By Jeff Zeleny, Arlette Saenz and Sunlen Miller

Prince Harry arrived in Washington on Thursday, opening an eight-day tour of the United States with a visit to the White House and Capitol Hill, where a large crowd of adoring fans were on hand to greet him.

At the Russell Senate Office Building, he spent about 30 minutes touring a landmine exhibit with Senator John McCain. He later made a surprise stop just down Pennsylvania Avenue at the White House.

"Well surprise!" First Lady Michelle Obama said, speaking at a "Joining Forces" event honoring military mothers in the East Room of the White House.

This is the first trip to the United States for Prince Harry since his headline-enduing visit to Las Vegas last August. His weeklong trip, which will also take him to Colorado, New York and Connecticut, is focusing on promoting the rehabilitation of wounded American and British troops.

He caused a stir the moment his motorcade reached Capitol Hill, where hundreds of young women were waiting with their iPhone cameras for the arrival of the 28-year-old who is the third in line to the British throne.

Related:

He toured the landmine exhibit silently, speaking only to McCain and his tour guides. He did not make public remarks, but McCain later said Harry was deeply engaged in the exhibit.

"He was a very nice young man," McCain told reporters later. "He was asking in-depth questions."

The exhibit displays the work done by the non-profit charity Halo Trust, which helps to clear landmines and hazardous debris of war in war torn countries, an organization championed by Princess Diana.Cindy McCain, the Arizona senator's wife, is a board member for the charity but was unable to attend due to knee surgery.

It was a solemn and serious tour, interrupted only by adoring cheers from his fans, nearly all of whom seemed to be taking breaks from their Congressional jobs.

"I'm sure it's not the first time he's seen that," McCain said later.

He went from the Capitol to the White House, dropping by the event to honor military mothers and spouses. He helped some of the children of service members write messages on special packages for their mothers.

"We are absolutely thrilled that he could be with us today," Mrs. Obama said. "He wanted to be here to personally thank you for your service."

He is scheduled to attend an evening reception honoring the 25th anniversary of Halo, the group dedicated to the removal of landmines, at the British ambassador's residence in Washington. On Friday, he is set to visit Arlington National Cemetery, to lay wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery and Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

[More from BGR: ]

ACTIVISION ANNOUNCES THE NEXT GENERATION OF CALL OF DUTY WITH CALL OF DUTY: GHOSTS

[More from BGR: ]

Call of Duty: Ghosts will set a new Benchmark for the Next Generation

All-New World, Story, Characters and Experience, All Powered by New, Next Gen Call of Duty Engine from the Developer that started it all, Infinity Ward

For an Exclusive First Look at the Game, Tune in to Xbox: The New Generation Revealed, May 21 at 10AM PDT on Xbox.com, Xbox Live or SPIKE TV

Groundbreaking Title Lands on November 5

Santa Monica, CA May 1, 2013 Prepare for the next generation of Call of Duty. The franchise that has defined a generation of gaming is set to raise the bar once again with the all-new Call of Duty: Ghosts. Published by Activision Publishing, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard (Nasdaq: ATVI), and developed by Infinity Ward, the studio that created the original Call of Duty and the seminal Call of Duty: Modern Warfare series, Call of Duty: Ghosts ushers in the next generation of the franchise. The new title delivers a riveting all-new gameplay experience built on an entirely new story, setting and cast of characters, all powered by a new, next generation Call of Duty engine that redefines the series for the next generation.

Infinity Ward set the gold standard for first-person action for a generation, and theyre going to do it again with Call of Duty: Ghosts, said Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision Publishing, Inc. Ghosts delivers an all-new story, all-new characters, an all-new Call of Duty world, all powered by a next generation Call of Duty engine, which is a leap forward for the franchise. Infinity Ward is going all-in to create the next generation of Call of Duty worthy of the worlds greatest fans.

Everyone was expecting us to make Modern Warfare 4, which would have been the safe thing to do. But were not resting on our laurels, said Mark Rubin, executive producer of developer Infinity Ward. We saw the console transition as the perfect opportunity to start a new chapter for Call of Duty. So were building a new sub-brand, a new engine, and a lot of new ideas and experiences for our players. We cant wait to share them with our community.

To see an exclusive first look at Call of Duty: Ghosts tune in to Xbox: the Next Generation Revealed on May 21 at 10AM PDT on Xbox.com, Xbox LIVE or SPIKE TV for the debut of the all-new game from Infinity Ward.

We are consistently thrilled with the overwhelming response received from critics and consumers alike to the Call of Duty series, which has firmly established its home on the Xbox 360 with the games largest and most engaged community, said Don Mattrick, president of the interactive entertainment business at Microsoft. With Call of Duty: Ghosts, we have no doubt that our longtime partners, Activision and Infinity Ward, will raise the bar higher than ever before for this incredible franchise.

Starting today, fans can begin pre-ordering their copy of Call of Duty: Ghosts at retail outlets worldwide.

Theres no other video game property like Call of Duty. Its the biggest game franchise on the planet that has had some of the biggest game entertainment launches in history, said Tony Bartel, president of GameStop. We are very excited for the launch of Call of Duty: Ghosts, as we transition to next generation consoles.

Call of Duty: Ghosts will release on Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation3 computer entertainment system and PC on November 5. Call of Duty: Ghosts will also be available for next generation platforms. For the latest intel, check out: , , or follow on Twitter @InfinityWard. Call of Duty: Ghosts is not yet rated.

This article was

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A once prominent biotechnology investor was handed four years in prison on Thursday after pleading guilty to stock manipulation, the second time he has run afoul of U.S. securities laws.

David Blech, 57, pleaded guilty in May 2012 to securities fraud charges stemming from improper trades in biopharmaceutical companies Pluristem Therapeutics Inc and Intellect Neurosciences Inc.

Blech pleaded guilty in 1998 to similar charges of illegal trading, getting five years of probation rather than jail time. On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Colleen McMahon in Manhattan expressed anger at his repeat offense and rejected his lawyer's request for leniency.

"No, not this time," McMahon said. "No mercy. This time, punishment."

Blech was once dubbed the "King of Biotech" as a founder of companies and a major investor in the biotechnology sector.

The latest case stemmed from his sale of 50 million shares of Pluristem over several months in 2007. Rather than just selling the stock, he used several accounts held in other people's names to buy another 100 million shares and sell 150 million shares, the government said in court papers.

The result was that Blech was able to sell the 50 million shares for $1.2 million while propping up the price of Pluristem, which is lightly traded on the Over the Counter Bulletin Board, prosecutors said.

Blech committed a similar fraud in 2008, prosecutors said, when he sold shares in Intellect Neurosciences, a company he co-founded.

He had faced a maximum 40 years in prison. Prosecutors had sought 41 to 51 months in prison.

McMahon also ordered Blech to forfeit almost $1.34 million and sentenced him to a maximum three years of supervision after his jail term.

"I am ashamed to again be before a court pleading for its mercy," Blech said.

Blech still faces a separate civil lawsuit by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission related to the case.

The case is USA v David Blech, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 12-cr-00372.

(The third paragraph of the story has been corrected to say Thursday instead of Wednesday)

(Editing by Matthew Lewis)

Selena Gomez started proving her talent in the entertainment business at an early age and started her career as a recurring role on Barney & Friends. She has been able to grab the attention of the audience with her image shattering turn in Harmony Lorine’s flashy, controversial flick “Spring Breakers”.

Selena Gomez has recently announced that she is going to perform all over the world and so it is the great opportunity for true fans of the singer. She is the heart throb of millions of people, and it is definite that people will love to watch her being in action.

The news of the show means a lot to the audience, and it is the best source through which people can get the tickets at a cheaper price. The audience can book the show based on the dates of performance at a different location. It is going to be the biggest show ever of Selena Gomez and so the fans cannot afford to miss it. Gomez will start her tour while visiting 33 major American metropolises under seven weeks.

To watch the tender young girl performing on the stage is a real thrill and captivating. TicketsTeam.com gives you the chance toat a cheaper rate. The booking is taking place, and a few tickets are left. It’s your turn now to book the ticket and prove that you are a true fan of Selena Gomez.

TicketsTeam NewsTicketsTeam.com370-373-80477

Biofuels are renewable sources of energy created using living organisms such as plants. The most common biofuel used in vehicles today is ethanol, more commonly known as drinking alcohol.

"Global demand for energy is rising and a fuel that is independent of both global oil price fluctuations and political instability is an increasingly attractive prospect," said researcher John Love, a synthetic biologist at the University of Exeter in England.

However, ethanol is not fully compatible with modern engines. As such, it requires blending withproducts, which means it can only meet a small fraction of the world's transportation fuel demand.

In contrast, "we are using synthetic biology to make not an alternative biofuel, but exact replicas of the fossil fuels that we use in engines today," Love told TechNewsDaily. "We can now make biofuels that function exactly like fossil fuels and require absolutely no modifications to existing engine technology." [See also: ]

The researchers devoted a decade to finding a way to use microbes to manufacture the kind of fuel molecules found in petroleum, known as alkanes. Nine of those years were spent looking at existing microbes for candidates "with very little progress," Love recalled. At one point, their industrial backers "even pulled the plug on our funding, as the research was going so slowly."

Love and his colleagues then decided to employ a synthetic biology approach to the problem they would take bits and pieces of a chemical pathway to make these fuel molecules from many different organisms and combine them into a single microbe in a way that did not exist before .

"That was the breakthrough," Love said. "It only took six months from that decision to get the first indication that we could produce and customize bio-alkanes."

Thethe researchers used was E. coli, a bacterium that normally lives in the human gut and is commonly used for lab research. E. coli naturally converts sugars into fat to build its cell membrane. The researchers altered this natural oil production system to make the kind of alkanes normally found in diesel orfuel. This required borrowing genes from a wide variety of organisms, including a bioluminescent bacterium, from the camphor tree, and from cyanobacteria, more commonly known as blue-green algae.

The microbes used to commercially manufacture ethanol currently do so by consuming sugar from crops such as corn and sugarcane. The bacteria Love and his colleagues employed to create alkanes also use sugar, but that sugar could come from other sources, including waste products.

"There is no reason that we couldn't use their potential to metabolize waste organic compounds such as waste plant biomass, or even animal waste or sewerage," Love said.

The researchers, who were supported by the oil company Shell,caution their technology still faces many challenges before it is ready for market, such as high enough yields for commercialization. Over the course of the next three years, "our aim is to increase yields hundredfold," Love said.

The scientists detailed their findings online April 22 in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

This story was provided by , a sister site to LiveScience.

DOUG'S DOUBLE

Doug O'Neill is back at Churchill Downs trying to win his second straight Derby. He put unknown Mario Gutierrez on I'll Have Another last year and they won. This time, he's got another relative unknown, black jockey Kevin Krigger, aboard Goldencents. No trainer since Bob Baffert in 1997-98 has won two in a row.

DERBY TRADITIONS

If you're at Churchill Downs on the first Saturday in May, tradition calls for a mint julep in your hand and a fancy or outrageous hat on your head. Consumed early and often, the juleps are served over crushed ice in souvenir Derby glasses. Bigger and bolder is the rule for hats that often dwarf their owners. And don't forget some cash to push through the betting windows.

BO-RAIL

No jockey's been hotter in the Derby than Calvin Borel, having won three of the last six. He's aboard Revolutionary for the first time, one of five horses in the race trained by Todd Pletcher. Look for him to live up to his "Bo-rail" nickname with a rail-skimming ride.

ON A ROLL

Verrazano is the only unbeaten runner in the 19-horse field. In the last decade, three undefeated horses kept their records intact by winning the Derby Smarty Jones, Barbaro and Big Brown. Verrazano didn't run as a 2-year-old, a bad omen. No horse since Apollo in 1882 has won without racing as a juvenile. Verrazano is named for the bridge that links Brooklyn with Staten Island in New York City.

BACK IN THE SADDLE

Injuries weren't going to keep John Velazquez ( http://bit.ly/16A60V2 ) from riding undefeated Verrazano in the Kentucky Derby. The jockey busted a rib and his wrist in a racing accident nearly a month ago. He hustled back two days ago and rode a handful of races in preparation for the big day.

PARIS (Reuters) - US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) president Travis Tygart accused the International Cycling Union (UCI) on Thursday of failing in its promise to deal with the consequences of the Lance Armstrong scandal.

Speaking before a French Senate investigation committee on doping, Tygart, the man behind Armstrong's fall, said the governing body had taken no action after the cyclist was banned for life for doping his way to seven Tour de France titles.

"It is unacceptable for the UCI to have accepted our reasoned decision, publicly announced that 'decisive action was needed' and simply have done nothing," Tygart said in a 15-minute speech.

The USADA CEO reminded committee members that the UCI had said that only "a transparent and decisive examination of the past would answer the critics".

"Well, the only decisive action came a few weeks later when UCI disbanded the established independent commission when it actually started to act independently by taking off the handcuffs and removing the blindfolds that the UCI had placed on it from the onset," he said.

On January 28, the UCI disbanded the Independent Commission which was investigating the Armstrong affair in favor of a Truth and Reconciliation process -- which has yet to start.

"The UCI's current strategy is to play a stall game, let the cycling season start, let another Tour de France occur, let another six months go by and people will forget," said Tygart.

"Stall or delay yourself out of the problem."

UCI president Pat McQuaid had described Tyler Hamilton and Floyd Landis, who testified against Armstrong, as "scumbags" after the UCI had ratified the USADA's decision to strip Armstrong of his seven Tour titles last October.

"It sends a strong and frightening message to others: you'd better not come forward," Tygart said.

It is time for those who love the sport to finally know the whole truth, Tygart added.

"But for clean athletes and those who share the Olympic values, now is the time for the truth," he said.

"We cannot wait any longer if we mean what we say by Olympic values, about clean play, fair play. The UCI must follow through on what they announced: decisive action."

(Reporting by Julien Pretot; Editing by Sonia Oxley)

(Reuters) - Delta Air Linesand US Airways Group , aided by revenue gains, posted higher-than-expected first-quarter earnings on Tuesday, and their shares rose despite cautions by both carriers about near-term weakness.

Delta forecast a positive operating margin for the current quarter but added that U.S. government spending cuts and lighter demand from leisure travelers were expected to hurt a key revenue measure in April.

US Airways, which plans to merge with AMR Corp's American Airlines this year and form the world's biggest carrier, said its bookings were higher year-over-year for May and the summer, but added that business demand has been pressured since spending cuts known as "sequestration" began.

Investors shrugged off the revenue concerns. Delta shares were 9.9 percent higher and those of US Airways were up 4.8 percent, both in late afternoon trading.

"We're seeing the impacts of consolidation, overall capacity discipline and better operational management showing up in the form of improved results," said Fred Lowrance, an airline analyst with Avondale Partners.

U.S. airlines have merged, curbed unprofitable routes and raised ticket prices to recover in recent years. Carriers are also cutting back flying to match demand and have gained new revenue streams from baggage and food fees, moves that have helped keep profits coming.

REVENUE OUTLOOK

But an uncertain macroeconomic backdrop could pose challenges for travel over the next few months.

This week, staff furloughs at U.S. air traffic control towers took effect, causing delays at some airports but so far not the widespread chaos some transport regulators had warned about. Airlines have forecast hundreds of millions of dollars in lost revenue from the furloughs, imposed by the Federal Aviation Administration.

"It's hard to quantify what exactly (sequestration effects) would be," said Matthew Jacob, an airline analyst with ITG Investment Research.

"Investors are more interested in the profitability continuing and the strong earnings despite what appears to be slowing (revenue) trends," Jacob added.

Delta mentioned weaker ticket sales in its defense business tied to the sequester. It also said the weaker yen had hurt results, and added it was considering possible flight reductions in the Pacific region as a result.

US Airways said its government revenue fell more than 30 percent in March, a result of the budget cuts as well as the Easter holiday shift into March from April last year.

"Leisure demand is still good," US Airways President Scott Kirby said during a conference call. "Business demand remains volatile, however, and as long as the sequester stays in place I expect the government-related demand will continue to be depressed."

Delta added it expected declining oil prices to help offset its near-term revenue weakness.

"We anticipate the lower fuel costs, combined with prudent capacity management, will more than offset any revenue softness," Chief Executive Richard Anderson said during a conference call.

Delta's posted a net income of $7 million, or 1 cent a share, for the first quarter, compared with $124 million, or 15 cents a share, a year earlier. Excluding items, profit was 10 cents a share, compared with 6 cents expected by analysts on average, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

US Airways reported a first-quarter profit of $44 million, or 26 cents a share, compared with $48 million, or 28 cents a share, a year earlier. Excluding items, its profit was 31 cents a share, topping analysts' average estimate of 28 cents.

Delta's revenue rose 1 percent to $8.5 billion, while US Airways Group's climbed 3.5 percent to $3.4 billion.

(Reporting by Karen Jacobs; Editing by Tim Dobbyn)