Religious sources seminar

The Library Association of Ireland, Genealogy and Local Studies Group is holding a seminar dedicated to church and other religious sources for Irish genealogists.

Speakers include:

James Ryan, author of Irish Church Records, Sources for Family & Local History
Noelle Dowling, Dublin Diocesan Archivist
Susan Hood, Representative Church Body Library
Robin Roddie, Archivist of the Wesley Historical Society
Karel Kiely, Secretary of the Irish Family History Foundation
Christopher Moriarty, Quaker Library and Archive
Valerie Adams, Presbyterian Historical Society.

The full programme has yet to be confirmed but it promises to be a highly educational day.

Location: NLI, Kildare St, Dublin. 10am-4.30pm.
Date: Thursday 27 October
Cost: 30euros for LAI members; 40euros for non-members; 20euros non-waged. Lunch not included. Booking essential, at 01 6030351 or ifletcher@nli.ie

October dates

Saturday 1 October: The Rosscarbery Steam Engine aka Timothy Jerome O'Mahany. A plaque to honour West Cork's forgotten world champion runner, who defeated America's finest athletes, will be unveiled at his birthplace at 3pm.

Monday 3 October: Songs of Irish Emigration, an illlustrated lecture with Fred Freeman. Music Library, Central Library, ILAC Centre, Henry St, Dublin. Free. Booking essential. 01 8734333 or musiclibrary@dublincity.ie.

Tuesday 4 October: A visit to Victorian Dublin, with Dr Seamus O'Maitiu. Council Chamber, City Hall. 1.10 to 1.50. Free. All welcome.

Tuesday 4 October: Healthy or Wealthy? The third in a series of four lectures examining whether it was better to be healthy or wealthy in the 18th and 19th centuries, with archivist Joanne Rothwell. Cappoquin Community Centre, co Waterford. 7pm-8-30pm. Cost €5. Contact Name: Cathy McGrath, tel: 058 52746

Saturday 8 October: Irish Resources Online, with Chris Paton, at Dumfries & Galloway Family History Society. www.dgfhs.org.uk.

Tuesday 11 October: Court and Prison Records, with Brian Donovan. Genealogical Society of Ireland. Dun Laoghaire College of Further Education.

Tuesday 11 October: Healthy or Wealthy? The final lecture (in a series of four) examining whether it was better to be healthy or wealthy in the 18th and 19th centuries, with archivist Joanne Rothwell. Cappoquin Community Centre, co Waterford. 7pm-8-30pm. Cost €5. Contact Name: Cathy McGrath, tel: 058 52746

Wednesday 12 October: Post-famine perceptions of Irish landlords, with American historian L Perry Curtis, Professor Emeritus of History, Brown University. National Library of Ireland. 7pm. Free. No booking required.

Thursday 13 October: Irish Resources Online, with Chris Paton, at EastAyrshire Family History Society. www.eastayrshirefhs.co.uk.

Thursday 13 October: More historical houses in the Dunmanway area, with Maisie Culbert. Dunmanway Historical Society. 8.00p.m. Cox's Hall.

Thursday 20 October: The Irish Divisions at the Somme & Messines, with Noel Kane from the Somme Heritage Centre. Talk commemmorates the involvement of the 36th (Ulster) Divisions and the 16th (Irish) Divisions in the Battle of the Somme. Lisburn City Library. 7.30pm. Booking essential. 028 9263 3350.

Friday 21 - Sunday 23 October: Back to our Past. Ireland's very own genealogy exhibition. RDS. Advance booking tickets 5euros, on the day 10euros. www.backtoourpast.com.

Thursday 27 October: Murder at Crebilly, with Brian O'Hara. Ballymena Branch of the Northern Ireland FHS. Michelin Arts Workshop, Braid Arts Centre. 7.15pm. Details Ballymena 0565 6854.

Thursday 27 October: Church & Other Religious Sources for Irish Genealogy, NLI, Kildare St, Dublin. 10am-4.30pm. Fee. See following post.

GI News—October 2011

• GI and reducing your risk of breast cancer
  
• Low blood glucose and food cravings
• Keep an eye on your eyesight if you have diabetes
• Nicole Senior debunks the myth that canola oil and margarine cause macular degeneration
• Catherine Saxelby delivers the scoop on lutein-rich spinach
• Miracle foods, myths and the media – download this NHS Choices report
• Free eye examination for people at risk of AMD, diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma

We all take our eyesight for granted. Protecting it is one of the most important things we can do to help maintain quality and enjoyment of life. And for anyone with diabetes, it’s absolutely vital to be vigilant because there’s a higher risk for glaucoma, cataracts (‘clouding’ of the eye’s lens) and diabetic retinopathy. This issue we focus on vision, what we can do to look after it and where a healthy low GI diet comes into the picture. Of course there are all our usual features including three low GI recipes to try – Marinated eggplant slices, Zingy Italian White Bean Soup and Anneka Manning’s Tacos. Enjoy.

Good eating, good health and good reading.

Editor: Philippa Sandall
Web management and design: Alan Barclay, PhD

Food for Thought

Why you need to keep an eye on your eyesight if you have diabetes
Our sight is something most of us fear losing the most. Protecting it is one of the most important things we can do to help maintain quality and enjoyment of life. And for anyone with diabetes, it’s vital to be vigilant because there’s a higher risk for glaucoma, cataracts (‘clouding’ of the eye’s lens) and diabetic retinopathy.

The good news is that in most cases the serious visual loss that can be part and parcel of diabetes can be prevented with regular eye examinations and treatment – the earlier the better.

It’s estimated that about 75% of people with diabetes in Australia will develop diabetic retinopathy. The risk is greater for those who have had diabetes for a long time or if their blood glucose isn’t well controlled. Signs and symptoms include blurred vision, floaters and spots, blank or missing areas of vision, double vision and difficulty seeing well at night. Often there are no signs or symptoms until the condition is quite advanced.

There are two stages. Background or non-proliferative retinopathy is when the weaker blood vessels begin to leak. At this stage there may be no noticeable change in vision, but without treatment it can progress to the more serious proliferative retinopathy where the retina grows new (and weaker) blood vessels that can bleed onto the retina or the vitreous (the jelly like centre of your eye). At this stage vision can be affected suddenly and seriously.



5 tips for protecting your eyesight

• See an eye specialist or optometrist when you are first diagnosed with diabetes and at least every 1–2 years afterwards. If retinopathy is detected, you will need to have your eyes examined more often and you may be referred to a ophthalmologist. Get in touch with your eye care professional immediately if you notice any changes in your vision.
• Because diabetic retinopathy is likely caused by both chronic high blood glucose levels and variation in blood glucose, the best way to prevent it is by keeping your blood glucose levels and HbA1c at recommended levels. Talk to your doctor or diabetes educator about this.
  
• Your lifestyle matters. Being active every day and eating a healthy and balanced low GI diet will help you manage your blood glucose levels. The key dietary recommendations are – choosing nutritious carbohydrate foods with a low GI as your staples; being aware of how much carbohydrate you eat; getting plenty of fibre in your diet; limiting foods that are high in saturated fat; eating lean protein foods to suit your appetite including fish once or twice a week or if you are vegetarian, making sure you focus on including foods that contain quality proteins and are good sources of omega-3 fats; using monounsaturated fats (such as olive oil); eating plenty of fruit and vegetables every day and limiting your salt and alcohol intake.
• If you have high blood pressure, research also shows that by reducing it you can slow the progression of diabetic retinopathy, so do see your doctor for regular checks.
• If you smoke, quit.

By taking these steps to protect your vision, you’ll also improve your diabetes management. Now that's a win-win situation.

News Briefs

Free eye examination for people at risk of AMD, diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma



The Centre for Eye Health in Sydney (Australia), an initiative of Guide Dogs NSW/ACT and The University of New South Wales, provides state-of-the-art eye imaging and visual system diagnostic services to the general community, at no charge. A major goal of CFEH is to perform detailed eye examinations for individuals particularly at risk of glaucoma, diabetic retinal disease and age-related macular degeneration. Early diagnosis means the earliest possible intervention to prevent or minimise long-term vision loss. To visit CFEH, you just need a referral from your optometrist or ophthalmologist.

Low g-eyes
Dietary factors are known risk factors for age-related macular degeneration. In ‘Food for Thought’ (May 2006) we reported on research suggesting that the quality of the carbohydrates you eat may help to bring it on — or hold it off. A 2008 study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition confirms that it would be a good idea to make a low GI diet part of any AMD prevention plan along with foods you already know about such as dark green leafy vegetables, a variety of fruits (all different colours) and fish. Prof. Paul Mitchell from Sydney University’s Department of Ophthalmology says the prospective population based study shows that a high GI diet is a risk factor for early AMD – the recognized precursor of sight-threatening late AMD. ‘Low-glycemic-index foods such as oatmeal may protect against early AMD,’ say the researchers in their conclusion.



The results of this earlier Australian study have been backed up by a recent review. There are a number of reasons why high GI diets may increase the risk of the development of AMD, says Dr Alan Barclay "high post-meal blood glucose levels and high average blood glucose levels lead to increased glycation of proteins within the eye, increased oxidative stress, increased blood pressure, activation of protein kinase C, and direct gluco-toxic effects on the retina itself".

Low blood glucose affects food cravings
A small but interesting study in The Journal of Clinical Investigation reports that we lose our ability to control desire and feel an increased urge to eat when our blood glucose levels drop. The researchers from Yale University School of Medicine and the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine showed 14 healthy participants high and low calorie foods (from cake and ice-cream to tofu, fruit and vegetables) and non-food images and measured how seeing these images related to their desire for food and their brain activity under varying blood glucose conditions. Using scans to detect brain activity following a drop in participants’ BGLs, they then compared the results of the scans to the participants’ stated desires to eat different foods. They found that small drops in blood glucose activated the region of the brain that produces a desire to eat, while adequate levels of blood glucose activated the region of the brain that controls impulses. You can read the NHS Choices appraisal of the study HERE.



What's new?
#1 Download – Miracle foods, myths and the media. “Curry could save your life.” “Beetroot can fight dementia.” “Asthma risk linked to burgers.” Every day there’s a new crop of seemingly life-changing headlines about how the food we eat affects our health. This special NHS Choices report looks at some of the foods that regularly appear in the news and examines whether the reports match the scientific evidence behind them. The reviewers point out that: ‘Research into single foods on our health is notoriously difficult to carry out. We have complex diets and it is difficult to disentangle the effects of one particular food or compound from all the others we consume. This means that many of the studies behind the superfood claims have limitations. These limitations are rarely reported in the media, and even more rarely given their true significance.’ The report discusses limitations such as confounding factors, inaccurate memories, proxy outcomes and animal and laboratory studies and why RCTs (randomised controlled studies) and systematic reviews are generally the best type of study for finding out if a food has any effect. You can download the report HERE.



#2 Event – Bees, Bureaucracy and Biosecurity: Australia’s food future on a knife’s edge In September GI News, we reported bees around the world are in decline and without them it will be pretty hard to tuck into that low GI plant-based diet. Did you know:

• Some 65% of Australia’s food supply (fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds) rely to varying degrees on managed European honeybees (Apis mellifera) for their pollination
• Without honeybees to pollinate almonds, not one nut would set from the delicate flowers
• Cooking essentials such as onions rely on honeybees
• Even meat and dairy foods rely on lucerne and clovers pollinated by honeybees
  

‘Australia is the last remaining country to remain free of the devastating Varroa mite – the key contributor to decimating honeybee populations around the world. Australia however faces its own onslaught of challenges, which if not urgently arrested have the potential to wipe out honeybee populations in Australia within 10–20 years,’ writes fourth generation apiarist Jodie Goldsworthy in UPDATE, the newsletter of the Australian Association of Food Professionals. She says: ‘In 2008 the small hive beetle breached our biosecurity and snuck into Australia. It has now spread across much of Australia establishing itself particularly well in our environment and has changed beekeeping forever in this country for the worse. Another unwanted intruder, still classified as an “incursion” is the Asian bee (Apis cerana – Java strain) which arrived in 2007 and is currently confined around Cairns. The Asian bee is the natural host of the Varroa mite.’



As a special Q&A event for the Crave Sydney International Food Festival the Australian Association of Food Professionals has put together an expert panel to highlight and discuss the issues, and what is and isn’t being done:

Where: Australian Museum Theatrette College St Sydney
When: 23 October 11am–1pm
Cost: $25
Bookings/inquiries: 0448488080 secretariat@foodprofessionals.org.au

Get the Scoop with Foodwatch's Catherine Saxelby

The scoop on lutein-rich spinach


Catherine Saxelby

If you’re not adding spinach to your meals, you're missing out on a dark green leafy vegetable that’s chock full of vitamins, minerals and plant compounds (phytochemicals). It’s one of those vegetables that is always recommended for peak health. The trick is to find ways to incorporate it into your cooking.

What’s in it? It’s an excellent source of vitamin C, folate, beta carotene (which is converted into vitamin A in the body) along with some vitamin E. An average serve (35g) provides 5 mg of vitamin C, one-eighth of the recommended daily intake.

Long famous, thanks to Popeye, for its high iron content, spinach’s iron is actually not well absorbed. It’s present but doesn’t get into the body in great amounts. Red meat, chicken and fish are better for absorbable iron.

It also offers many antioxidants and, along with other leafy greens like kale and silverbeet (Swiss chard), is one of the best sources of lutein and zeaxanthin. These two antioxidants can help protect our eyes as we age, so keeping macular degeneration at bay. I suggest eating spinach in some form – raw or cooked – at least three times a week if you have a family history of this form of blindness.

And it’s one food you can happily eat MORE of! It contains dietary fibre, virtually no fat and so few kilojoules/calories, you could eat as much as you wanted and not put on any weight.

Easy ways to enjoy spinach

• Make a salad of baby spinach leaves and toss through toasted pine nuts and crumbled goats cheese. Drizzle over a good dressing with wine vinegar and olive oil.
• Add 1 cup of well-drained frozen chopped spinach to your meat loaf or meat balls. It’s a great way of sneaking in vegetables to kids who won't eat any!
• Toss a handful of baby spinach leaves into a curry or stir fry at the end of cooking. They will wilt in the heat of the dish, adding colour and nutrition.
• Use cooked spinach as a base for eggs or fish. Think of Eggs Florentine.
• Eat a baby spinach leaf salad every day or every second day.
• Add chopped cooked spinach to lasagna and meatloaf.

Or try Anneka Manning’s Eggs in Nests with spinach from The Low GI Family Cookbook. You can find the recipe HERE.

Catherine Saxelby is an accredited dietitian and nutritionist and runs the Foodwatch Nutrition Centre at foodwatch.com.au.

In the GI News Kitchen

American dietitian and author of Good Carbs, Bad Carbs, Johanna Burani, shares favourite recipes with a low or moderate GI from her Italian kitchen. For more information, check out Johanna's website. The photographs are by Sergio Burani. His food, travel and wine photography website is photosbysergio.com.

Marinated eggplant slices
According to some sources, Italians have been cooking with eggplants since the 14th century. I know that it has been on our family’s table and those of every one of my relatives’ tables for my entire life, which alas, now spans many decades! This versatile fruit-vegetable can be roasted, grilled, stuffed, pureed or, as in this recipe, sauteed and marinated. Eggplants are also versatile in another way: they are considered to have diuretic, sedative and laxative properties. Feel free to cut back on the amount of oil. Makes 10 servings (2 slices each)

750g (1½lb) eggplant (common or Western types), cut into 0.5cm/1/4 in slices
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup olive oil, divided
2 tbsp capers, drained, rinsed, chopped
1–2 cloves garlic, minced
120g (4oz) large green olives, pitted, coarsely chopped
15 fresh mint leaves, chopped
salt/pepper to taste



Sprinkle salt on the eggplant slices, place them in a colander and let drain for 30 minutes. Rinse and pat dry. Brush 4 tablespoons of olive oil on both slides of each slice, place on a tray or plate and set aside.
Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 4–5 eggplant slices at a time and cook until browned on both sides. When done, place each slice in an overlapping fashion in a shallow ceramic serving tray. Continue until all slices are cooked. Set aside.
In a small bowl add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the next 4 ingredients (capers through mint). Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Transfer the dressing evenly over the layered eggplant slices and drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil over them. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving.

Per serve
Energy: 530kJ/126cals; Protein less than 1g; Fat 12g (includes 2g saturated fat); Available carbohydrate 0g; Fibre 3g

Cut back on the food bills and enjoy fresh-tasting, easily prepared, seasonal, satisfying and delicious low or moderate GI meals that don’t compromise on quality and flavour one little bit with this Money Saving Meals recipe from the New York Times Number 1 best-seller, Forks Over Knives. For more recipes check out the Money Saving Meals website

Zingy Italian White Bean Soup
This recipe from The Feel Good Guru Moira Nordholt begins the night before, when you will need to rinse your dried cannellini beans and cover them in water to soak. Serves 2 generously and easily 3.

1 cup dried cannellini beans (white Italian kidney beans), soaked
1 unsalted vegetable bouillon cube
4 garlic cloves, minced
Half a red onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
half a fennel bulb, diced
1 zucchini (courgette), diced
1 bunch of fresh spinach, chopped
1 tsp chopped oregano
4 fresh sage leaves, chopped
1 tsp chopped parsley
Splash tamari
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 lemon

Drain the beans, then put them in a pot, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until al dente.
Dissolve the bouillon cube in ¼ cup water in a large soup pot, over medium heat. Add garlic and onion. Cook, stirring constantly, until they sweat. Add celery and fennel. Allow the vegetables to heat through and soften. Cover the vegetables with water and bring to a boil. Simmer for 5–10 minutes.
Add zucchini, spinach, cooked beans, oregano, sage, parsley, tamari, sea salt and black pepper. Simmer for another 5 minutes, or until the zucchini is cooked but not mushy. Turn off the heat. Squeeze the juice of a whole lemon into the soup. Adjust the seasonings to your liking and serve.

Per serve (for 3 people)
Energy: 1030 kJ/ 245 cals; Protein 18 g; Fat 2 g (includes 0.3 g saturated fat); Available carbohydrate 28 g; Fibre 20g



Forks Over Knives (published by The Experiment and New York Times Number 1 best seller) is available from bookshops and online.

Tacos
There’s nothing like Anneka Manning’s tasty tacos to get the family to feast on those budget-friendly, nutrition power packs – legumes. To add a little heat to the occasion, add 1 chopped red chilli to the tomato sauce with the red kidney beans and paprika. Anneka makes her own tomato sauce (1 onion, a garlic clove and 2 cans diced tomatoes) and guacamole (1 avocado, lime juice, a garlic clove, 1 spring (green) onion, 1 tomato and coriander/cilantro). If you don’t have your own favourite recipes for these, you can find Anneka’s in The Low GI Family Cookbook. Makes 12.

2 cups tomato pasta sauce
2 x 300g (10oz) cans red kidney beans drained and rinsed
1 tsp mild paprika
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
12 taco shells
1/2 iceberg or cos lettuce, shredded
2 carrots, scrubbed, coarsely grated
1½ cups coarsely grated reduced fat cheddar cheese
1 cup guacamole



Place the tomato sauce in a medium saucepan. Add the red kidney beans and paprika and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer for 10 minutes or until thick. Taste and season with pepper.
Transfer the red kidney bean mixture to a serving bowl. Place freshly ground black pepper, on the table with the taco shells, lettuce, carrots, cheese and guacamole for everyone to assemble their own tacos.

Per taco
Energy: 1035 kJ/ 250 cals; Protein 11 g; Fat 12 g (includes 5 g saturated fat); Available carbohydrate 22 g; Fibre 6 g

Busting Food Myths with Nicole Senior

Nicole Senior

Myth: Canola oil and margarines cause macular degeneration.
Fact: Good fats – including canola oil and trans-free unsaturated spreads are probably protective against AMD.
One of worst things about food myths is the – albeit unintentional – harm they can cause. Such as was the case a few years back in Australia when an ophthalmologists thought he’d have a go at nutrition and started giving advice completely opposite to the prevailing dietary guidelines by recommending unhealthy fats like butter and warning against vegetable fats like canola oil and margarine spreads in an attempt to reduce the risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

He got it wrong.

Macular degeneration causes damage to the retina and is the most common cause of blindness in developed countries. The cause is not fully understood but risk factors have been identified: the strongest factors are smoking and advancing age. Overweight, high blood pressure and high blood cholesterol are also risk factors, which is ironic because the advice the eye-doctor gave increases blood cholesterol levels. National dietary guidelines recommend we replace saturated fats with unsaturated fats found in vegetable oils and trans-free spreads, fish, nuts and seeds in order to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease – still our biggest killer.

The first mistake the well-meaning ophthalmologist made was devising public health advice based on only a couple of studies; second was not understanding the types of studies they relied on are not designed to prove causation; third was ignoring the fact his advice conflicted with well established evidence-based advice for primary prevention of cardiovascular disease; fourth was starting a campaign to convince others including the media; and lastly he failed to properly translate the theory from the US studies into relevant food advice in the Australian food context.

The population studies he relied on can only indicate an association that needs further investigation, and are ranked as low-level evidence. Having a proposed mechanism also bolsters a case for causation but there was none. He transposed the American food supply on to Australia’s and got the food advice wrong (for example Australian margarines are very low in trans fats). He basically pitted eye health against heart health and challenged us to choose but there’s not much point having good vision if you’re dead from a heart attack! It also wasted the valuable time of organisations like the Heart Foundation (Australia), the CSIRO and the Dietitians Association of Australia and more sensible eye specialists who had to control the damage with media communications refuting his ill-conceived advice.

Since this fiasco – which sent conflicting messages and confused people – a study conducted in Australia, the Blue Mountains Eye Study (BMES), did not find any link between vegetable oils or margarine spreads and macular degeneration. In fact they found a significantly lower risk of developing macular degeneration in those consuming higher amounts of both long and short chain omega-3 fats, such as those naturally present in fish, canola oil, linseeds, some nuts and green leafy vegetables. The BMES also found a lower risk of AMD in those eating higher amounts of zinc, and lutein and zeaxanthin: the yellow/orange coloured pigments in vegetables, fruits and eggs (and the greatest benefit was seen among participants who regularly consumed a combination of the protective nutrients as part of a low GI diet). A systematic review and meta-analysis of lutein and zeanxanthin and AMD also found a protective effect of consuming higher amounts. The benefits of other dietary antioxidants are not clear, however a Cochrane review of the evidence does not support taking dietary supplements to ward of AMD. Lowering the GI of the diet appears to be protective with several other studies showing associations between a high GI diet and AMD. What we really need is high level studies such as randomised controlled trials to find out the best diet for preventing AMD and be prudent in the mean time.

So what does the current evidence suggest we do to reduce our risk of AMD?

• Don’t smoke
• Maintain a healthy weight
• Eat fish and seafood to obtain omega-3 fats
• Eat plenty of different coloured vegetables and fruits for their beneficial phytochemical antioxidants
• Make the switch to low GI carbs (the smart carbs)
• Replace saturated fats from animal sources such as butter, whole dairy foods and fatty meat with unsaturated fats from vegetable oils and trans-free spreads, nuts and seeds
• Minimise trans fats in partially hydrogenated oils by limiting commercially produced pastries, cakes and deep fried fast foods – be aware sources of trans fats vary by country
  

Nicole Senior is an Accredited Practising Dietitian and Nutritionist and author of Eat to Beat Cholesterol, Heart Food and Belly Busting for Blokes. She loves to see-food and eat it!

GI Symbol News with Dr Alan Barclay

Dr Alan Barclay

Reducing your risk of breast cancer through a healthy lifestyle
In Australia and the US, breast cancer accounts for around 1 in 4 cases of all cancers, and the number of cases has more than doubled over the past 25 years.

There are a large number of risk factors for breast cancer that you can’t do anything about such as your genes and family background, the number of children you have, your age at when your first child is born, and your age at menarche and menopause. However, there are also a number of risk factors related to your diet and lifestyle that you can do something about.

The main risk increasers include the usual suspects.

• Excessive alcohol consumption increases the risk of developing breast cancer. The risk increases with the amount of alcohol consumed. Women who drink 2 or more standard drinks a day have about a 21% increased risk of developing breast cancer compared to those who do not drink at all.
• High fat diets have been found to increase the risk of developing breast cancer by 10–15%, and high processed meat consumption (e.g. more than 3 serves a week) has been found to increase the risk by 8%.
• Being overweight or obese has been found to increase breast cancer risk in women by 9% after menopause.

A recently published systematic review and meta-analysis has added another to the risk increaser list, finding that a high GI diet may increase the risk of breast cancer by 8% when a high (GI 60 or more) diet compared to a low GI diet (GI 45 or less) is consumed for 5 years or more.

Three key risk reducers are regular exercise, eating plenty of dairy foods and enjoying an all-round healthy, balanced diet.

• Regular exercise reduces the risk of breast cancer by up to 25%. The American Cancer Society recommends 45–60 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity on 5 or more days a week to help reduce the risk of developing breast cancer.
• Consuming plenty of dairy foods (that’s more than 2–3 serves a day) has been found to decrease the risk of developing breast cancer by 15%, most likely due to their high calcium content.
• Eating an all round healthy diet has been shown to decrease the risk of developing breast cancer by 11%. This analysis did not take GI into account, and the one study that did found a 32% risk reduction!
  

How do you go low GI? To reduce the average GI of your diet by 10–15 units, simply swap any high GI foods that you may be eating with low GI alternatives. For example, swap high GI breads and breakfast cereals for low GI ones. A 10–15 unit difference for each food you eat within all of the major food groups will make a difference as it all adds up.

Here at the GI Foundation, we are big fans of the ‘this for that’ swap it approach. The reason why is relatively simple: the GI was originally designed to choose the better options within each food group.



In Australia, the easiest way to find all round healthy low GI choices is to look for foods with the low GI symbol: not only have they had their GI tested at an accredited lab, but they must also meet category specific nutrient criteria for calories/kilojoules, total and saturated fat, sodium (salt), and where appropriate fibre and calcium.

Elsewhere in the world, checkout the GI News’ 10 tips to reduce the GI of your diet, make use of the GI database at www.glycemicindex.com or pick up a copy of the annual Shopper's Guide to GI Values (it’s published in Australia, New Zealand and the US/Canada.

The GI Symbol, making healthy low GI choices easy choices



For more information about the GI Symbol Program
Dr Alan W Barclay, PhD
Chief Scientific Officer
Glycemic Index Foundation (Ltd)
Phone: +61 (0)2 9785 1037
Mob: +61 (0)416 111 046
Fax: +61 (0)2 9785 1037
Email: alan@gisymbol.com
Website: www.gisymbol.com

GI Update

Prof Jennie Brand-Miller answers your questions


Prof Jennie Brand-Miller

My mother has been diagnosed with age-related macular degeneration and besides being told to take lutein and zeaxanthin supplements, she was advised to up her leafy green veggie intake and to eat a healthy low GI diet. Can you explain how a low GI diet would benefit your eyes?
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) affects the central macula of the eye, leaving sufferers with only peripheral vision. The macula is the small yellowish spot in the middle of the retina that provides the greatest visual acuity and colour perception. It’s the macula that lets us to see fine detail and is critical to central vision helping us to recognise faces, drive a car, read a newspaper, or do close handwork. It is now one of the most common causes of blindness among older adults in the Western world and AMD Alliance International estimates that 25–30 million people are affected worldwide.

Researchers from Tufts and Harvard universities were the first to notice the link between GI and vision. They had followed 526 women without previous visual problems from the Nurses Health Study for ten years. At regular intervals, they assessed the nurses’ diets using a food frequency questionnaire. They found that when total carbohydrate intake was constant, consuming a high GI diet was associated with a doubling of the risk of developing AMD.

Similarly, Professor Paul Mitchell, the lead researcher of the Blue Mountains Eye Study in New South Wales, and his colleagues found that a high GI diet, but not a high carbohydrate diet, was linked to an almost 80 per cent higher risk of having age-related macular degeneration within the 10 years of the study. They also found the incidence of cataracts was higher among elderly people who chose a high GI diet.

Why the link between GI and vision? Well, the retina has among the highest supplies of blood and nutrients, including glucose, and is dependent on adequate glucose delivery from the circulation to maintain its function. Because glucose stores in the retina are negligible and there are no glucose transporters in the cell membrane, it appears that glucose levels in the retina reflect whatever level is found in the blood. High levels spell trouble because excessive uptake produces high reactive charged particles called free radicals that damage all the machinery inside the cell.

Although ‘observational’ data like these studies cannot establish that the observed association is ‘cause-and-effect’, they indicate a new direction for further studies.

GI testing by an accredited laboratory
North America
Dr Alexandra Jenkins
Glycemic Index Laboratories
20 Victoria Street, Suite 300
Toronto, Ontario M5C 298 Canada
Phone +1 416 861 0506
Email info@gilabs.com
Web www.gilabs.com

Australia
Fiona Atkinson
Research Manager, Sydney University Glycemic Index Research Service (SUGiRS)
Human Nutrition Unit, School of Molecular and Microbial Biosciences
Sydney University
NSW 2006 Australia
Phone + 61 2 9351 6018
Fax: + 61 2 9351 6022
Email sugirs@mmb.usyd.edu.au
Web www.glycemicindex.com

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David Contibutes To DWM's Lis Sladen Tribute

David Tennant will be among the Doctor Who cast and crew paying tribute to Sarah Jane Smith actress Lis Sladen in the new issue of Doctor Who Magazine.
Elisabeth very sadly passed away from cancer in April this year.
The magazine will be released on 20th October 2011.
The last series of The Sarah Jane Adventures begins on CBBC on Monday 3rd October at 5:15pm.

New Radio 4 Project

Following the success of his many Radio 4 projects including the recent Life And Fate David Tennant is to take part in Stevenson In Love for the station.

We'll bring you further info as we get it.

David Tennant Voted Greatest Doctor Of All Time

David Tennant has been voted as the greatest Time Lord of all time in a poll conducted by Gigwise.
Tennant beat Christopher Eccleston and current Doctor Matt Smith to top the chart, with an average rating of 9.27 out of ten.
Eccleston, who played the Doctor in 2005, averaged 7.24, with Smith getting 7.10.
Tom Baker, at 6.42, and Peter Davison, with 5.35, rounded off the top five.
At the bottom, readers voted Colin Baker as the worst ever Doctor, with an average rating of just 3.60.
Above him came Sylvester McCoy in tenth with 4.04, with Paul McGann, who played the Doctor in a one-off show in 1996, taking ninth with 4.15.
Over 105,000 people took part in the poll, which was comfortably won by the tenth Doctor.

Thanks to http://www.gigwise.com/

China executes man after rare retrial

Chinese police officers
rehearsing executions

September 29, 2011: a man convicted of killing a young woman and her 3-year-old brother after his offer of marriage was refused was executed in Zhaotong city, Yunnan province, according to the local court.

Li Changkui, 29, was executed by the Zhaotong Intermediate People's Court after the Supreme People's Court (SPC) approved the death penalty, as every execution is subject to SPC review.

Li pled guilty to raping 19-year-old Wang Jiafei before killing her and her brother Wang Jiahong in the village of Yingge in May 2009 in Yunnan.

The execution came after the Yunnan Provincial Higher People's Court sentenced Li to death in August, after he was tried for the third time.

The sentence overturned a lenient one made by the same court, which sparked public outcry demanding that Li be sentenced to death.

The SPC supported the verdict the Provincial Higher Court made after the second retrial, saying that all the trial procedures were conducted according to the law, and the facts were reliable, clear and sufficient, and the conviction and measurement of Li's crimes were accurate and proper.

Months earlier, the Provincial Higher Court in the second trial had given Li the death penalty with a two-year reprieve, almost tantamount to life imprisonment in China, overturning the death sentence made by the Zhaotong Intermediate People's Court in July last year.

The Provincial Higher Court said the second retrial was made after the relatives appealed to the court.

Source: China Daily, September 29, 2011

Related articles:

Death Penalty News: Killer's case and death penalty dilemmas in ...

Aug 23, 2011

BEIJING ( Caixin Online ) — By raping and murdering a 19-year-old woman before killing her 3-year-old brother, Li Changkui incurred the wrath of the victims' relatives, a Yunnan Province village stunned by the horror, and ...

http://deathpenaltynews.blogspot.com/

The Entertainment Media Show - We want your photos!

As we previously reported David is attending The Entertainment Media Show at London's Earl Court this Sunday, 2nd October 2011, and he will be doing photoshoots with fans.
If you're one of the many lucky fans who'll be meeting him for a photo this weekend then we want to hear from you and see your photos!
We're planning on compiling a gallery of David and his biggest fans and we want you to be part of it! There are many ways for you to get in touch!
Firstly email Jack@David-Tennant.com attatching your photo! Mark your Email title DT and Me!
On Facebook if you tag DAVID TENNANT in your photo it should be posted to our Facebook page.
And on Twitter tweet us your photo @davidtennantcom and include the hashtag #dtandme to share with other fans! ;)
Have a great time and we can't wait to see your photos!

David In This Is Jinsy

Love Life Update

As filming for David's new BBC drama, Love Life continues we have a quick catch up on the news so far.

It was revealed earlier in the week that both the BBC and ITV have commissioned new dramas with the same name, but whilst David's Love Life has already begun filming ITV's is still in the pre production stage. The Radio Times asks who should change the name here.

Although David and his former Doctor Who co star Billie Piper are starring in different episodes of the drama, it's a series of interlocking stories and so it's likely there will be character cross overs between episodes.

The Press Association released the following cast update for David's episode:

Former EastEnders star Lacey Turner and Bafta-winning actress Vicky McClure have been added to the cast of improvised BBC One drama series Love Life.
They join David Tennant and Billie Piper in the series of five overlapping stories created by writer and director Dominic Savage, which has just begun filming.
Lacey won a bundle of awards for her years playing Albert Square's Stacey Slater and last year appeared in BBC Three's live musical event Frankenstein's Wedding.
Vicky won acclaim for her performance in Channel 4's This Is England 86.
She will play Serena, the first love of Tennant's character Nick, who comes back into his life after many years with Lacey as her younger sister Michelle.
Also added to the cast are Jenny Agutter and Jaime Winstone.
The five programmes look at contemporary love stories and are set in the seaside town of Margate in Kent.

Meanwhile the Thanet Star reported on sightings of David and the director Dominic Savage in Margate.

David Nominated For North West RTS Award

The Manchester Evening News reports that David has been nominated for the Best Performance in a Single Drama at the RTS North West Awards.
The full list of nominees in his category are:

David Tennant nominated for Single Father, Christopher Eccleston for Accused, John Simm for Exile and Suranne Jones for Scott and Bailey.

It's certianly a tough category! But fingers crossed that David will walk away with the award!

The winners will be announced in a ceremony that will be held on 19th November 2011 in Manchester.

Read the full news report here.

Laurence Clark Documentary

Check out Laurence and his son with David in these fab photos!

David is narrating a documentary on Laurence Clark a comedian, writer, actor and disabled rights activist from Liverpool. He recorded it yesterday and it's due to be shown on BBC One in February 2012.
To find out more about Laurence please visit his website at www.laurenceclark.co.uk

You can follow Laurence on Twitter at www.twitter.com/laurence_clark

David's Message Of Support For Charlie Reid & AICR

David has sent a message of support for his friend Charlie Reid who is taking part in this weekend's Great Edinburgh Run to raise funds for the AICR.
You can read about Charlie's efforts in our previous post here.
David says:
"Go on yersel' Charlie. If your blisters burst and your nipples chafe it is all in the name of a truly brilliant cause. Sending lots of love and luck and thanks from all of us who support the brilliant work AICR do"
You can visit the AICR's official site here and if you'd like to donate to Charlie's JustGiving page you can do so here.

Almond Flour - Serious Envy!

Cake recipe made with almond flour in the top photo and almond meal in the bottom photo.  Compare the cakes - here is the one made with almond meal and the recipe for this cake.

On a recent trip to the States my sweet hubby, Ian, brought home some almond flour from Honeyville Grains Company.  I was thrilled to receive it, even although some of it spilled in the suitcase as government officials slashed a hole in the packet to check that it was really almond flour. 

Many of you know I use almond meal (ground sliced almonds with a tiny bit of skin on the edges) in my bake mix.  I was slightly concerned that there might be appreciable differences for folks using the convenience of commercially available almond flour, which is usually partially defatted.

I promised I would try almond flour in my Splendid Gluten-Free Bake Mix as well as coconut flour from Bob's Red Mill (I used Aloha Nu from Netrition.com which may have been discontinued).

Turns out baking with almond flour is a pleasure; love the convenience factor obviously!  The almond flour from Honeyville Grains is apparently the very best and they have a very good price; bought mine in a 5 lb bag.  Another 5 lb bag waits for me in Montana.  

The only difference I noticed is that the baking has a finer crumb and looks lighter in color.  Bob's Red Mill coconut flour performs much the same as the coconut flour I used.  This is all good news!  I think for cakes almond flour is superior but my cake with almond meal was still very good indeed.

I am envious of people being able to easily come by almond flour.  I used to have that luxury in Vernon, British Columbia in Canada.  We had not one but two incredible health food stores in the same little town when I was developing my 5 low-carb cookbooks.  I was so blessed.  Now I have access to a tiny health food store that has a cheek to go by that name.  Waah!  

Yemen: Al-Qaida's al-Awlaki killed in airstrike

The Yemeni government has released an executive statement saying the U.S.-born al-Qaida cleric Anwar al-Awlaki has been killed.

The government says al-Awlaki was embattled and killed 5 miles (8 kilometers) from the town of Khashef in the Province of al-Jawf the town is located 87 miles (140 kilometers) east of the capital Sanaa the statement says the act was launched on Friday around 9:55 a.m. It gave no other details.

If the death is confirmed, al-Awlaki would be the nearly everyone prominent al-Qaida figure to be killed since Osama bin Laden's death in a U.S. raid in Pakistan in May.

Full Story 

useful links: transport rankings

Google News launches redesign in UK and India

Posted by Scott Zuccarino, Product Manager

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We’ve also been working to give you a closer relationship with the publishers you love, who can now highlight some of their most compelling content right on your Google News homepage.

In order to bring you the best Google News experience possible, we’ll be periodically refreshing select editions, starting with the U.K. and India. We hope you enjoy these enhancements. As always, please feel free to submit your feedback or visit our Help Center if you have more questions.

Another new SCA boss?

Nigel Hetherington (a good source) just posted on my Facebook wall "The revolving door that is the office of the secretary general of the SCA has spun again and there is a new boss-Dr Mustafa Amin Mustafa"

Troy Davis's execution 'should not occur in the 21st century'

Myuran Sukumaran (left)
Andrew Chan (right)

The President of the Criminal Lawyers Association of Western Australia has called the execution of United States man, Troy Davis, "barbaric" and says all countries should move to abolish capital punishment altogether.

Mr Davis protested his innocence in his dying minutes before United States authorities administered the lethal injection at 11.08am, Georgia time.

The 42-year-old Georgia man was executed 20 years after he was convicted of the fatal shooting of a police officer and despite a plea for clemency from almost a million people worldwide.

Phil Urquhart, of the CLAWA, said Australia will soon be faced with the similar situation when two of the Bali Nine, Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, face their upcoming executions in Indonesia.

The Sydney pair was among nine Australians caught trying to smuggle 8.3 kg of heroin through Bali, Indonesia which carries a death sentence for drug smuggling.

"There's only a handful of western democracies that still have capital punishment and most have demolished it a considerable time ago since it is a barbaric and totally inappropriate punishment," he said.

"To have someone executed for a crime no matter how serious it is should not occur and it is time to move into the 21st century and abolish capital punishment."

He said the problem was that a large number of those executed by capital punishment in the United States have since been found to be innocent due to the advancement in forensics.

"There's no victory for them if years afterwards they are exonerated, you can't bring back the dead," he said.

He said in those cases two families unfairly suffer; the victim's family and the family of the person wrongfully executed.

And in the case of the two young Sydney men and their families, they face a penalty that would never be carried out in Australia had they been arrested on the other side of the border, he said.

"Capital punishment is too serious for any type of offending, particularly when it's in relation to drugs," he said.

He said the problem faced by South East Asian countries was that their governments don't want to be seen offering clemency or leniency towards foreigners while at the same time executing their own people for the same offence.

"The death penalty is seen as a deterrent but the fact is it doesn't really serve as a deterrent because Australians and other foreigners are still being caught over there, in countries where the death penalty applies," he said.

"The Australian Government should be pushing for the abolition of capital punishment full stop, rather than arguing for clemency for its individual citizens facing the death penalty."

Sukumaran and Chan are currently in Kerobokan Prison awaiting the date of their execution unless granted clemency by Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

Source: The Sydney Morning Herald, Sept. 22, 2011

Related articles:

Death Penalty News: Bali Nine Ringleader Myuran Sukumaran ...

Jul 09, 2011

Myuran Sukumaran (left) Andrew Chan (right). Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd has used his visit to Indonesia to raise the issue of 2 members of the Bali Nine who have lost their final appeals against the death penalty. Andrew...

http://deathpenaltynews.blogspot.com/

Death Penalty News: Bali 9 duo Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew ...

May 20, 2011

The courses were inspired and partly run by Sukumaran, Chan and fellow Bali 9 member Matthew Norman, as part of their bid to provide rehabilitation behind bars and to give something back to Indonesia. Fellow Australian...

http://deathpenaltynews.blogspot.com/

Death Penalty News: Mother of Bali Nine ringleader makes plea

Jul 19, 2011

The Indonesian Supreme Court this month rejected Sukumaran's final appeal against his death sentence for his part in the 2005 plot to smuggle more than eight kilograms of heroin from Bali to Australia. Sukumaran was the...

http://deathpenaltynews.blogspot.com/

Bali Nine pair Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran plead to live

Sep 21, 2010

BALI Nine ringleaders Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran (left) will appear in court as their final appeals against the death penalty begin. It is expected the pair will tell judges of their regret and their rehabilitation since being ...

http://deathpenaltynews.blogspot.com/

Bahrain jails medics, protester gets death penalty

DUBAI — A special court in Bahrain on Thursday sentenced a Shiite protester to death and another to life in jail after convicting them of killing a policeman, the BNA state news agency said.

The same court also sentenced 20 Shiite medics to between five and 15 years in prison for their roles in a month-long protest which the authorities quashed in mid-March.

The national safety court was set up under a three-month quasi-emergency law declared by King Hamad ahead of the mid-March crackdown on the protest led by the Shiite majority of the Sunni-ruled Gulf nation.

Ali Yusof al-Taweel was sentenced to death and Ali Mahdi to life in prison for running over policeman Ahmed al-Mreyssi in the Shiite area of Sitra south of Manama, during unrest that followed the quashing of the protest, BNA said, quoting military general prosecutor Yusof Flaifel.

Thirteen medics were sentenced to 15 years in jail, two others to 10 years and five to five years, including several women, he added.

The medics all worked at the Salmaniya Medical Complex in Manama, which was stormed by security forces after they drove protesters on March 16 out of the nearby Pearl Square -- the focal point of protests inspired by uprisings that have swept the Arab world.

The medics included 13 doctors, one dentist, nurses and paramedics.

BNA said the medics were tried for "forcefully occupying SMC... possessing unlicensed arms (one AK-47) and knives, incitement to overthrow the regime, seizing medical equipment, detaining policemen, and spreading false news."

They were also accused of "inciting hatred to the regime and insulting it, instigating hatred against another sect and obstructing the implementation of law, destroying public property and taking part in gatherings aimed at jeopardising the general security and committing crimes," BNA said.

"All these acts were done with a terrorist aim," it added.

A relative of one of the accused wrote in an emailed statement: "None of the accused medics attended today's hearing. Lawyers and some family members were present."

The 20 medics, many of whom had gone on hunger strike, were released on bail on September 8.

They were among a group of 47 medics rounded up in the wake of the heavy-handed crackdown on the protest, which also targeted Shiite villages across the Gulf archipelago.

Many medics claim to have been tortured in custody.

The national safety court has a mixed military and civil panel. But King Hamad last month promised that all Bahrainis in trials related to protests will see their verdicts issued by a civil court.

BNA said that those convicted on Thursday can appeal their verdicts in a civil court.

Authorities in the kingdom ruled by the Sunni Al-Khalifa dynasty have said that 24 people were killed when the protests were put down, most of them demonstrators. The opposition puts the death toll at 30.

Source: AFP, Sept. 29, 2011

Death penalty case set for USS Cole defendant

A senior Pentagon official Wednesday referred the first death penalty case under President Obama for trial by military commission at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri was charged in April by military prosecutors with murder, terrorism and other violations of the laws of war for his role in the October 2000 al-Qaeda attack on the USS Cole in Yemen.

Under military rules, the Pentagon official, known as the Convening Authority, independently examines the charges filed by military prosecutors and decides whether the defendant will be tried on all, some of none of the charges. In Nashiri’s case, the Convening Authority, Ret. Admiral Bruce MacDonald, forwarded the capital charges sworn by prosecutors.

Nashiri, a Saudi citizen of Yemeni descent, is one of 15 high-value detainees held at Guantanamo, and prosecutors allege that he was “in charge of the planning and preparation” of the Cole attack. Two suicide bombers in a small boat pulled alongside the Navy destroyer in the port of Aden and the ensuing blast, which ripped a 30-by-30-foot hole in the ship, killed 17 American sailors.

Click here to read the full article

Source: The Washington Post, Sept. 29, 2011

AI: Surge in Executions in Saudi Arabia

Eight men on death row have been executed in Saudi Arabia since 5 September, representing a dramatic increase in the number of executions. It is feared that more executions could be carried out at any time.

Since the end of the Holy month of Ramadan, executions have resumed in Saudi Arabia at an alarming rate. The authorities have announced the execution of eight inmates, including three foreign nationals, since 5 September.

Amnesty international has the names of more than 100 prisoners, most of them foreign nationals, who are currently on death row in Saudi Arabia for alleged drugs-related offenses. Most are said to have been sentenced to death in trials that failed to meet international standards for fair trial; some apparently were not assisted by a defense lawyer or other legal assistance.

Death sentences imposed for drugs-related offenses do not fall into the category of "most serious crimes" embodied in international standards such as the UN Safeguards. These guarantee the protection of the rights of those facing the death penalty, and require that the scope of crimes punishable by death "should not go beyond intentional crimes with lethal or other extremely grave consequences."

Karim Ruslan al-Ruslan, a Syrian national, was executed on 14 September for alleged drugs-related offenses in al-Jawf. This was the first known execution in Saudi Arabia for drugs-related offenses since 24 January 2010, prompting fears that other death row prisoners sentenced for drugs-related offenses are also at imminent risk of execution.

Please write immediately in English, Arabic or your own language:

-Expressing concern at the surge in executions in recent weeks;

-Urging the King to impose an immediate moratorium on executions as a first step towards the abolition of the death penalty, and to commute all existing death sentences;

-Reminding the authorities that, pending full abolition, they should act in accordance with international minimum standards and limit the use of the death penalty to "most serious crimes", which do not include drugs-related offenses, and should abide fully with the UN Safeguards guaranteeing protection of the rights of those facing the death penalty, which state that capital punishment may only be imposed after a fair trial in which the defendant is provided with "adequate legal assistance at all stages of the proceedings".

PLEASE SEND APPEALS BEFORE 9 NOVEMBER 2011 TO:

King

His Majesty King 'Abdullah Bin 'Abdul 'Aziz Al-Saud

The Custodian of the two Holy Mosques

Office of His Majesty the King

Royal Court, Riyadh

KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA

Fax: (via Ministry of the Interior)

011 966 1 403 3125 (please keep trying)

Salutation: Your Majesty

Second Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior

His Royal Highness Prince Naif bin 'Abdul 'Aziz Al-Saud

Ministry of the Interior

P.O. Box 2933, Airport Road

Riyadh 11134

KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA

Fax: 011 966 1 403 3125 (please keep trying)

Salutation: Your Royal Highness

And copies to:

President, Human Rights Commission

Bandar Mohammed 'Abdullah al-Aiban

Human Rights Commission

P.O. Box 58889, King Fahad Road

Building No. 373, Riyadh 11515

KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA

Email: hrc@haq-ksa.org

Ambassador Adel A. Al-Jubeir

Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia

601 New Hampshire Ave. NW

Washington DC 20037

Fax: 1 202 944 5983

Email: info@saudiembassy.net

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

In Saudi Arabia there have been disturbing patterns of discrimination against vulnerable individuals. Many of those executed over the past years were foreign nationals, mostly migrant workers from poor and developing countries. Despite a decrease in executions in the last few years, there has been a marked increase in executions this year, with 15 people put to death in May alone. So far this year, at least 45 people have been executed, more than the number executed in the whole of 2010. Amnesty International is seriously concerned about over 100 prisoners who are currently known to be under sentence of death in Saudi Arabia.

At least 158 people were executed by the Saudi Arabian authorities in 2007, and at least 102 people in 2008. In 2009, at least 69 people are known to have been executed.

Saudi Arabia applies the death penalty for a wide range of offenses. Court proceedings fall far short of international standards for fair trial. Defendants are rarely allowed formal representation by lawyers, and in many cases are not informed of the progress of legal proceedings against them. They may be convicted solely on the basis of "confessions" obtained under duress or deception.

In a report published in 2008 on the use of the death penalty in Saudi Arabia, Amnesty International highlighted the extensive use of the death penalty as well as the disproportionately high number of executions of foreign nationals from developing countries. For further information please see Saudi Arabia: Affront to Justice: Death Penalty in Saudi Arabia (Index: MDE 23/027/2008), 14 October 2008: http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/report/saudi-arabia-executions-target-foreign-nationals-20081014.

Source: Amnesty International, Sept. 28, 2011