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We will block it at any cost: UML chair

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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Pzemew5Opug/WFZPDs_fPOI/AAAAAAAAA_g/ukJcDSkjG6IMp4u2i3Sm4aYwVBksl1GgwCLcB/s1600/17112016081238PM_Oli_Return_From_China--8-1000x0-1000x0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Pzemew5Opug/WFZPDs_fPOI/AAAAAAAAA_g/ukJcDSkjG6IMp4u2i3Sm4aYwVBksl1GgwCLcB/s320/17112016081238PM_Oli_Return_From_China--8-1000x0-1000x0.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Dec 18, 2016- <span style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.6;">CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli said on Saturday that his party will not let the House endorse the constitution amendment bill.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Speaking at a seminar on “Constitution Amendment Proposal and the Question of Nationality” organised by All Nepal Intellectuals Association in Kathmandu on Saturday, Oli said the UML will block the bill in Parliament as it could put national interest at risk.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“None of the points in the amendment bill are worth supporting. All the points contain elements that are inimical to national interest,” said Oli. The UML chairman’s strong statement against the amendment bill comes at a time when Prime Minister Dahal has assured the agitating Madhes-based parties that it would certainly get endorsed in Parliament. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Oli rather made a pitch for holding elections at the earliest, saying failure to go for polls could push the country towards further crisis. Stating that the government has failed to work swiftly to bring poll-related laws, Oli said, “It seems the government does not want elections. That’s why it instead brought the constitution amendment bill.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">source: kathmandupost </span></div>
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We will block it at any cost: UML chair

Dec 18, 2016- CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli said on Saturday that his party will not let the House endorse the constitution amendment bil...

Gender gap in medicine remains in the spotlight in 2016

Anonymous 0 Health News 6:11:00 PM

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Women are well represented among medical school graduates. Yet, their career progression, pay, and research output is not equal to that of their male colleagues in many areas of medicine.</div>
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Several studies this year have investigated the gender inequalities in research, work-life balance, and pay for physicians.</div>
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The first of these is a female cardiologists' survey, which highlights differences in career decisions, family life, and job satisfaction.</div>
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In March of this year, Dr. Sandra Lewis, a cardiologist at Northwest Cardiovascular Institute in Portland, OR, and her colleagues reported the results of a Professional Life Survey (PLS) at the American College of Cardiology's 65th Annual Scientific Session.</div>
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The PLS followed on from two previous surveys conducted in 1996 and 2006.</div>
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In total, 794 women and 1,227 men completed the survey, which highlighted clear differences in many areas.</div>
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<span style="-webkit-print-color-adjust: exact; border: 0px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">The vast data set was then adjusted for age, experience, specialty, faculty rank, research productivity, and clinical revenue. A clear pay gap of nearly $20,000 remained between men and women overall.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">The average pay gap among cardiologists was approximately $34,000. Among oncologists, it was $36,000; among orthopedic surgeons, it was nearly $41,000. The only specialty that saw women earn more than men was </span>radiology<span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">, with salaries being approximately $2,000 higher for women.</span></div>
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Gender gap in medicine remains in the spotlight in 2016

More than a decade into the 21st century, we have still not achieved gender equality in medicine. With the year drawing to a close, we refle...

Microprotein important for maintaining human cell health discovered

Anonymous 0 Health News 6:20:00 PM

<header style="background-color: white; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(229, 229, 229); color: #111111; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 19px; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px 0px 10px; text-shadow: rgb(253, 253, 253) 1px 2px 3px, rgb(0, 0, 0) 0px 0px 0px, rgb(253, 253, 253) 1px 2px 3px;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2g6uqMszvtg/WFH9x0_0NLI/AAAAAAAAA-s/kHOpKu_EJi4Chr1_LOIO5l9Kbc4MgIKFgCLcB/s1600/nobody-interacting-with-proteins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2g6uqMszvtg/WFH9x0_0NLI/AAAAAAAAA-s/kHOpKu_EJi4Chr1_LOIO5l9Kbc4MgIKFgCLcB/s320/nobody-interacting-with-proteins.jpg" width="320" /></a>In discovering the important housekeeping role that a previously overlooked tiny protein plays in cells, scientists highlight that although so-called microproteins may be small, they could have a big impact on human biology.</header><div>
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Researchers from Yale University in New Haven, CT, and the Salk Institute in La Jolla, CA, describe how they found their new microprotein - which they name NoBody (non-annotated P-body dissociating polypeptide) - along with hundreds of others, in the journal <em style="-webkit-print-color-adjust: exact; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Nature Chemical Biology</em>.</div>
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<span style="-webkit-print-color-adjust: exact; border: 0px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Co-senior author Sarah Slavoff - assistant professor of Chemistry and Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry at Yale - says their findings suggest that microproteins such as NoBody appear to play a role in many biological processes, as well as disease. For instance, many neurological diseases feature groupings of proteins.</span></div>
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Proteins are the workhorses of the cell. Their genetic blueprints are encoded in DNA and obediently carried to the cell's protein-making machinery by molecules called messenger RNA - dubbed mRNA.</div>
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Since the completion of the Human Genome Project in 2003 - where scientists sequenced and mapped all of the genes for building <em style="-webkit-print-color-adjust: exact; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Homo sapiens</em> - we have learned a lot about proteins, their associated genes, and the RNA mechanisms that translate them.</div>
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<span style="-webkit-print-color-adjust: exact; border: 0px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">When they studied NoBody more closely, the researchers found that it interacts with proteins that help regulate the recycling of mRNAs at points inside cells known as P-body granules. Clusters of mRNA and proteins that perform the first step in breaking down the mRNAs accumulate at these points.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal;">"The discovery of NoBody and its function in mRNA recycling suggests that at least some of the hundreds of other microproteins that we have found might also be functional, which is an exciting proposition," says Prof. Saghatelian.</span></div>
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Microprotein important for maintaining human cell health discovered

In discovering the important housekeeping role that a previously overlooked tiny protein plays in cells, scientists highlight that although ...

‘Modern evil’: Aleppo hit by air strikes as evacuation stalls

Anonymous 0 International News 7:33:00 AM

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The planned evacuation of rebel districts of Aleppo stalled on Wednesday as air strikes and heavy shelling hit the city and Iran was said to have imposed new conditions on the deal.</div>
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Iran, one of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s main backers in the battle that has all but ended four years of rebel resistance in the city, wanted a simultaneous evacuation of wounded from two villages, Foua and Kefraya, that are besieged by rebel fighters, according to rebel and U.N. sources.</div>
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Rebel groups said that was just an excuse to hold up the evacuation from a shrunken insurgent enclave shattered by a powerful government offensive. A pro-opposition TV station said the operation could now be delayed until Thursday.</div>
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A ceasefire brokered on Tuesday by Russia, Assad’s most powerful ally, and Turkey was intended to end years of fighting in the city, giving the Syrian leader his biggest victory in more than five years of war.</div>
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But air strikes, shelling and gunfire erupted on Wednesday and Turkey accused government forces of breaking the truce. Syrian state television said rebel shelling had killed six people.</div>
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A total of 15,000 people, including 4,000 rebel fighters, wanted to leave Aleppo, according to a media unit run by the Syrian government’s ally Hezbollah.</div>
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Terrible conditions were described by city residents. Abu Malek al-Shamali, a resident in the rebel area, said dead bodies lay in the streets. “There are many corpses in Fardous and Bustan al-Qasr with no one to bury them,” he said.</div>
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‘Modern evil’: Aleppo hit by air strikes as evacuation stalls

The planned evacuation of rebel districts of Aleppo stalled on Wednesday as air strikes and heavy shelling hit the city and Iran was said...

Japanese tourist dies at Australia's Great Barrier Reef

Anonymous 0 International News 7:12:00 AM

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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FEAWJL1g64o/WFFhNysZB3I/AAAAAAAAA98/nNZgT-E9w0oig_sdJ-cA9JS99K2HTIAoACLcB/s1600/_92961156_fec9511d-1154-4bbc-94f5-37a03b76c2c5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FEAWJL1g64o/WFFhNysZB3I/AAAAAAAAA98/nNZgT-E9w0oig_sdJ-cA9JS99K2HTIAoACLcB/s320/_92961156_fec9511d-1154-4bbc-94f5-37a03b76c2c5.jpg" width="320" /></a>An elderly Japanese woman has died while snorkelling at the Great Barrier Reef, in the fourth tourist death at the Australian attraction in a month.</div>
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The 75-year-old was pulled from the water on Tuesday at Moore Reef, about 45km (30 miles) from Cairns.</div>
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Last month saw the deaths of two French tourists in their 70s and a 60-year-old British scuba diver.</div>
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The Australian Broadcasting Corporation said there were 10 deaths in total at the reef this year, double the marine tourism industry average.</div>
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It quoted the Association of Marine Park Tourism Operators as saying that most of the victims were elderly and had pre-existing medical conditions.</div>
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A spokesman said Wednesday they were considering regulation tweaks following the latest incident involving the Japanese woman, such as making visitors over a certain age acknowledge the risks associated with snorkelling and diving.</div>
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"While we are very proud of the fact we have the safest snorkelling in the world, we've got to sit down and have a really close look at all these events and see if there's anything we can do," Col McKenzie said.</div>
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The Great Barrier Reef is one of Australia's most popular tourist attractions, composed of thousands of individual reefs and hundreds of islands along the Queensland coast.</div>
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More than two million people visit it very year, generating more than A$2bn (£1.2bn, $1.5bn) in tourism revenues.</div>
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Japanese tourist dies at Australia's Great Barrier Reef

An elderly Japanese woman has died while snorkelling at the Great Barrier Reef, in the fourth tourist death at the Australian attraction in...

Could turning white fat to brown hold key to new obesity treatment?

Anonymous 0 Health News 11:03:00 PM

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<header style="background-color: white; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(229, 229, 229); color: #111111; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 19px; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px 0px 10px; text-shadow: rgb(253, 253, 253) 1px 2px 3px, rgb(0, 0, 0) 0px 0px 0px, rgb(253, 253, 253) 1px 2px 3px;">A new approach to obesity could be on the horizon, say scientists from the University of Pennsylvania, who believe they have found the secret for turning white fat into brown fat. Their findings are published online in the journal <em style="-webkit-print-color-adjust: exact; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Genes and Development</em>.</header><br />
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Fat is not just fat. The human body has different types of fat, and they fulfill different purposes.</div>
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White fat cells, also known as white adipocytes, store fat. They are filled with fat molecules. If they contain too much fat, a person becomes obese.</div>
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Brown fat, on the other hand, is sometimes called "good" fat. Brown fat cells, or brown adipocytes, form the "baby fat" seen in infants.</div>
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Brown fat transfers energy from food into heat, in a process known as thermogenesis. This heat protects the body from cold, and the process of burning the fat prevents obesity and related disorders, including diabetes. Adults have much less brown fat than infants.</div>
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Obesity has been linked to a number of health problems, including cancer, heart disease, and diabetes.</div>
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More than 1 in 3 adults in the United States live with obesity, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In 2008, obesity was estimated to cost $147 billion in medical care. Medical costs for a person with obesity were around $1,429 higher than for people without obesity.</div>
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Obesity and related conditions are considered largely preventable. Lifestyle changes are recommended for reducing obesity. However, in severe cases, people may undergo surgery.</div>
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One reason why this happened was that the cells started producing more mitochondria - the minuscule oxygen reactors that provide chemical energy inside cells. In brown fat cells, the mitochondria convert energy into heat.</div>
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Could turning white fat to brown hold key to new obesity treatment?

A new approach to obesity could be on the horizon, say scientists from the University of Pennsylvania, who believe they have found the secr...

Ibuprofen could reduce smokers' risk of death from lung cancer

Anonymous 0 Health News 8:58:00 AM

Ibuprofen could reduce smokers' risk of death from lung cancer

Ibuprofen is a medication commonly used to reduce pain and inflammation, but a new study suggests its benefits do not stop there. Researcher...

Nigerian church collapses, 160 dead, says hospital director

Anonymous 0 International News 8:51:00 AM

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<h1 class="entry-title" itemprop="headline" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; color: black; font-family: PrattRegular, Georgia, Palatino, "Book Antiqua", "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 25px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: -0.6px; line-height: 1.25; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" title="The roof of the church caved in on worshippers who had gathered for the ordination of a bishop on Saturday">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XcdcwYO98vM/WE7VQshyaXI/AAAAAAAAA9E/-TOPd27-c80xP8wXU-rlZ1yNWVX0Z6jKACLcB/s1600/ANGA101-Nigeria%252BCollapsed%252BC.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XcdcwYO98vM/WE7VQshyaXI/AAAAAAAAA9E/-TOPd27-c80xP8wXU-rlZ1yNWVX0Z6jKACLcB/s320/ANGA101-Nigeria%252BCollapsed%252BC.JPG" width="320" /></a><div class="selectionShareable" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; font-family: Garuda, Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 20px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
Mortuaries overflowed with bodies Sunday from a church collapse in southern Nigeria that killed at least 160 people, and worshippers said construction of the building had been rushed.</div>
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Hundreds had been inside the Reigners Bible Church International in the city of Uyo on Saturday for the consecration of founder Akan Weeks as its bishop when the metal girders fell and the corrugated iron roof caved in.</div>
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Screaming survivors streamed out amid cries from the injured inside.</div>
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“There were trapped bodies, parts of bodies, blood all over the place and people’s handbags and shoes scattered,” said computer analyst Ukeme Eyibio.</div>
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Officials feared the death toll could rise.</div>
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Weeks and Akwa Ibom state Gov. Udom Emmanuel were among the survivors.</div>
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Eyibio had parked his car outside the complex to make a phone call when he heard a deafening crash and saw that the church had disappeared.</div>
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He and three others dragged 10 injured people from an overflow area for worshippers just outside the collapsed church. They did not enter the main structure because a construction worker warned it was not safe.</div>
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The worker called his boss at Julius Berger construction company, which sent a crane to help lift debris off bodies.</div>
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While they waited for the crane, Eyibio helped a man whose legs were trapped under a girder.</div>
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“I rushed to my car, got out the tire jack and used that to get the beam off his legs,” the 27-year-old said by telephone.</div>
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“We managed to get him out, but we saw others dying all around us,” he added. “I’m so traumatized I could not sleep last night for the horrors repeating themselves in my mind.”</div>
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Mortuaries in Uyo were overwhelmed by the disaster, medical director Etete Peters of the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital told The Associated Press.</div>
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Many of the dead were taken to private mortuaries scattered across the city, said youth leader Edikan Peters. Some people were taking the bodies of relatives to their homes because of the overcrowding.</div>
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Peters said he counted 90 bodies removed from the church before he was stold to stop his tally Saturday night. Journalists also said that church officials sought to prevent them from documenting the tragedy, trying to seize cameras and forcing some to leave the area.</div>
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The church had been still under construction and workers had been rushing to finish it in time for Saturday’s ceremony, congregants said. The governor’s spokesman, Ekerete Udoh, said the state government will investigate if any building standards were compromised.</div>
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Buildings collapse often in Nigeria because of endemic corruption, with contractors using substandard materials and bribing inspectors to ignore shoddy work or a lack of permits.</div>
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In 2014, 116 people died when a multistory guesthouse of the Synagogue Church of All Nations collapsed in Lagos, Nigeria’s largest city. Most victims were visiting South African followers of the megachurch’s influential founder T.B. Joshua.</div>
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Two structural engineers, Joshua and church trustees were accused of criminal negligence and involuntary manslaughter after a coroner found the building collapsed from structural failures caused by design and detailing errors. Efforts to bring them to court have been foiled by repeated legal challenges.</div>
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Nigerian church collapses, 160 dead, says hospital director

Mortuaries overflowed with bodies Sunday from a church collapse in southern Nigeria that killed at least 160 people, and worshippers s...

Anonymous 0 Health News 3:40:00 AM

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Our pets bring us joy and comfort, and they sometimes even help us when we are ill. But while the usefulness of a companion animal in the case of physical conditions has been accepted and well-documented by the medical community, there is less research available on the role of pets in mental illness. A new study aims to fill this gap by investigating how pets affect their owners' mental well-being.</div>
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Millions of Americans are affected by a serious mental illness every year. In fact, approximately 1 in 5 adults in the United States reportedly experience mental health problems in a given year.</div>
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Many of these people experience feelings of loneliness and isolation. Sometimes, being diagnosed with a long-term condition means losing one's previous social status and connections with people.</div>
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These feelings have been documented in psychiatric literature and connected with a patient's so-called ontological security. The term refers to a sense of order, continuity, and meaning in a person's life, together with a positive outlook on the future.</div>
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New research examines the impact of having a pet on the sense of ontological security and well-being of people with mental health problems.</div>
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Our pets bring us joy and comfort, and they sometimes even help us when we are ill. But while the usefulness of a companion animal in th...

Somalia: deadly blast near Mogadishu port kills dozens

Anonymous 0 International News 3:20:00 AM

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<a href="http://english.almanar.com.lb/framework/includes/uploads/2016/09/manar-02656890014745359931-363x242.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://english.almanar.com.lb/framework/includes/uploads/2016/09/manar-02656890014745359931-363x242.jpg" style="background-color: transparent;" /></a>A suicide truck bombing rock outside the busy sea port of the Somali capital Mogadishu on Sunday, killing 16 people and injuring many others,the director of the ambulance service said.</div>
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“We assisted 48 wounded people and carried 16 others who were killed in the blast,” said Abdikadir Abdirahman Adem, director of Mogadishu’s AMIN ambulance service.</div>
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Mogadishu residents described a huge blast that could be heard across the city and a plume of smoke that rose above the skyline.</div>
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A spokesman for the city administration, Abdifatah Omar Halane, confirmed the blast but gave a lower toll of “nearly 10” killed. He said investigations were underway.</div>
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The Al-Qaeda aligned Shabaab militant group claimed responsibility in a statement distributed on its Telegram messaging account.</div>
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It said the target was a military base close to the port and claimed to have killed “nearly 30”. The group frequently exaggerates the number killed in its attacks.</div>
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The Shabaab is fighting to overthrow the internationally-backed government of Somalia and regularly stages deadly attacks on government, military and civilian targets in the capital and elsewhere in the war-torn country.</div>
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The attack took place close to the entrance to Mogadishu’s port.</div>
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“The bomber targeted a civilian area, there were porters and other small scale traders in the area when the blast occurred,” said Ibrahim Mohamed, a senior police officer.</div>
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The attack comes as Somalia is in the process of electing a new government with the much-delayed presidential vote due on December 28.</div>

Somalia: deadly blast near Mogadishu port kills dozens

A suicide truck bombing rock outside the busy sea port of the Somali capital Mogadishu on Sunday, killing 16 people and injuring many other...

What is 'big problem' Obama supposedly shared with Trump?

Anonymous 0 International News 6:57:00 AM

<div class="story-body__introduction" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.375; margin-top: 28px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-unsszsk4kq8/WEwXXQUDayI/AAAAAAAAA8U/E5xACPu-430j6tdIY1saw-j97DwZ3J2TACLcB/s1600/obma.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-unsszsk4kq8/WEwXXQUDayI/AAAAAAAAA8U/E5xACPu-430j6tdIY1saw-j97DwZ3J2TACLcB/s320/obma.jpg" width="320" /></a>Donald Trump said President Barack Obama had told him about a "big problem" for the US, but he wouldn't say what it was. What could it be?</div>
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"I was actually surprised a little bit," said the president-elect when telling New York Times reporters about his private conversation with the outgoing White House incumbent.</div>
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He said they had discussed "a big problem for the country", but refused to be drawn on the issue, telling journalists: "I'd rather have you ask him."</div>
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A reporter from the Times told me recently they haven't followed up on this matter with the president - not yet.</div>
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When I asked White House spokesman Josh Earnest about the issue, he said he couldn't reveal details of his boss' conversation.</div>
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So I've turned to 10 experts - from the media, political science, government and other fields - and asked what they thought the president said during the important meeting.</div>
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"Missiles are a big strategic vulnerability that crept up while the Obama administration wasn't looking," said Karako, explaining that as a consequence of the lapse the following has occurred: "Both provocations from North Korea that spook their neighbours, and also conspicuous Russian brandishing of nuclear weapons to bully Nato".</div>
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What is 'big problem' Obama supposedly shared with Trump?

Donald Trump said President Barack Obama had told him about a "big problem" for the US, but he wouldn't say what it was. What...

The Most Interesting Science News Articles of the Week

Anonymous 0 International News 7:37:00 AM

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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tornados are behaving strangely: The number of tornado outbreaks per year is fairly constant, but the number of tornados per outbreak has skyrocketed. And scientists aren't entirely sure why.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In an effort to learn more, researchers looked at meteorological factors related to tornado outbreaks and then dug into the data to see whether these factors had changed over time, said study lead researcher Michael Tippett, an associate professor of applied physics and applied mathematics at Columbia University.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The analyses did yield a result, but an unexpected one, Tippett said.  </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the following years, Tippett and other scientists published studies on tornado clusters, a sequence of six or more tornadoes that happen within several days of one another. In the new study, Tippett and his colleagues found that the number twisters in the most extreme outbreaks have increased over the years, making these clusters more dangerous than in the past, he said.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"The fact that they can explain the tornado changes by storm relative helicity changes is, in one aspect, not surprising (it's a much better predictor of whether a storm will make a tornado than CAPE is)," Brooks wrote in an email to Live Science. "But, in another aspect, [the results are] difficult to explain. We don't really have a good conceptual model for why high SRH values should increase as the planet warms."</span></div>
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The Most Interesting Science News Articles of the Week

Tornados are behaving strangely: The number of tornado outbreaks per year is fairly constant, but the number of tornados per outbreak has...

Humans aren’t the only great apes that can ‘read minds’

Anonymous 0 Technology News 6:31:00 AM

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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-u3JxOE-rcKk/WEq_zIG6q1I/AAAAAAAAA7k/VTCW7SO4bJkZcr-xh_jfj0d1mHUDaxkkQCLcB/s1600/ThinkstockPhotos-521381170.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-u3JxOE-rcKk/WEq_zIG6q1I/AAAAAAAAA7k/VTCW7SO4bJkZcr-xh_jfj0d1mHUDaxkkQCLcB/s320/ThinkstockPhotos-521381170.jpg" width="320" /></a>All great mind reading begins with chocolate. That’s the basis for a classic experiment that tests whether children have something called the theory of mind—the ability to attribute desires, intentions, and knowledge to others. When they see someone hide a chocolate bar in a box, then leave the room while a second person sneaks in and hides it elsewhere, they have to guess where the first person will look for the bar. If they guess “in the original box,” they pass the test, and show they understand what’s going on in the first person’s mind—even when it doesn’t match reality.</div>
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“Testing the idea that nonhuman [animals] can have minds has been the Rubicon that skeptics have again and again said no nonhuman has ever, or will ever, cross,” says Brian Hare, an evolutionary anthropologist at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, who was not involved in the study. “Well, back to the drawing board!”</div>
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“It’s a very surprising and novel finding,” says Victoria Southgate, a developmental psychologist at the University of London, who helped create the eye-tracking technique to test 2-year-old infants and was not involved in this research. “It’s an almost exact replication of the study we did, and the apes appear to pass. It suggests that the capacity to track others’ perspectives and beliefs is not unique to humans.”</div>
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Hare is looking forward to where the new study leads. “Now the fun begins!” Hare says he expects that movies and eye-tracking will soon be expanded to test other species. Krupenye agrees. “The eye-tracking program and mechanism would just have to be shaped for faces of birds, cats, dogs, or other species” to work. Of course, that means that other scientists will also have to come up with some funky, species-specific soap operas to test them on.</div>
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Source: science mag</div>
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Humans aren’t the only great apes that can ‘read minds’

All great mind reading begins with chocolate. That’s the basis for a classic experiment that tests whether children have something called t...

E-cigarettes major concern, says US

Anonymous 0 Health News 5:17:00 AM

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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dgKD3S0s1jY/WEldapFfcfI/AAAAAAAAA7A/1sncmwMtbpgttDsgPTu5HgzOnFiqCMmGQCLcB/s1600/_92881143_mediaitem92881139.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dgKD3S0s1jY/WEldapFfcfI/AAAAAAAAA7A/1sncmwMtbpgttDsgPTu5HgzOnFiqCMmGQCLcB/s320/_92881143_mediaitem92881139.jpg" width="320" /></a>The chief public health officer of the US, the Surgeon General, has called the use of e-cigarettes by children "a major public health concern".</div>
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In a report due to be released on Thursday, Vivek Murthy recommends more regulation and taxation.</div>
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His report agrees that e-cigarettes are less harmful than actual ones, but his concern is that the devices expose children to the risks of nicotine.</div>
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E-cigarettes are devices that turn nicotine liquid into a vapour.</div>
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<span style="font-size: 1rem;">Because they do not actually burn any material but leave users merely inhaling nicotine in steam, they are seen by some health experts as preferable to smoking cigarettes and, by some, as a way to give up cigarette smoking.</span></div>
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Dr Murthy's report says there is not enough evidence that prove e-cigarettes work in this way.</div>
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For young people, he says, e-cigarette use is strongly linked with the use of other tobacco products.</div>
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Dr Murthy says nicotine usage by young people risks mood disorders, attention deficits and addiction to nicotine that could lead to the use of traditional cigarettes.</div>
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Many tobacco companies are pinning their future on e-cigarettes and other alternatives as people continue to move away from using traditional nicotine products.</div>
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Last month, Marlboro maker Philip Morris launched a new product in the UK, Iqos, which it said could mean halting sales of its conventional tobacco products.</div>

E-cigarettes major concern, says US

The chief public health officer of the US, the Surgeon General, has called the use of e-cigarettes by children "a major public health ...

EU Unblocks Visa-free Travel for Ukraine, Georgia

Anonymous 0 International News 5:10:00 AM

<span class="dateline" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #222222; float: left; text-align: justify; text-transform: uppercase;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">BRUSSELS — </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MKvY5XZGzl0/WElbuoZxTgI/AAAAAAAAA64/bGq_Up4kQVguHl0ONwDRYN5Aaqi_y5paACLcB/s1600/vvv.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MKvY5XZGzl0/WElbuoZxTgI/AAAAAAAAA64/bGq_Up4kQVguHl0ONwDRYN5Aaqi_y5paACLcB/s400/vvv.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The European Union will soon let Ukrainians and Georgians visit the bloc without needing a visa after diplomats and lawmakers struck a deal on Thursday to end an internal EU dispute that had been holding up the promised measures.</span></div>
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<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #222222; margin-bottom: 32px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Agreement on a mechanism for suspending such visa waivers in emergencies ends mounting embarrassment for some EU leaders who felt the bloc was reneging on pledges to ex-Soviet states it has promised to help as they try to move out from Moscow's shadow.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">European Council President warned on Wednesday that the EU was risking its credibility by failing to reward Georgia and Ukraine for painful reforms. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko hailed "encouraging news from Brussels".</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #222222; margin-bottom: 32px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The prospect of easier travel to Western Europe has been used by governments in Kiev and Tbilisi to win popular backing for painful, EU-sponsored reforms. But EU leaders got cold feet about opening doors to 45 million Ukrainians after the public backlash which followed last year's refugee crisis in Europe.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #222222; margin-bottom: 32px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Facing strong challenges from anti-immigration parties in elections next year, leading powers France and Germany demanded strong controls before any visa deal. Late-night talks resulted in the European Parliament conceding that governments can reimpose visa requirements quickly, without lawmakers' approval.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #222222; margin-bottom: 32px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">"Europe is delivering," the conservative leader in the EU legislature, Manfred Weber, tweeted after the deal. Georgia, with only 5 million citizens, has long been seen as ready for visa liberalization but has seen its hopes held hostage by EU hesitation over Ukraine, which is bigger, closer and currently stuck in conflict with Russia.</span></div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Turkish issue</span></strong></div>
<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #222222; margin-bottom: 32px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A similar plan to ease travel for Turkey's 75 million mainly Muslim population as part of a deal whereby Ankara has helped the EU shut out Syrians and other people seeking asylum has added to political sensitivities in Brussels about the issue.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #222222; margin-bottom: 32px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Ankara's failure to fulfil all the EU conditions, and now anger in Europe at Turkey's crackdown on opponents following a coup attempt in July, have effectively frozen progress on that.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #222222; margin-bottom: 32px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Slovak Interior Minister Robert Kalinak, who has chaired negotiations for EU member state governments, said: "The fact that we have reached an agreement should open the door to further progress on visa liberalization talks with other countries that meet all the necessary requirements."</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #222222; margin-bottom: 32px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The bloc has said any new visa waivers can only come into force after the EU beefed up an emergency brake to suspend any free-travel deals in emergencies. But talks on exactly how that "snap-back" mechanism would work have dragged on for months.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It will now allow the executive European Commission or a majority of EU states to suspend swiftly a country's visa exemption for nine months if there is a sharp rise in its citizens overstaying their permitted time in the EU, making multiple asylum requests or other problems for the Europeans. The EU would be able to extend the suspension period for a further 18 months in some cases, but through a more complex procedure that would also give a say to the European Parliament.</span></div>

EU Unblocks Visa-free Travel for Ukraine, Georgia

BRUSSELS — The European Union will soon let Ukrainians and Georgians visit the bloc without needing a visa after diplomats and lawmaker...

Fridge could have caused deadly warehouse fire, officials say

Anonymous 0 International News 6:16:00 PM

<br />
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2a2a2a; padding: 0px 1.875em 20px; word-wrap: break-word;">
<a href="http://news.images.itv.com/image/file/1166602/stream_img.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="179" src="http://news.images.itv.com/image/file/1166602/stream_img.jpg" width="320" /></span></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #4a4a4a;">A probe into a</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #4a4a4a;"> </span>warehouse fire that killed 36 people<span style="background-color: white; color: #4a4a4a;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #4a4a4a;">in Oakland, California, is investigating the possibility that a refrigerator or other appliance was the source of the blaze.</span><br /><time class="update__time-edited" datetime="2016-12-07" pubdate="" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #4a4a4a; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px !important;">Last updated Wed 7 Dec 2016</time><br /><time class="update__time-edited" datetime="2016-12-07" pubdate="" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #4a4a4a; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px !important;">source: iTV</time></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Jill Snyder, the special agent in charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives' San Francisco office, said it is too early to say for sure a fridge caused the blaze but it was a potential source.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Investigators are look at anything electrical on the first floor of the warehouse near where the fire started, she said.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">"We have no indication that this was intentionally set," she added.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The fire at the Ghost Ship converted warehouse, that broke out during a dance party on Friday night, is the worst in the city's history.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">More than one thousand people gathered on Monday at Lake Merritt Pergola for a flameless candlelit vigil illuminated with LED lights.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">On Tuesday, family members gathered at makeshift a memorial site for victims of the fire.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Crews have searched at least 90% of the building for bodies, and do not believe any more bodies will be found, officials said.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Alameda County sheriff's spokesman Sergeant Ray Kelly said that some of the victims texted relatives, "I'm going to die," and "I love you."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Rescue crews found bodies of people "protecting each other, holding each other," Kelly said.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">On Tuesday, the founder of the arts collective Derick Ion Almena stood near the gutted building.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">He told reporters: "I'm only here to say one thing that I'm incredibly sorry and that everything that I did was to make this a stronger and more beautiful community and to bring people together."</span></div>
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Fridge could have caused deadly warehouse fire, officials say

A probe into a warehouse fire that killed 36 people in Oakland, California, is investigating the possibility that a refrigerator or ot...

Samsung triumphs over Apple in US Supreme Court patent row

Anonymous 0 Technology News 6:14:00 PM

<a href="http://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/660/cpsprodpb/D88B/production/_92853455_009874659-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="http://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/660/cpsprodpb/D88B/production/_92853455_009874659-1.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1rem; font-weight: bold;">The US Supreme Court has sided with Samsung in the South Korean company's long-running patent fight with Apple.</span><br />
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The court rejected an earlier ruling that Samsung must pay $399m to Apple for copying some iPhone designs.</div>
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At issue was how much Samsung must compensate Apple under a 1887 law that patent infringers pay "total profits".</div>
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The top US court ruled that paying all profits was wrong, as the features at issue in the Samsung phones formed only a small part of the devices.</div>
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However, the dispute is not over. The case now returns to a lower court to decide the amount of compensation that Samsung should pay.</div>
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The Supreme Court's unanimous decision followed a legal battle between the world's top two smartphone manufacturers that began in 2011 when Apple sued Samsung, asserting that its rival stole its technology and the iPhone's trademarked appearance.</div>
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Samsung had been seeking to pare back the money it paid Apple in December following a 2012 jury verdict that it infringed Apple's iPhone patents and copied its distinctive appearance.</div>
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After the trial, Apple was awarded nearly $930m in damages. In May 2015, a US appeals court upheld the patent infringement verdict, but said the iPhone's appearance could not be protected through trademarks. As a result, the court reduced Samsung's payment.</div>
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Samsung had argued that the size of the penalty ignored the fact that its phones contain more than 200,000 other patents that Apple did not own.</div>
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Apple claimed that Samsung should pay because the iPhone's success was directly tied to its distinctive look.</div>
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source: BBC</div>

Samsung triumphs over Apple in US Supreme Court patent row

The US Supreme Court has sided with Samsung in the South Korean company's long-running patent fight with Apple. The court rejected an ...

Is smoking ever safe? Study investigates

Anonymous 0 Health News 8:28:00 PM

<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4KiVbe1OhdY/WEY-Sv0TVoI/AAAAAAAAA5E/mGhCPKi3SwEuo001yzFPzxzO9pwirZQLQCLcB/s1600/c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4KiVbe1OhdY/WEY-Sv0TVoI/AAAAAAAAA5E/mGhCPKi3SwEuo001yzFPzxzO9pwirZQLQCLcB/s400/c.jpg" width="400" /></span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Most people would agree that smoking is harmful, but many of us think smoking just a little bit is not that dangerous. New research suggests there is no such thing as safe smoking, with low-intensity smoking significantly increasing the risk of premature death.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With the help of public awareness campaigns, the negative health effects of smoking have become widely acknowledged.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Smoking causes a variety of diseases affecting almost every organ in the human body, making it the leading cause of death worldwide.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that every year almost 6 million people die from a smoking-related disease, and in the United States alone, smoking accounts for 480,000 yearly deaths.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While most people will be convinced of the harmful effects of heavy smoking, not as many are aware that even an average of one cigarette a day may cause significant damage to our health.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A new study investigates the health risks involved in low-intensity smoking.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-print-color-adjust: exact; border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: 600; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Those who smoked an average of less than one cigarette per day over their lifetime were nine times more likely to die from lung cancer than non-smokers.</span></div>

Is smoking ever safe? Study investigates

Most people would agree that smoking is harmful, but many of us think smoking just a little bit is not that dangerous. New research sugges...

China sends another 120 army peacekeepers to South Sudan

Anonymous 0 International News 8:23:00 PM

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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.01em;">BEIJING (AP) — China has sent 120 troops to South Sudan as part of a 700-member U.N. peacekeeping force, deepening its commitment to the troubled East African nation.</span></div>
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Once the entire battalion is deployed, they will replace Chinese peacekeepers currently in place, who suffered two dead in fighting between the government and rebels in July.</div>
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China has sent two previous battalions to South Sudan to protect civilians, U.N. staff and humanitarian workers, conduct patrols and provide security escorts.</div>
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South Sudan has seen continuous fighting since its civil war broke out in December 2013. The more than 12,000 U.N. peacekeepers already in the country have been criticized for failing to protect civilians.</div>
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China is the biggest contributor of peacekeepers among the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, with 2,639 currently deployed.</div>

China sends another 120 army peacekeepers to South Sudan

BEIJING (AP) — China has sent 120 troops to South Sudan as part of a 700-member U.N. peacekeeping force, deepening its commitment to the ...

Eating fiber keeps gut microbes from eating you

Anonymous 0 Health News 6:12:00 PM

<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Gut microbiota plays a crucial role in maintaining our body's overall health. New research shows what happens if we do not feed our gut microbes with the fiber they need to survive.</span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gdzKM9RTAzg/WDUgvpF4UUI/AAAAAAAAA4Q/8ASYJcDBgM0KpQrvwtM3SeXhnBq-ZimZACLcB/s1600/photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="371" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gdzKM9RTAzg/WDUgvpF4UUI/AAAAAAAAA4Q/8ASYJcDBgM0KpQrvwtM3SeXhnBq-ZimZACLcB/s400/photo.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">[intestinal bacteria under a magnifying glass]</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Gut bacteria are essential to keeping our body healthy.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Our gut microbiota contains at least 1,000 different species of known bacteria, summing up 3 million genes.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We share one third of our gut bacteria with other people, while the composition in our other two thirds is unique to each one of us.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Gut microbiota is important to our health because it contributes to a healthy immune system by acting as a barrier against other harmful microorganisms</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It also helps with digesting foods that the stomach and small intestine have not been able to digest, as well as producing some vitamins.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We have always been told by healthcare professionals and nutritionists that fiber is important to a healthy diet.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But new research examines exactly what happens if our intestinal microbes do not receive the appropriate amount of fiber.</span><br />
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Eating fiber keeps gut microbes from eating you

The Gut microbiota plays a crucial role in maintaining our body's overall health. New research shows what happens if we do not feed our ...

Man on run for 12 years arrested

Anonymous 0 National News 8:17:00 AM

<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zYBAKS-LJ8o/WC3XviB58uI/AAAAAAAAA4E/TD6VRPNxMjoR07MekAre-5l_k3vH-BRLACK4B/s1600/aa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="207" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zYBAKS-LJ8o/WC3XviB58uI/AAAAAAAAA4E/TD6VRPNxMjoR07MekAre-5l_k3vH-BRLACK4B/s400/aa.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Panchthar, Nov 17: A youth who was on the run after allegedly killing his lover 12 years ago has finally been arrested, police said. Bikas Rai, aka Mohan, of Falaichan-7 in Pachthar, was accused of murdering his 20-year-old love interest, Manisha Begha, hailing from the same place. The dead body of Manisha was recovered from Singhadevi Forest with head injury on September 3, 2004. Rumor of love affair between Rai and Manisha had once swirled in the village.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> The accused has been remanded in custody and further investigation into the incident was forwarded, said Deputy Superintendent of Police Nakul Pokharel. RSS</span></div>

Man on run for 12 years arrested

Panchthar, Nov 17: A youth who was on the run after allegedly killing his lover 12 years ago has finally been arrested, police said. Bikas...

JEWISH AND ARAB FERTILITY RATES EQUAL FOR THE FIRST TIME IN ISRAELI HISTORY

Anonymous 0 International News 7:39:00 AM

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<a href="http://s.newsweek.com/sites/www.newsweek.com/files/styles/embed-lg/public/2016/11/16/israeli-hospital.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Israeli hospital" border="0" height="265" src="http://s.newsweek.com/sites/www.newsweek.com/files/styles/embed-lg/public/2016/11/16/israeli-hospital.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 19.2px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The fertility rate among Jewish women matches that of Arab women for the first time in Israel’s history, new figures released Tuesday show.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The average number of children born to Jewish women was 3.13 in 2015, the same as their Arab counterparts, according to Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics. The statistics represent a fall in the Arab fertility rate in Israel and an increase in the rate among Jews.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In 2000, the Jewish fertility rate was 2.6 children per woman while the Arab rate was 4.3 children per woman.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 19.2px;">There are longstanding fears </span>among right-wing sections of Israeli society<span style="font-size: 19.2px;"> that the higher Arab birth rate could leave Jews outnumbered by an Arab majority in the country. Some Israelis, according to commentators, have expressed concerns about the country </span>losing its “Jewish character.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Arabs represent around 20 percent of Israel’s total population. In 2015, of the country’s population of 2.8 million children, two million (71.3 percent) were Jewish, 718,000 were Arab (25.7 percent) and 84,000 (3 percent) were grouped as “others.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The areas with the highest numbers of children per household were the cities of Beit Shemesh (3.8), Bnei Brak (3.4) and Jerusalem (3), which all have large representations of ultra-Orthodox Jews, who give birth to more children than the national average.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yasser Arafat once referred to the womb of the Palestinian woman as his “strongest weapon.” There has been a further decline in the fertility rate of Palestinian womenin the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. In 2014, it was 3.7 in the West Bank (down from 5.6 in 1997) and 4.5 in the Gaza Strip (down from 6.9 in 1997) according to official Palestinian statistics.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 19.2px;">Israel now has the highest fertility rate of the developed countries in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the Times of Israel</span><span style="font-size: 19.2px;"> </span><span style="font-size: 19.2px;">reported</span><span style="font-size: 19.2px;">. As of 2013, it also had the second highest youth population, after Mexico. This baby boom bucks the usual trend of fertility declining in nations as they grow wealthier.</span></span></div>

JEWISH AND ARAB FERTILITY RATES EQUAL FOR THE FIRST TIME IN ISRAELI HISTORY

The fertility rate among Jewish women matches that of Arab women for the first time in Israel’s history, new figures released Tuesday sho...