A journalist who was interviewing a key political protest leader in Bangkok said the sniper bullet that struck the man came so close that it "felt like it grazed my head."
Describing a chaotic scene on the streets of the Thai capital Thursday night, Thomas Fuller of the International Herald Tribune described to CNN how Maj. Gen. Khattiya Sawasdipol was shot in the head as he was interviewing the opposition figure. "I was facing him, he was answering my questions, looking at me and the bullet hit him in the forehead, from what I could tell," Fuller told CNN's Michael Holmes. "It looks like the bullet came over my head and struck him. I don't have any way of confirming this beyond what I remember from the scene but it felt like it grazed my head."
Thomas Fuller describes scene in Bangkok.
Fuller and other journalists were interviewing the general -- better known as Seh Daeng -- in makeshift barricades that protesters have set up in downtown Bangkok. The United Front for Democracy (UDD) has turned the posh commercial center of Bangkok into a makeshift fortress as they continue to demand that Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva dissolve the lower house of Parliament and call new elections. The protesters' barricades appear as a combination "of 'Mad Max' and some medieval scene," Fuller said. Bamboo pikes and rubber tire barricades have been formed as a makeshift camp by the protesters, Fuller said.
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Fuller said he was just inside the barricades when he was interviewing Seh Daeng. The opposition figure was facing out of the barricades and into Bangkok's business district of tall office buildings. "He was standing in the same location for a while when I was talking to him but he was moving around, he was gesticulating," Fuller said. "He wasn't standing still, he was bobbing his head." Seh Daeng did not appear to be armed or have bodyguards, but was dressed in camouflage jacket and a floppy hat, Fuller said. The opposition leader was listed in critical condition from the shooting, his guards said. Violence erupted after Thai authorities set a new deadline to seal off the Bangkok intersection where protesters have gathered by the thousands for the past month.
Escalating violence in Bangkok.
The government said it has been forced to take action after demonstrators disregarded an ultimatum by Abhisit to vacate the intersection by Wednesday. The Red Shirts support former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a bloodless military coup in 2006.
What are the protests about?
Seh Daeng -- or Red Commander -- is a controversial public figure, even within the protest movement, Fuller said. Some Thai opposition leaders see him as an impediment to a peaceful resolution to the political stalemate that has gripped Thai politics, Fuller said.
"He's a renegade in all sense," Fuller said. "He's a renegade from the army, a hardliner within the protest movement. He told me today he thought they (other opposition leaders) were being cowardly and he wanted to carry on."More than two dozen civilians and military personnel have died in police-protester clashes in the ongoing unrest. I have copy this news from CNN News Online.
วันศุกร์ที่ 14 พฤษภาคม พ.ศ. 2553
DNA clue to life at high altitude
The ability of Tibetans to live on the "roof of the world" may be down to their DNA, US researchers say. University of Utah researchers found 10 genes which help Tibetans thrive at heights where others get sick. Two of the genes are linked to haemoglobin - the substance in blood that transports oxygen round the body.
Doctors say the research, published in Science, could lead to treatments for severe forms of altitude sickness and other illnesses. Altitude sickness is the name given to ill-effects caused by the body's struggle to deal with a lack of oxygen at high altitude.
It can lead to brain and lung complications, which can threaten even the fittest mountaineers.
People native to high altitudes appear to be immune to such effects, through thousands of years of genetic selection. Tibetans have evolved genes that others living at high altitudes - such as in the Andes - have not. Professor Lynn Jorde, of the University of Utah School of Medicine, said: "For the first time, we have genes that explain that adaptation."
Therapies
The study looked at DNA extracted from blood samples taken from 75 villagers living at 15,000ft (4,500m). The Utah team, in collaboration with the Qinghai University Medical School, China, compared stretches of their genetic code with that of lowland Chinese and Japanese populations. A handful of genes turned up, including 10 unique oxygen-processing genes.
Two appear to contribute to lower levels of haemoglobin in the blood, which may help the body fight altitude sickness. Prof Josef Prchal of the University of Utah said the work could help in developing treatments for illnesses that affect people everywhere. He said: "What's unique about Tibetans is they don't develop high red blood cells counts. "If we can understand this, we can develop therapies for human disease."
Darwinism
Professor Hugh Montgomery is a geneticist and director of the UCL Institute for Human Health and Performance at University College London. He said the study helped in the understanding of how patients with the likes of heart failure and lung disease cope with low oxygen in the blood. He told the BBC: "It's important clinically because it helps us understand how patients cope with low oxygen levels. "There are opportunities here for developing new drug therapies."
He said the work was also important scientifically, by showing how Darwin's science coupled with modern technology could be used to identify beneficial genes. "It's a lovely example of Darwinism," he added. I have copy this news from BBC News Online.
Doctors say the research, published in Science, could lead to treatments for severe forms of altitude sickness and other illnesses. Altitude sickness is the name given to ill-effects caused by the body's struggle to deal with a lack of oxygen at high altitude.
It can lead to brain and lung complications, which can threaten even the fittest mountaineers.
People native to high altitudes appear to be immune to such effects, through thousands of years of genetic selection. Tibetans have evolved genes that others living at high altitudes - such as in the Andes - have not. Professor Lynn Jorde, of the University of Utah School of Medicine, said: "For the first time, we have genes that explain that adaptation."
Therapies
The study looked at DNA extracted from blood samples taken from 75 villagers living at 15,000ft (4,500m). The Utah team, in collaboration with the Qinghai University Medical School, China, compared stretches of their genetic code with that of lowland Chinese and Japanese populations. A handful of genes turned up, including 10 unique oxygen-processing genes.
Two appear to contribute to lower levels of haemoglobin in the blood, which may help the body fight altitude sickness. Prof Josef Prchal of the University of Utah said the work could help in developing treatments for illnesses that affect people everywhere. He said: "What's unique about Tibetans is they don't develop high red blood cells counts. "If we can understand this, we can develop therapies for human disease."
Darwinism
Professor Hugh Montgomery is a geneticist and director of the UCL Institute for Human Health and Performance at University College London. He said the study helped in the understanding of how patients with the likes of heart failure and lung disease cope with low oxygen in the blood. He told the BBC: "It's important clinically because it helps us understand how patients cope with low oxygen levels. "There are opportunities here for developing new drug therapies."
He said the work was also important scientifically, by showing how Darwin's science coupled with modern technology could be used to identify beneficial genes. "It's a lovely example of Darwinism," he added. I have copy this news from BBC News Online.
วันพฤหัสบดีที่ 13 พฤษภาคม พ.ศ. 2553
Quarter of U.S. women ambivalent toward pregnancy
Nearly one in four women of childbearing age in the United States are unconcerned about getting pregnant -- but aren't trying either -- and would be happy either way, according to a recent study. "This finding dramatically challenges the idea that women are always trying, one way or another, to either get pregnant or not get pregnant," said Julia McQuillan, professor of sociology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the study's lead author.
About 71 percent questioned in the study of nearly 4,000 women ages 25 to 45 who were sexually active said they were not trying to get pregnant, while 6 percent said they were. But nearly one in four, or 23 percent, told researchers they were "OK either way," meaning they were neither trying to conceive, nor trying to prevent a pregnancy. "If health-care providers only ask women if they are currently trying to get pregnant and women say no, then the assumption is that they are trying not to get pregnant," McQuillan said. "Clearly, many women are less intentional about pregnancy. Yet this group should be treated as if they will likely conceive and should therefore get recommendations such as ensuring adequate folic acid intake and limiting alcohol intake."
The study comes at a time when the demography of motherhood in the United States has shifted dramatically over the last 20 years. The mothers of today's newborns are older and better educated than they were in 1990, a separate Pew Research Center study shows. They also are less likely to be white and less likely to be married.
The average age for a first-time mother in the United States was 25 in 2008, the study says, a year older than in 1990. Among all women who had a baby in 2008, the average age was 27, also up a year from 1990. "In 2008, a record 41 percent of births in the United States were to unmarried women, up from 28 percent in 1990," the Pew study said. The share of births outside of marriage was highest for black women at 72 percent, followed by Hispanics at 53 percent, whites at 29 percent and Asians at 17 percent. The rate of increase over that timeframe was highest for white and Hispanic women.
When asked the various reasons why they decided to have their first child, the vast majority of parents -- 87 percent -- answered, "The joy of having children," was important or very important, the Pew study says. But nearly half also said there was no particular reason -- "It just happened." I have copy this news from CNN News.
About 71 percent questioned in the study of nearly 4,000 women ages 25 to 45 who were sexually active said they were not trying to get pregnant, while 6 percent said they were. But nearly one in four, or 23 percent, told researchers they were "OK either way," meaning they were neither trying to conceive, nor trying to prevent a pregnancy. "If health-care providers only ask women if they are currently trying to get pregnant and women say no, then the assumption is that they are trying not to get pregnant," McQuillan said. "Clearly, many women are less intentional about pregnancy. Yet this group should be treated as if they will likely conceive and should therefore get recommendations such as ensuring adequate folic acid intake and limiting alcohol intake."
The study comes at a time when the demography of motherhood in the United States has shifted dramatically over the last 20 years. The mothers of today's newborns are older and better educated than they were in 1990, a separate Pew Research Center study shows. They also are less likely to be white and less likely to be married.
The average age for a first-time mother in the United States was 25 in 2008, the study says, a year older than in 1990. Among all women who had a baby in 2008, the average age was 27, also up a year from 1990. "In 2008, a record 41 percent of births in the United States were to unmarried women, up from 28 percent in 1990," the Pew study said. The share of births outside of marriage was highest for black women at 72 percent, followed by Hispanics at 53 percent, whites at 29 percent and Asians at 17 percent. The rate of increase over that timeframe was highest for white and Hispanic women.
When asked the various reasons why they decided to have their first child, the vast majority of parents -- 87 percent -- answered, "The joy of having children," was important or very important, the Pew study says. But nearly half also said there was no particular reason -- "It just happened." I have copy this news from CNN News.
Thai red-shirt supporter Gen Khattiya 'shot'
A renegade Thai general who backs anti-government protesters has been shot, shortly after a deadline for troops to seal their Bangkok protest camp passed. Khattiya Sawasdipol, better known as Seh Daeng (Commander Red), was seriously injured, according to an aide quoted by AP news agency. The military had said it would start surrounding the protest camp at 1800 (1100 GMT) and advised people to leave.
Gunfire and an explosion were heard and there were reports of casualties. It was not clear where the firing was coming from. Earlier, a BBC reporter saw trucks unloading heavily-armed soldiers several blocks from the encampment. Shops and businesses near the encampment were urged to close before the deadline and transport was suspended. The protesters - who have been occupying parts of Bangkok for more than two months - want Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to dissolve parliament and call fresh elections.
The BBC's Rachel Harvey in Bangkok says a column of about 200 soldiers had been seen moving towards the camp. Street lights have been switched off in the camp, plunging parts of it into darkness, but protesters continue to defiantly blast out music, our correspondent says.
Gen Khattiya is a suspended army officer who advised the red-shirts on military strategy.
He was part of the protesters' more radical wing and had accused red-shirt leaders of not being hard-line enough.
Mr Abhisit had offered polls on 14 November - but the two sides failed to agree a deal because of divisions over who should be held accountable for a deadly crackdown on protests last month.
On Wednesday, the government announced and then cancelled a plan to cut off water and power supplies to the protesters. I have copy this news from BBC News.
Gunfire and an explosion were heard and there were reports of casualties. It was not clear where the firing was coming from. Earlier, a BBC reporter saw trucks unloading heavily-armed soldiers several blocks from the encampment. Shops and businesses near the encampment were urged to close before the deadline and transport was suspended. The protesters - who have been occupying parts of Bangkok for more than two months - want Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to dissolve parliament and call fresh elections.
The BBC's Rachel Harvey in Bangkok says a column of about 200 soldiers had been seen moving towards the camp. Street lights have been switched off in the camp, plunging parts of it into darkness, but protesters continue to defiantly blast out music, our correspondent says.
Gen Khattiya is a suspended army officer who advised the red-shirts on military strategy.
He was part of the protesters' more radical wing and had accused red-shirt leaders of not being hard-line enough.
Mr Abhisit had offered polls on 14 November - but the two sides failed to agree a deal because of divisions over who should be held accountable for a deadly crackdown on protests last month.
On Wednesday, the government announced and then cancelled a plan to cut off water and power supplies to the protesters. I have copy this news from BBC News.
วันพุธที่ 12 พฤษภาคม พ.ศ. 2553
60 dead in Russian mine blasts
The death toll from a Russian coal mine accident has reached 60, with 30 people still missing, the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry said Wednesday.
Rescue teams have combed more than 75 percent of the mine's labyrinth of underground tunnels looking for survivors and the dead.
"We have about 24 hours left to rescue miners (who are alive), if they are still there," emergency Minister Sergei Shoigu said on the ministry's website.
The gas explosion in the Raspadskaya mine occurred at 8:55 p.m. Saturday (12:55 p.m. ET), when 359 people were working at the time. The mine is located near the western Siberian town of Mezhdurechensk, more than 2,300 miles east of Moscow. Nearly 300 people were evacuated shortly after the explosion.
More than 50 rescue workers had gone into the mine to recover the rest of the victims when a second gas explosion rocked the structure about four-and-a-half hours later, causing more fatalities and destruction, officials said. Dozens of miners and rescue workers were trapped as a result of that second, much more powerful explosion, and all communications with them were disrupted.
Thick smoke and high methane concentrations in the mine prevented active rescue operations underground on Sunday and most of Monday morning, Russian officials said.
The operation was further complicated by the very size of the mine: Raspadskaya is one of the largest in Russia's mining industry. It has dozens of underground tunnels with a total length of almost 200 miles, according to Kemerovo Gov. Aman Tuleyev.
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said on Russian state television Tuesday that the investigation is closely analyzing all possible clues to determine the cause of the blasts.
The victims' families will be paid 1 million rubles (more than $33,000) in moral damages, and underage children of those killed in the accident will be paid a pension of 10,000 rubles (more than $330) every month until they reach the age of 18, the Russian government decided Tuesday. I have copy this news from CNN News.
Rescue teams have combed more than 75 percent of the mine's labyrinth of underground tunnels looking for survivors and the dead.
"We have about 24 hours left to rescue miners (who are alive), if they are still there," emergency Minister Sergei Shoigu said on the ministry's website.
The gas explosion in the Raspadskaya mine occurred at 8:55 p.m. Saturday (12:55 p.m. ET), when 359 people were working at the time. The mine is located near the western Siberian town of Mezhdurechensk, more than 2,300 miles east of Moscow. Nearly 300 people were evacuated shortly after the explosion.
More than 50 rescue workers had gone into the mine to recover the rest of the victims when a second gas explosion rocked the structure about four-and-a-half hours later, causing more fatalities and destruction, officials said. Dozens of miners and rescue workers were trapped as a result of that second, much more powerful explosion, and all communications with them were disrupted.
Thick smoke and high methane concentrations in the mine prevented active rescue operations underground on Sunday and most of Monday morning, Russian officials said.
The operation was further complicated by the very size of the mine: Raspadskaya is one of the largest in Russia's mining industry. It has dozens of underground tunnels with a total length of almost 200 miles, according to Kemerovo Gov. Aman Tuleyev.
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said on Russian state television Tuesday that the investigation is closely analyzing all possible clues to determine the cause of the blasts.
The victims' families will be paid 1 million rubles (more than $33,000) in moral damages, and underage children of those killed in the accident will be paid a pension of 10,000 rubles (more than $330) every month until they reach the age of 18, the Russian government decided Tuesday. I have copy this news from CNN News.
Thai government gives protesters Thursday deadline
Thai authorities vowed to shut off power, cut supplies and seal off at midnight Thursday a central Bangkok intersection where anti-government protesters have amassed by the thousands for the last month.
The government's decision comes after demonstrators disregarded an ultimatum by Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajjiva to vacate the Ratchaprasong intersection by Wednesday.
The anti-government United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD) has turned the posh commercial center into a fortress of tires and bamboo sticks as they continue their demand that Abhisit dissolve the lower house of the parliament and call new elections.
The government said that starting at 12 a.m., it will cut off water, power, telephone lines and transportation services in the area.
Army spokesman, Col. Sansern Kaewkumnerd, said all non-protesters should avoid the area. If they have business there, they have to show proof, such as ID cards.
The government announcement was immediately met with defiance by the UDD, whose supporters are called the "Red Shirts" because of the clothes they wear.
"The Red will continue staying in the area," said a party leader, Weng Tojirakarn. He cautioned the government against acting rashly, warning it could lead to "bloodshed."
The Red Shirts are supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a bloodless military coup in 2006. More than two dozen civilians and military personnel have died in deadly police-protester clashes in the ongoing unrest.
Over the weekend, two Thai police officers were killed and eight people injured in violence that began Friday night and lasted into early Saturday. I have copy this news from CNN News.
The government's decision comes after demonstrators disregarded an ultimatum by Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajjiva to vacate the Ratchaprasong intersection by Wednesday.
The anti-government United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD) has turned the posh commercial center into a fortress of tires and bamboo sticks as they continue their demand that Abhisit dissolve the lower house of the parliament and call new elections.
The government said that starting at 12 a.m., it will cut off water, power, telephone lines and transportation services in the area.
Army spokesman, Col. Sansern Kaewkumnerd, said all non-protesters should avoid the area. If they have business there, they have to show proof, such as ID cards.
The government announcement was immediately met with defiance by the UDD, whose supporters are called the "Red Shirts" because of the clothes they wear.
"The Red will continue staying in the area," said a party leader, Weng Tojirakarn. He cautioned the government against acting rashly, warning it could lead to "bloodshed."
The Red Shirts are supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a bloodless military coup in 2006. More than two dozen civilians and military personnel have died in deadly police-protester clashes in the ongoing unrest.
Over the weekend, two Thai police officers were killed and eight people injured in violence that began Friday night and lasted into early Saturday. I have copy this news from CNN News.
วันอังคารที่ 11 พฤษภาคม พ.ศ. 2553
Tiger's swing coach quits
Tiger Woods' troubled career took another blow Monday, when one of his coaches said he would no longer be working with golf's No. 1 player. "Just so there is no confusion, I would like to make it clear that this is my decision," Hank Haney, Woods' swing coach, said in a statement posted to his website. "Tiger Woods and I will always be friends, but I believe that there is a time and place for everything, and I feel at this time and at this place in my life I want to move forward in other areas."
The announcement came a day after Woods dropped out of the final round of The Players Championship in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, complaining of "a bulging disk" in his neck.
"I'm having a hard time with the pain," Woods said at a news conference Sunday. "There's tingling down my fingers, just the right side. Setting up over the ball is fine but once I start making the motion, it's downhill from there."
Woods said anti-inflammatory drugs have been ineffective and plans to have an MRI. Woods has been at the white-hot center of controversy since revelations of extramarital affairs arose following a car accident in late November. In the ensuing months, several alleged lovers have come forth, and Woods spent 45 days at a rehabilitation center for what the golfer called "personal" issues.
He returned to competition in early April for the Masters tournament in Augusta, Georgia, in which Woods placed fourth. "As we all know, Tiger has been through a lot in the last six months, and I really believe that given the chance, mind free and injury free, we will all see Tiger Woods play once again like we all know he can," Haney said.
"I wish Tiger well, not only with his golf, but in finding peace and happiness in all aspects of his life. Tiger knows that if he ever needs me in anyway, whether it be with his golf or just as a friend he can always call," he added. "I will always, as I have been in the past, be there for him." I have copy this news from CNN News online.
The announcement came a day after Woods dropped out of the final round of The Players Championship in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, complaining of "a bulging disk" in his neck.
"I'm having a hard time with the pain," Woods said at a news conference Sunday. "There's tingling down my fingers, just the right side. Setting up over the ball is fine but once I start making the motion, it's downhill from there."
Woods said anti-inflammatory drugs have been ineffective and plans to have an MRI. Woods has been at the white-hot center of controversy since revelations of extramarital affairs arose following a car accident in late November. In the ensuing months, several alleged lovers have come forth, and Woods spent 45 days at a rehabilitation center for what the golfer called "personal" issues.
He returned to competition in early April for the Masters tournament in Augusta, Georgia, in which Woods placed fourth. "As we all know, Tiger has been through a lot in the last six months, and I really believe that given the chance, mind free and injury free, we will all see Tiger Woods play once again like we all know he can," Haney said.
"I wish Tiger well, not only with his golf, but in finding peace and happiness in all aspects of his life. Tiger knows that if he ever needs me in anyway, whether it be with his golf or just as a friend he can always call," he added. "I will always, as I have been in the past, be there for him." I have copy this news from CNN News online.
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