Simple fertilizer technique promises to feed Africa's hungry

Simple fertilizer technique promises to feed Africa's hungry

WASHINGTON (AFP) - A simple and cheap technique of applying fertilizer in small doses at the right time can double wheat crop yields in sub-Saharan Africa and feed millions of people, agronomists said in a report.A four-year experiment with the technique in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger has boosted sorghum and millet production by 44 to 120 percent, and family incomes by 50 to 130 percent, said an International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) report published Thursday.

The successful technique coupled with awareness of soil type, grain variety and irregular rainfall in the region "has the potential to end widespread hunger in drought prone areas of sub-Saharan Africa", said ICRISAT Assistant Director for West and Central Africa Ramadjita Tabo.

He hopes the system will be adopted by 500,000 farmers in the region over the next five years.

Farmers are quick to learn and can be trained in just one week, Tabo told AFP.

He said they are shown that only six grams of fertilizer per plant is enough, and that small holes dug in the dry ground and filled with manure before the rainy season will hold water for a longer time.

When it starts to rain, a micro-dosis of fertilizer and a plant are placed in each hole so roots can spread quickly an retain even more water, Tabo said.

"Land degradation is particularly acute in sub-Saharan Africa where the soil has been overused, coupled with low, unpredictable rainfall," he stressed.

Farmers in sub-Saharan Africa are so poor they exploit the land to the maximum and consider the cost of fertilizer too high a risk in case of a bad harvest.

"With microdosing, they don't invest much and that reduces their risk," Tabo said.

Fertilizer in Africa is difficult to find and costs two to six times more than the average world price because of low sale volumes, difficulty of transport and because it is not produced locally.

With micro-doses, farmers only need 10 percent of the fertilizer used for wheat and five percent for corn, the ICRISAT report said.

In soils low in nutrients like phosphate, pottasium and nitrogen, micro-doses of fertilizer are enough to double crop yields, Tabo said.

"Reports indicate that land degradation affects more than half of sub-Saharan Africa, leading to loss of an estimated 42 billion dollars in income and five million hectares (12.5 million acres) of productive land each year," ICRISAT said.

"The majority of farmlands suffer from poor soil fertility due to poor farming techniques, nutrient deficiency and lack of water," which also degrades the environment, it added.

Unable to feed their families or afford to buy food, farmers abandon unproductive land to clear forests and plow new land, a practice blamed for an estimated three fourths of the deforestation in sub-Saharan Africa.

ICRISAT has also come with a system allowing poor farmers to borrow against their crops, which they store and sell when the prices go up, eliminating the middle man.

"Thousands of successful experiments across the dryland areas of West and Southern Africa demonstrate that microdosing can boost yields enough to eliminate the need for food aid," ICRISAT Director General William Dar said in the report.

ICRISAT is funded by international donors including the UN Food and Agriculture Organization and the US Agency for International Development (USAID).

Ofcom seeks help on mobile rules

Ofcom seeks help on mobile rules

The good and bad aspects of the UK's mobile phone networks are being sought by Ofcom.

The telecoms regulator wants help from consumers and industry on areas that need more regulation or where the rules can be loosened.

It is also looking for ideas on how best to extend mobile networks across the entire nation.

It said rule changes might be necessary given the rapid pace of technological change in the industry.

Strong signal

The consultation has been prompted by the rising number of complaints lodged with Ofcom about mobile services.

It said although 90% of mobile phone owners were happy with their handset, that left about 1.4 million people who were either dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with their service.

"With significant market and technology developments under way, now is the right time to ask some tough questions about the future approach to regulation," said Ofcom chief executive Ed Richards in a statement.

Ofcom said an indicator of how mobiles were developing was shown by the prediction that mobile calls were "set to outnumber fixed calls in the UK within the next 12 to 18 months".

Via the consultation Ofcom is looking for ways to improve deals for pay-as-you-go customers and reduce the parts of the countryside where no mobile signal can be received.

In particular Ofcom is interested in comments about so-called "mobile termination rates" - the prices phone firms charge each other for access to one another's networks. Cutting these prices may mean lower phone bills for consumers.

It said it would eliminate rules in areas where competition was doing a good job of protecting consumers' interests. This might mean making it easier for new entrants providing novel services to get going.

Ofcom said it welcomed the views of consumers on any and every aspect of the UK mobile telephony market. It has set up a blog to air some of the discussion generated during the consultation period.

The consultation is due to close on 6 November.

Split feared in Pakistan's coalition over judges issue

Split feared in Pakistan's coalition over judges issue

ISLAMABAD (AFP) — Pakistan's fragile coalition government is facing a Monday deadline on reinstating judges sacked by former president Pervez Musharraf that could determine whether its major parties split.

Political infighting has weakened the ability to focus on militant violence -- almost 100 people were killed in bombings in the past week -- and leave the government in disarray ahead of the September 6 presidential election.

Seven militants were killed and three soldiers wounded in the latest violence in the troubled tribal areas along the Afghan border, officials said Sunday.

The party of ex-prime minister Nawaz Sharif has imposed a Monday deadline for hearing from its coalition partner, the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), on whether the judges will get their jobs back.

Critics say PPP leader Asif Ali Zardari, the widower of another former premier, Benazir Bhutto, fears their return could mean the end of an amnesty on corruption charges that brought the couple back to Pakistan last year.

Although the PPP has signalled it will agree to the reinstatement, it has been dragging its feet on the issue, which has threatened to fracture an already fragile coalition that took power after the defeat of Musharraf's allies in February 18 polls.

Sharif held a meeting with close aides Sunday to discuss the political situation, the presidential election and the judges issue, party officials said. A decision whether to participate in the presidential election will be announced on Monday, they added.

Zardari confirmed Saturday that he would run for president in the September 6 poll triggered by Musharraf's resignation to avoid impeachment charges.

A resolution on the reinstatement of the 60 judges, who include the independent-minded former chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, would require the PPP's support.

Musharraf's resignation and the race to replace him come amid a prolonged battle with Islamic militants who have carried out a series of suicide bombings and clashed with troops on the Afghan border.

A double Taliban suicide bombing at Pakistan's biggest weapons factory on Thursday, the deadliest ever attack on a Pakistani military site, has put fresh pressure on the coalition to end its bickering and focus on militant violence.

Sharif also wants the powers of the presidency reduced to prevent the next incumbent from dissolving parliament -- a power created by Musharraf -- and said he would back Zardari for president if this happened.

PPP deputy secretary general Raza Rabbani said Saturday that the judges would be restored to office but declined to disclose a timeframe.

Sharif previously threatened to quit the coalition if they were not reinstated by Friday.

The former premier -- who was ousted by Musharraf in a 1999 coup -- had said representatives of the two parties would draft a resolution on restoring the judges over the weekend and then introduce it in parliament on Monday.

Sharif's party spokesman Siddiqul Farooq said the issue of whether Zardari would stand for the presidency was the PPP's "own decision," not that of the coalition partners, but reiterated its leader's demands Saturday.

"We do not want a civilian president with the same powers that Musharraf had, mainly the power to dissolve parliament," Farooq said.

"Our top priority is restoration of the judges and we want it done on Monday," Farooq insisted, adding that the party would meet in Islamabad on Monday to discuss the latest developments.

Farooq on Sunday said the future of the alliance depended on reinstatement of the judges.

"The party will decide its future course of action," Farooq told AFP.

"The alliance is intact today but its future depends on the fulfilment of the promise Zardari made for the restoration of the judges," he said.

The deadlock has heightened the political instability in Pakistan some six days after Musharraf, a key US ally, quit office and as Western nations look for continuity after his departure.

Techblog: Verizon and Google in search deal?

Techblog: Verizon and Google in search deal?


Report: Verizon and Google in search deal

Verizon and Google apparently are working on a deal to make Google the default search provider for mobile devices and perhaps more.The Wall Street Journal reported that Verizon Communications is close to announcing a deal that would create a one-stop shop for mobile searches powered by Google. The deal would help Verizon Wireless pull in more mobile ad revenue, which has been generally anemic. Ultimately, Verizon could place a Google search bar on the home screen of its phones, the Journal said.

Google would get a share of the revenue. And more importantly, it could offer more relevant ads for Verizon users by incorporating location information from the handsets.

The deal signals some improving relations between the two companies. This year Google bid up the C Block of the 700 Mhz wireless spectrum that Verizon ultimately paid $4.7 billion for. Google also managed to place open access rules on the C Block over Verizon's objections. Verizon also has been reluctant to join Google's new operating system, Android, which is scheduled to premiere this year on T-Mobile.

The agreement could eventually spill over into Verizon's Web portal or FIOS TV, the Journal said. But for mobile searches, it shows the potential business to be had if mobile carriers and search giants like Google and Verizon team up to make the experience more friendly for mobile users. It's a far cry from online search revenue, but most people assume that with more robust Internet-capable phones, mobile search will start pulling in big money soon.

- Ryan Kim

Citizen journalist site to pay contributors
Allvoices.com, a San Francisco startup that collects and posts news reports from anybody anywhere in the world (as long as they're over 13), is now paying for contributions.

Citizen journalists whose work gets at least 100,000 page views in six months will earn $1,000. If they achieve 1 million page views, they will earn $10,000. If you have a blog and install Allvoices' blogging widget, whatever you write on your blog will be posted directly on Allvoices' site.

The offer expires Feb. 19.

Founder Amra Tareen launched the company in July as a way to get people from all over the world talking about current events. She is a Muslim who grew up in Pakistan and Australia and is an engineer, a Harvard Business School graduate and a former venture capitalist.

She said she realized when she returned to Pakistan to help widows and orphans from the 2005 earthquake that "people didn't like Americans that much. I realized it's not a great state of affairs."

She also discovered that she had a lot of stories to tell about the courage and resilience of the people she met in Pakistan, but no way to tell them. "If I don't know how to optimize a blog for search and build a reputation, nobody will ever look at my stories," she said. "About 80 percent of blogs are never read."

Right now, all content that's submitted to Allvoices is automatically posted after it's combined with other relevant content that Allvoices finds on the Web. In the future, however, Tareen expects to hire human editors. She'd also like to build a community of good contributors and has pitched Allvoices to journalism schools because she figures their graduates will have a hard time finding jobs.

Allvoices expects to make money through advertising and will share a percentage of that revenue with contributors, Tareen said.

Canada Links a 3rd Death to Bacteria

Canada Links a 3rd Death to Bacteria

OTTAWA — Canadian health officials, coping with a national outbreak of a bacterial illness, confirmed a third death on Friday apparently linked to tainted cold cuts from Canada’s largest meat processor.

The bacterial illness, listeriosis, is often fatal to the elderly, the infirm and those with weak immune systems. The three deaths were all elderly women in Ontario.

The meat processor, Maple Leaf Foods, this week recalled more than 1.2 million pounds of lunch meats produced in its Toronto plant. Tests have confirmed 17 cases of listeriosis throughout Canada, including the three fatalities. Another 16 possible cases are under investigation.

The outbreak came as Canada’s Conservative government was considering a controversial plan to transfer all or some of the responsibility for food inspection to the food industry.

Health authorities informed Maple Leaf last Saturday that government laboratories had detected Listeria monocytogenes, the bacteria that causes the illness, in two lunch meats that Maple Leaf sells to restaurants and commercial kitchens. Maple Leaf recalled those products on Tuesday and later expanded the recall to another 19 products made on the same production lines in its Toronto plant, one of 21 that the company owns.

A Maple Leaf spokeswoman, Linda Smith, said that none of the production from the Toronto plant was exported to the United States. Lola Russell, speaking for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, said there had been no known cases of listeriosis in the United States.

Tests to tie the bacteria in the lunch meats definitively to the deaths and illnesses are under way, but not yet complete. “While we have no positive test for these products, we felt we should take action,” Ms. Smith said.

Listeriosis is particularly dangerous because the bacteria that causes it can remain active even in meats, dairy products, fish and vegetables that are properly handled and refrigerated. Foods may be contaminated even though they do not appear or smell spoiled.

Symptoms of the disease include nausea, gastrointestinal discomfort, vomiting, persistent headaches and fever. Severe cases can lead to brain infections or death.

The Maple Leaf plant in Toronto was closed earlier this week and has undergone three sterilizations supervised by a microbiologist, Ms. Smith said. This weekend its interior will be sealed and filled with an antibacterial aerosol in preparation for a reopening on Monday, she said.

The majority of the confirmed cases of the illness have been in Ontario. Most of the patients, public health officials said, were elderly residents of long-term care facilities.

Dalton McGuinty, the premier of Ontario, said the outbreak had been detected by the extensive disease monitoring and control systems that were introduced after an outbreak of SARS in the Toronto area in 2003.

Ms. Smith said that “virtually all” of the meat in the recall has been returned to Maple Leaf or retailers.

Black hole star mystery 'solved'

Black hole star mystery 'solved'

Astronomers have shed light on how stars can form around a massive black hole, defying conventional wisdom.

Scientists have long wondered how stars develop in such extreme conditions.

Molecular clouds - the normal birth places of stars - would be ripped apart by the immense gravity, a team explains in Science magazine.

But the researchers say stars can form from elliptical discs - the relics of giant gas clouds torn apart by encounters with black holes.

They made the discovery after developing computer simulations of giant gas clouds being sucked into black holes like water spiralling down a plughole.

"These simulations show that young stars can form in the neighbourhood of supermassive black holes as long as there is a reasonable supply of massive clouds of gas from further out in the galaxy," said co-author Ian Bonnell from St Andrews University, UK.

Ripped apart

Their findings are in accordance with actual observations in our Milky Way galaxy that indicate the presence of a massive black hole, surrounded by huge stars with eccentric orbits.

The simulations, performed on a supercomputer - and taking over a year of computing time - followed the evolution of two separate giant gas clouds up to 100,000 times the mass of the Sun, as they fell towards the supermassive black hole.

The simulations show how the clouds are pulled apart by the immense gravitational pull of the black hole.

The disrupted clouds form into spiral patterns as they orbit the black hole; the spiral patterns remove motion energy from gas that passes close to the black hole and transfers it to gas that passes further out.

This allows part of the cloud to be captured by the black hole while the rest escapes.

In these conditions, only high mass stars are able to form and these stars inherit the eccentric orbits from the elliptical disc.

These results match the two primary properties of the young stars in the centre of our galaxy: their high mass and their eccentric orbits around the supermassive black hole.

"That the stars currently present around the galaxy's supermassive black hole have relatively short lifetimes of [about] 10 million years, which suggests that this process is likely to be repetitive," Professor Bonnell explained.

"Such a steady supply of stars into the vicinity of the black hole, and a diet of gas directly accreted by the black hole, may help us understand the origin of supermassive black holes in our and other galaxies in the Universe."

Students march for freedom in Indian Kashmir

Students march for freedom in Indian Kashmir

SRINAGAR, India: Thousands of students and protesters marched through the main city of Indian Kashmir on Thursday to press their demands for independence from India.

The demonstration, which came after several days of relative calm, were small compared to the massive protests that have rocked the state over the last two months. At least 34 people have been killed in the unrest.

The students waved pro-independence signs as they marched through the main business district of Srinagar, Indian Kashmir's biggest city, chanting "Burn the Indian institutions" and "It has come, it has come, freedom, freedom." A group of protesters raised an Islamic green flag at the clock tower in the city's main bazaar.

Police and paramilitary forces kept their distance from the protesters and no violence was reported.

The demonstration came during a planned three-day break in the protests that separatist leaders said they would spend charting a future course. They have announced plans for a massive rally and strike for Friday.Meanwhile, Hindu protesters attacked the vehicle carrying a top elected official in Jammu, a predominantly Hindu city that has been the site of large demonstrations, according to the Press Trust of India news agency.

Mangat Ram Sharma, who escaped unharmed, has been attacked twice before in recent weeks because of his senior role in the unpopular state government.

The recent unrest has reinvigorated the region's decades-long separatist struggle. The protests represent the biggest challenge to Indian rule over its only Muslim-majority state since the start of a violent insurgency in 1989 that has killed an estimated 68,000 people.

The crisis began in June with a dispute over land near a Hindu shrine. Muslims held protests complaining that a state government plan to transfer 99 acres (40 hectares) to a Hindu trust to build facilities for pilgrims near the shrine was actually a settlement plan meant to alter the religious balance in the region.

A subsequent decision by the state government to scrap the plan angered the region's Hindus, sparking tit-for-tat demonstrations. At least two Hindus have killed themselves in protest.

Kashmir is split between India and Pakistan, which have fought two of their three wars over the disputed Himalayan region. The separatists seek Indian Kashmir's independence or its union with Muslim Pakistan.