8,000 mile ultra high capacity internet cable will link Hong Kong to LA

Google and Facebook are to install an 8,000-mile ultra high capacity internet cable which will link Los Angeles to Hong Kong.

The super-fast Pacific Light Cable Network (PLCN) will be powerful enough to handle 80 million simultaneous HD video conference calls between the two cities.

To do this, the cable will have a capacity of 120 Tbps, making it the highest-capacity trans-Pacific route when it comes online in 2018.

The super cable will be twice as powerful as the current record-holding Faster cable that went live in June and which is 10 million times faster than a modem.

Google said: “It is our mission is to connect people to the world’s information by providing fast and reliable infrastructure.

“From data centers to cables under the sea, we’re dedicated to building infrastructure that reaches more people than ever before.

“PLCN is designed to accommodate evolving infrastructure technology, allowing us to independently choose network equipment and refresh optical technology as it advances.”

The Faster Cable system transmits multiple colours of light over various frequencies, using a repeater to reenergize the light roughly every 37 miles.

Faster and PLCN are hust two of several hundred submarine cables which connect different areas of the word and which gives the Internet its underwater ‘backbone.’

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World Health Organization : Tuberculosis Hardly Under Control

Tuberculosis disease was listed as one of the top 10 causes of death worldwide, ranking higher than HIV and Malaria.

In the 2014 World Health Assembly, world leaders agreed to the 2030 ‘twin goals’. These goals are to decrease the number of deaths due to the respiratory infection by 90% . Furthermore, they aim to bring down the cases reported, by 80%, compared to the number reported last 2015.

But, according to the World Health Organization Tuberculosis report released last Thursday, deaths and cases increased between 2013 and 2015. The case hike reflects a very serious problem in the fight against tuberculosis. The record shows that the number of escalated cases worldwide are far behind the total number of TB cases.

In about 10.4 million new cases in 2015, only 6.1 million were identified and reported to the authorities.

It clearly shows that the world governments are failing to meet their 2030 “twin goals”.
Dr. Margaret Chan, the WHO director-general, said “There must be a massive scale-up of efforts, or countries will continue to run behind this deadly epidemic and these ambitious goals will be missed,” she further said, “We face an uphill battle to reach the global targets for tuberculosis.”

Seconded by Greg Elder, a medical coordinator for Doctors without Borders, called the report a “shockingly bad report card.”

In a statement, he said, “Governments need to get their heads out of the sand and realize that TB is not a disease consigned to the 1800s, we see and treat TB in our clinics every day, and it’s a deadly threat to all of us.”

Meanwhile, Mario Raviglione, the director of the WHO Global TB Program shared his sentiment about the issue.He called the global TB response in the last year “dismal”. Raviglione also added that program needs more money for rapid tests and drugs.

Most of the serious cases of tuberculosis come from low and middle-class countries. The report notes that they need $8.3 billion funds in 2016 but only received more or less $2 billion. Most of the funds came from domestic funding sources in Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

The report says, if the fund issue for TB treatment and prevention will not be addressed, the gap will increase to $6 billion by 2020.

U.S. top donor

According to Kaiser Family Foundation, who tracks health aid funding, most of the global aid support for TB comes through international donations. These are funneled to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria. The US is the single largest donor to the fund. Over the next three years, the U.S. has pledged $4.3 billion to be spent fighting AIDS, TB, and malaria.

However, tuberculosis-specific funding for programs run by the U.S. Agency for International Development has declined since 2012, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation’s analysis of federal appropriations. If it is approved, the budget request for 2017 will be the lowest level of funding for USAID TB programs since 2009.

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Vietnamese Man Hospitalized for Broken Penis

A Vietnamese man was taken to a hospital in late September with a ‘broken’ penis, allegedly from attempting exotic positions in bed, doctors said.

The 59-year-old man from south-central Vietnam’s Binh Thuan Province was admitted to Binh Dan Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City on September 25. He showed up with a bruised and swollen genital, doctor Mai Ba Tien Dung said.

The middle-aged patient disclosed that he was participating in sexual intercourse with his partner when a ‘crack’ was heard from his erect penis.

According to the patient, purple coloration then appeared across his genital and scrotum. This prompted him to seek medical help at the hospital.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) results revealed a two-centimeter gash and undue bleeding at the right cavernous body of patient’s penis. This is somewhere around the fixed segment of the urethra.

The following day, a surgery was performed to connect the patient’s fibrous envelope, which surrounds the cavernous bodies.

According to doctor Dung, the fracturing of cavernous bodies usually happens at full erection. The symptoms include a clear cracking sound coming from the penis that comes with a sharp pain at the penis stem.

A broken Penis may lead to a lot of….”very bad things”

The doctor said purple coloration around the pain area would ensue. Also, this can swiftly spread along the length of the penis and to the scrotum. The foreskin can also swell up and cover the penis gland.

The patient can suffer from a deformed and curved penis, infected hematoma, erectile dysfunction, and formation of abscess cavities. Not to mention arteriovenous fistula, pain during erection, and even high rates of impotence without appropriate surgery.

The case of the 59-year old patient is uncommon. It happened only once out of a thousand cases of broken penises documented in medical text, Dung said.

The doctor cautioned that without examination by professionally trained physicians, the damages of this type of injury are difficult to ascertain. This can lead to late complications that affect the quality of life of the patient.

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Bob Dylan Recipient of the 2016 Noble Prize in Literature

Bob Dylan, the 75-year-old music legend is also known as the “voice of the generation” for his inspiring songs back in 1960’s onwards. Recently, he won the Nobel Prize for Literature, the only singer-songwriter to win the prestigious award.

The musician attained success “for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition”. He now finds himself in line with Nobel laureate’s icons such as Winston Churchill, Thomas Mann and Rudyard Kipling.

The remarkable awarding was held at Stockholm’s stately Royal Academy Hall and was accompanied by gasps and some laughter.

Dylan wrote iconic songs like “Blowin’ in the Wind”, “The Times They Are a-Changin'”, “Subterranean Homesick Blues” and “Like a Rolling Stone”. Their lyrics inspired many people all over the globe with some spirit of rebellion, dissent, and independence.

For the past decades, Dylan is still writing poetic songs and often performing on tours. He sometimes sang with a rasping voice that has been ridiculed by detractors.

One of his songs considered as the most expressive folk songs of all time was “Blowin’ in the Wind” written in 1962. The song “The Times They Are A-Changin” has inspired so many and also used as an anthem of the civil rights movement and Vietnam War protests.

The Swedish Academy has awarded Dylan with 8 million Swedish crown ($930,000) prize and said “Dylan has the status of an icon. His influence on contemporary music is profound.”

It was also seconded by Swedish academy member, Pet Wastberg “He is probably the greatest living poet”.

Not everyone believes that Dylan neither deserved to be called a poet nor received the 2016 Nobel Prize in Literature. According to Novelist Norman Mailer “If Dylan’s a poet, I’m a basketball player.”

Unanimous decision by awards panel

Meanwhile, Sara Danius, Permanent Secretary of the Nobel Academy, told a news conference there was “great unity” in the panel’s decision to give Dylan the prize.

Dylan’s life, music and lyrics have always been mysterious; He had a motorcycle accident back in 1966 and secluded himself to others. This led to the conclusion that he was under pressure by his new role of being a celebrity.

He was born a Jew and converted to Christianity in 1970’s and later denied a belief in organized religion. At some point in his life, Dylan took up boxing.

Elliott Mintz, Dylan’s spokesman, refused to give any statement about the announcement. Dylan was due to give a concert in Las Vegas on Thursday evening.

Literature was the last of this year’s Nobel prizes to be awarded. The prize is named after dynamite inventor Alfred Nobel and has been awarded since 1901. The receipients were awarded for achievements in science, literature and peace.

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Uber Faces Lawsuit Over Wheelchair Access

Uber Technology Inc. (UBER.UL) faces a federal lawsuit after a Chicago-based disability rights groups filed a violation on Thursday. The Access Living of Metropolitan Chicago along with three disabled people filed the case against Uber. The case documents indicated that the company failed to comply with the “Americans with Disabilities Act”.

The three disabled people show a connection with the Chicago-based rights group, alleges the San Francisco-based company for violating wheelchair accessibility laws. The lawsuit indicates that Uber does not have the proper equipment in handling wheelchairs on their vehicles.

Since launching the ride-hailing business in 2011 Uber provided millions of rides. Out of the millions of rides, the company had just provided only a few vehicles equipped with wheelchair facility for users with a disability. The lawsuits pursue the company to strictly comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

In the case documents filed, it stated that Uber’s “service to people who require wheelchair accessible vehicles ranges from token to non-existent”. The rights group argues “That position threatens a return to the isolation and segregation that the disability rights movement has fought to overcome”.

According to court documents, Uber began its operation in September of 2011. From that year to August 2015, the company only provided 14 services of motorized wheelchair users needing wheelchair accessible vehicles. The company blog said it connected the riders with wheelchair accessible taxi services.

It was a relatively small number compared to the rides Uber provided in the past year. Uber delivered at least 5.5 million rides from April to June 2015 in Chicago, the third largest US city.

In defense of the lawsuit, Uber release a statement saying, “We take this issue seriously and are committed to increasing mobility and freedom for all riders and drivers, including those members of our communities who are disabled”.

The company recognized the need to increase disability access to their service but they claim “it won’t happen overnight”. In May, Uber launched two new additional features in their ride-hailing business, uberWAV and uberASSIST. UberWAV provides users with vehicles equipped with wheelchair ramps or lifts. Meanwhile, uberASSIST is intended for users who need additional assistance for their ride.

No available wheelchair accessible vehicles in Chicago

Uber officials held a meeting in August where they demonstrated the use of the application. They failed to show wheelchair accessible vehicles operating in Chicago at the time, according to the court documents.

It still poses a problem with the company as it continues to be the situation. The Access Disability’s lawyer, Charles Petrof said on Thursday.

Chicago’s city ordinance implies taxi operators with more than 20 taxis to sustain at least 5% for wheelchair accessible vehicles. The city gives financial incentives for these vehiclse.

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US Military Launches Missiles at Houthi Radar Sites

United States officials said the US military launched cruise missiles on Thursday to neutralize three coastal radar sites in Houthi-controlled Yemen territories. The attack was in retaliation to earlier failed missile strikes on a US Navy destroyer.

The Obama-authorized strikes signify Washington’s first direct military action against supposed Houthi-controlled targets in Yemen’s conflict.

Nevertheless, the Pentagon appeared to underscore the constrained nature of the strikes. The cruise missiles were aimed at radar that facilitated the launch of at least three missiles. The enemy missiles were  targeting the US Navy destroyer USS Mason on Sunday and Wednesday.

Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said that the limited self-defense strikes were carried out to defend “our personnel, our ships, and our freedom of navigation.”

The US Navy destroyer USS Nitze fired the Tomahawk cruise missiles around 4 a.m. (0100 GMT), US officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said.

One of the officials said that the radars were active during earlier attacks on vessels in the Red Sea. He added that the targeted radar sites were in isolated areas where the risk of civilian casualties, therefore, was low.

The official ascertained the areas in Yemen where the radar was located as near Khoka, north of Mukha, and near Ras Isa.

The botched missile attacks on the USS Mason seemed to be part of the response to a suspected Saudi-led attack on mourners assembled in Sanaa, Yemen’s Houthi-held capital.

However, the Houthis denied any connection in Sunday’s attempt to strike the USS Mason.

Houthi’s deny missile attacks

The Houthis repeated a denial on Thursday that they carried out the strikes. A news agency regulated by the group reported a military source as saying that the missiles did not come from areas under their control.

Further, the accusations were false excuses, the source said, to intensify hostility and conceal crimes committed against the Yemeni people.

US officials have said there were mounting indications that Houthi forces were responsible for Sunday’s attempted strikes.

The missile attacks add to questions about safety of passage for military vessels near the Bab al-Mandab Strait. On October 1, a missile strike on a ship from the United Arab Emirates took place.

The Pentagon warned against any future attacks. “The United States will respond to any further threat to our ships and commercial traffic, as appropriate,” Cook said.

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Alleged New York, New Jersey Bomber Pleads Not Guilty Via Live Video From Hospital

The man blamed for last month’s bombings in New York and New Jersey that hurt several people pleaded not guilty to attempting to murder police officers. He made his first court appearance on Thursday from a hospital bed.

Ahmad Khan Rahimi, 28,  appeared through live video on a television screen in a courtroom in Elizabeth, New Jersey. The video feed came  from the hospital where he has been recuperating from gunshot injuries suffered during a shootout with police.

Rahimi lay motionless with a blanket pulled up to his neck during the hearing. Peter Liguori, his court-appointed lawyer, was standing beside him in hospital scrubs.

Rahimi replied “yes” to a number of questions from Union County Superior Court Judge Regina Caulfield. The questions include inquiries on whether he understood the charges and wanted Liguori to represent him.

The hearing involved state charges against him stemming from a gunfight with police on Sept. 19, after an officer found him asleep by the doorway of a bar.

Rahimi is also facing federal charges of employing weapons of mass destruction and attacking a place of public use in New York and New Jersey.

He is charged with setting off an explosive in Manhattan’s Chelsea district that hurt 31 people as well as a pipe bomb near a charity running race in a New Jersey shore town on Sept. 17.

Further, Rahimi is accused of placing another pressure-cooker bomb in Chelsea that did not go off and with leaving numerous devices at a train station in Elizabeth, just blocks from the courthouse where he appeared on video on Thursday.

One of those explosive devices blew up when a bomb squad robot tried to defuse it. None of the blasts killed anyone.

Date of Rahimi’s court hearing still tentative

It still remains uncertain when Rahimi will appear in federal court. However, it is possible he will face charges there before New Jersey’s state case goes on to trial.

The hearing had been postponed while Rahimi recovered from his injuries. One of the two officers who was hurt in the shootout attended the hearing on Thursday.

 

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Destination London: Population grows by staggering 100,000 each year

London is rapidly on the way to becoming a megacity with its population rising by 100,000 people each year.

It is estimated that by 2026 the population of London will have topped 10 million – the threshold for a city to become a megacity.

Currently the top three megacities in the world are Tokyo (38.8 million), Shanghai (35.5 million) and Jakarta (31.5 million.)

The UK’s Office of National Statistics (ONS) says that around 100,000 people from overseas moved to the capital each year between 2011 and 2015, helping increase the population by nearly 5%.

Expensive

However sky-high property and rental prices has led to more than 30,000 children and teenagers leaving the city as their parents move out to less expensive parts of the UK.

They were joined by 33,600 people aged between 30 and 44 who moved out of London each year.

The report described the movement of children as a ‘phenomenon’ adding: “A likely factor is that the parents of these children are leaving the city to find more affordable accommodation for their growing family.

“The cost of property in London is likely to be important as people in this age group may be looking to buy for the first time, and may have children.”

Last year six out of ten (58%) babies born in London were children of mothers who were themselves born abroad.

Status

According to the ONS, Greater London’s population increased by 5.7 per cent, or nearly 500,000 residents, from 8.2 million in mid-2011 to just under 8.7 million in mid-2015.

The report said: “London’s attraction to immigrants no doubt reflects its status as a major employment centre and international hub.

“With its high ethnic minority population it may prove especially attractive to people wishing to join family or others from that cultural background.

Capital

“In addition, for people heading to the UK, London is somewhere they are more likely to have some pre-existing awareness of than other parts of the country – perhaps because of previous visits, but also simply because it has a higher profile as the UK capital.”

London was the only city in Britain to see a drop in numbers of people aged 19-21 after 2011, a result of many students choosing to go to universities elsewhere.

There were also over 90,000 more people of 45 and older who left each year than arrived, many choosing to retire in distant towns or the countryside.

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France: New Law Allows Transgender to Legally Change Gender Without Going Through Sterilization

The French legislative body finally passed a petition on Thursday allowing transgender people to legally change gender without enduring sterilization. The rights activists rejoiced in victory as the long-awaited legislation was finally approved.

The decision came out after several European nations supported to improve the rights of transgender people. They urged other nations to remove sterilization as a legal requirement. In order to legally recognize the desired gender, transgender people need to undergo a medical procedure of sterilization. The United Nations strongly condemned the procedure as a violation of human rights.

Denmark, Malta, and Ireland started the reform in 2014 where they made changes in their policies. These nations implied a policy which only needs informing authorities of the desired gender without medical intervention.

For two years, the ILGA-Europe network of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender groups campaigned for the legislation of the French law. The group is based in Brussels, Germany. Sophie Aujean, spokeswoman of ILGA said: “These are years of sparring that finally come to fruition”. She then added in a phone interview with Thomson Reuters Foundation, “There is no other population in the world that is asked to be sterilized apart from transgender.”

French transgenders still require court approval

However, the new legislation is not as liberal with other nations like Denmark, Malta, and Ireland. The French law still requires transgender people the need to go to court for them to change their desired gender.

According to Delphine Ravisé-Giard, a spokeswoman for the National Transgender Association or ANT, “France has sometimes done revolutions, but this is not a revolutionary law”.

France disregards any statistical data of the transgender people. Similarly, France does not hold any official record in the numbers of transgender people. Although activists claim there are tens of thousands living in the European country.

In a European Union report published in December of 2014, transgender people tend to be gay and usually prone to be attacked, threatened or insulted.

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Thailand Mourns Death of Beloved King Bhumibol Adulyadej