Burkina Faso Hotel Seizure Is Over As 4 Jihadis, 28 Others Dead

                                    AP Photo

The Al-Qaida fighters who stormed a popular hangout in Burkina Faso's capital at dinnertime came with a mission to kill as many people as possible, firing at people as they moved to a nearby hotel and setting the cafe ablaze, survivors and officials said Saturday. according to AP. 

As the gunfire stopped after more than 12-hour siege, at least 28 people had been slain in an unprecedented attack on this West African country. 

The victims had been grabbing a cold drink outside or staying at one of the capital's few upscale hotels. 

In this city with a large aid worker presence, the attackers sought to shoot as many non-Muslims as possible, screaming Allahu akhbar as they entered, said AP.

An audio tape later released by the al-Qaida group claiming responsibility for the carnage was entitled: "A Message Signed with Blood and Body Parts."

Among the victims from 18 different countries were the wife and 5-year-old daughter of the Italian man who owns the Cappuccino Cafe, where at least 10 people died in a hail of gunfire and smoke after the attackers set the building ablaze before moving on to the Splendid Hotel nearby, reported by AP. 

Some survivors cowered for hours on the roof or hid in the restaurant's bathroom to stay alive. Two French and two Swiss citizens were confirmed among the dead late Saturday by the two countries' foreign ministries.

Authorities said the four known attackers - all killed by security forces - had come in a vehicle with plates from neighboring Niger. At least two of them were women and one was of African descent. Witnesses said they wore the turbans often worn in the sand-swept countryside of the Sahel, and some spoke in French with an Arabic accent, suggesting some may have come from further north in Africa, said AP.

"I heard the gunfire and I saw a light by my window and I thought it was fireworks at first," said Rachid Faouzi Ouedraogo, a 22-year-old accounting student who lives near the scene of the carnage. "I raced downstairs and once outside I saw people running through the street and four people firing on the people at Cappuccino."

Burkinabe forces backed by French soldiers based in neighboring Mali managed to help free at least 126 hostages though officials have said the true number of those held hostage may be higher. Dozens were wounded in the overnight siege, including many suffering gunshot wounds.

"We appeal to the people to be vigilant and brave because we must fight on," President Roch Marc Christian Kabore said on national radio Saturday.

"We know that the gunmen won't get out of the hotel alive," said one witness of the overnight siege, who gave only his first name, Gilbert. "Our country is not for jihadists or terrorists. They got it wrong."

With Associated Press

Nuclear War: Pyongyang want to surrender nuclear testing but with conditions

Kim Jong-un 

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea has said it will end its nuclear testing, if a peace treaty with Washington can be reached, and the US ends its joint-military exercises with South Korea.

Asked if the United States would consider a halt to joint exercises with South korea, US State Department spokesman John Kirby said it had alliance commitments to South Korea. The State Department had earlier reiterated its position that it remained open to dialogue with the DPRK, on condition that it takes meaningful actions toward denuclearisation and refraining from provocations.

El Chapo had erectile dysfunction while on the run

He's certainly serving hard time now.


Report shown, the captured Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman may have undergone surgery for erectile dysfunction during his six months on the lam, a Mexican newspaper reported.

“I saw the scars on his back, hips and reproductive system,” a source told Reforma.

The cartel boss had the testicular implant surgery last year at an undisclosed Tijuana hospital, the newspaper said. The implant improves blood circulation and helps cure impotence.

Guzman likely had the operation after meeting up with Mexican telenovela star Kate Del Castillo — a rendezvous he set up in steamy text messages with the brunette actress.

"I will have everything ‘super’ so that you won't have to worry about any details, which would be make me feel bad. Have faith that you will be comfortable. I will take care of you more than my own eyes," he wrote to her in September.

“That's so moving that you say you'll take care of me — no one has ever told me they would care for me, thank you! I'm free next weekend!” she replied.

Del Castillo eventually introduced the wanted drug lord to actor Sean Penn, a clandestine meetup chronicled in a Rolling Stone article. The kingpin was allegedly planning a possible biopic about his life, while Penn said he agreed to the meeting — and the subsequent first-person article — to spark a conversation about drug policy reform.

Guzman was captured last week — a day before Penn's article was published and six months after he vanished from a maximum-security prison through a meticulously built tunnel under his cell.

The Mexican government has begun the lengthy process of extraditing Guzman to the U.S. to face trial. It’s unclear where Guzman would see justice once he arrives in the U.S., but prosecutors in Brooklyn said he could be brought to New York City.

Guzman’s powerful Sinaloa cartel smuggles multi-ton shipments of cocaine and marijuana, in addition to the production and transport of methamphetamines and heroin. The majority of the cartel’s product goes to the U.S. market.

National Assembly Wants Intervene On The ATM Abroad Challenges

The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives says the National Assembly will work to help resolve some of the challenges being faced by Nigerians abroad with their bank ATM cards.

Honourable Lasun Yussuf said this when he led a delegation to the Conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers of the Commonwealth in Malaysia.

While acting High Commissioner to Malaysia, anet Odeka, highlighted some of the efforts of the embassy, the Deputy Speaker said that he was aware of the challenges facing the staff of the consulate.

He also met with a section of the Malaysian chapter of Nigerians in diaspora where he promised that the legislature would keep an eye on the challenges being faced with bank ATM cards.

Honourable Yussuf appealed to the Nigerians in Malaysia to remain law abiding and forthright.

He also encouraged them to always give Nigeria a positive image, assuring them that all their demands would be considered.

With Channel News

Drama as Chelsea rescue a point against Everton

John Terry scored a controversial 98th minute equaliser to earn Chelsea a point in a thriller against Everton.

The Toffees took the lead when Terry put through his own net, and Ross Barkley hit a post for Everton before Kevin Mirallas put the visitors 2-0 up.

Diego Costa reduced the margin and Cesc Fabregas's deflected shot made it 2-2.

Ramiro Funes Mori restored Everton's lead in the 90th minute only for Terry to back-heel in from close range - although he was a yard offside.

Everton's players were angry Terry's goal was allowed to stand, but in a pulsating game the visitors only had themselves to blame for allowing a 2-0 lead to slip.

They appeared to be coasting to a first win in four league outings when Mirallas doubled the lead with a crisp shot after Leighton Baines' cross.

Baines had also been instrumental in the first goal, Terry getting his feet into an awful tangle while attempting to clear his cross.

Costa comfortably rounded Howard to make it 2-1 after Phil Jagielka failed to deal with a long ball forward by Fabregas, who made it 2-2 with a deflected shot which deceived Howard.

There are signs Costa could be returning to his best form. The Spain international has five goals in his last four league and cup outings, but is he facing a spell on the sidelines?

He was involved in a couple of minor rows with Everton players after Chelsea fell 2-0 behind but he launched his side's fightback after a determined run which ended in him beating Howard and rolling the ball home.

However, the Spaniard missed a great chance at 2-2 from six yards out and then limped off with a shin injury after a foul and went to hospital. Chelsea's interim boss Guus Hiddink will be hoping he will be back on his feet sooner rather than later.

Chelsea started the day six points above the relegation zone and with Hiddink warning that the threat of relegation was hanging over the club.

While Terry's dramatic late goal sparked jubilant scenes at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea will be just four points above the relegation places should Swansea win at home to Watford on Monday.

This was their fourth draw in five Premier League games since Hiddink returned to Stamford Bridge last month. The Blues are still without a home league win under the interim manager and have conceded five goals in the last two games.

Chelsea interim manager Guus Hiddink suggested he may have spoken to the referee, Mike Jones, and told him to play additional stoppage time after Everton went 3-2 up in the 90th minute: "There was seven minutes extra time... I said 'ref, OK they are celebrating at least one minute in the corner'.

"I took some risks [at 2-0 down] and it paid off in a spectacular way. The team is very resilient."

Everton manager Roberto Martinez: "It's a difficult game to analyse. When we were 2-0 up we would have liked to have controlled the game more.

"We deserved the three points."

In others game played this afternoon, Tottenham Hotspur beat Sunderland 4-1 at White Hart Lane, Bournemouth also defeated Norwich city 3-0 at the Vitality Stadium to move further above relegation in the EPL. 

Goals from Fabian Delph, David Silva and a brace from Sergio Aguero ensured that Manchester City thrashed Crystal Palace 4-0 at the Ethihad Stadium.

Elsewhere Steve Mclaren’s Newcastle United defeated West Ham 2-1 at Saint James’ Park while Southampton secured a convincing 3-nil victory over West Bromwich Albion.

Burkina troops retake hotel after Islamist attack kills dozens

Security forces in Burkina Faso retook a hotel in the capital on Saturday from al Qaeda fighters who seized it in an assault that killed two dozen people from at least 18 countries and marked a major escalation of Islamist militancy in West Africa.

Until Friday's attacks the landlocked nation, an ally of Western governments against jihadist groups in the arid reaches of the southern Sahara, had largely been spared the kinds of attacks that have plagued its neighbors.

The assault follows a similar raid in November on a luxury hotel in Mali's capital Bamako which killed 20 people, including citizens of Russia, China and the United States.

The Ouagadougou assault, claimed by al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), signaled an expansion of operations for Islamist militants who are forging new alliances and stepping up their activities, echoing the growth of Islamic State in the Middle East.

"The situation we're experiencing since yesterday in Burkina Faso is unprecedented," President Roch Marc Christian Kabore said when he visited the scene of the attack. "These are vile, cowardly acts and the victims are innocent people"

"We call upon the Burkinabe people to be vigilant and courageous because we must include terrorist acts as an integral part of our daily struggle," he continued.

Kabore said 23 people from 18 different nationalities were killed in the assault on the Splendid Hotel and a nearby casino popular with Westerners and French soldiers based in Burkina Faso. The authorities gave no further details of the victims.

Gabriel Mueller, an Austrian aid worker staying at a different hotel, described the early scenes around the Splendid as a "complete bloodbath".

"A slight sense of safety is spreading. We can see the snipers from France and the USA, who are getting into position,” he told Austria's Salzburger Nachrichten newspaper via text message.

French ambassador Gilles Thibault put the death toll at 27 and said on Twitter that around 150 hostages had been freed during an operation that received support from French and U.S. forces.

Burkinabe authorities said that around 33 people had been injured and that four assailants, including an "Arab" and two "black Africans", were killed.

Meanwhile, an Austrian doctor and his wife were kidnapped overnight in the north near the border with Mali, the security ministry said.

The kidnapping occurred in the Baraboule area, and it was not immediately clear whether it was linked to the hotel attack.

Christian Eriksen scored twice as Tottenham maintained their challenge for a top-four finish

Christian Eriksen scored twice as Tottenham maintained their challenge for a top-four finish and deepened Sunderland's relegation worries.

Patrick van Aanholt gave the Black Cats the lead against the run of play but Eriksen levelled as Lee Cattermole failed to clear on the goalline.

Mousa Dembele fired Spurs ahead before Eriksen's 25-yard shot deflected in off Sunderland debutant Jan Kirchhoff.

Harry Kane converted a penalty after Kirchhoff fouled Danny Rose.

Tottenham move a point behind third-placed Manchester City before Manuel Pellegrini's side play Crystal Palace, while Sunderland remain in the Premier League relegation places.

Although routine in the end, it was an important victory for Tottenham having lost two of their previous three home league games to fall away slightly from the leading trio of Arsenal, Leicester and Manchester City.

Mauricio Pochettino's side are now unbeaten in their past 12 league games against Sunderland, although in 11 of them they have been level at half-time.

It was difficult to fathom how that was the case on Saturday as they totally dominated the opening 45 minutes, enjoying 70% possession and 15 shots to the visitors' three.

Dutch left-back Van Aanholt, who netted against Swansea on Wednesday, beat Hugo Lloris at his near post from Adam Johnson's pass to give Sunderland an underserved lead.

Spurs were level within 91 seconds as Lee Cattermole could only deflect Eriksen's shot into the roof of the net on the goalline after Sunderland goalkeeper Jordan Pickford - making his Premier League debut - saved from Kane.

Dembele's low left-foot shot gave Spurs a 2-1 lead and they noticeably relaxed from that point, stretching away thanks to Eriksen's second and Kane's 12th league goal of the season.

Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino told BBC Sport: "It was a good response to the Leicester defeat. I’m very pleased. We need to be patient. 

"We had a lot of shots on target – their goalkeeper was fantastic. I feel very pleased in the last few games. The belief is fantastic. We have a very good, strong squad – today was a good example."

Sunderland boss Sam Allardyce was talking to BT Sport about Jan Kirchhoff's debut, which came when he brought him on as third centre-back just before the hour mark: “Our legs were running out and I wanted to make sure we had the energy to stay in the game. 

"John O’Shea and Wes Brown are in their late 30s so will feel the pace of the game. The extra defender was to tighten it up. 

“It’s coming in the Premier League for the first time. He’s found out how difficult it is. We had to get him on at some stage. You can’t judge a man on one swallow. He knows what the pace is like now. He’s contributed to the loss with the penalty. But we opened up too much – that was the problem."


With BBC Sports

University Chancellor Decries Discrimination Against NOUN Graduates

National Open University Of Nigeria Headquarters in Lagos

The Chancellor of the National Open University of Nigeria, His Royal Highness, Amb Lawrence Okolio, is asking government and the general public to stop discrimination against graduates from the National Open University (NOUN).


He also wants graduating students of the university to be allowed to participate in the National Youth Service Corps and those who read law to attend the Nigerian Law School.

According to him, graduates from the Nigerian online universities are not given equal treatment like their counterparts from other schools.

Some of the graduating students and their alumni confirmed that their degrees are often discriminated against in the labour market, but expressed hope that the trend will change in the nearest future.

The Vice Chancellor, Prof. Vincent Tenebe, in his remarks asked for more funding for the university from the federal government.

The National Open University is a recent innovation by the National Universities Commission (NUC) that allows students to study and work at the same time.

With Channel News

Akande Recommends Merger Of States To Address Workers’ Salaries Issue

In the wake of the current economic challenges and the inability of some state governors to meet their statutory obligation to the workers, a former Acting National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bisi Akande, has recommended merger of states as to address the issue.

Akande made the recommendation during an interactive session with journalists in his Ila country home as part of activities marking his 77th birthday anniversary.

The APC chieftain said since more than half of states in Nigeria are still owing workers’ salaries, a way out will be that they either cease to be states or merge with viable ones.

He reiterated his belief in fiscal federalism, where resources are shared according to derivation and states live within their means.

To the APC chieftain, Nigeria should not have more than 18 states to allow for every federating unit to be self-sustaining. ‎

On the Biafra agitation, he advised that secession should be pursued with negotiations not war.

Taiwan elects first female president Tsai Ing-wen

Pro-independence opposition leader Tsai wins after ruling KMT party candidate concedes defeat in historic elections.

Pro-independence candidate Tsai said she wanted to maintain the status quo with China [Olivia Harris/Reuters]

Pro-independence candidate Tsai Ing-wen has effectively won Taiwan's presidential elections after Eric Chu, the candidate and chairman of the ruling Kuomintang (KMT), conceded defeat.

Tsai of Taiwan's main opposition party was on course for a landslide election victory on Saturday, polls showed, as voters turn their backs on closer ties with China.

With more than half the votes counted, Tsai of the Beijing-wary Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) was ahead with 58.1 percent, according to a live count from polling stations by Taiwan's FTV.

Eric Chu was trailing in second on 32.5 percent. Veteran conservative candidate James Soong of the People First Party was third with 9.4 percent.

The China-friendly KMT had been ruling the island for eight years.

Parliamentary polls were also held, and if the DPP wins those too, Tsai will get an even stronger mandate. 

Tsai has walked a careful path on her China strategy, saying she wants to maintain the "status quo" with Beijing.

However, the DPP is traditionally a pro-independence party and opponents say Tsai will destabilise relations.

After decades of enmity, current KMT President Ma Ying-jeou has overseen a dramatic rapprochement with China since coming to power in 2008.

Although Taiwan is self-ruling after it split with China following a civil war in 1949, it has never formally declared independence, and Beijing still sees it as part of its territory awaiting reunification - by force if necessary.

The thaw culminated in a summit between Ma and Chinese President Xi Jinping in November.

Yet, despite more than 20 deals and a tourist boom, closer ties have exacerbated fears that China is eroding Taiwan's sovereignty by making it economically dependent.

In 2014, the government was forced to shelve a trade pact after student-led protesters occupied parliament.

Beijing has warned it will not deal with any leader who does not recognise the "one China" principle, part of a tacit agreement between Beijing and the KMT known as the "1992 Consensus". The DPP has never recognised the consensus.

With Aljazeera

Georgia doctor arrested after 36 patients die

A Georgia doctor has been arrested after 36 of his patients died, with at least 12 killed by overdose on prescription medication.

Psychiatrist Narendra Nagareddy was held at his office Thursday following a raid by DEA agents.

Nearly 40 federal and local agents raided the offices in Jonesboro, before they moved seized more assets at Nagareddy’s house.

“He’s a psychiatrist in Jonesboro who has been overprescribing opiates and benzodiazepine and the last several years has had a multitude of overdoses and overdose deaths,” Clayton County Police Chief Mike Register told WSB-TV Channel 2 News.

“People come to this person for help, and instead of getting help, they’re met with deadly consequences,” Register added.

“If the allegations are true, he is Dr. Death, no doubt about it.”

Nagareddy is accused of violating Georgia's Controlled Substance Act.

One patient of Nagareddy’s has been identified as Audrey Austin, a 29-year-old mother of two.

She died of a fatal prescription drug overdose just days after she visited Nagareddy.

“She was an addict and he made it very easy for her,” her mother Ruth Carr said.

Nagareddy’s license was issued in 1999 and complaints dating back several years have been found online referencing his prescription methods.

Aside from the criminal charges, the Clayton County District Attorney's Office has also filed a RICO civil action to seize Nagareddy's assets.

“He’s charged with prescribing pain medication which is outside his profession as a psychiatrist and not for a legitimate purpose for the patient,” said Clayton County District Attorney Tracy Graham Lawson. 



With Daily News

Ministry of Solid Minerals Development clarifies N795Million "Website Update' Budget Controversy.

A Statement released and signed by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Solid Minerals Development, Mr. M.F. Istifanus said, "the attention of the Ministry has been drawn to social media reports concerning an aspect of the proposed 2016 budget line item of the Ministry with the description Website Update”.

He said, "concerned Nigerians have taken to the social media to lament on the alleged ill-prepared 2016 national budget of the All Progressives Congress-led administration of President Muhammadu Buhari".
 
"Attention seems to have been shifted from the missing budget from the coffers of the senate as well as the duplication of the said budget with conflicting details. It has moved to the recent discovery that the Ministry of Solid Minerals under the leadership of the former governor of Ekiti state, Kayode Fayemi will be spending a whooping sum of N795, 234.275 million on the upgrade of the ministry’s official website".
 
"Social media influencer and journalist, Kayode Ogundamisi who is based in the United Kingdom took to Twitter to publicize the anomalies in the national budget and slammed the Federal Government for allocating such an amount to a trivial operation that may not cost up to N2 million in the hands of innovative Nigerian youths who are Information Technology experts".
 
"The issue of over allocation and wastage of government is not new to the political actors of this current administration. Former Governor of Lagos state, Babatunde Raji Fashola who is currently the Minister of Power, Works and Housing during his tenure in the commercial capital of Nigeria, built a personal website for N78m and also two boreholes for a sum of N139 million which all went unquestioned".
 
"The former Gov. Fayemi during his tenure in Ekiti also allegedly built a government house for N3.3 billion which is today not a tourist centre. Strong reports also had it that he purchased two beds in the edifice for N50 million".


"The Ministry has been inundated with requests from well-meaning Nigerians seeking clarifications on the N795,234,275.00 purportedly budgeted for the website update".
"In preparation for the 2016 budget, a clear gap highlighted in the work of the Ministry was the need to improve the IT infrastructure and adopt appropriate technology to automate the operations of the Ministry and its agencies".
He further said, "a number of activities were conceived by the Ministry to address these gaps. These include the acquisition of adequate ICT infrastructure to ensure all required data and business processes are efficiently, effectively and transparently handled. It also involves automation and management of the mining rights/titles with on-line application processing, status tracking and open section for verification of valid mining licenses".
"This is to be done through the deployment of an Enterprise Resource Planning Solution across the 10 agencies and 12 departments under the Ministry".
"These were submitted to the Budget Office, which summarized it as “WEBSITE UPDATE” which is only a tiny component of the project. This is an error of description. The budget line was intended to address the overall ICT infrastructure improvement in the Ministry and its agencies".

Burkina Faso attack: Operation to end siege under way

Over 20 people are killed and an unknown number of hostages taken in an attack on a restaurant and hotel in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso.

Security forces in the early hours of Saturday began an assault to reclaim the Splendid Hotel and entered its lobby, part of which was on fire, witnesses said.

At least 33 hostages, including a government minister, were freed from the besieged hotel, the country's communications minister told Reuters news agency, but other sources said at least 63 hostages have been rescued.

Diallo Ismael, a human rights activist, said that about 300 people could be inside the hotel popular with foreigners.

"The security forces are close to storming the building," Ismael told Al Jazeera from Ouagadougou.

The interior ministry said that fire brigade has found around 10 bodies on terrace of restaurant opposite the hotel.

French forces also arrived in Ouagadougou from neighbouring Mali to aid the effort, Associated Press news agency reported.

The director of the capital city's university hospital said they were treating 15 people, some with bullet wounds.

Earlier, Olympia de Maismont, a local reporter, told Al Jazeera that police confirmed that there were hostages in the Splendid Hotel, and she said the military had surrounded the building following reports of gunfire and explosions.

The attack, she added, happened around 8pm local time on Friday.

Reuters reported that gunmen stormed the hotel, burning cars outside and firing in the air to drive back crowds before security forces arrived, prompting an intense exchange of gunfire.

Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb claimed responsibility for the attack, SITE Intelligence Group, a monitoring organisation, reported.

Splendid Hotel, a four-star residence which is near the airport, is known to be popular with foreigners, including UN staff.

This is the first time gunmen have carried out an assault in the capital of Burkina Faso.

In November, gunmen stormed the Radisson Blu hotel in the Malian capital, Bamako, and took at least 170 people hostage. 

After a nine-hour standoff with Malian and UN soldiers, most of the hostages were released - but 19 were killed. Two attackers were also killed.

Burkina Faso elected Roch Marc Christian Kabore as its new president in a historic vote in November, becoming the West African country's first new leader in decades.

Kabore's win marked the end of a transitional period after the overthrow of the country's longtime ruler, Blaise Compaore, in 2014 and a failed coup attempt in September.

With Alja

How the bacteria in your gut may be shaping your waistline

A CALORIE is a calorie. Eat too many and spend too few, and you will become obese and sickly. This is the conventional wisdom. But increasingly, it looks too simplistic. All calories do not seem to be created equal, and the way the body processes the same calories may vary dramatically from one person to the next.

This is the intriguing suggestion from the latest research into metabolic syndrome, the nasty clique that includes high blood pressure, high blood sugar, unbalanced cholesterol and, of course, obesity. This uniquely modern scourge has swept across America, where obesity rates are notoriously high. But it is also doing damage from Mexico to South Africa and India, raising levels of disease and pushing up health costs.

Metabolic syndrome can still be blamed on eating too much and exercising too little. But it is crucial to understand why some foods are particularly harmful and why some people gain more weight than others. Thankfully, researchers are beginning to offer explanations in a series of recent papers.

One debate concerns the villainy of glucose, which is found in starches, and fructose, found in fruits, table sugar and, not surprisingly, high-fructose corn syrup. Diets with a high “glycaemic index”, raising glucose levels in the blood, seem to promote metabolic problems. David Ludwig of Boston Children’s Hospital has shown that those on a diet with a low glycaemic index experience metabolic changes that help them keep weight off, compared with those fed a low-fat diet. This challenges the notion that a calorie is a calorie. Others, however, blame fructose, which seems to promote obesity and insulin resistance. Now a study published in Nature Communications by Richard Johnson, of the University of Colorado, explains that glucose may do its harm, in part, through its conversion to fructose.

Dr Johnson and his colleagues administered a diet of water and glucose to three types of mice. One group acted as a control and two others lacked enzymes that help the body process fructose. The normal mice developed a fatty liver and became resistant to insulin. The others were protected. The body’s conversion of glucose to fructose, therefore, seems to help spur metabolic woes.

You are what you eat, maybe

Even more intriguing is the notion that the same diet may be treated differently by different people. Four recent papers explored this theme. In one, published in Science in July, Joseph Majzoub, also of Boston Children’s Hospital, deleted in mice a gene called Mrap2. Dr Majzoub and his colleagues showed that this helps to control appetite. Surprisingly, however, even when the mutant critters ate the same as normal mice, they still gained more weight. Why that is remains unclear, but it may be through Mrap2’s effect on another gene, called Mc4r, which is known to be involved in weight gain.

The second and third papers, published as a pair in Nature in August, looked at another way that different bodies metabolise the same diet. Both studies were overseen by Dusko Ehrlich of the National Institute of Agricultural Research in France. One examined bacteria in nearly 300 Danish participants and found those with more diverse microbiota in their gut showed fewer signs of metabolic syndrome, including obesity and insulin resistance. The other study put 49 overweight participants on a high-fibre diet. Those who began with fewer bacterial species saw an increase in bacterial diversity and an improvement in metabolic indicators. This was not the case for those who already had a diverse microbiome, even when fed the same diet.

Jeffrey Gordon, of Washington University in St Louis, says these two studies point to the importance of what he calls “job vacancies” in the microbiota of the obese. Fed the proper diet, a person with more vacancies may see the jobs filled by helpful bacteria. In the fourth paper, by Dr Gordon and recently published in Science, he explores this in mice. To control for the effects of genetics, Dr Gordon found four pairs of human twins, with one twin obese and the other lean. He collected their stool, then transferred the twins’ bacteria to sets of mice. Fed an identical diet, the mice with bacteria from an obese twin became obese, whereas mice with bacteria from a thin twin remained lean.

Dr Gordon then tested what would happen when mice with different bacteria were housed together—mouse droppings help to transfer bacteria. Bacteria from the lean mice made their way to the mice with the obese twin’s bacteria, preventing those mice from gaining weight and developing other metabolic abnormalities. But the phenomenon did not work in reverse, probably due to Dr Gordon’s theory on the microbiota’s job vacancies. Interestingly, the invasion did not occur, and obesity was not prevented, when the mice ate a diet high in fat and low in fruits and vegetables. The transfer of helpful bacteria therefore seems to depend on diet.

Dr Gordon hopes to be able to identify specific bacteria that might, eventually, be isolated and used as a treatment for obesity. For now, however, he and other researchers are exposing a complex interplay of factors.

One type of calorie may be metabolised differently than another. But the effect of a particular diet depends on a person’s genes and bacteria. And that person’s bacteria are determined in part by his diet. Metabolic syndrome, it seems, hinges on an intricate relationship between food, bacteria and genetics. Understand it, and researchers will illuminate one of modernity’s most common ailments.

With The Economists