China's tallest building nears finish in Shanghai

SHANGHAI (AP) ? A topping out ceremony was held Saturday for China's tallest building in the financial hub of Shanghai.

At 632 meters (2,073 feet), the Shanghai Tower in the city's Pudong district is the world's second-tallest building, surpassed only by Dubai's Burj Khalifa, which soars 829.8 meters (2,722 feet).

Topping out means the final beam has been placed at the top of the building. Once completed next year, the Shanghai Tower will have retail and office space, and a luxury hotel. It was designed by the U.S. architectural firm Gensler.

China's booming economy has fuelled a building frenzy, including some of the world's tallest buildings. The Shanghai Tower replaces the Shanghai World Financial Center ? completed in 2007 ? as the country's highest building.

The Shanghai Tower is the last piece in a group of super-tall skyscrapers in Shanghai's Pudong, which includes the Shanghai World Financial Center and Jin Mao Tower, both among the tallest in the world.

And in the south-central city of Changsha, developers are in the midst of building Sky City, an 838-meter (2,749-foot) structure that would overtake Burj Khalifa.

This summer, China also unveiled the world's largest building in terms of floor space in the western city of Chengdu. The New Century Global Center edged out the previous record-holder, the Dubai airport.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/chinas-tallest-building-nears-finish-shanghai-053442291.html

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Two Navajo legislators support NM horse slaughter facility, one ...

GETTING MORE INTENSE: The rhetoric escalates in the debate over the first horse slaughter facility in the U.S. in seven years.

The debate over a horse meat processing plant keeps getting more intense.

One day after New Mexico Watchdog first reported that the Navajo Nation supports a controversial horse meat processing plant in Roswell, two state representatives who are members of the tribe agreed, saying the Valley Meat Co. should be able to open its doors as the first horse slaughterhouse approved in the U.S. in seven years.

And one of them criticized Gov. Susana Martinez for opposing the facility and accused former Gov. Bill Richardson of ?grandstanding.?

?The feral horses are destroying (earthen dams) and fences in an attempt to get at crops and feed, making things unusable for the productive livestock that tribal members rely on for their livelihoods,? Rep. Sandra Jeff, D-Crownpoint, in a statement late Thursday to New Mexico Watchdog.

?These feral horses are not domesticated nor are these horses considered pets, while many such as Gov. Martinez would have you believe otherwise,? Rep. Jeff said.

Martinez, a Republican, has opposed the horse slaughter facility, saying that ?horses are a part of our culture.?

Last week in a statement with actor Robert Redford, Richardson signed on to a lawsuit against the facility. Fellow Democrats such as State Land Commissioner Ray Powell and Attorney General Gary King also have expressed opposition.

?These people want to tell us how to manage our land and our lives, but are unwilling to provide financial backing to fund their agendas,? Jeff said. ?They would rather spend their money on lawsuits and chase media.?

The statement accused Richardson and others of ?political grandstanding.?

Rep. Sharon Clahchischilliage, R-Kirtland, who is a member of the Navajo Nation, also came out in favor of the horse slaughterhouse but used more dispassionate language.

?The problem with wild horses is immense,? Clahchischilliage said Thursday. ?Something needs to be done.?

?You can?t slaughter your way out of this problem,? countered Phil Carter of Animal Protection New Mexico, who says more humane alternatives exist, such as gelding stallions and injecting horses with contraceptives.

The plant has stoked a furious debate inside and outside the borders of New Mexico, with supporters of the facility saying it?s necessary in part because of the numbers of feral horses scattered across the state, many of which that have been abandoned due to the high price of hay, while critics say the killing of the horses is cruel and gives the state a bad reputation.

The facility has become increasingly divisive and has caused splits among Republicans and Democrats as well as rural, urban and conservation groups.

Last week, Rep. Candy Spence Ezzell, R-Roswel, who often speaks from the House floor of her love for horses, came out in support Valley Meat Co., telling the Texas-New Mexico Newspapers Partnership, that irresponsible owners are abandoning horses on ranches, reservations and public lands, where they eat vegetation, drink up water in drought-ridden areas and sometimes starve to death.

?In my area, we have so many wild horses that are breaking down fences, you can?t believe it,? Clahchischilliage said.

The Navajo Nation estimates that 20,000 to 30,000 feral horses are roaming throughout the reservation?s 27,425 square miles.

?A lot these horses have no owners, they?re not branded,? Clahchischilliage said.

Emotions are running high.

Last weekend, the owners of the Valley Meat Co. reported a fire on the company?s property and Chaves County officials say they suspect arson.

U.S. District Court judge will hear arguments Friday from opponents of the horse slaughter plant who have filed a motion to keep the plant from opening.

***
Here is Rep. Jeff?s complete statement:

Re Jeff Horse Release (2)

Contact Rob Nikolewski at rob@nmwatchdog.org and follow him on Twitter @robnikolewski

Source: http://newmexico.watchdog.org/19151/two-navajo-legislators-support-nm-horse-slaughter-facility-one-takes-shots-at-susana-and-richardson/

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Motorola to crowdsource Moto X design with future Facebook poll

Customization -- that's the big story revolving around today's Moto X reveal. When Motorola's breezy, made-to-order Moto Maker site goes live later this summer, AT&T users will be able to sift through a bevy of color options to put their individual stamp on the device. But that's just part one of the new Motorola's trailblazing direction, the next is making that design social. At some unspecified future point, the company plans to launch a Facebook polling page littered with numerous colored and patterned variants (e.g., one of the options we saw, a gold brown hue, was labeled "The Dude") that users can vote on via existing social means. While Motorola's still working out the specifics of the polling process and potential launch window, it's safe to assume users will be able to pin (via Pinterest), like, or even +1 design candidates. Not much more detail was given -- again this is merely an indicator of the company's revamped product portfolio approach. For sure, it has a built-in hook: user engagement. And what company doesn't love a user base that's paying very close attention?

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, Google, Facebook

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Source: Motorola

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/rMaZUjLUMog/

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Cheryl Boone Isaacs elected film academy president

LOS ANGELES --?

(AP) A veteran marketing executive is the new president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

The organization's board of governors elected Cheryl Boone Isaacs to the position Tuesday evening.

She is the first woman to hold the post in three decades and the first African-American president in the academy's history.

Boone Isaacs was elected to a one-year term but is eligible to serve four successive terms. She succeeds Hawk Koch, who served for one year but was ineligible for re-election.

Boone Isaacs previously served as first vice president of the film academy, which announced its new president via Twitter.

Copyright 2013 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Source: http://www.cfnews13.com/content/news/cfnews13/news/article.html/content/news/articles/ap/2013/07/31/Cheryl_Boone_Isaacs_elected_film_academy_president/?cid=rss

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Polar ecosystems acutely vulnerable to sunlight-driven tipping points

[unable to retrieve full-text content]Slight changes in the timing of the annual loss of sea-ice in polar regions could have dire consequences for polar ecosystems, by allowing a lot more sunlight to reach the sea floor. The research predicts biodiversity on some areas of the polar seabed could be reduced by as much as one third within decades, as the poles warm.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_science/~3/seX3I5IiPT8/130731093919.htm

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Oil prices slide ahead of data

AAP

Oil prices have retreated as investors took profits ahead of a hectic stretch of economic news that could move markets more significantly.

United States benchmark West Texas Intermediate tumbled $US1.47 ($A1.61) to close on Tuesday at $US103.08 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

European benchmark Brent oil for September delivery dropped 54 cents to $US106.91 a barrel.

Analysts said recent trade data had shown a sharp increase in the number of "long" bets in crude, wagers that oil prices would go higher. Given that dynamic, it was time for some investors to sell back, at least until the economic signals are clearer.

"Some money is coming off the table," said Carl Larry of Oil Outlook and Opinions.

Larry predicted "risk-off" trades "until we get a better picture of where we're going in terms of economic numbers."

Many investors saw a good opportunity to take profits given that oil prices have risen for much of the last month or so.

Markets will get some major data points in the coming days, including second-quarter gross domestic product growth and the conclusion of a Federal Reserve monetary policy meeting, both on Wednesday, and the monthly US jobs report on Friday.

"The market was really long," said Andy Lebow, senior vice president at Jefferies Bache.

"There's no major (energy) fundamental news ... We're watching these other things."

Besides the macroeconomic data, energy investors will also be watching Wednesday's weekly inventory report from the US Energy Information Administration.

Analysts expect US crude-oil stockpiles fell 1.9 million barrels, according to a survey from Dow Jones Newswires. A series of unexpectedly large inventory declines in recent weeks has lent upward pressure to oil prices.

Source: http://www.businessspectator.com.au/news/2013/7/31/commodities/oil-prices-slide-ahead-data

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Afghan civilian deaths increase; more women, child victims: U.N.

By Jessica Donati

KABUL (Reuters) - Violence against civilians has risen by almost a quarter in Afghanistan as international forces hand security to Afghans, the United Nations said in a report on Wednesday, with insurgents striking in areas where troops have already left.

The report, presented by the Human Rights Director for the U.N. in Afghanistan, said the number of dead and injured civilians had increased by 23 percent in the first six months of 2013, compared to the same period last year.

Women and children are increasingly the victims of the 12-year-old war, the report said, noting a 30 percent leap in the number of children killed. The total civilian death toll stood at more than 1,300, with 2,533 reported injuries.

Mounting casualties are reinforcing fears about Afghanistan's ability to tackle the Taliban insurgency on its own, after most foreign troops leave next year. The Afghan army faces one of the highest desertion rates in the world and a chronic lack of logistical and medical support.

"The stepped-up transition of security responsibilities from international military forces to Afghan forces and closure of international forces' bases was met with increased attacks by anti-government elements...," Georgette Gagnon said in presenting the report.

The intensified attacks occurred "mainly at checkpoints, on strategic highways, in some areas that had been transitioned and in districts bordering neighboring countries".

Figures released in 2012 showed a decline in civilian deaths compared to the previous year.

The U.N. report said bombs, or improvised explosive devices (IEDs), remained the single greatest killer, claiming 53 percent more victims than last year, most of them children.

Fighting between security forces and insurgents had emerged as the second most significant cause of civilian deaths, with the report putting the death toll in crossfire at 207.

Both sides were responsible for civilian deaths, but the report said almost three-quarters were caused by insurgents, who were increasingly targeting civilians seen to be cooperating with the government, the report said.

Gagnon urged insurgents to "stop deliberate targeting and killing of civilians and withdraw orders that permit attacks" on legal personnel, clergy and government workers.

But the Taliban said anyone supporting President Hamid Karzai's Western-backed government was a legitimate target.

"We never consider those people as civilians who are directly involved in our country's occupation and work with sensitive organs of the enemy," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in an emailed statement.

WOMEN, CHILDREN IN FIRING LINE

The rise in deaths of women and children maintained a trend marked last year.

In one of the worst instances, 10 children, most of them infants, were killed in an aerial bombardment in the eastern province of Kunar that "appeared to serve no clear military/tactical purpose", the United Nations said.

An investigation by the NATO-led force in Afghanistan concluded it was not responsible for the deaths, though human rights groups and the U.N. have questioned that finding.

The threat to civilians has become a significant source of stress in relations between Karzai and his backers, particularly when civilian deaths are caused by foreign forces.

But questions have been raised about the ability of domestic forces not only to take on the insurgents but to win the trust and support of people in areas where insurgents operate.

Casualties caused by a security force known as the Afghan Local Police, set up in 2010 to operate in remote, insecure areas, rose more than 60 percent, the United Nations said. Force members had been accused of murder, torture and rape.

Many communities, however, reported that they owed an improvement in security to the police.

But the report also noted increased numbers of clashes between unaligned armed groups, a recurrence of the insecurity in the 1990s that enabled the Taliban to take control.

The report also revealed that the U.S. army had launched a fresh inquiry into allegations of war crimes committed between November and February in the strategically important province of Wardak.

That investigation comes on the heels of the arrest of an Afghan translator who worked with U.S. special forces who he said had killed civilians he helped capture. The bodies of as many as 10 civilians were found this year near the military base used by the special forces soldiers.

(Editing by Robert Birsel and Ron Popeski)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/afghan-civilian-deaths-increase-more-women-child-victims-071254373.html

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