ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) — The African Union will not allow a sitting head of state to be prosecuted by an international tribunal, the chairman of the continental body said Saturday, in a clear reference to the trial that is about to begin at the International Criminal Court against Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta, who is accused of crimes against humanity.
The decision was unanimous, said Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn at the close of a one-day heads of state summit, attended by Kenyatta and Sudan President Omar al-Bashir— who is wanted by The Hague-based war crimes tribunal.
"We have agreed no charge shall be commenced, or continued, before any international court or tribunal against any serving head of state or government or anybody acting or entitled to act in such a capacity ... during his or her term in office," he said.
African countries accuse the ICC of disproportionately targeting African leaders. The international court has indicted only Africans so far though half of the eight cases the court is prosecuting were referred to the court by African governments.
Hailemariam said African leaders decided to set up a contact group of the executive council composed of five members including Kenya to consult with the United Nations Security Council, in particular its five permanent members and raise concerns of the AU in its relationship with the ICC, Hailemariam said.
The contact group will ask for Kenyatta's case to be deferred before his trial begins on November 12, saidTedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the chairman of the Executive Council of the African Union and Ethiopia's foreign minister.
A deferral according to laws governing ICC is a one year postponement, he said. The Security Council is the only body which can request the court to defer the case for one year, Tedros said.
If a deferral is not granted then they will ask for a postponement of Kenyatta's trial and if that is not granted then African leaders have decided that Kenyatta should not appear before the court until their request is granted, he said.
Kenyatta faces crimes against humanity charges for Kenya's 2007-08 postelection violence in which more than 1,000 people died.
Kenya's Deputy President William Ruto and broadcaster Joshua Sang also have been charged with crimes against humanity. Their trials, which began last month, continued Friday.
Kenya's parliament last month voted to withdraw from the ICC. Kenya requested the convening of the special African Union summit.
Before the summit political insiders in Kenya's government said that African countries may decide to sever ties with the ICC in solidarity with Kenya.
Kenya Foreign Minister Amina Mohammed denied that Africa is trying cut ties with the ICC but said that the continent, whose countries make a large percentage of members of the ICC, wants its concerns heard.
If Kenyatta decides not to attend his trial, Kenya could become politically isolated and be sanctioned. But in the wake of the Sept. 21 mall attack in Kenya by Somali terrorists in which more than 60 people died in the upscale mall, international repercussions may be lighter because of Kenya's importance to the West as a counterterrorism partner.
New imaging technique can identify breast cancer subtypes and early treatment response
Public release date: 15-Oct-2013 [
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Contact: Jeremy Moore jeremy.moore@aacr.org 215-446-7109 American Association for Cancer Research
PHILADELPHIA An optical imaging technique that measures metabolic activity in cancer cells can accurately differentiate breast cancer subtypes, and it can detect responses to treatment as early as two days after therapy administration, according to a study published in Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.
"The process of targeted drug development requires assays that measure drug target engagement and predict the response (or lack thereof) to treatment," said Alex Walsh, a graduate student in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn. "We have shown that optical metabolic imaging (OMI) enables fast, sensitive, and accurate measurement of drug action. Importantly, OMI measurements can be made repeatedly over time in a live animal, which significantly reduces the cost of these preclinical studies."
Human cells undergo extensive chemical reactions called metabolic activity to produce energy, and this activity is altered in cancer cells. When cancer cells are treated with anticancer drugs, their metabolic activity changes. OMI takes advantage of the fact that two molecules involved in cellular metabolism, called nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) and flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD), naturally emit fluorescence when exposed to certain forms of light. In this way, OMI generates distinct signatures for cancer cells with a different metabolism and their responses to drugs.
Walsh and colleagues used a custom-built, multiphoton microscope and coupled it with a titanium-sapphire laser that causes NADH and FAD to emit fluorescence. They used specific filters to isolate the fluorescence emitted by these two molecules, and measured the ratio of the two as "redox ratio."
When they placed normal and cancerous breast cells under the microscope, OMI generated distinct signals for the two types of cells. OMI could also differentiate between estrogen receptor-positive, estrogen receptor-negative, HER2-positive, and HER2-negative breast cancer cells.
Next, the researchers tested the effect of the anti-HER2 antibody trastuzumab on three breast cancer cell lines that respond differently to the antibody. They found that the redox ratios were significantly reduced in drug-sensitive cells after trastuzumab treatment but unaffected in the resistant cells.
They then grew human breast tumors in mice and treated some of these with trastuzumab. When they imaged tumors in live mice, OMI showed a difference in response between trastuzumab-sensitive and -resistant tumors as early as two days after the first dose of the antibody. In comparison, FDG-PET imaging, the standard clinical metabolic imaging technique, could not measure any difference in response between trastuzumab-sensitive and -resistant tumors at any time point in the experiment, which lasted 12 days.
"Cancer drugs have profound effects on cellular energy production, and this can be harnessed by OMI to identify responding cells from nonresponding cells," said Walsh. "We are hoping to develop a high-throughput screening method to predict the optimal drug treatment for a particular patient."
Importantly, OMI can be used on tissues freshly excised from patients but, with further development, it could be incorporated in endoscopes for live imaging of human cancers, according to the investigators.
###
This study was funded by the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, the Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, and Vanderbilt University Medical Center. The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.
Follow the AACR on Twitter: @AACR
Follow the AACR on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/aacr.org
About the American Association for Cancer Research
Founded in 1907, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is the world's oldest and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research and its mission to prevent and cure cancer. AACR membership includes more than 34,000 laboratory, translational, and clinical researchers; population scientists; other health care professionals; and cancer advocates residing in more than 90 countries. The AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise of the cancer community to accelerate progress in the prevention, biology, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer by annually convening more than 20 conferences and educational workshops, the largest of which is the AACR Annual Meeting with more than 18,000 attendees. In addition, the AACR publishes eight peer-reviewed scientific journals and a magazine for cancer survivors, patients, and their caregivers. The AACR funds meritorious research directly as well as in cooperation with numerous cancer organizations. As the scientific partner of Stand Up To Cancer, the AACR provides expert peer review, grants administration, and scientific oversight of team science and individual grants in cancer research that have the potential for near-term patient benefit. The AACR actively communicates with legislators and policymakers about the value of cancer research and related biomedical science in saving lives from cancer. For more information about the AACR, visit http://www.AACR.org.
To interview Alex Walsh, contact Dagny McMillin at 615-936-7245 or dagny.stuart@vanderbilt.edu. For other inquiries, contact Jeremy Moore at jeremy.moore@aacr.org or 215-446-7109.
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New imaging technique can identify breast cancer subtypes and early treatment response
Public release date: 15-Oct-2013 [
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| Share
]
Contact: Jeremy Moore jeremy.moore@aacr.org 215-446-7109 American Association for Cancer Research
PHILADELPHIA An optical imaging technique that measures metabolic activity in cancer cells can accurately differentiate breast cancer subtypes, and it can detect responses to treatment as early as two days after therapy administration, according to a study published in Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.
"The process of targeted drug development requires assays that measure drug target engagement and predict the response (or lack thereof) to treatment," said Alex Walsh, a graduate student in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn. "We have shown that optical metabolic imaging (OMI) enables fast, sensitive, and accurate measurement of drug action. Importantly, OMI measurements can be made repeatedly over time in a live animal, which significantly reduces the cost of these preclinical studies."
Human cells undergo extensive chemical reactions called metabolic activity to produce energy, and this activity is altered in cancer cells. When cancer cells are treated with anticancer drugs, their metabolic activity changes. OMI takes advantage of the fact that two molecules involved in cellular metabolism, called nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) and flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD), naturally emit fluorescence when exposed to certain forms of light. In this way, OMI generates distinct signatures for cancer cells with a different metabolism and their responses to drugs.
Walsh and colleagues used a custom-built, multiphoton microscope and coupled it with a titanium-sapphire laser that causes NADH and FAD to emit fluorescence. They used specific filters to isolate the fluorescence emitted by these two molecules, and measured the ratio of the two as "redox ratio."
When they placed normal and cancerous breast cells under the microscope, OMI generated distinct signals for the two types of cells. OMI could also differentiate between estrogen receptor-positive, estrogen receptor-negative, HER2-positive, and HER2-negative breast cancer cells.
Next, the researchers tested the effect of the anti-HER2 antibody trastuzumab on three breast cancer cell lines that respond differently to the antibody. They found that the redox ratios were significantly reduced in drug-sensitive cells after trastuzumab treatment but unaffected in the resistant cells.
They then grew human breast tumors in mice and treated some of these with trastuzumab. When they imaged tumors in live mice, OMI showed a difference in response between trastuzumab-sensitive and -resistant tumors as early as two days after the first dose of the antibody. In comparison, FDG-PET imaging, the standard clinical metabolic imaging technique, could not measure any difference in response between trastuzumab-sensitive and -resistant tumors at any time point in the experiment, which lasted 12 days.
"Cancer drugs have profound effects on cellular energy production, and this can be harnessed by OMI to identify responding cells from nonresponding cells," said Walsh. "We are hoping to develop a high-throughput screening method to predict the optimal drug treatment for a particular patient."
Importantly, OMI can be used on tissues freshly excised from patients but, with further development, it could be incorporated in endoscopes for live imaging of human cancers, according to the investigators.
###
This study was funded by the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, the Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, and Vanderbilt University Medical Center. The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.
Follow the AACR on Twitter: @AACR
Follow the AACR on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/aacr.org
About the American Association for Cancer Research
Founded in 1907, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is the world's oldest and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research and its mission to prevent and cure cancer. AACR membership includes more than 34,000 laboratory, translational, and clinical researchers; population scientists; other health care professionals; and cancer advocates residing in more than 90 countries. The AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise of the cancer community to accelerate progress in the prevention, biology, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer by annually convening more than 20 conferences and educational workshops, the largest of which is the AACR Annual Meeting with more than 18,000 attendees. In addition, the AACR publishes eight peer-reviewed scientific journals and a magazine for cancer survivors, patients, and their caregivers. The AACR funds meritorious research directly as well as in cooperation with numerous cancer organizations. As the scientific partner of Stand Up To Cancer, the AACR provides expert peer review, grants administration, and scientific oversight of team science and individual grants in cancer research that have the potential for near-term patient benefit. The AACR actively communicates with legislators and policymakers about the value of cancer research and related biomedical science in saving lives from cancer. For more information about the AACR, visit http://www.AACR.org.
To interview Alex Walsh, contact Dagny McMillin at 615-936-7245 or dagny.stuart@vanderbilt.edu. For other inquiries, contact Jeremy Moore at jeremy.moore@aacr.org or 215-446-7109.
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| Share
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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.
It's been just over a year since the nail-biter of a day when Felix Baumgartner jumped out of a shimmering weather balloon 127,852 feet in the air and reached a top speed of Mach 1.25. And now you can watch it from his point of view—and several others. Fair warning: it's still nerve-wracking. It feels like he's going to miss Earth. [Red Bull Stratos]
BARUERI, Brazil -- Fabio Maldonado won two consecutive fights in the UFC for the first time after his split decision victory over Joey Beltran at UFC Fight Night 29, and he believes that is enough for him to face a higher-ranked opponent next.
"I would like to fight Chael Sonnen, who I’m a big fan of, or James Te Huna, who is a great striker," Maldonado told the media on Wednesday. "Many people think that Chael Sonnen is a bad match-up for me, that he would take me down, but I believe I could beat him. I believe I can beat him. And against Te Huna, I’m a better striker and I can do well against him."
Maldonado is 3-3 in the UFC, but he said his UFC record should be 5-1 since he disagrees with the judges in his decision losses to Kyle Kingsbury and Igor Pokrajac.
"I’m far from being a champion, far from the title shot, but I’m getting better," he said. "I could have done better today. (Beltran) was happy just to get beaten. He wasn’t fighting, and he thinks he won? Are you crazy? You did nothing, man. It was not a beat down, but you didn’t win it. Do you think you’re going to knock me out by kneeing my thigh?"
"MMA is a mix of styles, but you can’t score points if you’re holding your opponents close to the fence," he continued. "It’s a mistake from the judges. My only loss in the UFC was to Glover Teixeira. I didn’t lose the other fights. I know I still have a lot to improve, but Glover was the only one who defeated me in the UFC."
After a 15-minute brawl with Beltran, Maldonado revealed he hid a knee injury to fight in Barueri, Sao Paulo.
"I tried to hide it. I even used makeup to hide an injury in my right knee," he said. "My team wanted me to pull off the card, but I wanted to fight here."
[unable to retrieve full-text content]Mentalist Sidney Friedman will be at the City Opera House in Traverse City to benefit the new Cowell Family Cancer Center at Munson. ... Related Links. Cowell Family Cancer Center brings care closer to home · Film festival ... Similar Articles: kris jennerBeyond Two SoulsSupernaturalJonas Brotherselizabeth smart
LONDON (AP) ? The rally in global stock markets fizzled out on Friday, two days after the U.S. Federal Reserve buoyed sentiment by keeping its monetary stimulus program in place.
The Fed this week unexpectedly decided to keep its asset purchase program on hold. The program was instituted during the 2008 financial crisis to increase the flow of money available for loans to push down interest rates and spur growth.
The lower interest rates have proved a boon for stock markets, so the move buoyed sentiment.
But investors are wondering whether the Fed's move was just a small delay. St. Louis Fed president James Bullard told Bloomberg that it's possible the Fed will reduce its bond-buying at its next meeting in October, depending on what economic data show. That nudged markets lower.
Britain's FTSE 100 fell 0.4 percent to close at 6,596.43 while Germany's DAX edged down 0.2 percent to 8,675.73. France's CAC-40 ended almost 0.1 percent lower at 4,203.66.
On Wall Street, with Dow Jones industrial average was down 0.3 percent at 15,583.32 while the S&P 500 was down the same rate to 1,717.35.
Trading throughout Asia was muted, largely due to public holidays. Markets in Hong Kong, mainland China, Taiwan, South Korea and Malaysia were closed.
In Japan, the Nikkei 225 index gave up early gains to close 0.2 percent lower at 14,742.42. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 fell 0.4 percent to 5,276.70. Benchmarks in Indonesia, New Zealand, Thailand, the Philippines and Singapore fell. India's benchmark Sensex dropped 2.2 percent to 20,203.96 after the country's central bank unexpectedly raised interest rates in a bid to lower inflation.
Besides keeping an eye on the Fed, investors will also likely focus on political fighting between the White House and Congress over the approaching debt ceiling. It must be raised by Oct. 1 to avoid a government shutdown. Failure to do so could lead to the first-ever national default in U.S. history.
Market volatility will increase as the deadline approaches, said Evan Lucas of IG in Melbourne, Australia.
"This is the next key thing," Lucas said. "A lot of people are looking for a reason to sell."
Benchmark oil for October delivery was down $1.07 to $105.32 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract fell $1.68 to close at $106.39 a barrel on Thursday.
In currencies, the euro was down 0.1 percent to $1.3520, while the dollar was flat at 99.43 yen.
Connect To Learn is a similar collaboration that leverages the power of ICT to bring quality education to students everywhere.
Internet access was officially declared a right by the UN in 2011, eight years after the World Summit Information Society first met in 2003. Among their goals was to address the global digital divide; to "improve access to information and communication infrastructure and technologies as well as to information and knowledge; build capacity; increase confidence and security in the use of ICTs; create an enabling environment at all levels; develop and widen ICT applications." Despite this, a decade later, 68% of the world does not have access to internet.
Corruption as an Impediment to Internet Access
Almost all of Africa's 54 economies are characterized by mismanagement of funds. It's no secret that even in resource-rich countries like Nigeria, Mozambique, Kenya, and Uganda, while the government rakes in billions of dollars, many are still living in abject poverty. Governments fail to fulfill their obligations to the people. Healthcare, education, adequate shelter, and food are out of reach for many of Africa's populace.
The institutionalized corruption that impedes technologization covertly impedes the right to internet access and freedom of expression, allowing the government to use rhetoric that promotes human rights while simultaneously blocking them.
At the other end of the spectrum, overt internet censorship, such as website and blog censorship in Ethiopia and Uganda's threatening to block social media sites over protesting high fuel and food prices are justified by vague claims about state security, or the stand-by "It's not African" excuse that is often heard when change threatens existing power structures.
In an interview, Paul Kimumwe of Article 19, an NGO focused on freedom of expression, said that internet access is hindered by fears of state leaders: "Many governments in Africa feel threatened that people will have access to information; they will able to be informed and put governments under pressure to be to be more democratic. Our governments don't want to be held accountable. Their main point is to make sure that info does not flow from one person to another."
Is Internet a Human Right?
While it may seem frivolous to consider the right to internet access a necessity given all of the other problems facing Africa, Jovan Kurbalija argues that "human rights activists view Internet governance from the perspective of freedom of expression, privacy, and other basic human rights."
The argument that Africa should focus on more "important" issues is problematic for a few reasons. Firstly, changes happen concurrently, which is why states have different ministries devoted to transportation, roads and highways, sanitation, women and children's affairs, health, and education.
Secondly, although there are disproportionate levels of poverty throughout the continent, Africa is not solely characterized by poverty. The working class, the middle class, and the elite are all parts of society, and it's unrealistic to ask that everyone wait until hospitals are built in every corner of their respective countries before being able to access internet that comes at a reasonable cost and functions at a reasonable speed.
Thirdly, internet access itself is an educational tool that can enhance development- children who learn how to use internet at school, for example, have many more opportunities than those who don't. On a continent where teachers are often on strike, internet access would be an advantage to students in need of information.
Political Expression
Regardless of disagreements on whether or not internet access should be considered a human right, it can be used to realize people's civil and political rights. The Arab Spring was sparked by internet activism.
This year, Malaysia's election saw civil society bypass traditional media, which is owned by the state, to use social media to gain support for the opposition. Despite the election's disappointing outcome, for the first time in over 50 years, there was a viable opposition to Malaysia's Barisan Nasional party.
According to Kurbalija, "A basic set of Internet-related human rights includes privacy; freedom of expression; the right to receive information; various rights protecting cultural, linguistic and minority diversity; and the right to education." Not only is internet access a right in and of itself, it helps promote freedom of expression and information.
Despite all the impediments, internet activism has begun to take root in Africa. Women's groups, LGBT activists, and whistleblowers have used the internet to communicate with others, both activists and non-activists alike worldwide.
Freedom of expression, the right to life, and liberty are not "Western" rights, they are human rights. The work of African civil society, such as Ugandan LGBT organization Smug, women's groups that campaign against FGM, and those who work to put a stop to human trafficking are all indicative of a growing grassroots respect for human rights throughout the continent.
Those who stand in the way of internet access impede the realization of a continent where democracy, education, and freedom of expression are valued.
While the future of internet access is unforeseen, Kimumwe is hopeful that the within the next 20 years, internet access and the rights that come with it will be achieved: "Many governments that are feeling threatened right now are not expected to be around in the next 20 years. Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, are all experiencing new dynamics. When there is change, there are some benefits that trickle through, so we are hoping for that."
Doreen Akiyo Yomoah is a freelance writer and blogger.
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