Knowledge Update

London, Feb 21 (IANS) HSBC announced on Tuesday a fall of 89.67 per cent in net profit for 2016, amounting to $1.3 billion, a statement said.

Its pre-tax profit was down by 62.3 per cent to $7,122 million, the company added in the statement, Efe news reported.

​Beijing, Feb 21 (IANS) China's Trade Minister on Tuesday said talks on the proposed Asia-Pacific free trade agreement are progressing well, after the US withdrew from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement last month.

​New York, Feb 21 (IANS) When your computer crashes or your smartphone freezes, most likely you blame the manufacturer. In many instances, however, these failures may be caused by the impact of electrically charged particles generated by cosmic rays that originate outside the solar system, a study says.

​Seoul, Feb 21 (IANS) Hyundai Motor, South Korea's biggest car manufacturer, launched new research centres to develop core technologies, the company announced on Tuesday.

Beijing, Feb 21 (IANS) China has built a field laboratory in the disputed South China Sea to collect marine data and collect sediment samples.

According to People's Daily's English website people.cn, the focus of the laboratory in the northeastern South China Sea will primarily be deep-sea sediments from 8 million years

​New York, Feb 21 (IANS) Love to eat fish and other seafood? Be careful, as eating mercury-rich fish such as shark and swordfish may increase the risk of developing amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) -- that takes away the ability of nerve cells to interact with the body's muscles -- a study has warned.

Mercury -- a heavy metal known to be toxic at high levels, causing brain, heart, kidney, lung and immune system damage -- is found high in swordfish and shark, while salmon and sardines typically have lower levels. 

However, the study does not suggest a higher risk of ALS -- also referred to as Lou Gehrig's disease -- from general consumption of seafood.

"For most people, eating fish is part of a healthy diet. But questions remain about the possible impact of mercury in fish," said Elijah Stommel from Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, US.

For the study, the team surveyed 518 people, 294 of whom had ALS and 224 of whom did not and the frequency that the participants reported eating fish with high mercury levels. 

Researchers also measured the levels of mercury found in toenail samples of participants with ALS.

The results, presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 69th Annual Meeting in Boston, revealed that 61 per cent people had a 25 per cent estimated annual mercury intake. These were at double the risk for ALS compared to those with lower levels.

The findings does not negate the fact that eating fish provides many health benefits.

But, people should choose species that are known to have a lower mercury content and avoid consuming fish caught in waters where there is mercury contamination, the researchers suggested.

​New York, Feb 20 (IANS) Chronic exposure to a common food additive found in everything from chewing gum to bread can decrease the ability of small intestine cells to absorb nutrients and act as a barrier to pathogens, warns a study. Ingestion of the compound, known as titanium dioxide, is nearly unavoidable. It can enter the digestive system through toothpastes, as titanium dioxide is used to create abrasion needed for cleaning. The oxide is also used in some chocolates to give it a smooth texture. "Titanium oxide is a common food additive and people have been eating a lot of it for a long time -- don't worry, it won't kill you! -- but we were interested in some of the subtle effects, and we think people should know about them," said one of the authors of the study, Gretchen Mahler, Assistant Professor at Binghamton University, State University of New York. For the study, the researchers exposed a small intestinal cell culture model to the physiological equivalent of a meal's worth of titanium oxide nanoparticles -- 30 nanometers across -- over four hours (acute exposure), or three meal's worth over five days. Acute exposures did not have much effect, but chronic exposure diminished the absorptive projections on the surface of intestinal cells called microvilli, showed the findings published in the journal NanoImpact. With fewer microvilli, the intestinal barrier was weakened, metabolism slowed and some nutrients -- iron, zinc, and fatty acids, specifically -- were more difficult to absorb. Enzyme functions were negatively affected, while inflammation signals increased, the study said. "To avoid foods rich in titanium oxide nanoparticles you should avoid processed foods, and especially candy. That is where you see a lot of nanoparticles," Mahler said.

Hong Kong, Feb 20 (IANS) Hong Kong Disneyland has announced a loss for 2016, its second loss-making year in a row, losing $22 million, official results showed on Monday.

Visitor numbers at the Lantau Island park dropped more than 10 per cent to 6.1 million last year according to the results.

​London, Feb 20 (IANS) Online retail giant Amazon has said it will create 5,000 new full-time jobs in the UK this year, the media reported on Monday. The firm said it was looking for a range of staff, including software developers and warehouse staff, reports the BBC. There will be jobs at Amazon's head office in London, as well as in the Edinburgh customer service centre and in three new warehouses. The recruitment will take Amazon's workforce in the UK to more than 24,000. Doug Gurr, the head of Amazon's UK business, said: "We are creating thousands of new UK jobs including hundreds of apprenticeship opportunities as we continue to innovate for our customers and provide them with even faster delivery, more selection and better value." The expansion reflects the importance of the UK market, which is Amazon's second biggest outside the US, behind Germany. Services which are developed in the US are usually launched in the UK first, such as Amazon Fresh, the grocery service which was launched in parts of Britain last year.

Beijing, Feb 20 (IANS) China is planning to construct 74 more civil transport airports by 2020, an official report said.

The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) report provides the blueprint and sets the goals for the development of China's civil aviation industry during the country's 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-2020) period, which outlines the government plans for economic and social development over a period of five years, the People's Daily reported on Monday.

The report said the country will continue to construct 30, and build 44 new, civil transport airports between 2016 and 2020, and the number of civil transport airports will reach about 260 by 2020.

"These projects would make trips to China's third tier cities (generally the medium-sized cities of each province) much easier," it said.

China is also aiming at a 28 per cent increase in air passenger turnover volume by 2020.

As for China's general aviation airports, during the 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-2015) period, the number has already reached 310, with the hope that number would reach 500 before 2020, according to the report.

It is also hoped there will be over 5,000 general aviation aircraft and 7,000 general aviation pilots by 2020.