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বৃহস্পতিবার, ২৭ জুন, ২০১৩

Turkey seeks to tighten grip on Twitter after protests

Twitter

Ozge Ozbilgin and Jonathon Burch Reuters

6 hours ago

Twitter

ANKARA ? Turkey said on Wednesday it had asked Twitter to set up a representative office inside the country, which could give it a tighter rein over the microblogging site it has accused of helping stir weeks of anti-government protests.

While mainstream Turkish media largely ignored the protests during the early days of the unrest, social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook emerged as the main outlets for Turks opposed to the government.

Transport and Communications Minister Binali Yildirim told reporters on Wednesday that without a corporate presence in the country, the Turkish government could not quickly reach Twitter officials with orders to take down content or with requests for user data.

"When information is requested, we want to see someone in Turkey who can provide this ... there needs to be an interlocutor we can put our grievance to and who can correct an error if there is one," he said.

"We have told all social media that ... if you operate in Turkey you must comply with Turkish law," Yildirim said.

Twitter declined to respond to the government request on Wednesday, but a person familiar with the company's thinking said it had no current plans to open an office in that country.

Turkey successfully pressured Google into opening an office there last October after blocking YouTube, a Google subsidiary, from Turkish Internet users for two years.

While Ankara had no problems with Facebook, which had been working with Turkish authorities for a while and had representatives inside Turkey, Yildirim said it had not seen a "positive approach" from Twitter after Turkey issued the "necessary warnings" to the site.

"Twitter will probably comply, too. Otherwise this is a situation that cannot be sustained," he said, without elaborating, but he stressed the aim was not to limit social media.

Identification sought
An official at the ministry, who asked not to be named, said the government had asked Twitter to reveal the identities of users who posted messages deemed insulting to the government or prime minister, or that flouted people's personal rights.

It was not immediately clear whether Twitter had responded.

Facebook said in a statement that it had not provided user data to Turkish authorities in response to government requests over the protests and said it was concerned about proposals Internet companies may have to provide data more frequently.

'Provocateurs'
In the midst of some of the country's worst political upheaval in years, Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan has described sites like Twitter as a "scourge," although senior members of his party are regular users. He has said such websites were used to spread lies about the government with the aim of terrorizing society.

Police detained several dozen people suspected of inciting unrest on social media during the protests, according to local reports.

Speaking at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D. C., Twitter's Chief Executive Dick Costolo said on Wednesday that he had been observing the developments in Turkey, but he emphasized that Twitter had played a hands-off role in the political debate.

"We don't say, 'Well, if you believe this, you can't use our platform for that,'" Costolo said. "You can use our platform to say what you believe, and that's what the people of Turkey ... are using the platform for. The platform itself doesn't have any perspective on these things."

Turkey's interior minister had previously said the government was working on new regulations that would target so-called "provocateurs" on social media but there have been few details on what the laws would entail.

One source with knowledge of the matter said the justice ministry had proposed a regulation whereby any Turk wishing to open a Twitter account would have to enter their national identification number, but this had been rejected by the transport ministry as being technically unfeasible.

'Country Withheld Content'
Last year, Twitter introduced a feature called "Country Withheld Content" that allows it to narrowly censor tweets considered illegal in a specific country, and it caused some concern among users.

Twitter implemented the feature for the first time in October in response to a request by German authorities, blocking messages in Germany by a right-wing group banned by police.

Turkey said last year that it had won a long-running battle to persuade Google-owned YouTube to operate under a Turkish Internet domain, giving Ankara more control over the video-sharing website and requiring the company to pay Turkish taxes. In October, Google opened an office in Istanbul.

Turkey banned the popular website for more than two years in 2008 after users posted videos the government deemed insulting to the republic's founder, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.

Rights groups have long pressed Turkey to reform strict Internet laws and analysts have criticized the ease with which citizens and politicians can apply to have a website banned.

Turkey cites offenses including child pornography and insulting Ataturk to justify blocking websites.

Turkish users have increasingly turned to encryption software to thwart any ramp up in censorship of the Internet.

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653377/s/2dd79a1e/l/0L0Snbcnews0N0Ctechnology0Cturkey0Eseeks0Etighten0Egrip0Etwitter0Eafter0Eprotests0E6C10A463395/story01.htm

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বুধবার, ২৬ জুন, ২০১৩

Embattled Australian PM calls leadership ballot

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) ? Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard threw open her job to a leadership ballot Wednesday in response to reports that supporters of her intra-party rival Kevin Rudd were gearing up to challenge her.

Gillard said there will be a ballot of lawmakers in the ruling Labor Party at 7 p.m. Canberra time (9 a.m. GMT, 5 a.m. EDT).

Rudd has not yet said whether he will challenge Gillard, who ousted him as prime minister in 2010. He previously had ruled out such a challenge unless he was assured of the overwhelming support of his colleagues.

Opinion polls show that the party could face huge losses in elections set for September, but that Rudd would be a more popular leader than Gillard.

"I wouldn't be putting myself forward unless I had a degree of confidence about the support of my parliamentary colleagues," Gillard said.

While not mentioning Rudd by name, she said the loser of the ballot should quit Parliament at the election. She said it was not right to have a "person floating around as the potential alternative prime minister."

Gillard's announcement followed media reports that a petition was circulating among the 102 Labor Party lawmakers. A special party meeting to discuss a leadership ballot would have been called if at least 34 lawmakers ? 30 percent ? signed that petition, but her announcement eliminated that step.

Rudd's supporters are desperate to have a ballot before Parliament rises for the last time Thursday ahead of elections set for Sept. 14. Opinion polls suggest Labor could lose around half its 71 seats in the 150-seat House of Representatives, where parties form the government.

Rudd had been a popular prime minister who started sliding in the polls when Gillard, his then deputy, challenged him to a leadership ballot three years ago. He did not contest the ballot when he became aware of the level of Gillard's support and she became prime minister unopposed.

Weeks later, Gillard led Labor to a narrow election victory and formed an unpopular minority government with the support of independent lawmakers and a legislator from the minor Greens party.

In a 2012 ballot, Gillard easily defeated Rudd 71 votes to 31. In February, she threw open her job to a leadership ballot to end leadership speculation, but Rudd refused to challenge and she remained prime minister.

Opposition leader Tony Abbott challenged Gillard on Wednesday to bring forward the election to Aug. 3 because of the new wrangling over leadership.

"Given the paralysis now griping her government and irreconcilable differences in her party over its leadership, will she bring forward the election date to Aug. 3 and let the people decide who should run our country?" Abbott asked in Parliament.

Before announcing the leadership ballot, Gillard replied that she continued to govern effectively.

"I can assure him (Abbott) and I can assure the Australian people that as prime minister I am getting on with the job," she said.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/embattled-australian-pm-calls-leadership-ballot-063841213.html

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The Original Genetically Modified Tomato You'll Never Eat Again

A supposed vegetable born of something called "Flavr Savr" seeds does not sound like anything that could possibly be good to put in your body. But back in 1994, a longer-lasting, better-tasting, and all around more aesthetically appealing tomato hit grocery shelves as the Flavr Savr food of tomorrow: the very first genetically engineered vegetable.

The main problem with your normal, everyday organically grown tomato is the fact that if you picked them when they were ripe and ready to be eaten, they'd lose firmness and appeal by the time they hit the appropriate market. So instead, most tomatoes were picked green and ripened artificially, which can make them taste pretty awful. With genetic engineering, though, scientists could turn off that pesky little gene that makes them go soft, theoretically giving way to big, beautiful tomatoes that could stay fresh and firm for over a month.

But of course, with raging hard tomatoes come public cries of concern. Even though Calgene?the company behind the Flavr Savr tomato?sought FDA approval and had a product that the public loved, the media along with other scientists were skeptical of such a new, genetically modified product. Eventually Calgene sold to larger company Monsanto, who eventually shelved the Flavr Savr but still makes billions in the genetically modified food market.

But where Calgene explicitly labeled their altered tomatoes, Monsanto took over huge markets of staple crops without marking any of their products as genetically modified. And that lack of transparency is what many believe has to lead to the GMO aversion you'll so often see today. Because the truth is, there's no widely accepted research proving that genetically modifying vegetables is any more harmful (if even harmful at all) than crossbreeding genuses?something farmers do every day.

Plus, hey, it's still better than tomacco. [Retro Report]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/the-original-genetically-modified-tomato-youll-never-e-559924439

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মঙ্গলবার, ২৫ জুন, ২০১৩

Texas Senate set for filibuster finale on abortion

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) ? A sweeping bill that would effectively shut down most abortion clinics across the nation's second most-populous state has stalled in the Texas Senate ? and a Democratic filibuster that will only need to last a seemingly manageable 13 hours Tuesday looks like it will be enough to talk the hotly contested measure to death.

After thwarting two attempts Monday by majority Republicans to bring the abortion bill to a floor vote ahead of its scheduled time Tuesday morning, Democrats are turning to Sen. Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth, to stage the marathon speech.

"We want to do whatever we can for women in this state," Sen. Kirk Watson of Austin, leader of the Senate Democrats.

The bill would ban abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy and force many clinics that perform the procedure to upgrade their facilities and be classified as ambulatory surgical centers. Also, doctors would be required to have admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles ? a tall order in rural communities.

Although Texas is just the latest of several conservative states to try to enact tough limits on abortions, the scope of its effort is notable because of the combination of bills being considered and the size of the state.

When combined in a state 773 miles wide and 790 miles long and with 26 million people, the measures would become the most stringent set of laws to impact the largest number of people in the nation.

"If this passes, abortion would be virtually banned in the state of Texas, and many women could be forced to resort to dangerous and unsafe measures," said Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood Action Fund and daughter of the late former Texas governor Ann Richards.

Outnumbered 19-11 ? with San Antonio Sen. Leticia Van de Putte missing to attend the funeral of her father, who died last week in a car crash ? Senate Democrats held firm Monday their razor-thin margin of a single vote to block the bill from moving forward.

That's key since the 30-day special legislative session ends at midnight Tuesday, meaning the filibuster Democrats have promised only needs to last the better part of one day, instead of two.

Davis gave a filibuster at the end of the 2011 session to temporarily block $5.4 billion cuts to public schools, and said she was preparing for her upcoming one speech but refused to say exactly how.

She will have to speak nonstop, remain standing, refrain from bathroom breaks or even leaning on anything. Other Democrats can give her voice a break by offering questions to keep conversation moving.

"Democrats chose not to negotiate, and we could not get the block undone," said Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, a Republican who controls the flow of Senate legislation. He refused to declare the issue dead ? but others were less optimistic.

Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, said the Democrats never should have been allowed to put Republicans "in a box" and complained that many in the Senate GOP were "flying by the seat of their pants."

But the bill's bogging down began with Gov. Rick Perry, who summoned lawmakers back to work immediately after the regular legislative session ended May 27, but didn't add abortion to the special session to-do list until late in the process. The Legislature can only take up issues at the governor's direction during the extra session.

Then, House Democrats succeeded in stalling nearly all night Sunday, keeping the bill from reaching the Senate until 11 a.m. Monday.

The measure only passed the lower chamber after a raucous debate that saw more than 800 women's rights activists pack the public gallery and surrounding Capitol, imploring lawmakers not to approve it.

While supporters say it will protect women's health, abortion rights groups warn the practical effect of the bill would be to shutter most abortion providers statewide ? making it very difficult for Texas women to have the procedure.

Debate ranged from lawmakers waving coat-hangers on the floor and claiming the new rules are so draconian that women are going to be forced to head to drug war-torn Mexico to have abortions, to the bill's sponsor, Republican Rep. Jodie Laubenberg of Spring, errantly suggesting that emergency room rape kits could be used to terminate pregnancies.

In the end, though, the bill passed by more than 60 votes as Republicans and some conservative Democrats approved it.

Still, Legislature rules prohibit the Senate from taking up a bill for 24 hours after it clears the House. Republicans struggled to find a way to break the Democratic roadblock, but the vote swung Monday on Sen. Eddie Lucio, a Brownsville Democrat who voted for the abortion bill when it first passed the Senate a week ago but pledged not to approve suspending the rule with Republicans unless Van de Putte was able to make it to the chamber.

She didn't show and Lucio voted with his party, despite his support for the bill.

If the abortion restrictions go down, though, other measure could also fall with it. A proposal to fund major transportation projects as well as a bill to have Texas more closely conform with a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision banning mandatory sentences of life in prison without parole for offenders younger than 18 might not get votes. Current state law only allows a life sentence without parole for 17-year-olds convicted of capital murder.

Watson said Democrats are willing to pass the transportation and 17-year-old sentencing measures but won't budge on abortion.

"Let's get those up, let's get those out of here," Watson said. "Let's not make these victims of red-meat politics."

Patrick said that if the filibuster succeeds, he hopes Perry will summon lawmakers back for a second or even third special session.

"If the majority can't pass the legislation that they believe is important and the people believe is important," he said, "than that's of great concern to me."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/texas-senate-set-filibuster-finale-abortion-071515450.html

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Giveaway: An Exclusive Chevron Patemm Pad for Pottery Barn Kids (a $69 Value!)

Enter for your chance to win an exclusive Patemm Pad in our giveaway this week.

Source: http://feeds.celebritybabies.com/~r/celebrity-babies/~3/84meS10O1P8/

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সোমবার, ২৪ জুন, ২০১৩

U.S. justices to hear presidential appointments case

By Lawrence Hurley

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear a closely watched case involving the National Labor Relations Board that raises fundamental questions about the authority of the U.S. president to make appointments without Senate approval.

In the court's next term, starting in October, the court will consider whether three appointments President Barack Obama made to the board in January 2012 were invalid because the Senate was not technically in recess at the time.

The case, which involves weighty constitutional issues that are the constant subject of political battles between Congress and the White House through different presidential administrations, addresses what is known as "recess appointments."

That refers to when a president makes an appointment - while senators are in recess - to a position otherwise requiring Senate approval, often naming an appointee who would have had trouble winning Senate confirmation.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled in January that the appointments to the panel, which normally has five members, were invalid.

The appeals court agreed with Noel Canning, the bottling company that challenged Obama's move, in finding that the president did not have the authority to make the appointments.

The U.S. Constitution allows the president to make appointments when the Senate is in recess. Such appointments expire at the end of the congressional session.

In Monday's brief order announcing it was hearing the case, the court asked the parties to address an additional question on whether the president can make recess appointments when the Senate convenes every three days for so-called pro-forma sessions.

Backed by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Noel Canning argued that an NLRB ruling against it was invalid because of the appointments, which meant the board lacked a quorum.

Obama made his NLRB appointments on January 4, 2012, when the Senate was in session but not conducting business. The congressional session began on January 3, according to the Senate website.

Presidents from both parties have used their recess appointment authority to make appointments when the Senate is not conducting business.

The appeals court ruling also raised questions about the validity of Obama's appointment of Richard Cordray to run the Consumer Finance Protection Board, which was made on the same day as the three NLRB appointments.

The case is NLRB v. Canning, U.S. Supreme Court, No. 12-1281.

(Reporting by Lawrence Hurley; Editing by Howard Goller and Will Dunham)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-justices-hear-presidential-appointments-case-134323585.html

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Bacterial DNA may integrate into human genome more readily in tumor tissue

Public release date: 24-Jun-2013
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Contact: Cheryl Dybas
cdybas@nsf.gov
703-292-7734
National Science Foundation

Gene transfer may play role in cancer, other diseases linked with DNA damage

Bacterial DNA may integrate into the human genome more readily in tumors than in normal human tissue, scientists have found.

The researchers, affiliated with the University of Maryland School of Medicine's Institute for Genome Sciences, analyzed genomic sequencing data available from the Human Genome Project, the 1,000 Genomes Project and The Cancer Genome Atlas.

They considered the phenomenon of lateral gene transfer (LGT), the transmission of genetic material between organisms in a manner other than than traditional reproduction.

Scientists have already shown that bacteria can transfer DNA to the genome of an animal.

The researchers found evidence that lateral gene transfer is possible from bacteria to the cells of the human body, known as human somatic cells.

They found that bacterial DNA was more likely to integrate in the genome in tumor samples than in normal, healthy somatic cells. The phenomenon might play a role in cancer and other diseases associated with DNA damage.

"Advances in genomic and computational sciences are revealing the vast ways in which humans interact with an ever-present and endlessly diverse planet of microbes," says Matt Kane, program director in the National Science Foundation's Division of Environmental Biology in its Directorate for Biological Sciences, which funded the research.

"This discovery underscores the benefits that can result from a shift in our understanding of how this vast diversity of microbes and their genes may affect our health."

The results may lead to advances in personalized medicine, scientists say, in which doctors use each patient's genomic make-up to determine care and preventive measures.

A paper reporting the results is published today in the journal PLOS Computational Biology.

"LGT from bacteria to animals was only described recently, and it is exciting to find that such transfers can be found in the genome of human somatic cells and particularly in cancer genomes," says Julie Dunning Hotopp of the University of Maryland School of Medicine and lead author of the paper.

Hotopp also is a research scientist at the University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Cancer Center.

"Studies applying this approach to additional cancer genome projects could be fruitful, leading us to a better understanding of the mechanisms of cancer."

The researchers found that while only 63.5 percent of TCGA samples analyzed were from tumors, the tumor samples contained 99.9 percent of reads supporting bacterial integration.

The data present a compelling case that LGT occurs in the human somatic genome, and that it could have an important role in cancer and other human diseases associated with mutations.

It's possible that LGT mutations play a role in carcinogenesis, the scientists say, yet it's also possible that they could simply be "passenger mutations."

The investigators suggest several competing ideas to explain the results, though more research is needed for definitive answers.

One possibility is that the mutations are part of carcinogenesis, the process by which normal cells turn into cancer cells.

Alternatively, tumor cells are very rapidly proliferating, so much so that they may be more permissive to lateral gene transfer.

It's also possible that bacteria are causing these mutations because they benefit the bacteria themselves.

###

The study was also funded by the National Institutes of Health.

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