BANGKOK (AP) ? World stock markets rose Friday after signs that the U.S. economic recovery is gaining traction and a rebound in China's growth emboldened investors to plunge back into equities. The Nikkei soared as the yen continued to weaken.
China's economy grew 7.9 percent in the fourth quarter of 2012, up from the previous quarter's 7.4 percent. Stronger quarterly growth was widely expected after earlier data showed retail sales, factory output and other indicators rising.
"Such an outcome should put to rest any remaining doubt about China escaping a hard landing and sailing smoothly through the troubled global waters," Dariusz Kowalczyk of Credit Agricole CIB in Hong Kong said in an email.
European stocks rose in early trading. Britain's FTSE 100 rose 0.3 percent to 6,150.63. Germany's DAX rose 0.2 percent to 7,748.77 and France's CAC-40 added 0.4 percent to 3,757.85.
A day after Standard and Poor's 500 index hit a five year high, S&P 500 futures rose nearly 0.1 percent to 1,476, signaling more gains to come on Wall Street. Dow Jones industrial futures rose marginally to 13,549.
Stocks across Asia were solidly higher.
Japan's Nikkei 225 soared 2.9 percent to close at 10.913.30, the highest finish in nearly three years, as the yen slipped against the dollar. The dollar rose above the 90-yen line for the first time since June 2010 as expectations intensified that the Bank of Japan will take steps to ease credit next week, Kyodo News Agency reported. A weaker yen is a significant boost for Japan's powerhouse exporters.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng rose 1.1 percent to 23,601.78. South Korea's Kospi added 0.7 percent to 1,987.85. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.3 percent to 4,771.20.
In mainland China, the Shanghai Composite Index rose 1.4 percent to 2,317.07 while the smaller Shenzhen Composite Index gained 1.5 percent to 935.7. Benchmarks in Singapore, Taiwan and Indonesia rose. Malaysia and New Zealand fell.
Among individual stocks, mining giant Rio Tinto Ltd. got a 2.7 percent boost following the resignation of its chief executive. Japan's export-linked companies, which generally benefit from a weaker currency, surged. Mazda Motor Corp. jumped 11.7 percent and Ricoh Co. soared 7.2 percent. Sony Corp. bounded up 12.2 percent.
Analysts say they don't expect to see new stimulus measures or radical policy changes by the new Chinese leadership, especially after what Friday's figures showed.
"They are going to continue to make sure growth continues but at a sustainable rate and part of that for the new leadership is to make sure money isn't wasted on corruption or on roads that go nowhere. They are trying to be prudent in their policies," said Andrew Sullivan, a Hong Kong-based market analyst.
Investors became more optimistic Thursday after the U.S. Commerce Department issued a strong report on housing starts for December. Builders broke ground on houses and apartments at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 954,000 ? more than 12 percent higher than November.
Unemployment figures were a further sign of economic recovery. The U.S. government said the number of Americans seeking unemployment aid plummeted to a five-year low last week.
"US economic data continued to show steady and gradual growth, and that gave a fresh boost to market sentiment," said Gary Yau of Credit Agricole in a market commentary.
Benchmark oil for February delivery was down 3 cents to $95.46 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract gained $1.25 to finish at $95.49 a barrel. That was the highest close for crude on the Nymex since Sept. 17 and a result of the positive economic reports out of the U.S.
In currencies, the euro fell to $1.3358 from $1.3384 late Thursday in New York. The dollar was at 89.97 yen.
___
Follow Pamela Sampson on Twitter at http://twitter.com/pamelasampson
It turns out moths are far better at video games than we might have thought. When navigating through a virtual forest, hawkmoths determine their route ahead of time depending on how much of the forest they can see. Mimicking their strategy might help us improve the flying ability of the micro-drones now being built.
Moths certainly see the world differently from humans as they zip along at 25 wingbeats per second. To figure out how they use landmarks to aid their navigation, Yonatan Munk of the University of Washington in Seattle created a virtual forest containing various amounts of "fog" that obscured the virtual trees. He then tied a hawkmoth (Manduca sexta) to an input device in front of the screen. This device detected when the moth was turning and caused the visualisation to respond accordingly.
"I'm essentially giving the moth a joystick," Munk said at the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology meeting in San Francisco, where he presented the research last week.
The simple animation (see video) tricked the moth into navigating through the trees it saw. Similar techniques have been used to fool fruit flies, mice and fish. When the insect thought it was about to crash into a tree, it would often flail its legs as though trying to land or slow down.
Munk and his colleagues set up three virtual environmental scenarios to see whether moths always navigate through trees in the same way. Surprisingly, they found that the moths changed their strategy depending on visibility conditions.
If virtual "fog" rendered visibility so poor that the moth had just quarter of a second to respond to approaching obstacles, it would fly in wide circles until it found a tree, which it then used as a reference point.
Next, the researchers lifted the virtual fog slightly, giving the moth about 2 seconds to respond to obstacles. Now, if trees loomed to the left or right, the moths veered sharply towards them.
Information filter
Finally, with no fog at all, the moth could see trees even a virtual kilometre away. Now there was no longer a correlation between the moth's left and right turns and the total number of trees visible to its left or right, says Munk. However, there was a correlation between its turns and the number and position of nearby trees ? in other words, moths ignored visible distant trees when navigating in very clear conditions.
It's interesting that the moths appear to plan their strategy ahead of time depending on how much of their environment they can see, says Mark Willis of Case Western University in Cleveland, Ohio. "We're used to thinking of insects as little stimulus-response machines."
By controlling what an insect encounters in a virtual reality world, researchers can tease apart how the creatures integrate different sensory inputs while navigating, says Willis. This information is important if we are to design effective flight navigation algorithms for micro-drones similar in size to the moths. "We're starting to understand what's going on in those beady little bug brains," Willis says.
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ALGIERS (Reuters) - A British national was killed in an attack on an Algerian gas facility in the region of In Amenas on Wednesday, bringing the death toll to two people, the official APS news agency said, quoting a statement released by the interior minister.
The statement also said that "gas processing has also been stopped because of the terrorist attack."
You may already know what loquacious food people such as Julia Child or James Beard had to say about eating (if you don't, you're in for a treat). But what about comedians, fiction writers, actresses and ancient proverbs?
Food is such a unique cultural experience because it involves everyone and it has existed forever. Which is precisely why food quotes are so diverse and evocative -- Who doesn't have something to say about eating?
Some lament the sadness of dining alone, while others are staunch proponents of the act. Some insist against eating animals, while others celebrate the flavors of cooked meat. Some say eat to live, others say live to eat.
Check out 75 of our favorite food quotes, and share yours in the comments.
TOKYO (AP) ? Tokyo's Narita International Airport operator says 3,400 travelers spent the night in the terminal after snow caused airlines to cancel 71 flights.
In the season's first snowfall in the Japanese capital, about 8 centimeters (3 inches) of snow fell in central Tokyo and around Narita on Monday ? a national holiday in Japan. The snow snarled traffic and caused train delays.
Airport officials distributed sleeping bags, water and crackers to stranded travelers. Normal flight operations at Narita resumed Tuesday, except for a few delays.
Major train operator JR East said trains were running on schedule Tuesday.
Sections of several highways around Tokyo were still closed Tuesday as workers cleared away snow and ice.
Youth mentoring linked to many positive effects, new CAMH and Big Brothers Big Sisters study showsPublic release date: 15-Jan-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Michael Torres media@camh.ca 416-595-6015 Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
Largest ever Canadian mentoring study will help create a best practices roadmap
Toronto, January 15, 2013 The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and Big Brothers Big Sisters Canada (BBBSC) are releasing the first results of one of the largest mentoring studies ever conducted.
The five-year study, which tracks the experiences of almost 1,000 children and teenagers registered with Big Brothers Big Sisters agencies across Canada, found that those with a mentor are significantly more confident in their academic abilities and considerably less likely to display behavioural problems.
One stand out finding is that girls in the study with a Big Sister were four times less likely to bully, fight, lie or express anger than girls without a mentor.
"This ground-breaking research confirms that mentoring changes the trajectory of young lives," says Bruce MacDonald, president and CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada (BBBSC). "The findings will have a profoundly beneficial impact on our mentoring programs."
The study was conducted by a team of academics led by Dr. David DeWit, a senior scientist CAMH in London, Ontario, and Dr. Ellen Lipman, a psychiatrist and Professor at McMaster University in Hamilton. The research was made possible by a $1.7 million grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).
The study's findings are expected to bring about significant advances in how the agencies of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada (BBBSC) deliver mentoring services. Expected outcomes are more specialized pre-match training for the child, parents and mentor; more effective match support for all three participants to better manage expectations and earlier detection of special needs among children and teenagers.
BBBSC believes that this landmark study's legacy will be longer and more successful matches and mentoring that is more closely tailored to individual needs.
"We showed that the positive findings held regardless of the children's age, personal history, family circumstances or cultural identity," explained DeWit. "Over time, Big Brothers Big Sisters agencies will be able to counsel mentors on how best to engage with their 'Little' and will make it easier to identify the children most likely to benefit from having a mentor."
Key findings:
Girls with a Big Sister are two and a half times more likely than girls without a mentor to be confident in their ability to be successful at school.
Boys with a Big Brother are three times less likely than boys without a mentor to suffer peer pressure related anxiety, such as worrying about what other children think or say about them.
Mentored boys are two times more likely to believe that school is fun and that doing well academically is important.
Mentored boys are also two times less likely than non-mentored boys to develop negative conducts like bullying, fighting, lying, cheating, losing their temper or expressing anger.
These current findings are just a small sample of what will be released in the months and years to come.
Each new release of findings will further illuminate the extent to which mentored children do better; why mentored children do better and Big Brothers Big Sisters agency practices that lead to the most successful mentoring relationships.
Over time, Big Brothers Big Sisters agencies will actually be able to counsel mentors on how best to engage with their "Little" based on their, age, personal history, family circumstances and cultural identity.
During the pre-match screening process, the study's conclusions are also expected to make it easier to identify the children most likely to benefit from having a mentor.
"When the findings of this research are fully understood, we expect that virtually every aspect of how we approach, design and maintain our mentoring relationships will be impacted," says MacDonald. "The work of the project's outstanding team, so ably led by Dr. DeWit and Dr. Lipman, will benefit children and teenagers in every region of Canada for generations."
"We recognize that the work of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada has played a crucial role in the lives of many young Canadians," says Dr. Anthony Phillips, Scientific Director of the CIHR Institute of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction. "CIHR is pleased to support research that provides communities with information about youth mental health and healthy development in society."
###
For more information or to schedule an interview contact: Michael Torres, CAMH Media Relations, 416-595-6015 or media@camh.ca
The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) is Canada's largest mental health and addiction teaching hospital, as well as one of the world's leading research centres in its field. CAMH combines clinical care, research, education, policy development and health promotion to help transform the lives of people affected by mental health and addiction issues.
CAMH is fully affiliated with the University of Toronto, and is a Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization Collaborating Centre. For more information, please visit www.camh.ca
The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) is the Government of Canada's health research investment agency. CIHR's mission is to create new scientific knowledge and to enable its translation into improved health, more effective health services and products, and a strengthened Canadian health care system. Composed of 13 Institutes, CIHR provides leadership and support to more than 14,100 health researchers and trainees across Canada.
For one hundred years, Big Brothers Big Sisters has been making a positive difference in the lives of Canada's youth by developing and implementing a wide range of mentoring programs. BBBSC volunteer mentors teach by example the importance of giving back, of staying in school, and of respecting family, peers and community.
BBBSC provides quality mentoring services for more than 33,000 children and teenagers. The community-based youth mentoring organization currently has over 25,000 volunteer mentors working at 123 agencies that serve children in over 1,000 communities across the country. Learn more. Visit www.bigbrothersbigsisters.ca.
[ | E-mail | 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.
Youth mentoring linked to many positive effects, new CAMH and Big Brothers Big Sisters study showsPublic release date: 15-Jan-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Michael Torres media@camh.ca 416-595-6015 Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
Largest ever Canadian mentoring study will help create a best practices roadmap
Toronto, January 15, 2013 The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and Big Brothers Big Sisters Canada (BBBSC) are releasing the first results of one of the largest mentoring studies ever conducted.
The five-year study, which tracks the experiences of almost 1,000 children and teenagers registered with Big Brothers Big Sisters agencies across Canada, found that those with a mentor are significantly more confident in their academic abilities and considerably less likely to display behavioural problems.
One stand out finding is that girls in the study with a Big Sister were four times less likely to bully, fight, lie or express anger than girls without a mentor.
"This ground-breaking research confirms that mentoring changes the trajectory of young lives," says Bruce MacDonald, president and CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada (BBBSC). "The findings will have a profoundly beneficial impact on our mentoring programs."
The study was conducted by a team of academics led by Dr. David DeWit, a senior scientist CAMH in London, Ontario, and Dr. Ellen Lipman, a psychiatrist and Professor at McMaster University in Hamilton. The research was made possible by a $1.7 million grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).
The study's findings are expected to bring about significant advances in how the agencies of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada (BBBSC) deliver mentoring services. Expected outcomes are more specialized pre-match training for the child, parents and mentor; more effective match support for all three participants to better manage expectations and earlier detection of special needs among children and teenagers.
BBBSC believes that this landmark study's legacy will be longer and more successful matches and mentoring that is more closely tailored to individual needs.
"We showed that the positive findings held regardless of the children's age, personal history, family circumstances or cultural identity," explained DeWit. "Over time, Big Brothers Big Sisters agencies will be able to counsel mentors on how best to engage with their 'Little' and will make it easier to identify the children most likely to benefit from having a mentor."
Key findings:
Girls with a Big Sister are two and a half times more likely than girls without a mentor to be confident in their ability to be successful at school.
Boys with a Big Brother are three times less likely than boys without a mentor to suffer peer pressure related anxiety, such as worrying about what other children think or say about them.
Mentored boys are two times more likely to believe that school is fun and that doing well academically is important.
Mentored boys are also two times less likely than non-mentored boys to develop negative conducts like bullying, fighting, lying, cheating, losing their temper or expressing anger.
These current findings are just a small sample of what will be released in the months and years to come.
Each new release of findings will further illuminate the extent to which mentored children do better; why mentored children do better and Big Brothers Big Sisters agency practices that lead to the most successful mentoring relationships.
Over time, Big Brothers Big Sisters agencies will actually be able to counsel mentors on how best to engage with their "Little" based on their, age, personal history, family circumstances and cultural identity.
During the pre-match screening process, the study's conclusions are also expected to make it easier to identify the children most likely to benefit from having a mentor.
"When the findings of this research are fully understood, we expect that virtually every aspect of how we approach, design and maintain our mentoring relationships will be impacted," says MacDonald. "The work of the project's outstanding team, so ably led by Dr. DeWit and Dr. Lipman, will benefit children and teenagers in every region of Canada for generations."
"We recognize that the work of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada has played a crucial role in the lives of many young Canadians," says Dr. Anthony Phillips, Scientific Director of the CIHR Institute of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction. "CIHR is pleased to support research that provides communities with information about youth mental health and healthy development in society."
###
For more information or to schedule an interview contact: Michael Torres, CAMH Media Relations, 416-595-6015 or media@camh.ca
The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) is Canada's largest mental health and addiction teaching hospital, as well as one of the world's leading research centres in its field. CAMH combines clinical care, research, education, policy development and health promotion to help transform the lives of people affected by mental health and addiction issues.
CAMH is fully affiliated with the University of Toronto, and is a Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization Collaborating Centre. For more information, please visit www.camh.ca
The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) is the Government of Canada's health research investment agency. CIHR's mission is to create new scientific knowledge and to enable its translation into improved health, more effective health services and products, and a strengthened Canadian health care system. Composed of 13 Institutes, CIHR provides leadership and support to more than 14,100 health researchers and trainees across Canada.
For one hundred years, Big Brothers Big Sisters has been making a positive difference in the lives of Canada's youth by developing and implementing a wide range of mentoring programs. BBBSC volunteer mentors teach by example the importance of giving back, of staying in school, and of respecting family, peers and community.
BBBSC provides quality mentoring services for more than 33,000 children and teenagers. The community-based youth mentoring organization currently has over 25,000 volunteer mentors working at 123 agencies that serve children in over 1,000 communities across the country. Learn more. Visit www.bigbrothersbigsisters.ca.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
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.
Prince Albert of Monaco has accepted an apology and damages from Britain's Sunday Times newspaper over an article suggesting his wife Princess Charlene was reluctant to marry him, lawyers said Tuesday.?
The prince had launched libel action over a July 2011 article that suggested Charlene agreed to a sham marriage in exchange for payment, and that Albert had confiscated her passport to prevent her from fleeing Monaco so she would stay and marry him for appearance's sake.?
The article ? headlined "The Full Filthy Monte" ? also alleged that Albert had turned a blind eye to corrupt activity and granted residence permits to foreigners for fear of having alleged secrets about his love life exposed.?
The prince's lawyer, Mark Thomson, argued that the article's publication, two days after the couple's wedding, had upset and embarrassed them.?
Thomson said the newspaper had confirmed that it would pay damages and legal fees to the couple.?
The paper's lawyer, Rupert Earle, Tuesday apologized for the damage and distress caused in court.?
"We accepted that these allegations were untrue and seriously defamatory," the newspaper's publisher, News International, said in a statement.
Valery Hache / AFP - Getty Images
Prince Albert weds Charlene Wittstock in a true family affair.
More: Monaco royal couple shoots down 'runaway bride' rumors? Duchess Kate's baby due in July, she 'continues to improve,' palace says Kim Kardashian reveals fertility issues; calls pregnancy 'a pleasant surprise' Chelsea Clinton: Hilary is 'as vibrant as ever' Official portrait of Duchess Kate revealed
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Public release date: 15-Jan-2013
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