Saturday, 8 December 2012
We all have hundreds of DNA flaws
We all have hundreds of DNA flaws: Everyone has on average 400 flaws in their DNA, a study of 1000 individuals' genomes suggests - though most will not affect an individual's health.
Eye-Opener: Why Do Pupils Dilate in Response to Emotional States?
Scientists use pupil size measurements to study a wide range of psychological processes.
What do an orgasm, a multiplication problem and a photo of a dead body have in common?
Each induces a slight, irrepressible expansion of the pupils in our eyes.
Working Memory Is Partially Preserved during Sleep
Working Memory Is Partially Preserved during Sleep:
by Jérôme Daltrozzo, Léa Claude, Barbara Tillmann, Hélène Bastuji, Fabien Perrin
Although several cognitive processes, including speech processing, have been studied during sleep, working memory (WM) has never been explored up to now. Our study assessed the capacity of WM by testing speech perception when the level of background noise and the sentential semantic length (SSL) (amount of semantic information required to perceive the incongruence of a sentence) were modulated. Speech perception was explored with the N400 component of the event-related potentials recorded to sentence final words (50% semantically congruent with the sentence, 50% semantically incongruent). During sleep stage 2 and paradoxical sleep: (1) without noise, a larger N400 was observed for (short and long SSL) sentences ending with a semantically incongruent word compared to a congruent word (i.e. an N400 effect); (2) with moderate noise, the N400 effect (observed at wake with short and long SSL sentences) was attenuated for long SSL sentences. Our results suggest that WM for linguistic information is partially preserved during sleep with a smaller capacity compared to wake.
by Jérôme Daltrozzo, Léa Claude, Barbara Tillmann, Hélène Bastuji, Fabien Perrin
Although several cognitive processes, including speech processing, have been studied during sleep, working memory (WM) has never been explored up to now. Our study assessed the capacity of WM by testing speech perception when the level of background noise and the sentential semantic length (SSL) (amount of semantic information required to perceive the incongruence of a sentence) were modulated. Speech perception was explored with the N400 component of the event-related potentials recorded to sentence final words (50% semantically congruent with the sentence, 50% semantically incongruent). During sleep stage 2 and paradoxical sleep: (1) without noise, a larger N400 was observed for (short and long SSL) sentences ending with a semantically incongruent word compared to a congruent word (i.e. an N400 effect); (2) with moderate noise, the N400 effect (observed at wake with short and long SSL sentences) was attenuated for long SSL sentences. Our results suggest that WM for linguistic information is partially preserved during sleep with a smaller capacity compared to wake.
When Does Overuse of Antibiotics Become a Tragedy of the Commons?
When Does Overuse of Antibiotics Become a Tragedy of the Commons?:
by Travis C. Porco, Daozhou Gao, James C. Scott, Eunha Shim, Wayne T. Enanoria, Alison P. Galvani, Thomas M. Lietman
Background
Over-prescribing of antibiotics is considered to result in increased morbidity and mortality from drug-resistant organisms. A resulting common wisdom is that it would be better for society if physicians would restrain their prescription of antibiotics. In this view, self-interest and societal interest are at odds, making antibiotic use a classic “tragedy of the commons”.
Methods and Findings
We developed two mathematical models of transmission of antibiotic resistance, featuring de novo development of resistance and transmission of resistant organisms. We analyzed the decision to prescribe antibiotics as a mathematical game, by analyzing individual incentives and community outcomes.
Conclusions
A conflict of interest may indeed result, though not in all cases. Increased use of antibiotics by individuals benefits society under certain circumstances, despite the amplification of drug-resistant strains or organisms. In situations where increased use of antibiotics leads to less favorable outcomes for society, antibiotics may be harmful for the individual as well. For other scenarios, where a conflict between self-interest and society exists, restricting antibody use would benefit society. Thus, a case-by-case assessment of appropriate use of antibiotics may be warranted.
by Travis C. Porco, Daozhou Gao, James C. Scott, Eunha Shim, Wayne T. Enanoria, Alison P. Galvani, Thomas M. Lietman
Background
Over-prescribing of antibiotics is considered to result in increased morbidity and mortality from drug-resistant organisms. A resulting common wisdom is that it would be better for society if physicians would restrain their prescription of antibiotics. In this view, self-interest and societal interest are at odds, making antibiotic use a classic “tragedy of the commons”.
Methods and Findings
We developed two mathematical models of transmission of antibiotic resistance, featuring de novo development of resistance and transmission of resistant organisms. We analyzed the decision to prescribe antibiotics as a mathematical game, by analyzing individual incentives and community outcomes.
Conclusions
A conflict of interest may indeed result, though not in all cases. Increased use of antibiotics by individuals benefits society under certain circumstances, despite the amplification of drug-resistant strains or organisms. In situations where increased use of antibiotics leads to less favorable outcomes for society, antibiotics may be harmful for the individual as well. For other scenarios, where a conflict between self-interest and society exists, restricting antibody use would benefit society. Thus, a case-by-case assessment of appropriate use of antibiotics may be warranted.
Space bursts provide insight to 'theory of everything'
Space bursts provide insight to 'theory of everything':
Light from some of the universe's most energetic explosions is allowing scientists to probe the nature of space-time, according to new observations of so-called gamma-ray bursts from the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency's Ikaros spacecraft. Photons released by these bursts help place limits on a unified model of all of the forces of nature — what scientists call a "theory of everything."
Light from some of the universe's most energetic explosions is allowing scientists to probe the nature of space-time, according to new observations of so-called gamma-ray bursts from the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency's Ikaros spacecraft. Photons released by these bursts help place limits on a unified model of all of the forces of nature — what scientists call a "theory of everything."
Bizarre creature found in 200-million-year-old cocoon
Bizarre creature found in 200-million-year-old cocoon:
About 200 million years ago, a leech released a slimy mucous cocoon that unwittingly encased and trapped a bizarre animal with a springy tail, preserving it until researchers discovered the teardrop-shaped creature in Antarctica recently.
About 200 million years ago, a leech released a slimy mucous cocoon that unwittingly encased and trapped a bizarre animal with a springy tail, preserving it until researchers discovered the teardrop-shaped creature in Antarctica recently.
Typhoon heads back to Philippines after nearly 600 die
Typhoon heads back to Philippines after nearly 600 die: A typhoon that had left the Philippines after killing nearly 600 people and leaving hundreds missing in the south has made a U-turn and is now threatening the country's northwest.
Drugs Injected at the Racetrack Put Europe Off U.S. Horse Meat
Drugs Injected at the Racetrack Put Europe Off U.S. Horse Meat: European consumers of horse meat are increasingly suspicious of a supply chain that they fear contains drugs injected in American racehorses.
Ex-SAS Officer to sue Metropolitan Police
Ex-SAS Officer to sue Metropolitan Police: A former head of the SAS's counter-terrorist team is suing the Metropolitan Police claiming he was wrongfully accused of leaking secret intelligence reports to a journalist.
Barristers rake in fortunes from legal aid
Barristers rake in fortunes from legal aid: Six barristers have received more than £500,000 of public money for defending suspected criminals
Passageiro que caiu de avião pode ser angolano
Passageiro que caiu de avião pode ser angolano: O homem que em setembro caiu do trem de aterragem de um avião no aeroporto de Heathrow, em Londres, poderá ser angolano, acredita a polícia britânica, que fez um retrato-robô para tentar identificá-lo
German intelligence agency tips end for Syrian regime
German intelligence agency tips end for Syrian regime: Bashar Assad's regime will find itself unable to continue, the head of Germany's foreign intelligence agency said. Syrian authorities have warned that rebels have gained control of a chemical warehouse.
Prolonged Anticoagulation With Apixaban Found Beneficial In Venous Thromboembolism
Prolonged Anticoagulation With Apixaban Found Beneficial In Venous Thromboembolism: A new study suggests that extending anticoagulant therapy for an additional year may be beneficial after patients with venous thromboembolism complete their initial course of therapy. The results of AMPLIFY-EXT (Apixaban after the Initial Management of Pulmonary Embolism and Deep Vein Thrombosis with First-Line Therapy-Extended Treatment) were presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology meeting in Atlanta and published simultaneously in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Feeding Paris - why the city needs to adopt the 'fairer' diet
Feeding Paris - why the city needs to adopt the 'fairer' diet: Like all great cities, Paris has the power to draw in food and resources from all corners of the Earth. And with every meal, this food-lovers' paradise unwittingly sketches the fate of its countryside and seashores, near and far.
Climate Change Update: Reports Show Growing Risks
Climate Change Update: Reports Show Growing Risks: As the UN climate change talks continue in Doha, Qatar, several reports over the past month have highlighted a sombre picture of the Earth's changing climate, raising alarm bells in particular for the world's poorest regions.
A report from the World Bank launched last month (18 November) warns that the planet "is on track for a four degrees Celsius warmer world" by 2100, marked by extreme heat waves, declining food stocks, loss of biodiversity and life-threatening sea level rise. This is double the generally accepted two degrees Celsius threshold beyond which catastrophic climate change impacts are expected.
A report from the World Bank launched last month (18 November) warns that the planet "is on track for a four degrees Celsius warmer world" by 2100, marked by extreme heat waves, declining food stocks, loss of biodiversity and life-threatening sea level rise. This is double the generally accepted two degrees Celsius threshold beyond which catastrophic climate change impacts are expected.
Watches, mistresses on show as China highlights graft
Watches, mistresses on show as China highlights graft: Beijing (AFP) Dec 8, 2012
Lurid reports of Chinese officials sporting luxury watches or promoting their twin mistresses are being hailed by state media as proof of a corruption crackdown - but real reforms remain a distant prospect.
Less than a month after Xi Jinping ascended to China's most powerful post as head of the Communist Party and proclaimed the scourge of graft an existential threat to the ruling organisat
Lurid reports of Chinese officials sporting luxury watches or promoting their twin mistresses are being hailed by state media as proof of a corruption crackdown - but real reforms remain a distant prospect.
Less than a month after Xi Jinping ascended to China's most powerful post as head of the Communist Party and proclaimed the scourge of graft an existential threat to the ruling organisat
Silvio Berlusconi confirms he will run – again – to be Italy's prime minister
Silvio Berlusconi confirms he will run – again – to be Italy's prime minister: Disgraced media mogul may look politically down and out, but he says he feels 'sense of responsibility' to the countryNever a man to let defeat – or scandal – keep him down, the disgraced former prime minister of Italy Silvio Berlusconi has announced he will run once again for the country's top job.
With three colourful terms behind him, Berlusconi confirmed he would try for a fourth time to become premier, saying he was doing it out of "a sense of responsibility" days after his party withdrew its support for the technocrat government of the current prime minister, Mario Monti.
The media mogul told reporters he was running to win and that "the campaign is already on".
Monti, following a two-hour meeting with the Italian president, Giorgio Napolitano, said that he intends to resign after checking to see if parliament can pass next year's budget law.
In a statement released by Napolitano's office, Monti said he does not now feel that he has the support of parliament after Berlusconi's centre-right People of Freedom party withdrew its support from his government this week.
If the budget law can be passed "quickly", Monti said he would immediately confirm his resignation.
The British betting firm Ladbrokes gave 3/1 odds on Berlusconi becoming the prime minister in 2013.
Berlusconi stepped down last year amid a severe debt crisis. Allegations of his involvement with an underage prostitute and reports that he hosted sex-filled "bunga-bunga" parties also clouded his premiership. He has since been convicted of tax fraud and faces low favourability ratings in the polls.
The three-time prime minister got his start selling vacuum cleaners and singing on cruise ships. In 1971, Berlusconi founded a local cable firm, Telemilano, which grew into the country's largest media company, Mediaset. He has since expanded his media empire to include Italy's largest publishing house, Mondadori, and the newspaper Il Giornale. Other business interests include owning the globally popular football club, AC Milan.
With three colourful terms behind him, Berlusconi confirmed he would try for a fourth time to become premier, saying he was doing it out of "a sense of responsibility" days after his party withdrew its support for the technocrat government of the current prime minister, Mario Monti.
The media mogul told reporters he was running to win and that "the campaign is already on".
Monti, following a two-hour meeting with the Italian president, Giorgio Napolitano, said that he intends to resign after checking to see if parliament can pass next year's budget law.
In a statement released by Napolitano's office, Monti said he does not now feel that he has the support of parliament after Berlusconi's centre-right People of Freedom party withdrew its support from his government this week.
If the budget law can be passed "quickly", Monti said he would immediately confirm his resignation.
The British betting firm Ladbrokes gave 3/1 odds on Berlusconi becoming the prime minister in 2013.
Berlusconi stepped down last year amid a severe debt crisis. Allegations of his involvement with an underage prostitute and reports that he hosted sex-filled "bunga-bunga" parties also clouded his premiership. He has since been convicted of tax fraud and faces low favourability ratings in the polls.
The three-time prime minister got his start selling vacuum cleaners and singing on cruise ships. In 1971, Berlusconi founded a local cable firm, Telemilano, which grew into the country's largest media company, Mediaset. He has since expanded his media empire to include Italy's largest publishing house, Mondadori, and the newspaper Il Giornale. Other business interests include owning the globally popular football club, AC Milan.
Escândalo de desvio de verba racha família real espanhola
Escândalo de desvio de verba racha família real espanhola:
MADRI — Na Espanha se diz, ironicamente, que nunca ninguém fez tanto pela República como Iñaki Urdangarín. Foi o genro do rei, indiciado, há um ano, por cinco crimes num escândalo de corrupção, que fez a monarquia cambalear pela primeira vez depois de 37 anos de reinado de Juan Carlos I. Urdangarín fez, também, a família real se dividir, segundo conta ao GLOBO Eduardo Inda, coautor do primeiro livro sobre o assunto. Com riqueza de detalhes, Inda disseca a trama e revela bastidores, que mostram o ex-jogador da seleção espanhola de handebol encurralado, culpando a princesa Letizia de todos os seus males.
- As infantas sempre tiveram uma péssima relação com Letizia Ortiz (mulher do príncipe Felipe, herdeiro do trono). Viam a princesa como uma intrusa, porque de repente passou a desempenhar um papel que elas, como filhas do rei, jamais tinham tido. Mas desde que explodiu o escândalo, há um ano e meio, a relação dos príncipes com a infanta Cristina e Urdangarín se rompeu definitivamente. Os príncipes consideram que o casal encheu o caminho deles ao trono de obstáculos. A relação do rei com a infanta Cristina agora também é inexistente - conta Inda, coautor de “Urdangarín, un conseguidor en la corte del rey Juan Carlos”. - O escândalo também distanciou o rei da rainha, porque ela se colocou do lado da filha. O rei não gostou nada disso.
Esta imagem de hostilidade não foi exposta no mês passado, quando a família real completa - Urdangarín incluído - entrava em um hospital privado madrilenho para visitar o monarca, que acabava de ser operado da bacia pela terceira vez desde abril, quando sofreu um acidente em Botsuana durante uma polêmica caça de elefantes. A visita aconteceu cinco dias antes de a Promotoria Anticorrupção impor a Urdangarín e a seu sócio, Diego Torres, a fiança de responsabilidade civil de € 8.189.448,44 (o equivalente a R$ 22,5 milhões). Este valor corresponde à soma recebida pelo Instituto Nóos - organização sem fins lucrativos presidida por Urdangarín entre 2003 e 2006 - para organizar eventos esportivos, negociados sem licitação com os governos das Ilhas Baleares e de Valência.
- Em três anos, Urdangarín e Torres teriam embolsado cerca de € 20 milhões, de estudos e eventos que nunca foram realizados. Boa parte desse dinheiro jamais será recuperado, porque está em paraísos fiscais que eles se negam a revelar - afirma Inda, que analisou rigorosamente o processo judicial.
A fiança será descontada, no caso de o genro do rei ser condenado, de uma futura indenização determinada pelo juiz quando o julgamento se realizar, provavelmente em 2013. A indenização não substituiria uma pena de prisão. Inda, no entanto, acha difícil ver o genro do rei atrás das grades.
- Se somarmos as penas dos cinco crimes (desvio de verbas públicas, prevaricação, falsidade ideológica, fraude à Administração e lavagem de dinheiro) pelos quais Urdangarín está indiciado, é difícil não imaginá-lo na cadeia. Se a pena fosse rígida, pegaria mais de 15 anos de prisão. Mesmo somando as penas mínimas a sentença seria superior aos dois anos de reclusão. Mas não descarto que se encontre algum esquema para livrar Urdangarín da prisão - avalia.
Enquanto se espera o julgamento, a dúvida sobre o possível indiciamento da infanta Cristina, solicitado ao juiz do caso pela organização de funcionários públicos Manos Limpias, foi dissipada.
- A Promotoria Geral do Estado já tomou a decisão política de não indiciá-la. - afirma Inda - Se deveria ter sido indiciada? A resposta é tão óbvia que não vou dá-la.
A filha do meio do rei fazia parte da diretoria do Instituto Nóos e era proprietária, junto com seu marido, da empresa Aizoon, em cuja conta corrente parte do dinheiro captado pelo Nóos - cujo tesoureiro era Carlos García Revenga, secretário particular da infanta - era desviado. No livro, Inda conta que “sequer a descoberta de que desvios do Nóos foram parar numa conta pessoal da infanta Cristina, à qual só ela tinha acesso, fez o magistrado e o promotor mudarem sua postura”.
- Se uma coisa ficou clara é que a infanta ama seu marido e decidiu estar com ele até o fim. A Casa Real pediu que se divorciem para salvar a instituição. Mas Cristina resiste - conta Inda.
O livro narra a pressão que o Palácio da Zarzuela fez sobre Urdangarín para que pedisse perdão público, assumindo o “grave e irreparável” prejuízo causado. No dia 11 de novembro de 2011, um mês antes de Urdangarín ser indiciado, o genro do rei foi recebido por Juan Carlos I e pelo príncipe com uma conversa que Inda reproduz no livro:
- Tire a minha filha desta confusão. Desvincule-a de tudo. Diga que ela não sabia do que você estava fazendo. A filha do rei não pode ser indiciada - teria ordenado o rei, sem sucesso.
As desconfianças dentro da família real sobre o tipo de negócio nos quais Urdangarín estava envolvido teriam começado em 2004, quando a infanta Cristina e Urdangarín compraram uma casa de 650 metros quadrados no bairro mais caro de Barcelona, Pedralbes.
- Não sei o que o rei pensava, mas o príncipe Felipe sempre viu com maus olhos o estilo de vida que sua irmã e seu cunhado levavam. Achava suspeito que morassem em uma casa de € 9 milhões, quando o salário anual de Urdangarín era de € 50 mil - afirma Inda.
Pedido de empréstimo
Foi nesta mansão que a filha dos reis da Espanha organizou, em janeiro de 2008, uma festa surpresa para celebrar os 40 anos de seu marido. Urdangarín se aproximou do cunhado pedindo ajuda financeira. Ele disse que não conseguia pagar a hipoteca da mansão, argumentando que o rei teria prometido “dar uma mãozinha”, já que o apartamento onde o casal morava antes não era adequado para hospedar o monarca durante suas visitas a Barcelona. Além de negar o empréstimo, o príncipe Felipe disse que era mentira que existisse promessa de ajuda e concluiu a conversa sentenciando que, se não tinha dinheiro suficiente, Urdangarín não deveria ter comprado a mansão.
O impacto que o suposto envolvimento de Urdangarín em atividades corruptas causou na imagem da monarquia espanhola é incontestável, mas Inda considera que a sentença será fundamental para consolidar este impacto: em sua teoria, deixar Urdangarín em liberdade seria prejudicial à Coroa, porque reforçaria a convicção cidadã de que a realeza é imune à Justiça.
- Sinceramente, acredito que os índices de apoio à monarquia disparariam se Urdangarín fosse condenado à prisão. Caso contrário, despencarão ainda mais - sentencia.
MADRI — Na Espanha se diz, ironicamente, que nunca ninguém fez tanto pela República como Iñaki Urdangarín. Foi o genro do rei, indiciado, há um ano, por cinco crimes num escândalo de corrupção, que fez a monarquia cambalear pela primeira vez depois de 37 anos de reinado de Juan Carlos I. Urdangarín fez, também, a família real se dividir, segundo conta ao GLOBO Eduardo Inda, coautor do primeiro livro sobre o assunto. Com riqueza de detalhes, Inda disseca a trama e revela bastidores, que mostram o ex-jogador da seleção espanhola de handebol encurralado, culpando a princesa Letizia de todos os seus males.
- As infantas sempre tiveram uma péssima relação com Letizia Ortiz (mulher do príncipe Felipe, herdeiro do trono). Viam a princesa como uma intrusa, porque de repente passou a desempenhar um papel que elas, como filhas do rei, jamais tinham tido. Mas desde que explodiu o escândalo, há um ano e meio, a relação dos príncipes com a infanta Cristina e Urdangarín se rompeu definitivamente. Os príncipes consideram que o casal encheu o caminho deles ao trono de obstáculos. A relação do rei com a infanta Cristina agora também é inexistente - conta Inda, coautor de “Urdangarín, un conseguidor en la corte del rey Juan Carlos”. - O escândalo também distanciou o rei da rainha, porque ela se colocou do lado da filha. O rei não gostou nada disso.
Esta imagem de hostilidade não foi exposta no mês passado, quando a família real completa - Urdangarín incluído - entrava em um hospital privado madrilenho para visitar o monarca, que acabava de ser operado da bacia pela terceira vez desde abril, quando sofreu um acidente em Botsuana durante uma polêmica caça de elefantes. A visita aconteceu cinco dias antes de a Promotoria Anticorrupção impor a Urdangarín e a seu sócio, Diego Torres, a fiança de responsabilidade civil de € 8.189.448,44 (o equivalente a R$ 22,5 milhões). Este valor corresponde à soma recebida pelo Instituto Nóos - organização sem fins lucrativos presidida por Urdangarín entre 2003 e 2006 - para organizar eventos esportivos, negociados sem licitação com os governos das Ilhas Baleares e de Valência.
- Em três anos, Urdangarín e Torres teriam embolsado cerca de € 20 milhões, de estudos e eventos que nunca foram realizados. Boa parte desse dinheiro jamais será recuperado, porque está em paraísos fiscais que eles se negam a revelar - afirma Inda, que analisou rigorosamente o processo judicial.
A fiança será descontada, no caso de o genro do rei ser condenado, de uma futura indenização determinada pelo juiz quando o julgamento se realizar, provavelmente em 2013. A indenização não substituiria uma pena de prisão. Inda, no entanto, acha difícil ver o genro do rei atrás das grades.
- Se somarmos as penas dos cinco crimes (desvio de verbas públicas, prevaricação, falsidade ideológica, fraude à Administração e lavagem de dinheiro) pelos quais Urdangarín está indiciado, é difícil não imaginá-lo na cadeia. Se a pena fosse rígida, pegaria mais de 15 anos de prisão. Mesmo somando as penas mínimas a sentença seria superior aos dois anos de reclusão. Mas não descarto que se encontre algum esquema para livrar Urdangarín da prisão - avalia.
Enquanto se espera o julgamento, a dúvida sobre o possível indiciamento da infanta Cristina, solicitado ao juiz do caso pela organização de funcionários públicos Manos Limpias, foi dissipada.
- A Promotoria Geral do Estado já tomou a decisão política de não indiciá-la. - afirma Inda - Se deveria ter sido indiciada? A resposta é tão óbvia que não vou dá-la.
A filha do meio do rei fazia parte da diretoria do Instituto Nóos e era proprietária, junto com seu marido, da empresa Aizoon, em cuja conta corrente parte do dinheiro captado pelo Nóos - cujo tesoureiro era Carlos García Revenga, secretário particular da infanta - era desviado. No livro, Inda conta que “sequer a descoberta de que desvios do Nóos foram parar numa conta pessoal da infanta Cristina, à qual só ela tinha acesso, fez o magistrado e o promotor mudarem sua postura”.
- Se uma coisa ficou clara é que a infanta ama seu marido e decidiu estar com ele até o fim. A Casa Real pediu que se divorciem para salvar a instituição. Mas Cristina resiste - conta Inda.
O livro narra a pressão que o Palácio da Zarzuela fez sobre Urdangarín para que pedisse perdão público, assumindo o “grave e irreparável” prejuízo causado. No dia 11 de novembro de 2011, um mês antes de Urdangarín ser indiciado, o genro do rei foi recebido por Juan Carlos I e pelo príncipe com uma conversa que Inda reproduz no livro:
- Tire a minha filha desta confusão. Desvincule-a de tudo. Diga que ela não sabia do que você estava fazendo. A filha do rei não pode ser indiciada - teria ordenado o rei, sem sucesso.
As desconfianças dentro da família real sobre o tipo de negócio nos quais Urdangarín estava envolvido teriam começado em 2004, quando a infanta Cristina e Urdangarín compraram uma casa de 650 metros quadrados no bairro mais caro de Barcelona, Pedralbes.
- Não sei o que o rei pensava, mas o príncipe Felipe sempre viu com maus olhos o estilo de vida que sua irmã e seu cunhado levavam. Achava suspeito que morassem em uma casa de € 9 milhões, quando o salário anual de Urdangarín era de € 50 mil - afirma Inda.
Pedido de empréstimo
Foi nesta mansão que a filha dos reis da Espanha organizou, em janeiro de 2008, uma festa surpresa para celebrar os 40 anos de seu marido. Urdangarín se aproximou do cunhado pedindo ajuda financeira. Ele disse que não conseguia pagar a hipoteca da mansão, argumentando que o rei teria prometido “dar uma mãozinha”, já que o apartamento onde o casal morava antes não era adequado para hospedar o monarca durante suas visitas a Barcelona. Além de negar o empréstimo, o príncipe Felipe disse que era mentira que existisse promessa de ajuda e concluiu a conversa sentenciando que, se não tinha dinheiro suficiente, Urdangarín não deveria ter comprado a mansão.
O impacto que o suposto envolvimento de Urdangarín em atividades corruptas causou na imagem da monarquia espanhola é incontestável, mas Inda considera que a sentença será fundamental para consolidar este impacto: em sua teoria, deixar Urdangarín em liberdade seria prejudicial à Coroa, porque reforçaria a convicção cidadã de que a realeza é imune à Justiça.
- Sinceramente, acredito que os índices de apoio à monarquia disparariam se Urdangarín fosse condenado à prisão. Caso contrário, despencarão ainda mais - sentencia.
Cimeira decide prolongar protocolo de Quioto até 2020
Cimeira decide prolongar protocolo de Quioto até 2020: A presidência da conferência de Doha sobre o combate às alterações climáticas anunciou ter chegado hoje a acordo para estender o protocolo de Quioto até 2020, uma negociação conseguida depois de um longo...
North Korea looks set to delay controversial rocket launch
North Korea looks set to delay controversial rocket launch: SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea will likely postpone the launch of a long-range rocket, state news agency KCNA said on Saturday, but gave no reasons for delaying the plan which has been widely condemned by countries including Russia and the United States.
Vencedor de lotaria quer 'fugir' ao aumento de impostos
Vencedor de lotaria quer 'fugir' ao aumento de impostos: Um homem ganhou o segundo prémio mais alto da história dos EUA e quer receber o dinheiro todo de uma vez para não ficar sujeito ao aumento de impostos previsto para 2013.
Raider sues police for injuring him in sting
Raider sues police for injuring him in sting: A robber who was part of a smash-and-grab motorcycle gang which broke into shops using sledgehammers is suing Scotland Yard, claiming he was injured in a police sting
Advertisers abandon Australian radio station linked to suicide of British nurse - @smh
RADIO network Austereo has suspended all advertising on 2Day FM in response to advertiser boycotts following the suspected suicide of a British nurse caught up in the royal prank call scandal.
Energy Waste Rebounds: Top 10 Energy Pigs in the Plug
Energy Waste Rebounds: Top 10 Energy Pigs in the Plug: The average commercial building in the United States is only about 13,000 square feet. Less than 5% of buildings are larger than 50 thousand square feet, the size of a large supermarket.
DealBook: Canada Clears $15 Billion Chinese Takeover of an Energy Company
DealBook: Canada Clears $15 Billion Chinese Takeover of an Energy Company: The takeover would give China some footholds in the Gulf of of Mexico and the Canadian oil sands in the North Sea.
The limits of what Doha can reach
The limits of what Doha can reach: Disagreements among negotiators in Doha have made it a struggle to wrap up the UN climate talks on time. And there is little optimism that the delegates will come to substantial agreements.
Breast cancer drug cuts death rates by a third
Breast cancer drug cuts death rates by a third: A new breast cancer drug cuts the chance of some women dying from the disease by a third, according to a trial.
Karzai says attack on Afghan intelligence chief planned in Pakistan
Karzai says attack on Afghan intelligence chief planned in Pakistan: KABUL (Reuters) - Afghan President Hamid Karzai said on Saturday that a suicide bombing attack that wounded his intelligence chief was planned in the Pakistani city of Quetta.
Friday, 7 December 2012
Russia may halt U.S. beef, pork imports: trade group
Russia may halt U.S. beef, pork imports: trade group: CHICAGO (Reuters) - U.S. pork and beef exports to Russia could halt on Saturday following Moscow's requirement that the meat be tested and certified free of the feed additive ractopamine, a move analysts said smacked of political retaliation.
Firma Bolivia adhesión a Mercosur
Firma Bolivia adhesión a Mercosur: Bolivia firmó el protocolo de adhesión a Mercosur para convertirse en el secto miembro del grupo, en la cumbre que se realiza en Brasilia.
Gypsies arrived in Europe 1,500 years ago, genetic study says
In parts of Europe they are still shunned as disruptive outsiders or patronised as little more than an exotic source of music and dance, but scientists have now proved the continent's Gypsies have ancient roots stretching back more than a millennium.
A genetic analysis of 13 Gypsy groups around Europe, published in the Current Biology journal, has revealed that the arrival on the continent of Gypsy forebears from northern India happened far earlier than was thought, around 1,500 years ago.
The earliest population reached the Balkans, while the spread outwards from there came around nine centuries ago, according to researchers at Spain's Institute of Evolutionary Biology and elsewhere.
"There were already some linguistic studies that gave clues pointing to India and genetic studies too, though without being precise about the where or when," explained David Comas, who led the research group.
"Now we can see that they arrived in one single wave from the north-west of India around 1,500 years ago," he added.
Gypsies were originally thought to have come from Egypt and some of the earliest references to them in English, dating back to the 16th century, call them "Egyptians".
Early European references describe wandering, nomadic communities who were known for their music and skill with horses.
They arrived in Spain in the 15th century or earlier – with records of groups of up to a hundred gypsies travelling together, often led by someone who termed himself a "count" or "duke" – and held on despite attempts to expel them or imprison those who refused to give up their language and culture. They were accompanied by a legend that they had been expelled from Egypt for trying to hide Jesus Christ.
The new study now sets their arrival in Europe in the sixth century – a time when Britain was still in its early post-Roman era.
Gypsies, often referred to as Roma, are found across all of Europe and make up the continent's largest ethnic minority. There are about 11 million of them in Europe.
Centuries of discrimination, including systematic extermination by some 20th-century fascist regimes, have helped keep many of them marginalised.
"There is still widespread discrimination and this is the most marginalised minority in Europe," said Robert Kushen of the European Roma Rights Centre in Hungary.
Both Nicolas Sarkozy's France and Silvio Berlusconi's Italy targeted Gypsy communities with populist eviction policies, while long-running discrimination continues in much of eastern Europe.
A genetic analysis of 13 Gypsy groups around Europe, published in the Current Biology journal, has revealed that the arrival on the continent of Gypsy forebears from northern India happened far earlier than was thought, around 1,500 years ago.
The earliest population reached the Balkans, while the spread outwards from there came around nine centuries ago, according to researchers at Spain's Institute of Evolutionary Biology and elsewhere.
"There were already some linguistic studies that gave clues pointing to India and genetic studies too, though without being precise about the where or when," explained David Comas, who led the research group.
"Now we can see that they arrived in one single wave from the north-west of India around 1,500 years ago," he added.
Gypsies were originally thought to have come from Egypt and some of the earliest references to them in English, dating back to the 16th century, call them "Egyptians".
Early European references describe wandering, nomadic communities who were known for their music and skill with horses.
They arrived in Spain in the 15th century or earlier – with records of groups of up to a hundred gypsies travelling together, often led by someone who termed himself a "count" or "duke" – and held on despite attempts to expel them or imprison those who refused to give up their language and culture. They were accompanied by a legend that they had been expelled from Egypt for trying to hide Jesus Christ.
The new study now sets their arrival in Europe in the sixth century – a time when Britain was still in its early post-Roman era.
Gypsies, often referred to as Roma, are found across all of Europe and make up the continent's largest ethnic minority. There are about 11 million of them in Europe.
Centuries of discrimination, including systematic extermination by some 20th-century fascist regimes, have helped keep many of them marginalised.
"There is still widespread discrimination and this is the most marginalised minority in Europe," said Robert Kushen of the European Roma Rights Centre in Hungary.
Both Nicolas Sarkozy's France and Silvio Berlusconi's Italy targeted Gypsy communities with populist eviction policies, while long-running discrimination continues in much of eastern Europe.
SECRET SERVICE UNDER GUN IN DATA BREACH - AND RADIO WEAPON ABUSES
Fox News and The New York Post report that the U.S. Secret Service is under the investigative gun for a massive data breach resulting from the loss two backup computer tapes being transported by an employee of a private contractor on a Washington, D.C. subway.
US military under fire for targeting 'hostile children' in Afghanistan
Outrage grows after top military figure suggested US troops were on the lookout for 'children with potential hostile intent'
The US military is facing fresh questions over its targeting policy in Afghanistan after a senior army officer suggested that troops were on the lookout for "children with potential hostile intent".
In comments which legal experts and campaigners described as "deeply troubling", army Lt Col Marion Carrington told the Marine Corp Times that children, as well as "military-age males", had been identified as a potential threat because some were being used by the Taliban to assist in attacks against Afghan and coalition forces.
"It kind of opens our aperture," said Carrington, whose unit, 1st Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, was assisting the Afghan police. "In addition to looking for military-age males, it's looking for children with potential hostile intent."
In the article, headlined "Some Afghan kids aren't bystanders", Carrington referred to a case this year in which the Afghan national police in Kandahar province said they found children helping insurgents by carrying soda bottles full of potassium chlorate.
The piece also quoted an unnamed marine corps official who questioned the "innocence" of Afghan children, particularly three who were killed in a US rocket strike in October. Last month, the New York Times quoted local officials who said Borjan, 12, Sardar Wali, 10, and Khan Bibi, eight, from Helmand's Nawa district had been killed while gathering dung for fuel.
However, the US official claimed that, before they called for the strike on suspected insurgents planting improvised explosive devices, marines had seen the children digging a hole in a dirt road and that "the Taliban may have recruited the children to carry out the mission".
Last year, Human Rights Watch reported a sharp increase in the Taliban's deployment of children in suicide bombings, some as young as seven.
But the apparent widening of the US military's already controversial targeting policy has alarmed human rights lawyers and campaigners.
Amos Guiora, a law professor at the University of Utah specialising in counter-terrorism, said Carrington's remarks reflected the shifting definitions of legitimate military targets within the Obama administration.
Guiora, who spent years in the Israel Defence Forces, including time as a legal adviser in the Gaza Strip, said: "I have great respect for people who put themselves in harm's way. Carrington is probably a great guy, but he is articulating a deeply troubling policy adopted by the Obama administration.
"The decision about who you consider a legitimate target is less defined by your conduct than the conduct of the people or category of people which you are assigned to belong to … That is beyond troubling. It is also illegal and immoral."
Guiora added: "If you are looking to create a paradigm where you increase the 'aperture' – that scares me. It doesn't work, operationally, morally or practically."
Guiora cited comments made by John Brennan, the White House counter-terrorism chief, in April, in which he "talked about flexible definitions of imminent threat."
Pardiss Kebriaei, senior attorney of the Center for Constitutional Rights and a specialist in targeted killings, said she was concerned over what seemed to be an attempt to justify the killing of children.
Kebriaei said: "This is one official quoted. I don't know if that standard is what they are using but the standard itself is troubling."
The US is already facing criticism for using the term term "military-aged male" to justify targeted killings where the identities of individuals are not known. Under the US definition, all fighting-age males killed in drone strikes are regarded as combatants and not civilians, unless there is explicit evidence to the contrary. This has the effect of significantly reducing the official tally of civilian deaths.
Kebriael said the definition was reportedly being used in Pakistan, Somalia and Yemen. "Under the rules of law you can only target civilians if they are directly participating in hostilities. So, here, this standard of presuming any military aged males in the vicinity of a war zone are militants, already goes beyond what the law allows.
"When you get to the suggestion that children with potentially hostile intent may be perceived to be legitimate targets is deeply troubling and unlawful."
Children in conflict zones have additional protections under the law.
Kebriael, who is counsel for CCR in a lawsuit which seeks accountability for the killing of three American citizens – including a 16 year old boy – in US drone strikes in Yemen last year, said that the piece also raised questions over how those killed in that incident were counted. "Were they counted as military-aged males or were they counted as children with potentially hostile intent or were they counted as the innocent bystanders they were?"
In a speech in April setting out the context for the US programme of targeted killings, White House counter-terrorism chief John Brennan spoke about a threshold of "significant threat', which was widely seen as introducing a lower criteria than "imminent threat".
Brennan said: "Even if it is lawful to pursue a specific member of al-Qaida, we ask ourselves whether that individual's activities rise to a certain threshold for action, and whether taking action will, in fact, enhance our security. For example, when considering lethal force we ask ourselves whether the individual poses a significant threat to US interests. This is absolutely critical, and it goes to the very essence of why we take this kind of exceptional action."
An Isaf spokesman, Lt Col Jimmie Cummings, told the Marine Corp Times that insurgents continue to use children as suicide bombers and IED emplacers, even though Taliban leader Mullah Omar has ordered them to stop harming civilians.
There have been more than 200 children killed in Pakistan, Somalia and Yemen by the CIA and Joint Special Operating Command, according to the Bureau of Investigative Journalism.
The US military is facing fresh questions over its targeting policy in Afghanistan after a senior army officer suggested that troops were on the lookout for "children with potential hostile intent".
In comments which legal experts and campaigners described as "deeply troubling", army Lt Col Marion Carrington told the Marine Corp Times that children, as well as "military-age males", had been identified as a potential threat because some were being used by the Taliban to assist in attacks against Afghan and coalition forces.
"It kind of opens our aperture," said Carrington, whose unit, 1st Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, was assisting the Afghan police. "In addition to looking for military-age males, it's looking for children with potential hostile intent."
In the article, headlined "Some Afghan kids aren't bystanders", Carrington referred to a case this year in which the Afghan national police in Kandahar province said they found children helping insurgents by carrying soda bottles full of potassium chlorate.
The piece also quoted an unnamed marine corps official who questioned the "innocence" of Afghan children, particularly three who were killed in a US rocket strike in October. Last month, the New York Times quoted local officials who said Borjan, 12, Sardar Wali, 10, and Khan Bibi, eight, from Helmand's Nawa district had been killed while gathering dung for fuel.
However, the US official claimed that, before they called for the strike on suspected insurgents planting improvised explosive devices, marines had seen the children digging a hole in a dirt road and that "the Taliban may have recruited the children to carry out the mission".
Last year, Human Rights Watch reported a sharp increase in the Taliban's deployment of children in suicide bombings, some as young as seven.
But the apparent widening of the US military's already controversial targeting policy has alarmed human rights lawyers and campaigners.
Amos Guiora, a law professor at the University of Utah specialising in counter-terrorism, said Carrington's remarks reflected the shifting definitions of legitimate military targets within the Obama administration.
Guiora, who spent years in the Israel Defence Forces, including time as a legal adviser in the Gaza Strip, said: "I have great respect for people who put themselves in harm's way. Carrington is probably a great guy, but he is articulating a deeply troubling policy adopted by the Obama administration.
"The decision about who you consider a legitimate target is less defined by your conduct than the conduct of the people or category of people which you are assigned to belong to … That is beyond troubling. It is also illegal and immoral."
Guiora added: "If you are looking to create a paradigm where you increase the 'aperture' – that scares me. It doesn't work, operationally, morally or practically."
Guiora cited comments made by John Brennan, the White House counter-terrorism chief, in April, in which he "talked about flexible definitions of imminent threat."
Pardiss Kebriaei, senior attorney of the Center for Constitutional Rights and a specialist in targeted killings, said she was concerned over what seemed to be an attempt to justify the killing of children.
Kebriaei said: "This is one official quoted. I don't know if that standard is what they are using but the standard itself is troubling."
The US is already facing criticism for using the term term "military-aged male" to justify targeted killings where the identities of individuals are not known. Under the US definition, all fighting-age males killed in drone strikes are regarded as combatants and not civilians, unless there is explicit evidence to the contrary. This has the effect of significantly reducing the official tally of civilian deaths.
Kebriael said the definition was reportedly being used in Pakistan, Somalia and Yemen. "Under the rules of law you can only target civilians if they are directly participating in hostilities. So, here, this standard of presuming any military aged males in the vicinity of a war zone are militants, already goes beyond what the law allows.
"When you get to the suggestion that children with potentially hostile intent may be perceived to be legitimate targets is deeply troubling and unlawful."
Children in conflict zones have additional protections under the law.
Kebriael, who is counsel for CCR in a lawsuit which seeks accountability for the killing of three American citizens – including a 16 year old boy – in US drone strikes in Yemen last year, said that the piece also raised questions over how those killed in that incident were counted. "Were they counted as military-aged males or were they counted as children with potentially hostile intent or were they counted as the innocent bystanders they were?"
In a speech in April setting out the context for the US programme of targeted killings, White House counter-terrorism chief John Brennan spoke about a threshold of "significant threat', which was widely seen as introducing a lower criteria than "imminent threat".
Brennan said: "Even if it is lawful to pursue a specific member of al-Qaida, we ask ourselves whether that individual's activities rise to a certain threshold for action, and whether taking action will, in fact, enhance our security. For example, when considering lethal force we ask ourselves whether the individual poses a significant threat to US interests. This is absolutely critical, and it goes to the very essence of why we take this kind of exceptional action."
An Isaf spokesman, Lt Col Jimmie Cummings, told the Marine Corp Times that insurgents continue to use children as suicide bombers and IED emplacers, even though Taliban leader Mullah Omar has ordered them to stop harming civilians.
There have been more than 200 children killed in Pakistan, Somalia and Yemen by the CIA and Joint Special Operating Command, according to the Bureau of Investigative Journalism.
Big rigs switching to natural gas
Big rigs switching to natural gas: At the Flying J truck stop in rural Virginia, truck drivers can taste the coffee, smell the diesel and see the future.
Smoke from Arctic wildfires may have caused Greenland's record thaw
Satellite images suggest soot particles settled over ice sheet making it absorb more heat during last year's extreme melting
The freak melt of the Greenland ice sheet last summer may have been forced by smoke from Arctic wildfires, new research suggests.
Satellite observations, due to be presented at the annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union on Friday, for the first time tracks smoke and soot particles from tundra wildfires over to Greenland.
Scientists have long known that soot blackens snow and ice, reducing its powers of reflectivity and making it more likely to melt under the sun.
But the satellite records, due to be presented by the Ohio State University geographer Jason Box, go a step further, picking up images of smoke over Greenland at the time of last summer's extreme melt.
Greenland experienced its most dramatic melting since satellite records began last July, with virtually the entire ice sheet showing signs of a thaw over the course of four days.
The thaw was due to the warming atmosphere caused by climate change, as well as local weather conditions over Greenland including clear bright skies and a lack of fresh snow cover. But Box said scientists are now beginning to identify another important cause for melting: smoke and soot particles, darkening the surface of the Greenland ice sheet.
Earlier research found a 7% decline in Greenland's reflectivity over the past decade. Under warming, ice crystals lose their jagged edges, becoming more rounded with reduced areas of reflectivity.
But the true extent of the loss could be much greater once the smoke from forest fires is factored in. "Soot is a very powerful absorber. Very small increases in soot content have big increases in solar absorption," Box said.
In its annual Arctic report, released this week this week, the premier scientific agency the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, warned greener and warmer conditions due to climate change were making the tundra more fire-prone.
When soot from those fires settles over the ice, it captures the sun's heat. "That's why increasing tundra wildfires have the potential to accelerate the melting in Greenland," Box said.
Box and his team used Nasa satellites to spot large fires which burned for several days in Labrador last summer, and computer models to anticipate smoke trajectories. They then used satellite imaging to detect sooty aerosols, or smoke clouds, directly over Greenland.
"We are tracking the fires from source to sink, the place where the smoke is depositing on the ice sheet. The scan can verify that the smoke is making it to its destination," Box said.
He said he planned to return to Greenland in the early summer of 2013 to take samples from the ice sheet in a crowd-sourced expedition, the Dark Snow project.
"We saw complete surface melting of the ice sheet for the first time in observation. Would that have happened without the wildfire soot of 2012?" Box said. "We don't know. We have got to get up there and make those measurements."
The freak melt of the Greenland ice sheet last summer may have been forced by smoke from Arctic wildfires, new research suggests.
Satellite observations, due to be presented at the annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union on Friday, for the first time tracks smoke and soot particles from tundra wildfires over to Greenland.
Scientists have long known that soot blackens snow and ice, reducing its powers of reflectivity and making it more likely to melt under the sun.
But the satellite records, due to be presented by the Ohio State University geographer Jason Box, go a step further, picking up images of smoke over Greenland at the time of last summer's extreme melt.
Greenland experienced its most dramatic melting since satellite records began last July, with virtually the entire ice sheet showing signs of a thaw over the course of four days.
The thaw was due to the warming atmosphere caused by climate change, as well as local weather conditions over Greenland including clear bright skies and a lack of fresh snow cover. But Box said scientists are now beginning to identify another important cause for melting: smoke and soot particles, darkening the surface of the Greenland ice sheet.
Earlier research found a 7% decline in Greenland's reflectivity over the past decade. Under warming, ice crystals lose their jagged edges, becoming more rounded with reduced areas of reflectivity.
But the true extent of the loss could be much greater once the smoke from forest fires is factored in. "Soot is a very powerful absorber. Very small increases in soot content have big increases in solar absorption," Box said.
In its annual Arctic report, released this week this week, the premier scientific agency the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, warned greener and warmer conditions due to climate change were making the tundra more fire-prone.
When soot from those fires settles over the ice, it captures the sun's heat. "That's why increasing tundra wildfires have the potential to accelerate the melting in Greenland," Box said.
Box and his team used Nasa satellites to spot large fires which burned for several days in Labrador last summer, and computer models to anticipate smoke trajectories. They then used satellite imaging to detect sooty aerosols, or smoke clouds, directly over Greenland.
"We are tracking the fires from source to sink, the place where the smoke is depositing on the ice sheet. The scan can verify that the smoke is making it to its destination," Box said.
He said he planned to return to Greenland in the early summer of 2013 to take samples from the ice sheet in a crowd-sourced expedition, the Dark Snow project.
"We saw complete surface melting of the ice sheet for the first time in observation. Would that have happened without the wildfire soot of 2012?" Box said. "We don't know. We have got to get up there and make those measurements."
Consumer confidence plunges in early December
Consumer confidence plunges in early December: NEW YORK (Reuters) - Americans' outlook on the economy and their finances took a turn for the worse in early December due likely to anxiety about the potential for higher taxes resulting from contentious discussions in Washington over fiscal issues, a survey released on Friday showed.
ALLEMAGNE • Guerre et armement : la doctrine Merkel
ALLEMAGNE • Guerre et armement : la doctrine Merkel: Près de la moitié des exportations d'armes allemandes partent dans des Etats qui ne sont membres ni de l'UE ni de l'OTAN. Plutôt que d'aller se battre, mieux vaut livrer des armes à ses alliés, même si ce sont des dictatures. Telle est la politique de la chancelière.
UNION EUROPÉENNE • Les Britanniques rêvent de quitter l'Europe
UNION EUROPÉENNE • Les Britanniques rêvent de quitter l'Europe: "Au revoir, Europe," titre en une The Economist, avec une représentation de Britannia, le symbole de la Grande-Bretagne, sur un siège ejectable, s’étant échappé d’un avion sur le point de s'écraser décoré des étoiles du drapeau européen.
Bundesbank slashes German growth forecast
Bundesbank slashes German growth forecast: The German central bank has sharply reduced its 2013 growth outlook, even forecasting German output to shrink this winter. But it presumes the slowdown to be only a brief pause on the way back to stronger growth in 2014.
Illness leads Serb ambassador to NATO to suicide
Illness leads Serb ambassador to NATO to suicide: BELGRADE (Reuters) - Serbia's ambassador to NATO who killed himself earlier this week had recently been diagnosed with a life-threatening illness, a government official said on Friday.
Rebels Declare Damascus Airport a ‘Fair Target,’ Reports Say
Rebels Declare Damascus Airport a ‘Fair Target,’ Reports Say: The rebels on Friday warned travelers against using the airport, reports said, as diplomacy between the United States and Russia appeared to have made little progress.
Russian residents buy up tinned goods and matches ahead of apocalypse
Russian residents buy up tinned goods and matches ahead of apocalypse: Russian residents have been buying up cereals, tinned meat and boxes of matches in anticipation of the apocalypse.
MEXIQUE • Les millionaires s'amusent à la pêche au gros
MEXIQUE • Les millionaires s'amusent à la pêche au gros: Ernest Hemingway l'avait célébré dans son roman Le Vieil Homme et la mer. Le marlin donne lieu aujourd'hui à l'un des concours de pêche les mieux dotés au monde. On vient du monde entier à Los Cabos pour y participer.
Nobel prize winner likens censorship to airport security
Nobel prize winner likens censorship to airport security: Nobel Prize winner Mo Yan defends China’s suppression of free speech, saying that censorship should not prevent the truth, but that rumors and defamation “should be censored.”
Enfermeira envolvida em trote sobre Kate Middleton é encontrada morta
Enfermeira envolvida em trote sobre Kate Middleton é encontrada morta:
LONDRES - Uma enfermeira do Hospital King Edward VII que caiu num trote de uma rádio e passou informações sobre o estado de Kate Middleton foi encontrada morta. O hospital informou que ela se chamava Jacintha Saldanha e era uma enfermeira de primeira classe.
A polícia foi chamada às 9h35m após uma mulher ser encontrada inconsciente no centro de Londres. Jacintha estava perto do hospital, onde a duquesa passou três noites internada com fortes enjoos devido à gravidez. Os paramédicos tentaram reanimá-la, mas ela morreu no local.
De acordo com a polícia, a causa da morte não está clara, mas os agentes não acreditam em homicídio. Num comunicado, o hospital informou: “É com grande tristeza que confirmamos a trágica morte de um membro da nossa equipe de enfermagem, Jacintha Saldanha. Jacintha trabalhou no King Edward VII Hospital por mais de quatro anos, era uma enfermeira excelente, respeitada e popular entre seus colegas. Confirmamos que recentemente ela foi vítima de um trote ao hospital. O King Edward VII estava apoiando-a nesse momento difícil.”
Dois dias antes, uma rádio australiana ligou para o hospital, com dois apresentadores se passando pela rainha Elizabeth II e o príncipe Charles. Uma enfermeira caiu no trote da 2Day FM e informou que a duquesa de Cambridge estava melhor, já não vomitava, mas encontrava problemas para dormir. Jacintha só atendeu o telefone porque àquela hora, 5h30m, não havia recepcionista. No mesmo dia, o hospital descreveu o incidente como deplorável.
De acordo com o “Daily Mail”, as circunstâncias nas quais a enfermeira foi encontrada indicam que ela teria cometido o suicídio. O duque e a duquesa de Cambridge emitiram um comunicado dizendo estar “profundamente consternado”.
Michael Christian, o apresentador que se identificou como o príncipe de Gales, pediu desculpas dias atrás, mas hoje mesmo tuitou: “Mais sobre o trote real às 19h30m.”
LONDRES - Uma enfermeira do Hospital King Edward VII que caiu num trote de uma rádio e passou informações sobre o estado de Kate Middleton foi encontrada morta. O hospital informou que ela se chamava Jacintha Saldanha e era uma enfermeira de primeira classe.
A polícia foi chamada às 9h35m após uma mulher ser encontrada inconsciente no centro de Londres. Jacintha estava perto do hospital, onde a duquesa passou três noites internada com fortes enjoos devido à gravidez. Os paramédicos tentaram reanimá-la, mas ela morreu no local.
De acordo com a polícia, a causa da morte não está clara, mas os agentes não acreditam em homicídio. Num comunicado, o hospital informou: “É com grande tristeza que confirmamos a trágica morte de um membro da nossa equipe de enfermagem, Jacintha Saldanha. Jacintha trabalhou no King Edward VII Hospital por mais de quatro anos, era uma enfermeira excelente, respeitada e popular entre seus colegas. Confirmamos que recentemente ela foi vítima de um trote ao hospital. O King Edward VII estava apoiando-a nesse momento difícil.”
Dois dias antes, uma rádio australiana ligou para o hospital, com dois apresentadores se passando pela rainha Elizabeth II e o príncipe Charles. Uma enfermeira caiu no trote da 2Day FM e informou que a duquesa de Cambridge estava melhor, já não vomitava, mas encontrava problemas para dormir. Jacintha só atendeu o telefone porque àquela hora, 5h30m, não havia recepcionista. No mesmo dia, o hospital descreveu o incidente como deplorável.
De acordo com o “Daily Mail”, as circunstâncias nas quais a enfermeira foi encontrada indicam que ela teria cometido o suicídio. O duque e a duquesa de Cambridge emitiram um comunicado dizendo estar “profundamente consternado”.
Michael Christian, o apresentador que se identificou como o príncipe de Gales, pediu desculpas dias atrás, mas hoje mesmo tuitou: “Mais sobre o trote real às 19h30m.”
Thursday, 6 December 2012
Evasão fiscal é um dos problemas estruturais da Grécia
Evasão fiscal é um dos problemas estruturais da Grécia: O primeiro-ministro da Grécia, Antonis Samaras, reconheceu que a evasão fiscal é um dos "grande problemas estruturais" com que o país se depara, numa entrevista publicada na edição de hoje do jornal..
Exército está a carregar bombas com gás sarin
Exército está a carregar bombas com gás sarin: A televisão norte-americana NBC noticiou que estariam a ser carregadas bombas com gás sarin para lançar na Síria por via aérea depois de, na quarta-feira, o exército sírio ter bombardeado a periferia de...
Vida política custou a Romney 1350 milhões de euros
Vida política custou a Romney 1350 milhões de euros: A decisão de ingressar na vida política custou ao republicano Mitt Romney mais que a derrota. No total, a atividade pública fez o republicano gastar cerca de 1350 milhões de euros.
Pets Help Us Achieve Goals and Reduce Stress
Pets Help Us Achieve Goals and Reduce Stress:
The companionship of our furry friends may seem best suited for leisure time, but new research found that having one's dog or cat around--or even just in mind--helps people generate more goals, feel more confident about achieving those objectives and handle stress better.
In two related experiments published in the July Journal of Research in Personality , participants were assigned to one of three conditions. [More]
The companionship of our furry friends may seem best suited for leisure time, but new research found that having one's dog or cat around--or even just in mind--helps people generate more goals, feel more confident about achieving those objectives and handle stress better.
In two related experiments published in the July Journal of Research in Personality , participants were assigned to one of three conditions. [More]
Magnetic Fields from Antarctic research stations a potential problem
Magnetic Fields from Antarctic research stations a potential problem: Antarctic research stations could be adversely affecting the local environment by emitting magnetic pollution, a new study has found.
A new aerial survey is the first to research and assess the possible impact of a research station in Antarctica on magnetic fields.
Estimations indicated that the station generated a magnetic field that extends up to 650 metres from the station with a peak strength of 2800 nanotesla (nT) within 100 metres from the station on the ground.
This may have implications for organisms in Antarctica that are negatively affected by magnetic fields but the report's authors say further research is needed to investigate this.
A new aerial survey is the first to research and assess the possible impact of a research station in Antarctica on magnetic fields.
Estimations indicated that the station generated a magnetic field that extends up to 650 metres from the station with a peak strength of 2800 nanotesla (nT) within 100 metres from the station on the ground.
This may have implications for organisms in Antarctica that are negatively affected by magnetic fields but the report's authors say further research is needed to investigate this.
South Sudan's elephants face extinction: experts
South Sudan's elephants face extinction: experts: Juba, South Sudan (AFP) Dec 04, 2012
Elephant, giraffe and zebra in the world's newest nation South Sudan could soon be extinct due to rampant poaching and trafficking, conservation experts warned Tuesday.
Ironically, animals in South Sudan's vast wildernesses had been largely protected by almost five decades of civil war, despite poaching by rebels.
Elephant, giraffe and zebra in the world's newest nation South Sudan could soon be extinct due to rampant poaching and trafficking, conservation experts warned Tuesday.
Ironically, animals in South Sudan's vast wildernesses had been largely protected by almost five decades of civil war, despite poaching by rebels.
South Sudan's elephants face extinction: experts
South Sudan's elephants face extinction: experts: Juba, South Sudan (AFP) Dec 04, 2012
Elephant, giraffe and zebra in the world's newest nation South Sudan could soon be extinct due to rampant poaching and trafficking, conservation experts warned Tuesday.
Ironically, animals in South Sudan's vast wildernesses had been largely protected by almost five decades of civil war, despite poaching by rebels.
Elephant, giraffe and zebra in the world's newest nation South Sudan could soon be extinct due to rampant poaching and trafficking, conservation experts warned Tuesday.
Ironically, animals in South Sudan's vast wildernesses had been largely protected by almost five decades of civil war, despite poaching by rebels.
Probiotics help fish grow up faster and healthier
Probiotics help fish grow up faster and healthier: Baltimore MD (SPX) Dec 05, 2012
Probiotics like those found in yogurt are not only good for people--they are also good for fish. A new study by scientists at the Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology found that feeding probiotics to baby zebrafish accelerated their development and increased their chances of survival into adulthood.
This research could help increase the success of raising rare ornamental fish
Probiotics like those found in yogurt are not only good for people--they are also good for fish. A new study by scientists at the Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology found that feeding probiotics to baby zebrafish accelerated their development and increased their chances of survival into adulthood.
This research could help increase the success of raising rare ornamental fish
China pledges $56 billion to cut air pollution
China pledges $56 billion to cut air pollution: BEIJING (Reuters) - China will spend 350 billion yuan ($56 billion) by 2015 to curb air pollution in major cities, the environmental watchdog said on Wednesday.
Planning for Climate Change
Planning for Climate Change: The Metcalf Institute at the University of Rhode Island recently held the second in series of seminars on climate change. Here are a few noteworthy points that were offered Nov. 30 by 15 scientists, engineers, planners and other experts:
Snowpack in the Northeast has decreased its annual volume by 11 percent since 1900.
Sea level is projected to rise between 2.5 and 6 feet by 2100. "If you want to see what 5 feet of sea level rise will look like, you look at Hurricane Sandy," said Bryan Oakley, a URI researcher and professor of earth sciences at Eastern Connecticut State University.
Snowpack in the Northeast has decreased its annual volume by 11 percent since 1900.
Sea level is projected to rise between 2.5 and 6 feet by 2100. "If you want to see what 5 feet of sea level rise will look like, you look at Hurricane Sandy," said Bryan Oakley, a URI researcher and professor of earth sciences at Eastern Connecticut State University.
Victory for vulnerable whale sharks at Pacific meeting
Victory for vulnerable whale sharks at Pacific meeting: Manila (AFP) Dec 5, 2012
Asia and Pacific nations agreed at a meeting in the Philippines on Wednesday to take steps to protect whale sharks in a victory for the world's largest fish, officials said.
Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission nations agreed that tuna fishers must stop setting their nets around the vulnerable giants in order to catch smaller fish that gather underneath them, said Palau fishing o
Asia and Pacific nations agreed at a meeting in the Philippines on Wednesday to take steps to protect whale sharks in a victory for the world's largest fish, officials said.
Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission nations agreed that tuna fishers must stop setting their nets around the vulnerable giants in order to catch smaller fish that gather underneath them, said Palau fishing o
Norway to pay Brazil $180 million for slowing deforestation
Norway to pay Brazil $180 million for slowing deforestation: OSLO (Reuters) - Norway has agreed to give $180 million to Brazil as part of a broader $1 billion deal for slowing deforestation in the Amazon rainforest, Oslo's environment minister said on Thursday.
Date Palm Leaves Could Improve Water Treatment Across the Middle East
Date Palm Leaves Could Improve Water Treatment Across the Middle East: Date palm leaves — currently a waste product of date farming — could be used to remove pharmaceutical chemicals and dyes from hospital wastewater, say researchers from Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) in Oman. The first hospital wastewater treatment pilot project is due to start in Oman early next year, and scientists are working to use this technology in both drinking water filters and for industrial wastewater treatment.
H&M wants the (old) clothes off your back
H&M wants the (old) clothes off your back: Swedish global fashion firm Hennes & Mauritz plans to start collecting old clothes from next year to hand over for recycling, it said on Thursday.
If pot 'falls from the sky' you can have it
If pot 'falls from the sky' you can have it: A legal haze is descending on Washington state. It is now legal to possess up to an ounce of marijuana, but growing it and selling it is still a crime.
Australia PM jokes: 'End of the world is coming'
Australia PM jokes: 'End of the world is coming': Australia's Prime Minister Julia Gillard has warned that predictions of the end of the world by ancient Mayans were correct and that the final days are coming -- in a deadpan ad for a lighthearted breakfast radio show.
Frenchmen's sperm plunges by a third in quality and quantity since '89
Une sabotage méchant droite dans les sphères de mariage
The future of the French nation is in serious doubt if boffins don't get to the bottom of a serious decline in transmanche sperm production.…
The future of the French nation is in serious doubt if boffins don't get to the bottom of a serious decline in transmanche sperm production.…
Evictions in Spain prompt spate of suicides
Evictions in Spain prompt spate of suicides: In Spain, several recent suicides have prompted authorities to declare a two-year moratorium on some home repossessions, for humanitarian reasons. But others still face losing their homes, and public anger is growing.
Stop Burning Rain Forests for Palm Oil
Stop Burning Rain Forests for Palm Oil:
In the Tripa forest in Indonesia's Aceh province, the rare Sumatran orangutans were dying. Flames devoured the trees, smoke filled the air and the red apes had nowhere to go. The fires had been set intentionally, to clear the land for planting oil palms--trees whose fruit yields palm oil, a widely used component of biofuels, cosmetics and food. Although the land was supposed to be protected, the Aceh governor issued a permit in August 2011 for Indonesian palm oil firm PT Kallista Alam to develop some 1,600 hectares in Tripa. In September 2012, under pressure from environmental groups, the permit was revoked. It seemed like a significant win for conservation. Yet the controversial Tripa permit was just a small part of the country's palm oil–driven deforestation crisis.
With its low price tag and long shelf life, palm oil is the cooking oil of choice in many parts of the world. The plant is a major cash crop for poor farmers in developing countries such as Indonesia, the world's largest producer of palm oil. Palm oil estates there cover an estimated 8.2 million hectares of land--an area the size of Maine--and that number is poised to skyrocket as the country prepares to double its output by 2030. Palm oil exports bring Indonesia and neighboring Malaysia $40 billion a year.
[More]
In the Tripa forest in Indonesia's Aceh province, the rare Sumatran orangutans were dying. Flames devoured the trees, smoke filled the air and the red apes had nowhere to go. The fires had been set intentionally, to clear the land for planting oil palms--trees whose fruit yields palm oil, a widely used component of biofuels, cosmetics and food. Although the land was supposed to be protected, the Aceh governor issued a permit in August 2011 for Indonesian palm oil firm PT Kallista Alam to develop some 1,600 hectares in Tripa. In September 2012, under pressure from environmental groups, the permit was revoked. It seemed like a significant win for conservation. Yet the controversial Tripa permit was just a small part of the country's palm oil–driven deforestation crisis.
With its low price tag and long shelf life, palm oil is the cooking oil of choice in many parts of the world. The plant is a major cash crop for poor farmers in developing countries such as Indonesia, the world's largest producer of palm oil. Palm oil estates there cover an estimated 8.2 million hectares of land--an area the size of Maine--and that number is poised to skyrocket as the country prepares to double its output by 2030. Palm oil exports bring Indonesia and neighboring Malaysia $40 billion a year.
[More]
Max Clifford arrested by Jimmy Savile inquiry police over alleged sexual offences
Max Clifford arrested by Jimmy Savile inquiry police over alleged sexual offences: Max Clifford, the publicist, has been arrested by detectives from the Jimmy Savile investigation team. Mr Clifford was held on suspicion of sexual offences this morning and taken into custody at a London police station.
China warns India on oil exploration
China warns India on oil exploration: China has warned India to stop oil exploration in the South China Sea after New Delhi's Navy chief said he was prepared to send ships there to protect its interests.
Tufão mata cerca de 500 pessoas nas Filipinas
Tufão mata cerca de 500 pessoas nas Filipinas:
MANILA - A passagem do tufão Bopha pelas Filipinas já deixou ao menos 475 pessoas mortas, um inúmero impreciso de desaparecidos e cerca de 200 mil pessoas desabrigadas, informaram as autoridades nesta quinta-feira. O número de vítimas deve ser ainda maior, à medida que escombros de casas são revirados.
- Acreditamos que esse número irá aumentar porque há muitos desaparecidos - informou o diretor-executivo do Conselho Nacional de Desastres, Benito Ramos.
As mortes foram registradas em oito províncias do país, mas Mindanao (no sul) e Visayas (no centro) foi a mais atingida. Somente em Compostela Valley, em Mindanao, 184 pessoas morreram quando as enchentes atingiram os abrigos de emergência. Foi decretado estado de calamidade em Surigao do Sur, Davao Oriental e no Valle de Compostela.
- As comunicações caíram, não há energia elétrica, ruas e estradas estão destruídas. Ainda estamos trabalhando nos resgates - disse Ramos.
Das centenas de mortos, apenas 29 foram identificados até o momento. Outras 400 pessoas ficaram feridas com as enchentes e os deslizamentos de terra provocados pelo tufão. Acredita-se que muitas pessoas estejam soterradas.
O tufão Bopha, cujos ventos chegaram a atingir 195km/h, perdeu força e já se converteu em uma tempestade tropical. Ele se dirige agora ao Mar da China Meridional, mas ainda provoca fortes chuvas no lado ocidental das Filipinas.
Acredita-se que Bopha seja o último - e o pior - tufão a atingir o país este ano. No ano passado, o Washi deixou mais de 1.200 mortos.
MANILA - A passagem do tufão Bopha pelas Filipinas já deixou ao menos 475 pessoas mortas, um inúmero impreciso de desaparecidos e cerca de 200 mil pessoas desabrigadas, informaram as autoridades nesta quinta-feira. O número de vítimas deve ser ainda maior, à medida que escombros de casas são revirados.
- Acreditamos que esse número irá aumentar porque há muitos desaparecidos - informou o diretor-executivo do Conselho Nacional de Desastres, Benito Ramos.
As mortes foram registradas em oito províncias do país, mas Mindanao (no sul) e Visayas (no centro) foi a mais atingida. Somente em Compostela Valley, em Mindanao, 184 pessoas morreram quando as enchentes atingiram os abrigos de emergência. Foi decretado estado de calamidade em Surigao do Sur, Davao Oriental e no Valle de Compostela.
- As comunicações caíram, não há energia elétrica, ruas e estradas estão destruídas. Ainda estamos trabalhando nos resgates - disse Ramos.
Das centenas de mortos, apenas 29 foram identificados até o momento. Outras 400 pessoas ficaram feridas com as enchentes e os deslizamentos de terra provocados pelo tufão. Acredita-se que muitas pessoas estejam soterradas.
O tufão Bopha, cujos ventos chegaram a atingir 195km/h, perdeu força e já se converteu em uma tempestade tropical. Ele se dirige agora ao Mar da China Meridional, mas ainda provoca fortes chuvas no lado ocidental das Filipinas.
Acredita-se que Bopha seja o último - e o pior - tufão a atingir o país este ano. No ano passado, o Washi deixou mais de 1.200 mortos.
Sales surge lifts Prada earnings 50%
Sales surge lifts Prada earnings 50%: Italian group says sales increase is worldwide including in Europe, where a steady flow of tourists – particularly from China – provided a boost
Ash dieback infection sites have doubled within a month, figures show
Ash dieback infection sites have doubled within a month, figures show:
The number of sites infected by deadly fungus reaches 291 as environment secretary unveils national control plan
The number of sites infected by the deadly fungus that causes ash dieback has more than doubled to 291 in a month, according to government figures released on Thursday.
The environment secretary, Owen Paterson, set out plans on Thursday aimed at controlling Chalara fraxinea, including keeping the ban on the import or movement of ash trees in place.
His department is also considering appointing a "tree tsar" - a chief plant health officer equivalent to the chief veterinary officer who leads the response to animal disease threats such as foot and mouth and bluetongue. But the measures were criticised by the National Trust as "limited and weak", too focused on minimising costs and "surrendering the British landscape to this disease".
"The plan I have set out today shows our determination to slow the spread and minimise the impact of Chalara," said Paterson, who said in November it would be impossible to eradicate the fungus. "It will also give us time to find those trees with genetic resistance to the disease and to restructure our woodlands to make them more resilient."
The fungus was first identified in the UK in February 2012 in a tree imported from the Netherlands to a nursery in Buckinghamshire. It has now been found at 136 sites linked to imported plants and a further 155 sites in the wider environment, which government scientists think were infected by wind-blown spores from continental Europe. The disease has devastated ash trees in many countries including Denmark where 90% have been infected.
The UK's control plan is based on four measures – "reduce, develop, encourage and adapt", said Prof Ian Boyd, chief scientist at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). He said the aim was to reduce the spread of Chalara, develop new control measures and resistant varieties, encourage the public and industry to help out and adapt the nation's forests to the inevitable changes. More than 13% of the country's broad-leaved woods are dominated by ash trees.
However, Paterson said the current policy of tracing and destroying young infected trees – which has seen more than 100,000 trees removed – was "unlikely to be sustainable in the longer term and there may be benefits from a more targeted approach." Boyd said control measures had to be "proportional" to ensure trade could continue and deliver "economic uplift" but said what a more targeted approach might be was yet to be determined.
"The limited actions and weak commitments set out in the plan will not be enough to control the spread of the disease - it's far too little, too late," said Simon Pryor, director of the natural environment at the National Trust. "We are alarmed to see the government is even wavering about continuing its programme of tracing, testing and destroying infected young ash trees. It is also disappointing to see the government is proposing almost no action in areas of the country already infected."
He added: "The action plan refers repeatedly to the cost of any intervention now, but makes very little reference to the costs that farmers, woodland owners, local authorities, gardeners and the government itself will face as this disease spreads across the country. Through this action plan we're effectively surrendering the British landscape to this disease before we've fully investigated ways of reducing rate of spread and buying time."
The Woodland Trust chief executive, Sue Holden, said the control plan was stalling as the government ploughed billions into the UK's built infrastructure in Wednesday's autumn statement, but was ignoring the country's natural infrastructure. "There is a distinct lack of political interest in supporting the UK's natural infrastructure despite the government's own figures valuing the benefits of our woods and trees at around £1.2bn a year. The consequences could be catastrophic, not only for the environment but for the UK economy too."
But Harry Cotterell, president of the Country Land and Business Association, said: "Paterson is right not to rush into unnecessary expensive control measures before the chances of success have been properly evaluated."
Paterson promised in November a "very, very radical" overhaul of his priorities at Defra, with much more spent on tackling the rising number of exotic diseases affecting plants and trees, and less spent in other areas. But Defra, which already suffered the biggest budget cut - 30% - of any major department, lost another £55m in the autumn statement and faces another spending review in 2013.
Alongside the Chalara control plan, Defra also published an interim report on tackling the rising danger of imported diseases killing trees and plants in the UK. Boyd said it recommended quarantine restrictions and plant passports as well as the appointment of a "tree tsar" who would lead the response to plant disease threats. He said existing rules required all plants from high-risk areas to be inspected. "But Chalara simply fell below the radar," he said. "It is a very difficult thing to identify."
"We also need more skills and capacity around plant diseases, such as the taxonomic skills need to identify them," Boyd said. He said progress had been made in other countries in identifying strains of ash that appear to be more resistant to Chalara, from which new stocks could be established.
The number of sites infected by the deadly fungus that causes ash dieback has more than doubled to 291 in a month, according to government figures released on Thursday.
The environment secretary, Owen Paterson, set out plans on Thursday aimed at controlling Chalara fraxinea, including keeping the ban on the import or movement of ash trees in place.
His department is also considering appointing a "tree tsar" - a chief plant health officer equivalent to the chief veterinary officer who leads the response to animal disease threats such as foot and mouth and bluetongue. But the measures were criticised by the National Trust as "limited and weak", too focused on minimising costs and "surrendering the British landscape to this disease".
"The plan I have set out today shows our determination to slow the spread and minimise the impact of Chalara," said Paterson, who said in November it would be impossible to eradicate the fungus. "It will also give us time to find those trees with genetic resistance to the disease and to restructure our woodlands to make them more resilient."
The fungus was first identified in the UK in February 2012 in a tree imported from the Netherlands to a nursery in Buckinghamshire. It has now been found at 136 sites linked to imported plants and a further 155 sites in the wider environment, which government scientists think were infected by wind-blown spores from continental Europe. The disease has devastated ash trees in many countries including Denmark where 90% have been infected.
The UK's control plan is based on four measures – "reduce, develop, encourage and adapt", said Prof Ian Boyd, chief scientist at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). He said the aim was to reduce the spread of Chalara, develop new control measures and resistant varieties, encourage the public and industry to help out and adapt the nation's forests to the inevitable changes. More than 13% of the country's broad-leaved woods are dominated by ash trees.
However, Paterson said the current policy of tracing and destroying young infected trees – which has seen more than 100,000 trees removed – was "unlikely to be sustainable in the longer term and there may be benefits from a more targeted approach." Boyd said control measures had to be "proportional" to ensure trade could continue and deliver "economic uplift" but said what a more targeted approach might be was yet to be determined.
"The limited actions and weak commitments set out in the plan will not be enough to control the spread of the disease - it's far too little, too late," said Simon Pryor, director of the natural environment at the National Trust. "We are alarmed to see the government is even wavering about continuing its programme of tracing, testing and destroying infected young ash trees. It is also disappointing to see the government is proposing almost no action in areas of the country already infected."
He added: "The action plan refers repeatedly to the cost of any intervention now, but makes very little reference to the costs that farmers, woodland owners, local authorities, gardeners and the government itself will face as this disease spreads across the country. Through this action plan we're effectively surrendering the British landscape to this disease before we've fully investigated ways of reducing rate of spread and buying time."
The Woodland Trust chief executive, Sue Holden, said the control plan was stalling as the government ploughed billions into the UK's built infrastructure in Wednesday's autumn statement, but was ignoring the country's natural infrastructure. "There is a distinct lack of political interest in supporting the UK's natural infrastructure despite the government's own figures valuing the benefits of our woods and trees at around £1.2bn a year. The consequences could be catastrophic, not only for the environment but for the UK economy too."
But Harry Cotterell, president of the Country Land and Business Association, said: "Paterson is right not to rush into unnecessary expensive control measures before the chances of success have been properly evaluated."
Paterson promised in November a "very, very radical" overhaul of his priorities at Defra, with much more spent on tackling the rising number of exotic diseases affecting plants and trees, and less spent in other areas. But Defra, which already suffered the biggest budget cut - 30% - of any major department, lost another £55m in the autumn statement and faces another spending review in 2013.
Alongside the Chalara control plan, Defra also published an interim report on tackling the rising danger of imported diseases killing trees and plants in the UK. Boyd said it recommended quarantine restrictions and plant passports as well as the appointment of a "tree tsar" who would lead the response to plant disease threats. He said existing rules required all plants from high-risk areas to be inspected. "But Chalara simply fell below the radar," he said. "It is a very difficult thing to identify."
"We also need more skills and capacity around plant diseases, such as the taxonomic skills need to identify them," Boyd said. He said progress had been made in other countries in identifying strains of ash that appear to be more resistant to Chalara, from which new stocks could be established.
Toxic cloud forces evacuations in Buenos Aires, Argentina; official says chemical substances are of 'low danger' - @BAHeraldcom
Toxic cloud forces evacuations in Buenos Aires, Argentina; official says chemical substances are of 'low danger' - @BAHeraldcom: Toxic cloud forces evacuations in Buenos Aires, Argentina; official says chemical substances are of 'low danger' - @BAHeraldcom
There was a pesticide inside the container whose main ingrediente was solid carbonate. Now the forensics are going to analyse all of the evidence to work out what started the whole thing.”
There was a pesticide inside the container whose main ingrediente was solid carbonate. Now the forensics are going to analyse all of the evidence to work out what started the whole thing.”
Jordan's king visits West Bank amid settlement dispute
Jordan's king visited the West Bank on Thursday in a show of support for Palestinians stung by Israel's decision to expand settlements after their successful bid for de facto U.N. recognition of statehood.
King Abdullah, whose country is at peace with Israel and an ally of the United States, made no immediate comment after flying by helicopter to the city of Ramallah for talks with Western-backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
King Abdullah, whose country is at peace with Israel and an ally of the United States, made no immediate comment after flying by helicopter to the city of Ramallah for talks with Western-backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
French troops 'killed Ivorian'
French troops 'killed Ivorian': Four former French peacekeepers admit their role in the killing of a suspected gang leader in Ivory Coast in 2005, but say they acted under orders.
CO2 Output Hits Record High
CO2 Output Hits Record High: Around the world, we are emitting more carbon dioxide than ever. For 2012, according to new projections by the Global Carbon Project, there is likely to be a 2.6 percent rise in global CO2 emissions from the burning of fossil fuels compared to the year before. That puts emissions of the gas at 58 percent higher than 1990 levels.
Gazprom nimmt Europa in die Zange
Gazprom nimmt Europa in die Zange: Russland baut seine Position als Gaslieferant nach Europa aus. Mit dem Bau der South-Stream-Pipeline verringert Moskau seine Abhängigkeit vom Transitland Ukraine und untergräbt das europäische Projekt Nabucco.
Forced Selling Adds Fuel To Apple's Fall
Forced Selling Adds Fuel To Apple's Fall: On Wednesday, Apple (AAPL) stock fell $37.05 or 6.43%. In after-hours the stock continued to fall and it was down as low as $518 this morning. Yesterday Apple suffered its largest one-day loss in four years.
Top 25 Developers Receive Half of App Store Revenue
Top 25 Developers Receive Half of App Store Revenue: Canalys research group estimates that half of all App store revenue from Apple and Google goes to just 25 developers. Pandora is the only non-game developer in the top 25.
Afghan gunmen kill polio vaccination worker in latest attack on women
Afghan gunmen kill polio vaccination worker in latest attack on women:
Taliban deny shooting dead health volunteer in Kapisa province who had already survived one assassination attempt
A student and volunteer on a polio vaccination programme has been murdered by gunmen in an eastern Afghan village, leaving many women too frightened to attend work and school, according to a member of parliament for the area.
Anisa, who had just finished 10th grade at school, was shot outside her home in Kapisa province on Saturday morning and died later in hospital, with six bullets in her stomach. But although officials, activists and security forces agree she was shot dead, reports differ about who was responsible.
The victim had already survived a murder attempt the day before she died, taking shelter in a neighbour's house when gunmen opened fire on her in the street, said Sima Matim, a Kapisa provincial council member, who believes insurgents were behind the killing.
"She hadn't realised a group was following her and was very afraid," said Matim, who has herself been threatened for working outside the home, and says she often feels like she is being watched. "Two times these groups called me and told me to stop my job. They told me my address and described my home to me. They said 'we know everything about you and you have to stop your job'.
"I worry about when I will be killed and what my destiny will be. My husband always tells me to stop work, but still I am trying to continue."
The violent deaths of women often go unreported or unresolved in Afghanistan, a country where senior clerics this year described them as "secondary" to men.
Heather Barr, Afghanistan researcher at Human Rights Watch, said: "The small number of cases of prosecution of violence against women speaks to a lack of enthusiasm on the part of police and prosecutors to get to the bottom of these cases."
Guidelines issued by the clerics said women were subordinate to men, that they should not mix in work or education, and must always have a male guardian when they travel. The edicts appeared in a statement that also encouraged insurgents to join peace talks, fuelling fears that any successful negotiations would come at a high cost to women.
Anisa was an orphan in her early 20s, old for her grade at school in part because she tried to support her family while studying, said Tahera Mojaddidi, a member of parliament and former teacher who knew her. War and poverty means it is not unusual for Afghan children to miss or repeat several years at school.
The morning she was murdered, Anisa got a phone call from her killers shortly before she left for work at the clinic where she volunteered on a polio eradication programme, Mojaddidi said.
Afghanistan is one of three countries where polio is still endemic, and only two thirds of children in Kapisa are vaccinated, according to United Nations figures.
When Anisa stepped outside, six bullets were pumped into her stomach, said the MP, who added that she had discussed the shooting with intelligence officials from her home province. She said she believed the Taliban were behind the killing.
"In the village, families are saying that from the time when Anisa was killed up until now, their girls cannot go to schools, women who are working for organisations, they do not dare go out, because they think if they do their destiny would be the same as Anisa's."
A Taliban spokesman denied any role in the shooting, and said the group was not against polio vaccines. The Pakistani Taliban this summer in effect banned polio eradication in South Waziristan, one of the most troubled areas of Pakistan.
Several Kapisa officials also denied a Taliban role in her killing. The provincial director of women's affairs, Saifoorah Kohistani, said there were no Taliban in Anisa's area and the government was looking into possible motives for the shooting. The provincial governor would say only that an investigation was under way.
Police said Anisa was caught in crossfire after a fight escalated in an area where most men carry guns. Mohammad Makhfous Walizada, deputy provincial police chief, said he had testimony from her brother, who carried the dying girl to hospital. Walizada said he had arrested a man, who was now being questioned.
He was backed up by another MP, Haji Agha Jan. "Someone told me it was two brothers or two cousins fighting. Everyone has Pakistani pistols there, one of them opened fire, the bullets mistakenly hit the girl and she was killed," said Jan.
Mojaddidi said officials were not interested in looking into such attacks; their insistence that the shooting was accidental was just an excuse, she said. "It's all some stories that the officials of Kapisa made up, to cover that there is violence against women."
Additional reporting by Mokhtar Amiri
A student and volunteer on a polio vaccination programme has been murdered by gunmen in an eastern Afghan village, leaving many women too frightened to attend work and school, according to a member of parliament for the area.
Anisa, who had just finished 10th grade at school, was shot outside her home in Kapisa province on Saturday morning and died later in hospital, with six bullets in her stomach. But although officials, activists and security forces agree she was shot dead, reports differ about who was responsible.
The victim had already survived a murder attempt the day before she died, taking shelter in a neighbour's house when gunmen opened fire on her in the street, said Sima Matim, a Kapisa provincial council member, who believes insurgents were behind the killing.
"She hadn't realised a group was following her and was very afraid," said Matim, who has herself been threatened for working outside the home, and says she often feels like she is being watched. "Two times these groups called me and told me to stop my job. They told me my address and described my home to me. They said 'we know everything about you and you have to stop your job'.
"I worry about when I will be killed and what my destiny will be. My husband always tells me to stop work, but still I am trying to continue."
The violent deaths of women often go unreported or unresolved in Afghanistan, a country where senior clerics this year described them as "secondary" to men.
Heather Barr, Afghanistan researcher at Human Rights Watch, said: "The small number of cases of prosecution of violence against women speaks to a lack of enthusiasm on the part of police and prosecutors to get to the bottom of these cases."
Guidelines issued by the clerics said women were subordinate to men, that they should not mix in work or education, and must always have a male guardian when they travel. The edicts appeared in a statement that also encouraged insurgents to join peace talks, fuelling fears that any successful negotiations would come at a high cost to women.
Anisa was an orphan in her early 20s, old for her grade at school in part because she tried to support her family while studying, said Tahera Mojaddidi, a member of parliament and former teacher who knew her. War and poverty means it is not unusual for Afghan children to miss or repeat several years at school.
The morning she was murdered, Anisa got a phone call from her killers shortly before she left for work at the clinic where she volunteered on a polio eradication programme, Mojaddidi said.
Afghanistan is one of three countries where polio is still endemic, and only two thirds of children in Kapisa are vaccinated, according to United Nations figures.
When Anisa stepped outside, six bullets were pumped into her stomach, said the MP, who added that she had discussed the shooting with intelligence officials from her home province. She said she believed the Taliban were behind the killing.
"In the village, families are saying that from the time when Anisa was killed up until now, their girls cannot go to schools, women who are working for organisations, they do not dare go out, because they think if they do their destiny would be the same as Anisa's."
A Taliban spokesman denied any role in the shooting, and said the group was not against polio vaccines. The Pakistani Taliban this summer in effect banned polio eradication in South Waziristan, one of the most troubled areas of Pakistan.
Several Kapisa officials also denied a Taliban role in her killing. The provincial director of women's affairs, Saifoorah Kohistani, said there were no Taliban in Anisa's area and the government was looking into possible motives for the shooting. The provincial governor would say only that an investigation was under way.
Police said Anisa was caught in crossfire after a fight escalated in an area where most men carry guns. Mohammad Makhfous Walizada, deputy provincial police chief, said he had testimony from her brother, who carried the dying girl to hospital. Walizada said he had arrested a man, who was now being questioned.
He was backed up by another MP, Haji Agha Jan. "Someone told me it was two brothers or two cousins fighting. Everyone has Pakistani pistols there, one of them opened fire, the bullets mistakenly hit the girl and she was killed," said Jan.
Mojaddidi said officials were not interested in looking into such attacks; their insistence that the shooting was accidental was just an excuse, she said. "It's all some stories that the officials of Kapisa made up, to cover that there is violence against women."
Additional reporting by Mokhtar Amiri
Assad busca asilo na América Latina, diz jornal israelense
Assad busca asilo na América Latina, diz jornal israelense:
RIO - O presidente sírio, Bashar al-Assad, estaria procurando asilo político para ele mesmo, seus parentes e aliados na América Latina, informou nesta quarta-feira o jornal israelense "Haaretz". Para alguns analistas, o aumento da pressão internacional por causa da suposta movimentação de armas químicas, a sinalização de uma mudança de postura de Moscou e a violência intensa em Damasco são sinais de que o conflito sírio está perto do fim. Em busca de uma saída, Assad enviou seu vice-chanceler a Caracas, Quito e Havana.
Autoridades em Caracas só confirmaram que a mensagem de Assad tinha como base a "relação pessoal entre os dois presidentes" e que a visita do vice-chanceler é uma mostra da proximidade entre os dois países. Desde o início do levante na Síria, em março de 2011, Chávez defende Assad. Durante o ano passado, a Venezuela enviou petróleo para a Síria, para abastecer tanques e equipamentos do Exército e ajudar no combate ao que Chávez chama de terroristas. O presidente venezuelano também mantém uma relação estreita com o Irã, o maior aliado de Assad no Oriente Médio.
O embaixador sírio em Caracas, Ghassan Abbas, confirmou na terça-feira o encontro do vice-chanceler com autoridades venezuelanas, mas disse não ter detalhe algum sobre o encontro. Reuniões semelhantes foram realizadas em Havana e Quito, acrescenta o jornal israelense.
O secretário-geral da ONU, Ban Ki-moon, sugeriu nesta quarta-feira não ser a favor de um acordo para o asilo de Assad como forma de colocar um fim à guerra civil síria. Perguntado sobre a possibilidade de uma negociação do tipo, Ban comentou sem citar nomes que a ONU “não apoia a impunidade”:
- Quem cometer violações de direitos humanos deve ser responsabilizado e levado à Justiça. Isto é um princípio fundamental - disse Ban, durante uma reunião sobre clima no Qatar.
Na terça-feira, uma reportagem do "New York Times" citou uma fonte russa, dizendo que Assad não teria mais esperanças de sair vitorioso ou sequer vivo da guerra civil. No mês passado, o próprio presidente sírio chegou a comentar a hipótese do exílio e disse que "viveria e morreria na Síria".
RIO - O presidente sírio, Bashar al-Assad, estaria procurando asilo político para ele mesmo, seus parentes e aliados na América Latina, informou nesta quarta-feira o jornal israelense "Haaretz". Para alguns analistas, o aumento da pressão internacional por causa da suposta movimentação de armas químicas, a sinalização de uma mudança de postura de Moscou e a violência intensa em Damasco são sinais de que o conflito sírio está perto do fim. Em busca de uma saída, Assad enviou seu vice-chanceler a Caracas, Quito e Havana.
Veja também
Segundo o diário israelense, o vice-chanceler Faisal al-Miqdad se encontrou com autoridades em Cuba, Venezuela e Equador nos últimos sete dias e teria levado consigo cartas pessoais do presidente Assad a líderes locais. Uma fonte na Venezuela, no entanto, disse ao "Haaretz" que não conhecia a resposta do Palácio de Miraflores ao ditador sírio. O jornal "El Universal" confirmou a entrega de uma carta ao presidente Hugo Chávez. O documento teria sido entregue na última quarta-feira, antes de Chávez viajar para Havana, onde trata de um câncer.Autoridades em Caracas só confirmaram que a mensagem de Assad tinha como base a "relação pessoal entre os dois presidentes" e que a visita do vice-chanceler é uma mostra da proximidade entre os dois países. Desde o início do levante na Síria, em março de 2011, Chávez defende Assad. Durante o ano passado, a Venezuela enviou petróleo para a Síria, para abastecer tanques e equipamentos do Exército e ajudar no combate ao que Chávez chama de terroristas. O presidente venezuelano também mantém uma relação estreita com o Irã, o maior aliado de Assad no Oriente Médio.
O embaixador sírio em Caracas, Ghassan Abbas, confirmou na terça-feira o encontro do vice-chanceler com autoridades venezuelanas, mas disse não ter detalhe algum sobre o encontro. Reuniões semelhantes foram realizadas em Havana e Quito, acrescenta o jornal israelense.
O secretário-geral da ONU, Ban Ki-moon, sugeriu nesta quarta-feira não ser a favor de um acordo para o asilo de Assad como forma de colocar um fim à guerra civil síria. Perguntado sobre a possibilidade de uma negociação do tipo, Ban comentou sem citar nomes que a ONU “não apoia a impunidade”:
- Quem cometer violações de direitos humanos deve ser responsabilizado e levado à Justiça. Isto é um princípio fundamental - disse Ban, durante uma reunião sobre clima no Qatar.
Na terça-feira, uma reportagem do "New York Times" citou uma fonte russa, dizendo que Assad não teria mais esperanças de sair vitorioso ou sequer vivo da guerra civil. No mês passado, o próprio presidente sírio chegou a comentar a hipótese do exílio e disse que "viveria e morreria na Síria".
Doutrina Obama
Doutrina Obama: Já perceberam que as coisas vão piorar para Assad. Patriots da NATO na Turquia, Hillary Clinton (5.ª-feira, em Washington) prometendo mais ajuda à oposição síria, e agora o requerimento aprovado no Senado...
Military plane crashes in S Africa
A military plane carrying 11 passengers has crashed in South Africa's mountainous east.
The plane, which had been travelling from Pretoria to Mthatha, went missing on Wednesday but the initial search was abandoned due to poor weather.
The plane, which had been travelling from Pretoria to Mthatha, went missing on Wednesday but the initial search was abandoned due to poor weather.
Tanks deployed in Egypt's capital
Tanks deployed in Egypt's capital: The Egyptian army deploys tanks outside the presidential palace in Cairo after clashes between supporters and opponents of President Mohammed Morsi left five dead.
Gender equality may boost Sweden's fertility rate
Gender equality may boost Sweden's fertility rate: Sweden has the third highest fertility rate in the EU, behind Ireland and France. Why? Well, one theory is that good universal childcare allows women to focus on their careers, which increases equality between the sexes and ultimately the birth rate.
Sleeping pills linked to pneumonia, study finds
Sleeping pills linked to pneumonia, study finds: Common sleeping pills which have been used by more than one million people in Britain may increase the risk of contracting pneumonia and dying from it, a study has found.
German cabinet agrees to send Patriot missiles to Turkey
Germany's cabinet agreed on Thursday to send Patriot missiles and up to 400 soldiers to Turkey to act as a deterrent against any spread of the conflict in Syria across the border, Berlin's foreign and defense ministries said.
"The strengthening of the integrated NATO air defense in Turkey is a purely defensive measure which, as a military deterrent, will prevent the conflict within Syria spreading to Turkey," said the ministries.
However, Syria and its allies Russia and Iran have criticized the decision on the missiles, saying it increases regional instability.
"The strengthening of the integrated NATO air defense in Turkey is a purely defensive measure which, as a military deterrent, will prevent the conflict within Syria spreading to Turkey," said the ministries.
However, Syria and its allies Russia and Iran have criticized the decision on the missiles, saying it increases regional instability.
Rolls Royce Warns Of 'Possible Prosecution'
Rolls-Royce says it has passed information to the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) relating to concerns about bribery and corruption overseas.
It follows a request for information from the SFO about allegations of malpractice involving intermediaries in Indonesia and China.
It follows a request for information from the SFO about allegations of malpractice involving intermediaries in Indonesia and China.
Occupy Wall Street protester whose tweets were subpoenaed to plead guilty
Occupy Wall Street protester whose tweets were subpoenaed to plead guilty: NEW YORK (Reuters) - An Occupy Wall Street protester who has waged a legal battle to keep his tweets from falling into prosecutors' hands will plead guilty to a charge of disorderly conduct on Friday, his lawyer said on Wednesday.
Wednesday, 5 December 2012
Transportation Security Administration screener busted for stealing iPads at John F. Kennedy Airport - @NBCNewYork
A Transportation Security Administration screener has been arrested on charges he swiped iPads and other electronic devices from passengers' luggage at John F. Kennedy Airport.
Port Authority spokesman Steven Coleman said Wednesday that 32-year-old Sean Henry, of Brooklyn, was nabbed in a sting operation using decoy bags in cooperation with the TSA
Port Authority spokesman Steven Coleman said Wednesday that 32-year-old Sean Henry, of Brooklyn, was nabbed in a sting operation using decoy bags in cooperation with the TSA
Marijuana legal in first US state
Marijuana legal in first US state: Possession of marijuana is poised to become legal in the US state of Washington, a month after voters opted for decriminalisation.
Toxic chemicals from New Jersey train wreck may not be cleared until next week
Toxic chemicals from New Jersey train wreck may not be cleared until next week: CLARKSBORO, New Jersey (Reuters) - A U.S. Coast Guard official told an angry crowd on Wednesday that it may take until next week to clear the air of toxic chemicals spilled after a train wreck in their south New Jersey town, where evacuations were ramped up this week.
Rechazan impuesto al refresco
Rechazan impuesto al refresco: No hay que afectar de manera impensada a industrias que generan empleos, afirma el presidente de la Comisión de Hacienda de la Cámara de Diputados, José Isabel Trejo Reyes
Court ruling means Kim Dotcom can sue NZ spooks
Illegal surveillance on trial
Kim Dotcom has successfully applied to join New Zealand's Government Communications Security Bureau as a defendant in his litigation over illegal surveillance of his activities.…
Standard Chartered sees $330 million settlement on Iran, denting profits
Standard Chartered sees $330 million settlement on Iran, denting profits: HONG KONG (Reuters) - Standard Chartered expects to pay $330 million to settle a case with U.S. regulators who accused the Asia-focused bank of failing to comply with sanctions against Iran, further denting profit growth this year.
Nicaragua won't grant underwater drilling rights in contested waters
Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega said on Wednesday that Nicaragua would not grant oil drilling licenses in ecologically sensitive Caribbean waters that belonged until recently to Colombia.
Mexican Supreme Court rules in favor of same-sex marriage in southern Oaxaca state - @AP
Mexico’s Supreme Court has ruled that a law in southern Oaxaca state that bans same-sex marriages is unconstitutional, paving the way for same-sex couples to marry in that state and possibly in the rest of Mexico.
Australia mining boom puts Antarctica job applications on ice
Australia mining boom puts Antarctica job applications on ice: SYDNEY (Reuters) - There are times when the sun never sets on Antarctica, but a long-term Australian programme encouraging people to "live the dream" and work in the vast frozen landscape is having to extend a deadline for the project due to a shortage of applicants.
Report: Syria loads chemical bombs
Report: Syria loads chemical bombs: Anderson Cooper gets reaction from a media report that Syria has been putting chemical weapons into bombs.
Clinton Expresses Support for New Syrian Opposition Coalition
Clinton Expresses Support for New Syrian Opposition Coalition: As the opposition struggled to select leaders, American intelligence detected that Syrian troops had mixed together small amounts of precursor chemicals for a deadly nerve gas.
Lufthansas letzte Chance in Europa
Lufthansas letzte Chance in Europa: Kurzstrecken können von großen Fluggesellschaften nicht profitabel bedient werden. Jetzt übernimmt Germanwings einen Großteil des Europa-Verkehrs der Lufthansa. Wenn das nicht hilft, stehen radikale Änderungen an.
Hackers net €36m in Europe banking attack
Hackers net €36m in Europe banking attack: About 30 banks and 30,000 customers were hit by a Trojan that spread from users’ PCs to their mobiles, the first virus to transmit in this way
Britain to miss key debt goal, growth targets
Britain to miss key debt goal, growth targets: LONDON (Reuters) - British finance minister George Osborne said on Wednesday he would break a key debt promise and warned that growth will be weaker than expected in a bleak outlook that could damage his party's hopes of winning a 2015 election.
Brussels fines electronics cartel €1.5bn
Brussels fines electronics cartel €1.5bn: Companies including Philips, Panasonic and an arm of Samsung conspired to fix prices of TV and display screen components from 1996 to 2006
Western Pharmaceutical Trials: Patients Misused as Guinea Pigs in East Germany
Western Pharmaceutical Trials: Patients Misused as Guinea Pigs in East Germany: Prior to the fall of the Berlin Wall, East Germany sold patients as unwitting guinea pigs in drug trials conducted on behalf of Western pharmaceutical companies, according to a TV documentary. Journalists have spoken to former patients and their relatives and unearthed official documents proving secret collusion between the East and West.
Tuesday, 4 December 2012
Obama warns on chemical weapons
Obama warns on chemical weapons: U.S. president Barack Obama warns Syria not to use chemical weapons amid intelligence reports indicating the regime could be preparing to take that step.
Milling Chemicals with no Solvents
Milling Chemicals with no Solvents: Traditionally new chemicals are made within a solvent solution. This aids in the active chemicals reaching one another. Solvents are flammable and often pose other hazards, For the first time, scientists have studied a milling reaction in real time, using highly penetrating X-rays to observe the surprisingly rapid transformations as the mill mixed, ground, and transformed simple ingredients into a complex product. This research, reported Dec. 2 in Nature Chemistry, promises to advance scientists' understanding of processes central to the pharmaceutical, metallurgical, cement and mineral industries – and could open new opportunities in green chemistry and environmentally friendly chemical synthesis
More than half a million people struck down with norovirus: figures
More than half a million people struck down with norovirus: figures: More than half a million people have contracted norovirus already this winter as cases are 64 per cent higher than this time last year, figures show. It is not known whether the poor summer weather may have played a role.
Baxter in $4bn deal for Sweden’s Gambro
Baxter in $4bn deal for Sweden’s Gambro: US healthcare group boosts presence in kidney dialysis market in a move that signals a revival of consolidation in the fast-expanding sector
The World from Berlin: 'This Time, Israel Has Defied the Whole World'
The World from Berlin: 'This Time, Israel Has Defied the Whole World': 
Europe is furious with Israel for its plan to build 3,000 new settler units to punish the Palestinians, following their elevation to "non-member observer status" in the UN last week. While sanctions appear not to be on the table, German commentators say it is time to get tough with Israeli premier Netanyahu.
Europe is furious with Israel for its plan to build 3,000 new settler units to punish the Palestinians, following their elevation to "non-member observer status" in the UN last week. While sanctions appear not to be on the table, German commentators say it is time to get tough with Israeli premier Netanyahu.
Relief for skiers as heavy snow arrives
Relief for skiers as heavy snow arrives: Up to 1.5 metres of snow has fallen in the Alps, providing good news for Christmas skiers, says Peter Hardy.
Blackberry, Yahoo, Apple, Google and Now FaceBook to Pressure Carrier SMS Revenue
Blackberry, Yahoo, Apple, Google and Now FaceBook to Pressure Carrier SMS Revenue: It’s no secret that messaging has been a popular if not addictive activity that has been around in one form
Slovenia police arrest 141 in violent anti-austerity protests
Slovenia police arrest 141 in violent anti-austerity protests: LJUBLJANA (Reuters) - Slovenian police have arrested 141 people after clashes with protesters angry over austerity and corruption, the most violent anti-government unrest in the euro zone member state since federal Yugoslavia's bloody break-up in 1991.
Palestinians warn Israel must be held accountable over settlements
Palestinians warn Israel must be held accountable over settlements: UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The Palestinians accused Israel in a letter to the United Nations of planning to commit further "war crimes" by expanding Jewish settlements after the Palestinians won de facto U.N. recognition of statehood and warned that Jerusalem must be held accountable.
Iran drone
Iran drone: Iran's navy has captured what it says is a U.S. drone after it entered Iranian airspace over the Persian Gulf.
Destaca México por mala justicia
Destaca México por mala justicia: Los sistemas de justicia criminal y civil de México, así como su capacidad de proporcionar orden y seguridad, están entre los peores del mundo.
Germany and Norway link up in renewable energy deal
Germany and Norway link up in renewable energy deal: Germany and Norway have signed a contract for a high-voltage undersea cable aimed at exchanging surplus renewable energy. The project is essential for Germany's plan to phase out nuclear power by 2022.
Farmacêuticas alemãs contestam estudo feito por ONG no Brasil
Farmacêuticas alemãs contestam estudo feito por ONG no Brasil: Bayer afirma que as "declarações e números" sobre os custos de pesquisa do Nexavar estão errados. Boehringer Ingelheim diz estar convencida do "perfil de segurança e eficácia" da família de produtos Buscopan.
Europe's highest suspension bridge set to open
Europe's highest suspension bridge set to open: Europe's highest suspension bridge is set to be unveiled amid the spectacular peaks and crevasses of the Swiss Alps.
Slogan político na Roménia: "Roubo menos que os outros"
Slogan político na Roménia: "Roubo menos que os outros": O ecologista Gabriel Raduna, candidato a deputado em Iasi, tenta convencer os seus eleitores com o curioso slogan no país onde a imunidade parlamentar é vista como um escudo contra os processos em tribunal...
Power loss still unexplained
Power loss still unexplained: It’s still uncertain why more than 81,000 Stockholmers lost their electricity Monday night, and the problem is still unresolved.
Monday, 3 December 2012
Yahoo sees several flaws in $2.7 billion Mexico ruling: source
Yahoo sees several flaws in $2.7 billion Mexico ruling: source: SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Yahoo Inc believes it has "numerous" grounds to appeal a Mexico City civil court's $2.7 billion preliminary judgment against the company, including both errors in procedure and in application of law, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters on Monday.
Australia interest rate cut to 3%
Australia interest rate cut to 3%: Australia's central bank cuts its benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points to 3%, as it looks to counter a slowdown in its mining sector.
Chinese student fails job interview because of iPhone
Chinese student fails job interview because of iPhone:
Fruity phone seen as symbol of pampered and decadent youth
An incensed university student in China’s Jilin province has taken to the web to vent his frustration at being rejected during a job interview after his interviewer spotted that he owned an iPhone.…
Fruity phone seen as symbol of pampered and decadent youth
An incensed university student in China’s Jilin province has taken to the web to vent his frustration at being rejected during a job interview after his interviewer spotted that he owned an iPhone.…
Kenya Bans Imports of GM Food
Kenya Bans Imports of GM Food: Scientists fear that Kenya's recent banning of the import of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) may be a significant blow to progress on biotechnology research and development in the country.
A cabinet meeting chaired by Kenya's president, Mwai Kibaki, this month (8 November), directed the public health minister to ban GMO imports until the country is able to certify that they have no negative impact on people's health.
In a statement to the press, the cabinet said there was a "lack of sufficient information on the public health impact of such foods".
A cabinet meeting chaired by Kenya's president, Mwai Kibaki, this month (8 November), directed the public health minister to ban GMO imports until the country is able to certify that they have no negative impact on people's health.
In a statement to the press, the cabinet said there was a "lack of sufficient information on the public health impact of such foods".
Gold, diamond rush fuels S. American dreams
Gold, diamond rush fuels S. American dreams:
In the triangle that connects Venezuela, Brazil and Guyana a huge number of illegal gold and diamond prospectors dream of changing their lives overnight by finding a huge bonanza.
In the triangle that connects Venezuela, Brazil and Guyana a huge number of illegal gold and diamond prospectors dream of changing their lives overnight by finding a huge bonanza.
McAfee escapes authorities in Belize
McAfee escapes authorities in Belize: Antivirus software pioneer on run after murder in Belize has given police the slip and plans to leave Central America, according to blog
IFAI sanciona a operadora de farmacias San Pablo
IFAI sanciona a operadora de farmacias San Pablo: El Instituto Federal de Acceso a la Información y Protección de Datos sancionó a la empresa Pharma Plus por violar la Ley Federal de Datos Personales
Helicopter parenting? Dad's homemade drone follows kid to bus stop
Helicopter parenting? Dad's homemade drone follows kid to bus stop:
Paul Wallich, like any loving dad, dutifully walks his grade-schooler son to the bus stop each morning. He does finds the quarter-mile hike to be a drag, occasionally. His solution? He built a camera-equipped drone that helps him fulfill his parental obligation.
Paul Wallich, like any loving dad, dutifully walks his grade-schooler son to the bus stop each morning. He does finds the quarter-mile hike to be a drag, occasionally. His solution? He built a camera-equipped drone that helps him fulfill his parental obligation.
Bridge was repaired day before wreck
Bridge was repaired day before wreck: The day before a train derailed on a New Jersey bridge, sending several cars into the water and hazardous chemicals into the air, railroad workers responded to a report of alignment problems with the structure, the chairwoman of the National Transportation Safety Board said Monday.
Voyager's discovery at solar system's edge
Voyager's discovery at solar system's edge:
NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft has discovered a new layer of the solar system that scientists hadn't known was there, researchers announced Monday.
NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft has discovered a new layer of the solar system that scientists hadn't known was there, researchers announced Monday.
When Self-Published Ebooks Become Best-Sellers
When Self-Published Ebooks Become Best-Sellers: What do publishers do in a world where anyone can publish a book? It's a question with a good answer.
Two Chinese men arrested in France with 1.8 million euros in cash
Two Chinese men arrested in France with 1.8 million euros in cash: Two Chinese nationals arrested in France after customs officers found 1.8 million euros (£1.5 million) in cash hidden in their car said they were headed to Austria for a holiday, officials said on Monday.
Why should small coffee shops pay more tax than multinational giants?
Why should small coffee shops pay more tax than multinational giants?: Popular outrage will not be enough to make corporations pay their share of tax, an MP warns.
Large power cut in Stockholm
Large power cut in Stockholm: A major power cut hit parts of southern Stockholm Monday afternoon, bringing parts of the underground train network to a standstill, as well as putting out traffic lights.
US charges accountants over China
US charges accountants over China: The US financial regulator charges the Chinese units of five accounting firms, including the "Big Four", over refusing to hand over auditing data.
Loss of income caused by banks as bad as a 'world war', says BoE's Andrew Haldane
Loss of income caused by banks as bad as a 'world war', says BoE's Andrew Haldane: The economic impact of the global financial crisis has been as bad as a world war and as a result public anger at banks was reasonable and understandable, said Andrew Haldane, a senior Bank of England official.
UN to withdraw non-essential staff from Syria
UN to withdraw non-essential staff from Syria:
Missions to Syria cancelled and remaining staff on standby to move, in final step before full-scale evacuation
The United Nations is preparing to evacuate all non-essential staff from Syria and put those who remain in the country on standby to move to places of safety.
Citing the "prevailing security situation", the organisation has also cancelled all missions to Syria from abroad and suspended its activities inside the war-ravaged country.
The announcement was made by the UN's under-secretary for safety and security, Gregory Starr, on Monday afternoon. It marks the final step before a full-scale evacuation, a move that has not been ordered at any point during Syria's steady descent into chaos over the past 20 months.
The UN has kept an increasingly low profile in Syria since early in the summer. Most other international organisations, including the Arab League, have sharply wound back their work inside the country.
The Assad regime saw the first high-profile departure from its ranks in recent months on Monday with the apparent sacking of the foreign ministry spokesman, Jihad Makdissi. He has left Damascus, reportedly for London.
Fighting continued in Damascus for a fifth day, with the international airport again receiving no flights, although unlike late last week it notionally remained open. Regime forces clashed with rebels nearby throughout the day.
Intense outgoing rocket fire could be heard from behind the Kass Youn mountain, on the city's eastern fringe. The rockets appeared to be aimed at rebel strongholds on the rural outskirts of the capital, particularly Darraya, which has remained a staunch opposition hub despite months of security sweeps by regime troops and bombing by jets.
The fighting in the capital is the most significant challenge to the power base of the Assad regime since mid-July, when rebel groups launched a co-ordinated raid. That assault was put down by loyalist army divisions within a fortnight. The latest assault comes on the back of steady gains in rebel capabilities in the north and near Damascus.
Makdissi had been a forceful defender of the regime since the earliest days of insurrection. However, the once prolific Twitter user had not posted since late October and had been almost invisible in Syrian and foreign media for weeks. His sacking was announced by the Beirut-based Hezbollah TV station al-Manar, which claimed he had been removed because his stances were at odds with regime views. It is not yet clear whether he has defected.
Syria denied it planned to use its chemical weapons stockpile, after reports that the US had observed officials moving some components of the programme. "Syria has stressed repeatedly that it will not use these types of weapons, if they were available, under any circumstances against its people," the foreign ministry said in a statement.
The US secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, who had earlier warned that Washington would take action if Syria used its chemical weapons, said: "I am not going to telegraph any specifics what we do in the event of credible evidence that the Assad regime has resorted to using chemical weapons against their own people, but suffice to say we are certainly planning to take action if that eventuality were to occur."
Also on Monday, a Lebanese MP confirmed that phone recordings of weapons transfers from Turkey to Syrian rebels, published in Lebanese media outlets including al-Akhbar and New TV, were of his voice. Orkab Sakr, who is aligned to the Future political bloc of the exiled opposition leader Saad Hariri, confirmed that he had organised the transfer of weapons to Syria. However, he said his activities for Hariri, who acts as the de facto head of the Sunni community in Syria as well as Lebanon, were limited to humanitarian missions.
Save the Children claimed on Monday that an aid shortfall of more than $200m was hindering relief efforts as winter sets in. More than 400,000 refugees are thought to be living in temporary accommodation outside Syria, and many more are expected to flee.
The United Nations is preparing to evacuate all non-essential staff from Syria and put those who remain in the country on standby to move to places of safety.
Citing the "prevailing security situation", the organisation has also cancelled all missions to Syria from abroad and suspended its activities inside the war-ravaged country.
The announcement was made by the UN's under-secretary for safety and security, Gregory Starr, on Monday afternoon. It marks the final step before a full-scale evacuation, a move that has not been ordered at any point during Syria's steady descent into chaos over the past 20 months.
The UN has kept an increasingly low profile in Syria since early in the summer. Most other international organisations, including the Arab League, have sharply wound back their work inside the country.
The Assad regime saw the first high-profile departure from its ranks in recent months on Monday with the apparent sacking of the foreign ministry spokesman, Jihad Makdissi. He has left Damascus, reportedly for London.
Fighting continued in Damascus for a fifth day, with the international airport again receiving no flights, although unlike late last week it notionally remained open. Regime forces clashed with rebels nearby throughout the day.
Intense outgoing rocket fire could be heard from behind the Kass Youn mountain, on the city's eastern fringe. The rockets appeared to be aimed at rebel strongholds on the rural outskirts of the capital, particularly Darraya, which has remained a staunch opposition hub despite months of security sweeps by regime troops and bombing by jets.
The fighting in the capital is the most significant challenge to the power base of the Assad regime since mid-July, when rebel groups launched a co-ordinated raid. That assault was put down by loyalist army divisions within a fortnight. The latest assault comes on the back of steady gains in rebel capabilities in the north and near Damascus.
Makdissi had been a forceful defender of the regime since the earliest days of insurrection. However, the once prolific Twitter user had not posted since late October and had been almost invisible in Syrian and foreign media for weeks. His sacking was announced by the Beirut-based Hezbollah TV station al-Manar, which claimed he had been removed because his stances were at odds with regime views. It is not yet clear whether he has defected.
Syria denied it planned to use its chemical weapons stockpile, after reports that the US had observed officials moving some components of the programme. "Syria has stressed repeatedly that it will not use these types of weapons, if they were available, under any circumstances against its people," the foreign ministry said in a statement.
The US secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, who had earlier warned that Washington would take action if Syria used its chemical weapons, said: "I am not going to telegraph any specifics what we do in the event of credible evidence that the Assad regime has resorted to using chemical weapons against their own people, but suffice to say we are certainly planning to take action if that eventuality were to occur."
Also on Monday, a Lebanese MP confirmed that phone recordings of weapons transfers from Turkey to Syrian rebels, published in Lebanese media outlets including al-Akhbar and New TV, were of his voice. Orkab Sakr, who is aligned to the Future political bloc of the exiled opposition leader Saad Hariri, confirmed that he had organised the transfer of weapons to Syria. However, he said his activities for Hariri, who acts as the de facto head of the Sunni community in Syria as well as Lebanon, were limited to humanitarian missions.
Save the Children claimed on Monday that an aid shortfall of more than $200m was hindering relief efforts as winter sets in. More than 400,000 refugees are thought to be living in temporary accommodation outside Syria, and many more are expected to flee.
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