Indeed, the new government is not what its leader had hoped for. He did everything he could to flee it, as if from a place plagued by boils, locusts, lice and pestilence. These were not the partners he had hoped for: He did his utmost to keep them out of the coalition, and they taught him a thing or two," wrote Yossi Verter in the liberal Haaretz daily.

"He is the Old Guard, they are the new. He, poor guy, will soon be history," he wrote.

In a sign of how tense the talks were, the negotiating teams decided not to hold a formal ceremony to sign the agreements, Yuval Karni reported in the more mainstream Yediot Ahronot paper. It was decided that the agreements would be signed by fax, so that the representatives of the parties would not even see each other at a signing ceremony.

The weeks of negotiations illustrated Netanyahu's limited room for maneuvering, and the significant leverage his partners will wield.

Forming a joint front, Lapid and Bennett forced the prime minister to keep the ultra-Orthodox parties, his traditional ally, out of the coalition. It is only the second time in the past 35 years that they have been in the opposition.

Lapid, a critic of excessive government spending, also forced Netanyahu to scale back the size of the Cabinet. The move had the added effect of infuriating members of Netanyahu's Likud Party by reducing the number of available Cabinet posts.

In a statement Thursday, Yesh Atid said its first order of business would be to submit a bill on reforming the draft system. It also said it would require all schools to teach a "core curriculum" that includes math, science and English. Ultra-Orthodox schools have frequently neglected these areas. The statement also promised "extensive economic steps" to integrate the ultra-Orthodox into the work force.

Lapid's party will control the finance and education ministries, giving him significant influence over budget and school policies. But taking away benefits from the ultra-Orthodox will not be easy. Netanyahu will be reluctant to take on his traditional allies, knowing he could rely on them again in the future.

The ultra-Orthodox, who have been able to mobilize tens of thousands of people into the streets, are already promising to put up a fight. "Our first mission is to topple this government," Arieh Deri, leader of the ultra-Orthodox Shas party, told Israel's Army Radio station.

Dealing with the Palestinian issue will be no easier. Netanyahu's own Likud Party is dominated by hard-liners who oppose significant concessions to the Palestinians, while Bennett, a former head of the West Bank settler movement, takes an even tougher line, calling on Israel to annex large chunks of West Bank territory that would have to be part of any future Palestinian state. He is sure to use his control over the Housing Ministry to try to build more settlement homes.

On the other hand, Lapid announced Thursday that the new coalition agreement promised a commitment to returning to the negotiating table with the Palestinians. Livni, who is to be Netanyahu's chief negotiator, ran for office on a platform devoted to reaching peace.

Netanyahu will be hard-pressed to balance these conflicting forces, yet there are some reasons for optimism.

After presiding over four years of deadlock and international isolation over the issue, Netanyahu has signaled he is eager to restart negotiations under his new government.

The Palestinians demand all of the West Bank, east Jerusalem and Gaza Strip ? areas captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war ? for a future state. They have demanded a freeze in settlement construction and a commitment to make Israel's 1967 lines the basis for a future border.

Saeb Erekat, the chief Palestinian negotiator, said the Palestinians would have "no problem" talking to Lapid or Livni.

"But if we want to negotiate with the Israelis, the government should accept the two-state solution based on the 1967 borders and implement its obligations like the settlement freeze" he said.

The arrival of Obama next Wednesday could raise pressure on Netanyahu to float some new ideas for restarting talks. Though Obama is not bringing any bold peace plan, he will be meeting separately with both sides in order to lay the groundwork for future talks.

"Netanyahu is going to have Obama visiting next week in Jerusalem and therefore he had to have a more moderate, at least by outlook, government," said Gayil Talshir, a political scientist at Hebrew University. "So the government in terms of Livni getting to be a minister in this government and Lapid being more moderate, it's definitely more moderate when you look at it from the outside."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-03-15-Israel-Politics/id-a2cdd22dd05d458b9635209cd444da26

andy cohen andy cohen mozambique oosthuizen great expectations jake owen oosthuizen louis