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Thursday, April 14, 2016

Does the Muslim world have the leaders it needs?

As more than 30 leaders from Islamic countries gather in the Turkish city of Istanbul, the main message has been one of unity.
But many say it's hard to disguise the fact the Muslim world is deeply divided.
The leaders of two of the biggest countries in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia and Iran, are locked on opposing sides of the conflicts in Syria and Yemen.
Meanwhile, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and its ideology threatens to destabilise or consume nations around the world.
And hundreds of thousands of refugees from the Muslim world are being forced to uproot their lives and relocate to an increasingly unwelcoming Europe.
It's against this backdrop that the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation summit is being held.
An organisation that prides itself on being the collective voice of the Muslim World. But is it doing its job?
And can its leaders overcome divisions to find solutions for the many challenges facing the Muslim world?


'Don't Eat Our Pasta Sauces Every Day'

The makers of Dolmio are warning consumers that some of their sauces have so much salt, fat and sugar they should only be eaten once a week.
Mars Food is introducing new labels to distinguish between "everyday" and "occasional" products.
All Dolmio lasagne meal kits, lasagne sauces, oven bake kits and pesto will fall into the latter category.
It is part of a five-year global health initiative announced by the company.
Mars Food said: "To maintain the authentic nature of the recipe, some Mars Food products are higher in salt, added sugar or fat.
"As these products are not intended to be eaten daily, Mars Food will provide guidance to consumers on-pack and on its website regarding how often these meal offerings should be consumed within a balanced diet.
"The Mars Food website will be updated within the next few months with a list of 'occasional' products - those to be enjoyed once per week - and a list of 'everyday' products."
Mars Food plans to revamp many of its products, including Dolmio pasta sauces, by reducing salt, added sugar and fat.
The company has pledged to cut salt internationally by an average of 20% by 2021.
In the UK, some Uncle Ben's products will be reformulated to reduce the sugar.

Diana Ross Hurt As Car Crashes Into Her Limo

Diana Ross was injured when a vehicle went through a stop sign and crashed into the singer's limousine in Pennsylvania.
The 72-year-old vocalist complained of head and neck pain after Wednesday afternoon's collision in the city of Bethlehem, police say.
Paramedics treated the former Supremes lead singer at the scene and she said she would seek further treatment separately.
2014 American Music Awards - Show
Ross performed as scheduled at the Sands casino complex in Bethlehem later that evening.
Her Lincoln Town Car was towed away after the crash involving a 22-year-old motorist.
Police said the New Jersey woman behind the wheel of the SUV received a traffic citation.
No one else was hurt.

Microsoft Sues US Government Over Data Requests

Microsoft is suing the US government over the right to inform its customers when a federal agency is looking at their emails.
The lawsuit filed on Wednesday in federal court in Washington state marks the latest clash over privacy between the tech industry and the government.
In its lawsuit, Microsoft accuses the government of violating the US Constitution by preventing the tech giant from notifying customers about data requests.
The lawsuit specifically accuses the government of violating the Fourth Amendment, which establishes the right for people to be "secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures".
Microsoft alleges that federal agencies have circumvented the law by shifting their focus from seizing data locally on people's computers to obtaining it from remote servers or the so-called cloud.
"People do not give up their rights when they move their private information from physical storage to the cloud," Microsoft said its lawsuit, according to Reuters, which obtained a copy of it.
It added that the government "has exploited the transition to cloud computing as a means of expanding its power to conduct secret investigations".
The US Justice Department has not commented on the lawsuit.
The move puts Microsoft on the front lines in the ongoing battle between technology companies and the government over how much businesses should assist government surveillance.
Apple has dominated the discussion in recent months after it refused an FBI request to crack an iPhone used by one of the terrorists involved in the San Bernardino attack.
Microsoft supported Apple's position that co-operating with the government would turn businesses into arms of the state.

Report: North Korea deploys ballistic missiles

North Korea has deployed one or two intermediate-range ballistic missiles on its east coast, possibly preparing for launch on or ahead of the birthday of the country's late founder on Friday.

South Korea's Yonhap news agency - citing multiple South Korean government sources - reported a mobile launcher was spotted carrying up to two Musudan missiles on Thursday following North Korea's fourth nuclear test in January and a long-range rocket launch the next month, which led to fresh UN sanctions.

The Musudan missile, with a design range of more than 3,000km, is not known to have been flight-tested, according to South Korean defence ministry and experts.

Some analysts said North Korea may choose to test-fire the Musudan in the near future as it tries to build an intercontinental ballistic missile designed to put the mainland United States within range.

US intelligence estimates say North Korea's ability to reach the United States is low, but its capabilities will increase, making continued investment in missile defence essential.

South Korea's Defence Ministry spokesman, Moon Sang-gyun, declined to confirm the Yonhap report but said the military had been on high alert for any North Korean missile launch since its leader Kim Jong Un's vow to conduct more tests.

Kim said in March his country would soon test a nuclear warhead and ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads.

The United States, which has 28,000 troops stationed in South Korea, said it was aware of reports that North Korea was preparing to test intermediate-range missiles and was closely monitoring the Korean peninsula

"We call again on North Korea to refrain from actions that further raise tensions in the region," said Pooja Jhunjhunwala, a US State Department spokeswoman

Admiral Bill Gortney, the officer responsible for defending American airspace, told a US Senate hearing on Wednesday that he agreed with a South Korean assessment that North Korea was capable of putting a nuclear warhead on a medium-range missile that would reach all of South Korea and most of Japan.

The United States and South Korea began talks on the possible deployment of a new missile-defence system, the Terminal High Altitude Area defence (THAAD), after the latest North Korea nuclear and rocket tests.

North Korea, which regularly threatens to destroy South Korea and the US, often fires missiles during periods of tension in the region or when it comes under pressure to curb its defiance and abandon its weapons programmes.

South Korean analysts have said North Korea may choose to display a show of force ahead of a major ruling party congress in May, where it is expected to declare itself a nuclear power, or around the April 15 anniversary of the birth of Kim's grandfather, Kim Il Sung.


Police Searching For 'Vulnerable' Missing Girl

A missing teenage girl described as being in a "vulnerable frame of mind" has been found 'safe and well', say Gloucestershire Police.
Sky Kirwan, 14, was last seen at her home in Staunton, Gloucestershire, at 7.30pm on Wednesday evening.
It was initially thought that Sky had gone to school but her uniform was discovered at her house on Thursday morning.
A spokesman for Gloucestershire Police said the teenager was found a few miles away in Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire.
Officers and police dogs are searching for the girl Pic: Gloucestershire Police
Uniformed officers, police dogs and the Severn Area Rescue Association had been searching woodland in Staunton and Coleford.

College Paid To Erase Web Pepper Spray Infamy

University of California, Davis reportedly paid at least $175,000 to cleanse the internet of negative online postings about a notorious pepper-spraying of student protesters.
UC Davis hired consultants to boost the online reputation of the university and its chancellor, Linda Katehi, according to the Sacramento Bee.
One consultant noted "venomous rhetoric about UC Davis and the chancellor" persisted in search results following the public-relations disaster that made headlines around the world.
Pictures of campus police pepper-spraying peaceful Occupy Wall Street demonstrators in November 2011 went viral and prompted demands for the chancellor to resign.
UC Davis Occupy Protestors Call For General Strike During Regents Meeting
The publicly funded university's damage control expenditures have emerged in documents released to the Sacramento Bee under the California Public Records Act.
The newspaper reports that UC Davis paid $92,970.73 in January 2013 to Nevins & Associates, which offered to "clean up the negative attention".
University of California Davis students covered in pepper spray sit during an "Occupy UCD" demonstration in Davis
The Maryland company promised an "aggressive" campaign to counter negative search keywords through a "surge of content with positive sentiment".
It offered to help ensure the "eradication of references to the pepper spray incident in search results on Google for the university and the Chancellor".
UC Davis Occupy Protestors Call For General Strike During Regents Meeting
In June 2014, the university also hired Sacramento-based IDMLOCO in an $82,500 contract to "design and execute a comprehensive search engine results management strategy".
The university signed two more contracts with the same company to develop a social media strategy and overhaul the university's strategic communications.
UC Davis spokeswoman Dana Topousis told the Sacremento Bee: "We have worked to ensure that the reputation of the university, which the chancellor leads, is fairly portrayed."
UC Davis internet meme
Since 11 March, students have been holding a sit-in outside the chancellor's office to demand she resign over her acceptance of seats on private corporate boards.
In the 2011 pepper-spray incident, police Lt John Pike was pictured calmly spraying sitting students in the face.
He was later awarded $38,000 compensation by UC Davis for suffering he said he experienced when he received thousands of angry emails and text messages.
Student photographer Louise Macabitas' photo of Lt Pike inspired a host of internet memes and even t-shirts.