Monday 30 September 2013

US begins shutdown amid budget row

Source BBC News@ tienganhvui.com


The US Capitol. 30 Sept 2013Debate continued late into the night at the US Capitol - without success


The US government has begun a partial shutdown after the Republican-led House of Representatives refused to approve a budget for next year.


A midnight deadline passed without agreement despite an 11th-hour appeal by President Barack Obama.


More than 700,000 US government workers face unpaid leave with no guarantee of back pay once the deadlock is over.


Republicans have insisted on delaying President Obama's health care reforms as a condition for passing the budget.


With less than one hour to go before midnight, the Republican-led House called for a bipartisan committee with the Senate to try to thrash out a deal, but Democrats said it was too late to avoid a shutdown.


The White House's budget office began notifying federal agencies to begin an "orderly shutdown" as midnight approached.



Start Quote



Now they have gone over the cliff - not because of a massive miscalculation or even misstep, but a bravado-fuelled game of dare that was almost bound to end this way”



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It is the US government's first partial shutdown in 17 years.


Obama address

On Monday afternoon, the Democratic-led Senate voted 54-46 against a bill from House Republicans that would have funded the government only if President Obama's healthcare law - dubbed Obamacare - was delayed for a year.


The US stock market dropped amid fears of political deadlock, although analysts say serious damage to the economy is unlikely unless the shutdown lasts for more than a few days.


Early on Monday evening, President Obama went on national television to criticise Republicans for trying to refight the last election.


A shutdown would have "a very real economic impact on real people, right away," he said, adding it would "throw a wrench" into the US recovery.


"The idea of putting the American people's hard-earned progress at risk is the height of irresponsibility, and it doesn't have to happen."




President Obama: "Time is running out"



After the Senate vote, the chamber's Democratic majority leader blamed Republicans for the imminent halt to all non-essential government operations.


"It will be a Republican government shutdown, pure and simple," said Harry Reid of Nevada, referring to the Republicans as "bullies".


The House then passed another bill on Monday evening to fund the government - but with a one-year delay to one of the health law's primary elements not due to begin on 1 October, the individual mandate.


"The American people don't want a shutdown and neither do I," House Speaker John Boehner said, but added that the healthcare law was "having a devastating impact... Something has to be done".


The Senate again rejected the Obamacare provisions with less than three hours before the deadline.


Major portions of the healthcare law, which passed in 2010 and has been validated by the US Supreme Court, are due to take effect on Tuesday regardless of whether there is a shutdown.


Under the shutdown, national parks and Washington's Smithsonian museums will close, pension and veterans' benefit cheques will be delayed, and visa and passport applications will go unprocessed.


Programmes deemed essential, such as air traffic control and food inspections, will continue.


Who will be affected




  • State department will be able to operate for limited time

  • Department of defence would continue military operations

  • Department of education would still distribute $22bn (£13.6bn) to public schools, but staffing would be severely hit

  • Department of energy - 12,700 staff would be sent home, 1,113 remain to oversee nuclear arsenal

  • Department of health and human services to send home more than half of staff

  • The Federal Reserve, dept of homeland security, and justice dept would see little or no disruption

  • US Postal Services would continue as normal

  • Smithsonian institutions, museums, zoos and many national parks would be closed



The defence department has advised employees that uniformed members of the military will continue on normal duty, but that large numbers of civilian workers will be told to stay home.


On Monday evening, President Obama signed legislation ensuring that military personnel would be paid.


The US government has not undergone a shutdown since 1995-96, when services were suspended for a record 21 days.


Republicans demanded then-President Bill Clinton agree to their version of a balanced budget.


After weeks of negotiation, they reached a compromise similar to what was discussed prior to the shutdown.


As lawmakers grappled with the latest shutdown, the 17 October deadline for extending the government's borrowing limit looms even larger.


On that date, the US government will reach the limit at which it can borrow money to pay its bills, the so-called debt ceiling.


House Republicans have also demanded a series of policy concessions - including on the president's health law and on financial and environmental regulations - in exchange for raising the debt ceiling.





Đăng ký: Tieng Anh Vui

Miliband in Mail row over 'smear'

Source BBC News@ tienganhvui.com


Ed Miliband addresses Labour Party conference on 24 September 2013Mr Miliband said Britain was a source of "hope and comfort" for his father



Labour leader Ed Miliband is locked in a row with the Daily Mail over an article on his Marxist academic father headlined "the man who hated Britain".


He says the story about the late Ralph Miliband's political beliefs was a "character assassination" and "smear".


In a response in the paper, Mr Miliband says the Jewish refugee, who fled Belgium aged 16 to escape the Nazis, "loved" Britain and served in the Navy.


The Mail says in an editorial it will not apologise and stands by the story.


In Saturday's article, journalist Geoffrey Levy questioned how the beliefs of Ralph Miliband, who died in 1994, may have influenced the Labour leader and his brother, former Foreign Secretary David Miliband.


It highlighted a diary entry Ralph Miliband wrote at the age of 17 saying that the English were "perhaps the most nationalist people in the world... you sometimes want them almost to lose [the war] to show them how things are".


It goes on to say "how passionately he would have approved today of his son's sinister warning about some of the policies he plans to follow if he ever becomes prime minister".


In his piece in Tuesday's edition, Ed Miliband says it is "part of our job description as politicians to be criticised and attacked by newspapers... the British people have great wisdom to sort the fair from the unfair. And I have other ways of answering back".


But he adds: "There is no credible argument in the article or evidence from [Ralph Miliband's] life which can remotely justify the lurid headline and its accompanying claim that it would 'disturb everyone who loves this country'."


He says Britain for his father "was a source of hope and comfort for him, not hatred".


"Fierce debate about politics does not justify character assassination of my father, questioning the patriotism of a man who risked his life for our country in the Second World War," Mr Miliband says.


He says the diary entry described the "suspicion he found of the Continent and the French when he arrived here".


"To ignore his service and work in Britain and build an entire case about him hating our country on an adolescent diary entry is, of course, absurd".


Mr Miliband says his father joined the Royal Navy as he "was determined to be part of the fight against the Nazis and to help his family hidden in Belgium. He was fighting for Britain".


Ralph Miliband in 1957Ralph Miliband died in 1994 at the age of 70


He adds: "My father's strongly left-wing views are well known, as is the fact that I have pursued a different path and I have a different vision...


"The idea of me being part of some 'sinister' Marxist plot would have amused him and disappointed him in equal measure and for the same reason - he would have known it was ludicrously untrue. I want to make capitalism work for working people, not destroy it."


He says: "My Dad loved Britain, he served Britain, and he taught both David and me to do the same.... they say 'you can't libel the dead' but you can smear them."


The Daily Mail's editorial - published alongside Mr Miliband's response and an abridged version of the original article - is headlined "an evil legacy and why we wont apologise".


The paper says it stands by "every word" of its article.


BBC political correspondent Carole Walker said it was not unusual for a Labour leader to disagree with the Daily Mail but the row is highly personal.


In a statement, the Labour Party said: "Ed Miliband wrote his right to reply article because he wanted to state clearly that his father loved Britain.


"He wanted the Daily Mail to treat his late father's reputation fairly. Rather than acknowledge it has smeared his father, tonight the newspaper has repeated its original claim. This simply diminishes the Daily Mail further."





Đăng ký: Tieng Anh Vui

PM promises more flexible GP hours

Source BBC News@ tienganhvui.com


DoctorExtending GP hours will relieve the strain on A&E services, David Cameron says



David Cameron says he wants to offer more patients the chance to visit a GP in the evening or at weekends.


Under a scheme to be piloted in nine areas of England, surgeries will be able to bid for funding to open from 8am to 8pm seven days a week.


The prime minister said the £50m project would mean doctors "fit in with work and family life".


Labour said it was an admission of failure after its extended hours scheme was scrapped by the coalition.


Mr Cameron's announcement comes on the penultimate day of the Conservative Party's annual conference in Manchester.


The city is already piloting an extended-hours scheme, with GPs grouping together to offer extra care, in what is being billed as an attempt to prevent "unnecessary" visits to hospital A&E wards.


'Skype appointments'

The wider scheme will see practices applying for a share of a £50m "Challenge Fund", with surgeries becoming "pioneers" in each of nine regions, starting in 2014/15.


Mr Cameron is also promising more "flexible access", including email, Skype and telephone consultations for patients who prefer this to face-to-face contact.


He said: "Millions of people find it hard to get an appointment to see their GP at a time that fits in with their work and family life.


"We want to support GPs to modernise their services so they can see patients from 8am to 8pm, seven days a week."


Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said: "We live in a 24/7 society, and we need GPs to find new ways of working so they can offer appointments at times that suit hard-working people.


"Cutting-edge GP practices here in Manchester are leading the way, and we want many more patients across the country to benefit."


The last Labour government promised something similar in the form of a health centre in each area in England, says BBC health correspondent Branwen Jeffreys.


Many opened with private companies taking on contracts, effectively competing with local family doctors, but ministers in the coalition were less keen, and some centres have closed, she adds.


That has led to a review by the regulator Monitor, which is looking at whether patient choice is being restricted.


The Royal College of GPs said doctors were keen to do more, but were already struggling with their workload.


'Social care collapse'

Shadow health secretary Andy Burnham said: "Under the Tories, hundreds of GP surgeries are shutting their doors earlier after David Cameron scrapped Labour's successful extended opening scheme.


"Patients are also finding it harder to get appointments, and turning to A&E instead, after he removed Labour's guarantee of an appointment within 48 hours."


He added: "So I sincerely hope Jeremy Hunt isn't expecting applause on GP hours, given how they have taken the NHS backwards from the position they inherited from Labour. An apology for the inconvenience they have caused to millions would be more appropriate.


"I also hope he won't claim that this will solve David Cameron's A&E crisis. It is the collapse of social care that is driving vulnerable, older people into hospital in ever greater numbers and this is the crisis they continue to neglect."





Đăng ký: Tieng Anh Vui

Breast cancer 'research gap' warning

Source BBC News@ tienganhvui.com


Breast cancer treatmentBreast cancer therapy has advanced in recent years


Ten "critical" gaps in knowledge about the development of breast cancer must be addressed, say leading experts.


Finding out how breast cancer spreads and evades therapy is a key concern, they report in Breast Cancer Research.


Plugging the gaps in research would lead to improved clinical care for patients within five years, their review of evidence suggests.


Projections suggest 185,000 UK lives will be lost by 2030 at current progress rates, say cancer charities.


In their review of recent progress in research, more than 100 scientists, doctors and healthcare professionals looked at how limitations in knowledge of breast cancer are affecting the setting of priorities for the future.


They identified 10 key gaps that need be plugged:



  • better understanding of genetic factors

  • pinpointing sustainable lifestyle changes

  • targeted breast screening to those who will most benefit

  • understanding how breast cancers grow and spread

  • understanding how cancer cells with different characteristics form within a tumour

  • tests to measure how well patients will respond to chemotherapy or radiotherapy

  • improving drug regimens

  • developing better imaging techniques

  • practical support

  • tissue donation and analysis


Prof Alistair Thompson, of the University of Dundee, co-author of the analysis, said advances in science had transformed knowledge of breast cancers over the past four or five years.


"We're beginning to understand some of the greater complexities of what we're having to deal with and unpick some of the mechanisms by which cancer cells work, divide and spread," he said.


Prof Thompson said the most important gap in research was to find out how cancer progresses.


One "real" advantage to patients with breast cancer that had spread was to take a biopsy of the secondary tumour to see how much it had changed, he said.


This would enable treatment to be better targeted in one in six women, which could "transform" care, he said.


Prof Sue Eccles, of the Institute of Cancer Research, co-author of the analysis, said it was also important to focus on prevention.


"We need to understand more about preventing breast cancer in the first place and how women, particularly those of high risk, can be best informed about the lifestyle changes they might make or interventions available to them to reduce their risk.


"For people unfortunate enough to suffer from breast cancer, we need to find better ways of diagnosing it earlier and following it through, from screening or imaging.


"And finally we have to provide practical and effective support for all of those affected by breast cancer."


Future hopes

Baroness Delyth Morgan, chief executive of the charity Breast Cancer Campaign, said funding for breast cancer research had fallen in recent years.


"Time is pressing," she said. "If we look at the impact of doing nothing, of not moving forward, then by 2030, we'll have more than 1.2 million women living with breast cancer, and between now and then we will lose around 185,000 lives, and that's what we're up against if we do nothing."


Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the UK, with about 50,000 women diagnosed each year.


It is the second biggest cause of death from cancer in women, with about 12,000 losing their lives from the disease.





Đăng ký: Tieng Anh Vui

Teachers set for strike action

Source BBC News@ tienganhvui.com


Teachers on strike in Liverpool in JuneA further regional strike is planned in London, North East, South East and South West, on 17 October


Members of the two biggest teaching unions are set to strike in a row over pay, pensions and workloads.


It is part of a continuing campaign of rolling regional strikes involving members of the NUT and NASUWT.


The walkout will affect schools in 49 authorities in the east of England, the Midlands, Yorkshire and the Humber.


The government said the strike action would disrupt pupils' learning, inconvenience parents and damage the reputation of teachers.


Between them the two unions represent nine out of 10 teachers. They are angry about changes to their pensions, increased workload and about government plans to bring in performance-related pay from this autumn.


'Relentless attacks'

NUT general secretary Christine Blower said: "No teacher takes strike action lightly but the intransigence of this education secretary has left teachers with no choice.


"We cannot stand by and watch our profession be systematically attacked and undermined.


"There needs to be a change in the government's attitude to teachers and education."


Susi Artis, a spokeswoman for the NUT in Nottingham, said: "I recognise that for a lot of parents this is really inconvenient and we're very sorry for that. Striking is very much a last resort."


Ian Lever, from the NUT in Leicester, said: "Teachers are very angry about what is happening to the education system in this country and are prepared to make a stand on it.


"These are relentless attacks from this government, not just on our pay and conditions, but on the education system in general.


"As professionals, as people who care about education, teachers are saying 'enough is enough' - we have to do something about this."


A Department for Education spokesman said: "It is disappointing that the NUT and NASUWT are striking over the government's measures to allow heads to pay good teachers more.


"Industrial action will disrupt pupils' education, hugely inconvenience parents and damage the profession's reputation in the eyes of the public at a time when our reforms are driving up standards across the country."


He added: "In a recent poll, 61% of respondents supported linking teachers' pay to performance and 70% either opposed the strikes or believed that teachers should not be allowed to strike at all."


A further regional strike is planned in London, the North East, South East and South West on 17 October.


Plans for a national one-day walkout before Christmas have also been announced by the two unions.





Đăng ký: Tieng Anh Vui

Global war on drugs failing - report

Source BBC News@ tienganhvui.com


A syringe and heroin on a spoonThe average street price of cocaine in Europe fell by 51% between 1990 and 2010


Illegal drugs are now cheaper and purer globally than at any time over the last 20 years, a report has warned.


The International Centre for Science in Drug Policy said its report suggested the war on drugs had failed.


The report, published in the British Medical Journal Open, looked at data from seven international government-funded drug surveillance systems.


Its researchers said it was time to consider drug use a public health issue rather than a criminal justice issue.


The seven drug surveillance systems the study looked at had at least 10 years of information on the price and purity of cannabis, cocaine and opiates, including heroin.


The report said street prices of drugs had fallen in real terms between 1990 and 2010, while their purity and potency had increased.


In Europe, for example, the average price of opiates and cocaine, adjusted for inflation and purity, decreased by 74% and 51% respectively between 1990 and 2010, the Vancouver-based centre said.


The report also found there had been a substantial increase in most parts of the world in the amount of cocaine, heroin and cannabis seized by law enforcement agencies since 1990.


Most national drug control strategies have focused on law enforcement to curb supply despite calls to explore other approaches, such as decriminalisation and strict legal regulation, it said.


It concluded: "These findings suggest that expanding efforts at controlling the global illegal drug market through law enforcement are failing."


'More addiction treatment'

Co-author Dr Evan Wood, scientific chairman of the centre, said: "We should look to implement policies that place community health and safety at the forefront of our efforts, and consider drug use a public health issue rather than a criminal justice issue.


"With the recognition that efforts to reduce drug supply are unlikely to be successful, there is a clear need to scale up addiction treatment and other strategies that can effectively reduce drug-related harm."


The study comes two days after a senior UK police officer said class A drugs should be decriminalised.


On Sunday, Chief Constable Mike Barton, of Durham Police, said drug addicts should be "treated and cared for, not criminalised".


The chief constable, who is the intelligence lead for the Association of Chief Police Officers, told the Observer he believed decriminalisation would take away the income of dealers, destroy their power, and that a "controlled environment" would be a more successful way of tackling the issue.


He said prohibition had put billions of pounds into the hands of criminals and called for an open debate on the problems caused by drugs.


Mr Barton is among a small number of top police officers in the UK who have called for a major review of drugs policy.


The Home Office said drugs were illegal because they were dangerous.


It said the UK's approach on drugs was clear: "We must help individuals who are dependent by treatment, while ensuring law enforcement protects society by stopping the supply and tackling the organised crime that is associated with the drugs trade."





Đăng ký: Tieng Anh Vui

Obama: Shutdown 'entirely avoidable'

Source BBC News@ tienganhvui.com




President Obama: "Time is running out"



President Barack Obama has said a potential US government shutdown is "entirely avoidable" as only a few hours remain to avert it.


Mr Obama criticised Republicans for trying to refight the last election as they seek to link the budget to delaying his health care law.


If no agreement is reached by midnight (04:00 GMT), the government will close all non-essential federal services.


The shutdown would be the first in the US in 17 years.


More than 700,000 federal government workers could be sent home on unpaid leave, with no guarantee of back pay once the deadlock is over.


One of the key points of contention in the political stalemate has been President Barack Obama's healthcare law, popularly known as Obamacare.


Republicans in the House of Representatives - and their allies in the Senate - have demanded the law be repealed or stripped of funding as a condition for continuing to fund the government.




The US shutdown explained in 60 seconds



Major portions of the law, which passed in 2010 and has been validated by the US Supreme Court, are due to take effect on Tuesday regardless of whether there is a shutdown.


No 'furloughed' bills

A shutdown would have "a very real economic impact on real people, right away," Mr Obama said on Monday afternoon, as just over seven hours remained until the deadline, adding it would "throw a wrench" into the US recovery.


"The idea of putting America's hard-earned progress at risk is the height of irresponsibility, and it does not have to happen."


While more than 700,000 federal employees are expected to be sent home on unpaid leave or furloughs; "what will not be furloughed is the bills they have to pay," Mr Obama said.


Mr Obama and his fellow Democrats in the US Senate have vowed to reject any House bill that touches the health care law.


"Does anybody truly believe we won't have this fight again in a couple more months?" Mr Obama said, explaining why he and his congressional allies would not negotiate the law.


Earlier, the Democratic-led Senate voted 54-46 against the latest bill from the Republican-led House of Representatives, which would fund the government only if President Obama's healthcare law were delayed a year.


'Bullies'

After the Senate vote on Monday afternoon, the chamber's Democratic majority leader blamed Republicans for the imminent halt to all non-essential government operations.


"It will be a Republican government shutdown, pure and simple," said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada, referring to the Republicans as "bullies".


Following Mr Reid's pledge, Republican House Speaker John Boehner told reporters the House would not pass a budget bill that did not include concessions from the Democrats regarding Mr Obama's healthcare law, continuing the stalemate.


Who will be affected




  • State department will be able to operate for limited time

  • Department of defence would continue military operations

  • Department of education would still distribute $22bn (£13.6bn) to public schools, but staffing would be severely hit

  • Department of energy - 12,700 staff would be sent home, 1,113 remain to oversee nuclear arsenal

  • Department of health and human services to send home more than half of staff

  • The Federal Reserve, dept of homeland security, and justice dept would see little or no disruption

  • US Postal Services would continue as normal

  • Smithsonian institutions, museums, zoos and many national parks would be closed



Some Democrats, including Mr Reid and Democratic House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, have called on Mr Boehner to put the Senate bill up for a vote in the House.


They say a budget bill unencumbered with a delay of the health law could pass the House with Democrats joining a small number of Republicans.


If the government does shut down on 1 October, national parks and Washington's Smithsonian museums would close, pension and veterans' benefit cheques would be delayed, and visa and passport applications would go unprocessed.


Programmes deemed essential, such as air traffic control and food inspections, would continue.


The defence department has advised employees that uniformed members of the military will continue on normal duty, but that large numbers of civilian workers will be told to stay home.


The US government has not undergone a shutdown since 1995-96, when services were suspended for a record 21 days.


Republicans demanded then-President Bill Clinton agree to their version of a balanced budget.


After weeks of negotiation, they reached a compromise similar to what they discussed prior to the shutdown.


Borrowing crisis

As lawmakers grapple with the impending shutdown, the 17 October deadline for extending the government's borrowing limit looms even larger.


On that date, the US government will reach the limit at which it can borrow money to pay its bills, the so-called debt ceiling.


House Republicans have also demanded a series of policy concessions - including the president's health law and on financial and environmental regulations - in exchange for raising the debt ceiling.


Earlier this month, Treasury Secretary Jack Lew said that unless the US were allowed to extend its borrowing limit, the country would be left with about $30bn (£18.5bn) to meet its commitments, which on certain days can be as high as $60bn.


A failure to raise the limit could also result in the US government defaulting on its debt payments.


Washington faced a similar impasse over its debt ceiling in 2011. Republicans and the Democrats only reached a compromise on the day the government's ability to borrow money was due to run out.


That fight was resolved just hours before the country could have defaulted on its debt, but nevertheless it led to ratings agency Standard & Poor's downgrading the US for the first time ever.


The 2011 compromise included a series of automatic budget cuts known as the "sequester", which came into effect earlier this year.





Đăng ký: Tieng Anh Vui

Baby born after ovaries 'reawakened'

Source BBC News@ tienganhvui.com


Kazuhiro Kawamura and newborn babyDr Kazuhiro Kawamura of the St Marianna University medical school holding the newborn


A baby has been born through a new technique to "reawaken" the ovaries of women who had a very early menopause.


Doctors in the US and Japan developed the technique to remove the ovaries, activate them in the laboratory and re-implant fragments of ovarian tissue.


The technique, reported in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, has resulted in one baby being born with another expected.


The findings were described as early, but a "potential game-changer".


The 27 women involved in the study became infertile around the age of 30 due to 'primary ovarian insufficiency'. The condition affects one in 100 women who essentially run out of eggs too young, leading to an early menopause.


Women have a fixed number of eggs at birth and those with the condition tend to use them up too quickly or are born with far fewer eggs in the first place.


Wake-up

Eggs in the ovaries are not fully formed; rather, they stay as follicles and some mature each month.


The teams at Stanford University, US, and St Marianna University School of Medicine, Japan, were trying to activate the last few remaining follicles, which may be present.


They removed the ovaries from the women and used a combination of two techniques to wake up the sleeping follicles. First they cut the ovaries into fragments, which has been used in the past as a fertility treatment. Then a chemical to "take the brakes off" egg development was applied.


The fragments were put back at the top of the fallopian tubes and the women were given hormone therapy.


Following the treatment, residual follicles started to develop in eight women. Eggs were taken for normal IVF and so far one couple has had a baby and another woman is pregnant.


Prof Aaron Hsueh, from Stanford, told the BBC: "It has to be improved to figure out the best way to do it, but we estimate it could help 25 to 30% of the women.


"We think it could help in two other forms of infertility. Cancer survivors after chemotherapy or radiotherapy; if there's any follicles left there's a chance this will help.


"And also women aged 40 to 45 with an irregular menstrual cycle."



The end of the menopause?


Some reports have described this study as "beating the menopause" - so does it?


It is certainly an exciting, if early, development for those who go through the 'early menopause'. Yet even for these women, far more research is needed before it could be considered as a therapy.


But what about the 'conventional menopause' in women normally over the age of 50?


This technique is very unlikely to help any women have children at this stage.


Even if they had follicles which could be cajoled into becoming eggs there would be issues of quality.


Women are born with all the eggs they will ever have; as time goes by they deteriorate. And as the quality falls, the odds of successful pregnancy plummet dramatically.


The difference between the eggs of a 25-year-old and a 50-year-old is huge.


As Prof Nick Macklon from the University of Southampton put it: "Quality and quantity are two very different things."



Major interest

The implications for women with early menopause are still unclear as the technique will require further testing and refinement before it could be used in clinics.


Prof Charles Kingsland, from Liverpool Women's Hospital and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, said: "It's really clever, but will it work for everyone? We don't know.


"It's potentially really, really, interesting, but we need a lot more investigation to confirm this is not another false dawn.


"I will see primary ovarian insufficiency on a regular basis in my clinic so if it's effective in the long term, it's something we'd be interested in."


Prof Nick Macklon, from the University of Southampton, told the BBC: "Finding a new way to get new eggs by waking up sleeping follicles is very promising. It's potentially a game-changer.


"It's a very important and very exciting piece of science, but it is not ready for the clinic. It still needs good randomised control trial data."


He added that performing the technique outside of a research study would be unfeasible, but a deeper understanding of the mechanisms of egg development could lead to new medications.





Đăng ký: Tieng Anh Vui

Fans told about Glasgow 2014 tickets

Source BBC News@ tienganhvui.com


Chris Hoy rides in the velodrome in GlasgowSir Chris Hoy was the first person to ride in the velodrome named after him


Hundreds of thousands of people are to find out if their application for tickets to events at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games has been successful.


Organisers have started to contact people who applied to watch the events.


All ticket applicants will be contacted via letter or email over the next few days.


During the four-week allotted window, there were 2.3 million requests received for up to one million tickets.


Proving particularly popular from the 17 sports on offer was track cycling, which received 25 times more requests than the number of tickets available.


Cycling events will be held at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome.


There was also an excess of 100,000 applications made for the 100m men's final at Hampden Park.


Other sports which were oversubscribed were diving, swimming, mountain bike, artistic gymnastics, judo, shooting and triathlon.


Tickets for these events, along with popular sessions in other sports, will be allocated in a "fair draw process".


Glasgow 2014 deputy chief executive Ty Speer said: "Today marks yet another exciting moment in the journey to Glasgow 2014 and it's a real pleasure to share the details of which great live sporting moments Games fans will be part of next summer.


"The overwhelming enthusiasm demonstrated by hundreds of thousands of people already guarantees tremendous crowds across the board for Commonwealth athletes.


"This is a real vote of confidence and it's clear that so many people intend to make sure this is going to be a great Games in Glasgow."


People who have already applied for tickets will be given the first opportunity to buy any which remain available.


Everyone who has applied for tickets will then be offered to buy more tickets during an exclusive on-sale period before any remaining tickets are placed on general sale in late October.





Đăng ký: Tieng Anh Vui

We'll run budget surplus - Osborne

Source BBC News@ tienganhvui.com




George Osborne tells Tory activists "Britain can do better than that"




Chancellor George Osborne has said he wants the government to be running a surplus in the next Parliament and can get there without raising taxes.


He told the Conservative conference the public finances should be in the black when the economy was strong as insurance against a "rainy day".


His comments were taken as suggesting more years of spending restraint.


Business welcomed the goal but Labour said Mr Osborne had missed targets before and could not be trusted.


The BBC News Channel's chief political correspondent Norman Smith said Mr Osborne's underlying message was that austerity would continue after the next election despite the return to growth.


In his keynote speech in Manchester, Mr Osborne also said he intended to freeze fuel duty for the rest of the Parliament, up to May 2015, if the money could be found.


In other developments on the second day of Conservative conference:



The last time the government ran an absolute budget surplus - meaning that it generated more in revenues, including tax yields, than it spent - was in 2001.


The UK has only balance the books in seven out of the last 50 years.


Mr Osborne pledged to continue to keep control of spending even after the economic recovery was secured to avoid repeating the mistakes of "deluded" predecessors who believed they had abolished boom and bust.


'No victory'

By running a budget surplus in the good times, he would "fix the roof while the sun was shining" and enable the government to continue to meet its most important spending commitments on health, education, defence and pensions.


"And surely the lesson of the last decade is that it's not enough to clean up the mess after it's happened? You've got to take action before it happens," he told activists.



Start Quote



He has pledged that even when the nation's books have been balanced he will keep the lid on spending in order to put aside money for the next rainy day”



End Quote


"It should be obvious to anyone that in the years running up to the crash this country should have been running a budget surplus.


"You've got to take action before it happens.


"So I can tell you today that when we've dealt with Labour's deficit, we will have a surplus in good times as insurance against difficult times ahead."


"Provided the recovery is sustained, our goal is to achieve that surplus in the next Parliament. That will bear down on our debts and prepare us for the next rainy day."


But the Institute for Economic Affairs think tank said Mr Osborne was "still failing to tackle government spending sufficiently" and would miss his target unless he got to grips with it.


'Sun rising'

In its most recent analysis, the Office for Budget Responsibility forecast the government would be running annual deficits until 2017-8. Among G8 nations, only Germany is in surplus.


Mr Osborne said he was optimistic about the UK's future economic prospects, saying the "sun had started to rise above the hill" after years of recession and flat growth.


But he said much more needed to be done to ensure improved living standards for this generation and the next and warned family finances would not be "transformed overnight".


"There is no feeling at the conference of a task completed or a victory won," he said. "The battle for turning Britain round is not even close to being over."


He said he hoped to freeze fuel duty until the end of the current Parliament if savings could be found to pay for the move. Fuel duty has not risen since January 2011.


'Warm words'

In his speech Mr Osborne described Labour's policy to freeze energy prices for 20 months as "phoney" and compared Ed Miliband's political philosophy with that of Karl Marx.


But Labour said Mr Osborne could not be trusted to deliver a surplus, having already had to backtrack on a pledge to eliminate the structural deficit by 2015-6.


"As for George Osborne's pledges on capital spending and the deficit, nobody will believe a word he says," said shadow Treasury minister Rachel Reeves.


"His failure on growth means that far from balancing the books by 2015 as he promised, borrowing is now set to be £96bn.


"And for all the warm words about capital spending he is cutting it in 2015.


Business groups said Mr Osborne's focus on getting the economic fundamentals right was "heartening" but must be backed up by a "relentless focus" in the years ahead.


"Breaking government addiction to debt and achieving a surplus in public finances is the most important ambition any administration can have," the Institute of Directors said.





Đăng ký: Tieng Anh Vui

Barrister quits CPS sex case panel

Source BBC News@ tienganhvui.com


Snaresbrook Crown Court The sexual abuse case involving a 13-year-old victim was heard at Snaresbrook Crown Court


A barrister who described a 13-year-old victim of sex abuse as "predatory" in court has agreed to resign from the Crown Prosecution Service's rape panel of advocates, the CPS says.


Robert Colover will no longer prosecute in cases involving serious sexual offences or child sexual abuse.


Mr Colover was widely criticised after his remark during the trial of Neil Wilson, 41, at Snaresbrook Crown Court in August.





Đăng ký: Tieng Anh Vui

Rail mobile broadband plan announced

Source BBC News@ tienganhvui.com


Network Rail LogoNetwork Rail is already spending £1.9bn upgrading its telecoms infrastructure


The rail industry plans to roll out "high-speed mobile broadband" across the busiest parts of Britain's rail network, Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin has announced.


By 2019, 70% of train passengers should have access to the faster technology, the Department for Transport added.


Passengers may be able to watch streamed videos on their mobiles, for example, if the plan to raise data capacity per train 25-fold succeeds.


The programme will be industry funded.


"Today's announcement marks the beginning of the end of poor coverage on our railways," Mr McLoughlin said.


A Network Rail spokesman added: "As an industry, we recognise that the limited availability of mobile communications on Britain's rail network is not good enough.


"If rail is to remain a preferred mode of transport, this must be addressed, which is why today's announcement is good news for the millions of people who travel by train each day."


Spare capacity

Network Rail is in the middle of a £1.9bn digital communications improvement programme that is upgrading both its fixed line and mobile infrastructure.


A new fibre optic network should be capable of handling up to 192,000 gigabit per second (Gbit/s) of data once the upgrade is complete in June 2014.


The Rail Safety and Standards Board has forecast that the telecommunications demand on Britain's railways could rise to 200Gbit/s by 2018, which would still leave plenty of spare capacity on the upgraded system.


"By increasing the number of mobile phone masts to fill gaps in signal coverage, and incorporating signal boosters inside train carriages, passengers will be able to benefit from our surplus data capacity," a Network Rail spokesman told the BBC.


Currently, train operating companies limit what kinds of material can be download onto mobile devices because each vehicle only has access to 2.5 megabit per second (Mbit/s) of data which must be shared among its passengers. As a result the firms block access to video streaming services such as iPlayer and Netflix.


However, this could rise to 50Mbit/s per train after the upgrade, Network Rail said, allowing a change of policy.


The commercial details of how Network Rail, the mobile phone operators and train operating companies would pay for the additional upgrades, and how much passengers would be charged for high-speed mobile broadband, have yet to be thrashed out.





Đăng ký: Tieng Anh Vui

Philpott house demolition starts

Source BBC News@ tienganhvui.com




The house being demolishedSix children died in the blaze at Victory Road


The house being demolishedThe demolition of the property is expected to take about two weeks to complete





Work has started to demolish a house where six children were killed in a blaze set by their parents Mick and Mairead Philpott.


Derby City Council said a bulldozer was on site demolishing 18 Victory Road. An adjoining property, number 20, has already been knocked down.


More housing will be built on the site following the work.


The Philpotts were jailed in April, along with friend Paul Mosley, after being convicted of manslaughter.


A council spokeswoman said the work would take about two weeks to complete.





Đăng ký: Tieng Anh Vui

US shutdown looms amid stalemate

Source BBC News@ tienganhvui.com


The US Capitol dome in Washington. Photo: September 2013The US Congress remains deadlocked over the funding bill


Last-minute negotiations are expected to take place in Washington between Democrat and Republican lawmakers to try to agree a new budget.


If they fail to reach a deal by midnight (04:00 GMT Tuesday), the US government will be forced to close all non-essential federal services.


More than 700,000 staff could be sent home on unpaid leave, with no guarantee of back pay once the deadlock is over.


The shutdown would be the first in the US for 17 years.


One of the key reasons for the political stalemate has been President Barack Obama's healthcare law, popularly known as Obamacare.



Impact of shutdown



  • State dept will be able to operate for limited time

  • Dept of defence would continue military operations

  • Dept of education would still distribute $22bn (£13.6bn) to public schools, but staffing would be severely hit

  • Department of energy - 12,700 staff would be sent home, 1,113 to oversee nuclear arsenal

  • Department of health and human services to send home more than half of staff

  • The Federal Reserve, dept of homeland security, justice

  • US Postal Services would continue as normal

  • Smithsonian institutions, museums, zoos and many national parks would be closed



Early on Sunday, the Republican-run House of Representatives passed an amended version of the Senate spending bill that removed funding from the healthcare law, raising the chances of a shutdown.


US Senate Majority leader Harry Reid has vowed that his Democrat-led chamber will reject the Republican bill.


"Tomorrow, the Senate will do exactly what we said we would do and reject these measures," said Adam Jentleson, a spokesman for Mr Reid.


"At that point, Republicans will be faced with the same choice they have always faced: put the Senate's clean funding bill on the floor and let it pass with bipartisan votes, or force a Republican government shutdown."


Speaking for the president, White House spokesman Jay Carney said: "Any member of the Republican Party who votes for this bill is voting for a shutdown." The president, he said, would also veto the Republican bill.


If the government does shut down on 1 October, national parks and Washington's Smithsonian museums would close, pension and veterans' benefit cheques would be delayed, and visa and passport applications would go unprocessed.


Programmes deemed essential, such as air traffic control and food inspections, would continue.



Start Quote



The shenanigans in Congress are more twisted than a sack of snakes, but the basics are easy to get straight”



End Quote


The defence department has advised employees that uniformed members of the military will continue on normal duty, but that large numbers of civilian workers will be told to stay home.


Borrowing crisis

The looming shutdown is not the only crisis the US government is facing.


The US government and Republicans are also at loggerheads over extending the government's borrowing limit.


US Treasury Secretary Jack Lew has warned that the US will hit its debt ceiling by 17 October, leaving the government with half the money needed to pay its bills.





AAA-rating


The best credit rating that can be given to a borrower's debts, indicating that the risk of borrowing defaulting is minuscule.




Earlier this month, Mr Lew said that unless the US was allowed to extend its borrowing limit, the country would be left with about $30bn (£18.5bn) to meet its commitments, which on certain days can be as high as $60bn.


A failure to raise the limit could also result in the US government defaulting on its debt payments.


President Obama has warned that "failure to meet this responsibility would be far more dangerous than a government shutdown".


Washington faced a similar impasse over its debt ceiling in 2011. Republicans and the Democrats only reached a compromise on the day the government's ability to borrow money was due to run out.


That fight was resolved just hours before the country could have defaulted on its debt, but nevertheless led to ratings agency Standard & Poor's downgrading the US for the first time ever.


The 2011 compromise included a series of automatic budget cuts known as the "sequester" which came into effect earlier this year.





Đăng ký: Tieng Anh Vui

Pull the pin

Nguồn tin: nguontinviet.com

If you pull the pin, you put an end to something, quit or resign.




Đăng ký: Hoc tieng anh

TiengAnhVui

Scarce as hen's teeth

Nguồn tin: nguontinviet.com

Hens do not have any teeth, so something that is as scarce as hen's teeth is extremely rare.

("Rare as hen's teeth" is also used.)




Đăng ký: Hoc tieng anh

TiengAnhVui

Reporter charged in computer probe

Source BBC News@ tienganhvui.com


Breaking news


Man charged by London police investigating illegal accessing of private data on computers by journalists


More to follow.





Đăng ký: Tieng Anh Vui

Markets hit by political upheaval

Source BBC News@ tienganhvui.com


Italian flagThe cost of borrowing has been rising for Italy


The financial markets have been rattled by Italy's deepening political crisis.


Italy's 10-year bond yield - an indication of how much the government has to pay to borrow money - rose as high as 4.66%, the highest level in more than 3 months.


The euro fell to 1.2218 against the Swiss franc, the lowest level since late June.


Prime Minister Enrico Letta plans to hold a confidence vote on Wednesday, to seek the backing of Italy's parliament.


He was forced to make that move after five ministers from Silvio Berlusconi's party stepped down at the weekend.


But those ministers have now given mixed signals as to whether they are actually leaving the government.


After meeting the prime minister, President Napolitano said the rebel ministers' position had led to a "climate of evident uncertainty regarding possible developments".





Đăng ký: Tieng Anh Vui

Popes to be declared saints in April

Source BBC News@ tienganhvui.com


Breaking news


Pope John Paul II and Pope John XXIII will be declared saints on 27 April 2014, Pope Francis has announced.


The Pope said in July that he would canonise his two predecessors, after approving a second miracle attributed to John Paul.


John Paul, a Pole, led the Catholic Church for 27 years until his death in 2005.


The Italian Pope John was pontiff from 1958-1963, calling the reforming Second Vatican Council that opened in 1962.





Đăng ký: Tieng Anh Vui

Syria neighbours to plead for help

Source BBC News@ tienganhvui.com


Kawergost refugee camp in Irbil, Iraq, 22 September 2013Countries bordering Syria have seen vast numbers of refugee arrivals



Syria's neighbours are expected to ask donors for support in dealing with the ongoing refugee crisis at a meeting in Geneva.


Foreign ministers from Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, and Iraq will present reports at the meeting, hosted by the UN.


More than two million Syrians have fled their country, and many more have been displaced internally.


Meanwhile, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said he would comply with a plan to rid his country of chemical weapons.


"Of course we have to comply. This is our history, we have to comply with every treaty we sign,'' he told Italy's RAI News 24.


On Friday, the UN Security Council passed a binding resolution to eliminate Syria's stockpile of chemical weapons by mid-2014.


Inspectors from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), which is tasked with implementing the plan, are expected to leave for Syria shortly.


A separate team of inspectors, from the UN, has been investigating allegations of chemical weapons attacks and was hoping to finish its work in Syria on Monday.


Struggling to cope

The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, has been warning that the number of Syrian refugees is threatening the political and social cohesion of the whole region.


Lebanon does not have the money, housing, schools or hospitals to cope, while Jordan and Turkey, with some 500,000 refugees each, are believed to have spent at least $2bn (£1.25bn) caring for them, the BBC's Imogen Foulkes reports from Geneva.


In an attempt to prevent Syria's neighbours closing their borders, traditional donors will be asked on Monday for financial support and offers to host some of the most vulnerable refugees, she says.



Where Syrian refugees are



  • 716,000 in Lebanon

  • 515,000 in Jordan

  • 460,000 in Turkey

  • 169,000 in Iraq

  • 111,000 in Egypt

  • 4.25 million others displaced inside Syria


( Source UNHCR)



UNHCR spokesman Peter Kessler said the agency would appeal "for more support for the host countries including direct budget support but also of course aid in areas like provision of health care, education, infrastructure and other projects".


"For many of these countries such as for small Lebanon and Jordan, the influx of Syrian refugees represents a huge proportion of those countries' current population," he told the BBC.


Unrest in Syria began in March 2011, developing into a conflict in which more than 100,000 people are estimated to have been killed.


The UN inspectors have been investigating an attack on 21 August in Damascus that left hundreds dead and triggered a threat of international military action against Mr Assad's forces.





Đăng ký: Tieng Anh Vui

Firm cancels Thames tours after fire

Source BBC News@ tienganhvui.com




Eyewitness Phil Beasley-Harling: "There was a big plume of black smoke"



An amphibious tourist boat company has suspended operations on the River Thames after one of its vessels caught fire.


Thirty people were rescued from the London Duck Tours craft on Sunday afternoon by the emergency services and a passing tourist boat.


A statement on the firm's website said it would run a land only service.


A rescuer said one passenger told her that people found it "difficult" to get the life jackets out of their packets.


Three people were taken to hospital "as a precaution" following the incident.


In a statement on the London Duck Tours website, managing director John Bigos said: "The company acknowledges the distressing situation experienced by our passengers.


"However, we are pleased to report that all persons involved in the incident are safe and well.


"London Duck Tours operates to the highest safety standards, and at this early stage it is not possible to speculate on the reason for the incident.


"Until the cause is established, the company will not be operating on the river and should technical or safety modifications be required to our fleet, these will be introduced prior to the service recommencing."


'Fear and terror'

Mr Bigos said the incident should not be compared with the sinking of two amphibious vehicles, operated by another company, in Liverpool's Albert Dock in June, as his company's procedures were of a "higher standard".


"London Duck Tours operates a fully modernised fleet of nine vehicles that have been completely rebuilt and refurbished between 2002 and 2012. This includes new, purpose built hulls, new engines, computerised systems and steering equipment," he added.


Many people jumped into the river from the London Duck Tours craft.Many people jumped into the river from the London Duck Tours craft


Emily Farrelly, who was on a passing tourist boat with her family, said she saw "billowing smoke" and passengers in the water.


"You could see the fear and terror in their eyes," she said.


It was lucky the craft was close to the bank and many of the passengers were able to stand in waist-high water, she said.


Ms Farrelly added: "I think they were just in sheer panic at first and struggled to get [the life jackets] out.


"I spoke to one gentleman that got on to our boat and he said that getting the life jackets out of the packet was so difficult that they just fled the boat and got off because their safety was more important."


London Duck tours is yet to respond to the claims about life jackets.





Đăng ký: Tieng Anh Vui

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