Portal:Current events

Court rejects challenge over ME treatment

LONDON - Charities have condemned a court decision to throw out a bid by two ME sufferers to change guidance given to NHS doctors on treating the condition.

Douglas Fraser, a former violinist for the Scottish Philharmonic Orchestra, and Kevin Short, an engineer from Norfolk, argued that the guideline issued by Nice, the England and Wales NHS spending watchdog, unlawfully restricted the range of treatments available. They claimed that decisions made by Nice were biased, or appeared to be biased, and that this was a view "shared across the ME community". Mr Fraser and Mr Short, who both suffer from Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME), also known as chronic fatigue syndrome, have had their careers curtailed by the illness.

Guidelines for diagnosis and management of ME were introduced last August and recommended that ME sufferers be treated with cognitive behavioural therapy and graded exercise therapy, in an effort to alleviate symptoms. Lawyers for the two men complained that Nice's panel of experts had a "predisposition" for recommending the two therapies to the exclusion of other treatments. However, Mr Justice Simon yesterday cleared Nice of the accusation, rejecting it as "damaging" and "harmful". He said it "may cause health professionals to hesitate before they involve themselves in this area of medicine".

ME charities attacked the outcome, saying the two therapies were largely ineffective and reinforced the view ME was a psychological rather than a physiological disorder. A survey by the ME Association last year found that only 26% were helped by cognitive behavioural therapy, while 56% reported that graded exercise therapy actually made them feel worse. Simon Lawrence, chairman of the ME Group, which represents the most severely affected sufferers of ME, said: "This is certainly a very sad day for everyone with neurological ME. Therapies have in many cases caused widespread problems for ME sufferers. We feel that much research into neurological ME was sidelined in favour of more mainstream therapies that are more suitable for patients with totally different conditions."

Nice's guidelines are not automatically applied in Scotland, where recommendations are made by NHS Quality Improvement Scotland. A spokesman for NHS QIS said it did not currently issue official guidelines on treating ME, with decisions left to the discretion of individual doctors. But Helen Brownlie of Scot ME, a Glasgow-based ME support group, said even though Nice guidelines were not binding, doctors in Scotland were influenced by it. She said: "They were pushing graded exercise therapy, even though there's no evidence for it. I think it's totally misguided." One ME sufferer from Edinburgh, who did not want to be named, said she had been offered cognitive behavioural therapy and physiotherapy, which had little effect. She said: "Cognitive behavioural therapy is all psychological - the thinking is that the illness is all in your head, and you just have to try and take control of your own life. They're also quite keen to give you anti-depressants. "I also did a physiotherapy course which wasn't terribly successful."

Source: The Herald     Date: 14 March 2009

Obama wins historic US election

WASHINGTON - Democratic Senator Barack Obama has been elected the first black president of the United States, prompting celebrations across the country. "It's been a long time coming, but tonight... change has come to America," the president-elect told a jubilant crowd at a victory rally in Chicago. His rival John McCain accepted defeat, and called on his supporters to lend the next president their goodwill.

The BBC's Justin Webb says the result will have a profound impact on the US. He says the American people have made two fundamental statements about themselves: that they are profoundly unhappy with the status quo, and that they are slamming the door on the country's racial past.

Mr Obama appeared with his family, and his running mate Joe Biden, before a crowd of tens of thousands in Grant Park, Chicago. Many people in the vast crowd, which stretched back far into the Chicago night, wept as Mr Obama spoke. "If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer," he said. He said he had received an "extraordinarily gracious" call from Mr McCain. He praised the former Vietnam prisoner-of-war as a "brave and selfless leader". "He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine," the victor said.

He had warm words for his family, announcing to his daughters: "Sasha and Malia, I love you both more than you can imagine, and you have earned the new puppy that's coming with us to the White House." But he added: "Even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime - two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century. The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. But America - I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there." Hours after Mr Obama's victory was announced, crowds were still celebrating on the streets of Washington DC and Mr Obama's hometown of Chicago.

From red to blue

Mr Obama captured the key battleground states of Pennsylvania and Ohio, before breaking through the winning threshold of 270 electoral college votes at 0400 GMT, when projections showed he had also taken California and a slew of other states. Then came the news that he had also seized Florida, Virginia and Colorado - all of which voted Republican in 2004 - turning swathes of the map from red to blue. Projected results have yet to be announced for the states of North Carolina and Missouri, which are believed to be too close to call. However, at 1100 GMT, Mr Obama's share of the popular vote stood at 52.3%, compared with Mr McCain's 46.4%.

The main developments include:

• Mr Obama is projected to have seized Ohio, New Mexico, Iowa, Virginia, Florida, Colorado, Indiana and Nevada - all Republican wins in 2004.
• He is also projected to have won: Vermont, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Delaware, Massachusetts, District of Columbia, Maryland, Connecticut, Maine, New Jersey, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, New York, Rhode Island, California, Hawaii, Washington, Oregon.
• Mr McCain is projected to have won: Montana, Alaska, Kentucky, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Arkansas, Alabama, Kansas, North Dakota, Wyoming, Georgia, Louisiana, West Virginia, Texas, Mississippi, Utah, Arizona, Idaho, South Dakota.
• Turnout was reported to be extremely high - in some places "unprecedented".
• The Democrats increased their Senate majority by five seats, but fell short of the 60 needed to stop blocking tactics by Republicans. They also increased their majority in the House of Representatives.
• Exit polls suggest the economy was the major deciding factor for six out of 10 voters.
• Nine out of 10 said the candidates' race was not important to their vote, the Associated Press reported. Almost as many said age did not matter.

Several states reported very high turnout. It was predicted 130 million Americans, or more, would vote - more than for any election since 1960. Many people said they felt they had voted in a historic election - and for many African-Americans the moment was especially poignant. John Lewis, an activist in the civil rights era who was left beaten on an Alabama bridge 40 years ago, told Atlanta's Ebenezer Baptist Church: "This is a great night. It is an unbelievable night. It is a night of thanksgiving."

Besides winning the presidency, the Democrats tightened their grip on Congress. The entire US House of Representatives and a third of US Senate seats were up for grabs.

Source: BBC News     Date: 5 November 2008

India launches first Moon mission

NEW DELHI - India has successfully launched its first mission to the Moon. The unmanned Chandrayaan 1 spacecraft blasted off smoothly from a launch pad in southern Andhra Pradesh to embark on a two-year mission of exploration.
The robotic probe will orbit the Moon, compiling a 3-D atlas of the lunar surface and mapping the distribution of elements and minerals.
The launch is regarded as a major step for India as it seeks to keep pace with other space-faring nations in Asia.
Indian PM Manmohan Singh hailed the launch as the "first step" in a historic milestone in the country's space programme. "Our scientific community has once again done the country proud and the entire nation salutes them," Mr Singh said in a message.
The launch was greeted with applause by scientists gathered at the site. The chief of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Madhavan Nair, said it was a "historic moment" for the country. "Today what we have charted is a remarkable journey for an Indian spacecraft to go to the moon and try to unravel the mysteries of the Earth's closest celestial body and its only natural satellite," Mr Nair said.
The BBC's Sanjoy Majumder in Delhi says there has been a lot of excitement about the event, which was broadcast live on national TV.[1]

Source: BBC News     Date: 22 October 2008

The 2008 Nobel Peace Prize

OSLO - The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided to award the Nobel Peace Prize for 2008 to Martti Ahtisaari for his important efforts, on several continents and over more than three decades, to resolve international conflicts. These efforts have contributed to a more peaceful world and to “fraternity between nations” in Alfred Nobel’s spirit.

Throughout all his adult life, whether as a senior Finnish public servant and President or in an international capacity, often connected to the United Nations, Ahtisaari has worked for peace and reconciliation. For the past twenty years, he has figured prominently in endeavours to resolve several serious and long-lasting conflicts. In 1989-90 he played a significant part in the establishment of Namibia’s independence; in 2005 he and his organization Crisis Management Initiative (CMI) were central to the solution of the complicated Aceh question in Indonesia. In 1999 and again in 2005-07, he sought under especially difficult circumstances to find a solution to the conflict in Kosovo. In 2008, through the CMI and in cooperation with other institutions, Ahtisaari has tried to help find a peaceful conclusion to the problems in Iraq. He has also made constructive contributions to the resolution of conflicts in Northern Ireland, in Central Asia, and on the Horn of Africa.

Although the parties themselves have the main responsibility for avoiding war and conflict, the Norwegian Nobel Committee has on several occasions awarded the Nobel Peace Prize to mediators in international politics. Today Ahtisaari is an outstanding international mediator. Through his untiring efforts and good results, he has shown what role mediation of various kinds can play in the resolution of international conflicts. The Norwegian Nobel Committee wishes to express the hope that others may be inspired by his efforts and his achievements.

Source: Nobelprize.org     Date: 10 October 2008