Samsung to be fined $900 over plant gas leak -- report

Samsung will be fined for belatedly reporting a fatal hydrofluoric gas leak to authorities, according to a new report.

The gas leak reportedly occurred sometime on Sunday (the exact timeline is not easily determined, due to conflicting reports out of Korea) at a Samsung semiconductor facility south of Seoul. Several hours later, Samsung contacted crew members from a maintenance company to clean up the leak. Five crew members arrived on the scene and started to clean up the spill. However, one of the individuals, who was reportedly not wearing a full hazmat suit, died due to exposure. Four other individuals who were wearing their full protective gear were sent to a hospital, but fully recovered, according to reports.

Korea-based Yonhap News, citing sources within the police office assessing the fine, reported today that investigators have determined that Samsung took too long to alert law enforcement to the spill, and the company has been assessed a fine of up to 1 million Korean won (about $900).

For its part, Samsung has remained tight-lipped on the leak, but reportedly told Yonhap in a statement on Monday that it believed the leak was "minimal."

Samsung is one of the leading semiconductor makers in the world, and produces chips for a wide range of companies including Apple. It's not clear what processors were in production at the time of the accident.

CNET has contacted Samsung for comment on the news. We will update this story when we have more information.

(Via Engadget)

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Hello Kitty! Please Don’t Kill Me!

Maybe the butler didn't do it. But the cat probably did.

A new study, published January 29 in Nature Communications, estimates that cats are responsible for killing billions of birds and mammals in the continental U.S. every year. The estimate: 1.4 billion to 3.7 billion bird victims and 6.9 billion to 20.7 billion mammals. Peter Marra, the senior author of the study, called the results "stunning." (Watch: A house cat's point of view.)

"For the last 20, 30, 40 years," he said, "the number that has been batted around as a max was about 500 million."

And there are a lot of potential feline killers. Over 80 million pet cats reside in American homes and as many as 80 million more stray and feral cats survive outside.

The authors found that the stray and feral cats are responsible for most of the kills. But pets aren't exactly innocent: They are blamed for about a third of the bird action. The study also discovered that the cats mainly kill native species like chipmunks and house wrens, not invasive pests like the Norway rat (Rattus norvegicus). (Video: Secret lives of cats.)

The study is part of a larger effort to quantify the threats to birds, said Marra, an ecologist with the Migratory Bird Center at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Washington, D.C. Cats happened to be the first threat they considered. Plans are to look at other threats related to human activity: wind turbines, buildings, automobiles, and pesticides. The research is important, Marra said, because "a lot of these causes of mortality may be reversible." He hopes the study will aid policymakers and help cat owners realize "cats are having a larger impact than we thought."

So what can be done about all these wild killer cats?

Current efforts to rein in America's feral cats are insufficient. While a feral cat management technique called Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) stops some cats from reproducing, it doesn't stop those cats from preying on wildlife. The Humane Society of the United States supports TNR as part of the solution, but acknowledges that it will not noticeably reduce the cat population. John Hadidian, a senior scientist with the society, notes that TNR only reaches about two million cats, and it can be "cumbersome and expensive." He hopes that the attention from papers like this will encourage novel approaches like oral contraceptives for cats.

To some cat observers, the study news was no surprise. Economist Gareth Morgan made headlines around the world last week when he launched a proposal to rid New Zealand of cats. Morgan, whose website features a cartoon kitten announcing "I love to kill," believes that pet cats are endangering New Zealand's birds. While his website advocates a New Zealand without cats, and he would like people to make their current cat their last, he says he really wants cats to be regulated the way dogs are. He points to laws enacted in Western Australia as an example: Cats must be registered, neutered, and microchipped. The microchip, a small identifying device embedded under the skin, can be detected by vets or authorities so they can reunite lost pets with their owners and differentiate between pets and strays. "I'm not saying they should kill their cats," Morgan said. "If they are really into cats, that's fine, but you must control them."

Morgan admits this is "an emotional issue" in a country where nearly half of the households have at least one feline. "It's not that cat owners don't care," Morgan said, "it's that they haven't thought about it."

Meanwhile, people in the U.S. aren't likely to turn on cats either. Cat ownership has increased from about 56 million pet cats in the mid-1990s to the current count of 80 million. Though cats are viewed as both a conservation threat and a human companion, the Humane Society's Hadidian thinks common ground can be reached. "Both the bird people and the cat people want the same thing," he said, "fewer cats outdoors."

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Giffords to Senate: 'Americans Are Counting on You'

Former congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, whose congressional career was ended by a bullet wound to her head, opened a Senate hearing on gun violence today by telling the panel, "Speaking is difficult, but I need to say something important."

In a determined and forceful voice, she told the Senators to be "courageous" because "Americans are counting on you."

Giffords sat alongside her astronaut husband Mark Kelly as she delivered her emotional statement just over a minute long imploring Congress to act on gun policy.

"This is an important conversation for our children, for our communities, for Democrats, and Republicans," the former Arizona congresswoman said. "Speaking is difficult but I need to say something important: Violence is a big problem too many children are dying. Too many children. We must do something. It will be hard, but the time is now. You must act. Be bold, be courageous, Americans are counting on you. Thank you," Giffords said before being helped out of the hearing room.

Giffords was shot by a gunman in her Arizona district two years ago, and was a last-minute addition to the hearing about the nation's gun laws as lawmakers grapple with how to curb gun violence in the wake of the Newtown, Conn., tragedy that left 20 children and seven adults dead late last year.

Today's hearing is a showdown on guns, featuring two powerful but conflicting forces in the gun control movement. Giffords' husband also testified, as did Wayne LaPierre, the fiery executive vice president and CEO of the National Rifle Association.

Mark Kelly on Gun Control: 'This Time Must Be Different' Watch Video

Newtown Families Join March on Washington Demanding Gun Control Watch Video

Gun Theft Fuels Violence in America: Gun Owners Now Targets Watch Video

Kelly's opening remarks before the Senate Judiciary Committee today emphasized that he and his wife are both gun owners and he has said that he recently bought a new hunting rifle. But he said they are also dedicated to minimizing gun violence because of their personal tragedy.

"We are simply two reasonable Americans who realize we have a problem with gun violence, and we need Congress to act," Kelly said. "Our rights are paramount, but our responsibilities are serious and as a nation we are not taking responsibility for the gun rights our founding fathers conferred upon us."

Kelly said that a top priority should be to close the loophole that says people who buy weapons at gun shows are not required to undergo background checks.

"Closing the gun show loophole and requiring private sellers to require a background check for they transfer a gun…I can't think of something that would make our country safer than doing just that," he told the panel.

Giffords and Kelly recently launched Americans for Responsible Solutions, an organization promoting the implementation of universal background checks and limits on high capacity magazines.

"Overwhelmingly, you told us that universal background checks and limiting access to high capacity magazines were top priorities, and I'll make sure to address each of those ideas in my opening remarks," Kelly wrote in an email to supporters Tuesday. Kelly asked the group's allies to sign a petition calling on Congress to pass legislation on both issues.

LaPierre laid out the NRA's opposition to universal background checks and urged legislators not to "blame" legal gun owners by enacting new gun control laws.

"Law-abiding gun owners will not accept blame for the acts of violence of deranged criminals. Nor do we believe the government should dictate what we can lawfully own and use to protect our families," LaPierre said."And when it comes to background checks, let's be honest – background checks will never be 'universal' – because criminals will never submit to them."

"If you want to stop crime, interdict violent criminals incarcerate them and get them off the streets," LaPierre said.

He repeated an NRA proposal to place armed security guards in every school in America, arguing that "it's time to throw an immediate blanket of security around our children."

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Drug reduces enlarged prostate with few side effects

Relief from the constant call of nature is the aim of a new drug, tested in rats, which can shrink an enlarged prostate and is likely to have few side effects.

By the age of 60 an estimated 70 per cent of men have prostate enlargement. Treatment involves surgery or drugs that block testosterone, a hormone that drives unwanted growth. Side effects can include loss of libido and erectile dysfunction.

The new drug, RC-3940-II, developed by Andrew Schally of the Miami Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Florida and colleagues works by blocking gastrin-releasing peptide – another potent growth factor.

In rats, a six-week treatment shrank prostates by 18 per cent. It also shrank human prostate cells by 21 per cent. Importantly, fewer side effects are likely as testosterone pathways are avoided.

Journal reference: PNAS, DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1222355110

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Israeli vote doesn't nail shut door to peace: Clinton

WASHINGTON: The outcome of Israel's elections did not torpedo hopes for peace with the Palestinians, but instead opened up a new chance for dialogue, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton argued Tuesday.

"I actually think this election opens doors, not nails them shut," she said, during a so-called "global townhall" meeting, in which she took questions from Internet-users and broadcasters around the world.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud-Beitenu list emerged from last week's vote with the biggest single share of seats in the Knesset, but was weakened by a surge in support for Yair Lapid's centrist Yesh Atid party.

Party leaders are negotiating a new coalition, which is expected to have a centre-right bent, and the talks are being watched for signs as to whether it will be able to revive the Middle East peace process.

According to Israeli reports, Netanyahu has offered Lapid the post of foreign minister or finance minister in a new government. And while Lapid has rarely spoken about foreign policy challenges or the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, he has said he favours negotiations.

Clinton, in one of her final public engagements before she steps down from US President Barack Obama's administration, chose to strike an optimistic note.

She said: "A significant percentage of the Israeli electorate chose to express themselves by saying, 'We need a different path than the one we have been pursuing internally and with respect to the Middle East peace process.'

"So I know President Obama and my successor soon-to-be secretary of state John Kerry will pursue this, will look for every possible opening."

As Clinton was speaking, the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee gave its backing to Kerry's appointment, clearing the way for the full Senate to confirm him as her successor later in the day.

Last week, in his confirmation hearings, Kerry appeared to hint he may have new proposals up his sleeve to restart direct peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians which have stalled for more than two years.

"We need to try to find a way forward, and I happen to believe that there is a way forward," he said.

"But I also believe that if we can't be successful that the door, or window, or whatever you want to call it, to the possibility of a two-state solution could shut on everybody and that would be disastrous in my judgment."

Both Israel and the Palestinian Authority have theoretically committed themselves to the goal of a "two-state solution" with both living side-by-side within agreed borders.

But direct talks have foundered, with Palestinians decrying ongoing Israeli settlement building on occupied territory and Israel denouncing rocket attacks on its civilians from Gaza, which is controlled by the Hamas militia.

Clinton told the Washingon townhall meeting that she believed "Hamas is not interested in democracy... is still largely a military resistance group."

But she added: "We've made it very clear that if Hamas renounces violence, if they morph themselves into a political entity the way that Fatah and the Palestinian Authority have from the origins in the PLO, if they accept the previous commitments... there's a place for them at the table. And it would be my great hope that they would do that."

- AFP/jc

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Internet, social media least trusted industries for privacy

Internet and social media ranked bottom on a list of the most trusted industries for privacy, according to the Ponemon Institute.

Released yesterday, Ponemon's "2012 Most Trusted Companies for Privacy" was compiled from a survey of U.S. adults asked to name the five companies they trust the most to protect the privacy of their personal information.

Based on more than 6,700 responses, several tech players were absent from the top 20 after being on it in past years.

Apple failed to make the top 20 for the first time in four years. Google, Best Buy, Facebook, Yahoo, Dell, and AOL also were gone from the top 20 after scoring good or decent grades in the past.

Those results aren't surprising as many of those polled expressed concern about certain technologies. A full 59 percent of the respondents said they feel their privacy rights are diminished or undermined by social media, smart mobile devices, and geo-tracking tools.

Almost half of the people surveyed said they received one or more data breach notifications over the past two years. And 77 percent of those said such notifications hurt their trust in the organization reporting the breach.

A majority of those polled said they've shared personal information with an organization they didn't know or trust, with most admitting they did it for the convenience of online shopping. And only 35 percent feel they have control over their personal information, a percentage that has dropped steadily over the past seven years, the report said.

Identify theft was seen as the most significant threat to privacy, followed by government surveillance and data breaches.

And what do people expect from companies that use their personal information?

Security protection was named the most important feature. But a majority also said they don't want their data shared without their consent and they want the ability to be forgotten.

On a more positive note, Hewlett Packard took second place in the rankings, just behind American Express.

Amazon was third, followed by IBM in fourth. eBay grabbed ninth place, with Intuit rounding out the top ten.

Among other technology providers, Microsoft and Mozilla joined the list for the first time, ranked 17 and 20, respectively. Verizon, AT&T, and WebMD also numbered among the top 20.

Conducted in December, the survey received responses from 6,704 people.

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Space Pictures This Week: Martian Gas, Cloud Trails

Image courtesy SDO/NASA

The sun is more than meets the eye, and researchers should know. They've equipped telescopes on Earth and in space with instruments that view the sun in at least ten different wavelengths of light, some of which are represented in this collage compiled by NASA and released January 22. (See more pictures of the sun.)

By viewing the different wavelengths of light given off by the sun, researchers can monitor its surface and atmosphere, picking up on activity that can create space weather.

If directed towards Earth, that weather can disrupt satellite communications and electronics—and result in spectacular auroras. (Read an article on solar storms in National Geographic magazine.)

The surface of the sun contains material at about 10,000°F (5,700°C), which gives off yellow-green light. Atoms at 11 million°F (6.3 million°C) gives off ultraviolet light, which scientists use to observe solar flares in the sun's corona. There are even instruments that image wavelengths of light highlighting the sun's magnetic field lines.

—Jane J. Lee

Published January 28, 2013

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Obama's Immigration Plan to Have More Direct Path

President Barack Obama is expected to lay out his principles for immigration reform in a speech in Las Vegas today that will include a potentially quicker path to citizenship than the bipartisan plan a group of senators unveiled earlier this week.

The president will offer some new details about the White House's immigration reform plan, which expands on a blueprint it released in 2011, a senior administration official told ABC News. But for now Obama will stop short of offering his own piece of legislation because of the progress made by the Senate "Gang of Eight."

See Also: Senate Wants Immigration Bill Passed in Months

The White House has sounded positive notes about the Senate group's plan thus far, but the specifics that Obama announces are expected to have some key differences that might cause concern for some Republican senators who have signed onto the senate deal.

Like the senators' plan, Obama's proposal calls for a pathway to citizenship for many of the 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the U.S. The senators' plan would grant "probationary legal status" immediately to eligible undocumented immigrants, but would not allow them to apply for permanent legal status, or a green card, until the border is deemed to be secure. Think of that as a trigger system.

On the other hand, administration officials told media outlets that they believe a path to citizenship needs to be more straightforward. They believe a trigger system, like the one in the senate plan, could lead to a state of legal limbo for the undocumented immigrants who receive legal status, The Washington Post reported.

'Lucha Libre' Wrestler: Crusader Against Illegal Immigration Watch Video

The border-security-first plan, however, is essential to Republican senators who signed onto the Senate "Gang of Eight" deal.

"I will not be supporting any law that does not ensure that the enforcement things happen," Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), a member of the group, told conservative blogger Ed Morrissey on his web radio show.

See Also: 3 Flashpoints in the Senate Immigration Blueprint

Obama's plan is likely to include language that would allow same-sex bi-national couples to have the same rights as heterosexual couples, BuzzFeed and The Washington Post reported. Under current law, gays and lesbians who are married to U.S. citizens under state laws cannot obtain a green card. Obama's plan would allow them a path to citizenship, but the issue is not mentioned in the Senate "Gang of Eight" proposal.

As noted by the Post, that language may anger Christian groups who have signaled they would support comprehensive immigration reform.

But the White House remains optimistic about the progress that has been made so far. An official described the senators' announcement as a "breakthrough" to ABC News because it wasn't clear whether Republicans would sign on to any path to citizenship.

Some observers couched the Senate group's decision to come out with his plan a day before Obama as an attempt to outfox the White House politically. But administration officials told media outlets they remain generally pleased with the plan and believe that the president's speech could build momentum for a final bill.

Updated, 12:15 PM

The White House reiterated that the president was very encouraged by the Senate's proposal since it includes a pathway to citizenship that is endorsed by Republicans, who have previously opposed immigration reform that includes such a path.

"Our focus is that this is a positive development," White House spokesman Luis Miranda told ABC/Univision. "We feel very positive that there is a proposal in the first place and that it is consistent with what the president has supported in the past."

The White House clarified that it is withholding judgment on language in the Senate framework that requires a border security "trigger" to obtain a green card until actual legislative language is released by the senators.

"What we have said is that there needs to be a clear path to citizenship," said Miranda. "We'll wait to see what they flesh out."

ABC's Reena Ninan contributed reporting.

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Davos: Persuading big business to act on climate change

There was good news and bad news from Davos this year. Dire warnings were issued about the dangers of climate change, but a new report argued that big businesses can limit the temperature rise – if only governments can unleash their potential.

Movers and shakers from business and government gathered in Davos, Switzerland, last week for the annual World Economic Forum (WEF). They discussed global risks like financial instability, rising food prices and climate change.

The new president of the World Bank, Jim Yong Kim, highlighted a recent report that predicted global temperatures could rise by 4 °C within decades. "My children could be living in a world that doesn't even resemble the one we live in now," he said.

Green money

It would take $700 billion of investment every year to cut greenhouse gas emissions to a safe level, while allowing continued economic growth.

That's according to the Green Investment Report, issued by the WEF during the meeting.

"We just don't have that much public money," says Dominic Waughray, a senior director of the WEF in Geneva, Switzerland, and one of the authors of the report. The 2008 financial crisis has slashed public funds, he says.

However, Waughray says governments can encourage the private sector to step up. Currently, the world's governments spend $96 billion a year tackling climate change. The WEF report estimates that if they increase that to $130 billion, governments could unleash $570 billion a year of private capital.

To do this, the public money must be used to encourage private investment in green technologies. Rather than funding projects like wind farms outright, Waughray wants the money used to reduce the risk for private investors.

Major infrastructure projects often receive this sort of support. If a company wants to build a power plant in a developing country, but is worried that the country could become unstable, it can buy a form of insurance from the World Bank's Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency. If the host country becomes unstable and stops buying power from the plant, MIGA covers the lost income.

"The public money is the buffer so the private company feels comfortable with the project," says Waughray.

Stepping up

One such fund was launched in Davos. The International Finance Corporation, part of the World Bank, has started a Catalyst Fund to help companies that are tackling climate change by, for instance, building renewable power plants or boosting energy efficiency. It has already raised $280 million.

There are also signs that businesses are paying attention. In the run-up to the meeting, the Carbon Disclosure Project in London surveyed 2415 companies and found that 70 per cent believed climate change could significantly affect their revenues.

Their major concern is extreme weather events, which can disrupt supply chains. Nearly 700 of the companies were already investing in emissions cuts, and 63 per cent of those companies said they were doing so because climate change was a physical risk to their business.

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Iran sends monkey into space

TEHRAN: Iran on Monday successfully sent a monkey into orbit, paving the way for a manned space flight, Defence Minister Ahmad Vahidi told state television.

Arabic-language channel Al-Alam and other Iranian news agencies said the monkey returned alive after travelling in a capsule to an altitude of 120 kilometres (75 miles) for a sub-orbital flight.

"This success is the first step towards man conquering the space and it paves the way for other moves," General Vahidi said, but added that the process of putting a human into space would be a lengthy one.

"Today's successful launch follows previous successes we had in launching (space) probes with other living creatures (on board)," he added.

"The monkey which was sent in this launch landed safely and alive and this is a big step for our experts and scientists."

Iranian state television showed still pictures of the capsule and of a monkey being fitted with a vest and then placed in a device similar to a child's car-seat.

A previous attempt in 2011 by the Islamic republic to put a monkey into space failed. No official explanation was ever given.

A defence ministry statement quoted by Iranian media said earlier Iran had "successfully launched a capsule, codenamed Pishgam (Pioneer), containing a monkey and recovered the shipment on the ground intact".

Iran announced in mid-January its intention to launch a monkey into orbit as part of "preparations for sending a man into space," which is scheduled for 2020.

Iran's space programme deeply unsettles Western nations, which fear it could be used to develop ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads they suspect are being developed in secret.

The same technology used in space launch rockets can also be used in ballistic missiles.

The Security Council has imposed on Iran an almost total embargo on nuclear and space technologies since 2007.

Tehran has repeatedly denied that its nuclear and scientific programmes mask military ambitions.

Iran's previous satellite launches were met by condemnation from the West who accused Tehran of "provocation."

The Islamic republic has previously sent a rat, turtles and worms into space. It has also successfully launched three satellites -- Omid in February 2009, Rassad in June 2011 and Navid in February 2012.

In mid-May last year, Tehran announced plans to launch an experimental observation satellite Fajr (Dawn) within a week but it did not happen and Iran gave no explanation for the delay.

The Fajr satellite was presented by Iranian officials as "an observation and measurement" satellite weighing 50 kilos (110 pounds), built by Sa-Iran, a company affiliated to the defence ministry.

- AFP/ir

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