| Jerusalem 09 July 2007 |
Download The Arab League is sending a delegation to Israel this week for the first time. As Robert Berger reports from VOA's Jerusalem, the 22-nation organization is pushing a new initiative for Mideast peace.
The visit of the Arab League delegation to Israel is a sign of deep concern about the violent takeover of the Gaza Strip last month by the Islamic militant group Hamas.
Moderate Arab states want to push Israel to revive peace talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who heads a western-backed government in the West Bank. They believe that negotiations on the creation of a Palestinian state could prevent a similar takeover of the West Bank by Hamas.
So the foreign ministers of Egypt and Jordan will visit Israel this week on behalf of the Arab League to discuss what is known as the Arab peace initiative. It calls for all Arab states to establish full diplomatic ties with Israel in exchange for a full Israeli withdrawal to the 1967 borders.
Israel rejects that demand because it would mean giving up Jerusalem's Old City and all West Bank settlements. But Israeli officials say the visit of the Arab League delegation is "historic."
 |
| Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni |
But after the forces of Mr. Abbas were routed by Hamas in Gaza, many Israelis believe handing him major concessions would be a grave mistake. Israel TV journalist Yohanan El Rom says Mr. Abbas did not abide by the internationally-backed "Roadmap" peace plan, so he should not be rewarded with a Palestinian state.
"He is a leader of the Palestinian Authority in name only. He is weak, he has not kept his promises, the first item on the Roadmap was to dismantle the terrorist infrastructure, he did not do it," said El Rom. "He is reaping now his inaction. He is a failure as a leader."
President Abbas is also pushing for peace talks with Israel, saying the hope of a Palestinian state will improve his standing among his people and show them the benefits of moderation. But Hamas, which seeks Israel's destruction, says Mr. Abbas is an illegitimate leader and any negotiations with him are doomed to failure.
Israeli officials say Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is to meet with Mr. Abbas next week. The exact date and location of the meeting has not been announced.
| Islamabad 10 July 2007 |
Download Negotiations to end the stand off have apparently broken down and a military assault has reportedly begun. A senior military official says the security forces have entered the compound. Hospital officials say at least two troops have been killed and at least seven others injured. The government says hundreds of women and children are being held hostage by a group of "hardcore terrorists" with possible links to al-Qaida. VOA correspondent Benjamin Sand reports from Islamabad.
 |
| Soldiers man positions outside Islamabad's Red Mosque, 9 Jul 2007 |
Just before midnight Pakistani Information Minister Muhammad Ali Durrani told reporters negotiators were still working toward ending the seven-day stand-off.
"We are trying our best to minimize the losses, that is why we are in the negotiations," said Muhammad Ali Durrani.
Officials say those talks broke down hours later and fighting erupted outside the mosque.
The government says militants are holding hundreds of women and children as human shields and there are fears of mass casualties.
The mosque's fiery, pro-Taleban leader, Abdul Rashid Ghazi has said everyone in Lal Masjid would rather die fighting than surrender to government forces.
09 July 2007| California Growers Face Unwelcome Import: Light Brown Apple Moth | |
Download
DownloadThis is the VOA Special English Agriculture Report.
 |
| An agricultural official inspects a trap for evidence of the light brown apple moth in Merced County, California |
Officials say it could cause more than one hundred thirty million dollars in crop damage and control costs if the moth spreads to agricultural production areas. California is the nation's leading agricultural state. The industry is valued at thirty-two billion dollars.
The light brown apple moth can attack more than two hundred fifty kinds of plants and trees. It causes damage by feeding on leaves, new growth and fruit, including grapes -- bad news for California's wine industry.
More than thirty thousand traps have been deployed as part of the effort to fight the invasion. As of last week the traps had caught almost five thousand light brown apple moths. The insects have been found in several counties but mostly in Santa Cruz and Monterey along the Central Coast. The others have mostly been found in the San Francisco Bay Area, to the north.
The first discovery came in February. A private citizen captured two suspicious moths in a blacklight trap on his property near Berkeley. A laboratory confirmed their identity in March. Then, in May, the United States Department of Agriculture ordered action to prevent the spread of the insect.
It restricted the movement of products including nursery plants, cut flowers and greenery from several counties in California and all of Hawaii. Shipments must be inspected and declared insect-free before they can be transported to other states.
The California Department of Food and Agriculture says growers have the choice to destroy affected plants or treat them with a chemical, chlorpyrifos. Another substance, Bt, is a natural organism used as a biological control. In June, weekly ground treatments with Bt began on more than two hundred properties in two counties, Contra Costa and Napa. Napa is famous for its wine grapes.
Control plans are being developed for the wider area, based in part on the advice of experts from Australia and New Zealand.
Mexico has suspended imports of some products from the affected areas. It also is requiring more inspection of products from outside the affected counties.
And that's the VOA Special English Agriculture Report, written by Jerilyn Watson. I'm Faith Lapidus.
09 July 2007| What You Can Do to Prevent Health Problems While Traveling | |
Download
DownloadVOICE ONE:
This is SCIENCE IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English. I'm Bob Doughty.
VOICE TWO:
 |
| An airline passenger gets some sleep as she waits for a delayed flight |
(MUSIC)
VOICE ONE:
Health officials in many countries say recent news reports have raised questions about the safety of passenger airplanes. The reports described an American man with a rare kind of tuberculosis. He flew two times across the Atlantic Ocean before agreeing to go to a hospital for treatment.
At first, public health officials attempted to warn people who were passengers on the long flights with the infected man. But officials said most of the passengers had a low risk of developing the disease. They suggested that the passengers could be tested if they wished to make sure.
Since then, health officials have found all the people who sat near the man. Officials said those persons needed to be tested for tuberculosis immediately, and then again in eight to ten weeks. It takes that long for the disease to develop. The officials also wanted the passengers to know they cannot infect anyone else with TB.
VOICE TWO:
Many people are concerned about the way sicknesses are spread in airplanes. It is known that diseases like tuberculosis can be spread from person to person through the air. Bacteria that carry TB move into the air when an infected person talks or expels air suddenly from the lungs. People nearby take the particles into their lungs when they breathe. But experts say healthy people are not in great danger unless they are in a closed space with an infected person for a long time.
Experts said one reason for the low risk of infection is that the man showed no signs of TB. Another reason is that the planes he flew in were equipped with HEPA filters. The Federal Aviation Administration says seventy-five percent of all large passenger planes now use such devices to remove dangerous particles from the air.
VOICE ONE:
The letters H-E-P-A represent the words High Efficiency Particulate Air. HEPA filters capture at least ninety nine point nine seven percent of all particles in the air that are zero point three microns in size or larger.
America's Atomic Energy Commission developed HEPA filters sixty years ago to protect workers who were developing the atomic bomb. The first HEPA filters removed radioactive particles from the air. Today, the filters are used to clean the air in planes, hospitals, factories, and even private homes.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says HEPA filters are effective in clearing the air of many particles that cause disease. Makers of the devices say they kill bacteria and viruses because they help to remove the wetness that germs need to survive. But HEPA filters cannot remove disease-causing particles smaller than zero point three microns. These will continue to move around in the air and can infect people.
VOICE TWO:
Medical experts say the most common way to get an infection is by touching an infected surface, then touching the eyes, nose or mouth. They say the best way people can protect themselves is by washing their hands after touching an object where germs could be present.
Experts say the news about the man with drug-resistant tuberculosis has increased concerns about travelers who are sick. They say diseases that spread more easily than tuberculosis could cause health and security crises. In the past, public health workers were able to delay travel by persons suspected of having diseases such as influenza. They continue to ask everyone to act responsibly and not fly while they are sick.
(MUSIC)
VOICE ONE:
Experts say people should know about other health problems that can strike when traveling by air. One of these is a condition called hypoxia. It results from a lack of oxygen to the brain. Experts say the body begins losing oxygen minutes after an airplane leaves the ground. The air pressure in a plane during flight is lower than at sea level. This makes it more difficult for the body to effectively use the same amount of oxygen as it would on the ground. Fewer oxygen molecules cross the tissues in the lungs and reach the bloodstream.
The result is a five to twenty percent drop in the amount of oxygen in the blood. This reduces the amount of oxygen that reaches the organs of the body.
VOICE TWO:
One effect of this lack of oxygen to the brain is a headache. When this happens, the heart attempts to fix the situation by beating harder and faster. This can make the traveler feel tired.
These signs of hypoxia are not dangerous in a healthy person. But a drop in oxygen level can cause a health emergency in people with heart or lung problems. They might lose consciousness or even suffer a heart attack.
Experts say that smoking cigarettes and drinking alcoholic liquids also reduce the body’s ability to use oxygen. So they suggest that people not drink alcohol or smoke cigarettes either before or during a flight. They also say persons with heart or lung problems should seek advice from their doctor before flying.
(MUSIC)
VOICE ONE:
Another health danger for travelers is a condition called deep vein thrombosis. A thrombosis is a blood clot -- a condition in which some blood thickens and blocks the flow to the heart.
Blood clots can kill if they move to the heart and lungs and stop needed oxygen from reaching those important organs. This is known as a pulmonary embolism.
The World Health Organization says travelers who sit still for four or more hours face a greater risk of developing blood clots. But it says only one in six thousand people develop deep vein thrombosis.
Doctors say some people have more risk than others. These include people who have had clots in the past, pregnant woman and those who take birth control pills. People who weigh too much and those with heart disease or cancer also may have a greater risk. Others include people being treated with estrogen and those who recently had an operation.
VOICE TWO:
Experts say the chance of a clot also increases if a person does not drink enough water. They say travelers who sit for hours need to drink plenty of water -- not liquids that contain alcohol or caffeine. Passengers should also increase blood flow to the legs. Ways to do this include wearing support stockings on your feet. Passengers should also walk around every hour or so during the trip or at least move their feet and legs. Also, no one should sit for a long time with the knees pressed back against a seat.
Doctors say anyone with pain, swelling or red skin on a leg during or after a long trip may have a blood clot. Anyone with such signs should see a doctor as soon as possible. The condition many times can be treated with drugs that thin the blood and stop the clot from moving through the body.
(MUSIC)
VOICE ONE:
Another health problem people may suffer during a flight is ear pain, also known as airplane ear. This is the result of difference in air pressure between parts of the middle of the ear and the outer ear.
The air pressure in both these areas is kept generally the same by the Eustachian tube. The Eustachian tube connects the middle ear to the nose. The tube opens when a person swallows or takes a deep breath. These actions equalize the air pressure by permitting air to flow into or out of the middle ear. Pressure differences result when the Eustachian tube is blocked. Then the eardrum cannot perform normally. The person may not be able to hear normally…and may also suffer pain.
VOICE TWO:
People with colds or allergic reactions are at greater risk of airplane ear because their Eustachian tubes may be blocked. And children may suffer airplane air more easily than adults because their Eustachian tubes are small and easily blocked. Generally, airplane ear is most painful during take off and landing. But it generally goes away a few hours after the flight. If not, a doctor can provide treatment.
Ways to prevent airplane ear include canceling plans to fly if you have a cold or an allergy. Passengers can use decongestant medicines before the flight, a nasal spray or special earplugs that can help equalize the pressure during landing and takeoffs. Swallowing and taking deep breaths during the flight may also help some people.
(MUSIC)
VOICE ONE:
This SCIENCE IN THE NEWS program was written by Nancy Steinbach. Our producer was Brianna Blake. I'm Bob Doughty.
VOICE TWO:
And I'm Barbara Klein. You can read and listen to this program on our Web site, voaspecialenglish.com. Join us next week at this time for more news about science on the Voice of America.
