LONDON ? The Guardian newspaper says its Twitter accounts have come under a cyberattack, and it cited a claim of responsibility from the group calling itself the Syrian Electronic Army.
The British paper reported on its website Monday that several of its Twitter feeds were broken into over the weekend. It said it has since discovered the attack apparently originated from Internet protocol addresses within Syria.
The paper said the Syrian Electronic Army, which has claimed responsibility for attacks on other media targets including The Associated Press, accused The Guardian of spreading "lies and slander about Syria."
The Guardian said it first recognized it was being targeted when suspect emails were sent to staff members.
Some of The Guardian's Twitter accounts, including those focusing on books and film, were suspended Monday.
? 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Contact: George Hunka ghunka@aftau.org 212-742-9070 American Friends of Tel Aviv University
Neurons in the nose could be the key to early, fast, and accurate diagnosis, says a Tel Aviv University researcher
A debilitating mental illness, schizophrenia can be difficult to diagnose. Because physiological evidence confirming the disease can only be gathered from the brain during an autopsy, mental health professionals have had to rely on a battery of psychological evaluations to diagnose their patients.
Now, Dr. Noam Shomron and Prof. Ruth Navon of Tel Aviv University's Sackler Faculty of Medicine, together with PhD student Eyal Mor from Dr. Shomron's lab and Prof. Akira Sawa of Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, have discovered a method for physical diagnosis by collecting tissue from the nose through a simple biopsy. Surprisingly, collecting and sequencing neurons from the nose may lead to "more sure-fire" diagnostic capabilities than ever before, Dr. Shomron says.
This finding, which was reported in the journal Neurobiology of Disease, could not only lead to a more accurate diagnosis, it may also permit the crucial, early detection of the disease, giving rise to vastly improved treatment overall.
From the nose to diagnosis
Until now, biomarkers for schizophrenia had only been found in the neuron cells of the brain, which can't be collected before death. By that point it's obviously too late to do the patient any good, says Dr. Shomron. Instead, psychiatrists depend on psychological evaluations for diagnosis, including interviews with the patient and reports by family and friends.
For a solution to this diagnostic dilemma, the researchers turned to the olfactory system, which includes neurons located on the upper part of the inner nose. Researchers at Johns Hopkins University collected samples of olfactory neurons from patients diagnosed with schizophrenia and a control group of non-affected individuals, then sent them to Dr. Shomron's TAU lab.
Dr. Shomron and his fellow researchers applied a high-throughput technology to these samples, studying the microRNA of the olfactory neurons. Within these molecules, which help to regulate our genetic code, they were able to identify a microRNA which is highly elevated in those with schizophrenia, compared to individuals who do not have the disease.
"We were able to narrow down the microRNA to a differentially expressed set, and from there down to a specific microRNA which is elevated in individuals with the disease compared to healthy individuals," explains Dr. Shomron. Further research revealed that this particular microRNA controls genes associated with the generation of neurons.
In practice, material for biopsy could be collected through a quick and easy outpatient procedure, using a local anesthetic, says Dr. Shomron. And with microRNA profiling results ready in a matter of hours, this method could evolve into a relatively simple and accurate test to diagnose a very complicated illness.
Early detection, early intervention
Though there is much more to investigate, Dr. Shomron has high hopes for this diagnostic method. It's important to determine whether this alteration in microRNA expression begins before schizophrenic symptoms begin to exhibit themselves, or only after the disease fully develops, he says. If this change comes near the beginning of the timeline, it could be invaluable for early diagnostics. This would mean early intervention, better treatment, and possibly even the postponement of symptoms.
If, for example, a person has a family history of schizophrenia, this test could reveal whether they too suffer from the disease. And while such advanced warning doesn't mean a cure is on the horizon, it will help both patient and doctor identify and prepare for the challenges ahead.
###
American Friends of Tel Aviv University supports Israel's leading, most comprehensive and most sought-after center of higher learning. Independently ranked 94th among the world's top universities for the impact of its research, TAU's innovations and discoveries are cited more often by the global scientific community than all but 10 other universities.
Internationally recognized for the scope and groundbreaking nature of its research and scholarship, Tel Aviv University consistently produces work with profound implications for the future.
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Contact: George Hunka ghunka@aftau.org 212-742-9070 American Friends of Tel Aviv University
Neurons in the nose could be the key to early, fast, and accurate diagnosis, says a Tel Aviv University researcher
A debilitating mental illness, schizophrenia can be difficult to diagnose. Because physiological evidence confirming the disease can only be gathered from the brain during an autopsy, mental health professionals have had to rely on a battery of psychological evaluations to diagnose their patients.
Now, Dr. Noam Shomron and Prof. Ruth Navon of Tel Aviv University's Sackler Faculty of Medicine, together with PhD student Eyal Mor from Dr. Shomron's lab and Prof. Akira Sawa of Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, have discovered a method for physical diagnosis by collecting tissue from the nose through a simple biopsy. Surprisingly, collecting and sequencing neurons from the nose may lead to "more sure-fire" diagnostic capabilities than ever before, Dr. Shomron says.
This finding, which was reported in the journal Neurobiology of Disease, could not only lead to a more accurate diagnosis, it may also permit the crucial, early detection of the disease, giving rise to vastly improved treatment overall.
From the nose to diagnosis
Until now, biomarkers for schizophrenia had only been found in the neuron cells of the brain, which can't be collected before death. By that point it's obviously too late to do the patient any good, says Dr. Shomron. Instead, psychiatrists depend on psychological evaluations for diagnosis, including interviews with the patient and reports by family and friends.
For a solution to this diagnostic dilemma, the researchers turned to the olfactory system, which includes neurons located on the upper part of the inner nose. Researchers at Johns Hopkins University collected samples of olfactory neurons from patients diagnosed with schizophrenia and a control group of non-affected individuals, then sent them to Dr. Shomron's TAU lab.
Dr. Shomron and his fellow researchers applied a high-throughput technology to these samples, studying the microRNA of the olfactory neurons. Within these molecules, which help to regulate our genetic code, they were able to identify a microRNA which is highly elevated in those with schizophrenia, compared to individuals who do not have the disease.
"We were able to narrow down the microRNA to a differentially expressed set, and from there down to a specific microRNA which is elevated in individuals with the disease compared to healthy individuals," explains Dr. Shomron. Further research revealed that this particular microRNA controls genes associated with the generation of neurons.
In practice, material for biopsy could be collected through a quick and easy outpatient procedure, using a local anesthetic, says Dr. Shomron. And with microRNA profiling results ready in a matter of hours, this method could evolve into a relatively simple and accurate test to diagnose a very complicated illness.
Early detection, early intervention
Though there is much more to investigate, Dr. Shomron has high hopes for this diagnostic method. It's important to determine whether this alteration in microRNA expression begins before schizophrenic symptoms begin to exhibit themselves, or only after the disease fully develops, he says. If this change comes near the beginning of the timeline, it could be invaluable for early diagnostics. This would mean early intervention, better treatment, and possibly even the postponement of symptoms.
If, for example, a person has a family history of schizophrenia, this test could reveal whether they too suffer from the disease. And while such advanced warning doesn't mean a cure is on the horizon, it will help both patient and doctor identify and prepare for the challenges ahead.
###
American Friends of Tel Aviv University supports Israel's leading, most comprehensive and most sought-after center of higher learning. Independently ranked 94th among the world's top universities for the impact of its research, TAU's innovations and discoveries are cited more often by the global scientific community than all but 10 other universities.
Internationally recognized for the scope and groundbreaking nature of its research and scholarship, Tel Aviv University consistently produces work with profound implications for the future.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
CAIRO (AP) ? Egypt's state news agency says police in a Nile Delta province are blocking off entrance to their station, the latest labor unrest hitting the country's police force.
Police in Kafr el-Sheikh province locked the gate to the security division with chains, MENA reported. The police are demanding better working conditions, along with dismissal of the Interior Minister. They are also protesting alleged attempts by the Muslim Brotherhood to take over the ministry, which controls the police. The Brotherhood has denied that charge.
Also Sunday, police at two stations in the southern province of Assuit went on strike, charging that the government did not carry out promises to fulfill their demands.
Last month, there was a wave of police strikes. The Islamist government promised to study demands of the police.
Chief of Staff Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, from left, Michael Scherer, White House correspondent for TIME, late-night television host Conan O'Brien and first lady Michelle Obama attend the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton Hotel, Saturday, April 27, 2013, in Washington. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
US-POLITICS-ENTERTAINMENT-WHCA-DINNER
Comedian Conan O'Brien (L) smiles as US President Barack Obama (C) and US first lady Michelle Obama arrive for the White House Correspondents? Association Dinner April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. Obama attended the yearly dinner which is attended by journalists, celebrities and politicians. AFP PHOTO/Brendan SMIALOWSKI (Photo credit should read BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images)
Barack Obama
President Barack Obama looks to the podium during the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton Hotel, Saturday, April 27, 2013, in Washington. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
US-POLITICS-ENTERTAINMENT-WHCA-DINNER
Comedian Conan O'Brien (L) and US first lady Michelle Obama joke during the White House Correspondents? Association Dinner April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. Obama attended the yearly dinner which is attended by journalists, celebrities and politicians. AFP PHOTO/Brendan SMIALOWSKI (Photo credit should read BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images)
Barack Obama, Conan O'Brien, Michelle Obama, Michael Clemente
Late-night television host Conan O'Brien, from left, first lady Michelle Obama, Michael Clemente, Executive Vice President of Fox News, and President Barack Obama attend the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton Hotel, Saturday, April 27, 2013, in Washington. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
US-POLITICS-ENTERTAINMENT-WHCA-DINNER
Comedian Conan O'Brien listens during the White House Correspondents? Association Dinner April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. Obama attended the yearly dinner which is attended by journalists, celebrities and politicians. AFP PHOTO/Brendan SMIALOWSKI (Photo credit should read BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images)
2013 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: Alicia Quarles attends the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)
2013 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: Actress Megan Hilt attends the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)
2013 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: Actress Morena Baccarin attends the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)
2013 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: Musician John Legend attends the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)
2013 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: Model Chrissy Teigen attends the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)
US-POLITICS-ENTERTAINMENT-WHCA-DINNER
Entertainer John Legend arrives at the annual White House Correspondents' Association dinner in Washington DC, April 27, 2013. AFP Photo/ Chris KLEPONIS (Photo credit should read CHRIS KLEPONIS/AFP/Getty Images)
2013 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: Musician Psy attends the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)
Steven Spielberg
Director Steven Spielberg uses his smart phone during the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton Hotel, Saturday, April 27, 2013, in Washington. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
2013 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: Amy Poehler attends the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)
2013 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: Actress Claire Danes attends the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)
2013 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: Julia Louis-Dreyfus attends the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)
2013 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: Actress Kerry Washington attends the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)
2013 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: Actress Morena Baccarin attends the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)
2013 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: Actress Rebel Wilson and Olympic Gymnist Gabby Douglas attends the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)
2013 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: Actress Kate Mara attends the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)
2013 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: Actress Kate Mara attends the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)
2013 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: Aasif Mandvi and Ty Burrel attend the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)
2013 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: Al Sharpton and Chris Matthews attend the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)
2013 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: Actress Emily Mortimer attends the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)
2013 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: Actress Connie Britton attends the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)
2013 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: Patricia Arquette attends the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)
2013 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: John Oliver and Kate Oliver attend the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)
2013 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: Actor Ryan Kwanten attends the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)
2013 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: Actress Jessica Pare attends the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)
2013 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: Actor Justin Bartha attends the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)
2013 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: Actress Julie Bowen attends the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)
2013 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: NFL player Victor Cruz (L) and Elaina Watley attend the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)
2013 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: Ty Burrell attends the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)
2013 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: Actress Olivia Munn attends the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)
2013 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: Actress Olivia Munn attends the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: Jeffrey Katzenberg, Time Magazine Managing Editor Rick Stengel and Steven Spielberg attend the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Larry Busacca/Getty Images for Time, Inc)
2013 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: Actress Elizabeth Banks attends the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)
2013 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: Actress Elizabeth Banks attends the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)
2013 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: Actress Jessica Pare attends the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)
2013 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: Aasif Mandvi attends the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)
2013 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: Sofia Vergara attends the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)
2013 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: Actress Michelle Dockery attends the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)
2013 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: Actress Constance Zimmer attends the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)
2013 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: Actor Tony Goldwyn attends the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)
2013 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: Thomas Roberts attends the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)
2013 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: Actor Ed Helms attends the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)
2013 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: Korie Robertson and Willie Robertson attends the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: Gerard Butler and Piers Morgan attend the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Larry Busacca/Getty Images for Time, Inc)
2013 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: Matthew Perry attends the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)
2013 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: Piers Morgan and Gerard Butler attend the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)
Legally blind Patsy Barton, 83, is helped by Vision Australia support worker Marg Tozer to make a woollen scarf.
Vision Australia will showcase its services at an open day in Geelong next month. The five-hour event will promote the non-profit organisation?s services.
Vision Australia encourages those who are blind, sighted or have low vision to participate to their potential within their community. There will be service information, displays, demonstrations, clients, staff and volunteers in Vision Australia who will be available for questions.
Vision Australia information library services will be present to discuss talking books, magazines and other information. Displays include recreation options, adaptive technology, orientation and mobility, Seeing Eye Dogs Australia, orthoptics and children?s services. Visitors can view the Geelong Vision Australia Radio studio.
This broadcasts on 99.5FM ? where volunteers work to provide a very valuable service to people who are blind, have low vision or are print handicapped.
The Geelong Macular Support Group will meet for their ?bring your own lunch? meeting from noon-12.30pm and the door is open for anyone interested to join them. From 12.45-1.45pm, there will be a presentation on DisabilityCare Australia (the new name for the National Disability Insurance Scheme), followed by a presentation on adaptive technology.
The Vision Australia open day will be held at 79 High Street, Belmont from 10am-3pm on May 3. For more information, call Noel on 5249 2701.
Low wages and lower safety standards have made Bangladesh a major garment producer - and a source of workplace deaths like the more than 200 killed in a Dhaka factory collapse this week.
By Ryan Lenora Brown,?Correspondent / April 25, 2013
Bangladeshi rescue workers watch from a damaged section of a wall at the site of a building that collapsed Wednesday in Savar, near Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday.
Kevin Frayer/AP
Enlarge
When an eight-story factory outside Bangladesh?s capital Dhaka collapsed Wednesday, the ensuing devastation was met with horror (more than 200 were killed), but not disbelief.
Skip to next paragraph Ryan Lenora Brown
Correspondent
Ryan Brown edits the Africa Monitor blog and contributes to the national and international news desks of the Monitor. She is a former Fulbright fellow to South Africa and holds a degree in history from Duke University.?
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Catastrophic industrial accidents are something of a regular occurrence in the south Asian nation, which is the second-largest garment exporter in the world. Lax labor and building standards, coupled with a rock bottom minimum wage for garment workers ($37 per month), have played a large part in that boom, though at a high cost.
In fact, only five months ago, a fire at another factory in the city killed 111, prompting a flurry of apologies and promises of reform from both the Bangladeshi government and the western companies whose goods were produced there, including Walmart.
But who ultimately bears the responsibility for these disasters ? and can they be stopped? The Monitor spoke to Aman Singh, editorial director of the CSRwire, a website for corporate social responsibility news, about consumer choices, the supply chain blame game, and who sets the standards for global garment production.
When a disaster like the one in Bangladesh occurs, everyone involved immediately starts pointing fingers ? at the factory owners, at the government, at the Western companies who source goods there. So whose fault is it?
The chain of command between retailer and source is purposefully pretty complex. And in the middle of the chain of command you have all these different players ? the subcontractors, the auditors, the analysts, the people negotiating these contracts every year. Because the responsibility is so thinly distributed, no one person or group of people is really being held accountable for compliance with building standards, say, which makes it really hard to pinpoint where the issue started.
And then you have companies like Walmart that come forward and say, we contract out to suppliers, so we don?t even know if our products were made in this factory or not. Is that a good excuse?
No, it?s really not. Walmart is so big and so powerful that they really could go to any supplier they want and say, stick to our wage and safety policies or get out. And they can do that far more effectively than government legislation ever could. These companies have more power than entire governments, entire nations.
It sounds like the corporate supply chain is often very opaque ? is there any attempt being made to change that on a global level?
That?s the million dollar questions we?re all trying to answer: We have to work in a global economy, we have to work with different understandings of what?s acceptable in terms of labor and workers. It?s acceptable culturally, for instance, for women as young as 14 to work in a lot of countries. But it?s not OK in the UK or US markets. ?
The UN is trying to standardize this supply chain management. The International Trade Center has a standards map out that?s visible online, and what they?re trying to do is bring all these apparel companies together to see what standards everyone is using and where they stand against their peers. They?re billing it as a competitive advantage for companies. It?s an interesting strategy because we all know when [labor practices] impact the dollar they?re all going to want to be interested in making them better. The maps are only available to the companies participating now, but the hope is to make it publicly eventually. And I think when that kind of information becomes public it?ll force companies to be more transparent in their supply chain policies.
What about consumers ? do disasters like this change their buying habits?
I don?t know if they?re really impacting consumers ? I don?t know if they?re really starting to come out and say, you know what, I?m not going to buy from this company because this kind of thing is just happening way too often. There?s a real gap there. We as consumers have a very short memory and we tend to forget these disasters after they happen.
Since I?ve started working in this field though, I have really changed my shopping habits. The biggest shift is I?ve become far more conscious of how much I buy. I try to not over-consume. I?ve realized that the core of our problem is over-consumption. But also buying very cheap goods is a part of it: If you?re paying $5 for a pair of pants, you can only assume the person making them is getting much less than that, although volume does play a huge factor in price margins and wages.
But if you pay more, does that guarantee the conditions the garment was made under were any better?
That?s true. There?s no way of making that correlation.
Is there any way for consumers to know from the information on their garment ? the brand, the country it?s made in ? if they?re getting something produced under decent conditions?
The problem is we don?t have any labeling with clothing that identifies ethical sourcing. It almost always requires going back to the Internet and looking at their supply chain policy. Many brands are starting to put their whole supply chain on their website, but from a consumer perspective who has time to do that? You want to be able to just pick up a piece of clothing and know if it has an ethical history. And right now you can?t.
In the late 1990s, Nike and other major sporting apparel companies faced a large protest movement led by American college students against the labor conditions in their factories. It forced them to reexamine a lot of these kinds of problems. Is any similar movement building now?
Activism had such a big role to play at that time. And it still does. But that activism has slowly changed into collaboration ? the NGOs that once fought these companies are now working with them. And obviously the companies prefer that because they have a partner rather than someone working against them. But I think for Nike the protests and their extremely public nature was the big motivator in changing their policy. And I think we need?more of?that.?Apple for example: What is stopping us from saying we're going to stop using its products until it proves it can provide better working conditions in its factories? Do we as consumers have the courage to boycott some of our favorite brands over ethics?
Overall, when you look at supply chain issues around the world, are you optimistic? Is the world trending towards progress?
It?s such a complex sector. We?re doing better in so many things but we?re starting to go the wrong way in so many others that it?s hard to stay optimistic for too long.?Incidents like these tell us the road ahead is long and will require continuous courage.
SAVAR, Bangladesh (AP) -- The fugitive owner of an illegally constructed building that collapsed and killed at least 377 people was captured Sunday by a commando force as he tried to flee into India. At the disaster site, meanwhile, fire broke out in the wreckage and forced authorities to suspend the search for survivors temporarily.
Mohammed Sohel Rana was arrested in the western Bangladesh border town of Benapole, said Jahangir Kabir Nanak, junior minister for local government. Rana was brought back by helicopter to the capital of Dhaka where he faced charges of negligence.
Rana's capture was announced by loudspeaker at the disaster site, drawing cheers and applause from those awaiting the outcome of a continuing search-and-rescue operation for survivors of Wednesday's collapse.
Many of those killed were workers at clothing factories in the building, known as the Rana Plaza, and the collapse was the deadliest disaster to hit the garment industry in Bangladesh that is worth $20 billion annually and is a mainstay of the economy.
The fire that broke out late Sunday night sent smoke pouring from the piles of shattered concrete and halted some of the rescue efforts ? including a bid to free a woman who was found trapped in the rubble.
The blaze was caused by sparks as rescuers tried to cut through a steel rod to reach the woman, said a volunteer, Syed Al-Amin Roman. At least three rescuers were injured in the fire, he said. It forced them to retreat while firefighters frantically hosed down the flames.
Officials believe the fire is likely to have killed the trapped woman, said army spokesman Shahinul Islam. Rescue workers had delayed the use of heavy equipment for several hours in the hope that she could be extricated from the rubble first. But with the woman presumed dead, they began using heavy equipment around midnight.
An exhausted and disheveled Rana was brought before reporters briefly at the Dhaka headquarters of the commando team, the Rapid Action Battalion.
Wearing a printed shirt, Rana was sweating as two security officers held him by his arms. A security official helped him to drink water after he gestured he was thirsty. He did not speak during the 10-minute appearance, and he is likely to be handed over to police, who will have to charge him and produce him in court within 24 hours.
A small-time politician from the ruling Awami League party, Rana had been on the run since the building collapsed Wednesday. He last appeared in public Tuesday in front of the Rana Plaza after huge cracks appeared in the building. Witnesses said he assured tenants, including five garment factories, that the building was safe.
A bank and some shops on the first floor closed Wednesday after police ordered an evacuation, but managers of the garment factories on the upper floor told workers to continue their shifts.
Hours later, the Rana Plaza was reduced to rubble, crushing most victims under massive blocks of concrete.
Rana's arrest was ordered by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who is also the Awami League leader.
On Saturday, police arrested three owners of two factories. Also detained were Rana's wife and two government engineers who were involved in giving approval for the building design. Local TV stations reported that the Bangladesh High Court has frozen the bank accounts of the owners of all five garment factories in the Rana Plaza.
Three floors of the eight-story building apparently were built illegally.
A garment manufacturers' group said the factories in the building employed 3,122 workers, but it was not clear how many were inside when it fell. About 2,500 survivors have been accounted for.
Army Maj. Gen. Chowdhury Hasan Suhrawardy, the coordinator of the rescue operations, said the next phase of the search involved the heavy equipment such as hydraulic cranes that were brought to the disaster site Sunday. Searchers had been manually shifting concrete blocks with the help of light equipment such as pickaxes and shovels, he said.
The work will be carried out carefully so as not to mutilate bodies, he said. "We have engaged many private sector companies which supplied us equipment, even some heavy ones," Suhrawardy said.
In a rare bit of good news, a female worker was pulled out alive Sunday. Rescuer Hasan Akbari said when he tried to extricate a man next to the woman, "he said his body was being torn apart. So I had to let go. But God willing, we will be able to rescue him with more help very soon."
The collapse and previous disasters in garment factories have focused attention on the poor working conditions of workers who toil for as little as $38 a month to produce clothing for top international brands.
The death toll surpassed a fire five months ago that killed 112 people and brought widespread pledges to improve worker-safety standards. But since then, very little has changed in Bangladesh.
Its garment industry was the third-largest in the world in 2011, after China and Italy, having grown rapidly in the past decade.
Among the garment makers in the building were Phantom Apparels, Phantom Tac, Ether Tex, New Wave Style and New Wave Bottoms. Altogether, they produced several million shirts, pants and other garments a year.
The New Wave companies, according to their website, make clothing for several major North American and European retailers.
Britain's Primark acknowledged it was using a factory in Rana Plaza, but many other retailers distanced themselves from the disaster, saying they were not involved with the factories at the time of the collapse or had not recently ordered garments from them.
Wal-Mart said none of its clothing had been authorized to be made in the facility, but it is investigating whether there was any unauthorized production.
__
AP writers Farid Hossain and Gillian Wong in Dhaka contributed to this report.
Jim Miller is 5-foot-8, fights at 155 lbs., and has a bushy red beard. Pat Healy is 5-foot-9, fights at 155 lbs., and sported a trimmed red beard at UFC 159. Can you blame UFC announcer Bruce Buffer for mixing them up?
Healy, who returned to the UFC after spending much of his career in Strikeforce, put Miller to sleep with a rear naked choke in the third round of their thrilling bout. As the two stood on either side of referee Herb Dean to have the fight result announced, Buffer announced the winner by submission was Jim Mill-Pat Healy!
Healy smiled and corrected Buffer, who rarely makes such errors. It was a lighthearted moment that Healy laughed about after a thrilling bout.
Miller started out landing leg kicks and used ground and pound to beat up Healy in the first round. Near the end of the round, Healy was saved by the bell as Miller's ground and pound was close to ending the bout before the horn sounded.
It was in the third that Healy turned the bout around. Healy weakened Miller with striking, then took him down and took his back. He sunk in the rear naked choke, and Miller's arms went limp. The fight was stopped at 4:02 in the third because Miller was out.
Miller wanted to use the bout to convince UFC president Dana White that he was ready for a title shot. Instead, it was Healy who stood out. In his post-fight interview with UFC commentator, he warned other UFC lightweights to watch out because he was "putting them on blast."
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SIENA, Italy (Reuters) - An Italian judge has rejected an order to seize around 1.8 billion euros ($2.3 billion) of assets from Nomura as part of a probe into suspected fraud involving troubled lender Monte dei Paschi di Siena, legal sources said on Saturday.
Assets worth 140 million euros that were already seized from the Japanese bank have been released under the judge's ruling, which was made on Friday, the judicial source said.
A spokeswoman for Nomura in Italy declined to comment.
Prosecutors in Siena investigating lossmaking derivatives trades made under Monte Paschi's previous management ordered the seizure of around 1.8 billion euros of assets from the Japanese bank on April 16, but the court has rejected their request to have the order endorsed.
The trades under scrutiny include a structured deal with Nomura known as 'Alexandria', as well as a similar trade with Deutsche Bank called 'Santorini' and a smaller deal called 'Nota Italia' with JP Morgan.
Judge Ugo Bellini ruled against the seizure because he did not see evidence of fraud and deemed there was no urgency in freezing the assets given that the contract dates back to 2009, an investigative source said.
It was not immediately clear whether under the judge's ruling Monte Paschi has to resume collateral payments on the Alexandria deal, which had been frozen by the prosecutors order.
On Friday Nomura's chief financial officer, Shigesuke Kashiwagi, said in a note that his bank intended to engage with Italian prosecutors to find a solution.
Monte Paschi was forced earlier this year to book losses of nearly 1 billion euros after disclosing details of the complex derivatives deals.
The bank had already been weakened by the euro zone crisis and has been forced to accept help from the state in the form of 4 billion euros of state bonds to meet tough capital requirements set by European regulators.
The investigation is also politically sensitive in Italy as the Tuscan bank had strong links with local center-left party leaders.
(Additional Reporting by Danilo Masoni in Milan; Editing by Greg Mahlich)
WASHINGTON (AP) ? President Barack Obama chided lawmakers Saturday over their fix for widespread flight delays, deeming it an irresponsible way to govern even as he prepared to sign the legislation they hurriedly pushed through Congress.
Wary of letting Republicans set a precedent he might later regret, Obama dubbed the bipartisan bill to end furloughs of air traffic controllers a "Band-Aid" and a quick fix, rather than a lasting solution to this year's $85 billion in across-the-board spending cuts known as the sequester. The cuts have affected all federal agencies, and some cuts were undone. But flight delays last week left thousands of travelers frustrated and furious and Congress feeling pressured to respond.
"Republicans claimed victory when the sequester first took effect, and now they've decided it was a bad idea all along," Obama said, singling out the GOP even though the bill passed with overwhelming Democratic support in both chambers.
He scolded lawmakers for helping the Federal Aviation Administration while doing nothing to replace other cuts that he said harm federal employees, unemployed workers and preschoolers in Head Start.
"Maybe because they fly home each weekend, the members of Congress who insisted these cuts take hold finally realized that they actually apply to them, too," Obama said in his weekly radio and Internet address released Saturday.
Rushed through Congress with remarkable speed, the bill marked a shift for Democrats, who had hoped the impact of the cuts would increase pressure on Republicans to reverse the sequester. Republicans, meanwhile, have rejected Obama's proposal to replace the across-the-board cuts with a mix of spending cuts and tax increases.
"There are some in the Obama administration who thought inflicting pain on the public would give the president more leverage to avoid making necessary spending cuts, and to impose more tax hikes on the American people," said Rep. Bill Shuster of Pennsylvania in the Republican address.
He argued that the FAA could have averted the flight delays on its own by cutting costs elsewhere and rejiggering work schedules ? but intentionally chose not to do so.
The bill signed by Obama would let the FAA use up to $253 million from an airport improvement program and other accounts to halt the furloughs through the Sept. 30 end of the government's fiscal year.
Faced with the prospect that emboldened Republicans will push to selectively undo other painful effects of the cuts, the White House said Friday that a piecemeal approach would be impractical, but wouldn't definitely rule out signing other fixes.
___
Online:
Obama address: www.whitehouse.gov
GOP address: www.youtube.com/HouseConference
___
Follow Josh Lederman at https://twitter.com/joshledermanAP
LONDON (Reuters) - European regulators have recommended approval of two new cancer drugs, called Erivedge and Xtandi, from Roche and Astellas, underscoring a recent pick-up in novel treatments for the disease.
Erivedge is the first medicine for people with advanced forms of basal cell carcinoma, the most common skin cancer, and was approved in the United States in January. Curis, Roche's partner, is entitled to certain payments on the drug.
Xtandi, which Astellas has been working on with Medivation, is designed to treat prostate cancer in men whose cancer has spread despite treatment with hormone therapy and chemotherapy. It won U.S. approval last August.
The European Medicines Agency said on Friday its experts had also backed MAC1, a tissue-engineered medicine for cartilage defects from Sanofi's Genzyme unit, and Spedra, a new erectile dysfunction drug from Vivus.
Recommendations for marketing approval by the EMA's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) are normally endorsed by the European Commission within a couple of months.
In addition, the London-based agency recommended approval for extended use of Celgene's blood cancer drug Revlimid and Roche's rheumatoid arthritis treatment RoActemra.
The news was less good for Pfizer, whose new arthritis pill Xeljanz received a surprise rejection from the EMA, as announced by the company late on Thursday.
(Reporting by Ben Hirschler. Editing by Jane Merriman)
Pain & Gain stars Mark Wahlberg and Dwayne Johnson?as two Florida-based bodybuilders who kidnap, extort and torture regular gym member and rich businessman Victor Kershaw (Tony Shalhoub) for his finances. Director Michael Bay's film is based on a true story documented by a series of 1999 Miami News Times articles. The action comedy also stars Ken Jeong, Rebel Wilson and Ed Harris.
Read what The Hollywood Reporter's film critics have to say about all the films opening this weekend and find out how they are expected to perform at the box office.
PHOTOS: 'Pain & Gain' Premiere Pumps Up Hollywood
Pain & Gain
Mark Wahlberg and Dwayne Johnson star in Michael Bay's true-crime actioner about Miami body builders. Read Todd McCarthy's review here.
Kon-Tiki
Norway's most expensive screen production to date is a visually striking re-creation of Thor Heyerdahl?s?daring trip across the Pacific on a primitive raft. Read Sheri Linden's review?here.
At Any Price
Dennis Quaid and Zac Efron play a conflicted father and son in Ramin Bahrani's drama set in a Southern Iowa farming community. Read David's Rooney's review here.
The Reluctant Fundamentalist
Mira Nair's drama, based on the novel by Mohsin Hamid, co-stars Riz Ahmed as a young Muslim professor and Liev Schreiber as an American journalist. Read Deborah Young's review here.
VIDEO:?'Pain & Gain': Making Comedy Out of Tragedy
Mud
Matthew McConaughey stars in director Jeff Nichols' film about two Mississippi boys who forge a bond with a sympathetic fugitive. Read Todd McCarthy's review here.
Midnight's Children
Faithful Salman Rushdie adaptation might play better at a literary convention than at the cineplex. Read Stephen Farber's review here.
An Oversimplification of Her Beauty
Experimental debut is an engaging essay film about (probably) unrequited love. Read John DeFore's review here.
Paradise: Love
Director Ulrich Seidl's first part in his trilogy about three women from the same family is a provocative feature on female sex tourism. Read David Rooney's review here.
STORY:?Berlin 2013: 'Kon-Tiki' Star Tobias Santelmann Joins 'Northman'
Sun Don't Shine
Intense performances characterize Amy Seimetz?s directorial debut about a married mom and her boyfriend on the run. Read Justin Lowe's review here.
Apr. 25, 2013 ? Children who are exposed to negative parenting -- including abuse, neglect but also overprotection -- are more likely to experience childhood bullying by their peers, according to a meta-analysis of 70 studies of more than 200,000 children.
The research, led by the University of Warwick and published in the journal Child Abuse & Neglect, found the effects of poor parenting were stronger for children who are both a victim and perpetrator of bulling (bully-victims) than children who were solely victims.
It found that negative or harsh parenting was linked to a moderate increase in the risk of being a 'bully-victim' and a small increase in the risk of being a victim of bullying. In contrast, warm but firm parenting reduced the risk of being bullied by peers.
The study authors, Professor Dieter Wolke, Dr Suzet Lereya and Dr Muthanna Samara, called for anti-bullying intervention programmes to extend their focus beyond schools to focus on positive parenting within families and to start before children enter school.
Professor Wolke said: "The long shadow of bullying falls well beyond the school playground -- it has lasting and profound effects into adulthood.
"We know that victims and bully-victims are more likely to develop physical health problems, suffer from anxiety and depression and are also at increased risk of self-harm and suicide.
"It is vital we understand more about the factors linked to bullying in order to reduce the burden it places on the affected children and society.
"People often assume bullying is a problem for schools alone but it's clear from this study that parents also have a very important role to play.
"We should therefore target intervention programmes not just in schools but also in families to encourage positive parenting practices such as warmth, affection, communication and support."
The study categorised behaviours such as abuse/neglect, maladaptive parenting and overprotection as negative parenting behaviour.
It categorised authoritative parenting, parent-child communication, parental involvement and support, supervision and warmth and affection as positive parenting behaviours.
Professor Wolke highlighted the finding that overprotection was linked to an increased risk of bullying.
"Although parental involvement, support and high supervision decrease the chances of children being involved in bullying, for victims overprotection increased this risk.
"Children need support but some parents try to buffer their children from all negative experiences.
"In the process, they prevent their children from learning ways of dealing with bullies and make them more vulnerable.
"It could be that children with overprotective parents may not develop qualities such as autonomy and assertion and therefore may be easy targets for bullies.
"But it could also be that parents of victims become overprotective of their children.
"In either case, parents cannot sit on the school bench with their children.
"Parenting that includes clear rules about behaviour while being supportive and emotionally warm is most likely to prevent victimisation.
"These parents allow children to have some conflicts with peers to learn how to solve them rather than intervene at the smallest argument."
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Warwick, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
\ Suzet Tanya Lereya, Muthanna Samara, Dieter Wolke. Parenting behavior and the risk of becoming a victim and a bully/victim: A meta-analysis study. Child Abuse & Neglect, 2013 DOI: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2013.03.001
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
ALONEI HABASHAN, Golan Heights (AP) ? Against a vista of green fields and snowcapped mountains, all is silent but for a gusting wind. Then comes a burst of gunfire from the Syrian civil war raging next door, where jihadist rebels are battling Bashar Assad's troops in a village.
Watching it all unfold from a few kilometers (miles) away are Israeli soldiers atop tanks behind a newly fortified fence, while a large-scale Israeli drill sends off its own explosions in the background.
This is the new reality on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, for 40 years the quietest of Israel's front lines, a place of hiking trails, bird-watching, skiing and winery tour. The military predicts all that will soon change as it prepares for the worst ? a power vacuum in Syria in which rogue groups could get their hands of the country's large stockpile of chemical weapons.
In many ways, a new era has already begun. The Syrian villages along the border change hands between military and rebel strongholds in daily battles. Their mortar shells and bullets frequently land on the Israeli side, including in some cases narrowly missing soldiers and civilians. A Syrian army tank shell landed in the border community of Alonei Habashan in February.
Though Israel believes these have mostly been cases of errant fire, it has responded with firepower of its own on several occasions in the first round of hostilities since a long-term armistice took hold after the 1973 Mideast war.
"This area became a huge ungoverned area and inside an ungoverned area many, many players want to be inside and want to play their own role and to work for their own interests," said Gal Hirsch, a reserve Israeli brigadier general who is involved in the military's strategic planning and operations. "Syria became a place that we see as a big threat to Israel and that is why we started to work in the last two years on a strong obstacle, on our infrastructure, in order to make sure that we will be ready for the future. And the future is here already."
Officials say the military's present deployment on the plateau is its most robust since 1973, and its most obvious manifestation is the brand new border fence, 6 meters (20 feet) tall, topped with barbed wire and bristling with sophisticated anti-infiltration devices. The previous rundown fence was largely untested until it was trampled over last year by Syrians protesting on behalf of Palestinians.
The military would not detail other measures it is taking, but stressed it was actively defining the new border arrangement now, before it could be too late.
On the other side of the frontier, the village of Bir Ajam is in rebel hands and Israeli troops report watching them successfully deflect Syrian military pre-dawn raids almost daily. In a village nearby, Syrian intelligence and commando forces are based in concrete, windowless structures.
At the triangle where the borders of Israel, Syria and Jordan meet along the Yarmouk River, a lone jeep is seen crossing uninterrupted from Jordan into Syria. In March, rebels kidnapped 21 Filipino U.N peacekeepers nearby. Thousands of refugees have used the route to flee the carnage into Jordan.
A few injured refugees have trickled into the Golan, and the military runs a field clinic to treat them. But there's no guarantee the trickle won't become a flood if Jordan in the south or Turkey in the north become unreachable.
"Syria right now is a kind of self-evolving system," Hirsch said. "No one can control or predict everything."
Israel, which borders southwestern Syria, has thus far been careful to stay on the sidelines of a civil war that has already claimed the lives of more than 70,000.
Assad is a bitter enemy, an ally of Iran and a major backer of Lebanese Hezbollah guerilla attacks against Israel. But like his father whom he succeeded as president, he has faithfully observed U.S.-brokered accords that ended the 1973 war. Israel worries that whoever comes out on top in the civil war will be a much more dangerous adversary.
Chief among Israeli concerns is that Assad's advanced weaponry could reach the hands of either his ally, the Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon, or Islamic extremist groups among the rebels trying to oust him.
"Syria is not a regular place ... it is the biggest warehouse for weapons on earth," Hirsch warned.
In an interview with BBC TV last week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the rebel groups among "the worst Islamist radicals in the world."
"So obviously we are concerned that weapons that are ground-breaking, that can change the balance of power in the Middle East, would fall into the hands of these terrorists," he said.
This week, a senior Israeli military intelligence official said Assad used chemical weapons last month. After initial denials, American and British officials confirmed the assessment of Brig. Gen. Itai Brun, the head of research and analysis in Israeli military intelligence, that the lethal nerve agent sarin was probably used. U.S. President Barack Obama has warned that the introduction of chemical weapons by Assad would be a "game changer" that could usher in greater foreign intervention in the civil war.
For Israel, the specter of peace with Syria disintegrating adds to a growing sense of siege. It saw the Gaza Strip fall to the militant Hamas movement in an election in 2006. And Egypt, the most populous Arab country and the first to make peace with Israel, is now ruled by the fiercely anti-Israeli Muslim Brotherhood. All this against the backdrop of the Iranian nuclear program and its threats to destroy the Jewish state.
Israel has all but admitted that its warplanes destroyed a shipment of anti-aircraft missiles believed to be headed from Syria to Hezbollah in Lebanon in January, and on Thursday it shot down a drone which it said it suspects was operated by Hezbollah. Hezbollah denied launching it.
Hirsch, who commanded an Israeli division in a monthlong war with Hezbollah in 2006, said war regional roles have since then been reversed. While once Syria used Hezbollah in Lebanon as a proxy against Israel, Hezbollah is now deterred from acting on Lebanese soil for fear of Israeli retribution and is preparing to use the instability in Syria as its future staging ground.
"The fighting in Syria gives them an opportunity to open a new front against Israel," said Hirsch. "We must be ready for turbulence. We must be ready for the Iranian involvement inside Syria. We must be ready to be able to fight against radical fundamentalist activities that will come from Syria, and that is what we are doing here."
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Jim Miller is 5-foot-8, fights at 155 lbs., and has a bushy red beard. Pat Healy is 5-foot-9, fights at 155 lbs., and sported a trimmed red beard at UFC 159. Can you blame UFC announcer Bruce Buffer for mixing them up?