The ox never gives up
Sun, Jan 25, 2009
The Straits Times
In Chinese astrology, the ox is a working animal. To put it not so decorously, it's a beast of burden. People born in ox years are said to be strong and hardy and put muscle into whatever it is they do. Oxen are also stubborn. Or, if you will, tenacious creatures which never give up on their tasks and objectives. True to form, everybody would expect this particular Year of the Ox, opening tomorrow, as a year of hard work and fortitude and a test of wills.
In this Ox year more than previous ones in 12-year cycles, fortitude is one quality that will be asked of everybody in a trying year. The growth estimate has been revised again to a range of between minus 2 and minus 5 per cent. By the third quarter of last year, there were 67,200 people unemployed. Layoffs will grow. Despite government efforts made via the Budget to save jobs and keep businesses afloat, there will be individual tales of woe aplenty in the coming Ox cycle. For those of you who may suffer reversals, take heart that there are many others like you. Do not be defeated by the change in circumstances. It is not how badly things turn out for you so much as how you respond to them that is important. For bad times are a test of wills, and how you hold up will be a measure of your fortitude and resilience. Seek new opportunities and lower your expectations. Upgrade yourself. Be tenacious in spirit and never give up. Be like an ox, as it were.
As Chinese Singaporean families sit down to their reunion dinner tonight, on the eve of the Chinese New Year, they should not dwell on the doom and gloom but reflect on their non-material blessings. There is more to the fulfilling life than just money and acquisitions. What will endure are family kinship and relationships with friends. Cherish them. They are even more important in uncertain times. They will help keep you afloat when the tide turns against you. Gongxi.
Yale study: Aspirin may prevent liver damage
WASHINGTON, Jan. 26 (Xinhua) -- Simple aspirin may prevent liver damage to millions of people suffering from the side effects of common drugs, alcohol abuse, and obesity-related liver disease, a new Yale University study suggests.
The study published on Monday in the Journal of Clinical Investigation found aspirin reduced mortality caused by an overdose of acetaminophen, best known by the brand name Tylenol.
It further showed that a class of molecules known as TLR antagonists, which block receptors known to activate inflammation, have a similar effect as aspirin, the paper said.
Since these agents seem to work by reducing injury-induced inflammation, the results suggest aspirin may help prevent and treat liver damage from a host of non-infectious causes, Wajahat Mehal from the university, who led the study, said.
"Many agents such as drugs and alcohol cause liver damage, and we have found two ways to block a central pathway responsible for such liver injury," Mehal said. "Our strategy is to use aspirin on a daily basis to prevent liver injury."
Promising drugs that have failed clinical trials because of liver toxicity might be resurrected if combined with aspirin, he said.
"This offers the exciting possibility of reducing a lot of pain and suffering in patients with liver diseases, using a new and very practical approach," Mehal said.
Brazilian amputee model dead at 20
Written by franksheung on Jan-24-09 2:23pm
From: imacroautobots.com
Brazilian model Mariana Bridi da Costa, whose hands and feet were amputated in a bid to save her from a deadly and little-known illness, died early Saturday, two friends of the model told CNN.
"Unfortunately Mari couldn’t resist any longer. She passed away at 3 a.m. today," Henrique Fontes, executive director of Miss World Brazil, said in an e-mail to CNN.
Renato Lindgren, a friend of the model who runs a blog dedicated to her, confirmed da Costa’s death.
Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a common bacterium which can cause diseases in animals, including humans. It is found in soil, water, most man-made environments throughout the world. It thrives not only in normal atmospheres, but also with little oxygen, and has thus colonised many natural and artificial environments. It uses a wide range of organic material for food; in animals, the versatility enables the organism to infect damaged tissues or people with reduced immunity. The symptoms of such infections are generalised inflammation and sepsis. If such colonisations occur in critical body organs such as the lungs, the urinary tract, and kidneys, the results can be fatal.[1] Because it thrives on moist surfaces, it is also found on and in medical equipment including catheters, causing cross infections in hospitals and clinics. It is also implicated in hot-tub rash, a form of dermatitis associated with poor hygiene and low maintenance of hot tubs.
Source: zimbio & wikipedia
Text of Barack Obama's Inaugural Address
20 January 2009
Barack Obama takes oath of office as President of the United States
My fellow citizens:
I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.
Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forbearers, and true to our founding documents.
So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.
That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.
These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land - a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.
Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America - they will be met.
On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.
On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.
We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.
In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of short-cuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted - for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things - some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.
For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life.
For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.
For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn.
Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.
This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions - that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.
For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act - not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. And all this we will do.
Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions - who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.
What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them - that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works - whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. And those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account - to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day - because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.
Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control - and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our Gross Domestic Product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on our ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart - not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.
As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more.
Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.
We are the keepers of this legacy. Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort - even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet. We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.
For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus - and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.
To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West - know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.
To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.
As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us today, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages. We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this moment - a moment that will define a generation - it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.
For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.
Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends - hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism - these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility - a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.
This is the price and the promise of citizenship.
This is the source of our confidence - the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.
This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed - why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.
So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled. In the year of America's birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:
"Let it be told to the future world...that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive...that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet [it]."
America. In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.
Michelle Obama Wears Jason Wu Inaugural Gown
Written by Alicia on Jan-21-09 9:20am 
U.S President Barack Obama and his wife First Lady Michelle Obama dance on stage during MTV & ServiceNation: Live From The Youth Inaugural Ball at the Hilton Washington on January 20, 2009 in Washington, DC. President Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th President of the United States today, becoming the first African-American to be elected President of the US. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
The news is out: First Lady Michelle Obama chose a white asymmetrical gown by 26-year-old designer Jason Wu for tonight's festivities.
The decision was brilliant. Ms. Obama looks breathtaking in the creation, and she's also bound to get major fashion props for choosing a youthful up-and-comer like Wu, who debuted less than three years ago.
From Wu's about section on his site:
[Wu] combines modern lifestyle dressing with the spirit and detailing of haute couture in a way that is both innovative and romantically reflective.
It's hard not to see Michelle Obama's choice of gown as somehow emblematic of the youthful administration and its championing of diversity and innovation. The comparisons to Jacqueline Kennedy are inevitable, as, like Kennedy, Mrs. Obama's sartorial decisions are consistently reflective of her appreciation for modernity yet intrinsically classic at the same time. The economy may be in the tank, but we certainly have four years of sophistication to look forward to.
Source: zimbio.com
Gazans fear Israel using phosphorus 
Human Rights Watch said it was clear Israel had fired shells containing white phopshorus[GALLO/GETTY]
Doctors in Gaza City have told Al Jazeera that people have been admitted suffering burns consistent with the use of the controversial chemical white phosphorus.
Human rights campaigners say that Israeli forces have used the munition, which can burn away human flesh to the bone, over Gaza City and Jabaliya in recent days.
Al Jazeera's Ayman Mohyeldin, reporting from the Shifa hospital in Gaza City, said: "Doctors here say they are seeing unprecedented levels of deep burns.
"They cannot categorically say that white phosphorus is being used, they are saying that the munitions being dropped are unprecendented."
Residents in densely-packed Jabaliya have described Israeli forces exploding shells that drop scores of burning fragments and spread suffocating smoke.
"Its the first time we see this type of weapon, it must be new and its seems like its phosphorous," one resident told Al Jazeera.
"Its suffocating and has a deadly poisonous smell that I am sure will cause a lot of sickness and disease on all of the civilians here," he said.
Another witness said she saw "... a bright flash and then all of these sparks fell on our area ... landing all around us and in our homes. Our mattresses caught on fire".
Law 'violated'
The use of the munition in densely-populated areas violates the requirement under international humanitarian law for all feasible precautions to be taken to avoid civilian injury and loss of life, Human Rights Watch said.
International law permits the use of white phosphorus in order to cover troop movements and prevent enemies from using certain guided weapons.
Marc Garlasco, a senior military analyst at the human rights group told Al Jazeera on Saturday that he had watched Israeli ground forces using white phosphorus.
"Clearly it is [white phosphorus], we can tell by the explosions and the tendrils that go down [and] the fires that were burning," he said.
"Today there were massive attacks in Jabaliya when we were there. We saw that there were numerous fires once the white phosphorus had gone in.
"We went by Israeli artillery units that had white phosphorus rounds with the fuses in them."
Major Avital Leibovich, an Israeli military spokeswoman, told Al Jazeera that the Israeli army was "using munitions with accordance to international law".
"The policy of the IDF [Israeli Defence Force] is to not specify the types of munition, we have not done it before and we will not do it now."
Mark Regev, the Israeli government spokesman, said he was unable to confirm or deny whether the military was using the chemical, but that Israel did not use munitions that were banned under international law.
"I don't have the knowledge of the detail of what ammunition we are using. I can only know for a fact that Israel uses no ammunition that is outlawed under conventions and that Nato forces would not use in a similar combat situation," he told Al Jazeera.
Israel used white phosphorus during its 34-day war against Lebanon's Hezbollah movement in 2006, while the United States used it during the controversial siege of the Iraqi city of Fallujah in 2004.
Source: Al Jazeera and agencie
An exhibitor polishes a 'Luxury Crystal Benz', the customized Mercedes-Benz SL600 with 300,000 Swarovski crystals, displayed at a booth at Tokyo Auto Salon 2009 at Makuhari Messe on January 9, 2009 in Chiba, Japan. More than 300 companies, associations and groups are displaying more than 600 custom cars in the auto exhibition, which takes place between January 9 and 11.
(Photo by Kiyoshi Ota/Getty Images AsiaPac)
Toyota's iQ, a customized car collaborated with Japanese emcee Verbal of m-flo, is displayed at a booth at Tokyo Auto Salon 2009 at Makuhari Messe on January 9, 2009 in Chiba, Japan. More than 300 companies, associations and groups are displaying more than 600 custom cars in the auto exhibition, which takes place between January 9 and 11.
(Photo by Kiyoshi Ota/Getty Images AsiaPac)
Model poses with Nissan Xanavi Nismo GT-R at a booth at Tokyo Auto Salon 2009 at Makuhari Messe on January 9, 2009 in Chiba, Japan. More than 300 companies, associations and groups are displaying more than 600 custom cars in the auto exhibition, which takes place between January 9 and 11.
(Photo by Kiyoshi Ota/Getty Images AsiaPac)
Toyota's iQ, a customized car collaborated with Japanese emcee Verbal of m-flo, is displayed at a booth at Tokyo Auto Salon 2009 at Makuhari Messe on January 9, 2009 in Chiba, Japan. More than 300 companies, associations and groups are displaying more than 600 custom cars in the auto exhibition, which takes place between January 9 and 11.
(Photo by Kiyoshi Ota/Getty Images AsiaPac)
Source: zimbio.com
Palestinians inspect the damaged at al-Taqwa mosque, after an Israeli air strike, January 8, 2009 in Gaza, Gaza Strip. Israeli aircraft continue to bomb targets across the Hamas-ruled territory of Gaza Strip. According to reports at least four rockets were today fired into northern Israel from Lebanon, injuring four prople and raising fears that the conflict is spreading. Almost 700 Palestinians have been killed since Israel launched its offensive on the region as international negotiations for a ceasefire continue. (Photo by Abid Katib/Getty Images Europe)Source: zimbio.com
Physiotherapists and volunteers Corrie Vaw Wijk (C) of the Netherlands, who works for the International Red Cross, and Palestinian Ahmad Mousa (L) treat a Palestinian girl, Jamela Habbash,15, who lost her legs during an Israeli missile attack last sunday at the Al-Shifa hospital on January 8, 2008 in Gaza City, Gaza Strip. Israeli aircraft continue to bomb targets across the Hamas-ruled territory of Gaza Strip. According to reports at least four rockets were today fired into northern Israel from Lebanon, injuring four prople and raising fears that the conflict is spreading. Almost 700 Palestinians have been killed since Israel launched its offensive on the region as international negotiations for a ceasefire continue. (Photo by Abid Katib/Getty Images Europe)Source: zimbio.com
The International Consumer Electronics Show
Usually held every January in Las Vegas, the International Consumer Electronics Show is a trade-show not open to the general public. Previews of products and new consumer electronic products are introduced
Sneak Peak at the International Consumer Electronics Show
Written by tatiana on Jan-8-09 5:59am
It's that time of the year again, when adults gather in Las Vegas to totally geek out over yet to be released gadgets. Yup, the International Consumer Electronics Show is in town and runs Thursday through Sunday. This year's show features over 2,700 exhibitors and expects over 130,000 attendees, making the show the largest gathering for the consumer electronics industry.
Unfortunately the trade-show, which regularly features product releases and new product announcements, isn't open to the general public, but we've got a sneak peak of a few of the gadgets on display this year. CES has had a number of revolutionary technologies debut on their exhibition floor like the Xbox (2001), DVD players (1996), the CD Player (1981), Pong by Atari (1975) and the VCR (1970). 
Although at first glance it doesn't look like much, what's actually on display here is a pair of Powermat wireless charging transmitters. Yes that's right, these devices are simultaneously being charged just by sitting on top of these mats. Doesn't technology totally blow your mind?
If you live in a state that has legally banned talking on your cell phone in your car, this little gadget might be your next best friend. This is a solar-powered, hand free, Bluetooth car kit speakerphone by LG Electronics. It runs for about $100 and aside from being totally useful, it features noise cancellation and one hour of talk time for every two hours of sunlight.
Let's listen in to what Samsung's Scott Birnbaum is saying about the company's latest technology. "This giant cat wallpaper will not only revolutionize wallpapers as we know it, but it's pretty darn cute to don't you think? Personally, I like its little button nose." But seriously, this is Samsung's LCD panel 46'' TV with a 7.33 mm bezel, apparently the world's smallest bezel in an LCD display.
This fancy device by Novint Technologies is the world's first three-dimensional touch controller and if you're a gamer, the next thing to hog up all of your free desk space. 
Called the Pacemaker, this is obviously not actually a pacemaker. Designed by Swedish company Tonium, this is a portable mixer, which allows the owner to DJ anywhere at anytime. Included is a 60 GB hard drive, cross fader and the ability to upload mixes to the Internet.
Source: zimbio.com
Israel kills dozens at Gaza school
An Israeli attack has killed at least 43 people taking refuge inside a UN school in the Gaza Strip, medics say.
About 100 people were also wounded in Tuesday's strike on the school run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (Unrwa) in the northern town of Jabaliya - the third school to come under fire in 24 hours.
Doctors said all the dead were either people sheltering in the school or residents of Jabalya refugee camp, in the north of the Gaza Strip.
John Ging, director of operations in Gaza for Unrwa, said three artillery shells landed near the school where 350 people were taking shelter from the Israeli offensive now entering its 12th day.
Ging said Unrwa regularly provided the Israeli army with exact geographical co-ordinates of its facilities and the school was in a built-up area.
"Of course it was entirely inevitable if artillery shells landed in that area there would be a high number of casualties," he said.
Mark Regev, a spokesman for the Israeli prime minister, said initial findings were "that there was hostile fire at one of our units from the UN facility".
"Our unit responded. Then there were explosions out of proportion to the ordnance we used," he said.
Avital Liebovich, an Israeli military spokesperson, told Al Jazeera that Hamas had "booby-trapped" installations in Gaza and Israel had no choice but to retaliate.
Earlier in the day, two people were killed when an artillery shell hit a school in the southern town of Khan Younis and three people were killed in an air strike on a school in the Shati refugee camp in Gaza City, medics said.
At least 660 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza and nearly 3,000 wounded in the offensive that began on December 27.
Four Israeli soldiers were killed and 24 wounded in battles around Gaza City on Monday night, the Israeli military said early on Tuesday, bringing the Israeli toll to eight.
Expanding assault
The Israeli military also appeared to be broadening its assault on the Gaza Strip as heavy artillery fire was reported from Khan Younis.
Palestinian witnesses said Israeli tanks had moved into Khan Younis, the second biggest urban area in the strip after Gaza City, in what appeared to be an attempt to isolate it from the border town of Rafah.
Ayman Mohyeldin, Al Jazeera's correspondent in Gaza, said Khan Younis was strategically significant partly because Palestinian fighters could fire missiles into Israeli territory from there.
He stressed that news teams could not confirm the reports as they were unable to reach the south from Gaza City in the north because the strip had been dissected by Israeli forces.
Despite its apparent broadening of its offensive, Israel has not been able to achieve its declared goal of stopping Palestinian rocket fire, with about 30 rockets launched across the border into Israeli town Sderot and surrounding areas on Tuesday.
Worsening humanitarian crisis
Fierce clashes between Israeli troops and Palestinian fighters were also reported in Jabaliya in the northern Gaza Strip and two black plumes of smoke could be seen rising over the area.
Fares Akram, a Gaza city resident, told Al Jazeera there was "no safe place in Gaza" as "the Israeli war planes don't stop dropping bombs and firing missiles into Gaza".
In addition, the humanitarian situation in Gaza – already bad following the 18-month Israeli blockade of the strip that left the territory desperately short of fuel, food and medical supplies – is worsening.
Unrwa's Ging said he was "shocked" by "the brutality of the injuries" he had seen during a visit to the Shifa hospital in Gaza.
"There are very real shortages of medicine. This hospital has not had electricity for four days. If the generators go down, those in intensive care will die. This is a horrific tragedy here, and it is getting worse by the moment," he said.
Ging described the situation as "the consequences of political failure and complete absence of accountability for this military action" and appealed for political leaders in the region and around the world to "take on the responsibility".
A French-Egypt ceasefire proposal appeared to be gaining some traction early on Wednesday, with the US giving qualified backing and Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, supporting the deal.
Israel has said it was taking the proposal "very seriously" but was still considering its response.
Pressure mounted at the United Nations late on Tuesday for Israel to stop its offensive, with Abbas calling for "urgent intervention by the security council to ... deter the aggressor".
But Gabriela Shalev, Israel's ambassador to the UN, said that the Gaza offensive was a "pre-requisite" for, not an obstacle to, peace.
Israel kills 215 kids, 98 women in Gaza
Medics say 660 Palestinians, including 215 children and 98 women, have been killed in the Israeli onslaught on the Gaza Strip.
Gaza emergency services chief, Moawiya Hassanein, also said on Tuesday that more than 2,950 Gazans have been wounded during Israeli attacks on the impoverished region.
The toll includes 43 civilians who were killed and 100 wounded when Israelis struck a school in Jabaliya, northern Gaza, he added.
Earlier in the day, Israeli forces hit two UN-run schools, one of which was crowded with refugees, in the Gaza Strip.
Israel launched a massive military campaign on Gaza, one of the most densely-populated areas in the world on December 27.
As the result of ten days of uninterrupted fighting, the situation of Gaza civilians is "extreme and traumatic", said head of operations for the International Committee of the Red Cross, Pierre Kraehenbuehl.
Source: Al Jazeera and agencies
Ready for a Lift
After dark at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Endeavour was attached to the sling that lifted it off the shuttle carrier aircraft underneath.
Endeavour landed in California, bringing to a close the STS-126 mission and was returned to Florida on a piggyback flight atop the shuttle carrier aircraft. After being lifted off the carrier, the shuttle was towed to the Orbiter Processing Facility. In the processing facility, Endeavour began preparations for its next mission, STS-127, targeted for May 2009.
Image Credit: NASA/ Jim Grossmann
