EU-China summit opens with emphasis on trade

BRUSSELS (AP) ? An EU-China summit is emphasizing the increasing trade ties between the two.

The high-level meeting, which is being held Thursday in Brussels, is also being used as a fond farewell to Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao. China will choose new leadership this fall.

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said it was "appropriate" to use the occasion look at progress made since Wen took office ten years ago and almost ten years since the launch of a strategic partnership between the two sides.

Barroso pointed to greatly increased trade over the past 10 years -- 280 percent in goods, 380 percent in services.

For his part, Wen called for the EU's arms embargo against China, which was imposed in 1989 following the suppression of protests Tiananmen Square, to be lifted.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2012-09-20-EU-China%20Summit/id-f2c86c79657446dbbc7077bd7bc778bc

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Louvre Museum unveils Islamic Art wing

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Pakistani accused by film protesters of blasphemy

ISLAMABAD (AP) ? Demonstrators angry over an anti-Islam film accused a local businessman in southern Pakistan of blasphemy, forcing the police to open a case and driving him and his family into hiding, following an argument that broke out when he refused to join their protest, officials said Wednesday.

The incident demonstrates the potential for abuse of the country's strict blasphemy laws as well as the intense feelings the film, which denigrates Islam's Prophet Muhammed, has unleashed in Pakistan.

At least two people have died in protests against the film, which has generated widespread animosity across the Muslim world.

The incident in the city of Hyderabad began when hundreds of protesters rallied Saturday. Some protesters demanded that businessman Haji Nasrullah Khan shut his roughly 120 shops in solidarity, said police officer Munir Abbasi.

When Khan refused, one of his tenants said his decision supported the film, the officer said.

The protesters claimed Khan insulted the Prophet while arguing with them, said city police chief Fareed Jan. But he said there was no evidence to suggest the insults really occurred and that police only opened a blasphemy case because they were pressured by the mob. Opening such a case doesn't mean the person is necessarily charged with the crime but that police are investigating him or her.

Protesters ransacked Khan's house, and surrounded a police station, refusing to go away until officials opened a blasphemy case, Abbasi said.

The situation became even more inflamed when religious leaders from one of the biggest mosques in the city issued an edict calling for Khan's death and announced from the mosque's loudspeakers that he should be killed, Abbasi said.

The police officer said Khan and his family members had gone into hiding in fear for their lives.

Under Pakistan's blasphemy laws, anyone found guilty of defiling the holy book, or Quran, or insulting Islam's Prophet Muhammad can face life in prison or death.

Critics say the laws are often abused to harass non-Muslims or to settle personal rivalries. Radical Islamist groups have also been behind some of the blasphemy accusations.

In this case, Abbasi said, police suspect some of the complaints against Khan by other shopkeepers may have been sparked more by his desire to evict some of them for late payment as opposed to any actual insults.

Abbasi said a prominent pro-Taliban religious party, Jamiat-e-Ulema Pakistan, and an al-Qaida linked militant group, Sipah-e-Sahaba, had been advocating against the shopkeeper.

Despite the potential for abuse, efforts to amend or repeal the blasphemy laws have failed in the past.

Last year, a minister and a governor were assassinated when they spoke out about misuse of the laws and suggested changing them. The governor was shot and killed by his own guard.

Rights activists and critics of the laws had hoped that the recent case of a 14-year-old girl charged with insulting the Quran would help bring about changes in the laws, or at least help curb abuse.

The case gained widespread attention and sympathy both in Pakistan and internationally due to her young age and questions about her mental capacity.

She was granted bail after a religious cleric was accused of planting evidence to incriminate her, and her lawyers have said they will move to throw the case out entirely.

But a blasphemy accusation, even an unproven one, can be a death sentence in Pakistan.

A report by the Islamabad-based Center for Research and Security Studies said that since 1990, 52 people have been killed by vigilantes after being implicated in blasphemy cases.

Earlier this summer a mob in one Pakistani city dragged an accused blasphemer from a police building, beat him to death and burned the body.

___

Associated Press Writer Adil Jawad in Karachi contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/pakistani-accused-film-protesters-blasphemy-170608982.html

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$22 billion parents give their children annually and its no surprise ...

Press Service International for Christian Today Australia - Mark Tronson

Thursday, 20 September 2012, 6:18 (EST)

Fathers Day 2012 ? Mark and Wesley Tronson, one of Christian Today Australia's young writers Lisel O'Dwyer of the University of Adelaide was the lead researcher in a study funded by National Seniors examined the transfer of money and time between Australians aged 50 and over to their children and elderly parents.

The Sydney Morning Herald's Adele Horin unpicked the data in her article ?Generation IOU parents fork out $22 billion a year to help their children?. (www.smh.com.au)

Horin makes the telling point that parents spend about as much on their adult children as the federal government spends on the health system. $22 billion given to their adult children and $1 billion given to elderly parents.

Moreover, the baby boomer generation give four to five hours a week giving practical help to elderly parents or minding grandchildren - though Horin highlights from the report that some do much more and some do little. The practical help was valued at $30 billion a year based on an hourly average wage.

Almost 70 per cent of the money is given as a gift, not a loan by these parents whose median age is 58. In addition 40% of those over 80 give $1 billion to their grand children unassociated with their Wills which is another matter altogether.

Horin also pointed out that Dr O'Dwyer who presented the findings to the Australian Institute of Family Studies conference, said whether people were rich or poor made no difference to the amount of practical help they gave their elderly parents.

The conclusions drawn are that family solidarity is very strong in Australia but that elderly parents were seen as an obligation where giving to their children is seen as a pleasure. The downside is that minding the grand children should be a choice not a duty.

None of us should be surprised by any of these findings. As a father of four adult children and grand father everything about these findings ring true to our situation and our associates of similar age.

Observations

The Australian baby boomer generation has been the beneficiaries of an economic era of astonishing benefits which have included superannuation, long service leave, sickness benefits, healthy incomes, health care, Centrelink family benefits, bank accounts, investments and remarkably high percentages of home ownership.

There has never been a generation in history so wealthy, so abundantly catered for and with so much disposable income.

My wife of 35 years and I were financially assisted by our respective parents before marriage in that we each purchased a first home. When we married those properties were sold and our own first home was purchased with a very small mortgage paid off when I was 33 and thus allowing us to move into ?faith financial ministry?.

This kind of story was not uncommon in various measures however baby boomers have been home owners with mortgages paid off by their '50s or shortly thereafter. They in turn have been able to help their own children, particularly in the light of some difficult economic situations associated with the GFC.

But the overwhelming emphasis has been on getting that first property whether it be a home on the quarter acre block in the suburbs or a town house or unit of some description. The baby boomer generation has impressed this upon their children.

Other considerations

But it is not all sweet and delicious. A recent report from News.com suggests that there will be nothing left for Generation Z to inherit. It is being given away now. (www.news.com.au)

There is also a section of the community who have not had such good role models or have made poor investment or business decisions finding themselves in embarrassingly difficult financial straits. This group have not been able to help their children or their elderly parents.

As a Baptist minister of 35 years I'm able to recount innumerable such situations. The most common is where an elderly parent, now a widow, sold their family home and the funds were mishandled by well meaning children with poor financial decisions. The nest egg for their elderly parent's later nursing home needs has been greatly diminished or lost. Family relationships between siblings become strained over such issues.

On a brighter note, Christian churches and missions have likewise benefited as there has been so much disposable income available. Major building projects have been generously funded along with many missionary endeavours to the four quarters of the earth.

Dr Mark Tronson is a Baptist minister (retired) who served as the Australian cricket team chaplain for 17 years (2000 ret) and established Life After Cricket in 2001. He was recognised by the Olympic Ministry Medal in 2009 presented by Carl Lewis Olympian of the Century. He has written 24 books, and enjoys writing. He is married to Delma, with four adult children and grand-children.

Mark Tronson's archive of articles can be viewed at www.pressserviceinternational.org/mark-tronson.html

Source: http://au.christiantoday.com/article/22-billion-parents-give-their-children-annually-and-its-no-surprise-given-the-baby-boomer-generation/14096.htm

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Khoe-San peoples diverged before 'out-of-Africa' migration of modern humans

ScienceDaily (Sep. 20, 2012) ? Genetically, culturally and ethically the Khoe-San have something special to add to this world.? The largest genomic study ever conducted among Khoe and San groups reveals that these groups from southern Africa are descendants of the earliest diversification event in the history of all humans -- some 100,000 years ago, well before the 'out-of-Africa' migration of modern humans.

Some 220 individuals from different regions in southern Africa participated in the research that led to the analysis of around 2.3 million DNA variants per individual -- the biggest ever.

The research was conducted by a group of international scientists, including Professor Himla Soodyall from the Human Genomic Diversity and Disease Research Unit in the Health Faculty at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg.

Entitled Genomic variation in seven Khoe-San groups reveals adaptation and complex African history, the study has been selected for early online publishing in the scientific journal, Science, on September 20, 2012.

"The deepest divergence of all living people occurred some 100,000 years ago, well before modern humans migrated out of Africa and about twice as old as the divergences of central African Pygmies and East African hunter-gatherers and from other African groups," says lead author Dr Carina Schlebusch, a Wits University PhD-graduate now conducting post-doctoral research at Uppsala University in Sweden.

Soodyall, from National Health Laboratory Services in South Africa, has a long standing relationship with Khoe and San communities and said that the findings are a "phenomenal tribute to the indigenous Khoe and San people of southern Africa, and through this magnificent collaboration, we have given the peoples of Africa an opportunity to reclaim their place in the history of the world."

Besides the publication of the study, the authors will also be visiting the San groups in the Kalahari, in the Askam area in South Africa on the 24th of September 2012 for the country's Heritage Day celebrations. "We are excited that together with some of our colleagues from Uppsala University, we will be able to join in the celebrations with the San groups in the Kalahari who participated in our research and to acknowledge their contribution in making our research possible."

The researchers are now making the genome-wide data freely available: "Genetic information is getting more and more important for medical purposes. In addition to illuminating their history, we hope that this study is a step towards Khoe and San groups also being a part of that revolution," says Schlebusch. Another author, Professor Mike de Jongh from University of South Africa adds, "It is important for us to communicate with the participants prior to the genetic studies, to inform individuals about the nature of our research, and to also go back to not only to share the results with them, but also to explain the significance of the data for recapturing their heritage, to them."

According to Assistant-Professor Mattias Jakobsson from Uppsala University, these deep divergences among African populations have important implications and consequences when the history of all humankind is deciphered.

The deep structure and patterns of genetic variation suggest a complex population history of the peoples of Africa. "The human population has been structured for a long time," says Jakobsson, "and it is possible that modern humans emerged from a non-homogeneous group."

The study also found surprising stratification among Khoe-San groups. For example, the researchers estimate that the San populations from northern Namibia and Angola separated from the Khoe and San populations living in South Africa as early as 25,000 -- 40,000 years ago.

"There is astonishing ethnic diversity among the Khoe-San group, and we were able to see many aspects of the colorful history that gave rise to this diversity in their DNA," said Schlebusch.

The study further indicates how pastoralism first spread to southern Africa in combination with the Khoe culture. From archaeological and ethnographic studies it has been suggested that pastoralism was introduced to the Khoe in southern Africa before the arrival of Bantu-speaking farmers, but it has been unclear if this event had any genetic impact.

The Nama, a pastoralist Khoe group from Namibia showed great similarity to 'southern' San groups. "However, we found a small but very distinct genetic component that is shared with East Africans in this group, which may be the result of shared ancestry associated with pastoral communities from East Africa," says Schlebusch.

With the genetic data the researchers could see that the Khoe pastoralists originate from a Southern San group that adopted pastoralism with genetic contributions from an East African group -- a group that would have been the first to bring pastoralist practices to southern Africa.

The study also revealed evidence of local adaptation in different Khoe and San groups. For example, the researchers found that there was evidence for selection in genes involved in muscle function, immune response, and UV-light protection in local Khoe and San groups. These could be traits linked with adaptations to the challenging environments in which the ancestors of present-day San and Khoe were exposed to that have been retained in the gene pool of local groups.

The researchers also looked for signals across the genome of ancient adaptations that happened before the historical separation of the Khoe-San lineage from other humans. "Although all humans today carry similar variants in these genes, the early divergence between Khoe-San and other human groups allowed us to zoom-in on genes that have been fast-evolving in the ancestors of all of us living on the planet today," said Pontus Skoglund from Uppsala University.

Among the strongest candidates were genes involved in skeletal development that may have been crucial in determining the characteristics of anatomically modern humans.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of the Witwatersrand, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

---

Journal Reference:

1. Carina M. Schlebusch, Pontus Skoglund, Per Sj?din, Lucie M. Gattepaille, Dena Hernandez, Flora Jay, Sen Li, Michael De Jongh, Andrew Singleton, Michael G. B. Blum, Himla Soodyall, and Mattias Jakobsson. Genomic Variation in Seven Khoe-San Groups Reveals Adaptation and Complex African History. Science, 20 September 2012 DOI: 10.1126/science.1227721

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/dhbT_U4jPsA/120920141139.htm

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Swim coach banned for life in sex abuse case

Rick Curl was one of the nation's most prominent swimming coaches. He put his stamp on an Olympic champion. He built a highly respected club that trained thousands of youngsters.

All along, he was hiding a dark secret.

It caught up with him Wednesday.

Curl was banned for life by USA Swimming over allegations of an intimate relationship with a teenage swimmer in the 1980s, another ugly chapter in a sexual abuse scandal that has rocked one of America's most successful Olympic sports.

"He cast a spell over me," said Kelley Davies Currin, who claims the relationship started when she was 13 and Curl was 33. "I don't know why. Looking back, it doesn't make sense. He controlled everything. He controlled what I ate, when I slept, who I could hang out with."

The founder of a well-known club in the Washington, D.C., area and coach for 1996 and 2000 Olympic gold medalist Tom Dolan, Curl was scheduled to appear Wednesday before the National Board of Review. But he informed the governing body he was waiving his right to challenge the case at a hearing.

Curl voluntarily gave up his membership and was added to USA Swimming's list of banned individuals, which is published on the organization Web site. He became the 67th name on the list.

Currin said she was pleased with the banishment of someone who caused her so much misery, but hopes it is only the beginning of truly meaningful change throughout the sport.

"Obviously I feel really good about it," she told The Associated Press in an interview. "But, in a way, I feel like this should have been done so long ago. This is really just the first step in the process. Unfortunately, I don't think things are going to get better. I think more discoveries are going be made. This is just the first layer of the onion."

Currin received a $150,000 settlement from Curl not to go to law enforcement with details of the illicit four-year relationship, a decision she still regrets.

"We had horrible counsel. We were given terrible legal advice," she said. "I absolutely, positively wish I could have a redo. I think there needs to be a law that for a child who's abused, there's no option. It's a criminal case. It's got to be reported. To settle out of court should never be an option."

After the settlement, Currin said she dealt with depression and suffered from an eating disorder. She has since married and gotten a job as a teacher, allowing some degree of normalcy. Still, she decided to come forward after the sport was rocked by a sexual abuse scandal that first came to light two years ago.

"There were just some really dark days," Currin said. "Abuse is horrific at any age but when it happens in the preteen years, the early teen years, those are the hardest years anyway for an adolescent. ... It was just so confusing for me. I'll live with the scars of that forever."

Dozens of coaches have been involved in improper relationships with underage swimmers, prompting USA Swimming to launch a new safe sport program that includes mandatory training and enhanced criminal background checks for all non-athlete members. Critics say the sport still promotes a culture of secrecy and has demanded that the top leadership be replaced, including executive director Chuck Wielgus.

Curl's attorney, Thomas Kelly, did not immediately respond to voice mails and an email seeking comment.

The coach stepped down as CEO of Curl-Burke Swim Club in July and is no longer associated with the team. The club issued a statement Tuesday saying it has changed its name to Nation's Capital Swim Club, with 15 sites around the Washington area serving more than 2,000 athletes.

The club's most notable swimmer is 15-year-old Katie Ledecky, who won a gold medal in the 800-meter freestyle at the London Olympics.

"The last couple of months have been a challenging time for our club, coaches, swimmers and facility partners," said Tom Ugast, the new CEO. "Our new name and ownership build on the many changes we've already made that reflect our uncompromising commitment to the safety of our swimmers, while preserving the talents and strengths that have made our club one of the country's most successful for years."

Currin was notified of the decision to ban her former coach in a letter from Susan Woessner, director of safe sport for USA Swimming.

"I want to thank you for your courage in coming forward and speaking out," Woessner wrote. "Your willingness to share your story is now holding Rick accountable after all these years. Thank you, Kelley. I have endless gratitude."

USA Swimming said it would have no additional comment.

Currin's attorney, Robert Allard, said she is working with investigators to pursue criminal charges against Curl, pointing out there is no statute of limitations on federal law under the Mann Act and adding that some state laws in Maryland and Virginia could also apply to the case.

Allard called Curl "the proverbial Jerry Sandusky within this organization," referring to the former Penn State football coach awaiting a likely life sentence for sexually abusing underage boys.

"We're hoping the conclusion of this is exactly the same one they had at Penn State ? the pedophile goes to jail, and those who were aware of it and did nothing are held criminally responsible as well," the attorney said.

As part of a separate lawsuit filed Monday, Allard claims former national team coach Mark Schubert knew of the case for years and tried, without success, to get USA Swimming to investigate.

"Similar to Penn State immediately moving to rid itself of those who knew and did nothing, we are not going to stop until the same is done at USA Swimming, starting with Mr. Wielgus," the attorney said. He also called for the firing of technical vice president David Berkoff, saying he "has admitted to knowing all about Mr. Curl going back to the early 1990s and failed to take effective action to protect young swimmers."

Despite being under investigation since April 2011, Curl was allowed to attend the U.S. Olympic trials this summer with a coaching credential.

"To be honest, I was not surprised people knew about it and did nothing," Currin said. "But when I learned for sure there was actual knowledge, it makes me want to throw up."

___

Contact Paul Newberry on Twitter at www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/swim-coach-banned-life-sex-abuse-case-144907004--spt.html

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Photos: Powerful Typhoon Sanba battering North, South Korea

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/photos/typhoon-batters-north-south-korea-slideshow/

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