Crossrail 2 could be worth ?49bn to London, says Assembly report

Shorter journey times and more reliable services would help stimulate growth and attract new businesses.? The London Assembly report said the ?12?billion scheme could also help tackle chronic over-crowding on public transport.

The capital?s rapid population growth, which is forecast to approach 10?million by 2031, is likely to put the network under increasing strain so new routes are desperately needed. Transport committee chairman Valerie Shawcross said: ?London needs a transport network that can cope with the millions of extra passengers that will travel on our Tube and trains in future.

?The cost-effective investment needed to construct Crossrail?2 will herald sustainable rewards, potentially boosting London?s economy by up to ?49?billion, not to mention much-needed relief to passengers suffering on some of the UK?s most-crowded services.

?Crossrail?2?s construction should be the catalyst to realise London?s Olympics regeneration dream.?

The Assembly, as part of its submission to Transport for London?s consultation, said it favoured a regional project such as Crossrail?2 over a metro-style scheme.

Although it would be more expensive, it would be able to carry a larger number of passengers and alleviate over-crowding on existing services.?

Passengers at suburban stations such as Surbiton ? on the route of the 10th most crowded service in the UK ? would have improved services into central London as well as those in new ?opportunity areas? including the Upper Lea Valley.

Boris Johnson has put the Crossrail?2 project ? which would run from Wimbledon in the south to Alexandra Palace in the north ? at the heart of his vision for the future of the capital.

The Mayor believes it will be critical to begin construction in 2019 to prevent London falling behind major rivals. Treasury ministers have pledged ?2 million for an initial feasibility study into the project which would connect south London with the new High Speed 2 network.

The promise of funding to start the project would allow building work to begin following completion of the east to west Crossrail?1 in 2018.

Source: http://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/crossrail2-could-be-worth-49bn-to-london-says-assembly-report-8737829.html

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China labor watchdog accuses Apple supplier of worker abuse

employment

The Associated Press Staff

6 hours ago

A labor rights group Monday accused a Chinese company that makes iPhones for Apple Inc. of abuses including withholding employees' pay and excessive working hours.

China Labor Watch said it found violations of the law and of Apple's pledges about working conditions at factories operated by Pegatron Corp., a Taiwanese company.

Conditions in Chinese factories that produce iPhones and other popular Apple products have been under scrutiny following complaints about labor and environmental violations by a different supplier, Taiwan's Foxconn, a unit of Hon Hai Precision Industry Co.

Apple said in a statement it was "committed to providing safe and fair working conditions" and would investigate the claims about Pegatron. The Taiwanese company's chief executive, in a separate statement, also promised to investigate.

China Labor Watch said its investigation covered two factories in Shanghai and one in Suzhou, a nearby city, that employ a total of 70,000 people. It found violations including discrimination against ethnic minorities and women, excessive work hours, poor living conditions, health and safety problems and pollution.

Pegatron assembles products including the iPhone 4, iPhone 4s and iPhone 5 for Apple, according to the report.

Apple said it confirmed one accusation by China Labor Watch ? that identity cards of some workers were being held by management ? and told Pegatron to stop.

Apple has published a code of conduct for its suppliers and joined the Fair Labor Association, a worker rights monitoring group. The association inspected Foxconn factories early last year and said in August that improvements it recommended were being carried out ahead of schedule.

Conditions in factories in China are a sensitive issue for foreign companies that outsource production of shoes, consumer electronics and other goods to local contractors.

In its report Monday, China Labor Watch said the majority of Pegatron production employees worked 66 to 69 hours a week, far above China's legal limit of 49 hours. It said pregnant women sometimes were required to work 11-hour days, more than the eight-hour legal limit, and employees were pressured to falsify time cards to conceal the violations.

The group accused Pegatron of "discriminatory hiring practices" including refusing to hire those older than 35 or members of China's Hui, Tibetan, or Uighur ethnic minorities.

The group said production line workers sometimes dump water laced with hazardous chemicals from cutting tools into sewers.

Apple, based in Cupertino, California, said it would send auditors to three Pegatron facilities this week to investigate the report's claims.

The company said it has conducted 15 comprehensive audits of Pegatron facilities since 2007, including surprise audits in the past 18 months. It said the audits covered more than 130,000 employees.

"Apple is committed to providing safe and fair working conditions throughout our supply chain," the company statement said. "If our audits find that workers have been underpaid or denied compensation for any time they've worked, we will require that Pegatron reimburse them in full."

The company said its own audit found Pegatron employees making Apple products worked 46 hours per week on average.

Pegatron, founded in 2008, also manufactures desktop and notebook personal computers, LCD televisions, broadband and wireless systems and other products.

"We take these allegations very seriously," said Pegatron CEO Jason Cheng in a statement. "We will investigate them fully and take immediate actions to correct any violations to Chinese labor laws and our own code of conduct."

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One in Five Kids May 'Outgrow' Asthma - Health News and Views ...

By Serena Gordon
HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, July 30 (HealthDay News) ? As many as one in five youngsters with asthma may grow out of the respiratory condition as they age, new research indicates.

Girls and those who are allergic to furry animals, such as dogs and cats, may be out of luck, however. The study found that remission was less likely in such children.

Swedish researchers who followed more than 200 children with asthma found that at 19 years of age, 21 percent were in remission, meaning they had no wheeze or need for inhalers. Remission was more common among boys, they found.

?Sensitization to furred animals and a more severe asthma at age 7 to 8 years were both inversely associated with remission,? said study author Dr. Martin Andersson, who is part of the Obstructive Lung Disease in Northern Sweden studies.

Still, even those allergic to furry animals with severe asthma at a young age had an 18 percent shot at remission, according to the study, published online July 29 in the journal Pediatrics.

As children with asthma grow into adulthood, many stop experiencing the shortness of breath and wheezing that characterize the chronic airway disease. Doctors will rarely say a child has outgrown asthma, because there?s always the possibility it will come back if someone is exposed to significant enough asthma triggers. Instead, they refer to someone who hasn?t had symptoms in a long time as being in remission.

The remission rate in young adults hasn?t been well studied, and reported remission rates range from 16 percent to 60 percent, the researchers noted.

To get a better idea of the actual remission rate, Andersson and his colleagues reviewed data from a study begun in 1996 in three municipalities in northern Sweden to examine asthma and its associated conditions. First- and second-grade children were invited to participate in the study.

At the start of the study, 248 children were found to have asthma, 58 percent of them boys. The children?s parents completed annual questionnaires until their children were 19. At the end of the study, 205 participants remained.

Remission was defined as parental report of no use of asthma medications in the previous 12 months on at least three annual surveys, including the final questionnaire. Persistent asthma was defined as having asthma symptoms or needing asthma medication in at least eight of nine previous questionnaires. Periodic asthma was defined as neither remission nor persistent asthma.

Overall, 21 percent were in remission, 38 percent had periodic asthma and 41 percent had persistent asthma. Out of 118 boys, about 26 percent were in remission compared to roughly 14 percent of 87 girls.

People whose asthma persisted were more likely to be allergic to cats, dogs, horses and birch trees at ages 7 to 8. The area where the children were from is a very dry climate, without dust mites, so the researchers noted that they were not able to assess how the common dust mite allergy might have affected asthma remission rates.

Those in remission and those with periodic asthma had similar reports of asthma severity, nasal inflammation and the skin condition eczema. Those who had persistent asthma had more severe asthma, experienced more nasal inflammation and eczema, according to the study.

Remission wasn?t linked to damp housing, living in a rural area or a family history of asthma, according to the study.

Parents always want to know how long their children will have asthma, said Dr. Jennifer Appleyard, chief of allergy and immunology at St. John Hospital and Medical Center in Detroit. ?This study can give parents some hope, but there?s no guarantee for any child,? Appleyard said. ?Really, the glass is half full. There?s a good chance you?ll outgrow it, but there?s also a good chance you won?t, especially if you have allergies, too.?

What wasn?t clear from this study, she said, was if certain treatments such as allergy shots might make a difference in whether or not someone goes into asthma remission.

What is known is that people who?ve had asthma are always potentially at risk. Even if you haven?t had symptoms in a long time, Appleyard said you should play it safe and always have an inhaler available in case you suddenly develop symptoms.

More information

Learn more about asthma from the U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

Source: http://news.health.com/2013/07/30/one-in-five-kids-may-outgrow-asthma/

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Myanmar at the crossroads: Conservationists see opportunities and challenges in biodiversity hotspot

[unable to retrieve full-text content]Long isolated by economic and political sanctions, Myanmar returns to the international community amid high expectations and challenges associated with protecting the country's great natural wealth from the impacts of economic growth and climate change.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/Oe7pxcAmo28/130730150656.htm

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City of Chicago?s cash cushion plummets, debt triples, arrests drop, water use rises - Chicago Sun-Times

City of Chicago?s cash cushion plummets, debt triples, arrests drop, water use rises - Chicago Sun-Times

"The ?unassigned? balance is $33.4 million. Experts recommend a cash cushion of at least $200 million for a budget the size of Chicago?s, according to the Civic Federation. The city ended 2009 with an unallocated checkbook balance of just $2.7 million.
The new round of borrowing brings Chicago?s total long-term debt to nearly $29 billion. That?s $10,780 for every one of the city?s nearly 2.69 million residents. More than a decade ago, the debt load was $9.6 billion or $3,338 per resident.
Last year, now-retiring City Comptroller Amer Ahmad argued that the city?s debt load was not ?troubling? because, ?We still have a very strong bond rating. Our fiscal position is getting better every year and we are aggressively managing our liabilities and obligations.?

He can no longer say that after the triple-drop in Chicago?s bond rating."
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$53 Million In Jewels Stolen In Massive Heist In France - Business ...

A staggering 40 million euro ($53 million) worth of diamonds and other jewels were stolen from an Israeli billionaire in Cannes on Sunday in what?s being described as ?one of Europe?s biggest jewelry heists recent years,? according to French police.

The Associated Press?reported?that the theft occurred at the Carlton Intercontinental Hotel which was hosting a jewelry exhibition this summer from the Leviev diamond house, owned by Israeli billionaire Lev Leviev.

According to the AP:

A police spokesman said the theft took place around noon, but he could not confirm local media reports that the robber was a single gunman who stuffed a suitcase with the gems before making a swift exit. The spokesman spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter on the record.

Several police officers were placed in front of the Carlton exhibition room to prevent journalists and photographers gathered at the scene from entering.

The AP described the hotel as being situated ?on the exclusive Promenade de la Croisette that stretches a mile and a half along the French Riviera, and is thronged by the rich and famous throughout the year? and is especially popular among film stars attending the annual Cannes Film Festival.

It also reports that the hotel?s location has not only a beautiful sea view, ?but an easy get away for potential jewel thieves along the long stretch of road.?

Hotel officials haven?t commented, and the AP?s attempts to reach Leviev and his company were not immediately successful.

According to?a report in the Israeli paper Haaretz,?the hotel is ironically ?one of the settings for Alfred Hitchcock?s classic 1955 thriller ?To Catch a Thief.??

This weekend?s theft comes on the heels of the daring escape from a prison in Switzerland on Thursday by a member the notorious ?Pink Panther? jewel thief gang.

Quoting police, the AP reported that the convicted jewel thief escaped ?after accomplices rammed a gate and overpowered guards with bursts from their AK-47s?:

Poparic fled with fellow inmate Adrian Albrecht from the Orbe prison in the western state of Vaud.

Police say the Pink Panthers network?s members are prime suspects in a series of daring thefts. According to Interpol, the group has targeted luxury watch and jewelry stores in Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the United States, netting more than ?330 million (?285m) since 1999.

Poparic is the third member of the Pink Panthers to escape from a Swiss prison in as many months, according to Vaud police.

So far French police won?t say how many gems were stolen from the exhibition that was supposed to continue through August.

This story was originally published by?The Blaze.

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/jewels--massive-heist-france-2013-7

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Parts of North India suffers humid weather

Most parts of North India, bereft of rains on Monday reeled under humid conditions and Srinagar witnessed hottest day in seven years, even as the national capital was lashed by heavy showers rendering roads flooded and causing traffic jams.

Delhi received heavy rains today bringing some respite from the humid conditions.

The humidity level was between 83 to 65 per cent and the day temperature settled at 36 degree Celsius, two notches above normal.

The minimum temperature in Delhi settled at 28.8 deg C which is also two degree above normal, according to the Meteorological department.

In Jammu and Kashmir, Srinagar recorded the hottest day in seven years as the mercury touched 35.4 deg C today.

"It is the hottest day since July 2006," a spokesman of the Met office said.

He said it was the second hottest day in Kashmir in the last decade. The mercury had touched 35.5 deg C for successive years in the month of July 2005 and 2006.

In Uttar Pradesh, some parts in western region got light to moderate rains.

Lalitpur got 10 cm rain, Mahroni 9 cm, Mauranipur 4 cm, Najibabad and Mahoba 2 cm each.

Parts of North suffer humid weather, Srinagar hottest in 7 yrs:

Central Water Commission said that the Ganga river continued to flow close to the danger mark from Fatehgarh to Dalmau in Rae Bareli and was flowing above the red mark in Ballia district.

The Yamuna river was flowing close to the red mark at Prayag Ghat in Mathura, while the Ghaghra river continued to flow above the red mark at Elgin Bridge in Barabanki, Ayodhya and Turtipar in Ballia.

Rains gave a slip to the most parts of Punjab and Haryana.

High humidity prevailed in the two states as the maximum temperatures continued to hover a few notches above normal.

Chandigarh recorded a high of 36 deg C, three notches above normal. Hisar in Haryana was the hottest place in the region recording a high of 38.8 deg C, three notches above the normal level.
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Source: http://www.saharasamay.com/nation-news/676533928/parts-of-north-india-suffers-humid-weather.html

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