Six In The Morning

Egypt prepares for mass Friday rally ahead of poll

25 November 2011 

Protesters in Cairo are preparing to hold another mass rally to demand that Egypt's military rulers step aside.

The demonstrators are demanding the postponement of parliamentary elections due to start on Monday.

The previous military-appointed civilian cabinet resigned earlier this week in the wake of violent protests in the capital and other cities.

State media has reported that Egypt's army appointed ex-Prime Minister Kamal Ganzouri to form a new government.

The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (Scaf) is overseeing a transition to civilian rule following the ousting of President Hosni Mubarak in February.

Despite promises by the council to speed up the process, many Egyptians fear they intend to cling to power.

Ai Weiwei

'Shame on Me'

The Chinese artist Ai Weiwei speaks about the changes in his life since the end of his detention in June and shows himself moved and surprised by a new culture of protest in his country.

SPIEGEL: Last week you made a €970,000 ($1.3 million) payment to the bank account of the Chinese tax authorities. You consider it to be a kind of guarantee, a deposit. Do they consider it to be an admission of guilt?

Ai: I cannot speak for them. But I can tell you a lot about the pressure from the tax bureau and the police department on me. They really, really wanted us to pay. They tried to push us hard. They said: Pay something, you should understand. But they did not tell me what I should understand.

SPIEGEL: So the fact that you finally paid is a kind of victory for them?

Ai: Well, it was desirable for them but we had no choice. They said: If you don't pay, we will bring your case to the public security office, and then you will be facing criminal charges. By law you have to pay first, and then you can make an appeal.

Gone fishing, 42,000 years ago

Deborah Smith, SCIENCE EDITOR

November 25, 2011

PEOPLE were going deep-sea fishing for large delicacies such as tuna as long as 42,000 years ago, Australian researchers have discovered.

The world's oldest fish hook, dated at between 16,000 and 23,000 years old, has also been unearthed from a cave site in East Timor.

An archaeologist at the Australian National University, Sue O'Connor, found more than 38,000 bones from almost 2900 individual fish in Jerimalai Cave.

KISHAN KILLED, ‘99%’

Identity test waits for rebel prisoners

NARESH JANA AND PRONAB MONDAL

Kishan, the hooded Maoist mastermind who issued a death threat to a chief minister on TV, was suspected with “99 per cent” certainty to have been killed by the joint forces in a West Midnapore jungle this evening.

A Telegraph reporter, who had seen Kishan earlier this month, said late tonight that the dead man in a photograph from the encounter site “very much” resembled the guerrilla leader.

The body of the middle-aged man was found in the Burishole forest around 5.15pm after a police-Maoist gunfight, director-general of police Naparajit Mukherjee said at Writers’ Buildings.

“An AK-47 and a hearing aid (the 55-year-old Kishan used one) were found beside it,” Mukherjee said. He added, without explaining how, that the police knew Kishan used that particular AK-47 and so suspected the body was his.

Tomorrow, the body is to be taken to Midnapore town, 100km from the spot, for a “full and final” identificatio

Egypt protesters killed by live ammunition during Tahrir clashes

CAIRO, EGYPT - Nov 25 2011 

According to morgue officials, at least 22 Egyptians have been killed by live bullets since street battles began on Saturday, directly contradicting government statements that security forces have never opened fire on protesters.

One hospital doctor told the Guardian he had personally seen 10 patients struck by live ammunition during the protests that have swept Egypt in the past six days -- six of whom did not survive.

"Many of the fatalities were as a result of a single shot to the head," said Hesham Ashraf, of Qasr el-Aini hospital, one of central Cairo's largest medical facilities. Autopsies on 12 other bodies confirm live ammunition as the cause of death, including some cases where the bullet was clearly shot from a height, suggesting the possible involvement of army or police snipers.

Irish Palates, Enticed by Other Carbs, Are Losing Their Taste for a Signature Starch

By DOUGLAS DALBY

The primacy of the Roman Catholic Church and the centrality of the pub are not the only staples of Irish life under threat. Fresh potatoes are losing their place as the carbohydrate of choice on the Irish plate, prompting a national campaign to arrest the decline.

Bord Bia, the Irish Food Board, has commissioned research to determine why pasta, rice, noodles, couscous and other carbohydrates are all claiming parts of the potato’s traditional market share. The government-financed board will then seek advice on ways to overcome the vegetable’s stodgy image.

“We believe that, emotionally, most Irish consumers still love to eat their potatoes, but several key issues negatively impact on their consumption,” the board said this month in a document for research applicants.