OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — A San Francisco Bay Area transit system and its two largest unions were negotiating right up to a midnight deadline Monday as fear of a second gridlock-inducing strike in three months intensified.
The parties held talks throughout the day after the unions backed off a threatened strike deadline late Sunday and gave Bay Area Rapid Transit managers a 24-hour reprieve. But by late afternoon it appeared that both sides were remaining firm in their positions.
BART board president Tom Radulovich urged representatives of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1555 and the Service Employees International Union Local 1021 to let its more than 2,300 members vote on the agency's final offer presented Sunday.
"We've been at this for a total of 150 days at this point and we think it's time for the union leadership to let us know, to let the people in the Bay Area know whether they are going to take an offer to their membership," Radulovich said.
But SEIU 1021 executive director Pete Castelli said the unions remained unhappy with BART's last offer. He said the unions presented a counteroffer to management late Monday and warned that the strike deadline still stands. He told commuters to consider transportation alternatives in the morning.
"It rests in the district's hands at this point," he said.
About 400,000 riders take BART every weekday on the nation's fifth-largest commuter rail system.
"I am so frustrated with the way they've been holding the riders hostage," said BART commuter Toba Villatore, 45, of San Francisco as she headed to work. "I'm tired of staying up until midnight wondering if there's going to be a strike or not."
Sticking points in the 6-month-old negotiations include salaries and workers' contributions to their health and pension plans. Castelli said Monday that while the parties had made progress on pay, pension and health care benefits they also were still at odds on issues related to work rules.
BART General Manager Grace Crunican said that the offer presented to the union Sunday was $7 million higher than Friday's proposal. It includes an annual 3 percent raise over four years and requires workers to contribute 4 percent toward their pension and 9.5 percent toward medical benefits.
Workers from the two unions, which represent more than 2,300 mechanics, custodians, station agents, train operators and clerical staff, now average about $71,000 in base salary and $11,000 in overtime annually, the transit agency said. BART workers currently pay $92 a month for health care and contribute nothing toward their pensions.
Crunican said the unions have two weeks from Sunday to accept the deal before it is taken off the table.
"It is time to bring this to a close," Crunican said.
BART workers went on strike for nearly five days in early July and were about to go again on Friday when a 60-day cooling-off period ordered by Gov. Jerry Brown expired.
However, the parties continued negotiating over the weekend and into Monday, as ridership was light because of strike fears and the Columbus Day holiday.
A pending strike forced San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee to cancel a trip to China. He said that "people's very livelihoods hang in the balance."
Greek Finance Ministry unveiled the draft Budget 2014 on Monday. In the ambitious draft, Athens predicts recession at 4% from 4.6% originally foreseen. A much better figure when compared to 6.5% of 2012. Deputy finance Minister, Christos Staikouras who presented the draft budget, said that the primary surplus will be at 380 million euro in 2013 and 2.8 billion euro in 2014.
Staikouras gave also the official rate of unemployment at 27% and said that it will drop to 26% in 2014.
“The 2014 budget will also foresee a primary surplus of 2.8 billion euros (1.5 percent of GDP), compared to about 300 million euros this year.
The draft budget might also give a better idea of the fiscal gap that Greece faces next year. The Finance Ministry believes it will be about 600 million euros, whereas the troika expects it to be as much as 3 billion euros.
The final version of the budget is due to be submitted to Parliament at the end of November and could contain a number of changes compared to the draft due to be issued on Monday.” (ekathimerini)
While the government claims that there would be no additional austerity measures, the big question is where the 2.8 billion euro surplus will come from – especially the moment that the government hardly proceeds to expenditure cuts.
A not-so-secret present is being currently wrapped by the technocrats of the Greek finance ministry. With love to the Greek taxpayer: tax hikes to income from rent, tax hikes for free lancers and small enterprises, abolishing tax breaks and stricter taxes for farmers.
As of 1.1.2014 the new taxation system that will go into effect will abolish also the tax free amount of 5,000 euro for annual income.
Nevertheless the budget 2014 has to be approved by the Troika – business as usual….
PS What? the European Union claims as “poor” those with annual income of 7.500 euro? In Greece, they tax also the very poor… Of course. If they don’t cut expenditure, there is no other way than “Taxes and more Taxes”.
by
Nicole Curato Posted on 07/25/2013 2:30 PM ?|?Updated 07/25/2013 3:18 PM
President Aquino?s speech last Monday highlights an inherent tension in the role of a President delivering a State of the Nation Address.
The President needed to be a cheerleader ? a morale booster to civil servants, the troops and the people. As commander-in-chief, he assured soldiers and policemen that their welfare is his utmost concern. He cited ongoing housing and livelihood programs dedicated to uniformed personnel.
As chief executive, he praised the exemplary performance of public servants such as Cabinet officials and disaster relief workers.
And as leader of the nation, he celebrated the contributions of citizens committed to ?true social transformation.?
Triumph over adversity was a standard trope. An image of a struggling man on a wheelchair doing his patriotic duty to vote was flashed on the screen followed by a photo of the unarmed policewoman who outsmarted a criminal.
The rhetoric of praise was sharp when contrasted with the rhetoric of shame. After celebrating the efforts of his favorite Cabinet officials, underperforming agencies were dressed down and threatened with a warning that the President?s patience had run out. Indeed, the SONA was used as venue for a collective pat on the back. Through statistics and human props, the President tried to make a case that the ?straight path? is the right path.
However, the President is not just a cheerleader tasked to bring positive energy to an anxious crowd. He is also an elected official accountable to citizens. This is where the tension lies.
As the country?s topmost official, it is imperative that the President gives a clear and honest explanation not only of what his administration got right but also what it got wrong. After all, the basic definition of accountability means to give an account. It means giving an inventory of relevant information one owes to the public. It provides justifications for the administration?s actions, humbly explains their shortcomings and what they intend to do to make things better.
Connecting the dots
The SONA, at best, partially fulfilled this obligation.
The President explained the problems facing the SSS pension scheme, the reasons for the delay of PPPs as well as the limitations in modernizing the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
However, a speech that had deeper appreciation of a SONA as a platform for accountability could have taken great care in making sense of big issues by drawing connections between them.
It could have explained the reasons for the widening inequality in the country ? why the 40 richest families in the Philippines doubled their income in the past year while 10.6 million families consider themselves poor and 3.9 million households experience involuntary hunger. It could have explained what a 7.8-percent growth means to Filipinos in the context of 600,000 agricultural workers losing their jobs and water concessionaires passing on income tax expenses to consumers. It could have justified why taking a foreign loan to give cash grants to poor families is worth it especially for taxpayers who will shoulder this debt until 20 years from today.
The SONA could have been more meaningful had the President provided explanations and not just a report. While a speech supported by quantitative evidence does have merit, the presentation of facts is only as meaningful as its accompanying interpretations.
A judicious audience could easily consult the appended technical report if one were after statistics and fine details. But the SONA is a distinct event to set the public agenda. It is delivered by the President who has to explain why particular decisions were made and why he continues to deserve the mandate given by the people. This is important at a time when class divides are becoming more exposed, with middle classes questioning the ?preferential treatment? given to informal settlers up for relocation and workers demanding wage hike as big businesses register unprecedented levels of profit.
A speech that is accountable is also one that responds to rather than trivializes criticisms. Barbed comments on green energy advocates? those who will keep quiet once they are ?busy fanning themselves during brownouts? ? and the youth that ?complains on Facebook? devalue rather than deepen ongoing conversations about shared problems and solutions. Sarcasm simplifies rather than engages the complexity of public opinion on a range of issues.
Without addressing criticisms and controversies, the SONA renders the demands of citizens invisible. It privileges the lens of those who experienced gains but silences the voice of those who still demand more. The President could not credibly claim ?this is your SONA? if he did not substantively engage what unlike-minded people had to say.
The President has two SONAs left. It would be good to hear a more engaging and responsive speech. The move towards a mature democracy is one that does not infantilize citizens by dismissing them as whiners. It is one that seeks to promote complex understanding of social issues. Citizens may not end up happy but at least they've heard the truth. - Rappler.com
Nicole Curato, PhD is currently a post-doctoral research fellow at the Center for Deliberative Democracy and Global Governance at the Australian National University. She was an assistant professor of sociology at the University of the Philippines.
Ryse: Son of Rome revealed its cast of characters at San Diego Comic Con. The Xbox One exclusive was re-revealed at E3 2013 as the story of a Roman soldier who witnesses the murder of his family at the hands of barbarians. Marius, the main character in the game will side with Roman army to seek revenge for their deaths.
In Ryse: Son of Rome, Marius will lead the Roman army against the barbarians, and details about the game?s colorful cast of characters was revealed by Crytek at a panel for Ryse.
Ryse: Son of Rome Characters
Marius ? The hero of ?Ryse: Son of Rome,? Marius is a young soldier with a strong sense of duty who is completely dedicated to Rome and her ideals. Initially eager to fight against Rome?s enemies and expand the Empire, he soon realizes that Rome is vulnerable to an even more insidious threat than the barbarians he faces on the battlefield. Ever loyal to Rome, he resolves to rid the Empire of her true enemies.
Vitallion -?A wise and charismatic general who has served Rome for decades, Vitallion has fought in many campaigns and serves as a mentor to Marius. As events transpire he begins to wonder if duty has its limits, and whether self-restraint is always the correct course of action.
Nero ? Nero, Emperor of Rome, struggles to maintain his grip on power. He promotes his two sons Commodus and Basillius to powerful positions, letting them take control of the rebellious province of Britannia. Nero feels threaten by all potential rivals and exacts ruthless retribution against anyone who crosses him.
Commodus and Basillius -??As governor of Britannia, Nero?s eldest son, Commodus, sees himself as a god, and the people of Britannia as his subjects. His reign is characterized by brutal repression. Nero?s youngest son, Basillius, enjoys anything carnal or cruel. At the Colosseum he delights in watching gladiators kill each other, and lords over the terrified slaves he keeps in his harem in the bowels of the structure.
Boudica -?The daughter of King Oswald, the ruler of the Britons. Strong and resilient, Boudica hates Rome, and with good reason: under Roman rule, her people are made to suffer horribly. When her father faces horrific retribution from a perceived insult, it galvanizes Boudica and she rallies her people to rise against their oppressors. Boudica is a principled woman and has the will to go to the ends of the world to save her people.
Oswald -Benevolent king of the Britons. He leads a rebellion against the tyrannical rule of Rome, but when the Romans brutally repress the rebels, Oswald submits to Roman dominance in hopes this will spare his people. His naivety leaves him vulnerable to the Romans.
Glott -?Enigmatic leader of the Northern barbarians, rumored to be more beast than man. Very little is known about him except that he is fiercely independent and will make war on both the Romans and Oswald?s tribe.
The Spirit Gods -?Immortal spirit, one who watches over humanity, guides Marius. She appears in mortal form, but radiates an otherworldly aura. Another (known in mortal form as Aquilo) seeks the destruction of Rome and allies himself with her enemies.
Ryse: Son of Rome Gameplay
Ryse: Son of Rome will arrive exclusively on the Xbox One as a launch title.
?Facebook has reported an increasing amount of traffic to its mobile websites in the UK and USA, with the UK usage growing at a faster rate than in the US.
Facebook said that its mobile monthly active users had increased by 18 percent in the USA and by 22 percent in the UK during the month of June as compared with the previous year,
"We see this as a fantastic opportunity with empirical evidence of people staying engaged on mobile phones and using Facebook," James Quarles, regional director for Britain and Southern Europe told the Reuters news agency..
"As people are away and on holiday, it provides a different opportunity for brands to think differently about Facebook."
Facebook has come under pressure to increase its mobile revenues which have lagged its desktop computer advertising. When the company was first listed on the stock market, it admitted that its mobile revenues were a weakness, but has since invested heavily in the market./p>
The company now claims around 750 million users of its mobile website globally.
It will announce its financial results on the 25th July.
Nidal Hasan, charged with killing 13 people and wounding 31 in a November 2009 shooting spree at Fort Hood, Texas, is pictured in an undated Bell County Sheriff's Office photograph.
An Army psychiatrist accused of killing 13 and wounding nearly three dozen others at a Fort Hood, Texas, military post in 2009 has been denied a trial delay by a judge.
Major Nidal Hasan, 42, who has been allowed to represent himself, had requested a three-month postponement to his trial so he could prepare more. Military Judge Col. Tara Osborn refused the request Tuesday, and said jury selection was set for July 9 and was expected to last for four weeks; testimony will start Aug. 6 at the earliest.?
Hasan's court martial has been sidetracked numerous times by questions over his legal representation and the beard he has, which violates military dress code.?Opening statements had been scheduled to begin on July 1.
Most of those killed in the shooting four years ago at Fort Hood, a staging base for deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, were military personnel. Hasan was shot four times by civilian police after the attack.
Hasan, who was born in the U.S. and is Muslim, could face the death penalty in the trial. He has been charged with 13 counts of first-degree murder; 32 others were wounded.
Osborn ruled last week that Hasan could not use as a defense that he carried out the base shooting in an attempt to protect Taliban leaders in Afghanistan.
According to witnesses, a gunman in an army combat uniform opened fire in a packed medical building on Nov. 5, 2009, stopping only to reload his weapon.?
None of the victims posed an ?immediate imminent threat? to Taliban personnel in Afghanistan, the judge said.
Although Hasan is representing himself, Osborn ordered his three former defense attorneys to remain on the case and to offer assistance to him if he requests help.
Hasan's trial was initially slated for March 2012, but was delayed twice because defense attorneys said they needed more time to prepare. It was delayed a third time last fall when Hasan appealed an order from then-judge Col. Gregory Gross that his beard be forcibly shaved if he didn't remove it before his trial.?
Gross was ousted from the case and his order was thrown out, and court proceedings resumed in December with the current judge.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
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We're talking social all week this week on Talk Mobile, and one of the newest pretenders to the throne is App.net. It's a more interesting proposition than just a mere social network, positioning itself as a platform and inviting developers to build on it. It's also not free, which from the outset may have put some folks off trying it out. There are now invite-only, free, limited accounts to get people through the door and trying it out. And of course, the iMore team, well some of the iMore team, is on App.net as well, so here's how to follow us!
The North Korea YouTube account is the country's officially recognized, premier means of reaching Western audiences. It's also utterly insane. But it starts to make a little more sense once you meet the people behind it.
The odd first thing you'll notice about the North Korea YouTube page?created specifically to win the hearts and minds of English-speakers?is that nearly all of the videos are in Korean, making them almost wholly ineffective. But it gets even stranger?look closer and you'll discover that the channel is actually run by the Korean Friendship Association (KFA). This international gang of misfits has tasked itself with creating a positive online presence for the most colorful of the world's paradoxically communist dictatorships. And not one of them speaks Korean.
The international group's stated mission is to put a more positive spin on the global North Korea conversation. Which makes their decision to post videos such as the following even more bizarre. Because while they put hundreds of clips like the following online, they don't know any more about the contents than that it has to do with "Potato Pride:"
- Defend the independence and socialist construction in the DPR of Korea
- Learn from the culture and history of the Korean People - Work for the peaceful unification of the Korean peninsula
Now, it may seem odd to willingly head a crusade to improve the public perception of a totalitarian dictatorship that perpetuates starvation and sends hundreds of thousands of its citizens to brutal labor internment camps. But then again, Cao de Benos is an odd guy. In this interview posted on May 16, 2012 he describes how he views himself as "a soldier of Kim Jong-il," and how he was drawn to the DPRK when he heard that it "defeated American imperialism." He loves North Korea, he explains, because it reflects his faith. Do with that what you will.
What may be most surprising, though, is that North Korea seems to love him right back. In 2002, Alejandro Cao de Benos became the very first foreigner ever allowed to work on behalf of the North Korean authorities in an official capacity?a dream he'd had since he was a teenager. In order for this to happen, actual North Korean law had to be changed, allowing him to obtain a North Korean passport. He spends about half of every year in the DPRK. So more than just acting as North Korea's moral support overseas, the KFA acts as an officially recognized liaison between the everyman and the Hermit Country itself?and this includes their incredibly active social media accounts.
Perhaps even more bizarre, all of the official, English-language North Korean social media outlets are created and maintained largely by American citizens. In fact, the International Communication Secretary and man in charge of the KFA's (and consequently North Korea's) English-language Internet outreach is a Chicago resident named Tommy Seilheimer (below).
Radio DPRK
Seilheimer appears to wear quite a few hats, according to his LinkedIn profile. He's former Skid Row frontman Sebastian Bach's webmaster, for one (Seilheimer is also one of the 460 people Bach follows on Twitter, for further corroboration). He runs something called Defcon13 Media, an SEO/web design shop. And while he's not listed as an official member, he's at least closely affiliated with a Poison tribute band that calls itself Posin. In between these gigs, he finds time to provide Kim Jong-un a North American soap box.
Seilheimer may have never visited North Korea personally, but he feels for a country that, in his eyes, has been grossly misrepresented in the media. Speaking about his initial interest in the group, Seilheimer tells us:
A lot of media in the US really was going hardcore after them. So I started watching some documentaries for myself and made my own decisions regarding what I thought they'd been through?as well as what they continue to do. It's one thing to have actually been there. And to actually go there and see what's going on is a whole different story. KFA delegates have gone on the state sanctioned tours, and they show you everything. So we don't really comment on that. I've never seen that and nobody at the KFA has ever seen any of these camps, so we just kind of leave that for the politicians to battle out. But we obviously wish the best for everybody.
According to Seilheimer, at least as far as their English-language, Western-directed social media goes, the KFA is intent on staying politically neutral. Or as politically neutral as one can be while supporting a virtually genocidal dictator. According to Seilheimer:
It's the Friendship association. We're not trying to be political. We're about sharing DPRK culture and all the learning that goes along with it. The [North Korean] government looks down on anything negative that we or anybody else would post.
Now while the Supreme Leader (or as Seilheimer casually refers to him, the President) doesn't quite have the best track record of keeping up relations, it would be perfectly plausible for this international gang of Kim Jong-un groupies to avoid courting controversy. Except for the fact that, well, they don't.
While Seilheimer doesn't appear to have written any of these screeds himself, he's definitely aware of them. As he explained to us, "The other US delegates are free to write their own articles, but I definitely read them just to make sure they aren't attacking the US or vice versa." If this is what's gotten through, one can't help but wonder what qualifies as an attack.
But the main website is only one small aspect of the oddly crafted online persona the KFA maintains for North Korea. The truly interesting and even more baffling content comes in what these people are sharing with whomever might be willing to listen using everything from LinkedIn and Pinterest to YouTube and Facebook. Some of the articles, as well as all the photos and videos they aggregate on these networks, come from official DPRK sources. Seilheimer elaborates:
Anything we post on YouTube or Twitter or any of the other social media sites?it's all just about getting it out there. We're really looking to reach anybody. A lot of it's about learning, and the music is really good. Obviously, though, the documentaries and informative stuff we put up definitely does the best. Our big thing is just getting the videos out there. We don't push anybody. We don't say this is how it is. We literally just post the news and they can make their own decisions.
However, the problem is?and with the YouTube channel in particular?none of these Western, English-speaking delegates posting these North Korean articles and videos actually speak any Korean. Upon being asked how they overcome this seemingly massive barrier, Seilheimer tells us:
We usually use Google Translate; it's probably our best friend. Some people that we do know speak Korean, but we don't want to bug them all the time. For the most part, the press releases [the DPRK] make are pretty good. We just clean them up a little bit and rely on Google Translate. As for the videos, a lot of them, obviously, only come with a title on the top. So we just kind of go by that.
But the ever vigilant KFA doesn't let a little thing like "total lack of understanding" stop them. Despite supposedly not knowing what anyone in the videos they're swiping from DPRK news is saying, they've been busy filling their YouTube page with hundreds of nearly identical, bizarre, often unsettling videos. And by god are they prolific.
Since Aug 29, 2012, the officially-recognized, KFA-run North Korea YouTube channel has uploaded 535 videos of wildly varied genre. Some will actually have descriptions written in English, making them appear to have been made with a Western audience in mind. For these, the themes generally stay somewhere along the lines of "Look How Not-Starving and Not-Imprisoned-in-Labor-Camps North Korean Citizens Are." For example, we learn that one Pyongyang man is off to offer his mom a Mother's Day bouquet of flowers in honor of her being "very meticulous" and showing "deep care for [his] growth." A heartwarming sentiment to which we all can relate.
A good portion of the channel really is relatively harmless, albeit totally non sequitor. Take this prime example, an episode of North Korean Iron Chef and its accompanying song. An excerpt of the translated lyrics, in which we see the deification of a noodle dish, follows.
Naengmyeon naengmyeon Pyongyang naengmyeon/ One of the best delicacies in the world/ Even groom and brides eat naengmyeon at their weddings/ Ah sure is cool/ Two bowls are not enough/ Okryu-gwan is a pride of North Korea
As recently as May, the channel saw another big hike in video uploading, including this one of "westerners" extolling North Korea's virtues and the freedom it graciously bestowed upon them. Sure, the lip movements don't always match the words they're saying, and the sporadically shifting blurs over their mouths would seem to suggest some poor video manipulation?but any tampering would, admittedly, have been done on North Korea's end. That didn't, though, stop the KFA from posting it.
While Seilheimer maintained that the government in no way has any control over the content they do or do not choose put out, the reality is that, by virtue of coming from official DPRK sources, everything they're working with has already been explicitly pre-approved.
Of course, it's incredibly unlikely that unintelligible videos and glorified photos of the Dear Leader are going to do much to alter the Western mindset regarding North Korea. At least, not for the better. So in that respect, although contradictory and hyperbolic, their efforts at "educating" the public aren't doing any real harm, as far as we know.
Still, this attempt at applying North Korean propaganda techniques to a Western audience is equally fascinating and terrifying, particularly for the depths of denial it requires. Which, come to think of it, is just one more thing they share in common with their beloved Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
New Yorkers are notoriously proud of their city, and what better way to show hometown love than with a .nyc address? According to Mayor Bloomberg's official Twitter account, that will soon be possible for Big Apple residents. The just-launched website for the "ultimate New York City address" (har, har) says the top-level domain will help local businesses' visibility in search results, in addition to eliminating all doubt as to where you reside. "Businesses, organizations and residents" will be eligible for the TLD, with registration beginning in late 2013. When it launches, .nyc will be the first city in the United States to receive a geography-based domain. Did you think New York would settle for anything less?.
A little over a year ago, Twitter kicked off an initiative to experiment with different ways of making tweets more interactive -- a strategy that has brought us Twitter cards with previews, and shortcodes for embedding tweets elsewhere. Today, one of the latest experiments is adding more data into the mix: a list of sites linking to where a tweet has been embedded.
New guidelines pave the road for achieving an AIDS-free generationPublic release date: 1-Jul-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Johanna Harvey jharvey@pedaids.org 202-280-1657 Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation
The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation welcomes new HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention guidelines
KUALA LUMPURJuly 1, 2013The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF) welcomes the World Health Organization (WHO)'s new HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention guidelines. For the first time, the 2013 guidelines combine recommendations across the continuum of HIV care and prevention programs, including expanding treatment eligibility for HIV-positive pregnant women, mothers, and children. These recommendations signify a major step forward in the global effort to achieve an AIDS-free generation, but will require a significant shift in current implementation efforts.
"Implementing these new guidelines will require thoughtful leadership and planning" said R.J. Simonds, M.D., vice president of program innovation and policy at EGPAF. "We must listen to the local communities and involve them in the rollout efforts. These guidelines have the opportunity to provide unprecedented access to treatment and prevention measures and reduce HIV/AIDS transmission rates worldwide."
The new guidelines include recommendations to provide lifelong antiretroviral therapy (ART) for all pregnant and breastfeeding women, also known as Option B+, which are expected to improve prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) services and increase the likelihood that infants born to HIV-positive mothers will be born and remain HIV-negative. In addition, lifelong ART has the potential to improve the health and livelihood of HIV-positive mothers and reduce the spread of infection to uninfected partners.
The guidelines also call for expanded pediatric treatment, including immediate initiation of ART for all HIV-positive children younger than five years of age. This new recommendation shines a light on efforts to treat new and existing pediatric HIV infections, a component that is often overlooked in the global HIV/AIDS response.
"Currently, only one in three eligible children living with HIV receives the medicines they need. We hope the new guidelines will focus increased attention and efforts to eliminate this gap," said Laura Guay, M.D., vice president of research at EGPAF.
"In addition, because of the many novel aspects of the guidelines, studying its translation into practice is essential for achieving its potential."
Globally, an estimated 26 million people living with HIV in low-and middle-income countries will be eligible for ART under the new guidelines, compared with the previous 17 million eligible recipients in accordance with the WHO's 2010 guidelines. Full implementation could avert as many as 3 million AIDS-related deaths and 3.5 million new HIV infections between 2013 and 2025.
"The new recommendations embody the continuing evolution of the global HIV/AIDs response," said EGPAF President and CEO Charles Lyons. "As we work to combat this epidemic, we must be willing to change and expand upon current treatment and prevention efforts to reach as many HIV-positive people as possible. The Foundation supports efforts to implement these guidelines as we continue our mission to eliminate pediatric HIV and create a world free of HIV/AIDS."
###
To learn more and to access the WHO's 2013 consolidated guidelines, visit http://www.pedaids.org
About the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF):
EGPAF is a global leader in the fight against pediatric HIV/AIDS, and has reached more than 16 million women with services to prevent transmission of HIV to their babies. It currently works at more than 5,500 sites and in 15 countries to implement prevention, care, and treatment services; to further advance innovative research; and to execute global advocacy activities that bring dramatic change to the lives of millions of women, children, and families worldwide. For more information, visit http://www.pedaids.org.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
New guidelines pave the road for achieving an AIDS-free generationPublic release date: 1-Jul-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Johanna Harvey jharvey@pedaids.org 202-280-1657 Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation
The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation welcomes new HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention guidelines
KUALA LUMPURJuly 1, 2013The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF) welcomes the World Health Organization (WHO)'s new HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention guidelines. For the first time, the 2013 guidelines combine recommendations across the continuum of HIV care and prevention programs, including expanding treatment eligibility for HIV-positive pregnant women, mothers, and children. These recommendations signify a major step forward in the global effort to achieve an AIDS-free generation, but will require a significant shift in current implementation efforts.
"Implementing these new guidelines will require thoughtful leadership and planning" said R.J. Simonds, M.D., vice president of program innovation and policy at EGPAF. "We must listen to the local communities and involve them in the rollout efforts. These guidelines have the opportunity to provide unprecedented access to treatment and prevention measures and reduce HIV/AIDS transmission rates worldwide."
The new guidelines include recommendations to provide lifelong antiretroviral therapy (ART) for all pregnant and breastfeeding women, also known as Option B+, which are expected to improve prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) services and increase the likelihood that infants born to HIV-positive mothers will be born and remain HIV-negative. In addition, lifelong ART has the potential to improve the health and livelihood of HIV-positive mothers and reduce the spread of infection to uninfected partners.
The guidelines also call for expanded pediatric treatment, including immediate initiation of ART for all HIV-positive children younger than five years of age. This new recommendation shines a light on efforts to treat new and existing pediatric HIV infections, a component that is often overlooked in the global HIV/AIDS response.
"Currently, only one in three eligible children living with HIV receives the medicines they need. We hope the new guidelines will focus increased attention and efforts to eliminate this gap," said Laura Guay, M.D., vice president of research at EGPAF.
"In addition, because of the many novel aspects of the guidelines, studying its translation into practice is essential for achieving its potential."
Globally, an estimated 26 million people living with HIV in low-and middle-income countries will be eligible for ART under the new guidelines, compared with the previous 17 million eligible recipients in accordance with the WHO's 2010 guidelines. Full implementation could avert as many as 3 million AIDS-related deaths and 3.5 million new HIV infections between 2013 and 2025.
"The new recommendations embody the continuing evolution of the global HIV/AIDs response," said EGPAF President and CEO Charles Lyons. "As we work to combat this epidemic, we must be willing to change and expand upon current treatment and prevention efforts to reach as many HIV-positive people as possible. The Foundation supports efforts to implement these guidelines as we continue our mission to eliminate pediatric HIV and create a world free of HIV/AIDS."
###
To learn more and to access the WHO's 2013 consolidated guidelines, visit http://www.pedaids.org
About the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF):
EGPAF is a global leader in the fight against pediatric HIV/AIDS, and has reached more than 16 million women with services to prevent transmission of HIV to their babies. It currently works at more than 5,500 sites and in 15 countries to implement prevention, care, and treatment services; to further advance innovative research; and to execute global advocacy activities that bring dramatic change to the lives of millions of women, children, and families worldwide. For more information, visit http://www.pedaids.org.
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After their split, Kat Von D and Deadmau5 both took to their social media accounts to tell their sides of the story.
Kat Von D and Deadmau5's engagement started over Twitter, so it's only appropriate that they would discuss their break up on the social network site.
The couple, who have been engaged since December when the DJ sent a proposal to Von D via Twitter, have called it quits over allegations that he cheated.
Von D posted a cryptic tweet on Wednesday, and later followed it up with a second tweet that gave her more than 1 million Twitter followers a bit more detail on her current situation.
For his part, Deadmau5 (real name Joel Zimmerman) is denying he ever cheated, offering his Facebook fans and Twitter followers his own version of what went down:
At the end of June, it was clear that the relationship was not working and we mutually ended the engagement. I was not, at any point, unfaithful to Kat during our time together.
In the Facebook post, Deadmau5 admits that he did have "relations" with another woman before he proposed to Von D, but claims that it happened while he and the former reality personality were broken up.
Von D certainly hasn't been lucky in love. This is the third failed engagement for the tattoo artist in two years. She was previously engaged -- twice! -- to motorcycle builder and reality star Jesse James. Before that, she was married to fellow tattoo artist Oliver Peck from 2004 to 2007.
RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) ? Thousands of excited Gaza residents have mobbed the area's southern border crossing with Egypt to welcome home the winner of the Arab Idol talent contest.
Around 4,000 people gathered early Tuesday for the arrival of Mohammad Assaf, the 23-year-old who is the first Palestinian to win the popular reality show. His victory on Saturday sparked huge celebrations in the West Bank and Gaza.
Assaf is widely viewed as a unifying symbol in the Palestinian territories. His victory won praise from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and even some officials from Gaza's conservative Hamas rulers.
Assaf is on the Egyptian side of the border and is expected to cross shortly.
After a stop in the Palestinian territories, he plans on moving to Dubai to continue his recording career.
House Majority Leader Harry Reid (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
"Wacko birds" are so last season.
Speaking to reporters on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, a frustrated Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid referred to some House Republicans as "crazies" when asked about the federal immigration bill's chances of passing the Republican-majority House.
?The speaker has said, within a period of a little over 24 hours, we?re going to pass immigration but we?re going to have Democratic votes to do it. As soon as his crazies heard that, I guess they talked to him and next day he comes back and said: ?I will only pass it if I have the majority of the majority,'" Reid, a Nevada Democrat, said. "So the point is, I'm not sure that he?or anyone else in leadership in the House?really know what they're doing."
Reid was referring to House Speaker John Boehner's vow in June that he would not put a comprehensive immigration bill to a vote without support from a majority of Republicans. (Boehner was under pressure from House Republicans after he suggested in April that he could rely on Democrats to pass the bill if it lacked support from a majority of the Republican caucus.)
The Senate is expected to pass a bill as early as Thursday, and Boehner will be forced to make a decision soon. The legislation's passage will put pressure on the House to finish its own version, but the bipartisan appetite for a comprehensive bill is weaker in the House than the Senate.
According to a statement we received earlier, Vertu'sPerry Oosting (pictured left) has stepped down after his successful four year stint as President and CEO, though he'll continue to invest in the company. Despite the relatively short run, the Dutch exec oversaw Vertu's departure from Nokia and subsequently launched the company's first-ever Android device, the Ti. Little is known about the reasons behind this change, but judging by Oosting's considerable knowledge of the luxury goods market, he'll have plenty of options for his next move.
The luxury phone maker will now be led by CMO Massimiliano "Max" Pogliani (pictured right), who's probably best known for building up Nespresso, Nestlé's premium coffee brand, prior to joining Vertu last November. Pogliani will be assisted by ex-Jimmy Choo COO Jonathan Sinclair, who joined Vertu this month under the same title. Press release after the break.
Here's a sign of how valuable China's biggest alternative app stores have become. The country's leading search engine, Baidu, 
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Public release date: 1-Jul-2013
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