Asians seek out the sun despite cancer threats

HONG KONG (Reuters) - It's autumn in Hong Kong but the island's beaches are still crowded with sun worshippers desperate to catch the last rays of sunshine before winter.

"I love the bronze color," says sunbather Richard Tong.

A growing trend in East Asia to soak up the sun either on beaches or in tanning salons is worrying dermatologists in the region who say they are seeing a rise in skin cancer, which is caused by cumulative over-exposure to the sun.

The number of cases is low compared to the United States and Australia but the tanning trend has raised concern of cancer risks in a region where a porcelain complexion was traditionally considered the ultimate sign of beauty and refinement.

"Asians, including South Koreans, used to think they were pretty safe from skin cancer.

However, due to increased outdoor activity, more (sun) exposure and sun tanning, there is an increasing incidence of skin cancer amongst younger people," said Ro Young-suck, head of the Korean Dermatologist Association.

"There has been a huge increase in skin cancer rates in Korean men in particular. We predict it's because while most Korean women usually wear sunscreen while putting on their makeup, men aren't used to this, aren't aware how dangerous it is, and so they don't bother to."

While incidences of skin cancer in most places in Asia are small compared to the United States and Australia, the number of cases have jumped markedly in recent years.

There were 1,712 new cases of skin cancer diagnosed in South Korea in 2005, up from 777 in 1995, according to the Korea Central Cancer Registry. Incidences in Hong Kong went up to around 650 in 2004 from 370 in 1995.

"People who are constantly exposed to UV (ultraviolet radiation in sunlight) won't get cancer immediately," said George Li, a plastic surgeon at Hong Kong's public Queen Mary Hospital.

"It takes a long time to cause skin damage, as people get older there is a high chance to develop skin cancer."

Skin cancer is one of the commonest forms of cancer and is linked to other risk factors like fair skin, light colored hair and eyes, a compromised immune system, genes and old age.

There are three major types of skin cancer: basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and melanoma. The first two are slow growing and highly treatable if discovered early.

Melanoma is the most lethal. It affects deeper layers of the skin and can quickly spread to other parts of the body. It causes 8 out of every 10 skin cancer deaths in the United States.

Caucasians are more susceptible to skin cancer and an average of one in three Caucasians gets skin cancer in their lifetime, according to the U.S. Skin Cancer Foundation.

TANNING SALONS

In Asia, sun worshippers don't just work on their tans on the beach or by the pool -- tanning salons are increasingly popular as beauty salons offering a range of treatments take off in a region that is enjoying unprecedented affluence.

A 15-20 minute session costs anywhere between S$35 and S$60 (US$24-US$41) in Singapore.
In Hong Kong, a 10-minute session costs about US$13.

Even in Australia, where one in two Australians develop skin cancers in their lifetime and 1,600 people die from skin cancers each year, a campaign to educate people to wear sunblock, sunglasses and shirts to reduce skin cancer risks does not seem to be making major dents in skin cancer rates.

Melanoma cases in Australia rose nearly 7 percent in women in the 10 years to 2003, and nearly 19 percent in men.

Although Cancer Council Australia president Professor Ian Olver expects skin cancer figures to flatten out when the young generation, educated to cover up from the sun, gets older.

"Caucasians migrated into an area where the sunshine is intense. In other countries, indigenous people have pigmented skin because of the climate they lived in over the years. We migrated to a country that didn't suit our skin color," Olver said.

In Hong Kong, Luk tries to educate locals by telling them to cut sun exposure, use sun-block rather than tanning creams and avoid sunbeads -- which use mainly ultraviolet A rays.

"UV-A is not completely innocent, we cannot completely disregard it. We are exposed to a lot of UV-A and because of its high wavelength, it penetrates deeper," he said.

(Additional reporting by Jessica Kim in Seoul, Koh Guiqing in Singapore, George Nishiyama in Tokyo)
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http://www.enn.com/health/article/24123

Argentina's first lady wins poll

Argentina's current first lady, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, has secured victory in the country's presidential election.
With most of the ballots counted, Mrs Kirchner had an unassailable lead with 44.6% of the votes.
Her nearest rival, former lawmaker Elisa Carrio, has admitted defeat, trailing on 22.6% of the vote.

Mrs Kirchner will succeed her husband Nestor Kirchner and become Argentina's first elected female president.

"We've won by a wide margin," she told supporters in a speech at her campaign headquarters at a hotel in Buenos Aires.

"But this, far from putting us in a position of privilege, puts us instead in a position of greater responsibilities and obligations," she said.

As her husband, the outgoing president, stood at her side, she said she would build on his work.

"We have repositioned the country, fought poverty and unemployment, all these tragedies that have hit Argentines," she said, referring to the country's recovery from the 2001 economic crash.

Elisa Carrio, who performed well in the capital Buenos Aires, secured 23% of the overall vote, with ex-economy minister Roberto Lavagna in third place on 17%.

Eleven candidates split the rest of the ballots.

Mrs Kirchner needed more than 45% of the full vote, or 40% with a 10 point lead over the next nearest candidate, to win the presidency without facing a second round of voting.

Polling was extended by one hour in some parts of the country to 1900 local time (2200 GMT) to accommodate a late rush of voters.

Besides a new president, voters were choosing eight provincial governors, a third of the Senate and about half of the Chamber of Deputies.

Some 27 million people were eligible to vote.

Economy and crime

The economy and rising crime have been the two main issues in campaigning.

Mr Kirchner has overseen a return to stability and some prosperity since the economy collapsed six years ago, plunging thousands into poverty, the BBC's Daniel Schweimler reports from Buenos Aires.

But there are fears over how strong the economy really is and general scepticism over official statistics suggesting inflation is under control.

Mrs Kirchner's critics have attacked her for failing to outline exactly what her policies are, but voters who spoke to the BBC's Will Grant in Buenos Aires said the opposition had failed to offer any real alternative.

Surprise candidate

Just a few months ago, Mr Kirchner was riding high in the opinion polls and looked set to continue for a second term.

However, it was announced in July that his wife Cristina, senator for Buenos Aires province, would stand in his place. No explanation was given.

It is not clear what role, if any, Mr Kirchner will play in his wife's administration.

But Mrs Kirchner, candidate for the governing Front for Victory, has promised to continue her husband's centre-left policies.

As well as facing comparisons with Eva Peron, Argentina's legendary former first lady, Mrs

Kirchner has been compared to former US First Lady Hillary Clinton, who is also a lawyer and senator seeking to become the first elected female president of her country.

"I don't want to be compared with Hillary Clinton or with Evita Peron, or with anybody," she said recently.

"There's nothing better than being yourself."

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7066776.stm

Protesters attack bars in Bolivia

Hundreds of angry residents have attacked bars and brothels in Bolivia for a second day amid reports they were selling alcohol to underage drinkers.

Protesters armed with sticks and stones smashed windows and set furniture ablaze in at least 20 bars in El Alto, on the edge of the capital, La Paz.

They want local government to pass laws banning pubs and brothels near schools.

Municipal council chairman Gustavo Morales told Spain's Efe news agency such regulations were in the pipeline.

'Neighbourhoods unsafe'

The protesters - mostly families mobilised by the El Alto Parents' Federation - say the establishments are making their neighbourhood unsafe.

Local newspaper reports said some bars had hidden areas for underage alcohol consumption.

"We want to end this, because our children are here, our husbands, our brothers-in-law, all the males in the family spend their time here," local resident Justina Mamani told The Associated Press news agency.

Mr Morales said the new laws would extend the minimum distance between brothels and schools from 300m to 500m (330 to 550 yards) and limit business hours for all nightlife venues.

El Alto is one of the poorest areas of Bolivia.

Many of its one million residents were instrumental in bringing down the government of Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada amid violent protests in 2003.
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http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7049155.stm

Castro speaks live on Chavez show

Cuban President Fidel Castro has spoken live on television for the first time since handing over power last year as he underwent a serious operation.

Mr Castro spoke by phone on Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's weekly chat show, being broadcast from Cuba.

Mr Chavez is in the country to mark the 40th anniversary of the killing of revolutionary icon
Ernesto Che Guevara.

Mr Castro phoned to discuss the Guevara legacy, and the two leaders laughed and joked together for several minutes.

Video footage from a meeting between Mr Chavez and the Cuban leader, said to have been filmed on Saturday, was also shown during the programme.

'Father of revolutionaries'

The BBC's Duncan Kennedy in Havana said Mr Castro's voice was strong and he sounded like he was on the road to recovery.

The Cuban leader has not appeared in public since surgery forced him to cede power to his brother, Raul, last year.

In the video footage, Mr Chavez is seen singing hymns to Mr Castro and calling him "father of all revolutionaries".

The Cuban leader said he was moved by the tribute, and went on to praise Che Guevara as a "harvester of ideas".

After the tape was aired, Mr Chavez spoke to Mr Castro on the phone and told him: "Everyone is electrified to hear you."

The programme was broadcast from Guevara mausoleum in the Cuban city of Santa Clara.

In September, pictures of Mr Castro were broadcast on Cuban TV, ending rumours that he had died or suffered a major relapse.
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http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7043701.stm

Colombia mine collapse kills 24

At least 24 amateur gold prospectors have been killed in a mine collapse in south-west Colombia.

Some 18 people were injured and another 10 estimated to be missing after the accident near the town of Suarez, about 350km (220 miles) from Bogota.

Local residents were mining for gold with few security measures in place.

Rescue efforts have been called off for the night and were hampered by the fact that there was no record of how many people had entered the mine.

Recent torrential rains had weakened the sides of the open cast mine, sparking a landslide of mud and rock on some 50 prospectors.

'No safety'

Cauca provincial Governor Juan Jose Chaux said the search had been suspended as darkness and bad weather had made the mine more unsafe.

A local policeman told AP news agency: "There are still a lot of people to rescue, and we don't know what conditions they're in."

Television pictures showed rescuers with heavy machinery wading through mud in an eight meter (25 feet) deep by 50 meter (160 feet) wide pit.

Mr Chaux said prospectors had entered the pit after rumours there were gold seams despite being warned it was unsafe by the Suarez mayor.

The site is owned by mining company Agromineros.

The BBC's Jeremy McDermott in Colombia says gold deposits abound in the region but few mining companies venture to operate there because warring factions control much of the country's rural parts.

Local residents have taken the opportunity to set up illegal mining operations which respect no safety regulations, according to our correspondent.

In February a gas explosion at a coal mine in north-eastern Colombia killed 32 miners.

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7043516.stm

Gore shares Nobel win with U.N. climate panel

OSLO (Reuters) - Former Vice President Al Gore and the U.N. climate panel won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for their part in galvanizing international action against global warming before it "moves beyond man's control".

Gore and the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) won "for their efforts to build up and disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change, and to lay the foundations for the measures that are needed to counteract such change", the Norwegian Nobel Committee said.

They were chosen to share the $1.5 million prize from a field of 181 candidates.

"He is probably the single individual who has done most to create greater worldwide understanding of the measures that need to be adopted," the committee said of Gore.

"The IPCC has created an ever-broader informed consensus about the connection between human activities and global warming," it said.

"Action is necessary now, before climate change moves beyond man's control," the citation said of rising temperatures that could bring more droughts, floods, rising seas.

It was the second prize to a leading Democrat during the presidency of Republican George W. Bush.
The 2002 prize went to former President Jimmy Carter, which the Nobel committee head at the time called a "kick in the legs" to the U.S. administration over preparations to invade Iraq.
But chairman Ole Danbolt Mjoes said the prize to Gore was not meant as criticism of Bush. "A peace price is never criticism of anyone, a peace price is a positive message and support to all fighting for peace in the world."
Since leaving office in 2001 Gore has lectured extensively on the threat of global warming and last year starred in his own Oscar-winning documentary film "An Inconvenient Truth" to warn of the dangers of climate change and urge action against it.
It was the first Nobel Peace Prize to climate campaigners, though the 2004 prize went to Kenya's Wangari Maathai for her work to get women across Africa to plant trees -- an earlier expansion of the concept of peace to environmental work.
OVERWHELMED

Gore, age 59, said he was deeply honored to win and said he would donate his share of the prize money to the Alliance for Climate Protection, a bipartisan non-profit organization.

"This award is even more meaningful because I have the honor of sharing it with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change -- the world's preeminent scientific body devoted to improving our understanding of the climate crisis -- a group whose members have worked tirelessly and selflessly for many years."

IPCC chairman Rajendra Pachauri said he was overwhelmed.

"I can't believe it, overwhelmed, stunned," Pachauri told reporters and co-workers after receiving the news on the phone at his office in New Delhi.

"I feel privileged sharing it with someone as distinguished as him," he added, referring to Gore.

The IPCC groups 2,500 researchers from more than 130 nations and issued reports this year blaming human activities for climate changes ranging from more heat waves to floods. It was set up in 1988 by the United Nations to help guide governments.

In the run-up to the announcement, speculation that Gore could win the Nobel prize prompted questions about whether it could lead Gore to join the 2008 race for the White House.

Monica Friedlander, founder of the group www.draftgore.com seeking to get Gore to run, said it would now "be very difficult for him to say no".

"He's in a position to make a big difference," she said.

The scope of the prize established by the 1895 will of Swedish philanthropist and inventor of dynamite Alfred Nobel has expanded over the decades from its roots in peacemaking and disarmament to human rights from the 1960s, to work for the environment and the fight against poverty.

Congratulations poured in from U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barros, U.N. Environment Program chief Achim Steiner, environmental groups and others.

The Nobel prize is worth 10 million Swedish crowns ($1.54 million) and will be handed out in Oslo on December 10.

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http://www.enn.com/sci-tech/article/23815

Climate Campaigners Tipped for Nobel Peace Prize

OSLO - Former Vice President Al Gore and other campaigners against climate change lead experts' choices for the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize, an award once reserved for statesmen, peacemakers and human rights activists.



If a campaigner against global warming carries off the high world accolade later this month, it will accentuate a shift to reward work outside traditional peacekeeping and reinforce the link between peace and the environment.

The winner, who will take $1.5 million in prize money, will be announced in the Norwegian capital on October 12 from a field of 181 nominees.

Gore, who has raised awareness with his book and Oscar-winning documentary "An Inconvenient Truth", and Canadian Inuit activist Sheila Watt-Cloutier, who has shed light on how global warming affects Arctic peoples, were nominated to share the prize by two Norwegian parliamentarians.

"I think they are likely winners this year," said Stein Toennesson, director of Oslo's International Peace Research Institute (PRIO) and a long-time Nobel Peace Prize watcher.

"It will certainly be tempting to the (Nobel) committee to have two North Americans -- one the activist that personifies the struggle against climate change, raising awareness, and the other who represents some of the victims of climate change."

Jan Egeland, head of the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs, agreed the award committee could establish the link between peace and the environment.

"I think the whole issue of climate change and the environment will come at some point and reflect in the prize," Egeland told reporters last week.

"There are already climate wars unfolding ... And the worst area for that is the Sahel belt in Africa."

There has been a shift to reward work away from the realm of conventional peacemaking and human rights work.

IN WITH A CHANCE

Toennesson said others with a chance included former Finnish president Martti Ahtisaari, a perennial nominee for decades of peace mediation work, and dissident Vietnamese monk Thich Quang Do for his pro-democracy efforts.

The secretive five-member Norwegian Nobel Committee does not disclose the names of nominees, though some who make nominations go public with their candidates.

Toennesson said by giving the award to those fighting climate change, the committee would thrust itself into the public debate ahead of a key U.N. climate conference in Bali, Indonesia, in December.

If Gore is seen as too political, the committee could opt instead for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) -- the scientists who advise the United Nations and produce key reports on the climate problem, Toennesson said.

To give it a face, the prize could be shared by the IPCC's Indian chairman Rajendra Pachauri, experts said, though Pachauri told Reuters in London he did not think he stood a chance.

"I have a feeling it will go to Al Gore, and I think he deserves it. He certainly has done a remarkable job of creating awareness on the subject and has become a crusader," he said.

Watt-Cloutier told Reuters she was flattered to be mentioned as a possible winner but did not expect to win.

Toennesson said Ahtisaari deserves the prize most for helping to bring peace to the Aceh region of Indonesia in 2005.

(Additional reporting by Alister Doyle)
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http://www.enn.com/climate/article/23645