DUBLIN (AP) ? The Irish government removed three doctors Tuesday from its investigation into the death of an ailing woman who was denied an abortion in an Irish hospital, a case that has exposed Ireland to worldwide criticism.
Prime Minister Enda Kenny told lawmakers he hoped the move ? barely 24 hours after Ireland unveiled the seven-member panel ? would allow the woman's widower to support the probe into why Savita Halappanavar, a 31-year-old Indian dentist, died Oct. 28 while hospitalized in Galway.
Kenny's U-turn came hours after her husband, Praveen Halappanavar, said he would refuse to talk to the investigators and would not consent to their viewing his wife's medical records because three of the Galway hospital's senior doctors had been appointed as investigators.
Kenny said that the three doctors would be replaced by other officials "who have no connection at all with University Hospital Galway. In that sense the investigation will be completely and utterly independent."
" A man's wife has died. Nothing will bring her back," Kenny said. "But it is important for our country, for our people, for the family, for everybody concerned to ascertain the truth of what happened here. And this investigation can hopefully do that with the cooperation of Mr. Halappanavar."
Halappanavar did not immediately respond to the prime minister's reversal. He previously also faulted the Irish probe on several points, because it would not be a public inquiry involving witnesses testifying under oath.
His wife was 17 weeks pregnant with what would have been their first child when she was admitted to Galway's hospital Oct. 21 suffering from severe pain. Doctors quickly established she was miscarrying, with her cervix already dilated and amniotic fluid leaking.
But for three days, the husband said, doctors refused their requests for a termination because the 17-week-old fetus still had a heartbeat.
Praveen Halappanavar said one of the doctors insisted they couldn't remove a living fetus because Ireland "is a Catholic country." He said five hospital officials and a family friend witnessed this Oct. 24 comment at his wife's bedside.
After the fetus died Oct. 25, its remains were surgically removed, but Savita Halappanavar's health rapidly faded as internal infections spread and her internal organs gradually failed. A coroner determined she died from blood poisoning and e.coli bacteria potentially contracted at the hospital.
The chairman of the probe, Sir Sabaratnam Arulkumaran, said he hoped to have a face-to-face meeting with Halappanavar to persuade him to change his mind about talking to investigators because his testimony on his wife's care would be central to identifying problems.
Arulkumaran, a native Sri Lankan who practices and teaches at St. George's Hospital in London, is one of the world's leading authorities on fetal monitoring and maternal health.
The case has highlighted Ireland's failure to legislate in line with a two-decade-old Supreme Court judgment that women should receive abortions in cases where the pregnancy places their lives at risk. The court found this should be the only exception to Ireland's constitutional ban on abortion.
In an interview with The Irish Times, Halappanavar said he doubted Ireland would have done anything public had he not spoken out.
He noted that he received zero communication from the hospital and Health Services Executive during the two weeks following his wife's death, when he returned her body to India for a Hindu funeral and cremation.
"It is a pity because I thought Ireland would care more for someone so young who died. That let me down. ... Maybe Savita was born to change the laws here," he told The Irish Times.
The European Court of Human Rights two years ago ruled that Ireland was placing pregnant women in jeopardy by not providing a clear law defining when life-saving abortions can be performed. Ireland has yet to reply substantively to that judgment.
The government insists it should not present any abortion legislation until after the Halappanavar investigation is completed in February. It vowed to block an opposition bill unveiled Tuesday seeking the parliament's immediate approval of the 1992 Supreme Court judgment.
Sound bullets in water Public release date: 19-Nov-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Charles E. Blue dfdmedia@aps.org 301-209-3091 American Institute of Physics
Sound waves are commonly used in applications ranging from ultrasound imaging to hyperthermia therapy, in which high temperatures are induced, for example, in tumors to destroy them. In 2010, researchers at Caltech led by Chiara Daraio, a professor of aeronautics and applied physics, developed a nonlinear acoustic lens that can focus high-amplitude pressure pulses into compact "sound bullets." In that initial work, the scientists demonstrated how sound bullets form in solids. Now, they have done themselves one better, creating a device that can form and control those bullets in water.
The nonlinear acoustic lens is constructed from chains strung with stainless-steel spheres that are oriented parallel to one another -- and squeezed together -- to form an array. The gadget was inspired by Newton's cradle, a popular toy that consists of a line of identical balls suspended by wires from a frame. When an end ball is pulled back and released, it slams into the next ball, causing the last ball in the line to fly outward. Similarly, in the acoustic lens, striking one end of the array generates compact nonlinear pulses of sound -- solitary waves that propagate through the lens and can be tightly focused on a target area; when they coalesce at this focal point, they produce a significantly amplified version: the sound bullet. These intense pressure waves may be used to obliterate tumors or kidney stones -- leaving surrounding tissues unharmed -- or probe objects like ship hulls or bridges for unseen defects.
In the new work, the lens has been made more accurate, and a waterproof interface, which efficiently transmitted the pulses, was inserted between the chains and water. "We use water as a target medium with the idea that the acoustic lens could be used for underwater imaging and/or biomedical applications," says postdoc Carly Donahue, who helped refine the device.
"Currently, our work is fundamental in nature. We are focused on demonstrating proof of principle and establishing the technical strengths and weaknesses, which will inform the future design of engineering devices for specific applications," she adds. "For example, using these systems in biomedical applications requires reducing their dimensions and learning about the related scaling effects. Creating commercially viable devices will require the involvement of industrial partners."
Donahue discusses the technology and its potential applications in a talk at the APS Division of Fluid Dynamics Meeting, which will take place November 18-20, 2012 at the San Diego Convention Center, located near the historic Gaslamp District on the waterfront, in San Diego, California. The talk, "An Experimental Study of a Nonlinear Acoustic Lens Interfaced with Water," is at 4:45 pm on Sunday, November 18, 2012, in Room 30E.
###
MORE MEETING INFORMATION
The 65th Annual Meeting of the American Physical Society (APS) Division of Fluid Dynamics will take place from November 18-20, 2012, in San Diego, Calif. It will bring together researchers from across the globe to address some of the most important questions in modern astronomy, engineering, alternative energy, biology, and medicine. All meeting information, including directions to the Convention Center, is at: http://apsdfd2012.ucsd.edu/
USEFUL LINKS
Main Meeting Web Site: http://apsdfd2012.ucsd.edu/
Directions and Maps: http://apsdfd2012.ucsd.edu/?page=Venue_and_Maps
PRESS REGISTRATION
Credentialed full-time journalists and professional freelance journalists working on assignment for major publications or media outlets are invited to attend the conference free of charge. If you are a reporter and would like to attend, please contact Charles Blue (cblue@aip.org, 301-209-3091).
SUPPORT DESK FOR REPORTERS
A media-support desk will be available. Press announcements and other news will be available in the Virtual Press Room (see below).
VIRTUAL PRESS ROOM
The APS Division of Fluid Dynamics Virtual Press Room will be launched in mid-November and will feature news releases, graphics, videos, and other information to aid in covering the meeting on site and remotely. See: http://www.aps.org/units/dfd/pressroom/index.cfm
GALLERY OF FLUID MOTION
Every year, the APS Division of Fluid Dynamics hosts posters and videos that show evocative images and graphics from either computational or experimental studies of flow phenomena. The outstanding entries are selected for their artistic content, originality, and ability to convey information. They will be honored during the meeting, placed on display at the 2013 APS March Meeting, and appear in the annual Gallery of Fluid Motion article in the American Institute of Physics' journal, Physics of Fluids.
Selected entries from the Gallery of Fluid Motion will be hosted as part of the Fluid Dynamics Virtual Press Room. In mid-November, when the Virtual Press Room is launched, another announcement will be sent out.
This release was prepared by the American Institute of Physics (AIP) on behalf of the American Physical Society's (APS) Division of Fluid Dynamics (DFD).
ABOUT THE APS DIVISION OF FLUID DYNAMICS
The Division of Fluid Dynamics of the American Physical Society (APS) exists for the advancement and diffusion of knowledge of the physics of fluids with special emphasis on the dynamical theories of the liquid, plastic and gaseous states of matter under all conditions of temperature and pressure. See: http://www.aps.org/units/dfd/
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Sound bullets in water Public release date: 19-Nov-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Charles E. Blue dfdmedia@aps.org 301-209-3091 American Institute of Physics
Sound waves are commonly used in applications ranging from ultrasound imaging to hyperthermia therapy, in which high temperatures are induced, for example, in tumors to destroy them. In 2010, researchers at Caltech led by Chiara Daraio, a professor of aeronautics and applied physics, developed a nonlinear acoustic lens that can focus high-amplitude pressure pulses into compact "sound bullets." In that initial work, the scientists demonstrated how sound bullets form in solids. Now, they have done themselves one better, creating a device that can form and control those bullets in water.
The nonlinear acoustic lens is constructed from chains strung with stainless-steel spheres that are oriented parallel to one another -- and squeezed together -- to form an array. The gadget was inspired by Newton's cradle, a popular toy that consists of a line of identical balls suspended by wires from a frame. When an end ball is pulled back and released, it slams into the next ball, causing the last ball in the line to fly outward. Similarly, in the acoustic lens, striking one end of the array generates compact nonlinear pulses of sound -- solitary waves that propagate through the lens and can be tightly focused on a target area; when they coalesce at this focal point, they produce a significantly amplified version: the sound bullet. These intense pressure waves may be used to obliterate tumors or kidney stones -- leaving surrounding tissues unharmed -- or probe objects like ship hulls or bridges for unseen defects.
In the new work, the lens has been made more accurate, and a waterproof interface, which efficiently transmitted the pulses, was inserted between the chains and water. "We use water as a target medium with the idea that the acoustic lens could be used for underwater imaging and/or biomedical applications," says postdoc Carly Donahue, who helped refine the device.
"Currently, our work is fundamental in nature. We are focused on demonstrating proof of principle and establishing the technical strengths and weaknesses, which will inform the future design of engineering devices for specific applications," she adds. "For example, using these systems in biomedical applications requires reducing their dimensions and learning about the related scaling effects. Creating commercially viable devices will require the involvement of industrial partners."
Donahue discusses the technology and its potential applications in a talk at the APS Division of Fluid Dynamics Meeting, which will take place November 18-20, 2012 at the San Diego Convention Center, located near the historic Gaslamp District on the waterfront, in San Diego, California. The talk, "An Experimental Study of a Nonlinear Acoustic Lens Interfaced with Water," is at 4:45 pm on Sunday, November 18, 2012, in Room 30E.
###
MORE MEETING INFORMATION
The 65th Annual Meeting of the American Physical Society (APS) Division of Fluid Dynamics will take place from November 18-20, 2012, in San Diego, Calif. It will bring together researchers from across the globe to address some of the most important questions in modern astronomy, engineering, alternative energy, biology, and medicine. All meeting information, including directions to the Convention Center, is at: http://apsdfd2012.ucsd.edu/
USEFUL LINKS
Main Meeting Web Site: http://apsdfd2012.ucsd.edu/
Directions and Maps: http://apsdfd2012.ucsd.edu/?page=Venue_and_Maps
PRESS REGISTRATION
Credentialed full-time journalists and professional freelance journalists working on assignment for major publications or media outlets are invited to attend the conference free of charge. If you are a reporter and would like to attend, please contact Charles Blue (cblue@aip.org, 301-209-3091).
SUPPORT DESK FOR REPORTERS
A media-support desk will be available. Press announcements and other news will be available in the Virtual Press Room (see below).
VIRTUAL PRESS ROOM
The APS Division of Fluid Dynamics Virtual Press Room will be launched in mid-November and will feature news releases, graphics, videos, and other information to aid in covering the meeting on site and remotely. See: http://www.aps.org/units/dfd/pressroom/index.cfm
GALLERY OF FLUID MOTION
Every year, the APS Division of Fluid Dynamics hosts posters and videos that show evocative images and graphics from either computational or experimental studies of flow phenomena. The outstanding entries are selected for their artistic content, originality, and ability to convey information. They will be honored during the meeting, placed on display at the 2013 APS March Meeting, and appear in the annual Gallery of Fluid Motion article in the American Institute of Physics' journal, Physics of Fluids.
Selected entries from the Gallery of Fluid Motion will be hosted as part of the Fluid Dynamics Virtual Press Room. In mid-November, when the Virtual Press Room is launched, another announcement will be sent out.
This release was prepared by the American Institute of Physics (AIP) on behalf of the American Physical Society's (APS) Division of Fluid Dynamics (DFD).
ABOUT THE APS DIVISION OF FLUID DYNAMICS
The Division of Fluid Dynamics of the American Physical Society (APS) exists for the advancement and diffusion of knowledge of the physics of fluids with special emphasis on the dynamical theories of the liquid, plastic and gaseous states of matter under all conditions of temperature and pressure. See: http://www.aps.org/units/dfd/
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Unemployment hurts more than your wallet ? it may damage your heart. That's according to a study linking joblessness with heart attacks in older workers.
The increased odds weren't huge, although multiple job losses posed as big a threat as smoking, high blood pressure and other conditions that are bad for the heart.
The researchers analyzed data on more than 13,000 men and women aged 51 to 75 taking part in an ongoing health and retirement survey partly sponsored by the National Institute on Aging. Since 1992, participants have been interviewed every two years about their employment and health.
The new analysis has several limitations. The data show periods of unemployment but don't indicate whether people were fired, laid off, out of work while switching jobs, or had voluntarily left a job. The researchers considered all of these situations "job losses," but it's likely the greatest risks for heart attacks were from being fired or laid off, said researcher Matthew Dupre, an assistant professor at Duke University and the lead author. Retirement was not considered unemployment
Sarah Burgard, a University of Michigan researcher who has studied the relationship between job loss and health, called the research solid but said it would be important to know the reason for the unemployment.
"There probably are differences in consequences of job loss when it's voluntary or more or less expected" and when it comes as a sudden shock, said Burgard, who was not involved in the study.
The analysis appears in Monday's Archives of Internal Medicine. An editorial in the journal says the study adds to decades of research linking job loss with health effects and that research should now turn to examining how and why that happens.
Theories include that the stress of losing a job may trigger a heart attack in people with clogged arteries or heart disease; and that the unemployed lose health insurance and access to medical care that can help keep them healthy, Burgard said.
The analysis covers 1992-2010. Participants were mostly in their 50s at the study's beginning and were asked about their job history, and about employment status and recent heart attacks at subsequent interviews. People who'd had heart attacks before the study began were excluded.
Nearly 70 percent had at least one job loss, or period of unemployment after working at a job, and at least 10 percent had four or more before and/or during the study period.
There were 1,061 heart attacks during the study. Those with at least one job loss were 22 percent more likely to have a heart attack than those who never lost a job. Those with at least four job losses had a 60 percent higher risk than those with none. Men and women faced equal risks.
Even though the odds linked with job loss weren't huge, many participants already faced increased other risks for a heart attack because of obesity, high blood pressure or lack of exercise.
"Any significant additional risk is important," Dupre said.
???
AP Medical Writer Lindsey Tanner can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/LindseyTanner
ALMATY, Kazakhstan (AP) ? Three astronauts touched down in the dark, chilly expanses of central Kazakhstan onboard a Soyuz capsule Monday after a 125-day stay at the International Space Station.
NASA's Sunita Williams, Russian astronaut Yury Malenchenko and Aki Hoshide of Japan's JAXA space agency landed at 07:56 a.m. local time (0156 GMT) northeast of the town of Arkalyk.
Eight helicopters rushed search-and-recovery crew to assist the crew, whose capsule did not parachute onto the exact planned touchdown site due to a minimal delay in procedures.
With the departure of the outgoing crew, NASA astronaut Kevin Ford has taken command of the space station, where he remains with Russian colleagues Oleg Novitsky and Yevgeny Tarelkin. They will be joined next month by NASA's Tom Marshburn, Chris Hadfield of the Canadian Space Agency, and Russia's Roman Romanenko.
The Soyuz is the only means for international astronauts to reach the orbiting laboratory since the decommissioning of the U.S. shuttle fleet in 2011.
Williams, Malenchenko and Hoshide undocked from the space station Sunday at 1023 GMT to begin their return to earth.
Around 28 minutes before touchdown, the three modules of the Soyuz craft separated, leaving the 2.1-meter tall capsule to begin its entry into orbit.
A series of parachutes deployed to bring the capsule to gentle floating speed.
Winds pulled the descent module on its side in the snowy terrain, which is a common occurrence, but the crew was nonetheless swiftly hoisted out by the recovery crew and lifted onto reclining chairs and swaddled in blankets to shield them from the 12 Fahrenheit degree (-11 Celsius degree) temperature.
The chairs are designed to afford the astronauts comfortable acclimatization after months of living in gravity-free conditions.
"For me, everything was very good," a smiling Williams told recovery staff, speaking in Russian.
Malenchenko has now spent 642 days in space, making him the sixth most experienced space traveler in history.
Williams has a spent a total of 322 days in space over two missions. She and Hoshide conducted a crucial spacewalk earlier this month to work on a leaky radiator system outside the space station.
That took Williams' total cumulative spacewalk time to 50 hours and 40 minutes ? a record for a female astronaut.
NASA says the returning expedition conducted a range of scientific experiments while at the space station, included testing radiation levels on the orbiting outpost, assessing the effects of microgravity on the spinal cord, and investigating melting glaciers, seasonal changes and human impacts on the ecosystem.
The crew was to be taken to the town of Kostanai, from where Williams and Hoshide would board a Gulfstream jet for a trip to Houston, Texas, while Malenchenko was to return to a Russian space facility outside Moscow.
NASA footage showed celebrating recovery workers at the landing site erecting a sign marking the successful touchdown.
19/11/2012 - 07:25:49 The Los Angeles Galaxy will face the Houston Dynamo in the MLS Cup final for a second consecutive year after the two teams successfully navigated the second legs of their respective conference finals.
The defending champion Galaxy lost 2-1 on the night to the Seattle Sounders, but their 3-0 advantage from the first leg saw them through.
Seattle made a fight of it on home turf though, with Eddie Johnson putting them ahead after 12 minutes and Zach Scott making it 2-0, 2-3 on aggregate, just before the hour mark.
But things began to go sour for Seattle when Adam Johansson handled in the area and a penalty was awarded.
Robbie Keane fired it home and the match ended with Seattle?s Osvaldo Alonso receiving a second yellow card after the final whistle, one of several Sounders players to surround the officials to voice their frustrations.
Houston?s second leg away to DC United was more straightforward as it ended in a 1-1 draw, Houston?s 3-1 advantage from the first leg seeing them through.
Houston were never really made to worry, scoring through Oscar Garcia in the 34th minute, with United unable to reply until Branko Boskovic?s strike seven minutes from time.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) - The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are starting to look and talk like a legitimate playoff contender.
The Bucs had to work a little extra to keep their playoff surge alive Sunday. Josh Freeman threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Dallas Clark in overtime to cap the Buccaneers' 27-21 comeback win over the Carolina Panthers.
It was Freeman's third touchdown pass of the game for the Bucs (6-4), who have won five of their last six to pull into playoff contention.
But rather than celebrating their dramatic win, Clark talked afterward about learning from it.
"We learned a lesson today that we can't just show up and win a game," Clark said. "I hope guys will get it. We're lucky it's not a loss. I hope we go back and look at the film and say, `Hey we didn't play well.' Sure, we played well enough to make some plays to win at the end, but to get where we want to go, that's not good enough football."
Meanwhile, the Panthers (2-8) would love to have a win any way they can get it.
Carolina has lost seven of its last eight. The Panthers held a fourth-quarter lead in five of their last six defeats before fading in the final seconds.
"It's been the story of our season," said Cam Newton, who threw for 252 yards and a touchdown to fall to 8-18 as an NFL starter.
When asked where this loss ranked among this season's meltdowns, Newton snapped, "I'm not answering no more questions about where this one ranks."
Carolina appeared to have the game in hand when Newton connected on a 29-yard touchdown strike to Brandon LaFell to go up 21-10 with six minutes left in regulation.
But after a 40-yard field goal by Connor Barth, the Panthers' offense couldn't put the game away and had to punt.
Freeman quickly led the Bucs 80 yards on seven plays in 50 seconds, despite not having any timeouts. Along the way, the Bucs benefited from a personal foul penalty on linebacker Thomas Davis for hitting a defenseless receiver.
Freeman finished the drive with a perfectly thrown 24-yard touchdown pass to Vincent Jackson between three defenders with 12 seconds left. He went back to Jackson for a 2-point conversion on a slant route to send it into overtime.
In overtime, the Bucs won the coin toss and moved quickly down the field with Freeman finding an open Clark on a wheel route along the left sideline for the winner.
"You've got to love it when the linebacker swears as you're heading up field," Clark said with a laugh.
Freeman said it was a play the Bucs worked on all week and he's glad that was the call.
"When we got to overtime we stepped into the huddle and everybody was ready to go and we started talking like, `Hey let's just execute one play at a time and do our jobs and try to get out of this thing with a touchdown,"' Freeman said.
The Bucs came in as one of the hottest teams in the league, having scored an average of 35.6 points per game during the past five games. Freeman had thrown 13 touchdown passes and only one interception in those games.
But after Tampa Bay jumped to a 10-0 lead the Panthers' defense shut them down for most of the remainder of the three quarters, forcing three turnovers. A 74-yard interception return for a touchdown by Captain Munnerlyn and a key fumble by rookie Doug Martin on a fourth-and-goal at the 1-yard line loomed large.
Trailing 14-10, the Bucs appeared ready to take the lead after driving 15 plays to the Carolina 1.
But on fourth down, coach Greg Schiano went for the touchdown instead of the field goal and linebacker Davis plowed into Martin, forcing the ball out near the goal line. Fellow linebacker Luke Kuechly, the team's first-round draft pick, recovered in the end zone for a touchback.
Officials reviewed the play to see if Martin got in, but the call stood.
The Panthers seized the momentum when Newton led the team 80 yards for a score to build a 21-10 lead.
But once again, the Panthers couldn't finish.
Second-year coach Ron Rivera, whose seat only grew hotter after the loss, said the game was all about missed opportunities. Rivera said the loss "is right up there at the top" in terms of toughest ones to swallow.
"This is about as bad as it gets," he said. "The bad part is when you have opportunities to close someone out with a four-minute offense, but you can't take negative plays. That's a tough one."
NOTES: Freeman has now thrown 16 touchdown passes in the last six games. ... Wide receiver Steve Smith injured his hand and defensive end Charles Johnson his head during the game, but both returned. ... Martin had 138 yards rushing for the Bucs. ... Carolina had 97 yards rushing after being held to 10 in the last meeting with the Bucs in the season opener.
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Online: http://pro32.ap.org/poll and http://twitter.com/AP-NFL
? 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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Schaub rallies Texans with 5 TDs
Matt Schaub and Andre Johnson hooked up on a 48-yard touchdown strike with 2:01 left in overtime, and the Texans pulled out a 43-37 win over the Jaguars on Sunday.
Ravens rough up shorthanded Steelers
??Jacoby Jones had a 63-yard punt return for a touchdown and Justin Tucker made two of his three field-goal attempts to give the Baltimore Ravens a 13-10 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers in their AFC North showdown Sunday night.
Typical Chinese bully-their society is largely built on bullying/intimidation and worse we see it here all the time
Prove China spy allegations or 'shut up,' ambassador says Zhang Junsai's comments follow scathing U.S. intelligence committee report
In an interview with CBC News, Chinese Ambassador to Canada Zhang Junsai had firm words for anyone accusing his country's firms of foreign espionage.
Beijing's representative in Ottawa says Chinese firms are not involved in foreign espionage and he challenges anyone who says otherwise to produce evidence or keep quiet, in a rare interview airing Saturday on CBC Radio's The House.
Zhang Junsai, China's ambassador to Canada, tells host Evan Solomon, "I can assure you that our companies working in other countries are strictly doing business according to the local laws."
"If you really have the evidence, come [out] with it. If not... shut up," Zhang says in no uncertain terms.
The Chinese ambassador's comments come on the heels of a scathing report released by a U.S. intelligence committee last month, warning of the security risks associated with doing business with two of China's leading telecommunications firms, Huawei and ZTE.
The ambassador said "even the United States could not give out evidence."
However, as CBC's Greg Weston reported days after the report was made public, that same U.S. intelligence committee has turned over to the FBI evidence of possible bribery and corruption by Huawei, one of the largest telecom companies in the world.
In an interview with CBC News after the U.S. report was released, the chairman of the committee, House Representative Mike Rogers, warned that Canada's national security was equally at risk.
Zhang said the "so-called security concerns" are "so far, groundless."
China's ambassador blamed the allegations of espionage against Chinese firms on "a Cold War mentality."
CNOOC's bid for Nexen
But a controversial bid by a Chinese state-owned company has raised concerns about growing Chinese investment in Canada's natural resources.
And while the federal government is reviewing a $15-billion proposed takeover by China National Offshore Oil Corp. of Calgary's Nexen Inc. under the Investment Canada Act, the Chinese ambassador told Solomon there's nothing to fear.
"We're here not to grab your resources. We're here to participate," Zhang said, pointing to the fact that no oil or gas has been shipped from Canada to China yet.
The Chinese ambassador said Canada was "one of the best destination" for Chinese companies to invest partly because of our "transparent policies."
Official Opposition Leader Tom Mulcair has come out swinging against the deal, saying his New Democrats do not believe it's in Canada's best interest.
Members of the Conservative caucus are also said to be grappling with the bid, as are a majority of Canadians, who recent surveys suggest are uncomfortable with a major domestic oil company being sold to a Chinese government enterprise.
The federal government, however, is apparently facing pressure from industry to approve the bid in exchange for further reciprocity from China.
The review period has been extended to Dec. 10.
Investment treaty with China
The Conservatives have also come under heavy scrutiny from opposition parties and critics who have sounded the alarm over an investment treaty Prime Minister Stephen Harper recently signed with China, saying Canada will come out on the losing end of the deal.
Zhang brushed off the concerns, saying that China has signed similar investment treaties with more than a hundred countries and describing it as an "international standard agreement."
The treaty, formally known as a Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement, could have been ratified via a cabinet decree as early as 21 sitting days after it was tabled in Parliament on Sept. 26. But so far there's no indication on the federal government's website of orders-in-council that it has come into law.
Zhang said building "mutual trust" between the two countries is a priority, adding that the economic and trading relations between the two countries are "very important."
This week, Chinese Vice-President Xi Jinping succeeded outgoing President Hu Jintao as the country's new leader, assuming the top posts in the Communist Party.
Zhang said political reform is "high" on the government and party's agenda.
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Public release date: 19-Nov-2012
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