Protesters pray ahead of G20 summit in Melbourne

MELBOURNE, Nov 17: Protesters today began a 60-hour prayer vigil outside the heavily-policed venue for the G20 summit in Melbourne, as aid groups claimed the U S-led war on terror was soaking up global aid.

Police have locked down parts of Australia's second biggest city Melbourne to stop protesters reaching the G20 summit of finance ministers and central bankers tomorrow and Sunday.

Violent anti-globalisation protests marred a World Economic Forum in Melbourne in 2000. The Stop G-20 group plans a major rally tomorrow to try and disrupt the summit.

Church and aid groups plan three days of carnival protests begining today when ministers and bankers start arriving. Organisers say thousands of people are expected to protest.

The G20 represents 20 industrialised and developing nations, from economic powerhouses the United States and China to developing states Mexico and Indonesia, and meets annually to discuss world economics and trade.

Global economic conditions and energy security will head the agenda of the Melbourne G20 summit, with stalled world trade talks and global warming likely to also figure in talks.

The G20 Christian Collective, a small band of teachers, lawyers and church ministers, set up a prayer ''embassy'' today beside metal police barricades opposite the G20 venue.

''Discussing economic issues in isolation from the poor and the cost to the environment is a form of economic tunnel vision that must be held to account,'' said Reverend Simon Moyle.

The group plans to camp out for three days and nights, some eating only rice and water to show solidarity with the poor.

Aid groups are calling on the G20 to step up the fight against poverty, primarily through debt relief.

Australia's AID/WATCH group said that despite global aid rising, an ''excessive quantity'' of aid was tied up in conflict zones linked to the war on terror. It said a 2006 review of global aid found that of 30 billion dollars in new aid since the war on terror started, 10 billion dollars had gone to Iraq and Afghanistan.

''The annual review of international aid flows is damning in its assessment of the short sightedness of rich nations, pursuing their own security concerns through their aid expenditure,'' AID/WATCH said in a statement.

The aid group said Australia was a prime example of linking aid to security, through an interventionist policy adopted post the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States.

''Central to the post 9/11 development agenda is the concept of security. As Australia dons the mantle of 'regional sheriff', it has invoked the fear of failed or ''fragile'' states as justification for a newly interventionist aid policy, one that strays far from notions of human security,'' said AID/WATCH.

''Aid is now centred on good governance, law and order and military assistance, and geared to Australian strategic interests rather than to regional development priorities.'' (AGENCIES)

New robot can sense damage and compensate

WASHINGTON, Nov 17: When people hurt a leg, they often can make do by limping or using a crutch until they feel better. Now, there is a robot that similarly can cope with injury.

The ability to compensate can be vital in new or dangerous situations where unexpected damage or injury can occur.

Researchers at Cornell University in New York, built a four-legged robot that can sense damage to its body and determine how to adjust and keep going. They report the development in Friday's issue of the journal Science.

Most robots are used in industrial applications where their environment never changes, explained Hod Lipson, a co-author of the paper. If they are to become useful outdoors or at home, they need to be able to cope with changes, he said.

The robot has tilt sensors and angle sensors in each of its joints and uses the readings from these devices to create a computer model of its own structure and movement. When the sensors indicate a change, it can then alter the model to compensate.

While most robots operate using a computer model they have been programmed with, this one develops its own model by analysing how its parts respond to commands to move.

That allows it to change its own programme if something occurs that it did not expect.

For example, Lipson said, the robot could have one of its motors jam as it moved about. Its self-model might predict forward movement when that motor is started, and if that does not happen it could adjust its self-image to the new situation. (AGENCIES)

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Mexico Aztec God carving may be emperor's headstone

MEXICO CITY, Nov 17: Archeologists say a giant, ornate carving of an Aztec god recently unveiled in downtown Mexico City could be a massive headstone in honor of one of the civilization's last rulers.

Scientists say the 12.4 ton stone cutting, which is covered with a vast, heavily detailed full-body engraving of earth god Tlaltecuhtli, is one of the most important Aztec finds ever.

The 11-foot long monolith was first made public in October. It is broken into several pieces but otherwise in excellent condition, archeologists said.

They have spent weeks scraping dirt and debris from the piece and now say it may be the headstone of Ahuizotl, the eighth Aztec ruler, whose successor Moctezuma II governed at the start of the Spanish conquest of Mexico.

The headstone is decorated with the carved image of a deity with a giant male head ringed by masses of curly hair and a sharp extended tongue representing a stream of blood.

Skulls and crossed bones surround the body, as well as a rabbit and several dots thought to be a time stamp dating the sculpture to 1502.

The Aztecs, a warlike and deeply religious people who built numerous monumental works including towering pyramids, ruled an empire encompassing much of modern-day central Mexico until they were overthrown by the Spanish in 1521.

The piece was found in the ruins of Mexico City's Templo Mayor, an Aztec temple used for human sacrifice and now steps from choking traffic in the city's Spanish colonial center.

Spanish conquerors built a new city from the rubble of Tenochtitlan, the sprawling Aztec capital they found built on largely man-made islands amid a lake in the Valley of Mexico. (AGENCIES)

Guantanamo detainees routinely denied witnesses: Report

SAN JUAN, Nov 17: The US military called no witnesses, withheld evidence from detainees and usually reached a decision within a day as it determined that hundreds of men detained at Guantanamo Bay were "enemy combatants," according to a new report.

The analysis of transcripts and records by two lawyers for Guantanamo detainees, aided by more than two dozen law students, found that hearings that determined whether a prisoner should remain in custody gave the accused little opportunity to contest allegations against him.

"These were not hearings. These were shams," said Mark Denbeaux, an attorney and Seton Hall University law professor who along with his son, Joshua, is the author of the report.

They provided an advance copy of the report to The Associated Press late yesterday and planned to release it on Friday on the Internet.

Their report, based on an analysis of records of military hearings of 393 detainees, comes as the US government seeks to severely restrict detainee access to civilian courts, arguing that the Combatant Status Review Tribunals should be their main legal recourse.

Navy Cmdr. Jeffrey Gordon, a Pentagon spokesman, dismissed the findings as "recycled allegations," and noted the tribunals gave each detainee an opportunity to contest their designation as an enemy combatant.

"It is not a criminal trial and is not intended to determine guilt or innocence," Gordon said. "Rather, it is an administrative process ... To confirm the status of enemy combatants detained at Guantanamo as part of the Global War on Terrorism."(AGENCIES)

Lawyers move to seize funds from Simpson book deal

LOS ANGELES, Nov 17: Lawyers for the father of the man killed along with O J Simpson's ex-wife said they were taking action to seize any money Simpson was paid for a new book in which he pictures himself at the scene of the murders.

The lawyers for Fred Goldman, father of Ron Goldman, say any compensation the former football star earns for his book ''If I Did It'' is subject to collection under the civil judgment won by the Goldman family in its wrongful death suit against Simpson in 1997. Simpson has always maintained his innocence and was acquitted of criminal charges in the case.

''You can say we're taking efforts to execute under judgment for any funds due to him from the publisher,'' Peter Csato, one of several Los Angeles-based attorneys representing Ron Goldman's estate and his father said yesterday.

Csato declined comment on what measures they were taking and said it was not known how much or how Simpson was paid.

But he and two other Goldman lawyers reached by Reuters yesterday -- Peter Gelblum and Steve Foster -- said it was likely any compensation Simpson earned was received by a third party or was being held in trust for him.

''If he's making money off (the book), then Fred Goldman is entitled to it and we'll try to get it,'' Gelblum said. ''We're making every effort to look into it and figure it out and try to get the money.''

A California jury in 1995 found Simpson not guilty of murder in the June 1994 stabbing deaths of his former wife Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman, a friend of hers who had gone to her house to return a pair of glasses she left at a restaurant.

But a civil court jury in February 1997 found Simpson liable for their deaths and ordered him to pay 33.5 million dollars in damages to the families of the victims.

Lawyers for Goldman's parents have vowed they would attempt to garnish any of Simpson's future earnings to satisfy the award. Simpson has sworn never to voluntarily pay the judgment.

Simpson made headlines again this week when the Fox television network revealed plans to air an interview later this month in which he talks about about how he would have carried out the double slaying if he were the one responsible.

Simultaneously, it was announced that Simpson presents a hypothetical account of the murders in his book, which is to be published on November 30 by the HarperCollins imprint of ReganBooks, whose founder, Judith Regan, conducted the Fox interview.

Both HarperCollins and Fox are units of media mogul Rupert Murdoch's News Corp.

The book deal and upcoming TV interview drew a firestorm of criticism from members of the publishing community as well as media commentators and relatives of the victims.

While no financial details of Simpson's publishing arrangement were disclosed, unconfirmed media reports put the value of the deal at about 3.5 million dollars.

(AGENCIES)

Desperate for a date, Singapore courts matchmakers

SINGAPORE, Nov 17: Singapore is playing matchmaker again. Desperate to boost its fertility rate, the Government of the city-state says it will fund new services and activities that encourage dating.

The Government today said it will pay up to 80 per cent of costs up to 50,000 Singapore dollars for approved projects that ''provide gender-balanced social interaction opportunities to singles''.

Interested parties can apply at www.Mcys.Gov.Sg.

Singapore is on a drive to get its hard-working citizens to mix and mingle more often, introducing campaigns such as ''Romancing Singapore'' and offering financial incentives to encourage bigger families.

The island-state ranked 40th out of 41 countries in a survey on how frequently people have sex, according to the Durex Global Sex Survey published last December.

With just 4.4 million people, Singapore cannot afford to see its population shrink as that could affect its labour market and talent pool.

Its fertility rate, defined as the average number of babies born to women during their reproductive years, hit a low of 1.24 last year, below the 2.1 needed to sustain the population.

The fertility rate was as high as 6.0 in the late 1950s. (AGENCIES)

Astronauts board US shuttle for practice launch

CAPE CANAVERAL, FLA, Nov 17: The shuttle Discovery crew dressed in flight suits and scrambled aboard their spaceship to participate in a dry run for next month's launch from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The dress rehearsal held yesterday, which is a routine training exercise before every US shuttle launch, went without a hitch and ended with four seconds left on the countdown clocks.

''I've never been so close to a shuttle that's going to launch,'' Sweden's first astronaut and Discovery crewmember Christer Fuglesang told reporters during a break earlier in the week. ''It feels fantastic.''

The seven-member crew has been in Florida since Monday to learn about launch pad emergency escape procedures and to participate in other tests before lift-off scheduled for 0806hrs (ist) on december 7.

Fuglesang, who like the others wore a bulky, bright orange pressurised suit for yesterday's practice countdown, is one of five rookie astronauts due to fly on Discovery's mission to the International Space Station.

It will be NASA's first night-time launch since the 2003 Columbia accident.

The first three missions after the Columbia disaster were launched during daylight hours so cameras would have clear views of the shuttle's fuel tank to spot any falling debris.

During Columbia's launch, the tank shed a large piece of foam insulation that hit and critically damaged the shuttle's wing. The shuttle was torn apart as it attempted to return to Earth for landing and all seven astronauts aboard were killed.

NASA has spent hundreds of millions of dollars on two redesigns of the tank, and also introduced extensive in-flight inspections to check for heat shield damage.

But to finish building the International Space Station before the shuttle fleet is retired in four years, the agency needs the flexibility to launch at night. At least 14 more construction missions are required to complete the half-built 100 billion dollars outpost.

NASA plans to use radar to spot any debris during night launches. Engineers also expect backlighting from the shuttle's booster rockets to provide adequate illumination for cameras.

Discovery commander Mark Polansky said launching at night was really no different for the crew than flying by day. The difference, he said, is how much information engineers are able to gather, which might be important for future flights.

During their 12-day flight, Polansky and his crewmates plan to deliver and install a new piece of the station's external metal structure and to rewire the station's power system. (AGENCIES)

Ministers focus fight against flab on pricing, adverts

ISTANBUL, Nov 17: European and Central Asian ministers agreed to try to make healthy food cheaper and curb junk food adverts aimed at children in a bid to reverse a galloping obesity trend.

Ministers attending a UN World Health Organisation (WHO) obesity conference in Istanbul yesterday also agreed to reduce fat and sugar in manufactured food and improve urban planning to make cycling and walking easier.

The UN health body estimates obesity will affect one in five adults and one in 10 children by 2010 unless action is taken.

Already about 20 per cent of children in the WHO's European region, which stretches to Central Asia, are overweight, of which a third are obese. Obesity has tripled in the past two decades, and six per cent of health costs in the European region are due to adult obesity, the organisation estimates.

Officials said the WHO-backed charter approved yesterday, although non-binding, would give extra clout to health authorities and help convince the public of the scale of the problem.

''The charter... Gives more arguments and more authority to health ministries,'' Felix Lobo, chairman of the Spanish Health Ministry's Food Safety Agency, told Reuters.

The charter calls for ''economic measures that facilitate healthy food choices'' and for regulations to reduce commercial promotion of energy-dense foods and beverages, particularly to children.

''Each individual country, having signed it, will have to have a look at how it measures up,'' British Minister of State for Public Health Caroline Flint said.

Delegates say the fight against obesity is hindered by a lack of evidence as to which methods work, making it trickier than the campaign against tobacco.

''What we're still lacking is a rigorous evaluation of what works at scale,'' World Bank nutrition specialist Dr Meera Shekar said, adding no project tried so far had had an impact.

While governments saw a direct result from increasing tax on tobacco, the impact of changing food prices to spur consumption of healthier products was less clear.

''This (charter) is a first step with something that needs to go much further,'' Swiss Secretary of State for Health Thomas Zeltner told Reuters, adding a fifth of children in his country were overweight.(AGENCIES)

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Condoms urged in prisons to curb AIDS in blacks

WASHINGTON, Nov 17: US prisons should make condoms available to inmates and test for HIV as part of a broader effort to curb the spread of AIDS among blacks, hit disproportionately hard by the incurable disease, experts urged.

The National Minority AIDS Council advocacy group, backed by US black lawmakers and medical leaders, yesterday issued a series of recommendations aimed at US policymakers to slow the epidemic among blacks, ten times more likely than whites to have AIDS.(AGENCIES)

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Flu vaccine helps cut heart attacks, deaths

CHICAGO, Nov 17: Getting a flu shot can reduce the incidence of death, heart attack or unplanned procedures to open clogged heart arteries in patients with coronary artery disease, Polish researchers said.

The study adds to a growing body of evidence suggesting that people with heart trouble should get a flu shot every year, the researchers said on Wednesday. (AGENCIES)

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