Bilateral relations have thawed since the election in March of Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou. He favors closer ties with China and, when he took office in May, said maintaining regional stability was his priority.

The offices will help facilitate travel between China and Taiwan such as handling visa applications, but their role could expand in future, said the Taiwanese body involved in the talks, the Straits Exchange Foundation.

In the absence of formal diplomatic ties which would allow direct government-to-government talks, semi-official bodies have been established on both sides to conduct the discussions, which take place in Beijing’s Diaoyutai guesthouse until 14 June.

Shortly after that, Chinese President Hu Jintao met the head of Taiwan’s governing Kuomintang party in Beijing, the most senior meeting between the two sides since they split at the end of a civil war in 1949.

This was the first formal talks since dialogue was suspended in 1999, when Taiwan’s leaders angered Beijing by leaning towards formal independence.

“The two associations should push forward for the full normalization of trade and culture exchanges of the two sides,” the foundation said in a statement.

An agreement is expected to be signed on Friday, after which Taiwan’s top delegate, Chiang Pin-kung, is due to meet Chinese President Hu Jintao.

Two months before the Olympics, the Chinese government is very sensitive to international criticism, and Beijing’s long-standing threat to use force against Taiwan, if it takes steps towards independence, continues to be an obvious focus for concern.

The two sides hope that the negotiations will pave the way for regular meetings, helping to improve cross-strait relations after decades of tensions and mistrust.

“As long as we have mutual trust and understanding… these talks are going to become an important communication mechanism for cross-strait development,” said China’s Mr Chen.

But while economic growth and a reduction in cross-straits tension will certainly be welcome, an agreement on core political principles – including re-affirmation of the One China principle – may be harder to reach.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7452097.stm

Tomohiro Kato was one of the junior school bright student who got most competitive high schools in his area, commit an act of mass murder on sunday after his sunday lunchtime by stapping people with his knife. Kato is now with the presecutors waiting for his final judgement which is likely to be a death penalty.

But according to Japanese newspapers, people have their own theories to the cause of this attack. He was acquired to as sociopath who blames society for his unstable life as a temporary worker, but a criminologist quote says that “many young people are selfish and immature and such violence is a manifestation of this”. Means that ” it was a problem with him, not something we did wrong”.

The Japan watcher from Temple University in Tokyo Professor Jeff Kingston says that those past cases of random violence including this one where all because of the inadequate security and support for people with mental illness.

“There is a social stigma attached to mental illness,” he says, “and in addition to that doctors are reluctant to refer patients for psychiatric counselling, so this is probably a far too common case of an individual falling through the cracks in the system.”

Kato works as a temporary contract where police believe he was unhappy at work and that may enrage his murderous assault.

Few days before the attack Kato threw a tantrum in front of colleagues at the factory where he was working to attack because his work clothes were missing. He thought this meant he was going to be laid off.

People who worked with him report that in general he was nothing special. As a “freeter” (temporary employer) he probably would have not the same Privelege services available for full-time employee such as counselling, thus it was impossible to notice what was wrong with him. But they know that Kato show indications of his troblesome by posting messages online and on bulletin boards expressing rancour, rage and alienation.

A clinical psychologist from Tokai Gukuin University Professor Hirokazu Hasegawa says that Tako’s frustrations on internet suggests that he might have trouble talking to people telling his feelings.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7445694.stm

Obese and overweight people require more fuel to transport them and the food they eat, and the problem will worsen as the population literally swells in size, a team at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine says.

“We are all becoming heavier and it is a global responsibility,” Edwards said in a telephone interview. “Obesity is a key part of the big picture.”

This school researchers discovered that obese people need 1,680 daily calories to preserve normal energy plus another 1,280 calories to keep daily activities. 18 percent greater than someone with a stable BMI.

BMI is a calculation of height to weight, and the normal range is usually considered to be 18 to 25, with more than 25 considered overweight and above 30 obese.

“Promotion of a normal distribution of BMI would reduce the global demand for, and thus the price of, food,” Edwards and Roberts wrote.

Edward continue by saying that their next step is to quantify how much a heavier population is contributing to climate change, higher fuel prices and food shortages.

At least 400 million adults worldwide are obese. The World Health Organization (WHO) projects by 2015, 2.3 billion adults will be overweight and more than 700 million will be obese.

In their model, the researchers pegged 40 percent of the global population as obese with a body mass index of near 30. Many nations are fast approaching or have surpassed this level, Edwards said.

(http://news.aol.com/health)

SAN FRANCISCO (May 16) – The parents of a 17-year-old son who killed by an escaped tiger at the Francisco zoo had filed a claim against the city on Thursday and want a payback money for the mauling of their son.

Carlos Soura Jr. died on Dec.25 after being attacked by an escaped Siberian tiger from its enclosure along with his other friends kulbir and Paul Dhaliwal whom were also injured before the police shot the tiger dead.

The parents of Carlos, Carlos and Marilza Sousa, declare the city for not being housing the tiger properly. They remark that the enclosure fail to meet the height standards set by the Association of Zoos and Aquariaums, which accredits U.S zoos.

<!–[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]–>”They didn’t house the animal properly, so they are responsible for both the death of Carlos Sousa Jr. and the tiger,” Michael Cardoza said, the family’s attorney. “If they had done their job properly, neither one of them would be dead.”

“The city has 45 days to respond to the wrongful death and negligence claim, which is a precursor to a lawsuit,” Cardoza added.

Herrera’s office said that an investigation found that the city was not liable for those injuries and that the claims should be referred to the San Francisco Zoological Society, the zoo manager, and to the society’s insurance company.

In related with financial compensation, Sousa’s family wants the city of San Francisco to make sure all enclosures of their zoo meet the standards criteria set by the zoo association.

According to the claim, Sousa’s parents said they haven’t been able to complete their own investigation into the attacks because the police department has not released reports or investigative information.

And Dennis Herrera, the city attorney, declined to comment on the claim filed Thursday because he was not there while the attack occur.

The city last week also disputed claims filed by the Dhaliwal brothers alleging negligence and defamation and seek monetary compensation for their injuries. The brothers said they were the targets of a “smear campaign” by a consultant hired by the zoo’s manager regarding their role in possibly provoking the attack.

Mark Geragos, an attorney for the Dhaliwals, said Thursday that he plans to sue soon, possibly next week.
(http://news.aol.com/story/_a/parents-of-tiger-attack-victim-file/2008051609060999000)

LONG BEACH, California (May 4) – A 17-year-old girl walked to hospital with her baby still attached to its umbilical cord, after giving birth at home secretly.

A 17-year-old girl Xochitl Parra did not call emergency for help since their home phone was disconnected, plus not want to wake the neighbors as it was so early. Instead, she wrapped her baby, got dressed and walked to hospital which is four blocks away from home.

“I started walking and jogging to the hospital,” she said.

“She still had the placenta and the baby was still attached, so of course everyone said, ‘Don’t move!”Said Dr. Jose Perez, the director of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

“I was just a little nervous when the labor began,” Xochitl Parra said Friday from St. Mary Medical Center as she cradled her son, Alejandro.

Parra said she was alone and taking a shower early Wednesday morning to get ready for school when the contractions began.

“I felt his head coming, so I sit down and pushed so he could come out,” she added.

“The boy was normal and eats like a champ,” said Dr. Jose Perez, director of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

“They could have bled to death. Thank God that didn’t happen,” the doctor added. “She was very clever. She knew what to do. She wrapped the baby up and walked over here.”

Parra, who’s in her second year of high school, said she kept her pregnancy a secret because she was afraid her mother would kicked her out of the house. Her mother has now accepted the situation and is going to help the teen care for the baby so she can continue attending school, Parra said.

“We hear so much negative with teenagers throwing their babies in the Dumpsters (trash bins),” he said.

“This baby is fine, and hopefully there will be a happy ending with the extended family.”

Perez regard the outcome as an ‘heartwarming’.

(http://news.aol.com/story/_a/teen-gives-birth-carries-baby-to/20080504104209990001)

Thumbelina, the world’s smallest horse, was born on an American farm to a couple who specialize in breeding miniature horses. She is 17 inches and weighing only 60 pounds, but she is a whole horse.

She weighed only 8lb – the size of a new-born baby – when she was born. Eventually she grew to just 60lb. She only measures up to the shins of the normal-sized horses in the paddock.

“She may be a mini-horse, but small means beautiful as far as her owners,” the Goessling family in Goose Creek farm in St. Louis are concerned. “She likes to hang out with the cocker spaniels rather than the other horses,” they added.

The Goessling family continued by saying that Thumbelina was so small and looked very ill when she was born, where they thought she might not stay long.

“Because her legs are proportionally smaller than her body and her head, she has to wear orthopaedic fittings to straighten them out a lot of the time,” the owners added.

She is expected to live to the age of 17 years because of her size – normal horses live for about 35 years.

While she has the ability to get pregnant and give birth, the Goessling family have decided not to allow this to happen.

“There could be complications during the pregnancy,” they believe. “So it is better to avoid the risks.”

Michael’s parents have bred hundreds of miniature horses, but they have never had one as small as Thumbelina. She has become something of a celebrity in her home town in America.

Normally these horses weight about 250lb and rise to a height of 34 inches when they are fully grown.

(http://www.thatsweird.net/facts15.shtml)

Donald Trump returns to New York with his show named “The Celebrity Apprentice” where all the candidates are famous stars and successful people.

The competition this time is not for a job with Donald Trump but for raising money using their celebrities. The money they raised will be offered to the leader of the winner team for his/her favored charity. Plus another $250,000 bonus check for the hired celebrity apprentice for his/her designated charity.

The tasks involves going out to puplic using their fame to raise money to win the challenge. Some tasks motivate the contestants to call out their celebrity contacts for donations which may involve thousands of money. The contestands includes Boxing Champions, athletics champions, rock music stars, top models, actors, and authors.

The competition is divided to two groups against females and males. Each task have a given time where they should stop working and handover the money for finding the winner.

Each task will be judged in the boardroom by Donald Trump accompanied by his daughter Ivanka and his son Donald Trump Jr.

http://www.nbc.com/The_Celebrity_Apprentice/about/about_credits.shtml

The final round left with Famous Editor/”America’s got talent” judge Piers Morgan defeating country star Trace Adkins to claim the title of The Celebrity Apprentice. Along with a bonus of $250,000 to the celebrity apprentice winner for his last charity. The amount which will be added to the already large sum of money he was able to raise throughout the competition

“If this was a good guy competition to find America’s most likeable man, [Trace] would win immediately,” said Piers before The Donald revealed his decision.
“But it is a business competition with a premium on raising money for charity… As you know Mr. Trump, business — in the end — comes down to the bottom line. I’ve won nine out of the 11 challenges you set — more than anybody else. I raised over half-a-million dollars — more than every other contestant put together. I had — in you words — the biggest slaughter in the history of The Apprentice in one episode. I also brought in the biggest and the most celebrities. So on every single business and charity find-raising checklist, I killed everyone.”

With the live broadcast winding down, The Donald handed down his decision.

“Piers, you’re a vicious guy. I’ve seen it. We can try and dispute it — you can try and dispute it. You’re tough, you’re smart, you’re probably brilliant. You’re certainly not diplomatic. But you did an amazing job and you beat the hell out of everybody. You won by far more than anybody… Trace, you have an amazing family, beautiful children. You’re a special guy — you’re a special human being, a beautiful guy. I’ll always love you, but for tonight, Piers, you’re the Celebrity Apprentice.” “It’s been a really great season,” said The Donald. “We’ll see you next year, We’re going to be around for a long time.”

http://www.realitytvworld.com/news/piers-morgan-defeats-trace-adkins-wins-the-celebrity-apprentice-6804.php