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 Amidst the brewing scandal that is slowly enveloping the Harper government over the supposedly "flirtatious" emails of a Tory MP with a foreign journalist who may actually be a Chinese spy, two questions stand out. Why hasn't Prime Minister Stephen Harper dumped Toronto MP Bob Dechert yet from his privileged post as parliamentary secretary to the foreign affairs minister? And if this affair isn't stickhandled delicately, will this embarrassing episode mushroom into a much bigger problem that threatens to derail Harper's plan to repair Canada-China relations? Foreign policy and security experts said Wednesday that the answers aren't clear, but at the very least, burberry outlet cheap Harper should now recognize that Canada needs to reinforce its intelligence apparatus to guard against Chinese espionage. Brock University professor Charles Burton, a former political and economic counsellor in the Canadian embassy in China from 1998 to 2000, said it's clear the Asian economic giant will continue to conduct espionage. Already, this has occurred in areas such as commerce, the military and the cyber sphere. Earlier this year, just a few blocks from Parliament Hill, the computer system of a key government department — the Treasury Board — was apparently infiltrated by hackers believed to be based in China. And Burton confirmed that — while experts are now puzzling over why Dechert chose to have a very friendly relationship with Xinhua news agency's Toronto correspondent, Shi Rong — it was clear to him as a diplomat in Beijing that he should be wary of such activities. "Before I left, I received a briefing from the security people in Foreign Affairs talking about exactly this sort of thing. When I was a diplomat in China I was occasionally approached by young women through different means — email or instant message — suggesting that we might want to meet up. But I didn't do that." Burton added that the appropriate thing for Dechert to do now would be to "step aside" while the RCMP conducts an investigation. A key question, he said, would be whether the "young Chinese woman" was sending emails and photos of herself to the much older Dechert simply out of pure romance, or whether she "wants something from him." "If I got such letters, as soon as I found out the photographs were from someone from the Xinhua news agency, I would be hitting the delete button pretty quick. Mr. Dechert evidently didn't appreciate that." After initially adopting a hostile approach to China five years ago, the Tory government is now pursuing a foreign policy to promote a stronger trading relationship with that country. Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird visited China recently and Harper is expected to make his second visit there this fall. "They have to appreciate that we can't go into it with blind or naive enthusiasm," Burton said of the Tories. "As we engage China more closely there's going to be more opportunity for Chinese intelligence agencies to engage in more spying. Therefore, commensurate to strengthening our capacity to trade and investment with China, we should be strengthening our capacity to counter Chinese espionage activities." So far, at least, Harper and Baird are standing by Dechert — a much different approach from the quick retribution that was unleashed on then foreign affairs minister Maxime Bernier in 2008. At that time, he resigned from cabinet after leaving sensitive NATO briefing papers at the apartment of his girlfriend, Julie Couillard, who had connections to biker gangs. But this episode is being treated differently. "No government likes to have to demote a secretary of state or minister if they don't feel they are absolutely compelled to," said security expert Wesley Wark, a visiting professor at the University of Ottawa. "And presumably, from all that we've seen from the government's response, they believe that they can weather this storm, they can pooh-pooh it and they can wait it out." Fen Hampson, director of the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs at Carleton University, said Dechert is "damaged goods" and will eventually be shuffled out of his post — though not necessarily now. "His credibility has obviously been thrown into question. My observation would be they're not going to throw him overboard today, but he might find himself swabbing decks tomorrow." As for the broader question — will Dechert's actions be injurious to Canada-China relations — experts suspect Harper will do his best to prevent this from happening. "What they're trying to avoid is this becoming a hot button issue in which bigger questions are raised about the activities of the Chinese government, or the activities of Chinese representatives," said Wark. When Harper first came to power in 2006, his government was fiercely critical of the Chinese government over its human rights record. Also, then-foreign affairs minister Peter MacKay openly accused the Chinese of "economic espionage" in Canada.

Jason Ayer was just 7 years old when he was diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumour but the Etobicoke boy still remembers the exact day he heard the news: Thursday, Nov. 8, 2007. Through 71 weeks of chemotherapy, he said thoughts of Terry Fox and his goal to run across Canada with a prosthetic leg helped keep his spirits up. “Terry has been my hero. He didn’t let his cancer get in his way,” Jason said. “I was going through a little bit of the same thing (as Terry). I didn’t have to get my limb amputated but I did have to go through the pain and chemotherapy.” Now in remission, sacs louis vuitton the 11-year-old is sharing his story with students in the GTA in advance of the annual Terry Fox Run, the largest single-day cancer fundraiser in the world. It’s a role that Terry’s brother Fred Fox is glad young Jason is brave enough to play. “It’s so important to have cancer survivors out there to share their journey and show that research does work. They’re the living proof of the progress that’s being made,” Fox said. “Not many are that comfortable speaking about their experience but Jason is so personable. He is willing to speak about it — and not afraid.” For decades, the Fox family has shared the story of Terry’s determination and courage. After losing a leg to bone cancer, he left his home near Vancouver, B.C. for St. John’s, N.L. in the spring of 1980. The 21-year-old ran nearly a marathon a day for 143 days but was forced to stop outside Thunder Bay, Ont. when cancer recurred in his lungs. He died the following summer. Family matriarch Betty Fox played the largest role in preserving her son’s memory, said Fred Fox. This year’s Sept. 18 run marks the first since she passed away in June. “It hasn’t quite sunk in yet. The day of, the morning of, I’m almost dreading it. I anticipate it’s going to be very difficult,” said Fred Fox. “She was the face of our family.” Terry was the second of four children. Fred, the eldest, works for the Terry Fox Foundation. Judith, the youngest, works for the foundation’s international wing. Darrell, the former director of the foundation, now works for the Terry Fox Research Institute, which supports cancer research projects. Terry’s nieces and nephews have also spoken publicly about how the uncle they never met touched their lives. This year, Rolly Fox, Terry’s father, will fill his wife’s shoes and say a few words before the run in Port Coquitlam, B.C. Now in its 31st year, the run has raised more than $550 million for cancer research, according to the Terry Fox Foundation. It has grown to host international runs, which included 27 countries last year. Fred Fox said the new generation of students and parents and teachers who continue to build on his brother’s legacy is remarkable. For Jason Ayer it was an opportunity to tell his classmates at Lambton-Kingsway Junior-Middle School about how he battled the disease — and also how he celebrated when he went into remission on June 6, 2009. “We had a big street party. We got a fireman to come and a magician and a bouncy castle,” he said. The sixth-grader is booked to share his story at five other schools, as well.

The cartoon character SpongeBob SquarePants is in hot water from a study suggesting that watching just nine minutes of that program can cause short-term attention and learning problems in four-year-olds. The problems were seen in a study of 60 children randomly assigned to either watch SpongeBob, or the slower-paced PBS cartoon Caillou or assigned to draw pictures. Immediately after these nine-minute assignments, the kids took mental function tests; those who had watched SpongeBob did measurably worse than the others. Previous research has linked TV-watching with long-term attention problems in children, air yeezy 2011 but the new study suggests more immediate problems can occur after very little exposure - results that parents of young kids should be alert to, the study authors said. Kids' cartoon shows typically feature about 22 minutes of action, so watching a full program "could be more detrimental," the researchers speculated, But they said more evidence is needed to confirm that. The results should be interpreted cautiously because of the study's small size, but the data seem robust and bolster the idea that media exposure is a public health issue, said Dr Dimitri Christakis. Article continues below.

A rocky planet with the potential to support liquid water — and therefore the potential to support life — has been found orbiting a sun-like star near our solar system. The planet, known as HD 85512 b, is among 50 planets outside our solar system, called exoplanets, recently discovered using the HARPS instrument on the 3.6-metre telescope at La Silla Observatory in Chile, operated by the European Southern Observatory. The findings were announced Monday at a conference on Extreme Solar Systems in Grand Teton National Park, Wyo., gucci outlet by an international team led by Michel Mayor at the University of Geneva in Switzerland. They will be published as three articles in an upcoming issue of the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics. HD 85512 b has a mass about 3.6 times greater than the Earth's, making it a class of rocky planet called a "super-Earth." Such planets don't exist in our solar system, but appear to be common around other stars. The planet orbits the star HD 85512 in the southern constellation Vela (The Sail), which is only visible at latitudes below 30 degrees north. The orbit grazes the edge of the habitable zone around its star — the band around the star where the temperature could potentially allow liquid water to exist if conditions are right. The new exoplanet was discovered during a survey that focused on 10 nearby stars similar to the sun. The survey found more than 50 new planets around them, including 16 super-Earths, defined as being more massive than the Earth, but less than 10 times more massive. Of the 16 super-Earths, five were less than five times more massive than the Earth, including HD 85512 b. "These planets will be among the best targets for future space telescopes to look for signs of life in the planet's atmosphere by looking for chemical signatures such as oxygen," said Francesco Pepe, an astronomer at the Geneva Observatory in Switzerland who was the lead author on one of the papers describing the findings. The technique used by the HARPS instrument is called the radial velocity technique or Doppler spectrometry. It measures small changes in the movement of stars caused by the tug of a nearby planet's gravity. The changes result in a Doppler shift — small shifts in the colour of light — as the light-emitting star moves toward or away from the Earth. Over 600 exoplanets and more than 1,000 other potential exoplanets have been discovered using HARPS and NASA's Kepler telescope. But only one other planet has been found on the edge of the habitable zone of a star. That planet, called Gliese 581 d, is another super-Earth discovered using HARPS in 2007. Scientists announced another planet in the same system called Gliese 581 g in 2010 that appeared to be right in the middle of the habitable zone. However, that planet was later shown not to exist — scientists had misinterpreted the data.

 Dubai: Interpol on Friday said it has issued its top most-wanted alert for the arrest of Muammar Gaddafi, his son Saif Al Islam and the country's ex-chief of military intelligence, all sought by the International Criminal Court for alleged crimes against humanity. De facto Libyan premier Mahmoud Jibril, meanwhile, warned the hardest battles still lie ahead as his fighters came under counter-attack yesterday in their offensive on Gaddafi's hometown of Sirte. Gaddafi holdouts also fired mortars and rockets from Bani Walid. National Transitional Council forces around Bani Walid unloaded hundreds of boxes of ammunition and ordinance and reinforcements in gun-mounted trucks rushed toward the front line in the desert sand. Some say prominent regime loyalists, including Gaddafi's son and one-time heir apparent, gucci outlet Saif Al Islam, could be in Bani Walid. Meanwhile, security sources in Niger said a party of 14 Libyans, including General Ali Kana, a Tawareq who commanded Gaddafi's southern troops, entered the country yesterday. "Businesses repeatedly see that, so they respond to it in a temporary way," said Martin Regalia, chief economist for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which raps Obama for not seeking more-lasting job creation. "It does help temporarily maintain or boost demand because it puts more spendable money in people's pockets, and some of that will be spent. If all you want to do is boost the growth rates for next year, this will probably do that." But that's not necessarily the best course, he said. The chamber wanted a focus on the energy sector, where relaxation of rules could put people to work immediately, and more support for international trade, including passage of pending free-trade agreements - especially the long-delayed deal with South Korea. "Trade agreements were kind of mentioned almost casually, but there was no plank. We think that's something that would be very, very important," Regalia said, noting that Obama wants to double exports yet yields opportunities to others. "To get in there first is important, and in fact we're ceding the playing field to competitors who have already established trade agreements with (South) Korea." Another reason why support for Obama's plan is hedged among experts: There's little to fix the housing sector, a huge drag on the economy. Obama talked broadly about encouraging government-controlled mortgage lenders Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to refinance home loans to lower interest rates, but he gave few details. There are 800,000 lender-owned properties nationwide, and another 800,000 in some stage of the foreclosure process. A staggering 3.5 million mortgages are now delinquent - not yet in the foreclosure process, but they could wind up there. Moreover, an estimated 30 percent of homes with a mortgage are now worth less than the mortgage - a phenomenon described as being underwater. That's why support for the American Jobs Act is qualified. "These are useful changes, but the most important driving force for our current economy is that people will not increase their spending until their balance sheets are repaired and their houses are no longer underwater," said Dean Croushore, chairman of the economics department at the University of Richmond. "These are things the government is not able to fix, so we should expect slow economic growth for several years to come."

 Rafi Refaeli may want to leave the protective detail to someone else next time. The father of Bar Refaeli was convicted in a Jerusalem court today of malicious damage for breaking a photographer's camera and doing a motorcycle some harm back in 2007—in what the defense argued was solely a case of a father protecting his daughter. Per court records, juicy couture outlet Rafi said that Bar was on the way over to her family's Tel Aviv home when she called and fearfully told him that she was being followed by a pack of paparazzi while driving. MORE: Which hottie is same-sex smooching while her beau snaps a pic? And the Kfar Saba Magistrates Court ruled today that taking the matter into his own hands once they all reached his house wasn't a particularly good idea. No date has been set for sentencing yet. Rafi's little glirl was on her own last week at the Venice Film Festival, but she didn't appear to need any assistance walking the red carpet at the Carnage premiere. She touched down in New York City today just in time for the start of Fashion Week.US software giant Microsoft has bought a license from Israeli Jinni to use it technology for video content search. Financial details of the agreement were not disclosed, but it is believed that Jinni received several million dollars in the deal. Jinni did not specify just how Microsoft will use the technology it has bought, but there seem to be two possibilities: integration of the technology in the Xbox home entertainment console, or in Microsoft's Bing search engine.

 With debt concerns in US and Europe looming large, investors are betting on safer investment havens like gold pushing the price of the precious metal to record levels. But that may not mean good news for India's largest jewellery retailer, Gitanjali Gems which is expecting a dip in volumes. With gold prices zooming to record levels each day, the metal seems to have lost its silver lining for the Indian consumer. The company expects a 10 per cent fall in volumes. tiffany outlet Gitanjali Gems had planned to add 400 retail outlets to the 3,600 points of sale across India. Now the plan seems to be losing its steam because of high gold prices. Mehul Choksi, Managing Director of Gitanjali Gems said, “We are expecting gold prices to affect our volumes. We may see a 10 per cent fall in volumes.” Gold prices have appreciated by more than 30 per cent this year. And though India's gold consumption in the last quarter has grown by 38 per cent compared to 248 tonnes of the previous year, analysts are expecting volumes to drop this quarter given the furious run of the yellow metal. Gaurang Shah, assistant vice president of Geojit BNP Paribas Financial Services said, “The prices of gold seem too high to be affordable. This in turn will have an impact on the stocks of companies that use gold as an input as their balance sheets may stop looking interesting with numbers not being too encouraging.” Though volumes of gold jewellery could see some decline for now, companies are hoping that the festive season will add glitter to gold sales once again.

In tests on mice, researchers from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, found that removing the genes that control the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) left the rodents unable to run as fast as their healthy counterparts. AMPK is "switched on" with exercise and allows muscles to take up glucose, the researchers wrote in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Associate professor of medicine Gregory Steinberg said, "Mice love to run. While the normal mice could run for miles, those without the genes in their muscle could only run the same distance as down the hall and back. It was remarkable. burberry outlet The mice looked identical to their brothers or sisters but within seconds we knew which ones had the genes and which one didn't." Start of sidebar. Skip to end of sidebar. The study found that mice without the AMPK genes had lower levels of mitochondria - cells' main energy producers - and their muscles' ability to take up glucose during exercise was impaired. Steinberg added, "When you exercise you get more mitochondria growing in your muscle. If you don't exercise, the number of mitochondria goes down. By removing these genes we identified the key regulator of the mitochondria is the enzyme AMPK." The researchers said the findings were important for those who find it difficult to exercise, including the obese and those with asthma. How about those who live through a blockade that has grown into a military siege, even forbidding the entry of cinnamon on the grounds that it might be used in making bombs? The IHH [The Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief] is as much an Islamist-terrorist organisation as Médecins Sans Frontières is a communist-terrorist one. There is nothing “neo-Ottoman”, whatever that means, about telling the Israeli government that it should end the Gaza blockade. No one needs another WikiLeaks leak to discover that every government, including the US, has been telling the same thing to the Israeli government: that the blockade is inhuman and unsustainable. Last week a UN report was leaked to the press by guess whom? UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon expressed astonishment that this report, which had not yet been submitted to him, was leaked. It concluded that Israel’s action was “excessive and unreasonable”, while saying that Israel’s naval blockade was legal and based on legitimate security concerns. It said nothing about the limits of a blockade action, the extreme circumstances it created, or the many moral implications that inhabit the decision to pursue this action in such an unforgiving and ruthless way. It is ironic that the UN Charter restricts the use of force to very strict conditions. Surely Mavi Marmara is not one. Turkey does not recognise the blockade imposed on Gaza by Israel. When did the Turks first meet the Jews? The answer is mired in legend, and stories abound. At the very least, we have some early Turkish documents, dating back to the 13th century, which speak of “the wise, perceptive and capable people”, referring to the Jews living in the old Ottoman capitals of Bursa and Adrianople. Rightly, the impression stayed and took hold, never to change. In 1492, Sultan Bajazed II invited the Jews expelled from Spain to settle in the Ottoman lands, thereby opening a whole new chapter in Jewish history. Turkey does not aim to harm or jeopardise the historic and exceptional Turkish-Jewish friendship. Hence, the call of Mr Ahmet Davutoglu, the Turkish foreign minister, to Israel to correct its big mistake.

With the help of De Beers, Historic Royal Palaces, the independent charity that looks after the Tower of London, will upgrade the display of the Crown Jewels. The exclusive partnership with the De Beers Family of Companies will enable the re-presentation of the Jewel House, which will open to the public in Easter 2012 to coincide with the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations and the London Olympic Games. The new exhibition will explore the importance of the Crown Jewels to the British monarchy, the role of the Tower in protecting these treasures and the long and fascinating tradition of coronations in England. The Crown Jewels are the most powerful symbols of the British Monarchy and hold deep religious and cultural significance in Britain's history. The Crown Jewels are a tourist magnet, attracting as many as 16,000 visitors a day, juicy couture outlet making them one of Britain's most popular tourist sites. The Coronation ceremony will be the central theme of the re-presentation. Since 1066, coronation ceremonies have taken place in Westminster Abbey. The displays will examine how the royal regalia are used during the ceremony, and explore the symbolism of each object. Destroyed at the Tower after the Civil War and remade for Charles II’s coronation in 1661, the Crown Jewels signify royal authority to lead, and protect, the nation. The priceless collection holds some of the most legendary and extraordinary diamonds in the world, including the Cullinan diamonds and Koh-i-Noor. “We are delighted to announce this partnership between the world’s premier diamond company and the world’s premier collection of diamonds and precious jewels. The Crown Jewels," said Michael Day, Chief Executive of Historic Royal Palaces. "With all eyes on London in 2012 for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and the Olympic Games, De Beers’ generous support will enable us to showcase Britain’s most prized treasures in all their glory.” According to Nicky Oppenheimer, Chairman of De Beers, “De Beers is delighted to support the re-presentation of the Jewel House. Diamonds are unique treasures of nature with deep emotional and historical significance. Like those in the Crown Jewels, each diamond is different and holds a story. As the world’s leading diamond company, De Beers is proud to be a part of bringing the story of the Crown Jewels to life through the most celebrated showcase of jewels in the world.”

Britain has sent a diplomatic team to Tripoli to re-establish an embassy in Libya, William Hague has said. The foreign secretary has said the move was "another significant step in the UK's relations with the new Libya", and reflected the National Transitional Council's success in promoting stability in the war-torn capital. The diplomatic team will strengthen ties with the new regime and help address humanitarian needs in and around Tripoli. The team includes staff from the Foreign Office and the Department for International Development, air yeezy with Dominic Asquith temporarily standing in for special representative John Jenkins. "The arrival of this team marks another significant step in the UK's relations with the new Libya, and reflects the progress the NTC has made in improving security and stability on the ground," said Hague. "It will help strengthen relations with the National Transitional Council authorities and support their efforts to rebuild Libya." "The team will also liaise with international organisations in order to help address humanitarian needs in Tripoli and the surrounding areas." Britain's diplomatic mission in Libya was moved to the rebel stronghold of Benghazi in the east of the country at the start of the uprising against Gaddafi's regime. The announcement came after the prime minister, David Cameron. told parliament that the UK's "full diplomatic presence" was moving back to Tripoli. On of the visibly annoyed lawyers representing victims’ families in civil suits told the judge: "The prosecution summoned this witness, but he’s a witness for the defence as far as we’re concerned." The last witness, Major Mahmud Galal, testified that he battled protesters in Cairo on January 28 with teargas and that he was not carrying a pistol issued to officers.