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Irish Revenue expects to find €40m offshore
(Irish Times): The Revenue Commissioners expect to collect up to €40 million by the end of this year from special investigations into trusts and offshore structures which have been used to evade tax. Officials are investigating at least 1,133 cases in jurisdictions such as Jersey, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and the Cayman Islands where trusts may have been used to keep funds out of the Revenue’s sight. Many of these funds were designed to create the impression that the non-resident trustees or entities are the owners of the funds, concealing the identities of the Irish beneficiaries.
603-pound woman leaves home for first time in 3 years
(Huffington Post): A 603-pound (274-kilogram) woman believed to be the heaviest in Thailand left her apartment for the first time in three years Thursday with the help of Bangkok city hall and a forklift. Neighbors of 40-year-old Umnuayporn Tongprapai contacted the Bangkok Metropolitan Authority when they learned she needed medical attention to remove a tumor in her right leg. Bangkok’s media-savvy governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra summoned camera crews to document the event, which involved engineers, demolition crews, rescue workers, doctors and nurses.
The only thing drug gangs fear is legalisation
(The Independent): To many people, the "war on drugs" sounds like a metaphor, like the "war on poverty". It is not. It is being fought with tanks and sub-machine guns and hand grenades, funded in part by your taxes, and it has killed 28,000 people under the current Mexican President alone. The death toll in Tijuana – one of the front lines of this war – is now higher than in Baghdad. Yesterday, another pile of 72 mutilated corpses was found near San Fernando – an event that no longer shocks the country.
Effects of ‘slobbing it’ can last for years
(Independent): One month of "slobbing it" has weight gain effects that can last for years, research has shown. Scientists asked volunteers to gorge on fast food and be less active for four weeks, expecting them to put on weight but then return to their normal size. Instead, after a promising start to their weight loss efforts, the participants kept getting bigger. After two and a half years they were still more than three kilos heavier than when the study began. A comparison "control" group who did not change their lifestyle showed no similar increase in weight. "The long-term difference in body weight in the intervention and control groups suggests that there is an extended effect on fat mass after a short period of large food consumption and minimal exercise," said study leader Asa Enersson, from Linkoping University in Sweden.
Solar energy brings power to rural Africa
(CNN): In rural communities of Africa — where more than 95 percent of homes have no access to electricity — solar energy has the power to transform lives. Globally, 1.5 billion people, one quarter of the world’s population, live without electricity, according to a United Nations report. Those who can afford any power at all spend large proportions of their income on kerosene for lamps or travel to larger towns to charge their batteries several times a week. Burning kerosene contributes to indoor air pollution, which is estimated to kill 1.6 million people each year.
How to ‘undo’ an ill-advised Gmail message
(CNN): Ever have that sick-to-your-stomach, "Oh crap!" moment after sending an e-mail? Did you get immediate second thoughts about that e-mail rant toyour ex? Was that blistering message supposed to be about your boss — not to your boss? Well, at least with Gmail, there’s something you can do about it. The ability to "undo" an e-mail has been a little known feature of Google’s e-mail service since last year. But in the past few days, it appears to have been improved. Google Operating System, an unofficial blog that shares Google news and tips, noted this weekend that a user now has up to 30 seconds to take back an unfortunate message.
Cayman women are Caribbean Rugby Champs
(Cayman RFU): The National Cayman Rugby women’s team won the Caribbean Rugby Championship with a stunning 49 – 0 display against Bahamas in the final of the week long competition. It is the first time that Cayman has won the tournament after finishing second in Barbados last year. The Bahamians were simply not able to stem the flow of nine tries scored by Cayman as Loletta Hanna (3), Lisa Bird (2), Lisa Kehoe, Rowena Lawrence & Emily Davies all crossed for Cayman scores. Lisa Kehoe controlled the game from fly half from the start and with the excellent ball produced by the forward pack she was able to set all Cayman back row players, as well as center Loletta Hanna on devastating runs through the Bahamians central defense time andtime again.
Cousin marriages cause genetic disabilities
(Telegraph): More than 700 children in the UK are born with genetic diseases every year as a result of cousin marriages, an investigation has found. The problem is worst among children born in Britain’s Pakistani community, where more than half of marriages are between first cousins, and children are 10 times more likely than the general population to suffer genetic disorders. As adults, the children born from first cousin marriages are at increased risk of miscarriage or infertility. A third of children affected die before their fifth birthday. The medical risks of first cousin marriages include higher rates of infant mortality, birth defects, learning difficulties, blindness, hearing problems and metabolic disorders.
Bermuda MP blasts ‘criminal’ work conditions
(The Royal Gazette): Construction workers say their industry no longer offers a lifeline to Bermudian men who can’t read or write. They claim locals are being priced out of jobs by an influx of non-Bermudians prepared to live and work in extremely poor conditions, for very little pay. And according to Pembroke MP Ashfield DeVent, many people believe the unions should have done more to confront the issue and protect workers. One construction worker, who has been in the industry more than 20 years, told The Royal Gazette he has been unable to find work since April. The man said he used to earn $45 an hour as a self-employed worker, and an average worker would get around $30 an hour.
Hospital in Pakistan scrambles to save children
(CNN): Amiza Mai rushes through the hospital doors, tears streaming from her eyes andher two-month-old boy cradled in her arms. He is screaming. Her baby boy Kalsoon has severe diarrhea and has been vomiting. He is so dehydrated that he needs fluids pumped into him intravenously immediately. He and his entire family are living in harsh conditions after losing everything in a rush of water. They are victims of Pakistan’s mighty flood that has tossed so many families into chaos. "I’m like a rolling stone, going here and there," says his mother, Amiza Mai. "My life is over. I have lost everything. And now I am at the mercy of others and the government."