Thursday, October 28, 2010
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Tuesday, October 19, 2010
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Thursday, October 14, 2010
Papua floods may fuel tensions
Relief workers say they are struggling to reach West Papuans hit by heavy flooding in the Indonesian province.
Criticisms over tardy relief effort are already beginning to emerge from the region, where relations between the indigenous Papuans and the Indonesian state have long been difficult.
There are fears that a failure to address the humanitarian crisis could add to tensions over the recent killings of indigenous Papuan protesters by the Indonesian security forces in the towns of Wamena and Manokwari.
Denny Yomaki, a humanitarian NGO worker, told Radio New Zealand International on Thursday that some of the flood's victims felt the state was not doing enough to assist them.
Aid workers told Al Jazeera the damage from the landslides has made it hard to reach the worst hit areas.
Hundreds have fled or been evacuated from the devastated seaside town of Wasior to seek shelter in Manokwari, the province's capital. Most are staying with extended family or in makeshift shelters on a military base, Ridwan, a member of the disaster management team for the PMI (Indonesian Red Cross), told Al Jazeera.
"The current situation is very difficult, it's very difficult to reach Waisor," Ridwan said.
Criticisms over tardy relief effort are already beginning to emerge from the region, where relations between the indigenous Papuans and the Indonesian state have long been difficult.
There are fears that a failure to address the humanitarian crisis could add to tensions over the recent killings of indigenous Papuan protesters by the Indonesian security forces in the towns of Wamena and Manokwari.
Denny Yomaki, a humanitarian NGO worker, told Radio New Zealand International on Thursday that some of the flood's victims felt the state was not doing enough to assist them.
Aid workers told Al Jazeera the damage from the landslides has made it hard to reach the worst hit areas.
Hundreds have fled or been evacuated from the devastated seaside town of Wasior to seek shelter in Manokwari, the province's capital. Most are staying with extended family or in makeshift shelters on a military base, Ridwan, a member of the disaster management team for the PMI (Indonesian Red Cross), told Al Jazeera.
"The current situation is very difficult, it's very difficult to reach Waisor," Ridwan said.
DR Congo warlord's trial to restart
Thomas Lubanga, the Congolese warlord, will not be released and his trial for crimes of war can resume, the Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC) has ruled.
Friday's ruling by the ICC's appeals body overturns a decision by a lower court in July to release Lubanga and halt his trial.
"The decision to stay proceedings must be reversed," Sang-Hyun Song, president of the court's appeals chamber, said.
Lubanga, 49, went on trial in January 2009 on charges of recruiting child soldiers and sending them to fight during the five year civil war in the Democratic Republic of Congo which ended in 2003.
But earlier this year, the lower court had ruled that a fair trial was no longer possible because the prosecution was refusing to hand over information to the defence.
The ICC suspended the trial on July 8, after criticising Luis Moreno-Ocampo, the chief prosecutor, for abusing court processes and ignoring judges' orders.
Ocampo had refused to obey a court order to disclose the name of an 'intermediary' who had helped the prosecution team to find witnesses.
Prosecutors quickly appealed, blocking Lubanga's release. They have since revealed the identity of the intermediary.
In Friday's ruling, Song found the prosecutor's behaviour wrong, but called the trial chamber's decision to stay the proceedings "drastic".
"The trial chamber erred by resorting immediately to a stay of proceedings without first imposing sanctions and allowing such sanctions an opportunity to bring about the prosecution's compliance with its order," Song said.
Lubanga surrendered to the court in March 2006 and has pleaded not guilty to the charges. The trial is the first for the international court.
Friday's ruling by the ICC's appeals body overturns a decision by a lower court in July to release Lubanga and halt his trial.
"The decision to stay proceedings must be reversed," Sang-Hyun Song, president of the court's appeals chamber, said.
Lubanga, 49, went on trial in January 2009 on charges of recruiting child soldiers and sending them to fight during the five year civil war in the Democratic Republic of Congo which ended in 2003.
But earlier this year, the lower court had ruled that a fair trial was no longer possible because the prosecution was refusing to hand over information to the defence.
The ICC suspended the trial on July 8, after criticising Luis Moreno-Ocampo, the chief prosecutor, for abusing court processes and ignoring judges' orders.
Ocampo had refused to obey a court order to disclose the name of an 'intermediary' who had helped the prosecution team to find witnesses.
Prosecutors quickly appealed, blocking Lubanga's release. They have since revealed the identity of the intermediary.
In Friday's ruling, Song found the prosecutor's behaviour wrong, but called the trial chamber's decision to stay the proceedings "drastic".
"The trial chamber erred by resorting immediately to a stay of proceedings without first imposing sanctions and allowing such sanctions an opportunity to bring about the prosecution's compliance with its order," Song said.
Lubanga surrendered to the court in March 2006 and has pleaded not guilty to the charges. The trial is the first for the international court.
New Japan stimulus package approved
Japan has approved a new $61bn economic stimulus package, the latest in a series of measures to shore up the country's troubled economy.
The new package aims to boost Japan's gross domestic product by 0.6 per cent, create or save up to 500,000 jobs and help small and medium sized businesses.
But the stimulus package, approved by the cabinet on Friday, still has to be submitted to parliament for approval later this month in order to be put into effect.
The cabinet's move comes just days after the country's central bank cut its key interest rate to virtually zero.
Reining the yen
Last month, the Bank of Japan also intervened in the currency market in what appears to have been a fruitless attempt to rein in the strong yen, which hit another 15-year high against the dollar this week.
Exports are down, factory output is falling and Japan continues to struggle with deflation, a situation in which falling prices can drag the overall economy.
The yen's spike in value, meanwhile, erodes overseas earnings for major exporters like Toyota Motor Corp and Canon Inc.
Naoto Kan, the country's prime minister, who came to power just four months ago, has been under heavy political pressure to produce a path to recovery for Japan's economy.
The massive new package follows $11bn in measures that Kan's government unveiled last month.
The new package aims to boost Japan's gross domestic product by 0.6 per cent, create or save up to 500,000 jobs and help small and medium sized businesses.
But the stimulus package, approved by the cabinet on Friday, still has to be submitted to parliament for approval later this month in order to be put into effect.
The cabinet's move comes just days after the country's central bank cut its key interest rate to virtually zero.
Reining the yen
Last month, the Bank of Japan also intervened in the currency market in what appears to have been a fruitless attempt to rein in the strong yen, which hit another 15-year high against the dollar this week.
Exports are down, factory output is falling and Japan continues to struggle with deflation, a situation in which falling prices can drag the overall economy.
The yen's spike in value, meanwhile, erodes overseas earnings for major exporters like Toyota Motor Corp and Canon Inc.
Naoto Kan, the country's prime minister, who came to power just four months ago, has been under heavy political pressure to produce a path to recovery for Japan's economy.
The massive new package follows $11bn in measures that Kan's government unveiled last month.
Expedition reveals new species
A team of international scientists has discovered some 200 news species of animals and plants, including an orange spider, a jabbing spiny-legged katydid (bush cricket) and a tiny long-nosed frog, in Papua New Guinea's (PNG) remote jungle-clad mountains.
The findings were unveiled by Washington DC-based Conversation International, whose team made the discoveries during a two-month expedition in the remote Nakanai and Muller mountains in 2009.
Among the finds: 24 frog species, scores of spiders and around 100 insects including ants and dragonflies that appear to have never been described in scientific literature before, the conservation group said.
"They tell us how little we still know about the world," research team leader Stephen Richards said on Thursday. “There is a lot of concern, quite rightly, about biodiversity loss and climate change and the impacts on biodiversity and what biodiversity means to us. ... Then we do projects like
this and we discover, 'Hey, we do not even know what biodiversity is out there.'''
The expedition was part of a global project to document the biodiversity of poorly known but species-rich environments and raise conservation priorities.
In the Nakanai mountains on New Britain island, the team found 24 new species of frogs, two new mammals, nine new species of plants, nearly 100 new insects including damselflies, katydids and ants, and approximately 100 new spiders.
Several of the katydids and at least one ant and one mammal are so different from any known species that they represent entirely new genera, the scientists said.
During the survey of the Muller mountains in the Southern Highlands, the scientists camped as high as 2,875 metres (8,625 feet), discovering a katydid which, when threatened, holds its large and spiny legs above its head to jab at predators.
"We hope that news of these amazing new species will bolster the nomination of these spectacular environments for World Heritage status," Richards said in a statement announcing the discoveries.
Communication barriers
For thousands of years, PNG's steep mountain ranges and dense forests have restricted interaction between indigenous groups. The same geographic barriers have also limited scientific exploration.
"As we flew in to land the helicopter in a mountain meadow, zooming into this spectacular landscape, it was an incredible realisation, knowing that no scientist has ever been there before," Richards said.
"Standing on top of the Nakanai mountains, I could see oil palm plantations extending almost to the coast," he said.
"It struck me just how much of the lowland forest has disappeared for oil palm. The steepness of the highlands has limited their destruction, but if people start building roads, these areas will be more accessible."
The findings were unveiled by Washington DC-based Conversation International, whose team made the discoveries during a two-month expedition in the remote Nakanai and Muller mountains in 2009.
Among the finds: 24 frog species, scores of spiders and around 100 insects including ants and dragonflies that appear to have never been described in scientific literature before, the conservation group said.
"They tell us how little we still know about the world," research team leader Stephen Richards said on Thursday. “There is a lot of concern, quite rightly, about biodiversity loss and climate change and the impacts on biodiversity and what biodiversity means to us. ... Then we do projects like
this and we discover, 'Hey, we do not even know what biodiversity is out there.'''
The expedition was part of a global project to document the biodiversity of poorly known but species-rich environments and raise conservation priorities.
In the Nakanai mountains on New Britain island, the team found 24 new species of frogs, two new mammals, nine new species of plants, nearly 100 new insects including damselflies, katydids and ants, and approximately 100 new spiders.
Several of the katydids and at least one ant and one mammal are so different from any known species that they represent entirely new genera, the scientists said.
During the survey of the Muller mountains in the Southern Highlands, the scientists camped as high as 2,875 metres (8,625 feet), discovering a katydid which, when threatened, holds its large and spiny legs above its head to jab at predators.
"We hope that news of these amazing new species will bolster the nomination of these spectacular environments for World Heritage status," Richards said in a statement announcing the discoveries.
Communication barriers
For thousands of years, PNG's steep mountain ranges and dense forests have restricted interaction between indigenous groups. The same geographic barriers have also limited scientific exploration.
"As we flew in to land the helicopter in a mountain meadow, zooming into this spectacular landscape, it was an incredible realisation, knowing that no scientist has ever been there before," Richards said.
"Standing on top of the Nakanai mountains, I could see oil palm plantations extending almost to the coast," he said.
"It struck me just how much of the lowland forest has disappeared for oil palm. The steepness of the highlands has limited their destruction, but if people start building roads, these areas will be more accessible."
N Korea marks Communist founding
North Korea has begun three days of celebrations to mark 65 years since the founding of the country's Communist Workers' Party.
For the first time, international media outlets, including Al Jazeera, are getting a rare glimpse inside the communist state - where the celebrations are to be broadcast live from the capital, Pyongyang.
But the festivities, which culminate in a large military parade in the capital on Sunday, are more than an event to mark the anniversary of communist rule.
North Korean officials are expected to use the celebrations to confirm the historic handover of power from ailing leader Kim Jong-il to his son and heir apparent, Kim Jong-un.
Koreans 'honoured'Yang Hyong Sop, a senior official in the country's ruling party, told AP on Friday that North Koreans will be honoured to follow Kim Jong-un."Our people take pride in the fact that they are blessed with great leaders from generation to generation," Yang said.
"Our people are honoured to be led by the great president Kim Il Sung and the great general Kim Jong-il. Now we also have the honour of being led by General Kim Jong-un."
Kim Jong-il announced his youngest known son's appointment to two important political posts late last month, according to state media, in what was regarded as the first step in his succession plan.
The senior Kim came to power when his father died of heart failure in 1994, setting in motion the communist world's first hereditary transfer of power.
He was officially chosen as successor in 1972, when he was elected to the party's central committee, and the same scenario could hold true for his son.
Regional dynamics
The question of who will take over from the elder Kim, believed to suffer from a host of ailments, is important to regional dynamics as well as security, because of North Korea's active nuclear and missile programmes, and regular threats it makes against rival South Korea.
Kim Tae-young, South Korea's defence chief, said on Friday that the US and South Korea should be prepared for a crisis in North Korea when the senior Kim leaves power.
The expected transfer of power could have unpredictable consequences in the nation, he warned, during a news conference with his US counterpart, Robert Gates, at the Pentagon.
But it is unclear whether the formal handover of power will happen any time soon.
Gates, the US defence secretary, said it remains to be seen whether a change in leadership will lead to broader political change in the country.
For the first time, international media outlets, including Al Jazeera, are getting a rare glimpse inside the communist state - where the celebrations are to be broadcast live from the capital, Pyongyang.
But the festivities, which culminate in a large military parade in the capital on Sunday, are more than an event to mark the anniversary of communist rule.
North Korean officials are expected to use the celebrations to confirm the historic handover of power from ailing leader Kim Jong-il to his son and heir apparent, Kim Jong-un.
Koreans 'honoured'Yang Hyong Sop, a senior official in the country's ruling party, told AP on Friday that North Koreans will be honoured to follow Kim Jong-un."Our people take pride in the fact that they are blessed with great leaders from generation to generation," Yang said.
"Our people are honoured to be led by the great president Kim Il Sung and the great general Kim Jong-il. Now we also have the honour of being led by General Kim Jong-un."
Kim Jong-il announced his youngest known son's appointment to two important political posts late last month, according to state media, in what was regarded as the first step in his succession plan.
The senior Kim came to power when his father died of heart failure in 1994, setting in motion the communist world's first hereditary transfer of power.
He was officially chosen as successor in 1972, when he was elected to the party's central committee, and the same scenario could hold true for his son.
Regional dynamics
The question of who will take over from the elder Kim, believed to suffer from a host of ailments, is important to regional dynamics as well as security, because of North Korea's active nuclear and missile programmes, and regular threats it makes against rival South Korea.
Kim Tae-young, South Korea's defence chief, said on Friday that the US and South Korea should be prepared for a crisis in North Korea when the senior Kim leaves power.
The expected transfer of power could have unpredictable consequences in the nation, he warned, during a news conference with his US counterpart, Robert Gates, at the Pentagon.
But it is unclear whether the formal handover of power will happen any time soon.
Gates, the US defence secretary, said it remains to be seen whether a change in leadership will lead to broader political change in the country.
China-Japan talks 'positive'
The defence ministers of Japan and China have met for the first time since a diplomatic dispute erupted last month over the arrest of a Chinese trawler captain by Japanese authorities.
The two officials "held a conversation" on the sidelines of an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) meeting on Monday in the Vietnamese capital, Hanoi, according to China's state-run Xinhua news agency.
Liang Guanglie, the Chinese defence minister, said talks with his Japanese counterpart, Toshimi Kitazawa, went very well and would be positive for bilateral relations.
"The talks were very good," he said. Asked what impact his discussion with Toshimi would have on strained relations, he replied: "Of course it will be positive".
Mending ties
China broke off all high-level contact with Tokyo last month after Japan detained a Chinese fishing boat captain whose vessel collided with Japanese coast guard patrol ships in waters claimed by both sides.
The row between Asia's two biggest economies was their worst in years and undermined recent efforts to improve relations marked by decades of mistrust stemming from Japan's 1930s invasion of China.
The Chinese captain was released after more than two weeks and returned to China on September 25.
With strained relations impacting their strong trade ties, the two countries are trying to mend fences. Naoto Kan, the Japanese prime minister, and his Chinese counterpart, Wen Jiabao, held a brief meeting last week in Brussels on the sidelines of an Asia-Europe summit.
Both spoke of the need to improve ties. They also spoke of high-level talks at an appropriate time.
Kan said he agreed with Wen to "resume high-level political exchanges" suspended following the sea incident.
But the leaders also reiterated claims to a disputed area in the East China Sea where the boat collision sparked the worst row between the two in years.
The uninhabited islands, which China calls the Diaoyu and Japan the Senkaku islands, lie near potential oil and gas reserves. The islands are also claimed by Taiwan.
The two officials "held a conversation" on the sidelines of an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) meeting on Monday in the Vietnamese capital, Hanoi, according to China's state-run Xinhua news agency.
Liang Guanglie, the Chinese defence minister, said talks with his Japanese counterpart, Toshimi Kitazawa, went very well and would be positive for bilateral relations.
"The talks were very good," he said. Asked what impact his discussion with Toshimi would have on strained relations, he replied: "Of course it will be positive".
Mending ties
China broke off all high-level contact with Tokyo last month after Japan detained a Chinese fishing boat captain whose vessel collided with Japanese coast guard patrol ships in waters claimed by both sides.
The row between Asia's two biggest economies was their worst in years and undermined recent efforts to improve relations marked by decades of mistrust stemming from Japan's 1930s invasion of China.
The Chinese captain was released after more than two weeks and returned to China on September 25.
With strained relations impacting their strong trade ties, the two countries are trying to mend fences. Naoto Kan, the Japanese prime minister, and his Chinese counterpart, Wen Jiabao, held a brief meeting last week in Brussels on the sidelines of an Asia-Europe summit.
Both spoke of the need to improve ties. They also spoke of high-level talks at an appropriate time.
Kan said he agreed with Wen to "resume high-level political exchanges" suspended following the sea incident.
But the leaders also reiterated claims to a disputed area in the East China Sea where the boat collision sparked the worst row between the two in years.
The uninhabited islands, which China calls the Diaoyu and Japan the Senkaku islands, lie near potential oil and gas reserves. The islands are also claimed by Taiwan.
'Great leaders'
Yang Hyong Sop, a senior official in the country's ruling party, told the Associated Press news agency on Friday that North Koreans will be honoured to follow Kim Jong-un.
"Our people take pride in the fact that they are blessed with great leaders from generation to generation," Yang said."Our people are honoured to be led by the great president Kim Il-sung and the great general Kim Jong-il. Now we also have the honour of being led by General Kim Jong-un."
Mike Chinoy, an expert on Korea, told Al Jazeera the transition process "is still in its early stages".
"I think at this stage, despite all the speculation to the contrary, my sense is that the transition is proceeding relatively smoothly," he said.
"I think that the big question is how long will Kim Jong-il stay healthy and stay alive because the longer he does so the better the chances of his son consolidating power and ruling in an effective way."
Kim Jong-il announced his youngest known son's appointment to two important political posts late last month in what was regarded as the first step in his succession plan.
The senior Kim came to power when his father died of heart failure in 1994, setting in motion the communist world's first hereditary transfer of power.
He was officially chosen as successor in 1972, when he was elected to the party's central committee, and the same scenario could hold true for his son.
The question of who will take over from the elder Kim, believed to suffer from a host of ailments, is important to regional dynamics as well as security, because of North Korea's active nuclear and missile programmes, and regular threats it makes against rival South Korea.
Kim Jong-il rules under the songun (military-first) policy with a 1.2 million-member armed services.
"Our people take pride in the fact that they are blessed with great leaders from generation to generation," Yang said."Our people are honoured to be led by the great president Kim Il-sung and the great general Kim Jong-il. Now we also have the honour of being led by General Kim Jong-un."
Mike Chinoy, an expert on Korea, told Al Jazeera the transition process "is still in its early stages".
"I think at this stage, despite all the speculation to the contrary, my sense is that the transition is proceeding relatively smoothly," he said.
"I think that the big question is how long will Kim Jong-il stay healthy and stay alive because the longer he does so the better the chances of his son consolidating power and ruling in an effective way."
Kim Jong-il announced his youngest known son's appointment to two important political posts late last month in what was regarded as the first step in his succession plan.
The senior Kim came to power when his father died of heart failure in 1994, setting in motion the communist world's first hereditary transfer of power.
He was officially chosen as successor in 1972, when he was elected to the party's central committee, and the same scenario could hold true for his son.
The question of who will take over from the elder Kim, believed to suffer from a host of ailments, is important to regional dynamics as well as security, because of North Korea's active nuclear and missile programmes, and regular threats it makes against rival South Korea.
Kim Jong-il rules under the songun (military-first) policy with a 1.2 million-member armed services.
US-China clash at climate talks
US and Chinese delegates at a climate conference have accused each other of blocking progress on reaching a new global treaty aimed at curbing greenhouse gas emissions.
The world's two biggest greenhouse gas emitters reportedly made "limited progress" throughout the six-day talks, which ended on Saturday, in the northern Chinese city of Tianjin.
Jonathan Pershing, the US climate envoy, said the biggest problem remained the refusal by China and other developing nations to commit to the UN process of curbing their emissions.
"We have made some very modest progress. But unfortunately it's been quite limited," Pershing said.
'Summit in jeopardy"
He said the UN's annual climate summit, which is set to take place in less than two months in Cancun, Mexico, was in jeopardy mainly because of China.
"These elements are at the heart of the deal. And the lack of progress on these gives us concern about the prospects for Cancun," he said.
China, on the other hand, insisted all week that the United States and other wealthy nations should do much more to curb their emissions, highlighting their historic responsibility for the problem.
Su Wei, China's chief climate envoy, said the US was throwing up smokescreens to hide its own inaction.
"It is not fair to criticise if you are not doing anything," he said.
The world's two biggest greenhouse gas emitters reportedly made "limited progress" throughout the six-day talks, which ended on Saturday, in the northern Chinese city of Tianjin.
Jonathan Pershing, the US climate envoy, said the biggest problem remained the refusal by China and other developing nations to commit to the UN process of curbing their emissions.
"We have made some very modest progress. But unfortunately it's been quite limited," Pershing said.
'Summit in jeopardy"
He said the UN's annual climate summit, which is set to take place in less than two months in Cancun, Mexico, was in jeopardy mainly because of China.
"These elements are at the heart of the deal. And the lack of progress on these gives us concern about the prospects for Cancun," he said.
China, on the other hand, insisted all week that the United States and other wealthy nations should do much more to curb their emissions, highlighting their historic responsibility for the problem.
Su Wei, China's chief climate envoy, said the US was throwing up smokescreens to hide its own inaction.
"It is not fair to criticise if you are not doing anything," he said.
'Pig looking in mirror'
Su earlier referred to a Chinese saying that roughly translates as "a pig looking in a mirror" with reference to the United States and what he said was Washington's refusal to acknowledge its own faults.
But Christiana Figueres, the executive secretary of the UN's Framework Convention on Climate Change. said the rift had not derailed the Tianjin talks and that important progress had been made on specific issues.
"I would dare say that this week has got us closer to a structured set of decisions that can be agreed in Cancun," Figueres said.
"This week governments had to address together what was doable in Cancun. They have actually done that."
'Confidence in success'
She said she was confident a plan by rich nations to give developing countries $30b dollars to help them cope with climate change would be finalised at Cancun, helping build trust between the two sides.
"I have said and I will continue to say that fast-track finance is the golden key to Cancun. I am confident that the golden key will be dutifully unlocked," she said.
Delegates from more than 170 countries joined the latest round of long-running UN negotiations aimed at securing a binding global treaty on how to limit and cope with climate change.
The treaty would replace the Kyoto Protocol, which expires at the end of 2012, and aims to keep global warming below the threshold that scientists warn will trigger catastrophic damage to the world's climate system.
World leaders failed to broker such a treaty in Copenhagen last year as developed and developing nations battled over who should carry more of the burden in curbing greenhouse gases, which are blamed for global warming.
But Christiana Figueres, the executive secretary of the UN's Framework Convention on Climate Change. said the rift had not derailed the Tianjin talks and that important progress had been made on specific issues.
"I would dare say that this week has got us closer to a structured set of decisions that can be agreed in Cancun," Figueres said.
"This week governments had to address together what was doable in Cancun. They have actually done that."
'Confidence in success'
She said she was confident a plan by rich nations to give developing countries $30b dollars to help them cope with climate change would be finalised at Cancun, helping build trust between the two sides.
"I have said and I will continue to say that fast-track finance is the golden key to Cancun. I am confident that the golden key will be dutifully unlocked," she said.
Delegates from more than 170 countries joined the latest round of long-running UN negotiations aimed at securing a binding global treaty on how to limit and cope with climate change.
The treaty would replace the Kyoto Protocol, which expires at the end of 2012, and aims to keep global warming below the threshold that scientists warn will trigger catastrophic damage to the world's climate system.
World leaders failed to broker such a treaty in Copenhagen last year as developed and developing nations battled over who should carry more of the burden in curbing greenhouse gases, which are blamed for global warming.
Rare live broadcast
The live broadcast of the parade at Kim Il-sung Plaza on North Korean state TV is also an unusual departure from broadcasting norms in the country, where any broadcasts are heavily censored.North Korea's senior leadership had gathered on Saturday at May Day Stadium for speeches celebrating the occasion.
Later in the evening, Kim Jong-il brought dancers at the gymnastics extravaganza, known as the Arirang Mass Games, to tears by making a rare appearance, accompanied by Kim Jong-un and Zhou Yongkang, the visiting senior Chinese Communist Party official.
Kim Jong-il waved to the crowd, drawing a frenzy of applause from onlookers, in what is believed to be his first appearance at the Arirang spectacle in years.
The two Kims' appearance turned the Arirang show - part theatre, part circus, and involving some 100,000 performers - into a VIP event attended by wartime heroes, foreign dignitaries and the international press, who were given front-row seats.
The festivities began on Friday night with fireworks that lit up the sky over central Pyongyang.
Students danced across the city's plazas and brass bands played "Please Receive the Best Wishes of the People," the state-run Korean Central News Agency reported.
Later in the evening, Kim Jong-il brought dancers at the gymnastics extravaganza, known as the Arirang Mass Games, to tears by making a rare appearance, accompanied by Kim Jong-un and Zhou Yongkang, the visiting senior Chinese Communist Party official.
Kim Jong-il waved to the crowd, drawing a frenzy of applause from onlookers, in what is believed to be his first appearance at the Arirang spectacle in years.
The two Kims' appearance turned the Arirang show - part theatre, part circus, and involving some 100,000 performers - into a VIP event attended by wartime heroes, foreign dignitaries and the international press, who were given front-row seats.
The festivities began on Friday night with fireworks that lit up the sky over central Pyongyang.
Students danced across the city's plazas and brass bands played "Please Receive the Best Wishes of the People," the state-run Korean Central News Agency reported.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
GM mosquitoes to fight dengue
Malaysia's Health Minister on Sunday said the country would carry out a landmark field trial by releasing genetically modified mosquitoes designed to combat dengue fever by the end of the year.
Malaysia's death rate from dengue fever has spiralled 53 per cent this year and the public is being urged to take action to eradicate the Aedes Aegypti mosquitoes — the females of which spread dengue — from homes and workplaces.
In the first experiment of its kind in Asia, 2,000-3,000 male Aedes mosquitoes are to be released in two Malaysian states.
The insects in the study have been engineered so that their offspring quickly die, curbing the growth of the population in a technique researchers hope could eventually eradicate the dengue mosquito altogether. However, environmentalists are concerned that the GM mosquito could fail to prevent dengue and could also have unintended consequences. Critics have said the larvae will only die if their environment is free of tetracycline, an antibiotic commonly used for medical and veterinary purposes.
Malaysia's death rate from dengue fever has spiralled 53 per cent this year and the public is being urged to take action to eradicate the Aedes Aegypti mosquitoes — the females of which spread dengue — from homes and workplaces.
In the first experiment of its kind in Asia, 2,000-3,000 male Aedes mosquitoes are to be released in two Malaysian states.
The insects in the study have been engineered so that their offspring quickly die, curbing the growth of the population in a technique researchers hope could eventually eradicate the dengue mosquito altogether. However, environmentalists are concerned that the GM mosquito could fail to prevent dengue and could also have unintended consequences. Critics have said the larvae will only die if their environment is free of tetracycline, an antibiotic commonly used for medical and veterinary purposes.
Nobel Prize for "test tube" baby creator
Robert Edwards, the British scientist whose pioneering research with his late colleague Patrick Steptoe led to the birth of the world’s first "test tube baby" in 1978, has won this year’s Nobel Prize for medicine.
The Nobel Assembly at Sweden's Karolinska Institute, which awarded the prize worth ten million Swedish Kronor, described his work as "a milestone of modern medicine".
“His work has made possible the treatment of infertility, a medical condition that affects a large proportion of humanity including more than 10% of couples worldwide," it said in a statement.
The 85-year-old scientist was reported to be too ill to comment, but his wife Ruth and family said they were "thrilled and delighted".
"The success of this research has touched the lives of millions of people worldwide. His dedication and single-minded determination, despite opposition from many quarters, has led to the successful application of his pioneering research," they said.
The Nobel Assembly at Sweden's Karolinska Institute, which awarded the prize worth ten million Swedish Kronor, described his work as "a milestone of modern medicine".
“His work has made possible the treatment of infertility, a medical condition that affects a large proportion of humanity including more than 10% of couples worldwide," it said in a statement.
The 85-year-old scientist was reported to be too ill to comment, but his wife Ruth and family said they were "thrilled and delighted".
"The success of this research has touched the lives of millions of people worldwide. His dedication and single-minded determination, despite opposition from many quarters, has led to the successful application of his pioneering research," they said.
‘A well- deserved honour’
Professor Basil Tarlatzis, past-president of the International Federation of Fertility Societies, called it "a well- deserved honour" and said IVF had "opened new avenues of hope for millions of couples throughout the world".
But, perhaps, no one was more delighted than Louise Brown who owed her birth to the fertility treatment (in-vitro fertilisation or IVF) devised by Professor Edwards and Steptoe.
"It's fantastic news. Me and mum are so glad that one of the pioneers of IVF has been given the recognition he deserves. We hold Bob in great affection and are delighted to send our personal congratulations to him and his family at this time," said Ms. Brown, now 32.
Her birth on July 25, 1978, prompted headlines around the world. Since then some four million babies have been born using IVF.
For Prof Edwards and his colleagues it was a "eureka" moment when they discovered that they had succeeded in creating a fertilised human embryo in 1968 but it took another ten years before the procedure was sufficiently refined to enable the birth of a baby.
"I'll never forget the day I looked down the microscope and saw something funny in the cultures. I looked down the microscope and what I saw was a human blastocyst gazing up at me. I thought: 'We've done it,'" Prof Edwards recalled in a speech two years ago.
Born in Manchester in 1925, Prof Edwards started his research on human fertilisation at the National Institute for Medical Research in London in 1958, and later moved to Cambridge where, with Steptoe, he founded the Bourn Hall Clinic, the world’s first IVF centre.
Steptoe died in 1988. Despite his significant contribution, he cannot be jointly awarded with Prof Edwards because rules do not permit for the prize to be awarded posthumously.
But, perhaps, no one was more delighted than Louise Brown who owed her birth to the fertility treatment (in-vitro fertilisation or IVF) devised by Professor Edwards and Steptoe.
"It's fantastic news. Me and mum are so glad that one of the pioneers of IVF has been given the recognition he deserves. We hold Bob in great affection and are delighted to send our personal congratulations to him and his family at this time," said Ms. Brown, now 32.
Her birth on July 25, 1978, prompted headlines around the world. Since then some four million babies have been born using IVF.
For Prof Edwards and his colleagues it was a "eureka" moment when they discovered that they had succeeded in creating a fertilised human embryo in 1968 but it took another ten years before the procedure was sufficiently refined to enable the birth of a baby.
"I'll never forget the day I looked down the microscope and saw something funny in the cultures. I looked down the microscope and what I saw was a human blastocyst gazing up at me. I thought: 'We've done it,'" Prof Edwards recalled in a speech two years ago.
Born in Manchester in 1925, Prof Edwards started his research on human fertilisation at the National Institute for Medical Research in London in 1958, and later moved to Cambridge where, with Steptoe, he founded the Bourn Hall Clinic, the world’s first IVF centre.
Steptoe died in 1988. Despite his significant contribution, he cannot be jointly awarded with Prof Edwards because rules do not permit for the prize to be awarded posthumously.
Experts call for comprehensive global cancer control mechanism
Global health experts, in the October 2 issue of The Lancet, have called for a comprehensive cancer control mechanism on the scale of the existing measures to combat HIV and tuberculosis in low and middle income countries.
The team that contributed to the policy recommendation in the journal, including K.Srinath Reddy of the Public Health Foundation of India, has said, “the time has come to challenge and disprove the widespread assumption that cancer will remain untreated in poor countries.”
They have stated that this would require a renewed global effort to expand cancer prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and palliation in these nations. “Achievement of this aim will require additional resources that can be derived from innovative global, regional, and national financing and procurement mechanisms,” according to the paper.
Extension of cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment to millions of people with or at risk of cancer is an urgent health and ethical priority, they have stated.
The authors have advocated a three-pronged strategy to make cancer care and control available as fast as possible.
Firstly, there is a need to simultaneously implement “large-scale demonstration programmes in the next few years to define and build new infrastructure, train health professionals and paraprofessionals, and harness the opportunities of technology, and especially telecommunications, to overcome many on-site limitations in resources.”
Secondly, the authors have called for designing and implementing “regional and global pricing and procurement mechanisms.” These would offer individual countries the opportunity to participate in collective, multi-country negotiation to secure reduced prices for essential services, drugs, and vaccines.
Thirdly, focusing on expanding the financial resources available for prevention, treatment, and palliation of cancer in the developing world should be a key intervention area.
All these efforts by individual nations will have to be bolstered by coordinated efforts and synergy among international organisations, such as WHO, the World Bank and regional development banks, and bilateral donors.
Setting the context for the country, Dr. Reddy said, “There are a large number of cancer patients in India and this number is steadily rising among all sections of the society. Currently, advanced treatments are available only at tertiary care centres located in major cities. There is a need to integrate diagnosis and treatment into the public healthcare system that goes beyond palliative care.”
The team that contributed to the policy recommendation in the journal, including K.Srinath Reddy of the Public Health Foundation of India, has said, “the time has come to challenge and disprove the widespread assumption that cancer will remain untreated in poor countries.”
They have stated that this would require a renewed global effort to expand cancer prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and palliation in these nations. “Achievement of this aim will require additional resources that can be derived from innovative global, regional, and national financing and procurement mechanisms,” according to the paper.
Extension of cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment to millions of people with or at risk of cancer is an urgent health and ethical priority, they have stated.
The authors have advocated a three-pronged strategy to make cancer care and control available as fast as possible.
Firstly, there is a need to simultaneously implement “large-scale demonstration programmes in the next few years to define and build new infrastructure, train health professionals and paraprofessionals, and harness the opportunities of technology, and especially telecommunications, to overcome many on-site limitations in resources.”
Secondly, the authors have called for designing and implementing “regional and global pricing and procurement mechanisms.” These would offer individual countries the opportunity to participate in collective, multi-country negotiation to secure reduced prices for essential services, drugs, and vaccines.
Thirdly, focusing on expanding the financial resources available for prevention, treatment, and palliation of cancer in the developing world should be a key intervention area.
All these efforts by individual nations will have to be bolstered by coordinated efforts and synergy among international organisations, such as WHO, the World Bank and regional development banks, and bilateral donors.
Setting the context for the country, Dr. Reddy said, “There are a large number of cancer patients in India and this number is steadily rising among all sections of the society. Currently, advanced treatments are available only at tertiary care centres located in major cities. There is a need to integrate diagnosis and treatment into the public healthcare system that goes beyond palliative care.”
SEMINAL FINDING
This was a seminal finding in two respects, it was the first time that in vitro activated sperm had been shown to be capable of contributing to embryo development beyond the 2-cell stage in a mammalian system and it was the first time human embryos had been shown to undergo cell divisions in vitro.
Following this, he showed in 1971 that human oocytes fertilized in vitro could undergo further cleavage generating 16-cell stage embryos and forming blastocysts (cluster of cells) in vitro. The series of discoveries made by Edwards during 1969-1971 represent important milestone in IVF research and set for the next phase to come.
In the early 1970s, Dr. Edwards and Steptoe started to transfer the early embryos that resulted from IVF back into women.
After more than one hundred attempts that all led to short-lived pregnancies, they realized that the hormone treatments given to women to induce oocyte maturation disturbed implantation of the embryo in the uterus, resulting in spontaneous abortions.
Finally, after a change in the hormone treatment protocol, the first successful pregnancy was achieved in 1976.
Unfortunately, the embryo had implanted ectopically in the Fallopian tube and the pregnancy had to be terminated.
Dr. Edwards and Dr. Steptoe then decided to abandon the ovarian stimulation protocol altogether and instead rely on the natural menstrual cycle of the patients, although this meant that they would have access to only one egg per cycle.
Based on the concentration of luteinizing hormones in the urine of the women, they could predict when the maturing oocyte would reach the metaphase stage of meiosis II in vivo.
They hoped that they then would be able to retrieve the egg by laparoscopy before ovulation occurred.
Dr. Steptoe and Dr. Edwards succeeded in their efforts and in 1978 they made the historic announcement that a normal, fit and healthy baby, Louise Joy Brown, had been born through successful IVF of a human oocytes.
Dr. Edwards' long-term vision and persistence had finally come to fruition, opening up a new era in the treatment of infertility
The first generation of children conceived through IVF, including Louise Joy Brown, are now of reproductive age. Several of them have had children of their own, without the need for IVF.
Following this, he showed in 1971 that human oocytes fertilized in vitro could undergo further cleavage generating 16-cell stage embryos and forming blastocysts (cluster of cells) in vitro. The series of discoveries made by Edwards during 1969-1971 represent important milestone in IVF research and set for the next phase to come.
In the early 1970s, Dr. Edwards and Steptoe started to transfer the early embryos that resulted from IVF back into women.
After more than one hundred attempts that all led to short-lived pregnancies, they realized that the hormone treatments given to women to induce oocyte maturation disturbed implantation of the embryo in the uterus, resulting in spontaneous abortions.
Finally, after a change in the hormone treatment protocol, the first successful pregnancy was achieved in 1976.
Unfortunately, the embryo had implanted ectopically in the Fallopian tube and the pregnancy had to be terminated.
Dr. Edwards and Dr. Steptoe then decided to abandon the ovarian stimulation protocol altogether and instead rely on the natural menstrual cycle of the patients, although this meant that they would have access to only one egg per cycle.
Based on the concentration of luteinizing hormones in the urine of the women, they could predict when the maturing oocyte would reach the metaphase stage of meiosis II in vivo.
They hoped that they then would be able to retrieve the egg by laparoscopy before ovulation occurred.
Dr. Steptoe and Dr. Edwards succeeded in their efforts and in 1978 they made the historic announcement that a normal, fit and healthy baby, Louise Joy Brown, had been born through successful IVF of a human oocytes.
Dr. Edwards' long-term vision and persistence had finally come to fruition, opening up a new era in the treatment of infertility
The first generation of children conceived through IVF, including Louise Joy Brown, are now of reproductive age. Several of them have had children of their own, without the need for IVF.
ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS
Dr. Edwards realized from the onset that IVF research would raise many important ethical concerns that had to be addressed. He wrote, together with the lawyer David Sharpe, a visionary key paper that initiated, a debate on many of the complicated issues related to reproductive medicine, that lay ahead.
They argued that research on human germ cells and embryos should be conducted under strict ethical guidelines.
Dr. Edwards himself acted forcefully on these issues, as he ensured that an Ethics Committee for IVF was created at Bourn Hall Clinic.
Despite Dr. Edwards' persistent attention to ethical and safety questions, his work on IVF initially met with strong opposition from religious leaders and others who felt the technique was morally wrong.
Dr. Edwards not only was able to respond to the continued criticism of IVF, but he also remained very persistent and unperturbed in fulfilling his scientific vision.
Today, 2-3 per cent of all newborns in many countries are conceived with the help of IVF and many individuals that turn to an infertility clinic can be helped.
IVF has also opened up new ways to treat many forms of male infertility.
The development of IVF, recognised by this year's Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, has touched the life of millions of infertile people, giving them an opportunity to have children.
They argued that research on human germ cells and embryos should be conducted under strict ethical guidelines.
Dr. Edwards himself acted forcefully on these issues, as he ensured that an Ethics Committee for IVF was created at Bourn Hall Clinic.
Despite Dr. Edwards' persistent attention to ethical and safety questions, his work on IVF initially met with strong opposition from religious leaders and others who felt the technique was morally wrong.
Dr. Edwards not only was able to respond to the continued criticism of IVF, but he also remained very persistent and unperturbed in fulfilling his scientific vision.
Today, 2-3 per cent of all newborns in many countries are conceived with the help of IVF and many individuals that turn to an infertility clinic can be helped.
IVF has also opened up new ways to treat many forms of male infertility.
The development of IVF, recognised by this year's Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, has touched the life of millions of infertile people, giving them an opportunity to have children.
Saturday, October 9, 2010
How to sell your property
Many reports say that the recent economic crisis has affected real estate business to some extent but still a huge demand for buying and selling properties is found all over the world. If you wish to sell your property have a note on the following points:
• Find a real estate website to list your property information that is being successful in the real estate business for a long time like www.theholmgroupaz.com, the Scottsdale Real Estate firm.
• Find the real value of your property.
• Neatly and clearly specify your buyer expectations.
• Upgrade your property if there is a definite need.
• Strengthen you property’s outlook as that is the one that first attracts the buyers.
• Provide with necessary photos and videos of your property while listing your property in the website.
• Be ready to compromise, not to a greater extent but to some extent that you can tolerate.
• Find a real estate website to list your property information that is being successful in the real estate business for a long time like www.theholmgroupaz.com, the Scottsdale Real Estate firm.
• Find the real value of your property.
• Neatly and clearly specify your buyer expectations.
• Upgrade your property if there is a definite need.
• Strengthen you property’s outlook as that is the one that first attracts the buyers.
• Provide with necessary photos and videos of your property while listing your property in the website.
• Be ready to compromise, not to a greater extent but to some extent that you can tolerate.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Build your own website
Whether we have to market a product or service, or we have to provide information or we wish to share something we are in need of the great technology internet that is widespread all over the world. This technology has also led to the situation that nowadays we can build our own website even we do not have any web designing or developing knowledge. Now, the only basic criteria needed to develop a website is you should be able to find a website that provide you with the option of easy website builder and the language to follow the instructions specified. That’s it. You will be available with your own web pages within an hour, in fact within a few minutes. For developing such website you neither need to offer for manual support nor technical support. Even a school going student can create a complete website of his own, with such website building tools.
Plan for a trip to Edinburgh
Spending vacations with family make us experience lot of fun and excitement and also refreshes our body and soul. As we are now living in a busy world, it is always good to have a long vacation at least once in every year. There is lot of things to enjoy in this universe and one should not miss them in their lifetime. If you are planning for a long vacation, it is good to plan abroad as you will be able to see different life styles, climatic conditions and much more. Plan for your tour abroad during off seasons as you can get a cheap air fare, cheap accommodations and cheap food. As these are the facts that cost more, you can save a considerable amount if you plan accordingly. If you are a person fond of seeing historical places then plan for a trip to Edinburgh. Make reservations in Edinburgh Bed and Breakfast accommodations, so that you will be able to save more on your food and sheltering.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Bathroom decorating ideas
Bathrooms today are much more elegant and luxurious than those of the past. From retro to contemporary, the right lighting will emphasize the look you'd get in your bathroom.
Whatever your style, it should be smooth and enjoyable. It is also worth emphasizing the need for external lighting, function performed by windows or any opening which, according to the conception of space, makes the environment more welcoming. Choose white and fluorescent light bulbs, not warm. If your bathroom does not receive natural light, invest in a recessed ceiling plaster, with points of light scattered in various places. If you have little space in your bathroom, fit lighting near the mirror. Choosing the right light depends on what activities will be made on the environment. Spaces for social use, such as living rooms and bedrooms, require the yellow light. Kitchens, bathrooms and offices must receive white light. Replace conventional incandescent bulbs with fluorescent yellow. The visual effect is the same, and they consume far less energy. The choice of color for the bathroom of a child may be very difficult. While many designers recommend for the suites having a neutral base with white tiled bathrooms with bright colors that are favorites among children. You will get a wide range of bathroom decorating ideas on visiting through betterbathrooms.com.
Whatever your style, it should be smooth and enjoyable. It is also worth emphasizing the need for external lighting, function performed by windows or any opening which, according to the conception of space, makes the environment more welcoming. Choose white and fluorescent light bulbs, not warm. If your bathroom does not receive natural light, invest in a recessed ceiling plaster, with points of light scattered in various places. If you have little space in your bathroom, fit lighting near the mirror. Choosing the right light depends on what activities will be made on the environment. Spaces for social use, such as living rooms and bedrooms, require the yellow light. Kitchens, bathrooms and offices must receive white light. Replace conventional incandescent bulbs with fluorescent yellow. The visual effect is the same, and they consume far less energy. The choice of color for the bathroom of a child may be very difficult. While many designers recommend for the suites having a neutral base with white tiled bathrooms with bright colors that are favorites among children. You will get a wide range of bathroom decorating ideas on visiting through betterbathrooms.com.