This article is from the BBC News website. � British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/9404503.stm
Monday, February 28, 2011
Late Vela equaliser denies Stoke
Substitute Carlos Vela hits a late equaliser to cancel out Rory Delap's second-half goal as Stoke and West Brom share the points at the Britannia Stadium.
India economy to sustain growth
Pranab Mukherjee says Indian economy is expected to grow at 9% India's government is unveiling its annual budget, saying that the economy is expected to grow at 9% in 2012.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said the growth rate for the current fiscal year was projected at 8.5%.
He said inflation would decrease over the next fiscal year - the current rate is 8.4%. But food price inflation, at 17%, "remains a concern".
India's prime minister has already warned that India's rapid growth is under serious threat from inflation.
The finance minister announced a 17% increase in funds for social spending, including programmes to tackle malnutrition.
"The country has carried for long enough the burden of hunger and malnutrition," he said.
He also announced substantial increases in funds for health ($5.9 billion, a rise of 20%) and education (520.5 billion rupees).
Mr Mukherjee said a food security bill, which will guarantee cheap food to the poor, would be introduced into parliament soon.
He said the government's performance in handling the economy was mixed.
"While we succeeded in making good progress in addressing many areas of our concern, we could have done better in some others," Mr Mukherjee said.
"Fiscal consolidation has been impressive. This year has also seen significant progress in those critical institutional reforms that will pave the way for double digit growth in the near future."
Mr Mukherjee said the economy had shown "remarkable resilience" despite the food inflation and a current account deficit.
This article is from the BBC News website. � British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/world-south-asia-12593755
Life screening
One cycle of IVF, one egg, one embryo and one baby.
It sounds simple, and yet for the 35,000 women who undergo IVF in the UK each year it's unlikely.
Only one in three IVF cycles is successful, each one costing potentially thousands of pounds.
But a new chromosome counting technique pioneered at Oxford University could put paid to all that.
Microarray CGH (comparative genomic hybridisation) is used to check for any significant abnormalities present in the chromosomes of the embryo before implantation in IVF treatment.
A small number of cells are removed from the growing embryo five days after fertilisation and the DNA in them is scanned for any clear problems.
The results are available within 24 hours, which allows the maximum information to be obtained from the embryo before it is used.
Armed with this knowledge, doctors can then ensure that only embryos with the correct number of chromosomes are transferred in IVF, thereby improving the chances of a successful pregnancy and reducing the likelihood of miscarriage or Down's syndrome.
Dr Dagan Wells developed the technique of applying microarray CGH to embryos at the Nuffield Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology in Oxford.
He says: "Five days after the egg is fertilised it has more than 100 cells so we can safely take some cells for testing. The tests have worked really well, giving an accuracy rating of 98% - and there is no impact on the embryo of taking these cells either."
The chromosome screening technique is not intended to look for any specific genetic disorders relevant to the couple being treated or anything more subtle than viability.
Stuart Lavery, Fertility specialist“We think it will help slightly older women who have an increased risk of a Down's syndrome baby and also young women who have a repeated failure of implantation”
"We are only testing for ability to be alive," says Dr Wells.
This gets around the two problems of IVF - the number of faulty embryos produced in a typical IVF cycle and the problem of distinguishing between the faulty and healthy embryos using traditional checks.
Embryos can seem to be growing well under a microscope but may still have chromosome abnormalities, and it's these abnormalities which lead to miscarriage or a Down's syndrome baby at full term.
The CGH technique can also be used at an earlier stage on patients' eggs, rather than on the embryos - created when the sperm has fertilised the egg.
This is particularly advantageous for women who have fewer, good embryos to start with because they will not have to wait until the blastocyst stage - five days after fertilisation - for the embryos to be analysed and transferred.
In some IVF patients - particularly those above the age of 42 - it can become more and more difficult to find 'normal' embryos, because fewer eggs and fewer embryos are produced as women age.
Studies analysing the benefits of CGH to date are promising, but experts agree that more scientific evidence is require before the technique is applied routinely in IVF clinics.
A study of American women in Colorado found that pregnancy rates increased by more than 50% following chromosome screening, but since it is normal to transfer around three embryos during IVF in the US rather than just one in the UK, this enhances the results.
For Dr Wells, it is the implantation rate that is important - the chance that one embryo can make a pregnancy.
Stewart Lavery, consultant gynaecologist and director of the IVF at Hammersmith Hospital in London, has been carrying out CGH for a year.
"It's a really exciting technique which does have potential, but we have to be cautious. We need some good evidence first," he says.
The safety of the technique is certainly not in question. What IVF experts need is evidence of which patients will benefit from CGH and by how much.
Mr Lavery says: "We think it will help slightly older women who have an increased risk of a Down's syndrome baby and also young women who have a repeated failure of implantation."
So it may yet be a long time before it's available on the NHS. But it could make financial sense if it saved on costly IVF cycles, avoided terminations and cut the numbers of miscarriages dealt with in hospital.
What is certain is that in the search for a 'normal' egg and a 'normal' embryo IVF doctors have to use their judgement. Is there such a thing as a 'normal' embryo?
Even for women not going through IVF, becoming pregnant is a very tricky and complicated business. Failure to conceive is common, occurring regularly even before the woman is aware of it.
"We have already beaten the odds just by being alive," says Dr Wells.
For women going through IVF, anything that increases the odds of a baby is all that matters.
This article is from the BBC News website. � British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/health-12494767
Inhabitat's Week in Green: SunPower supplants Ford, lava power, and the airlifted eco shelter
Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green.
This week Inhabitat saw geothermal power projects pick up steam around the world as Iceland eyed liquid magma as an energy source and the UK sought to tap geothermal reserves under Newcastle. We also saw scientists develop a stretchable solar-powered sensor that can detect the drop of a pin, and we were impressed by a brilliant system that uses algae to treat wastewater and generate fuel in one fell swoop.
We also showcased several innovative examples of high-tech architecture - Wales' futuristic newport transit station and a massive green-roofed innovation hub that is set to become Botswana's first LEED-certified building. Solar-powered structures were a hot topic as well as we took a look inside SunPower's incredible renovated headquarters, learned about the new location of the 2011 Solar Decathlon, and showcased a photovoltaic-powered alpine eco shelter.
Finally, this week we got set for the start of spring by sharing our five favorite green gadget gardening tools and a rainwater recycling system that comes complete with a solar pump. We also spotted a chic cradle-to-cradle raincoat that will fend off impending showers and a natty wool iPad cover that will keep your tablet cozy in blustery weather.
We also showcased several innovative examples of high-tech architecture - Wales' futuristic newport transit station and a massive green-roofed innovation hub that is set to become Botswana's first LEED-certified building. Solar-powered structures were a hot topic as well as we took a look inside SunPower's incredible renovated headquarters, learned about the new location of the 2011 Solar Decathlon, and showcased a photovoltaic-powered alpine eco shelter.
Finally, this week we got set for the start of spring by sharing our five favorite green gadget gardening tools and a rainwater recycling system that comes complete with a solar pump. We also spotted a chic cradle-to-cradle raincoat that will fend off impending showers and a natty wool iPad cover that will keep your tablet cozy in blustery weather.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: SunPower supplants Ford, lava power, and the airlifted eco shelter originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 27 Feb 2011 23:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | | Email this | CommentsSource: http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/27/inhabitats-week-in-green-sunpower-supplants-ford-lava-power/
How would you change Panasonic's Lumix DFC-GF2?
How would you change Panasonic's Lumix DFC-GF2? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 25 Feb 2011 23:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | | Email this | CommentsSource: http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/25/how-would-you-change-panasonics-lumix-dfc-gf2/
Battle stations
Ex-soldiers' new mission to educate America's inner city children 
This article is from the BBC News website. � British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/panorama/hi/front_page/newsid_9407000/9407463.stm
Sunday, February 27, 2011
VIDEO: Call for home blood pressure tests
Thousands of patients are being wrongly diagnosed with high blood pressure simply because they find the experience of going to the doctor so stressful. 
This article is from the BBC News website. � British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/health-12544650
Yemen opposition calls for protests
The largest opposition bloc Yemen will hold protest rallies on Tuesday, the group announced Sunday. 
Source: http://rss.cnn.com/~r/rss/cnn_topstories/~3/G4ZDiZ5XyEA/index.html
New US rating for King's Speech
The King's Speech is set to be released in the US in a swearing-free version to open it up to younger audiences, its director Tom Hooper has confirmed.
The film was given an R rating last year for the scene in which Colin Firth's character is encouraged by a speech therapist to swear to overcome a stammer.
The day before the Oscars, Hooper said the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) was willing to give the film a PG-13 rating if the audio of the swearing was dipped.
An R rating in the US means no-one under 17 is able to see the film without an adult.
"I'm certainly very unhappy that kids are discouraged from seeing it here. I think it's a film that touches on so many issues to do with childhood," Hooper said at the Independent Film Awards in Santa Monica, California on Saturday.
"Particularly, the film has the message 'please don't carry the trauma of childhood throughout your adult life'."
He said he thought children who had been through tough experiences, like bullying, would connect with the story of George VI's attempts to overcome his speech impediment.
"Unselfishly, I think if it brings the film to that younger audience it will be great because in the UK and Canada I've had a lot e-mails from eight and nine-year-olds who have been incredibly affected by it - so why would I want to limit it?"
In the UK, the film's original rating of 15 was changed to 12A by the British Board of Film Classification after an appeal by the film's UK distributors.
The BBFC said it had "applied its formal reconsideration process" and decided the language was not aggressive or directed at any person.
A similar appeal in the US last year to lower the film's R rating was not successful.
This article is from the BBC News website. � British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/entertainment-arts-12590443
VIDEO: Survey to ask 'How happy are you?'
UK households are to be asked how satisfied they are with their lives in survey measuring happiness. 
This article is from the BBC News website. � British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/uk-12574300
Black Swan dances to indie prize
Spirit winner Natalie Portman is also favourite to win the best actress Oscar Black Swan was the big winner at the Spirit Awards, the annual event honouring independent US movies and one that acts as a warm-up to the Oscars.
The ballet thriller won best film and also earned the best director prize for Darren Aronofksy and best actress for Natalie Portman, as well as best cinematography.
Portman is the hot favourite to win the best actress Oscar on Sunday.
Saturday's awards took place in a giant tent on a blustery Santa Monica beach.
The King's Speech won the best foreign film prize, while elusive British graffiti artist Banksy's Exit Through the Gift Shop won best documentary.
Thierry Guetta, a Frenchman who in the course of the film becomes a street artist known as Mr Brainwash, accepted the award.
Asked if Banksy would be attending the Oscars, he told the BBC: "The academy is kind of scared, is he going to come, is he not? It's like the movie - there's a big question mark."
James Franco, who will co-host Sunday's Academy Awards, won best actor at the Spirits for his role in Danny Boyle's 127 Hours, about a hiker forced to amputate his own arm.
Winners Dale Dickey and John Hawkes gave Winter's Bone a boost Winter's Bone, about a girl's search for her drug-dealing father, earned both the supporting acting prizes - for John Hawkes and Dale Dickey.
Both 127 Hours and Winter's Bone are among the contenders for best picture at the Oscars.
Best actress winner Portman joked about the difficulty of financing Black Swan.
"This was such an independent film-making experience ," she said. "My ballet teachers said every day 'so when do we get paid?'"
Aronofsky praised Portman, saying: "To have this incredible performer give you everything she's got and then train for a year. I'll always be in debt to Miss Natalie Portman."
King's Speech director Tom Hooper claimed backstage that he had not been following predictions about the film's Oscar chances.
But he did admit to some pre-Oscar jitters: "I think anyone would be not in their right mind if they were not nervous at the prospect of possibly making a speech in front of half a billion people."
The lesbian family drama The Kids Are All Right won the screenplay award for Stuart Blumberg and Lisa Cholodenko, who are nominated for best original screenplay at the Oscars.
This article is from the BBC News website. � British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/entertainment-arts-12590435
UK 'stopping aid to 16 countries'
India is one of the biggest recipients of UK development aid The UK is to stop direct aid to 16 countries, including Russia, China and Iraq, papers seen by the BBC suggest.
A draft copy of the government's review of its overseas aid budget - due to be published this week - also reveals aid to India will be frozen.
But overall, the international development budget will rise by a third in this Parliament as a new approach focuses on value for money, it says.
The report states that aid spending is good for Britain's economy and safety.
The draft document outlines plans for greater transparency and accountability, with an emphasis on funding programmes that deliver greater results and which, specifically, help girls and women.
Resources will be focused on the 27 countries that account for three-quarters of the world's maternal mortality and malaria deaths, such as Ghana and Afghanistan.
By 2014, 30% of UK aid is expected to go to war-torn and unstable countries.
The report confirms that direct aid to countries including Iraq and Kosovo will stop, whilst aid to India will be frozen.
India is currently one of the biggest recipients of UK development aid, and there have been media campaigns in the UK suggesting an economy growing at nearly 10% a year simply does not need British assistance.
But others point out that nearly half a billion people in India are still desperately poor, and efforts to reduce global poverty will not progress without significant aid.
This article is from the BBC News website. � British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/uk-12589626
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