Legal fight politically motivated : Pheu Thai - The Nation

Home ? politics ? Legal fight politically motivated : Pheu Thai

The Nation November 14, 2011 8:01 am

"The litigants may have the right to sue, but I believe there is no evidence with which to blame the government," he said.

Prompong was reacting to news reports that Chulalongkorn University economic lecturer Narong Phetprasert would seek the cooperation of the Law Society of Thailand in launching a court battle against the government.

As an academic, Narong should suggest flood-control solutions instead of faulting the government, Prompong said.

He voiced suspicion that Narong might have an ulterior motive, because his threat of legal action coincided with the opposition Democrats' criticisms of the handling of the flood situation.

He went on to criticise Democrat MP Wiratana Kalayasiri for trying to politicise the relief efforts.

Although the Flood Relief Operations Centre (FROC) has launched a probe of alleged irregularities in connection with the procurement of relief supplies, Wiratana portrayed the situation as if the wrongdoing had already been established, the Pheu Thai spokesman said.

The main coalition party will today hold a meeting of MPs to assess flood-related issues, such as obstacles to transportation, the rising prices of essential goods and increasing incidents of burglary in flood-hit areas.

Information and Communication Technology Minister Gp Captain Anudith Nakornthap has dismissed an allegation that he diverted public contributions and relief supplies from the FROC to his ministry.

Anudith said relief supplies packaged in black bags awaiting distribution were the property of the PM's Office, and not public contributions as alleged.

He said he was authorised by the prime minister to assist in the relief efforts in Bangkok.

Democrat deputy spokesman Sakoltee Phattiyakul said he welcomed the prime minister's pledge to get to the bottom of questions surrounding the procurement of relief supplies.

Sakoltee said the FROC made a hasty conclusion to rule out any irregularities before examining the evidence.

"Just look at price tags on items contained in each relief bag; evidence of foul play is there," he said.

He said the FROC had no credible answer to questions about why it had allocated Bt7.5 million to buy 30 flat-bottomed boats at an inflated price of Bt250,000 each.

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Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/politics/Legal-fight-politically-motivated-Pheu-Thai-30169803.html

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Motherhood Makes Women Want Smartphones (LiveScience.com)

It?s no news flash that motherhood is a life-changing event for women. What is news, though, is the role that motherhood plays in instigating mobile phone usage, new research on digital behavior shows.

More than half (53 percent) of moms actually purchased a smartphone as a result of becoming a mom, Michael Fogarty, publisher of BabyCenter, an online resource for expectant and new parents around the world, told eMarketer.

Moms are using mobile phones in different ways from other women because motherhood instigates mobile usage, he said. Increasingly, moms are using mobile to manage their lives; moms are 18 percent more likely to have a smartphone than the general population.

Motherhood changes how women use their mobile phones, Fogarty said. Before becoming a mother, the three most important features were contacts and address book, text messaging and email. After becoming a mom, the top three features become the camera, the video camera and apps.

Becoming a mom also changes things that marketers should pay attention to. More than half (62 percent) of moms change the brands they buy when they become moms and 73 percent change their purchase criteria for apparel and beauty products. In terms of purchasing criteria, Fogarty said, anything that has to do with mothers personally goes down, and anything that has to do with price and convenience goes up.

Mothers also use their mobile phone differently than they use their desktop computer, he said. Marketers need to make sure that mobile is an integral part of the cross-platform mix. Reaching mothers at the right time and place requires mobile. If you're not there, you're missing them.

This story was provided by BusinessNewsDaily, a sister site to LiveScience.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/parenting/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20111114/sc_livescience/motherhoodmakeswomenwantsmartphones

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Wall Street off on euro instability, recession fear (Reuters)

NEW YORK (Reuters) ? Wall Street edged lower on Monday as Italy and Greece rushed to form technocrat-led governments in a bid to stave off the euro zone's debt crisis, and as data showed the region is facing a looming recession.

The euro fell against the dollar as initial optimism about prospects of crisis-fighting reforms under new governments in Italy and Greece gave way to caution over the huge debt problems still plaguing the single currency zone.

"Last week the markets chose to treat the glass as half full in interpreting the retirement of the regimes in Greece and Italy as positive, but it did nothing to cure the underlying issues," said Mark Luschini, chief investment strategist at Janney Montgomery Scott in Philadelphia.

Industrial production in the euro zone fell in September, the most since early 2009, supporting expectations of a sharp contraction of industry and a probable economic recession. Output at factories in the 17-nation bloc fell 2.0 percent for the month.

"It is confirming directionally what investors hold as their belief, which is that Europe is either in or moving quickly toward what is likely recession," Luschini said.

Stocks have traded choppily and in tandem with the euro recently in a sign U.S. investors are taking cues from the euro zone's mushrooming debt crisis as bouts of risk aversion are followed by periods of relative optimism.

The Dow Jones industrial average fell 19.60 points, or 0.16 percent, at 12,134.08. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index lost 5.90 points, or 0.47 percent, at 1,257.95. The Nasdaq Composite Index fell 9.36 points, or 0.35 percent, at 2,669.39.

European shares fell after an auction of up to 3 billion euros ($4.1 billion) of five-year Italian bonds failed to provide relief to investors. The FTSEurofirst fell 0.7 percent.

Helping the Dow, Boeing Co shares rose after the U.S. planemaker announced an order worth at least $18 billion and said the Middle East will need to recruit and train tens of thousands of new pilots to sustain a massive expansion in long-haul fleets. The shares added 2.5 percent to $68.

(Editing by Padraic Cassidy)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111114/bs_nm/us_markets_stocks

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Stem cell study helps clarify the best time for therapy to aid heart attack survivors

[ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 14-Nov-2011
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Traci Klein
newsbureau@mayo.edu
507-284-5005
Mayo Clinic

ORLANDO, Fla. -- A research network led by a Mayo Clinic physician found that stem cells obtained from bone marrow delivered two to three weeks after a person has a heart attack did not improve heart function. This is the first study to systematically examine the timing and method of stem cell delivery and provides vital information for the field of cell therapy.

The results were presented this morning at the 2011 Scientific Sessions of the American Heart Association Meeting in Orlando, Fla. They also will be published online in JAMA to coincide with the presentation.

"Some data suggests that stem cell therapy is helpful within the first week after a heart attack," says Robert Simari, M.D., cardiologist at Mayo Clinic and chairman of the Cardiovascular Cell Therapy Research Network (CCTRN). The network includes five clinics and other sites supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health. "Our study helps identify the limits of when stem cell therapy might be beneficial. We now know that this therapy should not be extended two to three weeks after a heart attack. While it is safe to do so, we did not find any benefit to heart function after six months."

Between July 2008 and February 2011, 87 people with heart attacks and moderate to severe left ventricular dysfunction received their own bone marrow mononuclear stem cells (BMCs) or placebo. The study, called LateTIME, developed a standardized method of processing the BMCs and was the first such trial to provide a uniform dose to each participant.

The researchers assessed heart function through a cardiac MRI by measuring the ejection fraction, or what percentage of blood is pumped out of the left ventricle during each contraction. No significant differences were found in the cardiac function readings between baseline and six months in the BMC group (from 48.7 percent to 49.2 percent) or the placebo group (from 45.3 percent to 48.8 percent).

Dr. Simari says that earlier studies suggest patients with severe heart attacks benefit most from stem cell therapy. The researchers were interested in studying the two- to three-week period because many people who have severe heart attacks are not well enough or stable enough to receive cells right after their heart attacks. "Many are on life support or other systems, and we didn't think that studying them that early was the best way to assess the benefits to the sickest patients," Dr. Simari says.

The LateTIME study offers a cautionary lesson for people who have had heart attacks and are considering going overseas to seek stem cell treatment. "We would suggest that individuals not seek treatment outside of the U.S. for therapies that aren't proven effective," Dr. Simari says. The researchers think that the heart may be less receptive to such therapies two to three weeks after a heart attack, or that a person's stem cells are less potent at that time.

Jay Traverse, M.D., lead author of the study and a cardiologist at the Minneapolis Heart Institute at Abbott Northwestern Hospital, says patients will be followed clinically for two years in the LateTIME study.

"There may still be other benefits to stem cell therapy that may be uncovered over time," Dr. Traverse says. "We observed that patients who received the cell therapy had fewer adverse events such as placement of defibrillators or repeat revascularization compared to patients who got the placebo, consistent with observations in some of the European trials. This therapy may provide hidden safety measures that reduce adverse events and that's something we will follow closely."

LateTIME is one of three heart stem cell trials being conducted by CCTRN. The other trials will explore the effectiveness of stem cell therapy delivered at three days and seven days following a heart attack, and the usefulness of stem cell therapy in people with chronic heart failure.

###

The research was funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and supported in part by the Molecular and Cellular Therapeutics Facility at the University of Minnesota and the Cell Processing Facility at Baylor College of Medicine.

About Mayo Clinic

Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit worldwide leader in medical care, research and education for people from all walks of life. For more information, visit MayoClinic.com or MayoClinic.org/news.

VIDEO ALERT: Additional audio and video resources, including excerpts from an interview with Dr. Robert Simari describing the research, are available on the Mayo Clinic News Blog.


[ Back to EurekAlert! ] [ | E-mail | Share Share ]

?


AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.


[ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 14-Nov-2011
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Traci Klein
newsbureau@mayo.edu
507-284-5005
Mayo Clinic

ORLANDO, Fla. -- A research network led by a Mayo Clinic physician found that stem cells obtained from bone marrow delivered two to three weeks after a person has a heart attack did not improve heart function. This is the first study to systematically examine the timing and method of stem cell delivery and provides vital information for the field of cell therapy.

The results were presented this morning at the 2011 Scientific Sessions of the American Heart Association Meeting in Orlando, Fla. They also will be published online in JAMA to coincide with the presentation.

"Some data suggests that stem cell therapy is helpful within the first week after a heart attack," says Robert Simari, M.D., cardiologist at Mayo Clinic and chairman of the Cardiovascular Cell Therapy Research Network (CCTRN). The network includes five clinics and other sites supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health. "Our study helps identify the limits of when stem cell therapy might be beneficial. We now know that this therapy should not be extended two to three weeks after a heart attack. While it is safe to do so, we did not find any benefit to heart function after six months."

Between July 2008 and February 2011, 87 people with heart attacks and moderate to severe left ventricular dysfunction received their own bone marrow mononuclear stem cells (BMCs) or placebo. The study, called LateTIME, developed a standardized method of processing the BMCs and was the first such trial to provide a uniform dose to each participant.

The researchers assessed heart function through a cardiac MRI by measuring the ejection fraction, or what percentage of blood is pumped out of the left ventricle during each contraction. No significant differences were found in the cardiac function readings between baseline and six months in the BMC group (from 48.7 percent to 49.2 percent) or the placebo group (from 45.3 percent to 48.8 percent).

Dr. Simari says that earlier studies suggest patients with severe heart attacks benefit most from stem cell therapy. The researchers were interested in studying the two- to three-week period because many people who have severe heart attacks are not well enough or stable enough to receive cells right after their heart attacks. "Many are on life support or other systems, and we didn't think that studying them that early was the best way to assess the benefits to the sickest patients," Dr. Simari says.

The LateTIME study offers a cautionary lesson for people who have had heart attacks and are considering going overseas to seek stem cell treatment. "We would suggest that individuals not seek treatment outside of the U.S. for therapies that aren't proven effective," Dr. Simari says. The researchers think that the heart may be less receptive to such therapies two to three weeks after a heart attack, or that a person's stem cells are less potent at that time.

Jay Traverse, M.D., lead author of the study and a cardiologist at the Minneapolis Heart Institute at Abbott Northwestern Hospital, says patients will be followed clinically for two years in the LateTIME study.

"There may still be other benefits to stem cell therapy that may be uncovered over time," Dr. Traverse says. "We observed that patients who received the cell therapy had fewer adverse events such as placement of defibrillators or repeat revascularization compared to patients who got the placebo, consistent with observations in some of the European trials. This therapy may provide hidden safety measures that reduce adverse events and that's something we will follow closely."

LateTIME is one of three heart stem cell trials being conducted by CCTRN. The other trials will explore the effectiveness of stem cell therapy delivered at three days and seven days following a heart attack, and the usefulness of stem cell therapy in people with chronic heart failure.

###

The research was funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and supported in part by the Molecular and Cellular Therapeutics Facility at the University of Minnesota and the Cell Processing Facility at Baylor College of Medicine.

About Mayo Clinic

Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit worldwide leader in medical care, research and education for people from all walks of life. For more information, visit MayoClinic.com or MayoClinic.org/news.

VIDEO ALERT: Additional audio and video resources, including excerpts from an interview with Dr. Robert Simari describing the research, are available on the Mayo Clinic News Blog.


[ Back to EurekAlert! ] [ | E-mail | Share Share ]

?


AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.


Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-11/mc-scs111411.php

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A War in Mar' Valoah

(Literate Players Wanted)

So! Do you enjoy a solid and deep story where action, thrills, romance, comedy and intrigue all mesh together at once? Then look no further!!

Within the continent of Mar' Valoah exists a myriad of environments both benign and malign. Some of the peoples you encounter on your way will try to help you, others will try to bring you harm and/or turn you in to the ruthless Dr. Archon who has managed to conquer the continent and take over the majority of its resources. There is nowhere that is truly safe, there is no place for those with weakness to hide. Nothing is certain and the world is constantly out to tear you down from the inside out! Those without the strength to fight simply try to get by, but the ending for them is always the same: starvation and humiliation.

Why should you bother with Mar' Valoah?

An excellent question to be sure! Most of the people who read the intro or read through some of the posts come to the conclusion that it is too simple and lacks the luster that has been promised, but believe the the me, the guy who created the RP, that there will be plenty of drama, action, horror, romance and intrigue along the way. The start of this story is somewhat slow, true, but once it really gets moving there will be more than enough fun to be had by all as the surprises keep coming and the questions continue to multiply! Your character's physical, mental, and spiritual limits will be tested time and again as they face overwhelming odds and seemingly impossible obstacles that rise against them along the way.

Do you have what it takes to survive and be among the few who are remembered throughout history as one who fought for the freedom and future of a continent?

What sets Mar' Valoah apart from all the other RP's of it's nature?

The answer is actually quite simple. In this kind of fantasy world, there typically exists a group of heroes who fight for the freedom of all which has become somewhat cheesy and overused. This RP contains a small band of would be heroes who are led into battle and towards their future by an anti-hero without a clear agenda or motive. His decisions will both confuse and antagonize some of those under his guidance, but never the less he promises that there is a reason for all that he does and that their freedom will be won as per their desire and request.

Meet the current line up!!

Shadow - A reluctantly legendary Assassin from Cre' Est, Mar Valoah's neighboring continent. Known the world over as the Red-Eyed Demon for his red eyes and for his destructive and ruthless reputation, his accomplishments and choices have altered the course of his homeland forever, and though he prefers to be left alone he cannot escape the fate of constantly fighting for the freedom and future of others.

Kaytara - Katie is the punkish fireball of the group who loves combat and absolutely cannot stand to be around doctors. Ask her why and she'll cut your throat. Deep down she is a lost and confused young woman looking for a purpose and dreaming of a future without men like Dr. Archon who robbed her of her self respect and pride.

Jixo - Full name is Jacaeix Dayunne, a wanderer and archer extraordinaire. His skills with a bow have protected his comrades and friends on numerous occasions, and will continue to for the remainder of his journey provided the others can keep him safe while he notches his arrows.

Tristan - The dour and drunk swordsman of the group. Though he enjoys the booze a little too much, his skills is combat will serve him and his comrades well as they venture deep into unknown and ungodly hostile territory in the very near future. Will he be able to hold off the booze when it counts or will he drink himself into a stupor before a battle and get his throat sliced out?

Leon - The unofficial leader of the group as they lead their search for the one known as the Red-Eyed Demon in Cre' Est. He has no idea just how close he is, but when he finds him he may regret his commanders decision to request his aide in combating the forces of Dr. Archon.

Cheyanne] - Shadow's protegee and the elegant beauty of the world of Assassins. Though she has not been an Assassin for very long, her intensive training with her master has shaped her into a lovely and lethal weapon. Her feminine charm and skills with a Staff are a deadly combination, and yet this is only the beginning of her abilities as she still has yet to unlock her full potential.

Despite the Awesomeness of this cast, we need a couple more dedicated and literate players to help really bring the RP to it's full power! If you are interested at all in becoming part of this beautiful, dangerous and fantastical world of Mar' Valoah, then send me a pm and we'll talk about setting up your character and how to get you involved A.S.A.P!!

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RolePlayGateway/~3/YXAhL3DRwPo/viewtopic.php

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Mexico crash co-pilot said craft was faulty: report (Reuters)

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) ? The co-pilot of a helicopter that crashed outside Mexico City, killing Interior Minister Francisco Blake and seven others, had told his brother the aircraft was faulty, a newspaper reported on Sunday.

"My brother told me on Wednesday. That helicopter is not OK and it was failing on the way back from Colima," Hiram Fernando Escobar told El Universal newspaper of his conversation with brother Pedro Ramon Escobar, who died in the crash on Friday.

But officials charged with investigating the accident repeated in a news conference on Sunday that the craft was fit to fly, sticking with their previous explanation that bad weather was a key factor in the crash.

Mexico's Communications and Transportation Minister Dionisio Perez-Jacome said that the helicopter, made in 1984, had been serviced between November 4-6, and had flown on November 9 and 10 without reports of problems.

Samples taken from the helicopter's wreckage and other evidence are consistent with the hypothesis that it crashed into a hillside after running into thick fog or cloud, Perez-Jacome said.

Investigators were not asked directly about the comments by the co-pilot's brother, but they said they did not believe there was engine failure.

The helicopter was in radar contact up to the seconds before the crash and traveling at a constant speed and direction.

"That diminishes those hypotheses that there were control or navigation problems and, in an important way, strengthens the hypothesis that the impact happened in normal flight conditions and on a straight level," said Gilberto Lopez, chief executive of Mexico's Airports and Auxiliary Services, an independent government agency.

Blake, 45, was the second interior minister under President Felipe Calderon to be killed in an air crash, which prompted speculation on Twitter about the cause of his death. All aboard were killed.

As interior minister, Blake was responsible for helping Calderon in the country's fight against powerful drug cartels.

He was flying to Cuernavaca about 60 miles south of Mexico City when his helicopter encountered low-lying clouds, prompting the pilot to divert from the planned route only to get lost in fog, investigators have said.

Initial checks of the helicopter showed no damage from an explosion or fire, Perez-Jacome said on Sunday. A more exhaustive investigation is under way.

Separately, a poll published by Milenio newspaper on Sunday showed 36 percent of people surveyed in Michoacan state -- where there are state elections on Sunday -- believe the helicopter crashed as a result of an attack, while 43 percent believe it was an accident.

(Reporting by Elinor Comlay; Editing by Phil Barbara and Paul Simao)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/religion/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111113/wl_nm/us_mexico_minister_pilot

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Exclusive: Politics stymie China's EU aid offer (Reuters)

BEIJING (Reuters) ? Diplomatic deadlock is curbing China's will to provide cash to help end the euro zone crisis after Europe spurned the simplest of Beijing's three key demands, two independent sources have told Reuters.

China had offered help in return for European support to grant it either more influence at the International Monetary Fund, market economy status in the World Trade Organization, or the lifting of a European arms embargo, said the sources, both of whom have direct knowledge of the matter, including one who has ties to the leadership in Beijing.

The IMF route would have been the simplest diplomatically, especially after European Union leaders last month laid out a plan to leverage up the resources of its crisis-fighting fund through an IMF-backed investment vehicle.

But the sources in Beijing say that this option was abruptly closed to China when it became clear to EU politicians that any investment from China would be contingent on gaining a greater say in IMF decision-making and a more rapid path to inclusion of China's yuan in the IMF's special drawing rights (SDR) currency unit.

Increasing China's say at the IMF would mean reducing EU representation and possibly diluting the influence of the United States, which enjoys veto-power status given its voting rights at the Fund.

"We are willing to help, but we are not a charity," the source with leadership ties told Reuters, requesting anonymity due to political sensitivities.

"The United States and the IMF also attach conditions (when they help financially troubled countries). It is not unreasonable for China to do the same. They can always reject (our demands)," the source said.

Including the yuan in the SDR is important to China because the IMF unit is a basket of the currencies in which most global trade is settled -- U.S. dollars, euros, Japanese yen and sterling.

If the yuan were in the basket, that would dent the dollar's global influence and help stem the inflation-fuelling inflows of foreign capital that China's central bank has to sterilize. It would also be a symbolic boost for the yuan, underscoring Beijing's desire for a bigger say in the running of the international monetary system.

CHINA'S WISHLIST

China has said before that it would like to see its currency become part of the SDR. Chinese President Hu Jintao signaled that wish again at last week's G20 Summit in Cannes.

"We should ... expand the use of the SDR of the IMF, reform the SDR currency basket," Hu said.

But China's near-term hopes were dashed when IMF chief Christine Lagarde told a news conference in Beijing on Thursday that the time was not right for the yuan to be included in the SDR units, although such a time might come soon.

She did not offer a timetable, but the next review of the basket components is not scheduled until 2015.

More broadly, the idea that China should ask for something in return for helping Europe has been suggested many times by local pundits and occasionally officials, too.

In a September speech, Premier Wen Jiabao ostensibly made China's support of Europe conditional on the EU backing a proposal that it recognize China as a market economy, a comment that sparked a slew of critical editorials in Western media.

Days after Wen spoke, a Chinese Commerce Ministry spokesman appeared to back-pedal, saying financial aid to the EU was not contingent on Europe granting China market economy status that would, under WTO rules, make it harder for Europe to apply trade sanctions against Chinese imports.

China accepted its designation as a non-market economy when joining the WTO in 2001.

And China has been relatively restrained in not demanding publicly that Europe scrap an arms embargo against China -- introduced after the 1989 military crackdown on student-led, pro-democracy protests centered on Beijing's Tiananmen Square -- in return for financial assistance to end the debt crisis.

China fears that the euro zone's sovereign debt crisis could trigger trade friction with its biggest export market and hurt its exports and economy.

OPPORTUNISM IRKS EUROPE

For their part, some European policymakers are irked by what they call the opportunism of China's apparent wish to trade some of its vast foreign wealth for increased influence.

"The idea that Europe is desperate for China's money is wrong," one senior euro zone monetary official said this week, speaking on condition of anonymity.

"I don't like all this talk of Europe begging China for help, because Europe has the resources to solve its own problems if it can find the political will," the source said.

China's leaders, meanwhile, must show their citizens that giving some of the country's $3.2 trillion in foreign exchange reserves to Europe is a good thing -- especially given the country's exposure to the 36 percent decline in the nominal value of the U.S. dollar over the last decade.

While China's top officials are not popularly elected, public criticism can sometimes expose a senior leader to attack by other factions in the Communist Party leadership.

Tens of thousands of netizens have been venting their anger online, demanding their leaders sort out China's own problems before bailing out Europe. [ID:nL4E7M30NT]

"There is no free lunch. If we get nothing in return, (the leadership) will 'invite a stinking smell' to themselves," the source with direct knowledge of the matter said, quoting a Chinese idiom.

Europe's rejection of China's demands -- particularly the inclusion of the renminbi in the SDR -- was tantamount to "a slap in the face," said the source.

That could make it even less likely that Beijing will ride to Europe's rescue with a huge cash infusion that some Chinese sources say could be as large as $100 billion.

(Editing by Don Durfee)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/china/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111111/bs_nm/us_china_europe

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Italy's Senate set to vote for cuts to save euro zone (Reuters)

ROME (Reuters) ? Italy's Senate was set to vote on Friday for austerity measures demanded by the European Union to avert a euro zone meltdown, while a new emergency government is expected within days, ending the Berlusconi era.

The upper house is due to begin debating the package at 0930 GMT (4:30 am EST) with an outcome expected later in the day. Having been approved by the upper house budget committee Thursday, the law is seen being passed easily.

Voting for the first time in the upper house will be Mario Monti, the former European Commissioner who has emerged as favorite to replace Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

Paving the way for Monti's appointment, President Giorgio Napolitano made him a life senator Wednesday in a surprise move that raised his already high profile and instantly made him a legislator.

Berlusconi, who lost his majority in a vote Tuesday, has promised to resign after the financial stability law is passed by both houses of parliament.

The law is due to be approved by the lower house Chamber of Deputies Saturday. That would mean Napolitano may accept Berlusconi's resignation as early as Saturday night and formally mandate Monti to try to form a new government soon afterwards.

Napolitano has urged parliament to act fast and some commentators say a new government made up mostly of technocrats could be in place as early as Sunday night before markets open Monday.

The president moved quickly to calm markets Wednesday after Italy's borrowing costs reached levels that could close its access to market funding, a development which would threaten the future of the euro zone.

He gave assurances that Berlusconi would honor his pledge to step down after parliament approved reforms geared to placate markets and he would waste no time in either appointing a new government or calling new elections.

BERLUSCONI CHANGES HIS MIND

At first, Berlusconi had insisted that early elections were the only option. But he has since softened his stand and is said by sources to be open to a new government.

Monti, a highly respected international figure, has been pushed by markets for weeks as the most suitable figure to lead a national unity government to urgently push through painful austerity measures.

Napolitano met Monti Thursday night, and, in a sign of the urgency of the situation, spoke by telephone with U.S. President Barack Obama.

In one badly needed success that calmed markets somewhat, Italy managed to sell 5 billion euros ($6.8 billion) of one-year bonds Thursday, but had to pay a whopping 6.087 percent interest rate, the highest in 14 years.

It was not clear how much of Berlusconi's PDL, which has undergone many defections and splits in the past few days, would support the new government, expected to include respected experts as well as a few politicians.

It will be supported by most centrists and the biggest opposition force, the Democratic Party.

Berlusconi's chief coalition partner, the Northern League, has said it would not back Monti.

Monti, who is currently head of Milan's prestigious Bocconi university, is a tough negotiator with a record of taking on powerful corporate interests as European Competition Commissioner.

(Editing by Louise Ireland and Neil Fullick)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111111/wl_nm/us_italy2

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Russia races to rescue Mars probe from Earth orbit

In this Nov.2, 2011 photo distributed by Russian Roscosmos space agency on Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2011, the unmanned Phobos-Grunt probe is seen on the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan. The daring Russian mission to fly an unmanned probe to Phobos, a moon of Mars, and fly samples of its soil back to Earth was derailed on Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2011, right after its launch by equipment failure.(AP photo/ Russian Roscosmoc space agency, HO) EDITORIAL USE ONLY

In this Nov.2, 2011 photo distributed by Russian Roscosmos space agency on Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2011, the unmanned Phobos-Grunt probe is seen on the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan. The daring Russian mission to fly an unmanned probe to Phobos, a moon of Mars, and fly samples of its soil back to Earth was derailed on Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2011, right after its launch by equipment failure.(AP photo/ Russian Roscosmoc space agency, HO) EDITORIAL USE ONLY

The Zenit-2SB rocket with Phobos-Grunt (Phobos-Soil) craft blasts off from its launch pad at the Cosmodrome in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, early Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2011. The daring Russian mission to fly an unmanned probe to Phobos, a moon of Mars, and fly samples of its soil back to Earth was derailed right after its launch by equipment failure.(AP Photo/Oleg Urusov, Pool)

In this Nov.2, 2011 photo distributed by Russian Roscosmos space agency on Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2011, Russian space engineers work to prapare the unmanned Phobos-Grunt probe on the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan. The daring Russian mission to fly an unmanned probe to Phobos, a moon of Mars, and fly samples of its soil back to Earth was derailed on Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2011, right after its launch by equipment failure.(AP photo/ Russian Roscosmoc space agency, HO) EDITORIAL USE ONLY

MOSCOW (AP) ? A Russian spacecraft on its way to Mars with 12 tons of toxic fuel is stuck circling the wrong planet: ours. And it could come crashing back to Earth in a couple of weeks if engineers can't coax it back on track.

Space experts were hopeful Wednesday that the space probe's silent engines can be fired to send it off to Mars. If not, it will plummet to Earth. But most U.S. space debris experts think the fuel on board would explode harmlessly in the upper atmosphere and never reach the ground.

The launch mishap was the latest in a series of recent Russian failures that have raised concerns about the condition of the country's space industries.

The unmanned $170 million Phobos-Ground craft successfully got into orbit, propelled off the ground by a Zenit-2 booster rocket just after midnight Moscow time Wednesday (2016 GMT Tuesday) from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. After separating from its booster, 11 minutes later, it was supposed to fire its engines twice and head to Mars.

Neither engine fired. So the spacecraft couldn't leave Earth's orbit, flying between 129 and 212 miles above Earth. And that orbit is already deteriorating, according to American satellite tracking.

The Federal Space Agency said the probe's orbit and its power sources could allow it to circle the Earth for about two weeks. That jibes with calculations made by NASA.

"From the orbits we're seeing from the U.S. Space Surveillance Network, it's going to be a couple weeks before it comes in," NASA chief debris scientist Nicholas Johnson said Wednesday afternoon. "It's not going to be that immediate."

The craft was aiming to get ground samples from Phobos, one of Mars' two moons, and return them in a daring expedition hailed by eager scientists, who said it may include bits of Mars that may have been trapped on its moon.

Federal Space Agency chief Vladimir Popovkin said the system that keeps the spacecraft pointed in the right direction may have failed. The Russian rescue effort was being hampered by a limited earth-to-space communications network. Even before the problem, flight controllers were forced to ask people in South America to scan the sky to see if the engines on the spacecraft fired.

Amateur astronomers were the first to spot the trouble when they detected the craft was stuck in an Earth orbit.

As time went on Wednesday, experts in the United States became more confident that the Russians could still get the probe going, just a day or two later than planned. There were no sightings of an explosion or partial rocket firings, which are good signs, said James Oberg, a NASA veteran who has written books on the Russian space program and who now works as a space consultant.

"I am growing more confident as we realize that the vehicle is healthy; it didn't blow up," Oberg said late Wednesday afternoon. "They have a chance of doing a Hubble repair, an Apollo 13, snatching victory out of jaws of defeat kind of thing."

The hope is that this is just a software problem that can be fixed and uploaded to the probe, said Bruce Betts, program director of the Planetary Society in the United States, a group that has a $500,000 experiment on board.

"There's a major problem, but it might be recoverable," Betts said. "The game's not over yet."

The spacecraft is 13.2 metric tons (14.6 tons). Russian data shows that most of that weight ? about 11 metric tons (12 tons) ? is fuel, NASA's Johnson said.

The key is whether that fuel remains in liquid form or freezes. If it's liquid, it would harmlessly blow up about 50 miles (80 kilometers) above ground, he said.

If the fuel freezes, it poses more of a hazard to Earth because it could survive the fiery reentry and spill on impact. But most U.S. experts, including Johnson, believe it will likely stay liquid.

Yet Oberg said he worries that the fuel ? nitrogen tetroxide and hydrazine ? would freeze in the cold over a couple weeks. If that happens it "will make it the most toxic falling satellite ever," he emailed. "What was billed as the heaviest interplanetary probe ever may become one of the heaviest space derelicts to ever fall back to Earth out of control."

In 2008, the U.S. government, worried about the hazards of a half-ton of frozen hydrazine in a titanium tank in a dead spy satellite. It shot down the satellite with a Navy missile.

Oberg said if this latest spacecraft falls, it could cause significantly more damage than the Russian Mars-96 spacecraft that crashed in the Andes Mountains and sprinkled some nuclear material.

Far heavier objects ? including NASA's Skylab and Russia's Mir space station ? have fallen.

If the stuck spacecraft's fuel exploded, only 3 tons of dry material would be left, Johnson said. That's smaller than recent defunct American and German satellites that fell to Earth, causing a brief stir, but no damage as they hit the ocean.

"We've had much larger objects than this come down and not have a problem," said William Ailor of the Aerospace Corp.'s Center for Orbital and Reentry Debris Studies. "Most likely it'll be like the ones we've seen recently. It'll come down in the ocean and we'll never hear about it."

No one has ever been hurt by crashing space objects.

The Phobos-Ground was Russia's first interplanetary mission since the botched 1996 robotic mission to Mars. That probe crashed shortly after the launch due to an engine failure. Moscow-based NPO Lavochkin designed both, as well as two Phobos probes in 1988, which also failed.

The Russian space agency responded to the failures by promising to establish its own quality inspection teams at rocket factories to tighten oversight over production quality.

In contrast with the failures that dogged Soviet and Russian efforts to explore Mars, a succession of NASA's landers and rovers, including Spirit and Opportunity, have successfully studied the Red Planet.

If Phobos-Ground is fixed, it should reach Mars orbit next September and land on Phobos in February 2013. The return vehicle is expected to carry up to 200 grams (7 ounces) of ground samples from Phobos back to Earth in August 2014.

It is arguably the most challenging unmanned interplanetary mission ever. It requires a long series of precise maneuvers for the probe to reach the potato-shaped moon just 20 kilometers (over 12 miles) in diameter, land on its cratered surface, scrape it for samples and fly back.

"If this had worked it would be a fantastic mission," said Cornell University astronomer Steve Squyres, who has worked on several successful and failed U.S. Mars probes. "It is a reminder, if we needed one, that space exploration is hard and Mars missions are tricky."

NASA has its own Mars mission, a mega-rover called Curiosity set to launch Nov. 25 from Cape Canaveral, Fla., and arrive on the surface next summer.

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Borenstein reported from Washington. Alicia Chang in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

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Online:

Russian space agency:: http://bit.ly/tVk8TL

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/b2f0ca3a594644ee9e50a8ec4ce2d6de/Article_2011-11-09-EU-Russia-Mars-Moon-Mission/id-8b301271cc214432933b1dd8f9f072a2

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Commercial Space: Spirit of Apollo or Spirit of Solyndra? (ContributorNetwork)

When Andrew Chaikin talks about the spirit of Apollo, people listen. Chaikin, after all, wrote the definitive history of the Apollo program. He has invoked Apollo to weigh in the ongoing debate between commercial space and NASA.

What was Chaikin's premise?

In an oped published in Space News, Chaikin found that the "spirit of Apollo" was not necessarily in NASA's current space exploration program, but rather in the commercial space sector. He finds that the heavy lift Space Launch System is too evocative of the past, whereas innovation, the future, and the hope of space exploration lays in the commercial space firms such as SpaceX.

If this is so, why is Congress so skeptical of commercial space?

It is not, despite what Chaikin suggests, that Congress opposes commercial space. Congress is deeply skeptical about how the current administration is approaching the matter. In a recent hearing before the House Science Committee, Congress seemed to find not so much the spirit of Apollo, but rather the spirit of Solyndra, a commercial space sector too heavily dependent on government subsidies and without any firm private markets. Something cannot be called, strictly speaking, "commercial" if it is financed primarily by the government and services primarily government markets. Furthermore, the commercial crew program is not designed to send people back to the moon, but rather to build a space taxi service to the International Space Station. It is more evocative, therefore, of the "spirit of the space shuttle" than that of Apollo.

But what about Chaikin's criticism that the Space Launch System is too expensive?

This is a criticism often advanced by proponents of commercial space. But former NASA administrator Mike Griffin and Scott Pace, formally of NASA and both champions of commercial space, recently made a compelling case that of all the alternatives, ones involving a heavy lift rocket is the least expensive if one proposed to venture beyond low Earth orbit.

So Chaikin is just all wet and the tried and true is really Apollo?

Not necessarily. There are a number of schemes that marry the strengths of the NASA Apollo model and commercial space, properly understood. The Nautilus-X scheme, involving a space station at a Lagrange point, and a plan advanced by Paul Spudis, a lunar geologist and advocate for a return to the Moon, and Tony Lavoie of NASA's Marshal Spaceflight Center uses both big heavy lift and commercial space craft to return to the Moon, this time on a more permanent basis.

So the argument of NASA vs. commercial space is a phony one?

Just like the argument of humans vs, robots and moon vs, asteroids vs. Mars. There is a role for both to play in an integrated effort to move humankind beyond low Earth orbit. It is not exactly the spirit of Apollo, which suggests a singular, but limited goal (i.e. send a man to the moon and return him safely to the Earth before this decade is out) but rather something new. Call it, if one wills, the spirit of the Children of Apollo, to invoke the title of a well known book about space.

Mark R. Whittington is the author of Children of Apollo and The Last Moonwalker. He has written on space subjects for a variety of periodicals, including The Houston Chronicle, The Washington Post, USA Today, the L.A. Times and The Weekly Standard.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/science/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20111112/us_ac/10415903_commercial_space_spirit_of_apollo_or_spirit_of_solyndra

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