US teen 'hit man' arrested in Mexico

Mexican police present Edgar Jimenez, 14, accused of being a hit man. Picture by AFP Source: The Australian

MEXICAN troops arrested a 14-year-old US citizen suspected of being a hit man for a drug cartel and beheading his victims.

Edgar Jimenez was captured late on Thursday at an airport in Cuernavaca, a popular tourist destination just south of Mexico City, as he attempted to board a plane to Tijuana, the army said in a statement. The teen was going to try to see his mother in California.

Jimenez, also know as El Ponchis, belonged to a group of teens, most of them family members, that became notorious in Mexico last month after video clips were posted on the internet of the group posing with assault rifles and showing them with their victims.

The clips shocked Mexicans because the gang members were so young.

The army said the teen was captured along with two of his sisters, one of whom is suspected of being a lover of a leader in the Beltran Leyva cartel, a drug gang originally from Sinaloa state but which has much of its operations in central Mexico.

The teen acknowledged to the media that he killed at least seven people, although he said he did it under the influence of drugs and was pressured to do the killings by the cartel leader. Asked if he regretted his actions, he said: “Yes, I'm sorry I got involved with all this.”

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Unmanned US spacecraft returns after seven-month trip

Vandenberg Air Force Base, California: The US Air Force's secrecy-shrouded X-37B unmanned spaceplane has returned to Earth after more than seven months in orbit on a classified mission. Air Force spokesman Jeremy Eggers says the winged craft autonomously landed at 1:16 a.m. PST (0916 GMT) at Vandenberg Air Force Base on the California coast 130 miles northwest of Los Angeles.

The X-37B was launched by an Atlas 5 rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on April 22, 2010, with a maximum mission duration of 270 days.

Also known as the Orbital Test Vehicle, the Boeing-built spacecraft was originally a NASA project before being taken over by the military. The Air Force has not said whether it carried anything in its cargo bay, but insists the primary purpose of the mission was to test the craft itself.

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Artificial kidney made by Indian American awaits human trials

Washington: A coffee cup sized implantable artificial kidney being developed by a US researcher of Indian origin, is awaiting animal and human trials to bring affordable treatment to millions of kidney failure patients worldwide.

Shuvo Roy, working with a team of engineers, biologists and physicians at the University of California, San Francisco, to shrink the device to the size of a coffee cup, is "excited about advancing it towards large animal and human trials".

"Obviously, a key requirement is financial support and the team. We have most of the latter in place, and the former is a work-in-progress," Roy, an associate professor in the UCSF School of Pharmacy who specialises in developing micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) technology for biomedical applications, told IANS.

"There are almost 1.5 million people worldwide on dialysis. The primary cause of end stage renal disease (ESRD) is diabetes and hypertension, which are both growing problems in South Asia," noted Roy who has a connection with both India and Bangladesh.

Born in what is now Bangladesh, Roy spent part of his childhood in India and Bangladesh and received most of his education in Uganda, where his father worked as a public health physician. He later obtained his undergraduate degree from Mount Union College in Alliance, Ohio.

"As it turns out, most of my father's family is in India, while most of my mother's side is in Bangladesh," he said.

The ideal treatment for kidney failure patients is transplant, but there is a shortage and the patients require expensive drugs and dialysis costs $9,000-14,000 per patient in India assuming dialysis twice a week instead of three times as in the US, said Roy.

Given "the shortage of transplant kidneys and associated complications like transmission of infectious agents from donor to patient and ethics, our device might provide some benefits", he said.

"With the right financial support, I think we could reach clinical trials in as little as five years," Roy said. But "it's hard to say how long after that it becomes commercially available due to the uncertainties of the FDA and commercialisation prospects".

He said it was hard to predict how much it would cost "as we just don't know the development costs associated with regulatory and reimbursement issues. We think the device cost should be less than $25,000 in the United States."

The artificial kidney that would do away with the need for dialysis would include thousands of microscopic filters to remove toxins from the blood and a bioreactor to mimic the metabolic and water-balancing roles of a real kidney.

So far Roy's team has done trials using a large system called Renal Assist Device or RAD built using off-the-shelf components in human patients with acute renal failure.

The trial led by David Humes of the University of Michigan was designed to test whether the concept of a hemofilter plus cell bioreactor could provide a benefit over conventional renal replacement therapy.

In his peer-reviewed publications, Humes reported that the RAD conferred a significant survival benefit relative to conventional therapy.

"Based on these results, we undertook a miniaturisation effort towards an implantable device using silicon membrane technology," Roy said.

"The efficiency of our membranes allows for a smaller package that can operate at lower driving pressures comparable to blood pressure. We have tested the scaled-down versions of our silicon membrane technology in small animals."

"To get to patients, we will need to build scaled-up versions and test safety first in large animals and then patients," he said.

Roy, whose background is in the development of medical devices using micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) technology, has also worked on the development of miniature wireless sensors for remote monitoring of physiological parameters such as pressure and catheter-based ultrasound imaging chips for assessment of coronary plaque for accurate deployment of stents.

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Economic Outlook for U.S. Chemistry Industry Improving, ACC's Year-End Report Reveals

Economic Outlook for U.S. Chemistry Industry Improving, ACC's Year-End Report Reveals

- Export markets driving growth -

WASHINGTON, D.C. (December 3, 2010) ? The outlook for the U.S. chemicals manufacturing sector is improving gradually and global production is set to increase in the coming year, thanks in part to dramatic growth in export markets for the products of chemistry, according to the 2010 Year-End Situation and Outlook, a report released today by the American Chemistry Council (ACC). 

For 2010, U.S. chemistry exports will be up by 17%, shifting the trade balance for the industry from a $0.1 billion deficit to a $3.7 billion surplus, its best performance in ten years. The growth in export markets also has partially offset soft domestic demand for the products of chemistry.

?A stronger outlook for U.S. chemical manufacturers means they can continue to drive innovation and economic growth, protect hundreds of thousands of good American jobs and compete in a growing global marketplace,? said ACC President and CEO Cal Dooley. ?To maintain this momentum, we need sound economic, energy and environmental policies that will encourage the growth of America?s manufacturing sector and foster technological advances while also protecting human health and the environment.?

Domestically, chemical production volumes have increased across all regions of the United States in 2010 following steep declines in 2008 and 2009. The largest gains have occurred in the Gulf Coast and Ohio Valley regions, boosted by export demand for basic chemicals and plastics. Output is expected to grow moderately in all regions in 2011 and continue to improve through 2012.

The $674 billion American chemistry enterprise accounts for more than 10 percent of U.S. exports and provides approximately 780,000 jobs in the United States.

Export markets driving industry growth
Growth in export markets is driven by several factors, including favorable energy costs, resulting from developments in extracting natural gas from shale; and growth in emerging markets, where recovery, and now expansion, has been strongest.

Shale gas a ?game changer? for U.S. chemical manufacturers
U.S. natural gas markets have seen a dynamic shift over the past five years as a result of increased capacity to extract natural gas from organic shale deposits. Reserves have risen by one-third, resulting in lower prices and greater availability of ethane, a feedstock material derived from natural gas that is the basis for hundreds of manufactured products. This low price for natural gas compared to oil has enabled U.S. chemicals manufacturers to become more competitive than producers in much of the rest of the world.

?Shale gas extraction has been a ?game changer? for America?s chemical manufacturers, enabling us to remain highly competitive in a global market,? Dooley said. ?We want to ensure that the appropriate regulatory policies are in place to capitalize on this energy source, while ensuring protection of our water supplies and the environment.?
Emerging markets increasing demand for materials
Growth in emerging markets, most notably in China, India, and Brazil, is increasing demand for chemistry feedstock materials. Production of chemistry products in emerging economies increased by 12.2% in 2010, and further gains are expected. During 2011, as emerging nations continue to present good growth prospects, trade in chemicals will continue to expand.
Innovations key to maintaining jobs, building manufacturing base
Despite the recovery, jobs in the U.S. chemistry industry are not expected to increase in the coming year. Since the beginning of the recession, the chemistry industry has lost more than 80,000 jobs, and chemical industry employment will continue to decline slightly as productivity gains outpace production growth. However, average hourly wages for chemistry industry employees rose 4.3% in 2010 and are expected to advance even further in 2011 and 2012.
?Innovations and technological developments are the key components to maintaining and building the U.S. chemical manufacturing base, along with the high-skill, high-paying jobs that are crucial to helping rebuild the economy,? Dooley said.

Throughout 2010, companies have continued to focus on improving efficiencies, product innovations, and increased research and development, according to the report. At the end of 2010, the stage is set for improving operating rates and profit margins, which could lead to moderate increases in new plant and equipment investment in the United States.

The 2010 Year-End Situation and Outlook is available for $200. To order a copy, visit ACC's Store.

Prepared by ACC?s Economics and Statistics Department, the Year-End Situation and Outlook is the association?s annual review of the U.S. and global business of chemistry. It is used as a resource by a wide variety of industry participants, including chemical manufacturers and distribution companies, investment banks, consulting firms, governments, libraries, and others seeking current analyses of economic trends information.

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US, South Korea reach highly-coveted trade deal

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. and South Korea have reached an agreement on the largest trade pact in more than a decade, a highly-coveted deal the Obama administration hopes will boost American exports and create tens of thousands of U.S. jobs.

After a week of marathon negotiations, representatives from both countries broke through a stalemate Friday morning on outstanding issues related to the automobile industry, which have been a sticking point in the talks. The agreement would be the largest U.S. trade deal since the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement with Canada and Mexico, and would bolster U.S. economic ties with South Korea, the world's 12th largest economy. The deal is often referred to as NAFTA.

South Korea is agreeing to allow the U.S. to lift a 2.5 percent tariff on Korean cars in five years, instead of cutting the tariff immediately. The agreement also allows each U.S. automaker to export 25,000 cars to South Korea as long as they meet U.S. federal safety standards and allows the U.S. to continue a 25 percent tariff on trucks for eight years and then phase it out by the 10th year. South Korea would be required to eliminate its 10 percent tariff on U.S. trucks immediately.

The White House had hoped to strike a deal last month during Obama's trip to Seoul for the G-20 economic summit, but both countries were unable to broker a compromise on issues pertaining to trade of autos and beef. U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk and his counterpart, Korean Trade Minister Kim Jong-hoon, resumed negotiations outside Washington this week.

A senior administration official said discussions on beef are ongoing, though South Korea has agreed to lift its existing 40 percent tariff on U.S. beef exports, which the White House said would result in $90 million in annual savings for U.S. producers. The official insisted on anonymity to discuss private negotiations.

The wider agreement would eliminate tariffs on more than 95 percent of industrial and consumer goods within five years, a move that the U.S. International Trade Commission estimated would increase exports of U.S. goods by at least $10 billion. The deal would also open up South Korea's vast $560 billion services markets to U.S. companies.

The agreement must still be ratified by lawmakers in both countries. Administration officials said lawmakers on Capitol Hill who were briefed on the new agreements were responding favorably, although they offered no timeline for ratification.

The South Korea deal has been widely supported by those in the private sector and the Chamber of Commerce, which has criticized other administration policies as antibusiness.

"This agreement will create thousands of new jobs, advance our national goal of doubling exports in five years, and demonstrate that America is once again ready to lead on trade," Chamber president Tom Donohue said Friday. Ford Motor Co. CEO Alan Mulally said the deal would give the automaker "greater confidence that we will be able to better serve our Korean customers."

The deal was a bright spot for Obama on a day the Labor Department reported weak economic weak economic news: the U.S. unemployment rate climbed to 9.8 percent and job growth slowed to a trickle. Obama has pledged to aggressively seek new markets for U.S. exports in South Korea and other countries as a way to spur job growth at home.

The U.S. and South Korea reached a deal in 2007 that slashed tariffs and other barriers to commerce. But the pact has been in limbo since then, due in part to political changes in both countries and the Obama administration's demands that South Korea make concessions on trade in autos and beef. Administration officials hoped finalizing the South Korea deal could lead to breakthroughs on other pending agreements with Panama and Colombia.

Bilateral trade between South Korea and the U.S. totaled $66.7 billion in 2009, down sharply from $84.7 billion in 2008 as global commerce suffered during the economic downturn.

The U.S. auto industry would be one of the biggest benefactors of the agreements. Figures compiled by auto industry groups in South Korea show that it exported 449,403 vehicles to the U.S. last year, while South Koreans purchased 6,140 vehicles made by American manufacturers, based on vehicle registrations.

"This trade agreement, once finalized, will provide jobs, products, and renewed sense of partnership to both the United States and South Korea," said Cody Lusk, president of the American International Automobile Dealers Association.

But Lori Wallach, director of the liberal-leaning advocacy group Public Citizen, criticized the deal, saying it would lead foreign investors to move U.S. jobs overseas and put Obama's political future in peril.

"Choosing to advance Bush's NAFTA-style Korea free trade agreement rather than the new trade policy President Obama promised during his campaign will mean more American job loss and puts the White House at odds with the majority of Americans who, polling shows, oppose more-of-the-same job offshoring agreements," Wallach said in a statement.

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Bridging the Gap: A Film Festival Unites the African Diaspora in New York

PR Newswire

NEW YORK, Dec. 3, 2010

NEW YORK, Dec. 3, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The African Diaspora International Film Festival kicks off its second week on Saturday, December 4. Set in New York City, the festival presents the diversity of the Black experience through a wide selection of thought provoking films and documentaries.

One hundred and six films make up the festival this year, with 25 US premieres and 39 New York premieres. Over the next two weeks, the African Diaspora International Film Festival (ADIFF) has partnered with local organizations and businesses to bring stories from around the world to the New York audience. Women, Latinos, dancers, lovers; the 2010 selection has a little bit of something for everyone. "ADIFF is a bridge," say the Spechs, curators of ADIFF, "between diverse communities looking for works that cannot be found under the same roof in other festivals."

Women Indies Night on December 4, sponsored by New York Women in Films and Television, will present four works about women by women. The selection includes a short fiction "Riches," by this year's resident filmmaker Ingrid Sinclair. The film depicts the story of Mollie, a single mother who escapes apartheid South Africa, to find herself rejected in her new home of Zimbabwe because of her progressive ideas. "Riches" is one of six works by the filmmaker showing this year at the festival.

Latin America is featured with "Chance," a hilarious comedy from Panama, which premieres on December 5. "Chance" is the story of Tona and Paquita, the housekeepers for a bourgeois family. Tired of being mistreated, Tona and Paquita take their bosses hostage to get what they are due: seven weeks back pay.

The highlight of this second half is no doubt the William Greaves Fundraiser, scheduled for December 9. ADIFF will host the event at the Schomburg Center in Harlem in honor of the celebrated African-American independent filmmaker. The funds will go towards Greaves' upcoming film "Once Upon a Time in Harlem" which explores the cultural life of Harlem. The evening will include never before seen footage of this work and a conversation with Greaves' family and friends.

These are just a few of the events brought to you this year. The selection also includes "Sheherazade: Tell me a Story," a drama which explores the sexual, social and political repression women face in Egyptian society, and "Josephine Baker: Black Diva in a White Man's World."

The African Diaspora International Film Festival runs from November 26 to December 14 in New York City. For information, contact ADIFF at (212) 864-1760/ fax (212) 316-6020 or e-mail media@nyadiff.org.  Festival web site: www.nyadiff.org.

SOURCE African Diaspora International Film Festival

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Emmer, Minn. GOP weigh risks of election lawsuit

Last updated December 3, 2010 12:56 p.m. PT

By PATRICK CONDON
ASSOCIATED PRESS

MINNEAPOLIS -- As a recount in the Minnesota governor's race nears completion with no evidence that it will change the outcome, the Republican candidate and his party face a critical decision: whether to contest the result in court or step aside and let Democrat Mark Dayton take office.

A lawsuit from Tom Emmer offers one obvious benefit. It likely would keep GOP Gov. Tim Pawlenty in office beyond his appointed term, giving the party more power when the state's Legislature convenes next month under Republican control for the first time in decades. But some worry that it also risks damaging the party's image if the lawsuit appears to be nothing more than a stalling maneuver to keep Dayton out.

Several influential Republicans are warning that unless new information emerges to question the integrity of the election, Emmer should concede soon to avoid hurting the party. It's not an easy decision, especially in a polarized political environment where both sides had legal teams in place even before the election to prepare for a contested outcome.

"Unless there's real solid evidence of malfeasance, you have to abide the recount," said Vin Weber, a Washington lobbyist and former Republican congressman from southwestern Minnesota. Weber, who was an early supporter of Emmer's and helped legitimize the inexperienced state legislator's candidacy, said he hasn't seen any circumstances that would justify Emmer suing to overturn Dayton's lead.

Charlie Weaver, executive director of the GOP-aligned Minnesota Business Partnership, a coalition of chief executives of large Minnesota employers, said many of Emmer's donors in the business community wouldn't support an extended challenge. Republican Norm Coleman's lawsuit over the 2008 U.S. Senate result wound up costing both sides an estimated $10 million total in legal fees.

"There's very little appetite for funding an effort that would be seen as futile," Weaver said.

Dayton went into the recount leading Emmer by nearly 9,000 votes, and a recount that may end as early as this weekend has barely shifted the margin. A state board begins meeting Dec. 8 to examine possibly thousands of ballot challenges, though most have been deemed frivolous by local election officials.

Dayton's big lead makes it a different situation than the state's 2008 U.S. Senate race between Democrat Al Franken and Republican Norm Coleman, or even the Bush-Gore race of 2000, both of which led to extensive litigation. Aside from Minnesota's race, the only other unsettled midterm election is New York's House race between Democratic Rep. Timothy Bishop and the GOP's Randy Altschuler, which Bishop leads by a little more than 200 votes as a recount progresses.

In Minnesota, Emmer's legal team and allies have keyed on "reconciliation," a statutory requirement that officials in each precinct make sure that the number of votes cast matches the number of people who signed in to vote. That apparently wasn't done in some precincts, and Emmer's legal team unsuccessfully sought a state Supreme Court ruling that it be done prior to the recount. They have hinted that it could be the basis for a post-recount lawsuit.

"There's definitely some issues that merit review, that could alter the outcome of the election," GOP Chairman Tony Sutton said this week.

Emmer said a lawsuit decision would be his alone.

"I don't answer to others. I have got to look at one face in the mirror every morning and have to be satisfied with what I'm looking at," Emmer said, when asked whether he worried that a lawsuit could hurt the party.

For Republicans, extending Pawlenty's time in office would presumably hold off a Democratic effort to raise taxes to address a budget deficit topping $6 billion. Democrats fear Pawlenty would bypass a sizable federal health grant by letting a Jan. 15 deadline go by and might press other issues such as requiring photo ID at the polls.

But Weaver, a former Republican state lawmaker who served as chief of staff to Pawlenty, and Weber both said they are concerned about a lack of public and donor support for legal action.

"Minnesota Republicans are in a good place," Weber said, noting the party's pending takeover of the state House and Senate and its defeat of veteran Democratic congressman Jim Oberstar in northern Minnesota. "Let's not risk damage to the party's image unless there's a very substantial reason to do so."

Dayton's team and state Democrats say any lawsuit would simply be a political move to delay Dayton's swearing-in.

Retiring state Rep. Marty Seifert, who backed Emmer after losing the GOP endorsement to him, said that donors he's talked to are skeptical about protracted litigation.

"I've had more than one donor tell me well, at least we're not going to have an all-Democratic state government," Seifert said. "It's a challenging economic environment for them to think about paying the very high cost of a bunch of recount attorneys."

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