Swallows trackers & GPS-type device..[ 856 ]

Swallows get high-tech trackers

'GPS-type' device to map bird movements

(ANSA) - Rome, April 8 - Swallows kitted out with miniature GPS-type devices will soon help a team of Italian scientists map their migratory movements and develop conservation plans.

The project, which brings together researchers from several organizations, will involve capturing around 200 swallows and fitting them with tiny microchips weighing less than a gram. The birds will then be released back into the wild for two years. In 2012, they will be recaptured and scientists will remove the tracking devices, which will be used to create a detailed reconstruction of the birds' movements. The devices should allow scientists to map their precise migratory routes and wintering grounds in sub-Saharan Africa.

This information will then be cross-referenced with climate change data, to assess the potential impact of warming on the birds' travels. "The application of this state-of-the-art technology to a migration study will finally allow us to make significant steps forward in understanding the biology of these migratory birds," said Professor Nicola Saino of Milan University's Ecology Department.

"It will also help us understand the causes of the recent sharp fall in their numbers, which may be attributable to climate change".

Swallow populations summering in Italy have fallen away in recent years, particularly in the Po Valley, where numbers have dropped by up to 50%. A recent study by the Milan and Bicocca universities, which are overseeing the current project in conjunction with the LIPU bird protection league, reported a 40% drop in some parts of northern Italy. The current initiative hopes to combat the trend not only by identifying reasons for the decline but also by involving farmers in the battle. Starting in 2011, farmers in spots popular with swallows will be encouraged to adopt best practices aimed at assisting the birds, such as allowing fields to lie fallow for several years or by growing herbs favoured by swallows on spare strips of land. In return, LIPU will provide them with nesting boxes which can also be used to collect bird guano, a rich, cost-free and organic fertilizer. Ecology Professor Danilo Mainardi of Ca Foscari University in Venice said this aspect could be critical in helping reverse negative population trends.

"This is a very important project because it will allow us to study the migration of swallows in an innovative manner as well as helping conserve the species," he said.

"But the real strength of the project lies in its interdisciplinary approach and the strong involvement of farmers working in relevant areas".

Buried in Brazil mudslide[ 855 ]

Estimated 200 people buried in Brazil mudslide: officials

Agence France-Presse
First Posted 21:55:00 08/04/2010

RIO DE JANEIRO--An estimated 200 people were buried in mudslides near Rio de Janeiro after record flooding in the region, local fire chief Pedro Machado told AFP Thursday.

AP A damaged inn is seen after a muds

"From what the neighbors said, some 200 people may be buried, but it is not clear; there could be more," Machado said.

He noted that six bodies were recovered following the mudslides in Niteroi, a city across the bay from the state capital and part of the greater Rio de Janeiro metropolitan area.

The area experienced a collapse late Wednesday of a wide area of the hillside over some 700 meters (yards), burying about 50 homes. Officials said there was little hope of finding survivors under the mountains of mud.

The new tragedy added to woes in the area after least 150 people were killed in floods in the Rio area following the worst rains in half a century.

NASA, image of the Day,,Apr.8th [ 854 ]

The latest NASA "Image of the Day"

Pitch, Roll
This view of the underside of the crew cabin of the space shuttle Discovery was provided by the Expedition 23 crew during a survey as STS-131 approached the International Space Station.

As part of the survey and part of every mission's activities, Discovery performed a back-flip for the rendezvous pitch maneuver (RPM).

The image was photographed with a digital still camera, using a 400mm lens at a distance of about 600 feet (180 meters).

Image Credit: NASA

Πέμπτη, 8 Απρίλιος 2010 7:00:00 πμ

Cannibalism in 2010 ???,,,[ 853 ]

Cannibal trial halted after juror falls ill looking at pictures of girl, 16, who was 'eaten with potatoes'

Dailymail Newa,, By Will Stewart
Last updated at 11:40 AM on 07th April 2010

Victim: Karina Barduchian

The trial of two Russian men accused of chopping up a 16-year-old girl and eating her with potatoes has been postponed after a juror fell ill looking at prosecution images.

The case was postponed after the juror had to be excused while examining photographs of student Karina Barduchian after her death.

Maxim Golovatskikh and his friend florist Yury Mozhnov, both 20, are accused of drowning Karina Barduchian, in a bath, then carving up her body and serving her meat with potatoes to a lodger.

Before the case was halted, the lodger, Ekaterina Zinovyeva, told the court in St Petersburg they had a party with their Goth friends on the night of the murder in January, 2009.

Karina, who was in love with Golovatskikh, stayed the night, she said.

'Maxim and Karina went to the bathroom together and I went to bed,' she told the court.

'I was sleepy but heard splashes of water and some noise there but was not worried. Sometime later I woke up and decided to check what was going on.

'I went to the bathroom but Yury stopped me on the way and told me to go back to bed.

'They had joked earlier that they could kill Karina but, of course, I couldn't believe for a second that they were serious.'

Next day when she got home from work, Maxim and Yury offered Ekaterina meat and potatoes. She allegedly ate it not knowing where it was from.

The men later hid the rest of Karina's remains in garbage skips, it is alleged.

Accused: Maxim Golovatskikh, left, who Karina was in love with; and right, his friend Yury Mozhnov

'They cut up the body of the victim into several pieces, eating some of them and throwing the others into the bin,' said prosecutor Andrei Lavrenko.

'They cooked her meat and served up the meal with potatoes.

'They were interrogated and explained the murder by saying they were desperate to eat.'

The deputy head of St Petersburg criminal investigations Sergei Strelin said: 'They confessed their guilt straight away. They explained they were hungry and drunk.'

The victim had defied her mother in continuing to see Golovatskikh, who was also the lead singer in a minor pop group in Russia's second city.

Her mother Nadya, 45, said: 'Our lives are ruined by Karina's death and the horrible way she died.'

The two accused are due to give evidence when the case resumes this week.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1263982/Russian-cannibal-trial-halted-Karina-Barduchian-images-make-juror-ill.html#ixzz0kW5lUlBD

Fire at Japan Medical Association...[ 852 ]

Fire at Japan Medical Association was accidentally started by worker, not a threat

(The Mainichi News, Japan) April 8, 2010

A fire that occurred at the Japan Medical Association (JMA) in Tokyo late last week has turned out to have been caused inadvertently by an employee and was not a threat against the organization, as had initially been suspected, police said.

The fire broke out at the JMA office in Tokyo's Bunkyo Ward on April 2, after a potted orchid delivered to the office caught fire and burned the floor of its reception room, drawing suspicions that it could be a threat against the association over its presidential election held the day before.

However, an association employee in his 60s confessed to Komagome Police Station that he was to blame for the fire during voluntary questioning.

"As there were no scissors around, I tried to burn off the film wrapping (for the potted plant) with a lighter and it caught fire," the employee was quoted as telling police. "I couldn't help keeping the truth to myself on the day of the fire."

The potted orchid was delivered from a department store as a present by a pharmaceutical company in Tokyo, celebrating the election of its new president on April 1, according to sources close to the investigation. While several employees were trying to cut open the transparent film wrapping the plant, it suddenly caught fire, burning part of the floor.

Police initially investigated the case as a possible threat against the association, but no firing device or flammable substance was found. Investigators also looked into the possibility that chemical fertilizer in the pot ignited spontaneously, but the real cause of the fire had remained a mystery.

After investigators questioned employees who were present at the scene on the day again, the male employee in his 60s made the confession, saying, "Since the issue was escalating, I thought I can't cause any further trouble."