Saturday, 23 February 2013

Infected horses exported from Britain eaten in France

Horse carcasses from Britain containing drug "bute" have ended up in human food chain, France's agriculture ministry says.

30-Year Restoration of Raphael’s Frescoes in Vatican Is Done

Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel may be closed to the public while a successor for Pope Benedict XVI is chosen, but Raphael’s rooms are on view in all their glory after a 30-year restoration.

Cardeais que usem Twitter arriscam excomunhão

Os membros do Conclave que vão eleger um novo Papa não poderão passar informações para o exterior através das redes sociais ou do telefone. Caso contrário, serão punidos.

Municípios alemães temem privatização compulsória do setor de água

Municípios e movimentos de cidadania alemães protestam contra uma nova lei da UE para regulamentação do abastecimento de água. Críticos acusam-na de levar a privatizações compulsórias.

Report of gunman on MIT campus "unfounded": police

BOSTON (Reuters) - Police searched a building at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on Saturday before concluding that a report that a gunman was on campus wearing body armor was "unfounded."

A Dollar From Your Paycheck Is 100 Times More Powerful Than A Dollar From The Stock Market

An excellent piece of research by Neal Soss and Henry Mo of Credit Suisse may be found in the February 13th US Economics Digest. They used classical economic theory to examine the "elasticity" of changes in housing values and changes in the stock market with respect to personal consumption. They also examined the relationship of changes in disposable personal income to consumption. This superb work warrants discussion and examination. The implications for the recovery of the US economy and movements in our financial markets are profound.
Let us get into the meat of their research.
Soss and Mo examined two periods of time. The first sample period runs from 1Q93 to 2Q07. The second sample period also starts with 1Q93 and goes to 3Q12. By using these two sample periods, the Credit Suisse economists have been able to separately estimate the influence of the financial crisis on the elasticities they examine.
They found that the elasticity estimates of consumption with respect to housing wealth dropped from 0.05 in the ’93-’07 period to 0.033 across the longer, ’93-’12 one that includes the financial crisis. In the case of stock market wealth, the elasticity dropped from 0.015 to 0.011. In both cases, the results indicate that the positive characteristics of wealth effects have been diminished by the financial crisis. This is intuitive and consistent with our own observations. It results from the fact that we had two simultaneous shocks in the crisis period.
First, stock prices plummeted during the financial crisis and continued into a severe bear market that ended in March 2009. Simultaneously, housing values fell throughout the US in a pervasive and protracted decline. The decline in housing was bigger than just a cyclical adjustment. The credit mechanism that supports housing transactions was damaged. Subsequent events tightened credit standards and raised down payments, making this housing cycle a prolonged, self-perpetuating decline followed by a gradual, tepid recovery.
The conclusions are simple. The rise in housing prices that we are currently experiencing in more than 40 states and the increase in the stock market value that we have witnessed since the March 2009 bottom have contributed little to additional personal consumption. The wealth effects have been diminished. They are measurable, thanks to the Credit Suisse analysis, and that measuring stick can now be used for some market forecasts and prognostications.
Compare the wealth effects with disposable-income elasticity, and we can see how dramatic the difference is between the two time periods the authors studied. Prior to the financial crisis, the elasticity of disposable income with respect to real personal consumption expenditure per capita was 0.943. In other words, almost 95 percent of additional income resulted in personal consumption expenditures. People made more money and spent it. During the financial crisis, though, income levels declined. In addition, people were scared and raised their savings rates. For the extended, ’93-’12 period, including the financial crisis, the elasticity level reached 0.99. That is, under present circumstances nearly 100 percent of income in the US is spent on personal consumption, when it is adjusted into real terms.
Translating that result into the distinction between wealth effects that have been diminished and income effects that have been increased explains why the US economic recovery is continuing at the present slow pace. Take the issue that we have harped on for some time: the two-percent payroll tax hike. That is a direct impact on 134 million working Americans. It takes two percent of their first $113k in annual pay and removes their ability to spend it.
One of the most horrible political decisions made by President Obama, the Democratic leadership in the Senate, and Republican leadership in the House was that two-percent payroll tax restoration. The Credit Suisse research validates that view. Additionally, compare $125 billion in annual taxation of American payrolls with the current development involving the gasoline tax increase. That gas hike piles on top of the payroll tax.  Every penny in the gasoline price equates to about a $1.25 billion consumption tax that is directly applied to the personal income of the US gasoline consumers. We now have an additional $50 billion gasoline hike tax being applied annually – assuming the price of gasoline remains constant for the rest of the year.
How can we expect the US economy to grow more robustly when we have taxed away the margins of real disposable income and then piled on a large new energy cost as a "double whammy"? Washington's tax policy dealt the first blow to the economic recovery by hiking taxes on working Americans.  It dealt a second blow by taxing wealthy Americans.  And it has dealt a third blow with a failed energy policy.  The failures of Washington are bearing withered fruit. It is quite possible that the economic growth rate of the US in the first half of 2013 may fall below a one-percent annual rate.
What does this mean for stock markets? What does it mean for the housing recovery? We know both have been in an upward trend.
In order to estimate the effects of the shifts in elasticities the Credit Suisse study identifies, we can roughly suggest that the stock market could add trillions in value and not trigger as much consumption expenditure as the two-percent payroll tax hike inhibits. Think about it this way. If the elasticity of a stock market value change is 0.01 and the elasticity of an income change is 0.99, you get nearly 100 times more consumption spending from earned income than you do from stock market added wealth effect.  And, to make matters worse, we have just raised taxes on both stock market investors and on earned income workers.
We do not know whether the stock market is going to rise or fall. We have our estimates and believe we are in a bull market that is of a longer-term nature and is driven, in part, by the current very low interest rate policies being applied by the central banks of the world, including our Federal Reserve. We think the Fed’s policy will remain in place for several more years, because the economy is growing so slowly. Therefore, we expect the US stock market to move substantially higher as this decade progresses.
We can also estimate that such a rise in stock prices will not trigger very much additional real consumption. The elasticity calculations done by Credit Suisse support this conclusion. Furthermore, if we do not see substantial, accelerating, and intensifying consumption, it becomes hard to project accelerating inflation rates for the goods and services that are being consumed. It takes rising demand to get price accelerators in place.
Our conclusions are these. The stock market may go much higher, but the wealth effects that could trigger inflationary pressure will be very limited. Housing prices will rise but will have much further to go before they trigger inflationary pressure. There is a lot of room for upside movement in asset prices, while inflationary pressures will remain muted due to suppressed consumption.
Stay long stocks: the bull market is not over. Stay in the bond market; interest rates are not ready to go “shooting up.”  Emphasize Munis.  AND THOROUGHLY RESEARCH EACH AND EVERY CREDIT.  At very low interest rates, you do not get paid well for taking credit risk.

1.º caso de carne de cavalo detetado em Itália

Vestígios de carne de cavalo foram encontrados pela primeira vez em refeições pré-cozinhadas de carne à bolonhesa em Itália, fabricada pela empresa Primia, na região de Bolonha, anunciou hoje a agência...

Scandale alimentaire: De la viande de cheval dans des lasagnes en Italie


Pour la première fois, de la viande chevaline a été trouvée dans une confection de lasagnes à la bolognaise en Italie, fabriquée par l'entreprise Primia, près de Bologne.

Ministro alemão sugere dar a carne de cavalo aos pobres

O ministro alemão do Desenvolvimento, Dirk Niebel, teve uma ideia para aproveitar os produtos feitos à base de carne de cavalo que forem retirados do mercado por estarem falsamente rotulados como contendo..

Vatican dismisses reports linking pope's resignation to gay conclave discovery

Pope Benedict talks of 'evil, suffering and corruption' in the world in remarks to Vatican Curia as he prepares to vacate papacy
The Vatican has attacked reports in the Italian media linking Pope Benedict XVI's resignation to the alleged discovery of a network of gay prelates as attempts to influence the cardinals in their choice of a new pontiff.
The Vatican secretariat of state said in a statement: "It is deplorable that as we draw closer to the time of the beginning of the conclave … that there be a widespread distribution of often unverified, unverifiable or completely false news stories that cause serious damage to persons and institutions."
The statement was made as Pope Benedict XVI had his final meeting with senior clerics, lamenting the "evil, suffering and corruption" that have defaced God's creation in a final address to Vatican officials.
Benedict spoke on Saturday at the end of a week-long spiritual retreat coinciding with Lent, the period of 40 days (excluding Sundays) leading up to Easter. For the past week, Italian cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi has led the Vatican on meditations that have covered everything from the family to denouncing the "divisions, dissent, careerism, jealousies" that afflict the Vatican bureaucracy.
Ravasi's blunt critique of the dysfunction within the Vatican Curia comes as cardinals from around the world are arriving for the final days of Benedict's papacy and the conclave to elect his successor. Bureaucratic reform is a high priority for the next pope.
The pontiff's speech follows a report that has linked his resignation to the discovery of a network of gay prelates in the Vatican, some of whom have reportedly been targeted by blackmailers.
The Italian daily newspaper La Republica said the pope decided to resign on 17 December – the day he received a dossier compiled by three cardinals delegated to look into the so-called "Vatileaks" affair.
Last May Pope Benedict's butler, Paolo Gabriele, was arrested and charged with stealing leaked papal correspondence that depicted the Vatican as a seething hotbed of intrigue and infighting.
The newspaper said the cardinals described a number of factions, including one whose members were "united by sexual orientation". It added that some Vatican officials had been subjected to "external influence" from laymen with whom they had links of a "worldly nature". La Republica said this was a clear reference to blackmail.

guardian.co.uk © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved.

Iran discovers more uranium ore and chooses sites for new nuclear plants

Unconfirmed find would treble country's estimated supply of raw uranium
Iran has announced the discovery of new deposits of raw uranium to feed its nuclear programme and has identified sites for 16 more nuclear power stations, just days before talks with Western powers over its disputed atomic programme.
The Iran Atomic Energy Organisation report cited by the state news agency, IRNA, on Saturday said the deposits had been found in "southern coastal areas" and had trebled the amount outlined in previous estimates.
There was no independent confirmation but Western experts had previously thought that Iran, with few uranium mines of its own, may be close to exhausting its supply of raw uranium.
Diplomats say the US, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany, the "P5+1", are set to offer Iran some relief from their sanctions at the talks in Kazakhstan on Tuesday if it agrees to curb its production of higher-grade enriched uranium.
The West says the production demonstrates Tehran's intent to develop nuclear weapons capability, an allegation which Iran denies.
The enriched uranium required for use in nuclear reactors or weapons is produced in centrifuges that spin uranium hexafluoride gas at high speeds. The uranium hexafluoride is derived from yellowcake, a concentrate from uranium ore.
Iran's reserves of raw uranium stood at around 4,400 tonnes taking into account discoveries over the past 18 months, IRNA quoted the report as saying.
The report also said 16 sites had been identified for the construction of nuclear power stations.
It did not specify the exact locations but said they included coastal areas of the Gulf, Sea of Oman, Khuzestan province and coastal areas of the Caspian Sea.

guardian.co.uk © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved.

Hackers invadem computadores da Microsoft

Lista de ciberataques contra grandes instituições dos Estados Unidos aumenta. Entre demais vítimas: Apple, Facebook, Twitter e jornais como o "New York Times". Presidente Obama reage com decreto.

New England braces for third snowstorm in three weekends

BOSTON (Reuters) - New England braced for its third snowstorm in three weekends on Saturday, putting crews to work sanding roads and trimming trees ahead of the snow, sleet and freezing rain moving in from the Midwest.

Hallan carne de caballo en lasañas en Italia

Las autoridades de Italia han anunciado este sábado que habían encontrado carne de caballo en las lasañas de una empresa en la comuna de San Giovanni in Persiceto, en la provincia italiana de Bolonia. Este es el primer análisis positivo de ADN de caballo en este tipo de alimentos en Italia.

Además de la retirada del producto se ordenó la incautación de seis toneladas de carne y de 2.400 paquetes de lasaña.

El escándalo causado por el uso fraudulento de carne de caballo en lugar de carne de vacuno afecta a productos comercializados en un gran número de países europeos, incluyendo a Francia, el Reino Unido, y España.

Stress makes organic tomatoes more nutritious, sweeter

Organic tomatoes are sweeter (more sugar) and more nutritious (more vitamin C and anti-oxidants) than tomatoes grown with pesticides and chemical fertilizers, according to a new study published in the open-access journal PLOS ONE. The scientists theorize that stress may be why organic farming produces a more nutritious and tastier tomato.

MIT orders lockdown after report of gunman on campus

BOSTON (Reuters) - The Massachusetts Institute of Technology on Saturday issued a "shelter in place" lockdown warning after police said they had received a report there could be a person in a campus building with a long rifle and wearing body armor.

Spain grumbles as king's son-in-law appears in court

PALMA DE MALLORCA, Spain (Reuters) - The Spanish king's son-in-law appeared before a judge on the island of Mallorca on Saturday to respond to charges of tax fraud in a six-million-euro embezzlement case that has eroded public support for the once-popular royal family.

Pedofilia, lavado de dinero y otros pecados: Daniel Estulin revela los secretos del Vaticano

¿Cuáles son los verdaderos motivos de la renuncia del papa Benedicto XVI? ¿Es la pedofilia en la Iglesia una de las causas? Daniel Estulin revela los pormenores de los altercados que han tenido como protagonistas a representantes de la Iglesia.

At least six tanks leaking at US nuclear waste site

 At least six tanks leaking at US nuclear waste site
Los Angeles: At least six underground tanks containing nuclear waste in the northwestern US state of Washington are leaking, but there is no imminent threat to public health, a spokeswoman said Friday. The US Energy Department told the state last week that one tank was leaking at the Hanford nuclear site, but Energy Secretary Steven [...]

Discute PRI modificar estatutos por IVA

Delegados del PRI avalaron un predictamen de reforma a sus estatutos; discutirán apartados que plantean eliminar candados a gravar alimentos.

Ventilan malversación de Legionarios

Un ex legionario reveló irregularidades financieras de la organización en Roma, incluyendo regalos a gente de El Vaticano a cambio de respaldo.

Boeing proposes full 787 battery fix to FAA: sources

WASHINGTON/SEATTLE (Reuters) - Boeing Co on Friday gave U.S. aviation regulators its plan to fix the volatile battery aboard its new 787 Dreamliner, even though investigators have not yet determined what caused the batteries to overheat on two planes last month.

US government joins lawsuit against ex-cyclist Armstrong

The US Department of Justice has joined a lawsuit seeking "tens of millions" paid to Lance Armstrong. The case alleges the disgraced cyclist defrauded former sponsor, the US Postal Service, by doping.

Red Meat and Poultry Intakes and Risk of Total and Cause-Specific Mortality: Results from Cohort Studies of Chinese Adults in Shanghai

by Yumie Takata, Xiao-Ou Shu, Yu-Tang Gao, Honglan Li, Xianglan Zhang, Jing Gao, Hui Cai, Gong Yang, Yong-Bing Xiang, Wei Zheng

Most previous studies of meat intake and total or cause-specific mortality were conducted in North America, whereas studies in other areas have been limited and reported inconsistent results. This study investigated the association of red meat or poultry intake with risk of total and cause-specific mortality, including cancer and cardiovascular disease (CVD), in two large population-based prospective cohort studies of 134,290 Chinese adult women and men in Shanghai. Meat intakes were assessed through validated food frequency questionnaires administered in person at baseline. Vital status and dates and causes of deaths were ascertained through annual linkage to the Shanghai Vital Statistics Registry and Shanghai Cancer Registry databases and home visits every 2–3 years. Cox regression was used to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the risk of death associated with quintiles of meat intake. During 803,265 person-years of follow up for women and 334,281 person-years of follow up for men, a total of 4,210 deaths in women and 2,733 deaths in men accrued. The median intakes of red meat were 43 g/day among women and 54 g/day among men, and pork constituted at least 95% of total meat intake for both women and men. Red meat intake was associated with increased total mortality among men, but not among women; the HR (95% CI) comparing the highest with the lowest quintiles were 1.18 (1.02–1.35) and 0.92 (0.82–1.03), respectively. This sex difference was statistically significant (P = 0.01). Red meat intake was associated with increased risk of ischemic heart disease mortality (HR = 1.41, 95% CI = 1.05–1.89) and with decreased risk of hemorrhagic stroke mortality (HR = 0.62, 95% CI = 0.45–0.87). There were suggestive inverse associations of poultry intake with risk of total and all-CVD mortality among men, but not among women. Further investigations are needed to elucidate the sex-specific associations between red meat intake and mortality.

Fatal Stroke after the Death of a Sibling: A Nationwide Follow-Up Study from Sweden

by Mikael Rostila, Jan Saarela, Ichiro Kawachi
Background
Although less studied than other types of familial losses, the loss of a sibling could be a potential trigger of stroke as it represents a stressful life event. We studied the association between loss of a sibling and fatal stroke up to 18 years since bereavement.
Methodology/Principal Findings
We conducted a follow-up study between 1981 and 2002, based on register data covering the total population of Swedes aged 40–69 years (n = 1,617,010). An increased risk of fatal stroke (1.31 CI: 1.05, 1.62) was found among women who had experienced the loss of a sibling. No increase in the overall mortality risk was found in men (1.11 CI: 0.92, 1.33). An elevated risk in the short term (during the second and third half-year after the death) was found among both men and women, whereas longer-term elevation in risk was found primarily for women. Both external (1.47 CI: 1.00, 2.17) and not external (1.26 CI: 1.00, 1.60) causes of sibling death showed associations among women. In men, an association was found only if the sibling also died from stroke (1.78 CI: 1.00, 3.17). However, among women, we found an increased risk of stroke mortality if the sibling died from causes other than stroke (1.30 CI: 1.04, 1.62).
Conclusions/Significance
The findings suggest an increased risk of dying from stroke mortality after the death of a sibling, and that bereavement affects particularly women. It is important for health care workers to follow bereaved siblings and recognize potential changes of stress-levels and health related behaviours that could lead to risk of stroke.

Serologic Vaccination Response after Solid Organ Transplantation: A Systematic Review

by Isabella Eckerle, Kerstin Daniela Rosenberger, Marcel Zwahlen, Thomas Junghanss
Background
Infectious diseases after solid organ transplantation (SOT) are one of the major complications in transplantation medicine. Vaccination-based prevention is desirable, but data on the response to active vaccination after SOT are conflicting.
Methods
In this systematic review, we identify the serologic response rate of SOT recipients to post-transplantation vaccination against tetanus, diphtheria, polio, hepatitis A and B, influenza, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, Neisseria meningitides, tick-borne encephalitis, rabies, varicella, mumps, measles, and rubella.
Results
Of the 2478 papers initially identified, 72 were included in the final review. The most important findings are that (1) most clinical trials conducted and published over more than 30 years have all been small and highly heterogeneous regarding trial design, patient cohorts selected, patient inclusion criteria, dosing and vaccination schemes, follow up periods and outcomes assessed, (2) the individual vaccines investigated have been studied predominately only in one group of SOT recipients, i.e. tetanus, diphtheria and polio in RTX recipients, hepatitis A exclusively in adult LTX recipients and mumps, measles and rubella in paediatric LTX recipients, (3) SOT recipients mount an immune response which is for most vaccines lower than in healthy controls. The degree to which this response is impaired varies with the type of vaccine, age and organ transplanted and (4) for some vaccines antibodies decline rapidly.
Conclusion
Vaccine-based prevention of infectious diseases is far from satisfactory in SOT recipients. Despite the large number of vaccination studies preformed over the past decades, knowledge on vaccination response is still limited. Even though the protection, which can be achieved in SOT recipients through vaccination, appears encouraging on the basis of available data, current vaccination guidelines and recommendations for post-SOT recipients remain poorly supported by evidence. There is an urgent need to conduct appropriately powered vaccination trials in well-defined SOT recipient cohorts.

Abre PRI la puerta a IVA en alimentos y medicinas

Busca el tricolor cambiar su Programa de Acción para acompañar las iniciativas que el Ejecutivo Federal presentará en materia hacendaría y energética

Moody's strips Britain of triple-A rating in major blow to Osborne

LONDON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Britain suffered its first ever sovereign ratings downgrade from a major agency on Friday when Moody's stripped the country of its coveted top-notch triple-A rating, dealing a major blow to finance minister George Osborne.

Will Naples stage an election 'revolt'?

Mistrust and resentment in Italy's Naples

Corruption casts shadow on Spanish islands

...and kickbacks - corruption's shadow on Balearic islands

Friday, 22 February 2013

Food Delivers a Cocktail of Hormone-Like Signals to Body

The chicken pesto pasta on your plate is more than just tasty fuel to keep you going. The dish has carbohydrates, fats and proteins to be sure, but it also contains other nutrients and chemicals that send subtle cues and instructions to your cells. More and more researchers are arguing that to better grasp how diet affects health , experts should consider the signals our food sends. [More]

Latin America Analysis: Environmental Policy and Deforestation

In a year that was marked by bad news on the environmental front — the polar ice caps melting at an increasing rate, the decline in biodiversity, the failure to reach agreement on climate change, amongst other things — the release of data, at the end of 2012, showing a fall in deforestation in the Amazon, one of the most important biomes in the world, came as a relief.
According to estimates by the National Institute for Space Research (INPE) — a Brazilian organisation that conducts environmental surveillance programmes in the region — 4,600 km2 of jungle, in Brazilian territory, were deforested between August 2011 and July 2012. This is a drop of 27 per cent, compared with the same period, a year before.
Brazil, where deforestation is seen as the main cause of carbon emissions, has set itself a voluntary goal to reduce illegal logging, annually, in the Amazon, to an annual maximum of 3,900 km2 by 2020. The latest figures would seem to indicate that the country is only four per cent shy of reaching its goal.
Celebrations, however, have been short-lived. The Amazon's monthly deforestation alert system is already showing a marked increase in the area cleared in the last five months of 2012

USDA forecasts record U.S. corn and soy, lower prices

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Thursday projected a rebound in U.S. corn and soybean yields in 2013 that, along with high planted acreage, opens the door to record-large crops and for prices to tumble from 2012/13 levels.

Goldfish influx threatens to cloud pristine Lake Tahoe waters

VALLEJO, California (Reuters) - Giant goldfish have mysteriously found their way into the famously crystalline waters of Lake Tahoe, the nation's second-deepest lake, alarming researchers and raising questions about the invasive species' long-term effects.

Avocados Linked to Better Diet Quality

Break out that guacamole! New data suggests avocado consumption may be associated with better diet quality! Avocados, also known as the alligator pear for their shape, skin and rough texture can be found in dishes all around the world. From adding them to dips, spreads, salads and sandwiches, avocados not only add to the flavor of your meal, but carry multiple health benefits as well.

Pashmina goats perishing in heavy snow on Indian frontier

Jammu, India, Feb 22 - Thousands of Pashmina goats may have perished in recent heavy snowfall around the nomadic areas of Changthang on the Sino-Indian frontier of the Ladakh region, officials said on Friday

Air Pollution and Heart Attacks

There are many forms of air pollution. There is no doubt that air pollution is not healthy. The uncertainty is at what level is it an acceptable risk. The one of concern in this study is the finest of particulate matter. The largest study yet to investigate the links between fine air-borne particulate matter (PM) and patient survival after hospital admission for acute coronary syndrome (ACS) found death rates increased with increased exposure to PM2.5 – tiny particles that measure 2.5 micrometers in diameter or less, approximately 30 times smaller than a human hair. The amount of PM in the air is measured as micrograms per cubic meter of air. The main sources of PM2.5 are emissions from road traffic and industry, including power generation.

Europe's Unexpected Immigration Problem - Wildlife!

\Animals and plants brought to Europe from other parts of the world are a bigger-than-expected threat to health and the environment costing at least €12 billion a year, a study said on Thurday (21 February).
More than 10,000 'alien' species have gained a foothold in Europe, from Asian tiger mosquitoes to North American ragweed, and at least 1,500 are known to be harmful, the European Environment Agency (EEA) said.

China admits pollution has caused 'cancer villages'

Chinese government admits for the first time that decades of reckless pollution has led to severe health and social problems, as it lays out five-year plan for improvement.

Embezzlement Scandal Threatens Spain’s Royal Family

An intensifying investigation aimed at Iñaki Urdangarin, the Duke of Palma and the king’s son-in-law, has placed the palace under siege.

Case Ends Against Five Ex-Blackwater Officials

Charges against three former officials of Blackwater Worldwide were dismissed, and two others agreed to plead guilty to reduced charges with no jail time.

Success of Five Star Movement Shows Italy’s Anger

A protest party draws support from voters who are fed up with politics, but its success could make governing Italy even harder than it already is.

Major snowstorm blankets Midwest, heads toward New England

KANSAS CITY, Missouri (Reuters) - A major winter storm headed northeast into the U.S. Great Lakes on Friday and threatened New England after blanketing states from Minnesota to Ohio with blinding snow, sleet and freezing rain.

Going undercover, the evangelists taking Jesus to Tibet


Chinese authorities said to be selectively tolerant of Christian missionaries, seeing them as a counterforce to Buddhists
Chris and Sarah recently moved into a newly renovated two-bedroom apartment in Xining, a bustling Chinese city on the edge of the Tibetan Plateau, where they manage a small business and spread the teachings of Jesus Christ. The couple, whose names have been changed to protect their identities, are enthusiastic and devout. They say that they could stay for decades.
"I really love being in a place where, it's like, if you're an artist, and an artist comes in and sees a blank canvas, they go heck yes – they love creating something new, and that's how I feel," said Sarah. "That's not to say that there aren't times when I cry my eyes out and get discouraged, but I know that this is where I'm supposed to be, so we're going to find joy in the midst of difficulty."
Tibet is the K2 of the evangelical Christian world – missionaries see it as a formidable yet crucial undertaking, a last spiritual frontier. Of the 400 foreigners living in Xining, most are missionaries, estimates Chris.
Proselytising has been illegal in China since 1949, when Mao Zedong declared western missionaries "spiritual aggressors" and deported them en masse, so today's evangelists work undercover as students, teachers, doctors, and business owners. Moreover, Tibetans are tough customers in the market for souls – Buddhism is central to their cultural identity, making them notoriously difficult to convert.
Despite all that, experts say that changing economic circumstances could make foreign Christians more influential in Tibetan society now than at any point in history.
Robbie Barnett, a leading Tibet expert at Columbia University, argues that the missionary phenomenon overturns the standard notion of western attitudes towards Tibet – that western society is intent on protecting Tibetan religion, while the Chinese government is more concerned with dismantling it. "If you look at foreigners there, there are people whose commitment is to the opposite – it's to replace Tibetan religion with their own religion."
More than 10 people interviewed for this article said that Chinese authorities in Tibetan areas were selectively tolerant of missionaries for reasons that range from pragmatic to borderline sinister. One is that they are a boon to local economies – they open lucrative businesses and teach at local schools for next to nothing, supplementing their meagre salaries with donations from home. Authorities may also consider missionaries politically trustworthy, reluctant to undermine their spiritual missions by openly criticising regional policies.
And lastly, the government may welcome them as a powerful counterforce to Tibetan Buddhism, with its electrifying political overtones.
"China isn't trying to destroy religion by any means, but they're trying to destroy certain parts of Tibetan religion," said Barnett. "They're not the same project by any means, but they certainly have some congruency."


'For Tibetans, everything is about religion'


Most missionaries in Tibet belong to nondenominational organisations which believe that Jesus Christ will return to the earth only when people from every social, cultural and linguistic group have been exposed to his teachings. These groups view mass conversion as a high form of ecclesiastical service, and as such, their tactics can be covert and transactional. Some lure young Tibetans with the promise of English lessons or professional training and coax them into conversion after making sure of their loyalty. Various Tibetans in Xining expressed disgust with this tactic. One likened it to bribery.
"For Tibetans, everything is about religion," said a Tibetan woman in Xining who requested anonymity because of political sensitivities. "They think that Buddhism is perfect for them – that it's flawless. And if somebody points out that there's something wrong with their religion, that's a huge offence."
Most Tibetan converts know the potential consequences of disclosing their spiritual leanings – social alienation, broken family ties – so keep them a closely guarded secret. Nobody knows how many there are: estimates range from zero to thousands.
According to Barnett, Tibetan distrust of missionaries is shorthand for a much broader context – "where the whole structure of Tibetan ideas, beliefs, and cultural values is being radically undermined, year after year, by the Chinese project, by modernity and globalisation in general".
Nowhere is this clearer than in Xining, the capital of Qinghai province. Once an outpost on the Silk Road, the city is now a bustling transport hub linking the Tibetan wild west with affluent eastern provinces. Its entrepreneurs and officials are flush with cash, the ancillary beneficiaries of government programmes that aim to win Tibetan hearts and minds by packing the region with highways and residential high-rises.
Young Tibetans are flocking to cities in ever-greater numbers for jobs and opportunities. The devout spin prayer wheels at tiny temples nestled among police stations and extravagant banquet halls. Outside, the acrid smell of burning yak-butter candles mingles with faint overtones of car exhaust fumes.
No evangelical organisations agreed to be interviewed for this article, but their websites shed light on their functional goals and theological justifications. Good News for Tibet Radio produces Tibetan-language radio programmes that feature "a mixture of Tibetan culture and history, health issues, native folklore, and the Gospel". The evangelical organisation AsiaLink prints children's Bibles in Tibetan.
The Joshua Project, a website that catalogues "unreached people", lists 20 Tibetan subgroups as untouched by Christian beliefs. It quotes the Gospel of Matthew: "This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come."
Interpretations vary: "You've got rapture people, you've got people who don't believe in the rapture, you've got millennial people, you've got all sorts of beliefs," said one Xining missionary who also requested anonymity.
The first missionary to make any significant headway in Tibet was a Portuguese Jesuit named António de Andrade who, in 1624, infiltrated the region disguised as a Hindu pilgrim. The king and queen of a large independent kingdom there were intrigued by Catholicism, and helped him build a church. Yet De Andrade's warm reception rankled with Tibet's religious elite and, within a few years, the mission was undermined by insurgent lamas (pdf). With a few exceptions, missionaries spent the following centuries proselytising to ethnic Tibetans in northern India, hoping in vain that they would carry their message into the heart of the forbidding theocracy.


A challenging terrain


Things haven't got much easier. Foreigners have been summarily banned from volatile Tibetan areas of Qinghai, Sichuan and Gansu provinces since a two-year wave of protest self-immolations intensified there in the autumn. They are forbidden from entering the Tibetan Autonomous Region except in highly organised groups. Military police patrol the streets of Tibetan cities and maintain checkpoints on major roads.
Missionaries have adopted a range of tactics to combat these obstacles, but none have proven consistently successful. In the 1990s, many would distribute religious leaflets in predominantly Buddhist areas. Evangelical blogs describe the process: often by cover of night, "tract-bombing" teams on tourist visas would stuff the leaflets into letterboxes and nail them to monastery walls. These missions tended to invite more hostility than curiosity. Missionaries were often arrested by high-strung officials or chased away by monks.
Their techniques have become more sophisticated over the past few decades. Some, like Chris and Sarah, have secured long-term Chinese visas by opening coffee shops, boutiques, restaurants and guesthouses. Others are charity-minded doctors and aid workers. Evangelical organisations brainstorm new ways to make the Christian gospel accessible to Tibetans, such as screening Christian films in Tibetan dialects.
"I would be sad and super disappointed if I saw a Tibetan church that looked like an American church," said Chris. "It's a very different culture, and they're going to worship in a very different way."
Chris and Sarah have a strong affinity for Tibetan culture, even if elements of Tibetan religion strike them as sinister or harsh: its icons, the shamanistic rituals, the draconian precepts of reincarnation. "I love these people so much, and I feel like I … I want them to be free from fear," said Sarah. God, she said, brought her overwhelming feelings of love and compassion – feelings she wanted her Tibetan friends to share. Yet so far, progress has been slow. "You can't expect to go into this really rocky field and immediately plant corn," she continued. "It's going to take some time."

guardian.co.uk © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved.

Security report becomes security risk

Mandiant's report on Chinese hacking used as bait in spear phishing attacks
A high profile security report released earlier this week detailing Chinese military involvement in widespread online attacks is itself now being used as a lure in spear-phishing attacks, according to researchers.…

VIDEO: 'Japan PM helped me make $300,000'

As Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe prepares to meet US President Barack Obama, Rupert Wingfield-Hayes reports on his ambitious growth programme that is already being dubbed Abenomics.

PGR hará prueba de ADN a narco caído para ver si es Chapo

Mauricio López, ministro guatemalteco del interior, informó que agentes mexicanos realizarán en las próximas horas pruebas de ADN para determinar si se trata de Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán

Nucléaire : l'Iran installe des centrifugeuses, rapporte l'AIEA

L'Iran installe des centrifugeuses dans sa principale usined'enrichissement d'uranium à Natanz, selon un rapport confidentiel de l'Agence internationale de l'énergie atomique (AIEA).

Facebook reveals plan for new archival data centre

Bit barn will hold all the photos you don't care about any more
Facebook has discussed details of a new data centre it is building to house photos nobody looks at any more.…

Singapore growth exceeds estimates

Singapore's economy expands more than expected in the fourth quarter, boosted by a rebound in its manufacturing sector.

Russia leases planes to Cuba, writes off Soviet debt

HAVANA (Reuters) - Russia will lease eight jets worth $650 million to its Cold War- era ally Cuba and will partially write off the country's multi-billion-dollar, Soviet-era debt under agreements signed during Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev's visit to Havana on Thursday.

World Briefing | Europe: Germany: Morning-After Pill Allowed for the Victims of Rape, Bishops Say

In a softening of their stance, Germany’s Roman Catholic bishops said that church-run hospitals could give women who had been raped versions of the pill that prevent fertilization.

World Briefing | Africa: Somalia: U.S. Promises More Food Aid

An American delegation met with Somali leaders in Mogadishu, the capital, on Thursday and announced $20 million in new American food aid for Somalia

Russia leases planes to Cuba, writes off Soviet debt

HAVANA (Reuters) - Russia will lease eight jets worth $650 million to its Cold War- era ally Cuba and will partially write off the country's multi-billion-dollar, Soviet-era debt under agreements signed during Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev's visit to Havana on Thursday.

FBI agents caught sexting and dating drug dealers

Dating drug dealers, harassing ex-boyfriends with naked pictures, and pointing guns at pet dogs: these were just a few of the offences committed recently by serving FBI agents, according to internal documents.

India lets Italian marines on murder rap go home to vote

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India's Supreme Court on Friday allowed two Italian marines charged with the murder of two fishermen off the coast of India to return home to vote in a parliamentary election this weekend.

India’s Tata group eyes unfinished business

Few observers expected the conglomerate to re-enter the aviation sector and say the AirAsia JV is an unlikely first deal for new chief Cyrus Mistry

Mexican police charged with rape

Two Mexican policemen are charged with rape and abuse of authority after allegedly attacking an Italian woman in the resort of Playa del Carmen.

New Study Shows Independent Evidence Of Global Warming

One of the biggest challenges of climate science seems like it should be one of the easiest; measuring temperatures. The fact is, regular measurements of temperature around the globe didn't being in real earnest until the late 19th century. So when scientists what to understand what temperatures were like prior to that era, they have to use proxies. For example, scientists can tell by the way ice crystallizes what the weather and temperature was like thousands of years ago in ice core samples from polar regions. In the modern era, although there have been steady measurements, they've taken place at different sites at different times with different technologies, which means some heavy math can come into play to normalize that data well enough to see clear trends.

Mercury May Have Once Had An Ocean Of Lava

Researchers at MIT have recently published an experiment that demonstrates that 4 billion years ago, the planet Mercury may have had an ocean of magma on its surface.

Venezuela: L'état de santé de Chavez n'évolue pas favorablement


Le président vénézuélien, revenu lundi dans son pays après plus de deux mois d'hospitalisation à La Havane pour un cancer, souffre d'une insuffisance respiratoire dont l'évolution n'est pas favorable.

Jesse Jackson Guilty, But Isn't Depression a Defense?

Jesse Jackson and his wife pled guilty to campaign finance and tax charges and are set to be sentenced later this year. The charges stem from using approximately $750,000 in campaign funds for personal expenses and then failing to treat the amounts as personal income with the IRS. Both halves of the once powerful political couple could face fail time too. For details of the case that lead to the dual guilty pleas, see Full text of the case against Jesse Jackson Jr. and Statement of offense: The case against Sandi Jackson.

Amparo para todos

Hace unos días fue aprobada en la Cámara de Diputados la nueva Ley de Amparo, lo cual representa un paso fundamental para la transformación de una de las instituciones legales más representativas del sistema jurídico mexicano.
Ahora sólo queda esperar a que la Cámara alta apruebe el proyecto de ley y consecuentemente sea promulgada y publicada por el Ejecutivo federal. Hay que reconocer que este proyecto plasma el esfuerzo de muchos años de discusión y análisis de reconocidos juristas y, sobre todo, de quienes encabezan el Poder Judicial federal.
El juicio de amparo es un instrumento esencial para la protección de los derechos humanos de los ciudadanos, si se entiende la desproporción natural que existe entre los gobernados y el Estado.
En nuestro sistema jurídico existen dos tipos de amparo, mismos que la nueva Ley de Amparo recoge: el directo y el indirecto. El directo procede contra sentencias definitivas, laudos o cualquier otra resolución que pone fin a un procedimiento jurídico; y el indirecto que procede contra cualquier acto de autoridad o norma general que afecte las garantías individuales de las personas.
Desde los orígenes de la figura que data de Las Siete Leyes en 1836 (Yucatán) y posteriormente en la Constitución Política federal de 1856, se consideró que sus efectos debían ser parciales, por lo cual sólo beneficia a las personas que promueven el juicio y que obtienen una sentencia favorable. Así, el juicio de amparo se volvió un medio elitista de acceso a la justicia, pues sólo aquellas personas que detectaban la inconstitucionalidad de una ley o de un acto de autoridad y que a la vez contaban con los medios para costear abogados especializados, eran quienes se podían beneficiar de la protección constitucional del amparo.
Cabe recordar las palabras del jurista argentino Carlos Santiago Nino, quien describió este problema como el “elitismo epistemológico” de los jueces y abogados; pues señalaba que la construcción del derecho y el acceso a la justicia históricamente ha tenido una fuerte dosis de elitismo, de tal suerte que sus principales beneficiados siempre han sido los enterados de la materia o quienes tienen la posibilidad de acceder a los profesionales del derecho.
En ese sentido, el proyecto de nueva Ley de Amparo busca corregir de raíz este aspecto, pues se amplía el ámbito de tutela del amparo, al no sólo contemplar para la legitimación del juicio a quien acreditan un interés legal, sino que se amplía el concepto a todas aquellas personas que aleguen un interés legítimo, ya sea individual o colectivo. Igualmente se amplían los efectos de la sentencias de amparo, al prever que tengan efectos generales las jurisprudencias en la que se determina la inconstitucionalidad de una norma (con excepción de la materia tributaria). Uno de los aspectos que han generado mayor controversia en esta reforma es lo concerniente a los efectos provisionales de la suspensión del acto reclamado que conceden los jueces mientras se resuelve el fondo de una controversia.
A través de los años, la suspensión se convirtió en una figura de abusos por parte de los litigantes, con el fin postergar indefinidamente situaciones jurídicas anómalas en beneficio de determinados intereses; motivo por el cual el reto y gran negocio para importantes despachos legales ya no era la resolución legal del fondo de los asuntos, sino las prácticas coyoteras con las altas esferas judiciales.
Es por ello que en el artículo 129 de la nueva ley se introduce un elemento mediante el cual se elimina la suspensión automática y queda condicionado a que no se afecte el interés público en determinadas materias. Una de ellas es la que se refiere a las concesiones del Estado en materia de medios de comunicación y telecomunicaciones, motivo por el cual unos de los principales detractores de esta iniciativa han sido los emporios que controlan el mercado nacional.
Esperemos de verdad que la puesta en marcha de la nueva Ley de Amparo de cumpla con la expectativa social de hacer justicia para todos y evitar los abusos en beneficio exclusivo de los grandes capitales y en perjuicio de quienes no tienen las mismas capacidades de defensa. Para ello, resulta crucial que los jueces y magistrados responsables de aplicar la nueva modalidad del amparo puedan estar a la altura de las expectativas sociales y de la modernidad legal que México exige.
                *Abogado y ex titular de la FEPADE
                jlvar.excelsior@gmail.com

Weak pound and high wholesale prices drive up petrol costs

Rise in cost of petrol blamed on a plunging pound and stock market speculators driving up the price of fuel.

Italy vote may bring opposite of what country needs

ROME (Reuters) - Silvio Berlusconi's resurgence and the rise of a foul-mouthed populist comedian have thrown Italy's weekend election wide open, with deep uncertainty over whether the poll can produce the strong government the country needs.

BBC to publish censored version of Paxman criticism on Savile scandal

About 3,000 pages of transcripts of evidence given by 19 individuals to the Pollard inquiry set to be made public
A censored version of Jeremy Paxman's criticism of BBC management's handling of the Jimmy Savile scandal is expected to be published on Friday among transcripts of the evidence given to an internal inquiry into the crisis.
The BBC will publish online about about 3,000 pages of evidence given by 19 individuals who were interviewed by the former head of Sky News Nick Pollard, consisting of transcripts of their interviews with the review team, plus supporting documents including relevant emails and texts.
Some of the evidence given by Paxman and Peter Horrocks, who as global news director is responsible for the World Service and BBC World News channel, was potentially defamatory and lawyers have removed it, according to sources.
It is understood that Paxman and Horrocks were particularly critical of how senior BBC News management handled the Savile scandal in the autumn.
It is also understood, however, that less than 10% of the soon-to-be published Pollard review transcripts will be redacted.
The BBC published the findings of Pollard's inquiry in December, covering the corporation's handling of Newsnight's abandoned Savile investigation in late 2011, and the aftermath when the story finally broke in October.
Lawyers working on the transcripts are understood to have found the task of redacting more difficult as BBC staff and executives spoke freely as they gave evidence, given that it was not known at the time that the material was going to be published.
The BBC Trust chairman, Lord Patten, said before a Commons select committee in November that the annex on which Pollard based his conclusions, including the transcripts of witness statements, would be published.
When the Pollard report came out on 19 December, it emerged that Paxman said he believed the decision to axe Newsnight's Savile investigation was a "corporate decision", suggesting that the programme appeared to be "hiding" by refusing to cover the story that eventually emerged in an ITV documentary in October.
He emailed the former Newsnight editor Peter Rippon within an hour of the editor publishing a blog defending his decision to drop the Savile film – it was later shown to contain several inaccuracies – to say the blog "doesn't answer all of the accusations laid against us".
Paxman told Rippon: "I have to say, I think we make a problem for ourselves by running away from this story."
Pollard's report criticised the BBC and the former director general George Entwistle for failing to look hard enough at the issues surrounding Savile tribute programmes that were planned after the Jim'll Fix It presenter's death in late October 2011, even though they knew their flagship current affairs programme had launched an investigation into child sex abuse allegations.
The report was also critical of the former BBC News director Helen Boaden for being "too casual, too fleeting" when she raised the issue with Entwistle at an awards ceremony in late 2011. Pollard said he was surprised she didn't take "a more proactive role" and said it was clear a "significant part of the division she headed was in meltdown".
Entwistle, Boaden, Rippon and the former BBC director general Mark Thompson were among the 19 witnesses the Pollard inquiry interviewed over a six week period.
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Official: More than 7 million Brits have NEVER accessed the interwebs

Oldsters, disabled and poor all left behind
Brits who are disabled, over the age of 75 or poor are among the vast majority of people living in the UK who make up more than 7 million citizens found to have never been online, official government figures show.…

Papuans 'shoot at army helicopter'

A military helicopter in Indonesia's Papua province comes under fire as it tries to retrieve the bodies of eight soldiers killed in earlier attacks.

Australia swim team used sedative

Members of Australia's Olympic swimming team say they used sedatives and played pranks during a "bonding" session before the Games.

Thursday, 21 February 2013

Reduced sea ice disturbs balance of greenhouse gases

Lund, Sweden (SPX) Feb 22, 2013



The widespread reduction in Arctic sea ice is causing significant changes to the balance of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. This is shown in a new study conducted by researchers from Lund University in Sweden, among others.

According to the study, the melting of sea ice in the Arctic has a tangible impact on the balance of greenhouse gases in this region, both in terms of uptake and ...

As predators decline, carbon emissions rise

Vancouver, Canada (SPX) Feb 22, 2013



University of British Columbia researchers have found that when the animals at the top of the food chain are removed, freshwater ecosystems emit a lot more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

"Predators are disappearing from our ecosystems at alarming rates because of hunting and fishing pressure and because of human induced changes to their habitats," says Trisha Atwood, a PhD candidate ...

Ventilan lobby gay en El Vaticano

El Papa habría recibido en diciembre un informe que le reveló un sistema de chantaje contra grupos de prelados homosexuales, según un diario italiano.

Super-Hot Plasma Rain Falls on Sun in Amazing Video

Loops of superheated plasma far larger than Earth rain down on the solar surface in a dazzling video captured by a NASA sun-watching spacecraft.
[More]

Se desploma avioneta militar en Tecamac; hay dos lesionados

TECAMAC, Estado de México, 21 de febrero.- Una avioneta modelo Porter, matricula 3303 de la Secretaría de la Defensa Nacional, se precipitó a pocos metros de haber despegado de la base militar de Santa Lucía, resultando lesionados el piloto y el copiloto.
Según los primeros reportes la aeronave se cayó en un lote baldío a 300 metros de la carretera libre Los Reyes-Zumpango.
Al lugar se trasladaron de inmediato, elementos de la base militar de Santa Lucía a cargo del general Aurelio Cortes, quienes trasladaron a los lesionados a la base militar mientras que soldados y elementos de Protección Civil resguardan el lugar y la avioneta.

How McDonald's Toppled Starbucks From The Social Top Spot

McDonald's has replaced Starbucks as the most social restaurant brand. How come?

Google unveils touchscreen laptop

Google has unveiled its first touchscreen-enabled laptop, the Chromebook Pixel.

Can Ethanol from Corn Be Made Sustainable?


A new plant is rising from the fields around Emmetsburg, Iowa--one that will ferment into ethanol the cobs, stems and husks of corn from nearly 50,000 hectares of farmland. Such cellulosic ethanol offers a way to get the energy and environmental security benefits of biofuels without disrupting the food supply when the edible corn itself is used. [More]

China Slow to Start Fracking for Natural Gas in Shale


After more than a decade of spectacular growth fuelled by coal, China finds itself sitting on a bonanza of shale gas. Its reserves are the world’s largest, beating even those of the United States. But developing this vast resource won’t be easy, as a bidding last month for shale-gas leases made clear.
[More]

Nitrogen Pollution Soars in China


Nitrogen-containing pollutants from agriculture, transport and industry in China has increased by more than half in 30 years, a study shows, adding to concerns about the country’s deteriorating environment.
[More]

Agricultural research 'must support local innovation'

Researchers must consider food producers' abilities to develop their own solutions, a conference has heard.

'Alien' Wildlife in Europe Wreak $16 Billion Damage a Year


By Environment Correspondent Alister Doyle
OSLO (Reuters) - Animals and plants brought to Europe from other parts of the world are a bigger-than-expected threat to health and the environment costing at least $16 billion a year, a study said on Thursday.
More than 10,000 "alien" species have gained a foothold in Europe, from Asian tiger mosquitoes to North American ragweed, and at least 1,500 are known to be harmful, the European Environment Agency (EEA) said.
"In many areas, ecosystems are weakened by pollution, climate change and fragmentation. [More]

[Report] Global Patterns of Groundwater Table Depth

Up to 32% of the global land area contains ecosystems that are influenced by shallow groundwater.

Authors: Y. Fan, H. Li, G. Miguez-Macho

[Perspective] Atmospheric Science: The Aerosol Nucleation Puzzle

Field studies in a boreal forest and laboratory experiments reveal how atmospheric aerosols are formed from gas molecules. [Also see Report by Kulmala et al.]

Author: Meinrat O. Andreae

Bumblebees Sense Electric Fields in Flowers


As they zero in on their sugary reward, foraging bumblebees follow an invisible clue: electric fields. Although some animals, including sharks, are known to have an electric sense, this is the first time the ability has been documented in insects.
[More]

Chevron, Transocean say Brazil drops criminal oil spill charges

RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - A Brazilian judge dropped criminal charges against Chevron Corp, Transocean Ltd and 17 of their employees related to a November 2011 offshore oil spill, the companies said on Wednesday.

Merkel warns of risks of fracking in Germany

BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany should tread carefully in developing hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, to tap shale gas reserves, Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Wednesday, in some of her first public comments on the controversial drilling technique.

High Serum Uric Acid and Increased Risk of Type 2 Diabetes: A Systemic Review and Meta-Analysis of Prospective Cohort Studies

by Qin Lv, Xian-Fang Meng, Fang-Fang He, Shan Chen, Hua Su, Jing Xiong, Pan Gao, Xiu-Juan Tian, Jian-She Liu, Zhong-Hua Zhu, Kai Huang, Chun Zhang
Objective
Current evidence suggests high serum uric acid may increase the risk of type 2 diabetes, but the association is still uncertain. The aim of the study was to evaluate the association between serum uric acid and future risk of type 2 diabetes by conducting a meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies.
Design and Methods
We conducted a systematic literature search of the PubMed database through April 2012. Prospective cohort studies were included in meta-analysis that reported the multivariate adjusted relative risks (RRs) and the corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the association between serum uric acid and risk of type 2 diabetes. We used both fix-effects and random-effects models to calculate the overall effect estimate. The heterogeneity across studies was tested by both Q statistic and I2 statistic. Begg’s funnel plot and Egger’s regression test were used to assess the potential publication bias.
Results
We retrieved 7 eligible articles derived from 8 prospective cohort studies, involving a total of 32016 participants and 2930 incident type 2 diabetes. The combined RR of developing type 2 diabetes for the highest category of serum uric acid level compared with the lowest was 1.56(95% CI, 1.39–1.76). Dose-response analysis showed the risk of type 2 diabetes was increased by 6% per 1 mg/dl increment in serum uric acid level (RR 1.06, 95% CI: 1.04–1.07). The result from each subgroup showed a significant association between serum uric acid and risk of type 2 diabetes. In sensitive analysis, the combined RR was consistent every time omitting any one study. Little evidence of heterogeneity and publication bias was observed.
Conclusions
Our meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies provided strong evidence that high level of serum uric acid is independent of other established risk factors, especially metabolic syndrome components, for developing type 2 diabetes in middle-aged and older people.

Chevron, Transocean say Brazil drops criminal oil spill charges

RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - A Brazilian judge dropped criminal charges against Chevron Corp, Transocean Ltd and 17 of their employees related to a November 2011 offshore oil spill, the companies said on Wednesday.

Being an Only or Last-Born Child Increases Later Risk of Obesity

by Line K. Haugaard, Teresa A. Ajslev, Esther Zimmermann, Lars Ängquist, Thorkild I. A. Sørensen
Background
Studies have suggested that number of siblings and birth order is associated with obesity. However, studies combining these exposures are needed. This study aimed at investigating obesity in children and young adults in regard to different combinations of family size and birth order.
Methods
Two cohorts selected from the general population were investigated: The Copenhagen School Health Records Register (CSHRR) and a Draft Board (DB) sample with measured heights and weights in childhood (age 13 years) and young adulthood (age 19 years), respectively. Information on birth order, number of siblings, and relevant covariates were available on 29 327 children, as well as on 323 obese young men and 575 randomly selected controls of young men representing approximately 58 000. The relation between number of siblings and birth order, respectively, and having a Body Mass Index (BMI) z-score above or equal to the 95th percentile in childhood or having a BMI of at least 31.00 kg/m2 in young adulthood was analysed using logistic regression analyses adjusted for relevant confounders.
Results
Only children had significantly higher odds of obesity both in childhood and in young adulthood compared with children with siblings, odds ratio (OR) = 1.44 (95% Confidence Interval (CI): 1.26–1.66) and OR = 1.76 (95% CI: 1.18–2.61), respectively. No association between first-born status and obesity was found. The OR of last-born children being obese was also significantly increased in childhood, e.g. OR = 1.93 (95% CI: 1.09−3.43) of obesity if last-born in a family of four children. This was not found in young adulthood. Additionally, higher spacing to previous sibling (average 1872 vs. 1303 days; p = 0.026 in four children families) was observed in obese last-born compared to non-obese last-born children.
Conclusion
Being an only or last-born child is associated with obesity. These associations may provide leads to targeted prevention of obesity in children.

Is Drug Treatment for Dementia Followed Up in Primary Care? A Swedish Study of Dementia Clinics and Referring Primary Care Centres

by Lars Sonde, Kristina Johnell
Purpose
It is largely unknown how the medical treatment of patients diagnosed with dementia is followed up in primary care. Therefore, we studied patient medical records from two dementia clinics and from the referring primary care centres.
Methods
A retrospective study of 241 patients was conducted from April to October 2011 in north west Stockholm, Sweden. Over half (51.5%) of the patients had Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the remainder had mixed AD/vascular dementia (VaD). Eighty-four medical reports from primary care (35% of the study group) were analysed at follow-up 18 months after diagnosis.
Results
All four dementia drugs available on the Swedish market (three cholinesterase inhibitors [donepezil, rivastigmine and galantamine] and memantine) were prescribed at the two dementia clinics. The most commonly used dementia drug was galantamine. There were differences between the two dementia clinics in preference and combination of drugs and of treatment given to male and female patients. At follow-up, 84% were still on dementia medication. Drug use was followed up by the general practitioners (GPs) in two-thirds of the cases. Eighteen per cent of the GPs’ medical records made no reference to the patient’s dementia or treatment even though dementia drugs were included in the list of medications prescribed.
Conclusions
The results indicate that the Swedish guidelines for treatment of cognitive symptoms in AD are being followed in primary care. However, documentation of follow-up of drug treatment was sometimes insufficient, which calls for development of guidelines for complete medical records and medication lists.

US Court tilts toward Monsanto in battle with farmer

Washington (AFP) Feb 19, 2013



The US Supreme Court appeared on Tuesday to side with Monsanto against an Indiana farmer accused of having pirated the genetically-modified crops developed by the agribusiness giant.

At stake is whether farmers can reproduce genetically-modified seeds on their own without paying for the technology again each growing season, which Monsanto says would stifle biotechnology innovation.

Smog causes surge in heart deaths: study

Paris (AFP) Feb 20, 2013



Exposure to higher levels of fine particulates - the airborne pollution that is an emerging problem in many Asian cities - causes a sharp rise in deaths from heart attacks, a study published on Wednesday said.

Research published in the European Heart Journal pointed the finger at so-called PM2.5 pollution, which comprises tiny particles measuring 2.5 micrometres across or less.

The Impact of Organic Farming on Quality of Tomatoes Is Associated to Increased Oxidative Stress during Fruit Development

by Aurelice B. Oliveira, Carlos F. H. Moura, Enéas Gomes-Filho, Claudia A. Marco, Laurent Urban, Maria Raquel A. Miranda

This study was conducted with the objective of testing the hypothesis that tomato fruits from organic farming accumulate more nutritional compounds, such as phenolics and vitamin C as a consequence of the stressing conditions associated with farming system. Growth was reduced in fruits from organic farming while titratable acidity, the soluble solids content and the concentrations in vitamin C were respectively +29%, +57% and +55% higher at the stage of commercial maturity. At that time, the total phenolic content was +139% higher than in the fruits from conventional farming which seems consistent with the more than two times higher activity of phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL) we observed throughout fruit development in fruits from organic farming. Cell membrane lipid peroxidation (LPO) degree was 60% higher in organic tomatoes. SOD activity was also dramatically higher in the fruits from organic farming. Taken together, our observations suggest that tomato fruits from organic farming experienced stressing conditions that resulted in oxidative stress and the accumulation of higher concentrations of soluble solids as sugars and other compounds contributing to fruit nutritional quality such as vitamin C and phenolic compounds.

Food: Sustainability, Security, Self-reliance

Poor harvests and rising food costs have become a depressingly familiar news item, with unusual weather patterns affecting food production across the US, Russia and in the UK. At the same time, more and more people are struggling to feed themselves and their families.

Vanilla

General Mills announced a new initiative today to help vanilla farmers in Madagascar. The global food giant is investing $125,000 over two years to help villages in Madagascar's Sava region, where the global food company sources high-quality vanilla for its Haagen-Dazs ice cream. Madagascar is the world's leading vanilla producer, responsible for over 80 percent of the world's production. The company will partner with vanilla supplier Virginia Dare and the international humanitarian organization CARE to promote sustainable vanilla farming in Madagascar. Through the program, several hundred vanilla farmers will be trained and educated on how to produce a higher quality vanilla crop that is more sustainable. The program will also build vanilla curing and storage facilities.

Air Pollution and Heart Attacks

There are many forms of air pollution. There is no doubt that air pollution is not healthy. The uncertainty is at what level is it an acceptable risk. The one of concern in this study is the finest of particulate matter. The largest study yet to investigate the links between fine air-borne particulate matter (PM) and patient survival after hospital admission for acute coronary syndrome (ACS) found death rates increased with increased exposure to PM2.5 – tiny particles that measure 2.5 micrometers in diameter or less, approximately 30 times smaller than a human hair. The amount of PM in the air is measured as micrograms per cubic meter of air. The main sources of PM2.5 are emissions from road traffic and industry, including power generation.

Climate Change Adaptation for Agriculture, Forests

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on February 5 released "two comprehensive reports that synthesize the scientific literature on climate change effects and adaptation strategies for U.S. agriculture and forests." The effects of climate change will be profound and far-reaching, according to the two reports, which drew on more than 1,000 peer-reviewed studies carried out by scientists in federal service, universities, non-governmental organizations, industry, tribal lands and the private sector.

Major snowstorm lashes Great Plains, heads east

Kansas City, Missouri (Reuters) - A major winter storm pounded the Great Plains on Thursday, creating hazardous travel that resulted in at least one death, closing schools, scuttling air travel and cutting off power to some communities.

Europe to get its first EU-wide offshore oil and gas law

* Member states, governments need to give final endorsement

Une majorité d'Américains en faveur de l'expulsion des immigrants clandestins

Plus de la moitié des Américains estime que la plupart ou même la totalité des immigrants clandestins doivent être expulsés des États-Unis, selon un sondage.

Only one in three men 'a healthy weight'

Only one in three men are now considered a normal weight, as the obesity epidemic means the majority are too heavy, the latest figures show

Mosquito repellent Deet 'losing its effectiveness'

Repellent widely used by holidaymakers and residents in warm climates 'losing its effectiveness'.

French blast 'ignorant' US tyre boss

A French minister responds angrily to the boss of a US tyre firm who said he would have to be "stupid" to invest in France, where he claimed staff worked three hours a day.

Brit robot programmers banged up for £500,000 tax evasion

Biz pair lived life of Riley on cash hidden offshore
Two robot programmers have been jailed for income tax evasion after hiding their company's sales in offshore accounts.…

Children in U.S. Are Eating Fewer Calories, Study Finds

Health experts said the findings offered an encouraging sign that the obesity epidemic might be easing, but cautioned that the magnitude of the decline was small.

Merkel says others will set benchmarks if no EU, U.S. trade deal

BERLIN (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Thursday that if Europe and the United States did not seal a transatlantic deal setting common standards for trade and technology, other parts of the world with different values would set the benchmarks instead.

FSA denies it was slow on Libor scandal

The rebuttal formed part of the Financial Services Authority’s response to a preliminary report by the Treasury select committee on the scandal

Private prisons 'are run better' than those in public sector

Private firms are better at running prisons than the public sector and all jails should be subject to open competition, an independent think-tank said today.

Vol de données: La Chine accusée d'espionner la Suisse


Une entreprise de sécurité américaine prétend que des hackers chinois volent des données en Suisse. Si tel est bien le cas, les sept Sages doivent agir, exige le Conseil national.

Snow to hit the South as cold snap grips Britain

Flurries of snow will fall in the South in the next few days as freezing winds and below-zero temperatures combine to make the weather much colder than normal for February.

Propone Arizona centro de inteligencia fronteriza

Un comité de legisladores de la Cámara de Representantes avanzó una iniciativa que busca establecer una unidad conjunta de operaciones de inteligencia para coordinar agencias de seguridad estatales y federales

White House promises trade war on countries behind cybercrime


China the apparent target as Obama administration says it will put pressure on governments and prosecute offenders
The White House has said it will step up diplomatic pressure over cybercrime and intellectual property theft from US businesses and security interests, in an announcement that indirectly cast China as one of the biggest perpetrators.
The US attorney general, Eric Holder, said the plan included working with like-minded governments to tackle offenders using trade restrictions and criminal prosecutions. There would be a 120-day review to see whether new US legislation is needed.
"A hacker in China can acquire source code from a software company in Virginia without leaving his or her desk," Holder said.
The report stops short of blaming the Chinese government itself but a study released this week by a private security firm accused the Chinese military of orchestrating numerous cyber attacks against US businesses, a charge Beijing has denied.

The White House report listed 17 cases of trade secret theft by Chinese companies or individuals since 2010, far more than any other country mentioned in the report.
The Obama administration has said its strategy aims to counter what Holder called "a significant and steadily increasing threat to America's economy and national security interests".

President Barack Obama introduced a cybersecurity executive order in his state of the union address that offered a broad outline of how the government plans to deal with cyber threats.
"As new technology has torn down traditional barriers to international business and global commerce, they also make it easier for criminals to steal secrets and to do so from anywhere, anywhere in the world," Holder said.
Dutch Ruppersberger, the top Democrat on the House of Representatives intelligence committee, has said US companies suffered estimated losses in 2012 of more than $300bn via theft of trade secrets, a large share due to Chinese online espionage.

US corporate victims of trade secret theft have included General Motors, Ford, DuPont, Dow Chemical, Motorola, Boeing and Cargill. A target company can see the payoff from research investment evaporate as a result of corporate espionage and lose market position, competitive advantage and efficiencies.

"We have repeatedly raised our concerns about trade secret theft by any means at the highest levels with senior Chinese officials and we will continue to do so," said Robert Hormats, an under-secretary of state.

Those cases cited mostly involved employees stealing trade secrets on the job rather than cyber attacks.
Victoria Espinel, the White House intellectual property rights enforcement co-ordinator, said the effort aimed to protect the innovation driving the US economy and job creation.

Cybersecurity and intelligence experts welcomed the White House plan as a first step but some said much more needed to be done. "You've got a nation-state taking on private corporations," said former CIA director Michael Hayden. "That's kind of unprecedented ... We have not approached resolution with this at all."
The US Chamber of Commerce, America's largest business lobby, offered a lukewarm statement of support, while other industry groups expressed more enthusiasm for the effort.
"We strongly endorse and applaud the administration's focus on curbing theft of trade secrets, which poses a serious and growing threat to the software industry around the world," said Business Software Alliance president and chief executive Robert Holleyman.
The report that laid out the strategy repeated a 2011 White House recommendation that the maximum sentence for economic espionage be increased to at least 20 years, from 15.
Another part of the solution was promoting a set of "best practices" that companies would use to protect themselves against cyber attacks and other espionage, Espinel said.
The report said the FBI was "expanding its efforts to fight computer intrusions that involve the theft of trade secrets by individual, corporate and nation-state cyber hackers".

US trade representative Ron Kirk said the problem of trade secret theft in China was a factor in the decisions of some US companies to move operations back to the United States. The companies have "had very frank conversations with the Chinese, [saying] 'You know it's one thing to accept a certain level of copyright knock-offs but if you're going to take our core technology then we're better off being in our home country'".
guardian.co.uk © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved.

Mexico security forces abducted dozens in drug war: rights group

IGUALA, Mexico (Reuters) - Dozens of people were abducted and murdered by Mexican security forces over the past six years during a gruesome war with drug cartels, Human Rights Watch said on Wednesday, urging President Enrique Pena Nieto to overhaul the military justice system.

North Korea cites "tragedy" of countries that give up nuclear programs

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea has bolstered its defenses against a "hostile" United States with its third nuclear test, it said on Thursday, noting that countries that had bowed to U.S. pressure to abandon their nuclear plans had suffered "tragic consequences".

Like a Good Neighbor? They Too Move for Tax Reasons

There’s been considerable talk about moving for tax reasons. Facebook’s Eduardo Saverin, left the U.S. for Singapore, France’s Gerard Depardieu considered Belgium but settled on Russia, and Phil Mickelson grumbled about California’s tax rates compared to no-tax Florida and Texas. There’s a curious debate over whether such talk is patriotic or mercenary.

Corpse found in LA hotel's water tank

Tourists staying at a Los Angeles hotel drank water from a tank in which a young woman's body was likely decomposing for more than two weeks, police said.

Debemos asegurar el imperio de la ley en México: Peña

Tras concluir su visita a Costa Rica, el presidente de asegura que busca brindar a cada ciudadano la certeza de que el Estado es el máximo garante de sus derechos

Curiosity Confirms Rock Sample Found From Beneath Mars

NASA has confirmed that the Mars Curiosity rover has collected rock samples that it drilled from the Martian surface.

Pistorius case investigator accused of attempted murder

In a bombshell before final arguments in the Oscar Pistorius murder case today, news emerged that the lead investigator faces 7 counts of attempted murder.

Justifican -a medias- el préstamo

El Sindicato de Trabajadores Petroleros de la República Mexicana dio su versión sobre el préstamo de 500 millones de pesos para construir viviendas.

Wednesday, 20 February 2013

China condemns US hacking report

China's military says a report linking it to prolific hacking of US targets is flawed, as the US says it has repeatedly raised concerns about cyber theft with Beijing.

Japan Presents: The Incredible Shrinking Building

A construction company in Japan has developed a method of tearing down a building without the noise, smell or dust caused by conventional demolition. It's a novel but effective approach to deconstruction in densely built cities.

NASA restores space station link after glitch


Science editor Alan Boyle's blog: NASA restored its communication link with the International Space Station, hours after it was knocked out by a glitch encountered during a computer software upgrade.Science editor Alan Boyle's blog: NASA restored its communication link with the International Space Station, hours after it was knocked out by a glitch encountered during a computer software upgrade.

Apollo rocks challenge lunar water theory


The discovery of "significant amounts" of water in moon rock samples collected by NASA's Apollo astronauts challenges a long-held theory about how the moon formed say.The discovery of "significant amounts" of water in moon rock samples collected by NASA's Apollo astronauts challenges a long-held theory about how the moon formed say.

Have We Been Miscounting Calories?

Panel of scientists argues that cooking, gut bacteria, and other factors can alter the calorie content of foods

$2,500 Reward Offered after Critically Endangered Red Wolf Killed in North Carolina

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has issued a $2,500 reward for information about the January 18 shooting death of a critically endangered red wolf ( Canis rufus ) in North Carolina. The wolf, which wore a radio collar around its neck, was at least the 10th member of his species illegally shot and killed in the past 14 months. Fewer than 120 red wolves live in the wild today.The deaths have been a terrible setback for the Red Wolf Recovery Program , which in addition to the wild population also maintains nearly 200 captive wolves in breeding facilities across the country. Red wolves used to live throughout the southeastern U.S. but were hunted into near extinction by the 1960s in order to protect livestock. The last 400 wolves in the region were brought into the captive breeding program in 1973. Most of them were found to be hybrids with coyotes ( C. latrans ), which started migrating to the area in the 1960s, leaving just 14 closely related pureblood individuals to form the founder population from which all of today's wolves are descended. [More]

'Language Gene' More Active in Young Girls Than Boys

A gene thought to be important in language shows sex differences in both rats and kids, albeit in different directions

Mount Etna roars to life in new eruption


Italy's Mount Etna sent lava and gas shooting toward the stars early Tuesday morning, its first big eruption in 2013. The famous Sicilian volcano burst to life overnight, sending a fountain of fire into the air.Italy's Mount Etna sent lava and gas shooting toward the stars early Tuesday morning, its first big eruption in 2013. The famous Sicilian volcano burst to life overnight, sending a fountain of fire into the air.

Nuclear monitors detected meteor explosion


A far-flung system of detectors that make up a Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty network made its largest ever detection when a meteor exploded over Russia last week.A far-flung system of detectors that make up a Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty network made its largest ever detection when a meteor exploded over Russia last week.

A night of northern lights — in one minute


Science editor Alan Boyle's blog: February has been a great month for auroral displays in northern latitudes, and an upswing in solar activity promises more to come.Science editor Alan Boyle's blog: February has been a great month for auroral displays in northern latitudes, and an upswing in solar activity promises more to come.

Farm virus 'can infect wild animals'

A livestock virus sweeping through British sheep flocks and cattle herds has been passed to wild deer, say scientists.

Man-made chemicals cited in health scourges: UN report

GENEVA (Reuters) - Man-made chemicals in everyday products are likely to be at least the partial cause of a global surge in birth deformities, hormonal cancers and psychiatric diseases, a U.N.-sponsored research team reported on Tuesday.

Dry crop belt counts on more than a drop of February rain

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Wheat and corn farmers are banking on more rain and snow in late February so they can keep nursing depleted soil back to healthier levels of moisture amid the worst drought in the United States grain belt in more than 50 years.

U.N. offers banquet of blemished food to highlight waste

OSLO (Reuters) - The United Nations treated government ministers and officials to a meal of blemished African fruit and vegetables on Tuesday to highlight how perfectly edible food is being rejected by European supermarkets.

Justices hostile to farmer's argument against Monsanto

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Supreme Court justices signaled on Tuesday that agribusiness giant Monsanto Co was in a strong position to claim that an Indiana farmer violated its patent for a type of soybean.

Stay cool and live longer?

Ann Arbor MI (SPX) Feb 20, 2013



Scientists have known for nearly a century that cold-blooded animals, such as worms, flies and fish all live longer in cold environments, but have not known exactly why.

Researchers at the University of Michigan Life Sciences Institute have identified a genetic program that promotes longevity of roundworms in cold environments-and this genetic program also exists in warm-blooded animals, .....

Food science expert: Genetically modified crops are overregulated

Champaign IL (SPX) Feb 20, 2013



It has been almost 20 years since the first genetically modified foods showed up in produce aisles throughout the United States and the rest of the world, but controversy continues to surround the products and their regulation.

Bruce Chassy, a professor emeritus of food science and human nutrition at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, believes that after thousands of research ....

Extreme winters impact fish negatively

Umea, Sweden (SPX) Feb 20, 2013



Ecologists from Umea University and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim have studied fish communities and fish habitat and reviewed the importance of winter conditions for fish in streams and rivers in cold regions. The findings are now being published in the journal BioScience.

It is well known that winter can be a stressful season for plants and animals in .....

The Decline of the Arctic

New research using combined records of ice measurements from NASA's Ice, Cloud and Land Elevation Satellite (ICESat), the European Space Agency's CryoSat-2 satellite, airborne surveys and ocean-based sensors shows Arctic sea ice volume has declined 36 percent in the autumn and nine percent in the winter over the last decade. The work builds on previous studies using submarine and NASA satellite data, confirms computer model estimates that showed ice volume decreases over the last decade, and builds a foundation for a multiple decade record of sea ice volume changes.

Over 35,000 march on Washington demanding climate action and rejection of Canada's 'carbon bomb'

 Yesterday over 35,000 people rallied in Washington D.C. for urgent action on climate change, which, according to organizers, was the largest climate march in U.S. history. Activists called on the Obama Administration to do much more to tackle climate change, including rejecting the Keystone XL Pipeline, which would bring carbon-heavy tar sands oil from Canada through the U.S. to a world market.

Farmer's Deception at Center of Monsanto GMO Soybean SCOTUS Patent Challenge; Genetic Innovation Threatened

As the Genetic Literacy Project’s Jon Entine reports, an Indiana farmer’s attempts to portray himself as David in the face of heartless Monsanto-the-Goliath wither as evidence of willful deceit emerges.

MTV Confirms Twitter 'Hack' Was A Stunt - But What About Jeep and Burger King?

It was first that Burger King's Twitter account was supposedly "hacked" yesterday when someone apparently gained access to the fast food chain's social media account, claiming the account had been sold to McDonald's. After several hours of hilarious, yet often inappropriate tweets, Burger King's Twitter account was suspended. Around 7pm PST last night, the account was restored and Burger King announced it was back.

Marine pollution incidents kill thousands of seabirds - and it could be legal!

Between 29 January and 6 February 2013, more than 500 seabirds, mainly guillemots, were killed or rendered helpless by a mystery substance from a pollution event off the south coast of England. Shockingly, these deaths and injuries may have resulted from legal shipping activity. The substance was subsequently identified as a man-made synthetic polymer known as polyisobutene, or PIB. This same substance has also caused the deaths of thousands of other seabirds in recent years in the Irish and North Seas.

Nestlé yet to submit results of UK tests for horsemeat to FSA

Company withdraws products in Italy, Spain and France, and FSA says it expects UK test results 'in due course'
Nestlé, the world's biggest food company, which has withdrawn beef and pasta products in Italy, Spain and France because of traces of horsemeat, has so far failed to supply test results for its UK products in the first round of industry checks ordered by the Food Standards Agency (FSA).
Despite stating that it had implemented "enhanced testing of our products and the raw materials we use across Europe" from the moment concerns were raised in the UK last month, it did not report any results to the FSA for publication last Friday.
The FSA said: "Nestlé UK is involved in the industry testing, as requested by the FSA. The results will be provided to the FSA in due course and incorporated into our published results as and when they are available."
Nestlé UK said no supplies from a subcontractor implicated in products withdrawn in Europe were involved in UK products. "We are obtaining compliance statements from all our beef suppliers and conducting independent authenticity tests of all our beef products, in line with FSA requirements, and we are expecting to be able to submit results in this week's reporting cycle. We are monitoring the situation very closely and will comply with any actions required by the authorities."
The company's head office, in Switzerland, said the horsemeat levels found in two products sold in France and Spain were "above the 1% threshold the UK's Food Safety Agency uses to indicate likely adulteration or gross negligence". It had therefore "informed the authorities accordingly". The Buitoni products affected were tested between 11 and 17 February.
Last week at the release of the company's 2012 financial results in Switzerland, the chief executive, Paul Bulcke, told journalists: "Everything under our labels is not affected."
On Monday in a statement hidden away under media releases on its website, the company announced it was suspending deliveries of all products using beef supplied by a German firm, HJ Schypke, a subcontractor of one of its suppliers, JBS Toledo, a company based in Belgium, which proudly boasts of the traceability of its raw materials.
Nestlé said that when reports first emerged in the UK about the "fraudulent mislabelling" of beef, it enhanced testing of products and the raw materials used across Europe.
"Our tests have found traces of horse DNA in two products made from beef supplied by HJ Schypke. There is no food safety issue, but the mislabelling of products means they fail to meet the very high standards consumers expect from us," it said.
"Therefore we are voluntarily removing two chilled pasta products, Buitoni beef ravioli and beef tortellini, from sale in Italy and Spain immediately, and we will replace them with product confirmed by DNA testing to be made from 100% beef. Lasagnes à la bolognaise gourmandes, a frozen meat product for catering businesses by Nestlé Professional produced in France, will also be withdrawn from sale and replaced with product made from 100% beef."
The company added: "We are also enhancing our existing comprehensive quality assurance programme by adding new tests on beef for horse DNA prior to production in Europe. Assuring the quality and safety of our products has always been a top priority for Nestlé. We want to apologise to consumers and reassure them that the actions being taken to deal with this issue will result in higher standards and enhanced traceability."
JBS Toledo, in Ghent, is part of a Brazilian company, JBS, which says it has suspended all its contracts with its German supplier and will cease marketing European meat until confidence is restored in the European beef supply chain.
Jeremiah O'Callaghan, its investor relations director in São Paulo, said: "In this specific case, from the outset of supply, all operational and logistical processes were carried out by the German supplier who delivered the product to the final client."
JBS Toledo "has suspended all its contracts with Schypke and will not market European meat until confidence is restored in the European beef supply chain", he said. JBS would take "all necessary legal measures" to make sure that no losses were incurred as a consequence of this "isolated occurence". No case of co-mingling of species had been identified in products produced in or at JBS factories, said O'Callaghan.

guardian.co.uk © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved.

Catholic laundries enslaved girls

Magdalene laundries survivors in Ireland demand an apology from the government. CNN's Atika Shubert reports.

Tuesday, 19 February 2013

The Root Herbivore History of the Soil Affects the Productivity of a Grassland Plant Community and Determines Plant Response to New Root Herbivore Attack

by Ilja Sonnemann, Stefan Hempel, Maria Beutel, Nicola Hanauer, Stefan Reidinger, Susanne Wurst

Insect root herbivores can alter plant community structure by affecting the competitive ability of single plants. However, their effects can be modified by the soil environment. Root herbivory itself may induce changes in the soil biota community, and it has recently been shown that these changes can affect plant growth in a subsequent season or plant generation. However, so far it is not known whether these root herbivore history effects (i) are detectable at the plant community level and/or (ii) also determine plant species and plant community responses to new root herbivore attack. The present greenhouse study determined root herbivore history effects of click beetle larvae (Elateridae, Coleoptera, genus Agriotes) in a model grassland plant community consisting of six common species (Achillea millefolium, Plantago lanceolata, Taraxacum officinale, Holcus lanatus, Poa pratensis, Trifolium repens). Root herbivore history effects were generated in a first phase of the experiment by growing the plant community in soil with or without Agriotes larvae, and investigated in a second phase by growing it again in the soils that were either Agriotes trained or not. The root herbivore history of the soil affected plant community productivity (but not composition), with communities growing in root herbivore trained soil producing more biomass than those growing in untrained soil. Additionally, it influenced the response of certain plant species to new root herbivore attack. Effects may partly be explained by herbivore-induced shifts in the community of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. The root herbivore history of the soil proved to be a stronger driver of plant growth on the community level than an actual root herbivore attack which did not affect plant community parameters. History effects have to be taken into account when predicting the impact of root herbivores on grasslands.

Sars-like virus death reported in UK

A patient infected with a new respiratory illness similar to the deadly Sars virus has died in the UK.

Arden en Matamoros 2 millones de llantas

Un incendio, al parecer accidental, dejó 2 millones de llantas incineradas en un centro de acopio de Matamoros, reportaron autoridades locales.

Uproar over leaked White House plan

Whether a political ploy or bona fide proposal, a leaked version of President Barack Obama's draft immigration plan raised Republican hackles while bringing some additional focus to the debate.

Australia Olympic swim team 'toxic'

Australia's 2012 Olympic swimmers existed within a "toxic" team culture that led to bullying and misuse of prescription drugs, a report finds.

Japanese scientists hunt for groundwater

Sendai, Japan (UPI) Feb 16, 2013



Japanese scientists said airborne electromagnetic tests reveal potential groundwater in areas hit by the tsunami that could revive some strawberry farms.
Staff at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology found a subterranean layer of sand they said could hold fresh groundwater to be used to irrigate crops destroyed by the earthquake and tsunami.