Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/315487255?client_source=feed&format=rss
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Friday, June 28, 2013
The Daily Roundup for 06.27.2013
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Filed under: Misc
Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/Lw4GPTqNFXQ/
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Thursday, June 20, 2013
Oil falls most since November on Fed comments
NEW YORK (AP) ? Oil was swept up in the broad sell-off in stocks and bonds Thursday, as a combination of weak Chinese manufacturing data and the Federal's Reserve's shifting stance on economic stimulus rattled energy markets.
Oil had its biggest one-day price drop since November. U.S. benchmark oil for July delivery sank $2.84, or 2.9 percent, to finish at $95.40 a barrel in New York. Gasoline futures fell more than 3 percent.
On Wednesday Fed chairman Ben Bernanke suggested that he was optimistic about the U.S. economy ? and that the Fed might start scaling back its massive $85 billion-a-month bond-buying program this year if conditions continue to improve. The Fed could end the program by the middle of next year, Bernanke said.
The Fed program has kept borrowing costs near historic lows for consumers and business. It has also helped boost the equities and energy markets.
Stocks and bonds sold off immediately after Bernanke's comments. Oil didn't react much because Bernanke spoke just as U.S. energy markets closed Wednesday.
Lower stocks and a stronger dollar put pressure on oil prices. Once trading opened in Asia Thursday oil fell sharply, in tandem with Asian stock markets. Bernanke's comments also gave a boost to the dollar. Oil traders look to the stock market as a measure of confidence in the U.S. economy, while a strong dollar makes oil more expensive for holders of other currencies.
The Dow Jones industrial average fell 354 points, or 2.3 percent, Thursday to close at 14,758. Shares of Exxon Mobil Corp. and Chevron Corp., both Dow components, fell by more than 2 percent. The euro slipped to $1.3197 from $1.3274 in New York a day earlier. The yield on the benchmark 10-year note rose to its highest level since August 2011.
Also weighing on oil prices was a survey showing a slowdown in manufacturing in China. HSBC's preliminary purchasing managers' index fell to a nine-month low of 48.3 in June, down from 49.6 in May. Numbers below 50 indicate a contraction.
With mature economies like Europe and the U.S. struggling to expand at a steady pace, China and emerging markets have accounted for most of the growth in oil demand over the past several years.
"A weakening in Chinese industrial activity could easily translate to a reduced flow of products exports out of the US Gulf," said Jim Ritterbusch, president of energy consultancy Ritterbusch and Associates, in a daily report.
Still, Ritterbusch and most others don't expect a free-fall in the price of oil. He said fears of an escalation of the civil war in Syria should support oil around the $94 level.
Brent crude, a benchmark for many international oil varieties, was down $3.97, or 3.7 percent, to end at $102.94 per barrel on the ICE Futures exchange in London.
In other energy futures trading on the Nymex:
? Wholesale gasoline was down 10.5 cents, or 3.6 percent, to finish at $2.79 a gallon.
? Heating oil fell 10 cents, or 3.4 percent, to end at $2.87 per gallon.
? Natural gas retreated by 9 cents, or 2.2 percent, to finish at $3.88 per 1,000 cubic feet.
___
Pablo Gorondi in Budapest and Pamela Sampson in Bangkok contributed to this report.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/oil-falls-most-since-november-fed-comments-161536781.html
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US calls out China, Russia over human trafficking
WASHINGTON (AP) ? The U.S. accused China and Russia of failing to meet minimum standards in fighting human trafficking, ranking them on a par with North Korea and Syria.
The State Department downgraded China and Russia in rankings on how 188 governments around the world have performed in fighting the flesh trade and other forms of exploitative labor.
Rights activists are welcoming the move, but it could further strain Washington's touchy relations with the two world powers.
The U.S. also downgraded Uzbekistan over its state-sanctioned use of forced labor in the annual cotton harvest.
The rankings are in the department's annual report released Wednesday.
President Barack Obama now has 90 days to determine whether to apply sanctions against China, Russia, Uzbekistan and 18 other governments given a "tier three" ranking ? the lowest the department gives.
The president can block various types of aid, such as arms financing, grants for cultural and educational exchange programs and could withdraw U.S. support for loans from the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.
That appears unlikely in the cases of China, Russia and Uzbekistan, which have strategic importance for Washington.
Obama is looking to cooperate more closely with emerging Asian superpower China after meeting its leader Xi Jinping last week; he already faces growing friction with Russia over its support for the Assad regime in war-wracked Syria; and the Central Asian nation of Uzbekistan is important as a transit point as the U.S. pulls out its military from Afghanistan.
Because of a legislative requirement that came into force this year, the Obama administration had to make a judgment whether to downgrade or upgrade the three nations from a "watch list" they were on for several years.
Three others in the same position ? Azerbaijan, Congo and Iraq ? were promoted to "tier two" for progress made in the past year.
"Modern-day slavery affects every country in the world, including the United States and every government is responsible for dealing with it and no government is yet doing enough," Secretary of State John Kerry said at the launch of the report, which he conceded "pulls no punches."
"This report is tough because this is a tough issue and it demands serious attention and that's precisely what we intend to provide."
Activists commended Kerry for being willing to downgrade powerful nations.
"Frankly, we expected a number of these countries to be upgraded for geopolitical reasons," said David Abramowitz, director of the U.S.-based Alliance to End Slavery and Trafficking. "The Trafficking in Persons report is only effective when it's honest."
John Sifton of Human Rights Watch said it remains to be seen whether the White House will execute sanctions. He urged the administration to do so unless the governments in question commit to fight trafficking.
China responded that it has made "unremitting efforts" that have seen a decrease in human trafficking in the country, and in April its governing State Council issued an plan in accordance with international conventions and Chinese laws, aiming for a long-term solution to the problem.
Geng Shuang, the Chinese Embassy spokesman in Washington, said the U.S. report "disregards our efforts in combating human trafficking and makes irresponsible judgment on other countries' internal policy and practice." He called for the U.S. to foster "a more favorable environment" for international anti-trafficking efforts.
The Russian Embassy did not respond to an email seeking comment.
The State Department also put Malaysia and Thailand, a U.S. treaty ally, on notice that they would be downgraded next year to tier three unless they improve anti-trafficking efforts. Abramowitz said it showed that those Southeast Asian nations can't count on their political relationship with the U.S. to avoid censure.
Luis CdeBaca, U.S. ambassador-at-large for human trafficking issues, voiced concern over Thai authorities' treatment of Myanmar migrants, including minority Muslims fleeing a wave of sectarian violence at home. He also referred to "very grave" problems with Malaysia's treatment of trafficking victims, who are held in prison-camp type conditions before deportation.
The Trafficking in Persons report is one of several annual assessments issued by the State Department on human rights-related topics, but it's unusual in that it ranks nations, which can ruffle diplomatic feathers. It is based on the actions governments take, rather than the scale of the problem in their country.
The United States is also scrutinized in the report. It is among 30 countries on "tier one" ? judged to meet minimum standards of combating human trafficking.
According to CdeBaca, the report is intended to prod governments to act and strengthen the hand of civil society organizations in fighting trafficking and forced labor. He said the U.S. seeks to help nations improve their ranking through technical assistance and law enforcement cooperation.
The report criticized China's government for perpetuating trafficking through its use of forced labor in more than 300 state-run prison camps, and its forcible deportation of North Korean trafficking victims, who may face the death penalty on their return home. Girls from Tibet are reportedly trafficked to other parts of China for domestic servitude and forced marriage, it said.
Republican Rep. Chris Smith, an arch critic of Beijing and an author of anti-trafficking legislation, welcomed China's downgrade as recognition that it "has become the sex and labor trafficking capital of the world."
CdeBaca was more conciliatory. He acknowledged China's recent national action plan to combat trafficking, and noted reports China plans to end the practice of re-education through labor. He indicated that if those plans lead to results, it would count in China's favor in next year's report.
On Russia, he said the main concern was authorities' failure to provide care for victims of human trafficking.
An estimated one million people in the country are exposed to "exploitative" labor conditions, including migrants from Europe, Central Asia, and Asia, according to the report. Among them are between 10,000 and 15,000 North Korean workers employed at logging camps in Russia's far east, under an arrangement between the two governments. The workers reportedly have only two days of rest per year and face punishments if they fail to meet production targets.
There are now 25 nations sitting on the department's watch list that could be downgraded to tier three next year. That relegation can be waived for two years, if governments demonstrate they have a plan to address human trafficking and commit resources to implement it.
Of the 25, six countries ? Thailand, Malaysia, Afghanistan, Barbados, Chad and the Maldives ? are entering their second year of being waived. Each faces an automatic downgrade in 2014 unless they demonstrate progress.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/us-calls-china-russia-over-human-trafficking-201931607.html
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New details about H7N9 influenza infections that suddenly appeared in China
June 19, 2013 ? Researchers with the Network Dynamics and Simulation Science Laboratory at the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute have revealed new information about the latest strain of type A influenza, known as H7N9, in a report in the journal PLOS Currents: Outbreaks.
Since June 7, 132 confirmed cases of human infection with H7N9 have been reported in China and 37 people have died, according to the World Health Organization. It is the first time human infection with the avian influenza H7N9 subtype has been detected, and researchers fear that this strain may have pandemic potential.
The possibility of an animal source of the infection is being investigated, as is the possibility of person-to-person transmission.
However, most people who contracted the disease reported having contact with live birds in a bird market prior to infection. Researchers at the Network Dynamics and Simulation Science Laboratory found that younger women generally have the most contact with poultry, but it is older men who are experiencing the most infections.
The findings suggest that there is something unique about older men that makes them particularly susceptible to H7N9. Their greater risk of infection is not just because they tend to spend more time exposed to an avian source.
Researchers quickly compiled the data using a variety of available sources to discover risk factors, which could aid in containing the spread of H7N9.
"Normally we have to wait for epidemiologists to collect new data in the early days if an outbreak. We were able to combine data from existing sources in an innovative way to rapidly learn about H7N9 risk factors," said Caitlin Rivers of Plainfield, N.H., a graduate student majoring in genetics, bioinformatics, and computational biology and research assistant at the Network Dynamics and Simulation Science Laboratory.
To contain the spread of this strain of influenza, some Chinese live bird markets have been closed. It may help, but still does not explain the high infection rate of older men. Further studies are required to understand what other factors may be involved in transmission to help contain H7N9's spread.
"In keeping with a commitment to open science, the raw data and calculations are available publicly. We invite others to use and expand upon this work," said Bryan Lewis, a public health policy analyst with the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute.
This work has been partially supported by NIH MIDAS Grant 2U01GM070694-09 and NIH MIDAS Grant 3U01FM070694-09S1.
Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_health/~3/Ey3CqK6WrJI/130619164847.htm
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