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Monday, March 27th, 2006
10:38 pm	EU prolongs Israeli bird flu import ban Chickens at an Israeli poultry farm in Ami Oz. The European Union confirmed and prolonged ban on Israeli poultry imports initially decided last week, after the lethal H5N1 strain of bird flu was found in the country. The European Union confirmed and prolonged ban on Israeli poultry imports initially decided last week, after the lethal H5N1 strain of bird flu was found in the country. . The Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health, which groups experts from the EU's 25 member states, extended the ban until July 31 when it will be reviewed, said a commission spokesman. . The EU decision covers imports of live poultry, poultry meat, eggs and poultry products, although heat-treated poultry products from Israel will still be allowed to be imported. . All meat and meat products from poultry slaughtered before 15 February, considered to be outside the incubation period of the virus, will also be exempt. . The EU imported some 1.8 million euros' (2.2 million dollars) worth of live poultry from Israel in recent years, according to EU figures. . On Thursday the Israeli agriculture ministry said that the H5N1 strain of bird flu has been found in a Jewish settlement in the West Bank, following cases on six different farms across southern and central Israel. . Meanwhile the EU experts' committee also brought forward by a few days the planned lifting of a ban imposed in France because of an outbreak of H5N1, the EU commission said. . A surveillance zone was imposed at the start of March around a farm hit by bird flu in the Ain department of central France, and was due to be lifted on March 31. . But the EU agreed for that date to be brought forward to March 27 "due to the progress made in bringing the avian influenza situation under control there," said the commission. — AFP The European Union confirmed and prolonged ban on Israeli poultry imports initially decided last week, after the lethal H5N1 strain of bird flu was found in the country. . The Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health, which groups experts from the EU's 25 member states, extended the ban until July 31 when it will be reviewed, said a commission spokesman. . The EU decision covers imports of live poultry, poultry meat, eggs and poultry products, although heat-treated poultry products from Israel will still be allowed to be imported. . All meat and meat products from poultry slaughtered before 15 February, considered to be outside the incubation period of the virus, will also be exempt. . The EU imported some 1.8 million euros' (2.2 million dollars) worth of live poultry from Israel in recent years, according to EU figures. . On Thursday the Israeli agriculture ministry said that the H5N1 strain of bird flu has been found in a Jewish settlement in the West Bank, following cases on six different farms across southern and central Israel. . Meanwhile the EU experts' committee also brought forward by a few days the planned lifting of a ban imposed in France because of an outbreak of H5N1, the EU commission said. . A surveillance zone was imposed at the start of March around a farm hit by bird flu in the Ain department of central France, and was due to be lifted on March 31. . But the EU agreed for that date to be brought forward to March 27 "due to the progress made in bringing the avian influenza situation under control there," said the commission. — AFP The European Union confirmed and prolonged ban on Israeli poultry imports initially decided last week, after the lethal H5N1 strain of bird flu was found in the country. . The Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health, which groups experts from the EU's 25 member states, extended the ban until July 31 when it will be reviewed, said a commission spokesman. . The EU decision covers imports of live poultry, poultry meat, eggs and poultry products, although heat-treated poultry products from Israel will still be allowed to be imported. . All meat and meat products from poultry slaughtered before 15 February, considered to be outside the incubation period of the virus, will also be exempt. . The EU imported some 1.8 million euros' (2.2 million dollars) worth of live poultry from Israel in recent years, according to EU figures. . On Thursday the Israeli agriculture ministry said that the H5N1 strain of bird flu has been found in a Jewish settlement in the West Bank, following cases on six different farms across southern and central Israel. . Meanwhile the EU experts' committee also brought forward by a few days the planned lifting of a ban imposed in France because of an outbreak of H5N1, the EU commission said. . A surveillance zone was imposed at the start of March around a farm hit by bird flu in the Ain department of central France, and was due to be lifted on March 31. . But the EU agreed for that date to be brought forward to March 27 "due to the progress made in bringing the avian influenza situation under control there," said the commission. — AFP The European Union confirmed and prolonged ban on Israeli poultry imports initially decided last week, after the lethal H5N1 strain of bird flu was found in the country. . The Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health, which groups experts from the EU's 25 member states, extended the ban until July 31 when it will be reviewed, said a commission spokesman. . The EU decision covers imports of live poultry, poultry meat, eggs and poultry products, although heat-treated poultry products from Israel will still be allowed to be imported. . All meat and meat products from poultry slaughtered before 15 February, considered to be outside the incubation period of the virus, will also be exempt. . The EU imported some 1.8 million euros' (2.2 million dollars) worth of live poultry from Israel in recent years, according to EU figures. . On Thursday the Israeli agriculture ministry said that the H5N1 strain of bird flu has been found in a Jewish settlement in the West Bank, following cases on six different farms across southern and central Israel. . Meanwhile the EU experts' committee also brought forward by a few days the planned lifting of a ban imposed in France because of an outbreak of H5N1, the EU commission said. . A surveillance zone was imposed at the start of March around a farm hit by bird flu in the Ain department of central France, and was due to be lifted on March 31. . But the EU agreed for that date to be brought forward to March 27 "due to the progress made in bringing the avian influenza situation under control there," said the commission. — AFP (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Monday, March 20th, 2006
10:30 pm	Thaksin vows to keep job Thaksin vows to keep job as supporters march on Bangkok BANGKOK, Thailand: A 30,000-strong “Caravan of the Poor” began a march on Bangkok Friday to demonstrate their backing of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who is vowing to stay in his job despite mass protests against him in the Thai capital. The marchers, mostly farmers from Thailand’s northern provinces, regrouped on the outskirts of Bangkok and were expected to arrive at the city’s Chatuchak Park by Friday evening. Organizer Kamta Kanbunchan told reporters that poor rural people are grateful for what Thaksin has done for them and that he should remain as prime minister. Thaksin’s populist policies have ensured him mass support in the countryside, but a loose alliance of pro-democracy groups, students, labor unions and Buddhist activists accuses him of corruption and the gutting of demo­cratic institutions. In what has become a daily event in the capital, anti-Thaksin groups were to gather in downtown Bangkok to march to the Singaporean Embassy while the prime minister planned a day of political campaigning in two western provinces. The protesters say Thaksin sold off a national asset to a foreign country when his family’s telecoms giant, Shin Corp., was bought up by a state-own firm in Singapore. Demonstrators also continued to ring Government House, the seat of government, vowing not to lift their around-the-clock peaceful siege until Thaksin resigned. Thaksin denies any wrongdoing and has vowed to hold on to his job in the face of the street protests, saying he would not bow to mob rule but that he might retire from politics at a later date. Meanwhile, he is campaigning vigorously for snap elections he called to defuse the crisis. “I will go forward and rely on the principles of democracy. If the people do not vote for me, I will back out. If the people go to exercise their right to vote on April 2, I ask that they please help bring me into the Government House,” Thaksin told about 10,000 sugar-cane farmers Friday in Kanchanaburi province. A boycott of the election by the three opposition parties in parliament has sparked rising concern about whether there is any point to holding the polls, because it appears increasingly likely the results would not allow parliament to be legally convened. Members of the country’s Election Commission have said they are considering a postponement of the election. All 500 seats in the House of Representatives must have a winner in the elections for the parliament to be legally convened. However, many constituencies have only one candidate—from Thaksin’s Thai Rak Thai Party. And their victories would be valid only if candidates win the votes of at least 20 percent of the district’s eligible voters—highly unlikely in some districts where Thaksin’s party has little support. An abortive election could serve the purposes of Thaksin’s opponents in either of two ways. It could put enough pressure on Thaksin to persuade him to step down, or it could be seen as provoking a serious enough crisis to have King Bhumibol Adulyadej intervene under a clause in the Constitution to have a new head of government installed. --AP (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Friday, March 17th, 2006
11:07 pm	Sick baby's family thanks judge Baby MB cannot chew, swallow or breathe for himself The parents of a severely disabled baby boy at the centre of a right-to-life case have thanked the judge for ruling that he should be kept alive. They were fighting a hospital's bid to turn off the ventilator that keeps the child, known only as Baby MB, alive. The 19-month-old boy has genetic condition spinal muscular atrophy - which leads to almost total paralysis. The judge said he felt the child gained enough pleasure from life to outweigh the medical evidence of his condition. No court has yet been asked to approve, against the will of parents, the withdrawal of life support Mr Justice Holman Parents' view Is Baby MB's life worth living? In an exclusive BBC interview the child's mother said: "I really thank the judge for coming to that decision." His father said Mr Justice Holman was right to rule the ventilator that keeps the baby alive should not be switched off. During the case at the High Court in London, Baby MB's mother described how he responded to certain cartoons, such as Shrek and Finding Nemo - but did not appear to like the news or Eastenders. But a total of 14 medics, including two independent doctors called by the parents, told the hearing his quality of life was so poor he should be allowed to die. Doctors argued the invasive ventilation which is keeping the child alive is likely to be uncomfortable, with one saying he felt the child had an "intolerable life". Baby MB, from the north of England, cannot breathe unaided and is almost totally paralysed. He also cannot chew or swallow. He suffers from the most severe form of spinal muscular atrophy and has lived in a high dependency unit in hospital since he was seven weeks old. His parents want him to have a tracheotomy ,which could make long-term ventilation easier, so he is able to leave his hospital bedroom and explore the grounds, albeit with the assistance of medical staff. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4808442.stm (Comment on this)
Friday, March 3rd, 2006
9:55 pm	Scientists 'can predict memories' Struggling to remember The brain may need priming to create a memory Scientists say it may be possible to predict how well we will remember something before the event has even taken place. By analysing scans, they discovered the brain must get into the 'right frame of mind' to store new information. For top performance, the brain must mobilise its resources, not only at the moment we get new information, but also in the seconds before. The University College London research features in Nature Neuroscience. It would be nice to know what brain regions are involved in this preparatory activity Dr Leun Otten Previously it was thought that brain activity after an event, not before the event, was key. Lead researcher Dr Leun Otten said: "It sounds a bit like clairvoyance in the sense that we're able to predict whether someone will remember a word before they even see it. "Scientists knew that brain activity changes as you store things into memory but now we have found brain activity that tells how well your memory will work in advance." Activity patterns The UCL team conducted two experiments in which volunteers were given a cue moments before being shown an item. The cues either gave clues as to how the item should be interpreted, what form it would take, or, in the case of words, how the letters were arranged. The volunteers were not told to try to memorise the items, and the cues were specifically designed not to nudge the memory. During the tests, electrical activity in the volunteers' brains was monitored using an EEG (electroencephalogram) scanner. Tests showed that the brain's electrical activity differed after the cue and before the word was presented. This was linked to whether the subject would remember or forget the word in a later unexpected memory test. 'Staying alert' If the electrical activity maintained a high level over frontal parts of the scalp just before an item was shown, then it was likely that the subject would remember it up to 50 minutes later - and after doing a series of other word tests. On the other hand, if the voltage was lower, the subjects were less likely to remember the word. Dr Otten said: "It would be nice to know what brain regions are involved in this preparatory activity, and whether it can be used to help people who have difficulties remembering things. "Unfortunately we aren't at that stage yet. What we do know though is that it might have something to do with trying to get into the right frame of mind to make a decision about a word's meaning. "Staying alert between the cue and the word also appears to help. We are currently trying to find out more about this kind of brain activity and how it helps long-term memory." Professor Ian Robertson, of Trinity College Dublin, told the BBC News website the findings made sense. He said: "We perceive things faster that we are primed to expect, and this is because the very basic sensory and perceptual processes are tuned by the expectation. "It makes sense that this happens in memory - that the brain can be more or less prepared or primed to encode a memory." bbc. (Comment on this)
Thursday, February 9th, 2006
9:42 pm	helo :) (Comment on this)
Tuesday, February 7th, 2006
5:10 pm	Arson, rape, massacres ... and the strange silence of the archbishop Like Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Mao Tse-tung, Pol Pot, Saddam Hussein and Slobodan Milosevic, the Islamists of Sudan claim monstrous liars are libelling them. 'You are terrorists,' Abdel Rahim Mohammed Hussein, the regime's defence minister, screamed at journalists in Khartoum on Thursday. 'Any foreign correspondent from any foreign agency, get out - we don't want you in here.' His goons duly expelled reporters from his press conference for inventing the incredible lie that Hussein and his friends were responsible for the murder of around 200,000 in Darfur, the ethnic cleansing of two million, the arson, the rapes ... well, you know the story. Or maybe you don't. After all, it has not been in the news recently, and not only because Hussein is shutting out the journalists. Fashion matters and today the fashion is to ignore genocide. Quite rightly, the crimes of American, British, European and Israeli democracy are dissected and denounced. But an intellectual blockage - a Chinese wall in the mind - prevents the critics applying universal principles to far greater outrages. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, made my point for me in Sudan last week. Anyone who had heard the Church of England's censure of Israel might have expected to see a primate filled with righteous wrath. Consider his opportunities. While he was there, the genocide was continuing in Darfur. The victims were black Muslims, but strangely, the Muslim world has not revolted against the Islamist murderers and torched Sudanese embassies. In the name of inter-faith solidarity, Dr Williams might have found the words of reproach they lacked. If he didn't want to talk about Darfur, there was the decades-long civil war, which has seen the enslavement of the Christian Dinka tribe in the south and two million dead, more than in Bosnia, Rwanda and Kosovo combined. On a visit to a church in Khartoum, the fearless archbishop told the congregation: 'It will be a joy to share with fellow Christians in Britain what... I have learnt from you.' What he had learnt was a history of massacre, slavery and second-class citizenship, but he didn't mention it. The next stop was the Sudan Inter-Religious Council in Khartoum. This might have been the place to lay into the dictatorship's murder and persecution of Sudanese Christians. Instead, he confined himself to saying: 'We are at peace with God when we face our failings with honesty.' And so it went on. He travelled through a country torn by religious mania and genocide without mentioning religious mania and genocide. His office said he was picking his words with the care of a diplomat because his main concern wasn't the genocide in Darfur in the west of Sudan but the faint hope of a peace deal in the equally gruesome civil war between the Muslim north and Christian south, which he didn't want to jeopardise. In any case, his lecture to his Islamist hosts on facing 'our failings with honesty' was strong stuff by inter-faith standards. It may be tough talk if Anglicans are talking to Catholic bishops, but I doubt very much if it would have reduced the psychopaths of Khartoum to trembling penitents. To me, the failure of the archbishop to speak plainly was not a sign of his diplomacy, but flowed from his row with the Jews. Before he escaped to Africa, he couldn't say why he wanted sanctions against Israel but not against countries that committed far worse crimes - China, Syria, Iran, North Korea and, indeed, Sudan - or give any indication that he was morally obliged to provide an answer. A few of his critics just wanted to protect Israel come what may. Others were concerned about the retreat from universal principle into relativism. If you say there must be higher standards for democracies, you inevitably betray the victims of dictatorships by blocking your mind from thinking clearly and shouting loudly about their suffering. The confusion isn't confined to the General Synod of the Church of England. The United Nations tried to suppress a report that named the alleged war criminals of Darfur, in a way that it would never have suppressed the names of alleged torturers at Guantanamo. On the blacklist was that friend of freedom, Mr Hussein. While he was ranting at the journalists, he said that if the UN sent troops to protect the people of Darfur, al-Qaeda would flood the country. 'Darfur will become the graveyard for the United Nations,' he promised with what sounded like inside knowledge. Isn't that an extraordinary threat for a UN member to make? Why isn't every liberal newspaper and liberal party fulminating? Because genocide is out of fashion, dear. It may make a retro return in 2008, say, or 2009. Books called We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed will win literary prizes. Lachrymose documentaries will appear on BBC2, probably narrated by Fergal Keane. The Church of England will apologise, as it invariably does. They will all cry: 'Never again!' And at that precise moment, it will be happening again. Labour laid low by the love of money The other night on Radio 4's The World Tonight, I was up against an apologist for Tessa Jowell who turned out to be - er - the new editor of the Spectator, which I had always taken to be a Conservative magazine. Anyway, the Tory or Blairite or whatever he was cried that she was the victim of a 'lynch mob'. Tricky word 'mob'. I would steer clear of it if I were a supporter of Ms Jowell. This is a politician who invited 'friends of Italian opera' in Las Vegas to bring their super casinos to Britain. When the police proposed sensible restrictions to prevent money laundering, she and her civil servants fought them all the way. Meanwhile, her charming but dumped husband has helped Silvio Berlusconi avoid tax since the early Eighties. Berlusconi is not only a billionaire media monopolist, of the sort Labour people traditionally avoided. His power base includes the Italian neo-fascists and mobbed-up political hacks from Sicily. Decent conservatives condemn him as Europe's leading crony capitalist. But not Ms Jowell and Mr Mills, or Tony Blair and Ms Booth. This scandal is not about why the great feminist never bothered her pretty little head about all those mortgages. Nor does it turn on whether the prosecutors in Milan can prove that Berlusconi bribed her husband to lie. It is about the collapse of Labour's morality. I've been saying for years that Blair's fondness for the super-rich and, indeed, the filthy rich will be his undoing and obviously he and Jowell and the rest are still there. However, I get the feeling that unless Gordon Brown takes over and shows he is a true son of the manse by throwing the money launderers out of the temple, Labour will be finished. The lure of filthy lucre Round about 70AD, the Emperor Vespasian decided to tax Rome's lavatories. His refined son complained he was soiling the imperial purple with the odours of communal toilets. Vespasian picked up a coin and sniffed it. 'Pecunia non olet,' he declared with satisfaction - 'Money doesn't smell.' The Tonbridge gang probably shouldn't cite the emperor in their defence. The authorities are terribly proud of their 'cash dogs' - labradors and spaniels which can sniff out wads of notes. I had heard from a handler in London that so much cocaine was snorted off notes, the dogs smelled the drug. But a man at Customs told me they had been trained to smell the ink and would find the notes, cocaine or no cocaine. (Comment on this)
Monday, February 6th, 2006
5:07 pm	UN: Women denied representation, making war on poverty hard to win Millions of women around the world, including those in the UK and other Western countries, are being denied effective representation because of the low numbers of female politicians, judges and employers, the United Nations has warned. Campaigners say that unless urgent action is taken on the status of women, the Millennium Development Goals on reducing poverty, infant deaths and standards of education will not be met. To mark International Women's Day, the UN has published a report that says rates of female participation in governments across the developed and developing world are still appallingly low. The report says that for women to be adequately represented in their country, at least 30 per cent of parliamentary seats should have a female representative. In Britain, only 18 per cent of MPs are women, while only 8 per cent of MPs in Arab countries are female. Just 20 nations - including Rwanda, Mozambique, Guyana and Burundi - have reached or exceeded the 30 per cent mark and only three countries (Chile, Spain and Sweden) have complete gender parity in government. Kofi Annan, the United Nations secretary general, said: "The rate of progress overall is slow. Women are every bit as affected as any man by the challenges facing humanity in the 21st century - in economic and social development, as well as in peace and security - often they are more affected." He added: "The world is starting to grasp that there is no policy more effective in promoting development, health and education than the empowerment of women and girls, and no policy is more important in preventing conflict, or in achieving reconciliation after a conflict has ended." United Nations figures also show that 70 per cent of the world's 1.2 billion people who are estimated to live in poverty are women and children. A woman dies every minute from complications arising from pregnancy and childbirth, and HIV rates are now rising faster among women than men. Charities say that 700 million women are living without adequate food, water, sanitation and education. Even in the developed world, women face endemic discrimination. Full-time female workers in Japan earn just 51 per cent of the wages of their male counterparts, while only one in five managers in Italy is a woman and just 14 per cent of the seats in the US Congress are taken by women. In a speech to mark International Women's Day in Britain, Lady Barbara Thomas Judge, who chairs the UK Atomic Energy Authority, said that girls still suffered from discrimination in schools and work. She told a conference organised by the Aurora Network for women in business that 30 years after the introduction of the Sex Discrimination Act in the United Kingdom, women account for half of the working population but for just one in four managers, 9 per cent of the judiciary and 10 per cent of senior police officers. Lady Judge highlighted the fact that only 14.5 per cent of people employed in the fields of technology and engineering are women, despite evidence that when they do enter the professions, female engineers earn more than men. "Research indicates that those girls that are interested in maths and science are channelled into medicine, nursing and veterinary science because these are perceived as "caring" professions," she said. "Girls have few role models that show that women can be engineers and there are few companies that provide work experience for women in engineering. If we are to survive as a leading nation in this global- ised world, we must utilise this country's intellectual capability to the fullest extent." Julia Häusermann, the president of the human rights charity Rights and Humanity, said: "We have much to celebrate on International Women's Day. "All over the world, women are making progress in political participation, economic empowerment and increased access to education. But wherever we turn, poverty, violence and Aids have a woman's face. "The empowerment of women is the single most effective tool for development. There is increasing evidence that securing women's rights benefits not just women and their immediate families, but the wider society and national economies." Women's Day in brief * Women are better prepared for retirement than men, according to research. Only 16 per cent of women expect to rely on state pensions, compared to 22 per cent of men. One in five women have already consulted their bank about their retirement plans, compared to only 16 per cent of men, a survey for HSBC found. * An End Violence Against Women campaign by the Fawcett Society today reached its target to get 200 MPs to back an Early Day Motion which calls for the Government to take more action on the issue. * The Birds Eye View Film Festival, launched today at the NFT, is a female film festival,which features short films, documentaries and feature films, including the Oscar- nominated Badgered by Sharon Colman. * The yachtswoman Dee Caffari, who left Portsmouth 107 days ago in an attempt to become the first woman to complete the Aviva Challenge - single-handedly sailing against prevailing winds - is expected to finish in May. * The National Archives in London has digitised more than 7,000 records of the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps in the years from 1917 to 1920 for Women's Day. (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Sunday, February 5th, 2006
5:07 pm	U.S. criticizes human trafficking in S. Korea State Department report cites North Korea's 'extremely poor' human rights record From news reports WASHINGTON - Violence against women, human trafficking, and vague terms of the National Security Law are continuing human rights concerns in South Korea, a U.S. report said Wednesday. An annual human rights analysis, released by the State Department, also said North Korea's human rights record remains extremely poor, with repeated reports of disappearances, life-threatening prison conditions and strict control of information. The report evaluated South Korea as a constitutional democracy with laws in place to protect its people's rights. But reported problems include rape and discrimination against foreigners in the workplace. "Violence against women remained a problem," the report said. "Rape remained a serious problem." It cited the South Korean Justice Ministry's tally of 10,227 cases of domestic violence between January and August last year, 1,114 of them leading to prosecution. The ministry had also reported 6,220 cases of rape over the same period, but many victims avoid going to the police because of the social stigma, the report said. Trafficking of women was also a problem, it said. "The law prohibits trafficking in persons; nevertheless, the country was a country of origin, transit and destination," it stated, with women trafficked primarily for sexual exploitation to the United States, Japan and other nations. Naturalization is difficult in South Korea, and many foreigners are forced to remain "foreign," thus disqualified from entering the civil service and, in practice, from being hired by some major corporations, it said. "Foreign workers continued to report difficult working conditions," the report said. "Some complained of excessively aggressive police crackdowns on illegal migrants." South Korea's laws prohibit arbitrary arrest and detention, but the rules under the National Security Law are vague, the report said. As for North Korea, the report said that the (North Korean) government's human rights record remained extremely poor, and the regime continued to commit numerous serious abuses. The cited abuses included extrajudicial killings, torture, forced abortion, lack of fair trials, and denial of freedom of speech and assembly. The communist state also controls all information outlets, denies freedom of religion, and severely punishes those who try to leave the country, the report said. Noting Pyongyang's admission in 2002 that it had kidnapped Japanese nationals to train its spies, the report said there were "credible reports" that other nationals were also kidnapped from overseas locations. The regime holds an estimated 150,000 to 200,000 people in detention camps, including political prisoners, and some camps are as large as 200 square miles, according to the report. "The camps contained mass graves, barracks, work sites, and other prison facilities," it said. "In recent years the government reportedly reduced the total number of prison camps from as many as 20 to fewer than 10, but the prison population appeared to have been consolidated rather than reduced," said the report. Alarming was a penal code revised in 2004 giving authorities the power to criminalize acts that are not covered by the criminal code, it noted. Media censorship is tight, and North Korea uses foreign journalists to serve its purposes, according to the report. "During the year, numerous reports indicated that the DPRK granted more visas for known journalists, particularly at times that coincided with high-profile events," it said. Domestic censorship remains strict, allowing no deviation from official government line. For example, a state radio journalist was punished in 2004 for mistakenly referring to a deputy prime minister as minister, it said. Trying to stop human rights activists from sending in radio sets to North Koreans by balloons, Pyongyang designated the radio sets as "new enemies of the regime." But because of corrupt border guards, radios were going into North Korea more easily than before, the report said. Internet use is limited to the powerful and foreign visitors, and select university students, and the access is through international phone lines going through China as well as a new local connection linked to a German server, said the report. "Substantial numbers of North Koreans crossed the border into China over the years, and tens of thousands were estimated to live there during the year," it continued. Noted was a U.N. rapporteur's report in August that said North Korea was differentiating between defectors and economic migrants, enabling those who leave the country for nonpolitical reasons to return to the North and receive lighter sentences. The regime may be appropriating more than its share of the salary North Korean workers receive through Gaeseong Industrial Complex, an inter-Korean venture created by South Korean enterprises, it suggested. A formal agreement is to deposit the $57.50 monthly salary per individual into a central North Korean account, with $50 going to the worker and the rest to the government. "Unconfirmed reports indicate that the salary actually received by workers may be significantly lower," it said (Comment on this)
Saturday, February 4th, 2006
5:04 pm	Karzai Urges End to Violence Against Women KABUL, 9 March 2006 — Afghan women have won a range of rights since the hard-line Islamic Taleban regime was ousted but they are still being oppressed, President Hamid Karzai said yesterday, calling for a campaign to end violence against women. “We have achieved successes in various dimensions during the past four years,” Karzai told a function marking International Women’s Day, referring to the late 2001 defeat of the Taleban at the hands of US and Afghan opposition forces. “But this journey has not ended ... women especially are being oppressed, there are still women and young girls who are being married to settle disputes in Afghanistan, young girls are married against their will,” he said. Women, especially in conservative, rural areas, are sometimes given away in marriage to settle disputes. Karzai called for an end to the practice. “I hope that tribal chiefs, scholars and influential people raise their voices against this oppression,” he said. During Taleban rule, women were forced to wear an all enveloping burqa while venturing outdoors and even then, had to be escorted by their husbands or another male relative. Women who went out alone faced a beating at the hands of the feared religious police. Girls’ education was also banned and virtually all women were forbidden from working. Afghanistan’s new constitution has enshrined equal rights for women and Karzai hailed the fact that women held nearly 28 percent of seats in the two chambers of a newly elected parliament. Today, millions of girls are in school and many women have gone back to work, including in the police and armed forces. Despite the improvements, Afghanistan’s maternal mortality rate, at 1,600 deaths per 100,000 live births, is second highest in the world. Most women are still illiterate and Karzai said education was a major way to tackle violence against women. “Girls are still being married off to pay for the crimes of others, they are married off to settle enmity, they are forced to marry at a young age,” Karzai said. They “are forced to marry against their will, in many cases they are forced to marry for cash their parents receive.” Studies show that between 60 to 80 percent of all marriages in Afghanistan are forced, including some to settle feuds or repay debts. Some 57 percent of girls are married below the age of 16 even though the legal age for marriage is 16. Karzai also reiterated a plea for more Pakistani cooperation in fighting militants, days after Islamabad derided Kabul’s accusations that leader of the Taleban regime was in Pakistan. Pakistan’s President Pervez Musharraf, in an interview with CNN on Sunday, said relations with neighboring Afghanistan were growing tense and Karzai was “totally oblivious” to efforts by elements in his government to malign Pakistan. “We expect from our brothers, his excellency the president of Pakistan, the respected government of Pakistan ... to cooperate more seriously and actively with us in our joint campaign against terrorism,” Karzai said in a speech in Kabul. (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Wednesday, February 1st, 2006
4:56 pm	Spaghetti and meatballs: a match made in heaven Sophia Loren did more for spaghetti than anyone. "Everything you see, I owe to spaghetti," she said. Should you wish to follow her diet of spaghetti, she offers further advice on the eating of it. "Spaghetti can be eaten most successfully if you inhale it like a vacuum cleaner." That said, spaghetti with meatballs isn't Italian, really. Meatballs (polpetti) are. Spaghetti noodles are. But the two met in America and then became inseparable. To me, it's one of those matches I'd never have imagined. Big round balls tossed with long slender noodles. I can't imagine them being cuddly at all. It would be like Loren and Roberto Benigni. Totally wrong. But America was young and in a hurry and so they merged what in Italy is a first course prima dish (pasta) and the second course secondi (meatballs) into a one-dish meal. For insight into pasta, the go-to guy is Pino Posterero, chef/owner of Cioppino's where you will find pasta at its finest. Why, I ask, is there such an Italian passion for pasta? Why the hundreds of shapes with names that translate to butterflies, wagon wheels, bridgegrooms, snails, torches, teddy bears, ears, cockscomb, lilies, grills, moustaches, worms? Most of all, what's with strozzapreti, which translates to priest strangler? (Spaghetti comes from the word spago which means string.) Eschewing pretentious pseudo-intellectual analyses of the meaning of pasta, he cuts to the chase: "It's comfort food and it's economical. When you have a family of six, like ours, Mum would make meatballs, then with the sauce, she'd make spaghetti. Pasta is like rice to Asians." As for the myriad shapes, he's no less practical. "The human brain is very fickle. If you eat pasta every day, you want variety." Posterero eats pasta every day and would not be happy to go even two days without it. "I would have a crisis," he says. "It's proven to be healthy if it's not served with heavy sauces. What kills us now is the cream, the butter. North Americans attempt to have too much." To eat your S&M, quit with the spoon to pivot your fork as you twirl the noodles. Italians use a shallow bowl and use the edge for twirling. And in his mind, spaghetti and meatballs should live separately. "No, no! They should be on their own because of the integrity of the flavours," he says, emphatically, wishing the twain never met. But too late. It might not be genuine Italian fare, but in North America, spaghetti and meatballs are forever conjoined. To make any old spaghetti and meatballs, you run to any old supermarket and get what seems reasonable on the shelves. If you want the best spaghetti, then you go to Italian or specialty stores and spend a little more for the key ingredients, like the canned tomatoes, the pasta noodles and the ground beef. Artisanal pasta noodles might cost double the any-old brand, but it is so much more satisfying and there's a world of difference between various brands of canned tomatoes. For the best Italian fare, head to East Vancouver and shops along Commercial Drive, Victoria Drive or East Hastings. La Grotta del Formaggio, Bosa, Cioffi's, Gourmet Warehouse and most Italian shops will carry a good variety of canned tomatoes and pasta noodles as well as Parmigiano-Reggiano, the queen of Parmesan cheeses. Below, we feature tips about the best-tasting ingredients. FIVE INGREDIENTS YOU'LL NEED FOR A GREAT MEAL: 1. Ground beef Buy ground beef fresh. Pino Posterero, of Cioppino's restaurant, says ground shoulder or chuck is more flavourful than a more expensive grade, like tenderloin. He prefers meatballs with one-quarter pork, mixed with three quarters lean ground beef. "Pork has more moisture and isn't too fatty. Its fat is tasty and more digestible. Chad Heringer, who runs Heringer's Meats in Steveston, prefers minced chuck. And if you ask how to best cook the meatballs, he says: "The best way is to cook them in the sauce. Don't brown them ahead. It makes them super tender and light, almost fluffy. The tomato sauce has to be flavourful though, because you're not getting the browning." He adds some bread crumbs to make it even lighter and airier. "It takes away the too-tight texture and allows for little pockets to make it more tender." And if all of this doesn't excite you at all, Heringer sells meatballs (a mix of beef, pork, parmesan cheese, bread crumbs) all made up and ready for you. Caren McSherry, owner of Gourmet Warehouse and lover of spaghetti, says her favourite place for meat is Cioffi's. "It's stellar. The freshness is superb." She also likes The Italian Meat Market. "Very good, too," she says. Other small butchers: Tenderland Meats (Granville Island Public Market), Peter Black & Sons (West Vancouver), Jackson's on Granville. 2. Vegetable stock Other than making your own, here's a tip. McSherry swears by Major vegetable stock, which is in paste form in a tub. "There's no MSG, no chemicals and it's preserved with salt. You use a teaspoon to a cup of boiling water. I'm addicted," she says. 3. Tomato sauce If you want to turn into a tomato like Sophia Loren, you must use the best tomato sauce you can find. The Italians insist on Roma tomatoes because there's more flesh, less water and fewer seeds. Posterero isn't being nationalistic when he says it has to be Italian. The tomatoes from Campania in southern Italy are better than anywhere else. "Why? They have volcanic soil and it's the only area where the tomatoes ripen fully a month before other areas. At maturity, the sugars concentrate. They're picked at the perfect time in summer." Growing conditions for tomato and hard durum wheat (high in gluten) don't get better than in southern Italy. "A good tomato sauce," he says, "has gotta taste like natural tomatoes with no acidity, very sweet and not too much skin or seeds. His favourite brand is L'Antonella and Italissima. L'Antonella is also the favourite of Fortunato Bruzzese who runs La Grotta del Formaggio. He can only bring in so many and when they come in, they sell out quickly, he says. If he's out, he'd opt for the Vitale brand as a stand-in. McSherry likes San Marzano varietal, a type of Roma tomato. Strianese and Bio Italia organic is very good, she says. San Remo, Muir Glen (organic) and Cara Nonna cherry tomatoes are other favourites. 4. Spaghetti noodles The best noodles are air-dried artisanal pasta. "It's not only the way it's made but the way it's dried at room temperature and not in the oven," says Posterero. When it is air-dried, some natural fermentation goes on, adding to flavour and making the pasta more digestible. Dried pasta is better than fresh for that detectable al dente resistance when you bite into it. Fresh pasta is more, well, flaccid. He likes Rustichella d'Abruzze, Riscossa and Martelli, from La Grotto del Formaggio. Factory-made De Cecco is fine, too if you don't want to spend the extra few dollars for artisanal pasta. McSherry's favourites are Cara Nonna and Rustichella, both artisanal and "for the best spaghetti, ever!" Factory-made spaghetti which she finds acceptable are De Cecco and Barillo. Bruzzese likes the Rustichella d'Abruzze as well as Primograno noodles, which are made from 100 per cent Italian wheat. (The Italian pasta industry uses about 50 per cent Canadian wheat.) To cook the pasta, Posterero uses five to six litres of water to a kilo of noodles. He partially cooks the noodles in his restaurants but the secret is to never leave it in water. Drain on to a tray (don't rinse) with a little olive oil to preserve the starch and vitamins, he says. Heringer cooks his noodles halfway and then drains it and finishes cooking them in the sauce. "The sauce and starches combine," he says. 5. Parmesan cheese God is in the details and this spaghetti detail is important. Parmigiano-Reggiano is the ultimate in Parmesan cheeses. It's aged for two years, by law. Its history dates back 700 years. If you opt for the stuff in the green box on supermarket shelves, well, sod it, you might as well serve Chef Boyardee canned spaghetti. Buy by the block, not grated. Posterero sometimes uses Grano Padano "for every day." It's similar to Parmesan Reggiano but is less mature and slightly milder. McSherry says she uses asiago cheese as a decent alternative. Parmigiano-Reggiano is available at Cioffi's, Bosa, La Grotto del Formaggio, Gourmet Warehouse as well as supermarkets such as Capers Community Markets, Whole Foods, Urban Fare and specialty cheese shops. MMMMM ... THE ULTIMATE SPAGHETTI AND MEATBALLS: 12 ounces ground beef 1 egg 4 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh Italian parsley 1/2 teaspoon crushed dried red chilies 1 thick slice white bread, crust removed 2 tablespoons milk about 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 1/4 cups tomato sauce or canned tomatoes, chopped fine 1 3/4 cups vegetable stock 1 teaspoon granulated sugar 12 ounces to 1 pound fresh or dried spaghetti salt and ground black pepper freshly grated Parmesan cheese, to serve Put the ground beef in a large bowl. Add the egg and half the parsley and crushed chilies. Season with plenty of salt and pepper. Tear the bread into small pieces and place in a small bowl. Moisten with the milk. Allow to soak for a few minutes, then squeeze out the excess milk and crumble the bread over the meat mixture. Mix everything together with a wooden spoon, then use your hands to squeeze and knead the mixture until it becomes smooth and quite sticky. Wash your hands, rinse them under the cold tap, then pick up small pieces of the mixture and roll them between your palms to make about 40 to 60 small balls. Place the meatballs on a tray for about 30 minutes. Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan. Cook the meatballs in batches until browned on all sides. Pour the tomato sauce and stock into a large saucepan. Heat gently, then add the remaining chilies and the sugar, with salt and pepper to taste. Add the meatballs to the sauce mixture, then bring to a boil. Lower the heat and cover. Simmer for 20 minutes. Cook the pasta according to the package instructions. When it is al dente, drain and turn it into a warmed large bowl. Pour the sauce over the pasta and toss gently. Sprinkle with the remaining parsley and serve with grated Parmesan passed separately. Makes 6 to 8 servings. (Comment on this)
Monday, January 30th, 2006
4:52 pm	Can acupuncture beat addiction? Supermodel Kate Moss is reported to be using acupuncture to cope with her well-documented problems with cocaine misuse. Moss, 31, lost modelling contracts and checked into a rehabilitation clinic after pictures of her allegedly taking cocaine were published last year. She was pictured leaving a friend's house in North London this week with two plasters on her right ear. They are thought to be the result of acupuncture sessions. Acupuncture can be used with substance users to reduce cravings and promote relaxation DrugScope The targeting of the ear to produce health benefits - auricular acupuncture - is nothing new. It has been used to treat addictions - and many other conditions, such as asthma, arthritis, migraine and hay fever - for many years, and is based on ancient Chinese medicine dating back thousands of years. The theory is that there are 200 points in the ear that correspond to organs in the body, and when stimulated these points nourish and replenish those organs. This is thought to help with detoxification, and, in the case of addiction, to suppress withdrawal symptoms such as anxiety, agitation and insomnia. In particular, there are five points that are most commonly used. Pressing the ear Treatment usually involves inserting five very fine needles into these specific part of the ear, although beads can also be left in the ear to stimulate the same points. These are then covered with a plaster and can be gently pressed when the patient experiences a craving or withdrawal symptom Sue Cox is founder of Smart UK (Substance Misuse Acupuncture Register and Training) and member of the British Acupuncture Council. She said: "The two points that have been used on Kate are part of a five point formula that is specifically used to help alleviate symptoms such as stress, anxiety and depression and all symptoms associated with recovery of addictions. "Treatment involves inserting five very fine needles into five points in the ear, what we can see in the photo are two pellets covered in plasters, these are often used as a bridge between treatments and will be helping Kate with her recovery." A spokesperson for the charity DrugScope told the BBC News website that a number of holistic therapies are used within drug services to combat addiction. "Acupuncture can be used with substance users to reduce cravings and promote relaxation. "Holistic therapies have a role to play in drug therapies by providing individuals with alternative sources of coping strategies as they deal with their drug dependencies. "People respond differently to treatments, so it is important to have a range of approaches on offer." (Comment on this)
Sunday, January 29th, 2006
4:49 pm	Secret sale of UK plutonium to Israel The UK supplied Israel with quantities of plutonium while Harold Wilson was prime minister, BBC Newsnight can reveal. Chemicals sold to Israel were used to make atom bombs more powerful than Hiroshima The sale was made despite a warning from British intelligence that it might "make a material contribution to an Israeli weapons programme". Under Wilson, Britain also sold Israel tons of chemicals used to make boosted atom bombs 20 times more powerful than Hiroshima or even Hydrogen Bombs. In Harold Macmillan's time the UK supplied uranium 235 and the heavy water which allowed Israel to start up its nuclear weapons production plant at Dimona - heavy water which British intelligence estimated would allow Israel to make "six nuclear weapons a year". All export licensing of materials associated with civil nuclear programmes went through stringent checks across Whitehall Foreign Office Read the Foreign Office statement in full Last August on BBC Newsnight we revealed the first British/Israeli deal, the sale of the heavy water, but the government responded by telling the International Atomic Energy Agency the UK was not a party to any sale to Israel and that all it did was sell some heavy water back to Norway. Hundreds of shipments Using Freedom of Information, Newsnight has obtained top secret papers. They show Foreign Minister Kim Howells misled the IAEA and that Britain made not one, but hundreds of secret shipments of nuclear materials to Israel. Tony Benn, who was Minister of Technology in 1966, is shocked to learn of the sales Tony Benn became Minister of Technology in 1966 while the plutonium deal was going through. The nuclear industry was part of his "white heat of technology" brief but no one told him that we were exporting atomic energy materials to Israel. "I'm not only surprised, I'm shocked," he says, adding that neither he nor his predecessor Frank Cousins, who was a member of CND, agreed to the sales. Benn says he always suspected civil servants were doing deals behind his back but he never thought they would sell plutonium to Israel. "It never occurred to me they would authorise something so totally against the policy of the government." Dimona Back in August 1960 covertly taken photos of a mysterious site at Dimona in Israel arrived at Defence Intelligence Staff (DIS) in Whitehall. A brilliant analyst called Peter Kelly immediately realized they showed a secret nuclear reactor and he alerted the rest of British intelligence. Kelly recognized it was a French reactor and soon discovered where the heavy water to run it had come from. Selling plutonium to Israel was against UK government policy Britain had bought heavy water from Norsk Hydro in Norway for its nuclear weapons programme but found it was surplus to requirements and needed a buyer. The papers obtained by Newsnight show that a company called Noratom acted as a consultant and arranged the deals in return for a 2% commission. Britain knew all along that Israel wanted the heavy water "to produce plutonium" and Israel paid the full military price - £1 million - to avoid safeguards to stop the plutonium being used to make nuclear weapons. Kelly discovered a charade was played out with the UK and Israeli delegations sitting in adjacent rooms while Noratom ferried separate contracts to and fro so Britain could say they hadn't signed a deal with Israel. Cover story Once the press heard about Dimona in December 1960 there was an international outcry. Israel put out a cover story that it was a small research reactor. This did not fool Kelly. Using the figure of 20 tons of heavy water he estimated that Israel could build a reactor capable of producing "significant quantities of plutonium". Michael Crick has used Freedom of Information to obtain secret papers British intelligence learnt there was also a reprocessing plant and concluded "the separation of plutonium can only mean that Israel intends to produce nuclear weapons". Kelly even discovered that an Israeli observer had been allowed to watch one of the first French nuclear tests in Algeria. Kelly and his colleagues in intelligence soon found their views about Israel were being challenged by Britain's representative at the IAEA Mike Michaels, who worked for one of the main figures in Harold Macmillan's Cabinet - Lord Hailsham. Michaels received a JIC report early in 1961 estimating Israel would take at least three years to make enough plutonium and then another six months to work out how to make a bomb. But it occurred to him that a friendly power might give Israel a small sample of plutonium to speed up the process. "Perhaps the French have supplied a small quantity for experimental purposes as we did to the French in like circumstances some years ago," he noted in the margin of the report. A few years later Michaels persuaded the UK to sell Israel a small sample of plutonium when he was aware - as this note shows - that this might cut months off the time it took them to get the Bomb. Invitation The Israeli nuclear chief, Ernst David Bergmann, personally invited Michaels to Israel. Kelly warned Israel might use Michaels as part of a disinformation campaign to show "everything is above board". Michaels was given VIP treatment. He met not only Bergmann but Shimon Peres and Prime Minister David Ben Gurion - the three fathers of the Israeli Bomb. As Kelly suspected, Michaels' report gave Israel the all clear and he handed it to Hailsham at a crucial time, two days before Ben Gurion met Harold Macmillan at Downing Street. Tony Benn thinks it inconceivable that Harold Wilson knew of atomic exports to Israel In 1962 the Dimona reactor started turning uranium into plutonium, thanks to the heavy water Britain had delivered, but Michaels continued to protest Israel's innocence. Then at the beginning of 1966 UK Atomic Energy Authority made what they remarkably called a "pretty harmless request". They wanted to export 10 milligrammes of plutonium to Israel. The MoD strongly objected and Defence Intelligence wrote directly to say the sale might have "significant military value". The Foreign Office told UKAEA "It is HMG's policy not to do anything which would assist Israel in the production of nuclear weapons" and therefore they blocked the sale. Sale Michaels wrote angrily "to protest strongly" against the decision. Five years earlier he had noted such a sale could speed up the Israeli bomb programme, now he was powerfully advocating just that. He said small quantities of plutonium were not important and anyhow if we didn't sell it to the Israelis someone else would. The Foreign Office gave in and the sale went ahead. Kelly believes Mike Michaels knew all along that Israel was after the Bomb. He died in 1992. Tony Benn is incredulous that Michaels never referred the Israeli nuclear sales to him or Frank Cousins. They were after all the ministers in charge of Britain's nuclear industry including imports and exports. "Michaels lied to me. I learned by bitter experience that the nuclear industry lied to me again and again". The atomic files, which have been classified until now, detail hundreds of nuclear deals with Israel flagged up as sensitive. Benn's initial reaction to whether Harold Wilson knew about atomic exports to Israel was "it's inconceivable". Then he muses: "Harold was sympathetic to Israel," before concluding that this was probably a conspiracy by civil servants and the nuclear industry to flout HMG policy. (Comment on this)
Friday, January 27th, 2006
4:48 pm	North Korea conducted new missile tests, US says GAUTIER, Mississippi - The White House said North Korea fired two short-range missiles today in a test that US officials said proved the country's nuclear program posed a threat to the region. The missiles were launched amid a stalemate in talks over the North Korean nuclear program and at a time when the world's attention has been focussed on Iran's atomic aspirations. "Indications are that North Korea launched two short-range missiles. The regime has conducted similar tests in the past," White House spokesman Scott McClellan said in a statement to reporters travelling with President George W. Bush in Mississippi. "We have consistently pointed out that North Korea's missile program is a concern that poses a threat to the region and the larger international community," he said. A senior Bush administration official said in Washington the two missiles were launched from North Korea and landed in the country. "They did not leave North Korean territory," he said. Jack Pritchard of the Korea Economic Institute said this was "probably the third known incident of a short-range missile being fired over the last 18 months." North Korea has abided by a 1999 moratorium on medium- and long-range missile tests. US officials urged Pyongyang to resume six-party talks aimed at ending the communist state's nuclear program. The United States, Russia, Japan, China and North and South Korea take part in the talks. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said those talks also provided a forum in which issues of missile proliferation and missile technology can be addressed. "There are five other parties ready to come back, without precondition, and at an early date," said McCormack of talks, adding, "We continue to encourage them to do so and to return to the talks without preconditions; to be ready to engage in serious negotiations," he added. Ri Gun, a senior North Korean official, was quoted by the Yonhap news agency as saying North Korea could return to the talks unless the United States ended its financial crackdown on Pyongyang's assets. The United States has cracked down on firms it suspects of aiding Pyongyang in illicit activities such as counterfeiting that it says help fund the North's nuclear program. McCormack said Pyongyang must stop linking the resumption of talks to the lifting of financial restrictions imposed by Washington on North Korea. "If North Korea wants to address issues related to illicit activities, they can do so, by not engaging in them. And I think that any country is going to -- I think it's understandable any country is going to take actions to protect itself." (1 Comment |Comment on this)
4:44 pm	Make science come alive with school visits to aquariums, zoos and observatories Nearly half of young adults found school science boring, according to a poll by the charity Edge, and three-quarters said hands-on activities would have made the subject more interesting. Which makes you wonder if they ever went on any trips. For science, trips can be as simple as a walk along a local river, or as exciting as a day at the zoo. If it's adventure, discovery and inspiration your pupils need, there's a host of trips to choose from. Science trips allow pupils to see things that aren't possible in the classroom, and can help to build a closer relationship between teacher and child. These days, most scientific attractions have education departments whose job it is to support teachers and help organise the best possible class visits. However, it's still a good idea to do some research first, visit the place beforehand if you can, and check worksheets or trails to make sure the level is appropriate. Expect to pay about £5 per child and to get one teacher place free per 10 children. The network Ecsite-uk (www.ecsite-uk.net) represents 80 science attractions, from aquariums and botanical gardens to observatories and planetariums. Dr Melanie Quin, the executive director, says it's the sensory aspect that's all-important on school trips, as well as the chance to meet some real-life scientists. For many pupils, she says, the abiding memory is "not the highly advertised blockbuster exhibition but an unexpected encounter such as meeting Charles Darwin as played by a character actor at the National History Museum." If it's a science centre you want, At-Bristol has 170 interactive experiences. In the Live Science Zone you can watch shows, join in debates and try creating and building bridges. Magna Science Adventure Centre in Rotherham advertises itself as a "coats on" experience offering workshops and, next month, a Roaming Robots celebration. If your pupils are interested in solutions to environmental problems, the Centre for Alternative Technology in Machynlleth, Wales, has interactive displays and workshops on topics like wind power, as well as a slug and bug hunt. The Observatory Science Centre in Herstmonceux, East Sussex, has both indoor and outdoor exhibits, a hands-on corridor, telescope tours and science shows with audience participation. The Deep, an aquarium in Hull, has educational sessions for all key stages in its new learning centre. It boasts 14 species of shark and the world's only underwater lift. At the National Marine Aquarium in Plymouth, teachers can choose a visit based around one of several themes such as "Our magical seas" and "Sharks: fact or fiction?" Or how about a visit to some fish-eaters at the Scottish Seabird Centre in North Berwick, with its telescope deck and cameras that help study of animal behaviour? The Eden Project in Cornwall is another popular educational resource, especially useful for the study of botany. But when it comes to biology, zoos are perhaps the most popular trips, especially if pupils are studying classification. Twycross Zoo in Leicestershire is famous for its primates, and Chester Zoo for its black rhino and jaguar enclosures; its school programmes include life processes and conservation. At Bristol Zoo, the education team can put a session together especially for you, although most teachers prefer to choose from popular topics such as the rainforest experience or animal behaviour. The education department caters for pre-school to A-level and beyond. One-hour education sessions cost £35 per class, and downloadable information sheets with suggested questions for teachers are available on the zoo's website. You can get a free teacher pre-visit to the zoo, and many teachers do this on the weekend, bringing their own families with them and doing a risk assessment in the process. And what do children get from their visits? "What they like is the reality, that's the feedback we get. They come to visit things they can see, hear, smell and get right up close to," says Simon Garrett, head of education. "To see a class sitting there with cupped hands holding Madagascan hissing cockroaches is something you can't get from TV." Children can stroke rats too, and for older children in restricted groups there's the chance to pat a reptile. Now who says science is boring? (Comment on this)
Thursday, January 26th, 2006
4:42 pm	Scientist Warns of Threat to Endangered Turtle A major conservation effort, led by Dr Brendan Godley of the University of Exeter, has just got underway to help protect endangered leatherback turtles which nest in Gabon, West Africa. The region is thought to be the animals'last global stronghold, as pacific populations dwindle precariously. It's hoped the project, to tag and track the animals, will uncover their migratory secrets and provide the basis for efforts to safeguard them. After fitting them with satellite trackers the team are using the internet to follow their journeys, which are among the longest in the animal kingdom. Dr Brendan Godley, who is also one of the Directors of SEATURTLE.org where the tracks are hosted online, said:"Pacific leatherbacks have been decimated by incidental capture at sea and overexploitation so it's vital that we protect the Atlantic population.This project is crucial to our understanding of the geographical range of the leatherback as so little is currently known about their travels. We think turtles from Gabon could be traveling as far afield as South America,Europe and even the Indian Ocean to feed on their jellyfish prey. Once we have detailed information our tracking work will feed directly into strategies for marine protected areas in Gabon and farther afield and more sustainable fisheries. We are just beginning to understand the importance of the leatherbacks of West Africa as a global stronghold but we need to know where they live to protect them." The tracking data is publicly available online and is creating much interest with more than 100,000 hits from over 150 countries on the site tracking each month. It's thought that globally more than 50,000 leatherback turtles are incidentally caught by fisherman trawling for other species each year. Of these, thousands are thought to die as a result. Approximately 1.4 billion hooks are cast into the world's oceans as part of industrial long-line fishing, with 37% of this fishing effort in the Atlantic. A major hotspot is found off West Africa, the focus of this study. With fishing yields decreasing in European seas the EU has struck up a number of agreements with African nations to fish their waters. Amazingly, most EU fishing concessions don't even incorporate compulsory bycatch monitoring programmes. Scientists from the University of Exeter's Cornwall Campus are working with a consortium of partners in Gabon (Aventures Sans Frontieres, Parcs Gabon and Wildlife Conservation Society) and the USA (Duke University, SEATURTLE.org) to try to solve the mystery of where the turtles' spend their time. The work is supported by a range of UK and international funding bodies including the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA) 2004/5 Shellshock Campaign (Comment on this)
Sunday, January 22nd, 2006
4:40 pm	petronas profit creates friction PENANG, Malaysia - Petronas, Malaysia's national petroleum corporation, like many other multinational energy companies, is riding the crest of soaring global fuel prices and raking in record revenues and profits. However, those globally pumped-up profits are causing a stir on the Malaysian street, with protesters calling the company's historically opaque finances into question. For the fiscal year ending in March 2005, the state-run corporation recorded a pre-tax profit of US$15 billion, up 55% from the previous year, contributing 30% of the Malaysian government's total revenues. This year's profits are tipped to climb even higher on the back of spiraling global oil prices, potentially representing the best financial results in Petronas' 32-year corporate history. But those gains are not coming without controversy. Last week the Malaysian government reduced fuel subsidies and allowed the local price of gasoline, diesel and liquefied petroleum gas to float, leading to a rise of 18% to 23% depending on the fuel source. The policy move was the latest in a series of incremental and unpopular price hikes over the past two years. More recently, rising domestic prices have renewed national arguments for more interventionist and less neo-liberal economic policy prescriptions. Malaysia famously bucked conventional economic wisdom when it applied capital controls in the wake of the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis - a move that in effect insulated the Malaysian economy from the ravages sharp currency depreciations wrought on Thailand and Indonesia. Now, in the era of spiraling global fuel prices, many in Malaysia believe that, as a net fuel exporter, fuel subsidies could provide the country's export-dependent economy a competitive boost and insulate the domestic economy from inflationary pressures. That argument is finding popular expression through a string of street demonstrations and protests that have put Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi's government on the defensive. The government says the price hikes are necessary to curb over-consumption, to discourage smuggling and to remove subsidy-generated market distortions. The government also argues that Malaysia's fuel prices are still among the lowest in Southeast Asia, apart from oil-rich Brunei. Public anger has perhaps predictably focused on Petronas' big bottom line and, perhaps more important, on how those massive profits are used and potentially abused. The company's critics have long complained that elected politicians, rather than pumping petro-profits back into sustainable economic activities, often dipped into Petronas' reserves to finance economically unsustainable ventures or to bail out politically connected firms with funds that could have been better used for national development. No Malaysian minister or senior politician has ever been held to account for misallocating or squandering Petronas-generated revenues. Shrouded disclosure has often stoked suspicions, though. For instance, controversy erupted in 1998 when Petronas, through its shipping carrier Malaysian International Shipping Corp Berhad (MISC), inexplicably acquired a debt-laden shipping concern, Konsortium Perkapalan Bhd (KPB). Some analysts felt the suspect deal amounted to a bailout of then-prime minister Mahathir Mohamad's son, Mirzan Mahathir, whose KPB was then floundering under debts estimated at about RM1.7 billion (US$457,000). The 'dark holes' of the future When Malaysia's oil wells finally run dry, which could come sooner than many of Malaysia's 24 million population anticipate, concerns are growing that the resource-rich country may have little to show for decades of bumper petroleum profits, apart from a few fading trophy projects and deep, dark holes in the ocean floor. To be sure, Petronas' record profits have to be tempered against Malaysia's limited oil reserves and the steadily increasing cost of exploration. Total domestic crude and oil-condensate reserves are officially estimated at about 4.8 billion barrels, equivalent to a reserve life of about 19 years. For natural gas, which makes up some 75% of Malaysia's total reserves, the reserve life is estimated at a longer 33 years. At current rates of production, however, some energy analysts predict that Malaysia could swing from being a net exporter to net importer by the end of the decade. Petronas has recently aggressively expanded its exploration and international business operations, leveraging its technical expertise into joint ventures in resource-rich and often politically unstable countries such as Sudan, Myanmar, Turkmenistan, Niger, Chad and, to a lesser degree, Egypt and the Malaysia-Thailand Joint Development Area. The company has also ramped up exploration activities at home. Petronas, Malaysia's only bona fide multinational company, currently manages 59 energy ventures in 26 different countries around the world. Last year, it spent RM7.5 billion on new international explorations, mainly in Sudan's war-ravaged oilfields, as well as liquefied-natural-gas work in Egypt. These ventures have allowed the company to build up international reserves of 5.92 billion barrels of oil equivalent (boe), of which crude accounts for 2.15 billion boe, with the remainder in gas. Apart from boosting profits, those ventures have exposed Petronas to periodic criticism that its overseas activities help to prop up financially some of the world's more loathsome, human-rights-abusing regimes. Still, most energy-industry analysts believe that Petronas, the only Malaysian company in the Fortune 500, has managerially done well for itself considering the heightened global competition for new finds from China, India and the United States. "It is easily the best, that is, the most professionally run, corporation in Malaysia, with a proven track record of competing not only locally but internationally," said political scientist Andrew Aeria, a Malaysia-based academic who closely monitors political and economic developments. "[It's just a] pity its coffers have always been raided by the BN [Barisan Nasional, Malaysia's ruling coalition] government to bail out crony project failures." At the same time, some company insiders contend that Petronas' recent rash of profits have also bred a measurable degree of complacency. "Petronas can afford to take risks now as it is sitting on a pile of reserves and making huge profits," said a management staffer for a joint venture between Petronas and a foreign firm. "When a firm is in such an enviable situation, wastage, slow transfer of technology and a lack of top management oversight in certain areas are not usually apparent, but these can happen." Fading trophies During the tenure of Mahathir Mohamad, Petronas profits were often used to fund massive, one-off prestige projects. The list of Petronas-funded trophy projects is as long as it is extravagant, including the posh new administrative capital at Putrajaya, sponsorship of a Formula One motor-racing team, and the company's own twin-tower office buildings in downtown Kuala Lumpur, which fleetingly stood as the tallest skyscraper in the world. Under Abdullah, there appear to be fewer big-ticket projects, though ailing public and private firms, such as Malaysia Airlines, have asked for and received financial assistance in times of need. Because 30% of the government's revenues come from Petronas, the company at least indirectly helps to bail out government-favored businesses. "Petronas has been very responsible. They have made a huge contribution towards the development of the country," Abdullah recently said. Petronas profits, critics contend, could have been more prudently invested in smaller, self-sustaining ventures that would act to enhance the country's future competitiveness. There is a growing sense that, with the limited life of the oilfields, a golden national opportunity was squandered. Other oil-rich countries with diminishing oil and gas resources, most notably Norway, have set aside funds for economic development once the national wells run dry. "The fact is that all those years of financial profligacy under Dr Mahathir are now coming home to roost,'' said political scientist Aeria. Petronas, for its part, argues that its involvement in Formula One racing has allowed it to develop its automotive engineering technology, enhance its lubricants and heighten its brand recognition globally. In January, Petronas signed a memorandum of intent with national car maker Proton, whose market share has been steadily declining in Malaysia and has not been notably successful in the export market, to explore the possibility of using the new-fangled "Petronas E01" commercial engine technology, engineered through its involvement in Formula One, to develop environment-friendly fuel systems for Proton. During Mahathir's tenure, Petronas was also roped in to provide generous subsidies for new independent power producers (IPPs), which built a string of gas-fueled electricity generating plants in the 1990s. Since the 1997 crisis, Petronas has supplied heavily subsidized processed gas to Tenaga Nasional Bhd, the national power corporation, as well as the IPPs. So far those subsidies have totaled RM25 billion, according to Petronas. These subsidies helped ensure that the IPPs' venture into the power industry has been largely profitable. Critics complain that the special arrangement enriches a handful of well-connected, wealthy tycoons. Last year, business news group The Edge identified the IPP beneficiaries as Genting Sanyen Power, YTL Power, Malakoff Bhd and Tanjong Plc/Powertek Bhd, saying that "these companies are controlled by the families of Tan Sri Lim Goh Tong, Tan Sri Yeoh Tiong Lay, Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Al-Bukhary and Ananda Krishnan, four of the richest families and individuals in the country", according to its website. It is still unclear whether the subsidies on processed gas supplied by Petronas to the IPPs will also be affected by recent price hikes. If so, it could mean higher electricity prices just around the corner. Many Malaysians are unaware of the subsidies to IPPs and the local media have been largely silent on the issue. But the issue threatens to become a political hot potato. "Petronas' subsidies to the IPPs of RM14 billion since 1997 must be abolished," said Lim Guan Eng, secretary general of the opposition Democratic Action Party. "As the IPPs are private companies enjoying special rates for generating electrical power that Tenaga is forced to purchase, there is no reason for IPPs to enjoy such huge subsidies ... at Tenaga's and Malaysian consumers' expense." True or false, Petronas now stands at a somewhat uncomfortable crossroads. Many Malaysians are unclear about how the savings on subsidies will be used, although the government says the money will be used to improve public transport and other undisclosed development projects. Despite decades earning massive profits for state coffers, as the government rolls back subsidies on domestic fuel prices, the company's opaque finances are finally being called into question. Hopes are rising that the unexpected upshot in the national oil firm's record profits, ironically, could also generate a clearer account of exactly how Petronas distributes and spends its massive profits. (Comment on this)
Friday, January 20th, 2006
4:28 pm	Recloned calves born in Shandong Five calves recloned from body cells of cloned cattle were born recently in Liangshan County of east China's Shandong Province. Three of the five newborns survived and the other two died after birth. The cattle recloning project, included in China's 973 program, a basic science development program, was jointly undertaken by a special team from the China Agriculture University based in Beijing and the Shandong Kelong Animal Husbandry Co., Ltd. The animal mammary gland bioreactor technology has been employed for the project. Scientists said birth of the recloned calves indicated China's mammary gland bioreactor technology has been up to the world standards. The research team, headed by Prof. Li Ning, selected four head of cattle with high mammary gland expression from 14 head for their recloning experiment. The three survived newborn calves were all originated from ear cells of one head of cloned cattle. They were born on Dec. 20, 22 and 25, respectively, weighing 37 kg, 41 kg and 46.5 kg. Experts' exams showed that all the three calves are normal physiologically. The project also has another 12 head of cloned cattle about to give birth and 40 others are pregnant. http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-12/28/content_507314.htm (Comment on this)
Tuesday, January 3rd, 2006
5:01 pm	Calls for political power and equal rights PARIS ?Tens of thousands of women across the globe yesterday rallied to the fight against sexual violence and inequality on International Women抯 Day, amid calls to play a greater role on the political stage. While women have recently reached the political pinnacle in several countries ?Liberia, Chile and Germany ?there are even higher goals to aim for, including head of the United Nations, the current office holder said. 揑 think we should see a clear message in the overwhelming success of women in presidential elections over the past year: the world is ready for a woman as secretary general of the United Nations,?said Kofi Annan, who will step down from that job in December after two five-year terms. Women抯 rights activists on every continent echoed that opinion, pointing to the rise of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia as Africa抯 first elected woman head of state, as well as the precedent-setting victory in Chile of President Michelle Bachelet and Germany抯 first-ever woman chancellor Angela Merkel. Sirleaf, the guest of honor at Paris celebrations, said: 擶omen抯 role in society has now been set on a new path, on an irreversible path, where we can claim the leadership, we can seize the moment.?o:p> Appeals for more gender balance in government came from far and wide. UN officials in the Democratic Republic of Congo urged women to be candidates in the central African country抯 first planned free elections in over 40 years. In Lisbon, the Portuguese government said it would introduce a law requiring one-third of candidates on all party lists for elections to be women. There is still a long way to go, with the UN estimating that, worldwide,it will be 2025 before there is an average of 30 percent of women in parliament and 2040 before there is parity. Women yesterday also were calling the attention of world leaders to some of their major struggles: to delegitimize violence against women in the developing world, and to protect abortion rights in countries with more established gender equality, especially the United States, Poland and Italy. Around the globe there continue to be huge, persistent gaps that have made women suffer compared to, and sometimes at the hands of, men. These disparities were brought into sharp relief in Multan, Pakistan, where some 3,000 people, mainly women, attended a rally led by 33-year-old Mukhtaran Mai, who was gang-raped on the orders of a rural tribal council in 2002 as punishment for her brother抯 alleged affair with a woman from another tribe. 揑 will continue my struggle to end the oppression of women,?SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> Mai, whose case triggered an international outcry, told the crowd as it chanted 揋ive equal rights to women!?and 揟reat women with respect!? The United States plunged into a bitter dispute this week after the governor of South Dakota signed a law criminalizing abortion in all cases ?including rape and incest ?unless the mother抯 life is in danger. The action poses a direct legal challenge that could result in overturning the 1973 landmark US Supreme Court ruling legalizing abortion. The Planned Parenthood Federation of America plans to 揻ight these attacks in courts, in the state houses, at the ballot boxes?SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> to ensure that women make health care decisions 搘ithout government interference,?said the organization抯 president Cecile Richards. Events in Poland this week showed that Europe is not immune to the legal debate over abortion rights. A woman whose vision became severely impaired after she was refused an abortion in staunchly Roman Catholic Poland took her fight to the European Court of Human Rights on Tuesday, paving the way for a legal challenge to the country抯 highly restrictive abortion laws. The influence of the Catholic Church in Italy also brought out women marchers in the Sicilian capital Palermo, who see the country抯 abortion law under threat with government plans to allow a Catholic group opposed to abortion to enter clinics and Church-backed efforts to curb experimentation on the abortion pill. And the scourge of forced prostitution, which makes tens of thousands of fall victim to international human trafficking networks every year, has grown since the European Union expanded into eastern Europe in 2004, according to La Strada, a non-governmental organization that provides help for victims of trafficking. La Strada is supporting a prevention and awareness campaign launched Wednesday by the European Parliament on International Women抯 Day (Comment on this)
Sunday, February 16th, 2003
4:25 pm	School fighting the flab! (Tuesday 17th January 2006) Physical Education (PE) teacher Sadiq Al Aswad took the drastic step because he was worried about the well-being of students at the Arazi Primary Boys School, in Sanabis. A total of 23 pupils, aged 10 to 12, are taking part in the initiative, which is being carried out in co-ordination with the American Mission Hospital (AMH). The students were singled out as being most at risk, with the heaviest weighing 90kg and measuring 1.44 metres in height. The project mainly focuses on after-school fitness lessons designed to build muscle and stamina, but it also promotes healthy eating habits. However, the hospital will also be sending a dietician and physiotherapist to the school and is monitoring the students' progress. Mr Al Aswad decided to take action after he found several of his pupils were becoming overweight and needed individual help that he could not provide in a class of 30 students. "All of the pupils participating in the programme are overweight," Mr Al Aswad told the GDN. "The exercises I have for them focus on tightening their stomach muscles and improving agility. "Their stomach muscles are very weak now and endurance exercises they will do will help them burn calories and fat. "They are students so I must make it fun and varied. It will be a mixture of sports and athletics. If I give them traditional exercises they will get bored." Mr Al Aswad said the fitness programme would be carried out for an hour, three times a week, during lunch breaks or after school. The pupils will also have two 45-minute weekly fitness periods, which are part of the school curriculum. As an incentive, Mr Al Aswad is hoping to get companies to provide students with sports clothes and other items for the programme. "I want them to feel good about themselves and encourage them to come to this programme," he said. The students have already taken agility tests, which they will complete again at the end of the programme to see how they have improved. It will continue until May, but may be continued over the summer holidays or resume at the beginning of next term. "I met their parents and have their permission to conduct the programme," said Mr Al Aswad. "They thought sports was only about playing football and getting marks, but I explained to them about obesity and the effects of the disease, so they know about it. "I asked the parents to give me information about the meals they eat. "They all eat fast food now, but I want to change their diets." The students from Arazi Primary Boys School are among a large number of children in Bahrain who are overweight or obese. According to figures released by the Bahrain Centre for Studies and Research (BCSR) between 2002 and 2004, 25 per cent of boys and 30pc of girls aged 10 to 12 were overweight or obese. However, the figures revealed that the problem gets worse as the children get older. They found that 25pc to 35pc of boys and 30pc to 45pc of girls aged 13 to 18 were overweight or obese. The GDN spoke to six of the pupils taking part in the programme - Sayed Ameen, Mohammed Ebrahim, Mohammed Yasser, Abdulla Hassan, Jaffer Aqeel and Qassim Habeeb. They explained how excited they were about getting fit and being better at sports. "I like basketball and football and when I am at home I play football," said 11-year-old Mohammed Yasser, who wants to be an engineer when he grows up. "I want to do the programme to get thinner." Jaffer, 11, also enjoys sports and is in the school basketball team. "I want to do this programme because I love sports," he said. "I find sports easy, I play basketball and football and I like PlayStation. I would like to be thin and strong." The Arazi Primary Boys School programme is supported by the American Mission Hospital (AMH), which is carrying out health checks and providing fitness and nutritional advice to the school. The AMH stepped in after they were approached by Mr Al Aswad, said AMH chief of medical staff Dr Ken Kaufmann. "They (the school) approached us to help children that were obese, so hopefully we can start at this age before it becomes a problem and the damage is done," said Dr Kaufmann. Dr Kaufmann said the AMH had already conducted health checks on each of the children participating in the programme and were planning to follow up with talks on nutrition and physical education. "I think it is great they (schools) are becoming more aware and notice there is a problem there," he said. "We will contact the school and arrange for a dietician and physiotherapist to go in and speak to them. "Health education is all about planting a seed and exposing them to the right information about diet and fitness." (Comment on this)
Thursday, January 16th, 2003
4:25 pm	Barbie loses out to veiled rival Some parents who would not want to buy Barbies for their daughters are choosing to give them Fullas instead. Creators NewBoy Design Studio launched the doll in 2003 and sales have proved strong in the Middle East. Tarek Mohammed, chief salesman at Toys'r'Us in Cairo, said: "Fulla sells better because she is closer to our Arab values." bbc.com (Comment on this)