Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/300793703?client_source=feed&format=rss
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Tuesday, April 23, 2013
US hospitals send hundreds of immigrants back home
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) ? Days after they were badly hurt in a car accident, Jacinto Cruz and Jose Rodriguez-Saldana lay unconscious in an Iowa hospital while the American health care system weighed what to do with the two immigrants from Mexico.
The men had health insurance from jobs at one of the nation's largest pork producers. But neither had legal permission to live in the U.S., nor was it clear whether their insurance would pay for the long-term rehabilitation they needed.
So Iowa Methodist Medical Center in Des Moines took matters into its own hands: After consulting with the patients' families, it quietly loaded the two comatose men onto a private jet that flew them back to Mexico, effectively deporting them without consulting any court or federal agency.
When the men awoke, they were more than 1,800 miles away in a hospital in Veracruz, on the Mexican Gulf Coast.
Hundreds of immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally have taken similar journeys through a little-known removal system run not by the federal government trying to enforce laws but by hospitals seeking to curb high costs. A recent report compiled by immigrant advocacy groups made a rare attempt to determine how many people are sent home, concluding that at least 600 immigrants were removed over a five-year period, though there were likely many more.
In interviews with immigrants, their families, attorneys and advocates, The Associated Press reviewed the obscure process known formally as "medical repatriation," which allows hospitals to put patients on chartered international flights, often while they are still unconscious. Hospitals typically pay for the flights.
"The problem is it's all taking place in this unregulated sort of a black hole ... and there is no tracking," said law professor Lori Nessel, director of the Center for Social Justice at Seton Hall Law School, which offers free legal representation to immigrants.
Now advocates for immigrants are concerned that hospitals could soon begin expanding the practice after full implementation of federal health care reform, which will make deep cuts to the payments hospitals receive for taking care of the uninsured.
Health care executives say they are caught between a requirement to accept all patients and a political battle over immigration.
"It really is a Catch-22 for us," said Dr. Mark Purtle, vice president of Medical Affairs for Iowa Health System, which includes Iowa Methodist Medical Center. "This is the area that the federal government, the state, everybody says we're not paying for the undocumented."
Hospitals are legally mandated to care for all patients who need emergency treatment, regardless of citizenship status or ability to pay. But once a patient is stabilized, that funding ceases, along with the requirement to provide care. Many immigrant workers without citizenship are ineligible for Medicaid, the government's insurance program for the poor and elderly.
That's why hospitals often try to send those patients to rehabilitation centers and nursing homes back in their home countries.
Civil rights groups say the practice violates U.S. and international laws and unfairly targets one of the nation's most defenseless populations.
"They don't have advocates, and they don't have people who will speak on their behalf," said Miami attorney John De Leon, who has been arguing such cases for a decade.
Estimating the number of cases is difficult since no government agency or organization keeps track.
The Center for Social Justice and New York Lawyers for the Public Interest have documented at least 600 immigrants who were involuntarily removed in the past five years for medical reasons. The figure is based on data from hospitals, humanitarian organizations, news reports and immigrant advocates who cited specific cases. But the actual number is believed to be significantly higher because many more cases almost certainly go unreported.
Some patients who were sent home subsequently died in hospitals that weren't equipped to meet their needs. Others suffered lingering medical problems because they never received adequate rehabilitation, the report said.
Gail Montenegro, a spokeswoman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said the agency "plays no role in a health care provider's private transfer of a patient to his or her country of origin."
Such transfers "are not the result of federal authority or action," she said in an email, nor are they considered "removals, deportations or voluntary departures" as defined by the Immigration and Nationality Act.
The two Mexican workers in Iowa came to the U.S. in search of better jobs and found work at Iowa Select Farms, which provided them with medical insurance even though they had no visas or other immigration documents.
Cruz had been here for about six months, Rodriguez-Saldana for a little over a year. The men were returning home from a fishing trip in May 2008 when their car was struck by a semitrailer truck. Both were thrown from the vehicle and suffered serious head injuries.
Insurance paid more than $100,000 for the two men's emergency treatment. But it was unclear whether the policies would pay for long-term rehabilitation. Two rehabilitation centers refused to take them.
Eleven days after the car crash, the two men were still comatose as they were carried aboard a jet bound for Veracruz, where a hospital had agreed to take them.
Rodriguez-Saldana, now 39, said the Des Moines hospital told his family that he was unlikely to survive and should be sent home.
The hospital "doesn't really want Mexicans," he said in a telephone interview with the AP. "They wanted to disconnect me so I could die. They said I couldn't survive, that I wouldn't live."
Hospital officials said they could not discuss the case because of litigation. The men and their families filed a lawsuit in 2010 claiming they received minimal rehabilitative care in Veracruz.
A judge dismissed the lawsuit last year ruling that Iowa Methodist was not to blame for the inadequate care in Veracruz. The courts also found that even though the families of the men may not have consented to their transport to Mexico, they also failed to object to it. An appeals court upheld the dismissal.
Patients are frequently told family members want them to come home. In cases where the patient is unconscious or can't communicate, relatives are told their loved one wants to return, De Leon said.
Sometimes they're told the situation is dire, and the patient may die, prompting many grief-stricken relatives to agree to a transfer, he said.
Some hospitals "emotionally extort family members in their home country," De Leon said. "They make family members back home feel guilty so they can simply put them on a plane and drop them off at the airport."
In court documents, Iowa hospital officials said they had received permission from Saldana's parents and Cruz's long-term partner for the flight to Mexico. Family members deny they gave consent.
There's no way to know for sure whether the two men would have recovered faster or better in the United States. But the accident left both of them with life-altering disabilities.
Nearly five years later, the 49-year-old Cruz is paralyzed on his left side, the result of damage to his hip and spine. He has difficulty speaking and can't work.
"I can't even walk," he said in a telephone interview, breaking into tears several times. His long-term partner, Belem, said he's more emotional since the accident.
"He feels bad because he went over there and came back like this," she said. "Now he can't work at all. ... He cries a lot."
She works selling food and cleaning houses. Their oldest son, 22, sometimes contributes to the family income.
Rodriguez-Saldana said he has to pay for intensive therapy for his swollen feet and bad circulation. He also said he walks poorly and has difficulty working. He sells home supplies such as kitchen and bath towels and dishes, a business that requires a lot of walking and visiting houses. He often forgets where he lives, but people recognize him on the street and take him home because he's confused.
The American Hospital Association said it does not have a specific policy governing immigrant removals, and it does not track how many hospitals encounter the issue.
Nessel expects medical removals to increase with implementation of health care reform, which makes many more patients eligible for Medicaid. As a result, the government plans to cut payments to hospitals that care for the uninsured.
Some hospitals call immigration authorities when they receive patients without immigration documentation, but the government rarely responds, Nessel said. Taking custody of the patient would also require the government to assume financial responsibility for care.
Jan Stipe runs the Iowa Methodist department that finds hospitals in patients' native countries that are willing to take them. The hospital's goal, she said, is to "get patients back to where their support systems are, their loved ones who will provide the care and the concern that each patient needs."
The American Medical Association's Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs issued a strongly worded directive to doctors in 2009, urging them not to "allow hospital administrators to use their significant power and the current lack of regulations" to send patients to other countries.
Doctors cannot expect hospitals to provide costly uncompensated care to patients indefinitely, the statement said. "But neither should physicians allow hospitals to arbitrarily determine the fate of an uninsured noncitizen immigrant patient."
Arturo Morales, a Monterrey, Mexico, lawyer who helps Cruz and Rodriguez-Saldana with legal issues, is convinced the men would have been better off staying in Iowa.
"I have no doubt," he said. "You have a patient who doesn't have money to pay you. You can't let them die."
___
Associated Press Writer Barbara Rodriguez in Des Moines contributed to this report.
___
Follow David Pitt on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/davepitt .
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Monday, April 22, 2013
South Korean minister cancels Japan visit over war shrine
By Ju-min Park
SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea's foreign minister canceled a trip to Japan on Monday after Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe made an offering to a shrine seen as a symbol of Japan's former militarism, a South Korean government official said.
China also objected to Abe's offering on Sunday to the Yasukuni shrine, where 14 Japanese leaders convicted as war criminals by an Allied tribunal are honored, saying Japan had to face up to its past nationalistic aggression.
Abe, an outspoken nationalist, made a ritual offering of a pine tree to the shrine. He did not go there but two Japanese ministers and a deputy chief cabinet secretary did visit it on the weekend.
Such gestures upset Asian victims of Japan's war-time aggression, including China and South Korea.
"We are disappointed," said a South Korean government official.
"Through a diplomatic channel, we sent a message several times that we did not want any visit to the shrine before our minister's trip," said the official, who declined to be identified.
South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se had aimed to discuss the direction of relations with his Japanese counterpart during his planned visit, the official said.
"It is now almost impossible to have a constructive conversation," the official said, referring to the decision to cancel the trip.
For Koreans, the shrine is a reminder of Japan's brutal colonial rule from 1910-1945.
China, which also suffered under Japanese occupation, also takes offence when Japanese leaders pay their respects at the shrine.
"PRIVATE CONDUCT"
A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said Japan's relations with its neighbors hinged on its acceptance of its history.
"Japan must face up to its history of nationalist aggression" and respect the feelings of victims, the Chinese spokeswoman, Hua Chunying, told a daily news briefing.
"We believe that only when Japan attains a deep understanding of its past history can it open up its future and develop a cooperative relationship with other Asian countries," she said.
In Tokyo, Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a news conference that final details of Yun's visit had not been worked out. Visits to the shrine should not disrupt relations between Japan and its neighbors, he said.
"Each country has its own position. We should not let it affect diplomacy."
Suga said the ministers' visits to the shrine were private.
"Cabinet ministers paying visit as private individuals is their private conduct. The government refrains from commenting," he said.
It is not clear how Abe made his offering.
China's Global Times newspaper, published by the Chinese Communist Party's official newspaper, the People's Daily, said the shrine gesture was evidence that Japan was "a troublemaker and provocateur among Asian countries".
"This is yet another time that Japan has gone out of its way to manipulate Asian politics," it said.
(Additional reporting by Kiyoshi Takenaka in TOKYO and Sally Huang and Megha Rajagopalan in BEIJING; Editing by Robert Birsel)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/south-korean-minister-cancels-japan-visit-over-war-013304254.html
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Louisiana has nation's highest auto insurance rates - again - WWL-TV
Chance Ryan / Houma Courier
Louisiana's auto insurance rates remain the highest in the nation, according to industry studies.
A March report from Insure.com, an insurance industry website, shows Louisiana's average auto insurance rates at $2,699 annually, followed by Michigan at $2,520 and Georgia at $2,155.
By comparison, the national average for car insurance premiums in the U.S. is a little more than $1,500.
This is the third year in a row Louisiana tops the list. Before 2011 it held the No. 2 spot for years, industry reports show.
Maine enjoys the least expensive car insurance rates, at $934 per year, followed by Iowa, $1,028.
A variety of factors dictate how costly auto insurance will be state by state, the report says. Such as the number of insurers competing for business, driving conditions, the portion of uninsured drivers and the way state insurance systems are set up.
Compared to the rest of the country, the study notes that Louisiana drivers who get in wrecks file more injury claims than motorists in other states.
Louisiana also has a high rate of natural disaster damage.
Blue Bunol, general manager for ABC Insurance, a local auto insurance agency with 62 locations throughout Louisiana and Texas, said the litigious nature of people in the state make it difficult for insurance companies to keep costs low.
Louisiana faces issues with high insurance costs because of poor roads and natural disasters, Bunol said. But it's also the personal injury lawyers who advertise heavily on television and on bus stop benches, and the state's direct-action law, which allows people to sue insurers directly.
Louisiana is ranked 13th in the country for attorneys per capita, with 11.1 lawyers per 10,000 residents, according to AveryIndex.com, a law and rankings website.
The state's relatively poor population sees this aggressive advertising, Bunol said, many of which (about 13 percent) don't have car insurance and are more inclined to wring whatever they can out of an insurance policy.
?Attorney advertisement entices people who are looking for a handout to call whether their accident warrants it or not,? he said. ?Then the attorneys build a claim around nothing. Many of these claims are turning into a feeding frenzy.?
Louisiana has the highest frequency of bodily injury claims, according to a report by the Insurance Research Council.
Bunol said drivers can still get good deals if they rely more on insurers, like ABC, who offer mixed packages that drive competition.
He also noted that high car insurance rates are not necessarily statewide. The highest rates are largely concentrated in the New Orleans metropolitan area.
For example, a 21-year-old male with a clean driving record who drives a 2005 Toyota Corolla pays $246.05 per month for basic insurance in New Orleans, according to ABC quotes. Using that same sample, the monthly cost would be only $176.54 in Houma.
Bunol said another factor that contributes to the high costs is the high level of alcohol consumption in Louisiana.
?You don't have many states where you can drive though a daiquiri place and get a highball and a beer to go,? he said.
Deplorable road conditions, as a result of the soft nature of the soil, contribute to the costs as well, he said.
?So you got poor streets and more people drinking and driving ? yeah, that's going to increase the frequency of claims.?
Melissa Landry, director of Louisiana Lawsuit Abuse Watch, a nonprofit judicial-reform organization based in Baton Rouge, said a unique law in Louisiana, which dictates that civil claims under $50,000 must be decided by a judge, not a jury, is unfair to residents and insurance companies.
It puts more power into the hands of elected judges, Landry alleges. And that may encourage some contingency fee attorneys who make a living based on court outcomes to seek out judges who have a track record of siding with plaintiffs ? the people living in the communities they serve ? more than insurers they sue.
While Landry does not want to paint the judiciary with a broad brush, she said it's clear that money contributed to judicial elections may at times add an element of political pressure that juries don't experience.
?In recent analysis of civil jury trial threshold limits for all 50 states, Louisiana Lawsuit Abuse Watch found that the vast majority of states have no threshold for civil jury trials, and among 14 states that do, Louisiana's threshold is by far the highest in the nation,? Landry said. ?At $50,000, Louisiana's jury trial threshold is roughly more than 28 times the national average of $1,742.40.?
The $50,000 threshold was enacted during the last administration of former Gov. Edwin Edwards in 1993 in an effort by legislators to prevent overburdening the courts with more bureaucracy and increased government spending for assembling juries and other costs.
In various reports, legislators have said people who come for jury duty do not want to waste time for minor traffic claims. And if the trial threshold were to be lowered, even more civil jury trials will take place, which will create longer delays in an already backed-up judiciary system.
?It is unfair to ask the citizens of Louisiana to serve on juries for small claims that can be effectively and efficiently handled by judges ? and have been for years,? Michael L. Barras, a personal injury attorney in New Iberia, wrote on his website.
Bunol said the truth is insurance companies don't really care how high the rates go nor do legislators because it all evens out in the end.
?They look at it as another form of welfare,? Bunol said. ?Instead of tax dollars distributed as welfare, it's insurance dollars that are simply paid by the public anyway ? same as tax dollars. Insurance companies are going to pay the claim and ultimately change their rate accordingly. But all of us who pay high insurance rates should be screaming at the legislators to make stiffer laws to keep these attorneys from being able to build up a claim that should have never existed in the first place.?
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Muji Stripped This Splash-proof Speaker To Its Bare Essentials
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Sunday, April 21, 2013
Taliban attack kills 6 Afghan police officers
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) ? An official says Taliban insurgents have attacked a police checkpoint in eastern Afghanistan, killing six officers.
The militants hit the post Sunday in the Dayak district of Ghazni province, said Col. Mohammad Hussain, Ghazni's deputy police chief. In addition to the six dead, the attackers wounded one officer. Another was missing.
One of many Afghan local police forces was running the checkpoint. The forces are recruited at the village level to protect their townships from insurgents and other fighters, including criminals. The local forces are nominally under the control of the Afghan Interior Ministry.
On Friday, Taliban insurgents attacked a local police checkpoint in Andar, a district of Ghazni province neighboring Dayak. They killed 13 officers, according to Sidiq Sidiqi, the Interior Ministry spokesman.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/taliban-attack-kills-6-afghan-police-officers-074640219.html
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Editor's desk: Offline in NYC
All that prep work I've been doing in New York City for the last few weeks? It jumps to warp speed tomorrow and I, along with my fellow Mobile Nations editors, Phil Nickinson, Daniel Rubino, and Kevin Michaluk, along with the enormously talented Cali Lewis and John P, will be pretty much offline most days this week.
I'll still pop in as much as possible, and I'll share via @reneritchie on Twitter, ADN, and Instagram as much as I can. Apple earnings are coming up on Tuesday, so at the very least I'll make sure I'm around for that.
Meanwhile, our new editor, Peter Cohen, starts tomorrow, and Leanna, Ally, Joe, as well as Chris and Simon will be around to keep things running.
We're going to have a ton of stuff coming your way and soon, so please excuse me for a few while we all work our asses off to make it so.
Photo: safe solvent
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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/kUq4SB5iFBY/story01.htm
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Independent Scotland would face currency problem - Osborne
LONDON (Reuters) - Chancellor George Osborne said on Sunday it would not be straightforward for an independent Scotland to keep the pound as its currency, as proposed by those campaigning for the country to break away from the United Kingdom next year.
The nation of five million will hold an independence referendum on September 18, 2014, at the instigation of the Scottish National Party (SNP), which runs the country's devolved government.
Pro-independence campaigners say Scotland would keep the pound, at least in the early years of independence, and could later hold a sovereign debate on whether to switch to its own currency.
But Osborne and his deputy Danny Alexander, who is Scottish, said in a joint article that monetary union would not work as well in "a disunited kingdom".
"The pound we share now works and it works well. Under independence all the alternatives are second best. So our question to the nationalists - are you really saying second best is good enough for Scotland?" the two men wrote.
As things stand, opinion polls suggest about 30 percent of Scottish voters favour independence while 50 percent would stick with the status quo, but those who want Scotland to remain part of the United Kingdom are not taking victory for granted.
The central government in London will publish on Tuesday a detailed analysis of the implications on currency of Scottish independence. The article by Osborne and Alexander sought to make the case against independence ahead of that report.
It said that if an independent Scotland kept the pound and thus had its monetary policy set by the Bank of England, that would amount to "handing over to what would become a foreign government key decisions over the Scottish economy".
"This is one of the big contradictions in their (the nationalists') whole economic approach," the article said.
"Campaigning to 'bring powers home' with one hand, while giving them away with the other ... It simply doesn't add up."
Osborne and Alexander accused SNP ministers of "tying themselves in knots" over the currency issue because in their heart of hearts they knew that economic and political union across the United Kingdom worked well.
In a speech delivered in Scotland last week, Alexander said the euro zone crisis had shown that combining monetary union with fiscal independence was challenging.
"While such arrangements can appear successful in a period of stability, they can lead to brutal readjustments in times of economic stress and uncertainty," he said.
Osborne's Conservative Party and Alexander's Liberal Democrats are both against independence but are not dominant forces in Scottish politics. The opposition Labour Party, traditionally a major force there, also opposes independence.
(Reporting by Estelle Shirbon; Editing by Stephen Powell)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/independent-scotland-face-currency-problem-osborne-231236357--business.html
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Andre Miller Layup: Nuggets Guard Hit Game-Winner vs. Warriors In Game 1 (VIDEO)
Golden State Warriors v Denver Nuggets - Game One
DENVER, CO - APRIL 20: Andre Miller #24 of the Denver Nuggets lays in the game winning shot against Draymond Green #23 of the Golden State Warriors with 1.2 seconds remaining in the game during Game One of the Western Conference Quarterfinals of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at the Pepsi Center on April 20, 2013 in Denver, Colorado. The Nuggets defeated the Warriors 97-95. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)
Denver Nuggets guard Andre Miller is swarmed by teammates after his game-winning basket in Game 1 in the first round of the NBA basketball playoffs against the Golden State Warriors on Saturday, April 20, 2013, in Denver. The Nuggets won 97-95. (AP Photo/Chris Schneider)
Golden State Warriors v Denver Nuggets - Game One
DENVER, CO - APRIL 20: Evan Fournier #94 of the Denver Nuggets puts up a shot against Stephen Curry #30 and Andrew Bogut #12 of the Golden State Warriors during Game One of the Western Conference Quarterfinals of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at the Pepsi Center on April 20, 2013 in Denver, Colorado. The Nuggets defeated the Warriors 97-95. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)
Golden State Warriors v Denver Nuggets - Game One
DENVER, CO - APRIL 20: Evan Fournier #94 of the Denver Nuggets lays up a shot against Festus Ezeli #31 of the Golden State Warriors as Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors and Kosta Koufos #41 of the Denver Nuggets follow the play during Game One of the Western Conference Quarterfinals of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at the Pepsi Center on April 20, 2013 in Denver, Colorado. The Nuggets defeated the Warriors 97-95. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)
Golden State Warriors v Denver Nuggets - Game One
DENVER, CO - APRIL 20: Ty Lawson #3 of the Denver Nuggets lays up a shot against Harrison Barnes #40 of the Golden State Warriors and Andrew Bogut #12 of the Golden State Warriors during Game One of the Western Conference Quarterfinals of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at the Pepsi Center on April 20, 2013 in Denver, Colorado. The Nuggets defeated the Warriors 97-95. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)
Golden State Warriors v Denver Nuggets - Game One
DENVER, CO - APRIL 20: Harrison Barnes #40 of the Golden State Warriors, JaVale McGee #34 of the Denver Nuggets, Andris Biedrins #15 of the Golden State Warriors, Ty Lawson #3 of the Denver Nuggets and David Lee #10 of the Golden State Warriors battle for a rebound during Game One of the Western Conference Quarterfinals of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at the Pepsi Center on April 20, 2013 in Denver, Colorado. The Nuggets defeated the Warriors 97-95. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)
Golden State Warriors v Denver Nuggets - Game One
DENVER, CO - APRIL 20: Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors turns the ball over to the defensive pressure of Wilson Chandler #21 of the Denver Nuggets and Ty Lawson #3 of the Denver Nuggets during Game One of the Western Conference Quarterfinals of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at the Pepsi Center on April 20, 2013 in Denver, Colorado. The Nuggets defeated the Warriors 97-95. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)
Golden State Warriors v Denver Nuggets - Game One
DENVER, CO - APRIL 20: David Lee #10 of the Golden State Warriors leaves the court after an injury against the Denver Nuggets during Game One of the Western Conference Quarterfinals of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at the Pepsi Center on April 20, 2013 in Denver, Colorado. The Nuggets defeated the Warriors 97-95. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)
Golden State Warriors v Denver Nuggets - Game One
DENVER, CO - APRIL 20: JaVale McGee #34 of the Denver Nuggets dunks the ball as he was fouled by Festus Ezeli #31 of the Golden State Warriors during Game One of the Western Conference Quarterfinals of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at the Pepsi Center on April 20, 2013 in Denver, Colorado. The Nuggets defeated the Warriors 97-95. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)
Golden State Warriors v Denver Nuggets - Game One
DENVER, CO - APRIL 20: Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors reacts after a play against the Denver Nuggets during Game One of the Western Conference Quarterfinals of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at the Pepsi Center on April 20, 2013 in Denver, Colorado. The Nuggets defeated the Warriors 97-95. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)
Golden State Warriors v Denver Nuggets - Game One
DENVER, CO - APRIL 20: Andre Iguodala #9 of the Denver Nuggets dishes the ball off while under defensive pressure from Draymond Green #23 of the Golden State Warriors during Game One of the Western Conference Quarterfinals of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at the Pepsi Center on April 20, 2013 in Denver, Colorado. The Nuggets defeated the Warriors 97-95. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)
Golden State Warriors v Denver Nuggets - Game One
DENVER, CO - APRIL 20: Head coach George Karl leads the Denver Nuggets to a 97-95 win over the Golden State Warriors during Game One of the Western Conference Quarterfinals of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at the Pepsi Center on April 20, 2013 in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)
Golden State Warriors v Denver Nuggets - Game One
DENVER, CO - APRIL 20: Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors and his teammates leave the court after being defeated by the Denver Nuggets in Game One of the Western Conference Quarterfinals of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at the Pepsi Center on April 20, 2013 in Denver, Colorado. The Nuggets defeated the Warriors 97-95. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)
Golden State Warriors v Denver Nuggets - Game One
DENVER, CO - APRIL 20: Andre Miller #24 of the Denver Nuggets steals the ball from Jarrett Jack #2 of the Golden State Warriors during Game One of the Western Conference Quarterfinals of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at the Pepsi Center on April 20, 2013 in Denver, Colorado. The Nuggets defeated the Warriors 97-95. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)
Golden State Warriors v Denver Nuggets - Game One
DENVER, CO - APRIL 20: Andrew Bogut #12 of the Golden State Warriors battles for rebounding position against Wilson Chandler #21 of the Denver Nuggets and JaVale McGee #34 of the Denver Nuggets during Game One of the Western Conference Quarterfinals of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at the Pepsi Center on April 20, 2013 in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)
Golden State Warriors v Denver Nuggets - Game One
DENVER, CO - APRIL 20: Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors sits on the court following a play against the Denver Nuggets during Game One of the Western Conference Quarterfinals of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at the Pepsi Center on April 20, 2013 in Denver, Colorado. The Nuggets defeated the Warriors 97-95. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)
Golden State Warriors v Denver Nuggets - Game One
DENVER, CO - APRIL 20: Fans support the Denver Nuggets as they face the Golden State Warriors during Game One of the Western Conference Quarterfinals of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at the Pepsi Center on April 20, 2013 in Denver, Colorado. The Nuggets defeated the Warriors 97-95. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)
Ty Lawson, Klay Thompson, Andre Miller
Denver Nuggets guard Ty Lawson, right, lays in the ball past Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson, center, after a steal in the second half of Game 1 of a first-round NBA basketball playoff series, Saturday, April 20, 2013, in Denver. Nuggets guard Andre Miller is at left. The Nuggets won 97-95. (AP Photo/Chris Schneider)
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Saturday, April 20, 2013
Ghana Business News ? Economic systems collapsing due to ...
You Are Here: Home ? General News ? Economic systems collapsing due to human selfishness ? Former UCC Dean
Page last updated at Friday, April 19, 2013 7:07 AM //The former Dean of the Faculty of Sciences at University of Cape Coast (UCC), has? noted that despite global efforts and advancement in science and technology, the world has not achieved true economic and social development.
Professor Dominic Kofi Agyeman, attributed the problem to the development models and processes which are driven by human selfishness.
Prof Agyeman made the observation on Thursday? when he reviewed? a new book entitled ?Economic behaviour as if others too had interests,? at the UCC in Cape Coast .
The book which was launched by Dr Peter Aglobitse, Head of the? Economics Department of UCC,? has? 11 chapters? with? 222 pages and? was authored? by two Catholic Priests,? Reverend Father Raymond Chegedua Tangonyire? and Rev Fr Lawrence Kyaligonza Achal, both? of the Society of Jesus? congregation.
According to him, income disparities continue to widen with few individuals getting richer at the expense of the poor who usually are the majority.
He said the gap between rich and poor countries is not getting narrower with corruption becoming an economic virtue.
?Multinational corporations find easy partners in politicians who also pursue their selfish interests and can therefore be manipulated by these corporations in order to buy raw materials at throw-away prices and sell their finished products at exorbitant prices to the poor consumer,? he noted.
He said the solution to the world?s economic challenges do not lie in the? coming up with more abstract economic theories but rather in taming the evil of human selfishness.
Prof Agyeman? called on higher? institutions of learning to continue to emphasise on ethical values in students and also involve them in outreach programmes for communities where they would care for the less privileged in the society and? as well as? the environment.
The former Dean? urged parents to endeavour to live exemplary lives by shunning among other vices selfishness, corruption and greed.
He? called on religious leaders to lead exemplary lives by being more accountable for church resources, care for the needy, live moderate lives? and endeavour to preach about generosity and accountability.
He described the book as very ?thought provoking and elegantly written? and recommended it as a must-read for all graduate students and serious academics of all disciplines who are in pursuit of knowledge.
Rev Fr Tangonyire,? Assistant Chaplain at UCC and also an Alumnus of the university said the decision to write the book was informed by? factors including the global economic ?meltdown in 2008?, which he pointed out was caused by human selfishness.
He mentioned technological advancement? as another factor.
Prof Kofi Awusabo-Asare, Head of the Directorate of Academic Planning and Quality Assurance, UCC who presided over the event said it is important for universities not only to generate knowledge but also disseminate it through publication.
Source: GNA
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Friday, April 19, 2013
Reinhart And Rogoff Admit Excel Blunder - Business Insider
The big talk in the world of economics continues to be the famous study by Carmen Reinhart and Ken Rogoff, which claimed that as countries see debt/GDP going above 90%, growth slows dramatically.
Economists have always been skeptical of the correlation/causality on this.
But yesterday, a new study emerged which claimed that Reinhart and Rogoff used a faulty dataset to make that claim and (most stunningly) had an excel error that exacerbated the growth dropoff for countries with debt/GDP higher than 90%.
After the report dropped (and proceeded to blow up the internet), Reinhart and Rogoff rushed out a quick statement claiming that the new study (which was done by some UMass professors) supported their thesis that growth slowed as debt to GDP got higher. And Reinhart and Rogoff were quick to reiterate that even they weren't necessarily implying causation on this (which may be true, but the fact that they say this is not well known to the politicians who are always citing the dreaded 90% level).
But in a new response,?Reinhart and Rogoff admit they did make an Excel blunder, and that it mattered!
Here's the key part:
The authors point out that there are three problems with our 1945-2009 averages and the paper itself: (i) a coding error that causes the first five countries in the alphabet to be omitted in forming averages for the 1946-2009 period in one figure, (ii) ?selective exclusion? of 1946-1950 for New Zealand, and (iii) ?unconventional weighting of summary statistics??the implication being that these omissions are intentionally used to bias the results. They argue that the interaction of three problems magnifies their effects and leads to completely different conclusions, especially when they choose a different weighting scheme.
On the first point, we reiterate that Herndon, Ash and Pollin accurately point out the coding error that omits several countries from the averages in figure 2. Full stop. HAP are on point. The authors show our accidental omission has a fairly marginal effect on the 0-to-90-per-cent buckets in figure 2. However, it leads to a notable change in the average growth rate for the over-90-per-cent debt group. The median growth rate we report is the right order of magnitude.
The statement isn't a full cave.
They still say that growth is slower as debt gets higher, and as stated in the statement above, they claim that median, rather than mean, growth rates are consistent with their original projections, even with the Excel change.
STILL. This is dramatic stuff. The 90% threshold has taken on a huge role in the public economic/political/pop-culture discourse. And they admit that an Excel error lead to a "notable" change in what you'd get for the average growth rate above this level.
Here is the full text of their response:
?
Response to Herndon, Ash and Pollin by Carmen Reinhart and Kenneth Rogoff, April 17, 2012
We are grateful to Herndon et al. for the careful attention to our original Growth in a Time of Debt AER paper and for pointing out an important correction to Figure 2 of that paper. ? It is sobering that such an error slipped into one of our papers despite our best efforts to be consistently careful.? We will redouble our efforts to avoid such errors in the future.? We do not, however, believe this regrettable slip affects in any significant way the central message of the paper or that in our subsequent work. But first let us consider the specific points raised by Herndon Ash and Pollin (HAP) in their comment that we were sent yesterday.
The authors point out that there are three problems with our 1945-2009 averages and the paper itself: (i) a coding error that causes the first five countries in the alphabet to be omitted in forming averages for the 1946-2009 period in one figure, (ii) ?selective exclusion? of 1946-1950 for New Zealand, and (iii) ?unconventional weighting of summary statistics??the implication being that these omissions are intentionally used to bias the results.? They argue that the interaction of three problems magnifies their effects and leads to completely different conclusions, especially when they choose a different weighting scheme. ?
On the first point, we reiterate that Herndon, Ash and Pollin accurately point out the coding error that omits several countries from the averages in figure 2.? Full stop. ? HAP are on point. ? The authors show our accidental omission has a fairly marginal effect on the 0-90% buckets in figure 2.? However, it leads to a notable change in the average growth rate for the over 90% debt group. The median growth rate we report is the right order of magnitude. ?
Our interpretation of the errant data point in figure 2 was fortunately tempered somewhat by the parallel weight given to the median GDP growth rate for the various levels of debt in our discussion, an issue HAP selectively ignore.? To quote from our opening paragraph:
?median growth rates for countries with public debt over roughly 90 percent of GDP are about one percent lower than otherwise; There is also? Table 1 which immediately follows? figure 2, and does not have the same issues.? Table 1 gives all the individual country estimates for all the buckets and over a much longer time period than figure 2, and of course figures importantly in our analysis.? We are fortunate that we chose to present our results in several different ways, including means, medians, and individual country averages, in no small part as standard robustness checks. Nevertheless, the mistake in figure 2 resulting from the coding error is a significant lapse on our part.
HAP go on to note some other missing debt data points, which they describe as ?selective omissions?. This charge, which permeates through their paper, is one we object to in the strongest terms.? The ?gaps? are explained by the fact there were still gaps in our public data debt set at the time of this paper, a data set no one else had ever been able to construct before and which we now have filled in much more completely. Many readers of our work have followed this evolution on our data website.? For example, at the time the 2010 AER paper was written, there were gaps in the French data for the 1970s that we only filled in later.? Other data, including data for New Zealand for the years around WWII, had just been incorporated and we had not vetted the comparability and quality data with data for the more recent period. In effect, HAP only knew we had these data as we sent them the file we had used at that time.?
We have no issues with to Herndon, Ash and Pollin for bringing attention to any data question regarding our work.? In this regard, we note that we have long since fully integrated the New Zealand data back to the early 1800s, once we were able to process it.? Every major high debt episode for advanced countries since 1800 and the underlying data is included in our 2012 Journal of Economic Perspectives paper co-authored with Vincent Reinhart. ?
But surely the authors do not mean to insinuate that we manipulated the data to exaggerate our results.? To what purpose would we ?manipulate? the average growth rate for debt above 90% and show an average of -0.1% when in the same AER paper we report the median for 1946-2009 at 1.6%, and over the longer sample 1790-2009, we report and average of 1.7% and a median of 1.9%? (see table below)? Why, for that matter, would we provide all the data that we have gathered and used in our research over the years documenting in detail multiple sources to the public domain??
This brings us to the core conceptual issue, which Herndon, Ash and Pollin argue greatly biases our results.? They argue that we use an ?unconventional weighting of summary statistics.?? ? In particular, for each bucket, we take average growth rates for each country and then take an average of the result.? This seems perfectly natural to us, and hardly unconventional.? We do not want to excessively weight Greece, for example, which has debt over 90% for 19 years in the 1946-2009 sample. The post-war Advanced Economy experience would quickly reduce to the experiences of Greece and Japan. Our approach has been followed in many other settings where one does not want to overly weight a small number of countries that may have their own peculiarities.? Our approach is quite clear from table 1, which also gives the averages for each individual country.?
Our 2012 Journal of Economic Perspectives paper, based a much longer time period (1800-2011 versus the 1946-2009 Herndon et al focus on), gives episode-by-episode data for each country, including growth rates and number of years, so the results are quite transparent.? The problems with weighting long episodes much more heavily than short episodes, as Herndon et al. suggest, become much more apparent in the longer time series (an earlier version of which was also used in Table 1 of our original AER paper) As we noted in our initial comment yesterday upon just receiving the paper, our JEP paper anticipates most of the aggregation debate and diffuses it by using a case-study approach.? That is where this literature is now expanding.
So do where does this leave matters on debt and growth?? Do Herndon et al. get dramatically different results on the relatively short post war sample they focus on?? Not really.? They, too, find lower growth associated with periods when debt is over 90% (they find 0-30 debt/GDP , 4.2% growth; ? 30-60, 3.1 %;? 60-90, 3.2%,;? over 90, 2.2%.? Put differently, growth at high debt levels is a little more than half of the growth rate at the lowest levels of debt. They ignore the fact that these results are close to what we get in our Table 1 of our AER paper they critique, and not far from the median results in Figure 2 despite its coding error.? And they are not very different from what we report in our 2012 Journal of Economic Perspectives paper with Vincent Reinhart?where the average is 2.4% for high debt versus 3.5% for below 90% . The table below makes the similarity of all these comparisons clear:
?
|
1945-2009 |
||||
|
? |
RR AER (2010) |
HAP (2013) |
||
|
Debt/GDP |
Mean |
Median |
Mean |
Median |
|
0 to 30 |
4.1 |
4.2 |
4.2 |
NA |
|
30 to 60 |
2.8 |
3.9 |
3.1 |
NA |
|
60 to 90 |
2.8 |
2.9 |
3.2 |
NA |
|
Above 90 |
-0.1 |
1.6 |
2.2 |
NA |
|
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? RR AER (2010) (Table 1) |
||||
|
1800-2009 |
||||
|
0 to 30 |
3.7 |
3.9 |
NA |
NA |
|
30 to 60 |
3.0 |
3.1 |
NA |
NA |
|
60 to 90 |
3.4 |
2.8 |
NA |
NA |
|
Above 90 |
1.7 |
1.9 |
NA |
NA |
|
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? RRR JEP (2012),? |
||||
|
1800-2011 |
Mean |
? |
? |
? |
|
Below 90 |
3.5 |
? |
? |
? |
|
Above 90 |
2.4 |
? |
? |
? |
NA implies not available
There is also the question of whether these growth effects can be economically large.? Here it is very misleading to think of 1% growth differences without recognizing that the typical high debt episode lasts well over a decade (23 years on average in the full sample.) ?
It is utterly misleading to speak of a 1% growth differential that lasts 10-25 years as small.? If a country grows at 1% below trend for 23 years, output will be roughly 25% below trend at the end of the period, with massive cumulative effects.?
Looking to the reaction to this comment in blogosphere, we note that this is not the first time our academic work is seen pandering to a political view. What is quite remarkable is that this claim has spanned polar opposites! This time, we are charged with misconstruing analysis to support austerity. Only a few months ago, our findings on slow recoveries from financial crises was accused as providing a rationale for the deep recession and weak economy the Obama administration has faced since 2007.
Herndon, Ash and Pollin have written a useful paper, finding a significant mistake in one of our figures, and helped reconcile why one result is out of line with all the other results in our original paper as well as ones presented in our later research, not to mention those they present in their helpful comment.? Clearly more research is needed on debt and growth and we welcome all efforts, it is very exciting area. We now have debt data for a larger number of countries than the original sample and long time periods that allows this research to press forward.
Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/reinhart-and-rogoff-admit-excel-blunder-2013-4
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Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Fish prone to melanoma get DNA decoded
Apr. 15, 2013 ? Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and elsewhere have decoded the genome of the platyfish, a cousin of the guppy and a popular choice for home aquariums.
Among scientists, the fish are meticulously studied for their tendency to develop melanoma and for other attributes more common to mammals, like courting prospective mates and giving birth to live young.
Known scientifically as Xiphophorus maculatus, platyfish sport a variety of spectacular colors -- brilliant oranges, yellows and a lovely iridescent silver -- and myriad striped and speckled patterns. And when melanomas develop, they are easy to spot, even to an untrained eye.
"In platyfish, melanomas typically develop as black splotches along the tail and fins," says senior author Wesley Warren, PhD, a geneticist at Washington University's Genome Institute. "These fish are an ideal model for exploring the many unknowns of cancer, including how, when and where it develops in the body as well as its severity."
Scientists at Washington University, the University of W?rzburg in Germany and Texas State University led an international team involved in sequencing and analyzing the platyfish genome. Their findings are available online in Nature Genetics.
"Now that we have the genome in hand, we can tease apart the way genes interact with one another to cause melanoma," says co-lead author Manfred Schartl, PhD, of the University of W?rzburg in Germany. "Just as in human melanoma, genes that play a role in pigment cells also influence the development of melanoma in platyfish."
The platyfish genome includes some 20,000 genes, roughly the same number found in the human genome. But unlike humans and other mammals, the chromosomes of the platyfish, like those in other fish, have remained remarkably intact over some 200 million years of evolution.
"It's very much a mystery as to why these chromosomes are so structurally similar among fish species over long time periods of evolution because they live in vastly different aquatic environments," says Warren.
The platyfish is a prolific breeder. But while most fish lay eggs, platyfish females give birth to live young, often in broods of more than 100.
Comparing the genes of platyfish to those in mice and other mammals that give birth to their young, the scientists found a number of altered genes in the fish involved in live-bearing birth.
"Surprisingly, we found that the platyfish retain some yolk-related genes typically found in fish that lay eggs to produce their offspring, and genes involved in placenta function and egg fertilization displayed unique molecular changes," says co-lead author Ron Walter, PhD, of Texas State University.
While humans are known for their higher-level thinking and behaviors, platyfish and other fish have evolved their own set of complex behaviors, like courting, schooling and avoiding predators that far exceed the abilities of amphibians, reptiles and other lower vertebrates. Looking through the platyfish genome, the researchers found a number of gene copies linked to cognition in humans and other mammals that could underlie these behaviors.
"These gene copies were retained at a high rate in the platyfish, which give them a chance to evolve different functions," Warren explains. "In this case, we believe the extra gene copies gave platyfish and other related fish the ability to develop more complex behaviors, which is unexpected for many lower-level vertebrates."
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Washington University School of Medicine.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
- Manfred Schartl, Ronald B Walter, Yingjia Shen, Tzintzuni Garcia, Julian Catchen, Angel Amores, Ingo Braasch, Domitille Chalopin, Jean-Nicolas Volff, Klaus-Peter Lesch, Angelo Bisazza, Pat Minx, LaDeana Hillier, Richard K Wilson, Susan Fuerstenberg, Jeffrey Boore, Steve Searle, John H Postlethwait, Wesley C Warren. The genome of the platyfish, Xiphophorus maculatus, provides insights into evolutionary adaptation and several complex traits. Nature Genetics, 2013; DOI: 10.1038/ng.2604
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/9F0XeiSQpdk/130415151448.htm
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Ivory Coast wants surveillance drones to replace U.N. troops
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council should consider deploying surveillance drones in Ivory Coast to aid the world body's peacekeeping mission in the west African country, Ivory Coast's U.N. envoy said on Tuesday, echoing a recommendation by the U.N. chief.
Ivory Coast U.N. Ambassador Youssoufou Bamba told the 15-member council that surveillance drones should be deployed to offset any planned cuts to the peacekeeping force in the world's biggest cocoa producer.
The United Nations will soon deploy such drones for the first time in the Democratic Republic of Congo to help the peacekeeping mission in that central African country monitor its porous and mountainous eastern borders with Rwanda and Uganda.
In a report to the Security Council, Ban said drones should also be considered for Ivory Coast to "enhance situational awareness and monitoring ability, with a view to strengthening the ability of UNOCI to efficiently and effectively carry out its mandate, including the protection of civilians."
The peacekeeping force, known as UNOCI, is due to reduce its size by one battalion to 8,837 military personnel by July 31, when the council is due to renew its annual mandate. Ban has also proposed cutting a further two battalions by mid-2015.
Bamba told the council that any adjustments to the size of the force would need to be offset "by the deployment of qualitative resources, such as surveillance drones for the border zone between Ivory Coast and Liberia."
Western Ivory Coast has been the target of deadly raids blamed on supporters of former president Laurent Gbagbo, who was ousted in a civil war in 2011 after he rejected the election victory of rival Alassane Ouattara.
Soldiers in Ivory Coast killed three gunmen last month, part of a group that raided a village near the border with Liberia, senior army officials said at the time.
While Gbagbo is currently in The Hague charged with crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court, many of his top political and military allies are living in exile in neighboring West African nations.
Ivory Coast is recovering from a decade of political deadlock and civil unrest.
(Reporting by Michelle Nichols and Joe Bavier; Editing by Todd Eastham)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ivory-coast-wants-surveillance-drones-replace-u-n-205251156.html
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Iraq attacks kill 55 less than a week before vote
BAGHDAD (AP) ? Insurgents in Iraq deployed a series of car bombs as part of highly coordinated attacks that cut across a wide swath of the country Monday, killing at least 55 on the deadliest day in nearly a month.
The assault bore the hallmarks of a resurgent al-Qaida in Iraq and appeared aimed at sowing fear days before the first elections since U.S. troops withdrew. There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but coordinated attacks are a favorite tactic of al-Qaida's Iraq branch.
Iraqi officials believe the insurgent group is growing stronger and increasingly coordinating with allies fighting to topple Syrian President Bashar Assad across the border. They say rising lawlessness on the Syria-Iraq frontier and cross-border cooperation with a Syrian group, the Nusra Front, has improved the militants' supply of weapons and foreign fighters.
The intensifying violence, some of it related to the provincial elections scheduled for Saturday, is worrying for Iraqi officials and Baghdad-based diplomats alike. At least 14 candidates have been killed in recent weeks, including one slain in an apparent ambush Sunday.
"Of course we are concerned about the violence in the country that has been increasing in the last weeks," United Nations envoy Martin Kobler told The Associated Press. He condemned the bloodshed and urged Iraqi officials to push ahead with the elections.
"They should be free and fair, and every voter should go to the polls free of intimidation and fear," he said.
Iraqi Army Maj. Gen. Hassan al-Baydhani, the No. 2 official at Baghdad's military command, said authorities managed to defuse three car bombs in Baghdad before they could go off.
He described the violence as an attempt to derail the elections and intimidate voters.
"The terrorists want to grab headlines as we approach election day," he said.
Monday's attacks ? most of them car bombings ? were unusually broad in scope. Among the places where attacks erupted were the Sunni-dominated western Anbar province and Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit, the ethnically contested oil-rich city of Kirkuk and towns in the predominantly Shiite south.
The deadliest attacks hit Baghdad, where multiple car bombs and other explosions killed 25 people.
In one attack, a parked car bomb exploded at a bus station in the eastern suburbs of Kamaliya, killing four and wounding 13. Qassim Saad, a teacher in a nearby school, said his pupils began screaming as the explosion shattered windows.
He described a chaotic scene where security forces opened fire into the air upon arrival to disperse onlookers as overturned vegetable carts sat stained with blood amid wrecked storefronts.
Saad blamed politicians and security forces for lapses that led to the attacks, saying that elected officials "are doing nothing to help the people and are only looking out for their benefits."
Two more car bombs exploded in a rare attack in a parking lot near the heavily guarded entrances to Baghdad International Airport. Three people were killed, including a bodyguard of a Shiite lawmaker whose convoy was passing by. The lawmaker escaped unharmed.
"This attack and other attacks that took place today were part of the continuous efforts by al-Qaida terrorists to shake the security and political situation ahead of the upcoming elections," said Diaa al-Asadi, a political ally of the lawmaker who was traveling in the convoy.
Around sunset, a parked car bomb exploded near car dealerships in the eastern Habibiya neighborhood, killing ten. Other blasts struck the capital's Kamila, Karrada, Shurta, Baladiyat and Umm al-Maalif neighborhoods.
In and around the ethnically-mixed northern city of Kirkuk, three parked car bombs went off downtown simultaneously ? one in an Arab district, one in a Kurdish one, and one in a Turkomen district? killing four. Three other car bombs exploded outside the city, killing another five.
Kirkuk, about 290 kilometers (180 miles) from Baghdad, is home to a mix of ethnic groups with competing claims to the oil-rich region.
The day's mayhem began around 6:30 a.m. in the former insurgent stronghold of Fallujah when a suicide bomber drove an explosives-packed car into a police checkpoint, killing two policemen and wounding six others.
Later in the day, two bodyguards assigned to a spokesman for anti-government protests that have raged for months were killed when a bomb attached to their car exploded on the highway between Ramadi and Fallujah. A similar bomb stuck to another car in the area killed two others.
Another 15 people were killed and dozens were wounded in attacks in Baqouba, Buhriz, Khalis, Mosul, Mussayab, Nasiriyah, Rutba, Tarmiyah and Tikrit.
Local police officials provided details of the attacks, and hospital officials confirmed the casualty tolls. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to release details to reporters.
Although violence in Iraq has fallen from its peak in 2006 and 2007, bombings and other attacks remain common.
The blasts struck a day after a series of attacks left 10 people dead, including a Sunni candidate running in the upcoming provincial elections.
The vote on Saturday will be the country's first since U.S. troops withdrew in December 2011. The election, for local-level officials, will be a test of the strength of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's political bloc as well as the ability of security forces to keep the country safe.
Monday's violence marked Iraq's deadliest day since March 19, the eve of the 10th anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion, when a wave of bombings killed 65 across the country.
___
Associated Press writers Sinan Salaheddin, Qassim Abdul-Zahra and Sameer N. Yacoub contributed.
___
Follow Adam Schreck on Twitter at http://twitter.com/adamschreck
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/iraq-attacks-kill-55-less-week-vote-164601897.html
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