WHO Reports Rise of Neurological Disorder in Zika Outbreak

A rare neurological disorder is on the rise in several Latin American countries that are also seeing an outbreak of the Zika virus, the World Health Organization said Saturday.

The U.N. health body in Geneva said in a weekly report that Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS), which can cause temporary paralysis, has been reported in Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, Suriname and Venezuela.

The increase in Guillain-Barre cases is appearing in conjunction with the spread of the Zika virus to 34 countries and also with increasing cases of microcephaly, a rare condition in which infants are born with abnormally small heads.

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1965347-who-reports-rise-of-neurological-disorder-in-zika-outbreak/

Obama to Nominate Scalia Successor ‘in Due Time’

President Barack Obama declared Saturday night he would seek to fill the Supreme Court seat left vacant by the death of Justice Antonin Scalia, charging into a heated and likely prolonged election-year fight with Republicans. Obama said a nomination was “bigger than any one party.”

With a half-dozen or more major cases and the ideological tilt of the court in the balance, Obama said he pIanned “to fulfill my constitutional responsibility to nominate a successor in due time.”

The president said the decision was about democracy and “the institution to which Justice Scalia dedicated his professional life, and making sure it continues to function as the beacon of justice that our founders envisioned.”

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1965858-obama-to-nominate-scalia-successor-in-due-time/

Eurozone Economy ‘Losing Steam’ Amid Market Turmoil

The economic recovery in the 19-country eurozone lost steam in January, a closely watched survey found Wednesday, a sign that the turmoil in global financial markets is beginning to weigh on business activity.

Financial information company Markit said its purchasing managers’ index — a broad gauge of activity across both the manufacturing and services sectors — fell to a four-month low of 53.6 points in January from 54.3 the previous month.

According to Markit, that means the region has started off the year growing at a modest 0.4 percent quarterly tick. Rates of growth also diverged, with Spain once again leading the pack, followed by Germany. France appears to be stagnating.

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1957254-eurozone-economy-losing-steam-amid-market-turmoil/

Migrant Arrivals Into Europe Top One Million

More than 1 million people driven out of their countries by war, poverty, and persecution entered Europe in this record-breaking year, migration experts said Tuesday, Dec. 22, a symbolic milestone capping a mass movement of people that has challenged the concept of European unity.

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1924248-migrant-arrivals-into-europe-tops-1-million-in-2015/

India Worries It Compromised Too Much on Climate Treaty

As the world celebrates reaching an unprecedented global climate treaty, India is praising nations’ willingness to compromise for the good of the planet. But many in the country—which had been among the most strident during the negotiations—worry they had to compromise the most.

In the hours after the treaty was finalized in Paris, India’s environment minister gave a speech that verged toward complaint, saying that the “actions of developed countries are far below their historical responsibilities and fair share.”

“While give-and-take is normal in negotiations, we are of the opinion that the agreement could have been more ambitious,” Prakash Javadekar said.

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1919834-india-worries-it-compromised-too-much-on-climate-treaty/

Monsanto Pledges to Be Carbon Neutral by 2021

Monsanto Co. plans to make its operations carbon neutral by 2021, in part by working with farmers who use its products to help them reduce carbon emissions, the company’s CEO told The Associated Press.

To be carbon neutral, Monsanto must reduce its net emission of climate-changing carbon to zero. Climate change is one of the most vital issues facing humanity, Monsanto’s Hugh Grant said in an interview ahead of the company’s announcement Tuesday, and an “untold story” is the agricultural industry’s effort to address the issue.

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1910608-monsanto-pledges-to-be-carbon-neutral-by-2021/

Russia Calls for a New Syrian Constitution in 18 Months

 Russia has circulated a document on ending the nearly five-year-old Syrian conflict that calls for drafting a new constitution in up to 18 months that would be put to a popular referendum and be followed by an early presidential election.

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1895678-russia-calls-for-a-new-syrian-constitution-in-18-months/

Tesla Drivers Flirt With Disaster With New Self-Driving Feature

 Earlier this month, Tesla unlocked self-driving features for Model S sedans in the 7.0 software update. The company warned its drivers that Autopilot was still in its beta phase and that drivers “must keep their hands on the steering wheel” at all times, but predictably many drivers have chosen to do the opposite, freeing their hands from the wheel to see how well the self-driving system would fare on its own.

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1882961-tesla-drivers-flirt-with-disaster-with-new-self-driving-feature/

Brain Activity Is as Unique – and Identifying – as a Fingerprint

 For example, they could help predict who is at risk for developing a disease. Maybe there’s something in the individual patterns of strong and weak brain connections that reveals how susceptible someone is to different neurological or mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia, depression or Alzheimer’s disease. If we collect fMRI images from people while they are still healthy, and then follow them over time to see who goes on to become ill, perhaps we can build a model relating parts of the connectivity profile to future health. Then we could apply this model to a brand-new person’s profile to predict their likelihood of getting sick. This could be a way to target and treat high-risk people early on, in hopes that intervening early will improve their outcomes.

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1883090-brain-activity-is-as-unique-and-identifying-as-a-fingerprint/

Cybersecurity Firm: Chinese Hacking on US Companies Persists

 Chinese hacking attempts on American corporate intellectual property have occurred with regularity over the past three weeks, suggesting that China almost immediately began violating its newly minted cyber agreement with the United States, according to a newly published analysis by a cybersecurity company with close ties to the U.S. government.

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1880431-cybersecurity-firm-chinese-hacking-on-us-companies-persists/