10 Things to Know for Friday

Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about Friday:

1. WHO'S NOT BENEFITING FROM FLU SHOTS

This year's vaccine is proving startlingly ineffective in protecting older Americans—the most vulnerable age group.

2. DREW PETERSON GETS 38 YEARS IN PRISON

The sentence comes in an Illinois court after the ex-cop angrily denies killing his third wife.

3. WHAT SWUNG THE BALANCE IN HAGEL'S FAVOR

Alabama GOP Sen. Richard Shelby decides to back the defense nominee, giving him enough votes to win confirmation.

4. SEEKING BAIL, PISTORIUS FACES A HIGH HURDLE

His lawyers will have to prove there's an "exceptional" reason to free him before trial.

5. HOW TO FOIL DRONES

Among other tips, Al-Qaida is advising its fighters to use desert-grass mats to camouflage their vehicles.

6. DRAMATIC CAR CHASE SHOOTOUT ON THE VEGAS STRIP

Three people are killed and six injured in street violence that a tourist likens to "something out of a movie. Like 'Die Hard.'"

7. WHICH COUNTRIES WILL FOOT THE BILL FOR AFGHAN'S MILITARY

NATO considers funding the force through 2018, which would increase the costs to the U.S. and its allies by more than $2 billion a year.

8. READING WAL-MART'S TEA LEAVES

The giant retailer's weaker sales forecast signals that the wallets of the nation's poor and middle-class will remain thin.

9. WHEN THE SEQUESTER WILL BE FELT

It's a government slowdown, not a shutdown, and could take a while to impact the public, writes the AP's Andrew Taylor.

10. AND (THE AP PREDICTS) THE WINNER IS...

Movie writers Christy Lemire and David Germain say "Argo" will win best picture at the Academy Awards.

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Why States Still Use Barrel Bombs

Smoke ascends after a Syrian military helicopter allegedly dropped a barrel bomb over the city of Daraya on Jan. 31.(FADI DIRANI/AFP/Getty Images) Summary Barrel bombs are not especially effective weapons. They are often poorly constructed; they fail to detonate more often than other devices constructed for a similar purpose; and their lack of precision means they can have a disproportionate effect on civilian populations. However, combatants continue to use barrel bombs in conflicts, including in recent and ongoing conflicts in Africa and the Middle East, and they are ideally suited to the requirements of resource-poor states. Analysis Barrel bombs are improvised devices that contain explosive filling and shrapnel packed into a container, often in a cylindrical shape such as a barrel. The devices continue to be dropped on towns all over Syria . Indeed, there have been several documented cases of their use in Iraq over the past months, and residents of the city of Mosul, which was re

Russia Looks East for New Oil Markets

Click to Enlarge In the final years of the Soviet Union, Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev began orienting his foreign policy toward Asia in response to a rising Japan. Putin has also piloted a much-touted pivot to Asia, coinciding with renewed U.S. interest in the area. A good expression of intent was Russia's hosting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in 2012 in Vladivostok, near Russia's borders with China and North Korea. Although its efforts in Asia have been limited by more direct interests in Russia's periphery and in Europe, Moscow recently has been able to look more to the east. Part of this renewed interest involves finding new export markets for Russian hydrocarbons. Russia's economy relies on energy exports, particularly crude oil and natural gas exported via pipeline to the West. However, Western Europe is diversifying its energy sources as new supplies come online out of a desire to reduce its dependence on Russian energy supplies . This has

LONDON POLICE INDIRECTLY ENCOURAGE CRIMINALS TO ATTACK RUSSIAN DIPLOMATIC PROPERTY

ILLUSTRATIVE IMAGE A few days ago an unknown perpetrator trespassed on the territory of the Russian Trade Delegation in London, causing damage to the property and the vehicles belonging to the trade delegation , Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said during the September 12 press briefing. The diplomat revealed the response by the London police was discouraging. Police told that the case does not have any prospects and is likely to be closed. This was made despite the fact that the British law enforcement was provided with video surveillance tapes and detailed information shedding light on the incident. By this byehavior, British law inforcements indirectly encourage criminals to continue attacks on Russian diplomatic property in the UK. Zakharova’s statement on “Trespassing on the Russian Trade Mission premises in London” ( source ): During our briefings, we have repeatedly discussed compliance with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, specif

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