Syria Chemical Weapons Mission Strengthened

A second team of inspectors will be deployed to destroy Syria's poison gas stockpile, the world's chemical weapons watchdog has said, as the UN chief warned of the "dangerous and volatile" conditions experts faced in the country.

Ahmet Uzumcu, Director General of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, confirmed that Syria was co-operating with the joint United Nations and OPCW disarmament mission.

It normally takes years to complete the destruction of a country's chemical weapons arsenal.

The watchdog has until the end of the June 2014 to complete the destruction of Syria's chemical arsenal under the terms of a Russia-US brokered agreement, after a toxic gas attack near Damascus on August 21 in which hundreds died.

A range of items was also being destroyed "towards the goal of rendering unusable all production facilities and mixing and filling equipment by 1 November of this year", Mr Uzumcu said.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon highlighted the threat to the experts

"These developments present a constructive beginning for what will nonetheless be a long and difficult process," he added.

Earlier, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon set out a blueprint for the most dangerous disarmament operation ever staged, as rebels launched a major offensive in northwest Syria - highlighting the looming threats to inspectors.

The 11-page letter was Mr Ban's required response to the resolution adopted unanimously by the Security Council on September 27, ordering Syria's chemical weapons stockpile be secured and destroyed.

Mr Ban said the experts "will seek to conduct an operation the likes of which, quite simply, have never been tried before".

He said: "The timelines associated with this destruction phase would be ambitious under the most peaceful and benign of circumstances."

Gas canisters in Syria's chemical arsenal

The experts will have to work in "dangerous and volatile" conditions, particularly in urban areas such as Damascus, Homs and Aleppo, the UN leader said.

"Heavy artillery, air strikes, mortar barrages and the indiscriminate shelling of civilian areas are commonplace, and battle lines shift quickly," he added.

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin and US Secretary of State John Kerry, who were both at the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) summit in Bali, used the opportunity to discuss the disarmament.

Mr Putin said both countries had "a common understanding of what needs to be done", adding that he believed inspectors would be able to accomplish their goal of ridding Syria of its chemical arms within a year.

"We and the Americans, the whole international community trust them," he said.

UN weapons inspectors at the site of the August 21 attack

"If they are saying it is possible to do this (eliminate Syria's chemical arms) in one year, then that's the way it is," he said.

Mr Putin, who has been a staunch ally of President Bashar al Assad, also praised the Syrian government - which remains responsible for the actual destruction of the chemicals - for its co-operation.

"The doubts regarding the readiness of the Syrian leadership to adequately respond to the decisions on chemical weapons proved to be unjustified," he said.

"Syria has joined these efforts actively, is acting very transparently ... and I hope this work will continue further at the same pace and in the same direction."

British Foreign Secretary William Hague said the situation in Syria remained "catastrophic" for civilians, but the weapons mission "was an important step forward".

In a statement to MPs in the House of Commons, he said British nationals who work for the OPCW were part of an advance team of 35 personnel from the watchdog and UN already in Damascus.

On Sunday, Syrians - under the supervision of the OPCW and supported by the UN - began to destroy the weapons.

23.12 | 0 komentar | Read More

Brazil Teachers' Pay Protest Turns Violent

Clashes erupted in Rio de Janeiro as thousands of people gathered for a march in support of striking teachers.

The march began peacefully on the Brazilian city's main avenue, but chaos broke out once night fell.   

A small group of protesters threw fireworks, grenades, tear gas and smashed a gate at City Hall, where legislation was recently passed changing public teachers' pay and working hours.

Masked demonstrators also torched a bus, broke into banks, and tried to break open and set alight cashpoints.

Some protesters also pulled furniture out of banks to use as barricades as they squared off with police.

Chaos broke out once the protesters reached city hall

The police responded with tear gas to break up the crowds.

Protesting teachers were joined by students, civil groups, leftists and anarchist groups, some of whom are known for their violent demonstrations.

Teachers have been on strike for almost two months demanding better pay.

They said 50,000 people marched to support them before the violence broke out, but police would only confirm 10,000.

Brazil's security situation is an ongoing challenge ahead of it hosting the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympic Games. 

23.12 | 0 komentar | Read More

Malaria Vaccine 'Could Be Widespread By 2015'

By Thomas Moore, Health and Science Correspondent

The world's first malaria vaccine could be in widespread use within two years following "significant" results from an ongoing clinical trial.

Researchers reported at a malaria conference in Durban, South Africa, that the jab continues to protect a substantial proportion of babies and young children 18 months after vaccination.

The mosquito-borne disease kills around 660,000 people every year, most of them children in Sub-Saharan Africa.

British pharmaceutical firm GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), which makes the vaccine, said it would apply for a licence from the European Medicines Agency next year.

If the vaccine - code-named RTS,S - is confirmed to be safe and effective, the World Health Organisation has indicated that it will support use of the vaccine as soon as 2015.

A South Sudanese man with his daughter, who is being treated for malaria

GSK has vowed to sell the vaccine at cost price plus 5%, which it said would fund further research into tropical diseases.

The new results are from a study of 15,000 babies and children in seven African countries.

They show the vaccine is far from perfect, but still offers significant protection.

Eighteen months after a three-dose vaccination programme, young children were 46% less likely to suffer clinical malaria.

For every 1,000 children vaccinated, 21 cases of severe malaria were prevented, according to the results.

The vaccine was less effective in babies. Infants who had the jabs when they were just a few weeks old were 27% less likely to suffer from malaria.

Scientists will now investigate whether a booster dose can increase protection in the longer term.

Halidou Tinto, one of the study's principal investigators, said the vaccine had "the potential to have a significant public health impact".

"Many millions of malaria cases fill the wards of our hospitals," Dr Tinto said.

"Progress is being made with bed nets and other measures, but we need more tools to battle this terrible disease."

British pharmaceutical company GSK makes the vaccine

GSK chief executive Sir Andrew Witty said: "While we have seen some decline in vaccine efficacy over time, the sheer number of children affected by malaria means that the number of cases of the disease the vaccine can help prevent is impressive.

"These data support our decision to submit a regulatory application for the vaccine candidate which, if successful, would bring us a step closer to having an additional tool to fight this deadly disease."

The development of the jab has been jointly funded by GSK and Bill and Melinda Gates through the PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative.

Professor Eleanor Riley from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine said if the vaccine is cheap enough it has huge potential.

"It would be great if the vaccine had 80-90% efficacy," she told Sky News.

"But it has taken us 15 years to get this far with this vaccine.

"The question is: can we wait another 15 years before we roll out a vaccine that is going to save lives?"

23.12 | 0 komentar | Read More

Putin Wants Dutch Apology After Diplomat Held

Russian President Vladimir Putin has demanded that the Netherlands apologise after a diplomat working for the Russian embassy in the Hague was detained by police and questioned overnight.

"This is the most gross breach of the Vienna Convention. We are waiting for explanations and apologies and also for those guilty to be punished," Mr Putin was quoted as saying by the RIA Novosti state news agency at a regional summit in Indonesia.

"We will react depending on how the Dutch side behaves," he told reporters.

The Russian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday morning handed a note of protest to the Dutch ambassador to Russia over the incident, the ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich told Russian news agencies.

"Last weekend, armed people in camouflage uniform stormed the apartment of Dmitry Borodin, a minister counsellor at the Russian embassy, and roughly beat up the diplomat in front of his children, on the absolutely made-up excuse that he allegedly mistreated them," Mr Lukashevich told Interfax news agency.

The Dutch-registered Arctic Sunrise in waters off Murmansk

"Our diplomat was put in handcuffs and taken to a police station where he was held almost all night," Mr Lukashevich said, adding that the diplomat had told police of his status.

"After that he was let go without any explanations or apologies."

The case has been covered widely on Russian state television.

"We are aware of the incident and are looking into it before commenting," a spokesman at the Dutch Foreign Ministry, Thijs van Son, told AFP.

Dutch police refused to comment.

The dispute comes against a backdrop of tensions between the two countries.

On Friday the Netherlands launched legal proceedings against Russia, saying it had unlawfully detained activists and others on a Dutch-registered Greenpeace ship.

Most of the 30 people on board the Arctic Sunrise were protesting against drilling in the Arctic.

Two Dutch citizens were among those arrested when the boat was seized by Russian authorities near the Prirazlomnaya offshore oil platform.

The Dutch activists were on board the Arctic Sunrise

Six Britons were also detained and Foreign Secretary William Hague has raised the case with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov. Officials said Britain's concerns were based on "consular" issues of welfare.

The Dutch government contests the "unlawful manner" in which the ship was intercepted and is seeking the release of all its passengers, who include 28 activists and two freelance journalists.

But Russia has brushed the legal action away with Deputy Foreign Minister Alexei Meshkov telling RIA Novosti that Russia had repeatedly asked the Netherlands to halt what Russia said was "illegal activity" by the ship.

"Unfortunately, this was not done. Therefore, we have far more questions for the Dutch side than they can have for us," RIA quoted Mr Meshkov as saying.

"Everything that happened with the Arctic Sunrise was pure provocation."

Russian authorities have pressed piracy charges, which could result in prison sentences of 15 years.

23.12 | 0 komentar | Read More

Nobel Prize Awarded To Higgs Boson Scientists

A British scientist, who proposed the existence of the Higgs boson, or 'God Particle', has won the Nobel Prize for Physics.

Professor Peter Higgs shares the prestigious accolade and £780,000 prize with Belgian physicist Francois Englert, who developed the same theories about sub-atomic particles and mass.

The pair, who were tipped to win the prize, were honoured for "the theoretical discovery of a mechanism that contributes to our understanding of the origin of mass of sub-atomic particles, and which recently was confirmed through the discovery of the predicted fundamental particle," the jury said.

Higgs Boson was found after examining sub-atomic proton collisions

In a statement released by the University of Edinburgh, where he is based, Prof Higgs said: "I am overwhelmed to receive this award and thank the Royal Swedish Academy. 

"I would also like to congratulate all those who have contributed to the discovery of this new particle and to thank my family, friends and colleagues for their support.

"I hope this recognition of fundamental science will help raise awareness of the value of blue-sky research."

Prof Englert said he was "very happy to have received the prize".

Both physicists theorised about the existence of an invisible force field and associated sub-atomic particle that permeates all things, working like glue to give form to stars, planets and even humans, in the 1960s.

The Higgs particle was considered the missing cornerstone of physics and without it, the universe would have remained like a soup, the theory says.

Staff at the CERN research centre cheer the announcement Pic: CERN

Scientists at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) – the 'Big Bang' particle accelerator at the Cern research centre near Geneva, Switzerland, which recreates conditions a billionth of a second after the birth of the universe - declared last July they had discovered the particle, which lends mass to matter and holds the universe together.

They immediately congratulated the recipients of the Nobel Prize on Twitter, saying: "Congratulations from CERN, @ATLASexperiment & @CMSexperiment to François Englert & Peter Higgs for 2013 Physics #NobelPrize #BosonNobel."

Britain's David Willetts, Minister for Universities and Science, said: "I congratulate Professor Peter Higgs on his Nobel Prize. This is the 23rd Nobel Prize for Physics to come to the UK and continues a long tradition of scientific discovery.

"We should also celebrate the efforts of the thousands of scientists and engineers all over the world who have worked on the Large Hadron Collider and who have participated in the long search for the Higgs Boson.

"Our new Nobel Laureate thoroughly deserves his prize. It's an incredible endorsement of the quality of UK science."

Professors Peter Higgs (R) and Francois Englert

The principal of Edinburgh University, Professor Timothy O'Shea, said the institution was "delighted".

He said: "The discovery of the Higgs particle will underpin the next generation of physics research, and this accolade is worthy recognition of its significance.

"Professor Higgs' work will continue to inspire scientists at Edinburgh and beyond."

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm, which decides the winners in a majority vote, delayed its announcement by an hour on Tuesday. It gave no immediate reason, other than tweeting that it was "still in session".

Famous past winners of the prize include Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen in 1901 for his discovery of X-rays, Guglielmo Marconi in 1909 for his contribution to radio communications, Max Planck in 1918 for quantum theory, Albert Einstein for his theory of relativity in 1921 and Enrico Fermi in 1938 for his work on induced radioactivity.

In line with tradition, this year's winners will receive their prize at a formal ceremony in Stockholm on December 10, the anniversary of prize founder Alfred Nobel's death in 1896.

23.12 | 0 komentar | Read More

Maldives TV Station Set Alight As Poll Scrapped

An attack on a TV station supporting the leading candidate for the presidency of the Maldives has been caught on CCTV just hours before results from the first round vote were annulled.

The Supreme Court scrapped the results from the September 7 poll  after the outcome was challenged by a candidate who said there were irregularities in the process, including votes being cast by underage voters and fake identity cards being used.

Former President Mohamed Nasheed led the first round with more than 45% of the vote but failed to get the 50% needed to  win without a runoff.

The masked men broke into the building

Yaamin Abdul Gayoom, the brother of the country's longtime autocratic leader Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, finished second and was to face Mr Nasheed in the second round scheduled for September 28.

The run-off had been expected to help end months of political turmoil triggered by the removal of Mr Nasheed, who was ousted from power 20 months ago amid a mutiny by police.

They poured petrol over the studio

The television station in the capital Male came under attack just hours before the court's decision, when masked men started a fire which gutted the building.

About six men on motorbikes threatened and chased away a security guard before setting fire to studios at Raajje TV, according to station owner Akram Kamaludeen.

Then they set it alight before fleeing

Security camera footage showed masked men spreading liquid around in a studio control room and a stairwell before setting them ablaze.

Other offices in the building were reportedly damaged in the fire.

23.12 | 0 komentar | Read More

Denver Couple Held Over Boys Living In Filth

A Denver couple have been arrested after police found their four small children living in filth, with an "unbearable" smell of decomposing animals and urine at their home.

The four boys - aged two, four, five and six - were not toilet-trained and had no schooling of any kind, according to an arrest affidavit.

All four boys have been placed in protective care and have undergone hospital exams that found them to be non-verbal – communicating mainly with infant-like noises - and malnourished.

Their parents, Wayne Sperling , 66, and Lorinda Bailey, 35, are charged with child abuse and are due to appear in court later.

The couple had already pleaded guilty in June 2009 to misdemeanour child abuse, news reports said.

The house where the alleged abuse took place

The current investigation started after the youngest boy was taken to hospital and the doctor noticed the child needed a bath, according to local station KCNC-TV.

According to the affidavit, when officers went to their home they found "one to two inches of cat faeces, both old and new, under the children's bunk bed", the station reported.

The floor was "soaked with cat urine" and littered with live and dead flies.

Bailey said she did not think the apartment was unsafe and denied the boys had any developmental problems.

The woman had reportedly been living alone in a separate unit of the building for the past two months, but she said she still saw the children almost every day.

Sperling said he was unemployed and has been the boys' primary guardian, saying he planned to begin home-schooling the six-year-old.

23.12 | 0 komentar | Read More

Doctors Strike Over 'Dangerous' Hours

By David Blevins, Ireland Correspondent

For the first time in 25 years, Ireland's junior doctors are staging a nationwide strike over what the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) calls their "dangerously long working hours."

Around 3,000 doctors from 51 hospitals across the country are taking part in the day-long action, but emergency services and cancer treatment will not be affected.

Public hospitals are offering the level of service usually provided on a Sunday but 12,000 out-patient appointments have had to be rescheduled and 3,000 surgical procedures postponed to a later date.

L to R: Dr Roisin Colleran, Dr Gina McClelland, and Dr Alexandra Schmitt

Dr John Donnellan, chairman of the IMO's non-consultant hospital doctors' committee, said: "Members are worried for the risks they pose to their patients and to themselves by current working conditions."

In a recent survey of work patterns, 85% of junior doctors (NCHDs) said they routinely work shifts of more than 24 hours.

The IMO wants an immediate end to shifts of that length and clarity on how the Health and Safety Executive will meet its commitment to ensure no doctor works longer than 48 hours a week by the end of next year.

Dr Rupak Kumar

The Irish Patients' Association voiced support for the doctors' cause but not for the "means to that end" and called for patients affected by the strike to be made a priority.

Chief Executive Stephen McMahon said: "We don't want the patients affected today to become emergencies."

He welcomed the news that appointments and surgeries in private hospitals would go ahead as planned.

The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation also expressed support for the junior doctors although its members have been advised not to undertake the duties of those taking part in industrial action.

The IMO said proposals published by the Health Service Executive lacked credibility. Talks between them at the Labour Relations Commission have broken down, with the IMO refusing an invitation to go back.

With talk of the strike escalating to 48 hours next week, one cardiologist branded the action "morally reprehensible" and urged the junior doctors to find other ways to protest.

Professor Eoin O'Brien said no one could estimate how many of the patients affected will suffer what may be a fatal outcome as a result of their treatment being delayed.

23.12 | 0 komentar | Read More

Britain To Appoint Iran Charge D'Affaires

Britain is to appoint a non-residential charge d'affaires for Iran, Foreign Secretary William Hague has announced.

Diplomatic relations between the two countries broke down in 2011, but Mr Hague told parliament: "Both our countries will now appoint a non-resident charge d'affaires tasked with implementing the building of relations, including interim steps on the way towards (the) eventual reopening of both our embassies."

He said the coming months "may be unusually significant" in British-Iranian relations, which have been beset by argument over the Islamic Republic's nuclear programme.

The recent election of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has raised hopes of a thaw in relations between Iran and the West and a possible deal over the programme.

President Hassan Rouhani addressing UN General Assembly

But Mr Hague warned there were still several competing centres of power in Iran and that Tehran would need to make "substantive changes" if it wanted the West to ease sanctions.

"Iran remains in defiance of six UN Security Council resolutions ... and it is installing more centrifuges in its nuclear facilities," he said.

"In the absence of substantial change to these policies, we will continue to maintain strong sanctions. A substantial change in British or Western policies requires a substantive change in that programme."

Prime Minister David Cameron welcomed Mr Rouhani's election earlier this year, but said ties remain strained because of the ransacking of the British Embassy in Tehran in 2011.

That incident led to one of the worst crises between the two countries since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

The latest developments come two weeks after Mr Rouhani confirmed his country was prepared to restart stalled negotiations over its nuclear programme.

In a speech to the United Nations General Assembly in New York, he said that he wanted to enter talks to build "mutual confidence" -but warned the international community should also recognise Iran's right to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes.

23.12 | 0 komentar | Read More

Debt Ceiling: Senate Democrats Push Toward Vote

Senate Democrats plan to push for a vote to raise the federal debt ceiling, challenging Republicans to yet another showdown as the US closes in on a possible default.

A spokesman says Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid could unveil the measure as early as Tuesday, setting the table for a test vote later in the week.

The measure is expected to provide enough borrowing room to last beyond next year's mid-term election, meaning it likely will permit $1trn (£622bn) or more in new borrowing.

The amount will be added to the current $16.7trn (£10.39trn) debt ceiling that the US Treasury says will be hit on October 17.

The Democrats' measure, however, is not expected to include new spending cuts sought by Republicans, most likely rendering it dead on arrival in the House.

Mr Reid and Mr Boehner have been unable to find a compromise

The vote also could face strong opposition in the Senate if it does not contain budget cuts to make a dent in deficits.

The question is whether Republicans will try to hold up the measure with a filibuster. Such a showdown could unnerve the financial markets.

The development comes as a partial shutdown of the government enters its second week with no end in sight.

The top Republican in Congress once again asked for negotiations with the White House to ease the twin crises.

House Speaker John Boehner told reporters: "I want to have a conversation. I'm not drawing lines in the sand. It is time for us to just sit down and resolve our differences.

"There's no boundaries here. There's nothing on the table, there's nothing off the table."

An aide to the Speaker later said President Barack Obama called Mr Boehner to reiterate he would not negotiate with Republicans until they voted to end the shutdown with a "clean" spending bill.

Some 800,000 'non-essential' workers are on unpaid leave

House Republicans had sought to attach a delay to aspects of Mr Obama's signature healthcare law in exchange for keeping the federal government funded beyond September 30.

Meanwhile, GOP aides said the Republican-controlled House will attempt to set up a new bipartisan panel to negotiate reopening the government and avoid a default.

The prolonged political wrangling in Washington has frustrated citizens and business leaders alike.

A survey by The Washington Post and ABC News found that 70% of Americans disapprove of the way Republicans are handling budget negotiations, up from 63% last week.

Howard Schultz is trying to ratchet up the pressure on Capitol Hill

Disapproval of Mr Obama's role was unchanged at 51%.

Meanwhile, the CEO of Starbucks has urged fellow business leaders to ratchet up the pressure on Washington to end the stalemate.

Howard Schultz wrote in a letter posted on the company's website that he was "utterly disappointed by the level of irresponsibility and dysfunction we are witness to with our elected political leadership."

"This weekend I heard from several business leaders who shared their concern about our relative silence and impact in urging the political leadership to act on behalf of the citizenry," he said.

"It is our responsibility to address the crisis of confidence that is needlessly being set in motion."

"I don't pretend that both parties are equally to blame for this crisis. But I do think they are equally responsible for leading us to a solution," Mr Schultz said.

23.12 | 0 komentar | Read More