Ex-Thai PM’s wife guilty of fraud
July 31, 2008
The wife of Thailand’s former PM Thaksin Shinawatra has been sentenced to three years in jail for tax fraud.
Pojaman Shinawatra was granted bail by a Bangkok court in the first of several cases against the former first family.
Her brother and secretary were also found guilty of evading tax of 546m baht ($16.3m) in a 1997 shares transfer in the family telecoms business.
The ex-PM himself, deposed in a 2006 coup, is being tried in the Supreme Court for alleged corruption.
‘Politically motivated’
Pojaman Shinawatra’s brother, Bannapot Damapong, was also sentenced to three years, while her secretary was handed a two-year sentence.
The trio were freed on bail of 5m baht ($149,000) each on Thursday, pending an appeal.
Mr Thaksin’s wife, who is his most important political and business partner, looked stunned as the court delivered its verdict.
Seconds after the ruling, she reportedly walked over to pat her husband on the back.
A judge read out the verdicts in a televised ruling, saying that she should have been “a good role model as the wife of the prime minister”.
More than 1,000 supporters carrying roses and banners mobbed the family as they left the court.
About 300 riot police were deployed in the area amid concerns of possible protests but there was no trouble.
Mr Thaksin has always denied any wrongdoing by his family in this case - and several other lawsuits filed against them - and maintains the charges are politically motivated.
Unlike his wife, he will not be able to appeal if convicted.
His party, Thai Rak Thai, was outlawed after the military coup, and Mr Thaksin was banned from politics for five years.
He made a triumphant return from exile in March after his political allies in the People’s Power Party set up a coalition government.
After Thai authorities froze more than $2bn (£1bn) of his family’s assets pending corruption cases against him, he is now reportedly worth $400m (£200m).
The BBC’s Jonathan Head in Bangkok says many Thais doubted this powerful and wealthy couple would ever be convicted but those doubts have now been swept aside.
Under the new constitution brought in by the military last year the judiciary was given increased authority to hold politicians to account.
Our correspondent says that as the cases pile up against the former first family, the judiciary is now being seen as perhaps the most powerful institution in the country.
Source: bbc.co.uk/
Players are ’slaves’ at Ryder Cup
July 31, 2008
One of America’s most promising young players may have talked himself out of a Ryder Cup place after saying players are “slaves” for the tournament week.
Hunter Mahan, 26, is 12th in the US points table with just two weeks left in their qualifying race, with the top eight earning automatic team spots.
“You’ve got dinners every night - not little dinners, massive ones,” he said.
“As players, that’s the last thing we want. We want to prepare ourselves. You’re just a slave that week.”
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The PGA of America couldn’t care less about winning it, honestly
Hunter Mahan on the Ryder Cup
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With Tiger Woods ruled out of contention because of injury, the ninth-ranked player will be included, and captain Paul Azinger has four wild cards at his disposal.
Azinger has spoken of his desire to have a team of players who actually want to be there when the tournament takes place at Lexington in September.
But Mahan said he got the impression it was just an enjoyment-free imposition on players, and he could foresee the day when players decided to boycott the event.
“From what I’ve heard the whole week is extremely long,” he told Golf magazine.
“From what I’ve heard the Ryder Cup isn’t fun. The fun is sucked right out of it. That’s the word I hear a lot.”
“At some point the players might say, ‘You know what - we’re not doing this anymore, because this is ridiculous’.
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606: DEBATE
Your thoughts on Mahan’s comments
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“Don’t be surprised if it (a refusal to play) happens. It’s just not a fun week like it should be. Is it an honour to play? Yes, it is. But (the players’) time is valuable. This is a business.
“I just feel like the players don’t have much control over it and I don’t think they like that. I wouldn’t like that.
“I think Europe really, really takes it seriously. I think the US does too, but not like Europe.
“For one, every place they hold a Ryder Cup in Europe is a place on the European Tour schedule. That’s really smart because right away they have an advantage.
“The PGA of America could care less about winning it, honestly.
“They pick a site where they’re going to have the Senior PGA, the PGA and the Ryder Cup, which means less money they have to pay out to get more money.”
Source: bbc.co.uk/
England v South Africa 3rd Test
July 31, 2008
South Africa took a vice-like grip on the first day of the third Test after dismissing England for a paltry 231.
Michael Vaughan was dismissed for a golden duck while Alastair Cook (76), Ian Bell (50) and Andrew Flintoff (36 not out) scored the only runs of note.
Andre Nel and Jacques Kallis were both outstanding with the ball, each taking three wickets at Edgbaston.
But Flintoff gave England hope after removing Graeme Smith (7) late on to leave South Africa at 38-1 at stumps.
After the 10-wicket capitulation in the second Test at Headingley, England’s problems were compounded by another impotent first-innings batting display.
Day one’s post-mortem is likely to focus on run-shy captain Vaughan’s first-ball dismissal and the recalled Paul Collingwood, whose technical deficiencies were once more apparent as he again failed, this time for four.
But while questions will inevitably demand answers about England’s top order, South Africa produced yet another tight-knit bowling performance with Kallis, short of Test runs himself, emphasising his all-round credentials by capturing 3-31 and taking a brilliant low catch to dismiss Cook.
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606: DEBATE
From SA’s point of view, Colly and Vaughan seem undroppable, so it’s almost a guaranteed two cheap wickets in the next Test!
vash128
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With groundsman Steve Rouse suggesting his dry pitch would suit seamers who “kiss” the surface, giving the ball every opportunity to swing, England omitted surprise call-up Darren Pattinson in favour of the fit-again Ryan Sidebottom.
Collingwood’s recall as the sixth specialist batsman saw Stuart Broad dropped, while Steve Harmison failed to make the final XI.
Presented with a good-looking batting surface which should deteriorate as the match progresses - manna from heaven for spinner Monty Panesar - Vaughan elected to bat first after winning the toss.
Denied the alacrity of Dale Steyn through injury, South Africa recalled Nel while Morne Morkel, taking the new ball in Steyn’s absence, made the most of the pitch, offering openers Andrew Strauss and Cook little width with a probing line around both left-handers’ off stump.
But despite a cautious start, both openers remained untroubled as they compiled a solid - if unspectacular - opening partnership.
Cook was the more prominent of the pair, with Strauss content to remain patient while his partner punished anything short through mid-wicket.
Nel removed both openers on his first Test outing this summer
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But with both openers well set with the score on 69, Strauss inconceivably trod on his stumps attempting to play Nel to leg off his back foot in the 23rd over.
And the tourists were jubilant the very next delivery when Vaughan edged his first ball from Nel to wicketkeeper Mark Boucher.
Vaughan looked bemused as he returned to the pavilion, but replays suggested contact had been made with the ball, although Boucher seemed unconvinced when he caught the ball.
With England’s fragile middle order exposed, the burly Kallis twisted the knife, trapping Kevin Pietersen for four in his crease attempting to swat a straight ball to leg.
Kallis was convinced he had his man trapped lbw, but umpire Steve Davis paused until Ashwell Prince had caught the ricochet off his pad before giving the dismissal.
The Australian official adjudged Pietersen had made contact with his bat before the ball looped up to Prince at gully, although replays proved inconclusive.
With the innings on the verge of collapse at 74-3, Cook and Bell - who began his innings with a sumptuous cover-driven boundary off Kallis - steered England to lunch without further cause for concern.
The Edgbaston crowd were finally given something to celebrate in the second over after lunch when Cook brought up his 13th Test fifty with a neat flick off his body.
With a gritty half century on the scoreboard, the Essex left-hander expanded his repertoire of strokes with a series of boundaries down the ground, as well as through cover.
Collingwood has scored just 43 runs from his last six Test innings
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With Bell looking at ease on his home ground, the fourth-wicket pair added 62 before South Africa struck the all-important blow in the 41st over.
With three figures on the horizon, Cook’s lack of footwork denied him an opportunity to score his eighth Test century when he was superbly caught by Kallis off Nel for 76.
The seamer found the ideal line and length outside off stump, rooting Cook to his crease as his bat fended the ball to second slip and bringing the under-fire Collingwood to the crease.
For 40 minutes he toiled as Smith, who was passed fit to play despite a back strain, attempted to ruthlessly expose England’s one-day captain’s confidence crisis.
Apart from one defiant cover drive for four, Collingwood’s unmemorable 22-ball tenure ended when he guided Kallis to Smith at first slip.
In contrast, Bell’s innings was punctuated by a series of textbook cover drives, one of which brought up his 18th Test half century.
But former Warwickshire team-mate Ntini ended any lingering hopes of a substantial score when Bell nicked an delivery which held its line to Boucher five minutes before tea.
With a long evening session to negotiate, both Tim Ambrose and Flintoff opted for attrition in an attempt to thwart South Africa’s pumped up pace attack.
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TMS BLOG
After one defeat, how have things unravelled so spectacularly?
BBC cricket correspondent Jonathan Agnew
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Ambrose’s 59-ball vigil came to an end when he played on to Kallis - an inside edge cannoning on to his leg stump - for 22.
Ryan Sidebottom came and went, forcing Flintoff to attack Ntini with a pulled six and a vicious straight-driven four.
But two successive - and needless - run-outs brought England’s innings to an embarrassing end as both James Anderson and Monty Panesar were caught out of their ground.
With openers Smith and Neil McKenzie leaving anything off their stumps, Vaughan turned to talisman Flintoff for inspiration.
And the Lancastrian duly delivered when his second delivery removed Smith, who edged into the hands of Strauss for seven.
England could have had a second, but nightwatchman Paul Harris’s thick outside edge evaded the slips in the final over of the day from Sidebottom.
Source: bbc.co.uk/
Support for Darfur mission urged
July 31, 2008
The international community has been accused of failing to provide basic equipment vital to the peacekeeping mission in Sudan’s Darfur region.
The accusation was levelled in a report backed by 36 human rights groups and non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
It comes on the first anniversary of the decision to deploy a UN-African Union force in war-torn region.
Meanwhile, the UN Security Council is expected to vote on whether to extend the troops’ mandate for another year.
The UN estimates that five years of conflict in Darfur have left 300,000 people dead and more than 2 million people homeless.
Khartoum says the scale of the violence and suffering has been exaggerated by the West for political reasons.
It denies charges that it organised the Arab Janjaweed militias, accused of widespread atrocities against Darfur’s black African population.
Blue plastic bags
The report, written by aviation expert Thomas Withington and published by the Save Darfur Coalition, says helicopters are vital to the success of the peacekeeping mission, but that no country has offered a single helicopter.
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ACCUSATIONS AGAINST BASHIR
Genocide:
Killing members of the Fur, Masalit and Zaghawa ethnic groups
Causing these groups serious bodily or mental harm
Inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about these groups’ physical destruction
Crimes against humanity:
Murder
Extermination
Forcible transfer
Rape
Torture
War crimes:
Attacks on civilians in Darfur
Pillaging towns and villages
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It says military powers like the US, Britain and France are tied down in wars and other peacekeeping operations.
But it named the Czech Republic, Italy, Romania, Spain, Ukraine and India, saying they have more than 70 suitable aircraft needed for the mission.
The report says a militia attack three weeks ago on a UN-AU convoy that left seven peacekeepers dead and 19 wounded underscores the critical importance of helicopters.
The troops were outmanned and outgunned, and because of the lack of helicopters no rescue or reinforcement operation could be mounted, the report said.
It also says the peacekeepers are short of other basic equipment, and that some soldiers are wearing blue plastic bags on their heads because they do not have the standard blue UN helmet.
The report says the hybrid force is only part of the solution to the conflict in Darfur and that broad-based negotiations are essential.
Compromise found
Only about a third of the intended 26,000 peacekeepers have so far been deployed.
The UN Security Council decision on whether to renew the mandate for the peacekeeping force has became embroiled in the fallout over accusations that Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir has committed genocide in the troubled west of his country.
The chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Court (ICC) has asked judges there for an arrest warrant for Sudan’s president on charges of war crimes and genocide.
The AU asked the UN Security Council to use its power to suspend the court’s proceedings for a year, saying that indicting President Bashir would be a setback to peace in Darfur.
Libya and South Africa, backed by Russia and China, wanted to include this in the resolution on renewing the mandate.
But the UK, France, the US and central American countries objected, saying there should be no link between the peacekeeping force and whatever the court might do.
Faced with the prospect that the force might not have its mandate renewed, a compromise has been found, after much wrangling between the 15 Council member states.
The resolution takes note of the African Union’s request for the Council to suspend the ICC’s work, but does no more than that.
Source: bbc.co.uk/
Israeli Prime Minister Olmert Will Not Seek Reelection
July 31, 2008
Facing burgeoning corruption allegations and plummeting popularity, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Wednesday he will resign in September, throwing Israel into political turmoil and raising doubts about prospects for peace with the Palestinians and Syria.
Olmert said he would not run in his party’s primary election Sept. 17 and would step down afterward to allow his successor to form a government. But because of Israel’s political system, he could serve until well into next year.
His decision will end a long public career that has been clouded by allegations of corruption that have battered him in recent months.
Olmert’s popularity dropped below 20 percent at one point after his bloody but inconclusive war in Lebanon in 2006.
Political analysts had been predicting his resignation for weeks as details of the latest allegations against him dominated the news.
The most damaging inquiry focuses on Morris Talansky, a 76-year-old American Jewish businessman who testified that he handed envelopes stuffed with tens of thousands of dollars to Olmert before he became prime minister, in part financing a luxurious lifestyle of expensive hotels and fat cigars.
Talansky gave lengthy public testimony for days in a Jerusalem courtroom, defending his allegations under cross-examination by Olmert’s attorneys — although Olmert has never been formally charged with a crime.
Olmert’s brief address from his official Jerusalem residence included harsh criticism of the police investigations. He said he was choosing the public good over personal justice. Although he has consistently denied wrongdoing, he had pledged to resign if indicted.
“I was forced to defend myself against relentless attacks from self-appointed ‘fighters for justice’ who sought to depose me from my position, when the ends sanctified all the means,” Olmert said, appearing angry and reading from a text.
He did not answer questions from reporters gathered in his courtyard.
His decision not to run in the Kadima primary sets in motion a process to choose a new prime minister. Main candidates in his party are Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Transport Minister Shaul Mofaz, a former defense minister and military chief of staff.
Polls show Livni with an advantage in the primary. If she were to replace Olmert, she would become the second female prime minister in Israeli history, after Golda Meir.
If Olmert’s successor as party leader can form a coalition, Israel could have a new government in October. If not, an election campaign could extend into 2009. Olmert would remain in office until a new premier is chosen, heading a caretaker government after he submits his resignation to President Shimon Peres.
Israel’s labyrinthine political system is weighted against a quick internal Kadima resolution to the crisis — with hard-line ex-premier Benjamin Netanyahu of Likud waiting to take advantage. Netanyahu opposes most concessions to the Palestinians and Syrians suggested by Olmert.
Olmert’s Kadima Party has only 29 seats in the 120-member parliament, and his successor must patch together a coalition with a majority. Olmert’s main partner, Labor, is headed by another ex-premier, Ehud Barak, who would like his old job back and may be more comfortable forcing an election than playing second fiddle to Livni.
The ultra-Orthodox Shas, another member of Olmert’s coalition, traditionally exacts a huge price in budgets for its constituency, as well as pledges of legislation, before it joins a government. Its participation in a new Kadima team is not guaranteed.
Possibly hinting at his expectation of being in power for some time, Olmert pledged to work for peace “as long as I am in my position,” and said talks with Palestinians and Syria are “closer than ever” to achieving understandings.
But the internal turmoil could make it difficult for Olmert to close deals with either the Palestinians or Syria, agreements that long have eluded Israeli leaders.
Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad Malki said Olmert’s decision would not change much. “It’s true that Olmert was enthusiastic about the peace process, and he spoke about this process with great attention, but this process has not achieved any progress or breakthrough,” Malki said. He said the Palestinians would deal with any Israeli government.
Olmert spoke as his delegation to indirect talks with Syria returned from a fourth round in Turkey. The two sides set another round for August.
Israeli political analyst Yossi Alpher said Olmert’s resignation would at least slow the process. “The Arabs are asking themselves how useful an agreement with Olmert would be, because he is a self-proclaimed lame duck and he will have a hard time to get his deals approved,” Alpher said.
While neither the Palestinians nor Syria would be eager to close a deal with a lame-duck leader, the prospect of Netanyahu lurking in the wings could propel them forward despite the fluid political situation.
White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said President Bush called Olmert to pledge continued cooperation.
“Relations between the United States and Israel during Prime Minister Olmert’s tenure have been exceptionally close and cooperative, and the president has appreciated his friendship, his leadership, and his work for peace,” Johndroe said. “We’re confident that the close United States-Israel relationship will continue in the future.”
Israeli political analyst Dan Margalit, a longtime friend of Olmert who recently fell from his favor, called the decision to step down “a sad end to a miserable career.”
Olmert took over as premier after Ariel Sharon suffered a massive stroke in January 2006. Olmert was a relatively obscure politician who had been named vice premier as a move of political expediency when it appeared that Sharon would serve indefinitely.
Instead, Olmert, known as a backslapping political operator with charm and fluent English, suddenly became prime minister.
His first initiative was to go where even the popular Sharon never dared — following up Sharon’s unilateral 2005 withdrawal from Gaza with a plan for a similar pullback in the West Bank.
But events soon overtook him. Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon staged a cross-border raid, killing three Israeli soldiers and capturing two. Olmert hastily ordered his military into battle, pledging to smash Hezbollah and bring back the soldiers, but accomplishing neither goal.
Instead, Hezbollah rained nearly 4,000 rockets on Israel, and Israeli forces ran an operation, later roundly criticized, that depended on airstrikes and bombing and only later on sweeps by ground forces.
The war ended with a U.N. Security Council resolution that allowed both sides, equally battered, to declare victory, but an Israeli commission of inquiry excoriated Olmert and his team for the handling of the war.
Olmert’s proposed West Bank pullback dropped off the table as his popularity plunged.
Like Sharon, Olmert underwent a political transformation from hawk to moderate, from backing Israeli control of all of the West Bank and Gaza Strip with constant settlement expansion to helping Sharon lead Israel’s unilateral withdrawal from Gaza.
Olmert, 62, gained governing experience in a decade as mayor of Jerusalem, balancing Jewish and Palestinian interests and wrestling with constant budget shortfalls by raising money abroad.
Bitterly summing up during his 10-minute address Wednesday, Olmert said, “Did I make mistakes over my political career? Without a doubt, yes, and I regret them and I am sorry. But is the real picture that which is presented to the public? Absolutely not.”
Source: foxnews.com.bd
McCain, Obama Duel Over Celebrity Attack Ad
July 31, 2008
John McCain’s presidential campaign on Wednesday released a television ad comparing Barack Obama to Britney Spears and Paris Hilton, suggesting the Democratic contender is little more than a vapid but widely recognized media concoction.
Obama’s campaign quickly responded with a commercial of its own, dismissing McCain’s complaints as “baloney” and “baseless.”
McCain’s ad, titled “Celeb” and set to air in 11 battleground states, intercuts images of Obama on his trip to Europe last week with video of twenty-something pop stars Spears and Hilton — both better known for their childish off-screen antics.
“He’s the biggest celebrity in the world, but is he ready to lead?” the voiceover asks, noting the Illinois senator’s opposition to offshore oil drilling and suggesting he would raise taxes if elected.
Click here to watch McCain’s ad, titled “Celeb” | Click here to watch Obama’s rebuttal ad, titled “Low Road”
It was the latest effort by the GOP hopeful to cast Obama as a lightweight with little experience in leadership or governing. It also was risky for McCain’s campaign to both acknowledge Obama’s worldwide fame and depict it as a weakness rather than a strength.
“Barack Obama is the biggest celebrity in the world, comparable to Tom Cruise, Britney Spears and Paris Hilton,” Rick Davis, Sen. John McCain’s campaign manager, wrote in an e-mail addressed to interested parties after throwing out a similar line on a conference call with reporters.
“Only celebrities like Barack Obama go to the gym three times a day, demand “MET-RX chocolate roasted-peanut protein bars and bottles of a hard-to-find organic brew — Black Forest Berry Honest Tea” and worry about the price of arugula,” Davis said.
Davis was riffing off news coverage that the Illinois senator told congressional Democrats Monday that he has become the “symbol” for the world’s aspirations for America, and that the country is now at “the moment … that the world is waiting for.”
Campaigning in Missouri, Obama said the McCain ad was the latest example of McCain’s negativity — a theme his campaign has tried to stress lately.
“He doesn’t seem to have anything positive to say about me, does he?” Obama said. “You need to ask John McCain what he’s for, not just what he’s against.”
Obama also said the link to Hilton shows Republicans are leaving no stone unturned in their attempts to tarnish him.
“You know, the latest one they’ve got me in an ad with Paris Hilton. (laughter) You know… never met the woman. But, but, you know, what they’re gonna try to argue is that somehow I’m too risky,” he said.
Hilton’s spokesman Jason Moore commented, saying “Miss Hilton was neither asked, nor did she give permission, for the use of her likeness in the ad, and has no further comment.”
The Obama campaign ad, released hours after McCain’s, shows images of the Arizona senator with President Bush and accuses McCain of practicing “the politics of the past.” The campaign said it could air as soon as Thursday.
It was the second Obama ad in as many days responding to negative spots by McCain. But it was unclear how broadly the campaign intended to run it. The campaign typically identifies states where its ads air, but on Wednesday only said this ad would appear “in some markets.”
Kathleen Hall Jamieson, a communications professor at the University of Pennsylvania, said McCain’s comparison of Obama to Spears and Hilton likely would not persuade many voters.
“The typical viewer will fail to see the analogy,” she said. “Voters believe Sen. Obama is a celebrity, but not in the same sense as Britney Spears and Paris Hilton. So when you are asking, ‘What are they doing in the ad?,’ it distracts attention from the message of the ad.”
McCain did not mention the ad at a town-hall meeting in Colorado, but reiterated many of his complaints about Obama.
“The beauty of his words have attracted many people, especially among the young to his campaign,” McCain told workers at Wagner Equipment, which rents and sells heavy farm machinery. “My concern with Sen. Obama is with issues big and small. What he says and what he does are often two different things.”
Source: www.foxnews.com
Alzheimer’s drug ‘halts’ decline
July 30, 2008
UK scientists have developed a drug which may halt the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.
Trials of the drug, known as Rember, in 321 patients showed an 81% difference in rate of mental decline compared with those not taking the treatment.
The Aberdeen University researchers said the drug targeted the build-up of a specific protein in the brain.
Alzheimer’s experts were optimistic about the results, but said larger trials were now needed.
Presenting the results at the International Conference on Alzheimer’s Disease, Professor Claude Wischik said the drug may be on the market by 2012.
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 This bodes well for a Phase III trial, but we need more human trials to assess the treatment’s possible side effects 
Rebecca Wood, Alzheimer’s Research Trust
The Long Goodbye - Part 2
The Long Goodbye - Part 1
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Patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease were given either 30, 60 or 100mg of the drug or a placebo.
The 60mg dose produced the most pronounced effect - over 50 weeks there was a seven-point difference on a scale used to measure severity of dementia.
At 19 months there was no significant decline in mental function in patients taking the drug, the researchers said.
Imaging data also suggests the drug may be having its biggest effect in the parts of the brain responsible for memory.
The link between clumps or “tangles” of protein inside nerve cells in the brain and Alzheimer’s disease was first made over 100 years ago.
Later shown to be made up of a protein called Tau, the tangles build up inside cells involved in memory, destroying them in the process.
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SUCCESS STORY
 Among the trial patients was Jimmy Hardie, 72. He began taking Rember in March 2006.
His wife said his improvement was gradual, but he is now much more confident. She said he used to panic when faced with something difficult to do, but now copes much better. He keeps busy maintaining old tractors, running a trout fishery, and doing a lot of gardening. Mr Hardie said: “It has made a difference to my life. I have my off days - but I had a lot before.”
Praise from patients
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Rember, or methylthioninium chloride, is the first treatment specifically designed to target the Tau tangles.
Other treatments for Alzheimer’s tend to focus on combating a waste protein in the brain, beta-amyloid, which is known to form hard plaques. The latest work suggests targeting Tau may produce better results.
Methylthioninium chloride is more commonly used as a blue dye in laboratory experiments.
Professor Wischik discovered it by accident 20 years ago, when a drop in a test tube led to the disappearance of the Tau protein he had been working on.
“We have demonstrated for the first time that it may be possible to arrest the progression of this disease by targeting the tangles which are highly correlated with the disease,” he said.
“We did an analysis of the effect size at 24 weeks and at 50 weeks compared to the average effect size of the current treatments and it was about two and a half times better,” he added.
Larger trials of the drug are planned to start in 2009, and researchers are also investigating whether the drug has a role in prevention of the disease in the first place.
Professor Clive Ballard, head of research at the Alzheimer’s Society, said: “This is a major new development in the fight against dementia.
“It is the first realistic evidence that a new drug can improve cognition in people with Alzheimer’s by targeting the protein tangles that cause brain cell death.
“This first modestly sized trial in humans is potentially exciting.
“It suggests the drug could be over twice as effective as any treatment that is currently available.”
Rebecca Wood, chief executive of the Alzheimer’s Research Trust, said: “In this exploratory trial, rember reduced the decline in blood flow to parts of the brain that are important for memory.
“This bodes well but we need more human trials to assess the treatment’s possible side effects.”
She added the fact the trial was funded by a pharmaceutical company highlighted the lack of funding for Alzheimer’s research in the UK.
Source: bbc.co.uk/
Web curbs for Olympic journalists
July 30, 2008
Chinese officials say foreign journalists covering the Beijing Olympic Games will not have completely uncensored access to the internet.
A top spokesman said sites relating to spiritual movement Falun Gong would be blocked. Another said other unspecified sites would also be unavailable.
China enforces tough internet controls, but said when it bid for the Games that journalists would be free to report.
Journalists have complained they cannot access some news or human rights sites.
A senior International Olympic Committee (IOC) member confirmed that while journalists would have free range to cover the Games, the IOC was aware some sites would be blocked.
‘Sufficient access’
More than 20,000 foreign media personnel are due in the Chinese capital to cover the Olympic Games, which begin on 8 August. Many are already moving into the press and broadcast centres in Beijing.
On Tuesday, they were reportedly unable to access the website of Amnesty International as it released a critical report on China’s human rights record.
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During the Olympic Games we will provide reporters with sufficient and convenient internet access so the Olympic Games will not be affected
Sun Weide,
spokesman for Beijing Olympic organisers |
Some international news pages and sites that dealt with issues such as Tibet were also inaccessible, reports from Beijing said.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao confirmed that websites relating to the Falun Gong spiritual movement were blocked.
“As to sites related to Falun Gong, I think you know that Falun Gong is a cult that has been banned according to law, and we will adhere to our position,” he told a news conference on Tuesday.
He suggested that part of the problem with other sites could lie with the sites themselves.
“There are some problems with a lot of websites themselves that makes it not easy to view them in China,” he said. “Our attitude is to ensure that foreign journalists have regular access to information in China during the Olympic Games.”
But on Wednesday, a spokesman for the Olympic organising committee told the French news agency AFP that other - unspecified - sites were blocked.
Sun Weide declined to provide more details when asked by the BBC.
“During the Olympic Games we will provide reporters with sufficient and convenient internet access so the Olympic Games will not be affected,” he said.
In an interview with the South China Morning Post, IOC press commission chairman Kevan Gosper apologised for inadvertently misleading journalists over unfettered internet access.
“I’m not backing off what I said. There will be full, open and free internet access during Games time to allow journalists to report on the Olympics,” he told the daily.
“But I have also been advised that some of the IOC officials had negotiated with the Chinese that some sensitive sites would be blocked.”
The move was disappointing, he said.
Source: bbc.co.uk/
‘Laser jumbo’ testing moves ahead
July 30, 2008
A US military plane equipped with a powerful laser has moved a step closer to becoming a viable weapon.
Engineers have started flowing chemical fuel through the laser to test its sequencing and control.
This will set up the first test firing of the weapon aboard the aircraft while it is on the ground.
The US Air Force’s Airborne Laser (ABL) is designed to shoot down enemy ballistic missiles in the early stages of their flight.
“The Airborne Laser team has done a great job preparing the high-energy laser for these fuel tests, which will lead the way toward achieving ‘first light’ of the laser aboard the aircraft,” said Mike Rinn, vice president of Boeing, which is prime contractor on the project.
“Once again, we made and demonstrated enormous progress toward ushering in a new age of directed-energy weapons.”
Airborne intercept
The ABL illuminates the missile with a laser tracking beam, while computers measure its distance and calculate its course and direction.
After acquiring and locking onto the target, a second, high-power laser fires a three-to-five-second burst from a turret located in the 747’s nose.
The beam heats up the pressurised fuel tank of the outbound missile and causes it to rupture, destroying the missile.
The high energy laser is fired from a turret in the aircraft’s nose
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The high-energy weapon is a Chemical Oxygen Iodine Laser (COIL) capable of producing megawatts of power.
Built by defence giant Northrop Grumman, it is designed to destroy “all classes” of ballistic missiles, including tactical ballistic missiles (TBMs) and intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs).
Its fuel consists of chemicals found in hair bleach and drain cleaner - hydrogen peroxide and potassium hydroxide - which are then combined with chlorine gas and water.
The COIL is housed in the back half of the 747. The aircraft’s front half contains the beam control/fire control system, developed by Lockheed Martin, and the battle management system, built by Boeing.
Pros and cons
After the laser has undergone a series of test firings on the ground, the entire system will be flown to carry out functional check-outs.
The first airborne intercept of an in-flight ballistic missile is planned for 2009.
Destroying ballistic missiles during their boost phase - while their rockets are firing - carries several advantages.
The bright, hot rocket exhaust aids detection, discrimination and targeting of the missile. And it is much more difficult to use countermeasures, such as decoys, during this phase of flight.
The beam control system will acquire and track targets
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The wreckage will usually land in enemy territory, although collateral damage in surrounding countries could be a concern.
However, it may be difficult to position the intercept weapon - in this case the aircraft - to shoot down the missiles. There is also limited time in which to destroy the missile in this early stage of flight.
The ABL’s range is limited by the distance its beam can propagate through the atmosphere and remain focused.
This is affected by atmospheric conditions, turbulence (changes in air density as the result of heating and cooling), humidity, clouds and the time of day.
According to an American Physical Society report in 2004, the Airborne Laser could shoot down a typical liquid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) from up to 600km away.
However, against solid-fuel ICBMs, which are more resistant to heating, the useful range would be about 300km.
This would be too short to defend against solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missiles launched from Iran or North Korea, the US report explained.
BBC fined £400,000 over phone-ins
July 30, 2008
The BBC has been fined £400,000 by media watchdog Ofcom for misleading its audiences by “faking” phone-ins.
Comic Relief, Sport Relief, Children in Need, Jo Whiley’s Radio 1 show and Liz Kershaw’s show on BBC 6 Music were all caught up in the scandal.
The £400,000 penalty is a record for the corporation.
The regulator said: “The BBC deceived its audience by faking winners of competitions and deliberately conducting competitions unfairly.”
Viewers were urged to call some BBC programmes after contestants had already been chosen.
Other shows had been pre-recorded, so nobody could win apparently “live” competitions.
The affected shows were fined individually, totalling £400,000. They were:
Television
• Comic Relief (BBC One, March 2007) - £45,000
• Sport Relief (BBC One, July 2006) - £45,000
• Children in Need (BBC One Scotland, November 2005) - £35,000
• TMi (BBC Two and CBBC, September 2006) - £50,000
Radio
• Liz Kershaw Show (BBC 6 Music, May 2005 to January 2006) - £115,000
• Jo Whiley Show (BBC Radio 1, 20 April to 12 May 2006) - £75,000
• Russell Brand (BBC 6 Music, April 2006) - £17,500
• Clare McDonnell Show (BBC 6 Music, from September 2006) - £17,500
In July 2007, Ofcom fined the BBC £50,000 after children’s programme Blue Peter falsified the results of a contest during a live show.
The BBC later suspended all competitions after an inquiry unearthed a fresh batch of faked phone-ins the same month.
Code of conduct
BBC One’s Sport Relief in July 2006, Comic Relief in March 2007, Children in Need on BBC Scotland in November 2005, the Liz Kershaw Show on BBC 6 Music and CBBC programme TMi were all found to have breached editorial standards.
Jo Whiley’s Radio 1 show was accused of misleading listeners
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As a result, the corporation unveiled a code of conduct for its competitions on TV, radio and online services in November.
Then in January this year, shows hosted by Russell Brand and Jo Whiley were at the centre of two new cases of misleading the public in radio competitions.
Callers were invited to participate in “live” competitions on pre-recorded episodes of the 6 Music and Radio 1 shows which were broadcast in 2006.
The penalty comes after ITV was fined a record £5.68m by Ofcom for abusing premium rate phone services in viewer competitions in May.
TV shows Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway, Gameshow Marathon and Soapstar Superstar were all found to have “serious editorial issues”.
Source: bbc.co.uk/