Green leafy veggies may reduce diabetes

LEICESTER, England, Aug. 20 (UPI) -- Green leafy vegetables may help reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, researchers in Britain suggest.

Patrice Carter of the University of Leicester led a systematic review and meta-analysis that finds eating 1 1/2 servings of green leafy vegetables a day reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes by 14 percent.

The findings, published online in the British Medical Journal, also reveal eating more fruit and vegetables combined do not seem to significantly affect this risk.

The authors suggest a need for further investigation.

"Our results support the evidence that 'foods' rather than isolated components such as antioxidants are beneficial for health," the study authors said in a statement. "Results from several supplement trials have produced disappointing results for prevention of disease". UPI

Calderon 'indignant' over mayor's killing

MEXICO CITY, Aug. 20 (UPI) -- The killing of a Mexican mayor is "one more reason to fight drug trafficking," President Felipe Calderon said.

The president promised even greater efforts against the country's drug gangs at a meeting Thursday with members of Mexico's Congress. As he spoke, Edelmiro Cavazos was being honored in a ceremony in Santiago, where he served as mayor until being slain this week.

"Not only are we wounded by this, but we are indignant," Calderon said. "The death of Edelmiro is one more reason to fight drug trafficking by every means possible".

Cavazos, 38, was kidnapped Sunday by a group of men wearing police uniforms from a unit that has been shut down. His body was discovered Wednesday dumped by the side of a road, still tied up and gagged. UPI

Scientists 'sniff out' new sensing aid

PALO ALTO, Calif., Aug. 20 (UPI) -- Researchers say a new approach to building an artificial "nose" could lead to detectors for everything from just-starting-to-sour milk to explosives.

By putting fluorescent compounds onto short strands of the molecules that form the backbone of DNA, Stanford University researchers have created tiny sensor molecules that change color when they detect certain substances, a university release said Thursday.

"We were blown away by how strong the color changes were," Eric Kool, professor of chemistry and senior author of the study, said.

Sensors using the new technique could convey far more information than most other existing optical sensors that typically can detect just one specific substance, Kool said.

"One of the surprising findings was that we could tell the difference between four different organic vapors with just one sensor, because it would turn different colors with different vapors," he said. UPI

Snedeker, Atwal share 2nd-round PGA lead

GREENSBORO, N.C., Aug. 20 (UPI) -- Brandt Snedeker shot a 5-under-par 65 Friday and Arjun Atwal had a 67 to take the lead after two rounds of the Wyndham Championship at 12-under 128.

Lucas Glover, Kevin Streelman and John Rollins each shot 65 in the second round to finish the day in a tie for third at 11-under 129.

Webb Simpson (64) was in sixth place at 10-under 130, one stroke ahead of Justin Leonard (63), Tim Herron (64) and Boo Weekley (67).

Snedeker -- who won the event in 2007 -- had three birdies and an eagle Friday.

Atwal had five birdies in the second round but also bogeyed two holes, one day after firing a course-record 61. UPI

Greek medical scam convictions upheld

PATRA, Greece, Aug. 20 (UPI) -- A Greek appeals court upheld the convictions of two men found to have illegally prescribed unneeded in vitro fertilization drugs, documents show.

Vassilis Tsigounis, director of the gynecology and maternity clinic at the University Hospital of Patra, was sentenced to 10 years and five months in jail and his assistant, Thanassis Pappas, received a term of 12 years and five months after both were found guilty of fraud and forgery in 2008, eKathimerini reported Friday.

The TEVE pension fund began an investigation in 2001 after officials noticed a dramatic increase in the number of prescriptions in Patra for a certain drug.

Pappas became the subject of an internal investigation after being beaten up by a relative of one of his patients.

The investigation revealed Pappas was not a member of the Medical Association and did not have a medical license and had been working at the University Hospital of Patra since 1997, eKathimerini said. 

Tsigounis alibied Pappas's presence, saying he was the doctor's researcher. UPI

Eggs recall now at more than 550 million

NEW HAMPTON, Iowa, Aug. 20 (UPI) -- A second U.S. egg producer, Hillandale Farms of Iowa, recalled 170 million eggs Friday, pushing the recall of possibly tainted eggs to more than half a billion.

Hillandale Farms said it was voluntarily recalling shell eggs sent to 14 states that have the potential to be contaminated with salmonella.

Hundreds of people across the country have been sickened by tainted eggs since the salmonella outbreak began in May with eggs processed by Wright County Egg, also of Iowa.

The eggs were sold in Arkansas, California, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Ohio, Texas and Wisconsin.

Wright County Egg expanded its recall to 380 million Wednesday and millions of the recalled eggs could still be inside refrigerators. UPI

Illinois schools tap into wind energy

PROSPECT HEIGHTS, Ill., Aug. 20 (UPI) -- Three Illinois school districts say their planned wind farm will generate all the energy they need -- and enough extra to make $3 million a year selling it.

The Chicago-area districts -- Keeneyville School District 20, Carpentersville's Community Unit School District 300 and Prospect Heights School District 23 -- plan the 13-turbine wind farm in rural Stark County 140 miles southwest of Chicago, the Chicago Tribune reported.

The districts' school boards formed the School Wind Consortium, which is issuing bonds, seeking investors and applying for federal grants to raise $50 million.

All three districts have laid off staff and cut programs but still face budget shortfalls.

The consortium says it hopes to build and begin to operate the wind farm by fall of next year and expects it to bring in $3 million annually for about 30 years.

Some Illinois schools run on-site turbines to generate their own electricity, including Bureau Valley High School in Manlius and the Erie Community School District. UPI

MLB: Atlanta 5, Chicago Cubs 2

CHICAGO, Aug. 20 (UPI) -- Rick Ankiel drove in three runs with a two-out, ninth-inning triple Friday to hand the Atlanta Braves a 5-2 win over the Chicago Cubs.

With the score tied 2-2, Carlos Marmol (2-3) walked Martin Prado, Diory Hernandez and Alex Gonzalez before Ankiel tripled to the right field corner to clear the bases.

Billy Wagner held the Cubs scoreless in the bottom of the ninth to record his 30th save for the Braves, who have won eight of their last 10 games and lead the second-place Philadelphia Phillies by three games in the National League East.

Omar Infante went 2-for-4 with a home run for Atlanta. In his first game with Atlanta following a traded with Cubs this week, Derrek Lee was hitless in four at-bats. UPI

Atlantic-Pacific corridor gets green light

SANTIAGO, Chile, Aug. 20 (UPI) -- Latin America's answer to the Panama Canal, an overland link connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans via Chile, Brazil and Bolivia, may open as early as November, officials said.

The ambitious railroad and highway link between Sao Paulo's Santos port in Brazil and Chile's Pacific ports of Iquique and Arica will pass through Bolivia and span more than 2,600 miles.

Officials described the "bioceanic link" as a flagship project for South America's Mercosur trade bloc, giving the community an edge in regional and international trade.

Mercosur has Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay as full members, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru as associate members and Venezuela as full member awaiting ratification.

Already the booming economies of South America have prompted the cash-strapped European Union to soften its resistance to closer trade links that its farmers oppose for fear of losing out to cheaper Latin agricultural produce.

European strategists see closer trade links with South America as a lucrative starting point for exploiting new opportunities -- a view echoed in China, other East Asian countries and the Pacific region.

The corridor will transform economies astride both oceans, giving Mercosur senior partner Brazil additional advantages and open new prospects for landlocked Bolivia and Paraguay.

The corridor will be formally inaugurated jointly by the presidents of Chile, Brazil and Bolivia, officials said, adding that agreement for a joint inauguration of the corridor was already in place. UPI

Drought lowers world plant productivity

MISSOULA, Mont., Aug. 20 (UPI) -- Plant productivity around the world, once on the rise with warming temperatures and a longer growing season, is declining because of droughts, researchers say.

Researchers at the University of Montana analyzed NASA satellite data to discover the global turnaround of productivity, a NASA release said Friday.

Plant productivity is a measure the photosynthesis process green plants use to convert solar energy, carbon dioxide and water to sugar, oxygen and eventually plant tissue.

Researchers Maosheng Zhao and Steve Running said they expected to see similar results as global average temperatures continued to climb. Instead, they found the negative impact of regional drought overwhelmed the positive influence of a longer growing season, driving down global plant productivity between 2000 and 2009.

After a 6 percent increase in the 1980s and 1990s, plant productivity declined 1 percent in the last 10 years. UPI

College gives cellphones to teachers

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga., Aug. 20 (UPI) -- A Georgia college says it wants to keep students and faculty in touch -- so it's bought smartphones for its faculty members and pays for their service plans.

Georgia Gwinnett College is offering its 300 full- and part-time faculty members smartphones to encourage them to respond to students' texts or calls within 24 hours in an attempt to lower the dropout rate, USA Today reported Friday.

Public, four-year, non-competitive admissions colleges such as Georgia Gwinnett have a historically low retention rate, and this part of a multi-tiered approach to keeping students in school.

It's working, the college says, to the tune of a 75 percent retention rate for sophomores -- double the rate for non-competitive admissions colleges in Georgia, the newspaper said. UPI

Poll: TVs, land line phones less popular

WASHINGTON, Aug. 20 (UPI) -- Many Americans are abandoning televisions and land line telephones, once fixtures in every household, considering them unnecessary, a U.S. poll indicates.

Just 42 percent say they consider a television set a necessity, down from 52 percent in 2009 and 64 percent in 2006, a Pew Research Center Social and Demographic Trends poll revealed.

Land line telephones fared a bit better, with 62 percent of Americans still calling them a necessary item in their lives.

Still, there's bad news looming for the phones, as almost half those polled said a modern competitor -- the cellphone -- is a necessity.

In the poll, 84 percent of adults said they used cellphones compared with 74 percent of households with a land line, down from 97 percent of households with land lines in 2001.

While television sets may be disappearing, study researchers say, that doesn't mean there's less to watch; it's just not confined to the living room, as 52 percent of those polled said they watch online video on their computers. UPI

Drowned children mourned in S.C.

ORANGEBURG, S.C., Aug. 20 (UPI) -- Hundreds of people attended a funeral in South Carolina Friday for two young brothers allegedly killed by their mother and placed in a river.

Deacon Nathaniel Rhodes of St. Paul Baptist Church, where the funeral was held, told those gathered to mourn the deaths of toddlers Devean and Ja'van Duley of Orangeburg they should "look out for one another," The State newspaper in Columbia reported.

"There was a time when I was a little boy, these things wouldn't happen," he said. "We're got to go back to the old times. We can't leave everything to God. We have to walk that Christian life together".

With the boys' small white coffins at the front of the church, the Rev. Charcey N. Priester told the family and others: "It's now time to say goodnight to Devean and Ja'van -- Goodnight from the land of the dying. Good morning to the land of the living" in heaven. UPI

Sons to be caned for incest

KUCHING, Malaysia, Aug. 20 (UPI) -- A Malaysian carpenter convicted with two of his sons of raping his disabled daughter escaped caning but was sentenced to 100 years in jail, authorities say.

Though the 54-year-old will not be caned due to his age, the sons, ages 24 and 22 were each sentenced to 36 years in jail and 24 strokes of the rotan, The Star reported Friday.

The 19-year-old daughter's police complaint said the father had molested her since she was 12.

The father was charged with five counts of raping his daughter from December 2006 to November 2008 at five different locations, the newspaper said.

The sons were charged with two counts of raping their sister at home in 2006 and 2007. UPI

Mummified LA remains may be from abortions

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 20 (UPI) -- Investigators say forensic and autopsy results will determine if mummified remains found wrapped in 1930's Los Angeles newspapers were the result of abortions.


A longtime resident and one-time chairman of the co-op of the Glen-Donald apartment building where the remains were found in the basement said he suspected "back alley" abortion played a part on the case, the Los Angeles Times reported Friday.


"It was kept secret for 74 years and my theory is that this rolls back the cover on a cruel, tragic and unjust time in America for women," John Medford said. "Ending pregnancies this way would have been commonplace. This was business as usual in all social strata".


Detectives are also considering the possibility the remains may have been used as medical specimens, the Times said.


Police sources told the Times one of the biggest challenges will be to determine whether a crime was committed. UPI

$1.5 million lottery ticket goes unclaimed

SUZHOU CITY, China, Aug. 20 (UPI) -- Time has run out for whoever was holding a Chinese lottery ticket worth $1.5 million, making it the largest unclaimed sum ever in that country, officials say.

The ticket holder didn't show up in East China's Suzhou city in Jiangsu province by the deadline so the money goes back into the welfare lottery fund that provides for public welfare projects, China Daily reported.

After the incident, regional newspapers printed lottery information numerous times to remind people to check their tickets, China Daily said Tuesday. UPI

Man, 96, wants wife for vote

CANKIRI, Turkey, Aug. 20 (UPI) -- A 96-year-old man in the Turkish town of Cankiri surprised a politician soliciting his vote for constitutional reform by demanding a wife in return.

Omar Sosyal told Suat Kiniklioglu, a member of parliament representing the ruling Justice and Development Party, that was his price for voting yes in the Sept. 12 referendum, the Dogan News Agency reported. Kiniklioglu was campaigning in Central Anatolia in support of the constitutional changes.

"I cannot live all by myself anymore," Sosyal said.

Sosyal said he has no one to help him find a wife. He made the same request last year of Agriculture Secretary Mehdi Eker. UPI

U.K. palace denies royal wedding imminent

LONDON, Aug. 20 (UPI) -- A representative for England's St. James Palace said Friday Prince William and Kate Middleton have no immediate plans to announce an engagement.

UsMagazine.com reported the palace official shot down swirling rumors the British prince and his longtime girlfriend plan to announce their engagement this fall and marry next summer.

"What absolute nonsense!" the palace representative told the Web site. "This is nothing more than speculation". UPI

Pentagon to monitor 'internal threats' after Fort Hood

The US military has pledged that it will take steps to avoid "internal threats", in the Pentagon's final report on the Fort Hood shootings.

Maj Nidal Hasan has been charged with murdering 13 of his colleagues and attempting to murder 32 others at the army base in Texas last November.

The report recommends giving commanders access to soldiers' records and upping emergency response capabilities.

An earlier report said several officers did not properly supervise Maj Hasan.

A military court is to decide in October if the case against the psychiatrist will proceed to trial. He faces a possible death sentence if convicted.

"These initiatives will significantly improve the Department's ability to mitigate internal threats, ensure force protection, enable emergency response, and provide care for victims and families," Defence Secretary Robert Gates wrote in the introduction to the report published on Friday.

He said "every effort to safeguard civil liberties" would be made in carrying out the report's recommendations. BBC News

Lady Gaga se encapricha con el vestido futurista de Miss Venezuela

El vestido de fantasía que lució la actual Miss Venezuela, Marelisa Gibson, en el concurso internacional de Las Vegas deslumbró los ojos de la cantante Lady Gaga, quien estaría interesada en adquirir al "precio que sea" esta pieza futurista. Por el momento, el 'zar de la belleza' en Venezuela, Osmel Sousa ha dicho que el traje fue diseñado a medida para la exuberante modelo nacional, y dudaba que la vocalista estadounidense pudiera entrar en él.

Según recogen algunos medios venezolanos, ese 'detalle' no le importaría a la excéntrica cantante, deseosa de probarse este traje vanguardista. El vestido de fantasía, conocido como 'Alma Solar', fue diseñado por los venezolanos Iván Dumont y Hugo Espina, inspirándose en una obra de Alejandro Botero.

El traje consiste en una malla de cuerpo entero, cubierta con 3.000 triángulos de plata y 9.000 cristales de Swarosvki, recoge el diario La Voz. La 'reina galáctica' fue bautizada por algunos rotativos. Y Gaga se quiere ver reflejada en ese espejo. El Mundo

TCM to mark Mexican Revolution milestone

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 20 (UPI) -- Hollywood's Turner Classic Movies says it will mark the 100th anniversary of the Mexican Revolution with special screenings throughout September.

The lineup includes TCM premieres of seven films by Mexican filmmaker Ismael Rodriguez, along with showings of Elia Kazan's "Viva Zapata!" and Luis Puenzo's "Old Gringo".

"In 1910, a wealthy young Mexican named Francisco Madero challenged the dictatorship of Porfirio Diaz and kicked off a decades-long struggle that would become known as the Mexican Revolution," TCM noted in a news release Friday. "Throughout September, Turner Classic Movies will commemorate the 100th anniversary of this pivotal event with a collection of films about the Mexican Revolution and its most intriguing figures, from Pancho Villa to Emilio Zapata".

TCM host Robert Osborne said in a statement Friday the showings will offer viewers a chance to learn more about Mexico's "long struggle against dictatorship and corruption" while viewing work by some of the country's top film talent. UPI

Militant leader killed in Dagestan

MAKHACHKALA, August 21 (RIA Novosti) - A militant leader was killed in a special operation in Russia's North Caucasus Republic of Dagestan, a source in the republic's interior ministry said on Saturday.

Rustam Munkiyev, born in 1983, headed one of the local militant groups since its previous leader was killed in April 2008.

"A special operation in the village of Bammatyurt in the Khasavyurt district is now completed... He [Munkiyev] is suspected of attempted murders of law enforcers and other terrorism-related crimes," the source said.

During the special operation, a bomb went off in the house, and a fire began. It was quickly put out. Apart from Munkyev, no casualties were reported, as the militant was the only person in the house. RIA Novosti

Thai TV attacks alleged Russian arms dealer

Several national Thai TV channels launched a coordinated media attack against Viktor Bout on Friday after a court ruled the Russian businessman should be extradited from Thailand to the United States on arms trafficking charges.

Evening news reports on channels 3, 5 and 7 referred to Bout as "a former KGB worker," "an internationally-known arms dealer," and "a dealer working with the Taliban and terrorists all over the world".

Earlier on Friday, the Thai Appeals Court ruled to extradite Bout to the United States on weapons smuggling and other charges. Bout is to be handed over to the U.S. side within three months.

Channel 5, which is owned by the Royal Thai Army, reported "the pleasant, satisfying news" that "the globally renowned arms dealer, Viktor Bout, arrested two years ago by the honorable Thai police officers together with their friends and colleagues from the United States, will be finally sent to the United States".

The 44-year-old former Russian army officer was arrested in Thailand in March 2008 under a request from the United States, which accuses him of illegally trading arms. He has repeatedly denied the accusations.

None of the news reports said Bout had not been found guilty of any crime or told viewers that the court ruling was solely on the merits of the extradition case and did not consider whether Bout was innocent or guilty of the charges filed in the United States. RIA Novosti

China's soft power set for global audience

BEIJING - A Chinese company bought the White House? No, it's not in Washington DC, but in Branson, Missouri.

Last December the Beijing-based China Heaven Creation International Performing Arts Company purchased the White House Theater in Branson, a small town in the US Midwest and a popular destination for American vacationers.

The theater opened on July 1 with a show titled Chun Yi: The Legend of Kungfu, which still regularly runs.

It is a small example of Chinese culture going international but there could be many more to come.

China Heaven Creation is one of the 211 companies listed by the Ministry of Culture as key export-oriented culture enterprises.

Other fronts where progress has been made in introducing Chinese culture overseas are film and TV exports, said Zhao Shi, vice-minister of the State Administration of Radio, Film and TV (SARFT), at a news conference on Thursday.

The volume of these exports and related services hit $86.13 million last year, and the overseas revenue generated by Chinese films exceeded $400 million. Both figures marked increases on previous years, she said.

Other officials present at the briefing were: Sun Zhijun, deputy chief of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, Ouyang Jian, vice-minister of culture, and Jiang Jianguo, deputy chief of the General Administration of Press and Publication.

In 2009, SARFT hosted 99 Chinese film festivals in 47 foreign countries as well as in Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, during which 647 domestic films were screened.

On top of this, 315 Chinese mainland films participated in 119 international film festivals, among which 68 won 80 awards in 26 festivals, according to official figures. China Daily

Australians set to vote in tight general election

Polls are due to open shortly in a general election that looks set to be one of the tightest in Australia for decades.

Julia Gillard, Australia's first female prime minister, is running neck and neck with conservative coalition leader Tony Abbott.

The polls are taking place two months after Ms Gillard ousted Kevin Rudd in a Labor Party leadership challenge.

Correspondents say she has been hit by a backlash over the move.

Fourteen million voters will cast their ballots when polls open at 0800 (2200 GMT). Voting is compulsory in Australia.

'Fix the mess'

As the campaign drew to an end, one opinion poll gave Ms Gillard a narrow lead over Mr Abbott, while another had them level.

"This is a tough, tight, close contest and in a tough, tight, close contest, the real risk is that Mr Abbott is prime minister on Sunday," Julia Gillard said.

"Tony Abbott is too great a risk to your family's future and to your local economy". BBC News

Soros buys 4% stake in Bombay Stock Exchange

US billionaire investor George Soros has bought a four per cent stake in the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) for almost $35 million, a spokesman for the stock exchange said on Friday.

Soros's Quantum hedge fund acquired the stake in Asia's oldest exchange from Dubai Financial, part of state-run Dubai Holdings.

Soros paid Rs 375-380 per share, the spokesman said, asking not to be named.

There is growing interest in the thriving BSE as India's economy goes from strength to strength, with the latest deal valuing the exchange at $800 million.

It is also a boost for the BSE, which clocks average daily trading volume worth $1.2 billion, as it battles with close rival National Stock Exchange (NSE) for market share. Emirates Business

Air India jet lands in Muscat after bomb scare

A bomb scare sparked by a passenger on a Kuwait-Mumbai Air India flight led to the plane making an emergency landing at Muscat.

According to Oman News Agency, a passenger on board the Boeing 737 aircraft told a cabin crew about a bomb on board.

After evacuating the 160 passengers and crew, police searched the entire aircraft to establish it as a hoax. The plane was cleared for take off soon after.

But the news agency did not say what action was taken on the passenger who sparked the scare. Emirates Business

Saudi seeks court order to stop 'being good'

A rich Saudi man who tried to save a convicted killer from the gallows has told court he no longer wanted to be good and asked the judge to issue a sentence to support his decision, a local newspaper reported on Friday.

The unidentified man had donated SR3 million (Dh2.9 million) in blood money for the family of the victim to forgive the killer, who was in jail waiting to be executed, Almadina Arabic language daily said.

News of the donation triggered bloody riots inside the prison after the inmates attacked the convict, thinking he was a rich man.

“The convict died in the riots and his family blamed the man who donated the money for his death,” the paper said. Emirates Business

Man held for having sex with handicapped girl

Saudi authorities have arrested an employee at a rehabilitation centre for filming himself with a handicapped girl while having sex, Alriyadh daily said on Friday.

Members of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, the most feared religious authority in the kingdom, were on a routine inspection of the centre in the southwestern town of Najran close to the Yemeni border when they found the video clips on the Asian employee’s computer and mobile phone, the Arabic language newspaper said.

“We have examined the films and found that this employee has been filming himself while practicing vice with the handicapped girl, who is a resident of that centre. He has confessed to his crime, the first of its kind in Najran,” said Lieutenant Abdullah Ashawi, Najran police spokesman. Emirates Business