Saturday, August 29, 2015

Scientists Hit Back At Scottish Ban On Growing GM Crops | IFLScience

Scientists Hit Back At Scottish Ban On Growing GM Crops | IFLScience: "Professor Alan Alexander, General Secretary of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, said in a statement: “As a national academy charged with the ‘advancement of learning and useful knowledge’ we are strongly committed to evidence led policy making. We are concerned that the scientific case for well regulated use of biotechnology has not been sufficiently heeded.

“Scottish Government statements implying that GMOs are ‘unethical’ have given an anti-science message that may prove to be very damaging to the long established outstanding reputation of Scotland within the international scientific community.”

The letter highlights the contributions GM research can make, from developing potatoes that can reduce fungicide use to making oilseeds enriched with omega-3, which could provide Scotland with a more sustainable source of feed for salmon farming. The signatories urge Lochhead to meet with them to discuss their concern on the ban that “surprises and disappoints many scientists and non-scientists alike.”"



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Thursday, August 27, 2015

A Syrian family's journey to a new life in Germany - Al Jazeera English

A Syrian family's journey to a new life in Germany - Al Jazeera English: "The thousands of undocumented refugees arriving in Europe every day can only dream of the benefits afforded families such as the Alameens, who are unofficially known as "first class refugees"."



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Senegal migrant town Tambacounda mourns its lost sons - BBC News

Senegal migrant town Tambacounda mourns its lost sons - BBC News: "Some local media have reported that in Senegal, the Tambacounda region has had the highest number of deaths since April due to illegal migration.

No jobs

"Even after what happened in April, there are still people leaving," says Harouna Cisse, a teacher who has not had any news from his brother since he went on the perilous journey.
"Each day some young people take the trip, each and every day. This is because of unemployment. There is nothing here in Tambacounda, no infrastructure, and the government just keeps on making promises.""



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Monday, August 17, 2015

A fishy situation in Cambodia’s biggest lake - Al Jazeera English

A fishy situation in Cambodia’s biggest lake - Al Jazeera English: ""We are in the conservation zone. If they catch us, we will be in trouble," explained the fisherman.

To protect his identity, as fishing in restricted areas is punishable by a two-year jail sentence, he asked that Al Jazeera not reveal his name.

The Tonle Sap is one of the world's most productive freshwater fisheries and the main source of protein and fatty acids for Cambodia's roughly 15 million inhabitants.

The fact that fishermen are resorting to sneaking into the lake's protected areas speaks of an alarming truth: the Tonle Sap, Cambodia's "beating heart", is struggling to meet the demands of the country's growing population.

"Outside the conservation area there are no fish, so what should I do?" the fisherman asked rhetorically."



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Wildlife poachers caught before a kill in Senegal - Al Jazeera English

Wildlife poachers caught before a kill in Senegal - Al Jazeera English: "Niokolo Koba Park in Senegal is an important world heritage site, which started out as a hunting reserve during the colonial era in 1926.

However, over time, attitudes towards hunting wild animals has changed.

As the home of the West African lion and other protected species, local tribes were forced out of the area to protect the wildlife."



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Deadly bomb blast rocks Thailand's capital - Al Jazeera English

Deadly bomb blast rocks Thailand's capital - Al Jazeera English: "At least 12 people have been killed and 20 wounded by a bomb blast that hit the commercial centre of the Thai capital Bangkok, police have said.

The blast, which was said to have taken place near the Erawan Shrine, occurred about 7.10pm local time, according to the Bangkok Post."



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10 Years After Trying to Live off the Grid, Farmer Wonders, 'What am I Doing Living on This Little Island?' | Alternet

10 Years After Trying to Live off the Grid, Farmer Wonders, 'What am I Doing Living on This Little Island?' | Alternet: "Janes wouldn't disagree. It's just that after 10 years, he's unsure what wider good his own deep drive has served. "I now know by direct experience how hard it is to shift away from the momentum that our society has," he said. But in the process he and Joly have created their own existence to a degree most people could only dream of. "What does success look like to you?" Joly asked him. "How do you know when you've reached that point?" Janes paused, then quipped: "I'm already onto the next thing by then.""



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Saturday, August 15, 2015

UNHCR in Malaysia told to stop issuing refugee card - Channel NewsAsia

UNHCR in Malaysia told to stop issuing refugee card - Channel NewsAsia: "The United Nation High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Malaysia has been urged to stop issuing refugee cards without the consent of the Malaysian government.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Shahidan Kassim said the UNHCR should consult the Home Ministry and the Immigration Department before issuing the cards.

"The UNHCR office is doing it wrong by issuing the (refugee) cards without informing the Home Ministry and the Immigration Department.

"They (UNHCR) have no diplomatic status and should stop issuing the card immediately. I want the police to investigate how the card can be issued like that," he told reporters after opening the Alor Setar UMNO divisional delegates meeting here on Saturday.

He said Malaysia was not among the countries which signed the 1951 Convention on the Refugee Status or the 1967 Protocol."



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Friday, August 14, 2015

Paasban goes patriotic: Comic book celebrates Independence Day - Pakistan - DAWN.COM

Paasban goes patriotic: Comic book celebrates Independence Day - Pakistan - DAWN.COM: "The rise in militant groups in the country is what gave birth to the idea of Paasban; creators Mustafa Hasnain, Gauhar Aftab and Yahya Ehsan decided to create a comic book series combating violent extremism.


"







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1 year later, the Ice Bucket Challenge funds this breakthrough in ALS research.

1 year later, the Ice Bucket Challenge funds this breakthrough in ALS research.: "During a reddit "Ask Me Anything" session, ALS researcher Jonathan Ling unveiled a major breakthrough in his work.
Ling wanted to do an "Ask Me Anything" to debunk some of the negative things being said by skeptics about the success of the Ice Bucket Challenge.
"I mainly wanted to do this ["Ask Me Anything"] because I remember reading a lot of stories about people complaining that the ice bucket challenge was a waste and that scientists weren't using the money to do research, etc. I assure you that this is absolutely false," Ling writes.
"All of your donations have been amazingly helpful and we have been working tirelessly to find a cure. With the amount of money that the ice bucket challenge raised, I feel that there's a lot of hope and optimism now for real, meaningful therapies."
So what's the big breakthrough? Well, it has to do with protein — or rather, one specific protein.
Ling's research focuses on TDP-43, a protein in cells that's he's been able to link to ALS."



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How a Kitten Eased My Partner’s Depression - The New York Times

How a Kitten Eased My Partner’s Depression - The New York Times:



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It’s Been One Year Since Africa Had a Polio Case. Can This Last? – Phenomena: Germination

It’s Been One Year Since Africa Had a Polio Case. Can This Last? – Phenomena: Germination: "At midnight Tuesday night—Aug. 11, 2015—the continent of Africa passed a quiet milestone: one full year since the recognition of its last case of polio.

As a journalist, my job is to try to be objective, and to not be a partisan or booster. But I think it is just stating facts to say this is a remarkable achievement—one that, a decade ago, few people believed would happen."



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Monday, August 10, 2015

Fish farmer dreams of saving ocean | TODAYonline

Fish farmer dreams of saving ocean | TODAYonline: "Launched four years ago, Onhand Agrarian supplies a variety of seafood — from fish such as sea bass and grouper to pricier catches like lobsters, prawns and sea grapes — to pet shops, restaurants and walk-in customers.

Its Changi quarantine site and a 40,000 sq ft farm in Lim Chu Kang produce at least 80kg of seafood per cubic metre of water. For the same amount of water, they also produce eight times more fish than regular fish farms, said Mr Lim, the company’s managing director.

The farms are so productive because they run on an Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture System (IMTRAS), he explained. IMTRAS allows waste from an organism to be recycled as food for another, creating an ecosystem of various species."



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Sunday, August 9, 2015

That 'Useless' Liberal Arts Degree Has Become Tech's Hottest Ticket

That 'Useless' Liberal Arts Degree Has Become Tech's Hottest Ticket: "And he’s far from alone. Throughout the major U.S. tech hubs, whether Silicon Valley or Seattle, Boston or Austin, Tex., software companies are discovering that liberal arts thinking makes them stronger.  Engineers may still command the biggest salaries, but at disruptive juggernauts such as Facebook and Uber, the war for talent has moved to nontechnical jobs, particularly sales and marketing. The more that audacious coders dream of changing the world, the more they need to fill their companies with social alchemists who can connect with customers–and make progress seem pleasant."



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