Controlling blood pressure, cholesterol may significantly cut heart disease risk

July 1, 2013 ? Simultaneously controlling your high blood pressure and high cholesterol may cut your risk for heart disease by half or more, according to new research in the American Heart Association journal Circulation. Yet fewer than one in three people achieve this goal.

Researchers also found:

• Prescribing medications to better manage blood pressure and cholesterol would greatly benefit people who are older, diabetic, have cardiovascular disease or are Hispanic or African-American.
• Going to the doctor at least twice a year could help.

Undertreated high blood pressure and cholesterol affect millions of Americans -- posing a major public health threat, said Brent M. Egan, M.D., lead study author and a professor of medicine and pharmacology at Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, S.C.

"The reality is, we know more than enough to prevent 75 percent of heart disease and strokes, but we're not doing everything we could be doing or even doing it at a reasonable level," he said. "We've made some gradual improvements over the years, but there is still a lot of progress to be made."

High blood pressure affects about 33 percent of the U.S. adult population and doubles the risk for heart disease. About 32 million Americans have dangerously high total blood cholesterol levels of 240 mg/dL or higher. Previous research indicates that treating high blood pressure reduces the risk of heart disease by 25 percent and treating high cholesterol in hypertensive patients can lower the risk by more than 35 percent, researchers said.

The findings are based on data of more than 17,000 American adults who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys during in 1988-94, 1999-2004 and 2005-10. In addition to reviewing patients' blood pressure and cholesterol levels, researchers considered race, age, insurance status, whether patients smoked, had diabetes, had diagnosed heart disease and/or chronic kidney disease, and if they visited a doctor every year.

Cholesterol readings need closer attention, Egan said. "If patients' cholesterol tests show a good high-density lipoprotein (HDL) level, which is the healthy, protective cholesterol, then the low-density lipoprotein (LDL) number might get overlooked. Unfortunately, not all HDL is equally protective and some people with a normal HDL are at high risk. In those patients, there might be a false sense of assurance that cholesterol really isn't a problem. But LDL and non-HDL readings are the ones to really watch. Patients seeing their doctors for blood pressure treatment should ask about their LDL and non-HDL levels and make sure both are under control at the same time."

Co-authors are: Jiexiang Li, Ph.D.; Suparna Qanungo, Ph.D.; and Tamara Wolfman, M.D.?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the state of South Carolina and the National Institutes of Health partly funded the study.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/health_medicine/heart_disease/~3/KgJ56o62cYU/130701163847.htm

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Fun, food and fireworks (Rochester Democrat and Chronicle)

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Key events in Egypt's revolution and transition

Opponents of Egypt's Islamist President Mohammed Morsi protest outside the presidential palace in Cairo, Egypt, Sunday, June 30, 2013. Hundreds of thousands of opponents of Egypt's Islamist president poured out onto the streets in Cairo and across much of the nation Sunday, launching an all-out push to force Mohammed Morsi from office on the one-year anniversary of his inauguration. Fears of violence were high, with Morsi's Islamist supporters vowing to defend him. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)

Opponents of Egypt's Islamist President Mohammed Morsi protest outside the presidential palace in Cairo, Egypt, Sunday, June 30, 2013. Hundreds of thousands of opponents of Egypt's Islamist president poured out onto the streets in Cairo and across much of the nation Sunday, launching an all-out push to force Mohammed Morsi from office on the one-year anniversary of his inauguration. Fears of violence were high, with Morsi's Islamist supporters vowing to defend him. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)

CAIRO (AP) ? Hundreds of thousands of Egyptian marched in the streets Sunday demanding the removal of President Mohammed Morsi on the anniversary of his inauguration, with his Islamist backers vowing to defend him.

Here are some key events from more than two years of turmoil and transition.

Jan. 25-Feb. 11, 2011 ? Egyptians stage nationwide demonstrations against the rule of autocrat Hosni Mubarak, who led the country for nearly three decades. The 18-day "revolution," launched by secular and leftist youth, draws in a wide spectrum, including the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamists. Hundreds of protesters are killed as Mubarak and his allies try to crush the uprising.

Feb. 11 ? Mubarak steps down and turns power over to the military. Two days later, the body of top generals, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, dissolves parliament and suspends the constitution, meeting two key demands of protesters.

March 19 ? In the first post-Mubarak vote, Egyptians cast ballots on constitutional amendments sponsored by the military setting the framework for the transition to democracy, including scheduling the first parliamentary and presidential elections. Islamists back the amendments, eager to hold elections they are poised to dominate. Many revolutionaries push for a "no" vote, arguing a constitution should be written first. The measures are overwhelmingly approved.

Oct. 9 ? Military troops crush a protest by Christians in Cairo over a church attack, killing more than 25 protesters. The rally as among many during the military's nearly 17-month rule, with protesters often calling for the removal of the generals and clashes frequently erupting that killed dozens

Nov. 28, 2011-Feb 15, 2012 ? Egypt holds multistage, weekslong parliamentary elections, with Islamists scoring big. In the lawmaking lower house, the Muslim Brotherhood wins nearly half the seats, and ultraconservative Salafis take another quarter. The remainder goes to liberal, leftist, independent and secular politicians. In the largely powerless upper house, few voters bother to cast ballots, and Islamists take nearly 90 percent of the seats.

May 23-24, 2012 ? The first round of voting in presidential elections, with a field of 13 candidates. Morsi and Ahmed Shafiq, the last prime minister under Mubarak, emerge as winners to face each other in a runoff.

June 14 ? The Supreme Constitutional Court orders the dissolving of the Islamist-dominated lower house of parliament on grounds that a third of its members were elected illegally. The military swiftly closes down parliament.

June 16-17 ? Egyptians vote in the presidential runoff between Morsi and Shafiq. The generals issue a "constitutional declaration" giving themselves sweeping authorities and limiting the powers of the next president. Morsi emerges as the victor, with 51.7 percent of the vote.

June 30 ? Morsi takes his formal oath of office before the Supreme Constitutional Court, a day after reading a symbolic oath in Cairo's Tahrir Square, birthplace of the revolution.

Aug. 12 ? In a bold move, Morsi orders the retirement of the top Mubarak-era leadership of the military and cancels the military's last constitutional decree, taking back the powers that the generals gave themselves. The move was seen as way to curb the military's role in political affairs but it also gave Morsi the power to legislate in the absence of parliament.

Nov. 19 ? Members of liberal parties and representatives of Egypt's churches withdraw from the 100-member assembly writing the constitution, created by parliament before it was dissolved. They say they are protesting attempts by Islamists who dominate the panel to impose their will on the draft.

Nov. 22 ? Morsi unilaterally decrees greater authorities for himself, giving his decisions immunity from judicial review and barring the courts from dissolving the constituent assembly and the upper house of parliament. The move came just ahead of court decisions that could have dissolved the bodies. The move sparks days of protests, with clashes between Morsi's supporters and opponents. At one point, some 200,000 people rally in Tahrir Square, with some of the first chants for Morsi to "leave."

Nov. 30 ? In a marathon, all-night session, Islamists on the constituent assembly rush to complete the draft of the constitution, with non-Islamists almost completely boycotting the gathering. Morsi sets a Dec. 15 date for a referendum, further fueling protests.

Dec. 2 ? Islamists protest outside the Supreme Constitutional Court, blocking judges from entering to rule on the legality of the constituent assembly.

Dec. 4 ? More than 100,000 protesters march on the presidential palace, demanding the cancellation of the referendum and the writing of a new constitution. The next day, Islamists attack a peaceful anti-Morsi sit-in outside the palace, sparking all-out street battles that leave at least 10 dead. Days later, Morsi rescinds his initial decrees, but maintains the date of the referendum.

Dec. 15, Dec. 22 ? In the two-round referendum, Egyptians approve the constitution, with 63.8 percent voting in favor. Turnout, however, is low with only 32.9 percent of voters participating.

Dec. 29 ? The Egyptian Central Bank announces that foreign reserves ? drained to $15 billion from $36 billion in 2010 ? have fallen to a "critical minimum" and starts new measures to stop a sharp slide in the value of the Egyptian pound. The pound's decline slows but doesn't stop, and now stands at just over 7 to the dollar, compared to as strong as 5.5 to the dollar in 2010.

Jan. 25, 2013 ? Hundreds of thousands hold protests in Tahrir Square and nationwide against Morsi on the 2-year anniversary of the start of the revolt against Mubarak, and clashes erupt in many places. The following day, residents of the city of Port Said stage protests, angered by a court ruling convicting and sentencing to death a group of local soccer fans for a 2012 stadium riot. Police crack down hard in Port Said, killing more than 40 protesters, and in outrage the city and others nearby go into near revolt. Much of the anger is focused at Morsi, who praised the police for their crackdown.

Feb. 22 ? Morsi schedules elections for a new lower house of parliament, to begin in April. But the election is postponed after a court rules that the upper house ? which is carrying out legislative duties until a lower house is created ? improperly approved the law governing the election. It remains unknown when elections will be held.

Feb.-March 2013 ? Protests continue in Port Said and other cities for weeks, with dozens more dying in clashes, and some police units around the country go on strike. Brotherhood youth and their opponents fight in the streets outside the group's main Cairo headquarters.

April 7 ? A Muslim mob attacks the main cathedral of the Coptic Orthodox Church when Christians hold a funeral and protest there over four Christians killed in sectarian violence outside of Cairo the day before. One person is killed in clashes at the cathedral, and Pope Tawadros II publicly blames Morsi for failing to protect the building, thought the president condemns the attack.

May 7 ? Morsi reshuffles the Cabinet, bringing in more ministers from the Muslim Brotherhood to total 11 members of the 36-member government. Officials say the changes aim to finalize long-stalled negotiations with the International Monetary Fund for crucial $4.8 billion loan, which requires sensitive reductions to fuel and food subsidies that take up a large chunk of the budget. A deal has still not been reached.

June 23 ? A mob beats to death four Egyptian Shiites in their home in a village on the edge of Cairo. Morsi condemns the attack, but critics blame virulent anti-Shiite rhetoric by his hard-line Islamist allies, fueled by Syria's civil war. A week earlier, Morsi shared a stage with hard-line clerics at a rally, sitting silently as they denounced Shiites as "filthy."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-06-30-ML-Egypt-Timeline/id-8065fd44942a4187a5a4a256696068ef

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Zynga CEO steps down, Microsoft exec to take post

This undated photo provided by GlobeNewswire shows Zynga's new CEO Don Mattrick, right, with Zynga's founding CEO Mark Pincus. Zynga's CEO, Mark Pincus, is stepping down to be replaced by Don Mattrick, the head of Microsoft's Xbox business, Zynga announced Monday, July 1, 2013. (AP Photo/GlobeNewswire)

This undated photo provided by GlobeNewswire shows Zynga's new CEO Don Mattrick, right, with Zynga's founding CEO Mark Pincus. Zynga's CEO, Mark Pincus, is stepping down to be replaced by Don Mattrick, the head of Microsoft's Xbox business, Zynga announced Monday, July 1, 2013. (AP Photo/GlobeNewswire)

NEW YORK (AP) ? He's not heading out to pasture, but the CEO of "FarmVille" maker Zynga Inc. is stepping aside as the troubled online game company looks to revive itself and lift its stalled stock price.

Mark Pincus will be replaced on Monday, July 8, by Don Mattrick, who was most recently head of Microsoft's Xbox division. Zynga said Monday that Pincus, who founded Zynga Inc. and named it after his American bulldog in 2007, will stay on as chairman and chief product officer.

Mattrick, 49, had served as the president of Microsoft's entertainment business, which includes the Xbox, since 2010. He had been with Microsoft for six years, helping to launch the Kinect motion controller. He also helped grow the Xbox Live online service from 6 million members to 48 million in roughly six years.

"Zynga is a great business that has yet to realize its full potential. I'm really proud to partner with a product focused founder like Mark and work with the executive team to grow the DNA of the company and lead this transition," Mattrick wrote in an email to Zynga staff that was posted on the company's website.

In a note to Zynga employees, Pincus said he's always told the company's board "that if I could find someone who could do a better job as our CEO I'd do all I could to recruit and bring that person in. I'm confident that Don is that leader."

Mattrick faces a difficult task. Zynga's stock is down almost 70 percent since the company's 2011 initial public offering at $10 per share. Its games have waned in popularity and in June, the company announced that it was cutting 520 jobs, or about 18 percent of its workforce to save money. It shuttered OMGPop, a mobile game company it paid $183 million to acquire last year. OMGPop made a mobile game called "Draw Something." It was popular for a brief period in early 2012, and then it tanked.

Zynga's own games have also fallen out of favor, too. "FarmVille" became a household name in 2009 as millions of Facebook users spent hours clicking on virtual cows and crops ? and spent real money to get ahead in the game. Other "ville" games followed, with varying degrees of success, but Zynga has since been unseated as the maker of the No. 1 Facebook game by King.com, the company behind "Candy Crush Saga."

Besides rival Facebook diversions, Zynga also faces stiff competition from games played on mobile devices. Zynga has mobile games such as "Words With Friends" and various offshoots of the Scrabble-like game. But its mobile offerings haven't been enough to keep the company growing. In the first three months of this year, Zynga reported an 18 percent revenue decline to $263.6 million, from $321 million.

And the number of people who play Zynga games at least once a month fell 13 percent to 253 million, from 292 million a year earlier. The number of daily players dropped 21 percent to 52 million, from 65 million.

Pincus believes his successor is up to the job. In a statement, he praised Mattrick as "one of the top executives in the overall entertainment business."

"He turned Xbox into the world's largest console-gaming network, growing its installed base from 10 (million) to 80 million and transformed that business from deep losses to substantial profits. And he has grown the Xbox Live player network from 6 (million) to 50 million active members in 41 countries," Pincus said.

Before Microsoft, Mattrick was president of worldwide studios at Electronic Arts Inc. He joined EA after it bought Distinctive Software, the company he created at age 17.

Microsoft did not name a replacement for Mattrick, whose departure comes as the company prepares to launch a new gaming console, the Xbox One, later this year. In an email to staff, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer called Mattrick's move a "great opportunity for Don." The executives who'd been reporting to Mattrick will now report to Ballmer he added, "and will continue to drive the day-to-day business as a team, particularly focused on shipping Xbox One this holiday (season)."

Zynga, along with online deals site Groupon Inc., was among the crop of promising Internet companies that went public in 2011 and 2012. The stocks of some of those companies, including Facebook, have so far disappointed investors.

Zynga's CEO switch comes five months after Groupon fired its co-founder and CEO, Andrew Mason. Unlike Mason, however, Pincus will stay involved with Zynga, reporting to its board of directors together with Mattrick in a newly formed executive committee.

San Francisco-based Zynga's stock jumped during Monday's session as rumors of Mattrick's appointment spread. The company's stock jumped 29 cents, or 10.4 percent, to close at $3.07. The stock added 16 cents in after-hours trading to hit $3.23.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/495d344a0d10421e9baa8ee77029cfbd/Article_2013-07-01-US-TEC-Zynga-CEO/id-a30ab4537ac54ec7ab17362147a151cd

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Williams loses to Lisicki in Wimbledon stunner

Sabine Lisicki of Germany celebrates after beating Serena Williams of the United States in a Women's singles match at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships in Wimbledon, London, Monday, July 1, 2013. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

Sabine Lisicki of Germany celebrates after beating Serena Williams of the United States in a Women's singles match at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships in Wimbledon, London, Monday, July 1, 2013. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

Serena Williams of the United States reacts during her Women's singles match against Sabine Lisicki of Germany at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships in Wimbledon, London, Monday, July 1, 2013. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

Embargada por la emoci?n, Sabine Lisicki llora en el c?sped de Wimbledon tras eliminar a Serena Williams en la cuarta ronda el 1ro de julio del 2013. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

Sabine Lisicki of Germany bows to the crowd after beating Serena Williams of the United States in a Women's singles match at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships in Wimbledon, London, Monday, July 1, 2013. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

Serena Williams of the United States reacts during her match against Sabine Lisicki of Germany in a Women's singles at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships in Wimbledon, London, Monday, July 1, 2013. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

LONDON (AP) ? Serena Williams joined a growing list of marquee names eliminated early at this wild and unpredictable Wimbledon.

The defending champion and five-time Wimbledon winner failed to close out a see-saw third set Monday, dropping the last four games to Sabine Lisicki of Germany and losing 6-2, 1-6, 6-4 in the fourth round. The result ended Williams' career-best 34-match winning streak.

It was the latest in a string of improbable exits to jolt the tournament, with defending champion Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal knocked out in the first three days along with Maria Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka.

"I probably couldn't be more disappointed," Williams said. "I think I may have backed off of a success. I was playing something successful. I didn't continue that path. The result didn't go the way it could have gone had I continued to play the way I did in the second set."

Of the two big favorites still in the tournament, second-seeded Andy Murray stayed on course for a second straight final by beating 20th-seeded Mikhail Youzhny of Russia 6-4, 7-6 (5), 6-1, while top-ranked Novak Djokovic played Tommy Haas later.

After dropping the first set, Williams looked to be cruising, winning nine straight games to take a 3-0 lead in the third. The players then traded breaks to give Williams a 4-2 lead, but the American couldn't win another game despite having four break points at 4-3.

Those would have given her a chance to serve for the match. Instead, Lisicki held, broke again, and converted her second match point with a forehand winner.

"I'm still shaking," Lisicki said in a post-match interview, covering her face with her hands to wipe away tears. "I'm just so happy."

Williams said her serve ? usually her main weapon ? let her down in the third set.

"I felt that I was on the verge of winning," she said. "At that point I just was physically unable to hold serve. ... You have to be ready and willing to hold your serve. I wasn't willing or able, probably didn't even want to hold my serve today."

Lisicki reached the semifinals at the All England Club in 2011 but this will rank as her biggest victory at the grass-court Grand Slam. She has now eliminated the reigning French Open champion the last four times she played Wimbledon, having missed the tournament in 2010. She ousted Sharapova in the fourth round last year.

Murray, facing the ever-increasing pressure to become the first British man since 1936 to win Wimbledon, was in trouble in the second set. He trailed 5-2 against Youzhny, a 2012 Wimbledon quarterfinalist, but broke back when the Russian served for the set at 5-4. Then, down 5-3 in the tiebreaker, Murray took the set's last four points. He broke immediately in the third, and cruised from there to set up a meeting with Fernando Verdasco of Spain.

Murray is the only British player left in the tournament, after 19-year-old Laura Robson lost. She couldn't recover from her missed chances in the first set and fell 7-6 (5), 7-5 to Kaia Kanepi of Estonia, failing to become the first British woman in the quarters of any Grand Slam since 1984.

Robson, the first British woman to reach the second week at Wimbledon since 1998, served for the first set at 5-4 but was broken, then led 5-2 in the tiebreaker. She double-faulted at 5-4, with neither serve coming close to going in ? the first one went about 5 feet long and the second bounced into the net.

"I had my chances here and there and I just didn't take them," Robson said. "At that point, I was just trying to will myself to play unbelievable tennis when just making a serve would have been fine. But, as cliche as it sounds, it's all part of the learning experience. The more I get myself into those kinds of situations, the more I'm going to benefit."

Instead of a big headline Williams vs. Robson matchup, Kanepi will now face Lisicki in the quarterfinals.

Former champion Petra Kvitova, last year's runner-up Agnieszka Radwanska and No. 4 David Ferrer all avoided upsets to advance, as did sixth-seeded Li Na of China.

Juan Martin del Potro, playing with his left knee heavily taped after a scary fall in the previous round, beat Andreas Seppi 6-4, 7-6 (2), 6-3. He said his knee was "really painful" but that he hopes it will be better by the time he plays fourth-seeded David Ferrer on Wednesday.

Ferrer overcame another slow start to beat Ivan Dodig of Croatia 6-7 (3), 7-6 (6), 6-1, 6-1. Having trailed twice in the previous round before winning in five sets, Ferrer struggled initially to create opportunities on Dodig's serve and was two points from going two sets down against the Croat. But he dominated the final two sets, breaking Dodig five times and clinching the match with a forehand winner.

Despite Williams' loss, there's still an American woman in the quarters after Sloane Stephens beat 19-year-old Monica Puig of Puerto Rico 4-6, 7-5, 6-1.

On a busy day at Wimbledon with every round-of-16 match to be played, Kvitova was the first to reach the last eight, beating Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain 7-6 (5), 6-3. She will play Kirsten Flipkens of Belgium, who reached her first career Grand Slam quarterfinal by ousting Flavia Pennetta of Italy 7-6 (2), 6-3 ? a year after her ranking plummeted to 262nd because of injuries.

Poland will send two men into the quarterfinals for the first time after 24th-seeded Jerzy Janowicz and 130th-ranked Lukasz Kubot each won five-set matches.

The big-serving Janowicz outlasted Jurgen Melzer 3-6, 7-6 (1), 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, while Kubot defeated Adrian Mannarino 4-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. They'll play each other Wednesday with the winner becoming the country's first Grand Slam semifinalist.

In other results, Verdasco beat Frenchman Kenny De Schepper 6-4, 6-4, 6-4, and 15th-seeded Marion Bartoli ousted Karin Knapp of Italy 6-2, 6-3. Radwanska rallied to beat Tsvetana Pironkova of Bulgaria 4-6, 6-3, 6-3.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-07-01-Wimbledon/id-0384d8206c9e43e29a77dbc05dabe463

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China Foreign Debt Approaches $1 Trillion

China debt on the rise and likely to hit $1 trillion or more by year's end.

The amount of debt China owes foreign lenders ? to those who are inclined to believe what the government says ? is approaching the $1 trillion market. ?It will be there, if it is not already, before the end of the year.

As of March, it hit $764 billion, up from $736 billion in February, the State Administration of Foreign Exchange said on its website on Friday.

Outstanding short-term foreign debt, due within one year, rose to $565.68 billion from $540.93 billion at the end of last year.

The country has over $3 trillion in cash reserves. More than enough to service its borrowing or wipe it out entirely and still have a few trillion left over for a rainy day.

China is not a large overseas borrower, but is seen increasing its use of foreign capital markets in the years ahead as the economy matures. ?By comparison, the U.S. total debt obligations are over $17 trillion. It is unclear exactly what are China?s overall debt obligations.

Investors have bee mildly concerned over China?s debt levels, from federal to municipal to corporate debt. ?This year, for the first time ever, a Chinese solar company defaulted on a $531 million debt. ?Suntech Power is now in bankruptcy protection.

Over the last week, China investors got another scare with the People?s Bank of China, their central bank, said it would not be helping out small to mid-sized lenders who took on too much credit risk. ?The market panicked. Stocks fell. And then the Bank said that it would indeed help with liquidity where needed, and has even offered banks some cash protection over the last forty eight hours, according to published reports quoting Central Banker?Zhou Xiaochuan.

On Saturday, the Chinese Banking Regulatory Commission smoothed over the liquidity crunch concerns when it added its voice to the chorus and said that there was adequate reserves set aside at banks to cover problems with non-performing loans.

Commission chairman Shang Fulin said the recent liquidity crisis ? which sent money market rates soaring to 11% in a country used to rates around 3% ? would not affect the stable operation of Chinese banks. He acknowledged that some banks needed to improve their liquidity and risk management and promised to strengthen regulation for wealth management products and commercial banks. He urged banks to improve transparency of the wealth management products being offered, which suggests an ongoing concern in the capital city with municipal level shadow banking and investment that invests pension fund money into government pet projects and assets that have zero return.

All is clearly not well in China banking. ?But many close China watchers at banks like Barclays Capital believe the country can weather this. ?They have faith in China regulators and Beijing leaders to keep financial problems under control.

Huang Yiping, chief economist for Barclays in China, described the economic policy framework of Premier Li Keqiang as ?no stimulus, de-leveraging?and structural reform?. These are key components of what Huang calls ?Li-Economics?.

?We think Li-Economics?is exactly what China needs to put its economy on a sustainable path, which we estimate is around 6 to 8 percent annual growth for the next 10 years,? Huang said during the Global Think Tank Summit in Beijing this week.

China has resisted calls for more stimulus. ?The markets have been betting on it and never got it. ?It?s been one of the reason why Chinese equities have been such a bore all year.

The iShares FTSE China (FXI) exchange traded fund is down 19.6% year to date, the second worse performing BRIC market after Brazil. The iShares MSCI Brazil (EWZ) is the worst, down 21.58% YTD. ?All of the BRICs are underperforming the MSCI Emerging Markets Index so far this year.

Source: http://www.forbes.com/sites/kenrapoza/2013/06/29/china-foreign-debt-approaches-1-trillion/

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From ethnic slaughter to stability in two decades: Former war zone Croatia joins EU

Antonio Bronic / Reuters, file

A combination picture shows the old town of Mali Ston, Croatia, in 1991 and the same area, rebuilt, in 2012. The city of Dubrovnik was severely damaged due to shelling by Serb-dominated Yugoslav troops during Croatia's 1991-95 war of independence.

By Alastair Jamieson, Staff writer, NBC News

Only 18 years after a peace deal ended violence that left the former Yugoslavia bloodsoaked and?gave birth to the term "ethnic cleansing," Croatia is to join the European Union at midnight on Sunday.

It is a major milestone for Balkan countries trying to close the door on decades of Communist rule and the horrors of civil wars that?tore apart communities along ethnic and religious lines.

But while European leaders trumpet the latest expansion of the economic bloc, celebrations may be muted in austerity-weary Croatia.

With its thousands of miles of glistening Adriatic coastline, modern highways and sidewalk cafes, Croatia looks as prosperous as its new cousins in western Europe.

That masks an economy crippled by soaring national debt, an unemployment rate of 18.1 percent and an economy heavily dependent upon tourism.

?I fear that we will become another Greece, another Cyprus,? said Vesna Mitrovic, who runs a vacation apartment near Dubrovnik ? the historic city that became trapped in a six-month siege in 1991 and is now home to the Museum of Croatia?s War of Independence.

?I signed the petition against EU membership," she said. "I think we will become a small fish in a big pond.?

However Igor Nicolic, 84, of Sibenik, a town north of Split, said he was pleased to see his country join the EU.

Yves Herman / Reuters

A miniature reproduction of Saint Mark's Church of Zagreb is inaugurated at Mini-Europe park in Brussels, Belgium, on Monday. Croatia, which applied for European Union membership in 2003, is set to become the bloc's 28th member.

?I have seen World War II, the Iron Curtain and the breakup of Yugoslavia,? he said. ?We always thought of ourselves as part of central Europe, so it is really good that we can now join the union. I think it will help with the corruption here and in the long run it will benefit all of us economically.?

He appears to be in the minority. In a poll this month by Ipsos Puls, only 7 percent of Croatians said they would be watching a fireworks display marking Monday?s occasion,?Reuters reported. Forty-two percent said such a ceremony was unnecessary.

Croatia is not the first country to join the EU from behind the ?Iron Curtain,? the Cold War divide that separated the West from the Communist countries of the Soviet Bloc. Poland and Hungary, for example, joined in 2004.

Nor is Croatia the first part of the?Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia?to join: Slovenia, whose 1991 struggle for independence lasted a few weeks and claimed only 70 lives, was admitted in 2004.

However,?Croatia is the first EU member among the protagonists in the post-1991 Balkan civil wars?that also included Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo and Montenegro. By the time fighting ended in Kosovo in 1999,?140,000 lives were lost and more than a million people were displaced.?

Serbia could join the EU next year, it was announced Tuesday, with Montenegro next in line - once monitoring teams approve efforts to eradicate corruption and weak public governance. Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo have yet to be formally adopted as candidates.

As well as passing economic tests to join the EU, these western Balkan countries were required to comply with efforts by the International Criminal Court in The Hague to bring war criminals on all sides to justice.

Croatia?s first post-independence ruler, autocratic nationalist?President Franjo Tudjman, was facing investigation over his possible role in war crimes when he died in 1999. In 2005, Croatia took a significant step, handing over suspected war criminal Ante Gotovina ??although he was cleared at the The Hague seven years later.

Antonio Bronic / Reuters

Fisherman Danilo Latin fears Croatia's accession to the European Union on July 1, and strict new laws and regulations that come with it, may drive the last nail into his industry's coffin.

?Croatia?s membership is part of the political agenda to normalize the Balkan countries,? said Professor Iain Begg, research fellow at the European Institute of the London School of Economics.

Former U.S. Ambassador to Bosnia-Herzegovina Richard Kauzlarich called Croatia?s entrance into the EU a ?positive step? for both the country and the region as a whole.??

?I can remember the bad old days,? he said. ?Croatia experienced a great deal of loss during the war, but the West, the U.S., the EU supported Croatia?s evolution and did everything we could to encourage the kind of leadership that would be necessary to undertake the EU process.?

Now a fellow at the Brookings public policy organization, Kauzlarich said that the country had resolved a lot of issues in order to join.

?I think if there is ? a negative element out there it is that Croatia still has a significant corruption problem and they?re not going to be able to drop that because they?ve achieved this very important objective,? he added.

Croatia?s size means its accession will make more of a difference at home than across the rest of the EU. It is slightly smaller than West Virginia, and its 4.4 million citizens will represent less than one percent of the EU total.

Membership means it will qualify for Europe?s generous regional assistance programs ? equivalent to federal aid in the United States ? in which public money is spent on infrastructure projects that reduce the inequalities compared to wealthier members.

In March, the European Investment Bank?approved a $150 million loan for the expansion of the Zagreb Airport, a key link with the rest of Europe. Cultural funds will also help protect Croatia?s heritage in places like Dubrovnik.?

Not all EU citizens are happy. Germany?s Bild magazine labelled Croatia "the new graveyard for our taxpayers' money,? a reference to the Berlin-led economic bailouts necessary to prevent the total collapse of other southern European nations including Greece, Spain and Portugal.

ARCHIVAL VIDEO: TODAY's Matt Lauer profiles Croatia's past in this video which originally aired on Nov. 11, 2005.

Instead of riding high on Monday?s accession, Croatia?s Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic was forced to address those concerns, saying his country ?is not a rose garden but it is not a Greece, either.?

"My message to German taxpayers: We will cost you nothing," Milanovic said.

However, there are fears of a brain drain because EU membership also means fewer barriers to cross-border migration. A Facebook group, "Young people, let's leave Croatia" has attracted almost 60,000 likes.

"I'm happy we'll be able to seek jobs abroad and make more money," Zagreb computer science student Marko Jakic told Reuters. "But I'm also sad we can't do that in Croatia because our economy is bad and there are no jobs, even for us."

NBC News' Henry Austin and Reuters contributed to this report.

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This story was originally published on Fri Jun 28, 2013 10:12 AM EDT

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