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Saturday, July 16, 2011

Westerners 'programmed for fatty foods and alcohol'

Westerners could be genetically programmed to consume fatty foods and alcohol more than those from the east, researchers have claimed.Scientists at the University of Aberdeen say a genetic switch - DNA which turns genes on or off within cells - regulates appetite and thirst. The study suggests it is also linked to depression. Dr Alasdair MacKenzie conceded it would not stop those moving to the west adapting to its lifestyle. Obesity levels have risen sharply in many Western countries since the 1970s....

New technique could see end of plaster casts; By Eleanor Bradford

A Scottish surgeon has come up with a surgical technique which could mean the end of patients wearing a plaster cast for certain kinds of injuries A Scottish surgeon has come up with a surgical technique which could spell the end of the plaster cast for certain kinds of injuries. The technique uses an internal support which is inserted via keyhole surgery. Plaster casts or "stookies", as they are known in Scotland, are used to keep injured limbs immobile. But Professor Gordon Mackay...

HIV medicines 'boost prevention' By Helen Briggs

HIV drugs can be used to boost protection against HIV as well as treating symptoms after infection, research suggests.Two studies in Africa add weight to previous data showing drugs used to treat HIV can reduce infection risk when taken daily. The World Health Organization said the studies could have "enormous impact" in preventing HIV transmission. The findings were revealed in the run-up to an AIDS conference in Rome. "This is a major scientific breakthrough which re-confirms the essential role...

Gene link to 70% of hard-to-treat breast cancers,,By James Gallagher

A gene has been linked to 70% of hard-to-treat breast cancers which are resistant to hormone therapies, in US research.The study published in Nature used a new technique which tested hundreds of genes at once, rather than one at a time. Scientists said there was "a lot of potential for significant impact" if drugs could be developed. Cancer Research UK said it would be interesting to see where the study led. Hormones can force tumour growth, so drugs which interfere with that process, such tamoxifen...

Argentina must abandon Barcelona plan

If the Titanic had reached New York it would have been just another ship ride. The fascination lies in the failure. The thought kept running through my mind last Wednesday night as I watched Argentina ride their luck to hold Colombia to a 0-0 draw in the Copa America. The game was like an iceberg - an appropriate image given the Arctic conditions - that left the big idea of Argentina coach Sergio Batista holed below the waterline. The project to mould the national side in the shape of Barcelona...

Carlos Tevez saga continues as Corinthians make new bid

Brazilian side Corinthians have made an improved offer for Manchester City captain Carlos Tevez.Earlier this week they failed in a £35m offer for the want-away Argentine striker and are understood to have come back with a £39m bid. "I do know there has been an increased offer," Tevez's representative Kia Joorabchian told BBC Sport, "but the bid only went in on Friday and it's very early stages." City want close to £50m for Tevez. They are determined not to be rushed into a deal, but were it to go...

Misrata rebels: Stuck in the sand, with sky-high morale

Libyan rebel forces on the front line outside Misrata have one powerful weapon in their fight against Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's well-armed troops - self-confidence and high morale. It's not often that you find yourself caught up in a real-life metaphor that seems so ludicrously appropriate as to become almost a cliche. But that's exactly what happened when, on a recent trip to speak to the rebels about the stalemate on their front line, our car got stuck in the sand. ...

PM defended over News International links

Foreign Secretary William Hague has defended David Cameron, saying he was "not embarrassed" by the extent of the PM's dealings with News International.Mr Cameron has met its top executives 26 times in the 15 months since he became prime minister, it emerged. Mr Hague defended the PM's decision to entertain Andy Coulson after the latter quit as an aide over the News of the World phone-hacking scandal. In press ads, Rupert Murdoch apologises for "serious wrongdoing" by the paper. A list of engagements...

Googie Withers dies in Australia aged 94

Actress Googie Withers, best known for starring in Alfred Hitchcock's The Lady Vanishes and TV series Within These Walls, has died in Australia aged 94.She was born Georgette Lizette Withers in what was then British India. She died at her home on Friday. She was the first non-Australian to be awarded an Officer of the Order of Australia and was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire. Her last role was in the 1996 Australian movie Shine. Withers's family moved back to Britain from...

China calls on Obama to cancel Dalai Lama meeting

China has complained about US President Barack Obama's scheduled meeting on Saturday with exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama.China's foreign ministry urged Mr Obama to cancel the White House engagement, which is expected to last half an hour. The private discussion is intended to show Mr Obama's support for Tibet's identity, the White House said. Mr Obama's last meeting with the Dalai Lama in February 2010 drew strong condemnation from Beijing. A Chinese foreign ministry spokesman...

Mexico prisoners in mass jail break in Nuevo Laredo

Seven prisoners have been killed and 59 others have escaped after a riot at a jail in northern Mexico near the US border, officials say.Five guards are also missing and are believed to have aided the mass prison breakout in Nuevo Laredo town. Mexican police say the majority of those on the run are drug traffickers and members of armed gangs. The prison system is struggling to cope with an influx of offenders arrested in a campaign against drugs cartels. Correspondents say prison breakouts are not...

Afghanistan: UN drops Taliban names from sanctions list

Fourteen former Afghan Taliban leaders have been removed from an international blacklist by the UN Security Council.President Hamid Karzai's government had asked the UN sanctions committee to drop the names from the list. They include four members of the High Peace Council set up last year to pave the way for talks with the Taliban. The Security Council said the delisting of the names sent out a strong signal of support for the Afghan government's reconciliation efforts. The sanctions were imposed...

Syria protesters 'die as troops open fire'

Syrian security forces have opened fire on anti-government protesters in cities across the country, leaving at least 28 people dead, activists say.At least 16 people died in the capital, Damascus, where about 20,000 took part in protests, reports say. The demonstrations appear to be among the largest since the anti-government uprising began in March. The government has launched a "national dialogue", but many protesters want President Bashar al-Assad to quit. Protests have regulary taken place...

UK pledges £52.25m in aid for drought-hit Horn of Africa

The UK is to give £52.25m in emergency aid to help millions of drought victims in the Horn of Africa.Ahead of a visit to Kenya, International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell said the money would be used in Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya. The World Food Programme estimates 10 million people are affected by the worst drought in over half a century. Mr Mitchell said the situation was "getting worse" and urged the international community to do more. The Dadaab camps in Kenya are overflowing with...

China: 1.3 million websites shut in 2010

More than one million websites closed down in China last year, a state-run think tank has said.The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences said there were were 41% fewer websites at the end of 2010 than a year earlier. Chinese officials have tightened regulations on the internet in recent years, and they launched a crackdown on pornography websites in 2009. The academy's researcher said there was no link, insisting China had a "high level of freedom of online speech". Liu Ruisheng said that despite the...

Wave device tested off Scotland exceeds expectations

A wave power developer has said tests of a device off Scotland's coast exceeded expectations.US-based Ocean Power Technologies (OPT), which also has offices in Warwick, Warwickshire, deployed the machine from Invergordon, Easter Ross. The trials of the PB150 PowerBuoy required the consent of the Scottish government. OPT has also been developing wave energy devices for powering US Navy and Marine Corps bases. The tests off Scotland are mentioned in the company's latest financial results. OPT said...

Spelling mistakes 'cost millions' in lost online sales

An online entrepreneur says that poor spelling is costing the UK millions of pounds in lost revenue for internet businesses.Charles Duncombe says an analysis of website figures shows a single spelling mistake can cut online sales in half. Mr Duncombe says when recruiting staff he has been "shocked at the poor quality of written English". Sales figures suggest misspellings put off consumers who could have concerns about a website's credibility, he says. The concerns were echoed by the Confederation...

Pentagon admits suffering major cyber attack in March

The Pentagon has admitted it suffered a major cyber attack in which thousands of files were taken by foreign hackers.Deputy Defence Secretary William Lynn said that in a March attack and other breaches, hackers had taken information on "our most sensitive systems". The admission came as the Pentagon rolled out a strategy for strengthening US cyber capabilities and addressing threats and attacks in cyberspace. The plan would treat cyberspace in a similar manner to land, air and sea. "In the 21st...

TEDGlobal 2011: Social media game aims to end extremism; By Jane Wakefield

A social media game with Arab super heroes at its heart has been launched on Facebook.The man behind the project, Suleiman Bakhit, hopes that Happy Oasis can create positive role models for children who might otherwise be enticed by extremist views. The game launched this week and has already attracted 50,000 followers. Newly appointed TED fellow Mr Bakhit spoke about his project at the TEDGlobal conference in Edinburgh. Mr Bakhit, who comes from Jordan, was a student at the US University of Minnesota...

Technology to crowd-source clean water,,By Jane Wakefield

A device that crowd-sources water quality could help prevent the spread of diseases such as cholera.The Water Canary checks supplies in real-time, alerting users to possible infections. It is also able to upload the data, allowing scientists to monitor the location and movement of outbreaks. Unveiling the device at the TED Global conference in Edinburgh, researchers said they hoped eventually to give the units away for free. More than three million people die each year from water-related disease,...

Dawn probe has date with asteroid,- By Jonathan Amos'

The US space agency says its Dawn probe should now be in orbit around the asteroid Vesta.The robotic satellite will be spending a year at the 530km-wide body before moving on to the "dwarf planet" Ceres. New pictures on Dawn's approach to Vesta show the giant rock in unprecedented detail. The asteroid looks like a punctured football, the result of a colossal collision sometime in its past that knocked off its south polar region. Confirmation that Dawn is safely circling the rock should come on Sunday...

Alaskans smuggled walrus tusks and polar bear hides

Two Alaskans have pleaded guilty to illegally trading the tusks of about 100 walruses with Eskimo hunters.The pair were arrested in April with the ivory tusks, along with two polar bear hides. They had swapped the animal parts with the hunters in exchange for money, guns, cigarettes and at least one snowmobile. Indigenous Alaskans are allowed to hunt walruses but they are not permitted to sell the tusks. The state prosecutor declined to comment on whether the hunters would also be charged, according...

Habsburg: Last Austro-Hungarian heir to be buried

The funeral of the last heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Otto von Habsburg, is set to take place in the Austrian capital Vienna.His body will be buried in the Imperial crypt amid pomp and ceremony associated with the former empire. His wife, who died last year, will also be buried. European royals and political leaders, many from nations that his family ruled over, will attend the ceremony. Otto von Habsburg, a former MEP, died earlier this month at the age of 98. Thousands of people have been...

Venezuela's Hugo Chavez to have chemotherapy in Cuba

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is to return to Cuba to resume cancer treatment, including chemotherapy.He recently returned to Venezuela after spending nearly a month in Cuba, where he had a cancerous tumour removed. He has asked the National Assembly to authorise Saturday's trip, as the constitution requires. During his previous absence, opposition politicians questioned his ability to lead Venezuela from abroad, rather than temporarily handing over power. Mr Chavez said he would go to Cuba "to...

Japan's Ohi nuclear reactor shuts down after fault

Japan's Ohi nuclear power station is being shut down, after a technical fault. Pressure in a safety tank fell for no apparent reason, and although it is now back to normal, the plant's operators said they would "give the top priority to safety and find out the cause". There was no release of radioactive material. The closure will compound power difficulties in the wake of March's earthquake and tsunami. There has been growing public disquiet over the continuing crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear...

Whaling meeting 'ignores needs of whales'..By Richard Black

The International Whaling Commission's (IWC) annual meeting has closed after a tense final day when relations between opposing blocs came close to collapse.Latin American nations attempted to force a vote on a proposal to create a whale sanctuary in the South Atlantic. Pro-whaling countries walked out, but eventually it was decided to shelve any vote until next year's meeting. Environment groups said the delays and wrangling meant important issues for whale conservation were neglected. But a number...

Spotify launches US streaming music service

Streaming music service Spotify is set to launch in the US, after thrashing out deals with the major record companies.Its American service had previously been put on hold, apparently because the labels were not convinced about its ability to make them money. About 10 million people use Spotify across parts of Europe, with one million paying for its premium service. The company has reduced elements of its free product, ahead of the US launch. In April, limits were introduced on the number of times...

Theories about 'The Dark Knight Rises' trailer,,By Darren Franich,

(EW.com) -- The first teaser for next year's "The Dark Knight Rises" is airing in front of a little movie called "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2." For those of you who missed the "Hallows" midnight screening because you're too tired/too busy/too no-longer-a-college-student, here's the lowdown on the "Rises" preview. It kicks off with a montage of scenes from "Batman Begins," with Bruce Wayne walking over the frozen tundra while Liam Neeson narrates his speech about becoming "A legend, Mr. Wayne." "Every Hero Has a Journey," say...

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