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

Protesters can topple Saleh: Yemeni analyst
euronews spoke with Abdullah Al Fakih, a political science professor at Sanaa University, who believes Yemen’s anti-government protesters could topple President Saleh. Al Fakih described the demonstrations as “a popular youth movement.” “It began with protests calling for the overthrow of President Ali Abdallah Saleh. This movement progressively became larger, spreading across the country,” he told euronews in a telephone interview. “I think they will topple the regime because their demands are shared by all parts of Yemeni society, including the opposition parties.” Al Fakih acknowledged that the opposition had been slow to react to the protesters’ demands but predicted they would eventually follow the youth movement. “Saleh is saying that if he leaves, it will allow Al-Qaeda to spread its operations in Yemen and increase the threat to the international community and plunge the country into an endless civil war,” the professor said. “Of course, there are always risks and fears of change. But the fear of change is not as great as the fear of current regime.” “As long as we have Al-Qaeda and rebels in the north and calls of separation in the south — as well as a severe economic situation — all these problems will be more complicated if this regime remains in power.” Copyright © 2011 euronews

Bahrain’s king vows to probe protester deaths
One mourner was shot dead by Bahrain’s security forces as he attended the funeral of a fellow anti-government protester on Tuesday. The shooting happened on Tuesday morning, a day after demonstrations were held against the country’s monarchy. The King of Bahrain, Hamad bin Issa Al Khalifa, said an investigation would be carried out into the two deaths. Bahrain has been ruled by a Sunni Muslim minority since the 18th century. Shias make up 70 percent of the country’s 530,000 people. They complain of systematic discrimination and want greater political freedom. Bahrain’s main Shia opposition bloc, Wifaq, has started a boycott of parliament in protest at the killings. Demonstrators on Monday held what they called a ‘Day of Rage’ inspired by the recent popular upheaval in Egypt and Tunisia. Copyright © 2011 euronews

Iranian MPs want opposition figures to be hanged
Iranian MPs have called for two leading opposition figures to be executed following mass protests yesterday. Conservative members of Iran’s parliament said Mirhoussein Mousavi and Karroubi should be executed, accusing them of “creating public disorder.” Iran’s opposition took to the streets yesterday to call for democratic reforms in the Islamic Republic. The protesters clashed with security forces, leaving two people dead and several dozen injured. One of the dead has been named as 26-year-old arts student, Sanee Jaleh. The second victim has been named as Mohammad Mokhtari. Copyright © 2011 euronews

Uprising spreads further across Libya
Libya’s uprising is moving ever closer to Tripoli with rebels taking Zawiyah. There are reports that troops loyal to Gaddafi are waiting to launch a counter-attack. Zawiyah’s strategic significance lies in it being only 50 kilometres from the Libyan leader’s stronghold in the capital Tripoli. But each gain for the rebels has not been without cost. Fierce fighting has left an unconfirmed number dead. A doctor told reporters that he had been in Zawiyah for three days and he had seen 24 people shot dead. “The militia shot the people with heavy guns, by using a bullet that explodes,” he said. However there are pockets of Zawiyah, in the town’s suburbs where Muammar Gaddafi supporters kissed photographs of their leader, showing where their loyalties lay. Copyright © 2011 euronews

Violence continues in Syria
Foreign reporters may be banned from entering Syria but people are continuing to upload video onto social websites. The latest footage obtained by news agencies claimed to show a demonstration in a suburb of the capital Damascus. The rally was described as a march of students, doctors and writers but plain clothed police and other uniformed agents moved in and arrested the protesters. Some were forced into a waiting minivan where detainees were beaten. Each new video that emerges adds to a picture of violent suppression of protesters who appear to be unarmed and non-aggressive. That is certainly what the EU thinks. On Tuesday a series of sanctions aimed at forcing an end to the violence were announced. The measures include a travel ban and asset freeze on 13 top officials, although President Bashar al-Assad is not yet on the list. Copyright © 2011 euronews

German defence minister steps down
Germany’s defence minister has resigned over accusations that he copied parts of his university dissertation for his doctorate. Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg said there were also other reasons for his departure “This is the most bitter step I have taken in my life,” he said. “I take this step not only because of my faulty PhD thesis, although I understand that this alone would be enough reason for a large section of the academic community. The reason is in particular whether I am still able to meet my own highest standards of responsibility.” “I was always ready to fight but I have overestimated the extent of my power,” he added. Zu Guttenberg, until now seen by some as a possible future leader, was viewed as the most popular member of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s cabinet and his loss is a blow to her ruling Christian Democrat Party. The CDU is preparing to contest three regional state elections later this month. The admission that he copied large parts of his thesis without attributing the sources has damaged his carefully nurtured image for honesty and integrity. Copyright © 2011 euronews

Eastern Libya free from Gaddafi rule: ex-major
Thousands of Libyans in the eastern city of Tobruk have been celebrating after breaking free from Muammar Gaddafi. About a week into the uprising, and support for the 41-year regime is cracking from the top down. Several senior diplomats have publicly turned their back on Gaddafi. The interior and justice ministers resigned over the excessive use of violence against the anti-government protesters. And crucially, significant numbers of the military are reported to have refused to carry out Gaddafi’s orders to kill Libyan people. One army base near the Egyptian border was pictured deserted. The airport at Al Bayda also fell into rebel hands. A former Libyan army major claimed the whole of the east of the country was no longer under Gaddafi’s control. However, a dissident Libyan diplomat at the UN said it was a different story in the west. Ibrahim Dabbashi said: “They are attacking people in all the cities in western Libya. Certainly the people have no arms. I think the genocide has started now in Libya. I think Gaddafi’s statement was just a code for his collaborators to start genocide against the Libyan people.” The EU joined growing international calls condemning Gaddafi’s brutality. The Italian government spoke of 1,000 dead so far as a credible figure as pictures emerged purporting to show the preparation of graves in Tripoli. Another estimate reckons it could be ten times that figure. Copyright © 2011 euronews

Carmakers outline Russian plans for tax breaks
Carmakers have been rushing to detail their plans to build in Russia before a deadline for tax incentives ran out. Volkswagen is to make VW and Skoda cars in a joint venture with local firm GAZ, while Ford announced an assembly and distribution venture with Russia’s Sollers. They have to agree to build three hundred thousand cars annually in Russia to get tax breaks on importing components. Fiat has also said it has submitted plans to build that many vehicles annually. They would be Fiat and Jeeps through its links to Chrysler. The tax incentives deadline was 28 February. Passenger-car sales are predicted to reach three million in Russia by 2014 . Copyright © 2011 euronews

Six dead in Yemen’s anti-regime protests
Anti-regime protesters marched through the Yemeni capital of Sanaa for an eighth straight day on Friday as demonstrations across the country turned violent, leaving at least six dead.?�The demonstrators, who want President Ali Abdullah Saleh to quit, fought with government supporters.?�Two protesters were killed in the southern city of Taez in a hand grenade attack, while police shot four others dead in Aden as they tried to disperse the crowd.?�A total of 27 people were injured in the clashes across Yemen on Friday, dubbed a ‘day of rage’ by the anti-Saleh movement.?�Saleh has ruled Yemen for?�32 years but has promised to stand down at the end of his current seven-year term in 2013.?�Under his leadership, the country has been a close ally of the United States in its fight against al-Qaeda in the region. Copyright © 2011 euronews

White smoke and steam at Fukushima
White smoke and steam can be seen rising from reactor number 2 at the stricken Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan, suggesting the battle to avert a meltdown and stop the spread of radiation is not yet won. Read our news file However, reactor number 3, which had been causing concern yesterday, appears to have stabilised. Meanwhile, small traces of radiation have been found in vegetables. Experts say there is no risk to health, but the sale of spinach and milk produced near the plant has been banned. People living near the Fukushima plant have also been warned against drinking tap water, due to increased levels of radioactive iodine. Meanwhile, classes have resumed at a nearby primary school, even though parts of it are still being used to house evacuees. Ootsu School in Kitaibaraki was closed in the wake of the earthquake and tsunami. Most of the pupils were back in class, although there were some empty seats. Locals still sheltering at the school joined the youngsters for a ceremony to mark the re-opening. Copyright © 2011 euronews