LONDON (AP) ? Stocks posted some modest gains Thursday after a run of unspectacular U.S. economic data eased concerns that the Federal Reserve will start to reduce the amount of financial assets it buys each month.
The advances on Wall Street and European exchanges came after figures showed U.S. economic growth in the first quarter downgraded to an annualized rate of 2.4 percent from 2.5 percent, weekly jobless claims surprisingly up 10,000 and pending home sales rising by far less than anticipated in April.
Developments surrounding the U.S. economy are being closely monitored in financial markets. Investors are trying to work out when Fed policymakers will start to withdraw some of the stimulus programs they have backed over the past few years in an attempt to lower long-term interest rates and shore up the U.S. economic recovery.
New money generated by the programs has found its way into financial markets and given assets, such as stocks, a big push. A slowing-down in that process ? what is known as tapering ? has raised concerns among some investors, even though it would herald that the U.S. economy is returning to where it was before the financial crisis of 2008.
Thursday's figures weren't a disaster by any means but they did indicate that the U.S. economy is still not operating at the necessary tick for a change in Fed policy ? in the current trading environment, that often means gains in stock markets and weakness in the dollar.
"Today's U.S. data is mildly soft in tone," said Nick Bennenbroek, an analyst at Wells Fargo Bank.
In Europe, the FTSE 100 index of leading British shares rose 0.5 percent to close at 6,656.99 while Germany's DAX rose 0.8 percent at 8,400.20. The CAC-40 in France rose 0.6 percent at 3,996.31.
In the U.S., the Dow Jones industrial average was up 0.5 percent at 15,374.02 while the broader S&P 500 index rose 0.6 percent to 1,658.57.
The solid tone in European and U.S. stock markets contrasts sharply with developments in Tokyo earlier, where the Nikkei index tumbled 5.2 percent to close at 13,589.03, as investors responded to the previous day's retreat elsewhere in the world.
Though the Nikkei remains around 30 percent higher for the year, it's down 13 percent from its peak on May 22. Japanese investors appear to be increasingly doubtful over whether the government's economic strategy can extricate the country from years of economic malaise despite a previous bout of euphoria.
The main reason why the Nikkei is still up strongly this year is the optimism that was initially generated by the Bank of Japan's aggressive new monetary stimulus. The prospect of more yen in circulation weighed on the currency, which has fallen sharply to the relief of the country's exporters.
Elsewhere in Asia, Hong Kong's Hang Seng shed 0.3 percent to 22,484.31 while Australia's S&P/ASX 200 dropped 0.9 percent to 4,930.70. China's Shanghai index fell 0.3 percent to 2,317.75.
In currency markets, the euro was up 0.8 percent at $1.3043 while the dollar was down 0.2 percent at 100.98 yen.
Oil prices drifted higher, with the benchmark New York rate up 52 cents at $93.65 a barrel.
Minority children drink more sugary fruit juice than their white peersPublic release date: 30-May-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Juliana Bunim juliana.bunim@ucsf.edu 415-502-6397 University of California - San Francisco
While there has been a steep decline in kids' consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages in California, African-American and Latino children may be replacing soda with 100 percent fruit juice while their white peers are not, according to a new study from UC San Francisco.
The study was the first to compare trends of sugar-sweetened beverages and 100 percent juice consumption in California.
"The decrease in the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages among kids is a promising public health trend," said Amy Beck, MD, MPH, lead author and pediatrician at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital and San Francisco General Hospital. "But it is concerning that minority children are increasing their consumption of 100 percent fruit juice, which often has just as much sugar as soda."
Researchers examined data from the California Health Interview Survey, a telephone survey conducted every two years from 2003 to 2009, which asked parents how many servings of sugar-sweetened beverages and 100 percent fruit juice their children, ages 2 to 11, consumed the day before.
"Parents who are thinking actively about nutrition wouldn't give their kids Coca-Cola, but might give apple juice," said Beck. "But 8 ounces of Coca Cola contains 27 grams of sugar, as does 8 ounces of apple juice. We need to make sure parents understand the best thing to replace soda is water or milk."
The results will be published in the June/July issue of journal of Academic Pediatrics.
The researchers found that sugar-sweetened beverage consumption among all ethnicities decreased from 40 percent in 2003 to 16 percent in 2009 among children ages 2 to 5. Among children 6 to 10, it also decreased from 54 percent in 2003 to 33 percent in 2009. However, there were higher rates of consumption amongst Latinos, African-Americans and children of parents with lower levels of education.
For kids ages 2 to 5, the consumption of two or more servings of 100 percent fruit juice per day decreased among white children and increased among Latinos. For kids ages 6 to 11, their consumption of two or more servings remained stable for white children and increased among Latinos and African-Americans.
"Our results stress the need for more education on healthy beverages and making sure these messages reach all ethnic groups," said Beck. "It's crucial that the public health message reflect that 100 percent fruit juice should be limited, and not used as a substitute for soda."
Over the past decade, California has passed legislation to ban sugar-sweetened beverage sales in schools and implemented public health campaigns focused on reducing soda consumption by children. However, fewer efforts have targeted reducing the amount of juice children are drinking.
"There has been a lot of focus in California on reducing the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages, and that appears to be working," said Beck. "However, parents are getting mixed messages about juice, and some parents appear to be using it as a replacement for the sugar-sweetened beverages, rather than turning to water or milk."
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children age 6 and younger consume a maximum of 4 to 6 ounces of fruit juice per day, and that children ages 7 and older consume no more than 12 ounces per day.
The public health message being sent to parents is that 100 percent fruit juice is OK, according to the researchers, due much in part to juice's distribution through federal programs.
Fruit juice is available in schools through the National School Lunch Program, which provided low?cost or free lunches to more than 31 million children nationally each school day in 2011. Juice also is distributed to parents through the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program, a federal grant program for low-income, nutritionally at-risk women and children up to age 5 and through the Child Care Food Program.
"We want to see kids drinking fewer beverages that give them unnecessary calories including fruit juice," said senior author Kristine Madsen, MD, MPH of the division of community health and human development at UC Berkeley. "We don't want them replacing soda with juice. It's better to eat the fruit not drink the fruit juice."
###
The study's other authors include Anisha Patel, MD, MSPH, a pediatrician at the UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital. The authors have no conflicts of interest or financial disclosures.
The study was funded by a grant from the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institute of Health.
UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital creates an environment where children and their families find compassionate care at the forefront of scientific discovery, with more than 150 experts in 50 medical specialties serving patients throughout Northern California and beyond. The hospital admits about 5,000 children each year, including 2,000 babies born in the hospital. For more information, visit http://www.ucsfbenioffchildrens.org.
UCSF is a leading university dedicated to promoting health worldwide through advanced biomedical research, graduate-level education in the life sciences and health professions, and excellence in patient care.
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Minority children drink more sugary fruit juice than their white peersPublic release date: 30-May-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Juliana Bunim juliana.bunim@ucsf.edu 415-502-6397 University of California - San Francisco
While there has been a steep decline in kids' consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages in California, African-American and Latino children may be replacing soda with 100 percent fruit juice while their white peers are not, according to a new study from UC San Francisco.
The study was the first to compare trends of sugar-sweetened beverages and 100 percent juice consumption in California.
"The decrease in the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages among kids is a promising public health trend," said Amy Beck, MD, MPH, lead author and pediatrician at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital and San Francisco General Hospital. "But it is concerning that minority children are increasing their consumption of 100 percent fruit juice, which often has just as much sugar as soda."
Researchers examined data from the California Health Interview Survey, a telephone survey conducted every two years from 2003 to 2009, which asked parents how many servings of sugar-sweetened beverages and 100 percent fruit juice their children, ages 2 to 11, consumed the day before.
"Parents who are thinking actively about nutrition wouldn't give their kids Coca-Cola, but might give apple juice," said Beck. "But 8 ounces of Coca Cola contains 27 grams of sugar, as does 8 ounces of apple juice. We need to make sure parents understand the best thing to replace soda is water or milk."
The results will be published in the June/July issue of journal of Academic Pediatrics.
The researchers found that sugar-sweetened beverage consumption among all ethnicities decreased from 40 percent in 2003 to 16 percent in 2009 among children ages 2 to 5. Among children 6 to 10, it also decreased from 54 percent in 2003 to 33 percent in 2009. However, there were higher rates of consumption amongst Latinos, African-Americans and children of parents with lower levels of education.
For kids ages 2 to 5, the consumption of two or more servings of 100 percent fruit juice per day decreased among white children and increased among Latinos. For kids ages 6 to 11, their consumption of two or more servings remained stable for white children and increased among Latinos and African-Americans.
"Our results stress the need for more education on healthy beverages and making sure these messages reach all ethnic groups," said Beck. "It's crucial that the public health message reflect that 100 percent fruit juice should be limited, and not used as a substitute for soda."
Over the past decade, California has passed legislation to ban sugar-sweetened beverage sales in schools and implemented public health campaigns focused on reducing soda consumption by children. However, fewer efforts have targeted reducing the amount of juice children are drinking.
"There has been a lot of focus in California on reducing the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages, and that appears to be working," said Beck. "However, parents are getting mixed messages about juice, and some parents appear to be using it as a replacement for the sugar-sweetened beverages, rather than turning to water or milk."
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children age 6 and younger consume a maximum of 4 to 6 ounces of fruit juice per day, and that children ages 7 and older consume no more than 12 ounces per day.
The public health message being sent to parents is that 100 percent fruit juice is OK, according to the researchers, due much in part to juice's distribution through federal programs.
Fruit juice is available in schools through the National School Lunch Program, which provided low?cost or free lunches to more than 31 million children nationally each school day in 2011. Juice also is distributed to parents through the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program, a federal grant program for low-income, nutritionally at-risk women and children up to age 5 and through the Child Care Food Program.
"We want to see kids drinking fewer beverages that give them unnecessary calories including fruit juice," said senior author Kristine Madsen, MD, MPH of the division of community health and human development at UC Berkeley. "We don't want them replacing soda with juice. It's better to eat the fruit not drink the fruit juice."
###
The study's other authors include Anisha Patel, MD, MSPH, a pediatrician at the UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital. The authors have no conflicts of interest or financial disclosures.
The study was funded by a grant from the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institute of Health.
UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital creates an environment where children and their families find compassionate care at the forefront of scientific discovery, with more than 150 experts in 50 medical specialties serving patients throughout Northern California and beyond. The hospital admits about 5,000 children each year, including 2,000 babies born in the hospital. For more information, visit http://www.ucsfbenioffchildrens.org.
UCSF is a leading university dedicated to promoting health worldwide through advanced biomedical research, graduate-level education in the life sciences and health professions, and excellence in patient care.
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
LONDON (AP) ? An autopsy shows that a British soldier killed in a suspected Islamic extremist attack in London last week died from multiple cuts and stab wounds after he was hit by a car, police said Wednesday.
Lee Rigby, 25, was first struck by a blue car and then stabbed by two men near his barracks in southeast London's Woolwich district, police said.
Images that emerged in the attack's aftermath showed two men wielding bloody knives and meat cleavers. Police said the autopsy showed Rigby died from "multiple incised wounds."
Both prime suspects were shot and wounded by police at the scene. Suspect Michael Adebolajo, 28, remains hospitalized in stable condition while Michael Adebowale, 22, was discharged from a hospital Tuesday and is in police custody.
A total of 10 people have been arrested in the case, including the two main suspects. Two people were released and several others have been set free on bail pending further inquiries. No charges have been filed yet.
With the cause of death established, police said an inquest on Rigby's death will open Friday at Southwark Coroner's Court. In Britain, inquests are conducted to establish the circumstances surrounding unexpected or violent deaths.
London counterterrorism police officers handed out leaflets Wednesday seeking information from pedestrians and bus passengers in a quest for new information on the slaying that shocked Britain.
One of the men arrested for questioning in the case released a statement through his lawyer Wednesday proclaiming his innocence. Hayden Allen, 21, said in the statement that he wanted to send his condolences to Rigby's family.
"My family are wholly uninvolved," said Allen, who has not been charged and is free on bail. "I ask that the police continue to investigate and that my family be allowed without harassment to continue their lives."
The killing of an off-duty soldier by suspected Islamic militants has raised racial enmities in many parts of England, with far-right groups mobilizing to protest.
British prison officers have been warned to be on the lookout after a hostage drama blamed on extremist Muslim inmates, British newspapers reported Wednesday.
An email to high-security prisons and young offenders' institutes warned that Sunday's incident at Full Sutton detention facility in the northern England region of Yorkshire was linked to religious extremism and warned of an increased risk of attacks at other institutions, according to several British papers, including The Yorkshire Post and The Times.
"Three Muslim prisoners took an officer hostage in an office. Their demands indicated they supported radical Islamist extremism," the letter was quoted as saying. "All staff are reminded to remain vigilant to the increased risk of potential attacks on prison officers inspired by these and last Wednesday's events."
The hostage-takers demands have not been disclosed. Britain's Ministry of Justice declined to comment on the email.
The English Defense League, a right-wing group with strong anti-Islam leanings, has held a series of protests in the wake of the killing, while Muslim community organizations have reported a surge in attacks and harassment.
One mosque in the northern England town of Grimsby was firebombed, and the word "ISLAM" was daubed in big red letters across the Royal Air Force Bomber Command memorial in London's Green Park, near Buckingham Palace.
Two people have been charged in the arson attack. It's unclear who was responsible for the graffiti.
Hackers have also posted a purported list of English Defense League leaders and supporters to the Internet. The list was at least partially genuine, according to English Defense League supporter Glen Warren, 32, whose name and phone number were among those made available online.
Contact: Jamie Hanlon jamie.hanlon@ualberta.ca 780-492-9214 University of Alberta
UAlberta psychology research shows influence of cultural history on what people remember as major events in their lives
What will your kids remember about the life stories you tell them? New University of Alberta research shows that they're likely to be able to recall transitional moments you share with them, be it promotions or pets. The research offers strong evidence that societal values significantly affect how people think about and recall events in their livesand how we potentially carry old values and beliefs forward in a new country.
Psychology researchers Connie Svob and Norman Brown conducted interviews with two groups of participants, split evenly between people born in Canada and people whose parents emigrated from a country in upheaval. Each group was asked to identify the 10 most important events in their lives, when they occurred and whether the event had a psychological impact on them.
The results paint similar pictures of what people considered important, but showed striking differences in terms of the milestone events that often served as a backdrop.
"We were mainly interested in the historical context and how that gets transmitted," said Svob. "When a parent has lived through a historical event, how does that get passed on to the next generationand to what extent does it get passed on?"
Marking transitions: Dogs and divorce
Education, birth, death and marriage were among the top five major events mentioned by both groups, and most other major types of life events were separated by only a couple of percentage points.
What separated the groups were distinct elements or life markers that only appeared within one group. Seven per cent of what was labelled the conflict group recounted historical events their parents lived through, or their military service. Among the non-conflict group, six per cent cited attendance at a major sporting event, or the acquisition or loss of a family pet.
"We seem to be positively predisposed to detect and remember change," said Svob. "This cognitive capacity appears to extend to higher levels of cognitionspecifically, the ways in which we remember our lives and our histories."
Tying life to historical context: The Cup and coups
The researchers also asked participants to tie the events in their parents' lives to historical events. Svob notes that 25 per cent of the events mentioned by the conflict group were related to wars or other strife. For the Canadian contingent, the respondents anchored the memories to another type of conflict: sporting events.
"That's our historythe Stanley Cup, the riots, the Olympicsthat's probably what we're going to remember," she said.
Thanks for the memories: Remembrance and public impact
Svob says Edmonton and the U of A were ideal places to undertake a research project like this, noting the city's rich and open ethnic diversity, and the institution's diverse international student base.
She says determining what people retain from their cultural history has benefits in terms of helping them retain their identity. But she notes that it also identifies lingering cultural issues related to ethnic out-groupsissues that become important to manage, especially in Canada's ever-expanding cultural landscape.
She hopes the results from the study can be used to develop ways of bridging these narratives to the Canadian context, ensuring that newcomers thrive in adopting the peace and harmony of their new home.
"We were able to collect data that explore potentially contentious issues," said Svob. "It implies that the conflict-knowledgeand its related attitudes and beliefsare carried forward among first-generation Canadians.
"To minimize xenophobia in Canada, interventions in schools and within other transition-related immigration programs could happen at the level of parental narratives concerning their war experiences."
###
[ | E-mail | Share ]
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Contact: Jamie Hanlon jamie.hanlon@ualberta.ca 780-492-9214 University of Alberta
UAlberta psychology research shows influence of cultural history on what people remember as major events in their lives
What will your kids remember about the life stories you tell them? New University of Alberta research shows that they're likely to be able to recall transitional moments you share with them, be it promotions or pets. The research offers strong evidence that societal values significantly affect how people think about and recall events in their livesand how we potentially carry old values and beliefs forward in a new country.
Psychology researchers Connie Svob and Norman Brown conducted interviews with two groups of participants, split evenly between people born in Canada and people whose parents emigrated from a country in upheaval. Each group was asked to identify the 10 most important events in their lives, when they occurred and whether the event had a psychological impact on them.
The results paint similar pictures of what people considered important, but showed striking differences in terms of the milestone events that often served as a backdrop.
"We were mainly interested in the historical context and how that gets transmitted," said Svob. "When a parent has lived through a historical event, how does that get passed on to the next generationand to what extent does it get passed on?"
Marking transitions: Dogs and divorce
Education, birth, death and marriage were among the top five major events mentioned by both groups, and most other major types of life events were separated by only a couple of percentage points.
What separated the groups were distinct elements or life markers that only appeared within one group. Seven per cent of what was labelled the conflict group recounted historical events their parents lived through, or their military service. Among the non-conflict group, six per cent cited attendance at a major sporting event, or the acquisition or loss of a family pet.
"We seem to be positively predisposed to detect and remember change," said Svob. "This cognitive capacity appears to extend to higher levels of cognitionspecifically, the ways in which we remember our lives and our histories."
Tying life to historical context: The Cup and coups
The researchers also asked participants to tie the events in their parents' lives to historical events. Svob notes that 25 per cent of the events mentioned by the conflict group were related to wars or other strife. For the Canadian contingent, the respondents anchored the memories to another type of conflict: sporting events.
"That's our historythe Stanley Cup, the riots, the Olympicsthat's probably what we're going to remember," she said.
Thanks for the memories: Remembrance and public impact
Svob says Edmonton and the U of A were ideal places to undertake a research project like this, noting the city's rich and open ethnic diversity, and the institution's diverse international student base.
She says determining what people retain from their cultural history has benefits in terms of helping them retain their identity. But she notes that it also identifies lingering cultural issues related to ethnic out-groupsissues that become important to manage, especially in Canada's ever-expanding cultural landscape.
She hopes the results from the study can be used to develop ways of bridging these narratives to the Canadian context, ensuring that newcomers thrive in adopting the peace and harmony of their new home.
"We were able to collect data that explore potentially contentious issues," said Svob. "It implies that the conflict-knowledgeand its related attitudes and beliefsare carried forward among first-generation Canadians.
"To minimize xenophobia in Canada, interventions in schools and within other transition-related immigration programs could happen at the level of parental narratives concerning their war experiences."
###
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
While more and more people are starting their own online businesses, if you don?t have a lot of experience it?s quite common to fall prey to internet marketing mistakes that can prevent you from doing well.
Not having realistic goals is a big mistake many internet marketers make. However, the mistake made by new marketers is that they make goals that are larger than life and then when they see the hurdles, they quit. The only way to reach your internet marketing goals is to create ones that you can actually attain. And then go ahead and work it out into small steps that you can take one after another. You don?t want to just go after a main big goal, but instead break it up into more manageable goals. Successful internet marketers always have a primary goal they shoot for but then they go after smaller goals until they reach it.
Another frequent error made by Internet marketers is under-estimating how crucial research can be. Whether you?re researching your intended market, your keywords or your products, it?s crucial to realize how important this step really is. Many Internet marketers think that they?d be able to skip the research step and just jump into the main playing field. However, if you don?t really know what your market wants and which keywords will help your business, how will you achieve success? For example, if you?re aiming at ranking your website highly in the search engines for a specific keyword, you need keyword research tools to locate the right terms and phrases to attract the visitors and ranking you want. Can you just avoid this step and still hope to get high search engine rankings? Certainly not. This is why researching is such a primarily important step in reaching success in your online business.
Another Internet marketing mistake that is commonly seen is building backlinks the wrong way. It?s true that almost everyone marketing online learns early on that they must get backlinks if they want to rank well. If you want your site to perform well in the long run, however, you have to avoid building links using shortcuts or underhanded tactics. Whenever you create backlinks, always remember that you have to do it the right way, or else you?ll get into trouble. Some people are lured into using blackhat software, buying links from linkfarms and similar tactics, but these will not help you in the long run. The best way to obtain quality backlinks is from reputable and relevant sites. You can do this by commenting on blogs within your niche, posting on relevant forums, or by simply asking other webmasters directly for a backlink. When it comes to backlinks, the search engines care about the quality and relevance, not simply the number of them. It pays to educate yourself about the right way to build links. Don?t be in a rush, but build good quality links consistently.
So make sure you understand the above internet marketing mistakes so that you don?t make them in your own business.
James Steele is famous for being a committed blogger. He has written on multiple topics including Article Marketing, online marketing and network marketing. Checkout his article on MLM success leads and on Empower Network leads
Chinese hackers have gained access to the designs of many of the nation?s most sensitive advanced weapons systems, according to a report prepared for the Defense Department and government and defense industry officials,The Washington Post reported Tuesday.
The compromised weapons designs include, among others, advanced Patriot missile system, the Navy?s Aegis ballistic missile defense systems, the F/A-18 fighter jet, the V-22 Osprey, the Black Hawk helicopter and the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
The confidential report was prepared by the Defense Science Board, a senior advisory group of government and civilian experts.
It does not accuse the Chinese of stealing the designs but says that the designs of more than two dozen systems were compromised, the Post reported.
The report comes a month before President Obama will meet with visiting Chinese President Xi Jinping in California. It also coincides with reports in the Australian media that Chinese hackers had allegedly stolen blueprints for Australian?s new spy headquarters.
An alleged breach of U.S. systems was noted in a public report issued by the advisory panel in January, but the section of the report listing the compromised weapons system remained classified until Tuesday. The public version had warned that the Pentagon is unprepared to counter a full-scale cyber-conflict.
The Chinese government has insisted that it does not conduct cyber-espionage on U.S. agencies or companies, and government spokesmen often complain that Beijing is a target of U.S. cyberattacks, the Post noted.
Many good things come out of Copenhagen. Design, food, and certainly, music. Four-piece band, When Saints Go Machine, is definitely one of those good things. Like a mix between raw TV On The Radio and The Roots, their sound is languid, yet intricate. What we really liked about second album, Infinity Pool, was the complexity. Sometimes complexity and layering can be audibly messy, but not on Infinity Pool.
The different layers of vocals, instruments and samples When Saints Go Machine?s create a wonderful depth to the album. The first track, ?Love and Respect? featuring Killer Mike, is an up-beat start to the collection of songs. It has a strong but mellow beat, and positive lyrics. The vocals are slightly washed-out, giving it an industrial feel. Tracks like ?Iodine? and ?Mental Shopping Spree? give a little bit of a throw back feel in such a good way. The voice over in each song is reminiscent of Prince, which scores major points with us. Overall, When Saints Go Machine has given us something better than good for their second album. Infinity Pool is definitely something to be appreciated, something introspective and beautiful, but still raw.
May 28, 2013 ? The offspring of parents who live to a ripe old age are more likely to live longer themselves, and less prone to cancer and other common diseases associated with ageing, a study has revealed.
Experts at the University of Exeter Medical School, supported by the National Institute for Health Research Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care in the South West Peninsula (NIHR PenCLAHRC), led an international collaboration which discovered that people who had a long-lived mother or father were 24% less likely to get cancer. The scientists compared the children of long-lived parents to children whose parents survived to average ages for their generation.
The scientists classified long-lived mothers as those who survived past 91 years old, and compared them to those who reached average age spans of 77 to 91. Long-lived fathers lived past 87 years old, compared with the average of 65 to 87 years. The scientists studied 938 new cases of cancer that developed during the 18 year follow-up period.
The team also involved experts from the National Institute for Health and Medical Research in France (Institut national de la sant? et de la recherche m?dicale), the University of Michigan and the University of Iowa. They found that overall mortality rates dropped by up to 19 per cent for each decade that at least one of the parents lived past the age of 65. For those whose mothers lived beyond 85, mortality rates were 40 per cent lower. The figure was a little lower (14 per cent) for fathers, possibly because of adverse lifestyle factors such as smoking, which may have been more common in the fathers.
In the study, published in the Journals of Gerontology: Series A, the scientists analysed data from a series of interviews conducted with 9,764 people taking part in the Health and Retirement Study. The participants were based in America, and were followed up over 18 years, from 1992 to 2010. They were interviewed every two years, with questions including the ages of their parents and when they died. In 2010 the participants were in their seventies.
Professor William Henley, from the University of Exeter Medical School, said: "Previous studies have shown that the children of centenarians tend to live longer with less heart disease, but this is the first robust evidence that the children of longer-lived parents are also less likely to get cancer. We also found that they are less prone to diabetes or suffering a stroke. These protective effects are passed on from parents who live beyond 65 -- far younger than shown in previous studies, which have looked at those over the age of 80. Obviously children of older parents are not immune to contracting cancer or any other diseases of ageing, but our evidence shows that rates are lower. We also found that this inherited resistance to age-related diseases gets stronger the older their parents lived."
Ambarish Dutta, who worked on the project at the University of Exeter Medical School and is now at the Asian Institute of Public Health at the Ravenshaw University in India, said: "Interestingly from a nature versus nurture perspective, we found no evidence that these health advantages are passed on from parents-in-law. Despite being likely to share the same environment and lifestyle in their married lives, spouses had no health benefit from their parents-in-law reaching a ripe old age. If the findings resulted from cultural or lifestyle factors, you might expect these effects to extend to husbands and wives in at least some cases, but there was no impact whatsoever."
In analysing the data, the team made adjustments for sex, race, smoking, wealth, education, body mass index, and childhood socioeconomic status. They also excluded results from those whose parents died prematurely (ie mothers who died younger than 61 or fathers younger than 46).
The study could not look at the various sub groups of cancer, as numbers did not allow accurate estimates. This study was carried out in preparation for a more detailed analysis of factors explaining why some people seem to age more slowly than others. Future work will use the UK Biobank, which analyses a cohort of 500,000 participants.
Other collaborators on the paper were Dr Jean-Marie Robine, of the Institut National de la Sant? et de la Recherche M?dical, Dr Kenneth Langa of the University of Michigan, Professor Robert Wallace of the University of Iowa and Professor David Melzer, of the University of Exeter Medical School.
PARIS (AP) ? Rafael Nadal knows this story well. All too well. Saw it up close the previous time he played in a major tournament.
Early round, main stadium, unknown opponent taking risky swings and putting everything in. At Wimbledon nearly a year ago, it was 100th-ranked Lukas Rosol who took it to Nadal and beat him in the second round. At the French Open on Monday, in Nadal's return to Grand Slam action after missing seven months with knee trouble, it was 59th-ranked Daniel Brands in the guest-star role.
Like Rosol, Brands is 6-foot-5 and lanky. Like Rosol, Brands employed a go-for-broke style and was hitting big. And for one whole set and most of the next during a first-round match in Court Philippe Chatrier, against the most successful man in Roland Garros history, it worked.
Nadal already owns a record seven French Open titles, including the past three. His bid to become the only man with eight championships at any of tennis' quartet of most important tournaments got off to a slow start, before he restored order by coming back to beat a faltering Brands 4-6, 7-6 (4), 6-4, 6-3.
"He was trying to hit every ball as hard as he can," said Nadal, who improved to 37-2 this season, with 16 victories in a row. "He made me suffer, I can tell you."
Brands came in 0-4 at the French Open, and with a sub-.500 career record in all tour matches, and his strategy was right out of Rosol's playbook: Keep points short and aim for the lines.
"That's the way. If you give Nadal time, there's no chance. You have to be aggressive. That's my view," Rosol, who's now ranked 36th, said Monday after winning his first-round match. "If other players play aggressive against him, that's the only way to beat him."
Toni Nadal, who is Rafael's uncle and coach, saw similarities with the last time his nephew played at a Grand Slam.
"Yes, it was a little the same," Toni said. "Against Rosol, in the fifth set, we couldn't do anything."
But when a reporter wanted to know whether there's a pattern being established as to the type of foe who can bother Rafael, Toni shrugged that off, replying: "When you play against an opponent who serves really well, who puts in a high percentage of first serves, and who hits balls really fast, it's complicated for everyone ? not just for Rafael."
Had the third-seeded Nadal lost the match, it would have been one of the biggest upsets in the sport's history. Even merely losing the first set was significant, though, considering that Nadal began the day having dropped only 14 of the 170 sets he'd contested at the clay-court major tournament.
The victory improved his career record at Roland Garros to 53-1, the only loss coming in the fourth round in 2009 against Robin Soderling, not incidentally a 6-foot-4 free swinger.
"It was very, very difficult for us," Toni Nadal said after Monday's match.
There was no such struggle for the tournament's other defending champion, Maria Sharapova, who needed all of 54 minutes to overpower 42nd-ranked Hsieh Su-wei of Taiwan 6-2, 6-1. Or for 2011 women's titlist Li Na, a 6-3, 6-4 winner against Anabel Medina Garrigues. Or for 2010 champion Francesca Schiavone, who also won in straight sets.
No. 4-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska, last year's runner-up at Wimbledon, kept pace with her younger sister Urszula ? producer of a three-set victory over Venus Williams a night earlier ? by eliminating Shahar Peer 6-1, 6-1.
Li and Radwanska both play Americans next. Li goes up against Bethanie Mattek-Sands, who got past Lourdes Dominguez Lino of Spain, part of a 6-1 day for U.S. women, including wins by No. 17 Sloane Stephens, No. 29 Varvara Lepchenko, Melanie Oudin, Vania King and Madison Keys.
Two U.S. men won to set up a meeting for a spot in the third round: John Isner and Ryan Harrison.
The older Radwanska will now face American Mallory Burdette, who won her French Open debut Sunday. Asked what she knew about her second-round opponent, Radwanska smiled.
"To be honest, not much. Nothing at all, actually," Radwanska freely admitted. "I might Google her."
In other Day 2 action, French wild-card recipient Gael Monfils surprised No. 5 Tomas Berdych 7-6 (8), 6-4, 6-7 (3), 6-7 (4), 7-5, while Australia's Nick Kyrgios, at 18 the youngest player in the men's draw, made a successful Grand Slam debut by eliminating 34-year-old Radek Stepanek 7-6 (4), 7-6 (8), 7-6 (11).
Most of the attention and buzz, though, was about the way Brands-Nadal began.
Keeping Nadal under pressure has to be "the main goal" against the Spaniard, Brands explained.
"If you can do this," he said, "I think you have a chance to compete against Rafa."
As a note of caution, Brands added: "But ... if you play on the high level always, all the time in the match, I think that's really exhausting."
Consider that a word of caution for Nadal's future opponents. Next is Martin Klizan of Slovakia, who reached the second round when Michael Russell of the U.S. stopped because of a left hamstring injury while trailing 3-6, 6-3, 6-1.
Brand certainly didn't fit the profile of someone to challenge Nadal. The German didn't even play in the main draw last year at Roland Garros because he failed to make it out of qualifying, beaten by a guy ranked 630th at the time.
There's more: Brands never has won a tour title, never been ranked inside the top 50 (something that surprised Nadal). According to his biography on the ATP's website, Brands considers among his career highlights a third-round appearance at Hamburg and a semifinal run at Munich. And his "future goal," per that bio? Reaching the top 30.
In his final tournament before coming to Paris, last week in Duesseldorf, Brands just so happened to beat ? guess who? ? Rosol in the first round, before losing 6-0, 6-1 in the second to a player ranked 95th.
Yet on Monday, there Brands was, giving 11-time major champion Nadal fits and earning raucous cheers from fans who love to back an underdog.
When Nadal double-faulted twice in one game, he got broken to fall behind 5-4 in the first set, which Brands then closed with a forehand winner down the line set up by a 134 mph serve.
In the second set, Brands raced to a 3-0 tiebreaker edge, four points from a two-sets-to-none lead. When Nadal smacked a forehand winner to get to 3-2, he punctuated it with a yell of "Vamos!"
And then came the first real sign of nerves from Brands ? and a turning point. Moving forward, he sliced a backhand approach shot that didn't work at all, nestling into the net. He hung his head, slumped his shoulders and shuffled to the other side of the court, the tiebreaker now 3-all.
"Lost a little bit (of) concentration," Brands acknowledged later.
Then, perhaps still contemplating that miscue, Brand pushed a forehand wide to make it 4-3, part of a momentum shift during which Nadal grabbed seven of the final eight points of that set.
When Nadal hit a forehand winner down the line, he hopped and shook a fist and yelled while turning around to see Uncle Toni leaping out of his seat in the stands. That gave Nadal a set point, and he converted it with another winner, then screamed and pumped his fist some more.
"I hit two fantastic shots," Nadal said. "That probably was the match."
That's true. He broke to begin the third set, and the fourth set, too, making the eventual outcome clear.
And even if Nadal started poorly, Uncle Toni pointed out, "In the end, what's important is to win." His nephew usually does around these parts.
___
Follow Howard Fendrich on Twitter at http://twitter.com/HowardFendrich
San Antonio players Manu Ginobili, left, and DeJuan Blair, right, watch as Patty Mills raises the Western Conference trophy after the Spurs defeated the Memphis Grizzlies 93-86 in game 4 of the NBA basketball playoff series, Monday, May 27, 2013, in Memphis, Tenn. The Spurs advance to the NBA finals. (AP Photo/Pool-Rogelio V. Solis)
San Antonio players Manu Ginobili, left, and DeJuan Blair, right, watch as Patty Mills raises the Western Conference trophy after the Spurs defeated the Memphis Grizzlies 93-86 in game 4 of the NBA basketball playoff series, Monday, May 27, 2013, in Memphis, Tenn. The Spurs advance to the NBA finals. (AP Photo/Pool-Rogelio V. Solis)
San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich, left, talks to San Antonio Spurs guard Tony Parker, of France, during a timeout in the first half of Game 4 of the Western Conference finals NBA basketball playoff series against the Memphis Grizzlies, in Memphis, Tenn., Monday, May 27, 2013. (AP Photo/Danny Johnston)
San Antonio Spurs guard Tony Parker, of France, speaks during a post-game news conference after the Spurs defeated the Memphis Grizzlies in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals NBA basketball playoff series in Memphis, Tenn., Monday, May 27, 2013. The Spurs defeated the Grizzlies 93-86 to advance to the NBA finals. (AP Photo/Danny Johnston)
San Antonio Spurs forward Tim Duncan, of the U.S. Virgin Islands, left, is congratulated by Memphis Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins after Game 4 of the Western Conference finals NBA basketball playoff series in Memphis, Tenn., Monday, May 27, 2013. The Spurs defeated the Grizzlies 93-86 to advance to the NBA finals. (AP Photo/Danny Johnston)
San Antonio Spurs forward Tim Duncan (21) drives to the basket as Memphis Grizzlies center Marc Gasol (33) defends, during Game 4 of the Western Conference finals NBA basketball playoff series in Memphis, Tenn., Monday, May 27, 2013. The Spurs defeated the Grizzlies 93-86 to advance to the NBA finals. (AP Photo/Danny Johnston)
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) ? Go ahead and count out the San Antonio Spurs as simply too old to win another title with Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and coach Gregg Popovich.
They're back anyway with the chance they've wanted so very much the past six years.
Parker scored 37 points in his best game this postseason, and the San Antonio Spurs finished off a sweep Monday night of the Memphis Grizzlies with a 93-86 win on Monday night for their fifth Western Conference title.
"It's a great feeling," Parker said as he sat with the Western Conference trophy perched in front of him.
"Since last year, I promised to him (Duncan) that we will go back, go back to the Finals and get an opportunity to win the whole thing and I'm trying to do my best, try to be aggressive every night. I think everybody on the team, we really want to do it for him. We win the West and now it's one more step. This is the hardest one."
The Spurs now wait for either Miami or Indiana having swept two of their three opponents already this postseason, this the first sweep in a conference final since the Nets did it to Detroit in 2003. They also have won six straight in these playoffs, handing two straight losses to a team that had been undefeated on their own court in their best postseason in franchise history.
Memphis finished off its best season ever swept by the very same franchise that needed four games to knock them out of their first playoff appearance back in 2004.
"We will be back," Grizzlies guard Mike Conley said.
Parker had his best game this postseason as he hit 15 of 21 and all six at the free throw line earning the Spurs and Duncan plenty of rest before Game 1 of the Finals on June 6.
"He's been amazing," Duncan said of Parker. "Every year he gets better and better and better. He's been carrying us. You can see tonight he carried us the entire game."
Duncan hugged Ginobili before heading off the court, celebrating the chance at a title that slipped away a year ago when the Spurs blew a 2-0 lead to Oklahoma City losing four straight. The 37-year-old Duncan finished with 15 points and eight rebounds. Kawhi Leonard added 11.
"We want to get back there," Duncan said of making the finals. "We've had some really close years where we fell right on the verge of getting back. It feels like forever since we've been there."
Popovich said the fact they are back in the finals after a six-year drought is something he'll think about once he hits the bed, though he already felt pretty good.
"You don't expect that to happen maybe this late in the game with the same group," Popovich said. "It's tough to do, to maintain something that long. But it just shows the character of those three guys and their ability to play with whoever else is brought in around them. They deserve a lot of credit for that."
Memphis coach Lionel Hollins had talked about how his Grizzlies needed to dig deep for something they didn't know they had to take the first step back into this series. But they couldn't outshoot the Spurs and got beaten once again at their own inside game.
"We just never could gain control of the paint," Hollins said. "They controlled the paint."
That the Spurs did as they shot 51.3 percent (39 of 76) from the floor and outscored Memphis 52-32 in the paint, even though the Grizzlies had a 41-34 edge on the boards. Memphis led only briefly and the last at 6-4 as the Spurs took control early.
Memphis stayed close only by getting to the free throw line, making more shots there (17 of 24) than San Antonio took (12 of 13). The Grizzlies also got a career-high 22 points from reserve Quincy Pondexter, 18 of those in the second half. Pondexter was the only player from Memphis to shoot over .500. Zach Randolph finished with 13, continuing his struggles at the line where he was 5 of 8, and Marc Gasol had 14.
"We learned that winning isn't easy and winning championships is one of the hardest things you can possibly do," Pondexter said. "I think our guys really dug deep to get as far as we did, and San Antonio's a tremendous team. We're going to take a couple pages out of their book."
Duncan had taken care of the Grizzlies scoring the big points in overtime in each of the last two games. Parker took over this time as he hit 14 of his first 18 shots, and he hit the biggest shot with 9:15 left when he knocked down his lone 3-pointer over the outstretched arms of both Tony Allen and Randolph after Memphis gotten within 76-73 with fans sensing the most life out of the Grizzlies all night long.
Parker and Duncan took turns making buckets before Parker got hit in the eye by Gasol's outstretched hand after missing a shot. When Parker returned with 4:43 left, Gasol went over to him and Parker told him he was fine. Parker then hit a jumper with 4:13 remaining for an 89-81 lead.
"He was outstanding the whole series, and he controlled the series with his penetration," Hollins said of Parker. "He made shots, made plays. One game he has 18 assists, today he has 37 points. He was huge. But their team played well. You've got to give them credit."
The Grizzlies made one last run and got within three one last time when Gasol scored on a runner in the lane with 48.7 seconds left at 89-86. But Parker hit four free throws in the final 29.7 seconds to seal the victory for San Antonio and its first Western Conference title since the Spurs' last NBA title in 2007.
The Spurs made it impossible for Memphis to get off to a quick start as they had more points in the paint (16) than the Grizzlies scored in the first quarter as San Antonio went up 24-14 shooting 52.4 percent (11 of 21).
The Spurs cooled off a bit in the second quarter, missing six of seven shots in a stretch. Memphis got into the bonus early, and the Grizzlies used the free throw line to keep San Antonio from doubling up its lead by hitting 8 of 10 at the line. Even Randolph, who has struggled mightily at the line in this series, breathed a sigh of a relief when his first attempt went down, and he knocked down two straight.
The Grizzlies also got a couple 3s from Bayless, the second after Memphis got its best break of the first half when officials called a 5-second call on the Spurs inbounding the ball. Danny Green missed his would-be buzzer beater, leaving the Spurs up just 44-38.
Gasol's frustration spilled over in the third quarter as he headed to the bench for a timeout when he smacked the press table with both hands. He also went to his knees when officials blew their whistles after he rebounded a miss. But Pondexter, who missed 23 games to a sprained left knee suffered Dec. 29 against Denver, kept the Grizzlies close almost singlehandedly as he scored 12 points in the third.
"We're going to be better because we played against, to me, one of the greatest teams there's been in the past 15 years," Gasol said.
Notes: Parker's previous best this postseason came in Game 3 when he had 32 points against Golden State in the semifinals. ... Teams are now 108-0 when leading a series 3-0. ... The Spurs now are 11-1 in closeout games since their last title in 2007. .. The Grizzlies had owner Robert Pera in the stands for only the second home game this season. ... The Spurs missed their first eight 3-pointers before Green finally hit in the third quarter.
On this quiet Monday, Samsung decided to do a little teaser for its upcoming "Premiere 2013" roadshow event in London on June 20th. The above poster only mentions "Galaxy & ATIV," which suggest the event will mainly feature Android and Windows-based devices. The remaining tiles show partial shots of three mysterious devices -- possibly a tablet or phone, a convertible laptop (à la Sony VAIO Duo 11) and a camera (maybe the rumored Galaxy S 4 Zoom?). Obviously, we'll be at the event to solve this mystery, so stay tuned for more.
There are so many great video games out there, and so little time to play them. HowLongToBeat is a community-based site that predicts how long you'll need to get through various video games to help you better plan which one to play next.
Once you navigate to the site and create an account, you can browse through a list of thousands of video games. Click the one you're interested in, and the site will tell you how long it should take you to complete the game if you're only interested in the main quest, if you want to complete the side objectives, and if you want to truly discover every nook and cranny the game has to offer. The times are all based on community members' reports, so popular games probably have more accurate data, but I couldn't find a game that wasn't at least listed.
For the curious among you, you can dive deeper into each game's page to find discussions and user reviews, see what platforms people are playing it on, and time yourself against the fastest-reported speedrun. Once you complete a game yourself, you can add your own time to the database to keep improving the service. If HowLongToBeat taught me anything, it's that I own far more games than I have time to play, but it at least helped me prioritize which ones I might get through during this long weekend.
We enlarged our back deck a couple years ago. It's been dubbed "the party deck", the grill is on it and we hang out there all the time. With citronella candles it's not bad, the only one that ever seems to have a problem with the bugs is dh. Apparently he's a hell of a lot sweeter than the rest of us.
BOSTON (AP) ? Tuukka Rask stopped 28 shots, Gregory Campbell scored twice and the Boston Bruins beat the New York Rangers in Game 5 on Saturday to advance to the Eastern Conference finals.
The Bruins will face the Pittsburgh Penguins for the right to play for the Stanley Cup.
Recent call-up Torey Krug scored his fourth goal of the series for Boston, which reached the third round of the NHL playoffs for the second time since 1992. The other was 2011, when the Bruins won the sixth Stanley Cup in franchise history.
Dan Girardi scored and Henrik Lundqvist made 29 saves for the Rangers, who lost to New Jersey in last year's East finals.
Campbell broke a 1-1 tie in the second period, then added an empty-netter with 51 seconds left after Lundqvist was pulled for an extra skater.
The Rangers fell behind 3-0 in the series before winning Game 4 on Thursday night to avoid a sweep, thanks in part to a pratfall by Rask that helped them erase a 2-0 deficit. They took an early lead Saturday, But they couldn't send the series back to New York for a sixth game.
Girardi opened the scoring on a power play with 9:21 left in first, one-timing a pass from Mats Zucarello into the net. The Bruins scored a power-play goal of their own 3:48 into the second when Krug took a pass from Tyler Seguin and hit the top of the net.
Ten minutes later, Daniel Paille sent the puck to the net and it got caught up in traffic. Shawn Thornton knocked it to Campbell, who swept it in for the go-ahead goal.
The Rangers had their best chance to tie it with just under 10 minutes left in the third, when Ryan Callahan came up the middle on a breakaway. He tried to go left and beat Rask with a backhander, but the goalie turned it aside with his blocker.
The Rangers pulled Lundqvist with 1:15 left, but the Bruins quickly found the empty net on a slow-rolling shot by Campbell.
Notes: The Rangers had been 3 for 42 in the playoffs on the power play, but they scored on one for the second straight game ... Krejci led all scorers in the playoffs (5G, 12A) entering Saturday's game. ... Bruins D Dennis Seidenberg, who was injured in the first minute of Game 7 in the first round, returned to the lineup. Dougie Hamilton was a scratch. ... Rangers F Brad Richards, the 2004 Conn Smythe Trophy winner, was a scratch for the second straight game. ... Rangers F Derek Stepan took a puck in the face in the first period and skated off but returned a short time later.
LONDON (AP) ? Counterterrorism police on Saturday questioned a friend of alleged Islamic extremist Michael Adebolajo, one of two suspects in the killing of an unarmed British soldier, a savage attack that has horrified Britain.
The friend, Abu Nusaybah, was arrested immediately after he gave a BBC Television interview Friday describing how Adebolajo may have become radicalized and alleging that Britain's security services tried to recruit him. Police said Nusaybah was wanted on suspicion of involvement in unspecified acts of terrorism.
Nusaybah said Adebolajo became withdrawn after he visited Kenya, where he claimed he had been arrested and then abused both physically and sexually while in jail. Nusaybah claimed that Britain's domestic spy agency, MI5, approached Adebolajo to recruit him upon his return to Britain about six months ago.
Adebolajo, 28, and Michael Adebowale, 22, are suspected of killing soldier Lee Rigby by hacking his body with knives and a meat cleaver in front of dozens of passersby Wednesday in the southeast London district of Woolwich. The horrific scene was recorded on witnesses' cellphones, and a video has emerged showing one of the two suspects making political statements and warning of more violence as the soldier lay on the ground.
Police shot both men as they arrived minutes after Rigby's slaying. Both suspects remain under armed guard at two London hospitals.
The attack has sparked fears of anti-Muslim sentiments in Britain. Police have charged three people after allegedly offensive comments were posted on Twitter, while Faith Matters, a charity campaigning against extremism, said its helpline has received 162 calls since Rigby was killed from people reporting anti-Muslim incidents including attacks against mosques.
About 1,500 people took part in a march Saturday organized by the far-right group English Defense League in the northern city of Newcastle. Police said the march was mostly peaceful.
The group, which has clashed violently with police in the past, has used Rigby's murder to criticize the British government for not paying enough attention to radical Islam in the country.
Questions abound over what could have led the two men to attack Rigby, a 25-year-old ceremonial military drummer and machine-gunner who had served in Afghanistan and was off duty when he was walking near his barracks. Nusaybah's interview offered one possible narrative. He said Adebolajo's behavior changed after he allegedly suffered abuse at the hands of Kenyan security forces.
"Although that change wasn't necessarily one that became overt, aggressive or anything like that, he became ... less talkative. He wasn't his bubbly self," Nusaybah told the BBC.
He said MI5 agents approached Adebolajo after he returned to Britain and initially asked him if he had met specific Muslim militants, then asked Adebolajo if he was willing to act as an informer.
"He was explicit in that he refused to work for them," Nusaybah said.
The BBC said police arrested Nusaybah outside its studios Friday night immediately after recording the interview.
"This interviewee had important background information that sheds light on this horrific event," the BBC said in a statement. "And when we asked him to appear and interviewed him, we were not aware he was wanted for questioning by the police."
London police confirmed that a 31-year-old man was arrested Friday night on suspicion of "the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism." Police declined to identify Nusaybah by name or provide further detail.
It was not immediately possible to verify the information provided by Nusaybah, who said he had known Adebolajo for about a decade. MI5 does not publicly discuss its efforts to recruit informers.
It is not uncommon, however, for special services officers to occasionally visit communities to ask people if they know potential terror suspects or others under MI5 surveillance.
Potential informants go through a screening process to determine if they should be trusted, what their motivation might be and whether their information would be likely to be accurate.
Nusaybah said Adebolajo was converted to Islam around 2004. His account corroborates those provided by two Muslim hard-liners who said they also knew Adebolajo.
Anjem Choudary, a former leader of a banned British radical group called al-Muhajiroun, said Adebolajo was a Christian who converted to Islam around 2003. Choudary told The Associated Press that Adebolajo participated in several of the group's London demonstrations before Britain outlawed the group in 2010.
Omar Bakri Muhammad, another former al-Muhajiroun leader and radical Muslim preacher, said Adebolajo is a Nigerian who was born and raised in Britain. He said that Adebolajo attended his London lectures in the early 2000s, but added that he had not stayed in touch with the suspect since then. Muhammad fled London and resettled in Lebanon in 2005 after suicide attacks on London's public transit system killed 56 people, including four bombers.
"I don't know what Michael did since 2004 or 2005," Bakri told the AP. "Two years ago he stopped attending our open lectures and lessons as well as our activities."
The University of Greenwich confirmed Saturday that records show Adebolajo was registered as a student there between 2003 and 2005. His academic progress was unsatisfactory and he did not complete his studies there, vice-chancellor David Maguire said. The university did not have records for the second suspect, Adebowale.
University officials are investigating whether there was any evidence of extremism on its campus, Maguire added.
Police have not officially named the two suspects ? officials in Britain usually wait to name suspects until charges have been filed. The AP has received confirmation of their identities from British officials speaking on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to disclose the information.
Few details have emerged about Adebowale besides one reported brush with death as a teenager.
The Guardian reported Saturday that Adebowale was stabbed in 2008, when a man attacked him and two friends in a London apartment. One 18-year-old friend died and the attacker received a life sentence for murder, the newspaper said.
Both suspects had been known to Britain's security services as part of previous terrorism investigations. Authorities said they have arrested two others, a man and a woman, on suspicion of conspiracy to murder, but it is not yet clear whether the killing was part of any larger plot.
MI5 Director-General Andrew Parker is expected to deliver a preliminary report next week to Parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee detailing what the agency knew about both suspects and whether MI5 could have done anything to stop the attack.
The directors of Britain's foreign spy agency, MI6, and Britain's eavesdropping agency, GCHQ, also are expected to give reports on what intelligence they had on the two men.
___
Associated Press writer Paisley Dodds in London and Bassem Mroue in Beirut contributed to this report.
Latin America Green News?is a selection of weekly news highlights about environmental and energy issues in Latin America.
May 20 ? 24, 2013
Chile
President Pi?era gave his fourth and final national annual address on the 21st of May, and his comments on the environment and energy received mixed reviews. Somecriticized?the president for failing to mention renewables, efficiency, or carbon emissions, and only focusing on the few major controversial government projects. Others noted that his administration has?done little to protect the environment. (Futuro Renovable 5/22/2013, Santiago Times 5/22/2013)
After previously stating that it would not address the appeals in 2013 filed against the approval of the controversial HidroAys?n project, Chile?s highest environmental administrative authority, the?Committee of Ministers, reversed its position and announced that it will, in fact, make a decision this year. In response, opponents of the project, including members of Parliament and civil society, stated that they are confident thatthere are sufficient reasons to revoke HidroAys?n?s permit. (Econom?a y Negocios 5/22/2013; Radio B?ob?o 5/24/2013)
The?Energy and Mining Commission in Chile?s Chamber of Deputies unanimously approved the bill mandating that 20% of Chile energy generation come from renewable sources by 2020.? The Minister and Sub-Secretary of Energy were also present to emphasize the executive branch?s support for the initiative, although Minister Bunster expressed concern that the bill was ?excessively ambitious? and could impact energy prices for Chileans. (Diario Financiero 5/22/2013)
Costa Rica
Carbon bonds in Costa Rica may be valued at $3, according to a new report by the UN Development Programme and the government?s Climate Change Directorate. Costa Rica?s local market for ?Costa Rican Carbon Units? (UCC) launched in 2012. By 2021 residential demand for UCCs is expected to generate $783,978, commercial demand will generate $2,060,755 and agricultural demand $1,200,691. (El FInanciero 5/23/2013)
Two UN-supported projects in Costa Rica will?promote low emission development in the housing, transportation and cattle-ranching sectors.?The first project is focused on improving the measurement of emissions from cattle-ranching and transportation, the two main emission sources in the country. This data will be used to develop pilot mitigation strategies. The second project will provide technical advice and capacity-building to mitigate emissions from the cattle and housing sectors. (El FInanciero 5/23/2013)
Mexico
Climate change is costing Mexico approximately $6 billion dollars?(75 billion pesos) annually due to an onslaught of hurricanes, cyclones, intense rains and droughts. This amount is higher than the annual budget of Mexico?s Environment Ministry. In the face of these high costs, the government?s climate strategy will focus on prevention ?- aiming for cities that are better adapted, pollution reductions and investments in green technology. The full climate strategy is expected to be revealed on June 5, World Environment Day and will include measures to deal with short-lived climate forcers like black carbon, ozone, and methane. (El Universal ?5/19/2013 )
The Governor of Jalisco announced he will present a proposed State Law Against Climate Change?that will be in line with the national climate law and will help promote state-level public policies for sustainable development. Among other things, the law would help coordinate actions between different municipal and state entities. (El Occidental 5/22/2013)
For more news on the issues we care about visit our?Latin America News?archive?or read our?other International blogs.
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Public release date: 30-May-2013
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