Breastfeeding 'lowers disease risk'

MOTHERS who breastfeed their children may have a lower risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, according to a new study.

The report, published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, suggests that the link may be to do with certain biological effects of breastfeeding and that longer periods of breastfeeding lowered the overall risk.

Previous studies have established that breastfeeding can reduce a mother's risk of other diseases but until now little has been done to examine the impact of breastfeeding duration on Alzheimer's risk.

Dr Molly Fox, from the department of biological anthropology at the University of Cambridge, led the study.

She said: "Alzheimer's is the world's most common cognitive disorder and it already affects 35.6 million people. In the future, we expect it to spread most in low and middle-income countries.

"So it is vital that we develop low-cost, large-scale strategies to protect people against this devastating disease."

Although researchers used data gathered from a very small group of 81 British women, they say they observed a highly significant and consistent correlation between breastfeeding and Alzheimer's , although the connection was much less pronounced in women who already had a history of dementia in their family.

The findings may point towards new directions for fighting the global Alzheimer's epidemic - especially in developing countries where cheap, preventative measures are desperately needed.

More broadly, the study opens up new lines of inquiry in understanding what makes someone susceptible to Alzheimer's in the first place.

It may also act as an incentive for women to breastfeed, rather than bottle-feed - which can have wider health benefits for both mother and child.

The study argues that there may be a number of biological reasons for the connection between Alzheimer's and breastfeeding.

One theory is that breastfeeding deprives the body of the hormone progesterone, compensating for high levels of progesterone which are produced during pregnancy.

Progesterone is known to desensitise the brain's oestrogen receptors, and oestrogen may play a role in protecting the brain against Alzheimer's.

Another possibility is that breastfeeding increases a woman's glucose tolerance by restoring her insulin sensitivity after pregnancy.

Pregnancy induces a natural state of insulin resistance and Alzheimer's is characterised by a resistance to insulin in the brain.

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Hopes rise of eurozone recovery: survey

THE eurozone recession seems to be fading out at last, with key growth indicators giving a surprisingly strong showing, economics experts say.

A key leading indicator of activity, the Markit Eurozone Composite Purchasing Managers Index for July, switched to give a growth reading for the first time for 18 months.

The index logged 50.5 points, up from an initial estimate of 50.4 and above the 50-point watershed which signals the difference between a trend of shrinking activity or growth.

The reading for the services sector was 49.8 points, up from an initial estimate of 49.6, after manufacturing surprised with a strong 50.3-point reading.

The survey of sentiment among thousands of purchasing managers, the people responsible for buying materials and products for businesses, is widely seen as a reliable gauge of economic expansion.

In Germany, rates of increase in manufacturing output and service sector activity hit 17- and five-month highs respectively, London-based Markit said on Monday.

The combines score for Germany in July was 52.1 points, comfortably back in the black.

The other main national economies of France, Italy and Spain each registered a further easing of contraction, with solid growth among manufacturers.

"The final Output Index reading of 50.5 confirms a welcome return to growth for the eurozone economy at the start of the third quarter, raising hopes that the region can finally claw its way out of its longest-running recession," said Rob Dobson, Senior Economist at Markit.

"Granted, the euro area has experienced false dawns before - but the improvements in confidence and other forward-looking indicators warrant at least some optimism for the outlook this time around."

The data comes on the back of a first, minuscule drop in overall numbers of unemployed people for more than two years - by 24,000 to 19.26 million in June.

The eurozone has been seen as the main drag on the world economy over the past couple of years as austerity policies adopted to tame the debt crisis have crippled growth.

"The labour market remains the main bugbear of the eurozone, as rising joblessness hurts growth and raises political and social tensions," Dobson added.

"But even here there was some better news, with the rate of job cutting easing to a 16-month low."

The news was not all good on Monday with the European Union's Eurostat data agency flagging a fall for eurozone retail sales in June of 0.5 per cent compared to May.

Germany, the EU's biggest economy, saw retail sales fall 1.5 per cent. Eurostat gave no explanation of the figures which tend to be volatile and heavily influenced by seasonal factors.

However, the anticipated impact of growing business confidence on consumer spending was still enough for analysts to tip a stable recovery.

"The hope for the eurozone is that current rising confidence encourages businesses to increasingly pare back their job cutting and become more prepared to invest, and also encourages consumers to spend more, said IHS Global Insight's Howard Archer.

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Bomb blast in Philippines city kills six

A POWERFUL bomb has exploded at the centre of the southern Philippines city of Cotabato, killing six people and wounding more than two dozen others, police say.

The explosive device was placed in a vehicle - either a motorcycle or a van - parked near a hospital and a school during the afternoon rush hour on Monday, city police chief Senior Superintendent Rolen Balquin said.

Cotabato photographer Mark Navales, who was on the scene within half an hour of the blast, described seeing a blood-spattered road strewn with charred bodies and smouldering vehicle parts.

"I saw three mangled human remains, one of them burnt," he told AFP.

"I have never before seen (the effects of) such a powerful blast in Cotabato," he added.

The attack came a month after after the United States, Australia and Canada warned their citizens against travelling to Cotabato and two other southern cities over fresh threats of terrorism.

Those killed were motorists passing through Sinsuat Street, the main highway in Cotabato that is lined by commercial establishments.

At least 26 others were wounded, including police officers in a vehicle that was passing through the area, he said.

No group immediately claimed responsibility.

Mujiv Hataman, governor of a regional autonomous area whose office is 800 metres away from the blast site, said the explosion rattled his windows and shattered a quiet afternoon just before Muslims were to end their Ramadan fast.

"The blast was heard kilometres away. It was powerful," he said.

The late-afternoon explosion damaged at least four vehicles and triggered a fire that engulfed a nearby mortuary and a tyre repair shop, he added.

Cotabato is a mixed Muslim-Catholic city on the main southern island of Mindanao, where Muslim insurgents have waged a decades old rebellion that has claimed 150,000 lives.

It was the second bombing to hit Mindanao in 10 days.

A powerful blast at a restaurant packed with doctors and pharmaceutical salesmen left eight people dead on the Mindanao city of Cagayan de Oro on July 26.

The Cotabato explosion also came just shortly after the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, a breakaway rebel faction, warned of intensified attacks against the government targets.

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Abbott the 'sworn enemy' of divisiveness

UP on stage stood the tired, down below were the hungry.

Prime ministerial hopeful Tony Abbott has capped off a long first day on the campaign trail with a visit to western Sydney, where local Muslims gathered to break their Ramadan fast for the day.

The seminary drop-out and staunch Catholic said Monday's iftar dinner at Auburn was a perfect microcosm of ethnically, culturally and religiously diverse Australia.

"There is unity in our diversity," Mr Abbott said.

The opposition leader's arrival sparked a respectable round of applause, but in a room full of people who've been waiting till sunset for a bite, food was always going to be the main event.

One woman appeared unfazed by the luminaries around her - Philip Ruddock, Jason Clare and Australian Grand Mufti Ibrahim Abu Mohammed were all in the audience - and chose to bag up fellow guests' leftovers rather than press the flesh.

If Prime Minister Kevin Rudd wants voters to see him as a negative purveyor of three-word slogans, the coalition leader wants us to know he's the man to end the gender debates and class warfare that have captivated Canberra.

"I am the sworn enemy of anyone who seeks to divide Australian from Australian over things that can't readily be changed: over class, over gender, over birthplace and particularly over faith," he said.

"Our greatest days are ahead of us."

But his pitch to western Sydney won't rest solely on unity.

Mr Abbott told the crowd he was committed to cutting red tape, lowering taxes and ensure the WestConnex road project goes ahead "as quickly as is humanly possible".

Auburn's Liberal Mayor Ned Attie said Mr Abbott's tribute to diversity and acceptance struck the right chord.

"It appealed to what the people are about," he told AAP.

He said asylum seeker policy remained close to locals' hearts.

"Auburn has traditionally been considered a refugee welcome zone," he said.

"A lot of people come to me and say, look, we came as refugees, we'd like to see others come the right way, not just show up on the doorstep."

Local Wally Elriche told AAP Mr Abbott had earned his respect just by showing up.

"The fact that he made his way down here, it shows a lot," he said.

And the talk of tolerance?

"Oh, that's a bunch of bulls***, just to get some votes," he laughed.

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UK construction sector optimism grows

A SURGE in house building spurred a new wave of optimism in the UK construction sector as it achieved its best performance for three years, the latest figures show.

The reading of 57 on the closely-watched Markit/CIPS purchasing managers' index was the best since June 2010 and a steep rise from 51 recorded in June. A reading of 50 separates growth from contraction.

The figures add to hopes of a sustained recovery in the sector after official figures showed it grew 0.9 per cent in the second quarter of the year, though it remains 16.5 per cent off pre-recession levels.

Construction has been buoyed by flagship initiatives including Funding for Lending, which encourages banks to offer mortgages, and Help to Buy, which offers loans and guarantees to help buyers with small deposits.

The survey results were the third month in succession the construction index was above the no-change level of 50.

Residential building activity was by far the strongest area as it recorded its sixth month of improvement in a row.

But there was also a return to expansion for civil engineering, while commercial construction output rose at its strongest pace since May 2012.

Firms attributed the overall improvement to a marked improvement in demand for housing alongside a general rise in spending amid signs of an improving UK economy.

Optimism about the year ahead reached its strongest level since May 2010, leading to a rise in employment levels for the second month running.

"July's survey highlights a new wave of optimism across the UK construction sector, with companies reporting a pace of expansion in excess of anything seen over the past three years," said Tim Moore, senior economist at survey compiler Markit.

David Noble, chief executive at the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply, said homes are the "beating heart" of the rapid recovery in the construction sector, which is also backed by a solid expansion in civil engineering and commercial activity.

He said confidence was the highest since the coalition's austerity policies began in 2010, suggesting growth could be sustained into the third quarter.

"Of critical importance to the construction sector going forward is that the economy and the housing market sustain their recent improvement over the coming months, and that this increasingly stimulates building work," said Howard Archer, chief UK and European economist at IHS Global Insight.

"It currently appears that housing market activity is really stepping up a gear, while the Government's Help to Buy initiatives in the budget to boost housing market activity was also welcome news for house builders."

But he said construction continued to be constrained by the impact of austerity measures on public sector projects, while it may take some time for private commercial activity to show a marked pick-up.

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Rudd, Abbott tussle over election debates

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd says he's prepared to debate Tony Abbott every week. Source: AAP

PRIME Minister Kevin Rudd is so keen to debate Opposition Leader Tony Abbott he wants to do it on Monday and every week after that.

"I'm in like Flynn, I'm up for it," Mr Rudd told reporters in Canberra on Sunday.

"I hope Mr Abbott is as well."

But Mr Rudd may have to wait a week for the first leaders' debate.

Liberal Party national secretary Brian Loughnane has written to his Labor counterpart, George Wright, asking for the first election debate next Sunday at the National Press Club in Canberra.

The prime minister challenged Mr Abbott to a debate on Monday evening, to be hosted by Sky News, after announcing the election date of September 7.

He said he was prepared to have a formal debate with Mr Abbott every week of the campaign.

Mr Abbott said he was open to debates.

But he was coy on whether he would accept the invitation for Monday, referring journalists instead to Mr Loughnane's letter.

The letter suggests a debate next Sunday in Canberra followed by two community forums - the first at Rooty Hill RSL, in Sydney's west, and then one in Brisbane.

"The Liberal Party believes this is the most important election in a generation," Mr Loughnane wrote.

"Therefore it is appropriate that a number of forums be held in different formats to allow Australians to ask their own questions directly of the leaders on the issues that matter most to them."

Former prime minister Julia Gillard and Mr Abbott also held community forums at the Rooty Hill RSL and Brisbane during the 2010 election campaign.

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Rudd 'no friend to NT', says Giles

Labor has been no friend to the Northern Territory, says Chief Minister Adam Giles. Source: AAP

THE federal Labor government has been no friend to the Northern Territory, says Chief Minister Adam Giles.

Mr Giles has welcomed an early September election date, criticising Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's "erratic leadership" which he says has failed to deliver vital road improvements or fair education funding for NT schools.

"While he's neglected the territory ... Labor has no plan to manage the nation's economy, and will surely hit families and businesses with more taxes after the election," Mr Giles said in a statement on Sunday.

There are about 3000 asylum seekers being held in detention in Darwin, which Mr Giles said showed Labor had lost control of Australia's borders.

Other key issues for the NT are schools funding and the coalition's Northern Australian development plan.

Mr Giles refused to sign up to the Gonski education reforms before the election, and this week he backed a coalition plan which he said would cost the Territory nothing and allow it to spend money independently.

He called for Territorians to vote out the ALP's "tired" incumbent Member for Lingiari, Warren Snowdon, who "has failed to bring prosperity to our remote communities".

Mr Snowdon holds his seat by a margin of 3.7 per cent, and will probably be a casualty of the NT's rising discontent with federal Labor.

His enormous seat of Lingiari covers 99.8 per cent of the Territory, along with Christmas and the Cocos (Keeling) islands, with a 40 per cent indigenous population.

He is being challenged by the CLP's Tina MacFarlane, a cattle station owner.

The urban Darwin and Palmerston seat of Solomon is the only other seat in the NT and is expected to remain with Natasha Griggs of the CLP.

The two NT senate seats are up for re-election this year, and are equally divided between the CLP and Labor.

Trish Crossin was dumped by former prime minister Julia Gillard earlier this year when she parachuted in former Olympian Nova Peris - who wasn't a member of the ALP when her pre-selection was announced.

Despite wide dissatisfaction over the ousting of Ms Crossin and what's seen as a paternalistic meddling in territory politics, Ms Peris will most likely keep the seat for Labor.

The second senate seat is held by Nigel Scullion of the CLP, who will also most likely keep it.

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Soldiers, judge among six killed in Iraq

ATTACKS in Iraq have killed six people, including three soldiers and a judge as authorities struggle to contain the worst violence to hit the country in five years.

Militants opposed to the Iraqi government frequently attack security forces and other government employees with both bombs and gunfire.

The soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb that exploded near their patrol in the northern province of Nineveh on Sunday.

The blast, which struck about 60km south of the provincial capital Mosul, also wounded four soldiers.

And another bombing targeted a police patrol farther south, wounding three policemen.

In Tikrit, north of Baghdad, a car bomb exploded near a judge's house, killing him and severely wounding his wife, while another blast in the Iraqi capital itself killed one person and wounded five.

And gunmen killed a man and wounded his son west of the northern city of Kirkuk.

The attacks came a day after violence killed 24 people, including nine soldiers.

Violence has increased markedly this year, especially since an April 23 security operation at a Sunni anti-government protest site that sparked clashes in which dozens died.

Protests erupted in Sunni-majority areas in late 2012, amid widespread discontent among Sunnis who accuse the Shi'ite-led government of marginalising and targeting their community.

Experts say Sunni anger is the main cause of the spike in violence this year.

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Sept 7 in doubt as Rudd has things to do

Speculation is growing that Prime Minister Kevin Rudd is looking to approve a September 7 election. Source: AAP

KEVIN Rudd says he has "made no determination whatsoever" on when the federal election will be held, throwing doubt on the likelihood of a September 7 election.

The prime minister also told reporters on Saturday he wanted to attend a G20 summit just days before what had been considered the favoured poll date, raising the prospect the election could be pushed out to at least September 21.

Speculation had been building that Mr Rudd was planning to visit the governor-general on Sunday or Monday to seek approval for a September 7 election.

But Mr Rudd said the government had yet to conclude negotiations with Victoria over schools funding, with Western Australia on disability care, and with NSW over new environmental assessment procedures.

"We have a few things to attend to yet," he said after signing a new asylum-seeker resettlement agreement with Nauru on Saturday.

"So therefore on your question (about September 7), I've made no determination whatsoever in terms of the date of an election."

Whether Mr Rudd would attend the upcoming G20 leaders summit had also been a source of constant speculation, as the St Petersburg meeting is being held on September 5 and 6.

Mr Rudd confirmed it was "my intention to be in St Petersburg".

"But I'm very mindful also of the challenges that lie ahead of us as well," he told reporters in Brisbane.

"I place enormous priority to the G20 and its agenda.

"At the same time I will always balance that against other considerations before us as well."

If Mr Rudd does still decide on a September 7 election, it will need to be called by Monday to cover the minimum 33-day campaign period.

With September 14 all but ruled out because it had been chosen by his predecessor Julia Gillard, a September 21 election would be the next possible date.

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott declared his team ready for the campaign.

"We've been ready for a long time," Mr Abbott told reporters in Melbourne, when asked about a September 7 election.

"I think the Australian people are eager to seize the chance to control the government once more.

"This election is a choice between strength and stability under the coalition, or more chaos, division and dysfunction under the Labor party."

Speculation over the election date came a day after the government's economic update, which predicted weaker economic growth, growing unemployment and more government debt, as well as a $33.3 billion writedown in revenues.

Shadow treasurer Joe Hockey said he expected the prime minister to "run to the polls in the next two days".

"Because the boats keep coming, the debt is blowing out by $3 billion a week and unemployment continues to rise, heading towards 800,000," he told reporters in Sydney.

"If I were Kevin Rudd I would be going to the polls as soon as possible."

But foreshadowing how central the economy will again be during the campaign, Finance Minister Penny Wong released government analysis which, she said, uncovered a $70 billion hole in the coalition's fiscal credentials.

"The government has laid out our plans and our budget," Senator Wong told reporters in Melbourne.

"It's time Tony Abbott did, because what this document shows against what Tony Abbott has said is that he would have to make $70 billion worth of cuts."

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Nauru signs up to Rudd's stop boats plan

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has announced a new refugee plan with the Pacific Island nation of Nauru. Source: AAP

PRIME Minister Kevin Rudd has announced a new agreement with the Pacific Island nation of Nauru, which like Australia's deal with Papua New Guinea, will deny asylum seekers the chance to resettle in Australia.

But the Opposition says it's just a ploy to win votes.

Mr Rudd and the president of the Republic of Nauru, Baron Waqa, signed the memorandum of understanding at a press conference in Brisbane on Saturday.

The deal supercedes the one struck between the nations last year and allows for asylum seekers to not only be processed in the Pacific Island nation, but also to be settled there.

"No matter where people smugglers try to land asylum seekers by boat in Australia, they will not be settled in Australia," Mr Rudd told reporters.

"This is our core principal."

The Nauru agreement is similar to the deal struck with Papua New Guinea's prime minister, Peter O'Neill, two weeks ago and is the latest salvo in Mr Rudd's tough new approach to asylum seekers.

Immigration Minister Tony Burke attended Saturday's announcement and agreed the number of asylum seekers sent to Nauru would be small.

They would comprise families or unaccompanied minors and a new site to house them had been chosen, he said.

The most urgent priority though was expanding the capacity of the island nation's prison, he said.

Australia will provide $29.9 million in aid to Nauru in 2013-2014 under the plan.

A further $17 million will be spent on rebuilding the prison, which was damaged in a recent riot on the island.

Funds from a contingency reserve will also be allocated according to the number of refugees Nauru accepts.

Mr Burke flagged the possibility of reaching similar deals concerning refugees with other nations in the region.

"I'm prepared to say there are other countries who have raised this with us as well," he said.

"There are a number of countries within the region who have signed the convention and who have a genuine commitment to wanting to take a regional approach, and if we're able to reach agreements with them then we will."

Opposition immigration spokesman Scott Morrison said the plan was "elaborate staging" by Labor with no real substance.

"Nauru will play no real role in offshore processing arrangements for the foreseeable future under Labor," he said in a statement on Saturday.

"This announcement is just a patch-up for the devastation of the riots that cost taxpayers up to $60 million and was allowed to occur on Labor's watch."

The Australian Greens said the government had hit a new low on refugee policy.

"This is just more cruelty at the cost of Australia's generous heart and it is trashing our global reputation," Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said in a statement on Saturday.

"It seems there is no limit to the cruelty that either Kevin Rudd or Tony Abbott are prepared to inflict on refugees in their race to bottom as they race to the polls."

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