Aetna doc find

As young as you feel on high-wire
In India, a 91-year-old dare-devil has proved that age is no obstacle, by crossing a 300 metre deep ravine on a high-wire in the western state of Maharashtra. Narajan Krishna Mahajan said he believes that if your attitude is strong, your body will also be strong. He said he did it to boost the morale of young people, and that he does not consider himself old. Copyright © 2011 euronews

Meet Kompai, your robot friend
Kompai?�is?�a?�robot companion to humans who need one.?�Born in?�a workshop near Biarritz, France,?�Kompai?�is?�the fruit of a European Union project to explore how machines can help the elderly and disabled.?�The result is?�a blend of watchdog, care assistant, and?�everyday computer.?�?�Vincent Dupourqu?�, the?�president of?�Robosoft, the company behind the venture, explained?�the idea:?�“A robot is certainly one of the best answers, the best technological answer to help people who are housebound.”?�?�One of Robosoft’s robotics engineer, Arnaud Lago,?�gave more details:?�“It’s a mobile robotic platform which is able to move around an apartment automatically. It is equipped with a laser and distance sensors for navigation and security. There’s a tablet PC with a tactile interface that allows it to interact with the person who’ll be using it, two directional microphones in order to speak to it, and a camera to allow the person to speak to others.”?�Kompai should be able to go where you tell him, help with the shopping list and even play games.?�He also gives?�distant relatives the chance to see and hear their loved ones. And that is a key feature for keeping an eye on?�grandma or grandad.?�?�“Rather than sending a team 50 kms in order to see if the person has really had a fall or whether there’s an error with the sensor, you can take control of the robot remotely and you can tell it to go and look for the person, and thanks to the cameras on board you can see if the person has really had a fall or not,” said Arnaud.?�This robot is a prototype, and as Arnaud explains there is room to improve its interaction with humans and their?�environment.?�?�“The first thing that we want to improve is the obstacle avoidance, so that the robot can be capable of avoiding completely unexpected objects in its path,” he said.?�Kompai’s creators argue that the growing number of elderly people in Europe means there is an emerging market for robotic home help.?�?�Not just practical help either, but as Vincent said, also companionship:?�“Most people find they’re really, really?�comfortable with the robot. We saw with the first tests with real patients that after a few minutes they forgot it was a machine and talked to him as if he was a person.”?�You can find out more about Kompai on the following links:?�www.robosoft.com?�www.mobiserv.eu?�?� Copyright © 2011 euronews

New Egypt – old peace deal
As the visible vestiges of Hosni Mubarak’s rule were removed from Egypt’s cabinet building, there lingered a worry in the Middle East that stability in the region might also be heading out of the door. One of the principal concerns was the 1979 peace agreement with Israel. The High Military Council that had taken the reins made a formal declaration on th 13th of February saying: “The Egyptian republic is committed to the regional and international agreements.” It was a reassuring announcement aimed particularly at Egypt’s neighbours in Israel. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wasted no time in responding. “The Israeli government welcomes the announcement by Egypt’s military (saying) that Egypt will continue to respect its peace treaty with Israel,” Netanyahu said. All through the 18 days of protests in Egypt, the Israelis held their collective breath, fearful that the departure of Mubarak would see the end of a reliable partner on their southern border. Some in Israel still see the possibility of strained relations in the future. Efraim Inbar the director of the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies said: “I don’t think that democracy in Egypt, if the elections are won by the Islamic Brothers, will bring about peace and stability.” In Cairo, at the headquarters of the Arab League, euronews asked the Secretary General, Amr Moussa about those fears. Moussa, himself an Egyptian, said the army declaration made it clear the peace accord would be maintained, and added that the presence of the Muslim Brotherhood should not be a cause for alarm. “In reality, the fears expressed are scaremongering. As you clearly saw in all of the demonstrations and big gatherings over the past weeks, the Muslim Brotherhood were a part of it, but not all of it,” he said. “They will not end up in leading positions. They were not leading it, they were not behind it, but they were one element among many others.” Yesterday the Muslim Brotherhood announced it would form a political party as soon as conditions allow. Formed in the 1920s it was banned but tolerated under Mubarak. And its roots in the conservative and predominantly Muslim Egyptian society run deep. Copyright © 2011 euronews

Trial date set for beleaguered Berlusconi
The date of April 6 has been set for the trial of Italy’s scandal-hit prime minister. It is then that Silvio Berlusconi’s lawyers will have to defend him against charges of abuse of power and paying for sex with an under-age prostitute. The indictment sheet was issued by a court in Milan, where three female judges will examine the evidence. Berlusconi is not obliged to appear in person before the judicial panel on that day. The case concerns allegations that he paid for sex with a 17-year-old Moroccan dancer, then intervened to try to free her when she was arrested for theft. His supporters say the whole case is politically motivated. Analyst James Walston said that while the charges were serious, Berlusconi is not the resigning type: “He is a fighter; he has survived many other accusations and indictments even though he has been found guilty but let off. The other point, which makes this different from the corruption charges and from the slush fund accusations, it’s a very clear and obvious charge.” But Berlusconi’s legal team is playing down any threat and dismissing the case. His lawyer Francesco Paolo said: “I think it is really difficult to talk of an under-age prostitute, when that woman denies both the sexual intercourse and having been paid.” Berlusconi’s term in office has been beset by scandal and corruption allegations, but this latest criticism of his behaviour recently mobilised public anger as never before. Copyright © 2011 euronews

Eyewitness says death toll could rise in Bahrain
The Bahrain police operation in the early hours of Thursday morning was caught on amateur film by a witness in the square. Journalist Ahmed Hazim told euronews what happened: “The riot police intervened at about three o’clock in the morning and blocked the entrances to the “Pearl” roundabout which is a sort of square. They started shooting using tear gas and rubber bullets. According to reports, three people were killed and dozens wounded. The death toll could rise. The protesters were removed from the square and several were arrested. The police cordoned off the area, stopping others from getting in.” Copyright © 2011 euronews

Syria protests spread south
Anti government protests have spread across Syria to the south of the country.?�Several hundred people took to the streets in the town of Jassem although security forces did not intervene.?�In Deraa, thousands of mourners marched at the funeral of one protester killed during demonstrations last week.?�Four civilians died?�after?�when troops sprayed a demonstration with gunfire last Friday.?�The protesters want greater political freedoms and an end to corruption.?�The unrest is the most serious challenge to President Bashar al-Assad’s rule since the 45-year-old succeeded his father 11 years ago.?�The ruling Baath Party has banned opposition parties and enforced emergency laws since 1963.?�?� Copyright © 2011 euronews

EU-NATO Libya moves need UN
NATO and the European Union are cooperating over the Libya emergency, but practical moves in the area, the Atlantic alliance’s secretary-general said, would need a clear United Nations mandate. Anders Fogh Rasmussen was speaking at an EU defence ministers’ meeting in Hungary. He said: “What is happening in Libya is of great concern to all of us. It is a crisis in our immediate neighbourhood.” The EU has agreed on some sanctions against Tripoli: an arms and law enforcement equipment embargo, travel restrictions and an assets freeze, but that will take possibly several days before it can be enforced. EU sources would not name the Libyans targeted. One diplomat said this was: “to avoid a run on assets”. EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said: “The three aspects of what we’re doing [are], first of all, the evacuation, secondly, the coordination of what the EU can do to put pressure on the situation in Libya to stop the violence, and thirdly, the collaboration internationally, particularly with the Security Council, to ensure that we have a coordinated approach.” At the meeting, Rasmussen ruled out immediate direct NATO intervention, but a diplomat said European governments are making “contingency plans” to police Libyan airspace. Copyright © 2011 euronews

Fresh concern over Fukushima
There is fresh cause for concern over rising temperatures around the core of one of the reactors at Japan’s stricken Fukushima nuclear plant. Despite hopes of progress, inspectors now say they need more time to decide if the reactors are stabilised. Technicians have attached power cables to all six reactors and started a pump at one to cool overheating fuel rods. !http://www.euronews.net/media/buttons/japan-btn2-en.jpg!”:/tag/japan-disaster/ There have been several blasts of steam from the reactors since their power and cooling systems were knocked out in the cataclysmic earthquake and tsunami which hit northeast Japan earlier this month. Global weather systems are thought to have carried radioactive particles across the world. Monitoring stations have now detected tiny amounts in the air as far away as Iceland but experts say they pose absolutely no risk to health. France’s nuclear safety agency says miniscule concentrations – up to ten thousand times smaller than the fallout from Chernobyl – are set to reach the country by Wednesday. Copyright © 2011 euronews

EU responds to Italian calls for help over migrants
Nearly 1,000 Tunisian migrants landed on the Italian island of Lampedusa overnight adding to what’s been described as a humanitarian emergency. In the last week nearly 4,000 have made the hazardous trip, fleeing the turmoil in their own country. Lampedusa is a Sicilian island closer to Africa then mainland Italy, which migrants have used in the past as a way into Europe. Alarmed, Italy’s Interior Minister, Roberto Maroni said he wanted the European Union to intervene by putting pressure on countries like Tunisia to act responsibly in preventing their own people from leaving. The migrants are currently being given temporary care until a decision is made about their future. Later today both Italy’s foreign minister and the EU’s top diplomat, Catherine Ashton, will visit Tunisia. Calls by Italy for patrol boats to be stationed near its coast to intercept the migrants have been rejected by Tunisia’s interim government. Copyright © 2011 euronews

EU-NATO Libya moves need UN
NATO and the European Union are cooperating over the Libya emergency, but practical moves in the area, the Atlantic alliance’s secretary-general said, would need a clear United Nations mandate. Anders Fogh Rasmussen was speaking at an EU defence ministers’ meeting in Hungary. He said: “What is happening in Libya is of great concern to all of us. It is a crisis in our immediate neighbourhood.” The EU has agreed on some sanctions against Tripoli: an arms and law enforcement equipment embargo, travel restrictions and an assets freeze, but that will take possibly several days before it can be enforced. EU sources would not name the Libyans targeted. One diplomat said this was: “to avoid a run on assets”. EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said: “The three aspects of what we’re doing [are], first of all, the evacuation, secondly, the coordination of what the EU can do to put pressure on the situation in Libya to stop the violence, and thirdly, the collaboration internationally, particularly with the Security Council, to ensure that we have a coordinated approach.” At the meeting, Rasmussen ruled out immediate direct NATO intervention, but a diplomat said European governments are making “contingency plans” to police Libyan airspace. Copyright © 2011 euronews