Blind Somalis learn to live with anarchy

MARKA, SOMALIA, Nov 9: Ali Hussein says Somalia is the worst place in the world to be blind. To survive, he has learned to distinguish between the sounds of mortars, missiles and machineguns the better to avoid street battles.

People harass him and discriminate against him, and everywhere he turns there is violence and danger.

''Our lives are in jeopardy. We are mistreated by those who can see. Sometimes they even snatch our white canes. They have no mercy,'' said Hussein, who wears dark glasses.

''The blind easily walk into heavy fighting,'' said the 19-year-old, who lost his sight aged one. ''That has forced us to master the sounds of missiles, heavy machineguns and other heavy weapons. Once they are fired, we run for cover.''

Somalia is torn between Islamic forces based in the capital, Mogadishu, and a weak, Western-backed interim government. Many fear the Horn of Africa country is on the verge of all-out war.

Clashes are common between militias riding ''technicals'', or pickups converted into battlewagons bristling with guns, grenades and anti-aircraft rockets.

Hussein, who is learning to read and write Braille at the Rainbow School for the Blind in Marka, a port 125 km south of the capital, demonstrates his survival skills.

He claps and whistles loudly to produce the different noises made by the warring parties' weapons.

Ali Sahal, a former militiaman resting nearby at the school in Marka, is intrigued.

''He must be a genius,'' Sahal says with a laugh. ''That is exactly the sound of an AK-47 rifle, machineguns, anti-aircraft missiles and mortars.''

(AGENCIES)

Australia to urge Bush to stay the course in Iraq

CANBERRA, Nov 9: Australia will urge US President George W Bush to maintain his policies on Iraq despite the electoral backlash against the Republicans, Prime Minister John Howard said today.

US voter anger against the war in Iraq saw Bush's Republican party lose control of the House of Representatives and possibly Congress in mid-term elections today,

prompting the resignation of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

''I will be telling him (Bush) that Australia's view is that it would be against everybody's interest, except the terrorists, for the coalition to leave in circumstances of defeat,'' Howard told reporters today.

Howard is due to hold talks with Bush on the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Vietnam next week.

Staunch US ally Australia, which has about 1,500 troops in and around Iraq, was one of the first nations to join the 2003 US-led war that ousted former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein.

Howard said he was sure the Republican defeat would not make the United States, or its ally Britain, fundamentally change their positions on Iraq.

''Although they are clearly looking for ways in which their tactics may change, their strategy is not going to change, they are not going to suddenly pull out of Iraq,'' he said.

''We have to take a little bit of a reality check. Clearly the President has reacted to the vote. That is sensible. But his reaction does not amount to a fundamental change of direction.''

Bush yesterday conceded that voter discontent with Iraq played a part in his party's ''thumping'' by Democrats. He also acknowledged his Iraq policy was ''not working well enough, fast enough'' but refused to back down.

Rumsfeld, one of the staunchest defenders of Bush's Iraq policy, resigned after the heavy Republican losses.

Howard described Rumsfeld's resignation as a political gesture, adding that he would maintain friendly ties with the former defense secretary.

''I like Donald Rumsfeld. He's been a controversial Defense Secretary. On a personal level I enjoyed Donald Rumsfeld's company and I will in the future,'' he said. (AGENCIES)

French healthcare reforms spoil appetite for pills

PARIS, Nov 9: The French, among Europe’s most avid consumers of prescription drugs, are popping fewer pills and powders-not because they have become healthier, but because the government is on a mission to cut the country’s healthcare bill.

In a major break with previous years, growth in medicine sales has slowed this year, to just one per cent in the year to August compared with five to seven per cent between 1990 and 2005.

Drugmaker Sanofi-Aventis has announced job cuts in France and Germany and French sector body LEEM has warned of more to come, urging the government to see drugs not just as a cost but as products that help the economy and jobs.

Facing an ageing population and subsequent rise in healthcare needs, France is under pressure to reform its former lavish spending on a healthcare system rated as among the best.

In a country where doctors prescribe on average 4.5 drugs per patient against 0.8 in Europe’s northern nations, this might not be such a big deal-but the French are averse to change and the pharmaceutical industry is up in arms.

"The industry’s major fear is that the government might next year decide to price drugs along the lines of what’s happening in Germany, though not as radical," Emmanuel Seve, head of healthcare research at French consultant PRECEPTA, said.

When a generic drug hits the German market, prices of brand drugs in the same therapeutic area will have to come down to the generic’s level.

But France’s gradual reforms contrast with the sweeping plans Germany has for its system.

The government aims to cut its healthcare deficit to 3.9 billion euros ($4.98 billion) in 2007 from a targeted 6 billion this year by pushing for the sale of cheaper generics, by asking doctors to prescribe fewer medicines, by cutting or ending drug reimbursement, by taxing drugs or by combating fraud.

Without these measures, the deficit last year would have hit 16 billion euros instead of 8 billion, the Health Ministry says.

CHANGE OF HABITS

It took about ten years of to-ing and fro-ing to get to the reform that began in 2004. That year, health spending took up 10.5 percent of France’s gross domestic product, OECD data show, ranking it fourth after the US, Switzerland and Germany.

"The French need to change their habits-that is at the heart of (the government’s) ideas," Claude Le Pen, health economics professor at the Paris Dauphine university said. "We don’t touch the ideology-for everyone there will be a wide reimbursement basket, but the system will be better managed."

A poll in September showed that 85 percent of those surveyed believe French healthcare spending is too high due to inefficient management. Three quarters said savings could be made if doctors prescribed fewer drugs or health check-ups.

The government has involved the entire sector-drugmakers, physicians, pharmacies and patients-in its savings effort and this approach has been paying off in the past year and a half.

The most symbolic change, Le Pen says, is that general practitioners now have a gate-keeping role. Until 2005 the French had straight access to specialists and could see any GP.

"It’s a revolution-public authorities are discovering very late the technique and benefits of managed care," he said.

Medical services are gradually computerising the wide use in France of paper files, which has been hampering quick and easy access for doctors to a patient’s history. The government’s main challenge will be to reform hospital spending.

"The system needs to become more efficient," Geoffroy Sainte-Claire Deville, account director at IMS Health France. "The question is up to what point-do we want France to remain attractive for the industry?"

France ranks Number four in the global pharmaceutical market with a 5.4 per cent share and is Europe’s main producer of drugs.

Deville said he expected the industry to adapt and bounce back as the reforms push them to target expensive niche products on which authorities cannot refuse reimbursement.

And the government has raised its awards for innovative drugs.

"Some drugmakers say they are not opposed as such to generics when their drugs go off patent or when reimbursement on their old products stops-as long as in return they get a high price for their innovation," PRECEPTA’s Seve said.

(AGENCIES)

Jackson to perform "Thriller" in comeback show

LONDON, Nov 9: Reclusive superstar Michael Jackson plans a dramatic comeback later this month with a performance of his classic song ''Thriller'', the organisers of a music awards ceremony said yesterday.

The 48-year-old superstar has been a virtual recluse since his acquittal of child molestation charges in June, 2005, dividing much of his time between Bahrain and Ireland.

Last month the World Music Awards announced that Jackson would appear in London to accept a Diamond Award that goes to artists who sell more than 100 million records worldwide, and this week they confirmed Jackson's intention to perform.

''Yes, it's his first performance in a long time,'' said a spokeswoman at Outside Organisation, one of the public relations companies publicising the event. ''It's something of a comeback if you like.''

The choice of song coincides with the 25th anniversary of Jackson's ''Thriller'' album, one of the biggest selling records of all time.

Jackson has said he planned to move to Europe in a bid to resurrect his musical career, and in April a record label said he intended to make a new album to be released in 2007.

As well as Jackson's eagerly awaited return, US actress Lindsay Lohan will host the awards show on November 15, and Beyonce, Mary J Blige and Andrea Bocelli will perform on the night.

The World Music Awards are based on artists' sales as opposed to votes from the public or a panel of judges. (AGENCIES)

Organ donation raises religious doubts in Israel

JERUSALEM, Nov 9: Tani Goodman was just 17 when he died and his organs were used to save the lives of four people.

It did not occur to his mother Maggie, an Orthodox Jew from Jerusalem, that her religion might get in the way of donating his organs after he was crushed to death by an automatic gate while attending an orientation session at a seminary in 2002.

''Saving a life is the most important thing. You don't have to be a rabbi to see that,'' she said. ''It was the only positive thing that came out of that black day.''

Many people in the Jewish state feel differently, and as a result, the waiting list for organ transplants is a long one.

Although Israel has an advanced health care system and is a world leader in medical advancement, only 260 organ transplants were conducted in 2005. In the United States, about 73 are carried out per day.

''It hurts knowing that even though we have all the technology, there are still people dying every week waiting for organs,'' said Tamar Ashkenazi, director of Israel's National Transplant Center.

One problem is that, while most Israelis are secular Jews, they often identify with religion on issues of death and refuse to donate organs, she said.

Rabbi Daniel Sperber, president of the Institute of Advanced Jewish Studies at Bar Ilan University near Tel Aviv, said many families refused to allow organs to be removed because the Bible prohibits the desecration of bodies and delay of burial.

However, he said, Jewish law clearly stated that the concept of ''Pikuach Nefesh'', or saving a life, overrode such concerns.

''If the patient was a donor and the family consents, of course taking an organ is allowed,'' he said.

LOWEST PERCENTAGE

The Halachic Organ Donation Society, comprising rabbis and doctors from around the world, said on its Web site that Jews had the lowest percentage among ethnic groups worldwide of carrying organ donor cards.

''There remains a widespread misperception in Israel that Jewish law categorically prohibits organ donation,'' the society said.

More than 10 percent of the people on the transplant waiting list in Israel died last year, nearly double the figure in the United States provided by the US organ Procurement and Transplantation Network.

Part of the reason for the long wait is that only 4 per cent of Israelis are registered organ donors, far fewer than the 15 to 35 per cent in other Western countries.

As a result, more than half of the Israelis who received transplants paid for their new organs abroad.

Groups in Israel promoting organ donations have launched a campaign within the Jewish Orthodox community, hoping that once religious leaders embrace the concept, secular families will follow suit.

They must overcome some long-held beliefs, such as fears that signing a donor card invites the ''evil eye'', or death, or that organs must be kept in the body to await resurrection when the Messiah comes.

Some scholars suggest that, for some Israelis, a decade of watching Palestinian suicide bombings on television and religious workers collecting scattered body parts for burial may have exaggerated the importance of ensuring the corpse is buried in its entirety.

One sticking point in organ donation is the determination of death.

''In the Western world, in cases of brain death, it is permissible to use the heart and lungs for donation. The rabbinical community in Israel is hesitant to recognise brain death,'' said Frieda Horwitz of the Unity Council for Ultra-Orthodox, Religious and Secular Relations.

There is no data showing how many organs are lost because of the disagreement over when it is permissible to remove one for transplant.

The Unity Council arranges joint committees of doctors and rabbis in an effort to deal with the confusion and cultivate a level of trust.

''Because of the confusion, a family may call up their rabbi from the hospital to ask what to do. This takes time, and by the time they get a response, the patient may no longer be able to donate,'' Horwitz said.

One project being developed by the Unity Council involves a network of trained rabbis, on call throughout the country, who can provide immediate guidance to religious families contemplating organ donation.

To further encourage religious donors, included on the donor card is the option to donate organs ''only on the condition it is confirmed by a religious person chosen by my family''. (AGENCIES)

New stem cell trial for heart attack patients

LONDON, Nov 9: British doctors said they plan to inject stem cells into heart attack patients in an experimental treatment aimed at preventing heart failure and deaths.

About 100 patients will receive stem cells from their own bone marrow -- or a placebo -- within five hours of a heart attack in the study, expected to begin early next year British doctors said yesterday.

''We are hoping that the patients will have an increased quality of life six months after the procedure,'' said Professor John Martin, of University College London who will conduct the trial.

Stem cells are master cells that can turn into any cell or tissue type. Scientists believe they could act as a type of repair system and offer new treatments for illnesses ranging from heart disease and diabetes to Alzheimer's and multiple sclerosis.

Embryonic stem cells have the most potential but their use is controversial because they are derived from early embryos. Adult stem cells have a more limited range. But cells taken from the patients themselves overcome the ethical concerns and reduce the risk of their being rejected by the body.

''All other studies have put cells into the heart in small groups of patients several days or weeks after the heart attack,'' Martin told Reuters.

The British study will combine the normal treatment for a heart attack, along with the stem cell therapy.

The scientists believe that if the therapy is delivered quickly after an attack it can stop the damage to the heart. Earlier stem cell studies have tried to repair the heart after it has been damaged.

The stem cells will be taken from the bone marrow of patients after treatment for the heart attack. Once the cells have been prepared, they will be injected into the body.

The trial follows earlier animal and human studies using stem cells for treating heart disease.

In a trial of 28 patients with severe heart disease, scientists in Hong Kong and Australia found the treatment improved the blood pumping ability of the heart and increased the patients' ability to exercise.

Martin said within two years doctors should know the results of the study, funded by the UK Stem Cell Foundation which supports stem cell research.

Heart disease is a leading cause of death and disability worldwide. In Britain 100,000 people die each year from heart attack. In the United States nearly 700,000 people die of heart disease each year.

Many people who survive a heart attack suffer subsequent health problems. Smoking, high blood pressure, raised cholesterol, obesity, lack of exercise and diabetes are risk factors for heart disease. (AGENCIES)

Airbus A380 jets off for tests in Asia from the eye of a storm.

TOULOUE, FRANCE, Nov 9: As rain clouds gather over European aircraft maker Airbus, the giant plane at the root of its problems is set to jet off on for a tour of the Asia region next Monday for a final round of technical tests.

The A380 superjumbo, set to be the biggest passenger plane in the world when it enters service next year, is to make seven stops in Asia in addition to visits to Australia, South Africa and Canada during a 17-day test mission around the globe.

On-board engineers and certified test pilots will put the plane through its paces under simulated commercial conditions, including test landings at key airports, refueling practices and maintenance work.

The latest flights, which are expected to be the last major tests before approval from regulators in December, come at a difficult time for Airbus amid a hailstorm of bad publicity for its star project.

On Tuesday, US mail group FedEx announced it had cancelled an order for 10 cargo versions of the A380 because of delays to deliveries of the aircraft.

Airbus has been forced to push back its timetable for deliveries of the A380 three times because of problems encountered when wiring the cabins, with delays now estimated at about two years.

The FedEx decision marked the first time an A380 client had cancelled its order and served as a victory for arch rival Boeing of the United States, which picked up an order from FedEx for 15 of its 777 freighter planes. (AGENCIES)

Democrats willing to take up nuclear deal in
Senate next week

WASHINGTON, Nov 9: The Indo-US civil nuclear agreement could be cleared by the US Congress this year with key Democratic law makers saying that they were ready to go with the Bush Administration on the bill enabling the deal soon after they wrested control of the Capitol Hill.

Allaying fears that a power shift from Republicans will impede the passing of the deal in the Senate, President George W Bush and Senate Democratic party leader Harry Reid said they wanted the deal with India to be taken up in the ‘Lame Duck’ session, likely to take place on November 15-16.

"I’m trying to get the Indian (nuclear) deal done, the Vietnam (trade) deal done and the budgets done," Bush said at a press conference in reply to a question. He was asked whether he would support a Bill to extend voting rights in the District of Colombia.

Endorsing the view, Reid said "India is the largest democracy in the world. We want to work with them, and it is important we move along the lines."

Expressing the hope that the bill on the deal would be considered when Congress meets next week, Joe Biden, a top Democrat on the Senate’s Foreign Affairs panel, said lawmakers were "ready to go with the India bill."

Biden said it would take "at least a day’s worth of debate, no more than two," to settle the bill in the Senate.

With the deal receiving bipartisan support, Biden said it will be cleared "with a very large vote".

If the Senate takes up the nuclear deal next week, New Delhi is optimistic that it will enable completion of the Congressional processes by year-end.

However, Biden added, it was up to the Senate’s Republican leader Bill Frist, on whether the bill would be considered.

"A lot of this depends on the mood and whether or not we’ve all become mature enough to say, OK, the voters have spoken. Let’s move on and let’s get going," Biden said.

The comments come amid apprehensions about the fate of the ‘The United States-India Peaceful Atomic energy Cooperation Act of 20006’ or ‘S3709’ in view of the Democrats’ impressive show in the Congessional polls and the reservations expressed by party hawks who claim the deal will be setback to non-proliferation efforts.

The Indo-US civil nuclear deal, aimed at lifting a three-decade US ban on supply of nuclear fuel and equipment to India to help New Delhi meet its energy need, was reached during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to the US in July last year. (PTI)

24 more episodes of KBC2, says Amitabh Bachchan.

LONDON, Nov 9: Fans of popular game show ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’ are in for a treat with its host superstar Amitabh Bachchan saying that 24 more episodes are in line.

"Twenty-four episodes from the previous lot are pending. Now we are talking to the Star TV how we can complete these episodes. It will be done," Bachchan, who was here as the brand ambassador for IIFA told PTI here in an interview last evening.

Asked how soon the serial would be resumed, 64-year-old Bachchan said it was up to Star. "They are working it out."

About his role as Gabbar Singh in Ram Gopal Varma’s proposed remake of Sholay, Bachchan said "It is a challenging role. Let us see."

With Bollywood planning a string of remakes and some eminent personalities criticising the trend, the actor said "we can’t stop people from criticizing. At the same time we can not say it should not be done. Remake of any film will add to creative enhancement. Whether it is good or bad is a different matter."

Asked about his views on parallel cinema, Bachchan said "I don’t believe in parallel and artistic cinema. Cinema is Cinema."

On whether he planned to set up a film Academy, Bachchan quipped "I don’t have the acumen to start an academy. I am barely managing to be an actor and I would like just to keep it to that."

Emphasising his role as brand ambassador of IIFA, Bachchan said "I have come to talk about it, propagate the movement. It is good for the film industry and good for India. It is good for the host nation. It brings cooperation and brings communities together."

He said he was happy that IIFA has been somewhat responsible for increasing interest in Indian cinema outside Indian shores.

"I hope it continues and we want IIFA to grow bigger and greater and bring about coordination and cooperation between the host countries and ours. Hopefully we will see it being quantified in the years to come."

About ABCL, he said it was "functional and operative." (PTI)

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