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Your greatest hits from the supermoon

Skywatchers were treated to a "supermoon" on Saturday night. NBC's Charles Hadlock reports.

By Alan Boyle

The supermoon of 2012 is over, but the joys of moongazing are not. Even though Saturday night's lunar showing was the biggest and brightest of the year, the views are nearly as good anytime around the full moon?? tonight, for example.

Photographs of the supermoon sight streamed out over online channels, including Twitter feeds, Facebook updates, blog postings and slick slideshows (such as our own roundup). They also streamed into msnbc.com's FirstPerson in-box. I've put together a selection of 10 submissions here.

The kind of supermoon we saw last night isn't exactly a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence. The phenomenon, also known as a perigee moon, can be seen whenever the full moon occurs while it's near the closest point of its elliptical orbit around Earth. Last night, the moon was just 221,802 miles away from Earth, or about 15,000 miles closer than average. The moon's angular size was 14 percent wider than it is at maximum distance, and it was 30 percent brighter than minimum moonshine.

If we define a supermoon as the biggest, brightest full moon of a given year, next year's supermoon will be almost as good as this year's, on June 23, 2013. The supermoon of 2014 will be brighter, and the 2016 supermoon will outdo last year's, which got the moongazing fad started. EarthSky News has the schedule for the next few years. Some rightly note that the moon is worth watching on every night of the year, and that the full moon isn't necessarily the best time to see all the detail the lunar disk can offer. But there's nothing wrong in having an annual holiday devoted to moongazing, is there?

The next big sky event is coming up on May 20, when the new moon blots out most of the sun to create an annular solar eclipse. A wide swath of the Asia-Pacific region and North America will see a partial eclipse, while folks situated along a narrow track of territory extending from China across to the Oregon-California coast and down to Texas can witness a "Ring of Fire," in which the moon's disk covers all but the thin rim of the sun's disk. That'll be an amazing thing to see, but make sure you use proper eye protection. You can get the details from my eclipse viewing guide, and learn more about the appeal of an annular eclipse.

There's an astronomical connection between this weekend's supermoon and this month's "Ring of Fire": Because the moon was nearly as close as it can come for the full-moon phase, it's nearly as far out as it can go for the new-moon phase. Thus, the moon's apparent size is significantly smaller than usual when it tries to covers up the sun ? and that's why we have a ring of fire rather than the fully blacked-out sun of a total eclipse. For that, we'll have to wait until November. Stay tuned in the weeks and months ahead for more about all these astronomical phenomena, plus June's last-in-a-lifetime transit of Venus.

Submitted by Isaiah Blount / Smooth Images / UGC

Florida photographer Isaiah Blount of Smooth Images submitted this picture of an airplane crossing the disk of the supermoon on Saturday night.

Submitted by Penny Wainwright / UGC

The supermoon looms in the skies of Louisiana, outside Farmerville.

Submitted by Campbell McCubbin / UGC

Campbell McCubbin says this is the "first glimpse of the 'supermoon' from my deck overlooking Semiahmoo Bay, White Rock, B.C., Canada."

Submitted by Prashanti Pasupuleti / UGC

Prashanti Pasupuleti of New Delhi, India, says the supermoon is "within my reach."

Submitted by Angie Lucero / UGC

Wisps of clouds waft over the supermoon in this view from Albuquerque, N.M.

Submitted by Maria Johnson / UGC

Maria Johnson took this picture of the moon around 1 a.m. ET on Sunday in Sarasota, Fla.

Submitted by Larry Shiflett / UGC

The supermoon rises over a sailboat in the waters near Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Submitted by Bianca Fister / UGC

Spring flowers are silhouetted against the supermoon in this picture from Bianca Fister of Hilton, N.Y.

Submitted by Joe Leonard / UGC

The supermoon peeks over the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in a picture from Joe Leonard of Taos, N.M..

Submitted by Justine Daniel / UGC

The supermoon is partly hidden by clouds in the skies above St. Augustine on the island of Trinidad.

More about the supermoon:

Many thanks to all our FirstPerson photographers, including Lynn Schneider, John McNamara, Josh Warner and Mitzi Easley.

Alan Boyle is msnbc.com's science editor. Connect with the Cosmic Log community by "liking" the log's Facebook page, following @b0yle on Twitter and adding the Cosmic Log page to your Google+ presence. You can also check out "The Case for Pluto," my book about the controversial dwarf planet and the search for new worlds.

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Budget Travel: The Inexpensive Way to See the World | How to Save ...

Planning on taking a vacation? Getting stressed out on your travel plans? We all deserve to take a break from the bustling and bustling city life before it affects our health. Now for some people they think that travelling is such an expensive leisure especially when you start to think about plane tickets, accommodations and pocket money for food, tours and buying souvenirs. The idea of spending quite a lot for a trip is normally one of the reasons why some are not keen to travel and see different places.

Good thing budget travels are becoming more and more popular and it has helped boost the global tourism industry. This is very common in Asian countries with airline companies offering cheap fares and the increase in number of budget accommodation options such as hostels. Budget travelling has been around for a long time but recently became more in demand due to the global financial crisis. Yes, it is possible to enjoy travelling without having to break your pocket. Here are some tips to get you started with budget trips:

1. Avoid travelling during the peak season.

People will flock the beach and the outdoors during the summer time due to the hot weather. Resorts and hotels are cashing on this by raising their rates especially during the weekend. If you are making travel plans avoid going during peak seasons. You?ll save more by travelling during off peak since accommodations are relatively lower and some places even offer promotional discounts during this season in order to get more people to travel. Off season traveling is also ideal because there are fewer crowds. You will be able to see more places or enjoy their facilities as your waiting time is cut short.

2. Enjoy the free stuff.

When travelling to a foreign country, consider going to sites with little or no entrance fee. Free spaces such as parks are a great place to relax and meet local people. Leisure activities and programs are often held on such grounds and you can sit down, enjoy and have fun without having to spend a single cent.

3. Use the Public Transportation.

Rather than having to spend on taxi fares when going around the city, take the bus or the subways instead. Public transportation is affordable and in most cases highly efficient too. A lot of countries have well organized transportation system. Grab a city map and start planning your tour routes.

Give yourself plenty of time when planning for a trip. Compare rates from different websites and choose the one that will provide you with more savings.

About the Author:

Ally is a freelance writer who enjoys traveling during her free time. She is currently working for l?n penge nu a project that provides information about loan money now.

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Influenza 'histone mimic' suppresses antiviral response

ScienceDaily (May 6, 2012) ? For a virus like influenza, the key to success isn't in overpowering the immune system, it's in tricking it. A team of researchers led by scientists at The Rockefeller University has identified a novel mechanism by which influenza viruses hijack key regulators of the human body's normal antiviral response in order to slip by it undetected. The finding, reported recently in Nature, shows that the immunosuppressive NS1 protein of the influenza A virus mimics a core component of gene regulating machinery in order to block antiviral gene function. The results they describe have major implications for our understanding of the biology of the seasonal influenza virus and its pathogenesis. The research also suggests a possible target for a new class of antiviral and anti-inflammatory drugs.

The researchers, led by Alexander Tarakhovsky, head of the Laboratory of Lymphocyte Signaling, showed that the NS1 protein of the H3N2 strain of influenza -- the "seasonal" flu -- contains the same sequence of amino acids as the "tail" domain of a DNA packaging protein in humans called histone H3. The histones are present in the cell nucleus and play an important role in gene activation. Chemical modifications of the histone "tails" allow recruitment of effector proteins that, in turn, determine which genes are switched on or off. Chemical modifications of histones were first identified by Rockefeller scientist Vincent G. Allfrey in the early 1960s. Decades later, Rockefeller University's C. David Allis proposed the "histone code" theory that describes the importance of histone tails in regulating a wide array of cellular functions.

"By mimicking the histone H3 tail, the NS1 tail gives the virus access to the core of gene regulating machinery," says first author Ivan Marazzi, a postdoctoral fellow in the Tarakhovsky lab. "Through this mimicry the virus targets a set of proteins in the nucleus of the infected cells and impairs the antiviral host cell response."

Marazzi, working with graduate student Jessica Ho, discovered the ability of the NS1 protein to track and target a protein complex called PAF1C, which has been previously studied extensively by Robert G. Roeder's lab at Rockefeller. Together with Roeder's lab, the Tarakhovsky lab revealed the ability of NS1 to interfere with the activity of PAF1 complex. This complex turned out to be essential for the expression of the genes that are responsible for antiviral response.

"NS1 is hijacking PAF1C and using its similarity with the H3 'tail' to gain access to a position in the genome that helps the virus to block antiviral genes," says Ho. "This finding extends the known ability of pathogens to reveal key regulatory processes and to use them for the pathogen's advantage."

The current study bears several major implications for influenza research and treatment. The NS1 protein varies from strain to strain and the NS1 "tail" specifically appears to be one of the most diverse parts of the NS1 protein. Some flu strains such as H1N1, which was responsible for the 2009 pandemic, do not contain an NS1 "tail" at all. Together with their collaborator, prominent flu researcher Adolfo Garcia-Sastre of Mount Sinai School of Medicine, the Tarakhovsky lab plans to test if diversification of the NS1 "tail" helps the influenza virus to maintain a long-term presence within human or animal populations. If so, it could explain how the influenza virus, which has no history of integration into animal or human DNA, has "learned" about the functional benefits of the histone "tail."

Finally, by identifying PAF1C as a NS1 target, the researchers may have found a promising new target for attenuation of inflammatory responses. In collaboration with GlaxoSmithKline, previous efforts of the Tarakhovsky lab in this direction yielded a synthetic "histone mimic" called I-BET. By binding to BET proteins that control inflammatory gene expression, I-BET suppresses inflammation. I-BET and the related compound JQ1, which has been identified by Jay Bradner at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute at Harvard Medical School, are now considered a new generation of so called "epigenetic" drugs, i.e., drugs that control DNA function without interfering with it directly.

The current discovery is proof and validation of the functional importance of "histone mimicry," Tarakhovsky says, a phenomenon that was first discovered by Srihari Sampath, a Rockefeller M.D.-P.hD. student in Tarakhovsky's lab.

"Mimicry is a general biological phenomenon that facilitates adaptation of living beings to changes in their environment," says Tarakhovsky. "In the case of pathogens, we are 'locked' in a constant race. As we change, pathogens adapt to us and we keep adapting to each other in order to maintain a status quo in the race. By displaying histone mimicry, the flu virus may have found the most optimal approach to adapting to host response and using it to the maximum advantage of the virus. It will be fascinating to watch the future evolution of the histone mimic and our response to it."

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Rockefeller University.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

Journal Reference:

Ivan Marazzi, Jessica S. Y. Ho, Jaehoon Kim, Balaji Manicassamy, Scott Dewell, Randy A. Albrecht, Chris W. Seibert, Uwe Schaefer, Kate L. Jeffrey, Rab K. Prinjha, Kevin Lee, Adolfo Garc?a-Sastre, Robert G. Roeder, Alexander Tarakhovsky. Suppression of the antiviral response by an influenza histone mimic. Nature, 2012; 483 (7390): 428 DOI: 10.1038/nature10892

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

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GOP rival hopes to end Indiana Sen. Lugar's career

FILE - In this April 24, 2012, file photo, Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind. speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington. For roughly two decades, Indiana Treasurer Richard Mourdock toiled in the trenches of the state Republican Party, losing more races than he won. But along the way he made a name for himself among GOP loyalists, tirelessly working the fundraising circuit and building a strong network of ground-level support. Now Mourdock, a 60-year-old geologist, is on the brink of handing the tea party its biggest victory of the 2012 elections: Sen. Richard Lugar?s seat. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

FILE - In this Feb. 22, 2011 file photo, Indiana State Treasurer Richard Mourdock announces that he will be candidate for the U.S. Senate in the 2012 Republican primary during a campaign rally in Indianapolis. For roughly two decades, Indiana Treasurer Richard Mourdock toiled in the trenches of the state Republican Party, losing more races than he won. But along the way he made a name for himself among GOP loyalists, tirelessly working the fundraising circuit and building a strong network of ground-level support. Now Mourdock, a 60-year-old geologist, is on the brink of handing the tea party its biggest victory of the 2012 elections: Sen. Richard Lugar?s seat. (AP Photo/Tom Strattman, File)

FILE - In this April 11, 2012 file photo, Senate candidates running in the GOP primary, Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., and Richard Mourdock, left, participate in a debate, in Indianapolis. For roughly two decades, Indiana Treasurer Richard Mourdock toiled in the trenches of the state Republican Party, losing more races than he won. But along the way he made a name for himself among GOP loyalists, tirelessly working the fundraising circuit and building a strong network of ground-level support. Now Mourdock, a 60-year-old geologist, is on the brink of handing the tea party its biggest victory of the 2012 elections: Sen. Richard Lugar?s seat. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings, File)

In this April 27, 2012, photo, Richard Mourdock, Indiana Treasurer and candidate for the U.S. Senate in the republican primary, signs thank you letters for donations to his campaign at an office in Indianapolis. Mourdock faces incumbent Richard Lugar in the primary. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) ? Republican Richard Lugar has shown through a lengthy Senate career that he can broker compromises on international and domestic issues, and avoid the acrimony that often brings Washington to a halt.

It's those qualities that may end up costing the former Rhodes Scholar and Indianapolis mayor the seat he first won in 1976.

Lugar, one of the longest-serving senators, is facing perhaps his toughest GOP challenger ever in tea party-backed state Treasurer Richard Mourdock, who hopes to end the incumbent's 36-year Capitol Hill career with a victory in Tuesday's primary.

Mourdock has spent months arguing that Lugar is not conservative enough for the right-leaning state, and he hopes to benefit from the split between the party's establishment and conservative wings. The challenger, aided by outside groups, also has tried to make the anti-incumbent argument, portraying Lugar as nothing more than a Washington insider.

"When Dick Lugar moved to Washington, he left behind his conservative Hoosier values," Mourdock said in a recent ad.

The attacks have taken a toll. Public polls show a close race, though internal surveys by several Republicans show Mourdock with a slight edge.

Lugar, 80, has "had his turn," said Judy Young of Brooklyn.

Lugar and his supporters have tried to turn his Washington career into an asset by arguing that his deep relationships in the capital make him best positioned to represent Indiana Republicans.

"I'm not for Dick Lugar for what he's done, but for what he can do," Gov. Mitch Daniels said in a recent campaign ad. "Our point of view gets heard and has a better chance to win out with Dick Lugar."

If Lugar loses, the seat probably will become a top target of national Democrats hoping to retain a narrow Senate majority. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee said President Barack Obama's campaign and independent groups would be expected to rally behind U.S. Rep. Joe Donnelly.

That's less likely if Lugar, who's seen as a strong general election candidate because of his bipartisan record, prevails Tuesday.

Friends and foes alike say while Lugar had the backing of much of the state's establishment, including Daniels, he was slow to recognize the threat that Mourdock posed. They point to warning signs nationally from the 2010 primaries that severely divided the GOP. Tea party-supported candidates beat incumbents such as Sen. Bob Bennett, R-Utah, and establishment hopefuls in primaries in Colorado, Delaware and elsewhere.

Lugar has given critics fodder to assail him as out of touch with Indiana and Midwestern values.

He sold his Indianapolis home in 1977, and Democrats are now using that against him. Democrats and tea partyers mocked the fact that he lived in McLean, Va., near Washington, and raised the residency issue with Indiana authorities. Lugar briefly was ruled ineligible to vote in Indiana and later was forced to change his voter registration to his family farm in Indianapolis.

He also had to pay the Senate for more than $14,000 spent on hotel stays for weekend visits to Indiana.

One Mourdock supporter, 49-year-old Alan Horton of Mooresville, asked, "How does a man who doesn't live in this state vote for himself?" Many others have the same question.

Lugar hasn't done much to woo the tea party. In fact, he blamed the tea party for keeping the Senate in Democratic hands after the 2010 elections by nominating candidates who were too conservative to win general elections in a few critical states.

He also struggled to find a message that would appeal to the tea party-infused Indiana GOP.

Initially, he focused on Obama, blaming him for not supporting construction of a Canada-to-Texas oil pipeline. Later, he turned his sights on Mourdock, attacking him as "untrustworthy" in a series of negative ads. Lugar's campaign spent at least $2.5 million on advertising to answer Mourdock's charges and cut him down. Republicans say that effort backfired because the attacks undercut Lugar's reputation as a statesman.

"Personally he's just not mean, but his campaign has been so mean that once Mourdock became quasi-credible and people listened to him, the negatives began backfiring," said former U.S. Rep. Mark Souder, who is neutral in the race.

Lugar acknowledges hiccups but insists he's pleased with his campaign's effort.

"Obviously you can always think back over things that could have been done better," Lugar said. "You never have 100 percent."

Mourdock, a former geologist and two-term treasurer, spent more than $2 million to press his message. He got help from the anti-tax Club for Growth, which has spent about $1.7 million assailing Lugar.

He has been a fixture in GOP circles for some time but had struggled to win an election until his 2006 run for treasurer. That office catapulted him into the national spotlight when he challenged the Chrysler bankruptcy in a case that reached the U.S. Supreme Court, and endeared him to tea party activists looking for a change.

He may be rewarded Tuesday.

___

Follow Tom LoBianco on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/tomlobianco

Associated Press

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Heather Tierney: Plenty of Fish in the Sea?

Summertime dining means lots of chilled ros? and tons of fresh fish. If you're in the city or out east this summer and faced with the decision of ordering the grilled NY strip steak or the pan-roasted local cod, most of us wouldn't even hesitate -- the cod gets the hook every time. We've been hearing about the fish depletion crisis for awhile -- that within the next four decades we will no longer be able to eat fish. Because they won't exist. Because we've consumed them all.

According to numerous scientific studies, by 2048, all commercial fish stocks will be generating less than 10 percent of their peak catches, and therefore, die off. But how valid is this theory? Is it like global warming -- a hypothesis originally considered egregious until incidents like tsunamis and killer heat waves meant that we couldn't look the other way?

Unfortunately the truth is foggy due to fisheries lobbyists and economists -- whose chief goal is to protect corporate fishing fleets and the income they generate. These groups traditionally work for government agencies, like the National Marine Fisheries Service, and have secured political sway and government subsidies to continue fishing at an unsustainable rate.

They also supply information to the public that seems optimistic at first glance, but upon closer inspection is hiding a larger problem. For example, a fisheries-backed scientist might report that cod has recovered or even doubled in abundance when, in reality, they have increased from only a mere one percent to two percent of their original population fifty years ago.

The rapid decline tracked in almost all fish species is due to a number of causes -- from bycatch (throwing unusable or non-permitted caught fish back into the ocean) to global warming (increasing ocean temperatures are damaging the coral reef that fish feed on). And recently, there is another factor aiding the rapid extraction of fish from the ocean: China.

Over the years, the U.S. has lost ground as a manufacturing power due to emerging countries' -- like China -- ability to make things more cheaply. And we are a country that likes to buy things -- especially when we can't afford to. Which means we must borrow to keep up our spending habit. China is happy to keep buying our debt as long as we keep buying their cheap products. It's an endless circle that keeps America in debt and the Chinese economy healthy.

This cycle has led to something new sprouting up in China -- a middle class. This burgeoning sector, with new-found wealth, are now purchasing more upscale products and food. A population that has lived on cheap grains such as rice and wheat for centuries is now lapping up lobster. This year, lobster exporters in New Brunswick expect to export $5 million worth of lobster to China, up from just $239,000 in 2009. The sudden emergence of China's interest in U.S. fish has abridged the supply, which has in turn driven up the price and diminished the quality of lobster available for domestic purchasers.

But the main culprit of fish depletion is still that we consume more fish than nature can replenish. In the end, it is only government and legislators that can help mitigate the problem, as they are the ones who regulate the fisheries, and -- aside from pumping billions of dollars in annual subsidies -- allow them to continue a business model, that economically does not make sense.

So as an individual, while making a choice to forgo certain endangered species of fish at a restaurant is a start, a more viable action is writing a letter to your local legislator.

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Syrian activists: Explosion in Aleppo kills 5

This image made from amateur video released by the Shaam News Network and accessed Friday, May 4, 2012, purports to show Syrians chanting slogans and caring Kurdish flags during a demonstration in Qamishli, the capital of Syria's Kurdish heartland. (AP Photo/Shaam News Network via AP video) TV OUT, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS CANNOT INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE CONTENT, DATE, LOCATION OR AUTHENTICITY OF THIS MATERIAL

This image made from amateur video released by the Shaam News Network and accessed Friday, May 4, 2012, purports to show Syrians chanting slogans during a demonstration in Idlib, north Syria. (AP Photo/Shaam News Network via AP video) TV OUT, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS CANNOT INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE CONTENT, DATE, LOCATION OR AUTHENTICITY OF THIS MATERIAL

This image made from amateur video released by the Shaam News Network and accessed Friday, May 4, 2012, purports to show Syrians chanting slogans and carrying Kurdish flags during a demonstration in Qamishli, the capital of Syria's Kurdish heartland. (AP Photo/Shaam News Network via AP video) TV OUT, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS CANNOT INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE CONTENT, DATE, LOCATION OR AUTHENTICITY OF THIS MATERIAL

This image made from amateur video released by the Shaam News Network and accessed Friday, May 4, 2012, purports to show a man holding the portrait of a boy during a demonstration in Hama, Syria. (AP Photo/Shaam News Network via AP video) TV OUT, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS CANNOT INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE CONTENT, DATE, LOCATION OR AUTHENTICITY OF THIS MATERIAL

BEIRUT (AP) ? An explosion in a car wash in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo killed at least five people on Saturday, activists said, while another blast in the capital destroyed nine cars.

Bomb attacks have grown more common in Syria's two largest cities as the uprising against President Bashar Assad grows increasingly militarized. Many in the opposition have taken up arms since protesters first took to the street in March 2011 and now regularly clash with government forces around the country.

But Aleppo and Damascus have remained largely in Assad's grip, shaken only by bomb blasts that often appear to target buildings associated with the military and security services.

The U.N. says more than 9,000 people have been killed since the uprising's start.

Saturday's blast in Aleppo, Syria's largest city, hit a car wash and killed six people, Aleppo activist Mohammed Saeed said via Skype. He said the business in the city's southern Sukari neighborhood is owned by a man who serves in pro-government militias known as the shabiha.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which relies on activists inside Syria, said five people were killed in the attack.

The blast follows increasing unrest in the city with university students taking to the streets and being violently dispersed by security forces.

A 16-year-old was shot dead during a protest Friday, one day after four students were killed during arrest raids in university dorms.

Also Saturday, an explosive planted under an army vehicle in Damascus blew up, damaging nine cars.

The blast shook a downtown neighborhood near a military food cooperative, and left a crater in the street, according to a reporter from The Associated Press who visited the scene.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the explosions.

Earlier this week, attacks on a government security compound and the country's central bank killed nine and injured 100.

On the outskirts of the capital, tanks and troops combed through fields near the Barzeh neighborhood in the northeast as well as an area near Hamouriya in the east, activist Omar Hamzeh said via Skype.

"They are moving through the fields and firing anti-aircraft guns," he said, adding that the regime was probably looking to arrest activists. "The rural areas around there have been very active in protests against the regime."

The Observatory also reported army raids in Barzeh.

Activist claims could not be independently verified. The Syrian government prevents most media from working freely in the country.

World powers remain divided on how to stop Syria's crisis, though all have fallen in behind a plan put forward by former U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan that seeks a cease-fire in order for all sides to engage in political dialogue.

But the truce that was to begin on April 12 has never really taken hold, with regime forces continuing to shell opposition areas and shoot at protesters. Security forces killed one teenager following a protests in the northern city of Aleppo on Friday.

Armed rebels have kept up attacks on military checkpoints and convoys.

A spokesman for Annan, however, said Friday the international envoy believes his peace plan for Syrian remains "on track" ? a day after the Obama administration offered a far bleaker view, saying the plan might be doomed.

A U.N. team of up to 300 members is to monitor compliance with the truce. U.N. peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous said about 40 U.N. observers are on the ground in Syria and that the force will grow to 65 by Sunday.

___

Associated Press writer Albert Aji contributed reporting from Damascus, Syria.

Associated Press

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