health: Lincoln Tribune

الثلاثاء، 14 فبراير 2012

Lincoln Tribune

Malaysian police arrest couples on Valentine’s Day
Indonesia: Trail begins for 2002 Bali bomb suspect Umar Patek
UN calls for probe into Maldives political crisis
EU approves Google’s $12.5 billion acquisition of Motorola
Nuclear reactor temperature at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi plant rises to 82°C

Malaysian police arrest couples on Valentine’s Day

Posted: 14 Feb 2012 02:39 AM PST

PETALING JAYA, MALAYSIA (BNO NEWS) -- Islamic morality police have arrested at least five couples in a Malaysian city for being intimate on Valentine's Day, local media reported on Tuesday. It follows similar operations in previous years.

The Star, the country's largest newspaper, reported that the couples were arrested at budget hotels in the Malaysian city of Petaling Jaya in the state of Selangor. The raids began at 12:30 a.m. local time and continued throughout the night, concluding at around 4 a.m. local time.

The five couples were arrested by officers from the Selangor Islamic Affairs Department (Jais) for alleged khalwa, an Islamic law that prevents unmarried Muslims from being alone with someone of the opposite sex. Those arrested were identified as men and women between the ages of 20 and 30, the report said.

If convicted, those arrested on Tuesday face a jail sentence of up to two years and a fine of up to 3,000 Malaysian ringgit ($984).

Last year, during an operation called Ops Valentine, Islamic morality police in Malaysia also arrested more than 80 people for alleged khalwa. Another 61 people were also hauled up for 'indecent behavior' and were enlisted for counseling sessions with the department.

In 2005, Malaysia's Islamic authorities issued a fatwa to prevent Muslims from celebrating Valentine's Day since it is associated with vice activities that are prohibited in Islam.

Indonesia: Trail begins for 2002 Bali bomb suspect Umar Patek

Posted: 14 Feb 2012 02:05 AM PST

JAKARTA, INDONESIA (BNO NEWS) -- The main suspect behind the deadly bombing which hit the Indonesian resort island of Bali in 2002 faced the start of his first trial on Monday, local media reported.

Umar Patek, 44, who is also known as Abdul Goni and Abu Syiekh, was one of the most wanted terrorists in the Southeast Asian country for the first Bali bombing in 2002 that killed 202 people, including 88 Australian nationals and other foreign citizens. On Monday, he showed up at the West Jakarta District Court for his first trial.

On January 25, 2011, Patek, whose role in the attack was first signaled out by other fellow terrorists who had been previously arrested, was detained in Abbottabad, Pakistan almost 10 years after the attack and only a few weeks before U.S. security forces killed former al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in the same area.

Pakistani authorities later extradited Patek back to Indonesia in August 2011. He arrived at court wearing a white taqiyah - a traditional Muslim cap - as well as a white tunic. After descending from an armed vehicle and entering the heavily guarded court building, he smiled at cameras until being seated in front of the five judge panel.

The panel, which is led by Lexsy Mamonto, is made up of five judges, two more than the usual three. In addition, over 250 security officers were deployed to safeguard the court building as the trial has been brought to the attention of both national and international media.

Patek, who had been placed under the United States' Rewards for Justice program with a $1 million reward for his capture, is facing a number of charges, which could lead to a sentence of life imprisonment. Among those charges are premeditated murder, bomb-making, and possession of firearms.

The suspect's defense lawyers requested a week to respond to the charges, arguing that they are disproportionate from the truth. In addition, Patek has been linked to a series of bombings in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta, which led to the deaths of at least 18 people.

Patek is believed to be a member of a group which carried out military and fighting exercises in Afghanistan and Pakistan in the 1980s and 1990s. He later formed Jemaah Islamiyah and then organized a series of suicide bombings targeting nightclubs, restaurants, hotels, offices and embassies of Western countries in Indonesia.

Previously, Imam Samudra, Amrozi bin Nurhasyim and Ali Ghufron, were convicted of being involved in the Bali bombings and later executed in 2008.

After the Bali bombing, Patek was believed to have fled to the Philippines but was later arrested in Pakistan. Despite his eventual capture, Patek's arrest in Pakistan has raised questions about Indonesia's security and how the top terrorist fugitive could have fled the country in the first place.

UN calls for probe into Maldives political crisis

Posted: 14 Feb 2012 01:57 AM PST

MALE, MALDIVES (BNO NEWS) -- A senior United Nations (UN) official on Monday called for national unity and a 'credible and independent' investigation into recent events as the current political crisis in the Maldives continues.

Assistant Secretary-General Oscar Fernandez-Taranco spoke to reporters in Malé, the Maldivian capital, at the end of a five-day visit, stating that the Indian Ocean country urgently needs to reach agreement on forming an inclusive government. He pointed out, however, that "there are no external solutions" to the country's political problems.

"All must work together, constructively, for the good of the nation," Fernandez-Taranco said. "We appreciate the need for healing and reconciliation in the wake of these traumatic events. We urge all to look forward now, in a spirit of national consensus and genuine cooperation."

The Maldives has been facing several days of rough political crisis after Mohamed Nasheed resigned as president of the Maldives last week following days of protests and tensions between the Government and military and police.

Nasheed was succeeded by his former deputy Mohammed Waheed Hassan, but Nasheed, according to media reports, said his resignation was not voluntary and has since faced a warrant for his arrest. Fresh protests have also been held.

Fernandez-Taranco met with key political figures, representatives of State institutions and civil society groups during his visit, as part of his efforts to monitor recent developments. He said he stressed the need for calm throughout his discussions.

The UN official said both demonstrators and security forces must exercise "utmost restraint," adding that there is a need for sufficient space for a peaceful solution to the present crisis to take hold.

Fernandez-Taranco went on to call upon all parties to ensure that no incitements to violence and acts of violence occur.

"The Maldives cannot afford a descent into violence and protracted instability that would jeopardize the progress achieved by the country since 2008, and its economic future," the Assistant Secretary-General said, adding that while there was "considerable controversy" over recent events, everyone he spoke with agreed on the importance of preserving democratic gains, upholding the constitution, protecting human rights and strengthening the rule of law.

"There is an urgent need for all sides concerned to come to an agreement on forming a government, based on the principle of inclusiveness and national unity, and reach a consensus on the way forward," he underlined. "There needs to be a credible and independent investigation by a national mechanism into the developments of the past weeks, and the events that led up to them."

EU approves Google’s $12.5 billion acquisition of Motorola

Posted: 14 Feb 2012 12:47 AM PST

BRUSSELS, BELGIUM (BNO NEWS) -- Internet giant Google, Inc. on Monday received approval from the European Union (EU) to acquire telecommunications company Motorola.

The European Commission cleared under the EU Merger Regulation the proposed acquisition of smartphones and tablets developer Motorola Mobility by Google, the world's largest internet search and search advertising company and developer of Android, which is one of the most popular mobile operating systems.

According to the Commission, the transaction was approved "mainly because it would not significantly modify the market situation in respect of operating systems and patents for these devices."

"We have approved the acquisition of Motorola Mobility by Google because, upon careful examination, this transaction does not itself raise competition issues," said Joaquín Almunia, Commission Vice President in charge of competition policy. "Of course, the Commission will continue to keep a close eye on the behavior of all market players in the sector, particularly the increasingly strategic use of patents."

Meanwhile, Don Harrison, Google's Vice President and Deputy General Counsel, expressed satisfaction following the EU's approval.

"We're happy that today the European Commission approved our proposed acquisition of Motorola Mobility, which we announced in August," Harrison stated through the company's official blog. "This is an important milestone in the approval process and it moves us closer to closing the deal."

Noting that the transaction is now waiting for decisions from other jurisdictions, Harrison underlined that the combination of Google and Motorola Mobility will help "supercharge" Android and enhance competition, as well as offer consumers "faster innovation, greater choice and wonderful user experiences."

The estimated $12.5 billion transaction was first notified to the European Commission on November 25, 2011, prompting a review which has been carried out in cooperation with a number of competition authorities and in particular with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). The DOJ, meanwhile, is expected to make its decision regarding the transaction later this week.

In its acquisition, Google is looking to take advantage of Motorola's 17,000 patents, as well as its 7,500 pending patent applications.

As all smartphones and tablets need an operating system, the Commission's investigation considered whether Google would be likely to prevent Motorola's competitors from using Google's Android operating system and showed Android helps to drive the spread of Google's other services.

Consequently, given that Google's core business model is to push its online and mobile services and software to the widest possible audience, the Commission stated, it is unlikely that Google would restrict the use of Android solely to Motorola, a minor player in the European Economic Area (EEA) as compared to operators such as Samsung and HTC.

In addition, all smartphones also need to adhere to certain telecommunications standards such as 3G or 4G/LTE. Motorola, as some other market participants, holds patents that are essential for these standards to operate.

Access to such "standard essential" patents is therefore crucial for players on the smartphone market. However, the Commission said it concluded that the proposed transaction would not significantly change the existing market situation in this respect.

Finally, the Commission also examined whether Google would be in a position to use Motorola's standard essential patents to obtain preferential treatment for its services, including search and advertising.

The Commission found that Google already has many ways in which to incentivise customers to take up its services and that the acquisition of Motorola would not materially change this, concluding that the transaction would not significantly impede effective competition in the EEA or any substantial part of it.

The European Commission has the duty to assess mergers and acquisitions involving companies with a turnover above certain thresholds and to prevent concentrations that would significantly impede effective competition in the EEA or any substantial part of it.

The vast majority of mergers do not pose competition problems and are cleared after a routine review. From the moment a transaction is notified, the Commission generally has a total of 25 working days to decide whether to grant approval or to start an in-depth investigation.

Nuclear reactor temperature at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi plant rises to 82°C

Posted: 13 Feb 2012 11:34 PM PST

TOKYO (BNO NEWS) -- The bottom of one of the reactors at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in eastern Japan rose to 82 degrees Celsius (179.6 degrees Fahrenheit) on Sunday afternoon, the Tokyo Electric Power Co. (Tepco) said on Monday.

According to Tepco, the safety equipment at the No. 2 reactor of the nuclear plant showed that the temperature had reached about 82 degrees Celsius (179.6 degrees Fahrenheit) at 2:15 p.m. local time on Sunday. The temperature has been increasing gradually since February 2, less than two months after the company announced a cold shutdown.

As a result of the increase in temperature, Tepco has been changing the amount of water injection and increase monitoring of the reactor's temperature. Specifically, between 11:38 a.m. and 1:50 p.m. local time, Tepco injected water with boric acid to prevent the reactor from reaching critical levels.

Later that afternoon, between 2:10 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. local time, Tepco also increased the water injection amount through the core spray system and the reactor feed water system.

But despite the temperature rise, Tepco pointed out that there is only one point where the temperature is increasing, and temperature indicators near the Reactor Pressure Vessel and in the Primary Containment Vessel show the facility as a whole is cooled. Officials said the temperatures at other areas of the plant tend to decrease due to the increase of water injection amount.

"We could assume that there is some water around the point at stake and that it cools down the point," Tepco stated. "Judging from the relation between the entry pressure in the Primary Loop Recirculation System and the amount of water injection in the reactor feed water system, overall, we judge that cooling reactors work properly now."

Japan has been facing an ongoing nuclear crisis since the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant was severely damaged on March 11, 2011, when a 9.0-magnitude earthquake and a subsequent tsunami devastated the country. The disaster disabled the cooling systems of the plant and radioactive elements leaked into the sea and were later found in water, air and food products in some parts of Japan.

At least 15,839 people were killed as a result of the earthquake and tsunami while 3,642 others remain missing. There are still more than 88,000 people who are staying in shelters in 21 prefectures across Japan.

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الثلاثاء، 14 فبراير 2012

Lincoln Tribune

Lincoln Tribune

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