India News: June 2007

Now, a technology to enable viewing of 3-D content on PDAs, iPods
Friday, June 29, 2007 | MP

Washington, June 29 (ANI): US based Neovision Labs has developed a new technology designed to enable the viewing of 3-D content on such mobile devices as PDAs and iPods, without the use of special glasses.

Movie director Randal Kleiser and Neovision president and founder Michael Mehrle has said their invention, the iFusion, has the potential to help forward the 3-D movement by giving studios a venue in which to re-purpose their 3-D produced content after the theatrical release.

“There are about 40 3-D films in some stage of production that "have no life" after the theatre. Now they could be re-purposed for cell phones and iPods. There is such a need (for an additional 3-D distribution platform). There is content that needs to be shown somewhere,” said Kleiser.

Mehrle said iFusion is an optical system designed to deliver affordable stereo 3-D content to any type of flat-panel display without the use of special glasses.

It is not device-dependent because no software or hardware modifications are necessary. This technology could therefore also be built for use with television displays or computers/laptops, he said.

According to him, the attachment would be secured over the device screen and marketed as an accessory for hand-held devices.

It would cost about 50 dollars.

However, the technology would not convert a 2-D film to 3-D; rather, consumers would download 3-D content to the device for viewing.

The content could be animated or live-action films produced in 3-D or films that were produced in 2-D and later converted to 3-D (like "Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas"), said Mehrle.

In addition to features, 3-D shorts, 3-D special-venue films and other such content could be used with the system, he said.

“The content has to be specially encoded for this application. Basically, it's zero added costs. You can do it on a laptop," Hollywood Reporter quoted him as saying. (ANI)

Punjab, Haryana High Court grants interim bail to Dera Sacha Sauda chief
Friday, June 29, 2007 | MP

Bhatinda, June 29 (ANI): The Punjab and Haryana High Court today granted interim bail to Dera Sacha Sauda (DSS) chief Gurmeet Ram Raheem Singh in connection with an arrest warrant issued against him by a Bhatinda Court for allegedly hurting the religious sentiments of Sikhs.

The High Court has also asked the Dera’s chief to surrender his passport.

"The sect will either seek anticipatory bail for the Dera chief or quashing of the June 20 order of the Duty Magistrate A L Khitchi, who had issued conditional bailable arrest warrant against the Dera chief," a spokesman of the DSS said.

An advertisement showed Gurmeet ram Raheem in a dress akin to Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh Guru.

The Punjab government on Wednesday gave a go-ahead for the arrest and prosecution of Dera chief.

The sect leader had denied any wrongdoing and has tendered a fresh apology saying he had absolutely no intention to imitate or replicate the Sikh Guru.

However, the Sikh clergy rejected the apology and the agitated Sikh community has not relented and issued an ultimatum to the sect to wind up its religious camps. (ANI)

Cognitive skills focused curriculum may lessen kids’ behavioural problems
Friday, June 29, 2007 | MP

Washington, June 29 (ANI): A recent research has found that curriculum focused on cognitive skills may improve child behaviour.

According to a recent study in Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences children who were taught a curriculum that focused on self-discipline and consideration of their own and others’ emotions were found to display greater social competence and less behavioural and emotional problems.

The study showed that when teachers taught a particular curriculum to students for 20-30 minutes-per-day, three times-per-week over a six-month period, lower rates of violent behaviour and anxiety/sadness were seen when evaluated a year later compared to children randomized to normal classroom procedures.

“Several complex cognitive processes, such as the ability to cope in stressful situations, are related to the development of the prefrontal areas of the brain starting in the preschool years. We know that deficiencies in the function of these lobes are linked to problems like aggression, depression and attention disorders,” says study author Mark Greenberg.

Therefore, the Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies (PATHS) curriculum, which stimulates cognitive and emotional skills, enhances the child’s aptitude to tackle stress and make good choices.

Greenberg offers an example of a simple PATHS skill that helps children comprehend and identify feelings in others.

“Children use ‘feeling faces’ cards throughout the day to indicate clearly to others what emotions they are experiencing. By labeling the emotions clearly, children learn to recognize them in themselves and others, which will aid them in managing those emotions,” says Greenberg.

The main advantage of this curriculum is its defensive nature. Rather than focusing on treating negative behaviours after they have become steady and disturbing, PATHS provides children with coping strategies to stop the development of behavioural and emotional difficulties.

This study entitled “Promoting Resilience in Children and Youth. Preventative Interventions and Their Interface with Neuroscience” is published in the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences: Resilience in Children. (ANI)

Routine Hib vaccination could save innumerable Asian children
Friday, June 29, 2007 | MP

Washington, June 29 (ANI): A new study has shown that regular vaccination of infants against H. influenzae type b (Hib), a bacterium that causes deadly Hib pneumonia and meningitis, could save innumerable children in Asia.

The study from Bangladesh, which is published online in The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal, has established that routine immunization of infants with a Hib conjugate vaccine prevented more than one-third of acute pneumonia cases and approximately 90 percent of Hib meningitis cases. The researchers said that similar impact would be expected in other parts of the region.

This vaccine study puts together the evidence of the actual burden of Hib pneumonia and meningitis as has been shown in other studies in Chile and Indonesia, that is that the percentage of pneumonia and meningitis prevented by the Hib conjugate vaccine is considerably higher than what can be detected through routine observation.

“There has been an ongoing disagreement about the total burden of Hib pneumonia and meningitis in Asia, but our findings provide evidence challenging the commonly held notion that these diseases are rare in Asia,” said Dr Abdullah Baqui, Associate Professor, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, USA.

“Our research shows that routine Hib vaccination is a feasible and highly effective way of preventing death related to Hib pneumonia and meningitis and could save the lives of a significant number of Asian children who die under the age of five,” he added.

The study was conducted by researchers from International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (ICDDR, B), Dhaka Shishu Hospital and John Hopkins University. The vaccine used in the study replaced the routine diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTP) vaccine with a DTP-Hib combination. The combination vaccine did not call for supplementary injections or visits to benefit from the expanded protection. Bangladesh recently applied for funding from the GAVI Alliance to set up a DTP-Hepatitis B-Hib “pentavalent” combination which they hope to introduce into the routine childhood immunization program in 2008.

“Bangladesh views Hib vaccine as an integral tool in our mission to improve child survival in Bangladesh. This study supported the conclusions of the consultative workshop organized in June 2006 by WHO around the introduction of the Hib vaccine into Bangladesh,” said Dr. Md. Abdul Quader Mian, Deputy Director EPI and Programme Manager Child Health & LCC, Ministry of Health, Bangladesh.

In spite of a growing body of evidence, only 26 percent of the world’s children live in countries with access to Hib vaccine. This means hundreds of thousands of children in Asian countries are presently not benefiting from this easy, life-saving vaccine. However, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Bhutan have reviewed existing evidence and made the decision to bring in Hib vaccine and applied for support from the GAVI Alliance.

“We are delighted that so many Asian countries are preparing to introduce the Hib vaccine and protect their children against Hib pneumonia and Hib meningitis. This is a clear indication of these governments’ commitment to reduce child mortality,” said Julian Lob-Levyt, Executive Secretary of the GAVI Alliance.

The WHO recommends that all countries implement Hib vaccine into routine child immunization programs. They assess that Hib internationally is to blame for 400,000 deaths each year in children under five years of age and around 3 million cases of serious illness resulting in long term consequences such as deafness, learning disabilities, paralysis and mental retardation.

“This simple, life-saving vaccine can prevent Hib pneumonia and meningitis in children, often called the ‘invisible cause of forgotten child killers’ in Asia. Immunization programs, including Hib, are an essential component of USAID’s strategy to prevent life-threatening childhood infections. These data are clear - Hib vaccine is an important addition to immunization programs through out Asia,” said Dr. Kent R. Hill, Assistant Administrator, Global Health. (ANI)

Adopting healthy lifestyle in middle age lowers heart disease risk
Friday, June 29, 2007 | MP

Washington, June 29 (ANI): A new research has found that adopting a healthier lifestyle in middle age lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Researchers from the Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston found that people between 45 to 64 years of age, who took up healthy lifestyle behaviours, could considerably lessen their risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and reduce their death rate.

Investigators saw a 35 percent drop in CVD frequency and a 40 percent decrease in mortality once this age bracket achieved 4 healthy behaviours: eating at least 5 fruits and vegetables daily, exercising at least 2.5 hours per week, maintaining their Body Mass Index (BMI) between 18.5 and 30 kg/m, and not smoking.

“The potential public health benefit from adopting a healthier lifestyle in middle age is substantial. The current study demonstrated that adopting four modest healthy habits considerably lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality in relatively short-term 4-year follow up period. The findings emphasize that making the necessary changes to adhere to a healthy lifestyle is extremely worthwhile, and that middle-age is not too late to act,” lead author Dana E. King said.

Starting in 1987 to 1989, 15,792 men and women ages 45 to 64 years participated in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study (ARIC) in four communities across the United States. This was intended to examine the basis and development of various atherosclerotic diseases. Follow up visits every three years through the end of 1998 included an interval medical history, weight, height, diet questionnaire, updated smoking history and current participation in sports and leisure exercise.

There were three key findings from the study – first, the benefit of switching to a healthy lifestyle past age 45 became evident even in the 4-year, short-term follow up; second, the beneficial impact of the changes occurred despite the relatively modest changes in health habits; and third, the healthy lifestyle was advantageous when compared to all persons with three or fewer healthy habits, not just in comparison to people with none or one habit. People adopting only three healthy habits experienced lower mortality but not fewer CVD events over the same period.

The authors found that only 8.5 percent of middle-aged adults practice these four behaviours and only 8.4 percent newly adopt such a lifestyle past age 45. Further, men, African-Americans, and individuals with less than college education, lower income, or a history of hypertension or diabetes are less likely to adopt a healthy lifestyle past age 45, and are thus at greater risk of mortality and cardiovascular disease.

The study is published in the July 2007 issue of The American Journal of Medicine. (ANI)

Secondhand workplace smoke hits non-smokers badly
Friday, June 29, 2007 | MP

Washington, June 29 (ANI): Working in an environment where smoking is allowed is especially harmful for non-smokers, as they immediately absorb a potent carcinogen that is not considered safe at any level, a study has found.

The study was carried out by researchers at the Multnomah County Health Department and Oregon Department of Human Services who found that non-smoking workers have elevated levels of the carcinogen NNK, which is found in the body only as a result of using tobacco or breathing secondhand smoke.

They also found that levels of NNK, which is known to cause lung cancer, increased by 6 percent for each hour of work.

Michael Stark, PhD, of the Multnomah County Health Department and the study’s lead author said that the study was the first one to show that increases in NNK are a result of a brief workplace exposure.

“This is the first study to show increases in NNK as a result of a brief workplace exposure, and that levels of this powerful carcinogen continue to increase the longer the person works in a place where smoking is permitted,” he said.

“NNK is a major cancer causing agent from tobacco products—and workers should not have to be exposed to any dose of this very dangerous chemical.

“The science shows that the threat of disease from secondhand smoke is no longer a distant threat. The amount of this carcinogen increases even within a single work shift,” he added.

The study followed 52 non-smoking employees of bars and restaurants in Oregon communities where smoking is still permitted in such establishments and compared them to 32 non-smoking bar and restaurant employees from other Oregon municipalities where smoking is prohibited by local ordinance.

Researchers collected urine samples from both groups before and after their work-shifts and tested them for the tobacco produced lung carcinogen NNK.

What they found is that three out of four employees who worked in an establishment where smoking was permitted had detectable levels of NNK compared to fewer than half of the unexposed workers.

In addition, exposure to tobacco smoke was associated with a three-fold increase in levels of the carcinogen. The study also notes that the amount of NNK in employees exposed to tobacco smoke went up in direct relationship to the number of hours worked—by 6 percent an hour on average—giving the researchers “confidence that the levels (of NNK) reported in this study do, indeed, reflect workplace exposure.”

The investigators also note that their research supports the notion that the risks of secondhand tobacco smoke in the workplace are borne disproportionately by an already vulnerable group.

The study is to be published in the August 2007 edition of the American Journal of Public Health. (ANI)

Smoke-free workplace, non-smoking spouse help quitters stay off the butt
Friday, June 29, 2007 | MP

Washington, June 29 (ANI): A spouse who doesn't smoke, and smoke-free work environment play key roles in helping people who have kicked the butt to stay away from cigarettes, a study has found.

The study was conducted by researchers at Indiana University, who also found that environmental factors are more influential than individual behaviours and beliefs when it comes to kicking the butt.

Lead researcher Jon Macy, said that though smoking cessation attempts often are thought of as solitary endeavours, the study showed that there were benefits in cessation programs that involve couples, because marriage to a non-smoker was such a strong predictor of long-term smoking abstinence.

The findings also underscore the benefits of smoke-free workplaces, which are on the increase.

As a part of the study the researchers looked at 327 participants from its Smoking Survey who had quit smoking as young adults.

Smoking Survey is a 27-year longitudinal study of the natural history of cigarette smoking which began in 1980.

Of the participants, 219 did not take up smoking for at least five years, making the study unique because of its ability to examine the demographic and behavioural predictors of long-term success of quitting during young adulthood.

The researchers looked at factors in four areas: smoking-related beliefs, such as the belief that smoking helps people relax or an understanding of personal health consequences of smoking; smoking-related behaviours, such as the number of quit attempts or age when one began smoking; acquisition of adult roles, such as having children; and smoking in the social environment, such as a spouse's smoking status and extent of access to smoking in the workplace.

"We found that two-thirds of the people who quit between the ages of 18-24 were able to stay quit. Of all the factors we examined, the external environment had the largest independent effect, specifically being married to a non-smoker, and second, working in a completely smoke-free environment," Macy said.

The study, which appeared online, will be published in American Journal of Public Health in August. (ANI)

Vitamin C helps reduce complications linked to type 1 diabetes
Friday, June 29, 2007 | MP

London, June 29 (ANI): Eating citrus fruits rich in Vitamin C such as papaya, oranges and blackcurrant may be good for diabetes, for a new research has found that the nutrient could help reduce some of the complications linked with the disease.

Researchers from the University of Warwick have found that the nutrient helps “mop-up” free radicals that are produced in excess in diabetics.

Free radicals are tissue-damaging molecules, and Vitamin C ‘normalises’ their levels in the body, said Lead researcher Professor Antonio Ceriello.

"Vitamin C scavenges free radicals and normalises free radical levels, thus avoiding their effects," the BBC quoted him, as saying.

High blood-sugar levels linked with type-1 diabetes can cause changes to the mitochondria which increases the amounts of free radicals produced.

Even after blood-sugar levels are normalised in diabetics, the researchers found evidence that free radicals continue to be produced. This is harmful as this can cause tissue damage and lead to possible amputations, heart disease or blindness.

In another study, the researchers found that it was possible to normalise free radical levels by first treating diabetic people with type 1 diabetes with insulin, and then with vitamin C.

This helps “mop-up” free radicals.

But there is a catch. The treatment with Vitamin C is only effective if continued in the long-term. However, this could be dangerous.

The answer to this might be in using the blood pressure-lowering drug Telmisarten which had the same effect as Vitamin C, and might be a safer alternative.

The researchers are now looking for other drugs to try to permanently stop the free radical production. (ANI)

Biology, not only parents, turns sweet kids into delinquents
Friday, June 29, 2007 | MP

Washington, June 29(ANI): Not all parents are at fault if their kids take up a life of crime, for a new study has linked delinquency in children to biology.

Rutgers University psychologist, Daniel Hart, and colleagues Nancy Eisenberg and Carlos Valiente of Arizona State University have found that in kids, a highly reactive autonomic nervous system, which regulates our cardiovascular, digestive and respiratory functions, paired with a stressful family environment leads to increased instances of maladaptive personality change.

As a part of their study the researchers used a Skin Conductance Response (SCR) test to assess 138 elementary school aged children.

SCR is a frequently used as an appraisal of autonomic arousal in humans and, specifically, measures the amount of sweat on the participant’s palm when exposed to stressful stimuli.

In this case, the children watched a video of a dolphin swimming in the ocean so that the researchers could collect their baseline stress response. Next, they watched a second, more stressful, film involving a lamp causing a fire in a girl’s room, which elicited their normal autonomic arousal patterns under stress.

The results showed that the combination of high SCR and high family risk predicted substantial increases in personality change and behaviour problems.

The researchers observed the children four separate times over the course of six years, making this the first study to show that the interaction of family adversity with a biological characteristic is associated with longitudinally measured change in childhood personality.

The study appears in the June issue of Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. (ANI)

Muslim representative board issues edict against Pratibha Patil
Friday, June 29, 2007 | MP

Bareilly (Uttar Pradesh) / New Delhi, June 29 (ANI): The All India Muslim Personal Law Board - Jadid has issued an edict against UPA-Left Presidential nominee Pratibha Patil, saying her remarks on the wearing of a veil had hurt Muslim sentiments.

Maulana Tauseel Raza Khan, the president of the board said that Pratibha Patil had not only insulted the feelings of Muslims, but also of Hindus, adding that she should not be allowed to proceed for the post of the president of the country.

Meanwhile, the BJP-led NDA, which is supporting Vice President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat presidential bid, has appealed to the electoral college to support its candidate, saying the Congress, under the leadership of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had done exactly the same thing during the 1967 presidential election.

"We have come out exactly with the same decision as forwarded by former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi 40 years ago. She proposed the name of Zakir Hussain, who was then Vice-President, for the post of president. In our case, instead of Zakir Hussain there is Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, who is also the Vice-President now,” BJP spokesperson Sushma Swaraj said in New Delhi.

The presidential election will be held on July 19. (ANI)

Researchers identify five distinct subtypes of alcoholism
Friday, June 29, 2007 | MP

Washington, June 29 (ANI): The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), a part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), has identified five distinct subtypes of alcoholism by analysing a national sample of individuals suffering from alcohol dependence.

“Our findings should help dispel the popular notion of the ‘typical alcoholic,’” notes first author Dr. Howard B. Moss, NIAAA Associate Director for Clinical and Translational Research.

“We find that young adults comprise the largest group of alcoholics in this country, and nearly 20 per cent of alcoholics are highly functional and well-educated with good incomes. More than half of the alcoholics in the United States have no multigenerational family history of the disease, suggesting that their form of alcoholism was unlikely to have genetic causes,” he adds.

NIAAA Director Dr. Ting-Kai Li says that the study, published online in the Journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence, was an attempt by the researchers to understand why some alcoholics improve with specific medications and psychotherapies, while others do not.

“Clinicians have long recognized diverse manifestations of alcoholism, and researchers have tried to understand why some alcoholics improve with specific medications and psychotherapies while others do not. The classification system described in this study will have broad application in both clinical and research settings,” Dr. Li says.

The researchers say that the five alcoholism subtypes identified were Young Adult subtype (31.5 per cent of U.S. alcoholics), Young Antisocial subtype (21 per cent), Functional subtype (19.5 per cent), Intermediate Familial subtype (19 per cent), and Chronic Severe subtype (9 per cent).

They gathered information about individuals with alcoholism by conducting the National Epidemiological Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC), a nationally representative epidemiological study of alcohol, drug, and mental disorders. It suggested that only about one-fourth of individuals with the condition had ever received treatment.

The findings clearly indicate that the previous studies carried out to identify alcoholism subtypes would not have represented a substantial proportion of people with alcoholism in the samples used for them, as those projects focused primarily on individuals who were hospitalised or otherwise receiving treatment for alcoholism.

Young Adult subtype included young adult drinkers with relatively low rates of co-occurring substance abuse and other mental disorders, a low rate of family alcoholism, and who rarely seek any kind of help for their drinking.

Young Antisocial alcoholics were in their mid-twenties, had early onset of regular drinking, and alcohol problems. More than half of them came from families with alcoholism, and about half had a psychiatric diagnosis of Antisocial Personality Disorder. Many had major depression, bipolar disorder, and anxiety problems, and over 75 per cent smoked cigarettes and marijuana, and many also had cocaine and opiate addictions. More than one-third of them sought help for their drinking.

Functional alcoholics were typically middle-aged, well-educated people with stable jobs and families. About one-third of them had a multigenerational family history of alcoholism, about one-quarter had major depressive illness sometime in their lives, and nearly 50 per cent were smokers.

Intermediate Familial alcoholics were middle-aged people with about 50 per cent from families with multigenerational alcoholism. Almost half of them had had clinical depression, and 20 per cent bipolar disorder. Most of them smoked cigarettes, and nearly one in five had problems with cocaine and marijuana use. Only 25 per cent ever sought treatment for their problem drinking.

Chronic Severe alcoholics comprised mostly of middle-aged individuals who had early onset of drinking and alcohol problems, with high rates of Antisocial Personality Disorder and criminality. Almost 80 per cent of them came from families with multigenerational alcoholism. They had the highest rates of other psychiatric disorders, and two-thirds of them had sought help for drinking problems.

The researchers also report that co-occurring psychiatric and other substance abuse problems are associated with severity of alcoholism and entering into treatment. (ANI)

Exercise stimulates production of new brain cells
Friday, June 29, 2007 | MP

Washington, June 29 (ANI): A new study by a researcher at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden has found that exercise stimulates the production of new brain cells.

The finding also helps explain just how exercise keeps depression at bay.

Previous research had shown that exercise has similar effect to antidepressants on depression, and now Astrid Bjornebekk has found that this process happens as exercise stimulates the formation of new brain cells.

Bjornebekk conducted experiments on rats, and found that both exercise and antidepressants increase the formation of new cells in an area of the brain that is important to memory and learning.

Her studies confirm previous research results, and she proposes a model to explain how exercise can have an antidepressant effect in mild to moderately severe depression. Her study also shows that exercise is a very good complement to medicines.

The effects of exercise were also compared with pharmacological treatment with an SSRI drug.

“What is interesting is that the effect of antidepressant therapy can be greatly strengthened by external environmental factors,” she says.

Previous studies have shown that drug abusers have lowered levels of the dopamine D2 receptor in the brain's reward system. It has been speculated that this may be of significance to the depressive symptoms drug abusers often suffer from.

These rat studies show that genetic factors may influence how external environmental factors can regulate levels of the dopamine D2 receptor in the brain.

“Different individuals may have differing sensitivity to how stress lowers dopamine D2 receptor levels, for example. This might be significant in explaining why certain individuals develop depression more readily than others,” she says. (ANI)

Thrombosis risk in travel lasting over four hours is higher: WHO
Friday, June 29, 2007 | MP

Geneva, June 29 (ANI): The World Health Organization (WHO) has said that the risk of developing venous thrombo-embolism (VTE) approximately doubles after travel of four hours or more.

In a research study of global hazards of travel, the WHO, however, says that the absolute risk of developing VTE, if seated and immobile for more than four hours remains relatively low at about 1 in 6000.

According to the study, the two most common manifestations of VTE are deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism.

Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a condition in which a blood clot, or thrombus, develops in a deep vein - usually in the lower leg. Symptoms of DVT are principally pain, tenderness and swelling of the affected part. DVT can be detected through medical testing and can be treated. DVT can be life threatening when associated with thrombo-embolism.

Thrombo-embolism occurs when a blood clot (from a deep vein thrombosis) in a leg vein breaks off and travels through the body to the lung where it becomes lodged and blocks blood flow. This is known as pulmonary embolism, and symptoms include chest pain and breathing difficulties. VTE can be treated, but if it is not, it can lead to death.

The study showed that plane, train, bus or automobile passengers are at the higher risk of VTE when immobile on journeys of more than four hours. This is due to a stagnation of blood in the veins caused by prolonged immobility, which can promote blood clot formation in veins.

One study within the project examining flights in particular found that those taking multiple flights over a short period of time are also at higher risk. This is because the risk of VTE does not go away completely after a flight is over, and risk remains elevated for about four weeks.

The report shows that a number of other factors increase the risk of VTE during travel, including obesity, being very tall or very short (taller than 1.9 meters or shorter than 1.6 meters), use of oral contraceptives, and inherited blood disorders leading to increased clotting tendency.

Dr Catherine Le Galès-Camus, WHO Assistant Director-General for Non-communicable Disease and Mental Health said that this study did not investigate effective preventive measures against DVT and VTE.

Experts said that blood circulation could be promoted by exercising the calf muscles with up-and-down movements of the feet at the ankle joints. Moving feet in this manner encourages blood flow in the calf muscle veins, thus reducing blood stagnation, they added.

People travelling have also been advised to avoid wearing tight clothing to prevent blood stagnation.

Phase I of the research project concludes that there is a need for travellers to be given appropriate information regarding the risk of VTE by transport authorities, airlines, and medical professionals. (ANI)

Australia supports Indian steel majors to acquire stake in coking coal mines
Friday, June 29, 2007 | MP

New Delhi, June 28 (ANI): Australia today supported the proposal from Indian steel companies to acquire equity stake in coking coal companies there and to acquire coking coal properties.

Australian Federal Minister of Industry, Tourism and Resources, McFarlane gave this assurance when Steel, Chemicals and Fertilisers Minister Ram Vilas Paswan met him in Brisbane today.

McFarlane assured the Minister of all possible help in fast-tracking these ventures of Indian Steel companies, which are absolutely critical for India’s proposed expansion of steel sector capacity. Despite the worldwide demand for Australian coking coal, McFarlane assured that there was good potential for Indian companies to invest in Australia, said a Steel Ministry statement issued here.

McFarlane also assured Australia’s assistance for Indian fertilizer companies to commence operation in Australia when LNG supply becomes available in near future. The two leaders expressed optimism about enhanced economic and commercial cooperation between both countries in the context of India’s accelerating economic growth and the Asian commodities and resources boom.



The proposal for SAIL, RINL, CIL, NMDC and NTPC to jointly acquire interest in coking coal property in Australia has received a fillip with this visit and this proposal has been warmly welcomed by the Australian Government. Both sides also agreed to explore possibility of sourcing key materials like Nickel, Ferro Manganese and Silico manganese from Australia. It was also decided that teams of officials would be constituted to carry forward this dialogue and to concretise the decision taken during the delegation of Paswan to Australia.



Paswan also held talks with Eric Ripper, Deputy Premier of the State of Western Australia at Perth; senior officials and Chambers of Mines and Minerals. The delegation also visited key Australian states like Western Australia, New South Wales, and Queensland, which are rich in raw materials required for the steel sector.

The delegation also visited the Port Kembla in New South Wales State, a key port for dispatching coal to India.

Both the State Governments of Australia and leading Australian mineral companies such as BHP Biliton and Rio Tinto expressed their keen desire to the Minister to invest in the mineral sector in India. Paswan assured the Australian Government and the companies of requisite assistance within the boundaries of India’s investment policies and our mineral exploration policy.

Paswan is leading a high level delegation to Australia to ensure supply of strategic raw materials like coking coal, nickel, ferro manganese and silico manganese, for meeting India’s enhanced steel production requirements in the context of India’s ambitious plans to double steel production capacity over the 11th five year plan period.

The delegation includes the Chairman of Steel Authority of India S.K.Roongta, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Steel, George Elias, and senior officials from the Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited and National Mineral Development Corporation. (ANI)

PM “delighted” over Red Fort’s world heritage status
Friday, June 29, 2007 | MP

New Delhi, June 28 (ANI): Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today expressed delight over the conferment of world heritage status on Red Fort by the UNESCO, along with three other cultural sites in Japan, Turkmenistan and Australia.

Welcoming the UNESCO’s decision, Singh said in a statement issued here that India is proud of her civilization, adding that there are very few countries in the world, which can boast of such a great civilisation and cultural legacy.

“Red Fort occupies a pride of place in every Indian's heart. Successive Prime Ministers have been unfurling the National Flag and have been addressing the Nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort since Independence. Every patriotic Indian's chest swells with pride when he sees the Red Fort.

“It is a magnificent symbol of our great architectural heritage and indeed our Nationhood. Based on a synthesis of Islamic, Persian, Timurid and Hindu traditions, it is a shining example of our rich composite culture. This development is an important recognition by the international community of the grandeur of our rich cultural and historical monuments,” he said.

The Red Fort was today inscribed as a new cultural site in UNESCO’s World Heritage List.

The 17th century Mughal marvel and three other cultural sites - - Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine and its Cultural Landscape (Japan), Parthian Fortresses of Nisa (Turkmenistan) and Sydney Opera House (Australia)-- have also been given the World Heritage status.

The planning of the palace is based on Islamic prototypes, but each pavilion reveals architectural elements typical of Mughal building, reflecting a fusion of Persian, Timurid and Hindu traditions, UNESCO said in a statement.

The palace was designed as an imitation of paradise as described in the Koran; a couplet inscribed in the palace reads "If there be a paradise on earth, it is here, it is here."

“Through, its fabric, the complex reflects all phases of Indian history from the Mughal period to Independence,” it added.

The Red Fort will be the third Delhi monument to get this status after Qutab Minar and Humayun's Tomb

The World Heritage Committee is meeting in New Zealand to choose the next heritage sites.

The Red Fort was the palace for Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan's new capital, Shahjahanabad, the seventh Muslim city in Delhi.

The Red Fort stands at the eastern edge of Shahjahanabad, and gets its name from the massive wall of red sandstone that defines its four sides.

The wall is 1.5 miles (2.5 km) long, and varies in height from 60ft (16m) on the riverside to 110 ft (33 m) towards the city.

The fort lies along the Yamuna River, which fed the moats that surround most of the wall. Construction on the Red Fort began in 1638 and was completed by 1648. (ANI)

Security stepped up for Taj Mahal’s safety as campaign continues
Thursday, June 28, 2007 | MP

Hyderabad/Agra, June 28 (ANI): Hyderabad school students launched a campaign on Thursday to get Taj Mahal voted in the list of 'New Seven Wonders of the World'.

Scores of school students gathered on a busy road, wearing headbands, holding banners and posters reading giving details about the voting procedure for polls to select the new seven wonders of the world.

The students also shouted slogans of 'Vote for Taj' to draw attention of passers-by.

"Our school has taken up this campaign programme to bring about awareness amongst the Indians to vote more for Taj Mahal. Since, we want Taj to be nominated as the 'Wonder of the World'. We want Taj to reach the seventh slot at least," said Satyavati, teacher of Dwarka High School.

Meanwhile in Agra, security has been beefed up in and around the periphery of Taj Mahal in the wake of recent terror threats.

Police is conducting regular entry and exit checks apart from routine frisking.

"In the wake of recent terrorist activities, regular security briefing and checking is being done along with regular entry and exit checking, mock drills and dummy checking. Special attention is being paid to the security equipment. As such there is no threat to Taj," said H.R. Sharma, Senior Superintendent of Police, Agra.

Police authorities feel the ongoing campaign has highlighted the monument beyond measures and has brought it back on the terror map.

The recent arrest of two suspected militants of the banned Bangladesh-based outfit Harkat-ul-Jehadi Islami (HUJI) in northern Lucknow and recovery of huge cache of arms and ammunition from them has alerted security agencies to step up security of heritage sites like Taj.

From India's Taj Mahal to Mexico's Mayan ruins, suggestions for seven new Wonders of the World have flooded in from more than 60 million people in one of the biggest global polls ever conducted. (ANI)

Patil to visit J-K on Saturday to review security situation
Thursday, June 28, 2007 | MP

New Delhi, June 28 (ANI): Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil will leave for Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday on a two-day visit to take stock of the security situation in the state.

Patil will meet Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and other senior government officials. He will also review the security arrangements made for the annual Amarnath Yatra, which begins on Saturday.

The Home Minister will be accompanied by the Directors General of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and the Border Security Force (BSF), and Special Security (Internal Security) in the ministry, sources said.

Meanwhile, security has been beefed up for the two-month long pilgrimage to the Amarnath Cave shrine, during which lakhs of Hindus from across the country are expected to visit the revered shrine.

In Jammu, police have been put on alert and a thorough checking of public transport is being carried out.

Mukesh Singh, Superintendent of Police, Jammu has said that heavy security arrangements have been made. “Eight companies of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and nine of the armed police have been deployed. Officials of our special branch will be there in their civil clothes," he said.

The Amarnath Cave is about 12,500 feet above sea level and 141 kilometres from Srinagar. The base camp for the pilgrimage is Pahalgam.

Militants have targeted the annual pilgrimage in the past. In 2002, eight Hindu pilgrims were killed in an attack on the Nunwan camp in Pahalgam.

The pilgrimage concludes on August 28. (ANI)

Shivalik Hills, a home to pre-historic fossils
Thursday, June 28, 2007 | MP

Chandigarh, June 28 (ANI): Not many may know that wild animals like giraffe and hippopotamus, whose present natural habitat is Africa, were natives of Shivalik Hills long ago. Pre-historic fossils, recently discovered, establish this.

Shivalik Hills today attract both explorers and tourists.

The Shivaliks, also known as the sub-Himalaya or the foothills, run in a continuous belt from Jammu, through the Kangra Valley and then on through the Sirmaur District to Dehradun and further on the Bhabbar tracts of Garhwal and Kumaon.

Consisting of about 6,000 meters of layered rocks, some as old as 25 million years, these hills contain one of the world’s richest collections of mammalian fossils.

A group of students on an expedition to Shivalik Hills recently chanced to locate the relics. Students were overwhelmed to learn that the Shivalik Hills were having about 6,000 meters of layered sequence of rocks.

The oldest rocks, formed about 25 million years ago, are actually Himalayas’ outer mountains. And, they occupy an important place in the evolution of man.

Geologist Arun Ahluwalia, accompanying the students, found that most of the mammals in this region became extinct during the ice-age of the Pleistocene, about two million years ago. Those that survived migrated to other areas. The remains of the extinct mammals became fossils in the rock formations in Shivalik.

Ahluwalia said: "In the rocks of Dakshina you have micro rocks which are typical of the estrone system. Every rock has an index of its environment. All the animals have a typical habitat. These are typical marine fossils”.

The place also has a dinosaur fossil egg discovered by Paleontologist Ashu Khosla from the Shivaliks.

Worldwide attention was focused on the Shivalik Hills when a large number of fossils of Sauropods, turtles, crocodiles were found by geologists of Punjab University.

The Shivaliks are a treasure trove for the world's richest collection of mammalian fossil wood and rocks, helping to solve the mysteries of evolution of prehistoric life.

Marine fossils abound in the Himalayas, since the Himalayas were once under the sea. But, excavation of dinosaur fossils made Shivalik a treasure trove.

Chandigarh’s Government Museum and Art Gallery provides all information related to dinosaurs. Beside models and fiber-glass replicas, actual fossils from the personal collection of top Paleontologists are on display. (ANI)

Prime Minister to inaugurate Statistics Day on Friday
Thursday, June 28, 2007 | MP

New Delhi, June 28 (ANI): Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will inaugurate the first Statistics Day on June 29 here to mark the birth anniversary of Professor P.C. Mahalanobis, the doyen of Indian statistics.

The Government of India has declared June 29 as the Statistics Day.

It is being held to pay tribute to the multi-faceted contributions of Professor Mahalanobis; as a scholar, academician, institution builder, and as a pioneer in the application of statistics to development issues.

A documentary film on Professor Mahalanobis, made by the Indian Statistical Institute, will be shown. Besides, Professor Suresh Tendulkar, Chairman of National Statistical Commission, will deliver a memorial address. Dr. I.P. David, an internationally reputed statistician from the Philippines, who is this years winner of the international Professor Mahalanobis Award will also speak on the occasion.

Minister of State for Statistics and Programme Implementation Ministry, G.K. Vasan, will confer the National Award in Statistics for Young Statisticians in honour of Professor C.R. Rao for the year 2006-07 on Dr. Ayanendranath Basu, a well known theoretical statistician of ISI, Kolkata.

Vasan will also distribute prizes to eleven post-graduate students who have won the Essay Competition organized in memory of Professor Mahalanobis by CSO. (ANI)

Monsoon hits Delhi, parts of Rajasthan only left out so far
Thursday, June 28, 2007 | MP

New Delhi, June 28 (ANI): The southwest monsoon today hit Delhi, a day ahead of its earlier forecast, and has almost covered all parts of the country except parts of Rajasthan and western Punjab.

Though the initial forecast by the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) had fixed June 29 as the date when monsoon would reach Delhi, it later updated it with July 2 to July 3.

Today it officially stated that “monsoon has arrived over Delhi” and deflected criticisms over the inconsistencies in its forecasts.

“We do not give long range forecast for a part, State or station, but this year for the country as a whole we have said that this year monsoon will be normal,” said B P Yadav, Director of IMD.

The weather experts have termed the advance of monsoon this year as normal.

As of date, a low pressure depression has formed over northwest Bay of Bengal off the coast of Orissa, which is likely to intensify further.

Under its influence, enhanced rainfall activity with scattered heavy to very heavy falls and isolated extremely heavy falls is likely to place over Orissa, north Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.

The annual monsoon rains lashed Kerala, on May 28, four days ahead of the normal date of June 1.

Monsoon rains had arrived over the South Andaman Sea on May 10.

There is on average a gap of two weeks between the monsoon's arrival there and the breaking of another branch over Kerala. Different atmospheric conditions determine the progress of the two systems.

The IMD had earlier said that they expected 95 per cent of the normal rainfall.

The monsoon weather phenomenon usually covers the entire country by mid-July, and provides the main source of water for agriculture, which generates more than a fifth of GDP.(ANI)

BJP asks UPA to rethink on Pratibha Patil’s candidature
Thursday, June 28, 2007 | MP

Jabalpur (MP), June 28 (ANI): Opposition leader Lal Krishna Advani on Thursday asked the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) to rethink on its presidential nominee Pratibha Patil in view of the allegations of misconduct against her.

Advani said that the allegations against the former Rajasthan Governor have not come from the opposition camp, but contains in a report by the Reserve Bank of India, which went into the financial bankruptcy of the private bank, Pratibha Mahila Sahakari Bank.

Commenting on the reported rift between the BJP and its regional ally Shiv Sena over support to Pratibha in the Presidential election, he said the matter would be settled by the party’s parliamentary affairs committee.

"The party has to decide about that matter. The unit of the Maharashtra of the BJP has given its decision. And, till the parliamentary affairs committee of the party meets and decides what to do, I would not like to say anything. During a discussion, the party members were having the other day, I said we should concentrate our energies on the upcoming presidential elections and decide on this matter after that," Advani said.

Shiv Sena had announced its support to Prathibha on the ground that she is the first from the state to run for the top post. The decision has caused a major rift between the two parties, with BJP's Maharashtra unit demanding snapping of ties with Sena.

The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance is supporting Vice President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, who filed his nominations as an independent, for the presidential elections scheduled for July 19. (ANI)

CPI-M protests delay in implementation of Sachar panel recommendations
Thursday, June 28, 2007 | MP

New Delhi, June 28 (ANI): The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) on Thursday staged a demonstration in the Capital against the delay in the implementation of the recommendations made by the Sacchar Committee to uplift the status of Muslims in the country.

Holding banners and placards, the CPI-M activists shouted slogans against the UPA government at the Centre.

"It has been so long since the Sacchar Committee report was released. There were many specific recommendations in it in favour of the Muslims. But the UPA government has not implemented it as yet. We have come here to say that steps should be taken to ensure that these recommendations are put in practice also,” said Sehba Farooq, a protesting CPI (M) leader.

He added that when a plan is made, 15 percent should be reserved for Muslims, and in the Muslim-dominated areas, infrastructure should be developed and improved.

Farooq accused the government of not showing enough political will to incorporate the committee's recommendations, since it came out in November last year.

A panel headed by former judge Rajendra Sachar had made a study of the socio-economic status of Muslims and recommended several steps, including reservation to help them join the mainstream.

Appointed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the committee in its report had said that Muslims are lagging behind and face more poverty, illiteracy and unemployment than any other community in the country.

It stressed the need for programmes to address the educational and economic backwardness of Muslim community. (ANI)

Govt plans to generate 80000 MW of power through renewable sources by 2032
Thursday, June 28, 2007 | MP

New Delhi, June 28 (ANI): The Ministry of Renewable Energy plans to achieve 80,000 MW of electricity generation through renewable sources by 2032, Vilas Muttemwar, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for New and Renewable Energy, said at the inauguration of “Green Power 2007”, International Conference – cum – Exposition on Renewable Energy here.

Muttemwar said that India has the largest government initiated programmes in renewable energy in the world and government plans to provide electricity to around 75 million rural un-electrified households in the next five years.

Referring to wind power projects, he said they have been highly successful and India currently occupies the fourth position globally, with an installed capacity of 7000 MW.

Small hydro power too had emerged as a successful venture through private entrepreneurship, leading to the harnessing of 2000 megawatts. Biomass and co-generation with installed capacity of 1200 MW has also contributed largely to the growth of renewable energy, Muttemwar said.

A biofuel policy is under formulation to encourage the use of biofuels mainly in the transportation sector. Government is emphasising on renewable energy education through awareness campaigns and has been trying to include renewable energy and energy conservation in the curricula in schools and technical institutions, he said.

International conferences and exhibitions like Green Power 2007 can bring together business, financial institutions and policy makers to formulate innovative ways to promote and implement ideas on energy conservation and using renewable energy, he concluded. (ANI)

Corruption allegations against Pratibha attempt to malign her image’
Thursday, June 28, 2007 | MP

New Delhi, June 28 (ANI): The United Progressive Alliance (UPA) today said that the corruption allegations levelled against its presidential candidate Pratibha Patil had no truth and that the BJP is heading a “beating about the bush” campaign.

Talking to reporters here today, Information and Broadcasting Minister P R Dasmunsi said that the accusation is malicious and unsubstantiated.

“A beating about the bush campaign is being orchestrated by the BJP and RSS. But I can only say these are malicious, unsubstantiated and deliberate attempt to malign a lady candidate. These things have never happened in the past,” he said.

On being asked if Pratibha gave loan to the people close to when she was heading a cooperative bank, Dasmunsi said that neither a Reserve Bank of India (RBI) nor an Audit Bureau report mentioned her name.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh yesterday said that in the case of Pratibha’s sugar mill-- which was served a notice by a bank for failure to repay a loan-- nobody levelled any charge of wrongdoing against her.

“This is only mudslinging,” he said.

Last week, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) also lambasted the BJP and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) for churning out false allegations against Pratibha just before the presidential elections.

Criticising the RSS-BJP for their "proactive slander machinery to spring into action on such occasions", CPI (M) leader Sitaram Yechury said that such acts only reflected their 'desperation' since their candidate's defeat is certain.

Early this month, Pratibha was also accused of defending her brother in connection with a 2005 murder case, which allegedly took place on the Mumbai-Agra Highway.

At a press conference called by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), Professor Rajni Patel, the wife of the victim, Professor V G Patel, had levelled these allegations. (ANI)

Successful dads have not so successful daughters
Thursday, June 28, 2007 | MP

London, June 28 (ANI): Dads at the top of the pecking order can rest assured that their male offspring will take after them, but it’s a very different story when it comes to the daughters, especially in the case of red deer.

A new study on red deer has found that genes that may prove useful for their sons, may not have the same effects when it comes to their female offspring.

The boffins also state that though this study was carried out in deer, the same could also hold true for humans, and could explain why successful human dads don’t have the same traits as them.

The research carried out on deer showed that the female offspring of the biggest and strongest stags were less successful at breeding and had fewer fawns during their lives than daughters of the not so successful males.

This caused them to theorise that some genes are designed to benefit just one gender and can handicap the other sex.

"We see this sexually antagonistic selection because the male and female deer need to fulfil different requirements in order to be successful," the New Scientist quoted lead author of the study Katharina Foerster of the University of Edinburgh, UK, as saying.

Foerster and her colleagues studied data about the deer collected over the last 40 years from the Isle of Rhum, off Scotland's west coast. Success among stags was judged on the basis of how many fawns they sired.

Loeske Kruuk, of the University of Edinburgh, said: “Natural selection means the most successful individuals pass on their genes more frequently than the losers, so more individuals should be carrying those good genes.

“As time goes on we should expect the low-quality genes to be lost, causing less variation between individuals. But we still see huge differences.

“This effect of the best males not producing the best daughters is possibly an important reason why differences remain. Maybe the idea that some genes are better than others is too simplistic: it depends on the sex of the individual.”

The study and its findings are published in Nature magazine. (ANI)

India Inc hopeful of improved Indo-UK trade under Gordon Brown
Thursday, June 28, 2007 | MP

By Ravindra Sheoran

New Delhi, June 28 (ANI): The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) on Thursday expressed the hope that the bilateral trade ties between India and the UK would further develop with Gordon Brown taking over as Britain’s new Prime Minister.

“This is great that both the nations are today headed by the former Finance Ministers. It is wonderful because economics is to some degree drive politics, and under the leadership of Prime minister Brown, the economic ties of both the nations would deepen further,” FICCI Secretary General Amit Mitra told ANI while welcoming Brown as new UK Prime Minister.

Mitra also expressed confidence that Brown will support India’s stand on agriculture at the WTO talks by saying that “Britain is with us.”

"He (Brown) comes from the grassroots. He has a feel of the ground, and in the economic domain, I think we will go much deeper. FICCI's recent delegation went to Yorkshire instead of London, is an indication that energy of UK is in the ground outside London in manufacturing and Mr Brown understands that,” he said.

Mitra further said that next vista of relationship between the two countries would be small and medium scale enterprises, and hi-tech enterprises from the UK, adding that Brown would be the leader from their side in bringing the small and medium enterprises together from outside London and outside Delhi.

He said that though Brown and Tony Blair were very different in their approach, the new Prime Minister would only add to the work already done by Blair.

"I think it's a major development. Mr. Gordon Brown- Prime Minister Brown now - is a friend of India. He has no compunctions in saying so. More importantly, he has supported India in its membership to the United Nation's (permanent) seat - this very special seat that we are seeking in the Security Council. He has also said that he is an admirer of India's democracy,” Mitra said.

Comparing Brown and Blair, he said the former PM is very “flamboyant, quick on his feet, and a populist”, while Brown maintains a lower profile, but with conviction, and carries people with him.

“Mr. Brown has his own small group, and people are worried that he may not be able to mix with people," he added.

Brown very strongly supports India's bid for a permanent seat on the expanded UN Security Council. He also has special interest in strengthening and deepening relations with India, and has recently talked of according high priority to ties with New Delhi.

The 56-year-old Labour party leader was sworn in by Queen Elizabeth at the Buckingham Palace on Wednesday, shortly after Blair stepped down after holding the top post for 10 years. (ANI)

Naps in the afternoon may harm your kids
Thursday, June 28, 2007 | MP

London, June 28 (ANI): Putting your kids down for a nap in the afternoon may give you a bit of a well-deserved rest after all that running around, but researchers are warning that it could prove harmful for your kids.

The study of 27 kids had researchers at the University of Florida led by Dr Joe McNamara concluding that kids would be better off without that afternoon nap.

They found that snoozing at this time may prevent kids from getting a good night’s sleep, and thus impair mental performance.

As a part of their study, the researchers measured how well the group of kids could solve puzzles requiring planning and organisational skills.

According to the New Scientist, the researchers found that kids who took longer naps tended to complete fewer puzzles successfully.

Sleeping in the afternoon also meant that these kids were going to be later in the night. Such kids performed worse on the puzzles.

In another study, Dr John Harsh and colleagues from the University of Southern Mississippi found that kids who took long daytime naps fell asleep at night an average of 39 minutes later, and slept later at the weekend.

These kids, reports the Telegraph, found it more difficult to go to bed at night, slept badly and struggled to get up in the morning.

The researchers asked the parents of 738 children aged two to 12 about their children's sleeping habits in this study.

"It could be that children are getting less sleep at night because they are napping, or they could be napping because they're getting less sleep at night," he said. (ANI)

Red Fort gets world heritage status by UNESCO
Thursday, June 28, 2007 | MP

New Delhi, June 28 (ANI): The Red Fort has been inscribed as a new cultural site in UNESCO’s World Heritage List.

The 17th century Mughal marvel and three other cultural sites - - Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine and its Cultural Landscape (Japan), Parthian Fortresses of Nisa (Turkmenistan) and Sydney Opera House (Australia) - - have been given World Heritage status.

The planning of the palace is based on Islamic prototypes, but each pavilion reveals architectural elements typical of Mughal building, reflecting a fusion of Persian, Timurid and Hindu traditions, UNESCO said in a statement.

The palace was designed as an imitation of paradise as described in the Koran; a couplet inscribed in the palace reads "If there be a paradise on earth, it is here, it is here."

Through, its fabric, the complex reflects all phases of Indian history from the Mughal period to Independence, it said.

The Red Fort will be the third Delhi monument to get this status after the Qutab Minar and Humayun's Tomb

The World Heritage Committee is meeting in New Zealand to choose the next heritage sites.

The Red Fort was the palace for Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan's new capital, Shahjahanabad, the seventh Muslim city in Delhi.

The Red Fort stands at the eastern edge of Shahjahanabad, and gets its name from the massive wall of red sandstone that defines its four sides.

The wall is 1.5 miles (2.5 km) long, and varies in height from 60ft (16m) on the river side to 110 ft (33 m) towards the city.

The fort lies along the Yamuna River, which fed the moats that surround most of the wall. Construction on the Red Fort began in 1638 and was completed by 1648. (ANI)

Cabinet approves introduction of Clinical Establishments Bill 2007
Thursday, June 28, 2007 | MP

New Delhi, June 28 (ANI): The Union Cabinet today gave its approval for introduction of the ‘Clinical Establishments (Registration and Regulation) Bill, 2007’ in Parliament.

The proposal would provide a legislative framework for the registration and regulation of clinical establishments.

It would improve the quality of health services by prescribing minimum standards for facilities and services with a view to standardising health care services.

It would also initiate the process for the creation of a national registry of clinical establishments.

The Bill will be introduced in the next session of Parliament. (ANI)

Early exposure to iron may contribute to onset of Parkinson's later in life
Thursday, June 28, 2007 | MP

Washington, June 28 (ANI): New research by the Buck Institute for Age Research suggests that exposure to iron and a common herbicide during the first weeks of life may contribute to the inception of Parkinson's disease later in life.

Results of the study, published in The Journal of Neuroscience, also showed that a compound that protects cells in the body from damage from certain forms of oxygen, a kind of antioxidant, could curb such neural degeneration.

"The importance of the study is that it points to a possible role of common mechanisms triggered by iron and paraquat as important in Parkinson's disease, and suggests that therapies that block their effects would be worth testing in patients," said Marie-Francoise Chesselet, chair of the Department of Neurobiology in the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, who did not participate in the study.

The study, conducted using mice, showed that a chemical compound with antioxidant properties could suppress the degeneration of brain cells associated with the onset of Parkinson's.

Parkinson's is a terminal, progressive degenerative disorder that affects 1.5 million people in the United States. The disease's symptoms include tremor, slowness of movement, rigidity and problems with balance. Age is the largest risk factor for Parkinson's.

A team of researchers led by Buck Institute faculty member Julie Anderson worked with four groups of genetically identical mice.

One group of mice was exposed to an excess of iron in infancy; another was given the herbicide paraquat; a third group was exposed to both substances; and a fourth group was not exposed to either of the compounds. Half of each group received treatment with the antioxidant EUK-189.

The study's results showed that exposing animals to both toxics accelerated neurodegeneration in the mice - with symptoms beginning to appear at the human counterpart of middle age. Those mice treated with the antioxidant, which was delivered at the same time as the environmental toxic, had significantly less nerve death in the area of the brain commonly affected by Parkinson's.

Aging is the single major risk factor for PD, but the findings from Andersen and her colleagues show that exposure during the neonatal period may play a crucial role in the development of late-onset PD.

"The fact that the antioxidant prevented much of the nerve damage in the mice points to the need for an early diagnostic test for Parkinson's disease,” Anderson said.

“The present findings suggest that antioxidants may be a viable therapeutic approach for neurodegenerative diseases associated with oxidative stress, such as PD,” she added. (ANI)

UPA has failed to reserve seats for women in politics: BJP
Thursday, June 28, 2007 | MP

New Delhi, June 28 (ANI): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Rajnath Singh today criticised the UPA Government for its failure to re-introduce a bill in Parliament to give 33 percent reservation to women in politics.

During his meeting with the party’s women workers here today, Singh said that senior party leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee had put forward the proposal and a bill in Parliament to give 33 percent reservation to women in politics.

“Everybody was hoping that the incumbent UPA Government would take the issue forward and would do something concrete about it. But till date, they have not initiated any step towards the reservation of women in politics," he said.

A bill to provide reservation for women in Parliament and state legislatures has been pending since 1996.

Successive governments have placed it on the business agenda of Parliament, only to shelve it in the absence of a political consensus.

The bill aims at granting 33.3 percent reservations for women in Parliament and state legislatures.

In over 50 years of independence, the percentage of women in the lower house of parliament has increased from 4.4 to 8.8 per cent, a figure that continues to be lower than the 15 percent average for countries with elected legislatures.

Currently, the Lok Sabha with an effective strength of 521, has just 46 women lawmakers.

Several political parties, including a few allies of the UPA Alliance, were opposed to the bill in its current form. They were locked on the issue of reservation for dalits or low-caste women within the 33 per cent quota for women. (ANI)

Huge Dust Storm Breaks Out on Mars
Thursday, June 28, 2007 | MP

Washington, June 28 (ANI): A major dust storm has broken out on Mars, blocking sunlight and prompting Mars mission managers to keep a close eye on it.

According to a Space.com report, the storm has spread across thousands of miles and is expected to grow. If it balloons, the dust storm could hamper operations of NASA's Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity.

For now, officials don't think the storm will threaten rover operations.

"We've been watching this storm for about six days now. It's not unheard of for Martian dust storms to cover half the planet, and this one is now a regional storm," Steven Squyres of Cornell University, the lead scientist of the Mars Exploration Rover Project, was quoted, as saying.

Squyres wasn't certain of the storm's exact size, but said it appears to be thousands of miles in diameter.

In fact, "it's one of the most sunlight-blocking storms we've seen on Mars," he said.

According to reports from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, which Squyres deemed as Mars' weather satellite, the storm has grown in size and is lifting up dust about 560 miles (900 KM) east of Opportunity, which is presently at Meridiani Planum.

Dust storms on Mars occur regularly, but seldom do they grow beyond regional proportions. A storm in 2001, however, engulfed the entire planet in red dust.

"If the storm continues to get worse, it could cut into our activities," Squyres said. One of those activities, should the team decide it's not too risky, could be the descent of Opportunity into the massive Victoria Crater. A press conference is planned for Thursday to discuss the decision.

Diana Blaney, the deputy project manager for the Mars exploration rovers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California, said dust levels can significantly impact the rovers' missions. (ANI)

Benaras university students join campaign for Taj Mahal’s inclusion in 7 wonders list
Thursday, June 28, 2007 | MP

Varanasi, June 28 (ANI): Students of Benaras Hindu University have joined the campaign to get the Taj Mahal included in the 'New Seven Wonders of the World' list by creating a sand replica of it on the banks of the river Ganges.

Hemant Kumar, a student, said the main aim of this was to tell Indians to start voting for the Taj.

"India's population is one billion, out of which at least 500,000 people have voted for the Taj to try and bring it into the list of seven wonders,” said Ankur, another student.

From India's Taj Mahal to Mexico's Mayan ruins, suggestions for the new list have come in from over 60 million people in one of the biggest global polls ever conducted.

Mughal Emperor Shahjahan built the Taj Mahal in the 17th century as a symbol of his enduring love for his wife Mumtaz.

The 21 finalists in the new wonders list, includes Rome's Colosseum, Jordan's ancient city of Petra, Britain's Stonehenge and the Great Wall of China. They were short listed on January 1 by a panel of experts chaired by former head of UNESCO, Federico Mayor.

The organisation conducting the poll was set up by Swiss-Canadian adventurer Bernard Weber. The results will be announced in Portugal's Benfica Stadium of Light on July 7. (ANI)

India, Pakistan continue talks on IPI gas pipeline
Thursday, June 28, 2007 | MP

New Delhi, June 28 (ANI): Petroleum Secretaries of India and Pakistan are meeting here later in the day for trilateral talks on the Iran, Pakistan and India gas pipe line project.

Petroleum Secretary M S Srinivasan and his Pakistani counterpart Ahmad Waqar held discussions on the rates to be paid to Islamabad for allowing the passage of the pipeline yeterday. The issues of transit fees and transportation charges is reportedly being discussed today.

Later the formal tri-nation working group meeting on multi-billion dollar gas pipeline project will be joined by Iranian delegation led by Hajjatollah Ghanimifard special envoy of Iranian Oil Minister to resolve differences on the 7.4-billion dollar project.

The trilateral talks will also focus on changes sought by Iran in the gas pricing.

The recent flurry of diplomatic visits suggests that the negotiations are progressing well and the final round of talks may pave the way for the three countries to sign the deal next month.

The trilateral gas pipeline is likely to be spread over an area of 2,775 kilometers. The project is expected to take three to five years to complete and will greatly benefit both India and Pakistan which do not have sufficient natural gas to meet their rapidly increasing domestic demand for energy.

India is predicted to require 400 million cubic metres of gas per day by 2025, up from 90 million cubic metres per day in 2005.

The project was conceptualized in 1989 by noted environment expert R. K. Pachauri in partnership with Ali Shams Ardekani, former Deputy Foreign Minister of Iran. Dr Pachauri proposed the plan to both Iranian and Indian governments in 1990. The Government of Iran responded positively to the proposal. At the annual conference of the International Association of Energy Economics, 1990, Dr Ardekani backed Dr Pachauri's proposal.

The pipeline is proposed to start from Asalouyeh stretching over 1100 kilometres in Iran itself. In Pakistan, it will pass through Baluchistan and Sind.

The deal faced a setback on July 16, 2006 when Iran demanded a price of 7.2 dollars per mBtu of gas against India's offer of 4.2 dollars per mBtu. The Indian spokesperson then had reasoned that Tehran's price is more than 50 per cent the prevailing market determined gas price in India.

Pakistan has sought 10 per cent of the gas price on the Pakistan-India border as transit fee to provide right of way, security and safety to the gas pipeline project.

At current oil prices, Pakistan expects transit fee at or around 50 cents per million British Thermal Unit (MMBTU), whereas, on the other hand, India is offering 15 cents per MMBTU).

India says that Pakistan should seek transit fee only for about 240-km portion of the gas pipeline that will specifically be required up to the Indian border. It also argues that since about 795-km pipeline from the Pakistan-Iran border will also be utilised by Pakistan, there should be no transit fee for this segment.

The pipeline would initially carry around 60 million cubic meters of gas from Iran everyday that would be split between India and Pakistan equally. (ANI)

Now, a diet pill that’s as filling as a plate of spaghetti!
Thursday, June 28, 2007 | MP

London, June 28 (ANI): Scientists have developed a pill that engorges in the stomach making the person feel like they have eaten a good meal.

The pill made from cellulose has a highly absorbent powder that expands 1000 times when taken with water.

“The sensation is like eating a nice plate of spaghetti," Telegraph quoted Prof Luigi Ambrosio, who led the research, as saying.

Professor Ambrosio said that the 500 mg pill when taken with 2 glasses of water results in a tennis ball size lump in the stomach.

“We had one extremely important investor come to visit and he wanted to try the pill. He got very excited because he took one at 11 o'clock in the morning and at six o'clock in the afternoon he still couldn't finish an ice cream,” he said.

Ambrosio said that the idea of the pill struck them when they were designing nappies’ lining.

“The idea came to us while we were working on a project to design a lining for nappies,” he said.

"One of my PhD students came across this particular compound, with incredibly high absorption rates. At the time, scientists were trying to battle obesity with balloons inside the stomach, so we thought this might work,” he added.

The pill has already been tested on 20 people as of now, and another trial is being held with 90 people at the Policlinico Gemelli hospital in Rome.

Professor Ambrosio hopes to market the product by next summer.

Our marketing people say we should launch it in time for summer,” he said. (ANI)

Repeated brain stimulation in old age can keep Alzheimer's at bay
Thursday, June 28, 2007 | MP

Washington, June 28 (ANI): Activities that stimulate the brain, such as reading the newspaper or playing chess, reduces the risk of the elderly developing Alzheimer’s, a new study shows.

As a part of the study researchers Rush University Medical Center followed more that 700 people in Chicago, with an average age of 80, for up to five years. These participants formed part of the Rush Memory and Aging Project, a longitudinal study of more than 1,200 older people, and underwent yearly cognitive testing.

Of the participants, 90 developed Alzheimer’s disease.

Researchers also performed a brain autopsy on the 102 participants who died.

They found that a cognitively active person in old age was 2.6 times less likely to develop dementia and Alzheimer’s disease than a cognitively inactive person in old age.

This association remained after controlling for past cognitive activity, lifetime socioeconomic status, and current social and physical activity.

“Alzheimer’s disease is among the most feared consequences of old age. The enormous public health problems posed by the disease are expected to increase during the coming decades as the proportion of old people in the United States increases. This underscores the urgent need for strategies to prevent the disease or delay its onset,” said study author Robert S. Wilson, PhD.

The study also found frequent cognitive activity during old age, such as visiting a library or attending a play, was associated with reduced risk of mild cognitive impairment, a transitional stage between normal aging and dementia, and less rapid decline in cognitive function.

Supported by grants from the National Institute on Aging and the Illinois Department of Public Health, the study was published June 27, 2007, in the online edition of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. (ANI)

Second-hand smoke exposure in pregnancy linked to kids' psychological problems
Thursday, June 28, 2007 | MP

Washington, June 28 (ANI): A new study has show just how important it is for pregnant women to stay away from even second-hand smoke by finding that it can cause serious psychological problems in their children.

The study was conducted by a team of researchers from the University of Washington by psychologists Lisa Gatzke-Kopp and Theodore Beauchaine.

The researchers found that such kids have more symptoms of serious psychological problems compared to the offspring of women who had no prenatal exposure to smoke.

The study also provides the first evidence linking mothers' second-hand smoke exposure while pregnant to their children's attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and conduct disorder.

Psychologists call these behaviours externalising psychopathology and their symptoms include aggressive behaviour, ADHD, defiance and conduct disorder, which encompasses truancy, fighting, school failure, breaking rules, substance use, stealing and destruction of property.

As a part of their study, Gatzke-Kopp and Beauchaine compared patterns psychopathology among three groups of 7- to 15-year-old children, all of whom had significant behavioral and/or emotional problems.

One group experienced no prenatal smoke exposure. The second was made up of children whose mothers smoked during the final two trimesters of pregnancy. The third consisted of children whose mothers were exposed to second-hand smoke at work or in the home in the last two trimesters during pregnancy.

A total of 171 children, primarily boys, and 133 women participated in the project.

The UW researchers found that those children whose mothers had been exposed to tobacco smoke either by smoking or by being around smokers when they were pregnant had more symptoms of ADHD and conduct disorder than children whose mothers spent their pregnancies in a smoke-free environment. However, they did not show more symptoms of emotional disorders such as depression or anxiety.

"This is a matter of severity. Children with these disorders have a range of behaviors that stretch from problematic to severe. It is a continuum based on the number of symptoms, and children who were exposed to smoke exhibited more symptoms," said Gatzke-Kopp, a post-doctoral researcher.

Nicotine, an alkaloid compound in tobacco, is believed to be the chemical that causes these behaviour problems in children. Animal studies have shown that nicotine affects brain development during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy, causing changes in brain regions critical to the development of externalising psychopathology in humans.

"Evidence suggests that the dopamine system in the brain gets over stimulated during pregnancy. Dopamine is a brain chemical that plays an important role in behavior and cognition, among other functions," Beauchaine said.

"As a consequence, children who were exposed to smoke in utero have colic and are hard to sooth as infants. As toddlers they are overactive and oppositional. Later on they are irritable, inattentive and low on pleasure," he added.

Funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, the research also supports a 2006 report by the U.S. Surgeon General that found passive smoke exposure poses a substantial risk to the general health of those who breathe the smoke, as well as to the fetuses of pregnant women.

The study and its findings are published in the current issue of Child Psychiatry and Human Development. (ANI)

India, Pakistan to hold talks for easing visa restrictions
Thursday, June 28, 2007 | MP

Islamabad, June 28 (ANI): India and Pakistan will begin two days of talks for easing the visa regime to boost cultural activities and exchanges programmes between the two countries.

The talks are being held as part of the fourth round of the composite dialogue process.

The Indian delegation will be led by Secretary, Culture, Badal K Das and Pakistani delegation will be led by Saleem Gul Sheikh.

The trans-border movement of people is currently limited to visits between families and friends divided during the 1947 partition or for business, governed by an agreement signed in 1974.

Both countries had also signed a protocol to permit group visits by pilgrims to shrines in both countries. But either side does not issue tourist visas.

India had proposed the liberalization of the visa regime for group tourists and had also suggested the granting of visa on arrival for senior citizens and children aged less than 12 years.

The recent SAARC summit in New Delhi had also agreed to improve intra-regional connectivity, especially on the score of people-to-people contacts.

Currently visitors from India and Pakistan are required to report to the local police on arrival and departure and are not allowed to visit any place other than the one specifically allowed in their respective travel documents. Besides, visitors must also enter and exit from the same port. (ANI)

Jammu Police beef up security ahead of Amarnath pilgrimage
Wednesday, June 27, 2007 | MP

Jammu, June 27 (ANI): Security has been beefed up for the annual pilgrimage to the Amarnath Cave shrine that begins from June 30.

Lakhs of Hindus from across the country are expected to visit the revered shrine this year.

In Jammu, police have been put on alert and a thorough checking of public transport is being carried out .

"Heavy security arrangements have been made. Eight companies of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and nine of the armed police have been deployed.
Officials of our special branch will be there in their civil clothes," said Mukesh Singh, Superintendent of Police, Jammu.

The Amarnath Cave is about 12,500 feet above sea level and 141 kilometres from Srinagar. The base camp for the pilgrimage is Pahalgam.

Militants have targeted the annual pilgrimage in the past. In 2002, eight Hindu pilgrims were killed in an attack on the Nunwan camp in Pahalgam.

The pilgrimage concludes on August 28. (ANI)

New high blood pressure vaccine developed
Wednesday, June 27, 2007 | MP

London, June 27 (ANI): A bio-technology pharma company from Zurich, Switzerland has developed a drug that can reduce high blood pressure for several months at a time.

The drug cleans up ‘angiotensin II’, a natural peptide that raises blood pressure by contracting vessels, by inducing antibodies.

In the trial that involved 72 people, drug CYT006-AngQb developed by Cytos Biotechnology reduced systolic blood pressure by 25 millimetres of mercury as compared to placebo treatment.

The drug also lowered diastolic pressure went down by 13 mmHg.

“We can certainly reduce blood pressure, but whether it's enough to be clinically meaningful we can't say yet," New Scientist quoted Martin Bachmann of Cytos, as saying.

“Four months after the shot, only half of the antibodies were left, so people may need a top-up every six months,” Bachmann added. (ANI)

Pride, even the hubristic kind, allows us to survive
Wednesday, June 27, 2007 | MP

Washington, June 27 (ANI): A new study has found that a proud person could either be truly self-confident or fallaciously arrogant.

The University of California study demonstrated that people have a propensity to associate pride either with triumph and self-assurance, which the authors term authentic pride, or they link it to self-aggrandizement and arrogance, called hubristic pride.

While authentic pride was connected to more positive personality characteristics than the hubristic type, the researchers propose that both emotions must have offered some survival help for our ancient ancestors.

Jessica Tracy and Richard Robins of the University of California, Davis, reviewed a number of past studies of human behaviour connected to pride.

They found that like other fundamental emotions, expressions of pride are known across age groups and cultures. For instance, just as a flow of tears and down-turned lips indicate sadness, a faint grin, a little inflated chest and hands on hips hint a person’s pride.

The researchers also found that when a person experiences authentic pride, he or she was more expected to score high on extraversion, agreeableness, genuine self-esteem and conscientiousness. On the other hand Hubristic pride was most often linked with narcissism and disgrace.

“It’s this self-aggrandizing self-esteem rather than genuinely feeling really good about yourself. There’s this sort of underlying insecurity to it and competitiveness,” Live Science quoted Tracy, as saying.

Work ethic also differed between the two faces of pride. People who held personal, achievement-based feelings of pride regarded hard work as the crucial factor to success in life, while hubristic individuals were subject to view success as predetermined and based on innate abilities.

The scientists advocated that both types of pride could have assisted our ancestors. In this manner, pride would be similar to the supposed basic emotions, such as fear, sadness and anger, which are said to have evolved as means of survival. For instance, an onslaught of fearful emotions could keep a person protected from danger and threat.

“We believe [pride is] an evolved emotion, but it’s a little bit more indirectly related to survival. To the extent that it allows us to survive, it does that by helping us maintain our social relationships with others, sort of maintain our place in the social hierarchy,” Tracy said.

In the past, while a demonstration of authentic self-esteem might have indicated a person’s selfless behaviour, hubris might have been a social “short cut,” a way to dodge others into paying one respect.

The scientists suggest that if they couldn’t get respect the conventional way, our ancestors discovered how to act accomplished.

The study is published in the June issue of the journal Current Directions in Psychological Science. (ANI)

Cord blood may hold potential therapy for type 1 diabetes
Wednesday, June 27, 2007 | MP

Washington, June 27 (ANI): Boffins have found that umbilical cord blood might safely preserve insulin production in children newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.

The study was conducted by a team of researchers led by Dr. Michael Haller at the University of Florida.

As part of the study, researchers identified children recently diagnosed with type 1 diabetes whose families banked their umbilical cord blood at birth, and gave seven patients ages 2 to 7 intravenous infusions of stem cells isolated from their own cord blood.

Researchers evaluated the patients for the next two years to measure how much insulin they were making on their own and to assess blood sugar levels and the function of key immune system cells.

The study found that during the first six months, the children required significantly less insulin and maintained better control of blood sugar levels than children of comparable age with type 1 diabetes who were randomly selected from the clinic population.

The researchers also noted that the children who received cord blood infusions had higher levels of regulatory immune cells in their blood six months after the infusion.

“This is the first attempt at using cord blood as a potential therapy for type 1 diabetes. We hope these cells can either lessen the immune system’s attack on the pancreas or possibly introduce stem cells that can differentiate into insulin-producing cells,” Haller said.

“This isn’t a cure-all. We think that giving these cells is essentially providing some immunotherapy and downregulating the autoimmunity these patients have,” he added.

The findings of the study were presented at the American Diabetes Association’s 67th Scientific Sessions in Chicago. (ANI)

Boffins identify gene that helps regulates body weight
Wednesday, June 27, 2007 | MP

Washington, June 27 (ANI): Boffins have found that the absence of CD38 gene prevented mice on high-fat diets from gaining weight.

The study was conducted by a team of researchers led by Eduardo Chini at Mayo Clinic.

As part of the study, researchers studied two groups of mice – one with the gene CD38 and the other without. Each group was fed a high-calorie diet with 60 percent of calories from fat. In a second test, each group was fed a standard diet in which 4 percent of calories came from fat.

Researchers found that the body fat of mice that carried CD38 and were on a high-fat diet nearly quadrupled and their body weight almost doubled. After eight weeks on a high-fat diet, mice with CD38 began to show signs of glucose intolerance, one of the first indicators of diabetes onset.

In addition, this group of mice lived for only four-to-six months compared to the second group of mice that lived for 12 months.

The study noted that for the group of mice that had no CD38, the body fat and weight did not change even though they were on a high fat diet. These mice burned more energy, were leaner and otherwise healthy.

The researchers also examined the effects of resveratrol in mice.

Resveratrol is a naturally occurring substance found in some plants such as mulberries, peanuts and red grapes used to make wine. It has been marketed as a drug that mimics the effects of moderate exercise without the physical act of exercising and also as a longevity drug, despite the lack of evidence that resveratrol is safe and effective in humans.

Researchers treated mice with CD38 with 30 milligrams of resveratrol per day and to determine the effects of the SIRT genes on obesity, mice without CD38 received the same dose of sirtinol, a drug that shuts down the SIRT genes.

Researchers found that mice with CD38 that were treated with resveratrol for two weeks were protected from high-fat, diet-induced obesity. By contrast, the protective effect against high-fat, diet-induced obesity in the absence of CD38 in mice was invalidated by sirtinol. Mice without CD38 that were treated with sirtinol gained a statistically significant amount of weight when compared with mice without the gene who were not treated with sirtinol.

“Together these results identify a novel pathway regulating body weight and clearly show that CD38 is a nearly obligatory component of the cellular cascade that led to diet-induced obesity,” the authors write.

The findings of the study were published in the online issue of The FASEB Journal, the journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology. The study will appear in the November 2007 print issue of the journal. (ANI)

India thrash Pakistan in volleyball opener
Wednesday, June 27, 2007 | MP

Islamabad, June 27 (ANI): India thrashed Pakistan 3-1 in the opening match of an eight-match volleyball series at Laiquat Gymnasium, Pakistan Sports Complex, here on Tuesday.

India, the winners of the recently concluded 2nd Asian Central Zone Men’s Volleyball Champion, won 25-18, 25-12, 22-25 and 25-17.

The first four matches of the series will be held in Pakistan and the remaining four on the Indian soil in the first week of August, the Daily Times reported.

The Indian spikers displayed excellent skill of the game to achieve victory against their traditional rivals and go 1-0 up.

India dominated the first two games while the third was won by the hosts with a changed strategy and aggressive play.

The second match of the series will be played on June 28 in Peshawar, Faisalabad on June 30 and Lahore on July 2. (ANI)

Chandigarh set to be no-smoking zone from July 15
Wednesday, June 27, 2007 | MP

Chandigarh, June 27 (ANI): Chandigarh is all set to turn into a "no-smoking zone" by mid-July this year.

According to the authorities, the ban would be fully enforced from July 15 and will cover markets, restaurants and cafes. Smoking kills over a million of the 250 million users annually in the country.

The establishment says it will not make the city completely smoke-free. Owners of public utilities will be allowed to set up a separate area for smokers.

Posters and placards are being put up in markets and outside schools to create awareness about the harmful effects of smoking.

Brahmaprakash, who is designing several of the campaign posters, said his blueprint would give people new ideas about implementing the ban.

"The Chandigarh Administration will be using a poster with a Bamboo plant where I have tried to show that what is the use of an ash tray the moment you stop smoking. I suggested that instead of using an ash tray for flicking off ash, use it for plantation," he said.

But a few vendors believe the ban will affect their business. Kamal Sharma, a vendor, said: “They have decided to implement the ban. Now if we have to shut the shops, we will be unemployed. This cannot be controlled.”

Chandigarh officials believe the ban would limit the impact on passive smokers.

"You can never achieve 100 percent success in such campaigns where it is a social evil. We are giving the choice of smoking in a smoking area," said Vivek Atray, Joint Secretary (Health), Chandigarh Administration.

Atray also said the move was based on recommendations of a study on second-hand smoke on cancer.

According to the WHO, around 200,000 workers die every year due to exposure on tobacco smoke at work, while around 700 million children, breathe air polluted by tobacco smoke, particularly at home.

India is the third largest tobacco producer and consumer in the world after China and United States of America.

India exports only one fourth of its total annual tobacco output, which is nearly 545 million kilograms.

Tobacco victims in India out-number the AIDS victims, as one million of the 250 million tobacco users in the country die every year.

According to the WHO, there will be more than ten million deaths a year due to oral cancer in the next thirty years with 70 percent of those occurring in developing countries like India. (ANI)

Advani meets Thai Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont
Wednesday, June 27, 2007 | MP

New Delhi, June 27 (ANI): Senior BJP leader L K Advani met the visiting Thailand Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont here today.

After the meeting, Chulanont, who is on a three-day visit to the country to boost bilateral relations, left for Varanasi.

India and Thailand on Wednesday signed two agreements for enhancing cooperation in the fields of renewable energy and cultural exchanges.

Earlier, Chulanont met Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh where both leaders discussed bilateral ties and expressed satisfaction with the growing cooperation in the area of defence and security.

Chulanont is accompanied by Foreign Minister Nitya Pibulsonggram, Commerce Minister Krirk-Krai Jirapaet and Energy Minister Piyasvasti Amranand. (ANI)

Extradition nears for Indian origin rogue surgeon Dr. Death
Wednesday, June 27, 2007 | MP

Melbourne, June 27 (ANI): Australia’s Minister for Justice and Customs, David Johnston, has confidentially approved the extradition of Indian origin rogue surgeon, Dr. Jayant Patel from the US.

The move is likely to trigger Dr Patel’s arrest in his hometown in Oregon, where he has been living since he fled to the US.

Dr Patel, dubbed Dr. Death, has been linked to 17 deaths at Bundaberg Base Hospital, Queensland, during his two years as director of surgery at the hospital.

The government of Peter Beattie, Premier of Queensland, has been pressing for his extradition from the US.

According to a report in The Australian, the signing of the paperwork for Dr Patel's extradition is being regarded as the most significant development to date in the bid to have him returned to Brisbane for a criminal trial.

Dr. Patel fled to the US on April 1 2005 after allegations of medical incompetence were raised in the Queensland parliament.

Last November, warrants were issued for his arrest on a number of charges, including three of manslaughter and five of causing grievous bodily harm, and authorities are working to extradite him from the US.

Senator Johnston, who was in New Zealand yesterday, is expected to announce the latest step on his return to Australia.

Senator Johnston's chief of staff, Chris Muir, said: "The minister cannot confirm it and the minister cannot deny it - we cannot comment on this. I'm not saying it's right and I'm not saying it's wrong."

Dr. Patel does not have access to his passport and Queensland police do not regard him as a flight risk.

According to the paper, the next steps - including an arrest - are matters for US justice officials and US marshals, who have been briefed on the case by their counterparts in the office of the Queensland Director of Public Prosecutions and federal government extradition experts. (ANI)

Oral treatment as effective as injections in treating kids with pneumonia
Wednesday, June 27, 2007 | MP

Washington, June 27 (ANI): Kids suffering from pneumonia may no longer have to worry about the doctor’s needle, for a new study has found that the less painful oral treatment works just as well as injections.

The first of its kind study by researchers at The University of Nottingham showed that kids children given oral treatment recovered as quickly, suffered less pain, required less oxygen therapy in hospital and were able to go home sooner than those given intravenous (IV) treatment.

The findings suggest that such injections, endured by generations of children, may be unnecessary and could be replaced with oral doses of the medicine in the majority of cases.

As a part of the study the researchers looked over 243 children, enrolled over a 21-month period at eight UK hospitals. Half the kids were randomly assigned to receive a week of oral antibiotic treatment and half to receive antibiotics through injections.

Follow-up over subsequent weeks showed that while both types of treatment are effective in tackling the illness, the former actually had a number of advantages over the latter.

Oral antibiotics are also cheaper than those given via the IV route.

Professor Stephenson said that the findings were certainly good news for all involved – kids, parents and paediatricians.

“This is good news for children who hate injections; good news for parents whose children will spend less time in hospital; good news for paediatricians who hate sticking needles in children and good news for the NHS, as fewer beds will be occupied and the treatment is cheaper,” he said.

The researchers suggested that kids in developed countries such as the UK now be treated orally rather than intravenously.

“We suggest that in countries like the UK, all but the sickest children with community-acquired pneumonia should be treated with oral amoxicillin initially,” they state.

“We expect that the majority of children will still require hospital admission but for a shorter period, to ensure oral medication is tolerated, and temperature and respiratory distress are settling. Most importantly children will be spared the pain and distress that injections cause,” they added.

Funded by the British Lung Foundation, the study has been published online in the medical journal Thorax. (ANI)

World Bank approves 600 million dollar farmers' assistance package for India
Wednesday, June 27, 2007 | MP

New Delhi, June 27 (ANI): The World Bank today approved one of its largest support packages to India with a 600 million dollar loan and credit designed to transform access to financial services for India’s poorest farmers.

The Strengthening Rural Credit Cooperatives Project supports the Government of India’s program to reform and revitalize the country’s rural Credit Cooperative Banks (CCBs). These include some 31 State Cooperative Banks, 367 District Central Cooperative Banks and over 100,000 Primary Agricultural Credit Societies. The goal is to transform them into efficient and commercially viable institutions responsive to the financial service needs of India’s poorer farmers, including small and marginal farmers.

Since the early 1990s, India has introduced impressive financial sector reforms that have resulted in increased competition, diversification, openness, and depth. Yet, India’s rural population still has limited access to finance from formal sources, relying instead on extortionate money lenders.

The problem is particularly severe for small and marginal farmers, who are among the poorest of India’s rural dwellers farming, respectively, less than one acre and between one and four acres of land. World Bank estimates suggest that some 87 percent of marginal farmers and 70 percent of small farmers have no access to credit from a formal financial institution.

“Better access to finance for India’s rural poor is absolutely critical for higher rural growth, for reducing inequality, and ultimately, alleviating poverty,” said Isabel Guerrero, World Bank Country Director for India.
“By providing small farmers with improved financial services, such as credit, savings, remittances and insurance, this project will play a significant role in helping India’s rural poor benefit from growth opportunities,” she added.

Twelve Indian states have signed up to the reform program. Potentially viable CCBs in those states will commit to a set of far-reaching legal, regulatory, governance and institutional reforms which will open the way to financial and operational restructuring.

In the process the CCBs will be recapitalized with grants to wipe out the accumulated losses, the value of members’ capital will be restored, and a minimum capital to risk weighted assets ratio (CRAR) of 7 percent will be achieved.

The project will also provide technical assistance throughout the process to strengthen CCB governance, managerial and operational performance, and support the computerization for enhanced efficiency and transparency. CCB members, particularly small and marginal farmers, will receive training in areas such as financial literacy and a strong project focus on monitoring and evaluation systems, will include
monitoring by CCB members themselves.

“The project will transform India’s rural credit cooperative banks into efficient and commercially viable institutions that can provide financial services to the poorest farmers at affordable terms. “This will enable poor farmers to break out of the clutches of usurious moneylenders, diversify economic activities, increase incomes, and improve their livelihoods,” said Priya Basu, World Bank Lead Economist and project team leader.

The 12 states which have signed the Memoranda of Understanding with the Government of India and the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) include: Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Harayana, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West Bengal.

The loan from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) has 20 years maturity, including a five year grace period.

The credit is provided by the International Development Association (IDA), the World Bank’s concessionary lending arm and has 35 years to maturity and a 10-year grace period. (ANI)

Amritsar’s tiny tots join campaign for Taj’s inclusion in Seven Wonders list
Wednesday, June 27, 2007 | MP

Amritsar, June 27 (ANI): Tiny tots of Spring Dale Blossoms School and budding air hostesses of the Franklin Institute of Air Hostess have voiced support for inducting the Taj Mahal into the new ‘Seven Wonders of the World’ list.

Holding placards in their tiny hands, the kids appealed to the entire nation to vote for the Taj. They said they wanted to make a difference to its ranking.

Daksh Deep, a class three student, said: “We have voted for the Taj and want that the Taj should be included in the Seven Wonders of the World”.

“The Taj is a perfect example of spreading harmony all over as it is a symbol of love and passion in today’s world which is full of hatred, enmity and rivalry,” said Anu Mehra, a schoolteacher.

Nisha Sharma, a budding air hostess, said: “We are contributing to spreading the message and hopeful that the Taj would be in the new wonders list of the world.”

From India's Taj Mahal to Mexico's Mayan ruins, suggestions for the new list have flooded in from over 60 million people in one of the biggest global polls ever conducted.

Mughal Emperor Shahjahan built the Taj Mahal in the 17th century as a symbol of his enduring love for his wife Mumtaz.

The 21 finalists in the new wonders list, which include Rome's Colosseum, Jordan's ancient city of Petra, Britain's Stonehenge and the Great Wall of China, were short listed on January 1 by a panel of experts chaired by former head of UNESCO, Federico Mayor.

The organisation conducting the poll was set up by Swiss-Canadian adventurer Bernard Weber. The results will be announced in Portugal's Benfica Stadium of Light on July 7. (ANI)

Adding folic acid to bread could help battle depression
Wednesday, June 27, 2007 | MP

Washington, June 27 (ANI): A study by researchers at the University of York and Hull York Medical School has confirmed a link between depression and low levels of folate.

Folate is a vitamin that comes from vegetables such as spinach and turnip greens, dried beans and peas. Fortified cereal products, sunflower seeds as well as liver are rich sources of folate.

Experts have been claiming that adding folate to bread or flour will decrease the number of babies with disabilities such as spina bifida, miscarriage, neonatal death or lifelong disability, and now the review lends support to this claim.

As a part of their study, the researchers carried out a review of 11 previous studies involving 15,315 participants.

Based on their findings they state that though they cannot prove that low folate causes depression, the results had certainly shown a link between the two.

"Our study is unique in that for the first time all the relevant evidence in this controversial area has been brought together. Although the research does not prove that low folate causes depression, we can now be sure that the two are linked," said Dr Simon Gilbody, the lead researcher.

"Interestingly, there is also some trial evidence that suggests folic acid supplements can benefit people with depression. We recommend that large trials should be carried out to further test this suggestion," he added.

Folate is linked to the production of some of the 'feel good' chemicals in the brain, such as serotonin. The identification of this gene provides a plausible explanation as to why folic acid supplements may help people with depression.

The study is published in the July edition of the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. (ANI)

Double supernovae explosions detected in a galaxy within six weeks
Wednesday, June 27, 2007 | MP

Washington, June 27 (ANI): NASA’s Swift observatory has detected two supernovae flare up in an obscure galaxy in the constellation Hercules, in the past six weeks. This is the first time astronomers have observed two of these powerful stellar explosions occurring in the same galaxy so close together in time.

The galaxy, known as MCG +05-43-16, is 380 million light-years from Earth.

Until this year, astronomers had never sighted a supernova popping off in this stellar congregation.

According to NASA, making the event even more unusual is the fact that the two supernovae belong to different types.

Supernova 2007ck is a Type II event -- which is triggered when the core of a massive star runs out of nuclear fuel and collapses gravitationally, producing a shock wave that blows the star to smithereens. Supernova 2007ck was first observed on May 19.

In contrast, Supernova 2007co is a Type Ia event, which occurs when a white dwarf star accretes so much material from a binary companion star that it blows up like a giant thermonuclear bomb. It was discovered on June 4, 2007. A white dwarf is the exposed core of a star after it has ejected its atmosphere; it's approximately the size of Earth but with the mass of our Sun.

"Most galaxies have a supernova every 25 to 100 years, so it's remarkable to have a galaxy with two supernovae discovered just 16 days apart," said Stefan Immler of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.

According to Immler, the simultaneous appearance of two supernovae in one galaxy is an extremely rare occurrence.

“But it's merely a coincidence and does not imply anything unusual about MCG +05-43-16,” he said.

“Since the two supernovae are tens of thousands of light-years from each other, and because light travels at a finite speed, astronomers in the galaxy itself, or in a different galaxy, might record the two supernovae exploding thousands of years apart,” he added. (ANI)

Antony opposes repeal of Armed Forces Act
Wednesday, June 27, 2007 | MP

New Delhi, June 27 (ANI): Defence Minister AK Antony has opposed the repeal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) from insurgency-hit states.

Antony said it was not possible to repeal the act, as it was required to deal with rebels operating from foreign soil.

"To control these international forces, -- terrorists, insurgents, infiltrators -- the army there needs some special powers so they can act effectively deal with them. I don't think the time has come for repeal of the act. At the same time, there is always scope for improvement. There can be amendments made to the act to make it more humane," Antony told reporters on the sidelines of a function in New Delhi.

"The country cannot afford a total repeal of the Armed Forces Act in the present security scenario," he added.

A Central panel had on Monday recommended repealing of the draconian AFSPA, which gives soldiers sweeping powers to arrest or kill suspected rebels, with virtual immunity from prosecution.

The Act applies to Jammu and Kashmir and most of the insurgency-hit North eastern states.

In a report on 'Public Order', formally submitted to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday, the second Administrative Reforms Commission, headed by Veerappa Moily, recommended replacing AFSPA with a new law that would enable the Centre to deploy paramilitary and Army troops in insurgency hit areas under periodic review.

Critics say the army misuses the act to torture innocents civilians in the region.

Human rights groups say the AFSPA has given the army the licence to kill, torture and rape with impunity.

Other critics say army excesses have only fanned insurgency and secessionist aspirations in restive Kashmir and the Northeast. (ANI)

Two antique idols of Lord Mahavira found
Wednesday, June 27, 2007 | MP

New Delhi, June 27 (ANI): Police in Delhi have recovered two antique idols of Lord Mahavira dating back to the 6th and 12th centuries respectively, worth 20 million rupees.

The antiques were retrieved from Omkar Nath, a resident of Eta in Uttar Pradesh, who was trying to sell the antiques off to a prospective buyer in the Roshanara Bagh area.

Muktesh Chander, Additional Commissioner of Police, Crime Branch, said the meditating figurines of Lord Mahavira were made of a rare alloy of eight precious metals.

Unauthorized dealing in antiques is banned under the Antiquity and Art Treasure Act (AATA). No object more than 100 years old can be taken out of the country illegally as per the Act.

India has emerged a hub for clandestine dealings in object d'art, with most of the smuggled goods eventually finding their way to the rich drawing rooms of the West. (ANI)

BJP's pitches 16-point pro-agriculture initiatives to end farmers` crisis
Wednesday, June 27, 2007 | MP

New Delhi, June 26 (ANI): Urging the country and the UPA Government to take the warning given by the eminent agriculture scientist Prof. MS Swaminathan that “the situation is deteriorating rapidly and the entire farming sector is heading for a total collapse seriously, the Bharatiya Janata Party today said that Indian agriculture is facing multi-dimensional challenges both from within and outside.

Announcing its agriculture resolution on the second day of its two-day National Executive, the party claimed that the agrarian crisis was spreading and the farmers’ indebtedness is rising thus posing a grave challenge to the nations’ food security.

It also said farmers across the country are depressed and are angry,