Sep
3
HONG KONG (Reuters) - Regular, moderate exercise may help improve memory in older people and delay the onset of dementia, a study in Australia shows.
The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, involved 170 participants aged 50 and over who reported some memory trouble but who did not have dementia.
Half engaged in moderate exercise, such as walking, for 50 minutes three times a week, while the others did no exercise.
After six months, the participants were given memory and other tests, including recalling lists of words. Those who exercised fared markedly better than those who did not.
“The trial is the first to demonstrate that exercise improves cognitive function in older adults with subjective and objective mild cognitive impairment,” according to the report.
“The benefits of physical activity were apparent after 6 months and persisted for at least another 12 months after the intervention had been discontinued.”
With the ageing of populations everywhere, an estimated 37 million people worldwide now live with dementia, with Alzheimer’s disease making up the majority of cases, according to the World Health Organization.
That figure is expected to increase rapidly over the next 20 years and researchers are looking for ways to help delay the onset of dementia.
(Reporting by Tan Ee Lyn; Editing by Keiron Henderson)
Aug
24
Opec may decide to cut output in Sept meeting
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Over the last few days, thanks to the rising tension in Georgia and the weakening dollar, oil has regained some of the lost ground. Yet, most people believe that the markets are in for further erosion provided indeed, the geopolitical issues don’t get out of hand.
Tehran’s Opec governor Mohammad Ali Khatibi says that the cartel could decide to rollover or even cut production from existing levels when it meets in Vienna early September.
He felt the oil market was oversupplied by around 1.3 million barrels per day.
However, he admitted that the peak winter demand could absorb most of this excess - unless the slowing economy takes a bigger bite out of consumption.
Venezuela is also insisting on reviewing the cartel’s output at its next ministerial meeting.
The International Energy Agency (EIA) now believes that in the emerging scenario even Saudi Arabia may be tempted to curtail its output. Saudi July production was reported at a high 9.7 million bpd.
Interestingly, after a long time, the issue of abiding by the Opec output quotas is also back under hammer. The group’s President Chakib Khelil, while on a visit to Iran last week, emphasised on the Opec members to keep oil output within the agreed targets.
Underlining the rapidly changing market dynamics, the IEA has now cut its 2008 oil demand forecast from the Opec by 100,000 bpd, from its previous projections, despite raising the forecast for non-Opec supply.
Despite raising its forecast for global oil demand by 70,000 to 87.8 million bpd the next year, the IEA estimated the call on Opec’s crude in 2009 to average 31.33 million barrels a day, an increase of 90,000 from its previous estimate.
Within hours of the release of the IEA’s sober assessment of the outlook for oil markets, the US Energy Information Administration said US demand had also fallen by 800,000 barrels a day in the first half of the year, the largest decline for 26 years.
In the meantime, the Opec forecast for 2009 oil demand growth remained unchanged at the lowest rate in seven years and warned that consumption could fall even further.
The 13 member group left the rate at 1.03 per cent, the narrowest since 2002, even after raising its estimates of daily demand in 2008 and 2009 by 90,000 barrels.
“Risks to the outlook for the world oil market appear to be on the downside,” the Opec report said. Global oil consumption will average 86.9 million barrels a day this year and 87.8 million barrels a day in 2009.
The London-based Centre for Global Energy Studies (CGES) in its monthly oil report also points to the worsening economic outlook suggesting that oil prices have further to fall.
The CGES report says that recent figures have shown that oil demand was contracting significantly in the OECD countries, while the reduction of subsidies in several emerging markets was also expected to have an impact on non-OECD demand.
The CGES emphasises, “This would be a new experience for the oil industry and Opec in particular, because global oil demand last contracted in 1993, and before that in the early 1980s.
Opec has been living for years now in a world of growing oil consumption without investing in much additional capacity.
Dealing with falling oil demand is quite different, requiring coordinated cutbacks in oil production to prevent oil prices from crashing. This is an immense challenge for Opec with a history of cracking under pressure.
Aug
22
Sharia banking may touch $1trn in 2 years
Filed Under Business, News, Pakistani News | Leave a Comment
Today, the Sharia finance and banking industry is one of the fastest growing markets in the world and is estimated to be worth more than US$1 trillion in the next 2 years, according to the UK-based Securities & Investment Institute.
Unaffected by the subprime crisis, projections suggest that this market will grow by 15 per cent per year over the next decade and will account for 60 per cent of the savings of the world’s 1.2 billion Muslim community, in that same period.
The Securities & Investment Institute (SII), the leading financial services educational body in the area of Islamic finance, first announced the development of its benchmark Islamic Finance Qualification (IFQ) in 2005.
This is said to have captivated global interest, and last year the IFQ was sat by 285 candidates around the world. SII has designated Singapore as its first choice for the regional launch of the IFQ. The Institute is also working with financial services regulators throughout the Middle East including all the Gulf Corporation Council countries (GCC).
IFQ is sold in 53 countries and has become a required qualification in a number of finance houses and government institutions around the globe. It has just become the first and only Islamic finance qualification on the UK list of recommended examinations.Singapore as a regional economic hub is said to be ideally located to reach to the developing countries of S.E. Asia to provide service and products to the rapid growth in the Islamic Finance industry.
The launch of the SII Islamic Finance Qualification from Singapore provides the perfect tool for consumers in the region to gain the prerequisite background to assess wholesale instruments, such as Sukuk, Islamic bonds or retail products such as Islamic mortgages.
Source
Aug
22
LPG prices may fall to Rs70 per kg
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Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) retail prices are expected to fall in the next few days to Rs70 per kg with the availability of extra supplies, the LPG Association of Pakistan announced here on Thursday.
“The prices are expected to fall nationwide next week,” said Fasih Ahmed, a spokesman for the association.
“The initial import of 2,500 metric tons of LPG by the Jamshoro Joint Venture Limited would help drive down end-consumer prices,” he said.
The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority had advised the marketing companies on Aug 3 to ensure that end-consumer prices do not exceed Rs800 per 11.8kg cylinder or about Rs68 per kg. However, LPG is being sold at Rs80 per kg in Karachi and Rs75 per kg in Punjab.
“LPG is being sold at Ogra-recommended rates by most of the member companies of the association, but retailers are exploiting the market by charging unreasonable prices especially in Karachi,” said Fasih Ahmed, adding, “this comes to an end next week, and we remain committed to enforcing reasonable retail rates in Ramazan.”
Aug
20
Sharia banking may touch $1trn in 2 years
Filed Under News, Sports | Leave a Comment
Today, the Sharia finance and banking industry is one of the fastest growing markets in the world and is estimated to be worth more than US$1 trillion in the next 2 years, according to the UK-based Securities & Investment Institute.
Unaffected by the subprime crisis, projections suggest that this market will grow by 15 per cent per year over the next decade and will account for 60 per cent of the savings of the world’s 1.2 billion Muslim community, in that same period.
The Securities & Investment Institute (SII), the leading financial services educational body in the area of Islamic finance, first announced the development of its benchmark Islamic Finance Qualification (IFQ) in 2005.
This is said to have captivated global interest, and last year the IFQ was sat by 285 candidates around the world. SII has designated Singapore as its first choice for the regional launch of the IFQ. The Institute is also working with financial services regulators throughout the Middle East including all the Gulf Corporation Council countries (GCC).
IFQ is sold in 53 countries and has become a required qualification in a number of finance houses and government institutions around the globe. It has just become the first and only Islamic finance qualification on the UK list of recommended examinations.Singapore as a regional economic hub is said to be ideally located to reach to the developing countries of S.E. Asia to provide service and products to the rapid growth in the Islamic Finance industry.
The launch of the SII Islamic Finance Qualification from Singapore provides the perfect tool for consumers in the region to gain the prerequisite background to assess wholesale instruments, such as Sukuk, Islamic bonds or retail products such as Islamic mortgages.
Source
Aug
15
Sharia banking may touch $1trn in 2 years
Filed Under Business, Local News, News, Pakistani News | Leave a Comment
Today, the Sharia finance and banking industry is one of the fastest growing markets in the world and is estimated to be worth more than US$1 trillion in the next 2 years, according to the UK-based Securities & Investment Institute.
Unaffected by the subprime crisis, projections suggest that this market will grow by 15 per cent per year over the next decade and will account for 60 per cent of the savings of the world’s 1.2 billion Muslim community, in that same period.
The Securities & Investment Institute (SII), the leading financial services educational body in the area of Islamic finance, first announced the development of its benchmark Islamic Finance Qualification (IFQ) in 2005.
This is said to have captivated global interest, and last year the IFQ was sat by 285 candidates around the world. SII has designated Singapore as its first choice for the regional launch of the IFQ. The Institute is also working with financial services regulators throughout the Middle East including all the Gulf Corporation Council countries (GCC).
IFQ is sold in 53 countries and has become a required qualification in a number of finance houses and government institutions around the globe. It has just become the first and only Islamic finance qualification on the UK list of recommended examinations.Singapore as a regional economic hub is said to be ideally located to reach to the developing countries of S.E. Asia to provide service and products to the rapid growth in the Islamic Finance industry.
The launch of the SII Islamic Finance Qualification from Singapore provides the perfect tool for consumers in the region to gain the prerequisite background to assess wholesale instruments, such as Sukuk, Islamic bonds or retail products such as Islamic mortgages. Source
Aug
6
Busy Minds May Slow Alzheimer’s
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Keeping the brain busy may help stave off signs of Alzheimer’s disease, researchers report.
The University of Chicago study found that mice that lived in an “enriched environment” with chew toys, running wheels and tunnels that helped keep their brains and bodies active had lower levels of Alzheimer’s-associated brain plaques and protein buildup than mice that lived in less stimulating surroundings.
“This goes back to the old idea of use it or lose it, that using your brain keeps it more active. It’s more common sense than anything, but what we didn’t previously appreciate is that it might affect the pathology that is characteristic of Alzheimer’s disease,” researcher Sangram Sisodia said in a prepared statement.
His team’s research focused on mice genetically engineered to mimic early onset Alzheimer’s disease in humans, including a similar clumping of amyloid proteins around brain cells. Some of the mice frolicked in the “enriched” environment, while the others were placed in less active, less engaging surroundings.
Brain tissue levels of toxic b-amyloid tangles or plaques associated with Alzheimer’s were markedly lower in mice with the more intellectually challenging environment, compared to their less-stimulated counterparts, the researchers said.
Analysis of gene and enzyme expression in the enriched mice suggests they may have been better equipped than the other mice to clear the b-amyloid peptides out of their brains.
The findings suggest that an enriched environment acts as a protective factor for the mice by keeping b-amyloid peptide levels low enough to prevent them from clumping and causing damage.
The researchers believe physical activity may be a factor, too. The most physically active mice had the largest reductions in b-amyloid peptides and deposits, they noted. But they added that more research, with larger numbers of mice, is required to determine exactly how an enriched environment benefits the animals.
In the meantime, it certainly couldn’t hurt for aging humans to get more mentally and physically active. “It’s all very important in keeping the mind active and potentially staving off effects of old age.
Jul
21
Conservative Christian leader James Dobson has softened his stance against Republican presidential hopeful John McCain, saying he could reverse his position and endorse the Arizona senator despite serious misgivings.
“I never thought I would hear myself saying this,” Dobson said in a radio broadcast to air Monday. “… While I am not endorsing Senator John McCain, the possibility is there that I might.”
Dobson and other evangelical leaders unimpressed by McCain increasingly are taking a lesser-of-two-evils approach to the 2008 race. Dobson and his guest, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary president Albert Mohler, spend most of the pretaped Focus on the Family radio program criticizing Democratic candidate Barack Obama, getting to McCain at the very end.
In an advance copy provided to The Associated Press, Dobson said that while neither candidate is consistent with his views, McCain’s positions are closer by a wide margin.
“There’s nothing dishonorable in a person rethinking his or her positions, especially in a constantly changing political context,” Dobson said in a statement to the AP. “Barack Obama contradicts and threatens everything I believe about the institution of the family and what is best for the nation. His radical positions on life, marriage and national security force me to reevaluate the candidacy of our only other choice, John McCain.”
Earlier, Dobson had said he could not in good conscience vote for McCain, citing the candidate’s support for embryonic stem cell research and opposition to a federal constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage, as well as concerns about McCain’s temper and foul language.
Dobson said on the radio program he must consider McCain’s record against abortion rights and support for smaller government, and added McCain “seems to understand the Muslim threat.” He also indicated McCain’s choice of a running mate will be a factor.
Of his new position, Dobson said in the statement to the AP, “If that is a flip-flop, then so be it.”
Both the Obama and McCain campaigns declined comment Sunday.
Dobson is considered a powerful voice in conservative evangelical Christianity; his radio broadcast reaches 1.5 million U.S. listeners daily. Critics argue his influence is waning, pointing to a younger generation of leaders pushing to broaden the movement’s agenda.
Last month, Dobson accused Obama, in a 2006 speech on faith and politics, of distorting the Bible and pushing a “fruitcake interpretation” of the Constitution.
Obama replied that Dobson was “making stuff up” and portrayed his speech as an attempt by people of faith, like himself, to “try to translate some of our concerns in a universal language so that we can have an open and vigorous debate rather than having religion divide us.”
Source
Jul
16
The Arab League said a decision by the international criminal court’s prosecutor to charge Sudan’s president with genocide may have negative repercussions
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Talking to reporters in Cairo, Arab League secretary-general Amr Moussa said the ICC decision may not have been well thought out. Arab foreign ministers are set to hold emergency talks in Cairo on Saturday to discuss the situation. Meanwhile, the United Nations continued to airlift staff out of Darfur for a second day with peacekeepers on alert following a deadly attack. The “relocation” operation hit a snag when about 50 people bused to the airport in El Fasher, the capital of north Darfur where the un-led eacekeeping mission is based, were unable to fly out for technical reasons. At least one flight was bound for Entebbe, Uganda and another for Al-Obeid, the capital of northern Kordofan in central Sudan.
Jul
15
“Baby boomers” may still outlive assets
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NEW YORK (Reuters) - Even baby boomers who prune spending when they retire risk outliving their assets as they likely will live longer and experience volatile rates of both inflation and investments, a new study said on Monday.
Almost three out of five new middle-class retirees will outlast their savings unless they live more modestly after they quit the work force, said the study commissioned by Americans for Secure Retirement, a lobbying coalition for policies to help Americans retire.
The oldest among the 77 million baby boomers are the best-prepared, according to the study, done for the coalition by accountants Ernst & Young. Middle-class people now retiring only face an average cut of 24 percent in their standard of living while those who won’t retire for seven years face a 37 percent reduction, it said.
Rhode Island, New York, Utah and the District of Columbia are the four places where residents are least likely to burn all their savings.
Retirees in Montana, South Dakota and Wyoming are the most likely to outlive their nest eggs, according to the study.
Companies that sell annuities would benefit from some of the policies the coalition supports. For example, the group backs a congressional bill that would shield half of the income from a lifetime annuity from taxation, up to $20,000 a year.
Married couples are more likely to outlive their assets than single individuals, the study said. For example, so-called near retirees, at age 58, have an average nest egg of $105,000 if their yearly income is $50,000. Their savings rise to an average of $280,000 if they earn $100,000 a year.
New retirees, with an average age of 65, have $175,000 in savings if they earned $50,000, and $585,000 if they earned $100,000 a year, the study said.
“Many Americans envision a retirement where their lifestyle continues much as before,” said Tom Neubig of Ernst & Young.
“Our work shows this is not a realistic expectation and that, with the current state of savings and potentially very long life expectancies, many retirees will have to cut back far more on expenditures than they had ever expected.”
“The very real possibility of living to age 90 or 100 combined with the volatility of inflation and investment returns means that the risk of outliving one’s assets is quite high,” the study said.
(Reporting by Joan Gralla; editing by Gary Crosse)