Deere considers sale of $1 billion breeze portfolio

BOSTON Thu Feb 25, 2010 11:50am EST Related News Enel green unit adds 60 MW wind parks in ItalyTue, Feb 9 2010Is clean tech China"s moon shot?Thu, Jan 28 2010

BOSTON (Reuters) - Deere Co has retained Goldman Sachs Group Inc to help review options for its $1 billion wind energy portfolio, including a possible sale, the U.S. agricultural equipment maker said on Thursday.

Deals

The world"s largest maker of tractors and harvesters said it owns 34 wind farms in seven U.S. states that are capable of generating 706 megawatts of power, in addition to owning some wind farms that are still in development.

The Moline, Illinois-based company"s wind energy arm is an outgrowth of its credit business, which also helps farmers and other customers to finance purchases of Deere equipment.

While the turbines can tower hundreds of feet above the ground, they have a relatively small footprint, which has encouraged some small-scale U.S. farmers to allow turbines to be installed on their land as an additional source of income.

At the end of 2009, the United States had about 35,000 megawatts of installed wind capacity, enough to power 9.7 million typical American homes, according to data from the American Wind Energy Association.

Other major investors in U.S. wind farms include Florida utility FPL Group Inc and conglomerate General Electric Co.

(Reporting by Scott Malone, editing by Dave Zimmerman)

Deals

Nigerian boss returning from Saudi: sources

ABUJA Tue Feb 23, 2010 6:48pm EST

ABUJA (Reuters) - Nigerian President Umaru Yar"Adua was being flown back to the capital Abuja on Tuesday, three months after he left for medical treatment in Saudi Arabia, Nigerian government sources and a Saudi airport official said.

World&&&&Saudi Arabia

"The president left at 10:22 p.m. (1922 GMT) alone in a plane and another plane carried Nigerian government envoys," the official at Jeddah airport told Reuters.

There was no word on the state of his health.

Nigerian government and presidency officials could not immediately be reached for comment.

Soldiers and armed police arrived at the presidential wing of the airport in Abuja, a Reuters witness.

The 58-year-old leader left Nigeria in late November to receive medical treatment at a clinic in Jeddah for pericarditis, an inflammation of the membrane surrounding the heart that can restrict normal beating.

His absence brought Africa"s most populous nation to the brink of constitutional crisis and threatened to paralyze the business of government, until Vice President Goodluck Jonathan was sworn in as acting leader two weeks ago.

Neither the presidency, the ruling party nor the cabinet has given any details on his health since shortly after he left, fuelling speculation about his true condition.

A delegation of Nigerian ministers travelled to Saudi Arabia on Monday for an update on his health and had been expected to report back to a weekly cabinet meeting on Wednesday.

(For more Reuters Africa coverage and to have your say on the top issues, visit: af.reuters.com/ )

(Reporting by Nick Tattersall and Felix Onuah in Abuja, Asma Alsharif in Jeddah)

World Saudi Arabia

Cheryl Cole dumps Ashley by content

Cheryl Cole has sent a text message to husband Ashley telling him their relationship is over.

The betrayed singer sent the message after reading of her footballer husband"s five mistresses, according to reports.

Cheryl intends to return to the UK this week to announce the split, with a draft statement regarding the divorce already drawn up.

It"s over: Cheryl Cole, arriving at a recording studio in Hollywood yesterday, has sent a text message to husband Ashley telling him their marriage is over

A close friend of the star told the Sun that when she headed to Los Angeles following her performance at the Brits she was still deciding her future.

But she is now clear that the marriage is over and, as the Daily Mail reported last week, is said to have consulted divorce lawyers. More...I don"t want to live if I lose my wife: What Ashley Cole told fourth secret lover... as FIFTH girl says she slept with himEXCLUSIVE: D-Day for Cole! Roman fury could see Ashley axed over scandalsJAN MOIR: Why Ashley Cole"s lucky it"s only his assets Cheryl will chop in halfKerry Katona back to face the music after married fitness instructor admits to swapping texts

"The time for any more excuses or promises is over. She wants tohave put a statement out by the end of the week so she can start movingon," the friend said.

"She has no desire to humiliate Ashley further and wishes to proceed in a dignified manner."

Even bookmakers were last night declaring it was "inevitable" Mrs Cole would soon be filing for divorce.

A spokesman for William Hill said: "In our opinion, it is a done deal and we are happy to hand over winnings now."

Brave face: Cheryl has been hard at work while in the U.S.

Close: Cheryl"s friend Derek Hough, who has been comforting her in LA

Yesterday one of Cole"s alleged one-night stands - the fourth to come forward - claimed he had sobbed down the phone to her that he would die if he lost his wife over their fling.

He is said to have pleaded with U.S. political aide Ann Corbitt to keep quiet about twice having unprotected sex with her in a Seattle hotel last July when Chelsea was on a pre-season tour.

A fifth alleged flame, Alexandra Taylor, also came forward to say she had sex with Cole on the night he "went public" with Cheryl in 2004.

Yesterday, Miss Corbitt told the News of the World she had no idea Cole was married until she looked him up on the internet.

Meanwhile, Miss Taylor, a 27-year-old glamour model, claimed in the Sunday Mirror that she bedded the player just hours after he and Mrs Cole danced at the National Television Awards in 2004.

Cole was exposed as a love rat in 2008 for sleeping with hairdresser Aimee Walton.

Last week, it was revealed X-rated pictures of him were sent from his phone to Page Three girl Sonia Wild.

Just days later, Mrs Cole was again devastated by claims he had slept with Vicki Gough, a 30-year-old secretary.

The news comes as Cole faces a fight for his future at Chelsea Football Club in the light of the scandal.

He faces a suspension or "meaningful" fine from Chelsea after claims he hoodwinked the club into covering up his philandering.

In trouble: Ashley Cole"s future at Chelsea football club is in doubt

Yesterday, it was revealed that Steve Atkins, Chelsea"s head of media, told Cole and his lover Ann Corbitt how to silence allegations of a tryst.

However, he insists the pair misled him, saying claims of an affair were "false".

Sportsmail has learned Cole is to be hauled before Chelsea"s board as early as Friday to explain himself.

The club decided to act because the defender"s alleged affair occurred while he was "on duty" during a tour.

Billionaire Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has already threatenedplayers with disciplinary action, telling them to stop dragging theclub"s reputation through the mud.

Hidden message? Cheryl Cole wearing a top at the weekend saying "I left My Heart in Beverly Hills" as she visits a studio in Los Angeles

One insider said: "Ashley might be the best left back in the worldbut the players were told on Wednesday that nobody is above the law. Aline has been drawn in the sand and the owner has had enough."

Last night a club spokesman said: "This is a private matter for Ashley Cole.

"Where anything is alleged to have happened on Chelsea FC time is an internal club matter and will be dealt with internally."

But Chelsea are taking a very dim view of Cole"s actions, not leastbecause of the embarrassment caused to their highly regarded head ofcommunications Steve Atkins.

The "other women": Ashley has been linked to Alexandra Taylor (left) and Ann Corbitt, who claims she slept with Cole while he was on tour in the US...

...and he has also allegedly had liaisons with hairdresser Aimee Walton, glamour model Sonia Wild and Liverpool club secretary Vicki Gough

Atkins was embroiled in the saga when Cole asked him to give advice to Ann Corbitt.

Cole is said to have claimed that he had not had an affair with the girl, but she now alleges that a liason took place.

While in LA, Mrs Cole has spent time with Derek Hough, a24-year-old U.S. dancer. The pair have watched a romantic film togetherand dined at upmarket restaurant Katsuya.

However, Strictly Come Dancing judge Bruno Tonioli - whointroduced the pair last October - said: "Cheryl is going throughhell. Derek is a gentleman and he"s being a good friend to her. She isnot the type who would do tit-for-tat."

Cole"s solicitor said the player had no comment to make. A spokesman for Mrs Cole also declined to comment.

TV&Showbiz>A-Z Star Search>Cheryl Cole

Cure for peanut allergy: Technique could be used to plunge into alternative reactions

Michael Frost aged 9 has been nut allergy de-sensitized

A permanent cure for deadly nut allergies could be less than three years away, British doctors said yesterday.

In a breakthrough that offers hope to hundreds of thousands of sufferers, researchers say they have "effectively cured" 21 children of the dangerous condition.

They are so confident of the treatment - which uses tiny doses of peanut flour to build up a child"s resistance to the food - they are starting a 1million clinical trial on more than 100 children.

The researchers also say the same therapy could be used on other allergies - such as milk and egg.

One child in 50 in Britain suffers from peanut allergy and the numbers are rising fast. Reactions can range from mild itching and rashes to dangerous swelling of the airways, breathing problems and severe asthma.

On average seven children die from it each every year. It is the most common serious allergic reaction, affecting around 450,000 people.

The pioneering treatment was developed at Addenbrooke"s Hospital, Cambridge, where it was tested on 23 children between seven and 17. All but two have been "cured".

The children were given a daily dose of peanut flour, mixed with yoghurt, to build up their tolerance.

At the start of the trial, they were given the equivalent of one 400th of a peanut each day - far below the level needed to spark an allergic reaction.

Every day the dose was increased until they were able to consume the equivalent of five peanuts. Some children were able to safely eat 12 nuts.

Dr Andrew Clark, leading the research, said the peanut flour was "retraining" the children"s faulty immune systems.

He said: "The families say that it"s changed their lives. That"s our real motivation - to try to develop that as a clinical treatment that we could spread to the rest of the country.

Researchers say they have "effectively cured" 21 children of the dangerous condition

"And It"s not going to stop at peanuts. There"s no scientific reason why it won"t work with other foods."

Although the children were effectively cured, many suffered mild side effects, including itches and stomach aches. A few also had rashes and wheezing. The side effects were treated with antihistamine drugs.

The new trial, being funded by the Department of Health, will compare the effects of peanut flour to a harmless placebo in 104 allergic children.

Dr Clark said: "This is going to be the largest trial of its kind in the world and it should give us a definitive idea of whether it works and whether it"s safe."

The children have already been recruited and treatment starts next month, he told the American Association for the Advancement of Science"s conference in San Diego, California.

Dr Clark added: "I think in two or three years time we will be in a position where we have a treatment that works, but we are still working on a long-term cure."

He warned parents of nut allergy children not to try retraining their immune systems at home, however. Giving them peanut flour could be dangerous outside a hospital.

Doctors are baffled by the rise in peanut and other allergies. Some experts believe the cleanliness of modern homes - and the fact that children spend little time outside being exposed to dirt and germs - means immune systems are not developing properly.

For Michael Frost"s parents, every day brought the terrible fear that peanuts could claim their son"s life.

He had a severe form of the nut allergy and doctors warned that just a tiny amount in his diet could have serious consequences.

But thanks to the Cambridge trial, the tenyearold can now eat the equivalent of 12 peanuts without any reaction at all.

His mother Kate, 45, said: "A peanut allergy affects the whole family.

"You can"t go to a restaurant because it"s just a minefield. If your child goes to a birthday party, he has to takes a packed tea.

"For so many years, I"ve had a permanent knot of anxiety in my stomach.

"It felt like I was playing Russian roulette with my son"s life.

"But suddenly, those feelings of fear are gone."

Michael, from Flitwick, Bedfordshire, said: "I can eat lots of Chinese now, which is my favourite, and chocolate."

He was one of the children helped by doctors at Addenbrooke"s hospital.

At the start of the trial, Michael was fed just one 16th of a peanut.

Even such a tiny amount left him with itchy patches all over his body. He also suffered acute sickness.

But he can now lead a relatively normal childhood.

Iraqi former PM Allawi meets Saudi aristocrat forward of polls

RIYADH Sat Feb 20, 2010 4:31pm EST Related News Senior Sunni lawmaker"s party to boycott Iraq voteSat, Feb 20 2010Anti-Saddam purge both woos and worries Iraq votersMon, Feb 15 2010Iraqi PM Maliki weakened ahead of national voteMon, Feb 15 2010String of Iraq bomb attacks target poll candidatesSun, Feb 14 2010String of Iraq bomb attacks target poll candidatesSat, Feb 13 2010

China propagandize denies couple to Google attack: inform

SHANGHAI Sat Feb 20, 2010 12:24pm EST Related News Probe traces Google attacks to 2 Chinese schools: reportThu, Feb 18 2010Probe traces Google attacks to 2 Chinese schools-NYTThu, Feb 18 2010

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - A Chinese vocational school has denied a report it was a source of recent cyber attacks on Internet giant Google and other U.S. corporations, Xinhua news agency said on Saturday.

Technology&&&&Media

"Investigation in the staff found no trace the attacks originated from our school," Li Zixiang, party chief at Lanxiang Vocational School in Shandong Province, was quoted as saying.

The New York Times reported that the attacks, a source of friction in Sino-U.S. relations, had been traced to Lanxiang, which it said was established with support from the Chinese military and trains computer scientists for the military, and to Shanghai Jiaotong University.

Li said Lanxiang had no relationship with the military, Xinhua reported. The party chief also disputed the statement that investigators suspected a link to a computer science class taught at the school by a Ukrainian professor.

"There is no Ukrainian teacher in the school and we have never employed any foreign staff," Li said. "The report was unfounded. Please show the evidence."

Lanxiang, founded in 1984, has about 20,000 students learning vocational skills such as cooking, auto repair and hairdressing.

Google announced on January 12 that it had faced a "highly sophisticated and targeted attack" in mid-December, allegedly from inside China, and that dissidents" e-mail accounts were a primary target.

(Reporting by Edmund Klamann; Editing by Michael Roddy)

Technology Media

Cat food ultimate arms opposite Australias shaft toads

Pauline Askin SYDNEY Fri Feb 19, 2010 12:21pm EST Related News "Cane Toads" a cautionary tale of ecological hubrisFri, Jan 29 2010

SYDNEY (Reuters) - A tin of cat food may be the solution to reducing the number of toxic cane toads in Australia, one of the country"s major pests which environmentalists have tried for years to stop from killing off the native wildlife.

Oddly Enough&&&&Lifestyle

Scientists from the University of Sydney said that putting cat food close to ponds inhabited by baby cane toads attracts carnivorous ants that are also immune to the toads" poisonous skin. The ants then attack the baby toads and eat them.

"In one spot we tested, 98 percent of the baby toads were attacked within the first two minutes," researcher Rick Shine told Reuters. "It was a bit like a massacre."

Scientist have spent years -- and a significant amount of money -- trying to find ways to get rid of the toxic toad that has plagued Australia"s flora and fauna for decades and which is considered one of the country"s worse environmental mistakes.

The toads, introduced from Hawaii in 1935 in a bid to control native cane beetles, have led to dramatic declines in populations of native snakes, goanna lizards and quolls, a cat-sized marsupial.

Shine said the study was aimed at boosting the numbers of ants around the breeding areas of cane toads, and not upsetting the ecological balance by introducing the insects to an area that they wouldn"t normally be in.

"All we"re doing is encouraging the ants to flourish somewhere where they already flourish, letting them know there"s particularly good food around so we get more of them down there on a very short-term basis," he said.

"Baby toads are incredibly stupid and their reaction to being attacked is to freeze. I think they"re trying to advertise the fact they"re poisonous and let the predator get a taste of that, but it doesn"t work for the ant because it isn"t affected."

While Shine realizes the study"s findings will never eradicate cane toads from Australia, he said cat food was a relatively simple way to try and limit their numbers.

"I"m optimistic that we"ll find ways to reduce toads numbers, I think I"d have to be a very optimistic person indeed to think we"ll ever get rid of cane toads from Australia," he added.

(Editing by Miral Fahmy)

Oddly Enough Lifestyle