National Geographic's 2013 traveler photo contest

National Geographic invites photographers from around the world to enter the 2013 National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest. The grand-prize winner will receive a 10-day National Geographic Expedition to the Galápagos for two aboard the National Geographic Endeavour. The contest, which is open now, ends Sunday, June 30, at 11:59 p.m. 

Eligible contestants submit photographs in any or all of four categories: Travel Portraits; Outdoor Scenes; Sense of Place; and Spontaneous Moments. The entry fee is $15 per photo, and there is no limit to the number of submissions per entrant. See here for details and official contest rules.

“Our photo contest turns 25 this year, making it, we believe, the longest-running travel photo contest in the world,” said Keith Bellows, National Geographic Traveler magazine editor in chief. “In the last few years it seems as if the quality of shots has taken a quantum leap forward. The pictures increasingly reflect a more sophisticated way of seeing and interpreting the world, making the judging process more difficult. We encourage photographers to enter their work and compete against the best.”

Judging consists of two rounds of evaluation based on creativity and photographic quality. The second-prize winner will receive a seven-day National Geographic Photography Workshop for one in Santa Fe, N.M.; the third-prize winner will receive a six-day cruise for two on a Maine windjammer schooner. Seven merit prize winners will receive a print of their photo, matted and framed by the National Geographic Imaging Lab, and a $200 gift certificate to B&H Photo.

The Galápagos Expedition, in which the grand-prize winner will participate, is a unique experience to join National Geographic aboard the National Geographic Endeavour or National Geographic Islander and experience up close encounters with unique species such as flightless cormorants, marine iguanas and domed giant tortoises. The trip is part of National Geographic Expeditions, the travel program of the National Geographic Society, which provides guided trips spanning all seven continents and more than 60 destinations.

National Geographic Traveler photo editors will showcase their favorite entries every week online. Visitors to the site can view all entries and share them with family and friends.

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Kings to remain in Sacramento

Dallas, TX –  The NBA's Board of Governors voted Wednesday to keep the Kings in Sacramento and rejected Chris Hansen's planned relocation of the franchise to Seattle.

The vote was 22-8 by team owners, commissioner David Stern announced.

"This was not an anti-Seattle vote, it was a pro-Sacramento vote," Stern said during a press conference.

The Maloof family, current owners of the Kings, had agreed in January to sell a 65 percent share of the team to a group led by hedge fund manager Hansen and Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, who were looking to move the Kings to Seattle and rename it the SuperSonics. The Board of Governors followed an April committee recommendation to stop the Kings from relocating.

Seattle lost its NBA franchise to Oklahoma City in 2008.

Stern said the Maloofs have the right to retain ownership of the franchise instead of selling the team, but the commissioner said it's likely the Maloofs will make a deal to transfer ownership to businessman Vivek Ranadive and said he'd like to see it done "as soon as possible."

Reports indicate the group led by Ranadive has offered the Maloof family $341 million for the 65 percent share of the team. That's much less than the $406 million reportedly offered by Hansen.

"Vivek and the Maloof team, we're going to be negotiating around the clock for the next two, three days to try to get this resolved," former NBA All-Star and current Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson said.

The Maloof family was reportedly threatening not to sell the Kings to the group that wanted to keep the team in Sacramento.

"They were clear on that point until the end, but their agreement ended effectively with the vote," Stern said. "We think that now because the Maloofs have been overall good for Sacramento and the NBA, they will be motivated to do something fast so the franchise can get cranking."

On March 27, the Sacramento City Council approved a public-private deal to build a new 18,500-seat arena and retail center downtown.

"In terms of building a brand-new building, it has been very clear, and we have said this time and time again, building a building downtown is bigger than basketball," Johnson added. "It's transforming. You're going to see a situation where Sacramento will be changed forever for the good."

The league would ultimately like to return to the Seattle market, though, according to Adam Silver, the NBA's current deputy commissioner.

"The league continues to enjoy strong support in the Seattle market," Silver said. "We want to wait and see what happens in our next national television negotiation. We are confident we will return there one day."

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NY judge to bin Laden kin: Lawyer might be trouble

Published May 15, 2013

Associated Press

NEW YORK –  A judge warned Osama bin Laden's son-in-law Wednesday that a lawyer he hired to represent him on charges he conspired to kill Americans could end up in prison himself.

U.S. District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan told Sulaiman Abu Ghaith that he could cause himself problems by choosing attorney Stanley Cohen to defend him against charges that he conspired against Americans in his role as al-Qaida's chief spokesman.

Cohen was indicted last year in Syracuse, N.Y., on federal charges that he failed to file individual and corporate tax returns between 2005 and 2010 and committed other tax-related violations. A federal prosecutor in Manhattan told Kaplan that additional charges may be filed against Cohen.

Kaplan asked Abu Ghaith a series of questions designed to make sure the 47-year-old defendant understood the hazards of rejecting three public defenders to have Cohen and another attorney represent him.

The judge said he wanted to make clear to Abu Ghaith that Cohen "has interests that are potentially in conflict with your own."

He also told him it was "quite possibly ill advised" for a defendant to proceed with an attorney who faces criminal charges himself, and he noted that Cohen might not be able to obtain security clearance from the government to view classified materials necessary to prepare for trial.

Abu Ghaith insisted he wanted Cohen to represent him after his brother in Kuwait hired the veteran civil rights attorney.

"I understood he's very enthusiastic about this case," Abu Ghaith told Kaplan. "I thank you very much but I've made my decision."

The judge set a hearing for next week to further explore the legal issue. He told the government to submit legal papers explaining its position on whether Abu Ghaith can be represented by Cohen and whether his understanding of his rights was sufficient to switch lawyers.

Abu Ghaith has pleaded not guilty to charges that he urged the death of Americans after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Prosecutors say evidence against Abu Ghaith includes a widely circulated video of him in early October 2001 sitting with bin Laden and current al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahri and another in which he calls on every Muslim to join the fight against the United States, declaring that "jihad is a duty."

Cohen said outside court that he believes he was chosen because of his extensive contacts throughout the Middle East and his ability to travel and speak with witnesses where other lawyers cannot.

"I've probably done more terrorism cases — real and fake — than any other lawyer in the United States," he said.

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Texas executes man for fatal shooting of officer

Published May 15, 2013

Associated Press

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  This photo provided by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice shows Jeffrey Williams. When Houston police arrested Williams for gunning down a plainclothes officer working an auto theft assignment, the slain officer’s handcuffs dangled from one of Williams’ wrists. Williams, 37, is scheduled for lethal injection Wednesday, May 15, 2013. (AP Photo/Texas Department of Criminal Justice)The Associated Press

HUNTSVILLE, Texas –  A 37-year-old Houston man convicted of killing a police officer 14 years ago has been put to death.

Jeffrey Demond Williams' execution Wednesday evening came just over an hour after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a last-day appeal from his attorneys. Lawyers contended Williams had been failed by previous attorneys at his trial and in early stages of his appeals.

He's the sixth Texas inmate executed this year.

Williams was convicted of fatally shooting 39-year-old Houston officer Troy Blando while Blando was handcuffing him.

Blando was watching a motel where car thefts were suspected when he saw Williams drive up in a Lexus that was reported stolen.

Williams was captured about a block away. Blando's cuffs were hanging from one of his wrists.

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Plaintiffs in lawsuit against Browns owner's company hire former FBI Director Louis Freeh

Published May 15, 2013

Associated Press

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. –  Former FBI Director Louis Freeh's firm has been hired by trucking companies suing Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam's company, Pilot Flying J.

Pilot Flying J, the nation's largest diesel fuel retailer, has been alleged to have bilked customers out of rebates.

Plaintiffs attorney Mark Tate confirmed to WBIR-TV in Knoxville and to the Plain Dealer in Cleveland on Wednesday that Freeh has agreed to work on the lawsuit filed after federal agents raided Pilot's headquarters last month.

Jimmy Haslam bought the Browns last year. He is the brother of Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam.

The FBI alleges members of Pilot's sales team deliberately withheld rebates to boost Pilot profits and pad sales commissions. No criminal charges have been filed.

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Report: David Garrard set to retire

Published May 15, 2013

Sports Network

Florham Park, NJ –  New York Jets quarterback David Garrard is reportedly set to retire due to lingering knee issues.

No official announcement has been made, but according to a report on NFL.com, Garrard wrote in a text message to NFL.com's Adam Schein, "Having to call it quits. My knee is not holding up. Continuing to swell after practices."

Garrard signed with the Jets in March after missing all of last season with the Miami Dolphins due to knee surgery before the start of the 2012 campaign.

The 35-year-old signal-caller hasn't appeared in a game since 2010 when he started 14 games and threw for a career-high 23 touchdowns as a member of the Jacksonville Jaguars.

All 76 of Garrard's career starts have come with the Jaguars, who selected the New Jersey native in the fourth round of the 2002 NFL Draft.

Garrard's best season came in 2009 when he started 16 games and threw for 3,597 yards and 15 touchdowns while rushing for 323 yards and three scores to earn his first and only Pro Bowl selection.

Over nine seasons in Jacksonville, Garrard compiled 16,003 passing yards, 1,746 rushing yards and 106 combined touchdowns in 86 career games.

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Bahrain convicts 6 of Twitter insults

Published May 15, 2013

Associated Press

MANAMA, Bahrain –  A lawyer says Bahraini courts have sentenced six people to a year in prison on charges of making Twitter posts deemed offensive to the Gulf nation's king.

The convictions Wednesday are part of wider crackdowns across Gulf Arab states against perceived dissent expressed on social media, including imposing tougher media laws.

Lawyer Shahzalan Khamis says the prosecution claimed the six suspects violated laws with posts critical of Bahrain King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa. No other details on the posts were made public.

Bahrain has been gripped by more than two years of unrest between the Sunni-led government and the kingdom majority Shiites seeking a greater political voice.

Bahrain is home to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet.

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