Ancient map with China at centre goes on show in US

A historic map of the world, with China at its centre, has gone on display at the Library of Congress in Washington.

The map was created by Italian missionary Matteo Ricci in 1602. It is one of only two copies in existence in good condition.

Because of its rarity and fragility - the map is printed on rice paper - the map has become known as the "Impossible Black Tulip of Cartography".

This is the first time it has been on public show in north America.

Ricci created the map at the request of Emperor Wanli who wanted it to help scholars and explorers.

'Revered by Chinese'
The map was purchased by the James Ford Bell Trust in October for $1m (£0.62m), making it the second-most expensive rare map ever sold.

It denotes different parts of the world with annotations and pictures.
In the Americas, for example, several places are named including Chih-Li (Chile), Wa-ti-ma-la (Guatemala) and Ka-na-ta (Canada), and Florida is described as "the Land of the Flowers".

Ford W Bell, a trustee for the James Ford Bell Trust, told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review newspaper, that the map was "one of the two best in terms of quality, as far as we know".


"Ricci was a very smart missionary. He put China right at the centre of this new universe, this new globe, to underscore its importance," he said.

"Ricci, of course, was the first Westerner to enter Beijing. He was revered by the Chinese, and he was buried there."

The first secretary for cultural affairs at the Chinese embassy in the US, Ti Ban Zhang, said in a statement that the map represents "the momentous first meeting of East and West".

Shar-pei wrinkles explained by dog geneticists

Scientists who have analysed the genetics of 10 pedigree dog breeds believe they now have the answer.

Their research identifies 155 distinct locations in the animals' genetic code that could play a role in giving breeds their distinctive appearances.

In the Shar-pei, the team found differences in a gene known as HAS2 which makes an enzyme known to be important in the production of skin.

"There was probably a mutation that arose in that gene that led to a really wrinkly puppy and a breeder said, 'hey, that looks interesting, I'm going to try to selectively breed this trait and make more of these dogs'," explained Joshua Akey from the Department of Genome Sciences at the University of Washington, Seattle, US.

Small differences
The pedigree dog has become a fascination - and a remarkably useful research tool - for geneticists.
The domestication of the grey wolf more than 10,000 years ago, and the selective breeding that followed, has resulted in more than 400 breeds - each with a distinctive physique, coat colour and temperament.
These discrete populations give scientists the opportunity to compare and contrast the genetics of the different groups, making it easier to find the causes of specific traits.

"Man's best friend" is helping scientists locate the faulty genes that cause disease in both dogs and humans, as well giving a useful insight into how evolution works at a molecular level.

Dr Akey and colleagues studied 32 wrinkled and 18 smooth-coated Shar-peis and compared a specific stretch of their DNA with that of other breeds.

The team found four small, but significant, differences in the genetics of the two skin types of the Shar-pei versus the other breeds. These single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), as they are called, were located in the HAS2 gene.

New targets

"HAS2 makes hyaluronic acid synthase 2, and it's an enzyme that makes hyaluronic acid, and that's one of the principal constituents of the skin," explained Dr Akey.

"There are rare human cases where there are mutations that lead to really severe wrinkling in humans, too.

"So, that suggested it was a good candidate to look at; and sure enough, when we sequenced it we saw that that gene explained wrinkling in Shar-peis,"

Simon Cowell to leave American Idol

American Idol judge Simon Cowell has confirmed he will leave the programme at the end of this season as he takes British show The X Factor to Fox TV.

Cowell, whose contract ends following the show's ninth run, said he was offered a lot of money to stay.

"But that wasn't the reason behind it. I wanted to do something different. I wanted a new challenge," he said.

It has been reported that Cowell stands to make more money with the X Factor than if he stays on American Idol.

Speculation
The music industry mogul owns the rights to the X Factor format - and will serve as an executive producer on the US version of the show - meaning he stands to make more than his current reported pay packet of $36m (£22.3m).

Cowell said there were many people who wanted his Idol job, but said the judges should not be the stars of the show.

"Fundamentally, the most important reason we do this is to find talent," he said.

Speculation has already begun about who will join Cowell on the X Factor, with former judge Paula Abdul, who left American Idol last year, among the leading contenders.

"I adore Paula. Whatever happens, I will be working with her in some capacity, because I miss her," Cowell said.

However, he did rule out former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham - who briefly joined the judging panel on American Idol last year.

'Delighted'
The star said he wanted to leave the show "on a high" and added he was "very proud of what the show has achieved".

In a statement released by Fox, Cowell said: "I'm thrilled that we have put a date on the launch of the US version of The X Factor, and delighted to be continuing to work with Fox.
"We have a fantastic relationship, a great team and are all very excited about this."

Peter Rice, chairman of entertainment for Fox, refused to discuss a possible replacement judge for Cowell on American Idol.

"We have to take our time on that," he said.

"We have to make sure the chemistry of the judges is as good as it can be."

American Idol has been the country's most popular television programme for the last five years and has launched stars such as Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood and Chris Daughtry.

However, viewing figures have been shrinking since its 2005 peak when it averaged more than 30 million weekly viewers.

In April last year, the show attracted 22.3 million viewers.

Both Cowell and Rice have insisted that both shows would complement each other, not detract.

Israel rebukes Turkey over a television series

Israel has issued a stern rebuke to Turkey's ambassador over a television series which depicts Israeli intelligence agents as baby-snatchers.
Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon was caught on camera urging cameramen to note the ambassador's low seating position at a meeting on the issue.

The incident has been widely seen in Israel as an intentional humiliation.

And Turkey has summoned the Israeli ambassador to protest against the treatment of its ambassador in Israel.

A Turkish diplomat said the Israeli ambassador, Gabby Levy, had been summoned to a meeting the Turkish foreign ministry's under-secretary in Ankara.

"We demanded an explanation and conveyed our annoyance," the Turkish diplomat told the AFP news agency.

Although the Israeli ambassador was reprimanded over the incident, he was not subjected to the indignity of squatting on a low sofa.

'Preaching morality'
On Monday, Israel's foreign ministry denounced the Turkish television series and what it called an "unbridled attack" in comments by Turkey's PM.

Footage of Mr Ayalon urging journalists to make clear that the ambassador was seated on a low sofa, while the Israeli officials were in much higher chairs, has been widely broadcast by the Israeli media.

He is also heard pointing out in Hebrew that "there is only one flag here" and "we are not smiling".

One Israeli newspaper marked the height difference on the photo, and captioned it "the height of humiliation".

The meeting with the Turkish ambassador, Ahmet Oguz Celikkol, was called over the fictional television series Valley of the Wolves, popular in Turkey.

It depicts Israeli intelligence operatives running operations to kidnap babies and convert them to Judaism.

Last October Israel complained over another Turkish series, which depicted Israeli soldiers killing Palestinians. In one clip, an Israeli soldier shoots dead a smiling young girl at close range.

Israel has also been angered by heavy criticism on Sunday by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who accused it of using disproportionate force against the Palestinians.

Israel's foreign ministry issued a statement denouncing the television series and Mr Erdogan's comments as "anti-Israel".

"Turkey is the last country that should preach morality to Israel and to the Israel Defense Forces," the statement said.

Turkey has long been an ally of Israel, but relations have deteriorated as Turkey has repeatedly criticised Israel's conduct in its operation in Gaza a year ago.

Rights groups say about 1,400 Palestinians died during the offensive, which Israel said was aimed at ending rocket fire by Hamas.

Federal Reserve makes record profit

The Federal Reserve made a profit of $52.1bn (£32.2bn) in 2009, a rise of 47% over the previous year.

The sum allowed the central bank to pay a record $46.1bn to the US Treasury last year.

That was the largest amount ever paid by the central bank since its creation in 1914.
The record figure was largely thanks to its attempts to support the financial system throughout the ongoing financial crisis.

The Fed funds itself from its own operations and returns any profits to the Treasury department.

Taxpayer gains

The figures suggest that US taxpayers have, so far, gained money from the US government's action in propping up the system.

Some of the profit has come from interest earned on government bonds and mortgage-related securities - including those of mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

The emergency lending programmes instituted by the central bank during the last year's financial crisis helped swell the Fed's balance sheet to more than $2tn.

They were designed to keep down interest rates and get banks lending to each other again, hoping to spark an economic recovery.

The Fed could also lose money on its holdings if it sells them at a time when they have fallen in value.

The Fed also earned money from its emergency loans to banks and other firms, such as the giant carmakers. It charged both interest and fees on these.

Explosives alert closes US port

A major US port in the state of North Carolina has been closed after containers carrying explosive material were found punctured in Morehead City.

Police have told people to evacuate the area. Some are said to be leaving.

Morehead City Police Chief Wes Lail said the chemical involved was pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN) - a powerful explosive.
The Morehead port - one of the deepest on the US East coast - is a major entry point for commodities.

The cause of Tuesday's incident was not immediately clear.

A police spokesman told Reuters news agency: "As a precaution, they have evacuated the port area... everything indicates this was by accident."

PETN is used both in military ammunition and for industrial explosions.

It was also the substance allegedly used by a Nigerian man accused of trying to destroy an airliner about to land in Detroit on Christmas Day.

Reports say there is no sense of panic in Morehead City.

Resident Drew Hall told the Associated Press news agency by phone: "Everybody is going about their business. Why get nervous? Things happen. You can't freak out in times like this."