Thursday 4 September 2014

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Ebola crisis continues

Posted:

GENEVA, Sept 05, 2014 (AFP) - World health experts will meet in Geneva on Friday for the second day of urgent talks on fast-tracking experimental Ebola drugs as doctors in the worst-hit countries pleaded to be given the serums.With no fully tested treatments for Ebola, the World Health Organization has endorsed potential cures like ZMapp to be rushed out.Everybody keeps asking why isn't this medication made available to our people out there? Samuel Kargbo, from Sierra Leone's ministry of health, told AFP.ZMapp has been given to about 10 health workers who contracted the virus, including Americans and Europeans, three of whom recovered.Its stocks have been exhausted, but WHO said a few hundred doses could potentially be ready by the end of the year.Our doctors who have been treating patients are also dying, and it's not made available, Kargbo said.The two-day closed-door meeting of some 200 health experts in Geneva began on Thursday and is discussing eight potential therapies, including ZMapp, as well as two experimental vaccines.None are clinically proven, WHO stressed in a working document for the meeting, adding that while extraordinary measures are now in place to accelerate the pace of clinical trials, new treatments or vaccines are not expected for widespread use before the end of 2014.The agency warned that the death toll in the epidemic, which is centred on Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia, was still growing fast.The outbreak is rising, WHO chief Margaret Chan told reporters in Washington on Wednesday, putting the death toll at more than 1,900.WHO on Thursday however put the official death toll a bit lower, at 1,841, out of a total of 3,685 cases in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia.Another seven people had died in Nigeria, which has counted a total of 22 cases, while one case has been confirmed in Senegal, WHO said.The current west African Ebola outbreak is unprecedented in size, complexity and the strain it has imposed on health systems, WHO said in a statement, acknowledging the intense public demand for a treatment.- 'Many deaths not reported' -==============================The WHO said extraordinary measures were in place to accelerate the pace of clinical trials on the drugs -- most of which have yet to be tested on people.Abdulsalami Nasidi, project director at the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, said that the Geneva meeting's discussion of new drugs gives a lot of hope to the African people affected and those who are in panic.The race to ready experimental drugs comes as affected countries are struggling to contain the outbreak, which was first detected in Guinea at the start of the year.WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic said the official death toll was likely a gross underestimate.Many deaths are in the community and are not being reported. It is estimated that there are two to four times as many people infected with Ebola as reported, he told AFP by email.At least 30 more people have died in a separate outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo.In hardest-hit Liberia, which counts a full 871 deaths out of 1,698 cases, medical sources said on Thursday that US doctor Rick Sacra, who was infected while working at the ELWA hospital in Monrovia, was en route to the airport to be repatriated.Nigeria, which had initially seen progress in battling the outbreak, faced fresh warnings that an outbreak in its oil producing hub of Port Harcourt could spread more fiercely than in the financial capital Lagos.WHO said the arrival of the virus in Port Harcourt, which is 435 kilometres (270 miles) east of Lagos, showed multiple high-risk opportunities for transmission of the virus to others.However, in Geneva, Nasidi expressed hope that once transmission in Port Harcourt was brought under control we are going to be exiting the outbreak in a few weeks.The French development secretary, Annick Girardin, announced she would travel to Dakar and Conakry later this month to show France's support in the fight against Ebola.Her visit follows a statement from international medical agency Medecins sans Frontieres Tuesday that said the world was losing the battle to contain Ebola.We have heard the call from MSF, said Girardin.

Rawalpindi: Flood warnings after water level in Nullah Lai rises

Posted:

RAWALPINDI (Dunya News) - A flood warning was issued after water level in Rawalpindi’s Nullah Lai rose up to 18 feet due to intermittent rain in twin cities, Dunya News reported on Friday.The monsoon rainfall in Islamabad and Rawalpindi inundated several low-lying areas. According to reports, the water entered several homes, located near the Nullah Lai. Water level in Nullah Lai, which passes through different localities of the twin cities, touched the maximum point due to heavy rain. At Katariyan, water level was recorded at 18 feet while it was 11 feet at Gawalmandi.

Obamacare to be reviewed by appelate court

Posted:

WASHINGTON (AFP) - A US appeals court agreed Thursday to revisit a July ruling that threatened to undermine President Barack Obama's landmark healthcare reform law.The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia announced that the full court will review a decision by a panel of three of its judges which several weeks ago disallowed federal subsidies in most US states under Obama's signature Affordable Care Act law.By a vote of two to one, the appeals court panel said in July that the wording of the law authorizes federal subsidies for only state-run health care exchanges -- insurance marketplaces where Americans can shop for health care coverage.At present, most health care exchanges are run by federal officials and just 14 are operated by states.The court decision, if upheld, could void subsidies for millions of low-income and middle-income Americans, making their health care coverage prohibitively expensive.The appeals court scheduled a December 17 date to re-hear the case.The decision to reconsider came amid unrelated revelations that the federal program's healthcare.gov website had been hacked.News of the breach was released by the Department of Health and Human Services, which said hackers uploaded malicious software to the site, according to reports.HHS, which told US media that no consumer information appears to have been stolen, said additional measures have been taken to shore up security in the wake of the attack.

Scottish vote reveals crack in UK

Posted:

LONDON (AFP) - Whether Scotland votes for independence or not, the referendum has fired up debate in the rest of the United Kingdom over Londons dominance and the historic ties that hold the country together.From Northern Ireland to Wales and even within England in regions like Cornwall and Yorkshire, the run-up to the September 18 vote has stoked long-running opposition to control by the capital.Even if there is a No vote, we are looking at some important constitutional changes in the United Kingdom, said Graham Walker, professor of politics at Queens University Belfast. I think wed be looking at a looser union, perhaps a kind of federal union, he said.All three of Britains main parties have promised new tax powers for Scotlands Holyrood parliament if the referendum is rejected, as indicated by all the opinion polls so far.Other parts of the union could say us too. First among these would be the Welsh independence party Plaid Cymru, some nationalists in Northern Ireland, and Mebyon Kernow, which campaigns for a governing assembly in Cornwall, where one in seven claim a Cornish national identity.Polls show support for independence in Wales is far below the roughly four in 10 Scots who want to leave the union. But more than a third of the Welsh want more powers for their assembly.Promises of more powers for Scotland will likely spur challenges to restrictions on the Welsh assemblys power to set income tax bands, in a bill set to return before parliament in October.In Northern Ireland, the debate has also given impetus to demands for the power to set corporation tax to compete with the 12.5 percent rate of the Republic of Ireland -- far below the main 21 percent rate set by London.- Growing regionalism -=======================The main parties in Westminster have already declared their support to give more powers to cities and regions.In July both the Labour and Conservative parties made rival promises to give local authorities control over billions of pounds in spending, setting up decentralisation as a key battleground ahead of the May 2015 election.Prime Minister David Cameron promised to transform a too London-focused and too centralised economy, while opposition leader Ed Miliband said his plan would reverse a century of centralisation.London, a financial hub whose vast economy outstrips much of the rest of Britain, is widely seen by the public outside the capital as dominating policy-making at the expense of other regions.I can understand and sympathise with why people want independence in Scotland, said Lucy Wallace a 28-year-old cultural producer who lives in Sheffield.A lot of people feel the government is very out of touch, she said.This frustration has been linked to the rise of the UK Independence Party, which campaigns to recover power over our national life by leaving the European Union.In its 2014 manifesto the party vowed to bring back power to the people by introducing local referendums on planning and service decisions.The decentralisation fervour is present even within Scotland, and the Scottish National Party has promised that local authorities in the Orkneys, Shetlands and Western Isles will have more power under independence and a greater share in North Sea oil wealth.- Held together by a thread -===============================Reaction in Northern Ireland will be split between the nationalist and unionist communities, and risks upsetting a precarious peace already rocked by entrenched disagreement over flags, marches and the legacy of the decades of violence known as The Troubles.For unionists, who have strong cultural links to Scotland, a vote for independence would be devastating, according to Walker of Queens University.Loyalists fear Scotland leaving would undermine them and fuel nationalist demands for unification with the Republic of Ireland, and plan to march through Edinburgh ahead of the referendum in opposition to independence.Earlier this year Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams said the so-called United Kingdom is held together by a thread that could be unravelled by referenda.The party has previously called for Northern Ireland to hold a referendum on a united Ireland by 2016 -- the centenary of the 1916 rebellion against British rule.During a heated Scottish referendum debate, the No campaign leader Alistair Darling pleaded with his rival Alex Salmond: We do not need to divide these islands into separate states in order to assert our Scottish identity.But for Alan Trench, devolution expert and honorary senior research associate at University College London, the decentralisation trend is inevitable.There is clearly now an increased debate across all parts of the UK about what the union means and where the locus of power should be, Trench said.The UK in 20 years time will look very different from the UK today. And if it doesnt, it will be a very unhappy and very unstable ship.

Hong Kong stock market update

Posted:

HONG KONG (AFP) - Hong Kong shares added 0.23 percent at the start of trade Friday, building on recent gains, after the European Central Bank announced a further loosening of monetary policy to support the eurozone economy.The benchmark Hang Seng Index eased 58.64 points to 25,356.56.

We will not support any extra constitutional measure: Mary Harf

Posted:

WASHINGTON (Dunya News) -- In a media briefing at Washington, the United States ‎Department of State deputy spokesperson Marie Harf said that the United States Of America ‎‎(USA) has been adamant about solving the Pakistani political crisis through dialogue because that ‎is the only solution.In response to a question by the media, Marie Harf said, “Well, yes, we still support Nawaz ‎Sharif because he is the elected leader. We have said that repeatedly, and we have been carefully ‎monitoring the demonstrations in Islamabad. We have consistently said that the U.S. encourages ‎all the parties to work together to resolve their differences through dialogue; also, though, oppose ‎any efforts to impose extra-constitutional change to the democratic system. It is something we ‎have talked about a lot in here. We are monitoring it. Obviously, our ambassador remains in touch ‎with Pakistani officials, but not much more analysis than that.

Tennis: Cilic beats Berdych to reach US Open semi-finals

Posted:

NEW YORK (AFP) - Marin Cilic toppled sixth-seeded Czech Tomas Berdych 6-2, 6-4, 7-6 (7/4) on Thursday to reach the US Open semi-finals.The 14th seed becomes the first Croatian since Goran Ivanisevic in 1996 to reach the final four at Flushing Meadows, and he pulled off the upset under the watchful eye of Ivanisevic, now his coach.Cilic, who missed last year's US Open as he sat out a doping ban, pounded 19 aces past Berdych, recovering an early break in the third to force the decider.He'll face either five-time champion Roger Federer or 20th-seeded Gael Monfils of France for a place in the championship match.It was a truly amazing day for me in very difficult conditions, very gusty, Cilic said. I think I adjusted better than Tomas today.Cilic has matched his best Grand Slam performance -- a semi-final run at Australia in 2010.I had tough times the last couple of years and I'm really happy that things are working out with my team, he said.Cilic wasted no time taking control, breaking Berdych in the opening game and again for a 4-1 led in the first as the Czech struggled to get his big serve working.Berdych broke back, but that was the only break point he'd muster in the first two sets, and Cilic won the next two games for a one-set lead after just 28 minutes.The Croatian then broke to open the second -- the four breaks matching the total surrendered by Berdych in the 64 service games of his first four matches.Cilic dropped just three points on his serve in the second set -- two of them in the final game.He had delivered three straight aces to give himself triple set point, then promptly double-faulted. A backhand into the net cost him another chance, but he was two-sets up after Berdych fired a service return long on the next.But Berdych found his feet in the third, breaking in the second to take a 3-0 lead.Serving at 4-2, he thought he had reached a drop shot in time and was incensed when the chair umpire judged the ball bounced twice.Have you ever had a racquet in your hand? Never Berdych fumed. It's the worst call I ever had.He went on to drop his serve, and was still railing during the changeover, but they went from there to the tiebreaker.Cilic gave himself a match point with an ace, and polished it off with a forehand winner, posting his second straight Grand Slam win over Berdych after ousting the Cezch from Wimbledon in the third round.

Tennis: Hingis back in major doubles final after 12 years

Posted:

NEW YORK (AFP) - Martina Hingis turned back the clock to reach the US Open women's doubles final on Thursday, 12 years after her last run to a title match at the majors.The Swiss 33-year-old and her Italian partner Flavia Pennetta made the championship match with a 6-3, 6-4 win over third seeds Sania Mirza and Cara Black, the India-Zimbabwe pairing.Hingis last appeared in a doubles final at a Grand Slam in 2002 at the Australian Open where she won the title with Anna Kournikova, one of nine doubles crowns she captured during her heydeyIt's great to be out here again, I am enjoying every second and I really feel the energy of the crowd, said Hingis, who also captured the 1998 doubles title in New York with Jana Novotna.I got goosebumps over the last three games. There was so much tension and nerves out there as I don't know how many more chances I will get to play again. I enjoy every second.In the final on Saturday, Hingis and Pennetta, who are playing their first Grand Slam tournament together, will face Russian fourth seeds Elena Vesnina and Ekaterina Makarova for the title.Hingis won five Grand slam singles titles, 43 WTA Tour singles crowns and was once world number during her prime.After six years in retirement, she gradually felt her way back on to the doubles circuit, teaming up with Daniela Hantuchova and then winning the Miami title with German Sabine Lisicki in March.Italian Pennetta had plenty of experience in doubles, winning 12 titles with the now-retired Gisela Dulko, including the 2011 Australian Open women's doubles.Hingis and Pennetta put out three seeded teams to make the US Open final -- Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Lucie Safarova, seeded 15, Kveta Peschke and Katarina Srebotnik, the fifth seeds before seeing off Mirza and Black.It's all been achieved without dropping a set.I only won one title here in doubles. That was a while back in '98. I made some good matches, like some great memories, but it's been a while. So it's like I really cherish this moment because I have had some great matches, but also in doubles I didn't feel like I had too many opportunities, added Hingis.I lost to players that actually I beat in this tournament now again, like Peschke.Hingis said that she and Pennetta are a perfect match, both bringing strengths to the court.She can hold her own from the baseline and I try to scare them at the net.Despite their new-found friendship, there's one area in which they may find it hard to agree -- next week's Davis Cup semi-final between Switzerland and Italy.I hope Roger (Federer) and Stan (Wawrinka), they're going to win, of course. They are a great team if they want to win one time in Davis Cup it's now. Now is the time to shine, said Hingis.Pennetta admitted that the Swiss stars -- number three and four in the world -- will have the upper hand.It's going to be tough. Really tough.

Football: Remy strike condemns Spain to friendly defeat

Posted:

PARIS (AFP) - France got the better of a new-look Spain team on Thursday, a superb strike from substitute Loic Remy in the second half giving the hosts a 1-0 victory.Remy fired emphatically into the roof of the net at the near post in the 73rd minute from a Mathieu Valbuena assist to set France on the way to a win that they will feel they deserved against the deposed world champions.Missing several familiar faces, including the retired Xavi Hernandez and Xabi Alonso, Spain nevertheless maintained their style of old, controlling large periods of possession but without really threatening to break down the home defence.France, meanwhile, had the best chances and should have been in front four minutes into the second half, but a clever Karim Benzema finish at the end a flowing move was disallowed for offside, with television replays suggesting the Swiss officials got the decision wrong.Home coach Didier Deschamps, in the first in a two-year run of friendly matches before they host Euro 2016, will be pleased to see his side build on the feelgood factor that came with their run to the quarter-finals of the World Cup in Brazil in July.Exactly two months after their 1-0 defeat to eventual winners Germany in Rio de Janeiro, Deschamps sent out a side that showed just one change, with Newcastle United's Moussa Sissoko starting at the expense of Yohan Cabaye.In contrast, their opponents had three players - defenders Dani Carvajal and Mikel San Jose and Atletico Madrid midfielder Raul Garcia - making their international debuts and another in David de Gea winning just his second cap in goal with Iker Casillas, ominously, dropped to the bench.As the captain of the team that won three consecutive major tournaments, including the last two European Championships, watched on from the bench, the visitors did their best to subdue a crowd that was close to capacity at the Stade de France.There were spells in which Spain were mesmerising in possession, with Sergio Busquets, the only Barcelona player in their line-up, and Cesc Fabregas featuring prominently, but Diego Costa made little impression up front, just as he had failed to make an impact at the World Cup.Instead, France had the better chances, Benzema and Paul Pogba both stinging the palms of De Gea in the early stages before the Real Madrid striker rifled a shot towards goal in the 39th minute that the 'keeper was once again equal to.At the other end, France goalkeeper Hugo Lloris had one moment of panic when a Fabregas attempt from 30 yards took a wicked deflection and looped on to the roof of the net.Spain lacked thrust and incisiveness, and France showed how it should be done with a lightning-quick move down the right wing in the 49th minute that ended with a cross to the near post being back-heeled into the net by Benzema, only for the offside flag to curtail the celebrations.The always-lively Valbuena fired narrowly wide but it was he who set up the goal for Remy, cutting the ball back from near the byline on the left for the new Chelsea striker to convert his fifth international goal.Substitute David Silva almost equalised with seven minutes left but that would have been harsh on a France defence marshalled by the supremely athletic but youthful duo of Raphael Varane and Mamadou Sakho.

Formula One: Hamilton uncertain of rules of combat

Posted:

MONZA (AFP) - Lewis Hamilton said he was uncertain about how hard he can race to beat Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg following the fallout from their Belgian crash as the pair tried to present a united front on Thursday.Briton Hamilton, who is 29 points behind Rosberg in the battle for the drivers' championship, was whimsical about how their collision had been handled by the sport's ruling body after the German had been punished by the team and later admitted responsibility and apologised.He said the decision of the International Motoring Federation (FIA) not to punish Rosberg had left him uncertain as to how they, and other drivers, can race hard against each other.Rosberg's admission and apology prompted many observers to suggest that the FIA should have taken action.But the ruling body stood firm and insisted it would not act retrospectively unless there was any new evidence to consider.I think the FIA have a really tough job and particularly over the last couple of years they have done an exceptional job on a majority of the calls, Hamilton told an at times tense news conference where he and Rosberg flanked Ferrari's Fernando Alonso.Their problem is that the scenario is always different so the same rule doesn't always apply exactly - sometimes it is difficult to say which rules apply to what situation. It is a good question to be honest. How do we move forward from that?Does that mean we can now all say we can race a lot closer and if the guy in front comes off and is out of the race nothing will happen, so they will be more relaxed about it? Or does it mean if it happens again there will be a penalty?We are always asking to be able to race. It is hard out there to manoeuvre a car at high speeds without sometimes having contact, but there is a fine line....I don't have the full answer to it.Both men rejected talk of a team garage split by their title duel following their second lap crash in Belgium.I haven't noticed that is the case, said Hamilton. We have a professional team, and they just want to win so they will be working as hard as they can.Rosberg, who had apologised and accepted responsibility for the collision in the Daily Mail on Thursday morning, said: In general there has been all season a healthy rivalry. We have the best car out there, we are the best team and that is because we work well as a team.And if you can't work as a team you don't dominate the sport as we do at the moment.Hamilton picked up the theme later when talking to reporters. He added: It is important for us to keep a good rapport between us so we can keep the team lifted up - we don't want one side of the team to want to do one thing.That is our job and we have to remember we are ambassadors for one of the biggest brands in the world, Mercedes Benz, so it is really important how we shine a light on that and that is what we are paid to do.I genuinely feel that at least my side of the garage will always take the teams' side - that is their job, that is what they are hired to do.So it is not that they will take my side or Nico's side they take the teams' side -- they are like 'hold on guys we want to win together' so that is why the last race we could have had a one-two and it is really important that we do that for them.Rosberg explained his apology and his decision to do it, denying he was persuaded by the team.They can't make me apologise, it was definitely a decision that came from me. After looking at it again, I felt that it was my responsibility, he said.

Athletics: Bekele, Jeptoo spark Chicago Marathon field

Posted:

CHICAGO (AFP) - World record-holder Kenenisa Bekele and defending champion Rita Jeptoo were among the elite runners named Thursday in the field for next month's Chicago Marathon.Kenya's Dennis Kimetto, last year's men's winner at Chicago in a course record of 2hr 3min 45sec, opted to run in this month's Berlin Marathon instead of defending his crown on October 12.But the stage is set for a fast field as Ethiopia's Bekele, the 10,000m and 5,000m world record-holder who stepped up to the marathon this year, faces a familiar foe in Kenya's Eliud Kipchoge, a famed distance runner who made his move to the longer distance last year at Hamburg.Bekele won his marathon debut last April in Paris in 2:05:04.After my win in Paris, I understand the marathon distance a lot better and I will bring that experience to Chicago, Bekele said.I know Chicago has a very fast course and, therefore, my goal is to break the course record of 2:03:45. After that, everything is possible.Jeptoo makes her return to Chicago having won the Boston Marathon in a course record 2:18:57 back in April.Men's stars include Bekele and Kipchoge, whose personal best is 2:04:05, plus Kenyans Sammy Kitwara (2:05:16), Bernard Koech (2:04:53) and Dickson Chumba (2:05:42).Jeptoo's fastest rivals include training partner Jemima Sumgong (2:20:48), fellow-Kenyan Florence Kiplagat (2:19:44) and Ethiopia's Birhane Dibaba (2:22:30).Bekele, 32, won Olympic 10,000m gold in 2004 at Athens and 2008 at Beijing, where he also claimed the 5,000m crown. He won four world titles in a row at 10,000m, the last in 2009, and won both the long and short races at the world cross country championships from 2002-2006.Kipchoge, the 2003 world champion at 5,000m who took medals at the Athens and Beijing Olympics, won this year's Rotterdam Marathon in 2:05:00.I am looking forward to coming to Chicago and competing with Kenenisa on the road this time, Kipchoge said. It has a fast course and I want to better my personal best.Kitwara was third last year in a personal best while Koech beat Kipchoge in last year's San Diego Half Marathon.Jeptoo could become only the third woman to break 2min 20sec for a third time in her career while Sumgong, who won last year at Rotterdam, stayed with Jeptoo over the first 35 kilometers last year on her way to second place.Kiplagat, who pulled out of the 2012 Chicago marathon with an injury is aiming to lower her personal best. She won the Berlin title last year and in 2011.It's no retreat and no surrender for me, Kiplagat said. It's a do-or-die game and I will give all my best to succeed.

Zardari grieves over cancellation of Chinese PM's visit

Posted:

ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) co-‎chairman Asif Ali Zardari expressed sorrow over the cancellation of the ‎Chinese President’s pivotal visit to Pakistan.‎Zardari said that it is the nation’s dreadful fortune that the Chinese ‎president’s crucial visit to Pakistan was cancelled due to the ongoing ‎political crisis. He added that the government should reschedule the ‎Chinese Premier’s visit to Pakistan as early as possible.‎The former president further said that the political parties had been ‎unsuccessful in putting an end to the present political deadlock, and the ‎government should resolve this political crisis in a peaceful manner on an ‎urgent basis.

Zardari met Chaudhry brothers to discuss current political situation

Posted:

ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – PML-Q leaders Chaudhry Shujaat ‎Hussain and Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi met former president Asif Ali ‎Zardari at his residence to discuss the ongoing political crisis.‎Chaudhry brothers urged Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) co-chairman Asif ‎Ali Zardari to play an active mediatory role in the ongoing political ‎turmoil faced by Pakistanis, which is in the greater interest of the public ‎at large.‎During the meeting, all the leaders discussed the current sit-in with ‎reference to Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) and Pakistan Tehreek Insaf ‎‎(PTI). The dialogue process between the protesters and the government ‎was also discussed during the meeting. They added that Shujaat has an ‎active role in Pakistani politics today.

'Telepathy' experiment sends 1st mental message

Posted:

WASHINGTON (AFP) - For the first time, scientists have been able to send a simple mental message from one person to another without any contact between the two, thousands of miles apart in India and France.Research led by experts at Harvard University shows technology can be used to transmit information from one persons brain to anothers even, as in this case, if they are thousands of miles away.It is kind of technological realization of the dream of telepathy, but it is definitely not magical, Giulio Ruffini, a theoretical physicist and co-author of the research, told AFP by phone from Barcelona.We are using technology to interact electromagnetically with the brain.For the experiment, one person wearing a wireless, Internet-linked electroencephalogram or EEG would think a simple greeting, like hola, or ciao.A computer translated the words into digital binary code, presented by a series of 1s or 0s.Then, this message was emailed from India to France, and delivered via robot to the receiver, who through non-invasive brain stimulation could see flashes of light in their peripheral vision.The subjects receiving the message did not hear or see the words themselves, but were correctly able to report the flashes of light that corresponded to the message.We wanted to find out if one could communicate directly between two people by reading out the brain activity from one person and injecting brain activity into the second person, and do so across great physical distances by leveraging existing communication pathways, said co-author Alvaro Pascual-Leone, professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School. One such pathway is, of course, the Internet, so our question became, Could we develop an experiment that would bypass the talking or typing part of Internet and establish direct brain-to-brain communication between subjects located far away from each other in India and France?Ruffini added that extra care was taken to make sure no sensory information got in the way that could have influenced the interpretation of the message.Researchers have been attempting to send a message from person to person this way for about a decade, and the proof of principle that was reported in the journal PLOS ONE is still rudimentary, he told AFP.We hope that in the longer term this could radically change the way we communicate with each other, said Ruffini.

Oil prices lower, trade stays volatile

Posted:

NEW YORK (AFP) - Oil prices fell Thursday amid volatile trading, as NATO chiefs met over the Ukraine crisis and the European Central Bank announced more rate cuts to boost the eurozone economy.A modest 900,000 barrel fall in US crude stockpiles, close to expectations, and a sharper drop in gasoline stocks, had little impact overall on the trade.In London Brent North Sea crude for October dropped 94 cents to $101.83 per barrel.US benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for October delivery slid $1.09 to $94.45 a barrel.Prices have swung sharply this week, Brent between $101 and $104, amid a market unsettled by both economic trends and geopolitical disturbance.On Thursday the market was mainly focused on the ECB, which surprised with a new round of rate cuts. ECB chief Mario Draghi also unveiled plans for a quantitative easing program, buying asset-backed securities help kick-start credit in the region.The bank also trimmed its growth forecast for the region to 0.9 percent this year and 1.6 percent next year.Meanwhile in Britain, leaders at a NATO summit kept up pressure on Russia over its support for Ukraine rebels despite the possibility of a ceasefire deal. The US warned of more sanctions on Moscow, which is accused of fomenting the secessionist rebellion in eastern Ukraine, and NATO head Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Russia was not showing real interest in peace.
Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)