Asus, the company that built the first Eee PC netbook, seems to have gotten the memo that netbooks aren't "in" anymore. It's calling its new 10.1-inch laptop theand nowhere on Asus' product page does the word netbook appear, even though its screen size and $299 price tag put it in line with pretty much every netbook ever made.

In what may be another throwback to the early days of laptops, Joey-Elijah Sneddon of the OMG! Ubuntu! blog reports that the 1015E Series will optionallyThere's only a Windows 8 option available on Asus' product page, but it's right under a section which says "Choose your model," which implies that more may become available.

What is the 1015E Series Notebook capable of?

Anything a normal laptop can do, aside from advanced PC games. It'll just do it much slower, thanks to its 1.1 GHz Celeron processor and its 5400 RPM hard drive -- the solid-state drives used in the 11-inch MacBook Air are the biggest reason why they feel so fast compared to PC laptops the same size.

What are its other specs like?

It has a 1366 x 768 display, which is the same resolution as a midrange laptop's but sharper thanks to the smaller screen. It also has "up to" 7 1/2 hours of battery life, an option which probably increases the price, weight, and thickness (it's normally less than an inch thick and weighs 2.64 pounds).

Most of the other features are more or less standard, except for its ability to resume from hibernate mode in two seconds.

Why isn't it called a "netbook?"

The word "netbook" has come to mean a small, slow, and cheap laptop, and while they used to be popular, the iPad has sharply cut into their sales. Asus earlier announced plans to abandon the "netbook" market, while Samsung and Acer have both moved on to making netbook-sized "Chromebooks" instead. Asus appears to have decided to just keep making netbooks, and call them by a different name.

Other Ubuntu notebooks

Ubuntu fans who want a small and cheap laptop often buy Chromebooks and install Ubuntu on them, although there are a handful of netbooks sold with Ubuntu preinstalled. Dell also manufactureswhich is powered by Ubuntu, while boutique computer shopsandboth offer Ubuntu laptops as well.

Jared Spurbeck is an open-source software enthusiast, who uses an Android phone and an Ubuntu laptop PC. He has been writing about technology and electronics since 2008.

LONDON (Reuters) - Three men who worked as interpreters for British forces in Afghanistan began a legal challenge on Friday to win the right to live in Britain, arguing they are at risk of Taliban reprisals as the soldiers they helped prepare to return home.

They are challenging the British government's decision to refuse them the support offered to interpreters in Iraq, who were offered the right to indefinite leave to enter or settle in Britain or instead a compensation package.

The outcome of the case could affect the fate of about 500 other Afghan interpreters who have worked for British forces.

Britain's 9,000 combat troops in Afghanistan are due to leave the country by the end of 2014, with nearly half of them expected to pull out this year, ending a war that has lasted over a decade and cost the lives of nearly 450 British troops.

The three Afghans say that despite being resettled several times within Afghanistan, they have still been tracked down by the Taliban, who were toppled by the U.S.-led invasion in 2001.

The say their lives are at risk, as well as the lives of their friends and families.

British Prime Minister David Cameron wants to offer interpreters who worked for British forces support to stay in Afghanistan and has said officials are drawing up an offer to encourage them to stay and help rebuild the country.

A petition of nearly 80,000 signatures was handed into Britain's Foreign Office on Friday calling for Afghan interpreters to be offered asylum.

Supporters include former Lib Dems party leader and ex-Royal Marine Paddy Ashdown. "We leave Afghanistan having paid a terrible price. We should not add dishonour to it," Ashdown told Reuters.

"It would be act of dishonour for us to leave Afghanistan without ensuring that they have at very least a choice between a large sum of money ... or the chance to make sure that they and their families are not killed when we leave."

The three interpreters have issued a claim at the High Court in London challenging the government's decision not to treat them in the same way as Iraqi interpreters.

The government has three weeks to decide whether to agree to the interpreters' demand or dispute it. If it disputes it, the court would decide whether to review the government's policy.

(Reporting By Costas Pitas; Editing by Pravin Char)

LONDON (Reuters) - The anti-European Union UK Independence Party made sweeping gains in local elections, siphoning support from British Prime Minister David Cameron's Conservatives in a vote that exposed a threat to his re-election chances in 2015.

UKIP, in results released on Friday, secured almost one in every four votes cast on Thursday in council elections in mostly English rural areas that have traditionally been Conservative strongholds, rattling all Britain's three main parties as voters switched to the populist group.

UKIP, which wants Britain to leave the European Union and an end to "open-door immigration", said more than 1 million people had voted to endorse its policies, the best result for a party outside the big three since World War Two.

It also pushed Cameron's Conservatives into third place in an election for a national parliamentary seat in a traditional Labour stronghold in northern England, where Labour's majority was almost halved compared to three years ago.

"It sends a shockwave, I think, through the establishment," Nigel Farage, the former commodity trader turned politician who leads UKIP, said on Friday. "Today is a game-changer."

Cameron once dismissed UKIP as "a bunch of fruitcakes, loonies and closet racists", and a senior Conservative minister called the party "a collection of clowns" before the vote.

"Send in the clowns," Farage quipped to Sky News. "We have been abused by everybody, attacked by the entire establishment who did their best to stop ordinary decent people from going out and voting UKIP and they have done in big, big numbers."

Speaking after the vote, Cameron changed his tone, saying it was "no good" to insult a party that people had voted for and had contributed to his own party losing 335 council seats.

"We need to show respect for people who've taken the choice to support this party and we're going to work really hard to win them back," he said.

Though UKIP still has no seats in the 650-seat lower house of the British parliament, its surge in the polls will increase pressure on Cameron from nervous politicians in his own party to take a tougher stance on Europe and immigration.

The results suggest UKIP could split the centre-right vote at the next national election. That would make it harder for Cameron to defeat Labour, which leads his Conservatives by up to 10 percent in opinion polls as the economy shows tentative signs of recovering despite unpopular public spending cuts.

"SHOCKWAVE"

While the results are likely to reignite questions about Cameron's leadership from malcontents who complain he is too liberal, they will also concern Labour leader Ed Miliband, who faces growing UKIP support in traditional Labour strongholds.

Though Labour, which has controlled South Shields since 1935, held onto the parliamentary seat, UKIP won 24 percent of the vote there, its second highest result in such an election.

Labour won 291 council seats, but that was not as many as expected, and Ed Miliband, its leader, said the results showed his party had more work to do to persuade doubters.

"The biggest opponent we will face at the next election is the idea that no one has any real answers and there is nothing we can do to turn things around," he said.

The Lib Dems, the junior partner in Cameron's coalition, had a bad election. They won so few votes in South Shields that they lost their deposit. They also lost 123 council seats.

Nick Clegg, their leader, said he could understand why voters were drawn to what he called UKIP's "simple answers", but said he did not think it had the solutions to "complex problems".

"The next general election will be all about which parties can govern this party in Westminster," he said.

UKIP won 147 council seats, up from eight in 2009. More than 2,000 council seats in England and Wales were contested.

Even though the Conservatives suffered heavy losses, they still won more seats - 1,116 - than any other party since many of the areas have long been Conservative strongholds.

Critics say UKIP's success means it will come under increasing scrutiny and that voters will ultimately find it does not have properly-developed policies, a claim UKIP rejects.

Farage says Britain's political leaders have failed voters by allowing far too many immigrants into the country and by allowing the European Union to purloin too much sovereignty.

Though significant, UKIP's gains are unlikely to give it control of a single council and Britain's first past the post system means it will have to poll even greater numbers if it is to win a large number of seats in a general election.

"None of us knows whether UKIP is a flash in the pan," Tony Travers, director of British government at the London School of Economics, said.

Farage told BBC TV his party was here to stay: "We've taken our first substantive steps to being a credible party that can win seats at Westminster."

(Additional reporting by Peter Griffiths, Stephen Addison and William James; Editing by Michael Roddy)

Kutunga, Inc. is proud to host Asheesh Barman’s music album, “Prabhu Mahimaa” on its socially conscious digital marketplace and congratulates Asheesh for his debut on Radio Zindagi’s “Gata Rahe Mera Dil” show which will air LIVE on 1550AM in the San Francisco Bay Area or online at Radiozindagi.com at 7:00PM PST on April 24, 2013.

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“I want to thank kutunga for creating a wonderful platform that brings content creators like me, causes and consumers to a single place where everyone benefits. The fact that kutunga.com automatically donates 20% of the sales directly to non-profit causes is the reason that I am exclusively selling my music album through their platform. In fact, I'm not just a publisher on kutunga’s platform, but also a consumer of their many self-improvement educational titles such as yoga and exercise videos and to be able to support great causes while shopping is icing on the cake,” added Barman.

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Secretary of Labor nominee Thomas Perez faced two hours of intense scrutiny at his nomination hearing Thursday morning as he sought to alleviate Republican concerns over his role in the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice.

At issue is a lengthy report released earlier this week in which GOP leaders accuse Perez of attempting to influence the city of St. Paul, Minn., to withdraw a housing discrimination case before it could be brought before the Supreme Court. In exchange, the Department of Justice agreed not to intervene in two whistleblower cases against St. Paul that could have won up to $200 million for taxpayers.

Sen. Lamar Alexander engaged Perez in a heated line of questioning, accusing Perez of doing "an extraordinary amount of wheeling and dealing."

"You have a duty to protect the money, a duty to protect the whistleblower, and at the same time, it seems to me that you're manipulating the legal process to try to get the result you want from the Supreme Court in a way that's inappropriate," Alexander, R-Tenn., said.

Perez defended his actions, saying DOJ chooses not to stay out of "a lot of different things."

"It was in the interest of justice and it was entirely appropriate to do so in the opinion of professional responsibility people and others," he told the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. "I believe the resolution reached in this case was in fact in the interest of justice."

Democratic senators had kind words for Perez. Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., introduced him as "one of Maryland's favorite sons," saying "we believe he is the right man for the job."

Senator Patty Murray, D-Wash., joined in the praise, adding "you have a very amazing, impressive, wide range of experience that you are bringing from a number of different agenciesYou're something of a turn-around expert for public sector agencies, so thank you for that."

When asked what his very top priority would be should he be confirmed as Secretary of Labor, Perez had one answer: "jobs, jobs, jobs."

He expanded on his goals and priorities, including reauthorizing the Workforce Investment Act, maintaining pension security, and spending his first 100 days as secretary on a listening tour of America, reaching out to small businesses and workers alike.

"The president has asked all of us to consider three questions in the decisions we make," Perez said. "How do we make America a magnet for jobs? How do we equip our people with the skills they need to succeed in those jobs, and how do we ensure that an honest day's work leads to a decent living?"

Perez concluded, "These questions are at the core of the mission of the Department of Labor, and if confirmed you have my word that I will keep them there."

The committee is expected to vote on Perez's nomination on Thursday, April 25.

So he sat down with his mother, Heidi Langegger, who had raised him in a single-family home, and gave her a sales pitch: "Mom," Fisher said, "there's a good chance this is going to become a reality, and I want to take care of you. I want you to retire."

Reality set in for Fisher on Thursday night, when the Kansas City Chiefs made him just the third offensive tackle taken first overall since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger.

And reality set in for Langegger when she sent an email to her boss in human resources at Volkswagen, where she's spent the past 33 years working in the warranty department.

"I have to say, it hasn't set in yet," said Langegger, who will retire at the end of June. "This is something that happens to other people. We're just regular, blue-collar, hard-working people. This is something that happens to others. It's really Eric's dream coming to reality."

The first No. 1 overall pick from the Mid-American Conference never had things given to him growing up.

His mother told him he could ride the bus to school, or he could get a job and buy his own truck. Fisher chose the latter, working on about 20 acres of land just down the road from his own rural home near Detroit, and eventually saved up enough money to buy a used Ford F-150.

He had it until a couple months ago, when he sold it with 200,000 miles on it.

Fisher would mow lawns, cut down trees, paint decks and sell firewood to drum up some extra cash, never shying away from the kind of manual labor that he eventually came to relish.

When the 1940s hunting lodge that he lived in with his mom had a raccoon infestation, it was Fisher who did got rid of the varmints, and then fixed the insulation they had chewed up.

"Growing up that way, you realize how good you have things," Fisher said Friday, "and to be put in this position, it's crazy. But throughout high school, I always did manual labor. Whatever I could do to make a couple bucks, I'd do it. I worked very hard to get in this position."

This position is about as far from the sticks as you could get.

He has spent most of the past week being paraded around the streets of New York City, and was under the brightest of lights at Radio City Music Hall on Thursday night. That's when NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell read his name first and Fisher strode confidently across the stage.

The whirlwind hasn't stopped, either.

Fisher got about two hours' sleep after wrapping up his obligations in New York, and then caught an early flight to Kansas City. He was greeted at the airport by a few fans hoping to snag an autograph (he obliged, of course) and a few intrepid TV crews looking for an interview.

Once he arrived at the Chiefs' practice facility, he spent time at lunch with team chairman Clark Hunt, met the coaching staff and some of his new teammates, and then answered many of the same questions over and over for dozens of reporters and television anchors.

"A lot of people are handed things," Fisher said, "and you see that sometimes and say, 'I wish I had that.' But now, I'm grateful I wasn't given that, and look where I am now. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else."

Nor would the Chiefs want him to be anywhere else.

General manager John Dorsey settled on Fisher a couple of weeks ago, ultimately picking him over Texas A&M's Luke Joeckel, another offensive tackle who went No. 2 to Jacksonville.

"We felt everything about Eric represented what the Kansas City Chiefs are all about, as a person and also his ability to play the game," Dorsey said. "That's why it's exciting."

While Fisher has the look he's 6-foot-7, 306 pounds of an NFL left tackle, he said he's willing to play wherever new coach Andy Reid puts him. That could mean starting off on the right side as a rookie and eventually switching over to protect the blindside of new quarterback Alex Smith.

"Watching three tackles come off in the first four picks, I think people knew they would go high, but nobody was expecting that," Hunt said. "I think it shows that a lot of teams know that you have to win in the trenches, and we certainly feel that way."

The Chiefs didn't do much winning last season, going 2-14 to land a No. 1 pick for the first time in 50 years. But there's a newfound sense of optimism hovering over the organization these days, and Fisher's bring-it-on demeanor seems to be fitting right in.

"There are a lot of expectations to live up to," he said, "and I'm the kind of guy that takes that on. Very seriously, I'm going to do everything in my power to be the best player and show everybody why I was the first pick. I will back that up the best I can."

___

Online: http://pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP_NFL

NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York City took the first step on Monday in outlawing sales of cigarettes to anyone under age 21, in an effort to reduce smoking among the age group in which most smokers take up the habit.

The bill, which was introduced by the City Council and has the backing of Mayor Michael Bloomberg, would make New York City, which already has the highest cigarette taxes in the nation, the first big city or state to set the smoking age at 21. Currently, individuals must be 18 to buy cigarettes.

Eight in 10 adult smokers in the city started smoking regularly when they were below the age of 21, and most smokers who are under age 18 obtain cigarettes from individuals who are just a few years older than them, city officials said.

While an increase in cigarette taxes contributed to a 15-point drop among youth smokers from 1999 to 2007, the number of high-school-aged smokers has held steady at about 8.5 percent over the last six years.

Cigarette packs sold in New York City currently carry a state tax of $4.35 and a city tax of $1.50 - making it the most expensive city in the nation to be a smoker.

"Too many adult smokers begin this deadly habit before age 21," City Council Speaker Christine Quinn said. "By delaying our city's children and young adults access to lethal tobacco products, we're decreasing the likelihood they ever start smoking, and thus, creating a healthier city."

The bill marks the latest effort in the city's decade-long fight to discourage smoking, which the city's health commissioner, Thomas Farley, said was the most significant cause of preventable death in the city. In 2003, Bloomberg outlawed smoking in bars and restaurants, and smoking has since been banned in other public places, including parks.

Quinn, who is running to become the city's next mayor, made clear that she would continue Bloomberg's aggressive public health agenda - which has led his detractors to dub him the "nanny mayor."

MOST TOBACCO USE STARTS IN ADOLESCENCE

While most of the city's anti-smoking initiatives have originated with Bloomberg, the mayor did not join Quinn in making the announcement on Monday, instead sending Farley to say that the mayor looks forward to signing the bill into law.

Every U.S. state prohibits retailers from selling tobacco products to minors and in most states the smoking age is set at 18. Four states - Alabama, Alaska, New Jersey and Utah - require that a cigarette purchaser be at least 19 years old.

In New York, Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island have already boosted their legal age for buying cigarettes and other tobacco products to 19.

Nearly all tobacco use starts in childhood and adolescence, according to the 2012 report by the U.S. Surgeon General, which declared smoking a "pediatric epidemic" both in the United States and globally.

According to the report, 99 percent of all first use of tobacco occurs by age 26. The report also found that if youth and young adults manage to avoid smoking or other tobacco products, very few will begin smoking after that age.

Evidence suggests that once youth start smoking, many find it hard to quit. Of all adult cigarette smokers in the United States who smoke daily, 88 percent started smoking by age 18, according to the report.

Currently, about one out of four seniors in high school - youth aged 17 or 18 - smoke on a regular basis. Among those who continue smoking, half will die 13 years earlier than non-smoking peers.

It was not immediately clear how the tobacco industry would respond to the proposed legislation, which Quinn said she hoped would become a model for the rest of the country.

"Our companies follow the law whatever it is in any jurisdiction," said Jane Seccombe, spokeswoman for Reynolds American Inc, the parent company of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co, American Snuff Co and Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Co. "We believe no minors, however they're classified in those jurisdictions, should be able to access tobacco products."

She declined to comment on any potential sales impact from changes in the minimum age.

(Reporting by Edith Honan; Additional reporting by Julie Steenhuysen, Barbara Goldberg and Martinne Geller; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe, Cynthia Johnston and Marguerita Choy)

(Logo: )

Recall Summary

Name of product: Bell Full Throttle Bike HelmetsHazard: The buckle on the helmet's safety strap can release in an accident and allow the helmet to fall off the rider, posing a risk of head injury.Remedy: RefundConsumer Contact: Bell Sports Inc. toll-free at (866) 892-6059 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CT Monday through Friday, or visit the firm's website atand click on "Recall Notice" for more information.

Recall Details

Units: About 2,500Description: This recall involves Bell Full Throttle, full coverage bicycle motocross (BMX) helmets with a chin bar. The all-black helmets have UPC code 035011 937052 and part number 1009159 printed on a label on the side of the helmet shell. The Bell logo is affixed to the front and lower side of the helmet.Incidents/Injuries: None reported. Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled helmets and contact Bell Sports for instructions on receiving a full refund. Sold exclusively by: Toys R Us stores nationwide and online at ToysRUs.com between July 2012 and January 2013 for about $60. Importer: Bell Sports Inc., of Scotts Valley, Calif.Manufacturer: MHR Manufactured in: China

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is still interested in receiving incident or injury reports that are either directly related to this product recall or involve a different hazard with the same product. Please tell us about your experience with the product on .

CPSC is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of injury or death associated with the use of the thousands of consumer products under the agency's jurisdiction. Deaths, injuries, and property damage from consumer product incidents cost the nation more than $900 billion annually. CPSC is committed to protecting consumers and families from products that pose a fire, electrical, chemical, or mechanical hazard. CPSC's work to ensure the safety of consumer productssuch as toys, cribs, power tools, cigarette lighters, and household chemicalscontributed to a decline in the rate of deaths and injuries associated with consumer products over the past 30 years.

Under federal law, it is illegal to attempt to sell or resell this or any other recalled product.

To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury, go online to: , call CPSC's Hotline at (800) 638-2772 or teletypewriter at (301) 595-7054 for the hearing and speech impaired. Consumers can obtain this news release and product safety information at . To join a free e-mail subscription list, please go to .

CPSC Consumer Information HotlineContact us at this toll-free number if you have questions about a recall:800-638-2772 (TTY 301-595-7054)Times: 8 a.m. 5:30 p.m. ET; Messages can be left anytimeCall to get product safety and other agency information and to .

Media ContactPlease use the phone numbers below for all media requests.Phone: (301) 504-7908Spanish: (301) 504-7800

SOURCE U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

MANAMA (Reuters) - Formula One world champion Sebastian Vettel won the Bahrain Grand Prix for the second year in a row for Red Bull on Sunday to extend his overall lead to 10 points after four races.

In a controversial race that went off without major drama, untroubled by anti-government protests and reported clashes elsewhere in the tiny Gulf kingdom, the German beat Lotus's Kimi Raikkonen by 9.1 seconds.

The win, with Bahrain's Crown Prince Salman al-Khalifa watching, was Vettel's second of the season and 28th of his career.

"It was pretty dominant today," said the 25-year-old, who started on the front row and was so far ahead after 25 of the 57 laps that he could pit and still come out in the lead, after swigging the winner's rosewater on the podium.

"Certainly we had more pace than we expected."

France's Romain Grosjean finished third for Lotus, his first podium of the season, to complete the same top three as last year.

Britain's Paul Di Resta equalled his career-best finish, after leading for three laps, with a fine fourth place for Force India after losing third to Grosjean with six laps to go.

Vettel now has 77 points to 67 for Raikkonen, who chalked up his 21st successive scoring finish and is three races away from equalling the record set by the now-retired Michael Schumacher.

There was bitter disappointment for Mercedes's Nico Rosberg, who started on pole position but finished ninth, and for Ferrari's Fernando Alonso who could have expected to be on the podium but for a mechanical failure.

The Spaniard, now fourth overall with 47 points, finished eighth after having to make an unscheduled pitstop on lap seven - a lap after coming in for his regular stop - with his rear-wing DRS system stuck open.

Britain's Lewis Hamilton moved up to third in the standings, on 50 points, after taking fifth place for Mercedes in a thrilling battle with Red Bull's Mark Webber over the closing laps of the Australian's 200th race.

Mexican Sergio Perez was sixth, also passing Webber after a wheel-to-wheel duel with McLaren team mate Jenson Button that saw the newcomer nudge the rear of the 2009 champion's car.

Button urged the team to 'calm him down' but Perez continued to push with Grosjean looming in his mirrors.

Webber finished seventh while Button was 10th, denying Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado a first point of the season for Williams.

Rosberg led from the start but held off Vettel for only two laps, with Alonso swiftly moving up to second before his nightmare in the pits.

"I knew it would be crucial to get in the lead if I could because then you have a little bit of an advantage looking after your tyres and managing the race from there," said Vettel. "I could feel that I was able to pull away."