Holiday in Hell : 300 Garbage Trucks a Day Were Needed to Collect Rubbish in the Kuta Area

Shear English - Australians have a strong affinity with Bali and will keep going, travel agents say, despite it being dubbed "holidays in hell" by Time magazine. The magazine says the island is struggling with waste and some of its famous beaches are strewn with rubbish. Bali tourism agency head Ida Bagus Subhiksu said up to 300 garbage trucks a day were needed to collect rubbish in the Kuta area, a prime tourist spot. "We are not closing our eyes. It's true that we have a waste problem," he said.

But Flight Centre spokesman Haydn Long said it remains one of the top 10 destinations for Australian travellers, because of its affordability, proximity and luxurious resorts. Many are repeat customers and rarely complained about Kuta Beach, he said. Visitor numbers to Bali are growing - 2.3 million foreign tourists came last year and 2.5 million are expected this year.

"With most destinations, there's positives and negatives," Mr Long said.

"Aussies are pretty resilient and nothing really fazes them too much when they're on holidays."

He said Australians felt strongly about supporting Bali in the wake of the 2002 and 2005 bombings.

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World's First Bullying Alert System for Facebook Which Scans Text and Flags

Shear English - A concerned father has developed the world's first bullying alert system for Facebook which scans text and flags up abusive behaviour. NHS consultant Paddy Clarke's software scans walls and inboxes for trigger words and phrases such as 'gay' and 'fat' and alerts parents when they appear. The father-of-four came up with the idea after reading a string of cyber-bullying horror stories. Mr Clarke, 48, said he hoped his system - called 'Know Diss' - will keep children safe from online bullies. He said: 'Bullying has now gone from the playground into children's homes.

'Kids feel safe sending an abusive message in their rooms. It is pretty awful. 'Cyber-bullying is very topical at the moment, particularly following some tragic cases where young people have taken their lives because of it. 'It is hard to believe but this software is the only one in the world to search through text on social networking sites to protect children.

'Know Diss is a very simple concept. It is also a partnership between parent and child because one cannot sign up without the other.'

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Drinking More Than a Pint of Beer a Day Can Substantially Increase the Risk of Some Cancers

Shear English - Drinking more than a pint of beer a day can substantially increase the risk of some cancers, research shows. A large Europe-wide study in the British Medical Journal found that one-in-10 of all cancers in men and one-in-33 of all cancers in women are caused by past or current alcohol intake. For alcohol-related cancers, one-in-three in men and one-in-20 in women are caused by any excessive drinking.

Cancer charities say people should limit their drinking to lower the risk. The study calculated that in 2008, current and past drinking habits were responsible for about 13,000 cases of alcohol-related cancer in the UK, out of a total of 304,000 cancer cases. Previous research has shown a link between alcohol consumption and cancers of the oesophagus, liver, bowel and female breast. When alcohol is broken down by the body it produces a chemical which can damage DNA, increasing the chance of developing cancer.

Glass too far - This research found that individuals who drank more than two standard drinks a day for men and one drink a day for women were particularly at risk of alcohol-related cancers. A standard drink contains about 12g of alcohol, which is equivalent to a 125ml glass of wine or a half pint of beer.

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Gene clue to how cancer spreads (NKX2-1)

Shear English - A genetic change that makes lung cancer more likely to spread around the body has been pinpointed by US scientists. The research, published in the journal Nature, could ultimately lead to new medicines to fight secondary tumours. The discovery was made in mice but has been confirmed in human tumour samples.

A UK cancer charity said understanding why some lung cancers are more likely to spread is vital for developing better treatments. The researchers found the genetic change while studying mice that are genetically programmed to develop lung tumours. They found reduced activity of the gene - NKX2-1 - in samples from human lung tumours, and found this was associated with higher death rates.

Lead author of the paper, Monte Winslow, of the David H Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT, said understanding the role of the gene may help scientists develop new drugs. "The sad reality is that if you could tell a patient whether their cancer has turned down this gene, you would know they will have a worse outcome, but it wouldn't change their treatment," he said.

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Japan : Earthquake (7.1) Prompts Fukushima Evacuation

Shear English - Authorities in north-east Japan ordered a general evacuation and workers at the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant took shelter after an earthquake triggered a new tsunami warning. However, the tsunami warning was lifted after 90 minutes and the earthquake - with a magnitude of 7.1 - did little obvious damage. Fukushima officials said the quake had no detectable effect at the plant.  Last month's 9.0 earthquake set off a tsunami which devastated the region.

 

Shelter

The earthquake - at a depth of 49km (32 miles) - struck off Japan's north-east coast, close to the epicentre of the 11 March quake. All seven of the workers at Fukushima Daiichi were safe, a spokesman for plant operator Tepco told a news conference in Tokyo.  "They have not been injured and they have all taken shelter in our seismic-resistant building. We are continuing to inject water, or we are continuing the injection operation at reactors 1, 2 and 3," said the spokesman, whose name was not given.

The workers are trying to keep the damaged reactors cool to stop further releases of radioactive material.  Thursday's quake struck at 2332 local time (1432 GMT) on Thursday, 118km (78 miles) north of Fukushima, 40km offshore. 

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Hot News !! Madonna NOT Under Investigation by FBI

Shear English - A spokeswoman for Madonna said on Tuesday that neither the singer nor a charity she backs in Malawi is being investigated by the FBI. Some recent unsourced media reports have said that an international education charity the singer backs, Success for Kids, is being investigated by FBI agents in Los Angeles for alleged irregularities and suspicious activity.

The reports follow news last month that another charity backed by Madonna, Raising Malawi, had scrapped a plan to build a school for impoverished girls in Malawi due to mismanagement. The board of that charity was sacked.

"In recent days a number of wild and totally false rumors about Madonna`s philanthropy -- spread by bloggers and tabloids -- have begun appearing on the Internet," Madonna`s spokeswoman Liz Rosenberg said in a statement. "Neither Madonna nor Raising Malawi is being investigated by the FBI or the IRS (U.S. tax authorities). It is unfortunate that people have chosen to say things about Raising Malawi and Madonna that are not true."

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London Plans Giant Screens to Show Royal Wedding

Shear English - Well-wishers gathering in London to celebrate the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton will be able to watch the ceremony on two giant screens in the city centre, the capital`s mayor said on Thursday. Only 1,900 people -- from family and friends to foreign dignitaries, diplomats, soldiers and charity workers -- have invitations to watch the service inside Westminster Abbey on April 29.

Outside, tens of thousands of people are expected to line the route of the couple`s wedding procession to the abbey from Buckingham Palace.  The screens will be erected nearby in Trafalgar Square and Hyde Park, Mayor of London Boris Johnson said.

"The royal wedding will be a truly momentous occasion and we want everyone to be able to join in the celebrations," he said.

Two billion people around the world are expected to tune into television broadcasts of the royal marriage, Britain`s culture minister Jeremy Hunt said on Wednesday.

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Criminal Hackers : Millions Online Customers Addresses Stolen by Hackers

Shear English - Millions of email addresses belonging to British shoppers have been stolen by criminal hackers. Marks & Spencer yesterday sent warning messages to many online customers who have supplied the store with email addresses. Britons who use Play.com and TripAdvisor have also been sent similar warnings. Victims of the theft risk being targeted in spam and phishing scams. This could result in them logging on to bogus websites set up by criminal gangs.

Once on these websites, it is feared that personal information, including passwords and bank details, could be stolen. There is also a danger that bugs and malicious spy software could be downloaded to victims’ home computers. The alerts raise serious questions about security systems operated by major internet brands and their technology partners. They will also shake consumers’ trust in online shopping – and could encourage shoppers to move back to the High Street.

The M&S security failure relates to a U.S. email company, Epsilon, which has been targeted in what has been called the ‘biggest data breach ever’. Epsilon, one of the largest email marketing companies in the world, sends more than 40billion emails annually on behalf of more than 2,500 clients. The unrelated thefts involving M&S, Play.com and TripAdvisor reflect a growing and lucrative black market in personal email addresses.

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“Holidays in Hell: Bali’s Ongoing Woes”

Shear English - Indonesia’s holiday island of Bali vowed on Thursday to tackle its worsening garbage and pollution problems, following a damning magazine article. Under the headline “Holidays in Hell: Bali’s Ongoing Woes”, Time magazine said the resort island was struggling with waste and some of its famous beaches were strewn with rubbish.

“We are not closing our eyes. It’s true that we have a waste problem,” Bali tourism agency head Ida Bagus Subhiksu said. Subhiksu said up to 300 garbage trucks a day were needed to collect rubbish in the Kuta area, a prime tourist spot.

“In Kuta, there will be more garbage trucks designated for the area as extra funding for waste management there has been approved,” he said.

Subhiksu added that many of the litter on the beaches came from islands outside Bali. Visitor numbers to Bali are growing — 2.3 million foreign tourists came last year and 2.5 million are expected this year. 

English-KOMPAS.com

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PLN NOT Attracted to Nuclear Energy

Shear English - Indonesia’s State Electricity Company (PLN) was not interested in developing a nuclear power plant because it was not efficient, the company’s CEO said. At the same time, Indonesia was rich in other alternative energy sources though they were not yet used optimally, PLN President Director Dahlan Iskan said here Wednesday.

"For now, we are not interested in using nuclear energy as there are many other energy sources which are cheaper," he said. According to him, it needed six years to build a nuclear power plant while the electricity costs Rp1,700.00 per kWh. "We still have plenty of energy sources such as coal, water, geothermal, and natural gas," he said at a coordinative meeting with directors and officials of the State Enterprises Ministry and local authorities.

Those alternative energy sources were abundant in Indonesia, while other countries, such as Japan and South Korea, had different condition, Dahlan said adding that it was why the two countries offered nuclear energy development to Indonesia. "I would agree if a nuclear plant were to be built here as long as there were no more energy sources that could be used," Dahlan said.

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Pictures : Subarus New Look Impreza

Shear English - Subaru has released the first official image of its new-look Impreza ahead of its full reveal at the New York motor show later this month. The new Impreza will be making its debut just four years after the launch of the third-generation model but is understood to have been fast-tracked to address its predecessor's polarising styling and much-criticised interior quality.

The single profile shot suggests the new Impreza is staying relatively faithful to the Impreza concept shown at last November's LA motor show, though the production model is inevitably more conservative. The proportions of the Japanese brand's small car are vastly improved, while the shape is clearly more curvaceous compared with the model it will replace. A more steeply raked windscreen rises into a swooping roofline, while the all-new sheetmetal brings a cleaner, crisper look to the body.

Flared wheelarches are also retained from last year's concept car and indicate even the regular models will carry muscular design cues usually reserved for the sportier Impreza variants - the WRX and STI. The new Impreza is expected to be slightly longer, wider and lower, and offer a more spacious cabin.

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Gadhafi Implored Obama to Stop the NATO-Led Air Campaign

Shear English - Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi appealed directly to President Barack Obama on Wednesday to halt what the Libyan leader called "an unjust war" and wished Obama good luck in his bid for re-election next year. In a rambling, three-page letter to Obama, Gaddafi implored Obama to stop the NATO-led air campaign, which he called an "unjust war against a small people of a developing country".

"You are a man who has enough courage to annul a wrong and mistaken action," Gaddafi wrote in the letter that was sent to the State Department and forwarded immediately to the White House, according to a US official who had seen the letter.

"I am sure that you are able to shoulder the responsibility for that. "To serving world peace ... Friendship between our peoples ... and for the sake of economic, and security cooperation against terror, you are in a position to keep NATO off the Libyan affair for good," Gaddafi wrote.

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WOOW !!! Mariah Carey Poses for Nude Cover Shoot

Shear English - Mariah Carey has posed for her fair share of portraits. But none has been as personal or emotional as the singing legend unveiling her baby bump - days away from giving birth to twins. Eight months pregnant Mariah, 42, proudly showed off the bump in time-honoured celebrity fashion - in an exclusive cover shoot with a magazine. Bronzed, radiant, with her hair tumbling softly about her shoulders, the chart-topping singer looked relaxed as she awaits the arrival of her first children, a boy and a girl.

'I was feeling very vulnerable about taking pictures at all right now, but then I didn’t want to miss this opportunity to document this once-in-a-lifetime experience,' Carey told Life & Style magazine 'My ultimate goal was to share this incredibly personal moment with my true fans.'

Carey joins a number of pregnant stars who have posed nude while heavily pregnant. Demi Moore famously appeared naked on the cover of Vanity Fair in August 1991 while seven months pregnant with daughter Scout LaRue. Many have copied that pose, including Christina Aguilera, who was pictured pregnant with son Max on the January 2008 cover of Marie Claire. Carey's twins - a boy and a girl - were clearly ready for their close-ups. She said: 'The babies were kicking almost the entire time; it was unbelievable.

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Amazing Pictures : Sharks Taught to Hunt Alien Lionfish

Shear English - Working with park officials, local divers are attempting to give sharks a taste for the alien reef species, which are native to the Pacific and Indian Oceans. With no natural predators, lionfish populations have exploded throughout the waters of the Caribbean and U.S. Southeast since their accidental introduction by aquarium hobbyists a decade ago.

In Honduras "local dive masters familiar with the sharks decided to try to turn them on to eating invasive lionfish," said photographer Antonio Busiello, who recently snapped images of the efforts during three months of diving on the site.

"If these predators start to see lionfish as prey, eventually, in time the lionfish may be kept under control as a part of the ecosystem. That was the idea." —Brian Handwerk

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More Radiation from Nuclear Plant Could Cause "Bizarre Mutations"

Shear English - In the past week, seawater samples taken near the nuclear power plant, on Japan's eastern coast, have shown elevated levels of radioactive isotopes, including cesium 137 and iodine 131, according to the New York Times. All life on Earth and in the oceans lives with exposure to natural levels of ionizing radiation—high-frequency radiation with enough energy to change DNA. Most such genetic damage heals, but the addition of human-made radiation can make it harder for the body to repair broken genes.

Radiation concentrations in the Japanese seawater samples have fluctuated in past days, but on Wednesday the amount of iodine spiked to 3,355 times the legal limit for seawater, Japanese nuclear safety officials told the Associated Press. That level is the highest so far—and an indication that more radiation is entering the ocean, though how is still unknown, the agency reported. Cesium was also found to be 20 times its safety limit on March 28, according to the Times.

Radiation Can Cause "Bizarre Mutations"

Once in seawater, radiation can hurt ocean animals in several ways—by killing them outright, creating "bizarre mutations" in their offspring, or passing radioactive material up the food chain, according to Joseph Rachlin, director of Lehman College's Laboratory for Marine and Estuarine Research in New York City.

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Robotic smart bird flies like real gull

Shear English - A German company has developed a gull which can fly like real gulls. Smart Bird, which uses a compact 135 brushless motor, can start, fly and land autonomously. An articulated torsion drive unit allows the bird to beat its wings up and down as well twist at specific angles. Company Fesco built robotic gull from carbon fiber and polyurethane foam, the ultra light Smart Bird weighs 485 grams, operates at 23 watts and can be controlled from the ground using a radio controller.

German company said that the bird's functional integration of coupled drive units could potentially be transferred to the development and optimization of a range of hybrid drive technology - from generators that derive energy from water to new actuators in process automation. The minimal use of materials and the bird`s lightweight construction also pave the way for efficiency in resource and energy consumption, says Festo. (KR-BPY/H-AK)

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Jackie Chan and Other Asian Stars Raised Over HK$25 Million ($3.2 million)

Shear English - Action hero Jackie Chan and other Asian stars raised over HK$25 million ($3.2 million) at a charity concert Friday in Hong Kong for disaster-hit Japan, where over 28,000 are dead or missing. "We`re here to tell the people of Japan -- you`re not alone," said Chan, one of the initiators of the celebrity concert. "Don`t give up, hang in there."

A massive 9.0-earthquake and tsunami hit Japan on March 11, devastating large areas of the northeast coast and leading to an ongoing nuclear emergency at a crippled atomic plant. "They have a long to recovery ahead of them, but I hope they can stay strong and positive," said Chan, who personally donated HK$4 million to cover the production costs of the concert so that the proceeds could go to quake victims. "We`re here to help in whatever way we can," he added. "I thank the people of Hong Kong -- they have shown tremendous generosity."

The veteran movie star was joined by performers from Taiwan, China, Japan, South Korea and Indonesia for the three-hour show in the city`s bustling Causeway Bay district, where stars performed songs interspersed with video footage of the quake. The event featured a theme song called "Succumb not to sorrow", based on a popular Japanese poem that praises the tenacity of Japan`s people in the face of hardship.

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"Cannibal" Slit Housemate's Throat and Drank His Blood. Jailed For Life

Shear English - A self-proclaimed cannibal who slit his housemate’s throat, partially severed his genitals and then drank his blood was found guilty of murder in Australia on Monday and jailed for life. A Supreme Court jury convicted Robert Ian Logan, 23, of killing Ben Huntingford, 22, in their Queensland home in June 2006 and stabbing his pet dog, Butch, in a bloody attack likened by witnesses to an abattoir slaughter. 

Huntingford’s throat was cut from ear to ear and prosecutors told the jury his blood had been used to write obscenities on the walls. His penis was almost severed and Huntingford also had stab wounds to the heart, liver, spleen, kidney and lung, with Logan alleging he was motivated by an unwanted sexual advance from Huntingford.

The jury heard during the trial from a witness who said Logan claimed to have eaten human flesh with New Zealand cannibals as a child. The trial also heard that Logan told police he drank Huntingford’s blood after the killing. Judge Julie Dick told Logan there was "only one sentence I can impose" for such a crime, following the jury verdict.

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"Want to Move Toward Change for the Country", Sons Plan to Oust Gaddafi

Shear English - At least two sons of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi are proposing a transition to a constitutional democracy that would include their father's removal from power, The New York Times reports. Citing an unnamed diplomat and a Libyan official briefed on the plan, the newspaper said the transition would be spearheaded by one of Gaddafi's sons, Seif al-Islam el-Gaddafi. It is not clear whether Colonel Gaddafi, 68, has signed on to the reported proposal backed by his sons, Seif and Saadi el-Gaddafi, the report said.

But one person close to the sons said the father appeared willing to go along, the paper noted. The two sons "want to move toward change for the country" without their father, The Times quoted one person close to the Seif and Saadi camp as saying. "They have hit so many brick walls with the old guard, and if they have the go-ahead, they will bring the country up quickly."

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Britain Sold Weapons to Libya and Other Dictatorships in North Africa and the Middle East

Shear English - Britain sold weapons to Libya and other dictatorships in North Africa and the Middle East just four months before Colonel Gaddafi’s regime slaughtered hundreds of protesters, a damning report reveals today. Ministers approved the export of sniper rifles, bullets, tear gas and other ‘crowd control’ ammunition to Tripoli shortly before the murderous dictator ordered his military to crush a pro-democracy uprising.

The highly critical report by MPs laid bare the ‘dirty secret’ of Britain selling arms to some of the world’s most brutal regimes. Successive British governments have ‘misjudged the risk’, the Commons’ Committee on Arms Export Controls said. The report follows mounting fears Gaddafi used UK-made arms against the rebel uprising in Libya. More than 1,000 Libyan citizens have been killed since his violent crackdown was launched. Official figures show that since 2009, Britain approved export licences worth £2.3billion to 16 states over a 21-month period.

Military export licenses to Libya alone since the start of 2009 totalled £61.3million, according to Department for Business figures. The UK also awarded Bahrain £6million of licences covering submachine guns, sniper rifles, CS hand grenades, smoke canisters, stun grenades and riot control agents. At least 26 citizens have been killed and 1,000 injured as the Gulf state cracked down on freedom campaigners. Britain also approved arms licenses totalling £1.7billion to Saudi Arabia, £20.4million to Egypt, £276.9million to Algeria and £52.8million to the United Arab Emirates.

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Fasting for 24 Hours 'May Cut Risk of Heart Disease'

Shear English - Regularly going a day without food may reduce your risk of heart disease and diabetes, research has suggested. Doctors studied the health and habits of more than 200 residents in the state of Utah, where fasting for at least one day a month is a way of life for many Mormons. X-ray scans revealed narrowing of the arteries in around 75 per cent of those who didn’t fast. In contrast, clogged arteries affected 63 per cent of those who said they often skipped meals.

Fasting also appeared to more than halve the odds of diabetes, the American College of Cardiology’s conference heard. To ensure the results were not only due to those who fast having healthier lifestyles, the researchers carried out a second study on people who were not regular fasters. They did not eat or drink anything other than water for 24 hours and underwent a series of health checks. They were also monitored while eating normally. 'I do it once a week between elevenses and lunch.' The tests revealed fasting triggers a significant surge in human growth hormone, a hormone credited with speeding up metabolism and burning off fat.

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Sex Tape Clip Posted on YouTube, Who Is He ?? "Anwar Ibrahim" ??

Shear English - A clip from a sex tape said to feature Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim has been posted on video-sharing website YouTube, reports said on Tuesday. The one minute and 47 second excerpt uploaded on Sunday is not explicit in itself but is part of a longer video showing a man having sex with a woman in a hotel room, local media have reported.

The man in the YouTube clip is said to closely resemble Anwar, although the former deputy premier on Tuesday denied any involvement. YouTube removed the clip late Monday but by then it had spread to pro-government blogs and websites, according to the Star daily newspaper.

The Star said the YouTube clip showed a man in a towel with another man dressed in a shirt and trousers while a woman with Chinese features is seen sitting on a bed. In the longer video, the man in the towel reportedly has sex with the woman after the other man leaves the room. “The face of the towel-clad, pudgy-looking man in short hair can be seen several times. He, however, does not stand in place long enough for his face to be clearly identified,” the Star reported.

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