New Delhi water Researchers find superbug gene

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New Delhi water Researchers find superbug gene. LONDON A gene that can turn many types of bacteria into deadly superbugs was found in about a quarter of water samples taken from drinking supplies and puddles on the streets of New Delhi, according to a new study.

Experts say it's the latest proof that the new drug-resistance gene, known as NDM-1, named for New Delhi, is widely circulating in the environment — and could potentially spread to the rest of the world.

Bacteria armed with this gene can only be treated with a couple of highly toxic and expensive antibiotics. Since it was first identified in 2008, it has popped up in a number of countries, including the United States, Australia, Britain, Canada and Sweden.

Most of those infections were in people who had recently traveled to or had medical procedures in India, Pakistan or Bangladesh.

"This is not a problem that is looming in the future ... there are people dying today from infections that can't be treated," said David Heymann, chairman of Britain's Health Protection Agency. He was not linked to the research.

Last fall, British scientists analyzed more than 200 water samples from central New Delhi, including public tap water and water that collected in the streets. They found the superbug gene in two of the drinking water samples and 51 of the street samples. Researchers found the gene in 11 different types of bacteria, including those that cause dysentery and cholera.

As a comparison, the scientists also took 70 water samples from a water treatment center in Cardiff, Britain. No superbug genes were found in any of those. The research was paid for by the European Union and was published online Thursday in the journal Lancet Infectious Diseases.

Mark Toleman, a senior research fellow at Cardiff University and one of the study authors, said the superbug gene was being spread through New Delhi's water supply, but that experts didn't know how many people were being sickened by it. He guessed about a half million people in New Delhi are now carrying the superbug gene naturally in their gut bacteria.

Indian officials called the study "unsupported" and denied the gene was a public health threat. They cited a random sample of nearly 2,000 women in a New Delhi hospital which they said showed no sign of it.

"We know that such bacteria with genes are in the atmosphere everywhere," said V.M. Katoch, director-general of the Indian Council of Medical Research. "This is a waste of time," he said. "The study is creating a scare that India is a dangerous country to visit. We are condemning it."

Since the superbug gene was found in the U.K. last year, British officials say there have been about 70 cases of it in the U.K. including a small hospital cluster.

"We have a vested interest in sorting out sanitation problems in India," Toleman said, adding the West should invest more money in clean water projects in Asia. "Otherwise (superbugs) could filter out from Asia and will spread through the world."

Other experts weren't sure how prevalent the NDM-1 gene would become but were preparing for the worst.

"It's like asking in the 1980s if a few HIV cases should be a big worry," said Guenael Rodier, director of communicable diseases at the World Health Organization's office in Copenhagen. "The fact that (NDM-1) has emerged is worrisome, but forecasting what it will do is very difficult."

He explained that was because resistant strains sometimes mysteriously disappear.

In an accompanying commentary, microbiologist Mohd Shahid of India's Aligarh Muslim University wrote that more studies are needed in India to assess how threatening the superbug problem is.

Mubarak denies abuse of power Egypt's ex-President

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Mubarak denies abuse of power Egypt's ex-President. CAIRO In the first remarks since his ouster, former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak denied he abused his authority to amass wealth and property in a pre-recorded speech broadcast Sunday.

Mubarak, forced out of office two months ago by a popular uprising, said he was willing to cooperate in any investigation to prove that he did not own property abroad or posses foreign bank accounts.

The pan-Arab news channel Al-Arabiya, which broadcast the speech, said it was recorded Saturday after demonstrators gathered in huge numbers in Cairo to demand that the military council that took over from Mubarak launch an investigation into his wealth. There was no video image accompanying the recording of Mubarak's voice.

The speech seemed to be as much about preserving his dignity as about denying the accusations against him.

"I was hurt very much, and I am still hurting — my family and I — from the unjust campaigns against us and false allegations that aim to smear my reputation, my integrity, my (political) stances and my military history," Mubarak said.

Egyptians fed up with poverty, corruption and political repression forced Mubarak to leave office on Feb. 11 after 18 days of mass demonstrations.

Friday's protest in Cairo's Tahrir Square by tens of thousands was the biggest since then. Despite constitutional amendments to allow free elections and other steps toward a freer political scene, many of people in the anti-Mubarak movement are growing impatient with the ruling military's transitional leadership.

In particular, they want to see Mubarak and his family prosecuted for corruption that permeated his nearly 29-year regime.

Since his ouster, Mubarak and his family have been under house arrest at a presidential palace in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, their assets frozen. But Mubarak has not been charged.

In his speech, the former president said he only possessed a single account in an Egyptian bank and only held property in Egypt. He said he would agree in writing, if requested, to allow the prosecutor-general to contact other countries to investigate whether he or his wife, Suzanne, owned any accounts or property abroad.

"I agree to authorize the prosecutor-general in writing to allow him to contact, through the Foreign Ministry, all countries in the world to prove to them that I and my wife agree to show any accounts or properties I have possessed starting from my military and political career until now to prove to the people that their former president only owns domestically according to previous financial disclosure."

Mubarak also said he would allow Egypt's prosecutor general to investigate whether he, his wife or his wealthy businessmen sons, Alaa and Gamal, owned any real estate or properties "directly or indirectly, commercially or for private use" since the time Mubarak assumed office in 1981.

Obama looks back to Chicago again 2012 in sight

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Obama looks back to Chicago again 2012 in sight. CHICAGO President Barack Obama's relationship with his hometown may be best described as a long-distance love affair. He lavishes attention on it from afar and proud Chicago pines for its hometown hero, though the two rarely see each other.

That looks like it's about to change.

Obama is returning to his roots as he embarks on his re-election race for 2012. He's setting up his campaign headquarters in a downtown high-rise near Grant Park, the site of his victory celebration on a frigid election night in November 2008.

He's coming back Thursday to raise money, a week after launching his second White House bid with an understated email and online video.

The president is putting Chicago in the spotlight again as he tries to recreate the grass-roots, start-up flavor of his first campaign and do what no incumbent president has done in decades: try to win re-election from a location outside Washington.
[ For complete coverage of politics and policy, go to Yahoo! Politics ]

A Chicago base also could reinforce a connection to a city that aides say keeps Obama grounded while he lives in the nation's capital.

"Nobody is more eager to be out and nobody is more eager to be here than him," said David Axelrod, Obama's chief political strategist who left the White House this year to return to Chicago to work on the re-election and be closer to his Chicago-based family. "The conversation in Washington is completely different than the conversation you hear out here."

Obama's advisers hope a Chicago location could insulate his campaign from some of the Washington chatter and news leaks that often plague campaigns. A beyond-the-Beltway headquarters could allow them to offset the notion that Obama, who campaigned as an outsider above the partisan fray and promised a new approach to politics, has become the ultimate political insider.

"Basing it in Chicago says, 'I'm not of Washington,' but if he doesn't spend time in Chicago, he is of Washington," said Paul Light, a public service professor at New York University.

Obama's relationship with his town has evolved over the years.

He was a community organizer, worked on a major voter drive and practiced law in his early days in the city. When he entered politics, he focused on the state capital of Springfield, and cast himself as above the brass-knuckled nature of Chicago politics, whose history is pockmarked with corruption and scandal.

During the 2008 campaign, Obama was a fixture in Chicago when he wasn't crisscrossing the country for votes. He took his wife, Michelle, around town to dinner at some of the city's best restaurants. He hung out with his daughters. He worked out at the gym. He played basketball with his buddies. He attended meetings at his campaign office, all under the watchful eye of reporters and Secret Service agents. His family, friends and neighbors talked openly about the candidate and his lifestyle.

As president, Obama has made only about a half a dozen visits to Chicago, often to raise money for candidates. He's made only a few overnight trips to his South Side house.

His neighbors don't seem to hold it against him.

"He's got a whole world to deal with," says Hosea McKay, a 73-year-old retired substance abuse counselor, who lives several blocks away. "Chicago . we can't be so egotistical that we think he's supposed to pop in every three or four months and hang out with us."

The area around Obama's house looks much like it did during the last campaign when extra security measures were added. Even when Obama isn't there, guards and barriers — both metal and concrete — restrict access to his street. His house can be seen through some trees from a nearby busy thoroughfare.

But the neighborhood has changed somewhat since the Obamas left. They're getting new neighbors because the home next door to theirs was sold last year.

While sharing a neighborhood with the president has its share of hassles, Prince Ella Murphy, who lives about a block away, doesn't mind, especially when it comes to the security that increases when Obama is in town.

"I love it. I feel protected because, I mean, they have police everywhere," said Murphy, a 61-year-old retired hotel worker.

Over the past two years, the Obamas have devised ways not to be homesick. They've brought Chicago to them in Washington.

They tapped into their network of hometown connections when they moved into the White House. Among those who relocated to Washington with the Obamas were friend Valerie Jarrett, now a White House adviser, and the family's personal chef. Obama's Chicago buddies, Eric Whitaker and Marty Nesbitt, are constant vacation companions. Countless Chicagoans have visited the White House over the past two years.

The president hosted the 2010 Stanley Cup winners, the Chicago Blackhawks at the White House, last month and put the city's other professional teams on notice. He said: "Let me just say to all the Bears fans, Bulls fans, White Sox fans, and Cubs fans, I want to see all of you sometime soon, as well."

In another nod to their hometown, the Obamas dyed the water in the White House fountains green to celebrate their first St. Patrick's Day in the White House. The city colors the Chicago River that cuts through downtown to celebrate the holiday.

He also swapped one chief of staff from Chicago for another. Rahm Emanuel is Chicago's mayor-elect, while Bill Daley, the current mayor's brother, joined the White House as part of a staff reshuffling aimed at getting ready for the campaign.

While Axelrod said more presidential visits are likely, given that the campaign headquarters is in Chicago, just how much time Obama and his family will spend in Chicago this time is unclear. The duties of the presidency don't lend themselves to much down time.

His team is setting up shop in a downtown high-rise not far from offices the Obama operation used in 2008. Campaign manager Jim Messina, a former White House deputy chief of staff, is directing the effort, and Axelrod is certain to be a constant presence.

"It's nascent group and it's going to grow," said Axelrod, who stopped by the offices recently. "You could sense, you could feel some of that old excitement coming back and you know people are really eager to get going."

New Couple Alert Pia Toscano and Mark Ballas

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New Couple Alert Pia Toscano and Mark Ballas. In fun celebrity couple news bringing the worlds of American Idol and Dancing With the Stars together, Pia Toscano and Mark Ballas are dating.

Pia and Mark became acquainted while shooting their respective shows and went on their first date Friday. According to reports, it was a 10!

Maybe an awesome date isn't enough to soften the blow of her stunning elimination from American Idol this week, but it can't hurt, right?

Pia was the instigator of the romance with Mark Ballas, sources say, but there was a surprise matchmaker involved who played a role in setting them up:

WWE great and current DWTS contestant Chris Jericho!

Pia and Mark both shoot American Idol and Dancing With the Stars on the same CBS Television City lot in L.A., and it turns out Pia is pretty resourceful.

She has a friend who is friends with Jericho, so Pia gave her friend a piece of paper with her number on it, who then passed it to Chris to give to Mark.

Sounds so high school, but apparently it worked out. Peeps connected with both Mark Ballas and Pia Toscano say they really hit it off. Way to go guys!

Real estate rubble A niche in Florida’s

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Real estate rubble A niche in Florida’s. ORTH PORT, Fla. One recent morning, Shannon Moore raced through a musty pink house three bedrooms, two baths that was advertised as having “good bones” and “primed for renovation.” As in many recently foreclosed homes in Florida, the appliances and air conditioner were missing from this one, either taken by the previous residents or stolen.

“It’s not as bad as I thought,” Moore said. “You could probably get this place fixed up for $8,000. You could get a refrigerator on Craigslist for $200.”

“$70,000?” she asked aloud, referring to the list price. “What the heck?” Moore, a real estate broker, has found a lucrative niche in the wreckage of Florida’s real estate market, where a glut of vacant homes continues to depress prices. She scouts out deals for several groups of investors, including one that counts a professional poker player as a member and a group of Macedonians from Toronto.

Just a few years back, real estate investors were considered pariahs for fomenting a buying frenzy that drove home prices to stratospheric levels. This time around, housing experts say investors are desperately needed because there are so many vacant homes and homebuyers are having such trouble obtaining credit.

“If Florida is going to have a comeback anytime soon, investors are going to have to play a role,” said Rick Sharga, a senior vice president at RealtyTrac. “There are just too many properties for traditional homebuyers to absorb.”

Of course, speculators have been picking through the rubble of America’s real estate collapse for several years now, and the housing industry remains deeply troubled across the country, suggesting that it would be far worse were it not for investors. Data released by the National Association of Realtors on Wednesday shows that investors represented 17 percent of all home sales in 2010 nationwide, the same as the previous year. But in recent months, investment activity has picked up, according to Walter Molony, an association spokesman, who attributed the increase to relatively cheap prices and the lack of available credit for homebuyers.

There is no shortage of deals in Florida. The Census Bureau recently reported that 17 percent of the homes in Florida were vacant. Even though the figure includes vacation homes that were unoccupied at the time of the survey, the underlying rate within the state reflects a sustained downturn.

The median house price in Florida, meanwhile, had dropped to $121,900 in February, from $257,800 in June 2006, a decline of 53 percent, according to Metrostudy, a housing research firm. Indeed, some houses and condominiums in Florida are selling for roughly the price of a practical family sedan, new or used.

For instance, a two-bedroom house in Port Charlotte, just south of North Port on the Gulf Coast of the state, recently sold for $8,000, and listings for $25,000 homes are not uncommon. Many experts expect prices to drop even further.

“Nationally we are expecting prices to stabilize by the end of this year,” said Celia Chen, senior director at Moody’s Analytics. “We don’t expect it to stabilize in Florida until sometime in 2012, and that’s a direct overhang of the excess inventory.”

Despite the risks, several investors expressed optimism about their chances of making money, if not a killing.

“A wise man told me that the best time to enter a business is during a recession,” said Peter Ide, a British builder who was transferred by his company to Florida to buy up homes, fix them up and resell them. “The potential here is phenomenal.”

Not everyone views real estate investors as that benign, or savvy. April Charney, a public aid lawyer who lives in nearby Venice, questioned why investors would fix up houses with so few eligible buyers. Besides, she said the new owners were likely to end up with a vacant home next door with squatters, mold or filthy pools.

“They are dreaming,” she said. “That’s just a pipe dream in North Port.”

About 35 miles southeast of Sarasota, North Port was carved out of shrub land in the 1950s by the General Development Corp., which sold the plots to buyers up north. It remained a relatively quiet community until the last decade, when developers erected one subdivision after the next.

North Port’s population doubled in less than four years, city officials say. There are now about 55,000 residents.

In those high-flying days of Florida real estate, Moore said she would buy up vacant shrub land and sell seven or eight lots on a good day, for $50,000 apiece, making as much as 40 percent in profits.

Those days are long gone, and North Port has fallen hard. Moore, a Florida native, is stuck with four plots that cost her $38,000 each (each is worth $5,000 or less) and a duplex she bought for $140,000 (it’s now worth $30,000, she says).

She is also $100,000 under water on her house and living on a street, Mistleto Lane, in which a third of the houses are vacant, including one just across the street.

Nonetheless, Moore reinvented herself as an intelligence agent of sorts, alerting her clients, for instance, to details like whether a house has undesirable neighbors, Chinese drywall or an unsavory past. (She steered her clients away from a three-bedroom house that appeared to be a steal, but was tied to a grisly rape and murder.)

One investor, a Florida businessman, exclusively buys duplexes. Moore’s Macedonian clients want three-bedroom, two-bathroom houses that cost about $100,000, which they buy and rent. Ide’s group, which includes a retired Maryland developer and the poker player, buys homes at foreclosure auctions, fixes them up and resells them.

Since investors can’t inspect the inside of a foreclosed house before auction, Ide’s group is particularly reliant on Moore’s local knowledge. If she isn’t familiar with a house, she drives by and often brings along two of her three daughters, who are home-schooled. (Her 13-year-old, Willow, has made as much as $400 a week on Craigslist, selling belongings left behind in vacant homes.)

During a recent auction, Moore sat in front of a computer screen in her office, with Ide’s partner, Jon Breen, the retired developer, on the speaker phone. Thirteen properties were being auctioned by the county this morning, though Breen focused his attention on a half dozen or so.

Moore pulled up comparable sales and back taxes, while Breen calculated his costs aloud.

“Barcelona has $8,367 in back taxes,” she says, referring to a house on Barcelona Avenue in Sarasota. “Remember the house next door had an odd color.”

“I think it’s a junky piece of property,” Breen said, before bidding $59,000.

Later, when the house sells for $64,001, she says, “Who is the dummy today? They are paying way too much.”

Moore, meanwhile, has plowed her earnings into her own deals, recently purchasing a second duplex for $30,000 in cash. “I’m getting $650 a side in rent, a lot better than the stock market,” she said. “My plan is to buy up as much multifamily as I can while the market is down.”