The important Stories below the headlines

Fracking, by keeping the price of oil down, essentially is econnomic warfare against Iran...

the bad news is that it is also hurting the economies of a lot of Middle Eastern lands and those in North Africa which rely on oil income to run the economy.

From StrategyPage.

In addition to the Islamic terrorist threat the government also has to contend with the economic damage done by the low oil price. ... The oil rich Arab Gulf states (particularly Saudi Arabia) are responsible for this and are keeping the oil price low to weaken Iran, which is waging a campaign to take control of Arab oil in the Gulf. The Arab oil states point out that even without the Iran threat the new American fracking technology will also keep the oil price low. The Arabs had hoped the oil price campaign against Iran against Iran would also destroy the American fracking firms but that has not worked out as the American companies have adapted. It seems that Iran has adapted as well. Meanwhile Algeria and other smaller oil exporting nations have to adapt as best they can.

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Eclampsia is a major cause of maternal mortality. Women swell up with edema, develop proteinuria and high blood pressure, and can convulse and even die. It is most common in teenagers, malnourished women, older pregnant women, and with twin pregnancies.

Now the UKMAIL has an article saying that the anti cholesterol medicine Prevastatin could stop the syndrome.

Research by Prof Ahmed suggested that pre-eclampsia was the result of an imbalance between proteins which make blood vessels and those that block them.,,..ne of the actions of statins, in addition to their cholesterol-lowering effects, is that they can prevent the growth of new blood vessels....Women who have had pre-eclampsia are twice as likely to develop other cardiovascular diseases later in life, and babies are at increased risk of heart disease. It is thought to be caused by the placenta not developing properly due to a problem with the blood vessels that supply it.

Why prevastatin? It doesn't cross the placental barrier...

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World population will climb to 11 billion by 2100, fueled by the high brith rate in Africa.
No wonder they are pushing birth control there.
However, the real way to lower birth rates is making families richer and educating women, which is why Asia and Europe will depopulate and have too many old people to keep alive on pensions.

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So is Africa doomed to overpopulation and hunger?
Europe and benevolent NGO's kept Africa "traditional", and since economic development had stalled due to corruption and the educational emphasis on academics instead of practical work, it may be China and big business that teaches them how to grow enough food, using chemicals and GM crops.

Humanitarian groups that deal with global hunger and peasants’ rights call corporate land deals neocolonialism and agri-imperialism. Yet veterans of agricultural development say the massive infusion of private cash, infrastructure, and technology that such deals may bring to poor rural areas could be a catalyst for desperately needed development—if big projects and small farmers can work together. The key, says USAID’s Gregory Myers, is protecting the land rights of the people. “This could significantly reduce global poverty, and that could be the story of the century

from an old NatGeo story, who of course points out "big corporations" but the story starts with a Chinese investment firm establishing a super farm..

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Greece defaulted, but it was the German government that benfitted from the problem. From the BBC

The Greek debt crisis has saved the German government some €100bn (£70bn; $109bn) in lower borrowing costs because investors have sought safety in German bonds, a study has found.Even if Greece defaults on all its debt, Germany would still benefit, says the German IWH institute.

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The war against the Kurds: President Obama okayed Turkey bombing the Kurds, the last pro American group in the Middle East that he hasn't yet betrayed.

  BBC LINK

"The Turkish claim they are fighting Islamic State… but in fact they are fighting the PKK," Cemil Bayik told BBC's Jiyar Gol. "They are doing it to limit the PKK's fight against IS. Turkey is protecting IS. "[President] Erdogan is behind IS massacres. His aim is to stop the Kurdish advance against them, thus advancing his aim of Turkishness in Turkey."

 Heck of a job, Barry.
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