"Demand for land to grow food, fuel crops and wood is set to outstrip supply, leading to the probable destruction of forests, a report warns.

The Rights and Resources Initiative (RRI) says only half of the extra land needed by 2030 is available without eating into tropical forested areas.

A companion report documents poor progress in reforming land ownership and governance in developing countries. "

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7503304.stm

"Iran's oil minister confirmed on Saturday that French energy giant Total has dropped out of a multi-billion-dollar gas investment in the Islamic republic, the state broadcaster reported."

"The French firm's chief Christophe de Margerie said in an interview published on Thursday that it was too politically risky to invest in Iran at present."

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5ix6V_kJ6x-4_NL4flXDgAnSxcCuA

"Nicotine-based drugs may help delay the moment a person with dementia has to enter a care home, say researchers.

Nicotine has toxic effects, and carries a strong risk of addiction, but scientists have shown it can also boost learning, memory and attention. "

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7497037.stm

"Dog meat has been struck from the menus of officially designated Olympic restaurants, and Beijing tourism officials are telling other outlets to discourage consumers from ordering dishes made from dogs, the official Xinhua News Agency reported Friday.

Waiters and waitresses should "patiently" suggest other options to diners who order dog, it said, quoting city tourism bureau Vice Director Xiong Yumei."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080711/ap_on_re_as/ching_dog_meat

http://www.tradingmarkets.com/.site/news/Stock%20News/1750553/

Buenos Aires, Jul 10, 2008 "At least 12 babies who were part of a clinical study to test the effectiveness of a vaccine against pneumonia have died over the past year in Argentina, the local press reported Thursday.

The study was sponsored by global drug giant GlaxoSmithKline and uses children from poor families, who are "pressured and forced into signing consent forms," the Argentine Federation of Health Professionals, or Fesprosa, said."

"There is no military justification for US plans to deploy missile defences in eastern Europe because Tehran's rockets cannot travel that far, Russia said today.

The Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, said the results of recent Iranian missile tests proved that US plans for a defence shield in Europe were unnecessary.

"The tests in Iran have only confirmed that Iran at the moment has rockets with a range of up to 2,000 km (1,243 miles). That confirms what we have said before," he said."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/jul/11/russia.iran

>>	Junior Field Reporter 08/07/12(Sat)07:53 No.7391   File: 1215874435417.jpg -(61196 B, 600x412) Thumbnail displayed, click image for full size.

http://www.americanfreepress.net/html/canada_net_censorship.html

"A net-neutrality activist group has uncovered plans for the demise of the free Internet by 2010 in Canada. By 2012, the group says, the trend will be global.

"Bell Canada and TELUS, Canada’s two largest Internet service providers (ISPs), will begin charging per-site fees on most Internet sites, reports anonymous sources within TELUS.

“It’s beyond censorship, it is killing the biggest ecosystem of free expression and freedom of speech that has ever existed,” I Power spokesperson Reese Leysen said. I Power was the first group to report on the possible changes.

Bell Canada has not returned calls or emails."

"A survey suggests British women often judge the character of prospective mates based on their text messaging abilities.

The "Text Appeal" poll of 2,000 adults by inquiry service 118118, found 76 percent of female respondents said they judge potential dates by analyzing their texting style, The Scotsman reported Friday.

Forty-one percent of women polled said they are turned off by poor spelling and grammar -- including popular text shorthand such as using the letter "c" in place of "see" -- and 67 percent said they would be more likely to be impressed by a man who sends longer texts that include wit, humor and flirtatious undertones."

http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2008/07/11/Poll_British_women_prefer_good_texters/UPI-58601215820001/

"An experimental transplant of cells into the eyes of patients with failing sight improved vision in most of them, US researchers say.

The retinal cells, taken from aborted foetuses, were implanted into 10 people with retinitis pigmentosa and age-related macular degeneration.

The American Journal of Ophthalmology study found seven had better - although still seriously impaired - vision.

A UK expert said successful retinal transplant is science's "holy grail"."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7501510.stm

"Viacom wants to know which videos YouTube employees have watched and uploaded to the site, and Google is refusing to provide that information, CNET News has learned.

This dispute is the reason the two companies, and lawyers representing a group of other copyright holders suing Google, have failed to reach a final agreement on anonymizing personal information belonging to YouTube users, according to two sources close to the situation. "

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-9989783-93.html?hhTest=1&tag=nefd.top