Mugabe faces critics

Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe arrives at the African Union summit in Egypt to face his critics.

He's starting another five-year term in office after an election in which he was the only candidate.

The ballot has been branded unfair by all three African monitoring groups who oversaw the voting.

Despite a wave of international criticism, Zimbabwe's African Union neighbours are unlikely to back Western calls for tough sanctions.

They are expected to press for talks between Mugabe and opposition rival Morgan Tsvangirai who pulled out of the presidential race because of violence against his supporters.

Pan-African human rights group RADDHO says Zimbabwe's presidential election was a masquerade and is urging the AU leaders to add their weight to the international condemnation.

SOUNDBITE: Alioune Tine, President of RADDHO, saying (French):

"We are appealing to the heads of states, of governments meeting in Sharm el-Sheikh to refuse all recognition of the regime resulting from the electoral mascarade organised by Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe, and to refuse all compromise concerning a sharing of power."

Both Mugabe and Tsvangirai say they are ready for African-sponsored talks.

The big question is who would lead a unity government.

Paul Chapman, Reuters

brand tr.v. brand·ed, brand·ing, brands

1. To mark with or as if with a hot iron. See Synonyms at mark¹.

2. To mark to show ownership.

3. To mark with disgrace or infamy; stigmatize.

4. To impress firmly; fix ineradicably: Imagery of the war has branded itself into the national consciousness.

masquerade n.

1.

a. A costume party at which masks are worn; a masked ball. Also called masque.

b. A costume for such a party or ball.

2.

a. A disguise or false outward show; a pretense: a masquerade of humility.

b. An involved scheme; a charade.

Exclusive Russian President interview

Energy has pulled Russia out the economic doldrums.

It's now has one the fastest growing economies in the world.

But in a exclusive interview with Reuters Russia's President Dmitry Medvedev is urging caution.

He says he wants to reduce the state's role in the economy and curb government spending to combat inflation.

Prices are currently rising by 14 per cent - twice the government's target.

SOUNDBITE (Russian) MEDVEDEV SAYING:

" If we want to talk about economic threats, it's the threat of international financial instability, the crisis in production and all the related problems. If we're talking about other factors, they are also obvious, terrorism, rise in international crime - all are problems the Russian Federation has because we're an open society."

Medvedev admits Russia's new riches have also failed to solve two main problems.

SOUNDBITE (Russian) MEDVEDEV SAYING:

"Firstly, poverty which we haven't yet defeated. Resolving this problem is the main task for the government. We are going to work hard at this, using all of our economic might. And the second problem I must mention is corruption, corruption as a systemic challenge, as a threat to national security, as a problem which leads to a lack of faith among citizens in the ability of government to bring order and protect them."

Medvedev admits Russia has "practical problems" dealing with the E.U.

He also rejects claims by Russian analysts that the Kremlin has been shutting out alternative voices in television and the wider media.

SOUNDBITE (Russian) MEDVEDEV SAYING:

" Thank God we live in a free society where one can watch other channels, foreign channels, private channels, one can open a newspaper or go into the internet and download whatever you like. In this sense, the problem of restrictions on information doesn't exist in Russia today, didn't exist in the past and won't happen in the future I can assure you of that."

Neither - he added - will democracy be compromised.

SOUNDBITE (Russian) MEDVEDEV SAYING :

"The defining values are freedom, democracy and the protection of private property. And these are the values we will bring to our relations with our international partners. In this sense our foreign policy cannot be characterised as liberal or conservative or anything else. It must be a policy

that supports and furthers our national interests - that is its essence."

Medvedev took over from Vladimir Putin just seven weeks ago.

Putin is now the Prime Minister and many are wondering how much of his own man Medvedev will be when it comes to solving Russia's problems.

Sonia Legg, Reuters.

doldrums Noun the doldrums

1.a. A period of stagnation or slump.

b. A period of depression or unhappy listlessness.

2.a. A region of the ocean near the equator, characterized by calms, light winds, or squalls.

b. The weather conditions characteristic of these regions of the ocean.

Bolivia hunger crisis

Tens of thousands of people in Bolivia are hungry. It is South America's poorest country, where even the U.N. World Food Program is struggling to keep up with rising food costs and a growing number of mouths to feed.

Bolivian poverty is perhaps most glaring in the sprawling La Paz suburb of El Alto. A local polling agency recently reported that about 55 percent of the 900,000 residents live on less than one dollar a day.

The UN used to feed half a million Bolivians, but that number has slipped below 200,000 as a result of inflation.

42-year-old mother, Maxima de Alijo Ticona , struggles to put food on the table for her nine children.

SOUNDBITE: 42-year-old mother, Maxima de Alijo Ticonal, saying (Spanish):

"The kids don't get enough to eat. I feel bad. Sometimes I regret I had children. If they were food, I would eat them. But I can't do that. I can't give them any more. Food prices have gone up."

She and her sons wash the neighbor's laundry but are only able to bring in $7 on a good day, not enough to feed ten.

Experts say the global food crisis is due to the conversion of land to grow crops for biofuels, bad weather, surging consumption in fast-growing developing countries and higher fuel costs.

Deborah Lutterbeck, Reuters

keep up

1. To maintain in good condition: kept up the property.

2.

a. To persevere in; carry on: We asked her to stop talking, but she kept it up.

b. To preserve or sustain: kept up the appearance of friendship.
glaring - Conspicuous; obvious: a glaring error. See Synonyms at flagrant.

sprawling - spreading out in different directions

Cloned dogs detect cancer


They're cute, they're cuddly, and they could be a new weapon in the armoury against cancer in humans.

This litter of Labrador retriever pups has been cloned from a Japanese dog thought able to detect the disease by smell.

Scientists at South Korean firm RNL Bio which is behind the project say it's a big leap forward on several fronts.

SOUNDBITE: Kim Yoon, RNL Bio spokesman, saying (Korean):

"For the first time in the world four puppies were successfully cloned at the same time. It's shown the economic efficiency of cloning which is essential for commercial cloning projects."

The pups will be sent to Japan for training to see if they've inherited their mother's special sniffing skills.

Scientists are studying whether cancer cells give off a distinctive odour which dogs can spot by sniffing the breath or skin of patients.

Cloning has been a double edged sword for South Korea.

Seoul National University, which partners RNL Bio, is credited with producing the world's first cloned dog in 2005.

But national pride took a severe dent when team leader Hwang Woo-suk was charged with fabricating data in cloned human embryonic stem cell studies.

The team has since gone on to produce other cloned animals and the multiple birth of pups with possible cancer-sniffing qualities will ensure the country's place as top dog in cloning and stem cell research.

Paul Chapman, Reuters.

cuddly - inviting cuddling or hugging; "a cuddlesome baby"; "a cuddly teddybear"

cuddlesome

lovable, loveable - having characteristics that attract love or affection; "a mischievous but lovable child"

litter - the offspring at one birth of a multiparous mammal
retriever

Noun

a dog trained to retrieve shot birds and animals
leap The act of leaping; a jump.

give off

To send forth; emit: chemical changes that give off energy.
sword - a cutting or thrusting weapon that has a long metal blade and a hilt with a hand guard
dent - an appreciable consequence (especially a lessening); "it made a dent in my bank account"

Water-fuel car unveiled

With oil prices soaring and fuel protests spreading across the globe it almost sounds too good to be true - a car that runs on nothing but water.

And all kinds of water will do, river, rain or sea, they all make this car mobile - even tea works!

Japanese company Genepax unveiled the eco-friendly vehicle in Osaka.

Once water is poured into the car's tank, an energy generator takes hydrogen from the water, releasing electrons that power the car.

(SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) KIYOSHI HIRASAWA, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF GENEPAX, SAYING:

"The main characteristic of this car is that no external input is needed. The car will continue to run as long as you have a bottle of water inside for you to add from time to time."

According to Genepax a litre of water will keep the car running at a speed of 80 kilometers for around an hour.

The company hopes to go into mass production with a Japanese manufacturer.

With car users around the world looking for alternative fuels to power their vehicles Genepax may well have the solution they've been looking for.

Michelle Carlile-Alkhouri, Reuters

poured v. poured, pour·ing, pours

v.tr.

1. To make (a liquid or granular solid) stream or flow, as from a container.

2. To send forth, produce, express, or utter copiously, as if in a stream or flood: poured money into the project; poured out my inner thoughts.

v.intr.

1. To stream or flow continuously or profusely.

2. To rain hard or heavily.

3. To pass or proceed in large numbers or quantity: Students poured into the auditorium.

4. To serve a beverage, such as tea or coffee, to a gathering: We need someone to pour.

Scientists discover new dinosaur

The fossilised dinosaur bones were first discovered in 2001.

But it's taken palaeontologists seven years to identify what kind of dinosaur the bones belonged to.

The fragments, which include rib, vertebrae and - best of all - a nearly intact tibia were found in Argentina's southern Patagonia region - home to one of the best dinosaur excavation sites.

Argentinian paleontologist Fernando Novas said the remains belonged to a meat-eating dinosaur of up to six or seven meters in length that lived during the Cretaceous period some 70 million years ago.

The find makes it the southernmost carnivore discovered by researchers.

(SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) PALEONTOLOGIST FERNANDO NOVAS SAYING:

"The discovery we've made in Patagonia not only alters and improves our knowledge of dinosaurs in the southern hemisphere, but obviously it also alters knowledge on a global level."

Scientists call it Orkoraptor burkei.

"Orr Korr" means "toothed river" in the indigenous language Aoniken while the second part is a homily to amateur researcher and dinosaur enthusiast Coleman Burke, a wealthy New Yorker who funds paleontology excavations in Patagonia.

Helen Long, Reuters

Fuel protests across Europe

Dozens of lorries block a motorway leading into Paris in protest against high fuel prices.

Truckers in France want low-cost diesel reserved for professional users.

They argue that they negotiate fuel costs with clients at the start of every year and should be allowed to lock in that price for a full 12 months.

And the head of the European Transport Association said that there were fuel price discrepancies across Europe.

(SOUNDBITE) (French) GILLES MATHELIE-GUINLET, GENERAL SECRETARY OF THE EUROPEAN ROAD TRANSPORT ORGANISATION, SAYING:

"France is 30% over the European average, and we work 20% less than our European competitors, so if you put the two together, it means that French haulage contractors are more expensive than the European price which means that we can't live off our job any more."

Truckers, fishermen and farmers in France have staged numerous protests over the past month to try to pressure the government to intervene after oil costs doubled in a year.

But room for manoeuvre is limited by the European Union which is opposed to targeted state subsidies or cuts in fuel tax.

The protests have spread to other European countries including Italy, Belgium and Portugal.

In England hundreds of bikers staged a go-slow protest near Manchester against the high cost of fuel following a similar protest by truck drivers in London last month.

And in the Spanish capital Madrid, taxi drivers organised a protest against the spiralling costs at the pumps.

Stefanie McIntyre, Reuters

haulage Noun

1. the business of transporting goods

2. a charge for transporting goods

live off
earn enough money to pay expenses

Brazil deforestation crisis grows

A mighty giant of the rain forest is felled.

Home to some of the world's most fascinating creatures and vital for the stability of the earth's atmosphere the rainforest is being torn down rapidly.

It's been under threat for decades- now today's loggers and those clearing zones for agriculture are continuing the damage.

Brazil's new Environmental Minister said the latest figures were worrying and that this year could be worse than the last.

(SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) BRAZIL'S ENVIRONMENT MINISTER, CARLOS MINC, SAYING:

"Our war isn't simply against the figures of each month. The present (economic development) model impoverishes the people and destroys the forest. We want another model, where the forest is preserved as an important genetics bank and the people have a better life condition, with more jobs, payments and sewage systems."

Illegal loggers are targetted by police.

But it is not enough.

Brazil's great rain forest is seen as an important control on carbon dioxide in the earth's atmosphere.

Environmentalists are concerned its loss will drive up global warming.

But the present rising global commodity prices are likely to fuel more clearing of land for farms.

The Brazilian government is introducing new measures to contain the forest destruction but it remains to be seen whether they will be any more effective than all the previous policies.

Penny Tweedie, Reuters.

mighty - very great in extent or importance
fell tr.v. felled, fell·ing, fells 1.

a. To cause to fall by striking; cut or knock down: fell a tree; fell an opponent in boxing.
tear (tore, torn, tear·ing, tears) down

1. To demolish: tear down old tenements.

2. To take apart; disassemble: tear down an engine.
drive up - approach while driving; "The truck entered the driveway and drove up towards the house"

Oil surge fuels biodiesels

From Britain to mainland Europe soaring fuel prices have triggered angry protests.

These should, then, be good times for the biodiesel business.

Comparatively it's a lot greener and cheaper.

But there's been a backlash.

Surging food prices are partly blamed on farms growing biofuels instead of traditional crops.

No such ethical dilemmas exist for London-based Pure Fuels.

That's because it's fuel comes from this -- deep fried cooking oil.

Once refined it's roughly ten pence less a litre than its diesel equivalent.

And despite popular belief, punters insist smell is not a problem.

SOUNDBITE: London motorist, saying (English):

"Inside the car it doesn't smell at all. So long as you're not smelling kebabs or fish and chips you are alright. Doesn't make the tummy rumble, but it's okay."

But there's a downside to this biodiesel powered bandwagon.

Soaring demand and supply issues have sparked a price boom.

Quenton Kelly is a commercial buyer.

SOUNDBITE: Quenton Kelly, Green Miles, commercial buyer, saying (English):

"(There's not just money to be made, but) there are many people taking advantage of the changes in the fuel duty laws last year whereby people could produce 2,500 litres of fuel for themselves and not pay road fuel duty on it. So you get a lot of people are making biodiesel or in some cases just using cleaned used cooking oil as a fuel in their own cars. So really everybody wants it nowadays."

Tom Lasica is founder of Pure Fuels.

He says rampant wholesale prices are a big worry.

SOUNDBITE: Tom Lasica, founder, Pure Fuels, saying (English):

"(Two weeks ago,) three weeks ago we were still paying 30p. Now we're paying up to 45p. But I was offered oil yesterday at 60p. Now without going into huge mathematical scenarios at 60p there is no way in the world you can be making it and selling it under the price of the pumps."

To guarantee survival, Lasica is now urgently calling for government tax breaks.

Only then, he says, can the industry (truly( become more than just a token energy alternative.

Darcy Lambton, Reuters.

trigger - put in motion or move to act; "trigger a reaction"
backlash - a movement back from an impact
surging - characterized by great swelling waves or surges; "billowy storm clouds"; "the restless billowing sea"; "surging waves"
punter

noun 1. gambler, better, backer, punt chiefly Brit.

noun 2. (Informal) customer, guest, client, patron, member of the audience

noun 3. (Informal) person, guy (informal) fellow, bloke Brit. (informal) man in the street
tummy - The human stomach or belly
rumble - To make a deep, long, rolling sound.

wholesale - The sale of goods in large quantities, as for resale by a retailer.

Rome food protests

The global food crisis is estimated to be pushing 100 million people to hunger.

The UN is searching for solutions and is hosting a meeting in Rome where some 40 heads of state will discuss the challenge.

These protesters are setting up their own alternative summit in the Italian capital.

They are here to represent the world's small farmers and they are calling for a rethink of the global food system.

SOUNDBITE (English) PAUL NICHOLSON EUROPEAN CO-ORDINATOR OF THE NON GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATION "VIA CAMPESINA", SAYING:

"We are stating that this model of free trade has caused hunger and has caused poverty in the rural world and now also in the cities. The food crisis is a consequences of leaving all food in the hands of the trans-nationalist."

The protesters want policy initiatives that will force necessary changes in food production.

The FAO hopes the summit will come up with concrete solutions.

For millions around the world that's a priority.

In poorer states people spend more half their income on food compares to just 10 percent in other countries.

Michelle Carlile-Alkhouri, Reuters

Polygamy kids can go home

A new twist in one of the nation's largest child custody cases --- this time, a victory for members of a Texas polygamist sect.

The Texas Supreme Court has ruled that the state overstepped its authority last month when it removed 460 children from a polygamist ranch run by jailed polygamist leader Warren Jeffs.

The decision could pave the way for the children to be reunited with their parents.

The Supreme Court's ruling upholds the lower court's finding last week - that Texas authorities went too far...in taking the children from their families without proving that they faced imminent danger.

Pavithra George, Reuters

uphold tr.v. up·held, up·hold·ing, up·holds To maintain or affirm against opposition. See Synonyms at support.

Brazilian isolated tribe photographed

The photographs, taken by Survival International near the border between Brazil and Peru, are rare evidence that such groups exist.

A Brazilian official involved in the expedition said many such tribes are in increasing danger from illegal logging.

Of more than 100 uncontacted tribes worldwide, more than half live in either Brazil or Peru, Survival International says.

It says all are in grave danger of being forced off their land, killed or ravaged by diseases they've never been exposed to because of their isolation.

Biofuels blamed for hunger

Food prices will remain high over the next decade meaning millions more risk further hardship. A report published by the OECD and the UN's FAO food agency, ahead of next week's world food summit in Rome, urged immediate humanitarian aid for those worst affected. The paper also blamed biofuel for using up grain that could otherwise feed people and livestock. Speaking at an aid conference in Japan, the director of the World Food Programme, Josette Sheeran, said the effects could be catastrophic.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) JOSETTE SHEERAN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AT WORLD FOOD PROGRAM (WFP) SAYING:

"Record high prices of food and fuel are a painful pinch for consumers all over the world, but for those who are living on less than a dollar a day, it's devastating. If these prices are sustained, the world's bottom billion could become the world's bottom two billion virtually overnight just because their purchasing power has been cut in half almost overnight."

Drought in big commodity-producing regions such as Australia, and growing demand from fast-developing countries such as China and India, were some of the reasons behind the increases.

And food and fuel price increases are closely related, though signs of a demand slowdown in some markets has caused the price to retreat earlier in the day. Asian countries, under pressure from oil companies, have been reviewing the fuel subsidies which have sheltered drivers from the shock of steep price rises.

And that's why Dutch truckers called on motorists to honk their horns to push for lower fuel taxes in the latest protest at soaring oil prices. Protesters called on the government to reverse a diesel tax hike that is due to take effect on July 1. Truck drivers have also been protesting in France, the UK and Bulgaria.

In the markets, stocks crept back into positive territory. The FTSEurofirst 300 was up around a third of a percent. In-line U.S. growth data had pushed European stocks down in earlier trade with banks the biggest drag on the index.

Stefanie McIntyre, Reuters

hardship - Extreme privation; suffering.
livestock - Domestic animals, such as cattle or horses, raised for home use or for profit, especially on a farm.
pinch - extreme stress or need: most companies are feeling the pinch of recession
shel·ter - To provide cover or protection for.

Bin diving for food

There is no such thing as a free lunch, but for freegans Ashwyn and Alf, rummaging around in bins for food is a part of their lifestyle.

As freegans they believe in reducing waste and using their time to benefit others, one way is finding food in bins, which they use for their own consumption or distribute to friends.

These are just some of the things that they found on their scavenge.

Soundbites Alf and Ashwyn, freegans (English)

(Alf) We've got a mixed vegetable selection,all looking rather fresh (Ashwyn) From UK and Spain (Alf) Mushrooms from Ireland. (Ashwyn) Irish mushrooms (Alf) grapes from India

Every day in the UK seven million slices of bread, 4.4 million apples and 1.3 million yoghurts are thrown away.

Supermarkets said they are working to reduce waste by improving packaging and portion sizes. But some of them do lock their bins making it difficult for people to take food from them.

So is bin diving stealing?

Alf, freegan (English)

'Can you steal rubbish? Surely if somebody throws something away, then they're relinquishing ownership of it. If you're making use of something that has a terrible cost to the environment, and costs for the supermarket themselves, and you're obviously reducing that, then that is something positive.'

Food waste in a developing country is happening in the midst of a global food crisis.

Greg Barrow is from the UN World Food Programme. He is concerned with the increase in food prices and the fact that it is having an impact on developing countries. But scavenging for food isn't something new.

Greg Barrow,

Senior Public Affairs Officer, United Nations World Food Programme (English)

''In developing countries you'll often find that people scavenge for food in rubbish dumps and on the fringes of markets,often they find food that is unfit for human consumption so it's a different scale of problem in the developing world it's much much more an issue of lack of access to food and people who are really desperate to get any kind of nutrition if they can find it from almost any place.''

Alf and Ashwyn are able to feast on their booty, and use the items that they have found. But for thousands in developing countries, the commodity of food isn't always so accessible.

Basmah Fahim, Reuters.

Freeganism is an anticonsumerism lifestyle
rummaging - To search thoroughly by handling, turning over, or disarranging the contents of.
relinquishing - a verbal act of renouncing a claim or right or position etc.
scavenge - to search for (anything usable) among discarded material
fringe - the outside boundary or surface of something
feast

Noun

1. a large and special meal for many people

2. something extremely pleasing: a feast of colour

3. an annual religious celebration

Verb

1. to take part in a feast

2. to give a feast to
booty noun plunder, winnings, gains, haul, spoils, prey, loot, takings

Rare Javan rhino filmed

There are thought to be less than 60 Javan rhinos left in the wild and these are two of them.

The mother and calf were filmed by a hidden camera in the Ujung Kulon National Park on Indonesia's Java island.

The World Wildlife Fund for Nature was delighted when the elusive rhinoceroses stumbled across the camera twice in a month.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) SITE MANAGER OF UJUNG KULON NATIONAL PARK ADHI RAHMAT HARIYADI SAYING:

"Although the Peninsula covers 30,000 (hectares) only places marked with red dots are actually occupied with the rhinos."

The cameras filmed the rhinos bathing, sniffing the undergrowth and, a little worryingly perhaps, attacking the camera.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) SITE MANAGER OF UJUNG KULON NATIONAL PARK ADHI RAHMAT HARIYADI SAYING:

"We need to place the camera more strategically not to disturb or bother the animals."

But the success of the operation has delighted wildlife experts.

And it's hoped new information about their movement may increase the chances of saving the Javan rhino from extinction.

Sonia Legg, Reuters.

calf
a. A young cow or bull.

b. The young of certain other mammals, such as the elephant or whale.

stumble across or on or upon to encounter or discover (someone or something) by accident

Fossil creates evolution upset

This fossil of a fish is making a big splash in archaeological circles.

The 375-million-year-old creature has been unearthed complete with umbilical cord and embryo attached.

That makes her the planet's oldest vertebrate mum.

She's not the prettiest fish in the pre-historic sea but she is by far the earliest known vertebrate giving birth to live young.

By a massive 200 million years, no less.

And she's got the scientists re-writing evolutionary history.

SOUNDBITE: Doctor John Long, Paleontologist, saying (English):

"I looked under the microscope and I was just gob-smacked."

The placoderm was found in the Gogo area of north Western Australia.

Experts say it's 25 centimetres of fossil but millions of years of discovery.

SOUNDBITE: Doctor Robin Hirst, Museum Victoria, saying (English)

"One of the biggest breakthroughs in paleontology ever made and certainly one of the most significant discoveries every made in Australia."

Placoderms ruled the planet's lakes and seas for nearly 70 million years during the late Devonian period when land animals evolved from fish.

Now it seems they may have been the pioneers of internal fertilisation and live birth - unless another evolutionary upset emerges to steal their crown.

Paul Chapman, Reuters