Comedian Mel Smith dies in London

TRIBUTES have been paid to comedian Mel Smith after his death at the age of 60, with his sidekick Griff Rhys Jones describing him as someone who "inspired love and utter loyalty".

The star of Alas Smith and Jones and Not the Nine O'Clock News had a heart attack at his home in northwest London on Friday.

Jones, who had been friends with Smith for 35 years, said: "I still can't believe this has happened. To everybody who ever met him, Mel was a force for life. He had a relish for it that seemed utterly inexhaustible.

"He inspired love and utter loyalty and he gave it in return. I will look back on the days working with him as some of the funniest times that I have ever spent.

"We probably enjoyed ourselves far too much, but we had a rollercoaster of a ride along the way. Terrific business. Fantastic fun, making shows. Huge parties and crazy times. And Mel was always ready to be supportive. Nobody could have been easier to work with.

"He was a gentleman and a scholar, a gambler and a wit. And he was a brilliant actor. But he never took himself or the business too seriously. We are all in a state of shock. We have lost a very, very dear friend."

Smith attended Oxford University while Jones was at Cambridge and the pair became known to each other while performing at the Edinburgh fringe.

They became friends working on Not the Nine O'Clock News and then went on to make Alas Smith and Jones, which lasted for 10 series over 16 years.

BBC director general Tony Hall said: "Mel Smith's contribution to British comedy cannot be overstated. On screen he helped to define a new style of comedy from the late 1970s that continues to influence people to this day.

"And his pioneering TV production work with Griff Rhys Jones through their company Talkback has created many of the defining comedy shows of recent decades."

Comedian and broadcaster Stephen Fry wrote on Twitter: "Terrible news about my old friend Mel Smith, dead today from a heart attack. Mel lived a full life, but was kind, funny & wonderful to know."

Rowan Atkinson, who worked with Smith on both Not the Nine O'Clock News and Bean, the first Mr Bean film, said he was "truly sad" to hear about his death.

In a statement, he said: "Mel Smith - a lovely man of whom I saw too little in his later years. I loved the sketches that we did together on Not the Nine O'Clock News.

"He was the cast member with whom I felt the most natural performing empathy.

"He had a wonderfully generous and sympathetic presence both on and off screen.

"He was also an excellent theatre and movie director, doing a wonderful job on the first Mr Bean movie.

"I feel truly sad at his parting."

23.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

$40,000 gold prize to those who enrol

ACTIVIST group GetUp! will give away $40,000 in gold in a bid to encourage people to enrol to vote in the upcoming federal election.

GetUp! National Director Sam McLean said 1.4 million people eligible to vote weren't on the electoral role, with 493,000 under 24.

"A huge number of young Australians aren't enrolled to vote and we want to give them every reason to," Mr McLean said in a statement.

"If they win, they can pay off part of their HECS debt, buy a car, go on a holiday or give it to charity - we don't mind.

"The most important thing is that people realise that once the election is called they only have seven days to get themselves enrolled to vote."

Those who enrol and register with GetUp! will go into a draw, with one winner from each state and territory getting $5,000 worth of gold.

The gold will be delivered the Sunday after the election, which has yet to be called by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.

23.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Pioneering journalist Helen Thomas dies

HELEN Thomas, a long-time White House correspondent and a pioneer for women in journalism, has died aged 92.

A friend, Muriel Dobbin, says Thomas died at her apartment in Washington on Saturday morning. Dobbin says Thomas had been ill for a long time, had been in and out of the hospital, and had come home on Thursday.

Thomas made her name as a bulldog for United Press International (UPI) in the great wire-service rivalries of old. She used her seat in the front row of history to grill nine presidents - often to their discomfort and was not shy about sharing her opinions.

She was persistent to the point of badgering; one White House press secretary described her questioning as "torture" - and he was one of her fans.

23.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

G20 sets growth and jobs priorities

THE G20 has agreed to make boosting growth and jobs, rather than deficit reduction, the short-term priority for the global economy as it battles to consolidate a "fragile and uneven" recovery.

Finance chiefs from the G20 group of advanced and emerging nations, after meeting in Moscow, also on Saturday backed an action plan drawn up by the OECD to crack down on tax avoidance by multinationals to help replenish budgets diminished by the slowdown.

The finance ministers and central bank governors agreed that the Saint Petersburg summit in September of G20 heads of state -- the culmination of Russia's presidency of the group -- should produce an action plan to improve productivity and employment.

"We agreed that our near-term priority is to boost jobs and growth," said their final communique.

"The global economy remains too weak and its recovery is still fragile and uneven," the statement said.

"We are fully committed to taking decisive actions to return to a robust, job-rich growth path."

The G20 said that while the United States and Japan showed signs of strengthening activity, the recession in the euro area was continuing and growth in many emerging markets was slowing.

The statement said jobs could be boosted by reducing financial market fragmentation, rebalancing global demand, and taking measures to support growth.

All G20 governments are acutely aware of the fragility of their recoveries from the global slowdown, with some eurozone countries now battling youth unemployment of 60 per cent.

The IMF earlier this month cut its forecast for global growth to 3.1 per cent in 2013, down from its April estimate of 3.3 per cent, and warned that emerging markets like China face new risks.

The US has emerged in better shape than other key economies, and the US Federal Reserve is already considering cutting its quantitative easing program -- which injects some $US85 billion a month into the economy via bond purchases -- later this year and end the program by mid-2014.

However this has concerned several big economies, including Russia and Brazil, which fear their own fragile recoveries could be hit by any sudden about-turn in US policy.

In response to these concerns, the statement vowed that any changes to monetary stimulus packages would be "carefully calibrated and clearly communicated".

The US made clear that the fight against unemployment should be at the top of the agenda although other states, like Germany, are known for wanting to keep a strict eye on fiscal discipline.

IMF managing director Christine Lagarde said: "It's clearly on the mind of everybody to restore confidence and to create the conditions for growth and for employment."

The economic fragility appears to have also helped unite the G20 in a fight against tax avoidance -- technically legal schemes which allow multinationals to pay very low tax -- as well as illegal tax evasion.

Companies like Amazon and Starbucks have been in the spotlight in recent months over tax avoidance.

The G20 said they had "fully endorsed" the action plan delivered earlier in the two-day meeting by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) to clamp down on tax avoidance.

"We encourage all interested countries to participate," it said.

23.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Pope sets up body to overhaul Vatican

POPE Francis has set up a special commission of lay experts to overhaul the economic and administrative structure of the Vatican in a radical bid to streamline and clean up the scandal-hit institution.

The commission will delve into the workings of the Vatican's bloated departments and draft reforms to tackle instances of favouritism or corruption, as well as simplify procedures, improve transparency and put economic resources to better use.

The commission is tasked with the "simplification and rationalisation of the existing bodies and more careful planning of the economic activities of all the Vatican Administrations", the Vatican said in a statement on Friday.

It will offer specialist advice on how to "avoid the misuse of economic resources, to improve transparency... to work with ever greater prudence in the financial sphere; to ensure correct application of accounting principles," it said.

The Argentine pope has worked fast since his election in March to establish a series of specialist bodies to tackle corruption and poor management in the Vatican.

This latest commission, which will report directly to him, comes on the heels of the establishment of a separate body looking at how to reform the Vatican bank and the appointment of eight cardinal advisors.

The new specialists come from France, Germany, Italy, Malta, Singapore and Spain.

Francis was elected in the wake of a damaging scandal last year in which papers leaked by the then papal butler alleged corruption in the administration, with tales of bribery and personal favours as well as accusations of money laundering.

Although they did not reveal any great surprises, the secret papers lifted the lid on deep-seated venom among rival figures in the Vatican.

They revealed in particular the bitter battle between Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone and Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, who had been attempting to clean up the Vatican's finances when he was removed from his post -- allegedly for cracking down on corruption.

Vigano wrote to the Pope and begged not to be punished for rooting out examples of favours, waste and financial mismanagement which set the Vatican back millions of euros in higher contract prices -- but to no avail.

Francis's reforms appear to have their roots in the leaks scandal, which created unease and exasperation among the cardinals.

The electors called on the Argentinian swiftly to clean up an institution dogged by bad governance and corruption but Francis has yet to shake up the heavily criticised Curia -- the intrigue-filled administration of the Catholic Church -- which he temporarily re-appointed en masse after his election.

The Vatican said Friday's new commission could collaborate with the Pope's cardinal advisors "in drafting a plan for the reform... of the Roman Curia".

23.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Briton kidnapped near Lagos airport

A BRITISH national has been kidnapped near Lagos international airport, in Nigeria's commercial capital, the British Consulate-General says.

Spokesman Wale Adebayo said on Friday that diplomats were working with Nigerian authorities on the kidnapping, which took place earlier this week.

He would not say what day it occurred or give any other information, citing the "sensitive nature" of the issue.

Kidnappings for ransom are relatively common in oil-rich Nigeria - both of foreigners and wealthy Nigerians.

The son of a state legislator and four Chinese nationals in two different states all have been reported kidnapped this month.

Some cases are not reported because of fears for the safety of the hostages.

Most are released unharmed after ransoms have been paid, though people have been injured and killed if they resist.

23.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Tens of thousands of Morsi backers rally

TENS of thousands of Islamists have poured onto Egypt's streets demanding the reinstatement of ousted president Mohamed Morsi, despite warnings by the military of a crackdown on violent protests.

Friday's rallies come a day after Morsi's army-installed successor Adly Mansour vowed to fight for stability against opponents he accused of wanting to plunge the crisis-hit country "into the unknown".

A vast crowd gathered at Cairo's Rabaa al-Adawiya mosque, where Morsi's supporters have camped out since the military overthrew him on July 3.

About 10,000 protesters then set off in the direction of the Republican Guard headquarters, scene of deadly clashes last week, carrying pictures of the deposed president and chanting slogans.

But they were blocked by soldiers and armoured vehicles.

"Islamic, Islamic," they shouted, of their hopes for an Islamic state, as fighter jets flew overhead and military helicopters whirled in the sky.

"I believe Morsi will return as president, God willing. The people will win in the end," said a man who gave his name as Mohammed, 45.

Smaller rallies took off elsewhere in Cairo, second city Alexandria, and other towns across Egypt after Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood had called for a day of protests dubbed "Breaking the Coup".

Mansour, in a speech on Thursday night, pledged to rein in those who wanted to push Egypt "into the unknown".

"We will fight the battle for security to the end. We will preserve the revolution," he said, in comments echoed by the army.

Although mostly peaceful, the pro-Morsi protests have resulted in deadly clashes, with the unrest claiming more than 100 lives in all, according to an AFP tally.

In the bloodiest single incident, at least 53 people died, mostly Morsi supporters, during clashes with soldiers outside the elite military barracks where they believed Morsi was being held.

The military on Thursday warned it would decisively confront any violence in the protests.

"Whoever resorts to violence in Friday's protests will endanger his life, and will be treated with utmost decisiveness, within legal bounds," it said on Facebook.

Separate rallies were also planned for later on Friday by anti-Morsi activists in Tahrir Square and outside the presidential palace, raising the possibility of violence in the capital.

In his speech, Mansour offered an olive branch to the Brotherhood, saying: "The framework of justice and reconciliation extends to all."

The movement has categorically refused to recognise Mansour's caretaker government, sworn in this week but with Islamist parties and movements totally absent.

Another major challenge facing Egypt's new government is the security situation in the restive Sinai peninsula, which has witnessed a surge in violence in the past two weeks.

The military began deploying reinforcements on Tuesday, with numerous members of the security forces killed and wounded in drive-by shootings and rocket attacks by suspected Islamist militants.

Three policeman died in separate attacks in north Sinai on Wednesday night and another was shot dead on Thursday, according to security sources, while the armed forces have killed ten jihadists since launching their latest operation.

Britain on Friday announced it was revoking export licences for equipment used by Egypt's military and police amid concerns it could be used against protesters

23.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Gunshot victim fronts NSW hospital

A MAN who turned up at a Hunter Valley hospital with a gunshot wound to his leg was targeted by someone he knew, police say.

The 34-year-old fronted Muswellbrook Hospital at about 8.30am (AEST) on Friday after suffering a gunshot wound at a residence in Muswellbrook.

Following inquiries, officers executed a search warrant on a premises in the town but no weapon was located.

"Police believe the offender is well known to the man and do not think the incident was a random attack," police said in a statement early on Saturday.

The man has undergone surgery in John Hunter Hospital in Newcastle and was being held overnight for observation.

Police urge anyone with information about the incident to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

23.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Berlusconi allies guilty over prostitutes

A MILAN court has found three of Silvio Berlusconi's associates guilty of procuring prostitutes - including the then underage Ruby - for racy parties held at the former Italian premier's villas.

Failed showbusiness agent Lele Mora and television host Emilio Fede were sentenced on Friday to seven years each in jail, while showgirl-turned-politician Nicole Minetti was given five years behind bars.

Among the girls allegedly recruited by the trio for parties at billionaire Berlusconi's villas was Moroccan-born Karima El-Mahroug, a then 17-year-old exotic dancer nicknamed "Ruby the Heart Stealer".

Berlusconi was sentenced in a separate trial in June to seven years in jail for paying for sex with Ruby and abusing his power to hide the liaison - though the punishment was suspended on appeal.

The Milan court on Friday banned Moro and Fede for life from holding public office and working with minors, while Minetti was given a five-year ban on holding public office.

All three were ordered to pay court costs.

In his summing up speech in May, prosecutor Pietro Forno said the three had arranged "orgies" at Berlusconi's mansion and cited the tycoon's ex-wife Veronica Lario, who accused her then husband of consorting with "young virgins".

His colleague Antonio Sangermano said the three were like "tasters of fine wine" and had obtained financial advantages from Berlusconi because "they know all the secrets" of those nights.

"They carried out a sort of exam of the capacities of the young women and then injected them into the circuit of soirees," Sangermano said. Minetti was also an active participant and "performed sexual acts for money," he said.

All three denied the charges, insisting that while they may have invited girls to the premier's Milan villas, it was to attend nothing more than elegant dinner parties.

23.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

EU wants financial services in US deal

THE European Union wants to include financial services in negotiations on the world's largest free-trade accord with the US despite American opposition.

EU Financial Markets Commissioner Michel Barnier said that on a visit earlier this week to Washington, he had called for the inclusion of "all financial services, not only access to financial markets but also regulatory aspects" in the talks.

Barnier met US Treasury Secretary Jack Lew who was quoted by Le Figaro daily on Tuesday as saying that the issue should be left out of the negotiations, which officially began earlier this month.

However, Barnier insisted the issue was still alive. "The decision has not been taken yet."

He conceded that after meetings with senior US officials, it was clear that Washington preferred to exclude the issue, as it has made clear several times.

"We don"t want a trade agreement getting in the way of implementation of financial reforms," US Under Secretary of the Treasury Lael Brainard said recently.

Brainard said a G20 summit in 2009 had set an agenda for reforms to address the causes of the global financial crash and it was important that they be implemented.

"Our focus has to be on making sure that all of our partners actually implement and not start a new set of discussions about a new set of rules with a new set of deadlines," Brainard said.

Barnier said Washington's concerns were unfounded.

The US "worries that we want to reduce the level of regulation but that is not what I am about, on the contrary," the Commissioner said.

The targeted US-EU agreement is aimed at removing bureaucratic, regulatory and protectionist barriers to create what would be the world's largest free-trade area.

23.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Britain to review cyber-security agreement

THE British government is looking again at how it safeguards its telecommunications networks from feared security risks posed by Chinese giant Huawei.

Britain, the US and Australia have all raised concerns that Huawei's alleged ties to the Chinese state could see telecoms equipment supplied by the company used for spying and cyber-attacks.

Parliament's intelligence and security committee warned last month that the British government must take more action against risks posed by a decade-old deal between Huawei and BT, the company which manages much of Britain's networks.

Huawei agreed in 2010 to invest in a Cyber Security Evaluation Centre, known as the Cell, to test updates to hardware and software for vulnerabilities before they are deployed.

But the committee expressed concern that this Cell was funded by Huawei and staffed by company employees.

The government has now agreed to the committee's request to review the effectiveness of the Cell as a matter of urgency.

Huawei denies it has any direct links to the Chinese state, but the US Congress last year called for its exclusion from US government contracts, while Australia has barred it from involvement in the country's new broadband network.

23.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Nokia losses narrow in Q2, revenue plunges

NOKIA has reported a reduced loss of 227 million euros ($A325 million) in the second quarter, but sales again fell sharply.

The loss was 84 per cent less than in the same period last year, but sales fell by 24 per cent to 5.695 billion euros.

The decline in sales of traditional mobile phones continued, dropping 39 per cent from the level a year earlier, while smartphone sales were down 24 per cent over the same period.

"Sales of low end phones - a cash cow - collapsed," said Eric Beaudet, an analyst at investment bank Natixis.

"It's worrying because this division needs to be profitable in order for them to manage the transition (to high end phones)," he said.

Sales of Lumia, the smartphone on which the troubled company has bet its future, rose by 32 per cent from the previous quarter to 7.4 million units.

But analysts had expected more.

"Lumia sales were slightly lower than expected," said Hannu Rauhala, an analyst at Finnish bank Pohjola.

Mikael Rautanen of equity research provider Inderes was disappointed by the Lumia's average selling price, which at 157 euros per unit was significantly lower than his own expectation of 175 euros.

Nokia chief executive Stephen Elop said the phone was "showing increasing momentum".

"During the third quarter, we expect that our new Lumia products will drive a significant part of our smart devices revenue," he said in a statement.

Nokia used to be the global leader in making mobile phones but has been overtaken by rivals and is struggling to establish winning business models and mobile devices.

Shares in the company were 4.45 lower in late afternoon trading on the Helsinki bourse, where the main index was down 0.66 per cent.

23.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Indian children poisoned by lunch buried

A CHILDREN'S playing field outside an Indian primary school has been turned into a mass graveyard as victims of a poisoned lunch scandal, which killed 23 youngsters, were laid to rest.

As grieving parents spoke of how they relied on the school to give their children their main daily meal, officials in impoverished Bihar state tried to stem a wave of panic among other pupils who were dumping their free lunches.

Police meanwhile stepped up their investigation, exploring the possibility that the food given to the youngsters was poisoned deliberately, as the school's headmistress remained on the run.

The burials were held on an area of open ground just outside the school where pupils play during their breaks.

"The school killed our children and so we decided to bury all of them here," said Shanti Devi, whose daughter was among those being laid to rest outside the school in Gandaman village.

"The government is responsible for converting a playground into a burial ground," she told AFP.

The sense of anger was echoed by many other parents as they tried to come to terms with the deaths of loved ones.

"My children always liked eating at the school and I was happy that at least they were getting one square meal every day, but I never dreamt that it would end up killing them," said Sanjudevi Mahato as she wept for the loss of three of her four children.

The 23 children, aged four to 12, died after eating lentils, potatoes and rice cooked at the school on Tuesday. Initial tests have shown the meal may have been contaminated with insecticide.

Some 30 children are still being treated for food poisoning, although doctors say their condition is not life-threatening.

23.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Deactivate Dreamliner beacons: Fire probe

BRITISH authorities probing a fire on board a parked Boeing Dreamliner at London's Heathrow airport has recommended that Honeywell distress beacons on all 787 planes be deactivated pending further checks.

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch says it is not clear, however, whether the fire originated in the transmitter batteries or was caused by an "external mechanism such as an electrical short".

Nobody was hurt in the fire last Friday on an Ethiopian Airlines plane, which was empty at the time.

But the incident is a blow to US planemaker Boeing, which withdrew from service its entire fleet of Dreamliners earlier this year due to separate concerns that lithium ion batteries on board could cause fires.

A total of 68 Dreamliners have so far been delivered, and the AAIB recommends to US aviation authorities that emergency locator transmitter systems in each of them be made inert.

"It is recommended that the Federal Aviation Administration initiate action for making inert the Honeywell International RESCU406AFN fixed emergency locator transmitter system in Boeing 787 aircraft until appropriate airworthiness actions can be completed," the report said.

It also recommended that the FAA and other regulatory authorities "conduct a safety review of installations of lithium-powered emergency locator transmitter systems in other aircraft types and, where appropriate, initiate airworthiness action".

23.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

European stocks close higher

EUROPEAN stock markets closed higher on Wednesday, with London's FTSE 100 index of leading shares up 0.24 per cent to end at 6,571.93 points.

Frankfurt's DAX 30 gained 0.65 per cent to 8,254.72 points and in Paris the CAC 40 rose 0.55 per cent to 3,872.02 points.

23.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Mandela makes dramatic progress: daughter

NELSON Mandela's daughter says the South African leader has made a "dramatic" progress on the eve of his 95th birthday.

Zindzi Mandela said in an interview with Sky TV that her father may be going home soon.

Mandela turns 95 on Thursday.

She said her father is watching television with headphones in his bed in a Pretoria hospital and that he smiles at family members and raises his hand.

The latest description by Zindzi - who is one of Mandela's daughters by his second wife, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela - is a significant improvement from court documents from the family that said he was on life support and near death.

Mandela has been in a Pretoria hospital since June 8 and officials say his condition is critical but stable.

23.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Castro pleads not guilty to new charges

A US man accused of holding three woman captive in his home for a decade has pleaded not guilty to hundreds of new charges, as his lawyers sought a plea deal that would skirt the death penalty.

Ariel Castro, a 53-year-old former school bus driver, is charged with kidnapping, rape and a host of other crimes in connection with the saga that allegedly unfolded at his home in Cleveland, Ohio.

He is also charged with aggravated murder for allegedly terminating the pregnancies of one of his victims by starving and beating her - a charge that can be punishable by death.

Castro was in court on Wednesday to enter a plea on the new 977-count indictment unveiled last week, updating the initial 329 charges which only covered the first four and a half years of the women's captivity.

The suspect, who has been on suicide watch, struggled to keep his eyes open after a magistrate judge insisted that he look at her while she explained the proceedings.

His lawyers declined to comment on Castro's dazed appearance.

But his defence team did say they have offered to change his plea to guilty if prosecutors take capital punishment off the table.

"We are looking forward to the resolution of this matter to spare the women of having to provide any of the details of these horrible events to the world at large," lawyer Craig Weintraub told reporters after the brief appearance.

"Either we're going to have a plea (deal) or we're going to trial on August 5."

The current indictment does not include the legal specifications that could lead to a death penalty case, but prosecutors said they "retain the right" to come back with a third indictment which does so.

"We're still in the process of reviewing whether or nor we're going to do that," Joseph Frolik, a spokesman for the prosecutor's office, told reporters.

Last week, the three women - Michelle Knight, 32, Amanda Berry, 27, and Gina DeJesus, 23 - spoke publicly for the first time since their escape in May, thanking their supporters and asking for continued privacy to rebuild their lives in a YouTube video.

The stunning case came to light after Berry - who was kidnapped the day before her 17th birthday - managed to escape with her young daughter by calling out to a neighbour for help through a locked front door.

"I am getting stronger each day, and having my privacy has helped immensely," Berry said in the video.

23.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Extrovert teens 'happier adults': study

YOUNG adults who are more extrovert or more emotionally stable lead happier and healthier lives than their more introverted or less emotionally stable peers, a British study has discovered.

The research using data from over five decades examined the effects of neuroticism and extroversion at ages 16 and 26 years on mental well-being and life satisfaction of some of the same people in their 60s.

They found that personality dispositions by the time of early adulthood had an enduring influence on well-being, including physical health, decades later.

In the study, Dr Catharine Gale from the University of Southampton and a team from the University of Edinburgh and University College London examined the lives of nearly 4,600 people.

"Few studies have examined the long-term influence of personality traits in youth on happiness and life satisfaction later in life," Gale said.

"We found that extroversion in youth had direct, positive effects on well-being and life satisfaction in later life.

"Neuroticism, in contrast, had a negative impact, largely because it tends to make people more susceptible to feelings of anxiety and depression and to physical health problems."

The study examined data on 4,583 people who are members of the National Survey for Health and Development, conducted by the Medical Research Council.

All were born in 1946 and they completed a short personality inventory at age 16, and again at age 26.

Extroversion was assessed by questions about their sociability, energy, and activity orientation.

Neuroticism was assessed by questions about their emotional stability, mood, and distractibility.

Decades later, when the participants were 60 to 64-years-old, 2,529 of them answered a series of questions measuring well-being and their level of satisfaction with life.

They also reported on their mental and physical health.

Their answers point to a distinct pattern, the study claimed.

Specifically, greater extroversion, as assessed in young adulthood, was directly associated with higher scores for well-being and for satisfaction with life.

Neuroticism, in contrast, predicted poorer levels of well-being, but it did so indirectly.

People higher in neuroticism as young adults were more susceptible to psychological distress later in life and to a lesser extent, poorer physical health.

"Understanding what determines how happy people feel in later life is of particular interest because there is good evidence that happier people tend to live longer," Gale said.

"In this study, we found that levels of neuroticism and extroversion measured over 40 years earlier were strongly predictive of well-being and life satisfaction in older men and women.

"Personality in youth appears to have an enduring influence on happiness decades later."

The study was published in the Journal of Research in Personality.

23.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

ArcelorMittal scraps India steel plant

THE world's largest steel maker ArcelorMittal has scrapped plans to build a steel plant in eastern India due to delays in acquiring land.

The announcement on Wednesday comes a day after South Korean steel giant Posco scrapped a $US5.3 billion ($A5.77 billion) deal to build a steel plant in southern India.

ArcelorMittal signed an initial agreement in 2006 for the project to manufacture 12-million tonnes of steel a year in Orissa state, but it has faced widespread opposition from local farmers.

The company said uncertainties over iron ore supplies had also led it to scrap the plan.

"ArcelorMittal has not been able to acquire the requisite land for the steel plant, nor has it been able to ensure captive iron ore security, which is a necessary requirement for the project," the company said in a statement.

"Therefore, taking into account the current economic climate, ArcelorMittal has concluded it will no longer be pursuing its plans for a steel plant in Keonjhar (in Orissa) at this stage."

The company said the decision was conveyed to the state government earlier on Wednesday.

Residents from 17 villages that would have been affected in Orissa's tribal district of Keonjhar have been holding regular protests against the proposed purchase of their land.

"The delays relating to land acquisition and allocation of captive iron ore blocks means this project is no longer viable," said ArcelorMittal executive vice president Vijay Bhatnagar as quoted in the statement.

"Nevertheless, we will continue to pursue our other two projects in Jharkhand and Karnataka, both of which are making steady progress," he added.

Industrialisation has been long championed by economists as a way to pull tens of millions of Indians out of poverty.

But acquiring land for factories, roads, housing and other projects has created sometimes deadly battlegrounds with many farmers complaining they have been forced to sell at below market rate and robbed of their livelihoods.

23.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

DR Congo says 130 dead in clashes

AT least 130 people have been killed, including 10 soldiers, in ongoing clashes between army forces and rebels in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the government says.

"Our forces have inflicted very heavy losses on the M23 fighters, 120 have been killed and 12 captured," government spokesman Lambert Mende said, referring to fighting that broke out over the weekend.

Mende said that 10 soldiers had also died in the clashes, which began on Sunday in North Kivu province between the Congolese army and the M23 rebels.

UN soldiers did not intervene, Mende stressed.

"The toll from these skirmishes is not yet definitive," said Mende.

Army forces also managed to recapture previously rebel-held positions as they fled, said the spokesman.

Some 2000 soldiers were reportedly deployed during the fighting but Mende declined to confirm this figure.

A heavily armed brigade of some 3000 UN troops with more power to fight renegade forces than ever before has recently been dispatched to the region.

The troops, drawn in equal numbers from Malawi, South Africa and Tanzania, are joining about 17,000 UN soldiers already deployed in the area with a limited mandate to protect civilians and themselves only.

23.47 | 0 komentar | Read More

Greens might not support ETS plan

GREENS senator Scott Ludlum says Labor's plan to bring forward the start date for an emissions trading scheme (ETS) is a terrible idea.

He says his party might not support it if it comes before parliament.

Defence Minister Stephen Smith on Monday confirmed the federal government wanted to shift to a floating price from July 2014, a year before the fixed price period was due to end.

He denied the move was an admission that the government's carbon tax had been poorly designed, adding Labor had wanted to introduce an ETS earlier but was blocked by the Greens and the coalition.

Treasurer Chris Bowen says, either through the parliament or the election, Labor will be seeking a mandate to make the change.

The Rudd government would require the support of the Greens or the coalition in the Senate to pass any changes to its carbon pricing laws.

Senator Ludlum says the Greens will wait and see what the legislation looks like, but they aren't in the mood to support anything that cost billions and further delays real action on climate change.

"It's a terrible idea," he told ABC's Q&A program on Monday.

"I think we would be very unlikely to support something that costs us $4 billion and another 12 month delay."

Mr Smith said an announcement to explain how the government would find the budget savings to make this change was just "hours and days away".

Deputy Opposition Leader Julie Bishop said the whole plan was a Labor "con", but had to fend off claims Tony Abbott had used the issue to stir up scepticism about climate science.

Earlier when criticising Labor's ETS plan, Mr Abbott described emissions trading as a "so-called market" dealing in an "invisible substance".

"Well.. it's (carbon dioxide) not visible to the naked eye, so he's making an evident point," she said.

"The point is, he was talking about the fact that emissions trading schemes have not been a success anywhere in the world."

23.47 | 0 komentar | Read More

Spanish PM refuses to resign

SPAIN'S Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has refused to resign over a corruption scandal rocking his government.

He batted off calls from his political opponents to step down over allegations that he received secret payments through his Popular Party when he was a government minister in the late 1990s.

Pressure intensified on Rajoy, 58, when the man accused of organising the payments, the party's jailed former treasurer Luis Barcenas, on Monday went before a judge investigating the scandal following fresh allegations in the press.

"I will fulfil the mandate the Spanish people gave me," a defiant Rajoy told reporters.

He also vowed to "defend political stability" as he steers Spain out of a deep recession.

The grey-bearded premier has denied any wrongdoing in the growing controversy, which first erupted in January when a newspaper published copies of account ledgers purportedly showing irregular payments to top party members.

Further leaks of supposed party accounts later implicated Rajoy himself.

Rajoy pointed to the commanding parliamentary majority he has enjoyed since leading the party to a landslide electoral victory in November 2011, which has enabled him to push through tough economic reforms.

Media have been speculating for weeks that Barcenas, who is in jail in a separate corruption probe, might try to pressure Rajoy with the threat of fresh leaks, but the prime minister said he had no fear of "blackmail" and that he trusted the courts to do their job.

The noose had appeared to tighten on Rajoy on Sunday when the conservative newspaper El Mundo published friendly text messages he purportedly sent to Barcenas from May 2011 to March 2013, some two months after the scandal erupted.

"Luis, I understand, be strong. I will call you tomorrow. Best wishes," said one of the messages from Rajoy to Barcenas, dated January 18 when El Mundo first published allegations over the slush fund.

The corruption allegations have outraged Spaniards suffering in a recession with a record unemployment rate of more than 27 per cent.

23.47 | 0 komentar | Read More

Spain on track, risks ahead: IMF

SPAIN'S bad-loan ridden banks, which were thrown a 41.3-billion-euro ($A59.9-billion) European lifeline last year, are stronger but still face high risks, the IMF has warned.

"Implementation of Spain's financial sector program remains on track," the International Monetary Fund said in its third report following a May 21-31 visit to Madrid.

The reports form part of the surveillance by the troika of the European Union, European Central Bank and Washington-based IMF to check Spain's compliance with conditions imposed in July 2012 in return for the banking rescue loan.

The Fund welcomed the creation of a bad bank, Sareb, charged with taking on the stricken banks' toxic assets at a heavy discount and then trying to sell them at a profit.

"Actions to recapitalise parts of the banking sector and the asset transfers to Sareb have provided an important boost to the system's liquidity and solvency," it said in the staff report released on Monday.

"Notwithstanding this progress, risks to the economy and hence to the financial sector remain elevated."

It cited Spain's need to correct its budget deficit, reduce the high level of private debt and cope with sliding real estate prices.

"Risks to the financial sector arising from the difficult economic environment still loom large, requiring continued action to safeguard the program's gains and better support economic recovery," the IMF said of Spain, the eurozone's fourth-largest economy, which has been in recession since mid-2011.

23.47 | 0 komentar | Read More

Turkey signals rate rise, lira rallies

THE Turkish central bank, which spent about $US6.0 billion ($A6.6 billion) on defending the lira last week, has signalled it might raise interest rates to support the currency.

In afternoon trading on Monday the lira, which had fallen by about 10.0 per cent since May, had firmed to 1.9378 to the US dollar from 1.9540 late on Friday.

The strong hint from the central bank came after the government assured foreign investors and the Turkish people that the bank would do its utmost to counter recent turbulence.

The 10-year borrowing rate also fell sharply on the government bond market from 9.36 per cent to 9.0 per cent.

Turkey has achieved strong economic growth in the last decade after severe financial crisis and IMF rescues, and is now an economic powerhouse in its region.

The economy is estimated to be about the 17th-biggest in the world.

The central bank, which has statutory independence in setting monetary policy, referred on Monday to its next policy meeting, saying "we will be able to decide on July 23 on a measured increase in interest rates".

The bank has been under strong pressure from the government to hold rates down.

At the beginning of last week, in response to a plunge of the lira to a record low level against the dollar, it promised tough foreign exchange intervention.

But that announcement met with scepticism on financial markets. One analyst estimated the reserves available for such action at about $US45 billion ($A49.8 billion).

Pressure on the currencies and borrowing rates of several emerging countries, including Turkey, has risen.

This is because the US Federal Reserve bank has signalled that it will soon begin winding down its special program of injecting funds to support the US economy. Some of this money went into emerging markets.

The change of climate has caused money to flow out of those markets. Turkey has been particularly hard hit.

23.47 | 0 komentar | Read More

Aussies struggle to spot diabetes signs

EDS: NOT FOR USE BEFORE 0001 (AEST) MONDAY JULY 15

SYDNEY, July 15 AAP - It's the country's fastest-growing disease, but most Australians don't recognise all the symptoms of diabetes, a new survey shows.

On the eve of National Diabetes Week, a Galaxy poll commissioned by the Medibank 24/7 Health Advice Line has found 97 per cent of Australians do not know all the major symptoms or how many types of the disease there are.

Almost one in five people polled did not recognise that obesity is a risk factor for diabetes, and two thirds did not realise the development of type 2 diabetes can be slowed through better diet and exercise, according to the research.

Australian Diabetes Council (ADC) CEO Nicola Stokes said key symptoms for type 1 diabetes, like excessive thirst, were well-recognised.

But some symptoms of type 2 diabetes were harder to spot.

"With type 2 you can just be tired, lethargic, and everything is becoming more difficult - and that's just our lives, these days," she told AAP.

She said new polling of ADC members showed diabetes was shaping up to be an election issue.

Overall, members ranked diabetes management as a top concern, ahead of the cost of living, work and employment or relationships.

"This is a cry for help that I think the government really needs to listen to," Ms Stokes said.

"They want the tools to manage their own condition but what they really want is to help their children, (who may be) predisposed to developing diabetes."

She's called on both sides of politics to direct more resources toward programs aimed at preventing diabetes.

The ADC says up to 60 per cent of type 2 diabetes cases are preventable, and the cost of treating an individual for diabetes complications could cost up to $16,700 a year.

One Australian is diagnosed with diabetes every five minutes, according to the ADC.

"If we don't contain these costs at the rate diabetes is growing, there won't be a health budget for anything else," Ms Stokes said.

23.47 | 0 komentar | Read More

Financial stress increase for uni students

TWO in three of Australia's university students are living below the poverty line, a report says, as student debt soars.

The report from Universities Australia's longitudinal study of student finances, released on Monday, says more than two-thirds of students worry about their finances.

This is a big jump from when the last study was done in 2006, when only about half reported financial stress.

Two-thirds of undergraduates earned less than $20,000 a year, with about 21 per cent earning less than $10,000.

But their average annual expenditure was $37,020, with big increases in the housing, food and utility costs reported.

Almost one in five said they regularly couldn't afford food or other essential items while textbooks were the most difficult study-related expense to find room for in the budget.

A quarter of undergraduates had a loan of some kind, as did a third of post-graduate students.

And the estimated level of debt incurred from HECS and course fees jumped to $37,217 per student.

The levels of financial stress were even greater for students from low socio-economic (SES) backgrounds and indigenous students.

Only a third of indigenous students got some kind of support from their parents or partner, compared with just over half of their non-indigenous counterparts.

For all students, the most common type of family support was being fed, followed by getting use of a computer or printer.

"This report clearly shows that financial stress on university students is increasing," UA chief executive Belinda Robinson said.

"While the impact of this on dropout rates and future enrolments is unclear, it is of sufficient concern to justify close monitoring - particular in the context of meeting the government's goal to have 20 per cent of students from low SES backgrounds enrolled by 2020."

National Union of Students president Jade Tyrrell said student poverty had soared.

Students need more income support and it needs to be more flexible, waiting times need to be reduced and eligibility criteria relaxed, she said.

"A huge problem we face as students is that student poverty is seen as a right of passage almost and that needs to change," Ms Tyrrell told AAP.

The report also found the average student income was higher than in 2006 and students were more likely to have savings they could draw on in emergencies.

But it said the apparently contradictory findings pointed to an increasing polarisation between the "haves" and "have-nots".

"This would be unsurprising in view of the changes that have taken place in the sector since 2006, particularly the growth in participation by students who may not previously have been likely to enter higher education," the report states.

Universities Australia surveyed more than 11,700 students across a range of demographics for the study.

23.47 | 0 komentar | Read More

Inflation poses awkward policy challenge

NEW Zealand's annual inflation rate probably returned to 14-year lows in the second quarter as a high currency reduced prices of imported clothing and competition drove down telecommunications costs.

The consumers price Index rose 0.3 per cent in the second quarter for an annual pace of 0.8 per cent, according to a Reuters survey of 10 economists ahead of the report's release on Tuesday.

The annual rate would match the level of the third quarter last year, which was the lowest since the final quarter of 1999, a year marked by nine months of deflation.

It would also give the central bank little reason to bring forward the timing of interest rate increases, even though it suspects inflation pressures are building in the housing market and from a Kiwi trade-weighted index that has tumbled from its second-quarter highs.

"The low annual pace of current inflation presents an awkward policy challenge for the RBNZ," said Nick Tuffley, chief economist at ASB.

"Continued downside inflation surprises may reduce the RBNZ's confidence of a lift in future inflation pressures," Mr Tuffley said.

Inflation is contained in the central bank's 1 per cent-to-3 per cent target range, and traders see no chance of a rise in the official cash rate of 2.5 per cent at the next review on July 25.

However, they see 47 basis points of hikes in the next 12 months - equivalent to about two quarter-point increases, based on the Overnight Index Swap curve.

Fuel costs rose to a record high this week but in the second quarter they fell.

Westpac senior economist Michael Gordon said the second quarter may be the last of persistently low inflation.

The Reserve Bank agrees. Its June monetary policy statement has inflation speeding to 0.6 per cent in the third quarter and an annual pace that increases to 1.1 per cent.

23.47 | 0 komentar | Read More

Inflation poses awkward policy challenge

NEW Zealand's annual inflation rate probably returned to 14-year lows in the second quarter as a high currency reduced prices of imported clothing and competition drove down telecommunications costs.

The consumers price Index rose 0.3 per cent in the second quarter for an annual pace of 0.8 per cent, according to a Reuters survey of 10 economists ahead of the report's release on Tuesday.

The annual rate would match the level of the third quarter last year, which was the lowest since the final quarter of 1999, a year marked by nine months of deflation.

It would also give the central bank little reason to bring forward the timing of interest rate increases, even though it suspects inflation pressures are building in the housing market and from a Kiwi trade-weighted index that has tumbled from its second-quarter highs.

"The low annual pace of current inflation presents an awkward policy challenge for the RBNZ," said Nick Tuffley, chief economist at ASB.

"Continued downside inflation surprises may reduce the RBNZ's confidence of a lift in future inflation pressures," Mr Tuffley said.

Inflation is contained in the central bank's 1 per cent-to-3 per cent target range, and traders see no chance of a rise in the official cash rate of 2.5 per cent at the next review on July 25.

However, they see 47 basis points of hikes in the next 12 months - equivalent to about two quarter-point increases, based on the Overnight Index Swap curve.

Fuel costs rose to a record high this week but in the second quarter they fell.

Westpac senior economist Michael Gordon said the second quarter may be the last of persistently low inflation.

The Reserve Bank agrees. Its June monetary policy statement has inflation speeding to 0.6 per cent in the third quarter and an annual pace that increases to 1.1 per cent.

23.47 | 0 komentar | Read More