Japan using gas to avoid explosion at nuke plant

Workers at Japan's stricken nuclear plant on Thursday pumped nitrogen into a crippled reactor in a bid to prevent a possible explosion and contain the world's worst atomic accident for 25 years. With the crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi plant approaching the end of its fourth week, operator Tokyo Electric Power said it was concerned a build-up of hydrogen gas at the No. 1 reactor could cause another explosion at the site. The fresh challenge underscored the fragility of the situation at the stricken plant, after rare progress was seen Wednesday when workers plugged a hole spewing highly radioactive water into the ocean. TEPCO officials say hydrogen building up in the housing around reactor No. 1 could mix with incoming oxygen, creating...

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Posted in: Society

Afghanistan: Gun battle inside Kandahar police base

Gunmen have attacked a police training centre in the southern Afghan province of Kandahar and are battling security forces inside, officials say. Reports from the base near Kandahar city say there was an explosion followed by gunfire. Several attackers are involved in the raid, officials say. There were no immediate reports of casualties. Police training is a key plank in the Afghan security strategy Tens of thousands of Afghan police and troops are being trained to assume full security control once Nato leaves. Afghan forces are frequently targeted by the Taliban and their allies who want to oust the Western-backed government of Hamid Karzai in Kabul. Police say a number of armed men have taken...

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Posted in: Politics

Leptin Restores Fertility, May Improve Bone Health in Lean Women; Treatment Could Help Athletes, Women With Eating Disorders

ScienceDaily — Women with extremely low body fat, including runners and dancers, as well as women with eating disorders, are prone to develop hypothalamic amenorrhea, a condition in which their menstrual periods cease, triggering such serious problems as infertility and osteoporosis Now, a study led by researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) offers the first definitive proof that a lack of leptin contributes to hypothalamic amenorrhea (HA) and that treatment with a synthetic form of the hormone can restore fertility and reduce the risk of bone fractures in this group of patients. The findings are reported on-line this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). "This condition accounts for over 30 percent of all cases of amenorrhea...

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Posted in: Science

US Agency Urges Action Against Vietnam Over Jailing of Activist

Cu Huy Ha Vu stands between policemen in front of the dock during his trial at a court in Hanoi, April 4, 2011. A U.S. government agency is urging that Vietnam be returned to a list of counties that are subject to economic sanctions because of their severe suppression of religious rights.The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom issued the call Tuesday in response to the seven-year prison sentence handed this week to Vietnamese legal scholar and human rights defender Cu Huy Ha Vu.Leonard Leo, chairman of the independent, bipartisan commission, said it is "past time" for the administration of President Barack Obama to return Vietnam to its list of Countries of Particular Concern, which includes the likes of Burma, China...

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Posted in: Politics,Vietnam

Clinton Dismisses Gadhafi Letter, Reaffirms He Must Yield Power

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Wednesday brushed aside a personal appeal from Libyan leader Muammar Gadhafi for an end to the NATO air campaign in support of Libyan rebels. Clinton, who discussed the Libyan crisis with Italian Foreign Minister Franco Fratini, said Mr. Gadhafi must yield power and leave the country. Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini (L) and US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton speak in Washington April 6, 2011. Clinton is dismissing an unusual personal appeal from the Libyan leader to President Barack Obama for NATO to halt its air operations, and reaffirming that an end to the conflict requires Mr. Gadhafi’s departure from power. In the letter, conveyed to the U.S. government Wednesday,...

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Posted in: Afica,Politics

Truong Sa marks 36th liberation anniversary

The Truong Sa (Spratly) district off the central province of Khanh Hoa on April 5 held a ceremony to mark the 36 th anniversary of its liberation (April 29). Attending the function was Lieutenant-General Nguyen Thanh Cung, member of the Party Central Committee and Deputy Director of the General Political Department of the People’s Army of Vietnam and representatives from departments and agencies. Thirty-six years ago, after the glorious victories in Buon Me Thuot, Hue , Da Nang and Khanh Hoa, on the morning of April 14, 1975, the Vietnamese naval commandos landed to liberate the Song Tu Tay island. This victory was followed by the liberation of the Son Ca island on April 25, the Sinh Ton island on April 28 and the whole Truong Sa...

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Posted in: Politics,Vietnam

Tuoi Tre exhibits Trinh Cong Son’s paintings online

Portrait of poet Bui Giang, drawn by Trinh Cong Son Tuoi Tre Newspaper has opened an online exhibition of paintings drawn by late musician/amateur painter Trinh Cong Son on its Vietnamese website www.tuoitre.vn. The exhibition offers readers who can not physically come to an exhibition at HCMC Fine Arts Museum on April 9 chances to see paintings by the late legendary composer. Paintings and portrait sketches drawn by the musician are being showcased on the website’s special section “Paintings Exhibition”. Son is not only one of the most famous composers in Vietnamese history but also a painter. His paintings have been displayed along with works by other famous painters like Dinh Cuong, Do Quang...

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Posted in: Experimental Society,Vietnam

Thief with "good taste" nips $2,300 cognac

The robber took the $2,363.45 bottle of Remy Martin Louis XIII cognac A masked, quick-moving thief smashed a liquor store window in suburban Portland and walked off with a bottle of cognac valued at more than $2,300 (1,416 pounds). "He has good taste," said Lt. Mike Rouches a spokesman for the Hillsboro police. "He knew exactly what he was after." The robber took the $2,363.45 bottle of Remy Martin Louis XIII cognac, 11 fine -- but cheaper -- bottles of cognac and 12 packs of menthol cigarettes at about 3:15 a.m. local time on Monday, Rouches said. "I've not seen a theft like this. Usually they grab whatever they can," Rouches said. The police arrived quickly and the posh pilferer had already disappeared,...

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Posted in: Entertainment

Dramatic rescue in Ivorian city

French forces have snatched the Japanese ambassador to safety from near the besieged presidential residence in Ivory Coast's main city, Abidjan. Soldiers exchanged fire with guards at the compound where Laurent Gbagbo is holed up, refusing to stand down as leader, French officials said. His rival Alassane Ouattara's forces surround the residence, where fighting continued through the night. Mr Gbagbo refuses to step down despite being beaten in November's election. Red Cross: "The population in Abidjan has been very hard hit" He says he won, but the Ivorian election commission said he lost and the UN certified that result. The ballot had been intended to reunite the former French colony, which split...

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Posted in: Afica,Politics

Toyota faces ratings cut on concerns over profit

Toyota's credit rating has been put under review by the ratings agency Moody's, which said it may downgrade the Japanese car giant. Moody's said the company's profits are likely to be hit by the impact of the 11 March earthquake and tsunami. Japanese car manufacturers have been amongst the businesses hardest hit by the earthquake Earlier on Wednesday, Toyota said that production at most of its domestic factories will remain suspended until at least next week. Production at its plants has been halted since the crisis began. "There will be no resumption of production at most of our domestic factories next week," a Toyota spokeswoman said. Moody's expects the delays to last even longer. "Limited production re-commenced at some of the factories...

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Posted in: Business

Japan quake: Nitrogen pumped into nuclear reactor

The process of injecting nitrogen could take several days, engineers say Workers in Japan have begun injecting nitrogen into one of the reactors at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant to prevent more hydrogen blasts. The gas is being pumped into reactor 1 of the six-unit plant which was damaged by last month's quake and tsunami. Explosions caused by a build-up of hydrogen gas happened in three reactors in the aftermath of the 11 March quake. Earlier, workers succeeded in plugging a gap leaking highly radioactive water from the plant into the Pacific Ocean. The plant's operator, Tepco (Tokyo Electric Power Co), said it had injected chemical agents to solidify soil near a cracked pit of reactor 2...

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Posted in: Society

Scientists make eye's retina from stem cells

The growing retina can be seen highlighted green  By Michelle Roberts Health reporter, BBC News  A part of the eye that is essential for vision has been created in the laboratory from animal stem cells, offering hope to the blind and partially sighted. One day it might be possible to make an eye in a dish, Nature journal reports. The Japanese team used mouse stem cells - immature cells that have the ability to turn into many types of body tissue. With the right mix of nutrients, the cells changed and began to grow to make a synthetic retina. Ultimately, scientists hope they can use this approach to make endless supplies of retinal cells or indeed whole retinas that can be transplanted into patients...

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Posted in: Health

Portugal calls for EU financial bail-out

Jose Socrates: "We have reached the moment where the country is at too much risk" Portugal's caretaker Prime Minister Jose Socrates has said that he has asked the European Union for financial assistance. Mr Socrates said the country was "at too much risk that it shouldn't be exposed to". The government has long resisted asking for aid but last week admitted that it had missed its 2010 budget deficit target. Portugal follows Greece and the Irish Republic in seeking a bail-out. "I always said asking for foreign aid would be the final way to go but we have reached the moment," Mr Socrates said. "Above all, it's in the national interest." European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said in a statement that Portugal's request would be...

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Posted in: Business,Society

Businessman arrested for attacking public officials

A policeman reads the arrest warrant to Thanh at his house yesterday Police in Vung Tau yesterday arrested a businessman for allegedly hiring hoodlums to assault two local land administration officials and make it look like a mugging last January. They took in Nguyen Van Thanh, 28, and four hoods -- Nguyen Thanh Liem, 42, Bui Thanh Son, 30, Thoang Xuong On, 23, and Duong Quoc Hung. They are hunting for two others thought to be involved in the case. Last January Thanh ordered his employee to hire gangsters to assault Pham Kieu Thanh Lan, who is in charge of land in the city’s Ward 10, and Nguyen Ngoc Tuan of the Vung Tau Urban Greenery Development Company to avenge their “interference” in his affairs. After slashing the two with...

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Posted in: Society,Vietnam

Illicit Chinese eggs, MSG seized in border town

Market control authorities in Lao Cai town on the Chinese border yesterday caught a local woman smuggling in 9,800 eggs and 250 kg of seasoning powder from China.  Nguyen Quang Hieu, head of the Market Management Team 7A said the woman, Phan Thi Dinh, did not have invoices for the goods.  The MSG was packed in 20 sacks and the eggs were hidden in 13 cartons containing vegetables and fruits, he said.  Dinh, a resident of the town’s Duyen Hai Ward, said she had traveled to Hekou town in China’s Yunnan Province to buy the goods and had brought them back by bus.  She had planned to take them to neighboring Lai Chau Province for sale.  The team has seized the goods pending an investigation. tuoitren...

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Posted in: Society

Ivory Coast: Embattled Gbagbo denies he seeks surrender

Ivorian leader Laurent Gbagbo has denied reports he is surrendering after troops loyal to his rival surrounded his residence in Abidjan. Speaking by phone from his bunker, he said his military were only negotiating a truce and insisted he had won November's presidential election. Troops loyal to the internationally recognised winner, Alassane Ouattara, swept into Abidjan this week. The city passed a largely quiet night, apart from shootings blamed on gangs. But its population of four million remained indoors after days of heavy fighting which saw UN and French helicopters attacking Mr Gbagbo's military. Hitler comparison Western powers have stepped up pressure on Mr Gbagbo to resign, with US President...

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Posted in: Politics

Thai Economy Threatened by Inflation, Says World Bank Official

A World Bank economist in Thailand is warning even if tensions ease in the Middle East, oil prices will remain high due to high demand from China, India and other industrialized countries. High oil and commodity prices are contributing to inflation, which is now seen as a key concern in Thailand and throughout the region.In a monitoring report on the Thai economy, the World Bank says global oil prices, now near $110 a barrel, combined with inflation, pose a threat to the global economic recovery.International oil prices remain close to their highest levels since 2008.  Global oil prices peaked at $147 a barrel in July 2007, before falling below $50 in late 2008.Fragile recovery The economies of the United States and the major...

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Posted in: Business,Society

Japan stops uncontrolled leak from nuclear plant

An accidental leak of highly radioactive water into the ocean from a Japanese nuclear plant was stopped Wednesday, boosting efforts to contain the worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl 25 years ago. The leak was thought to be a source of spiking radiation levels in the sea, which prompted Japan to announce its first seafood radiation safety standards following the discovery of fish with elevated contamination. To stop the long-running leak from the Fukushima plant on the Pacific coast, operator TEPCO had injected sodium silicate, a chemical agent known as "water glass", to solidify soil near a cracked pit where the water had been escaping. The pit, which has a 20-centimetre crack in its wall, is linked...

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Posted in: Health,Society

Wages up; workers scarce

A worker at a garment factory in Ho Chi Minh City’s District 8. Many garment firms have raised salaries in order to retain workers. An increase in orders and higher export prices have helped garment makers offer better salaries and working conditions, but the sector’s labor shortage shows no sign of easing. Many garment firms have raised salaries, offered more allowances and benefits to try and retain workers, industry insiders say. Phi Ngoc Trinh, deputy director of garment firm Ho Guom, said the average monthly salary of a worker in his firm now is VND3-3.3 million (US$143-158). The firm also buys health and social insurance for them, and does not ask them to work extra hours, he said. He said people are usually not interested in working...

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Posted in: Business,Society,Vietnam

Gas stations get wind of price hike, stop sales

Before the Ministry of Finance hiked gasoline retail prices by up to VND2,800 per liter Tuesday, many gas stations had got wind of it and limited sales or even stayed shut, waiting for the hike. On Monday many gas stations in Dong Thap Province’s Chau Thanh District sold just VND10,000 worth petrol to a customer, pleading a shortage. In nearby Long An Province, they were limiting it to a more reasonable VND20,000 or VND30,000. The Long An Market Management Unit No 2 discovered that many filling stations had opened without any salesman, forcing customers to leave empty-handed. Other gas stations had resorted to demanding a premium -- many demanded VND20,000 per liter (retail price VND19,300), with...

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Posted in: Society,Vietnam

Is good money being thrown after bad?

Despite hundreds of thousands US dollars invested to have its tourism publicity broadcast on CNN, BBC and even in London cabs, Vietnam’s “hidden charm” still remains unrevealed. Vietnam is becoming keen about spreading the message it is an attractive tourism destination but there are no results yet to show for it. The government has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on commercials that air for just a few seconds on international channels like BBC and CNN. In just the second half of last year, it forked out VND5.3 billion (US$253,600) to CNN, or 12 percent of the total tourism promotion for the year. An online survey by the Vietnam Economic Forum of 200 tourists from around the world found...

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Posted in: Business,Tour in Vietnam,Vietnam

Girls strip naked on webcams for monthly cash

“Show you naked body and get money!” is one of the invitations from chat rooms managers to girls via Internet chat tools. Those girls who agree to show their bodies will be paid US$200 or more per month. The above invitation was sent to me [a Tuoi Tre reporter] a recent night by a man called himself as Pham Hung with his nick “luatsuvui” on Paltalk. “Your duty every night, from 0 – 4 a.m. is to show your naked body and perform a number of erotic gestures and movements via a webcam to serve Paltalk chatters. You will get an initial salary of US$200 that I will transfer to you from the US.” Hung said, “It is just a starting salary. I can pay up to $1,000 to any girl with best performance.” He asked your correspondent to turn on her...

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Posted in: Society