US President Barack Obama will today wipe out another contentious aspect of his predecessor George W Bush's legacy by removing curbs on federal funding for embryonic stem-cell research.
The president will sign an executive order reversing a policy that critics say has hampered the fight into finding treatments for grave diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and diabetes, a senior administration official said.
The official would not divulge the exact wording of the order, but confirmed it would be in line with Mr Obama's campaign vow to restore funding to embryonic stem-cell research.
The move will spark delight among scientists who have long campaigned for the Bush policy to be overturned, but was already running into fire from social conservatives and right-to-life groups.
Mr Obama spelt out his campaign policy on stem-cell research last August in a list of answers to the Science Debate 2008 scientific lobby group.
"I strongly support expanding research on stem cells," Mr Obama wrote. "I believe that the restrictions that President Bush has placed on funding of human embryonic stem-cell research have handcuffed our scientists and hindered our ability to compete with other nations."
Reports about Mr Obama's plans were immediately condemned by Tony Perkins, the president of the Family Research Council, who called Mr Obama's plan "a slap in the face to Americans who believe in the dignity of all human life".
John Boehner, the Republican leader in the House of Representatives, said government money should be used to fund alternative stem-cell research that does not involve destroying an embryo.
"Republicans enthusiastically support adult, cord blood, and pluripotent stem cell research that have shown so much promise in recent years," Mr Boehner said. "The question is whether taxpayer dollars should be used to subsidise the destruction of precious human life."
But Irving Weissman, the director of the Stanford Institute of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, said the move would put the United States back at the forefront of medical research.
"Now with the lifting of the ban on funding ... President Obama has removed politics and ideology from the funding of research," Mr Weissman argued, adding that he hoped the newly invigorated research "will lead to better understanding of human disease."
Mr Bush barred federal funding from supporting work on new lines of stem cells derived from human embryos in 2001, allowing research only on a small number of embryonic stem-cell lines which existed at that time.
* AFP
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The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
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In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
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Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Kat Wightman's tips on how to create zones in large spaces
- Area carpets or rugs are the easiest way to segregate spaces while also unifying them.
- Lighting can help define areas. Try pendant lighting over dining tables, and side and floor lamps in living areas.
- Keep the colour palette the same in a room, but combine different tones and textures in different zone. A common accent colour dotted throughout the space brings it together.
- Don’t be afraid to use furniture to break up the space. For example, if you have a sofa placed in the middle of the room, a console unit behind it will give good punctuation.
- Use a considered collection of prints and artworks that work together to form a cohesive journey.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
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- 600-seat auditorium
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