Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Shock over unseen Madeleine files

Investigators searching for Madeleine McCann must have access to previously unseen files held by Portuguese police, a spokesman for her parents said. Skip related content
The files reportedly comprise hundreds of pages of information, including CCTV images that show a young girl who looks like Madeleine being led into a New Zealand supermarket in 2007.
Several British newspapers have published the image, along with details of other possible sightings from the files.
One report mentions a British man called George who saw a small, distressed blonde girl being dragged along a road to Faro airport in Portugal on the night she went missing.
Another details how a young girl who looked like Madeleine was seen being held at gunpoint on a French motorway by a half-naked man in August 2008.
Family spokesman Clarence Mitchell called on the information to be released to the McCann family's investigators.
He said: "Kate and Gerry have made it clear that they were shocked to see the lack of follow-up work done by the Portuguese police since the investigation was shelved. All the information in these files must go to the private investigators as they are the only people still looking for Madeleine."
Madeleine was nearly four when she went missing from her family's holiday apartment in the Algarve village of Praia da Luz on May 3 2007 while her parents dined with friends nearby. Despite a massive police operation and huge publicity worldwide, she has not been found. Four months after she disappeared, Portuguese police made both Mr and Mrs McCann "arguidos", or formal suspects, in the case.
Two days later, on September 9 2007, they returned to Britain with their two other children, twins Sean and Amelie. In July 2008, the Portuguese attorney general shelved the investigation and lifted the arguido status of Mr and Mrs McCann.
The couple insist they will continue to believe Madeleine is still alive until presented with firm evidence to the contrary and have vowed to keep looking for her for as long as it takes.
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Tuesday, March 2, 2010

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Polar bears 'evolved amid ice age'

Polar bears rapidly evolved their white fur and Arctic lifestyle as they adapted to an ice age environment, new genetic evidence suggests. Skip related content

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But despite surviving a return to warmer conditions, they may not be able to keep up with the accelerated pace of man-made climate change, say scientists.
The evolution of polar bears has presented a puzzle because their ancient fossils are so rare.
Usually, fossils are preserved in sediments. But because polar bears live on ice, their dead remains tend to fall to the bottom of the ocean or are removed by scavengers.
In 2004, scientists discovered a rare and well-preserved fossilised jawbone and canine tooth in Norway's Svalbard archipelago.
Analysis of DNA extracted from the specimens has now revealed important clues about the origins of polar bears.
Study leader Dr Charlotte Lindqvist, from the University at Buffalo, in New York State, US, said: "Our results confirm that the polar bear is an evolutionarily young species that split off from brown bears some 150,000 years ago and evolved extremely rapidly during the late Pleistocene, perhaps adapting to the opening of new habitats and food sources in response to climate changes just before the last interglacial period."
The late Pleistocene period was marked by extensive glaciation, with ice sheets covering much of the northern hemisphere. Many large animals became extinct during this time, including woolly mammoths, sabre-toothed cats and ground sloths, as did Neanderthal humans.
As the Pleistocene gave way to the Holocene about 12,000 years ago, the world became warmer and the ice retreated.
Polar bears continued to survive, confining themselves to the icy Arctic where they live to this day, by hunting seals.
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Icesave referendum casts cloud of uncertainty over Iceland

Iceland's economic and political future hangs in the balance as it heads towards a referendum on how to compensate Britain and the Netherlands for money lost in the collapse of an Icelandic bank. Skip related content
Still shaken from the crumbling of its once-booming financial sector in 2008 that left its economy in tatters, Iceland is bracing for a plebiscite Saturday that observers say could easily increase its isolation, complicate its road to economic recovery and block its entry into the European Union.
"A 'no' vote in the referendum may prevent access to significant external liquidity" and thus could cause "a weaker economic recovery and potentially, political instability," rating agency Moody's cautioned late last week.
Icelandic President Olafur Ragnar Grimsson has refused to sign legislation approved by parliament that would pay Britain and the Netherlands 3.8 billion euros (5.2 billion dollars) to cover their reimbursements to 320,000 savers hit by the collapse of the online Icesave bank in October 2008.
Grimsson instead referred the issue to a referendum, citing public opposition, and opinion polls predict the legislation will be widely rejected.
According to the latest poll, 58 percent of voters intend to vote down the repayment law.
In an attempt to ward off chaos, the government in Reykjavik has been scrambling for weeks to negotiate a new accord with Britain and the Netherlands that would avert the popular vote.
So far however, all attempts have failed.
"Overall, Moody's believes that Iceland's path out of the crisis now appears more difficult," the agency said after the latest round of talks collapsed on Thursday.
Britain and the Netherlands would likely continue blocking progress on a 2.1-billion-dollar International Monetary Fund rescue package for Iceland until Reykjavik agreed to pay off its Icesave debt, Moody's warned.
No repayment deal could also negatively affect the Nordic country's EU membership talks, according to Gunnar Helgi Kristinsson, a political science professor at the University of Iceland.
"If there is no Icesave deal it is obviously far from certain that all the European countries will agree to accepting Iceland's EU candidacy," he told AFP.
"And from a local perspective, the Icesave case has created hostility among Icelanders to countries that used to be considered our friends and has heightened the opposition to the EU in opinion polls," he added.
There still remains some hope that the March 6 referendum could be avoided, with Prime Minister Johanna Sigurdardottir stating on friday that "there is still a possibility to reach a reasonable solution between the three nations."
Her government -- the first leftwing cabinet to lead Iceland since its independence from Denmark in 1944 -- came to power on the back of the country's deep financial crisis.
During the parliamentary discussions on Icesave late last year however, Sigurdardottir threatened to resign if the bill was not adopted, and the government could easily be unseated if the repayment deal it has strived for is rejected.
"If the referendum takes place it could upset the country's political balance. The government is therefore trying to avoid the political upheaval the referendum could entail," Kristinsson said, pointing out that government officials had been trying to distance themselves from the Icesave legislation.
"To survive a 'no' vote, the government ... must try to avoid taking responsibility for the law that will be submitted to a referendum," he said.
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Monday, March 1, 2010

Diets 'can reverse artery damage'

Weight-loss diets can reverse life-threatening artery damage in obese individuals, a study has shown. Skip related content

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Low-carbohydrate "Atkins"-style diets, low fat and Mediterranean diets were equally effective, scientists found.
Tests showed that patients who went on the diets, lost moderate amounts of weight and lowered their blood pressure, developed healthier arteries.
Researchers used ultrasound to measure the wall volume and thickness of carotid arteries, which supply the brain with blood.
Thicker and heavier arteries indicated a build up of fatty deposits on the blood vessel walls, a condition known as atherosclerosis which is closely associated with heart attacks and strokes.
After two years, the carotid arteries of patients on the diets had lost 5% of their wall volume on average and 1.1% of their thickness.
Compared with less successful patients, those whose arteries had improved most lost more weight and underwent a greater reduction in blood pressure.
The findings linked sustained moderate weight loss with a reversal of artery damage.
Study leader Dr Iris Shai, from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel, said: "Long-term adherence to weight-loss diets is effective for reversing carotid arteriosclerosis as long as we stick to one of the current options of healthy diet strategy.
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Warnock takes charge at QPR

Veteran manager Neil Warnock became the latest man to be given the job of guiding the fortunes of English second division side Queens Park Rangers (QPR) when he was appointed as their manager on Monday. Skip related content
The 61-year-old Englishman has moved across London from Rangers' Championship rivals Crystal Palace, after they agreed a compensation package, and has signed a three-and-a-half year contract with the Loftus Road club.
Warnock, who in 2006 led Sheffield United to promotion to the lucrative Premier League, now hopes to do the same for QPR, who last played in English football's top flight in 1996.
"As a manager, Loftus Road is always a place I loved because of the fantastic atmosphere there," Warnock told Rangers' official website.
"Looking from afar, I believe this is the perfect time for me to come in, with the new structure and chairman in place. Together we can give the club the stability it needs.
"I am really looking forward to the challenge that's in front of me."
QPR chairman Ishan Saksena added: "Neil was always our number one target and so we are delighted to announce him as our manager.
"He has great experience in English football and a phenomenal track record. I believe he is the right man to help QPR fulfil its ambitions."
Caretaker manager Mick Harford and assistant Tony Coton have both stepped down from their respective roles.
Palace were on the verge of a place in the playoffs for promotion to the Premier League before the Eagles' financial problems saw them hit with a 10 point penalty for entering administration.
Lack of funds has not been a problem of late for QPR, with the west London club co-owned by the family of Indian steel billionaire Lakshmi Mittal, Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone and former Grand Prix team boss Flavio Briatore.
But lack of managerial stability has been an issue with the six bosses, plus caretakers, hired and fired during Briatore's two-and-a-half years as chairman contributing to a situation where QPR are now only three points above fellow relegation candidates Palace.
However, the controversial Italian stepped down as chairman last month to be replaced by the lower profile Saksena.
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Lottery Winners Give Cleaner A £400K Home

Britain's biggest-ever lottery winners have kept their word and started "spreading the wealth" - by handing over their £400,000 house to their cleaner. Skip related content

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Nigel Page, 43, and Justine Laycock, 41, won £56m - half of a £113m Euromillions jackpot - in February.
The couple have now given the keys to their four-bedroom detached home in Cirencester, Gloucestershire, to long-serving Denise Kelso.
She has also been made a present of Miss Laycock's black Honda Civic.
Former estate agent Miss Laycock told the Mirror: "All you need to know is I love my cleaner very much."
Mrs Kelso and her husband James, 64, have now moved out of their rented two-bedroom flat and into the house after being made an offer they "could not refuse".
The cleaner and Miss Laycock became good friends after meeting in 2005. Soon after Mrs Kelso started looking after her home.
Meanwhile, the lottery winners have bought a £4m, six-bedroom 'eco-palace' in the Gloucestershire village of Barnsley, according to The Daily Telegraph.
The mansion reportedly features a 25-seat cinema and a luxury indoor pool, and runs on just 10% of the energy of a normal house.
The couple's neighbours in the village include models Elizabeth Hurley and Kate Moss.
Mrs Kelso has quit her numerous other cleaning jobs to concentrate on keeping the mansion clean and tidy, says the Mirror.
One of her former neighbours said the winning couple's gift was well deserved, adding: "Denise is very hard-working - this is wonderful for her."
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