http://forums.sgclub.com/ Discussion of any foreign affairs around the world. en Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:09:33 GMT vBulletin 60 http://forums.sgclub.com/images/sgclub1/misc/rss.jpg http://forums.sgclub.com/ http://forums.sgclub.com/singapore/scaredy_cat_tigers_223133.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:52:38 GMT Scaredy-cat tigers

Zoo-keepers in China say their tigers have grown so tame that they're frightened of the chickens they're supposed to eat.



The Chongqing Wild Animal Park has five rare adult white tigers which were originally trained to perform tricks for visitors, reports the Chongqing Morning Post.

Keepers have been trying to encourage them to follow their natural instincts by throwing them live chickens - but without success.

Feeder Shi Ruqiang said: They're supposed to be wild and scary, but due to their soft lifestyles and human care they have gradually lost their wild nature.

"I have been trying to interest them with live chickens but it was quite a funny scene. The tigers were so scared that they wouldn't go near them.

"One chicken passed out and the tigers did eventually approach it - but then it woke up again and squawked and they ran for their lives!"

Shi says the keepers are now forcing the tigers to stay outside their cages for at least 12 hours a day to toughen them up.

And they are planning to introduce a wild tiger to show the domesticated big cats the ropes.

"If all else fails, we will simply cut down their rations until they are so hungry that they are forced to hunt for themselves," he added.

http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm...=news.quirkies ]]> Foreign Affairs Voodoo Vince http://forums.sgclub.com/singapore/scaredy_cat_tigers_223133.html http://forums.sgclub.com/singapore/baby_girl_named_223128.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:43:40 GMT *Baby girl named after car* A Dorset couple have named their new baby daughter Kia - after she had to be delivered on the back seat of a Kia... Baby girl named after car

A Dorset couple have named their new baby daughter Kia - after she had to be delivered on the back seat of a Kia people carrier.



Tony Richardson and Samantha Smyth were heading to Poole Hospital in Sam's mum's Kia when they realised they were not going to make it.

Baby Kia was born at 4.30am in the back of the car - and the couple decided to ditch their original name of 'Tilley' to mark the unusual birth.

And Kia has now offered the couple a new Kia Carens - the same model baby Kia was born in - worth £18,000.

Miss Smyth, 23, said: "Wow! I was not expecting this. We're over the moon. We could do with it. Between me and my partner we have six kids. We can't fit them all in the car."

Michael Cole, managing director of Kia Motors, said: "All of us at Kia are delighted for Tony and Samantha and flattered that they have called their new baby Kia after she was born in granny's Carens.

"We would like to welcome Kia to the Kia family and wish her a wonderful life."

http://www.ananova.com/News/story/sm_3569819.html ]]> Foreign Affairs Voodoo Vince http://forums.sgclub.com/singapore/baby_girl_named_223128.html http://forums.sgclub.com/singapore/north_pole_santa_223126.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:51:39 GMT Source: USA Today (http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2009-11-19-north-pole-santa-letter_N.htm) Image:... Source: USA Today



ANCHORAGE (AP) — Starry-eyed children writing letters to the jolly man at the North Pole this holiday season likely won't get a response from Santa Claus or his helpers.
The U.S. Postal Service is dropping a popular national program begun in 1954 in the small Alaska town of North Pole, where volunteers open and respond to thousands of letters addressed to Santa each year. Replies come with North Pole postmarks.

Last year, a postal worker in Maryland recognized an Operation Santa volunteer there as a registered sex offender. The postal worker interceded before the individual could answer a child's letter, but the Postal Service viewed the episode as a big enough scare to tighten rules in such programs nationwide.

People in North Pole are incensed by the change, likening the Postal Service to the Grinch trying to steal Christmas. The letter program is a revered holiday tradition in North Pole, where light posts are curved and striped like candy canes and streets have names such as Kris Kringle Drive and Santa Claus Lane. Volunteers in the letter program even sign the response letters as Santa's elves and helpers.

North Pole Mayor Doug Isaacson agreed that caution is necessary to protect children. But he's outraged North Pole program should be affected by a sex offender's actions on the East Coast — and he thinks it's wrong that locals just found out about the change in recent days.

"It's Grinchlike that the Postal Service never informed all the little elves before the fact," he said. "They've been working on this for how long?"

The Postal Service began restricting its policies in such programs in 2006, including requiring volunteers to show identification.

But the Maryland incident involving the sex offender prompted additional changes, even forcing the agency to briefly suspend the Operation Santa program last year in New York and Chicago.

The agency now prohibits volunteers from having access to children's family names and addresses, said spokeswoman Sue Brennan. The Postal Service instead redacts the last name and addresses on each letter and replaces the addresses with codes that match computerized addresses known only to the post office — and leaves it up to individual post offices if they want to go through the time-consuming effort to shield the information.

Anchorage-based agency spokeswoman Pamela Moody said dealing with the tighter restrictions is not feasible in Alaska.

"It's always been a good program, but we're in different times and concerned for the privacy of the information," she said.

Moody stressed that kids around the world can still send letters to Santa Claus. The Postal Service still runs the giant Operation Santa Program in which children around the world can have their letters to Santa answered, and the restrictions do not affect private organizations running their own letter efforts.

But what will change are the generically addressed letters to "Santa Claus, North Pole" that for years have been forwarded to volunteers in the Alaska town. That program will stop, unless changes are made before Christmas.

Losing the Santa-letter cache is a blow to the community of 2,100 people, who pride themselves on their Christmas ties. Huge tourist attractions here include an everything-Christmas store, Santa Claus House, and the post office, where visitors can get a hand-stamped postmark on their postcards and packages if they ask for it.

Another issue raising the hackles on some locals is separate recent change. Anchorage — 260 miles to the south — is now processing the thousands of requests for North Pole postal cancellation marks on Christmas cards and packages from outside the state. It's a job long handled by nearby Fairbanks, about 15 miles away.

Moody said with as many as 800,000 items processed last year, Fairbanks is not equipped to handle the overload. Anchorage is the only city in Alaska with the high-speed equipment necessary to do the job without delay. Moody disagreed with the mayor's belief that the process creates a false postmark.

Santa Claus House, built like a Swiss chalet and chock full of all items Christmas, sells more than 100,000 letters from Santa and one of the lures is the postmark.

Operations manager Paul Brown believes his business will be affected under changes to the volunteer Santa letter program because tens of thousands of letters are addressed to Santa Claus House, North Pole, Alaska.

Those letters will still be forwarded to volunteers but it's unclear yet if anything will be done with them. Those intercepted by the postal service will probably eventually be shredded.

Brown worries about misinterpretations of the changes, such as people believing it's no longer possible to get individual pieces of mail graced with the North Pole postmark.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. ]]> Foreign Affairs workingtoohard http://forums.sgclub.com/singapore/north_pole_santa_223126.html http://forums.sgclub.com/singapore/3_new_ancient_223108.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:16:54 GMT *3 new ancient crocodile species fossils found * By RANDOLPH E. SCHMID,AP Science Writer - Friday, November 20 Image:... 3 new ancient crocodile species fossils found
By RANDOLPH E. SCHMID,AP Science Writer - Friday, November 20




WASHINGTON – A 20-foot-long crocodile with three sets of fangs _ like wild boar tusks _ roamed parts of northern Africa millions of years ago, researchers reported Thursday. While this fearsome creature hunted meat, not far away another newly found type of croc with a wide, flat snout like a pancake was fishing for food.

And a smaller, 3-foot-long relative with buckteeth was chomping plants and grubs in the same region.

The three new species, along with new examples of two previously known ancient crocodiles, were detailed Thursday by researchers Paul Sereno of the University of Chicago and Hans Larsson of McGill University in Montreal. They spoke at a news conference organized by the National Geographic Society, which sponsored the research.

"These species open a window on a croc world completely foreign to what was living on northern continents," Sereno said of the unusual animals that lived 100 million years ago on the southern continent known as Gondwana.

Hans Dieter Sues of the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History said the discovery revises the ideas of what crocodile-type reptiles were like.

"It's a joy for anyone who is interested in ancient life to see," said Sues, an editor at ZooKeys, which published the findings.

The researchers suggest that these crocs could gallop across the landscape chasing prey and yet dive into water and swim.

"My African crocs appeared to have had both upright, agile legs for bounding overland and a versatile tail for paddling in water," Sereno wrote in an article for National Geographic magazine. "Their amphibious talents in the past may be the key to understanding how they flourished in, and ultimately survived, the dinosaur era."

They weren't racehorses, Sereno said, but they could move quickly. Freshwater crocs in Australia manage to eat a few people every year and these would have been able to do as well, he said. However, there were no people around at the time.

The newly discovered species are:

_ Kaprosuchus saharicus, nicknamed "BoarCroc," found in Niger. BoarCroc was a 20-foot-long meat-eater with an armored snout for ramming and three sets of dagger-shaped fangs for slicing. The tusks stuck out above and below the jaw like a modern warthog, said Larsson. "This has never been seen before on any crocodile."

_ Araripesuchus rattoides, which the researchers call "RatCroc," found in Morocco. This 3-foot-long croc was a plant- and grub-eater with a pair of buckteeth in the lower jaw it used to dig for food.

_ Laganosuchus thaumastos, or "PancakeCroc," found in Niger and Morocco. Also 20 feet long, it was a squat fish-eater with a 3-foot pancake-flat head and spike-shaped teeth on slender jaws. Sereno said it probably remained motionless for hours, its jaws open and waiting for prey.

In addition the researchers found new fossils of two previously named species:

_ Anatosuchus minor, "DuckCroc," found in Niger, a 3-foot-long fish-, frog- and grub-eater with a broad snout and Pinocchio-like nose. Special sensory areas on the snout end allowed it to root around on the shore and in shallow water for prey. Its closest relative is in Madagascar.

_ Araripesuchus wegeneri, or "DogCroc," found in Niger, a 3-foot-long plant- and grub-eater with a soft, doglike nose pointing forward.

Sereno has focused since 2000 on fossils in the Sahara Desert, his first find being Sarcosuchus imperator, a 40-foot-long creature that would have weighed 8 tons and which he called "SuperCroc."

The new findings are detailed in the journal ZooKeys as well as National Geographic magazine and a documentary scheduled for Saturday on the National Geographic Channel. ]]> Foreign Affairs InfiniteJustice http://forums.sgclub.com/singapore/3_new_ancient_223108.html http://forums.sgclub.com/singapore/pacquiao_returns_home_223101.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:36:19 GMT http://edition.cnn.com/2009/SPORT/11...rum/index.html

(CNN) -- Manny Pacquiao returned home to a hero's welcome in his native Philippines on Friday after wresting the WBO welterweight title from Miguel Cotto on a 12th round technical knockout in Las Vegas.

'Pacman' has a fanatical following in the Philippines which has been further enhanced by his record breaking victory as he claimed his sixth world title at a different weight by beating Cotto on Saturday night.

"Welcome home, the world's bext boxer of all time," read a banner as thousands of fans greeted the 30-year-old.

Following his hard-fought victory over Puerto Rican Cotto, all the talk is of a cash-rich superfight with American Floyd Mayweather Jr. next year.

Leading promoter Bob Arum said he is ready to put the pay-per-view extravaganza at the 147-pound welterweight class, with Las Vegas the preferred venue.

Pacquiao played down the possibility as he talked to reporters on his return.

"We are not forcing a fight with him. It is right that he is the one challenging me, because my fights score more on pay-per-view," he said.

Pacquiao has greatly enhanced his reputation with successive wins over Oscar de la Hoya, Britain's Ricky Hatton and Cotto.

Mayweather returned to the ring with a comfortable win over Juan Manuel Marquez and has the reputation for grossing massive receipts from his pay-per-view appearances.

For the moment, Pacquiao will spend time at home with his wife, Jinkee, and three children and is also set to pursue his ambition to enter Filippino politics, standing for a congressional seat in his home island of Mindanao. ]]> Foreign Affairs Senator1 http://forums.sgclub.com/singapore/pacquiao_returns_home_223101.html http://forums.sgclub.com/singapore/honduran_de_facto_223098.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:31:44 GMT http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/americas/11/19/honduras.government/index.html (CNN) -- De facto Honduran President Roberto Micheletti will... http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/am...ent/index.html

(CNN) -- De facto Honduran President Roberto Micheletti will temporarily step down from power in the days surrounding the scheduled November 29 presidential election, Micheletti said in a speech Thursday.

Micheletti said he hopes that by stepping down from November 24 to December 2, Hondurans will focus on the election and not the political crisis that has gripped the country since a coup ousted President Jose Manuel Zelaya in June.

Micheletti's cabinet will head the government during his absence, he said.

In the event that "peace is threatened" near the election, Micheletti said he would immediately reassume his role as president.

An agreement to end the political crisis, signed by representatives of both sides last month, has not been smoothly implemented, putting in question of the legitimacy of the upcoming presidential election.

The agreement called for a unity government to lead Honduras until a new president is elected this month. The pact also stipulated that the nation's congress would vote on whether Zelaya would be returned to power, though reinstatement was not guaranteed.

Congress delayed its vote on Zelaya, opting to ask for an opinion from the country's supreme court, which is yet to come. A congressional leader said the chamber's vote on Zelaya's fate will happen on December 2, after a new president has been elected.

Zelaya, who has called the agreement dead, told CNN en Español that Micheletti's move was "a fake resignation."

For the ousted president, who has been living inside the Brazilian embassy in the Honduran capital since sneaking back into the country in September, the pact to end the crisis was broken when the creation of a unity government did not happen as planned. Micheletti named himself president of the unity government, and Zelaya refused to participate.

In a statement earlier Thursday, Zelaya called for a new solution and suggested that the presidential election should be postponed until the political crisis is resolved.

"Calling for ordinary general elections under a de facto state, without having previously restored democracy, and without having previously installed the government of unity and reconciliation, or without a constituent power that reinstates the rule of law are legal aberrations, a mockery and a sham against the people," Zelaya said.

The political crisis stemmed from Zelaya's desire to hold a referendum that could have changed the constitution to allow longer terms for the president.

The country's congress had outlawed the vote, and the supreme court had ruled it illegal.

Micheletti and his supporters say Zelaya's removal was a constitutional transfer of power and not a coup. ]]> Foreign Affairs Senator1 http://forums.sgclub.com/singapore/honduran_de_facto_223098.html http://forums.sgclub.com/singapore/protesters_clash_police_223096.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:27:31 GMT http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/af...ion/index.html

Cairo, Egypt (CNN) -- Hundreds of angry demonstrators in Egypt's capital fought with police near the Algerian Embassy early Friday, the Interior Ministry said.

The clashes in Cairo stem from tensions over Algeria's victory over Egypt in a World Cup qualifier soccer match and earlier fights between soccer fans in the North African countries.

The ministry said 39 security forces were wounded in the clashes, and cars and stores were damaged in Zamalek, an island in Cairo on the Nile River. At present, there is a strong security presence in the area with truckloads of riot police and more than 1,000 security forces.

A series of clashes between Egyptian and Algerian soccer fans also has led to a diplomatic row between the two North African countries, with Egypt recalling its ambassador to Algiers on Thursday.

Husam Zaki, a spokesman for Egypt's Foreign Ministry, said Cairo has asked its envoy to return from Algeria "for consultations" after a week of tensions over qualifying matches for the FIFA World Cup.

Egypt's withdrawal of its ambassador followed Algeria's refusal Thursday to allow an Egyptian plane to land. The aircraft was dispatched to evacuate Egyptian citizens from Algiers, where press reports said Egyptians have been harassed by Algerian fans.

In addition, Algeria socked Egyptian telecommunications giant Orascom with a nearly $600 million bill for back taxes this week, an assessment Orascom said was based on "unfounded and unacceptable" claims about its accounting.

The disputes began November 12, when Egyptian fans stoned the Algerian team's bus upon its arrival in Cairo and injured several players. FIFA, the sport's world governing body, announced Thursday that it had opened disciplinary proceedings against the Egyptian Football Association as a result of the attacks.

Scuffles between Egyptian and Algerian fans in Cairo and in Algiers followed the Egyptian team's 2-0 victory in Saturday's match, with Egyptian-run businesses reportedly attacked in Algiers.

Both governments arranged for additional flights to get fans to Sudan's capital, Khartoum, for a Wednesday night playoff, which Algeria won 1-0. The win gives Algeria its first shot at the FIFA World Cup in 24 years, and it prompted more reports of anti-Egyptian violence in Algiers.

Another soccer row has ruffled diplomatic feathers in Europe in the game between Ireland and France.

French forward Thierry Henry admitted to using his hand illegally to set up the goal that gave his team a 2-1 victory on Wednesday. FIFA, the governing body of world soccer, turned down an Irish Football Association's request that the game be replayed. ]]> Foreign Affairs Senator1 http://forums.sgclub.com/singapore/protesters_clash_police_223096.html http://forums.sgclub.com/singapore/india_protect_me_222987.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 07:32:21 GMT *India: Protect me from my nagging wife!* LUCKNOW (India) - SHREWS, beware: a group of Indian husbands tired of being harassed by their wives are... India: Protect me from my nagging wife!

LUCKNOW (India) - SHREWS, beware: a group of Indian husbands tired of being harassed by their wives are demanding the local government create a male protection society to address their grievances.

The men, who said they had enough of their 'nagging' wives, dressed up in clothes traditionally worn by grooms and paraded through the northern city of Lucknow this week to ask for a National Commission for Men.

'We are asking for equal rights. We want somebody to listen to the grievances of men,' said Subhash Dube, a medical doctor who described himself as a victimised husband.

The president of the All India Welfare Committee for Husbands, Mr Indu Pandey, said statistics showed abuse of a section of the penal code meant to protect women against their husbands.

'Demands to amend this law have been put forward a lot of times. Therefore, we oppose this law,' Mr Pandey said.

Most of the misuse of the law has been related to dowry issues, with women and their family members registering false claims that they have been harassed by their husbands or their families about not paying enough, Mr Pandey said. -- REUTERS

Source: http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking...ry_456943.html ]]> Foreign Affairs *StarDust* http://forums.sgclub.com/singapore/india_protect_me_222987.html http://forums.sgclub.com/singapore/msia_businesswoman_36_a_222941.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:18:35 GMT *Msia: Businesswoman, 36, loses nipples during boob removal* Image:... Msia: Businesswoman, 36, loses nipples during boob removal


PHOTO: Sam at the press conference at Wisma MCA on Thursday.

By Zalinah Noordin

Believing that having her breasts removed could fulfil her lifelong wish of becoming a "man", a 36-year-old businesswoman ended up losing her nipples too.

The woman who wished to be known as Sam developed a bad infection which left her with a major scar after the botched cosmetic surgery at a beauty salon. On top of that, she ended up RM24,000 ($9,854.40) poorer.

Tired of being teased by her colleagues and friends, Sam had gone to a beauty salon in Subang in May to get the surgery done.

She also revealed that she had always felt like a man as she grew up with two elder brothers and wanted to be like them.

"I was told that the surgery would cost RM12,000 with an additional RM3,500 to beautify my body," she said after seeking help at the MCA Public Services and Complaints Department in Kuala Lumpur yesterday,

Sam paid up and was told to go to a clinic in Johor where surgery was done since the centre in Subang only did beauty treatment. She was promised that a specialist surgeon from China would do the job.

"However, when I spoke to the "surgeon", I found out he was a local and seemed unsure of what I was in for," said Sam.

Despite her nagging doubts, Sam still ahead with the procedure and it was all done in a few hours.

"I was discharged on the same day of the surgery and did not suspect anything amiss as my chest was wrapped in a bandage," she said.

A constant searing pain proved too much for her to bear and Sam was horrified to find both her nipples missing after she removed the bandage a week later. She also found that the wounds were infected as the area was swollen and pus was flowing out.

After the operation, she was not given any antibiotics or pills to take.

Thinking that it was a temporary condition, Sam went to seek medical treatment in Singapore. The infection cleared up but she still felt some pain.

Sam claimed that she later called up the beautician and demanded a refund including her medical fees and the beautician had initially agreed to it.

However, the salon operator changed her mind about giving a refund and challenged Sam to bring the case to court.

A police report was lodged at the Subang Jaya Police Station as Sam claimed that she was also constantly harassed and threatened by the salon operator and her partner.

MCA Public Services and Complaints Department head Datuk Michael Chong said that he would assist Sam in her legal suits against the beautician and advised people to check the credentials of beauticians and so-called plastic surgeons.

Source: http://health.asiaone.com/Health/New...20-181112.html ]]> Foreign Affairs *StarDust* http://forums.sgclub.com/singapore/msia_businesswoman_36_a_222941.html http://forums.sgclub.com/singapore/obama_ends_8_a_222882.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:37:47 GMT US President Barack Obama left Seoul for the United States on Thursday, ending his first Asian tour since taking office in January. The 8-day tour... US President Barack Obama left Seoul for the United States on Thursday, ending his first Asian tour since taking office in January.

The 8-day tour took Obama to Japan, Singapore, China and South Korea.

While in Tokyo, he met Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama and delivered a policy speech in which he expressed the intention to boost US engagement in Asia.

In Singapore, Obama attended a summit of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum and said the United States will join the Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership Agreement of Pacific Rim nations. He also attended the first US-ASEAN summit. ASEAN, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, is made up of 10 nations.

In Beijing, Obama met Chinese President Hu Jintao. Speaking at a joint news conference with Hu, Obama said a strategy of more balanced economic growth will lead to increased US exports and jobs as well as higher living standards in China. Obama said the strategy will allow America to save more, spend less and reduce its long-term debt, and that China will make adjustments across a broad range of policies to rebalance its economy and spur domestic demand.

Obama's Asian tour came after the US jobless rate topped 10 percent for the first time in 26 years.

The president is now expected to try to strengthen economic ties with Asia and increase US exports to the region to create more jobs and revitalize the US economy.

2009/11/19 18:40(JST)
(JST: UTC+9hrs.)

http://www.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/19_31.html ]]> Foreign Affairs ValkyrieLenneth http://forums.sgclub.com/singapore/obama_ends_8_a_222882.html http://forums.sgclub.com/singapore/irans_foreign_minister_222879.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:31:39 GMT Iran's Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki has rejected a UN-brokered program to send Iran's low-enriched uranium abroad for further processing.

Last month, the United States, Russia, France and Iran agreed to transfer most of the low-enriched uranium Iran has produced so far to Russia for further enrichment. Under the program, the enriched uranium was to be further processed in France into fuel rods, which cannot be turned into weapons-grade material, before being returned to Iran.

At a news conference in India on Wednesday, Mottaki ruled out that program, saying the most likely option for Iran will be to conduct all enrichment activities on its own within the country. But he also suggested there is room for further debate with the 3 countries concerned for a breakthrough of the situation.

2009/11/19 08:03(JST)
(JST: UTC+9hrs.)

http://www.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/19_08.html ]]> Foreign Affairs ValkyrieLenneth http://forums.sgclub.com/singapore/irans_foreign_minister_222879.html http://forums.sgclub.com/singapore/obama_warns_iran_222878.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:30:48 GMT US President Barack Obama has urged Iran to accept an UN-brokered program and hinted at new sanctions against the country as a consequence of it... US President Barack Obama has urged Iran to accept an UN-brokered program and hinted at new sanctions against the country as a consequence of it rejecting the plan.

Obama spoke to reporters at a joint news conference in Seoul, South Korea, during his visit on Thursday.

Last month, Iran agreed with the United States, Russia, France and other countries on a program that most of the low-enriched uranium it produced would be transferred to Russia for further enrichment.

Obama's remarks came after Iran's Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said his country had since rejected the agreement.

Obama said the United States will not duplicate what was happened with North Korea, where talks continue indefinitely without a resolution to the issue.

He also said over the next several weeks the US will develop a package of potential steps that will indicate its seriousness to Iran.

He added, however, he continues to hope that Iran will decide to accept the proposal.

2009/11/20 06:27(JST)
(JST: UTC+9hrs.)

http://www.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/20_07.html ]]> Foreign Affairs ValkyrieLenneth http://forums.sgclub.com/singapore/obama_warns_iran_222878.html http://forums.sgclub.com/singapore/red_cross_chooses_222877.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:29:59 GMT The International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has chosen Japanese national Tadateru Konoe as its next president. He is the... The International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has chosen Japanese national Tadateru Konoe as its next president. He is the first president from Asia since its establishment in 1919.

The IFRC held an election at its general assembly in the Kenyan capital Nairobi on Thursday.

Konoe won the election over Venezuelan Red Cross President Mario Villarroel Lander, gaining 107 votes out of 177.

After the election, Konoe said that the IFRC must reaffirm its mission and take steps toward the future.

70-year-old Konoe joined the Japanese Red Cross Society in 1964 and has engaged in various international rescue operations including those after the 1999 Turkish Earthquake and the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004. He has been its president for 4 years.

He is the brother of former Japanese Prime Minister Morihiro Hosokawa.

Konoe will assume the position for a 4-year term on Sunday.

2009/11/20 06:27(JST)
(JST: UTC+9hrs.)

http://www.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/20_06.html ]]> Foreign Affairs ValkyrieLenneth http://forums.sgclub.com/singapore/red_cross_chooses_222877.html http://forums.sgclub.com/singapore/good_gourd_gardener_222871.html Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:35:10 GMT *Good gourd: Gardener grows marrow that looks like a duck By DAILY MAIL REPORTER Last updated at 3:41 PM on 19th November 2009* At a glance,... Good gourd: Gardener grows marrow that looks like a duck

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER
Last updated at 3:41 PM on 19th November 2009

At a glance, it could easily be a duck, ruffling its feathers as it sits in a nest.

But this incredible image actually shows a marrow grown by Marilyn and Lionel Partridge in their vegetable patch.

The remarkable vegetable even features an eye, after it scratched against a twig, while the 2in stalk perfectly resembles a beak.

Mrs Partridge, 62, said: 'I have never in my 40 years of gardening and growing my own vegetables come across anything that looks like an animal before.


Sitting duck: Gardener Lionel Partridge was stunned to discover this mallard-shaped marrow in his vegetable patch


Marilyn Partridge with her granddaughter Sophie, and Tony Gray from the garden centre where the marrow was originally bought

'I am absolutely delighted. The marrow just looked a bit odd at first, but we then realised that it looked like a duck.

'When I saw it, I burst out laughing. It is so realistic. We haven't done anything to it, it is perfectly natural.

'It is in the shape of a duck with its head turned about to preen itself.

'We couldn't eat it because it looked so adorable. Besides, would it be a meat or vegetable course?

'My two-year-old granddaughter Sophie loves it. She kept looking at it and saying "duck, duck".

'Everyone thinks we must have done something to it to make it grow like a bird but we didn't. In fact we completely forgot we had planted it.'

Mrs Partridge, a grandmother of four, added: 'It would be great to grow another odd-shaped plant but seeing it took us 40 plus years to find this one, we won't hold our breath.'

The couple's marrow is now part of a display in honour of Wild Bird Care Week at the garden centre where they bought the original plant.

'When our grandchildren, Matilda, Henry and Finley Doel told us that they had entered a bird modelling competition at Sanders GardenWorld, we decided to take it along to add to the garden centre's display,' Mrs Partridge added.

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...like-duck.html ]]> Foreign Affairs *StarDust* http://forums.sgclub.com/singapore/good_gourd_gardener_222871.html http://forums.sgclub.com/singapore/worlds_worst_place_222868.html Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:20:56 GMT World's worst place to be born

GENEVA - EIGHT years after a US-led invasion ousted the Taleban from power in Afghanistan, the war-ravaged state is the most dangerous place in the world for a child to be born, the United Nations said on Thursday.

It is especially dangerous for girls, the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) said in launching its annual flagship report, The State of the World's Children. Afghanistan has the highest infant mortality rate in the world - 257 deaths per 1,000 live births, and 70 per cent of the population lacks access to clean water, the agency said.

As Taleban insurgents increase their presence across the country, growing insecurity is also making it hard to carry out vital vaccination campaigns against polio, a crippling disease still endemic in the country, and measles that can kill children. 'Afghanistan today is without a doubt the most dangerous place to be born,' Daniel Toole, Unicef regional director for South Asia, told a news briefing in Geneva.

A Taleban-led insurgency and militant attack on an international guest-house in Kabul that killed five UN foreign staff last month prompted the world body to evacuate hundreds of international staff from Afghanistan for several weeks.

Some 43 per cent of the country is now virtually off-limits to aid agencies due to insecurity, according to Mr Toole. The Taleban have been building their forces in their traditional southern and eastern Afghanistan stronghold and are increasing attacks in the north and west. Teaching girls is one of the practices they forbid.

Some 317 schools in Afghanistan were attacked in the past year, killing 124 and wounding another 290, Mr Toole said. 'We have seen a drop in the number of children who are attending schools and particularly young girls,' he added. -- REUTERS

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