Friday, 5 April 2013
Testes genéticos indicam ligação entre índios botocudos e polinésios
Análises de DNA permitem estabelecer conexão entre antiga tribo brasileira e ilhas da Polinésia, contrariando teorias que apontavam apenas uma onda migratória na origem dos povos da América do Sul.
"Green" car maker Fisker fires 75 percent of workforce
DETROIT (Reuters) - Fisker Automotive, the struggling government-backed hybrid sports car maker, on Friday terminated most of its rank-and-file employees in what sources said was a last-ditch effort to conserve cash and stave off a potential bankruptcy filing.
Samsung infringed Apple patent on text selection, says ITC judge
A handful of Samsung smartphones infringe an Apple patent on text selection, according to the initial determination of a U.S. International Trade Commission judge. The patent in question concerns the selection of text on the browser of a handheld device by covering it with a translucent layer, where the layer becomes active for user inputs. Most smartphone users will be familiar with the method or something similar from when they press down on a word to copy or perhaps delete it.
The World's Richest In Tech Billionaires 2013
The top 15 richest technology billionaires from the 2013 Forbes Billionaires List
Air pollution-caused deaths total over one million per year in China
In January, NASA revealed satellite images showing dramatic visuals of air pollution over China. Consequently, a new analysis is reporting that more than 1 million people are dying prematurely every year from air pollution in China alone. We reported earlier that air pollution, especially around Beijing has greatly been influenced by coal-fired power stations. However, population growth along with increasing development is causing the nation into an air pollution crisis.
Seasonal allergies may be worse than usual this year
Break out those tissues and symptom relief pills, allergy season is upon us. And unfortunately, experts are saying that as the weather warms this spring, allergy sufferers are likely to be more affected than in past years. Seasonal allergies occur when outdoor molds release their spores or when trees, grasses, and weeds release pollen into the air in an effort to fertilize other plants. When we inhale this air, our bodies work to fight off these airborne invaders, which according to the US Food and Drug Administration leads to nearly 36 million Americans suffering each year from these seasonal allergies.
Sun's magnetic 'heartbeat' is discovered
By Elizabeth HowellSpace.comA magnetic "solar heartbeat" beats deep in the sun's interior, generating energy that leads to solar flares and sunspots, according to new research.A new supercomputer simulation, described in Thursday's edition of the journal Science, probes the sun's periodic magnetic field reversals. Every 40 years, according to the model, the sun's zonal magnetic field bands switch ...
Faible création d'emplois aux États-Unis
Les employeurs américains ont créé seulement 88 000 emplois en mars, la performance la plus faible des neuf derniers mois et un déclin marqué après une période d'embauche robuste.
These Stairs Aren't Climbing -- They're Flat!
There's been quite a bit of reaction to the article published by the Economist, dated March 30, suggesting that there may be evidence that climate change has been overestimated. The data that concern those cheering the Economist writers is an apparent lack of warming since 1998 or so. Here's a video package the Economist put together about the piece. Now first it's worth pointing out that the Economist writers are far from cheery, to a one noting that climate change is happening, it's clearly related to human activity, and it requires action. But those cheering the Economist cherry pick their data, focusing only on one piece that quotes NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies head James Hansen noting "the five-year mean global temperature has been flat for a decade." Fortunately the nice thing about these webs is that as soon as people start making claims based on such quotations, responses emerge including clarifying data and context. This one, by Weather Underground cofounder Jeff Masters , does a masterful job of explaining how the data show the climate warming in something like a series of steps, as clearly presented by the site Skeptical Science. [More]
Vegan Flips Out After Not Getting Restaurant Discount
Vegan Flips Out: Jack Litsky, a vegan who brings his own pasta to restaurants whenever he eats out, wasn’t happy when he was charged full-price for a meal and wasn’t allowed to use a coupon. The restaurant eventually gave him the discount.
“We’ve gone to at least 50 or 60 restaurants in the past year-and-a-half and we’ve never had an issue,” he told the paper. “They drop it in water and we can use red marinara tomato sauce and we ask for mushrooms and onions and red pepper if they have it.”
But when they went to a Monticello restaurant, they were charged the full $24 for an entree and were not allowed to use a $50 coupon.”
“(The owner of the restaurant) said, ‘You come here on a Saturday night and order a custom meal. I have to charge you extra,’” Litsky told the Star-Ledger. “I said, ‘But you’ve already set the precedent where you charged me a lot less than that on several occasions,’ and she said that was the old manager’s decision and this was the new price.”
The restaurant then called the police and they threatened to detain him for theft. But Litsky ultimately decided to pay the bill.
The restaurant owner told the newspaper that they were wrong in not giving him a discount and refunded him the $12.
The term “vegan” was first coined in the 1940s by Donald Watson, who headed the Vegan Society, the oldest of such organizations.
Watson created the term and concept to describe a person who is vegetarian but who also ate no eggs or consumed dairy products.
In an interview in 2007, Watson said that in the early days of the Vegan Society, “there was much concern because I was flouting nearly every medical advice at that time” by not eating animal protein.
“Later when we formed The Vegan Society, criticism was almost general -- some of it in the form of concern about what we might be doing to our bodies,” he added.
Watson continued: “The kindest criticism we received was that we “meant well,” or that the sheer problems arising from choosing to live in a world catering mainly for other people would get us down in the end. Other critics said, “It seems to suit you” without realizing that it might suit them too if only they would try it.”
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Hotel chefs prepare to serve rejected green salad, grown by Kenyan farmers but rejected by UK supermarkets due to cosmetic imperfections, on Feb. 19, 2013. (SIMON MAINA/AFP/Getty Images)
Litsky and his wife, Toby, who are both vegans, decided to stop eating meat, dairy, and fat last year to battle their high cholesterol, according to the New Jersey Star-Ledger. When they eat out at Italian restaurants, they bring their own pasta after they learned that not all noodles are whole-grain as sometimes advertised.“We’ve gone to at least 50 or 60 restaurants in the past year-and-a-half and we’ve never had an issue,” he told the paper. “They drop it in water and we can use red marinara tomato sauce and we ask for mushrooms and onions and red pepper if they have it.”
But when they went to a Monticello restaurant, they were charged the full $24 for an entree and were not allowed to use a $50 coupon.”
“(The owner of the restaurant) said, ‘You come here on a Saturday night and order a custom meal. I have to charge you extra,’” Litsky told the Star-Ledger. “I said, ‘But you’ve already set the precedent where you charged me a lot less than that on several occasions,’ and she said that was the old manager’s decision and this was the new price.”
The restaurant then called the police and they threatened to detain him for theft. But Litsky ultimately decided to pay the bill.
The restaurant owner told the newspaper that they were wrong in not giving him a discount and refunded him the $12.
The term “vegan” was first coined in the 1940s by Donald Watson, who headed the Vegan Society, the oldest of such organizations.
Watson created the term and concept to describe a person who is vegetarian but who also ate no eggs or consumed dairy products.
In an interview in 2007, Watson said that in the early days of the Vegan Society, “there was much concern because I was flouting nearly every medical advice at that time” by not eating animal protein.
“Later when we formed The Vegan Society, criticism was almost general -- some of it in the form of concern about what we might be doing to our bodies,” he added.
Watson continued: “The kindest criticism we received was that we “meant well,” or that the sheer problems arising from choosing to live in a world catering mainly for other people would get us down in the end. Other critics said, “It seems to suit you” without realizing that it might suit them too if only they would try it.”
The Epoch Times publishes in 35 countries and in 21 languages. Subscribe to our e-newsletter.
Oxytocin Enhances Social Persuasion during Hypnosis
by Richard A. Bryant, Lynette Hung
It has long been argued that hypnosis cannot promote behaviors that people will not otherwise engage in. Oxytocin can enhance trust in others, and may promote the extent to which a hypnotized person complies with the suggestion of a hypnotist. This double-blind placebo study administered oxytocin or placebo to high hypnotizable participants (N = 28), who were then administered hypnotic suggestions for socially unorthodox behaviors, including swearing during the experiment, singing out loud, and dancing in response to a posthypnotic cue. Participants who received oxytocin were significantly more likely to swear and dance than those who received the placebo. This finding may be interpreted in terms of oxytocin increasing social compliance in response as a function of (a) increased trust in the hypnotist, (b) reduced social anxiety, or (c) enhanced sensitivity to cues to respond to experimental expectations. These results point to the potential role of oxytocin in social persuasion.
It has long been argued that hypnosis cannot promote behaviors that people will not otherwise engage in. Oxytocin can enhance trust in others, and may promote the extent to which a hypnotized person complies with the suggestion of a hypnotist. This double-blind placebo study administered oxytocin or placebo to high hypnotizable participants (N = 28), who were then administered hypnotic suggestions for socially unorthodox behaviors, including swearing during the experiment, singing out loud, and dancing in response to a posthypnotic cue. Participants who received oxytocin were significantly more likely to swear and dance than those who received the placebo. This finding may be interpreted in terms of oxytocin increasing social compliance in response as a function of (a) increased trust in the hypnotist, (b) reduced social anxiety, or (c) enhanced sensitivity to cues to respond to experimental expectations. These results point to the potential role of oxytocin in social persuasion.
Pyongyang says it cannot guarantee foreign diplomats' safety
Embassies told to consider withdrawing staff as missiles are reportedly moved to North Korea's east coast
North Korea has asked foreign embassies in Pyongyang whether they have plans to evacuate staff, warning that it cannot guarantee their safety from the threat of conflict after 10 April.
The Foreign Office said the British embassy had received the warning on Friday morning, but had no intention of evacuating staff.
"The British embassy in Pyongyang received a communication from the North Korean government this morning saying that the North Korean government would be unable to guarantee the safety of embassies and international organisations in the country in the event of conflict from 10 April," it said.
The Foreign Office dismissed the warning as part of the "continuing rhetoric that the US poses a threat to them [North Korea]".
A spokeswoman said: "The DPRK [Democratic People's Republic of Korea] has responsibilities under the Vienna convention to protect diplomatic missions, and we believe they have taken this step as part of their continuing rhetoric that the US poses a threat to them. We are considering next steps, including a change to our travel advice."
A spokesman for the Russian embassy in Pyongyang earlier said that North Korea had "proposed that the Russian side consider the evacuation of employees in the increasingly tense situation". Denis Samsonov told Reuters that Russia was not planning to evacuate at this stage as there were no outward signs of tension in the North Korean capital.
The message to embassies came as tensions in the region continued to escalate despite international efforts to defuse the situation.
South Korea's Yonhap news agency cited Seoul military sources as saying two Musudan missiles, believed to have a range of at least 1,875 miles, which would put South Korea and Japan and possibly the US territory of Guam in the Pacific Ocean in range, had been positioned on mobile launchers on North Korea's east coast.
Yonhap reported that South Korea had reacted to the threats from Pyongyang by deploying two battleships capable of intercepting and destroying ballistic missiles. The US has already moved interceptor missiles and warships to the region to defend against a possible attack.
There are doubts about the Musudan's accuracy and range, and some suspect long-range missiles unveiled by Pyongyang at a parade last year were mock-ups.
The South Korean defence minister said on Thursday that Pyongyang had moved a missile with considerable range to its east coast, but insisted there were no signs that North Korea was preparing for a full-scale conflict. Kim Kwan-jin said he did not know why the North had moved the missile but suggested it "could be for testing or drills".
The tit-for-tat moves will reinforce fears of a downward spiral. On Thursday, the US state department responded to questions suggesting that it had not helped the situation by insisting it had no choice but to respond in this way.
"When you have a country that is making the kind of bellicose statements and taking the kind of steps that they have, you have to take it seriously and you have to take steps to defend the US and its allies," said the spokeswoman Victoria Nuland. "The ratcheting up of tension on the DPRK side was the cause of us shoring up our defensive posture."
Washington also announced fresh moves to seek a diplomatic solution to the crisis, revealing that it had made a phone call to officials in Beijing to ask them to press Pyongyang to tone down its rhetoric.
The secretary of state, John Kerry, is due to meet his Chinese counterpart in Beijing on a scheduled visit to Asia. The South Korean president, Park Geun-hye, is also due to meet Barack Obama in the US for talks next week.
The state department said it was optimistic that the international alliance calling on the North to abandon its nuclear weapons programme would hold firm and "recognise the threat we share is common and that we are stronger if we work together".
Nuland urged Pyongyang to return to the international community and see an end to sanctions. "This does not have to get hotter," she said. "They just have to comply with their international obligations."
In the past week North Korea has issued a stream of threats in the most significant bout of sabre-rattling since an artillery exchange between the North and South in 2010. It also closed the shared Kaesong industrial zone and vowed to restart a mothballed nuclear plant.
Officials in South Korea stress they do not think an attack is imminent, but the risk of accidental conflict is high after North Korea withdrew from a system of hotlines. Seoul also adopted a more proactive deterrence strategy after attacks by the North in 2010, threatening to respond with disproportionate force to any future provocation.
guardian.co.uk © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved.
North Korea has asked foreign embassies in Pyongyang whether they have plans to evacuate staff, warning that it cannot guarantee their safety from the threat of conflict after 10 April.
The Foreign Office said the British embassy had received the warning on Friday morning, but had no intention of evacuating staff.
"The British embassy in Pyongyang received a communication from the North Korean government this morning saying that the North Korean government would be unable to guarantee the safety of embassies and international organisations in the country in the event of conflict from 10 April," it said.
The Foreign Office dismissed the warning as part of the "continuing rhetoric that the US poses a threat to them [North Korea]".
A spokeswoman said: "The DPRK [Democratic People's Republic of Korea] has responsibilities under the Vienna convention to protect diplomatic missions, and we believe they have taken this step as part of their continuing rhetoric that the US poses a threat to them. We are considering next steps, including a change to our travel advice."
A spokesman for the Russian embassy in Pyongyang earlier said that North Korea had "proposed that the Russian side consider the evacuation of employees in the increasingly tense situation". Denis Samsonov told Reuters that Russia was not planning to evacuate at this stage as there were no outward signs of tension in the North Korean capital.
The message to embassies came as tensions in the region continued to escalate despite international efforts to defuse the situation.
South Korea's Yonhap news agency cited Seoul military sources as saying two Musudan missiles, believed to have a range of at least 1,875 miles, which would put South Korea and Japan and possibly the US territory of Guam in the Pacific Ocean in range, had been positioned on mobile launchers on North Korea's east coast.
Yonhap reported that South Korea had reacted to the threats from Pyongyang by deploying two battleships capable of intercepting and destroying ballistic missiles. The US has already moved interceptor missiles and warships to the region to defend against a possible attack.
There are doubts about the Musudan's accuracy and range, and some suspect long-range missiles unveiled by Pyongyang at a parade last year were mock-ups.
The South Korean defence minister said on Thursday that Pyongyang had moved a missile with considerable range to its east coast, but insisted there were no signs that North Korea was preparing for a full-scale conflict. Kim Kwan-jin said he did not know why the North had moved the missile but suggested it "could be for testing or drills".
The tit-for-tat moves will reinforce fears of a downward spiral. On Thursday, the US state department responded to questions suggesting that it had not helped the situation by insisting it had no choice but to respond in this way.
"When you have a country that is making the kind of bellicose statements and taking the kind of steps that they have, you have to take it seriously and you have to take steps to defend the US and its allies," said the spokeswoman Victoria Nuland. "The ratcheting up of tension on the DPRK side was the cause of us shoring up our defensive posture."
Washington also announced fresh moves to seek a diplomatic solution to the crisis, revealing that it had made a phone call to officials in Beijing to ask them to press Pyongyang to tone down its rhetoric.
The secretary of state, John Kerry, is due to meet his Chinese counterpart in Beijing on a scheduled visit to Asia. The South Korean president, Park Geun-hye, is also due to meet Barack Obama in the US for talks next week.
The state department said it was optimistic that the international alliance calling on the North to abandon its nuclear weapons programme would hold firm and "recognise the threat we share is common and that we are stronger if we work together".
Nuland urged Pyongyang to return to the international community and see an end to sanctions. "This does not have to get hotter," she said. "They just have to comply with their international obligations."
In the past week North Korea has issued a stream of threats in the most significant bout of sabre-rattling since an artillery exchange between the North and South in 2010. It also closed the shared Kaesong industrial zone and vowed to restart a mothballed nuclear plant.
Officials in South Korea stress they do not think an attack is imminent, but the risk of accidental conflict is high after North Korea withdrew from a system of hotlines. Seoul also adopted a more proactive deterrence strategy after attacks by the North in 2010, threatening to respond with disproportionate force to any future provocation.
guardian.co.uk © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved.
How to delete yourself from the internet - video
With help from technology writer Jemima Kiss, Guardian journalist Mark Rice-Oxley tries to erase his online self
Reino Unido, França e Polônia vão manter embaixadas na Coreia do Norte
LONDRES e SEUL — Diante da advertência da Coreia do Norte, que declarou ser incapaz de garantir a segurança das embaixadas na capital em caso de conflito, países como Reino Unido, Brasil, França, Suécia e Polônia disseram não ter planos imediatos de retirar seu pessoal de Pyongyang. Com a escalada de tensões com a Coreia do Sul e os Estados Unidos, o governo norte-coreano colocou nesta sexta-feira dois de seus mísseis de médio alcance em lançadores móveis e os escondeu na costa leste do país, segundo informações da agência sul-coreana de notícias, Yonhap.
A chancelaria do Reino Unido afirmou que o passo é “parte da retórica continuada do governo norte-coreano de os EUA são uma ameaça”.
“Eles deram mais esse passo como parte dessa mesma retórica. Mas não temos planos imediatos para evacuar nossa embaixada”, afirmou em comunicado o Ministério das Relações Exteriores, que ainda acusou o governo de elevar as tensões através de uma série de declarações públicas e provocações.
Assim como o Reino Unido, um porta-voz da Polônia classificou as últimas declarações como “um elemento inapropriado de pressão”.
- Nós, obviamente, achamos não vemos riscos na Coreia do Norte. E a embaixada polonesa não viu necessidade de mudar sua equipe.
A França também não levou a sério as provocações. O Ministério das Relações Exteriores também negou que Paris tenha a intenção de evacuar seus funcionários da embaixada em Pyongyang. O mesmo argumento foi utilizado por um funcionário do Ministério das Relações Exteriores da Suécia.
O Brasil também pretende manter, por enquanto, sua embaixada em funcionamento. No local, estão o embaixador Roberto Colin e um funcionário. O Ministério das Relações Exteriores confirmou ter recebido o aviso do governo norte-coreano de que todas as representações estrangeiras terão apoio se quiserem retirar seus funcionários do país.
- Estamos em permanente contato com nosso embaixador Roberto Colin e avaliaremos quais são as condições exatas antes de tomarmos uma decisão sobre a permanência dele ou alguma outra alternativa. E (estamos) em contato também com outras embaixadas em Pyongyang - afirmou o ministro das Relações Exteriores, Antonio Patriota.
Até os Estados Unidos, que não mantêm relações diplomáticas com a Coreia do Norte e é servido pela Suécia em Pyongyang, ecoou os comentários ingleses e os poloneses.
- Esta é apenas uma série crescente de declarações retóricas, e a pergunta é: para quê? - questionou a porta-voz do Departamento de Estado, Victoria Nuland.
Perguntada se os Estados Unidos tinham recebido quaisquer instruções dos suecos sobre o pequeno número de trabalhadores ou turistas que poderiam estar na Coreia do Norte, a porta-voz disse que não havia indicação de que a Suécia iria acatar a advertência de Pyongyang.
A chancelaria do Reino Unido afirmou que o passo é “parte da retórica continuada do governo norte-coreano de os EUA são uma ameaça”.
“Eles deram mais esse passo como parte dessa mesma retórica. Mas não temos planos imediatos para evacuar nossa embaixada”, afirmou em comunicado o Ministério das Relações Exteriores, que ainda acusou o governo de elevar as tensões através de uma série de declarações públicas e provocações.
Assim como o Reino Unido, um porta-voz da Polônia classificou as últimas declarações como “um elemento inapropriado de pressão”.
- Nós, obviamente, achamos não vemos riscos na Coreia do Norte. E a embaixada polonesa não viu necessidade de mudar sua equipe.
A França também não levou a sério as provocações. O Ministério das Relações Exteriores também negou que Paris tenha a intenção de evacuar seus funcionários da embaixada em Pyongyang. O mesmo argumento foi utilizado por um funcionário do Ministério das Relações Exteriores da Suécia.
O Brasil também pretende manter, por enquanto, sua embaixada em funcionamento. No local, estão o embaixador Roberto Colin e um funcionário. O Ministério das Relações Exteriores confirmou ter recebido o aviso do governo norte-coreano de que todas as representações estrangeiras terão apoio se quiserem retirar seus funcionários do país.
- Estamos em permanente contato com nosso embaixador Roberto Colin e avaliaremos quais são as condições exatas antes de tomarmos uma decisão sobre a permanência dele ou alguma outra alternativa. E (estamos) em contato também com outras embaixadas em Pyongyang - afirmou o ministro das Relações Exteriores, Antonio Patriota.
Até os Estados Unidos, que não mantêm relações diplomáticas com a Coreia do Norte e é servido pela Suécia em Pyongyang, ecoou os comentários ingleses e os poloneses.
- Esta é apenas uma série crescente de declarações retóricas, e a pergunta é: para quê? - questionou a porta-voz do Departamento de Estado, Victoria Nuland.
Perguntada se os Estados Unidos tinham recebido quaisquer instruções dos suecos sobre o pequeno número de trabalhadores ou turistas que poderiam estar na Coreia do Norte, a porta-voz disse que não havia indicação de que a Suécia iria acatar a advertência de Pyongyang.
Berlin Exhibition on Judaism Hits a Nerve
“The Whole Truth,” a show at the Jewish Museum in Berlin, includes a Jewish person sitting in a glass box for two hours every day except Saturday
Número de deslocados aumenta para quatro milhões
Cerca de quatro milhões de pessoas estão deslocadas das suas casas na Síria por causa do conflito, informou hoje um responsável do Alto Comissariado da ONU (ACNUR) para os Refugiados (ACNUR), atualizando...
Catholic priest arrested for stealing €4m from Rome hospital
Rev Franco Decaminada also accused of helping to bankrupt IDI hospital by running up €600m in debt
Italian police on Thursday arrested a priest accused of pocketing €4m (£2.76m) from a Catholic hospital he ran and helping run up €600m in debts that forced it into bankruptcy.
The Rev Franco Decaminada, who until 2011 was the chief executive of the IDI dermatological hospital in Rome, was placed under house arrest by Italy's financial police. They also detained two other people while seizing a Tuscan villa that police say Decaminada built with stolen money.
The plight of 1,500 IDI workers who haven't received paychecks for months had prompted Benedict XVI in one of his last acts as pope to name a delegate in February to take over the religious order that owns the hospital to try to bring it back to financial health.
But in the end the Vatican refused to provide any financial assistance and last week a Rome court certified the hospital as insolvent.
IDI workers have occupied the hospital's management area and are buying food to help needy co-workers while continuing to work without pay in hopes of saving their jobs.
"After years of suffering and eight months without salary, we at least have the satisfaction of seeing that justice is starting to work," Bartolomeo Di Gregorio, 56, a biomedical lab technician, told the Associated Press on Thursday.
He welcomed the arrival of Cardinal Giuseppe Versaldi as the papal delegate to head the religious order – the Congregation for the Children of the Immaculate Conception – which runs the hospital, but said in the end it didn't help "because we went into bankruptcy anyway".
The problems at the IDI are the latest in a series of financial scandals at Catholic-run health facilities in Italy that, while not directly involving the Vatican, have links to its No. 2, the secretary of state, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone.
According to leaked Vatican correspondence, Bertone looked into investing money from the Vatican bank into a failing Milan hospital, the San Raffaele, in 2011 after it accumulated millions in debt because of mismanagement. In the end, the hospital went to outside investors.
But Bertone's apparent interest in building up a Vatican healthcare network in Italy has been cited as evidence of his own administrative failings in running the Holy See by focusing too much on small Italian problems and not on global church issues.
On Thursday, Decaminada's order sought to distance itself from his crimes, saying it was a victim in the case and it was co-operating with investigators. It stressed that "no member of the congregation ever saw or visited the home in Tuscany built by Father Decaminada" and its construction was never authorised.
guardian.co.uk © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved.
Cadbury's chief given £4.5million pay rise
The chief executive behind the controversial takeover of Cadbury's has been awarded a 31.5 per cent pay rise - despite accusations of tax dodging and poor performance
Dois homens morrem durante tiroteio em creche no Canadá
GATINEAU, Canadá - A polícia retirou as 53 crianças de uma creche próxima a Quebec nesta sexta-feira, depois de dois homens morrerem durante um tiroteio no local. De acordo com o chefe da polícia de Gatineau, Mario Haren, nenhuma das crianças foi ferida.
A polícia foi à creche após receber uma denúncia de que um homem armado ameaçava as pessoas no local. Quando chegou lá, o homem estava morto, assim como um funcionário da creche. Os dois corpos estavam próximos. O crime pode estar relacionado a uma separação de casal, de acordo com a polícia.
Os tiros foram disparados em duas casas que fazem parte do complexo. Pais assustados chegavam para pegar seus filhos. O crime inicialmente levantou temores de que se tratasse de um ataque como o de dezembro a uma escola de Newtown, em Connecticut, EUA, em que 20 crianças e seis educadores morreram.
A polícia foi à creche após receber uma denúncia de que um homem armado ameaçava as pessoas no local. Quando chegou lá, o homem estava morto, assim como um funcionário da creche. Os dois corpos estavam próximos. O crime pode estar relacionado a uma separação de casal, de acordo com a polícia.
Os tiros foram disparados em duas casas que fazem parte do complexo. Pais assustados chegavam para pegar seus filhos. O crime inicialmente levantou temores de que se tratasse de um ataque como o de dezembro a uma escola de Newtown, em Connecticut, EUA, em que 20 crianças e seis educadores morreram.
North Korea's threats make China nervous
Over the border from North Korea, residents of mountainous Kuandian county fear effects of conflict could spill over
Every time North Korea threatens a nuclear strike, Ge Weihan receives a frantic call from his mother. Although the 34-year-old filmmaker moved to Beijing years ago, his parents still live in a small Chinese village less than 25 miles (40km) from the insular nation.
"If a war ever actually breaks out, I'm very nervous about what it would do to my hometown," Ge said. "It's hard living right next to a country that seems willing to do anything."
Residents of Ge's home village in mountainous Kuandian county have become accustomed to an influx of Chinese troops every time tensions flare on the Korean peninsula – just in case things spin out of control. Yet this time the soldiers are so numerous, and media reports so shrill, that even the most hardened villagers are nervous.
It's no accident that China is the North Korea's most important ally, economic lifeline and primary source of humanitarian aid – a political meltdown in the country could send an unsustainable flood of refugees into border areas such as Kuandian and push a US-friendly unified Korea right up to China's doorstep.
Yet the vast majority of Chinese people consider North Korea just as strange and frightening as western observers. "It's just awkward," said Ge, who has lived among North Korean refugees. "It's an extremely awkward situation for the government, and that makes common people feel awkward as well."
Beijing rarely deviates in its response to North Korean tempers. Officials express concern – or "serious concern" as of Wednesday – and request that the international community "remain calm" and "exercise restraint".
Chinese news outlets have given North Korean declarations of war slightly less airtime than their western counterparts.
China's official newswire Xinhua published a dispatch from a Pyongyang-based correspondent on Thursday about how life in the city is business as usual. According to the report, 100,000 Pyongyong residents are preparing for North Korea's most important national holiday – Kim Il-sung's birthday, on 15 April – by planting trees throughout the city.
Prices in Pyongyang's "foreigner" supermarkets are stable, according to the report; schoolchildren are just beginning a new term. The city hosted an athletic competition on Thursday amid radio broadcasts warning residents to remain alert for provocative actions by American imperialists and their South Korean puppets.
Despite the state-sanctioned front of tranquillity, China's social media sites betray a widespread mix of curiosity, confusion, and unease. Some users on the popular microblogging site Sina Weibo wondered if this had all been an elaborate joke. "Actually lets hope that Kim does start a war – that he uses self-destruction to save the Korean people," said one user in a widely forwarded post.
Yet the most popular North Korea-related topic by far was a brief news report about a bottle of North Korean spring water discovered in a Chinese supermarket. Weibo users expressed shock at its £1 price tag – significantly higher than most domestic brands. In the subsequent debate about the cleanliness of North Korea's water supply, mentions of war were hard to find.
guardian.co.uk © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved.
ONU suspende distribuição de comida em Gaza por ataques
GENEBRA - A Organização das Nações Unidas (ONU) anunciou nesta sexta-feira que vai suspender todas as operações de distribuição de ajuda alimentar na Faixa de Gaza, depois que manifestantes atacaram um de seus escritórios. A medida se segue a uma série de violentos protestos ao longo da semana. Na quinta-feira, dezenas de pessoas invadiram um escritório da Agência das Nações Unidas para os Refugiados Palestinos no Oriente Médio (UNRWA), irritados com falta de pagamento mensal às famílias pobres, suspenso na segunda-feira em consequência de cortes orçamentários da organização. Outros países afetados com os cortes da ONU são os que acolhem os refugiados sírios. A ONU alertou também nesta sexta-feira que em breve ficará sem dinheiro para lidar com o vasto afluxo de refugiados da Síria para a Jordânia e outros países vizinhos.
- Não haverá comida amanhã - disse o porta-voz da agência Adnan Abu Hasna, que fornece alimentação, educação, saúde e outros serviços para os cerca de 815.000 refugiados palestinos.
Segundo as Nações Unidas, todos os centros de ajuda e de distribuição de Gaza “serão fechados até que os grupos envolvidos ofereçam as garantias necessárias para que as operações da UNRWA aconteçam sem problemas”.
A entidade completou que está em “uma situação verdadeiramente lamentável, na medida em que a distribuição de alimentos afeta atualmente 25.000 refugiados a cada dia. Mas não podemos tolerar as ameaças constantes a nossos funcionários”.
Aumento de refugiados sírios supera expectativas da ONU
O número de refugiados da crise na Síria tem repetidamente superado as expectativas da ONU. Os 1,25 milhão de refugiados, dos quais três quartos são mulheres e crianças, superam em 10% o que se esperava que fosse o total até junho.
- As necessidades estão crescendo exponencialmente, e estamos quebrados - disse Marixie Mercado, porta-voz do Fundo das Nações Unidas para a Infância (Unicef ), numa entrevista coletiva na sede da ONU em Genebra.
Como há também 3,6 milhões de refugiados internos na Síria, e nenhum fim visível para o conflito de dois anos, existem grandes chances de que o êxodo continue aumentando.
- Desde o começo do ano, mais de 2.000 refugiados passaram pelas fronteiras (com a Jordânia) a cada dia. Esperamos que esse número mais do que duplique até julho, e triplique até dezembro - disse Mercado. - Até o final de 2013, estimamos que haverá 1,2 milhão de refugiados sírios na Jordânia - equivalente a cerca de um quinto da população jordaniana.
O impacto da falta de verbas incluiria a suspensão na entrega de 3,5 milhões de litros de água por dia no campo jordaniano de Za'atari, que abriga mais de 100 mil refugiados, a maioria mulheres. Quase 11 mil sírios chegaram na semana passada a Za'atari, segundo a Organização Internacional para a Migração.
Autoridades da ONU disseram que a escassez de verbas afeta a região inteira, não só a Jordânia, e todas as agências humanitárias. Embora as agências humanitárias até agora tenham conseguido evitar grandes problemas entre os refugiados, policiar uma população enorme e crescente tem se tornado um grande desafio.
O órgão da ONU para refugiados (Acnur) registrou vários protestos em Za'atari no final de março, por causa da escassez de ônibus para levar refugiados de volta à Síria. Há também casos de pessoas tentando contrabandear itens para fora do campo, e violência por causa da distribuição de novas caravanas. Os outros países que recebem um grande número de refugiados sírios são Líbano, Turquia e Iraque.
- Não haverá comida amanhã - disse o porta-voz da agência Adnan Abu Hasna, que fornece alimentação, educação, saúde e outros serviços para os cerca de 815.000 refugiados palestinos.
Segundo as Nações Unidas, todos os centros de ajuda e de distribuição de Gaza “serão fechados até que os grupos envolvidos ofereçam as garantias necessárias para que as operações da UNRWA aconteçam sem problemas”.
A entidade completou que está em “uma situação verdadeiramente lamentável, na medida em que a distribuição de alimentos afeta atualmente 25.000 refugiados a cada dia. Mas não podemos tolerar as ameaças constantes a nossos funcionários”.
Aumento de refugiados sírios supera expectativas da ONU
O número de refugiados da crise na Síria tem repetidamente superado as expectativas da ONU. Os 1,25 milhão de refugiados, dos quais três quartos são mulheres e crianças, superam em 10% o que se esperava que fosse o total até junho.
- As necessidades estão crescendo exponencialmente, e estamos quebrados - disse Marixie Mercado, porta-voz do Fundo das Nações Unidas para a Infância (Unicef ), numa entrevista coletiva na sede da ONU em Genebra.
Como há também 3,6 milhões de refugiados internos na Síria, e nenhum fim visível para o conflito de dois anos, existem grandes chances de que o êxodo continue aumentando.
- Desde o começo do ano, mais de 2.000 refugiados passaram pelas fronteiras (com a Jordânia) a cada dia. Esperamos que esse número mais do que duplique até julho, e triplique até dezembro - disse Mercado. - Até o final de 2013, estimamos que haverá 1,2 milhão de refugiados sírios na Jordânia - equivalente a cerca de um quinto da população jordaniana.
O impacto da falta de verbas incluiria a suspensão na entrega de 3,5 milhões de litros de água por dia no campo jordaniano de Za'atari, que abriga mais de 100 mil refugiados, a maioria mulheres. Quase 11 mil sírios chegaram na semana passada a Za'atari, segundo a Organização Internacional para a Migração.
Autoridades da ONU disseram que a escassez de verbas afeta a região inteira, não só a Jordânia, e todas as agências humanitárias. Embora as agências humanitárias até agora tenham conseguido evitar grandes problemas entre os refugiados, policiar uma população enorme e crescente tem se tornado um grande desafio.
O órgão da ONU para refugiados (Acnur) registrou vários protestos em Za'atari no final de março, por causa da escassez de ônibus para levar refugiados de volta à Síria. Há também casos de pessoas tentando contrabandear itens para fora do campo, e violência por causa da distribuição de novas caravanas. Os outros países que recebem um grande número de refugiados sírios são Líbano, Turquia e Iraque.
Getting married makes you fat, say scientists
Couples in happy marriages are likely to pile on the pounds, a study claims
Louisiana smells 'burning tires and oil' as Exxon refinery spills unknown amount of chemicals
According to the New Orleans Times-Picayune, residents of the New Orleans suburb began reporting strong odor of “burning tires and oil” to the local Coast Guard on Wednesday.
The claims were soon connected to a report issued by the ExxonMobil refinery the same day.
Confusion remained, though, over the amounts and types of chemicals dumped as a result of a break in a pipeline connecting a drum used to store “liquid flare condensate” with a flare. At oil refineries, flares are gas combustion devices generally used to burn off flammable gas released by pressure relief valves. In this case, the spill itself was of the condensate water.
Once the refinery’s leak reached the threshold that would require it to be reported, ExxonMobil announced that it had released 100 pounds of hydrogen sulfide and 10 pounds of benzene, a volatile compound known to cause cancer.
According to the Coast Guard’s National Response Center, however, the oil company is now unsure of the quantities and of which chemicals may have contaminated the area. According to readings at the spill site, the refinery measured 160 parts per million of hydrogen sulfide and 2 parts per million of benzene in the air. Meanwhile, an online version of the report filed by the company simply stated that an unknown amount of wastewater had leaked from its Number 1 flare drum.
A local pollution mapping website run by a group called the Louisiana Bucket Brigade began receiving notices from local residents, all complaining of a strong chemical odor:
“My name is Earl, I live at phillip neighborhood. I felt bad all yesterday because yesterday I smelled some of that oil. I haven't seen a doctor yet. Thanks,” posted one user.
According to Bucket Brigade director Anne Rolfes, the process for both measuring and reporting such a spill in the area is severely lacking.
“It is surprising that we don’t know the source over 12 hours after the first reports were filed," Rolfes told the Times-Picayune. "We need an overhaul and an upgrade of the state’s skimpy and inadequate air monitoring network. A decent air monitoring network would help officials to locate the source of the odor automatically, rather than having to drive around looking for it."
According to the paper, the same ExxonMobil refinery suffered a 360-barrel spill last January. At the time, local residents complained that drops of crude oil were splattering their vehicles.
A federal rule requires the refinery to comply with the Clean Air Act, which regulates emissions, and also led the facility to file a report in March which noted 10 recent releases that had violated pollution limits.
“The incidents included the release of 1.93 tons of sulphur dioxide on July 2; the release of 1,076 pounds of sulphur dioxide on July 29; the release of 33.73 tons of sulphur dioxide between Aug. 27 and Sept. 3 during Hurricane Isaac; 1.85 tons of sulphur dioxide on Sept. 10; 1,063 pounds of hydrogen sulfide on Oct. 26; and 2.22 tons of hydrogen sulfide on Oct. 30 and 31.”
According to that report, most of the releases were prompted by a failure of pressure safety valves and other equipment. Of the 18 oil refineries currently operating in the state of Louisiana, the facility at Chalmette is one of the largest.
The claims were soon connected to a report issued by the ExxonMobil refinery the same day.
Confusion remained, though, over the amounts and types of chemicals dumped as a result of a break in a pipeline connecting a drum used to store “liquid flare condensate” with a flare. At oil refineries, flares are gas combustion devices generally used to burn off flammable gas released by pressure relief valves. In this case, the spill itself was of the condensate water.
Once the refinery’s leak reached the threshold that would require it to be reported, ExxonMobil announced that it had released 100 pounds of hydrogen sulfide and 10 pounds of benzene, a volatile compound known to cause cancer.
According to the Coast Guard’s National Response Center, however, the oil company is now unsure of the quantities and of which chemicals may have contaminated the area. According to readings at the spill site, the refinery measured 160 parts per million of hydrogen sulfide and 2 parts per million of benzene in the air. Meanwhile, an online version of the report filed by the company simply stated that an unknown amount of wastewater had leaked from its Number 1 flare drum.
A local pollution mapping website run by a group called the Louisiana Bucket Brigade began receiving notices from local residents, all complaining of a strong chemical odor:
“My name is Earl, I live at phillip neighborhood. I felt bad all yesterday because yesterday I smelled some of that oil. I haven't seen a doctor yet. Thanks,” posted one user.
According to Bucket Brigade director Anne Rolfes, the process for both measuring and reporting such a spill in the area is severely lacking.
“It is surprising that we don’t know the source over 12 hours after the first reports were filed," Rolfes told the Times-Picayune. "We need an overhaul and an upgrade of the state’s skimpy and inadequate air monitoring network. A decent air monitoring network would help officials to locate the source of the odor automatically, rather than having to drive around looking for it."
According to the paper, the same ExxonMobil refinery suffered a 360-barrel spill last January. At the time, local residents complained that drops of crude oil were splattering their vehicles.
A federal rule requires the refinery to comply with the Clean Air Act, which regulates emissions, and also led the facility to file a report in March which noted 10 recent releases that had violated pollution limits.
“The incidents included the release of 1.93 tons of sulphur dioxide on July 2; the release of 1,076 pounds of sulphur dioxide on July 29; the release of 33.73 tons of sulphur dioxide between Aug. 27 and Sept. 3 during Hurricane Isaac; 1.85 tons of sulphur dioxide on Sept. 10; 1,063 pounds of hydrogen sulfide on Oct. 26; and 2.22 tons of hydrogen sulfide on Oct. 30 and 31.”
According to that report, most of the releases were prompted by a failure of pressure safety valves and other equipment. Of the 18 oil refineries currently operating in the state of Louisiana, the facility at Chalmette is one of the largest.
China culls 20,000 birds as sixth person dies of avian flu
Shanghai has culled over 20,000 birds and ordered the closure of all wholesale poultry markets in the city as a sixth person died of a new type of avian flu.
School forces students who can't pay to skip lunch, then trashes the food
School officials admitted to Boston's Fox 25 that for two weeks an employee of school lunch vendor Whitson’s School Nutrition threw food in the garbage instead of feeding students who had outstanding balances on their pre-paid cafeteria cards.
Fifth grader Victoria Greaves, 11, said she didn’t have anything to eat after a cashier made her dispose of the food on her cafeteria tray. Upon hearing that his daughter went hungry, Greaves’ father John was shocked that the school didn’t inform him of what was going on.
“I’m pissed that when there are people in prison who are getting meals, my daughter, an honor student, is going hungry,” he said.
Another parent said it was “absolutely outrageous.”
Food workers reportedly stopped serving food on the order of an on-site Whitson’s employee. School principal Andy Boles said he only learned that students were forced to waste their food after a parent called to complain on Tuesday afternoon.
“They did not respect me, they did not respect my students and they did not respect their parents,” he said.
“They apologized for their actions,” he added. “Their intent was not to humiliate or upset the students, which I stated to them they had done.”
A Whitson’s spokesman said the company is formulating a new policy so that no student ever goes without lunch. Holly Von Seggren, the vice president for marketing and community relations for Whitson’s, said the combined debt among students in the entire school district comes to $1,800.
“We regret that these students were denied meals and agree that this situation should have been handled differently,” the company said.
Fifth grader Victoria Greaves, 11, said she didn’t have anything to eat after a cashier made her dispose of the food on her cafeteria tray. Upon hearing that his daughter went hungry, Greaves’ father John was shocked that the school didn’t inform him of what was going on.
“I’m pissed that when there are people in prison who are getting meals, my daughter, an honor student, is going hungry,” he said.
Another parent said it was “absolutely outrageous.”
Food workers reportedly stopped serving food on the order of an on-site Whitson’s employee. School principal Andy Boles said he only learned that students were forced to waste their food after a parent called to complain on Tuesday afternoon.
“They did not respect me, they did not respect my students and they did not respect their parents,” he said.
“They apologized for their actions,” he added. “Their intent was not to humiliate or upset the students, which I stated to them they had done.”
A Whitson’s spokesman said the company is formulating a new policy so that no student ever goes without lunch. Holly Von Seggren, the vice president for marketing and community relations for Whitson’s, said the combined debt among students in the entire school district comes to $1,800.
“We regret that these students were denied meals and agree that this situation should have been handled differently,” the company said.
Tarantula the size of a dinner plate discovered in Sri Lanka
A new species of tarantula roughly the size of a dinner plate has been discovered in a Sri Lankan village.
Third major oil spill in a week: Shell pipeline breaks in Texas
Shell Pipeline, a unit of Royal Dutch Shell Plc, shut down their West Columbia, Texas, pipeline last Friday after electronic calculations conducted by the US National Response Center showed that upwards of 700 barrels had been lost, amounting to almost 30,000 gallons of crude oil.
By Monday, Shell spokespeople said inspectors found “no evidence” of an oil leak, but days later it was revealed that a breach did occur. Representatives with the US Coast Guard confirmed to Dow Jones on Thursday that roughly 50 barrels of oil spilled from a pipe near Houston, Texas and entered a waterway that connects to the Gulf of Mexico.
Coast Guard Petty Officer Steven Lehman said that Shell had dispatched clean-up crews that were working hard to correct any damage to Vince Bayou, a small waterway that runs for less than 20 miles from the Houston area into a shipping channel that opens into the Gulf.
The spill was contained, said Lehman, who was hesitant to offer an official number on how much crude was lost in the accident. According to Shell spokeswoman Kim Windon, though, the damage could have been quite significant. After being presented with the estimate that said as much as 700 barrels were found to have leaked from the pipeline due to an unknown cause, investigators determined that 60 barrels entered the bayou.
"That's a very early estimate--things can change," Officer Lehman told Dow Jones.
Meanwhile, though, rescue works in Arkansas have been getting their hands dirty responding to an emergency there. A rupture in ExxonMobil's Pegasus pipeline late last week send thousands of barrels of oil into the small town of Mayflower, around 25 miles outside of Little Rock. Authorities evacuated more than 20 homes in response, and by this Thursday roughly 19,000 barrels had been recovered.
Another incident in Canada this week caused an estimated 400 barrels — or roughly 16,800 gallons — of oil to be compromised in northern Ontario when a train derailed. Originally, Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd said only four barrels were lost in the accident.
By Monday, Shell spokespeople said inspectors found “no evidence” of an oil leak, but days later it was revealed that a breach did occur. Representatives with the US Coast Guard confirmed to Dow Jones on Thursday that roughly 50 barrels of oil spilled from a pipe near Houston, Texas and entered a waterway that connects to the Gulf of Mexico.
Coast Guard Petty Officer Steven Lehman said that Shell had dispatched clean-up crews that were working hard to correct any damage to Vince Bayou, a small waterway that runs for less than 20 miles from the Houston area into a shipping channel that opens into the Gulf.
The spill was contained, said Lehman, who was hesitant to offer an official number on how much crude was lost in the accident. According to Shell spokeswoman Kim Windon, though, the damage could have been quite significant. After being presented with the estimate that said as much as 700 barrels were found to have leaked from the pipeline due to an unknown cause, investigators determined that 60 barrels entered the bayou.
"That's a very early estimate--things can change," Officer Lehman told Dow Jones.
Meanwhile, though, rescue works in Arkansas have been getting their hands dirty responding to an emergency there. A rupture in ExxonMobil's Pegasus pipeline late last week send thousands of barrels of oil into the small town of Mayflower, around 25 miles outside of Little Rock. Authorities evacuated more than 20 homes in response, and by this Thursday roughly 19,000 barrels had been recovered.
Another incident in Canada this week caused an estimated 400 barrels — or roughly 16,800 gallons — of oil to be compromised in northern Ontario when a train derailed. Originally, Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd said only four barrels were lost in the accident.
UK medical professionals paid £40m last year by drug companies
UK-based doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals were given £40 million by big pharmaceutical companies in just one year, figures suggest.
US Army general canned over alcohol, sexual misconduct charges
Army Maj. Gen. Ralph Baker, commander of the Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa, was relieved of his duties on March 28. Military officials claim that the grounds for his termination are loss of confidence in his ability to command. But Baker is allegedly facing allegations of harassment and inappropriate conduct, which officials were not authorized to discuss publicly, the Associated Press reports.
Since his termination by Gen. Carter Ham, head of the US Africa Command, Baker has returned to Washington, DC, where he is temporarily serving as a special assistant to the vice chief of the Army. Such positions are often filled by general officers who are under investigation for a crime, as well as those who are waiting for their new job to open up.
The major general has appealed his termination to Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, with the hope that he can get reinstated in Africa. Unnamed officials familiar with the case told AP that Baker has received a pay cut, which the defendant is also trying to appeal. Officials believe Hagel might have more of a say in the extent of the financial punishment, but is less likely to override the termination decision made by Gen. Ham, who is a senior commander.
Baker had been stationed as head of the task force, located at Camp Lemmonier in Djibouti, since last May.
Problems with officials at the US Africa Command have occurred before: Ham’s predecessor, Army Gen. William “Kip” Ward, was demoted from four stars to three after investigators found he had been misusing government funds and “lavishly spending”.
But cases of sexual assault are increasingly popping up in the military – a common problem that lawmakers have complained about. Last month, sexual assault victims who claimed they were harassed by military leaders testified in front of a Senate subcommittee hearing. One victim, Former Army Sgt. Rebekah Havrilla, said her rapist never faced charges – even though the perpetrator took pictures of her during the rape and posted them on a pornographic website.
“The military criminal justice system is broken,” Havrilla told members of Congress.
Research by the Department of Veteran Affairs last year found that almost half of all US women deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan say they were sexually harassed, while nearly one-quarter claim they were sexually assaulted.
Baker is just the latest of a number of officers who have been reprimanded or are under investigation for possible sexual misconduct. Earlier this year, Air Force Lt. Gen. Craig Franklin reversed a sexual assault conviction against Lt. Col. James Wilkerson – a move that infuriated lawmakers and shed further light on the problem of sexual assaults in the military.
Hagel has recently ordered a review of Franklin’s decision, but has not yet made any comments regarding Baker’s termination and appeal.
Since his termination by Gen. Carter Ham, head of the US Africa Command, Baker has returned to Washington, DC, where he is temporarily serving as a special assistant to the vice chief of the Army. Such positions are often filled by general officers who are under investigation for a crime, as well as those who are waiting for their new job to open up.
The major general has appealed his termination to Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, with the hope that he can get reinstated in Africa. Unnamed officials familiar with the case told AP that Baker has received a pay cut, which the defendant is also trying to appeal. Officials believe Hagel might have more of a say in the extent of the financial punishment, but is less likely to override the termination decision made by Gen. Ham, who is a senior commander.
Baker had been stationed as head of the task force, located at Camp Lemmonier in Djibouti, since last May.
Problems with officials at the US Africa Command have occurred before: Ham’s predecessor, Army Gen. William “Kip” Ward, was demoted from four stars to three after investigators found he had been misusing government funds and “lavishly spending”.
But cases of sexual assault are increasingly popping up in the military – a common problem that lawmakers have complained about. Last month, sexual assault victims who claimed they were harassed by military leaders testified in front of a Senate subcommittee hearing. One victim, Former Army Sgt. Rebekah Havrilla, said her rapist never faced charges – even though the perpetrator took pictures of her during the rape and posted them on a pornographic website.
“The military criminal justice system is broken,” Havrilla told members of Congress.
Research by the Department of Veteran Affairs last year found that almost half of all US women deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan say they were sexually harassed, while nearly one-quarter claim they were sexually assaulted.
Baker is just the latest of a number of officers who have been reprimanded or are under investigation for possible sexual misconduct. Earlier this year, Air Force Lt. Gen. Craig Franklin reversed a sexual assault conviction against Lt. Col. James Wilkerson – a move that infuriated lawmakers and shed further light on the problem of sexual assaults in the military.
Hagel has recently ordered a review of Franklin’s decision, but has not yet made any comments regarding Baker’s termination and appeal.
Flower arranging and Bible reading 'should give parents priority for faith school places'
Parents who volunteer to arrange flowers or read the Bible should be given priority for faith school places, Catholic academy says.
Exxon wins safety award as Mayflower sees no end to spill cleanup (VIDEO)
With Mayflower, Kansas struggling to deal with the 84,000 gallons of crude that began running through its streets last week, ExxonMobil has been made the recipient of the National Safety Council's Green Cross for Safety medal.
The group praised Exxon and its corporate bosses for "comprehensive commitment to safety excellence." No mention was made of the developing Arkansas disaster.
"It is evident that ExxonMobil is committed to excellence in safety, security, health and environmental performance," council president Janet Froetscher said while presenting the award to ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson. "This organization is a wonderful example of the role corporations can play in preventing injuries and saving lives," she added.
While the cleanup operation has entered its second week, there is still a lack of footage coming from the disaster zone. Nevertheless, Mayflower resident Chris Harrell, who's been in close contact with RT during the days following the accident, has provided a rare video of the cleanup effort.
The film, shot on Thursday, shows muddied tarps strewn out across the streets where 22 homes were evacuated after an ExxonMobil pipeline ruptured last week.
Workers in special suits, reflective vests, and hard hats can be seen working as machinery buzzes in the background under a light drizzle.
As the camera pans down the street, revealing a vacuum truck in operation parked outside of a home, members of the cleanup crew with the ExxonMobil insignia approach Harrell to ask if he needs any help.
Harrell says he is taking video for friends who live in the area and is told by the crew worker that they are “concerned for his safety” due to the ongoing operations and equipment that has been deployed.
Harrell, who then identifies himself as a resident, asks if the streets will have to be torn up. The crew is unable to answer, but offers an escort if he would like to enter the site.
On Friday, ExxonMobile VP of Operations, Karen Tyrone, said the company has increased the size of the cleanup crew working in Mayflower to more than 640 people. Tyrone continued that they are working 24 hours a day to keep the oil from spreading.
"Precaution is the word here. We're not going to put people at risk. We want to make sure everyone feels comfortable before these residents return to their homes," she said.
On Wednesday, ExxonMobile had said that around
“570 people are responding to the incident in addition to federal, state and local responders.” Despite his most civil encounter with the crew on the ground, Harrell expressed frustration that it had taken ExxonMobil so long to bolster the crew attempting to clean up thousands of barrels worth of oil in the area.
“Why did @exxonmobil wait 5 days to bring in additional manpower? We've gotten your worst please give us your best,” he tweeted on Thursday.
On Wednesday, Exxon Mobil spokesman Alan Jeffers says between 3,500 and 5,000 barrels of oil leaked from a ruptured pipeline, although previous reports had put that figure at 12,000 barrels.
There is no solid timetable on when the cleanup efforts will finally be completed.
Follow RT's in-depth day-by-day timeline on the Arkansas oil spill.
The group praised Exxon and its corporate bosses for "comprehensive commitment to safety excellence." No mention was made of the developing Arkansas disaster.
"It is evident that ExxonMobil is committed to excellence in safety, security, health and environmental performance," council president Janet Froetscher said while presenting the award to ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson. "This organization is a wonderful example of the role corporations can play in preventing injuries and saving lives," she added.
While the cleanup operation has entered its second week, there is still a lack of footage coming from the disaster zone. Nevertheless, Mayflower resident Chris Harrell, who's been in close contact with RT during the days following the accident, has provided a rare video of the cleanup effort.
The film, shot on Thursday, shows muddied tarps strewn out across the streets where 22 homes were evacuated after an ExxonMobil pipeline ruptured last week.
Workers in special suits, reflective vests, and hard hats can be seen working as machinery buzzes in the background under a light drizzle.
As the camera pans down the street, revealing a vacuum truck in operation parked outside of a home, members of the cleanup crew with the ExxonMobil insignia approach Harrell to ask if he needs any help.
Harrell says he is taking video for friends who live in the area and is told by the crew worker that they are “concerned for his safety” due to the ongoing operations and equipment that has been deployed.
Harrell, who then identifies himself as a resident, asks if the streets will have to be torn up. The crew is unable to answer, but offers an escort if he would like to enter the site.
On Friday, ExxonMobile VP of Operations, Karen Tyrone, said the company has increased the size of the cleanup crew working in Mayflower to more than 640 people. Tyrone continued that they are working 24 hours a day to keep the oil from spreading.
"Precaution is the word here. We're not going to put people at risk. We want to make sure everyone feels comfortable before these residents return to their homes," she said.
On Wednesday, ExxonMobile had said that around
“570 people are responding to the incident in addition to federal, state and local responders.” Despite his most civil encounter with the crew on the ground, Harrell expressed frustration that it had taken ExxonMobil so long to bolster the crew attempting to clean up thousands of barrels worth of oil in the area.
“Why did @exxonmobil wait 5 days to bring in additional manpower? We've gotten your worst please give us your best,” he tweeted on Thursday.
On Wednesday, Exxon Mobil spokesman Alan Jeffers says between 3,500 and 5,000 barrels of oil leaked from a ruptured pipeline, although previous reports had put that figure at 12,000 barrels.
There is no solid timetable on when the cleanup efforts will finally be completed.
Follow RT's in-depth day-by-day timeline on the Arkansas oil spill.
Hillary Clinton's playboy fundraiser arrested over heroin and cocaine
An Indian playboy and fundraiser for Hillary Clinton has been arrested in Florida after he tried to board a plane with heroin, cocaine and other drugs hidden in his bags and underpants.
Ohio town wants to implement massive aerial surveillance program
Officials with the Dayton City Commission recently announced that they hope to sign a $120,000 contract with a local security company in order to give law enforcement agencies an eye-in-the-sky ability unheard of elsewhere in America. While the Federal Aviation Administration continues to ponder just exactly how unmanned aerial vehicles or drones will be able to conduct surveillance in the sky, sending manned aircraft through the clouds isn’t something that involves as many hurdles. That will make it all the easier if Dayton gets the go-ahead to sign-on to a pricey program being touted by Persistent Surveillance Systems.
Persistent Surveillance Systems, or PSS, currently has operations throughout the Dayton area in order to keep watch over private property, like a downtown business park. If they sign on with the city proper, though, PSS will be asked to send airplanes in the sky to snoop on any seemingly illegal activity on the ground.
To the Dayton Daily News, PSS’s Ross McNutt said the city would be allowed to access a video camera feed from a piloted aircraft that could be deployed to around 10,000 feet off the ground. PSS would provide the city with the plane and the pilot, and with the right know-how the police would be able to extensively monitor an area as large as the city’s entire downtown.
According to a slideshow presented before the City Commission earlier this year and since obtained by the American Civil Liberties Union, Dayton officials are looking at more than just a dinky plane outfitted with a couple of Kodaks. The city is apparently pursuing a program called “Trusted Situational Awareness,” which PSS says can collect real-time data and imagery to law enforcement so the police can identify and interrupt illegal activity while at the same time collecting “valuable forensic intelligence.”
That right there was enough to raise a red flag with Jay Stanley, a senior policy analyst with the ACLU’s Speech, Privacy and Technology Project. After viewing the slideshow for himself this week, he writes on his blog that signing on to the “Trusted Situational Awareness” program could put Dayton’s population under an ever present microscope.
“’Forensic intelligence’ usually means something like, ‘keeping records of everything everybody is doing so we can go back and carry out retroactive surveillance whenever we need it,’” says Stanley.
That surveillance would be captured by plane-mounted cameras described by McNutt, a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel, as being 10-times more sensitive that IMAX lenses. Should the Dayton Police Department sign-on, the agency hopes to log 120 flight hours with PSS this summer, starting with six months of surveillance at the Dayton International Airport. If the DIA’s aviation department thinks PSS helps get the area secure, $20,000 will be credited towards the purchase of more equipment.
Trusted Situational Awareness in Dayton is important, says the department, because it “can be utilized to prevent and minimize acts of terrorism, crime and murder.” The ACLU warns that it can do much more than that, though. “These planes are able to monitor an area four times as large as Dayton’s downtown. The rapid-fire cameras used on the plane make the captured data more like film than still photos,” claims the organization. “Police can zoom in on any part of the image, in real time. This means that they could track your car down the street or watch you swimming in your backyard.”
The ACLU is now asking for concerned citizens of Dayton to speak up. The City Commission has decided to postpone any decision on the proposal until a thorough public discussion is conducted.
"It's basically educating the public about what this technology will actually do and what it can't do," Mayor Gary Leitzell told Dayton Daily News after a February meeting. "I think the public has a right to know, so they feel comfortable with our choice of using technology to help our police department solve crime and reduce crime."
Persistent Surveillance Systems, or PSS, currently has operations throughout the Dayton area in order to keep watch over private property, like a downtown business park. If they sign on with the city proper, though, PSS will be asked to send airplanes in the sky to snoop on any seemingly illegal activity on the ground.
To the Dayton Daily News, PSS’s Ross McNutt said the city would be allowed to access a video camera feed from a piloted aircraft that could be deployed to around 10,000 feet off the ground. PSS would provide the city with the plane and the pilot, and with the right know-how the police would be able to extensively monitor an area as large as the city’s entire downtown.
According to a slideshow presented before the City Commission earlier this year and since obtained by the American Civil Liberties Union, Dayton officials are looking at more than just a dinky plane outfitted with a couple of Kodaks. The city is apparently pursuing a program called “Trusted Situational Awareness,” which PSS says can collect real-time data and imagery to law enforcement so the police can identify and interrupt illegal activity while at the same time collecting “valuable forensic intelligence.”
That right there was enough to raise a red flag with Jay Stanley, a senior policy analyst with the ACLU’s Speech, Privacy and Technology Project. After viewing the slideshow for himself this week, he writes on his blog that signing on to the “Trusted Situational Awareness” program could put Dayton’s population under an ever present microscope.
“’Forensic intelligence’ usually means something like, ‘keeping records of everything everybody is doing so we can go back and carry out retroactive surveillance whenever we need it,’” says Stanley.
That surveillance would be captured by plane-mounted cameras described by McNutt, a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel, as being 10-times more sensitive that IMAX lenses. Should the Dayton Police Department sign-on, the agency hopes to log 120 flight hours with PSS this summer, starting with six months of surveillance at the Dayton International Airport. If the DIA’s aviation department thinks PSS helps get the area secure, $20,000 will be credited towards the purchase of more equipment.
Trusted Situational Awareness in Dayton is important, says the department, because it “can be utilized to prevent and minimize acts of terrorism, crime and murder.” The ACLU warns that it can do much more than that, though. “These planes are able to monitor an area four times as large as Dayton’s downtown. The rapid-fire cameras used on the plane make the captured data more like film than still photos,” claims the organization. “Police can zoom in on any part of the image, in real time. This means that they could track your car down the street or watch you swimming in your backyard.”
The ACLU is now asking for concerned citizens of Dayton to speak up. The City Commission has decided to postpone any decision on the proposal until a thorough public discussion is conducted.
"It's basically educating the public about what this technology will actually do and what it can't do," Mayor Gary Leitzell told Dayton Daily News after a February meeting. "I think the public has a right to know, so they feel comfortable with our choice of using technology to help our police department solve crime and reduce crime."
Thursday, 4 April 2013
Cop may have led drug robbery crew
A veteran New York police officer is accused of equipping a robbery crew with state-of-the art New York police equipment and helping them loot drug dealers out of a million dollars.
Japanese central bank doubles money supply in fresh bid to spur inflation
New Bank of Japan governor seeks to end long spell of deflation which has hindered investment and economic growth
The Japanese central bank has said it will massively expand the country's money supply to spur inflation as it strives to get the world's third-largest economy out of its slump.
The Bank of Japan (BoJ) on Thursday vowed to achieve a 2% inflation target at "the earliest possible time".
To do so, the central bank has launched "a new phase of monetary easing both in terms of quantity and quality" that will double the money supply, it said in a statement.
The new BoJ governor, Haruhiko Kuroda, has vowed to meet the inflation target within two years, heeding demands from the prime minister, Shinzo Abe, to once and for all end a long spell of deflation which has hindered investment and economic growth.
Abe's government, which took power late last year, accused the previous central bank governor, Masaaki Shirakawa, of balking at undertaking bold enough monetary easing to get the economy back on track. The steps announced on Thursday under the first policy meeting chaired by Kuroda were in line with expectations and are likely to reassure jittery financial markets of Japan's resolve to push ahead with its "reflationary" strategy.
The announcement pulled the Nikkei 225 stock average out of the red and sent the yen lower against the US dollar.
The BoJ will conduct money market operations to increase the monetary base by about ¥60tn to ¥70tn (£420bn to £490bn) a year. At the same time it plans to increase purchases of Japanese government bonds to total ¥50tn a year to encourage interest rates to decline, which it hopes will facilitate more lending.
The central bank is also extending the average remaining maturity of the bonds it purchases from three years to an average of seven years. Meanwhile, bonds with all maturities up to 40 years will be eligible for purchase.
As expected, the bank also extended the range of assets it can purchase, to include more risky real estate investment trusts and exchange-traded funds.
As part of the new strategy, the BoJ will end its current asset-purchasing programme, absorbing it into the future purchases of bonds, it said.
Answering concerns that the stimulus programme would further raise Japan's public debt, the statement said that the government bond purchases would be "executed for the purpose of conducting monetary policy and not for the purpose of financing fiscal deficits".
The BoJ will "examine both upside and downside risks to economic activity and prices and make adjustments as appropriate", it said.
guardian.co.uk © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved.
The Japanese central bank has said it will massively expand the country's money supply to spur inflation as it strives to get the world's third-largest economy out of its slump.
The Bank of Japan (BoJ) on Thursday vowed to achieve a 2% inflation target at "the earliest possible time".
To do so, the central bank has launched "a new phase of monetary easing both in terms of quantity and quality" that will double the money supply, it said in a statement.
The new BoJ governor, Haruhiko Kuroda, has vowed to meet the inflation target within two years, heeding demands from the prime minister, Shinzo Abe, to once and for all end a long spell of deflation which has hindered investment and economic growth.
Abe's government, which took power late last year, accused the previous central bank governor, Masaaki Shirakawa, of balking at undertaking bold enough monetary easing to get the economy back on track. The steps announced on Thursday under the first policy meeting chaired by Kuroda were in line with expectations and are likely to reassure jittery financial markets of Japan's resolve to push ahead with its "reflationary" strategy.
The announcement pulled the Nikkei 225 stock average out of the red and sent the yen lower against the US dollar.
The BoJ will conduct money market operations to increase the monetary base by about ¥60tn to ¥70tn (£420bn to £490bn) a year. At the same time it plans to increase purchases of Japanese government bonds to total ¥50tn a year to encourage interest rates to decline, which it hopes will facilitate more lending.
The central bank is also extending the average remaining maturity of the bonds it purchases from three years to an average of seven years. Meanwhile, bonds with all maturities up to 40 years will be eligible for purchase.
As expected, the bank also extended the range of assets it can purchase, to include more risky real estate investment trusts and exchange-traded funds.
As part of the new strategy, the BoJ will end its current asset-purchasing programme, absorbing it into the future purchases of bonds, it said.
Answering concerns that the stimulus programme would further raise Japan's public debt, the statement said that the government bond purchases would be "executed for the purpose of conducting monetary policy and not for the purpose of financing fiscal deficits".
The BoJ will "examine both upside and downside risks to economic activity and prices and make adjustments as appropriate", it said.
guardian.co.uk © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved.
Bank card-slurp nasty 'infects tills, ATMs', corrupt staff fingered
Internet hitman flogs account-snaffling malware to forgers
Audacious crooks have infected hundreds of shopping tills and cash machines with malware to swipe sensitive debit and credit card data, we're told.…
Audacious crooks have infected hundreds of shopping tills and cash machines with malware to swipe sensitive debit and credit card data, we're told.…
Major rise in prescription drugs among the young
Far more young Swedes are taking pills to deal with mental health issues. The number taking tranquilisers is up by 70 percent since 2006, and those taking antidepressants is up by 50 percent, reports Swedish Radio News.
'Offshore Leaks' shows how some of the wealthy hide riches
Information leaked to media outlets worldwide has shed new light on how some of the world’s richest people avoid paying their fair share of taxes. It has been described as the "biggest blow" so far to tax havens.
Nato strike 'kills Afghan police'
A Nato air strike in eastern Ghazni province kills four Afghan policemen and a civilian, Afghan officials say.
Restrict child benefit to two children per family, Tories say
A number of senior Conservatives have called on the Government to restrict child benefit to two children per family
New York fast-food industry employees plan strike against low wages
Organisers predict hundreds will boycott work on Thursday in planned protest against the notoriously low-wage industry
Hundreds of fast food industry workers in New York were due to go on strike on Thursday in the largest such action to ever hit the notoriously low-wage industry.
Organisers behind the protest predict that some 400 workers will walk out or stay away from their jobs across the city in a move aimed at impacting at least 70 restaurants from big chains like McDonalds, Wendy's and Burger King.
The workers are calling for wages of $15 an hour and the right to organise without the threat of retaliation or intimidation. It follows a previous protest in New York last November when 200 workers went on strike.
Jonathan Westin, director of the Fast Food Forward Campaign, said that there was a dire need to raise wages in the fast food industry where many workers put in long hours on minimum wages and thus remained in poverty. There are some 50,000 fast food workers in New York who, organisers say, earn between $10,000 and $18,000 a year – making it difficult to get by in a city known for its sky-high rents and high prices. "They can't pay rent. That is exactly the opposite the chief executives of the companies they work for who earn huge profits," he said.
Westin said this second strike was aimed at building on the momentum of the first protest, which had previously been the largest action to hit the industry. That protest added to an already intense media debate over the rise of a low-wage economy in America as the country's economy struggles to recover.
Westin said that some workers in New York City fast food restaurants had been warned by their managers not to take part in any further action. "The corporations know that workers are organising. They have been told that they should not take actions and there is a chance that they could be fired," Westin said.
However, that has not discouraged workers like Naquasia Legrand, a 21-year-old Brooklyn-born worker at fried chicken chain KFC. Legrand, who is joining the strike, said that she was barely able to make enough to get by as her wages were so low. "You have to decide whether to feed your family or get a Metrocard so you can go to work. Or you have to choose between paying your rent or feeding your child," she said.
Legrand, who also took part in last November's action, insisted she was not afraid of retaliation from her employer for walking off work. "We have the right to do this. If anything happens we will retaliate back," she added.
The fast food strike is the latest attempt by workers' rights groups to target low-wage parts of the American economy. In the wake of the recession many of the jobs being created in the US are low-wage. Indeed fast-food restaurants have added jobs more than twice as fast as the average for the rest of the economy since the recovery began in June, 2009. Last year also saw a wave of strikes hit gigantic big box retailer Walmart.
Organisers say that the booming low-wage economy hurts workers and contributes to a growing inequality in the country. They also say many workers in such low-wage restaurants also qualify for state assistance, such as food stamps, and so the government is effectively subsidising the workforce of huge corporations. "Corporations are building a low-wage economy. It is the economy that we have become, but we have to lift these people out of poverty,' said Westin.
The campaign has attracted widespread support among New York's clergy. Various leaders from churches, synagogues and mosques throughout the city are expected to join a series of pickets planned to spring up outside fast food restaurants from Harlem to Midtown. One of them is Imam Abdul Karim Rahim, who serves at a mosque in the Bronx. "These workers need our support. They come and support us in the churches, the mosques and the synagogues. They are part of our congregations. But now we have to support them," he said.
Organisers behind the strike have also sought to draw a link between the protest and the fact it is happening on the 45th anniversary of the assassination of Dr Martin Luther King. At the time of his death, King was campaigning on behalf of low-wage sanitation workers on strike in Memphis, Tennessee. Last week two of those strikers involved in the 1968 dispute travelled to New York and spoke to workers involved with the current fast food campaign at a series of pep talks in the city.
guardian.co.uk © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved.
U.S. sends F/A-18 warplanes to Philippine military drills
MANILA (Reuters) - Washington is this week deploying a dozen F/A-18 fighters to the Philippines, the first time it has sent so many of the aircraft there, to take part in annual military drills with a close security ally amid rising tension in the Asia-Pacific region.
Tate removes paedophile's prints
Prints by the artist Graham Ovenden are removed from the Tate's online collection following his conviction for child sex offences.
Sufre pobreza 54% de niños mexicanos
Más de la mitad de los niños y adolescentes en México enfrenta carencia en salud, alimentación, vivienda, educación y seguridad social, reveló Unicef.
New Zealand points to its diplomat's diary as proof that Argo got it wrong
Notebook belonging to Richard Sewell suggests country's close involvement with US plot to rescue American hostages from Iran
It has caused anger in countries as far flung as Canada, Britain and Iran. Now Ben Affleck's Oscar-winning Argo must face up to a new challenge from diplomats in New Zealand who say they can prove that the Iran hostage crisis-set historical drama wrongly ignored their country's contribution to events shown in the film.
Chris Terrio's Oscar-winning screenplay for Argo depicts New Zealand's embassy as unwilling to help with an ambitious plan to fly six US diplomats out of the country. The film implies that CIA fixer Tony Mendez, played by Affleck, is the main mover and shaker in a largely US-planned scheme to rescue the six under the guise that they are Canadian film producers returning from a scouting trip for a Hollywood fantasy film.
New Zealand's parliament has already voted to express its anger over the slight, and an old notebook belonging to a long-deceased Kiwi diplomat who was in Tehran during the crisis suggests that MPs got it right. Richard Sewell's diary reveals that he and New Zealand ambassador Chris Beeby were closely involved with the ambitious plot to fly the US diplomats to safety at a time when anti-American rhetoric was at an all-time high following the overthrow of the Shah and Washington's decision to harbour its dying ally.
The diary, which has been donated to Wellington's Alexandra Turnbull Library by Sewell's partner, Grant Allen, even hints that Mendez himself nearly scuppered the plan on the day the Americans were due to be flown out of the country. Sewell reveals that when he went to pick up his US co-conspirator from his hotel, Mendez was still asleep and had to be awoken with a phone call. With the pair eventually arriving 30 minutes late for their scheduled flight, the American allegedly pleaded with his Kiwi colleague: "For God's sake don't mention this to anyone."
Argo has also come under fire from a former Canadian ambassador to Iran, Ken Taylor, who says he protected Americans at great personal risk in 1979 but was not recognised in the film. Sir John Graham, 86, who was Britain's ambassador to Iran at the time, has denied that the US diplomats were turned away from Britain's embassy as shown in the movie.
Iran, meanwhile, has threatened to sue Affleck and studio Warner Bros over the depiction of Tehran and Iranian revolutionaries in the film.
guardian.co.uk © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved.
Pensioner with one leg denied parking badge for not being disabled enough
A pensioner with one leg has been refused a blue parking badge because she is not disabled enough
Ruby the Heart Stealer protests at Silvio Berlusconi's 'bunga bunga' sex trial
Video: Former erotic dancer at centre of Berlusconi's "bunga bunga" sex trial, stages protest outside Milan court, demanding to be allowed to give evidence.
Health tourism costing NHS billions, senior doctor claims
The growing epidemic of health tourists exploiting the NHS is costing the British taxpayer billions every year, a senior doctor has warned.
Coreia do Norte anuncia ter aprovado ataque nuclear aos EUA
Comunicado do Exército norte-coreano afirma que a guerra contra os EUA e aliados pode começar "hoje ou amanhã". Americanos deslocam sistema de defesa antimísseis para base no Pacífico.
Hospitals "overloaded all the time"
Following reports from medical staff of a major problem with overcrowding, a national list of the most overloaded hospitals has now been published.Swedish Radio News reports that this list, by the association of local authorities, was only revealed "after much agony."
Em breve será demasiado tarde para salvar o planeta
O secretário-geral da Organização das Nações Unidas, Ban Ki-moon, disse hoje que "em breve será demasiado tarde" para salvar o planeta se não se aplicarem medidas restritivas até 2015.
Aseguran más de 900 kilos de marihuana en Tamaulipas
REYNOSA, Tamps. 3 de abril.- Una denuncia ciudadana fue la clave para que elementos de la Policía Federal, ubicaran en el municipio de Reynosa, Tamaulipas un domicilio presuntamente utilizado para almacenar droga y armamento diverso.
Con la información obtenida, efectivos federales acordonaron la zona y tras implementar un dispositivo de seguridad en las inmediaciones del fraccionamiento San José, detectaron que en el interior del predio se encontraban paquetes confeccionados con cinta color canela.
En presencia del agente del Ministerio Público de la Federación fueron contabilizados un total de 208 envoltorios que arrojaron un peso aproximado de mil 946 kilos marihuana.
Al continuar con el operativo se localizaron 22 armas de alto poder, 102 cargadores y dos mil 170 cartuchos de diferentes calibres, cinco chalecos balísticos y cinco uniformes color negro.
Con la información obtenida, efectivos federales acordonaron la zona y tras implementar un dispositivo de seguridad en las inmediaciones del fraccionamiento San José, detectaron que en el interior del predio se encontraban paquetes confeccionados con cinta color canela.
En presencia del agente del Ministerio Público de la Federación fueron contabilizados un total de 208 envoltorios que arrojaron un peso aproximado de mil 946 kilos marihuana.
Al continuar con el operativo se localizaron 22 armas de alto poder, 102 cargadores y dos mil 170 cartuchos de diferentes calibres, cinco chalecos balísticos y cinco uniformes color negro.
Officials 'can't account for' $700 million in Katrina aid
The relief program, which disbursed grants of up to $30,000 to more than 24,000 homeowners, was supposed to be used to elevate homes and protect property in areas vulnerable to storm surges. Instead, as the report by Inspector General of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) David Montoya now shows, of the $1 billion earmarked for home improvements, homeowners seem to have spent a striking majority - at least $700 million - on anything but.
According to Montoya, the program’s intent seems to have been completely ignored by most Louisiana residents who received HUD grants:
"We have $700 million that we can't account for and that certainly did not go to elevating homes and preventing future damage from storms," Montoya said in an interview to ABC.
“This is money we can't afford to lose. This is money that we don't get back and this is money that we can't put toward other disaster victims," he added.
Now, HUD is putting pressure on the State of Louisiana to recover the disbursed grants, though Montoya has stated that chances officials will get the money back are slim to none. Still, according to the Inspector General’s report, homeowners who received HUD assistance for home elevation are legally on the hook for completing the work:
“The Elevation Incentive agreement specifically stated that if the homeowner did not elevate his or her home within 3 years of the signed agreement, the owner must repay the full grant amount to the State. The grant amounts awarded to the eligible homeowners were disbursed in one lump sum directly to the homeowner upon signing the binding agreement.”
As of late April 2012, only 18 of the homeowners who were “noncompliant” with the agreement had returned their grant money, at least in part, for a total of $200,900. Meanwhile $119.2 million had actually been used for home elevations - a less than one fifth of the total sum that has “gone missing.”
According to Pat Forbes, who oversees disaster recovery for Louisiana, local authorities are “working aggressively” to get the remaining 19,000 homeowners to comply with the program. Meanwhile, members of Congress, such as Senator Tom Coburn, say the failure of the program should be a warning for other efforts currently underway, such as Hurricane Sandy relief.
According to Montoya, the home elevation project may end up being a costly lesson for HUD.
"Before you pay out funding such as this, up to $30,000 with a promise to do something, we'd like to see the disbursement of these funds happen after the projects are done,” said Montoya during an ABC interview.
Details on how homeowners in storm-stricken, low-income areas would initially pay for such repairs have been left to the imagination.
According to Montoya, the program’s intent seems to have been completely ignored by most Louisiana residents who received HUD grants:
"We have $700 million that we can't account for and that certainly did not go to elevating homes and preventing future damage from storms," Montoya said in an interview to ABC.
“This is money we can't afford to lose. This is money that we don't get back and this is money that we can't put toward other disaster victims," he added.
Now, HUD is putting pressure on the State of Louisiana to recover the disbursed grants, though Montoya has stated that chances officials will get the money back are slim to none. Still, according to the Inspector General’s report, homeowners who received HUD assistance for home elevation are legally on the hook for completing the work:
“The Elevation Incentive agreement specifically stated that if the homeowner did not elevate his or her home within 3 years of the signed agreement, the owner must repay the full grant amount to the State. The grant amounts awarded to the eligible homeowners were disbursed in one lump sum directly to the homeowner upon signing the binding agreement.”
As of late April 2012, only 18 of the homeowners who were “noncompliant” with the agreement had returned their grant money, at least in part, for a total of $200,900. Meanwhile $119.2 million had actually been used for home elevations - a less than one fifth of the total sum that has “gone missing.”
According to Pat Forbes, who oversees disaster recovery for Louisiana, local authorities are “working aggressively” to get the remaining 19,000 homeowners to comply with the program. Meanwhile, members of Congress, such as Senator Tom Coburn, say the failure of the program should be a warning for other efforts currently underway, such as Hurricane Sandy relief.
According to Montoya, the home elevation project may end up being a costly lesson for HUD.
"Before you pay out funding such as this, up to $30,000 with a promise to do something, we'd like to see the disbursement of these funds happen after the projects are done,” said Montoya during an ABC interview.
Details on how homeowners in storm-stricken, low-income areas would initially pay for such repairs have been left to the imagination.
How the fall of the Berlin Wall may have raised a generation of criminals
The fall of the Berlin Wall may have blighted a generation in east Germany, according to research published today which suggests that children born after the Wall came down were significantly more likely to commit crimes than their west German counterparts
Testosterone Levels Are Negatively Associated with Childlessness in Males, but Positively Related to Offspring Count in Fathers
by Thomas V. Pollet, Kelly D. Cobey, Leander van der Meij
Variation in testosterone (T) is thought to affect the allocation of effort between reproductive and parenting strategies. Here, using a large sample of elderly American men (n = 754) and women (n = 669) we examined the relationship between T and self-reported parenthood, as well as the relationship between T and number of reported children. Results supported previous findings from the literature, showing that fathers had lower T levels than men who report no children. Furthermore, we found that among fathers T levels were positively associated with the number of children a man reports close to the end of his lifespan. Results were maintained when controlling for a number of relevant factors such as time of T sampling, participant age, educational attainment, BMI, marital status and reported number of sex partners. In contrast, T was not associated with either motherhood or the number of children women had, suggesting that, at least in this sample, T does not influence the allocation of effort between reproductive and parenting strategies among women. Findings from this study contribute to the growing body of literature suggesting that, among men, pair bonding and paternal care are associated with lower T levels, while searching and acquiring sex partners is associated with higher T levels.
Variation in testosterone (T) is thought to affect the allocation of effort between reproductive and parenting strategies. Here, using a large sample of elderly American men (n = 754) and women (n = 669) we examined the relationship between T and self-reported parenthood, as well as the relationship between T and number of reported children. Results supported previous findings from the literature, showing that fathers had lower T levels than men who report no children. Furthermore, we found that among fathers T levels were positively associated with the number of children a man reports close to the end of his lifespan. Results were maintained when controlling for a number of relevant factors such as time of T sampling, participant age, educational attainment, BMI, marital status and reported number of sex partners. In contrast, T was not associated with either motherhood or the number of children women had, suggesting that, at least in this sample, T does not influence the allocation of effort between reproductive and parenting strategies among women. Findings from this study contribute to the growing body of literature suggesting that, among men, pair bonding and paternal care are associated with lower T levels, while searching and acquiring sex partners is associated with higher T levels.
Hackers dump details on new Secret Service director
Pierson was among the names listed by hackers behind the website Exposed.re, which advertised “Secret Files” pertaining to US Attorney General Eric Holder, former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, Microsoft founder Bill Gates, former US president George W. Bush, actress Angelina Jolie and a slew of other celebrities and public figures.
“The Secret Files” obtained on Pierson include her Social Security number, date of birth, phone numbers, as well as her current and former home addresses. What appears to be Pierson’s detailed personal credit report – prepared by TransUnion - was also released with account activity as recent as January of this year.
Pierson’s shopping history at stores like Sears, the Home Depot and Macy's was detailed alongside personal loan information from Citibank and American Express.
The new Secret Service boss is just the latest addition to the list of hacked officials, perhaps the most prominent of which was Central Intelligence Agency chief John Brennan, who was also victimized just after being sworn into his position in mid-March. Brennan’s credit report, which was also through TransUnion, provided details about past student loans, American Express accounts and car leases.
After the Brennan information dump, a credit agent told Forbes that TransUnion had “immediately launched an investigation,” although there have been no updates since that announcement.
The domain’s extension (Exposed.re) suggests that the site is hosted out of Réunion, a French island off the coast of Madagascar. The FBI is reportedly investigating the hack but has yet to announce news of an arrest.
Obama’s decision to appoint Pierson was notable not only because she’s the first woman to hold the position, but because she’s expected to restore the Secret Service’s sullied reputation. Last year, while preparing for US President Barack Obama’s arrival in Colombia, a group of agents hired prostitutes and brought them back to their hotel. After the incident several of the women came forward and let on that confidential information about Obama’s trip was within their grasp.
“The Secret Files” obtained on Pierson include her Social Security number, date of birth, phone numbers, as well as her current and former home addresses. What appears to be Pierson’s detailed personal credit report – prepared by TransUnion - was also released with account activity as recent as January of this year.
Pierson’s shopping history at stores like Sears, the Home Depot and Macy's was detailed alongside personal loan information from Citibank and American Express.
The new Secret Service boss is just the latest addition to the list of hacked officials, perhaps the most prominent of which was Central Intelligence Agency chief John Brennan, who was also victimized just after being sworn into his position in mid-March. Brennan’s credit report, which was also through TransUnion, provided details about past student loans, American Express accounts and car leases.
After the Brennan information dump, a credit agent told Forbes that TransUnion had “immediately launched an investigation,” although there have been no updates since that announcement.
The domain’s extension (Exposed.re) suggests that the site is hosted out of Réunion, a French island off the coast of Madagascar. The FBI is reportedly investigating the hack but has yet to announce news of an arrest.
Obama’s decision to appoint Pierson was notable not only because she’s the first woman to hold the position, but because she’s expected to restore the Secret Service’s sullied reputation. Last year, while preparing for US President Barack Obama’s arrival in Colombia, a group of agents hired prostitutes and brought them back to their hotel. After the incident several of the women came forward and let on that confidential information about Obama’s trip was within their grasp.
Smoking and Risk of Erectile Dysfunction: Systematic Review of Observational Studies with Meta-Analysis
by Shiyi Cao, Xiaoxu Yin, Yunxia Wang, Hongfeng Zhou, Fujian Song, Zuxun Lu
Background
There are many recent observational studies on smoking and risk of erectile dysfunction (ED) and whether smoking increases the risk of ED is still inconclusive. The objective of this meta-analysis was to synthesize evidence from studies that evaluated the association between smoking and the risk of ED.
Methods
We searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Scopus in January 2013 to identify cohort and case-control studies that evaluated the association between smoking and ED. Study quality of included studies was assessed by the Newcastle-Ottawa scale. Random-effects meta-analyses were used to combine the results of included studies.
Results
Four prospective cohort studies and four case-control studies involving 28, 586 participants were included. Because of significant heterogeneity after including case-control studies in meta-analysis, the consistent results of prospective cohort studies were considered more accurate, Because of significant heterogeneity after including case-control studies in meta-analysis, the consistent results of prospective cohort studies were considered more accurate, Compared with non-smokers, the overall odd ratio of ED in prospective cohort studies was 1.51(95% CI: 1.34 to 1.71) for current smokers, and it was 1.29 (95% CI: 1.07 to 1.47) for former smokers. Evidence of publication bias was not found.
Conclusion
Evidence from epidemiological studies suggests that smoking, especially current smoking, may significantly increase the risk of ED
Background
There are many recent observational studies on smoking and risk of erectile dysfunction (ED) and whether smoking increases the risk of ED is still inconclusive. The objective of this meta-analysis was to synthesize evidence from studies that evaluated the association between smoking and the risk of ED.
Methods
We searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Scopus in January 2013 to identify cohort and case-control studies that evaluated the association between smoking and ED. Study quality of included studies was assessed by the Newcastle-Ottawa scale. Random-effects meta-analyses were used to combine the results of included studies.
Results
Four prospective cohort studies and four case-control studies involving 28, 586 participants were included. Because of significant heterogeneity after including case-control studies in meta-analysis, the consistent results of prospective cohort studies were considered more accurate, Because of significant heterogeneity after including case-control studies in meta-analysis, the consistent results of prospective cohort studies were considered more accurate, Compared with non-smokers, the overall odd ratio of ED in prospective cohort studies was 1.51(95% CI: 1.34 to 1.71) for current smokers, and it was 1.29 (95% CI: 1.07 to 1.47) for former smokers. Evidence of publication bias was not found.
Conclusion
Evidence from epidemiological studies suggests that smoking, especially current smoking, may significantly increase the risk of ED
Male baldness 'indicates heart risk'
Men going thin on top may be more likely to have heart problems than their friends with a full head of hair, according to researchers in Japan.
Obama warns making secret court's ruling public could mean 'grave danger'
The grim advice comes after the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) sued the US Department of Justice for details of a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court ruling that determined that the federal government violated the 2008 FISA Amendment Act.
The FISA Amendment, which was the expansion of a pre-existing law under the George W. Bush administration, made it legal for the government to conduct widespread foreign and domestic email and phone surveillance without probable cause. Included is the provision that the National Security Administration (NSA) may monitor any citizen suspected of conversing with someone outside the United States.
The Obama White House extended the provision for another five years in December of 2012.
Using the Freedom of Information Act, the EFF hoped to force the government into making public the details of the court’s secret ruling.
Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court proceedings and the records kept of the hearings are kept off limits from the public because the court rules on warrant requests for suspected foreign intelligence agents operating inside the US. Only federal government officials are on hand and, unlike a public or civil trial, a prosecutor doesn't face off against a defense. Instead, evidence is shown and a ruling follows.
The EFF’s initial request was denied because releasing the court transcript would, the government said, “implicate classified intelligence sources and methods.” Senator Ron Wyden (D-Oregon), who is known for his outspoken criticism of domestic surveillance, was briefed on the court’s opinion and authorized to reveal that the federal government’s actions “circumvented the spirit of the law” and was “unreasonable under the Fourth Amendment,” as quoted by Wired Magazine.
Wyden has been a vocal opponent of the expansion of the FISA Amendment, which has also been criticized by the ACLU. He was one of the few Senators to vote against continuing President Bush’s expansions in 2012, comparing the vague language and broad enforcement allowances to the method British soldiers used to make their way through colonists’ homes before the American Revolution.
“It is never okay, never okay for government officials to use a general warrant to deliberately invade the privacy of a law-abiding American,” he told reporters in December 2012 “It wasn’t okay for constables and customs officials do it in colonial days, and it’s not okay for the National Security Agency to do it today.”
In 2008 then-Senator Obama initially opposed the FISA expansion before eventually voting in step with President Bush, saying the new provisions were necessary to fight terrorism.
In February of this year the Supreme Court declined to hear a civilian challenge to the law.
The FISA Amendment, which was the expansion of a pre-existing law under the George W. Bush administration, made it legal for the government to conduct widespread foreign and domestic email and phone surveillance without probable cause. Included is the provision that the National Security Administration (NSA) may monitor any citizen suspected of conversing with someone outside the United States.
The Obama White House extended the provision for another five years in December of 2012.
Using the Freedom of Information Act, the EFF hoped to force the government into making public the details of the court’s secret ruling.
Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court proceedings and the records kept of the hearings are kept off limits from the public because the court rules on warrant requests for suspected foreign intelligence agents operating inside the US. Only federal government officials are on hand and, unlike a public or civil trial, a prosecutor doesn't face off against a defense. Instead, evidence is shown and a ruling follows.
The EFF’s initial request was denied because releasing the court transcript would, the government said, “implicate classified intelligence sources and methods.” Senator Ron Wyden (D-Oregon), who is known for his outspoken criticism of domestic surveillance, was briefed on the court’s opinion and authorized to reveal that the federal government’s actions “circumvented the spirit of the law” and was “unreasonable under the Fourth Amendment,” as quoted by Wired Magazine.
Wyden has been a vocal opponent of the expansion of the FISA Amendment, which has also been criticized by the ACLU. He was one of the few Senators to vote against continuing President Bush’s expansions in 2012, comparing the vague language and broad enforcement allowances to the method British soldiers used to make their way through colonists’ homes before the American Revolution.
“It is never okay, never okay for government officials to use a general warrant to deliberately invade the privacy of a law-abiding American,” he told reporters in December 2012 “It wasn’t okay for constables and customs officials do it in colonial days, and it’s not okay for the National Security Agency to do it today.”
In 2008 then-Senator Obama initially opposed the FISA expansion before eventually voting in step with President Bush, saying the new provisions were necessary to fight terrorism.
In February of this year the Supreme Court declined to hear a civilian challenge to the law.
BrightSource shelves second major solar project this year
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - BrightSource Energy Inc has shelved a major solar power project in California, its second such move this year.
Japan unveils massive stimulus plan
Japan's central bank surprises markets with the size of its latest stimulus package, as it tries to spur growth and end years of falling prices.
One in six Americans already in poverty as $85 billion in cuts kick in
New statistics from the US Census Bureau reveal that one in every six Americans is living below the poverty line.
Additionally, one in five American children is now living in the same unfortunate situation.
The news that 16 per cent of the American public was living in poverty last rang true in the mid-1960s, when then-president Lyndon Johnson tried to launch a war on poverty. But his efforts – which fell under the Great Society program – were first suspended then permanently abandoned in order to pay for the US invasion of Vietnam.
Each individual American, or American family, is assigned one out of 48 possible poverty thresholds which vary depending on the size of the family and the age of its members. The thresholds were determined in 1964 and are based on what portion of their income families spend on food, although they do not vary geographically.
According to the Census Bureau, if a family’s monetary income is less than their predetermined appropriate threshold, then that family is in poverty. For example, a family of five with two children, a mother, father, and great aunt’s threshold was $27,517 in 2011. The 2013 threshold for a family of four is $23,021.
Food stamps, housing subsidies, and other non-cash government benefits are not used to determine a family’s income.
Now, the extra $85 billion in cuts will further exacerbate that financial stress. The sequester, which could have been avoided before the presidential election in November, could devastate programs that receive federal funding to help the poor.
William McCarthy, executive director of Catholic Charities, told the Associated Press that the national budget cuts “will deepen and increase poverty” for low-income areas, children, poor senior citizens and many other demographics.
Additionally, one in five American children is now living in the same unfortunate situation.
The news that 16 per cent of the American public was living in poverty last rang true in the mid-1960s, when then-president Lyndon Johnson tried to launch a war on poverty. But his efforts – which fell under the Great Society program – were first suspended then permanently abandoned in order to pay for the US invasion of Vietnam.
Each individual American, or American family, is assigned one out of 48 possible poverty thresholds which vary depending on the size of the family and the age of its members. The thresholds were determined in 1964 and are based on what portion of their income families spend on food, although they do not vary geographically.
According to the Census Bureau, if a family’s monetary income is less than their predetermined appropriate threshold, then that family is in poverty. For example, a family of five with two children, a mother, father, and great aunt’s threshold was $27,517 in 2011. The 2013 threshold for a family of four is $23,021.
Food stamps, housing subsidies, and other non-cash government benefits are not used to determine a family’s income.
Now, the extra $85 billion in cuts will further exacerbate that financial stress. The sequester, which could have been avoided before the presidential election in November, could devastate programs that receive federal funding to help the poor.
William McCarthy, executive director of Catholic Charities, told the Associated Press that the national budget cuts “will deepen and increase poverty” for low-income areas, children, poor senior citizens and many other demographics.
Multi-toxin biotech crops not silver bullets
Tucson AZ (SPX) Apr 04, 2013
A strategy widely used to prevent pests from quickly adapting to crop-protecting toxins may fail in some cases unless better preventive actions are taken, suggests new research by University of Arizona entomologists published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Corn and cotton have been genetically modified to produce pest-killing proteins from the bacterium Bacillus th
A strategy widely used to prevent pests from quickly adapting to crop-protecting toxins may fail in some cases unless better preventive actions are taken, suggests new research by University of Arizona entomologists published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Corn and cotton have been genetically modified to produce pest-killing proteins from the bacterium Bacillus th
Iceland volcanoes said growing threat
London (UPI) Apr 3, 2013
British researchers say some Icelandic volcanoes could produce eruptions just as explosive as those in the Pacific Rim, with disruptive ash clouds.
Previously, scientists had thought that Icelandic magma was less "fizzy" - containing less volcanic gases like carbon dioxide - than that in Pacific Ocean volcanoes, and expected much less explosive eruptions by comparison.
However
British researchers say some Icelandic volcanoes could produce eruptions just as explosive as those in the Pacific Rim, with disruptive ash clouds.
Previously, scientists had thought that Icelandic magma was less "fizzy" - containing less volcanic gases like carbon dioxide - than that in Pacific Ocean volcanoes, and expected much less explosive eruptions by comparison.
However
Gene discovery may yield lettuce that will sprout in hot weather
Davis CA (SPX) Apr 04, 2013
A team of researchers, led by a University of California, Davis, plant scientist, has identified a lettuce gene and related enzyme that put the brakes on germination during hot weather - a discovery that could lead to lettuces that can sprout year-round, even at high temperatures.
The study also included researchers from Arcadia Biosciences and Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University, I
A team of researchers, led by a University of California, Davis, plant scientist, has identified a lettuce gene and related enzyme that put the brakes on germination during hot weather - a discovery that could lead to lettuces that can sprout year-round, even at high temperatures.
The study also included researchers from Arcadia Biosciences and Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University, I
Israeli forces kill two teenage Palestinian protesters in West Bank
Two Palestinian teenagers have been shot dead during clashes with Israeli soldiers in the West Bank. The violence comes amid a third day of protests over the death of a Palestinian prisoner in Israeli custody.
UC Research on Maya Village Uncovers 'Invisible' Crops, Unexpected Agriculture
Cincinnati OH (SPX) Apr 04, 2013
The University of Cincinnati's mastery of ancient Maya mysteries continues with new research from professor of biological sciences David Lentz.
UC faculty have been involved in multiple research projects concerning ancient Maya culture for more than a decade. This latest Maya study from Lentz focuses on Ceren, a farming village that was smothered under several meters of volcanic ash in the
The University of Cincinnati's mastery of ancient Maya mysteries continues with new research from professor of biological sciences David Lentz.
UC faculty have been involved in multiple research projects concerning ancient Maya culture for more than a decade. This latest Maya study from Lentz focuses on Ceren, a farming village that was smothered under several meters of volcanic ash in the
Thin clouds drove Greenland's record-breaking 2012 ice melt
Madison WI (SPX) Apr 04, 2013
If the sheet of ice covering Greenland were to melt in its entirety tomorrow, global sea levels would rise by 24 feet. Three million cubic kilometers of ice won't wash into the ocean overnight, but researchers have been tracking increasing melt rates since at least 1979.
Last summer, however, the melt was so large that similar events show up in ice core records only once every 150 years or
If the sheet of ice covering Greenland were to melt in its entirety tomorrow, global sea levels would rise by 24 feet. Three million cubic kilometers of ice won't wash into the ocean overnight, but researchers have been tracking increasing melt rates since at least 1979.
Last summer, however, the melt was so large that similar events show up in ice core records only once every 150 years or
Papyrus plant detox for slaughterhouses
Washington DC (SPX) Apr 04, 2013
Humans have used the papyrus sedge for millennia. The Ancient Egyptians wrote on it, it can be made into highly buoyant boats, it is grown for ornamentation and parts can even be eaten. Now, writing in the International Journal of Environmental Technology and Management, researchers in Uganda have demonstrated that growing papyrus can be used to soak up toxins and other noxious residues from aba
Humans have used the papyrus sedge for millennia. The Ancient Egyptians wrote on it, it can be made into highly buoyant boats, it is grown for ornamentation and parts can even be eaten. Now, writing in the International Journal of Environmental Technology and Management, researchers in Uganda have demonstrated that growing papyrus can be used to soak up toxins and other noxious residues from aba
Israeli forces kill two teenage Palestinian protesters in West Bank
Two Palestinian teenagers have been shot dead during clashes with Israeli soldiers in the West Bank. The violence comes amid a third day of protests over the death of a Palestinian prisoner in Israeli custody.
Feeding corn germ to pigs does not affect growth performance
Urbana IL (SPX) Apr 04, 2013
Inclusion of corn germ in swine diets can reduce diet costs, depending on the local cost of corn germ and other ingredients. Recent research conducted at the University of Illinois indicates that corn germ can be included at up to 30 percent in diets fed to growing pigs.
"In previous research, we had seen that pigs do very well on diets containing 10 percent corn germ, so we wanted to inve
Inclusion of corn germ in swine diets can reduce diet costs, depending on the local cost of corn germ and other ingredients. Recent research conducted at the University of Illinois indicates that corn germ can be included at up to 30 percent in diets fed to growing pigs.
"In previous research, we had seen that pigs do very well on diets containing 10 percent corn germ, so we wanted to inve
Temperature difference between hemispheres could shift rainfall patterns
Berkeley CA (SPX) Apr 04, 2013
One often ignored consequence of global climate change is that the Northern Hemisphere is becoming warmer than the Southern Hemisphere, which could significantly alter tropical precipitation patterns, according to a new study by climatologists from the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Washington, Seattle.
Such a shift could increase or decrease seasonal rainfall in
One often ignored consequence of global climate change is that the Northern Hemisphere is becoming warmer than the Southern Hemisphere, which could significantly alter tropical precipitation patterns, according to a new study by climatologists from the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Washington, Seattle.
Such a shift could increase or decrease seasonal rainfall in
North Korea moves missile to east coast amid threats of attack on US bases
North Korea has moved a medium-range missile to its east coast, and may launch it in mid-April, according to the South Korean media.
Connecticut passes strictest gun control laws in US as Obama's reforms stall
Legislation comes after Adam Lanza shot dead 20 children at Sandy Hook elementary school in Newtown in December
Connecticut, the US state where 20 children were shot dead at school in December, is to bring in the country's strictest gun control laws after legislation was passed by its senate and lower house. The governor, Dannel P Malloy, a Democrat, said he was ready to sign the bill into law on Thursday.
The state, where gun manufacturing dates back to the war of independence, has wrestled with the issue of gun safety since 20-year-old Adam Lanza shot his way into a school in Newtown with a high-powered rifle legally purchased by his mother, whom he also killed.
The massacre reignited national debate on gun control, and Barack Obama has made the issue a defining one for his second term, which started a month after the shooting.
His proposed gun control measures have largely stalled in Congress, however, and Obama is due to visit Connecticut next week in an effort to increase pressure on Capitol Hill.
Obama visited Colorado on Wednesday and repeated his call for universal background checks for gun buyers – a measure that has better chances of winning enough support in Congress than an assault weapons ban or limits on large-capacity ammunition magazines.
Obama's visit was heavy with political symbolism because Colorado recently expanded gun control laws, despite being a western, largely rural state where gun ownership is a cherished right. Colorado has suffered two of the worst mass shootings in US history – at Columbine school in 1999 and at a cinema in Aurora in 2012. It has expanded background checks for gun purchases and placed restrictions on ammunition magazines.
Obama said Colorado's action showed "there doesn't have to be a conflict" between keeping citizens safe and protecting the right to bear firearms guaranteed by the US constitution.
The powerful National Rifle Association, however, maintains that more guns keep people safer and has succeeded in blocking many efforts to impose stricter controls. Several county sheriffs in Colorado have vowed not to enforce the new gun restrictions.
In Connecticut the new legislation would add more than 100 firearms to the state's assault weapons ban and create what officials have called the nation's first dangerous weapon offender registry.
Connecticut would join states including California, New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts in having the country's strongest gun control laws, said Brian Malte, the director of mobilisation for the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.
Gun rights advocates and some Connecticut politicians have questioned whether the legislation would have done anything to stop Lanza.
Law-abiding gun owners were paying the price for the actions of a deranged young man, said the Republican state senator, Tony Guglielmo. "I think we need to do something but I guess we should be doing something that does good, not something that just feels good," he said.
guardian.co.uk © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved.
Shell to offload last Australian refinery
By selling Geelong refinery near Melbourne, the oil group looks to reshape its local operations and respond to major shifts in country’s energy market
Universities in crackdown on 'cut and paste culture'
The number of students caught cheating in university essays has more than halved following a major crackdown on the "cut and paste culture", it emerged today.
Brasil registra 108 muertes por dengue en los tres primeros meses del año
Brasil ha registrado 108 muertes por dengue en las 12 primeras semanas del año, una cifra ligeramente superior a las 102 del mismo periodo del año pasado, afirmó hoy el ministro de Salud brasileño, Alexandre Padilha, en una comparecencia en la Cámara de los Diputados.
El ministro anunció asimismo que se prevé que, de aquí a final de año, el número de contagios alcance el récord de 580.000 personas afectadas, que se registró en 2010.
El dengue se trasmite por la picadura del mosquito Aedes aegypti. Provoca fiebres altas, dolor de cabeza, vómitos y erupciones en la piel y puede ser mortal en su modalidad hemorrágica.
El ministro anunció asimismo que se prevé que, de aquí a final de año, el número de contagios alcance el récord de 580.000 personas afectadas, que se registró en 2010.
El dengue se trasmite por la picadura del mosquito Aedes aegypti. Provoca fiebres altas, dolor de cabeza, vómitos y erupciones en la piel y puede ser mortal en su modalidad hemorrágica.
Sheep replace lawn mowers in Paris suburb
Four little black sheep have started work as eco-friendly lawn mowers in a largely working-class district in northeastern Paris.
Wednesday, 3 April 2013
Gaza, Israel trade rockets and airstrikes
The patter of rockets from Gaza into Israel continued Wednesday, according to Israeli authorities
Drought fears drive Monsanto profit
Quarterly earnings jump 22% on high demand for genetically modified seeds and continued strength of the group’s Latin America business
Pope stresses "fundamental" importance of women in Church
ROME (Reuters) - Pope Francis emphasized the "fundamental" importance of women in the Roman Catholic Church on Wednesday, saying they were the first witnesses of Christ and have a special role in spreading the faith
Italie/Suisse: 110 kilos d'or saisis par les douaniers
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Un Italien a tenté de passer en Suisse quelque 5 millions de francs en lingots d'or cachés dans sa voiture. Il a été intercepté par les autorités italiennes.
Italia realiza la mayor confiscación de bienes a la Cosa Nostra
La justicia italiana ha autorizado la confiscación de cerca de 1.300 millones de euros en bienes pertenecientes a un empresario del sector de las energías solar y eólica, un testaferro del jefe de la mafia siciliana, la Cosa Nostra.
La operación de confiscación es la mayor efectuada en Italia.
Todos los bienes, entre los que se encuentran cerca de unas 40 empresas, están vinculados a Vito Nicastri, de 57 años, conocido también como el ‘Señor del Viento’.
La operación de confiscación es la mayor efectuada en Italia.
Todos los bienes, entre los que se encuentran cerca de unas 40 empresas, están vinculados a Vito Nicastri, de 57 años, conocido también como el ‘Señor del Viento’.
Analysis: Jobless youths could drag on recovery
LONDON (Reuters) - The global economy is recovering - although the younger you are and the longer you've been out of work, the less likely it is that you'll have noticed.
Two Major Air Pollutants Increase in China
Levels of two major air pollutants — nitrous dioxide and particulate matter that is between 2.5 and 10 micrometers, called PM 10 — surged early in 2013, a report said.
Russia's 2012 arms exports up 12 percent despite Libya losses
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's weapons exports rose 12 percent in 2012 to a record $15.2 billion, President Vladimir Putin said in remarks broadcast on Wednesday, despite losing billions of dollars in deals with Libya after the ouster of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.
Ex-Mexican mayor arrested on suspicion of helping kidnappers
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - A former mayor in Mexico has been arrested on suspicion of helping a criminal gang kill two men when he ran the western town of Villa Corona last year, prosecutors said on Wednesday.
Chanceler da Geórgia pede ajuda do Brasil nas relações com a Rússia
BRASÍLIA - Representante de um governo dividido, cujo primeiro-ministro e o presidente são de partidos rivais, a ministra de Relações Exteriores da Geórgia, Maia Panjikidze, está no Brasil para uma visita relâmpago atrás de apoio político para a reintegração territorial do país. Em troca, promete apoio a duas candidaturas brasileiras: a uma vaga permanente no Conselho de Segurança da ONU e a do brasileiro Roberto Azevêdo para a Secretaria-geral da Organização Mundial do Comércio (OMC).
Nas conversas que terá nesta quarta-feira com os ministros Antonio Patriota (Relações Exteriores) e Marta Suplicy (Cultura) e com os presidentes do Senado, Renan Calheiros, e da Câmara, Henrique Eduardo Alves, Maia, como gosta de ser chamada, espera ainda vender o pequeno país situado entre a Rússia e a Turquia como um interessante destino de investimentos brasileiros. Abaixo os principais trechos da entrevista que a ministra concedeu ao GLOBO na tarde da última terça-feira.
O GLOBO: O que a senhora veio fazer no Brasil?
MAIA PANJIKIDZE: Um dos motivos da nossa visita é a busca de apoio político para uma questão crucial, e o Brasil é o país mais importante da região, com influência sobre os países vizinhos. Somos muito gratos de o Brasil reconhecer a integridade do território e da soberania da Geórgia e o não-reconhecimento da política de desmembramento da região da Geórgia. Este é o principal tema político sobre o qual buscamos o apoio do Brasil.
A visita tem apenas o viés político?
MAIA: Eu também estou aqui para promover a Geórgia e torná-la interessante para investidores, embora não tenha vindo para encontrar investidores desta vez. Acredito que primeiro temos que estabelecer uma relação bilateral forte. Por conta da importância econômica do Brasil e da facilidade de se fazer negócios na Geórgia, investidores brasileiros podem se interessar em ir para a Geórgia e descobrir essa parte do mundo.
Que facilidades o investidor encontra na Geórgia?
MAIA: A taxação para se fazer negócios é bastante baixa. No total é 16%, o que torna o país atraente para negócios. Também temos zonas de livre comércio no país, além de ser bastante fácil abrir uma empresa e começar a operá-la imediatamente.
Que outras vantagens o país oferece a investidores?
MAIA: A Geórgia é um país de trânsito para petróleo, subprodutos do petróleo e gás da Ásia para a Europa e há muitos projetos nos setores de energia e logística. Além dessas áreas, a Geórgia também é forte no setor agrícola, bem como o Brasil, o que pode despertar também o interesse dos brasileiros.
O Brasil contará com o apoio da Geórgia em seu pleito para uma vaga no Conselho de Segurança da ONU?
MAIA: Sim. A Geórgia também apoia o Brasil em sua candidatura para a secretaria-geral da OMC, o que é uma declaração política bastante forte por parte da Geórgia. Achamos que, por ser uma economia emergente, o Brasil dará os passos políticos corretos para desenvolver e fortalecer a OMC. Por isso apoiamos desde o início a candidatura brasileira, do embaixador Roberto Azevedo, que esperamos que, em maio, torne-se o novo secretário-geral da Organização.
E o que a Geórgia espera do Brasil em troca desse apoio?
MAIA: Desde 2008, quando a Rússia invadiu uma região ao Norte (Ossétia do Sul) e outra ao Noroeste da Geórgia (Abcásia), todos os anos nós apresentamos uma resolução na Assembleia Geral da ONU sobre refugiados e IDPs (sigla em inglês para pessoas internamente deslocadas) dessas duas regiões. É uma resolução humanitária, não é política. Vamos pedir que o Brasil apoie essa resolução em junho. Nós já contamos com 60 países que nos apoiam, o número aumenta todos os anos porque é um assunto humanitário. Isso vai ajudar os refugiados e IDPs a voltarem para suas casas. É um assunto muito importante para a Geórgia.
Além de apoio à resolução, o que mais o Brasil pode fazer para ajudar na situação dos refugiados?
MAIA: O Brasil tem um bom relacionamento com a Rússia e pode tornar esse tema um assunto político no relacionamento com os russos. A Geórgia é longe daqui, mas uma posição firme do Brasil pode mudar, influenciar um pouco a Rússia. Porque desde 2008 apenas quatro países (Rússia, Venezuela, Nicarágua e Nauru) reconhecem essas duas partes da Geórgia (Abcásia e Ossétia do Sul) como países independentes. Os demais países do mundo entendem que a ocupação russa não se deu de acordo com a lei internacional e que viola a soberania do nosso país.
Qual é o maior desafio do governo da Geórgia no momento?
MAIA: O maior desafio é a convivência política, porque o presidente em exercício (Mikheil Saakashvili) é do partido (Movimento Nacional Unido) que comandava o país anteriormente (e cujo mandato só termina em outubro deste ano. Foi uma surpresa para muitos aliados nossos de outros países descobrir que a coalizão de oposição (o Georgian Dream, ou Sonho da Geórgia) ganhou a eleição em outubro do ano passado e indicou o primeiro-ministro (Bidzina Ivanishvili). Mas, ao mesmo tempo, teremos um presidente de oposição ao atual governo até o final do ano. Isso torna a vida difícil.
Que problemas de governabilidade essa situação gera?
MAIA: Há uma série de situações. Por exemplo: eu pedi ao presidente para convocar de volta alguns embaixadores de alguns países e nomear novos embaixadores. Eu assumi o Ministério de Relações Exteriores no final de outubro, encaminhei o pedido em novembro e até agora não temos novos embaixadores em nenhum país que precisamos. Não teremos embaixadores aptos a atuar durante todo o ano, por exemplo, nos Estados Unidos, na França, na Inglaterra e na Alemanha. Você pode imaginar o quanto precisamos de embaixadores em países-chave como esses.
Que outras situações problemáticas o governo enfrenta?
MAIA: A aprovação de leis tem que ser assinada pelo presidente, e o presidente leva tempo para fazer isso. Então a questão burocrática às vezes nos traz problemas na convivência governamental. Era pior no início, mas agora está melhor a situação. Nas últimas semanas conseguimos alcançar entendimentos em assuntos importantes, como um acordo no Parlamento sobre mudanças constitucionais. Houve um consenso entre os dois partidos, o do presidente e o do primeiro-ministro.
Na área econômica, como a crise na zona do euro afetou a Geórgia?
MAIA: Não nos afetou muito porque ainda não estamos integrados à União Europeia, nossas economias não estão conectadas. Estamos no meio de um processo de negociação com o bloco. Vamos assinar este ano um acordo de associação com a União Europeia, que é um acordo político, mas que prevê uma área de livre comércio e que permitirá que a Geórgia participe da área de comércio da Europa em alguns anos. Ao final esperamos nos tornar membros da União Europeia e entrar na zona do euro, mas ainda há um longo caminho pela frente. Nem a Geórgia está pronta neste momento, nem a União Europeia está neste momento pronta para crescer por conta dos problemas que está enfrentando.
A crise na zona do euro não estremece a pretensão da Geórgia de se unir ao bloco?
MAIA: Não estamos pensando na zona do euro neste momento. Estamos pensando na ligação política com a União Europeia, porque na nossa parte do mundo uma ligação com o bloco europeu ou com a Organização do Tratado do Atlântico Norte (Otan) protege um país de diferentes formas: traz democracia, estabilidade, segurança e boas chances de desenvolvimento.
Nas conversas que terá nesta quarta-feira com os ministros Antonio Patriota (Relações Exteriores) e Marta Suplicy (Cultura) e com os presidentes do Senado, Renan Calheiros, e da Câmara, Henrique Eduardo Alves, Maia, como gosta de ser chamada, espera ainda vender o pequeno país situado entre a Rússia e a Turquia como um interessante destino de investimentos brasileiros. Abaixo os principais trechos da entrevista que a ministra concedeu ao GLOBO na tarde da última terça-feira.
O GLOBO: O que a senhora veio fazer no Brasil?
MAIA PANJIKIDZE: Um dos motivos da nossa visita é a busca de apoio político para uma questão crucial, e o Brasil é o país mais importante da região, com influência sobre os países vizinhos. Somos muito gratos de o Brasil reconhecer a integridade do território e da soberania da Geórgia e o não-reconhecimento da política de desmembramento da região da Geórgia. Este é o principal tema político sobre o qual buscamos o apoio do Brasil.
A visita tem apenas o viés político?
MAIA: Eu também estou aqui para promover a Geórgia e torná-la interessante para investidores, embora não tenha vindo para encontrar investidores desta vez. Acredito que primeiro temos que estabelecer uma relação bilateral forte. Por conta da importância econômica do Brasil e da facilidade de se fazer negócios na Geórgia, investidores brasileiros podem se interessar em ir para a Geórgia e descobrir essa parte do mundo.
Que facilidades o investidor encontra na Geórgia?
MAIA: A taxação para se fazer negócios é bastante baixa. No total é 16%, o que torna o país atraente para negócios. Também temos zonas de livre comércio no país, além de ser bastante fácil abrir uma empresa e começar a operá-la imediatamente.
Que outras vantagens o país oferece a investidores?
MAIA: A Geórgia é um país de trânsito para petróleo, subprodutos do petróleo e gás da Ásia para a Europa e há muitos projetos nos setores de energia e logística. Além dessas áreas, a Geórgia também é forte no setor agrícola, bem como o Brasil, o que pode despertar também o interesse dos brasileiros.
O Brasil contará com o apoio da Geórgia em seu pleito para uma vaga no Conselho de Segurança da ONU?
MAIA: Sim. A Geórgia também apoia o Brasil em sua candidatura para a secretaria-geral da OMC, o que é uma declaração política bastante forte por parte da Geórgia. Achamos que, por ser uma economia emergente, o Brasil dará os passos políticos corretos para desenvolver e fortalecer a OMC. Por isso apoiamos desde o início a candidatura brasileira, do embaixador Roberto Azevedo, que esperamos que, em maio, torne-se o novo secretário-geral da Organização.
E o que a Geórgia espera do Brasil em troca desse apoio?
MAIA: Desde 2008, quando a Rússia invadiu uma região ao Norte (Ossétia do Sul) e outra ao Noroeste da Geórgia (Abcásia), todos os anos nós apresentamos uma resolução na Assembleia Geral da ONU sobre refugiados e IDPs (sigla em inglês para pessoas internamente deslocadas) dessas duas regiões. É uma resolução humanitária, não é política. Vamos pedir que o Brasil apoie essa resolução em junho. Nós já contamos com 60 países que nos apoiam, o número aumenta todos os anos porque é um assunto humanitário. Isso vai ajudar os refugiados e IDPs a voltarem para suas casas. É um assunto muito importante para a Geórgia.
Além de apoio à resolução, o que mais o Brasil pode fazer para ajudar na situação dos refugiados?
MAIA: O Brasil tem um bom relacionamento com a Rússia e pode tornar esse tema um assunto político no relacionamento com os russos. A Geórgia é longe daqui, mas uma posição firme do Brasil pode mudar, influenciar um pouco a Rússia. Porque desde 2008 apenas quatro países (Rússia, Venezuela, Nicarágua e Nauru) reconhecem essas duas partes da Geórgia (Abcásia e Ossétia do Sul) como países independentes. Os demais países do mundo entendem que a ocupação russa não se deu de acordo com a lei internacional e que viola a soberania do nosso país.
Qual é o maior desafio do governo da Geórgia no momento?
MAIA: O maior desafio é a convivência política, porque o presidente em exercício (Mikheil Saakashvili) é do partido (Movimento Nacional Unido) que comandava o país anteriormente (e cujo mandato só termina em outubro deste ano. Foi uma surpresa para muitos aliados nossos de outros países descobrir que a coalizão de oposição (o Georgian Dream, ou Sonho da Geórgia) ganhou a eleição em outubro do ano passado e indicou o primeiro-ministro (Bidzina Ivanishvili). Mas, ao mesmo tempo, teremos um presidente de oposição ao atual governo até o final do ano. Isso torna a vida difícil.
Que problemas de governabilidade essa situação gera?
MAIA: Há uma série de situações. Por exemplo: eu pedi ao presidente para convocar de volta alguns embaixadores de alguns países e nomear novos embaixadores. Eu assumi o Ministério de Relações Exteriores no final de outubro, encaminhei o pedido em novembro e até agora não temos novos embaixadores em nenhum país que precisamos. Não teremos embaixadores aptos a atuar durante todo o ano, por exemplo, nos Estados Unidos, na França, na Inglaterra e na Alemanha. Você pode imaginar o quanto precisamos de embaixadores em países-chave como esses.
Que outras situações problemáticas o governo enfrenta?
MAIA: A aprovação de leis tem que ser assinada pelo presidente, e o presidente leva tempo para fazer isso. Então a questão burocrática às vezes nos traz problemas na convivência governamental. Era pior no início, mas agora está melhor a situação. Nas últimas semanas conseguimos alcançar entendimentos em assuntos importantes, como um acordo no Parlamento sobre mudanças constitucionais. Houve um consenso entre os dois partidos, o do presidente e o do primeiro-ministro.
Na área econômica, como a crise na zona do euro afetou a Geórgia?
MAIA: Não nos afetou muito porque ainda não estamos integrados à União Europeia, nossas economias não estão conectadas. Estamos no meio de um processo de negociação com o bloco. Vamos assinar este ano um acordo de associação com a União Europeia, que é um acordo político, mas que prevê uma área de livre comércio e que permitirá que a Geórgia participe da área de comércio da Europa em alguns anos. Ao final esperamos nos tornar membros da União Europeia e entrar na zona do euro, mas ainda há um longo caminho pela frente. Nem a Geórgia está pronta neste momento, nem a União Europeia está neste momento pronta para crescer por conta dos problemas que está enfrentando.
A crise na zona do euro não estremece a pretensão da Geórgia de se unir ao bloco?
MAIA: Não estamos pensando na zona do euro neste momento. Estamos pensando na ligação política com a União Europeia, porque na nossa parte do mundo uma ligação com o bloco europeu ou com a Organização do Tratado do Atlântico Norte (Otan) protege um país de diferentes formas: traz democracia, estabilidade, segurança e boas chances de desenvolvimento.
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Tempestade deixa 48 mortos e 2 mil desabrigados na Argentina
BUENOS AIRES - Ao menos 40 pessoas morreram na cidade de La Plata, a cerca de 30 quilômetros da capital da Argentina, Buenos Aires, e mais de 2.200 tiveram que deixar suas casas durante uma tempestade na noite desta terça-feira. Na capital, as chuvas torrenciais deixaram oito mortos na terça-feira - seis no centro da cidade e duas nos municípios de Villa Maipú e Laferrere, na região metropolitana. A água chegou até a porta da
casa de Ofelia Wilhelm, mãe da presidente Cristina Kirchner,
em Tolosa.
- Nunca tínhamos visto nada igual, por isso nos surpreendemos da pior maneira e não tivemos tempo de escapar - disse o governador da província de Buenos Aires, Daniel Scioli.
Dezenas de pessoas tiveram de ficar por horas sobre os telhados de suas casas à espera do resgate, conforme a água arrastava todos os veículos em seu caminho.
O prefeito da capital, o conservador Mauricio Macri, interrompeu suas férias para voltar à cidade. Ele disse que as causas da tragédia se devem, sobretudo, a duas razões: um fenômeno não visto há 100 anos e a falta de obras apropriadas. Macri acusou o governo da presidente Cristina Kirchner de não investir o suficiente na prevenção de desastres.
O ministro da Justiça e Segurança do distrito, Ricardo Casal, classificou a tragédia de “um desastre climático único na história da cidade de La Plata”.
- A tarefa mais difícil foi à noite, quando a água atingiu níveis muito elevados na madrugada e não havia possibilidade de sobrevoar ou oferecer auxílio aéreo - contou.
casa de Ofelia Wilhelm, mãe da presidente Cristina Kirchner,
em Tolosa.
- Nunca tínhamos visto nada igual, por isso nos surpreendemos da pior maneira e não tivemos tempo de escapar - disse o governador da província de Buenos Aires, Daniel Scioli.
Dezenas de pessoas tiveram de ficar por horas sobre os telhados de suas casas à espera do resgate, conforme a água arrastava todos os veículos em seu caminho.
O prefeito da capital, o conservador Mauricio Macri, interrompeu suas férias para voltar à cidade. Ele disse que as causas da tragédia se devem, sobretudo, a duas razões: um fenômeno não visto há 100 anos e a falta de obras apropriadas. Macri acusou o governo da presidente Cristina Kirchner de não investir o suficiente na prevenção de desastres.
O ministro da Justiça e Segurança do distrito, Ricardo Casal, classificou a tragédia de “um desastre climático único na história da cidade de La Plata”.
- A tarefa mais difícil foi à noite, quando a água atingiu níveis muito elevados na madrugada e não havia possibilidade de sobrevoar ou oferecer auxílio aéreo - contou.
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