One in three say climate change is exaggerated

The public are becoming increasingly sceptical about the threat of climate change, it emerged last night.

Months of questions over flaws in climate change science and a lack of government action have led to a sharp decline in the number of British adults who believe it is a problem.

The proportion of people, questioned in a survey by Ipsos Mori, who believe climate change is 'definitely' a reality has dropped from 44 per cent to 31 per cent in the last year.

The poll of 1,000 people also found a significant drop in those who said climate change was caused by human activities. Last year, one in three people believed it was caused by people. Now just one in five hold this conviction.......... read more>>

One in three say climate change is exaggerated

Latin America creates bloc sans US; spat mars mood

Associated Press Writer= PLAYA DE CARMEN, Mexico (AP) — Latin America and Caribbean leaders united Tuesday to create a regional bloc excluding Canada and the United States, but its birth was undermined by a spat in which the Colombian president told Venezuela's Hugo Chavez to "be a man."

Many of the 32 Latin American and Caribbean countries participating in the summit have long called for a new organization that will not be dominated by the interests of their two wealthy northern neighbors. The Washington-based Organization of American States, the largest diplomatic bloc in the Western Hemisphere, has been heavily influenced by the United States.

Mexican President Felipe Calderon, who hosted the summit in a Caribbean resort, said the bloc "will consolidate and globally project a Latin American and Caribbean identity."......... read more>>

Latin America creates bloc sans US; spat mars mood

Coral reefs form on 'ancient template'

Red Sea coral reefs get their complex shape from an ancient 'seabed template', say scientists.

Their distinctive appearance can be seen clearly in satellite images of the region and has its origin in seabed erosion thousands of years ago.

The scientists say the corals have simply adopted and accentuated the pattern created in once-exposed rock moulded by heavy rains.

They presented the findings at the Ocean Sciences meeting in Portland, US.

Dr Sam Purkis from the National Coral Reef Institute in Florida, US, led the research.

He explained that, in most cases, reefs did not form on a template.

"They are their own template," he said. "Corals simply settle on other corals and the reef forms in the ideal shape to suit the ecosystem......... read more>>

Coral reefs form on 'ancient template'

Gas prices could hit $1.12 a litre by summer

History says gasoline prices will rise in the coming months. But fundamental market forces say they shouldn't, according to energy experts.

Energy adviser Roger McKnight of Oshawa-based En-Pro International Inc. says he expects gasoline prices to peak near $1.08 to $1.12 a litre before the May 24 weekend.

Prices are currently just below $1 a litre at many gas stations in Greater Toronto.

But McKnight's not entirely happy with his own prediction: "There's no logic to it," he admits.

Fred Rozell, retail pricing director of Oil Price Information Service, agreed that traditional market forces don't point to a price increase.

"If you look at demand, it's just abysmal," he told Associated Press in New York........ read more>>

Gas prices could hit $1.12 a litre by summer

Fifa says South Africa unprepared

South Africa is not ready to host the 2010 World Cup, just over three months before the tournament kicks off, according to football's international governing body.

Jerome Valke, Fifa's secretary general, told a news conference on Tuesday that the main venue in Johannesburg, Soccer City, was yet to be completed, and that 700,000 tickets were still unsold.

"If the question is: 'Could we host the World Cup tomorrow morning?' the answer is no," Mr Valke said.

"I can make a list of things that aren't ready for the World Cup."

It is the first time that a Fifa official has admitted in such stark terms that not everything is going to plan for South Africa, the first ever host of the tournament on the African continent........ read more>>

Fifa says South Africa unprepared

Kirk Cameron prays for missing costar

It's been a long time since they acted together on the set of "Growing Pains," but Kirk Cameron has never forgotten costar Andrew Koenig -- and now desperately worries about him after he went missing amid signs he was depressed.

"I am praying for his family during this time of distress and for his safe return," Cameron said in a statement. "Andrew, if you're reading this, please call me."

Koenig, 41, who starred as Boner on the show, never returned to his Los Angeles, California, home as scheduled on February 14 after a trip to Canada.

His father described him as sounding "despondent" the last time they spoke.......... read more>>

Kirk Cameron prays for missing costar

Too soon to cut public spending, IMF warns

The International Monetary Fund today gave strong backing to the government's "wait-and-see" approach to cutting Britain's record peacetime budget deficit, warning that the weakness of growth required tax increases and spending cuts to be delayed until next year.

In a rebuff to David Cameron's avowed intention to start repairing the public finances as soon as this spring's election is over, the Washington-based IMF said the fragility of the global economy meant stimulus packages should be left in place well into 2010.

The detailed study – Exiting from Crisis Intervention Policies – was published as data from the British Bankers' Association for January showed a dip in mortgage borrowing, a sharp drop in lending to businesses and a repayment of credit card debt for the 10th successive month.......... read more>>

Too soon to cut public spending, IMF warns

Minister Phil Woolas launches personal attack on Christine Pratt

Government criticism of the head of an anti-bullying charity morphed into an outright personal attack today when Christine Pratt was mocked by a minister as a “prat of a woman”.

The founder of the National Bullying Helpline has faced a concerted campaign to discredit her and her organisation since claiming that staff at No 10 had asked for help to flight bullying at work.

Phil Woolas, the Immigration Minister, launched the most aggressive attack yet while suggesting that she would be regretting her actions. “It’s a tough business, politics. It’s 18, 20 hours a day that people like the Prime Minister work,” he told LBC, a London radio station.

“I think this attack on him by this prat of a woman down in - where’s she from, Swindon? - I think that’s backfiring on her."......... read more>>

Minister Phil Woolas launches personal attack on Christine Pratt

US consumer confidence sees sharp fall in February

Confidence among US consumers saw a surprisingly sharp fall in February as concerns grew about the jobs market and business conditions, a survey says.

The Conference Board consumer confidence index fell to a 10-month low of 46, from 56.5 in January. Analysts were expecting a decrease to 55.

The report appeared to concern Wall Street, with the main Dow Jones index down 100.51 points, 1% to 10,282.87.

The data came as several US retailers reported higher profits but weak sales.......... read more>>

US consumer confidence sees sharp fall in February

iPhone developers angry as Apple purges adult apps

Developers have expressed anger at Apple's decision to ban some adult-themed applications from its iPhone.

Thousands of apps with adult-themed content have been removed from the store since Friday although some, such as one from Playboy, remain.

Apple has said that certain apps were removed following customer complaints.

Developer Jon Atherton is angry that previously-approved apps have been pulled, and accuses Apple of "experimenting with our livelihoods".

Apple said it had to respond to its customers......... read more>>

iPhone developers angry as Apple purges adult apps

H1N1: Fighting the Flu

Last spring, U.S. doctors' offices were barraged with phone calls and worried patients packed into hospitals. Schools closed. Face masks and Tamiflu were suddenly in short supply. The country verged on an H1N1 panic.

The new flu virus, first widely reported in Mexico, was infecting the young and healthy, rather than those usually most at risk, the elderly and infirm. Beginning in April 2009, H1N1 flu fanned across the globe. The World Health Organization declared it a global pandemic in June.

Hand sanitizer was suddenly seen everywhere, and, heeding the often-repeated advice of top U.S. health officials, many people began coughing into their shoulders or elbows rather than covering their mouths with their hands.......... read more>>

H1N1: Fighting the Flu

Strong earthquake hits off southern Japan coast

TOKYO -- A strong earthquake shook several small islands off Japan's southern coast on Sunday, rattling buildings over 100 miles (160 kilometers) away in Taiwan and causing officials to temporarily issue a tsunami warning. There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.

Japan's Meteorological Agency said the earthquake hit at 3:10 p.m. (0610 GMT; 2:10 a.m. EDT) and registered magnitude 6.6. The U.S. Geological Survey measured it at 6.4. Japanese officials immediately issued a warning for a tsunami about 1.6 feet (50 centimeters) high, but removed the warning about an hour later......... read more>>

Strong earthquake hits off southern Japan coast

Kate Winslet Keeps Her Oscar in the Bathroom

Kate Winslet's Oscar is up for grabs – to anyone who visits her home.

Last year's Best Actress winner, for The Reader, keeps her golden statuette in the bathroom so guests "can sneakily have a little [hold] and put it back down again," she told the U.K. TV show GMTV on Monday.

Her reason for storing it there, she says, is "because basically everybody wants to touch it, everybody wants to hold it and go 'Oh, my gosh,' and 'How heavy is it?' So I figured if I put it [in there], then people can avoid the whole, 'Where's your Oscar?' thing."......... read more>>

Kate Winslet Keeps Her Oscar in the Bathroom

Haiti orphans facing neglect

There are mounting concerns in Haiti's earthquake-hit capital over the welfare of thousands of orphans suffering amid the devastation.

Al Jazeera has learnt of at least one government-sanctioned orphanage in the capital, Port-au-Prince, where children are kept in shocking conditions.

In at least one case a child was tied down.

The plight of orphaned children in Haiti has led to calls for international adoption processes to be sped up, but fears over human trafficking have complicated the process......... read more>>

Haiti orphans facing neglect

Serb police raid Mladic son's house

Serbian police are carrying out a raid on a Belgrade house in search of Ratko Mladic, the former Bosnian Serb army commander wanted on war crimes and genocide charges.

Masked and armed special forces blocked the street of a house believed to belong to Maldic's son Darko on Tuesday morning, in the first major raid for the fugitive since October last year.

Local media said Darko had arrived at the home last night after being away from it for a while.

Mladic has been at large since he was indicted by the Hague-based International Criminal Tribunal for Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in 1995.

He is wanted for war crimes carried out in the 1992-95 war in Bosnia, including his alleged role in the 1995 massacre of about 8,000 Muslim men and boys in Srebrenica.......... read more>

Serb police raid Mladic son's house

Rescue teams work round the clock in Madeira

Along the seafront in Funchal, a wide palm-fringed avenue borders the harbour, normally the perfect place for a holiday stroll, but there are no sightseers tonight... just gangs of weary salvage workers, and a constant rumble of heavy machinery.

Round the clock, the efforts to clear tonnes of mud and rock carried down from the mountains has been unceasing.

In Funchal's deserted shopping centre, hoses thread through the narrow streets where residents are still trying to gain access to ruined and waterlogged buildings.

The flood waters have torn the heart out of Madeira's capital. The local paper carries one banner headline: "Devastation"......... read more>>

Rescue teams work round the clock in Madeira

Clinton Urges Closer NATO Ties to Russia

(AP) Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton urged on Monday closer cooperation between Russia and NATO, the trans-Atlantic alliance that Moscow views with suspicion as a relic of the Cold War and a potential threat to its security.

In a speech launching an international seminar on revising NATO's mission for the 21st century, Clinton bluntly rejected Russian calls for a new European security treaty that Washington believes would lead to a diluting of NATO's influence in Europe and beyond.

"Let me state this unambiguously: While Russia faces challenges to its security, NATO is not among them," she said. "We want a cooperative NATO-Russia relationship that produces concrete results and draws NATO and Russia closer together."......... read more>>

Clinton Urges Closer NATO Ties to Russia

Zazi Admits Bomb Plot Against NYC Subways

A former airport shuttle driver accused of buying beauty supplies to make bombs for an attack on New York City subways pleaded guilty Monday, admitting he agreed to conduct an al Qaeda-led "martyrdom plan" because of U.S. involvement in his native Afghanistan.

Najibullah Zazi told a judge the terror network recruited him to be a suicide bomber in New York, where he went to high school and once worked a coffee car just blocks from the World Trade Center site.

The Afghan native pleaded guilty to conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction, conspiracy to commit murder in a foreign country and providing material support for a terrorist organization. He faces a life prison sentence without parole at a sentencing in June......... read more>>

Zazi Admits Bomb Plot Against NYC Subways

From the Heart: A Caregiver's Guide

The worst is over. Your loved one survived a heart attack and is back home. But getting back to normal may take some time. And depending on the severity of the attack, normal may be different than before.

Being a caregiver will require time, patience and looking out for possible post- heart-attack symptoms that signal potentially dangerous physical and psychological changes in your loved one: fatigue, swollen legs, abnormal heart rhythms and palpitations, and signs of anxiety and depression.

If you know what to expect and do, you can help your partner recover more quickly and reduce the risk of a subsequent heart attack......... read more>>

From the Heart: A Caregiver's Guide

Toyota could be prosecuted in US

The Toyota crisis deepened further after the beleaguered carmaker admitted it had been subpoenaed by a federal grand jury, and a congressional committee accused it of misleading the public.

Toyota revealed last night that it received a federal grand jury subpoena from the US attorney's office for the southern district of New York this month.

The subpoena demanded that Toyota and its subsidiaries "produce certain documents related to unintended acceleration of Toyota vehicles and the braking system of the Prius". This raises the possibility that the Japanese company could face criminal prosecution in America, and potentially huge fines, over safety problems with several of its models.

Toyota also announced that it has received a separate subpoena from the Los Angeles office of the US............ read more>>

Toyota could be prosecuted in US

Northern Ireland car bomb blamed on dissident republicans

A car bomb attack outside a court building in Northern Ireland last night was today blamed on dissident republicans.

The bombing was condemned by the Northern Ireland secretary, Shaun Woodward, as "an act of senseless violence" aimed at turning back the peace process.

Police said it was a "miracle" nobody was injured in the explosion, which happened outside the Newry courthouse, in County Down, shortly after 10.30pm.

The main gates of the building were badly damaged in the blast, which happened within walking distance of restaurants and bars.

A local hospital and several businesses received coded warning calls from a dissident republican, and police were still evacuating the scene when the bomb went off........... read more>>

Northern Ireland car bomb blamed on dissident republicans

Ice dancing:Worst and best of the Games

VANCOUVER -- I have now lived long enough to have seen someone doing ice dance at the Olympics while wearing a yarmulke, the head covering worn by tradition-minded Jewish men.

Good God. It made me wonder: Why didn't my parents think of this shtick for my long-ago Bar Mitzvah party?

Better question: I get that Israelis Roman and Alexandra Zaretsky were going for a specific motif during the second of the three segments of the ice dancing competition here at the 2010 Games. But to top it off -- at the end, shouldn't he have stepped on a glass while everyone in the stands yelled, "Mazel tov!"......... read more>>

Ice dancing:Worst and best of the Games

Is Shakira dating Rafael Nadal?

Are things getting muy caliente between Shakira and tennis star Rafael Nadal?

Last week, the pair was spotted sharing a cozy meal at the W Hotel in Barcelona, and the singer, 33, and the athlete, 23, get close in Shakira's upcoming video for her song "Gypsy," premiering in April.

"They were giggling. They're very flirty," a source told PEOPLE of the video shoot. "They had a lot of chemistry while they were filming."

Absent from the set to witness-said chemistry? Shakira's longtime love Antonio de la Rua, and Maria Francisca Perello, whose relationship with Nadal went public last summer.

Nadal's rep has denied a romantic relationship between the pair and Shakira's rep describes them as "good friends."........ read more>>

Is Shakira dating Rafael Nadal?

Is Congress gridlocked and broken?

Two months into the new year, Congress is at a standstill, stuck in party-line votes, heated debates and electoral politics.

And there's no indication that will change before mid-term elections in November, political observers say: Democrats are afraid to take chances on anything that might alienate voters, and Republicans can stand pat and hope the anti-incumbent mood brewing in the country will help weaken Democrats' control of Congress.

"The problem is the combination of highly ideologically polarizing political parties operating at sort of near parity," said Thomas Mann, a congressional scholar at the nonpartisan Brookings Institution.

With many members of Congress in tough re-election fights this year......... read more>>

Is Congress gridlocked and broken?

Strike hits flights from Paris airports

Flights have been cancelled at the two main Paris airports as French air traffic controllers begin a five-day strike over job loss fears.

Half of the flights in and out of Orly airport have been cancelled, while one in four from Charles de Gaulle have also been pulled from the schedules.

Staff are protesting over a deal agreed by six nations to modernise air traffic control that they say will cut jobs.

The strike is taking place during a school holiday in France.

Analysts said union leaders were also hoping to put pressure on President Nicolas Sarkozy's government ahead of regional elections next month........... read more>>

Strike hits flights from Paris airports

Sudan to sign Darfur ceasefire deal

Sudan's largest opposition group is set to sign a peace deal with the government that could end the conflict in Darfur.

Documents setting out the terms of the deal, to be signed in Qatar on Tuesday, appear to offer government positions for the Justice and Equality Movement (Jem), the Reuters news agency reported.

The documents are the first concrete sign that Khartoum is prepared to share power with the group.

Zeina Awad, Al Jazeera's correspondent, reporting from Doha, said that while the positions could be part of the deal, Jem could also emerge as an opposition group.

"There is some form of a political deal being discussed," she said........ read more>>

Sudan to sign Darfur ceasefire deal

Whaling body proposes compromise

The working group set up by the International Whaling Commission (IWC) has proposed allowing a limited return to commercial whale hunts, in exchange for a reduction in the number of whales killed annually.

The proposal would allow Japan to continue its hunt of the mammals on a quota basis, while suspending its hunts for the purposes of "research".

The proposal, developed but not endorsed by a 12-nation IWC working group, calls for the suspension of "scientific whaling" - a loophole which Japan uses to circumvent the 1986 moratorium on commercial whaling.

It comes days after Australia threatened to take Japan to the International Criminal Court if it does not stop whaling in the Southern Ocean by November......... read more>>

Whaling body proposes compromise

Jakarta bombs 'financier' on trial

An Indonesian man has gone on trial in Jakarta accused of helping to finance last year's bomb attacks on two hotels in the city that left seven people dead and more than 50 others injured.

Prosecutors say Mohammad Jibril Abdul Rahman flew to Saudi Arabia to raise money for the suicide attacks on the JW Marriott and Ritz Carlton hotels.

But speaking outside court on Tuesday Mohammad Jibril denied the charges against him saying the case had been fabricated.

"The charges are fabricated and ridiculous. I didn't do anything wrong," he told reporters.

He faces up to 15 years in jail if convicted....... read more>>

Jakarta bombs 'financier' on trial

Deadly blast hits Afghan town

At least eight people have died after a bomb exploded in the provincial capital of Afghanistan's southern Helmand province, amid a Nato and Afghan military offensive there.

Local authorities said all those killed in the attack on Tuesday in Lashkar Gah were civilians.

At least one woman was among the dead, Asadullah Sherzad, the Lashkar Gah police chief, told Al Jazeera.

Thirteen people were also wounded in the explosion, he said.

Al Jazeera's James Bays, reporting from Lashkar Gah, said the bomb was apparently planted on a bicycle, although it was not clear if it was a suicide attack......... read more>>

Deadly blast hits Afghan town

Global warming both bane and boon for world's poor

Washington, Feb 22 (ANI): A new study by researchers at Stanford University, US, has determined that global warming may have an adverse impact on food prices and hunger in poor populations of the world, while others would be helped out of poverty because of it.

Researchers say that higher temperatures could significantly reduce yields of wheat, rice and maize - dietary staples for tens of millions of poor people who subsist on less than 1 dollar a day.

The resulting crop shortages would likely cause food prices to rise and drive many into poverty.

"But even as some people are hurt, others would be helped out of poverty," said Stanford agricultural scientist David Lobell........ read more>>

Global warming both bane and boon for world's poor

Microsoft helps languages talk tech

SAN FRANCISCO, California, United States—Microsoft on Monday took steps to help local languages avoid being lost on the ever-changing computer technology landscape.

The list of languages supported by the newest releases of Windows, Office, or Visual Studio software includes Yoruba in Nigeria, Oriya in India, Tatar in Russia, isiZulu in Africa, and Inuktitut in Canada.

A full list of languages was available online at microsoft.com/llp.

The US software giant also released 59 new Language Interface Packs for its latest-generation Windows 7 operating system and soon-to-be-released Office 2010 programs........... read more>>

Microsoft helps languages talk tech

McDonald's Delivers Another Year of Strong Results In 2009

OAK BROOK, Ill., Jan. 22 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- McDonald's Corporation today announced strong results for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2009, driven by global comparable sales growth.

"McDonald's 2009 results reflect the broad-based strength of our global business," said McDonald's Chief Executive Officer, Jim Skinner. "Our in-demand food and beverages, unparalleled convenience and superior value at every level of our menu enabled us to serve 60 million customers per day during 2009, up 2 million per day over the prior year. In addition, McDonald's profitability increased as we marked our sixth consecutive year of positive comparable sales in every geographic segment and generated higher global revenues, operating income and earnings per share in constant currencies – all tremendous accomplishments given the tough global economy."......... read more>>

McDonald's Delivers Another Year of Strong Results In 2009