The cheerleaders have been introduced into the Indian Premier
League as part of moves to add glamour and entertainment to the game.
Some politicians say the cheerleaders are "vulgar and obscene".
Mumbai police say they will be checking that the cheerleaders' performances do not violate entertainment licences.
The cheerleading girls, wearing short skirts and
low-cut tops, have been hired from around the world to perform during
the matches which are also being heavily endorsed by leading Bollywood
stars.
They include cheerleaders from the Washington Redskins.
Ram Rao Vagh, the police commissioner for New Mumbai, a suburb
of Mumbai, where the home team is hosting five matches starting on
Sunday, told the BBC that they were not considering any action against
the cheerleaders themselves.
"It is difficult to enforce moral policing, we cannot define
vulgarity always. It is difficult to ascertain what is vulgar and
obscene," Mr Vagh said.
But he said the organisers could be fined for violating the
norms of the entertainment licence they had secured for allowing
performances in the stadium.
Senior officers would decide whether the cheerleaders had crossed the "lines of decency".
A spokesman for the local team, the Mumbai Indians, said they were not worried.
"Our cheerleaders are properly dressed. They are within limits
of what our culture permits. So we have no problems," Javed Akhtar told
the BBC.
However, the junior interior minister of western Maharashtra
state, of which Mumbai is the capital, said the performances of
cheerleading girls at the Indian Premier League matches were
"absolutely obscene".
"We live in India where womanhood is worshipped. How can
anything obscene like this be allowed?," Siddharam Mehetre told the
Press Trust of India news agency.
"This thing is meant for foreigners and not for us. Mothers
and daughters watch these matches on television. It does not look
nice."
Many others find the indignation misplaced, coming from a
city, which is home to a thriving industry of Bollywood films where
dance sequences featuring women in skimpy dresses are routine.
Bollywood actor, Shah Rukh Khan, who also owns one of the teams in the competition, is one of them.
"What's wrong with cheerleaders? I am also a family person, I do not see anything negative in it," he said.
The head of India's National Commission for Women said there was
nothing wrong with the cheerleaders if it "just for adding
entertainment to the game".
"It has to be presented in the right manner keeping Indian values intact," said Girija Vyas.
A former Bollywood actor and a politician belonging to the
opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Shatrughan Sinha said the
cheerleaders were making a "mockery" of the game.
The US president said he was asking Congress to approve his request.
The White House has come under intense pressure to step in as high food
and petrol prices have squeezed poor families both at home and abroad.
The global crisis has sparked rioting in several developing countries, with the threat of worse to come.
MANILA, Philippines
- Senator Manuel A. Roxas II has urged the Philippine Department of
Foreign Affairs (DFA) to formally propose a summit on rice and food
security among leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(Asean). Roxas made the call amid the plan of Thailand, and four other
Mekong countries — Burma, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam — to set up a
rice cartel resembling the Organization of Petroleum of Exporting
Countries’ oil cartel.
He said that before Thailand and the four other countries could finally
institutionalize the Organization of Rice Exporting Countries (OREC),
“the Asean community must weigh in as a regional bloc to obtain trade
privileges with its fellow members in keeping with the Asean spirit."
“Neglecting to act as a regional bloc amid a rice and food crisis can
raise doubts in the minds of other world leaders on Asean’s
determination to pursue economic integration," Roxas, chairman of the
Senate Committee on Trade and Commerce, said in a statement.
Thailand, the world’s largest rice exporter, which ships out some 9
million tons of the staple annually, earlier said it might not
participate in the new rice tender by the Philippine government because
it didn’t have a policy to sell the staple through government channels.
Thailand had long thought of forming the OREC. The country’s prime
minister, Samak Sundaravej, earlier said OREC could help major
rice-producing countries in the region increase their bargaining power
in the world market. <
http://www.gmanews.tv/story/93117/RP-urged-to-propose-Asean-rice-talks-amid-OREC-threat>
Harvard, other schools in US deal with high food costs
05/03/2008 | 10:58 AM
BOSTON - Harvard is the world's richest university, yet it recently
pulled whole grain pasta from the dining service menu, replaced cherry
tomatoes with wedges and even started using more chicken thighs in lieu
of breasts.
Harvard junior Daniel Demetri was outraged when he noticed the changes.
"It was like, who are they kidding?" he said.
Actually, the university with the roughly $35 billion endowment was
just doing what many other schools are doing in these tight times. The
nation's rising food costs are stirring up problems for dining halls
and cafeterias, and institutions serving thousands of people a day are
trying to find ways to cut costs while maintaining quality.
At Harvard, it didn't last. In the face of outraged students demanding
their whole grains it restored most of the items. But other places have
stuck with the changes, or found more affordable ways to feed students.
Several schools have eliminated trays, on the theory that students will
grab less if they have to carry the food in their hands. Still other
schools, which charge students by the item, are increasing what the
cost of healthier choices.
Food prices rose more than 4 percent in the United States last year,
the biggest jump since 1990, according to the U.S. Department of
Agriculture. A similar hike is predicted this year.
Food costs globally are being driven up by a variety of factors,
including the rising price of petroleum products, used not just for
transportation, but for fertilizers and processing. Grain prices are
increasing as they are used to produce biofuels and to feed livestock
to satisfy a growing demand for meat in developing countries. <
http://www.gmanews.tv/story/93119/Harvard-other-schools-in-US-deal-with-high-food-costs>
Asian bank in food crisis warning
Lower food production and rising demand are being blamed
|
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has warned that the crisis of
rising food prices could reverse gains made in reducing poverty across
the continent.
Bank president Haruhiko Kuroda warned at its annual meeting in Madrid that "the cheap food era may be over".
Donor countries have pledged more than $11bn (£5.5bn) to a fund to ease the hardship of Asia's poorest people.
Meanwhile the African Development Bank has pledged an extra $1bn for its loans portfolio to tackle the food crisis. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/7381916.stm>
Food price crisis bites in Egypt
|
By Heba Saleh
BBC News, Cairo
|
Liberal and left-wing political activists in Egypt have called for a general strike on Sunday to protest against rising prices.
The Muslim Brotherhood, the largest opposition force in the country, has endorsed the call.
Attempts at a similar strike last month drew a feeble response.
Forty percent of all Egyptians live below or just above the poverty line
|
But there were two days of clashes between riot police and
demonstrators in the town of Mahalla al-Kubra after the security
services prevented textile workers from carrying out their separately
planned industrial action.
President Hosni Mubarak has just offered public sector workers a 30%
pay rise in an effort to quell such unrest fuelled by economic
discontent.
But even so, activists insist the government is not doing enough to help its citizens cope with high prices.
"We're calling for salaries to match prices," said Ahmed Maher, the young engineer who launched the strike call.
"We want to stop businessmen in the ruling party controlling the cost
of commodities. We also want social justice - the government needs to
exert influence over prices." <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7381766.stm>
Why is Moscow so expensive?
|
WHO, WHAT, WHY?
The Magazine answers...
|
Keeping warm the Moscow way
|
Russians are far from being among the world's wealthiest, yet
English fans planning to visit Moscow for the Champions League final
have been told to expect hotel bills of up to £500 a night. What makes
its capital so pricey?
For two years on the trot, Moscow has topped the list of the world's
most expensive city, ousting Tokyo from its long-held spot. So football
fans arriving in the Russian capital in three weeks' time expecting
prices akin to those pre-perestroika are in for a shock.
Its oil wealth, high inflation rate and shortage of mid-range
hotel rooms make Moscow a wallet-busting place to visit - let alone
live, and its citizens have this week been protesting against soaring
prices.
 |
THE ANSWER
Inflation topped 12% in 2007
Shortage of mid-range hotels as geared towards business travellers
Room prices hiked for big events
No last-minute deals as room booking typically needed for visa
|
The city is a business hotspot, so nearly all its hotels are high-end
establishments, catering for those on expense accounts. For drinks, for
meals, for taxis, "it is London prices," says the BBC's Moscow
correspondent, Rupert Wingfield-Hayes.
With an estimated 35,000 beds for 42,000 football followers
expected for the Champions League clash, supply is short. The Foreign
Office says all the rooms are already booked for 21 May.
And to get a visa, visitors are typically required to first secure a
room booking, although Russia has pledged to simplify its requirements
to speed up visas for match-day visitors.
This means there is no tradition of the last-minute deals familiar in
other countries, where hotels offer knock-down rates on rooms that
would otherwise be empty. (These deals make economic sense as even a
bargain price more than covers the marginal cost of a room - checking
in and cleaning up after a guest.) <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/7377151.stm>
Group fears influx of GM rice in RP via gov't deal with IRRI
05/04/2008 | 04:03 PM
QUEZON CITY, Philippines
- A group of farmers and scientists on Sunday warned of a possible
increase of genetically modified (GM) rice in the Philippine market
after the Department of Agriculture approved a memorandum of agreement
with the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) to boost the
production of the staple in the country.
During a press conference in Quezon City, the group RESIST or
Resistance and Solidarity Against Agro-Chemical TNCs, said the DA and
the IRRI’s “rice master plan" could lead to the entry of more
genetically modified rice varieties in the country, such as LL601, LL
Rice 62, and the Uncle Sam Texas Long Grain, which pose risk to health
and the environment.
The group also feared that the agreement could lead to the further
depletion of the organically grown local varieties of rice, which are
more health-friendly.
“Farmers have long been protecting and preserving rice culture from
genetically engineered rice but the IRRI has almost destroyed all of
this….We have to save what is left, and defend our rice, as well as
expose the IRRI’s rice master plan as a self-serving program," said
Rafael Mariano, RESIST lead convenor, and chairman of the peasant
organization Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas.
LLRice 62 is a variety of the staple from the US, which is genetically
modified to resist the broad-spectrum herbicide called glufosinate
ammonium.
The
Pesticide Action Network (PAN)
raised concern on the “current usage levels" of glufosinate “because of
the marketing of genetically engineered crops resistant to herbicide."
According to the PAN, glufosinate is being used in North America
through a formulation called “Liberty," which was launched by AgroEvo,
a joint venture by German chemical corporations Hoechst and Schering.
The PAN cited studies which found out that the use of glufosinate “can
cause a number of neurological symptoms in laboratory animals."
According to the network, at lethal doses, glufosinate could trigger
“overt signs of toxicity," which include “Convulsions, salivation,
hypersensitivity, irregular breathing, and trembling."
The other variety - LL 601 - which was also developed by AgroEvo (which
later became Aventis CropScience bought by Bayer in 2000), is also a
genetically modified staple tolerant to glufosinate ammonium.
According to the
PAN,
LL 601 “caused a mysterious and alarming genetic contamination of rice
cultivated in several North American states." The contamination
subsequently spread in many European countries and other parts of the
world.
Meanwhile, according to environmental activist group
Greenpeace,
it was found out from a test in Japan that the Uncle Sam Texas Long
Grain Rice had the “same strain" as the glufosinate-resistant Liberty
rice.
Dr Chito Medina, also a convenor of RESIST said the “IRRI did not only
facilitate the influx of genetically modified (rice) in the country,
(but) also made some themselves."
“In the process farmers were evicted from their lands and many of our
friends and loved ones became sick. Some of whom have already died," he
said.
- GMANews.TV <http://www.gmanews.tv/story/93221/Group-fears-influx-of-GM-rice-in-RP-via-govt-deal-with-IRRI>
Analysis: Microsoft without Yahoo
ANALYSIS
By Tim Weber
Business editor, BBC News website
So who is the loser then, now that Microsoft has withdrawn its takeover bid for rival Yahoo?
On the face of it, both companies are. After all, who can tackle the Google behemoth bestriding the world wide web?
However, that assumes that the combination of Microsoft's and Yahoo's
DNA would have created a top athlete, not a corporate Frankenstein.
Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer may beg to differ, but it was
far from certain that the combination of two not-quite-that-successful
teams of web engineers would have resulted in a credible challenger for
Google.
Take Yahoo's most recent technical failure, called Panama. This
advertising platform was supposed to match up search results with
appropriate advertising.
"There's nothing in Panama that I would want to integrate with our offering," a senior Microsoft executive told me last week.
Buying eyeballs
Ultimately, Microsoft's bid for Yahoo was probably not about
technology, but eyeballs - the term used by advertising executives to
describe a website's number of users.
Despite all its troubles, Yahoo still commands a lead in the
all-important US web market, and it has a healthy market share in many
countries around the world.
As Microsoft had difficulties growing its global web reach organically,
buying eyeballs - or market share - through the acquisition of Yahoo
was the obvious solution.
Now Mr Ballmer has to come up with a Plan B. <
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7382665.stm>
China's new South Pacific influence
|
By Nick Squires
BBC, South Pacific
|
As China extends its economic and political potential in the world,
nowhere is too remote or too small to merit Beijing's interest, not
even the tiny nations which slumber in the South Pacific.
|
The shops and restaurants are the most visible sign of a growing Chinese presence in the South Pacific
|
If you were ever fortunate enough to venture to the palm-fringed
islands of the South Pacific, you would probably look forward to
tucking into some tropical fruit and freshly caught fish.
These days, though, you might be disappointed.
While mangoes and marlin are certainly available in the tourist
resorts, in towns and villages it is more likely to be fried rice and
springs rolls you would be dining on.
Chinese restaurants have sprung up all over the region, some of them
big and grand, most little more than shacks with corrugated-iron roofs.
Often they are next door to Chinese-run trade stores, where shopkeepers
hunker down behind iron-bar grilles and sell everything from candles to
corned beef.
The shops and restaurants are the most visible sign of a growing Chinese presence in the South Pacific. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/7380375.stm>
UN food body 'should be scrapped'
President Wade said the FAO's work was duplicated by other bodies
|
An African leader has dismissed the UN's food agency as a "waste of money" and called for it to be scrapped.
President Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal spoke out days after the UN
announced an emergency plan to bring soaring world food prices under
control.
Mr Wade said the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) was itself largely to blame for the price rises.
His comments came as bakers in Nigeria began a week-long national strike in protest at the cost of flour and sugar.
Some global food prices have nearly doubled in the past three years,
provoking riots and other protests in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
|
The current situation is largely the FAO's failure and the cries of alarm will not help at all
|
Mr Wade said on Senegalese radio and television on Sunday that the
FAO's work was duplicated by other bodies that operated more
efficiently, like the UN's International Fund for Agricultural
Development.
That agency has unveiled a $200m (£100m) package to support farmers and
boost production in the countries worst affected by the food crisis.
Mr Wade said that despite the qualities of the FAO's leader - his
compatriot Jacques Diouf - the agency was a "waste of money largely
spent on doing very little".
"The current situation is largely its failure and the cries of alarm will not help at all," he added.
Mr Wade said he had campaigned in the past for the agency to be
relocated from Rome to a country in Africa - the continent most
affected by food shortages.
"This time, I'm going further, we must scrap it," he said. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7383628.stm>
UK ad giant mulls tax move abroad
The changes could cost WPP tens of millions of pounds, Sir Martin said.
|
WPP, the world's second largest advertising firm, says it will
consider moving its London headquarters overseas if proposed tax
changes go ahead.
The company, which currently pays £200m a year in tax to the Treasury,
told the BBC the measures would raise its tax bill and threaten its
profitability.
The proposed new rules would mean companies would pay taxes in the UK on dividends earned overseas.
The Treasury argues other tax changes would offset the impact on companies.
"If the measures as is are introduced, ratified, confirmed and
implemented, we will be taking a very serious look at the advantages
and disadvantages [of moving its tax domicile and headquarters offshore
for tax reasons]," WPP chief executive Sir Martin Sorrell told the BBC.
"We are talking about very very significant sums of money," he said.
The changes would add tens of millions of pounds to WPP's annual tax bill.
But that would have to be weighed up against other factors, like any
potential impact on the company's image of moving abroad, Sir Martin
said. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7383627.stm>
Illegal workers prosecutions rise
|
By Andrew Bomford
Social affairs correspondent, BBC News
|
A swoop on illegal workers at a chicken processing plant
There has been a dramatic increase in the number of employers being
prosecuted for hiring illegal immigrants, the BBC has learned.
In the two months since the end of February, when there was a change in
the law, 137 businesses were caught employing illegal immigrants.
This is 10 times the number caught in 2007, and more than double the number prosecuted in the previous decade.
Employers face fines of up to £10,000 for each illegal immigrant they employ.
In the last two months fines of about £500,000 have been handed out. Persistent offenders also face a jail sentence.
"There are dodgy employers out there who are trying to undercut
their competitors and drive down British wages by employing people
illegally, so we've come up with this new way of taking much faster
on-the-spot action," Immigration Minister Liam Byrne told the BBC.
"It's quite clear that this new regime, which is part of a big shake-up
of Britain's border security, is already beginning to work."
To see the policy in action the BBC was invited out on an enforcement operation with officers from the UK Border Agency.
About 60 officers, backed up by the police, walked into a
chicken processing factory in Derbyshire. Police intelligence had
suggested that illegal immigrants were working there.
In a large processing room 56 workers, all of them from overseas, were preparing chicken pieces for the retail trade.
Uk BA officers burst into the room, shouting loudly and telling the workers to put their knives down.
The shocked workers were lined up against a wall and told they would
be questioned to see if they were in the country legally. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7383493.stm>
Yahoo faces ire of shareholders
Microsoft's
decision to drop its bid to buy Yahoo is putting shareholder pressure
on the net portal to justify its asking price, the BBC's Maggie Shiels
reports from Silicon Valley.
Yahoo's shares are expected to fall in Monday's trading
|
Yahoo's second biggest shareholder says he would have considered
selling to Microsoft for slightly more than the final offer of $33 a
share.
"Had there been a full deal on the table at $34 [£17] or $35,
we would have had to take a look at it," said Bill Miller of Legg
Mason.
Yahoo was holding out for $37 a share.
At the same time Mr Miller was looking to Yahoo to buy back billions of
dollars' worth of shares to shore up confidence in the internet portal:
"You can't maintain that $33 undervalues your company, have your stock trade below that and not buy back stock."
Legg Mason owns around 7% of Yahoo shares and is the second-largest holder of stock behind Capital Research and Management.
'Bevy of lawsuits'
The fallout over the Microsoft deal does not end there.
At the moment there are around seven lawsuits in the pipeline
over Yahoo's handling of the Microsoft offer, dating back to the
company's initial refusal of a deal in February.
Those lawsuits are set to increase in number says, according to Mike Arrington of TechCrunch.
"I expect a bevy of lawsuits to materialise out of thin air over the next week from Yahoo shareholders," he said.
"It's a bleak couple of days for Yahoo unless they have a trump
card like some deal with AOL or a search deal with Google to try and
stop a billion-dollar-plus loss in their market capital."
Yahoo's tactics and the subsequent decision by Microsoft to
pull its $47.5bn offer off the table have angered some shareholders,
who are threatening to withhold backing for Yahoo directors come their
annual meeting, which is expected in July.
Dr Eric Jackson is the President of Ironfire Capital, an
activist investment firm in Florida. He also leads Plan B, a group of
about 140 outspoken shareholders. In total, they own roughly 2m Yahoo
shares.
Dr Jackson says he is planning to launch a "withhold vote"
campaign and hopes to run for a board seat when shareholders meet in a
couple of months.
"I'm definitely interested in throwing my hat into the ring," he said.
"And whether it's me or other people who get elected that's fine. Yahoo's current board definitely needs new blood." <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7383123.stm>
IBON: 7 of 10 Pinoys cannot afford food, bills, basic needs
05/07/2008 | 02:58 PM
MANILA, Philippines
- Seven out of 10 Filipinos cannot afford enough food and have trouble
paying their bills and basic needs, according to a survey by militant
think tank IBON Foundation.
IBON said its survey conducted last April showed that of 1,495
respondents, 1,126 (75.3 percent) said their family had problems buying
enough food, a substantial increase from 950 (63.2 percent) last
January.
On the other hand, 1,042 (69.7 percent) had trouble paying for
electricity and water bills, compared to 1,006 (66.93 percent) on the
first month of this year.
The survey also showed that 1,008 (67.42 percent) have difficulty
paying for transportation costs compared to 911 (60.61 percent) in
January; 1,097 (73.38 percent) had a problem buying their medicines or
paying for their medical treatment compared to 1,024 (68.13 percent) in
January; and 1,020 (68.23 percent) had trouble paying for their
children's tuition compared to 997 (66.33 percent) in January.
Respondents were asked the question, "In the past three months, has your family had a problem meeting the following expenses?"
IBON said its survey was conducted from April 7 to 16 "across various
sectors and regions nationwide," with a margin of error of three
percent.
- GMANews.TV <http://www.gmanews.tv/story/93797/IBON-7-of-10-Pinoys-cannot-afford-food-bills-basic-needs>
Heading skyward to beat gridlock
|
By Maggie Shiels
Technology reporter, BBC News, Silicon Valley
|
The solution to gridlock on our overcrowded roads is to take to the
air in a plane-car hybrid that will revolutionise the way society works.
Could flying become a daily means of transportation?
|
This vision of the future twenty years hence was revealed at the 2008
Electric Aircraft Symposium held a stone's throw from San Francisco
airport in California.
Plotting the next frontier in green technology was Richard Jones, a technical fellow at Boeing Phantom Works.
He said "Today I am talking about making aviation available to everyone
as a daily means of transportation. Transportation changes society."
"When they dumped the horse and cart people took over two
continents. 150 years ago steam turned America into a nation. Today 50
per cent of the world lives in urban areas thanks to the car. And in
the last 50 years, the aviation industry has made one world thanks to
the airplane." <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7384788.stm>
EU: Consumers being cheated by travel, airline Web sites
05/08/2008 | 09:58 PM
BRUSSELS, Belgium - A third of people who shop for flights on airline
and other travel Web sites in the EU are being cheated by misleading
ads and price schemes, the European Commission said Thursday,
threatening legal action to stop such practices.
The European Union's consumer protection chief gave airlines and tour
operators one year to fall in line with consumer rules or face court
action and possible fines.
"It is unacceptable that one in three consumers going to book a plane
ticket online is being ripped off or misled or confused," said Meglena
Kuneva, the EU's consumer protection commissioner.
"My message to industry is clear: act now or we will act," she said.
Preliminary findings of an EU investigation indicate the main problems
on the sites are misleading pricing and vague conditions and contract
terms.
Airlines and other travel companies often add airport taxes, handling
fees, baggage and seating charges and a variety of other costs on top
of the prices that first appear on Web sites.
"The price first advertised on a Web site should be the final price," said the European Commission, the EU's executive office.
Kuneva said such problems existed "in all sectors" of the airline industry, including both discount and full-fare carriers.
The EU is hoping to raise the awareness of bargain hunters so they will not be fooled by hidden charges or unclear small print.
Kuneva said legal restrictions in most EU nations prevented her from
"naming and shaming" the airlines and tour operators suspected of
breaking EU laws.
Norwegian and Swedish consumer rights authorities, however, listed many
of the companies involved on their Web sites. They included Irish
low-cost carrier Ryanair, Austrian Airlines and Blue1, a Finnish
airline fully owned by Scandinavian airline operator SAS AB.
An initial review in September found that more than 50 percent of sites
checked were misleading consumers on tickets advertised as cheap but
which were often far from it once hefty charges were added.
Regulators said 137 of 386 Web sites checked in February — or nearly
one in three — violated EU consumer laws. Those sites are now under a
closer investigation and represent around 80 companies.
The Norwegian consumer group said the investigation found, for example,
that Austrian Airlines charged an extra 100 kroner (€12.69; US$19.58)
on its Web site that was not included in the advertised price. The
airline has now dropped the fee, the consumer group said.
Similarly, it said, Ryanair "troubled" its customers with extra fees if
they did not pay with a debit card. Fees were also charged for priority
boarding, which the Norwegian group said was "an unreasonable demand."
The Swedish and Norwegian groups also listed several international tour
operators that run sites across Europe — including Travelstart, Sky
Tours and Travellink — that it said were under investigation.
About 700 million travelers fly on EU airlines each year and the sector draws the most consumer complaints, Kuneva said.
Monique Goyens, head of the BEUC consumer advocacy group, called on EU
regulators to do more to crack down on misleading information on
prices, availability of cheap flights and extra costs like insurance,
which are often presented incorrectly as compulsory.
The 60-carrier European Regions Airline Association has already called
for passengers to be given the actual price upfront. But the group has
rejected calls by EU lawmakers for airline prices to come with a
detailed breakdown of costs, including airport security and fuel
surcharges. -
AP <http://www.gmanews.tv/story/94147/EU-Consumers-being-cheated-by-travel-airline-Web-sites>
Fake media file snares PC users
The fake file claims to be an mp3 of Girls Aloud
|
Almost 500,000 people have been caught out by a booby-trapped media file, says security firm McAfee.
The fake file poses as a music track, short video or movie and has been widely seeded on file-sharing networks to snare victims.
McAfee said the fake media file outbreak was the largest it had seen for about three years.
Those running the fake file get bombarded with pop-up ads and risk compromising the safety of their PC.
The fake file or trojan has been widely distributed on the eDonkey and Limewire file-sharing networks.
The file has many names and is written in different languages to trick people into downloading it.
The titles make the file appear to be music tracks, pornography and full versions of popular movies.
Anyone downloading the trojan and trying to run it is asked to install a codec that will play the supposed media.
|
FAKE FILE TITLES
girls aloud st trinnians.mp3
changing times earth wind .mp3
heartbroken fast t2 ft jodie.mp3
meet bambi in kings harem.mp3
paralyized by you.mp3
pull over levert.mp3
|
Instead of playing the media, running the file installs a bundle of adware that plagues a user with pop-ups.
Included in the bundle is an MP3 media player that will only play the tracks included with it.
McAfee said seeing such a large outbreak was rare because hi-tech
criminals typically prefer to target their malicious creations to keep
numbers manageable and to avoid detection.
In the last seven days McAfee said the trojan had been found on
more than 500,000 of the PCs that notify the company when a malicious
file is downloaded.
It added that, so far, only 10% seem to have gone as far as to install the fake codec and be plagued with pop-ups.
Other security companies have seen the trojan but not in such large numbers as McAfee.
Only those using Windows are vulnerable to the malicious program. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7389529.stm>
Taser parties a growing US trend
Talking and target practice at the Denver "Taser Party"
|
By Rajesh Mirchandani
BBC News, Denver
|
In a downtown loft apartment in Denver, Colorado, a group of
30-something women is having a party. They joke easily with each other
about men, cats and botox.
It's more Sex and the City than Psycho, but party organiser Dana
Shafman would have them believe they could easily be victims of violent
crime.
She runs a company that sells Tasers, the electric stun guns used by security forces around the world.
In Colorado and other US states, it's legal for ordinary people
to own them. Dana's marketing them to women as the ideal personal
protection device.
"I've been to everyone's Avon-type tupperware-style parties,
purse parties, clothing parties, boutique parties and I felt like why
not have a self-defence party? Why not have a Taser party, because
without self-defence you won't have any of the other stuff."<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7390607.stm>
Europeans get drunk 'to have sex'
Alcohol was strongly associated with underage sex
|
Young adults in Europe deliberately binge on drink and drugs to improve their sex lives, research suggests.
The UK has one of the worst reputations for binge drinking and underage
sex but there are striking similarities between countries, a study
found.
A third of 16 to 35-year-old men and 23% of women questioned said they drank to increase their chance of sex.
The study - of 1,341 young people in nine countries including the UK - is published in BMC Public Health.
Young people were also more at risk of unsafe sex while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, the study found.
|
Despite
the negative consequences, we found many are deliberately taking these
substances to achieve quite specific sexual effects
|
The researchers said although it was well known that use of alcohol and
drugs was linked to risky sexual behaviour, this study showed many
young people were "strategically" binge drinking or abusing drugs to
improve their sex lives.
They questioned young people in nine cities, one each in the
UK, Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain
and Slovenia - who all routinely went to pubs, bars and nightclubs.
Early use of alcohol and other drugs was closely linked to
having sex under the age of 16 years, in all countries, especially in
girls.
Almost half of participants in Vienna, Austria had drunk
alcohol and had sex by the time they were 16 compared with 36% in
Venice, Italy, 37% in Palma, Spain and 30% in Liverpool.
The same was true for those who took drugs under the age of 16 but
there were variations in popularity of different drugs among different
countries.
More than a quarter of youngsters taking cocaine said they used
it to prolong sex and drug use in general was linked to having multiple
partners.<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7389980.stm>
Weak dollar narrows US trade gap
Surging oil prices may make it hard for the US trade gap to continue to shrink.
|
The US trade deficit shrank by more than expected in March as the weak dollar led to a surge in exports, official figures show.
The slowing economy also meant that Americans bought fewer products
made abroad, including cars and furniture, the Commerce Department
said.
The trade gap narrowed to $58.2bn (£29.9bn) from February's revised $61.7m, well below the expected $61bn.
A weaker dollar makes US goods cheaper for customers overseas.
China exports rise
The deficit had been expected to continue to fall this year as the US downturn reduces spending on imports.
However, the surging oil price may mean the gap cannot narrow much further, despite the weak dollar.
The politically-sensitive trade deficit with China narrowed to $16.1bn, the lowest level for more than two years.
Meanwhile, exports to China hit their second highest level. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7392496.stm>
Microsoft contests $1.4bn EU fine
Monopoly allegations against Microsoft go back several years
|
Microsoft has appealed against a 899m euros ($1.4bn; £680.9m) fine
given for defying sanctions imposed on it for anti-competitive
behaviour.
The penalty - the largest ever from the European Commission - came
after it failed to comply with a 2004 ruling that it abused its market
position.
The ruling said that Microsoft was guilty of not providing key code to rival software makers.
Microsoft said it was appealing to seek "clarity from the court".
The Commission said that it was confident the fine was "legally sound".
Freezing out rivals
The challenge has been lodged with the EU Court of First Instance.
When they handed down the punishment in February, EU regulators said Microsoft was the first to break an EU anti-trust ruling.
|
DISPUTE TIMELINE
March 2004: EU fines Microsoft 497m euros and orders it to release key Windows code to rival software developers
September 2004: Microsoft tries to have the ruling temporarily suspended
April 2006: Microsoft appeals against the ruling in the European Court of First Instance
September 2007: Microsoft loses its appeal
February 2008: EU imposes 899m euros fine on Microsoft for defying sanctions
May 2008: Microsoft appeals the fine, "seeking clarity"
|
The fines came on top of earlier fines of 280m euros imposed in July 2006, and of 497m euros in March 2004.
An investigation concluded in 2004 that Microsoft was guilty of
freezing out rivals in products such as media players, while unfairly
linking its Explorer internet browser to its Windows operating system
at the expense of rival servers.
The European Court of First Instance upheld this ruling last
year, which ordered Microsoft to pay 497m euros for abusing its
dominant market position.
Earlier this year, Microsoft announced that it would open up
the technology of some of its leading software, including Windows, to
make it easier to operate with rivals' products.
Other issues
The firm is still being pursued by Brussels.
Last month, the European Commission launched two new anti-competition investigations against Microsoft into similar issues.
The first will look at whether there are still problems regarding Microsoft's dominance of the PC software market.
The Commission will also investigate the continued interoperability of Microsoft software with rival products. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7391537.stm>
Victorian 'supercomputer' is reborn
By Maggie Shiels
Technology reporter, Silicon Valley
Doron Swade with the babbage machine
Doron Swade is behind the creation of the famed Difference Engine No 2
The world of computing could have been very different to that of today
had a machine that was designed over 150 years ago been built at the
time.
That is the view of Doron Swade, the man who is behind realising the
creation of the famed Difference Engine No 2 which has just gone on
display in Silicon Valley.
The reason the machine is so highly regarded is because it is seen as
the first attempt at automated computing and viewed as something of a
missing link in technology history.
Designed by the 19th Century computer pioneer Charles Babbage, the
Difference Engine No 2 is a piece of Victorian technology meant to
compute mathematical expressions called polynomials and return results
to more than 31 digits, knocking the socks off your souped up pocket
calculator.
Added to that it has a printer which stamps the results of its calculations on paper and on a plaster tray.
"You can stand in front of this monster of a machine as a Victorian
would have done and still have the sense of wonder a Victorian would
have had at that time," marvels Mr Swade.
"It takes you back 150 years to a branching point in history and allows
you to speculate what might have been had this engine been built." <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7391593.stm>
Murdoch quits US newspaper fight
The three-way fight for Newsday has become a head-to-head battle
|
Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation has withdrawn a bid to buy US
newspaper Newsday only days after seemingly being in pole position to
acquire it.
News Corp, whose titles include the Wall Street Journal and the New
York Post, had offered about $580m (£297m) for the New York state-based
organ.
However, stiff competition emerged from broadcaster Cablevision and rival newspaper magnate Mort Zuckerman.
A News Corp spokesman said the bid had become "uneconomical". <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7394762.stm>
Thurman backlash in cosmetics row
Uma Thurman was nominated for an Oscar for her role in 1994's Pulp Fiction
|
US actress Uma Thurman is countersuing French cosmetics firm Lancome
for $15m (£8m) over the use of her name and face in advertising
campaigns.
Thurman, 38, claims the firm boosted its sales by allowing her image to
be used on Canadian billboards and Asian web sites after her contract
expired.
Thurman's legal action follows Lancome's on Wednesday in Manhattan.
The firm denied breach of contract and asked the judge to dismiss Thurman's original claim for $1m (£512,000).
Until then, lawyers on both sides had been trying to come to an out-of-court agreement.
The actress's legal case claims Lancome enhanced its "prestige,
stature and bargaining power" by helping retailers and others use her
in advertising after September 2004.
The company gave the "false impression" Thurman was still linked to Lancome, her case says.
It also failed to tell wholesalers and retailers to stop using the ads that feature Thurman, said her lawyer Bertram Fields.
"Celebrities will now be careful about doing deals with Lancome," he told Reuters.
"They continued to use her photographs long after the contract was over." <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7393668.stm>
Alarm at Google Yahoo partnering
|
Maggie Shiels
BBC technology reporter, Silicon Valley
|
No firm deal with Google has actually been announced
|
Regulators in the US are being urged to investigate any potential
online advertising and search partnership between Google and Yahoo.
The call by a coalition of 16 American civil rights and rural advocacy
bodies comes despite the fact no firm deal has actually been announced.
"We all suffer in such mega mergers," Gary Flowers of the Black Leadership Forum told BBC News.
The justice department is examining a trial the companies did in April.
It has been widely reported that it is looking into the anti-trust implications of last month's two-week test.
However, the department says it has no comment on the
coalition's demands because there is no definitive agreement between
Yahoo and Google at the moment.
But reports say that the two companies are presently hammering
out the intricacies of a future potential advertising and search
agreement, and are sharing their plans with antitrust regulators.
At Google's shareholder meeting on Thursday, Chairman Eric
Schmidt said: "If there were a deal [with Yahoo], we would anticipate
structuring the deal to address the anti-trust concerns that have been
widely discussed." <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7393486.stm>
Burma eases restrictions on aid
Burmese authorities have eased restrictions on the flow of aid
|
Increased amounts of aid have started to reach cyclone-stricken
Burma amid signs the government is easing restrictions on foreign
access.
The World Food Programme distributed 38 tonnes of previously held-up aid, but warned much more had to get through.
And in a major setback for the aid effort, a Red Cross boat carrying aid sank in the Irrawaddy Delta.
State TV said the death toll had increased to 28,458, while 33,416 were still missing after the cyclone.
Aid agencies, however, estimate that 100,000 have died and warn that
this figure could rise to 1.5 million without provision of clean water
and sanitation.
Survivors are beginning to gather in makeshift camps around the edges
of the disaster zone caused by Cyclone Nargis eight days ago.
The UN, which has launched a $187m (£96m) appeal for aid, says
survivors in the worst-affected areas urgently need food, shelter and
medical aid. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7394410.stm>
Amazon's future in delicate balance
|
By Candace Piette
BBC News, Manaus, Amazonas
|
High food and commodity prices are increasing the pressure on the Amazon
|
In January, the Brazilian government announced that the rate of
deforestation in the Amazon jungle had soared in the last half of 2007,
just months after officials had celebrated three years of steep falls.
It was an embarrassing admission for Brazil's president, Luiz Inacio
Lula da Silva, who had said his government's efforts to control illegal
logging and introduce better certification of land ownership were
working.
The figures also focussed attention on the fate of the Amazon
rainforest, raising the question of whether the region can be
economically developed without being destroyed.
"Deforestation is linked to economic factors," says Paulo
Barreto, senior researcher at Imazon, a non-governmental organisation,
in his offices in Belem, the capital of the Amazonian state of Para.
With high food and commodity prices around the world, the
hunger for cheap land in the Amazon - which costs a tenth of land in
Brazil's south and south-east - seems set to increase.
"Seventy-five per cent of the deforestation in the Amazon is to create cattle pasture," says Mr Barreto.
"Brazil has become over the last five years the world's leading beef
exporter. All the expansion of the cattle industry in the last few
years has been in the Amazon."
|
This report is part of a BBC World Service special on the Amazon rainforest.
There will be a series of live and recorded broadcasts starting at 0500GMT on Thursday 15 May.
Highlights will include a double edition of Newshour, presented
live from three locations in Brazil at 1200 and a one hour special at
1600.
|
Brazil is also a major exporter of soya, much of it grown in the Amazon state of Mato Grosso.
As demand for beef and soybeans grow in the rapidly growing
economies of Asia, in particular China, many observers fear the
pressure on the rainforest will continue.
The Brazilian federal government was sufficiently worried about
the recorded 2007 rise in deforestation to launch a large police
operation in February. Thousands of officers were sent to some of the
worst-hit areas to tackle illegal logging, closing down sawmills and
issuing fines.
But some say such operations fail to address endemic problems of the region.
"Fraud in the land registry system is a big problem." says Paulo Barretto.
"Collecting fines for deforestation are at very low levels. The
environment ministry thinks the psychological impact of receiving a
fine will be enough, but they are never collected. " <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7385906.stm>
Pollution 'ups blood clot risk'
Breathing in air pollution from traffic fumes can raise the risk of potentially deadly blood clots, a US study says.
Exposure to small particulates - tiny chemicals caused by burning
fossil fuels - is known to increase the chances of heart disease and
stroke.
But the Harvard School of Public Health found it also affected
development of deep vein thrombosis - blood clots in the legs - in a
study of 2,000 people.
Researchers said the pollution made the blood more sticky and likely to clot.
The team looked at people living in Italy - nearly 900 of whom developed DVT.
Blood clots which form in the legs can travel to the lungs, where they
can become lodged, triggering a potentially fatal pulmonary embolism.
The risk of DVT is known to be increased by long periods of immobility.
In particular, passengers on long-haul flights have been shown to be
vulnerable, but so are people who spend long periods of time sitting at
their office desk without exercising, or walking around. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7396733.stm>
Google helps the web to go social
Maggie Shiels
Technology reporter BBC News Silicon Valley
Google Friend Connect logo
Friend Connect is Google's new offering
Google has joined the drive to make the web more social by introducing tools to enable people to interact with their friends.
Friend Connect follows plans announced last week by the world's two biggest social networking sites, MySpace and Facebook.
Data Availability and Connect let users move their personal profiles and applications to other websites.
"Social is in the air," says Google's director of engineering David Glazer.
During a conference call at Google's California headquarters, Mr Glazer
told reporters: "Google Friend Connect is about being the 'long tail'
of sites becoming more social."
"Many sites aren't explicitly social and don't necessarily want to be
social networks, but they still benefit from letting their visitors
interact with each other. That used to be hard."
Charlene Li, principal analyst at Forrester, told BBC News: "Google is
tapping into the 'all things social' heat of the moment, but it's
adding a different perspective, not as a data source and social network
'owner' but as an enabler." <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7397470.stm>
Microwaves 'cook ballast aliens'
By Mark Kinver
Science and nature reporter, BBC News
Ship loaded with freight containers (Image: AP)
The vast majority of international cargo is transported by sea
US researchers say they have developed an effective way to kill
unwanted plants and animals that hitch a ride in the ballast waters of
cargo vessels.
Tests showed that a continuous microwave system was able to remove all marine life within the water tanks.
The UN lists "invasive species" dispersed by ballast water discharges
as one of the four main threats to the world's marine ecosystems.
The findings will appear in the journal Environmental Science and Technology.
Shipping moves more than 80% of the world's commodities and transfers
up to five billion tonnes of ballast water internationally each year,
data from the UN shows.
Vessels, especially large container ships, need ballast tanks to
provide stability in the water and correct any shift in the ships’ mass.
When a ship's cargo is unloaded, it fills with ballast water; when it
is later reloaded, often on the other side of the world, the water is
discharged. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7392072.stm>
Illegal use of PC software in RP went down in 2007
05/14/2008 | 04:23 PM
MANILA, Philippines
- The rate of PC software piracy in the Philippines fell by two
percentage points from 71% in 2006 to 69% in 2007, said the Business
Software Alliance, an international association representing the global
software industry.
In 2004, the PC software piracy rate in the country already went down
from 72% in 2003 to 71%, but remained at the same rate until 2006.
Despite the drop in 2007, industry losses due to software piracy in the
Philippines rose from $119 million to $147 million, the BSA said in a
study released Wednesday.
Among 108 countries studied, personal computer or PC software piracy
dropped in 67 countries, and increased in only eight. But because the
worldwide PC market grew fastest in high-piracy countries, the
worldwide piracy rate increased by three percentage points from 35% to
38% in 2007.
In the Asia Pacific region, the countries with the highest rate of
software piracy were Bangladesh with 92% followed by Sri Lanka 90% and
Vietnam 85% while the ones with the lowest were New Zealand 22%, Japan
23%, and Australia 28%.
The fifth annual global PC software piracy study covers 108 countries
and was conducted independently by IDC, the information technology
industry’s leading global market research and forecasting firm.
“This report shows that we are making some progress in the Philippines
in the battle against software piracy," said Celina Conti, head of the
BSA Philippines Committee.
She, however, said the fight continues "as the rate remains high and
the losses from the IT industry have risen due to the exchange rate and
growth in PC sales."
"Much remains to be done if the country is to derive maximum benefits
from a lower piracy rate that would have a positive impact for local
consumers, local software and services firms, small businesses, and the
economy as a whole in terms of encouraging more investments in the IT
and other industries," Conti said.
The Philippines is among the countries in the world with a projected
fast-growing IT sector. Conti said the eradication of software piracy
and the growth and development of the local software industry will pave
the way in boosting the local ICT industry. <
http://www.gmanews.tv/story/95144/Illegal-PC-software-use-down-2-in-RP-but-industry-losses-up>
Govt postpones sale of power assets for the second time
05/14/2008 | 04:17 PM
MANILA, Philippines
- For the second consecutive time, the agency tasked to sell the
Philippines’ electricity assets has postponed a deadline for the sale
of two geothermal plants.
In a statement, the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp
(PSALM) has allowed investors planning to acquire a geothermal plant in
Tiwi, Albay and a similar facility in Laguna and Batangas to extend bid
submissions for another 23 days to complete their documents.
Originally scheduled for June 4, the bidding for the 289-megawatt (MW)
Tiwi Geothermal Power Plant and the 458.53-MW MakBan Geothermal Power
Plant situated in Laguna and Batangas was postponed “to heed the
request of the nine prospective bidders for more time to complete their
deliverables, including conducting their due diligence," the state-led
company said.
In May 6, PSALM issued a bid bulletin, postponing the bidding by one
week to give foreign bidders more time to secure their authenticated
documents from the Philippine consular offices abroad. The bidders are
expected to submit their respective documentary deliverables this week.
The issuance of the supplemental bid bulletin to the prospective
bidders formalizes the changes, modifications and amendments made in
the bidding schedule, PSALM added.
PSALM also expressed confidence that qualified bidders will participate
in the sale of the power assets previously owned by the National Power
Corp. (Napocor).
PSALM already allotted more than 400-MW of power supply contracts to
Tiwi-MakBan power facilities, providing the new operator a ready market
for the electricity that the facility will generate.
With the expected sale of the Tiwi-MakBan geothermal complex, PSALM
hopes to reach a significant output that will bring it closer to the 70
percent privatization target for Napocor’s generating assets in Luzon
and the Visayas. Once undertaken, the transaction will fulfill one of
the preconditions for implementing open access and retail competition
in the Philippine electricity industry.
Among the prospective bidders for the Tiwi-Makban are AP Renewables
Inc. of the Aboitiz group; Intergen, Philippine National Oil
Company-Energy Development Corporation, San Miguel Energy Corporation,
AES Corporation, Suez Tractebel, First Gen Corporation, Korea Electric
Power Corporation and One Energy of China Light & Power and
Mitsubishi of Japan.
After the Tiwi-Makban, PSALM said it will schedule next the auction for
the 192-megawatt Palinpinon geothermal plant, which was lumped with the
110-MW Panay diesel plant. -
GMANews.TV <http://www.gmanews.tv/story/95142/Govt-postpones-sale-of-power-assets-for-the-second-time>
Palace confirms Arroyo meet with ZTE execs in China in '06
05/14/2008 | 12:47 PM
(Updated 4:20 p.m.) MANILA, Philippines - Malacañang
confirmed Wednesday that President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo met with
officials of China's ZTE Corp. during a side trip to China from Hong
Kong in 2006.
In a press briefing, Executive Sec. Eduardo Ermita said President
Arroyo met with ZTE officials in Nov. 2, 2006 but said the meeting was
merely a "social call."
In a radio interview, Deputy Presidential Spokeswoman Lorelei Fajardo
had earlier confirmed the meeting, although she insisted that it was
not a secret, and should not be blown out of proportion.
Fajardo said the meeting, where President Arroyo supposedly even played
golf with ZTE officials, was "no different" from past meetings with
potential foreign investors.
Fajardo added that while the photo of President Arroyo and First
Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo appeared authentic, she said it was
"nothing new."
On the other hand, she said public attention should not be diverted to
the ZTE mess but should remain "focused" on the issue of high power
rates.
Iloilo Vice Governor Rolex Suplico said a new witness is in possession
of new evidence that would directly link President Arroyo to the
$329.48-million ZTE deal.
Citing statements made by the witness he identified only as "Alex,"
Suplico said President Arroyo visited ZTE offices in China along with
the First Gentleman and then-Elections chairman Benjamin Abalos during
a side trip from Hong Kong to Shenzhen, China on Nov. 2, 2006. <
http://www.gmanews.tv/story/95107/Palace-confirms-Arroyo-meet-with-ZTE-execs-in-China-in-06>
Yahoo faces struggle for control
|
By Maggie Shiels
Technology reporter, BBC News, Silicon Valley
|
Shareholders are angry that directors rejected Microsoft's bid to buy the firm
|
Yahoo faces a proxy fight for control of the company by a
billionaire activist with a history of closing controversial corporate
deals.
Carl Icahn has announced he will file a slate of alternate directors to
replace the present board when it gets together for its shareholder
meeting on 3 July.
Mr Icahn purchased 50 million shares in Yahoo after Microsoft walked away from talks in May to buy the net portal.
Yahoo told the BBC it would "pass" on the opportunity to comment on the move.
Mr Icahn has been unavailable to discuss his plans but news
reports say he has lined up at least 12 potential board candidates. The
deadline for nominating a dissident board is 15 May.
Mr Icahn's manoeuvre follows much anger and criticism over
Yahoo's decision, led by co-founder and chief executive Jerry Yang, to
turn down Microsoft's $47.5bn (£24.4bn) offer earlier this month to buy
the company. Yahoo had wanted Microsoft to increase its bid of $33 a
share to $37.
The Wall Street Journal says that over the last few days some
large Yahoo shareholders have contacted Mr Icahn, urging him to get
involved.
Bill Miller of Legg Mason, Yahoo's second largest shareholder, says he is eager to see what Mr Icahn and other activists can do.
"To the extent he can get the parties back to the table I'd be all in favour of that."
But he maintains that unless that happens, "it will be a lot of wasted time and effort". <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7401855.stm>
2 kidnap victims escape by playing dead
05/16/2008 | 08:15 AM
MANILA, Philippines -
By playing dead, two Muslim men who were kidnapped in Pasig City
Thursday night managed to escape death after negotiations for their
ransom went sour.
Radio dzBB's Lito Laparan reported that the victims Lupin Wahabi, 27,
and Jamil Macarimban, 26, are now recuperating after their close escape
from death.
Police are now looking for at least three still-unidentified men who
abducted the two at the Centennial Homes in Pasig City Thursday night.
Initial investigation showed the abductors brought the two to a safe
house in the Taytay Floodway area and negotiated for ransom with the
families of the hostages.
The kidnappers allegedly demanded P100,000 and were incensed when the families of the two said they could only raise P5,000.
The abductors decided to kill the two after the negotiations bogged down.
They allegedly blindfolded, bound the hands and sealed the mouths of the victims with packaging tape before shooting.
Wahabi sustained multiple gunshot wounds in different parts of the
body, while Macarimban got away with only a gunshot wound in the right
palm.
Both victims played dead for a while and waited until the abductors
left. Macarimban then brought his badly wounded companion to a hospital
for treatment.
- GMANews.TV <http://www.gmanews.tv/story/95573/2-kidnap-victims-escape-by-playing-dead>
Yahoo rebuffs plan to oust board
Mr Icahn has a history of waging corporate battles
|
Yahoo has rebuffed billionaire investor Carl Icahn's plan to oust the current board of the net portal.
Mr Icahn is amassing a stake in Yahoo in an attempt to force out the
current board over its handling of a failed merger deal with Microsoft.
Mr Icahn backed the bid by Microsoft to buy Yahoo, which directors rejected.
Yahoo chairman Roy Bostock has written to Mr Icahn saying it was
not in shareholders' interest to allow him and his "handpicked
nominees" to take over.
Mr Bostock also criticised efforts to use the board fight to as a way to "force a sale of Yahoo to a formerly interested buyer".
Mr Icahn has said Yahoo's directors were wrong to spurn
Microsoft's offer to buy the company for $33 a share - a figure which
valued the company at $47.5bn (£24.36bn).
In his letter, Mr Bostock rejected Mr Icahn's claim that Yahoo had been
acting "irrationally" in its dealings with Microsoft and said the
company had exercised "diligence" and been willing to negotiate.
"The record of our efforts to engage Microsoft in meaningful discussions is unequivocal," wrote Mr Bostock. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7404012.stm>
Piston nixes fare hike, wants e-VAT, oil deregulation law junked
05/18/2008 | 04:29 PM
MANILA, Philippines - A militant transport group is dissatisfied with the government’s provisional increase in jeepney and bus fares.
Piston or the Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Operator
Nationwide said it was not asking the government for a fare increase,
but for the suspension of the 12-percent expanded Value Added Tax
(e-VAT) imposed on oil products, and the repeal of the Oil Deregulation
Law.
George San Mateo, Piston secretary general, said fare increase would
not solve the problem of the public transport sector because the
increase would also affect the sector that is part of the poor majority
suffering from the spike in the prices of fuel and basic commodities.
On Sunday, May 18, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory
Board (LTFRB) approved a petition by transport groups seeking fare
increase.
LTFRB Chairman Thompson Lantion signed a directive on the "provisional"
increase of fares in the National Capital Region, Region 3 (Central
Luzon) and Region 4 (Calabarzon and Mimaropa), which will be effective
on May 21.
Minimum fares in public utility jeepneys will be increased to P8.00
from P7.50, while fares in ordinary buses will be raised to P9.00 from
P8.00.
Minimum fares in air conditioned buses will likewise be adjusted to P11.50 from P10.00.
But according to San Mateo, if the government is sincere in its effort
to address the spike in the prices of petroleum products, it would
instead lift the 12 percent e-VAT on fuel.
He said this would reduce prices of diesel to P5.22 per liter, roll
back the prices of gasoline to P6.36 per liter, and lessen by P75 the
prices of 11-kilogram cylinder of liquefied petroleum gas.
“
Tuloy ang ating laban! Hindi natapos sa welga at protesta
noong Mayo 12 ang laban ng mga tsuper at mamamamayan at lalong hindi
natatapos ang laban ng drivers at mamamayan dahil sa 50 cents
na
provisional fare hike. (Our fight continues. This won’t end with our
protest-rally last May 12. The struggle of drivers and the people won’t
end with the 50-centavo provisional fare increase)," said San Mateo.
- GMANews.TV <http://www.gmanews.tv/story/95952/Piston-nixes-fare-hike-wants-e-VAT-oil-deregulation-law-junked>
Pimentel pushes probe into alleged financial abuse by Senate witnesses
05/20/2008 | 01:10 PM
MANILA, Philippines - An
opposition senator has sought an investigation into allegations of
"financial abuse" by certain witnesses being secured by the Senate for
its ongoing investigations.
Radio dzBB's Nimfa Ravelo reported that Senate Minority Leader Aquilino
Pimentel Jr is pushing for a probe into the supposed "wanton misuse" of
Senate funds to maintain its witnesses, citing reports that some of the
witnesses had racked up relatively expensive bills for food and other
items.
"If we are going to allow such wanton misuse of the money of the Senate
intended for a good purpose but being misused, we have to account for
that to our people," Pimentel said.
Pimentel cited reports that P2 million had already been spent so far
for security arrangements for engineer Rodolfo Noel Lozada Jr and Dante
Madriaga.
Lozada and Madriaga, witnesses in the $329.48-million ZTE broadband
network deal mess, both testified on irregularities including kickbacks
in the deal.
Pimentel said he wants to find out if Senate funds were used for expenses other than security, such as food or travel.
Lozada's camp had said his other expenses, including travel, were paid for using funds raised by nuns.
Earlier, pro-administration senator Juan Ponce Enrile sought to remove
Lozada's security after learning of the expenses involved. However,
senators including Sen. Panfilo Lacson opposed the idea, saying the
witnesses deserve security for exposing wrongdoing.
- GMANews.TV <http://www.gmanews.tv/story/96293/Pimentel-pushes-probe-into-alleged-financial-abuse-by-Senate-witnesses>
NFA to hold rice auction for private sector next week
05/20/2008 | 02:44 PM
MANILA, Philippines- The National Food Authority is set to hold next week the auction for 141,440 metric tons of rice for the private sector.
In a telephone interview, Thomas Escarez, NFA spokesman, said the
volume to be sold was from the uncontracted rice in the original
163,000 metric tons of rice available for private groups and entities
under the country specific quota.
From the May 9 auction, only 25 groups participated and sought to import a total of 21,560 metric tons of rice.
The country specific quota is a commitment of the Philippines with the
World Trade Organization that required Manila to import certain volumes
of rice from Thailand, India, China and Australia.
Despite the cool reception given by the private sector on the first
auction, Escarez said the NFA is doing the exercise as it “feels the
need of the private sector to support its own grain supply requirement."
Meanwhile, the auction for 200,000 metric tons of rice, which would
allow private sector to import from any country, will be held in June.
The importation of the private sector of rice will be free from any
tariffs as the NFA would allow them to use the tax expenditure subsidy
of the agency. In turn, the private sector will be paying NFA service
fee for the use of its facility.
- Cheryl Arcibal, GMANews.TV <http://www.gmanews.tv/story/96304/NFA-to-hold-rice-auction-for-private-sector-next-week>
Laser heats up the fusion future
|
By Jonathan Fildes
Science and technology reporter, BBC News
|
The UK plans to build an even more powerful facility called Hiper
|
The world's most powerful laser has heated matter to a truly sweltering 10 million Celsius.
The Vulcan laser concentrated energy equivalent to 100 times the
world's electricity production into a spot just a few millionths of a
metre across.
Writing in the New Journal of Physics, scientists said they could create the conditions for fractions of a second.
The experiments demonstrated concepts which could be key to building a future nuclear fusion reactor.
The UK has proposed an even more powerful laser facility, known as
Hiper (High Power laser Energy Research), which will study the
feasibility of laser fusion as a potential future energy source.
"Hiper is a proposed, very large-scale facility and so we have to check
that our understanding is correct," explained Professor Peter Norreys
of the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL) in Oxfordshire where the
experiments took place. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7407963.stm>
Soros warns global boom is over
|
By Steve Schifferes
BBC News economics reporter
|
George Soros on why he believes the UK is in a fragile position
Billionaire investor George Soros has given his gloomiest assessment of the state of the US and world economies.
He told BBC business editor Robert Peston that the "acute phase" of the
credit crunch may be over but effects on the real economy are yet to be
felt.
He warned the "financial bubble" of the last 25 years could be
drawing to an end and the post World War II "super-boom" era could also
be over.
He predicted a "more severe and longer" US slowdown than most people expect.
And he said that the UK was worse-placed than America to weather
the coming economic storm, because it had such a large financial sector
and has had the biggest increase in house prices.<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7408620.stm>
Aviation impacts 'hotly disputed'
|
By Roger Harrabin
BBC environment analyst
|
The number of flights taken by UK citizens is projected to soar
|
UK ministers have been urged to halt airport expansion until the
true costs and benefits of the proposed increase in flying are properly
understood.
The Sustainable Development Commission (SDC) and the Institute for
Public Policy Research (IPPR) have been examining aviation policy for a
year.
They conclude that so much fundamental data is disputed that an independent inquiry is needed to sort it out.
The government said it had serious objections to the report's findings.
A statement from the Department for Transport (DfT) rejected the notion
that a further three-year debate, as requested by the SDC and IPPR,
would serve any useful purpose.
Among the main areas of dispute are:
- The economic benefit of aviation:
Treasury analysis based on aviation industry research estimates future
increases in economic activity through expanded aviation - but excludes
any calculation of losses to the UK tourist industry through cheap
flights abroad.
- The impact of aviation's greenhouse gas emissions:
This is a particularly difficult area as scientists are still trying to
work out exactly how much the heating effect of aircraft emissions is
magnified, as the gases are released at altitude. There is also
uncertainty over how to express the significance of the heating effect
of contrails.
- The role of technology: The aviation
industry believes that many problems can be solved by improved
technology. But many experts warn that improvements in technology
cannot keep up with the increase in demand for flying.
The SDC/IPPR report said all the uncertainty had eroded people's confidence in government policy. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7411184.stm>
Rural homes 'lead broadband UK'
|
By Rory Cellan-Jones
Technology Correspondent, BBC News
|
Is the UK rural/town digital divide over?
|
Rural households are now more likely to have a broadband connection than residents of towns, says Ofcom.
The regulator's regional communications market report shows that 59% of
rural households have broadband compared to 57% of urban homes.
It is the first time that the country has overtaken the town, according to the report.
Four years ago urban dwellers were twice as likely to have broadband as those living in the country.
Ed Richards, Ofcom's chief executive, said: "Our report
highlights a closing of the geographical digital divide in the UK.
Rural households are today as well connected to broadband as their
urban neighbours."
The report also reveals big differences in take-up of modern communications across the UK.
Sunderland appears to be the UK's most connected city, with 66% of
households having broadband and 96% using digital television. Glasgow
has the lowest take-up of broadband in the UK at 32%.
Ofcom could not explain why Sunderland was at the top of the broadband
league but said Glasgow's position probably reflected low levels of
household income and computer ownership.
By contrast, in the Highlands and Islands, 62% of homes have
broadband, and Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Dundee are all well ahead of the
UK average.
There has been a major drive to bring broadband to every corner of
Scotland, partly to sustain the economies of isolated communities where
many residents can now work from home. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7413244.stm>
Internet key to Obama victories
|
By Steve Schifferes
BBC News
|
From early on, Mr Obama adopted the internet to reach his supporters
|
With Barack Obama moving close to victory in the Democratic
presidential primary campaign, the internet has proved one of the key
tools to his success. And it may well give the Democrats a big
advantage during the Presidential race itself.
The internet has been moving to the mainstream of political life in the US for some years.
But in this presidential cycle it has been particularly important for
the Obama campaign, which was starting from scratch with few resources
and little name recognition.
The internet favours the outsider, and gives them the ability to quickly mobilise supporters and money online.
And the more nimble use of the internet by the Obama campaign in
its early stages helped him overcome the huge initial lead of Hillary
Clinton in the presidential nominating race. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7412045.stm>
Sceptics question Microsoft move
Office is the dominant productivity suite of programs
Open source advocates have questioned Microsoft's commitment to using open document standards in the future.
The computer giant has said it will implement use of the Open Document Format (ODF), "sometime next year".
The Free Software Foundation Europe said: "It's a step in the right
direction but we are sceptical about how open Microsoft will be."
The European Commission, which has fined Microsoft for monopolistic practice, welcomed the move.
"The Commission would welcome any step that Microsoft took towards
genuine interoperability, more consumer choice and less vendor
lock-in," it said.
The Commission added that it would look into whether Microsoft's
announcement "leads to better interoperability and allows consumers to
process and exchange their documents with the software product of their
choice".
Governments will be looking for actual results, not promises in press releases
Marino Marcich, ODF Alliance
Open source software advocates have long criticised the file formats
used by Microsoft's Office suite of programs because they are not
genuinely interoperable with software from third parties.
Microsoft has said it will add support for ODF when it updates Office 2007 next year.
Georg Greve, president of the Free Software Foundation Europe, said he
remained dubious about "how deep" Microsoft's adoption of the standard
would go.
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7414547.stm>
French pension strike sparks numbers battle
|
By Alasdair Sandford
BBC News, Paris
|
Hundreds of thousands of people took part in protests in cities across France
|
During previous transport strikes, the congestion on Parisian streets has often forced those on bikes onto the pavements.
Thursday's day of action brought few such problems for this two-wheeled commuter.
There was chaos and confusion at one road junction, but it was caused by a malfunctioning traffic light.
The French capital did experience disruption, but it was
relatively light. Many people anticipated it, and either stayed at home
or staggered their travel plans.
The metro ran almost as usual. Suburban trains were fewer than usual but the service was still operating.
The problems were worse in other cities such as Lyon, Strasbourg
and Marseille - where dockers angry at privatisation plans joined
demonstrators protesting against the government's pension reforms.
The state railway company SNCF said slightly more than half of
trains - and two out of three high-speed TGVs - were running. For the
second time, a law guaranteeing a minimum service during strikes was in
effect.
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7415789.stm>
EU shake-up on farming subsidies
Ministers are calling for an increase in food production
|
The EU has unveiled a plan for reform of its Common Agricultural
Policy, the rural payments system that costs more than 40bn euros
(£32bn) a year.
The proposals are aimed at making farmers more responsive to market forces amid rapidly rising food prices.
They aim to scrap milk quotas and give farmers incentives to look after the countryside rather than producing food.
EU agriculture boss Mariann Fischer Boel wants to minimise the distortion to food markets the subsidies create.
The draft policy requires approval by all 27 EU member states. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7409739.stm>
LA workers swap cars for subway
|
By David Willis
BBC News, Los Angeles
|
In Los Angeles, the rising price of petrol is prompting people to
travel to work by train rather than by car. According to figures from
the city's subway system, the number of passengers increased by more
than 14% in the first three months of 2008.
|
America's second largest city is a sprawl. Fifty-two suburbs in search of a city, so the old saying goes
|
I am going to let you in on a little secret, but promise me please you
will not breathe a word, otherwise I may never be able to show my face
in certain parts of this town again.
This week I did something which - in nearly 10 years of living in Los Angeles - I have never, ever done before.
Cue the drum roll: I travelled to work on the subway.
I did it because the figures suggest it is the trend. And (hem hem)
being the trend-setter that I am, that is the only excuse I need. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/7413056.stm>
Microsoft's survival strategy
Maggie Shiels
BBC News, Silicon Valley
Innovation is vital to the future survival of Microsoft, according its own research head.
Roy Levin
Roy Levin, founder of Microsoft's Silicon Valley, at the roadshow
Rick Rashid, charged with overseeing research worldwide, made the
comments as Microsoft offered a glimpse at some of the projects aimed
at ensuring the company goes from strength-to-strength.
"Ultimately the goal of Microsoft Research is to make sure Microsoft is still here in 10 years."
Not unsurprisingly there was no mention of Yahoo's role, given
Microsoft's pursuit of the company and subsequent failure to buy it.
-Programming for kids
-Botnet detection
-LaserTouch
-E-Science in the cloud
-Tablet PC
-Other research
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7418178.stm>
Web worlds 'useful' for children
Screenshot from Adventure Rock, BBC
Adventure Rock is a large scale world that children can explore
Virtual worlds can be valuable places where children rehearse what they will do in real life, reveals research.
They are also a "powerful and engaging" alternative to more passive pursuits such as watching TV, said the BBC-sponsored study.
The research was done with children using the BBC's Adventure Rock virtual world, aimed at those aged 6-12.
The researcher said the BBC should have involved children early on to guide development and provide feedback.
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7415442.stm>
Kennedy illness to impact US race
By Kevin Connolly
BBC News, Washington
Ted Kennedy May 2008
Ted Kennedy's health will be closely followed in the US
Ted Kennedy has been in politics longer than most Americans have been
alive - a living embodiment of the dark-edged glamour of his clan and
of his party's vision for the United States.
It is hard to imagine a Democratic election campaign without him - but
that is the prospect which the party must now confront, following news
he is ill with a malignant brain tumour.
The world of the internet and 24-hour television news has created an
unforgiving environment for public figures in which symptoms are
discussed and debated, and the prospect of death is grimly confronted.
But whatever the outcome of Ted Kennedy's treatment in the coming
months, it is reasonable to assume that he will not play the central
role in the autumn general election which, in normal circumstances, we
would have expected.
For the Democratic Party, that represents an irreplaceable loss. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7418191.stm>
New Internet icons lift Silicon Valley from skepticism
05/25/2008 | 07:52 PM
"Once You're Lucky, Twice You're Good: The Rebirth of Silicon Valley
and the Rise of Web 2.0" (Gotham. 294 pages. $26), by Sarah Lacy:
Silicon Valley, that high-tech hub of innovation and occasional hubris,
is rising again, driven by a new generation of idea men who learned
from the dot-com crash or came of age after it.
In "Once You're Lucky, Twice You're Good," Business Week technology
reporter Sarah Lacy profiles these budding Internet icons, parsing the
mix of detachment and determination that allowed them to survive the
skepticism that followed the bust.
That collapse — which saw the NASDAQ lose half its value in 2000 —
weeded the Valley of a lot of opportunists, driving out dreaded
"sweater vest" investors who had fueled the bubble, Lacy says. But
dreamers kept coming to nurse their ideas in a vacuum, quietly building
a new wave of companies known as "Web 2.0."
The best known of this bunch — including Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn
and Blogger — feed off the "human need to connect," creating addictive
online communities that help people "make sense of the world," Lacy
writes, citing Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg.
Their social networking sites offer people a place to express
themselves, "digitizing identity" — and drawing huge advertiser
interest.
But the prospect of success draws mixed emotions from the 2.0 set, Lacy
explains. Haunted by the crash, few want to sell or go public,
preferring to keep control over ideas that were often hatched not for
cash, but simply because they seemed cool.
Many shun traditional venture capital, funded instead by dot-com
survivors, dubbed "angel investors," who urge caution even as startup
costs fall.
Yet as their companies grow, 2.0 "nontrepreneurs" will have to decide:
Should they sell, go public or hire a CEO? Become managers themselves?
None of those options appeal.
Kevin Rose, 31 and worth about $60 million after founding the
bookmarking site Digg, is Lacy's 2.0 Everyman. "He enjoys the money,
the fame, and the attention, as anyone would. But ultimately he feels
somewhat lost. Not only 'How did I get here?' but many times, 'How do I
get out?'" Lacy writes.
The specter of the crash taunts more than Rose's generation, too,
fueling marathon efforts to hit it big again by some dot-com survivors
— not for more money, but to prove past successes weren't a fluke, Lacy
says.
That theme, reflected in her book's title, badgers big winners, who
wrestle with the prospect of aging past genius, afraid that, at 35,
they may be too old for another great breakthrough.
With colorful anecdotes and impressive access, Lacy — who has spent
nearly 10 years covering Silicon Valley — outlines these anxieties,
cutting to the core of some of the most famously guarded Internet icons
to tell a human story of ambition, drive and doubt.
"The culture of any startup emanates from its founder," she writes,
taking readers into dormlike offices and old-school diners for quirky
conversations with creators of Web giants including Facebook, PayPal,
Napster and Netscape.
The result is a well-reported recent history of the Internet,
highlighting its boyish innovators, dramatic deals, constant
competition and the small, incestuous valley from which so many big
things have sprung.
Lacy strikes a surprisingly nostalgic note in the end, betting not just
on the social networking technology she covers, but on the people
behind it, regardless of their business models.
"If the rise of Web 2.0 from the ashes of the bust has taught us
anything, it's that Silicon Valley will likely never get so scorched
that things never rise again," she writes. "The people who flock here
want to believe; they just need a little help sometimes."
- AP <http://www.gmanews.tv/story/97245/New-Internet-icons-lift-Silicon-Valley-from-skepticism>
Online communities open but still limit movement
05/25/2008 | 05:27 PM
NEW YORK - Online social networking today is more about hanging out
with friends behind gated communities than exploring the World Wide
Web: Visit another site and you'll have to rebuild your profile from
scratch.
That's like having to get a new driver's license for every state you drive through.
Although the walls that keep users from taking their data wherever they
go are starting to erode, how much three recently announced programs
will help users move among the networks remains to be seen. Google
Inc.'s attempt to break those fortifications was quickly blocked by
Facebook.
The two leading online hangouts, News Corp.'s MySpace and Facebook,
have promised to release tools in the coming weeks for Web sites to
incorporate profile data, friends lists and other social functions.
Google followed with its own program for bridging various networks.
MySpace users, for instance, can soon have their biographical
information appear on eBay Inc. profiles. A social network focused on
skiing will be able to incorporate Facebook photos and friends list
rather than build its own.
It's all done through software hooks that let eBay and others grab
profile data from MySpace and Facebook. Changes made at MySpace and
Facebook are quickly propagated because third-party sites can't store
the data and must check back frequently.
The new programs come as users increasingly complain about having to
retype basic profile information over and over. By holding onto users'
information while letting them bring temporary copies of it elsewhere,
Facebook and MySpace can remain at the core of users' social
interactions and keep them from leaving.
More important than saving keystrokes, the programs bring along the
meaning and connections behind the data, allowing social circles to
travel from site to site, much as friends going bar hopping together
don't have to start conversations afresh at each pub.
That said, there are no current plans to exchange profile data between
MySpace and Facebook. Message postings at one won't show up at the
other, and party invites still will have to be copied and pasted to
cross services.
Google's new Friend Connect comes close to merging those lives, though.
When announced, it was to pool profile data from Facebook, Google Talk,
Google's Orkut, LinkedIn, Plaxo and hi5, though not MySpace.
But within days, Facebook began blocking Google, saying it couldn't ensure anyone's privacy if Google were the intermediary.
Such concerns are simply a convenient way to play down underlying
desires for control, said Deborah Pierce, who tracks social-networking
privacy as executive director of Privacy Activism.
"They get to say, `We're being the good guys on privacy,' but they are
still retaining control of your personal data," Pierce said.
Some startups aren't waiting. Minggl and Zude both promise to help
users aggregate data from their various networks, including MySpace and
Facebook.
There are some legitimate privacy concerns.
"In many models, something becomes public once and it becomes public
forever," said Dave Morin, a senior platform manager at Facebook. "We
believe in giving users control. If we move too quickly we might not
achieve that."
Users must agree before a third-party site can access their data, but
they sometimes change their minds. Facebook and MySpace say restricting
outside storage of data ensures that other sites get the latest
information, whether it's an updated user photo or a revocation of
consent.
Service providers also have to consider that people may agree to be friends in the specific community — not across the Web.
So with Google's and Facebook's programs, both parties have to agree to
be on a third-party site before appearing on a friends list. Although
that policy extends only to minors on MySpace, adults can opt out of
appearing on friends lists on other sites by visiting a new online
control panel.
E-mail addresses and other non-profile data are off limits under the
programs, as are profiles the services have assembled behind the scenes
for ad targeting.
MySpace said it is working on giving users even more privacy controls.
Eventually, MySpace users will be able to specify that only photos go
to site A and friends lists to site B, rather than all or nothing for a
particular site. Facebook said third-party developers could build that
granularity themselves, while Google was considering it.
Ultimately, users will have to decide whether they really want to mix
work-related LinkedIn contacts with the party photos on Facebook.
"I don't know if people want their worlds colliding," said Rachel
Happe, a research manager at IDC. "I don't think this push to share
data should go too quickly."
Fred Stutzman, a University of North Carolina researcher who tracks
online social networks, said users sometimes leave for other networks
so they can start over.
Jim Benedetto, senior vice president for technology at MySpace, said
social networks will likely open more once they sort out the technical
and privacy challenges — much as AOL and CompuServe users can now send
e-mail to people who use all other e-mail services. Instant-messaging
services, meanwhile, remain in walled gardens even today.
Bill Washburn, whose OpenID Foundation promotes universal usernames and
passwords, said social networks will come to realize that openness
makes their respective services even more powerful.
They just need to work on a common approach, said Bob Bickel of Ringside Networks, a startup building tools to bridge networks.
"It's kind of a step forward and a half-step back," Bickel said. "It
may take a year or two to shake all that out, but it definitely
accelerates the timeline."
- AP <http://www.gmanews.tv/story/97232/Online-communities-open-but-still-limit-movement>
Microsoft abandons plan to scan books
05/24/2008 | 08:58 AM
SEATTLE
- Microsoft Corp. is abandoning its effort to scan whole libraries and
make their contents searchable, a sign it may be getting choosier about
the fights it will pick with Google Inc.
The world’s largest software maker is under pressure to show it has a
coherent strategy for turning around its unprofitable online business
after its bid for Yahoo Inc., last valued at $47.5 billion (€30.17
billion), collapsed this month.
Digitizing books and archiving academic journals no longer fits with
the company’s plan for its search operation, wrote Satya Nadella,
senior vice president of Microsoft’s search and advertising group, in a
blog post Friday.
Microsoft will take down two separate sites for searching the contents
of books and academic journals next week, and Live Search will direct
Web surfers looking for books to non-Microsoft sites, the company said.
Nadella said Microsoft will focus on “verticals with high commercial intent."
“We believe the next generation of search is about the development of
an underlying, sustainable business model for the search engine,
consumer and content partner," Nadella wrote.
At an advertising confab at Microsoft’s Redmond, Washington,
headquarters this week, he demonstrated a new system that rewards
customers with cash rebates for using Live Search to find and buy items
on advertisers’ sites.
Microsoft entered the book-scanning business in 2005 by contributing
material to the Open Content Alliance, an industry group conceived by
the Internet Archive and Yahoo. In 2006, it unveiled its competing MSN
book search site.
Unlike Google, whose decision to scan books still protected under
copyright law has provoked multiple lawsuits, Microsoft stuck to
scanning books with the permission of publishers or that were firmly in
the public domain.
The company said it will give publishers digital copies of the 750,000 books and 80 million journal articles it has amassed.
Microsoft’s search engine is a distant third behind Google’s and
Yahoo’s, in terms of the number of queries performed each month,
despite the company’s many attempts to emulate Google’s innovative
search features and create some of its own.
Microsoft as much as said its search strategy wasn’t working when it
offered in February to buy Yahoo to boost its search and advertising.
Talks between the companies collapsed because Yahoo executives sought more money.
The company’s ceding the book-search segment to Google and the
Yahoo-led Open Content Alliance could signal Microsoft has a new search
strategy and is ready to jettison its unsuccessful me-too efforts.
However, the software maker has not given up on combining its search
operations with Yahoo’s. The two companies are said to be talking about
a more limited deal. - AP<
http://www.gmanews.tv/story/97116/Microsoft-abandons-plan-to-scan-books>
Google, Facebook in stalemate over social data
NEW YORK - Google Inc.'s online communities have little traction in the
United States, but the search leader continues to seek a spot in the
social-networking hierarchy.
First, it must contend with Facebook, the No. 2 online hangout behind MySpace.
Days after Google unveiled Friend Connect, which lets the sites of
musicians, political campaigns and others incorporate profile data from
several social networks, Facebook began to block the program.
Although Google was taking advantage of the same tools that Facebook
made available free to other outside developers, Facebook said Google
was violating Facebook's restrictions on data sharing. The two sides
remain in a stalemate.
Google, whose Orkut social network has tens of millions of users in
Brazil, tried to reach further into social networking with the November
unveiling of a consortium called OpenSocial, which lets developers
write applications for use on multiple social networks. News Corp.'s
MySpace has joined, but Facebook hasn't.
This month, Google unveiled Friend Connect, which promises to pool
profile data from Facebook, Google Talk, Orkut, LinkedIn, Plaxo and
hi5, though not MySpace. The profile information gets incorporated into
other sites — a political campaign, for instance, can build communities
of supporters by tapping existing networks — with Google serving as the
intermediary.
Facebook quickly objected, citing privacy concerns. Normally dealing
with other companies one on one, Facebook can block a service it feels
violates its rules. With Google as the intermediary, Facebook lost that
leverage, so it decided to block Friend Connect entirely.
In a blog posting, Facebook developer Charlie Cheever said Google's
Friend Connect "redistributes user information from Facebook to other
developers without users' knowledge, which doesn't respect the privacy
standards our users have come to expect."
Google responded, acknowledging it passes along data. But it said
sharing is limited to links for profile photos of users and friends who
have expressly consented to sharing with that particular site. The
user's name and numeric ID on Facebook are replaced with Google's own
identifiers, Google said in a company blog post.
Google also said it purges Facebook data from its systems every 30
minutes, more frequently than the 24 hours required by Facebook.
Facebook has run into privacy challenges before, most recently when it
unveiled a marketing tool called "Beacon" that tracked purchases
Facebook members made on other Web sites and sent alerts to their
Facebook friends about the transactions.
But Rachel Happe, research manager at IDC, said the dispute is
ultimately about control rather than privacy. She said Google's Friend
Connect "starts to eat into other people's value proposition, which is
why you saw Facebook object to it."
- AP <http://www.gmanews.tv/story/97088/Google-Facebook-in-stalemate-over-social-data>
Author explores 'the new old age'
05/25/2008 | 07:55 PM
"A Place Called Canterbury: Tales of the New Old Age in America"
(Viking, 366 pages, $24.95), by Dudley Clendinen: A journalist takes
readers inside his mother's housing complex for the elderly and inside
the complicated reality of aging in America today.
Halfway through his exploration of life in Canterbury Tower in Tampa,
Fla., Clendinen mentions the story a woman told him after attending a
memorial for a resident who lived alone.
"What a shame she didn't have a family," she told the in-house clergyman who performed the service.
"She had all of us," he replied. And that notion of caring for each
other in an almost familial way, with humor, squabbles and forbearance,
becomes a creed for many in this high-rise community of people in their
70s, 80s and 90s.
Clendinen's basic story follows the last years in the life of his
mother, a strong, smart, social woman, and warmly recalls his own
growing up in a neighborhood nearby. But "A Place Called Canterbury" is
equally a sociological study, told from an insider's viewpoint.
Clendinen, a former New York Times writer, lives in the tower
off-and-on through much of the action and intimately describes life
there — from domestic disputes to sexual liaisons.
He places Canterbury in historical context and makes clear that those
living in the elegantly run and moderately expensive (though nonprofit)
facility — a 21st-century successor to the Old People's Home of his
youth — are fortunate to find themselves in such a secure cocoon.
He offers an insightful guide for those of his generation trying to
help their aging parents with life's final challenges, detailing, for
example, decisions he and his sister had to make about withholding
extraordinary care as their mother's condition deteriorated at the end.
Some of the tender conversations he has about this, trying to make his
mother understand, are among the book's most moving passages.
At Canterbury, we meet a fascinating cast of characters, from a rabbi
who narrowly escaped Nazi Germany and becomes one of the mainly
Christian community's spiritual pillars to a man descending steadily
into dementia. And we meet many widows whose personalities, sweet or
sour, busy or bored, never conjure the cliched image of a doting
grandmother.
In some cases, Clendinen has known these people for much of his life;
some couples were neighbors of his parents decades ago, before they all
moved to apartments in Canterbury. After his mother has a series of
strokes and moves permanently into the tower's nursing wing, they
become his dinner companions and confidantes; he even bunks in the
spare room of one apartment.
Experiencing the Sept. 11 attacks at Canterbury reveals much. As the
staff begins to grasp the horror that's unfolding, televisions and
radios are turned off in the nursing wing, so as not to agitate the
patients.
For those living independently, the terrorist attacks "shattered the
sense of sanctuary" that the building, which sees to all needs,
represented, Clendinen says. And yet, the resilience of these folks,
who had seen horrors before, returned — in the form of a patriotic
variety show they staged soon after, and in humor.
At dinner one night, the discussion turned to reports that the
hijackers anticipated a heavenly reward of 72 virgins. Clendinen
writes: "All things considered, (one man) finally said, he'd rather
have a couple of experienced widows. They all agreed."
Humor, sometimes in the most unlikely places, such as a discussion of
where to keep a loved one's ashes, suffuses Clendinen's Canterbury
tales, which in the end are about people finding grace, courage and
community in the new world of old age.
- AP <http://www.gmanews.tv/story/97246/Author-explores-the-new-old-age>
Historic pictures sent from Mars
The probe has sent back pictures of a flat landscape with few rocks
|
A Nasa spacecraft has sent back historic first pictures of an unexplored region of Mars.
The Mars Phoenix lander touched down in the far north of the Red
Planet, after a 680 million-km (423 million-mile) journey from Earth.
The probe is equipped with a robotic arm to dig for water-ice thought to be buried beneath the surface.
It will begin examining the site for evidence of the building blocks of life in the next few days.
A signal confirming the lander had reached the surface was received at 2353 GMT on 25 May (1953 EDT; 0053 BST on 26 May).
Engineers and scientists at Nasa's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in
California clapped and cheered when the landing signal came through.
"Phoenix has landed - welcome to the northern plain of Mars," a flight controller announced. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7411113.stm>
Pioneering rocket scientist Ernst Stuhlinger dies
05/27/2008 | 04:40 PM
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama – Pioneering German-born rocket scientist Dr. Ernst
Stuhlinger, who played a key role in developing America's space
program, died Sunday, according to the US Space & Rocket Center. He
was 94.
Stuhlinger had been in failing health recently and missed the 50th
anniversary of America in space in February. His last public appearance
was in December at the "Science Goes to the Moon and Planets" seminar
in Huntsville, and he spoke on his 50 years of work in rocket programs,
said Ed Buckbee, a former director of the Space and Rocket Center.
Stuhlinger served as chief scientist for Dr. Wernher von Braun and was
among the group of German scientists who moved with him to Huntsville
in 1950 when the Army established the Ordnance Missile Laboratories.
Ralph Petroff, who helped spearhead efforts to restore the Space &
Rocket Center's original Saturn V rocket, said Stuhlinger's scientific
brilliance was unmatched. In the 1950s, he conceived what would
eventually become the Hubble Space Telescope. He also spent years
exploring the possibilities of electric propulsion ion engines for deep
space travel.
Stuhlinger was "in many ways the most important technical figure from
the golden age of space," along with von Braun and Russia's Sergei
Korolev, who developed the first artificial satellite, Sputnik, Petroff
said.
He was arguably Huntsville's most influential resident and deserves a public tribute from the city, Petroff said.
"If von Braun was the Columbus of the 20th century, Ernst Stuhlinger was his navigator and confidante."
Stuhlinger is survived by his wife Irmgard, two sons, a daughter, two grandsons and a sister.
- AP <http://www.gmanews.tv/story/97568/Pioneering-rocket-scientist-Ernst-Stuhlinger-dies>
Meralco defies SEC directive, resumes stockholders’ meet
05/27/2008 | 12:22 PM
SEC’s cease and desist order
1. Let an ex-parte Cease and Desist Order issue —
- restraining respondent Anthony Rosete, assistant corporate
secretary of MERALCO, or any person acting on his behalf or in his
stead, or any successor of the present Corporate Secretary, or any
person performing the functions of Corporate Secretary in connection
with the stockholders’ meeting set on May 27, 2008 or any adjournment
thereof, from recognizing, counting, or tabulating, directly or
indirectly, notionally or actually, in whatever way, form, manner or
means, or otherwise honoring the proxies in favor Manuel Lopez, Felipe
Alfonso, Jesus Francisco, Christian Monsod, Elpidio Ibañaez, Francisco
Giles-Puno or any officer representing MERALCO Management, that have in
any way been challenged, protested or objected to at the validation
proceedings, during the stockholders’ meeting on May 27, 2008, or any
adjournment thereof;
- restraining respondents Lopez, Alfonso, Francisco, Mondod,
Ibañez and Giles-Puno from voting said challenged, protested or
objected to, shares solicited by MERALCO management; and
- restraining respondent Rosete from committing any act that
would render ineffective the proxies duly issued in favor of the GSIS,
in particular those of the other government agencies all of which were
submitted in conformity with Commission rules;
2. And to recognize and tabulate, honor and count, all other proxies;
3. Directing Director Hubert Guevara of the Compliance and Enforcement
Department of the Commission and two of his qualified lawyers, as the
SEC representatives to supervise the stockholders’ meeting with full
powers and authority to ensure the holding of a credible, transparent
and peaceful election of directors on the date stipulated above.
MANILA, Philippines - The Manila Electric Co.
(Meralco) Board on Tuesday morning proceeded with the company's
stockholders' meeting, defying a cease and desist order issued by the
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
In a statement read during the meeting, majority of existing members of
the Meralco Board said they decided to proceed with the stockholders'
meeting around 11:30 a.m. saying the authenticity of the SEC injunction
order is questionable.
The statement was read by Meralco Asst. Corporate Secretary Anthony Rosete.
The Meralco Board noted that the injunction order was numbered, did not
bear SEC's seal, was undated and was signed by only one SEC
commissioner who had no authority to represent other members of the
commission.
The Board also noted that due process was not observed in the issuance
of the injunction order, saying the order was released without the
conduct of a committee hearing and that no complaint was lodged with
the compliance division of SEC.
Meralco also said it was not been served notice beforehand.
The Board also questioned SEC's intervention, saying the commission had
ceded jurisdiction over the settlement of intra-corporate disputes to
the courts. It noted that the Government Service Insurance System
(GSIS) had already filed a similar charge before the Pasay City
regional trial court.
On the other hand, GSIS president and general manager Winston Garcia
and another government representative in the Meralco Board opposed the
decision to resume the stockholders' meeting.
For his part, Hubert Guevara, director of SEC's compliance and
enforcement division, said the SEC order was not meant to stop the
Meralco's stockholders' meeting, but rather to make sure that the
voting is carried out in a transparent manner.
Guevara also said the Meralco Board's decision to proceed with the stockholders' meeting remains subject to the SEC's action.
"We're not here to stop the annual meeting of stockholders but to
ensure that the voting is transparent. Proceed if you want, but this
will be subject to whatever actions as may be decided by the commission
later on," Guevara said.
Earlier in the day, SEC served an injunction order preventing proxies
of Meralco from being voted on the Board. The injunction order also
allowed SEC to take over the stockholders' meeting proceedings.
The issuance of the SEC order, signed by commissioner and
officer-in-charge Jesus Enrique G. Martinez, prompted members of the
Meralco Board to declare a recess.
- Patricia de Leon, GMANews.TV <http://www.gmanews.tv/story/97532/Meralco-defies-SEC-directive-resumes-stockholders-meet>
Meralco faces 'triple whammy' if tussle with GSIS remains unresolved
05/27/2008 | 04:23 PM
MANILA, Philippines- The Manila Electric Co. faces an impending 'triple
whammy' if it is unable to find a middle ground with the Government
Services Insurance System on the issue of control over its operations,
an analyst said Tuesday.
In an interview with GMANews.TV, Astro del Castillo, managing director
of First Grade Holdings, said the country's largest power distributor
may take a hit on three fronts if the corporate tussle with GSIS
continues.
First, del Castillo said Meralco will be facing a "management
challenge" with the GSIS and other government-appointed directors
blocking its operational moves every step of the way.
Second, it may face a heightened regulatory challenge, or pressure to
bring down its rates from both the public and the government.
And lastly, del Castillo said that because of all the uncertainty
playing out, Meralco will have to deal with decreasing market
sentiment. He said Meralco shares may continue to weaken, even after it
has fallen more than 20 percent since the whole issue started in late
April.
"The key really here is to find a middle ground as soon as possible.
The longer this issue takes, the worse it is for Meralco," del Castillo
said.
The "middle ground" del Castillo explained, would have to be something both Meralco and GSIS thresh out between themselves.
"They need to talk about it. They both want good things for the
company, so they just need to talk about it," he said. - Patricia de
Leon,
GMANews.TV <
http://www.gmanews.tv/story/97565/Meralco-faces-triple-whammy-if-tussle-with-GSIS-remains-unresolved>
Hanjin starts 5-day sea trial for its first-ever ship built from Subic shipyard
05/27/2008 | 04:28 PM
SUBIC, Philippines - South
Korean firm Hanjin Heavy Industries Corporation on Tuesday started a
five-day sea trial for the first-ever ship it built from its massive
US$1.6 billion shipbuilding facility here Subic Bay.
Hanjin, whose projects in Subic and Misamis were alleged to have been
tainted with anomalies, said the sea trial in the South China Sea is
being conducted before the ship's delivery to Greece in June.
It said the ship temporarily designated its the newly-constructed ship
as PN-001, and will be later named Argolikos. The ship will fly a Greek
flag, calling Piraeus, Greece as its home port.
On May 9, Hanjin announced it has completed outfitting the vessel, a
41,000-ton cargo carrier ordered by Greek shipping company Dioryx
Marine Corporation.
- GMANews.TV <http://www.gmanews.tv/story/97567/Hanjin-starts-5-day-sea-trial-for-its-first-ever-ship-built-from-Subic-shipyard>
YouTube law fight 'threatens net'
YouTube is owned by search giant Google
|
A one billion dollar lawsuit against YouTube threatens internet freedom, according to its owner Google.
Google's claim follows Viacom's move to sue the video sharing service
for its inability to keep copyrighted material off its site.
Viacom says it has identified 150,000 unauthorised clips on YouTube.
In court documents Google's lawyers say the action "threatens
the way hundreds of millions of people legitimately exchange
information" over the web.
The search giant's legal team also maintained that YouTube had
been faithful to the requirements of the 1998 Digital Millennium
Copyright Act and that they responded properly to claims of
infringement.
In papers submitted to a Manhattan court, Google said it and
YouTube "goes far beyond its legal obligations in assisting content
owners to protect their works".
Viacom disagreed that either firm had lived up to that standard
and said that they had done "little or nothing" to stop infringement. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7420955.stm>
Lopez family retains control of Meralco after hostile meet
05/27/2008 | 11:10 PM
It took independent auditor SGV and Co. seven hours to come out with
the results of the voting but all in all, Meralco stockholders' meeting
dragged on for more than 13 hours, one of the longest stockholders'
meetings in Philippine corporate history.
The elected representatives of the Lopez family in the Meralco board
are Manuel M. Lopez, Jesus P. Francisco, Christian S. Monsod, Felipe B.
Alfonso, and Cesar PA Virata.
The representatives of the government in the Meralco board are Winston
F. Garcia, Daisy P. Arce, Bernardino R. Abes, and Jeremy Z. Parulan.
There are 11 seats on Meralco's board of directors. The company's two
independent directors are former Chief Justice Artemio Panganiban and
Vicente Panlilio.
Temporary victory?
The Lopez family victory might be temporary after the Government
Service Insurance System (GSIS) said it would question the validity of
proxies that were voted for the Lopez representatives.<
http://www.gmanews.tv/story/97642/Lopez-family-retains-control-of-Meralco-after-hostile-meet>
Meralco’s troubles not over yet despite Lopezes' 'victory'
05/28/2008 | 02:25 AM
MANILA, Philippines -
The Lopez family on Tuesday foiled a bid by the head of a state pension
fund to take over Manila Electric Co. (Meralco), ignoring a last-minute
order from regulators to stop the firm’s annual stockholders’ meeting.
Meralco’s troubles, however, remain far from over as Government Service
Insurance System (GSIS) chief Winston F. Garcia said he wanted company
officials punished for setting aside a Securities and Exchange
Commission (SEC) cease and desist order.
The votes for shareholders’ board choices were still being counted as
of press time but Lopez nominees were widely expected to return to the
board. The firm’s share prices were unchanged Tuesday, closing at P63.
Meralco officials questioned the SEC order, which would have allowed
the corporate regulator to supervise the election for the 11-man board
and set aside for scrutiny proxy votes in favor of the Lopezes.
The board declared a recess to discuss the SEC directive but resumed the meeting shortly before noon.
Meralco assistant corporate secretary Anthony V. Rosete said the order
was void as only one SEC commissioner, Jesus Enrique G. Martinez, had
signed. The document also did not have a date, docket number, and the
agency’s seal.
Mr. Garcia, scion of the powerful Cebu political family that is aligned
with the President, was jeered throughout and left the stockholders’
meeting in a huff for a press conference at the nearby Crowne Plaza
Hotel, but not without first casting his vote.
The takeover bid is widely perceived as the Arroyo administration’s way
of getting back at the Lopezes, whose ABS-CBN television network is
highly critical of the Palace. Arroyo allies insist only goal was to
reduce the cost of electricity, the second highest in Asia.
Oscar M. Lopez, the Lopez patriarch, called the SEC order a "low blow".
While publicly conceding the fight to the Lopezes a day earlier, the
GSIS, it turned out, had filed a complaint with the SEC on Monday,
claiming some of the proxies solicited by Meralco may have been "fake."
A GSIS statement Tuesday pointed out that 86.8% of stockholders were at
the meeting when only 71-75% had been represented in the past.
Mr. Garcia told reporters he believed a government takeover was
possible as the GSIS and other government shareholders, which he said
collectively hold a 35% stake, had their own proxies.
The Lopezes own 33.47% of Meralco, whose four million customers account for 70% of the country’s power consumption. <
http://www.gmanews.tv/story/97659/Meralcos-troubles-not-over-yet-despite-Lopezes--victory>
High oil prices hit global economies
The soaring cost of oil is causing growing strain to economies around the world, rich and poor.
With prices more than doubling in the past year to $135 a barrel, the
impact is being felt acutely by consumers and businesses alike.
The risk of strikes and social unrest has become a reality in many countries as fuel becomes unaffordable for more people.
BBC reporters around the world examine the effects of the oil prices on their regions.
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7421778.stm>
Monkey's brain controls robot arm
The monkeys were able to use the robot arm to feed themselves treats
Monkeys have been able to control robotic limbs using only their thoughts, scientists report.
The animals were able to feed themselves using prosthetic arms, which were controlled by brain activity.
Small probes, the width of a human hair, were inserted into the
monkeys' primary motor cortex - the region of the brain that controls
movement.
Writing in Nature journal, the authors said their work could eventually help amputees and people who are paralysed.
Lead researcher Dr Andrew Schwartz, who is based at the
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, said: "We are beginning to
understand how the brain works using brain-machine interface
technology.
"The more we understand about the brain, the better we'll be
able to treat a wide range of brain disorders, everything from
Parkinson's disease and paralysis to, eventually, Alzheimer's disease
and perhaps even mental illness." <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7423184.stm>
Medical charity helping US poor
|
By Jonathan Beale
BBC News, Tennessee
|
Stan Brock is like a 21st-Century Florence Nightingale.
RAM's vintage plane was used to drop troops on D-Day
|
He started a charity - Remote Area Medical (RAM) - more than 20 years ago to bring relief to those cut off from healthcare.
Originally it was to help poor tribes in the former British colony of Guyana, South America.
That is where he lived after leaving Preston, Lancashire, more than half a century ago - he still is a British citizen.
But now Stan spends most of his time bringing relief to the richest country in the world.<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7420744.stm>
Long era of cheap food is over
|
By David Loyn
International development correspondent, BBC News
|
Peering just a few months ahead to estimate food prices has been a tough game recently.
As food costs rise, there is debate over whether biofuels should be encouraged
|
Peering 10 years ahead might seem impossible, especially when some of
the assumptions made for the new UN Food and Agriculture Organisation
report already look questionable.
For example, one key assumption made is that crude oil prices
will peak at $104 a barrel by 2017, within variations along the way.
The price is already well above that, and some reputable analysts are now predicting oil will go to $200 a barrel.
High oil prices push up costs for farmers in the developed world.
Fertiliser needs oil for its manufacture, while shipping costs have risen substantially.
But it is the poorest in the world who face the bleakest future - 800
million people who did not have enough to eat on a daily basis even
before the recent huge rise in prices.
The report emphasises the need for
humanitarian aid to fill the gap in the short term, and the World Bank
has now announced major support to help developing countries. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7425078.stm>
Tribesmen try to paralyse Delhi
Thousands of protesters from India's
Gujjar tribe have burnt tyres and blocked key roads into Delhi in
support of their demand for better treatment.
Tens of thousands of paramilitary troops and policemen have been deployed to maintain order.
Over the past week, at least 41 people have died in clashes between police and Gujjars in Rajasthan, western India.
The Gujjars are a large and politically influential tribe spread across the north of the country.
Meanwhile, in protests elsewhere, a member of the
Gujjar community has been killed in Samalakha village in the state of
Haryana.
Police said the man was killed when police fired rubber bullets at a crowd of protestors.
Protests have also been continuing in the state of Rajasthan.
Earlier this month the Rajasthan government announced an aid package
worth $60m (£30m) for the community but this was rejected.
The Gujjars say they want to be placed on an official list of
disadvantaged tribal groups that benefit from preferential recruitment
to government jobs and educational institutions. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7424924.stm>
Dell joins cut-down laptop market
Dell enters the netbook market with this unnamed machine
|
Dell is joining the burgeoning ranks of companies offering cut-down
laptops, called netbooks, aimed at the developing world and general
consumers.
The laptop was shown by Michael Dell to the editor of website Gizmodo at the All Things Digital Conference.
According to the official Dell blog, Michael Dell "positioned it as the perfect device for the next billion internet users".
Dell has not released pricing or specifications for its first netbook.
A number of firms are expected to enter the netbook market this year.
The market is being driven in part by the work of the One Laptop Per
Child programme, the success of the Asus Eee PC and the availability of
chips, made by companies like Intel and Via, designed for low-cost, low
power consumption devices. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7425099.stm>
Naples: A city swimming in filth
|
By Christian Fraser
BBC News, Naples
|
Beneath the mountains of festering waste, Naples is a city descending into chaos.
Naples' rubbish crisis is a serious health threat
|
Officially there is an estimated 50,000 tonnes of uncollected
rubbish in the Campania region, 5,000 tonnes of it on the city's
streets.
But drive around and it soon becomes obvious that this is an extremely conservative estimate.
Wherever you go outside the city centre there are enormous piles of rubbish rotting in the sun.
The smell gets so bad it is often just burned - and as the
temperatures soar so do the frustrations of the beleaguered
Neapolitans.
For Campania, with a population of some six million people, there is, today, according to the council, just one viable dump.
The three incinerators they are building as part of the solution are all hopelessly behind schedule.
One, in Acera, is still at least five months from completion, and has recently run out of money.
The 70m euros (£55m) needed to finish the job has been frozen as
part of an investigation into corruption involving the regional
governor, Antonio Bassolino, and 27 others.
