Over 2 Million Baby Products Recalled by Summer Infant

baby in bath

More than 2 million of Summer Infant’s Deluxe/Mother’s Touch Baby Bathers are being recalled due to injury hazards. The baby bath products were sold in the US and Canada and are deemed dangerous after it was found they have a faulty side hinge.

The faulty hinge can cause the wire frame to collapse and has already caused 7 injuries to babies including 4 skull fractures and one which required intensive care due to bleeding on the brain. It is prone to happening when the bather is lifted with the infant inside which can drop them out and cause injury.

To check if your model is affected you will need to look for the model number on the side of the baby bather near the warning label or on the front near the wash instructions. You can then compare this with a list of model numbers on their web site.

Summer infant is also offering free repair kits so people can also fix the hinge themselves. Consumers are urged to stop using the product immediately and contact Summer Infant to obtain the repair kit and follow the instructions to correct the issue. Even with the baby bather repaired, it is not advised to use it to lift or carry the child.

Seizing Assange From The Ecuadorian Embassy Would Break International Law

ecuadorThe British Government risks breaking international law and being cast in front of an international court if Julian Assange is seized from the Ecuadorian embassy. Diplomats from the British Foreign Commonwealth Office made threats to the Ecuadorian Government that they could invoke a 1987 law to allow them to enter the embassy. The law was created after the 11 day Libyan Embassy siege in 1984 and allows the diplomatic status of an embassy to be revoked.

Carl Gardner, a former government lawyer says the law was designed to stop acts of international terrorism and breaches of international law. This is something Ecuador is not guilty of, thus making it unlikely that Britain will ever carry out their threat. If they did, Britain can expect their diplomats to have a much harder time abroad and it would be a dangerous precedent to set, where nations can arbitrarily cut off diplomatic immunity.

Mr. Assange entered the embassy on the 19th June in order to avoid being extradited to Sweden who issued an arrest warrant in 2010 for crimes of sexual assault. Assange has always denied these claims and he fears that if he goes to Sweden they would send him to the United States to be tried where he could face more severe punishment including execution for leaking classified documents.

As of 16th August 2012, the Ecuadorian government has issued political asylum for Assange after receiving support from the Organisation of American states. However British Foreign Secretary William Hague has stated the UK would not allow Assange safe passage out of the country and that it is still obligated to follow it’s extradition agreement with Sweden.

Lexmark to Focus on Laser Printer Market after Leaving the Inkjet Business

inkjet printerAfter Lexmark’s decision to quit the inkjet printing game many people have been wondering whether this is because Lexmark are struggling or the inkjet market is struggling. Well, it appears to be the latter, consumer inkjet printers are selling particularly badly with the evolution of social networking and the trend for sharing photos online rather than printing.

Lexmark vice president Marty Canning has confirmed that current owners of Lexmark inkjet printers will still receive support and be able to receive supplies. They do not plan on cutting short the value that customers will receive from their devices, in fact he said support will be provided throughout the warranty period and “most likely well beyond.” However Canning was not willing to comment on its relationship with Dell, who source inkjet printer technology from Lexmark. Nobody is sure if support will be available for those Dell printers.

As for Lexmark’s laser printer business, things seem to be going very well. Canning says the laser business is growing consistently and it has been important to adapt to the latest trends. He believes the online trend has produced growth in mobile printing and cloud printing.

Time will only tell if Lexmark has made the right decision but many experts are predicting it to be a good move as shown by the increase in the company’s share price.

Common Virus Linked To Increased Type 2 Diabetes Risk

diabetesA person’s likelihood of developing diabetes may be increased by contracting a common viral infection. Worse still the person may be completely unaware they have caught the virus.

It is called the Cytomegalovirus (CMV) and can be sexually-transmitted as it is part of the herpes family. However the far more common method of spreading is through people coughing and sneezing. Amazingly it seems roughly half of all adults have contracted the virus.

The reason people are unlikely to suspect they have been infected is because it can lay dormant with the individual not showing any symptoms. If symptoms are shown then it is likely to be similar to flu, and perhaps in this case would be a blessing in disguise as not showing symptoms would be dangerous.

Two German universities have found evidence that the virus poses a significant risk factor in the development of type 2 diabetes later in life. Their research found that those over 85 with the virus were twice as likely to suffer from type 2 diabetes.

They found that these kinds of viral infections can stress the immune system which increased the chances of developing diabetes. Of 500 elderly adults studied in the Netherlands, 17% of those infected with the CMV also had type 2 diabetes whereas only 7.9% of those without the CMV had diabetes.

Fashion Designer John Galliano Stripped of Award

handbagThe fashion designer John Galliano has lost his Legion d’Honneur (highest civilian award in France) nearly a year after being convicted for racist offences. The French president, Francois Hollande finally revoked the award after Galliano was fined around $8000 and sacked from his role as artistic boss for the Dior fashion house.

Galliano was found guilty of being anti-Semitic at his bar in Paris. He abused a museum curator called Geraldine Bloch because she was Jewish and also had strong racist words for her friend of South African origin.

The anti-Semitism doesn’t stop there, in another incident the fashion designer is shown on video declaring his adoration for Adolf Hitler and dislike for Jewish people.

Galliano denied he was a racist and claims he had no memory of the incidents, blaming them on drug and alcohol addictions. This is no excuse in court however, and many people will point to the saying “a drunk man’s words, are a sober man’s thoughts”.

The fashion designer, has kept himself out of the limelight since the conviction. He is originally from Gibraltar but he may be considering a move to Los Angeles. It is likely that he will find it hard to get away from controversy no matter where he lives.