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Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Donie's Ireland daily news BLOG update

Fianna Fáil move closer to Fine Gael  for talks on Irish Government

GREEN PARTY EXPECTED TO DROP OUT OF TALKS ON FORMATION OF NEXT GOVERNMENT

    

FIANNA FÁIL LEADER MICHEÁL MARTIN: DUE TO MEET THE GREEN PARTY, INDEPENDENT ALLIANCE AND A GROUP OF RURAL TDS.

Separate talks on government formation between Fine Gael and Fianna Fail and Independent TDs will continue on Wednesday amid signs of growing momentum towards contacts between the two big parties ahead of the Dáil’s resumption next week.
Acting Taoiseach Enda Kenny met with Independent TDs for over ten hours at Government Buildings on Tuesday , where both sides reported good progress was made towards a programme for government.
However, the Green Party leader Eamon Ryan is to seek the views of membership as to whether it should remain a part of talks on the formation of a government. The party looks set to drop out of any negotiations, which will be a blow to Fine Gael attempts to assemble support for Enda Kenny in the next vote for Taoiseach.
With the reality of Dáil arithmetic obvious to all participants, senior sources at Leinster House expect imminent contacts between Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil.
Mr Kenny offered an array of commitments to rural Independent TDs on Tuesday with a package which proposed increased investment in broadband and on the rural transport network. Fine Gael also insisted it would not move to close any small schools, post offices or Garda stations if in government and would protect the credit union sector. The talks also dealt with housing and mental health.
In addition, Fine Gael presented the Independents with a paper on how a minority Government would work in practice. The paper, promising “a new form of government”, outlined how legislation would be passed with a minority government, allowing different levels of responsibility from ministers and backbenchers. Fine Gael promised ‘good faith and no surprises’, pledging to keep all deputies informed of government policy development and announcements of interest to them.

Fianna Fáil bent on scraping water charges despite treat of legal advice

PUBLICATION OF IRISH WATER LEGAL ADVICE CRITICISED BY SINN FÉIN.

  

SINN FEIN MEP LYNN BOYLAN SAID THIS LEGAL OPINION IS LEAKED AT A TIME WHEN FINE GAEL AND FIANNA FAIL ARE BEING FORCED TO SPEAK TO ONE ANOTHER.

Fianna Fáil has insisted it will abolish water charges despite legal advice given to Irish Water warning there is no possibility under European law for the State to suspend or scrap the charges.
The party came under renewed pressure yesterday (Tues) to outline its position on the levies after details of the legal advice provided to Irish Water became public .
The party’s public expenditure spokesman Sean Fleming said Fianna Fail’s position had not changed.
He said: “We absolutely contest the legal advice being put forward by Irish Water.
“It is important to recognise that this legal advice was commissioned by Irish Water, and it should be examined with caution in light of this.
“It’s extraordinary to see Irish Water quoting EU rules as sacrosanct considering they failed to meet the key Eurostat market test last year.”
The legal advice commissioned by Ervia, the parent company of Irish Water, argues that there is no option under EU law to return to the practice of not charging for water. The advice was delivered after the recent general election.
It says the default position in the EU directive is that member states must recover the costs of water services. Water-pricing policies are intended to contribute to environmental objectives, it adds.
No reason for conclusion?
The position places a great deal of pressure on Fianna Fail, who has insisted it will abolish charges if in government. Mr Fleming said there is no reason to conclude this cannot be done by a future government.
He said: “In fact, we believe it is entirely possible for the next government to suspend water charges and invest in our water infrastructure.
“The Fianna Fáil position on water charges has not changed. We do not support the continued imposition of water charges on households.”
Sinn Féin MEP Lynn Boylan called on the company to publish the advice given to it by senior counsel Garrett Simons and Michael M Collins.
She insisted the advice did not tally with that of the European Commissionand claimed the information was being published to suit the political agenda of certain parties.
“It is very suspicious the timing of this leaked legal opinion because it falls nicely into the hands in terms of forming a government for Fianna Fail to get them off the hook and say ’it is nothing to do with us, it is the legal opinion’,” she said.
“I would be very suspicious of the timing of this leak. If Irish Water have nothing to hide then let us see the legal opinion.”
Ms Boylan claimed the legal opinion, details of which were published in yesterday’s Irish Times, was being leaked at a time when Fine Gael and Fianna Fail were being forced to speak to one another.
Anti-Austerity Alliance TD Paul Murphy said 70 per cent of the electorate had voted for parties in favour of abolishing water charges.
He said in response Irish Water had “engaged in a desperate rear-guard action to try to maintain itself”.
Mr Murphy said: “I don’t trust Fianna Fáil as far as I can thrown them. The only way to ensure abolition is to do two things. One is to step up the boycott and the second thing is we need a massive, united demonstration on the streets.”

Farmers carry crucifixes and makeshift coffin in protest outside Ulster Bank on farm & home eviction’s

     

MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC DURING A NEW LAND LEAGUE PROTEST TO HIGHLIGHT FINANCIAL PRESSURES ON IRISH PEOPLE

Dozens of farmers and members of the New Land League carried crucifixes and a makeshift coffin as they demonstrated outside the offices of a major bank and sub-prime lender this afternoon.
Carrying placards shaped like a coffin and black and white photographs of Irish nationalist and Land League founder Charles Stewart Parnell, they held a peaceful demonstration outside the Dublin headquarters of the Ulster Bank and the office of Carlisle Mortgages on Parnell Square.
Members of the public during a new Land League protest to highlight financial pressures Photo: Gareth Chaney Collins
Protest organiser and New Land League spokesman Jerry Beades said the protests were staged to highlight the ongoing plight of thousands of ordinary homeowners and farmers who now face repossession of their homes, eviction from their property  and/or insurmountable debts due to crippling interest rates charged by unregulated money lenders and sub prime lenders.
The stress and anxiety over losing their homes or being mired in debt with no recourse has already lead some farmers and others to take their own lives, Mr Beades said.
“There’s a man whose family are here today who is facing jail in a couple of weeks. He was in jail last year over the same bank. This was subprime lending at its worst. It was a scam the way people were lent money,” he said.
“They were lent at low interest rates to get them out of a particular debt problem and then the interest rate doubled and trebled. They borrowed €300,000 or €400,000 and now they owe €1.5m,” he said.
He said many borrowers were denied loans by the banks and turned to subprime lenders out of desperation, not aware that the interest rates could change, in some cases as high as 26pc.
“They were told that (a company) would do everything to get their credit rating back and they would get them back (dealing) to a mainstream bank in 12 months. But once you got involved with them, none of mainstream banks would touch you and people were caught in. But nobody knew what they were getting into,” he told Independent.ie.
Mr Beades said Ulster Bank was targeted yesterday because  it is selling allegedly selling off outstanding agricultural and other debts to hedge or “vulture” funds whose strict terms for repayment often results in property owners losing their homes and farms.
A spokeswoman for Ulster Bank declined comment on the protest, which ended without incident an hour after gardai were called.
Officials from Carlisle could not be reached for comment.

Oil prices fall, as demand fails to keep up with swelling global supply

   
Oil prices fell about 3% on Tuesday, reflecting growing concern that a two-month rally was fading as demand fails to keep up with swelling global supply, including new output from Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.
Remarks by U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen, which were seen as generally dovish for the interest rate outlook, sparked a brief rebound before prices slumped again.
Brent futures settled down $1.13 at $39.14 (U.S.) a barrel while U.S. crude settled $1.11 lower at $38.28 per barrel.
The decision by Kuwait and Saudi Arabia to resume oil production at the jointly operated 300,000-barrel-per-day Khafji field, at a time when production is supposed to be frozen, triggered the heavy selloff in oil markets, traders said.
“The capacity of that field in the Neutral Zone is more than what Ecuador produces. If they do freeze, it will not be at the January levels but at a lot higher figure,” one trader said, referring to the Kuwait-Saudi border area where Khafji is located.
Earlier, Yellen told the Economic Club of New York that the Fed should proceed “cautiously” as it looks to raise rates again because inflation has not yet proven durable against the backdrop of looming global risks to the U.S economy.
Hawkish comments from several Fed officials last week put investors on guard for the likelihood of two rate hikes this year, triggering a widespread correction in commodities and bolstering the dollar.
“The comments today suggest that it (next rate hike) may be more delayed and the dollar getting whacked is providing support to oil, although oil is still trending to the downside in the short term,” Energy Management Institute analyst Dominick Chirichella said.
The dollar index slipped to an eight-day low following Yellen’s comments, making greenback-denominated commodities cheaper for holders of other currencies.
Oil prices have risen more than 30 per cent since mid-February, ahead of an April 17 meeting in Doha where the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and other major suppliers including Russia will discuss an output freeze aimed at bolstering prices.
But with global inventories swelling and signs some OPEC members are losing market share, the meeting is unlikely to do much to prop up prices, analysts and traders said. Rising gasoline demand in the United States is not seen keeping pace with the increased worldwide supplies.
Oil prices sank further after a source familiar with Iranian thinking said Tehran would attend the meeting in Doha, but not necessarily take part in negotiations over production freezes.
Market watchers now believe the rebound in U.S. crude prices from 12-year lows touched in February was more the consequence of a major short covering rally and less to do with improving fundamentals.
The oil market is also bracing for American Petroleum Institute inventory data due at 1630 EDT (2030 GMT), which is expected to show that U.S. commercial crude stock piles have reached record highs for a seventh straight week, while refined product inventories likely fell.

A gene linked to blood pressure ‘helps regulate salt consumption’

   

A GENE LINKED TO BLOOD PRESSURE HELPS TO REGULATE THE CONSUMPTION OF SALT, RESEARCH HAS SHOWN.

Removing the gene from the brains of mice caused the animals to develop a strong appetite for salt. Offered the choice of water laced with salt, they drank three times more of it than unmodified mice.
Drinking salty water pushed up the blood pressure of mice missing the gene, scientists found. When the saltwater was removed, their blood pressure returned to normal.
Dr Matthew Bailey, from the University of Edinburgh, who led the research published in the journal Circulation, said: “In the UK we routinely eat much more salt than our bodies need. For most people this is bad for our heart, blood vessels and kidneys.
“Our study shows that we have a genetic drive to consume salty food. Understanding how this process works may help us reduce the amount of salt we eat and make it easier for people to follow low-salt diets.”
In humans, the salt-regulating gene is known to be linked to high blood pressure – but the way this mechanism is controlled is unclear.
The Edinburgh team now plans to investigate whether an affordable drug can help bring salt intake under control in heart failure patients.
Eating less salt is important for people with heart failure. The condition causes the body to hold on to extra salt and water, leading to fluid build-up in body tissues which imposes a greater load on the heart.
  • Rather than spreading jam, marmalade, syrup, treacle or honey on your toast, try a lower-fat spread, sliced banana or lower-fat cream cheese instead.
  • Check nutrition labels to help you pick the foods with less added sugar, or go for the lower-sugar version.
  • Try halving the sugar you use in your recipes – it works for most things except jam, meringues and ice cream.
  • Choose tins of fruit in juice rather than syrup.
  • Choose wholegrain breakfast cereals, but not those coated with sugar or honey.
  • Limit fruit juice to a small (150ml) glass a day from juice, smoothies or both. Remember to keep it to mealtimes, as it can cause tooth decay.

Mystery surrounds the whereabouts of Shakespeare’s “stolen” skull

BELIEVED TO HAVE BEEN STOLEN 200 YEARS AGO, RADAR HAS REVEALED AN “AN ODD DISTURBANCE AT THE HEAD END”

   
David Tennant plays the title role in Shakespeare’s ‘Hamlet’ in a 2009 production [Pixabay]
In what is being called “an odd disturbance at the head end,” it appears that the skull of William Shakespeare, arguably the most famous playwright in history, may well be missing from his place of rest – the strongest indication yet that someone might have made off with his head more than 200 years ago.
Rumours that the bard’s burial place was burglarised has long persisted, but the actual grave itself in the Holy Trinity Church in Stratford-upon-Avon, has never been opened for investigation – for two reasons: firstly, out of respect to England’s most well-known writer, and secondly, the grave is marked with a rhyming curse on his tombstone: “Good friend for Jesus sake forbeare, to dig the dust enclosed here. Blessed be the man that spares these stones, and cursed be he that moves my bones.”
The grave of William Shakespeare, along with the so-called curse, believed to have been penned by him, carved into the tombstone
Finally, in 2014, after centuries of speculation, a research team from Staffordshire University scanned Shakespeare’s grave using ground-penetrating radar, with the project leader Kevin Colls left scratching his head.
“We’re reasonably confident that there’s a good chance that William’s skull is no longer there,” Colls told the New York Times.
The only suspect in the case as it stands comes from a story written in 1879 called How Shakespeare’s skull was stolen, published in the pulp periodicalArgosy and pointing the finger at a certain “Warwickshire man” circa 1794.
The article alleges that Frank Chambers, a local doctor described as “a wild, rather dashing young fellow; not bad looking,” dug into Shakespeare’s grave, taking the skull from within. The Argosy piece implies Chambers never returned it, but offers very little on the mystery that now presents itself – if Shakespeare’s skull was indeed stolen, where is it now?
What has been confirmed is that a skull in a nearby village – long rumoured to be the bard’s – is most certainly not; research into its origins revealed that it belonged to a woman. But with the local Stratford church expressing no interest into exhuming Shakespeare’s remains, we may never know for sure the fate of his head.  

Tuesday, March 29, 2016

Donie's Ireland daily news BLOG

IBEC warns of threats to Irish economic growth

BREXIT POSSIBILITY CREATING COMPETITIVENESS RISK FOR IRISH EXPORTERS, SAYS LOBBY GROUP

    

BREXIT YES VOTE COULD SPARK DEVALUATION OF STERLING WHICH WOULD MEAN PRODUCTS FROM IRISH COMPANIES SELLING INTO THE UK WOULD EFFECTIVELY BE 30% MORE

Ibec the employers lobby group, expects economic growth of 4.6% this year and 3.9% for 2017. But it warned that uncertainty from the growing “economic headwinds” facing Ireland means the actual performance could deviate “substantially” from these numbers.
Its latest quarterly economic outlook warned that the possibility of a British exit from the European Union was creating a major competitiveness risk for Irish exporters into the UK. It also warned on the dangers of a global economic slowdown, spiralling wage growth at home and constraints due to Ireland’s acute housing shortage.
Ibec said a Brexit vote could spark a devaluation of sterling. That would mean products from Irish companies selling into the UK would effectively be 30 per cent more expensive following the June referendum than they were in January.
Different path
  Danny McCoy, the chief executive of Ibec, said that even if the UK votes to remain within the EU, it has set itself “on a different path” to the rest of Europe that could harm Irish economic prospects.
“Even if the UK stays, an ever-closer union is not for them. That’s massive [for Ireland]. Over time, it could lead to a significant drift away from the European core,” he said.
Ibec warned the UK would not be bound by state aid rules were it to leave the EU, potentially creating competition for Ireland for mobile foreign investment.
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On the upside, it said a Brexit could create opportunities for the Irish financial sector to capitalise by attracting UK-domiciled institutions that want an EU “home”.
Sean Kelly, leader of the Fine Gael delegation in the European Parliament, also warned yesterday of the dangers of a Brexit for Ireland, which he said would “severely damage” trade.
Ibec’s report predicts “continued increases in rental prices in and around the main cities” in Ireland due to the accommodation shortage.
“The current housing crisis is a supply side problem and is not likely to go away until enough houses are built to meet demand,” it said. However, it warned that building costs were still too high.
“There is a lazy assumption out there that just because house prices are rising, there will be huge investment in building,” said Mr McCoy. “But it isn’t like that. Investors in the sector have other places to put their money, such as into commercial property.”
Ibec is forecasting 2.1% employment growth, or an extra 40,000 jobs in the economy, with short-term unemployment almost down to pre-crisis levels. Wages will grow by about 2% this year.
The improvement in the labour market, meanwhile, should lead to a 4.1% increase in consumer spending in 2016, it said, although retail competition will keep price growth to a minimum.
Luas dispute
However, Ibec warned that the Luas dispute was an example of how wage demands are spiralling in some sectors and that the economy needs to focus on maintaining competitiveness.
“If wage growth stays within productivity growth, then you’ve no problem,” said Mr McCoy, “but there is no way of co-ordinating wages at a national level.”
He said that he was not calling for a return to a centralised system of collective bargaining over wages, as per the pre-crash social partnership deals, “but there does need to be some centralised forum for social dialogue on the elements that affect pay. We need an anchor for wage expectations.”
Ibec highlighted that there was a “ clear upward momentum in wage trends”, especially in certain sectors such as technology and in administration and support services.
It said that the still relatively high unemployment level of 8.8% was not acting as an effective brake on wage growth, as it normally would, because of the concentration of long-term unemployment in jobless figures.

Ireland’s brewers building a brighter future for their trade

  

RAY RYAN REPORTS THAT BREWERS IN IRELAND ARE BUILDING A BETTER FUTURE FOR THEMSELVES BY INCREASING THEIR INVESTMENT IN NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT.

Beer production remains an important sector within the Irish drinks industry in terms of indigenous manufacturing and the provision of jobs.
It accounts for about 50% of the market, directly employs around 2,500 people, and exports more than 40% of its production.
Exports last year increased by over 10% to around €265m as stronger trade to Britain, other European Union markets and the United States is helping to boost trade.
The craft beer sector in Ireland continues to be a success story, making up an estimated 1.2% of the market, with 40% of microbreweries exporting.
That represents a small portion of the overall Irish beverage exports to 130 markets worldwide last year. However, it highlights a huge potential for growth.
The craft beer industry alone is worth an estimated $12.5bn in annual sales in the United States. New York and Boston, cities with large numbers of people with Irish ancestry and many Irish pubs, are obvious marketing targets.
A number of Irish brewers are already exporting to the US. Some are focusing on on-trade channels while others are connecting with craft breweries and creating partnerships that are potentially beneficial to both sides.
With beer consumption in Ireland now approaching the average level of most northern European countries, the Irish Brewers Association is working to ensure that people are aware of their industry’s contribution to social and economic life.
Over 60 microbreweries now operate in Ireland with 22 of them having started in the past two years. The number is expected to exceed 100 by 2020.
The value added by the overall beer sector to the economy was €1.72bn in 2014. It spends €400m purchasing goods and services including transport and agricultural products.
It raised some €425m in excise receipts. The beer- related contribution to employment represents 44,741 jobs.
A new report by Europe Economics, ‘The Contribution made by Beer to the European Economy’ commissioned by the Brewers of Europe, found that brewing companies in Ireland are responding to the opportunities and challenges they are facing by increasing investment, particularly in product development.
The report says production fell slightly between 2013 and 2014, which it says reflects conditions in international markets.
It also says that the industry exported 2.8 million hectolitres of beer in 2014, and that 64% of beer in Ireland is consumed “in the on-trade”, meaning in restaurants and pubs.
The report also found the total beer-related contribution to government revenues increased from 2013 to 2014, with increases in excise duties and on-trade and off-trade Vat, in particular.
Jonathan McDade, the head of the Irish Brewers Association, said the Irish beer industry is experiencing an exciting period of development.
“As the report states, investment in product development is also up. These trends reflect an increasingly diverse beer sector, with more high-quality Irish beer products for consumers at home and abroad,” he said.
“This is having a knock on effect on employment, up by around 370 between 2013 and 2014 to almost 44,800 jobs,” he said.
Seamus O’Hara, managing director, Carlow Brewing Company (O’Hara’s Craft Beers), is the new chairman of the Irish Brewers Association, the representative industry group for brewers and beer distributors.
He grew up in Bagenalstown, Co Carlow. After completing a master’s degree in biotechnology at UCD, he moved to Britain, where he worked in the pharmaceutical and biotech sectors with firms such as AstraZenca and Glaxo Smith Kline.
It was during this time that he was first exposed to the diversity and flavours of craft beers. In 1991, he moved back to Ireland, where he took up a position with Enterprise Ireland and 10 years later he left to co-found a new venture-capital firm, Seroba-Kernel.
In 1996, he and his brother Eamon set up Carlow Brewing Company on a small-scale part-time basis. In 2011, Seamus made the decision to move full-time into brewing.
The company’s website says there has never been a more exciting time to be part of the craft beer scene in Ireland.
“Craft beer consumers are becoming more numerous, confident and adventurous than ever before leading to demand for a wide variety of flavours and styles.
“Pubs and off-licenses are playing their part too and many now stock a broad range of Irish craft beer to meet customer demand,” it says.
Half of everything that the Carlow brewery produces is exported to more than 25 countries, including the US, France, Italy, Russia, Norway and Croatia.
Mr O’Hara, one of the craft brewing industry’s most recognisable pioneers, told the recent Teagasc National Malting Barely Growers Association conference that the sector is a growing business.
The craft beer products are still relatively small at 1.5% to 2% of the overall beer market in Ireland but with the right momentum there is a potential to grow this to 10%. “It is a great honour to be entrusted with the role of chairperson of the Irish Brewers Association, particularly as the Carlow Brewing Company celebrates its 20 year anniversary this year.
“The Irish Brewers Association, has represented the interest of brewers in Ireland since 1908. Since then the industry has changed drastically and in 2016 we continue to experience exciting developments, with new breweries opening across the country and established players expanding and investing,” he said.
Mr O’Hara said the number of microbreweries operating here has more than trebled since 2012. Consumers have never had more choice. His appointment association chairman was another acknowledgement of the importance of the craft sector to the wider brewing industry.
“I hope that I can use my experience in developing a small but successful brewery within a fledgling industry to guide the Irish Brewers Association over the next two years,” he said.

British pet insurers paid out record claims for last year 2015

  

PET INSURERS DEALT WITH 686,000 CLAIMS FOR DOGS.

Pet insurers paid out a record £657 million in claims in 2015 – equating to £1.8 million every day – according to the Association of British Insurers (ABI).
The figures show that in 2015, t he number and cost of claims reached record levels, with 911,000 pet insurance claims made, up 9% on 2014. Their cost, at £657 million, was also up 9% on the previous year.
The average claim was for £721 last year, while the average pet insurance premium was £241.
Pet insurers dealt with 686,000 claims for dogs costing £501 million. For cats, 193,000 claims were handled, worth £105 million.
Despite the record payouts last year, most pet owners remain uninsured, the ABI said. Only one in four of the nine million dog owners and one in seven of the 7.9 million cat owners are thought to have pet insurance.
The ABI said some of the more unusual pet insurance claims handled include the r emoval of a sock eaten by a dog, and treatment for a cat which fell from a fourth floor window.
Mark Shepherd, general insurance manager at the ABI, said: “The record levels of claims handled by pet insurers highlights that owning a pet can be costly as well as rewarding.”

Protein rich weight loss diet can lead to a better night’s sleep

   
Previous studies have already linked the effect of sleep on weight loss and diet but a new study looked on the opposite perspective and focused on the effect of protein weight loss diet on sleep.
A group of researchers from the Purdue University in Indiana found out that obese and overweight people who follow a high protein-diet for several months have better sleep at night. The study initially involved 14 participants – 11 women and 3 men – who were asked to follow a high-protein diet based on pork and beef or soy and legume products in the first pilot study. On the other hand, the main study focused on 44 obese and overweight participants with ages 35 to 65 years old who were assigned into two groups; the first group was asked to follow a normal protein diet while the other group was given a high protein weight loss diet.  The study was led by Wayne Campbell, a professor of nutrition science at Purdue University, and published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
The protein diets given to the participants were designed by a dietitian who ensured that the participants’ daily recommended energy intakes were met. Furthermore, a total of 750 calories worth of carbohydrates and fats were removed from the diets per day while maintaining the amount of protein assigned to each group. The protein sources for the diets were beef, pork, soy, legumes and milk protein.
The participants of the main study were able to adapt to the diet after three weeks and continued on their protein diets for 16 weeks. During this period, the participants were able to consume 0.8 or 1.5 kilograms of protein for each kg of body weight daily. They were also given a survey every month to assess the quality of their sleep during the course of the study.
In the pilot study, results showed that the 14 participants reported to have better sleep after four weeks of consuming a high protein weight loss diet. The same trend was observed in the sleep quality of participants who followed the high protein diet in the main study after three to four months.

ANTARCTIC BIRDS CAN RECOGNIZE INDIVIDUAL PEOPLE, AND ATTACK INTRUDERS

    Antarctic birds, humans

ANTARCTIC BROWN SKUAS ARE CAPABLE OF RECOGNIZING INDIVIDUAL HUMANS, A NEW PAPER HAS SHOWN.

Birds living among people are able to differentiate between individual humans but scientists have now found that skuas (above right) living in remote Antarctica can also recognise people who had previously accessed their nests. The researchers from Inha University and Korea Polar Research Institute in South Korea performed a series of experiments on brown skuas living in Antarctica.
Antarctic brown skuas are large brownish birds that eat fish and other small animals, and they have been known to steal prey from other predators. They’ve even been observed pilfering sips of breast milk from nursing elephant seals. Living life as a food thief, or a kleptoparasite as biologists call it, requires a relatively high level of intelligence.
But brown skuas (Stercorarius antarcticus) may be even smarter than we thought. A study published in March in the journal Animal Cognition found that these large birds can recognize individual people.
Korean scientists at a research station on King George Island, off the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, embarked on a study of seven brown skua nests, to see if the birds were breeding and how many young they were having. However, they noticed that the birds would begin to act much more aggressively and even attack—swooping in on researchers and hitting them on the head with their feet—after the researcher had visited the nest a couple times.
Antarctic brown skuas are capable of recognizing individual humans, a new paper has shown.
But it didn’t stop there. “When I was with other researchers, the birds flew over me and tried to hit me,” said Yeong-Deok Han, a doctoral student at Inha University, in a statement. “Even when I changed my field clothes, they followed me. The birds seemed to know me no matter what I wear.”
This strongly suggested that the brown skuas were recognizing Han. Other birds such as crows, ravens and magpies have already been shown to recognize individual humans. However, this ability remains rare among birds, so far as we know.  To further explore this possibility, the scientists set up an experiment in which a pair of researchers—one who had approached the nest before (labeled as the “intruder), and one who hadn’t—walked toward the nest and waited for a few seconds as the birds flew toward them. They then walked in different directions (away from the nest). In each case, for all seven breeding pairs of birds tested, the skuas followed the intruder and ignored the newcomer.
“It is amazing that brown skuas, which evolved and lived in human-free habitats, recognized individual humans just after three or four visits,” said Won Young Lee, a senior researcher from Korea Polar Research Institute. “It seems that they have very high levels of cognitive abilities.”
Since the change of clothes didn’t deter the birds, it suggests they are able to recognize humans by looking at their face, or perhaps recognizing differences in body posture and gait, according to the study.
Most birds that can recognize human individuals, like crows, have lived in the same area as humans for longer, so it’s possible that evolution could have helped select for this human-identifying ability. With brown skuas, however, they have only been exposed to humans since the 1950s, so evolutionary pressures almost certainly haven’t played a role in developing this ability, the researchers wrote.