'Americans first' before US donates H1N1 flu vaccine

The United States will not donate swine flu vaccine to poor countries until at-risk Americans have been inoculated against H1N1, an official said Wednesday.

"As vaccine becomes more available, I think evaluation will be made as to when it's appropriate for donation to begin, but I can tell you at this point the priority is getting the vaccine to citizens in this country, and that's what we're working on 24/7," US Health Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said.

"It has always been the president's intention that the safety and security of the American people be a priority in the production and distribution" of the vaccine against the new strain of H1N1 flu, Sebelius said.

The White House pledged last month to make US stocks of H1N1 vaccine "available to the World Health Organization on a rolling basis as vaccine supplies become available, in order to assist countries that will not otherwise have direct access to the vaccine."

The WHO has said donations of the vaccine from a US-led group of rich nations to about 100 developing countries could begin as early as November.

But since the first doses of vaccine were rolled out in the United States three weeks ago, officials have been forced to admit that H1N1 shots and nasal spray doses were not being delivered as quickly or in the quantities initially projected.

In mid-October, as H1N1 deaths rose and flu spread across the United States, vaccine manufacturers warned of production slow-downs and health officials said supply would fall about 10 million doses short of the 40 million doses they had expected to have by the end of this month.

Long lines formed outside vaccination clinics around the United States, with many people turned away as supplies ran dry.

Sebelius said 23 million doses of vaccine have been made available to state health authorities since the vaccine was first rolled out three weeks ago. Nine million doses came into the distribution pipeline in the past week alone, she said.

The states are giving the vaccine to people in five at-risk groups -- children and young adults, pregnant women, people with underlying health conditions such as asthma, health care workers and caregivers of infants younger than six months who cannot themselves be inoculated.

Those five priority groups for vaccination number around 150 million people. Orders have been placed for 250 million doses of vaccine, but "it was never going to be available all at the same time," said Sebelius. (AFP)

Fibre may keep asthma, diabetes at bay, study finds

An apple a day may keep the doctor away but a fibre-filled diet could also hold the key to keeping asthma, diabetes and arthritis at bay, according to Australian research released Thursday.

Scientists at Sydney's Garvan Institute of Medical Research say that fibre not only helps keep people regular, it boosts the immune system so it can better combat inflammatory diseases.

When foods high in fibre, such as dried fruit and beans, reach the gut, bacteria convert them to compounds known as short chain fatty acids. These acids are known to alleviate some inflammatory disease in the bowel.

Researcher Charles Mackay said that the team, which worked with scientists in Australia, the US and Brazil, was able to draw a clearer picture of this relationship, work which has implications for other diseases.

They demonstrated that a molecule used by immune cells and previously shown to bind short chain fatty acids also functioned as an anti-inflammatory.

"The important point about our work is that we provide the molecular explanation that links fibre in the diet to the micro-organisms in our gut to the affect on the immune response," Professor Charles Mackay told AFP.

The research, published in the latest edition of Nature, indicated that diet may have profound effects on immune responses or inflammatory diseases, he said.

"We believe that changes in diet, associated with western lifestyles, contribute to the increasing incidences of asthma, Type 1 diabetes and other auto-immune diseases," he said.

"Now we have a new molecular mechanism that might explain how diet is affecting our immune systems." (AFP)

WHO experts helping Philippines contain deadly disease: UN

UN health experts began field investigations on Wednesday to help the Philippines contain an outbreak of a deadly disease in the wake of massive storms that claimed more than 1,000 lives, officials said.

The World Health Organisation's four-member team will work with and advise local officials on combating leptospirosis, an infection caused by exposure to water contaminated with rat and other animal urine, the agency said.

"They have already commenced field trips, looking at hospitals and taking in the situation there, including at evacuation centres," said Adam Craig, a spokesman for the WHO's Western Pacific regional office based in Manila.

Parts of Manila and outlying areas remain flooded with stagnant water more than one month after tropical storm Ketsana dumped a record amount of rain on the nation's capital.

Exactly one week after Ketsana, tropical storm Parma brought massive destruction further north on the main island of Luzon.

The number of people who died as a direct result of both storms is 929, but a further 167 people have since died in and around Manila from leptospirosis, according to the government.

Authorities have handed out millions of doses of antibiotics to contain the disease, but Craig warned the threat of it spreading would remained as long as the stagnant water remained.

"People continue to live in water-logged areas and the risk is still there," Craig said.

Officials have said the flood waters for more than a million residents on the outskirts of Manila may remain well into the new year.

The WHO also said the situation had been worsened "by the fact that many hospitals and clinics are damaged or are still under water."

It said in a statement that many hospital staff were unable to go back to work, because they too had been affected and marooned in evacuation centres.

"The Philippine government has responded commendably to this disaster," said WHO regional director Shin Young-Soo, who is based in Manila.

"But this is clearly a very difficult situation."

The WHO said the health experts from Australia, France, the Netherlands and Singapore were drawn from the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network, a pool of experts on permanent standby to respond to health emergencies.

They are expected to remain in the Philippines for three weeks. (AFP)

Smokers could go virtual to kick the habit: study

Battling one's cigarette demons in a virtual world may prove to be an effective way to help people quit smoking, a research team has found in a preliminary study.

Scientists from Canada's GRAP Occupational Psychology Clinic and the University of Quebec modified a three-dimensional video game to create a computer-generated virtual reality environment as part of an anti-smoking program.

Out of 91 regular smokers enlisted in the 12-week program, 46 of them crushed computer-simulated cigarettes as part of psychosocial treatment, while the other 45 grasped a computer-simulated ball.

The group who crushed cigarettes had a "statistically significant reduction in nicotine addiction" compared with the ball-graspers, according to the study released Tuesday in the journal Cyber-Psychology and Behavior.

By the 12th week, abstinence among the cigarette crushers was 15 percent, compared with just two percent for the other group.

The crushers also stayed in the program longer, and at a six-month follow-up, 39 percent of them reported not smoking during the previous week, compared with 20 percent of the ball graspers.

"It is important to note that this study increased treatment retention," said Brenda Wiederhold, the journal's editor in chief, adding that such treatment should now be compared to other popular treatments such as the nicotine patch.

The study said some 45 percent of smokers in the United States try to quit each year, with limited success. (AFP)

Church plans Christ the Redeemer upgrade in Brazil

The Catholic Church announced plans to raise 3.5 million dollars for a major upgrade of Christ the Redeemer, the iconic giant statue of Jesus with outstretched arms that overlooks Rio de Janeiro.

Cleaning and repairing the 78 year-old statue will take four to six months, Rio de Janeiro Archbishop Ornani Tempesta told reporters Wednesday.

Some of the money will be raised by selling small metal brooches of the statue, available for 4.30 dollars at any of Rio's 252 parishes, Tempesta said.

"It is a way to get to know Christ even better," said Tempesta. "We will carry him on our chest."

Brazilian mining giant Vale will also pay for part of the project.

The 30-meter (98-foot) tall stone and cement Christ the Redeemer stands on an eight-meter high pedestal on top of Mount Corcovado, overlooking the metropolis of around 10 million people.

It was designed by Brazilian engineer Heitor da Silva Costa, who ceded all the rights to the monument to the Catholic Church.

A French sculptor of Polish origin, Paul Landowski, sculpted the statue. It was inaugurated in 1931 after five years of work.

Classified as a historic monument since 1973, some 1.8 million visitors stop by to see the stature every year. (AFP)

Peaceful relations with India would skyrocket Pak's economy: Clinton

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has told Pakistan that if had peaceful relations with India, its economic developments would skyrocket.

"If there were peace between Pakistan and India, and the outstanding issues were resolved, Pakistan would take off like a rocket in terms of economic development," The Dawn quoted Clinton, as saying.

Referring to possibility of opening up trade frontiers up to north, east and west, Clinton said

15th century Battle of Bosworth's 'victory spot' moves two miles

In a new study, researchers have sited the exact spot where the English kingdom was won in 1485 in the famous Battle of Bosworth, determining the location to be two miles away from the spot that was originally believed to be the position where victory was achieved.

The Battle of Bosworth brought an end to the middle ages and ushered in the Tudor Era in England.

According to a report in the Times, Glenn Foard, a battlefield archaeologist, stood on Ambion Hill in Leicestershire, next to the award-winning Bosworth Battlefield Heritage Centre, pointed at the distant church spire of Stoke Golding and declared an end to 500 years of arguments over the location.

"It's over there, two miles away," he said, beyond and below the church, off to the right a bit and spread over 250 acres of what is now flat farmland, crisscrossed by hedgerows, pasture and autumnal trees.

Foard, who has led a four-year, 1.3 million pounds investigation into the whereabouts of the fighting, is convinced that he has unearthed the proof.

In an unexpected and thrilling development for the archaeologists, that proof is in the form of 22 lead cannon and musket balls that dramatically reshape thinking about late medieval combat.

According to Foard, his team has discovered more lead artillery shot at Bosworth than has so far been recovered from all the other 15th-century and 16th-century battlefields in Europe put together.

The Bosworth discoveries range in size from musket balls up to a 7.2kg cannonball. They are distributed in two clusters and may have been fired by both sides.

Experts from various disciplines reviewed the scant original documentary evidence for the battle, reconstructed the landscape of the area from contemporary accounts, tracked the development of local place names, analysed soils and peat deposits and finally conducted an intensive archaeological survey of the likely sites using metal detectors.

The credentials of the Ambion Hill site were examined and dismissed along with Peter Foss's suggestion that it was fought on low-lying ground between the villages of Shenton, Upton, Stoke Golding, and Dadlinton and Michael K. Jones's theory that the battle was eight miles away in Warwickshire.

By March 1 this year, Foard's team of volunteer metal detectors had only one likely field left to survey and were no closer to identifying a new location with certainty.

Fortunately, the team found an artillery lead roundshot in that field and they concluded the area as the spot where the Battle of Bosworth was won. (ANI)

Bollywood actors add glamour to grand finale of Will Lifestyle India Fashion Week

Bollywood actors, Ranbir Kapoor and Katrina Kaif, sashayed down the ramp at the grand finale of the Will Lifestyle India Fashion Week (WIFW).

The five-day event ended in here with the two popular Bollywood actors walking down the ramp for Rohit Bal here last evening.

Kapoor dressed in embroidered white sherwani, traditional Indian attire managed to woo the female audience. While Kaif looked pretty as a doll in a short white dress.

The sets oozed flamboyance and style. The glass ramp had gold lotus flowers underneath.

The collection was called 'Yasas', which means grand in Sanskrit language.

Showcasing a mix of brocades, velvets in the pre-Mughal and Mughal designs like long and short anarkalis, jodhpuri pants, sherwanis and long coats, the collection-highlighted India's rich heritage.

Bal said that the Bollywood actors with the requisite style should walk on the ramp.

"If there are people in Bollywood that actually add glamour and style to your show, I think we definitely need them on the ramp," said Bal.

Kaif said that Bal is one of the most talented ndian fashion designer.

" I have always felt that he is the most talented designer we have in our country. He is innovative, passionate and fearless," said Kaif.

This year's 'Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week', the 14th edition which commenced on October 24, has lured 110 designers to howcase their collection with nearly 48 models displaying their creations on the ramp. (ANI)

'US should consider toughening stance with Pak to achieve its goals'

Matthew Hoh, the first US official to resign in protest over the Afghan war, has said that Washington should consider toughening stance with Pakistan in order to achieve its goals in South Asia.

"I don't know if this means we toughen our stance with Pakistan (to the point we threaten our lack of support) or whether we provide support in total with no strings attached. Regardless, 60,000 troops in Afghanistan, does not stabilize Pakistan. If anything, evidence suggests our presence in Afghanistan has destabilized Pakistan," the Nation quoted Matthew, as saying.

The former Marine Corps captain believes that the goal of stability in Pakistan cannot be achieved through a huge military imprint in neighbouring Afghanistan.

"I feel that our two goals in that region should be the defeat of al-Qaeda and the stabilization of Pakistan," he said in an online discussion hosted by The Washington Post.

Hoh said he does not claim to be a Pakistan expert but understood very well that "we need to dedicate resources (personnel and money-but not troops) to ensure Pakistan's government remains successful."

Hoh's comments came as President Barack Obama nears a decision on whether to send tens of thousands of extra American soldiers to Afghanistan.

The idea of troops surge, as proposed by top U.S. commander in Afghanistan Gen Stanley McChrystal, is one of the most hotly debated parts of the ongoing discussions and reviews in the United States.

Obama's national security advisers say they are alive to Pakistan's concerrns about a massive military buildup on the fghan side. (ANI)

Clinton pledges more than 243 million dollars as additional aid for Pakistan

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who is currently on a three-day tour to Pakistan, has offered to provide a total of 243.5 million dollars as aid to the troubled nation in addition to the 7.5 billion dollars that it will receive through the Kerry Lugar Bill over the next five years.

Clinton met Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, President Asif Ali Zardari and Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on the first day of her visit.

During her meetings with the country's leadership, the top US Diplomat underscored the Obama administration's resolve to develop a broad relationship with Islamabad, State Department spokesperson Ian Kelly said.

" Secretary Clinton pledged 55 million dollars at a meeting with Prime Minister Gilani to assist Pakistan and UN agencies to provide humanitarian relief to families displaced from North Western Frontier Province (NWFP) and tribal areas. She also pledged 103.5 million dollars in U.S. support for the Government of Pakistan's priority law enforcement and border security programs," The Nation quoted Kelly, as saying.

He said Washington would keep on assisting and helping Islamabad in its fight against extremism and counterinsurgency operations.

" We continue to stand with the Pakistani people who have seen firsthand the effects of violent extremism. We also honor the rave Pakistani military, police, and security personnel who are now engaged in rescue efforts, as well as those who are fighting o combat extremism and create a safe, stable, and secure Pakistan," Kelly said. (ANI)

Abu Dhabi Grand Prix could be a crash-fest, says David Coulthard

Former Formula One racing driver David Coulthard has warned that the new Abu Dhabi circuit's shortened run-off areas could see ambitious racers pay for their mistakes during the final race of the season on Sunday.

"It will really sorts out the men from the boys. It will really surprise a lot of the guys just how tight it is in places. Drivers have got used to having tracks with lots of run off and then they go to Suzuka, which is a track with not a lot of run-off, and kids are throwing it in the wall," The Mirror quoted Coulthard, as saying.

"We need an element of that in Formula 1 to maintain respect for the people watching that if you drop it you are going to have a ig shunt. For the drivers there has to be a price to pay for making a mistake, but not a big crash that ends up hurting omeone."

Coulthard further said that the sport's first underground pit lane exit at Abu Dhabi circuit, which is on a sharp left bend, could pose as a great challenge to drivers.

"You can look at it and say it is challenging, but the bottom line is that it is actually a bit silly. It is the width of a car and it is a 90-degree left at the bottom of a tunnel after a blind hill," Coulthard said.

"It is one of those things where someone has thought 'the FIA doesn't stipulates the amount of run-off area for the pit exit, so let's put some landmines in the wall' It is a bit silly," he added.

The twenty-one corners of the Yas Marina Circuit will twist through the man made island, passing the marina and Yas Hotel, nd winding its way through sand dunes, with several long straights and tight corners.

BJP asks Yeddyurappa to deal with rebellious Reddys with an iron hand

The BJP's central leadership has reportedly told Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa to deal with the rebellious Reddy brothers with an iron hand.

According to sources, Janardana Reddy and Somasekhara Reddy, Bellary's powerful mining magnates, had launched a rebellious campaign against Yeddyurappa for his alleged dictatorial style of functioning.

Both ministers are said to have wanted a free hand in the running their ministries, and had even intensified their efforts to oust Yeddyurappa by persuading a critical number of MLAs to withdraw support to him in the assembly.

In a bid to defuse the ongoing crisis, the BJP state in-charge Arun Jaitley has held talks with leaders in Bangalore today.

Jaitley has clearly said there will be no leadership change in the state.

The cabinet clash started when the CM used his administrative powers to shunt top district officials.

The Reddy brothers opposed the move and displayed their clout through a function for the construction of 55,000 houses in Bellary on Wednesday for the flood-hit from the money they and other mine owners in the state have contributed.

They went ahead with the programme ignoring Yeddyurappa's plea not make the rehab work their own, but a collective effort of the overnment. (ANI)

Krishna meets Congo FM Mwamba in Delhi

External Affairs Minister SM Krishna on Thursday discussed bilateral issues with his Congo counterpart, Alexis Thambwe Mwamba in New Delhi.

Mwamba arrived for his four-day official visit to India on Tuesday.

Both the ministers discussed a wide range of issues and other avenues to improve economic ties. Certain agreements were also signed at this meeting.

In a bilateral meeting in 2008, India and Congo have agreed to explore the possibility of cooperating in industrial diamonds in view of abundance of availability of these in Congo and Indian expertise in cutting and polishing of diamonds.

India has played a key role on various occasions in Congo, the first being the contingents of Indian Army and squadrons of ndian Air Force taking part in the UN-sponsored peace operations in early '60s. (ANI)

Radio Pakistan's latest worry is adulteration of food in Punjab

Radio Pakistan in its latest broadcast has expressed concern on adulteration of food in Punjab. The allegation is that all traders are Hindus and they are doing so to hurt the Sikh community.

People living in border villages of Punjab are aware that adulteration does happen, but it is not directed against any particular community. The traders want to make more money, but they deny that they resort to adulteration.

"We sell the same goods to people of all castes and religions. Customer is like God for us because if he buys things from us only then we will earn something and be able to fulfill our family needs," said Shammi, a shopkeeper.

According to Parkash Doshi, a senior lawyer, in Abohar the latest allegations of Radio Pakistan are baseless, as there is nothing hat can establish the prevalence of any such practices there .

"Shopkeepers are both Hindus and Sikhs and they buy things from the same shops, so this can't be proved scientifically that some thing has adverse effect on Sikhs and not on Hindus," said Parkash Doshi, a senior lawyer.

People of all religious faiths and ethnicities can be noticed in markets of Punjab. It sounds ridiculous even to imagine that somebody would like to supply adulterated food or items to those who ensure his or her livelihood.

The world knows Pakistan is today the epicentre of terrorism, courtesy its long pursued policy of providing 'moral' support to xtremists. Instead of getting worried about adulteration in India, it should look inwards. Meanwhile, thanks to Radio akistan we will eliminate 'adulterated goods' in local markets of Punjab , says Gulab Singh from Abohar.(ANI)

Christie's sells most pricey current Arab art work

Auction house Christie's fetched late on Tuesday the highest price for a work of contemporary Arab art at 662,500 dollars for a double calligraphy by Egypt's Ahmed Mustafa.

Art works sold during the auction in Dubai collected a total 6.7 million dollars, double the value reached in the last auction held by Christie's in Dubai in April.

The two-day event concludes on Wednesday night as jewellery and watches go under the hammer. Christie's expects total sales to range between 12.9 and 17.8 million dollars.

Mustafa's "Remembrance and Gratitude" broke his own record registered in a similar auction in 2007.

Indian artist Tyeb Metha's painting "Untitled (Yellow Heads)" came second with a price of 578,500 dollars, while Turkish Burhan Dogancay's "Rift" was sold for 242,500 dollars, and Iranian Charles Hossein Zenderoudi's "Kharjee Spirit" fetched 218,500 dollars.

The jewellery highlight at the auction is expected to be a pair of diamond earrings, each weighing slightly more than 15 carats, with an estimated value of between 400,000 and 600,000 dollars.

"Despite the global economic crisis... the appetite for art in the Middle East continues to grow, and also the appetite for Middle Eastern arts," said Michael Jeha, Christie's Middle East managing director.

Jeha told reporters that since its first auction in 2006, Christie's sales in Dubai have risen by 400 percent. (AFP)

Austria is pensioners' paradise: magazine survey

Austria beats even Thailand and Italy as the world's favourite place to retire to, according to a new survey by Forbes magazine.

The high quality of life and medical care, the "elegant architecture, classical music and a public transport system that works," makes the Alpine republic a pensioners' paradise, the survey showed.

The sole drawback was a "lack of Mediterranean 'joie de vivre'."

"Austria is like Switzerland, only not so expensive," the magazine wrote.

The capital Vienna had the highest quality of life, Austria's private clinics were "world class" and the cities of Salzburg, Graz und Kitzbuehel and the surrounding villages had much to offer for those who enjoy the mountains and fresh air.

Thailand came second in the Forbes list, followed by Italy in third place, France seventh and Spain ninth in a ranking based on a range of factors including immigration regulations for pensioners, quality of healthcare, bureaucracy, tax system, climate and knowledge of English. (AFP)

Work starting on Trump's Scottish golf resort, despite row

Work on a new golf resort in Scotland being built by US tycoon Donald Trump started Wednesday, despite fierce opposition from some local people.

The billion-pound (1.1 billion euro, 1.6 billion dollar) coastal resort in Balmedie, near Aberdeen in northeast Scotland, will feature two golf courses, a hotel and around 1,000 holiday homes.

But several locals are still refusing to sell their homes to make way for the site amid a high-profile campaign backed by Oscar-winning actress Tilda Swinton, who lives in the region.

Trump's son Donald Trump Junior, who was at Balmedie as the work got under way, described the protestors as "teenage people", accusing them of "little childish stunts".

"We are trying to deliver a golf course that can really be looked at as the greatest golf course anywhere in the world," he told BBC radio Wednesday.

"The vast majority of the people of the northeast want this project to go forward and have been incredible supporters of us."

But opponents say the local council is giving Trump favourable treatment because of his wealth and fame, boosted in recent years by his role as host of US reality television show "The Apprentice".

The "Tripping Up Trump" group is threatening legal action against the plans, which they say will also be bad for the local environment. Officials insist they have acted within the rules.

Initial work on the site, which got the green light from councillors Tuesday, will involve planting marram grass in a bid to stabilise a large area of sand, erecting fencing on dunes and carrying out preparatory earthworks.

The golf development is backed by Scotland's devolved government, run by the pro-independence Scottish National Party (SNP).

Scotland's main tourism and economic development agencies also support it, saying it will attract high-spending visitors from around the world. (AFP)

Luxury brand Versace announces crisis cuts

Top Italian luxury goods firm Versace said Wednesday it will cut a quarter of its workforce and expects to report a loss for 2009 as demand for its products has shrunk in the economic crisis.

It announced a cost-cutting plan to axe around 350 of its 1,300 workforce and review branches and investments as part of a "comprehensive corporate reorganisation," but gave no further details.

It said it aimed to return to profit by 2011, after the recent downturn sapped demand for its upmarket clothes, handbags and sunglasses.

"Trading conditions in the wake of the global financial crisis have been severe and the company expects to make a loss in 2009," Versace's chief executive Gian Giacomo Ferraris said in the statement, without giving a figure.

Ferraris said Versace still had strong growth prospects, however, as one of "the most powerful brands in the luxury industry," noting the buzz created by artistic director Donatella Versace's latest spring and summer collection.

The group announced earlier this month that it had closed three stores in Japan, a key market for luxury goods that recently re-emerged from a recession.

Versace's former chief executive Giancarlo di Risio left in July in what the group called a "mutual" decision. Press reports had cited a disagreement with Donatella Versace.

The fashion house denied rumours that she had opposed cost-cutting measures imposed by the manager to combat the financial downturn.

Her brother Gianni Versace, known for designing glamorous and sexy outfits, was murdered in Miami in 1997, aged 51.

Di Risio was appointed in 2004 to restructure the business, which had been in crisis since the murder, and managed to restore the company to profit over the next few years until the global crisis hit.

Worldwide, fashion has struggled over the past year, with widespread store closings as well as buyouts, layoffs and dire predictions that consumers may never reprise their old spendthrift ways.

Italy has seen a sharp drop in exports of ready-to-wear women's apparel, putting tens of thousands of jobs on the line.

SMI, which represents some 60,000 businesses in the clothing sector, said some 56,000 jobs were at risk from among the sector's 510,000 workers.

Italian fashion company Ittierre, owner of the Gianfranco Ferre brand, filed for bankruptcy in February.

French couture house Christian Lacroix, citing the luxury market's doldrums, filed for bankruptcy in June.

A sheikh close to the ruling family of the United Arab Emirates has made a formal offer of 100 million dollars (68 million euros) for Lacroix and is regarded as the frontrunner among the takeover bidders.

Judicial administrator Regis Valliot has praised the sheikh's commitment to save jobs, tackle the company's bills and rescue the fashion house.

Also bidding are Bernard Krief Consulting and La Financiere Saint Germain. Italian retailer Borletti withdrew its offer. (AFP)

France offers free newspapers for youth

France is to spend millions of euros to provide free newspapers for young people, officials said Wednesday, in a bid to boost readership and shore up the struggling print news sector.

Those aged 18 to 24 will get a free daily paper of their choice once a week for a year and a discount subscription later, to "encourage the renewal of readership of the daily press," according to a government statement.

Newspapers worldwide are struggling with plunging revenues as readers migrate to the Internet and mobile telephones to access news. Traditional media groups are fighting to find ways of making online content profitable.

The French plan, presented to the government by Culture Minister Frederic Mitterrand, would see the state pay five million euros (7.4 million dollars) over three years to help revive readership of regular print titles.

Newspaper editors involved in the initiative will produce "content adapted to the demands of young readers," the government said.

It added that the idea also aimed to grant young people "access to culture" in the same way as free entry to museums. (AFP)

First woman voted head of German Protestant church

A divorced woman once described as "a cross between Mother Teresa and Demi Moore" was Wednesday elected head of Germany's Protestant church, the first woman to hold the post.

Margot Kaessmann, 51, received 132 of the 142 votes cast at the church's general assembly in Ulm, southern Germany. She now leads 25 million faithful across the country.

"Trusting in God's help, I accept the vote," she said.

Kaessmann, who was elected for a six-year term, was the only candidate for the post.

The charismatic Kaessmann hit the headlines around the world in 2007 when she became the first bishop in Germany to file for divorce from her husband, also a leading member of the Lutheran church.

She was Germany's youngest bishop when she was consecrated in 1999 and has since survived an operation to remove breast cancer.

In 2003, the Frankfurter Allgemeine daily reported that she was known within the organisation as a "mixture of Mother Teresa and Demi Moore." (AFP)

Fewer holiday gifts but more cheer in US, poll

More than half of Americans in a survey out Wednesday say they plan to spend more during the end-of-year holidays this year compared to 2008 as concerns about the economy subside.

The projected spending boost at Christmas, Hannukah and Kwanza won't come from more or more expensive gifts, but rather from spending on items like entertainment and home decoration, which traditionally account for a smaller portion of the holiday budget, said the annual Deloitte holiday survey of retail spending and trends.

More than half -- 54 percent -- of the 10,878 consumers surveyed for Deloitte's poll said they expect the economy will improve in 2010, and nearly a quarter thought the United States was already in the early stages of recovery from the downturn.

Last year, only 28 percent of Americans were optimistic that the economy would pick up, and 41 percent said they would either maintain or increase holiday spending. This year, more than half -- 51 percent -- said their holiday outlay would rise or hold at the same level.

"We have had stabilization in the housing market; the tax burden on the consumer is less; real wages are higher. The combination of all that is what's leading to consumers' intent to spend a little more on the holidays than they did last year," Stacy Janiak, head of Deloitte's retail group, which conducted the survey, told AFP.

"But they indicated that both the number and dollar amount of gifts are declining," Janiak said.

The average number of gifts Americans plan to purchase declined to 18 from 21.5 last year, while the amount consumers plan to spend on gifts was down to 452 dollars this year compared with 532 dollars in 2008, the survey, which Deloitte has compiled since 1985, showed.

Meanwhile, expenditures on socializing, entertaining, non-gift clothing and home or holiday furnishings are expected to go up, the survey said.

"People had to pull back on gifts last year, given the economic uncertainty, and they realized what's more important: the gift or bringing people together?" said Janiak, explaining why people were expecting to spend more on socializing and entertaining.

The "replenishment" factor would see non-gift clothing and home and holiday furnishing sales rising, said Janiak.

"Those items aren't made to last forever and if those purchases weren't made last year at this time, it's another reason that consumers are tending to enter that space again," she said.

The survey also looked at what was likely to be the most popular gift this year.

For the sixth year running, the gift card came out on top.

Nearly two-thirds of consumers plan to buy gift cards as presents, laying out 35 dollars per card, or seven dollars more than the 28 dollars they spent last year.

Americans have also retained the lessons of frugality they learned from the recession.

Two-thirds of those polled said they plan to "shop differently due to concerns about the economy," and of those large majorities said they would look for sales or use money-off vouchers.

Many consumers planning to buy electronics, toys, clothing or jewelry expect to get steep discounts similar to those seen in US shops last year.

But Janiak warned they might be out of luck, because while the US consumer has retained the virtues of thrift from the recession, retailers have learned their own lesson about over-stocking.

"This year, the retailers have been managing their business based on lower consumption levels, and their expectation is that those lower consumption levels will hold through the holidays," said Janiak.

"But if consumers step up their spending, there's going to be a disconnect. And if you're holding out for the 50-percent-plus discount on a wide variety of merchandise, you will be disappointed," she predicted. (AFP)

Macedonia seeks to stop archaeological smugglers

Macedonia has vowed to put a halt to illegal excavations at the country's wealth of archaeological sites, many of which have already been ransacked by savvy smugglers digging up the rich treasures.

"The criminals are always a step ahead, they follow our activities and know exactly when to move away," an official from the special department in charge of archaeological crime who requested anonymity told AFP.

When archaeologists arrived at Isar Marvinci in southern Macedonia, the seat of power in ancient times, they had hoped to begin excavations but instead faced an unpleasant surprise.

"They found more than 1,000 open pits, but all the findings were gone, mostly sold to our southern neighbour" Greece, said Pasko Kuzman, head of the state institute for the protection of cultural heritage.

Ancient graves were believed to be full of "golden jewelry, silver, bronze and amber pieces, all very light and easy to transport," Kuzman said.

Isar, which dates back to the Iron Age, flourished under the ancient Greeks, but the Romans levelled the metropolis to the ground.

Kuzman noted a case when 230 archaelogical findings -- hidden in bags full of beans -- were discovered by customs officials at the Croatian-Slovenian border in 2006.

"Slovenian officials established that the findings were from the territory of Macedonia and returned them to us," he said.

In the past two years, police have reported 21 cases of cultural heritage theft, with 16 of them solved, interior ministry spokesman Ivo Kotevski said.

Thieves are mostly interested in smaller pieces like money, silver, copper or ceramic pots, and stone figures, he said.

According to various estimations, most of Macedonia's territory hides archaeological treasures due to the Balkan state's central position in ancient times.

So far, 10,000 different sites have been registered, but at least several more thousand still need to be examined.

The ancient Roman settlement of Stobi, famous for its mosaics, has for years attracted visitors, scientists and tourists, but also thieves.

A large part of the area has yet to be excavated, so officials have introduced 24-hour security at the site.

"Stobi has been protected around the clock as our presence is the best guarantee that there will be no illegal diggers," Silvana Blazevska, the manager of the site, told AFP.

It is quite common in Marvince, in southern Macedonia close to the border with Greece, for a builder to find an ancient plate while putting in foundations for a new home, or for a farmer to dig out a piece of an ancient vase in hisfield.

"Usually farmers immediatelly call us to tell us of the findings," said Blazevska.

Police officials are reluctant to estimate whether the amount of archaeological thefts has risen in the past years, but say that such "illegal business can bring several million dollars annually."

A wide-range network is believed to be organised through regional crime gangs, while buyers are easily found in Greece, Austria and Germany, they say.

Some of the findings could be sold for up to 20,000 euros, while less valuable pieces -- like an ancient Roman spear top -- could be had for only 100 euros.

"One golden coin by itself has no high value, but if it is found together with other objects from a dated time-period, its value increases in relation to scientific, cultural and heritage significance," Kuzman said.

Zlatko Videski from the Museum of Macedonia heads the excavations at Isar, spread across about 80 hectares (xx acres ????) of land. He said the economic crisis has trimmed government funding of the site -- "neglected for so many years" -- so his team will be able to cover only about 20 acres HECTARES??? this year.

"But the site has been damaged a lot and only when we examine material collected so far will we be able to estimate its real value," Videski told AFP.

In only seven months of excavations at the site, archaeologists have found around 2,500 graves from different time periods, he added.

"There are graves from prehistoric times, Stone, Bronze and Iron Ages, but for smugglers, the most interesting are those from ancient and Byzantine times," Kuzman said. (AFP)