Qaeda-backed LeT set for series of terror attacks in India, warns Israel’s NSC

Tel Aviv, Sep.18 (ANI): Israel’s National Security Council’s Counter-Terrorism Bureau has issued a terror warning for India, saying a Pakistani terror group, having close links with Al-Qaeda, is planning to carry out series of strikes across the country.

“A Pakistani terror organization affiliated with al-Qaida and responsible for the attacks in Mumbai last year is planning to carry out a string of attacks throughout the Indian subcontinent,” the notice issued by the bureau stated.

The warning said that though foreigners, especially from western countries could be targeted, and that Israelis and places where Israelis usually assemble in large numbers are on top of the terror outfit’s hit list.

The bureau rated the threat as ‘imminent and concrete’ and emphasized on the Jammu and Kashmir region, The Jerusalem Post reported.

This is probably the first time that such a warning has been issued regarding threat to Israelis in India, as India is considered a friendly country with thousands of Israelis living in different part of the nation. (ANI)

‘Embarrassed’ Musharraf’s close aides shying away from commenting on his misdeeds

Islamabad, Sep.16 (ANI) : Close aides of former Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf are too embarrassed and are shying away from responding to the former general’s claims that he had taken the November 3, 2007 actions only after consulting various top officials, including the then Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and the current Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Kayani.

Musharraf’s erstwhile close associates find the topic as ‘too dirty’ to speak about and have been avoiding any queries regarding that by simply saying ‘no comments’.

A former spokesman of the Shaukat Aziz government, however, denied that the cabinet had prior knowledge of Musharraf’s plan of imposing the emergency.

When asked about the issue, Lieutenant General (retired) Ali Jan Orakzai said: “It’s such a dirty subject that leaving it untouched would be a better option.”

Orakzai said he is waiting for the apt time to speak on Musharraf’s claims.

“Let’s see the gravity of the subject. I would record my statement before the court in case summoned on this issue,” The News quoted Orakzai, as saying.

When informed about Shaukat Aziz’s statement that he was not consulted on the November 3 actions, Orakzai said issuing such statements from abroad is easier.

“Shaukat Aziz can do this as he is living in London. I can’t do so,” he said.

Former Punjab Governor Lieutenant General (retired) Khalid Maqbool said he has decided not to enter into any controversy related to the past events that occurred during his stint. (ANI)

New air filter system can destroy up to 99.9 per cent of bugs on aircraft

London, September 16 (ANI): British researchers have developed an air filter system that destroys up to 99.9 per cent of infectious viruses and bacteria as well as pollutants that can circulate in the confines of an aircraft, especially on long-haul flights.

According to a report in The Times, the machine has been developed by aerospace giant BAE Systems, in collaboration with Quest International, a small company based in Cheadle, South Manchester, UK.

The device, called AirManager, uses a controlled electric field to filter out and destroy any airborne particles or germs as they pass through an aircraft’s air conditioning system, emitting only clean, sterilized air.

After four years of development and tests, BAE says it has received its first orders from a major European airline and announced the technology is also being considered for use in NHS hospitals as a way to stop the spread of “superbugs” such as MRSA and Clostridium difficile.

The air on board a passenger jet must be pressurized in order for passengers to be able to breathe, but scientists and lobby groups have previously claimed that passengers can be exposed to toxins as a result of the “bleed air” system that is used to redirect air from the engines to the cabin and cockpit.

Air inside the cabin is then circulated and re-circulated up to 30 times an hour, far more than in conventional air conditioning systems, meaning that infectious viruses and bacteria can quickly spread.

Unlike conventional filters, which are designed to sieve out particles from the air as it passes through perforated barriers at high speed, David Hallam, an engineer and founder of Quest International, said that the AirManager used an “avalanche of electrons” emitted in a closed electric field to break down and destroy the atomic structure of any pollutants or germs.

“This works with swine flu, avian flu, norovirus, MRSA, even a modified form of anthrax,” Hallam said.

Hallam said that he originally designed the “close coupled field” in the late 1990s to rid nursing homes of biological odours caused by bacteria.

But, the filter was later found to have an effect in reducing the airborne transmission of bacteria such as MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) and Clostridium difficile.

BAE Systems expressed interest in the technology four years ago for use on aircraft and the system was recently tested on the flight deck and cabin air systems of Boeing 757 and Avro RJ passenger jets by five European airlines, with successful results. (ANI)

Musharraf denies misuse of US aid, says Indian media highlighting ‘non-issue’

Lahore, Sep.16 (ANI): Days after former Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf’s statement that Islamabad had diverted US aid to strengthen its defence against India was splashed in the media all over, the former general has denied allegations of misuse of army equipment, saying the media has highlighted a ‘non-issue’.

Dr Nasim Ashraf, one of Musharraf’s close friends, told a private television channel that the former President has categorically denied misuse of any US military aid during his regime.

Ashraf said it was wrong to say that the Pakistan Army had violated the agreement regarding the equipments supplied by the US.

“If a unit stationed in Waziristan moved to Kashmir, the equipment would move with it, which was not a violation of the agreement,” The Daily Times quoted Ashraf, as saying.

Responding to a question he said Musharraf would return to Pakistan as soon as his lecture tour is finished.

It is worth mentioning here that in an interview to a Pakistani news channel earlier this week, Musharraf had admitted that he had violated the rules governing the use of the military aid, but justified his action, saying he had “acted in the best interest of Pakistan.” (ANI)

Jupiter made comet its temporary moon for 12 years in mid-20th century

Washington, September 14 (ANI): An international team of astronomers has discovered that Jupiter had captured the comet 147P/Kushida-Muramatsu as its temporary moon in the mid-20th century, in an irregular orbit for about twelve years.

There are only a handful of known comets where this phenomenon of temporary satellite capture has occurred and the capture duration in the case of Kushida-Muramatsu, which orbited Jupiter between 1949 and 1961, is the third longest.

The phenomenon was detected by an international team led by Dr. Katsuhito Ohtsuka that modeled the trajectories of 18 “quasi-Hilda comets”, objects with the potential to go through a temporary satellite capture by Jupiter that results in them either leaving or joining the “Hilda” group of objects in the asteroid belt.

Most of the cases of temporary capture were flybys, where the comets did not complete a full orbit.

However, Dr. Ohtsuka’s team used recent observations tracking Kushida-Muramatsu over nine years to calculate hundreds of possible orbital paths for the comet over the previous century.

In all scenarios, Kushida-Muramatsu completed two full revolutions of Jupiter, making it only the fifth captured orbiter to be identified.

According to Dr. David Asher, “Our results demonstrate some of the routes taken by cometary bodies through interplanetary space that can allow them either to enter or to escape situations where they are in orbit around the planet Jupiter.”

Asteroids and comets can sometimes be distorted or fragmented by tidal effects induced by the gravitational field of a capturing planet, or may even impact with the planet.

The most famous victim of both these effects was comet D/1993 F2 (Shoemaker-Levy 9), which was torn apart on passing close to Jupiter and whose fragments then collided with that planet in 1994.

Previous computational studies have shown that Shoemaker-Levy 9 may well have been a quasi-Hilda comet before its capture by Jupiter.

“Fortunately for us Jupiter, as the most massive planet with the greatest gravity, sucks objects towards it more readily than other planets and we expect to observe large impacts there more often than on Earth,” said Dr. Asher.

“Comet Kushida-Muramatsu has escaped from the giant planet and will avoid the fate of Shoemaker-Levy 9 for the foreseeable future”, he added. (ANI)

Arnie believes sex is most important part of marriage

Washington, September 11 (ANI): Comedian Tom Arnold has revealed that California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger advised him before his wedding that sex is the most important thing in marriage.

The ‘Pride’ star met the actor turned politician just before marrying his fourth wife Ashley Groussman.

“He (Schwarzenegger) called me and he said he was concerned. He said, ‘It’s getting close to the marriage, how’s the sex?… Keep your eye on that,” Contactmusic quoted him as saying.

Tom added: “He doesn’t mean it in a sexy way, he means keep it (the marriage passionate), because you forget about the important things and sex is important in the marriage. He’s reminding me: Don’t forget about the sex!’”

The two became friends long before the ‘Terminator’ star joined politics. (ANI)

Noisy roads up high BP risk

Washington, Sept 10 (ANI): Individuals living near noisy roads are at greater risk of developing high blood pressure, according to a new study.

The study has been published in BioMed Central’s open access journal Environmental Health.

Theo Bodin worked with a team or researchers from Lund University Hospital, Sweden, to investigate the association between living close to noisy roads and having raised blood pressure.

He said, “Road traffic is the most important source of community noise. Non-auditory physical health effects that are biologically plausible in relation to noise exposure include changes in blood pressure, heart rate, and levels of stress hormones.

“We found that exposure above 60 decibels was associated with high blood pressure among the relatively young and middle-aged, an important risk factor for cardiovascular diseases such as heart attack and stroke”.

To reach the conclusion, Bodin and his colleagues used health survey questionnaires for 27,963 people living in Scania in southern Sweden and related this information to how close the respondents lived to busy roads. Modest exposure effects were generally noted in all age groups at average road noise levels below 60 dB(A). More marked effects were seen at higher exposure levels among relatively young and middle-aged people, whereas no effects at higher levels were discerned in the oldest age group (60 – 80 years old).

Speaking about this age-effect, Bodin said, “The effect of noise may become less important, or harder to detect, relative to other risk factors with increasing age. Alternatively, it could be that noise annoyance varies with age”.(ANI)

High-priced hooker’s mum dismayed over ex-NY Guv Spitzer’s comeback moves

New York, Sep.2 (ANI): The mother of the high-priced hooker who famously serviced former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer has expressed dismay over reports that he may consider running for office again less than two years after the sordid sex scandal.

“Only in America,” Ashley Dupre’s mom, Carolyn Capalbo, told The New York Post.

While Spitzer is discussing the possibility of a run next year, Dupre-who was 22 when the self-described “steamroller” of Albany paid to play with her-is struggling to get back on her feet, said Capalbo.

“I really can’t blame him, but at the same time, my daughter’s having a rough go,” she said at the beach, near her home in Wall. “I can imagine she’s not happy about it.”

“He has more credibility than a 22-year-old,” Ashley’s mom said in disbelief.

Capalbo said her daughter had turned down lucrative offers to make a buck off of the scandal, including posing for nude magazines.

Less than 18 months after he left Albany in a prostitution scandal, Spitzer has held informal discussions in recent weeks about the possibility of making a bid for state comptroller or the US Senate seat currently held by Kirsten Gillibrand, sources said.

The hooker-happy Democrat has also discussed his own halfway-decent poll numbers in recent surveys, which have shown him more popular than Gov. Paterson, whose own numbers have tanked.

“He”s weighing it,” said one source.

But Spitzer hasn”t shown any interest in campaigning for the office he briefly held, sources said.

The sources stressed that Spitzer, who also served two terms as state attorney general before his landslide election as governor in 2006, has not engaged in any active discussions with political consultants.

Reached at his father”s real-estate firm, where he has been working since he resigned as governor last spring, Spitzer declined comment.

But a source close to him insisted, “It”s not true,” and two other close associates also insisted he was not interested in running for office again and was looking at a range of other options.

Spitzer quit in disgrace in March 2008 after he was unmasked in Manhattan federal court as “Client 9″ in a prostitution bust involving a major call-girl ring. He was revealed to have paid 4,300 dollars for a romp with escort Ashley Dupre, then 22. (ANI)

Musharraf’s ‘royal’ treatment in Saudi Arabia worries his opponents in Pak

Islamabad, Sep.2 (ANI): The ‘royal’ treatment being given to former Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf during his Saudi Arabia visit has his opponents worried.

The special treatment has sparked speculations that Riyadh is trying to use its influence to ask the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) to shun its demand for Musharraf’s trial under the Article Six of the Constitution.

Sources said King Abdullah sent his special airplane to London to fetch Musharraf.

Reports regarding Saudi Arabia cracking its whip on the PML-N and other anti-Musharraf parties has probably forced PML-N to come out with clarificatiobns.

A PML-N spokesman denied reports regarding Saudi putting pressure on PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif.

“There has been no official message from the Saudi family to Mian Nawaz Sharif in this regard,” The Dawn quoted a PML-N spokesperson, as saying.

One of Musharraf’s close aides, Barrister Mohammad Ali Saif, who claims to be the former Army General’s spokesman, said the PML-N should think once again before demanding Musharraf’s prosecution, and see what kind of treatment he is receiving in Riyadh.

“The PML-N should see and understand how the former president is being treated by the Saudi government and forget about his (Musharraf) trial for treason” Saif said.

When asked that whether the Saudi Government has actually given Musharraf a guarantee of not being tried, Saif said : “I don’t know anything about this, but there is little possibility of Gen Musharraf facing trial only because the PML-N is asking for that.”

“I am not aware of this, but the way the former president is being treated in the kingdom means he cannot be touched in Pakistan,” he added. (ANI)

Al-Qaeda gave millions to ISI to bribe politicians, claims former FIA chief

Lahore, Aug.28 (ANI): In a startling revelation, a former Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) director Malik Mumtaz has disclosed that Al-Qaeda had given millions of rupees to the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) to destabilise the Benazir Bhutto’s government in 1988.

Mumtaz claimed that ISI had hatched a massive conspiracy involving former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, former ISI chief General (retired) Asad Durrani, Brigadier (retired) Imtiaz and Major (retired) Amir to overthrow the Bhutto government.

He said Osama bin Laden was behind the conspiracy and had paid millions of dollars to the ISI, The Daily Times reports.

In an interview with a private television, Mumtaz said one of his close friends had told him that the ISI was in the look out for Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) legislators who would change side and join the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

When asked whether he was too a part of the conspiracy, Mumtaz said he instead informed the PPP leadership about the plot.

Meanwhile, the PML-N Information Secretary Ahsan Iqbal has rejected the allegations, saying the party never received any money from the intelligence agency.

Iqbal said that such claims were a part of maligning the PML-N leadership.

Former Director General of Intelligence Bureau (IB) Brigadier (retired) Imtiaz also rejected the allegations.

He said the charges were completely false and it was a handiwork of some ‘mysterious elements’ within the PPP who were trying to destabilize the country. (ANI)

Is Musharraf planning another coup in Pakistan?

Islamabad/Dubai, Aug. 26 (ANI): Sources close to Pakistan’s former military ruler Pervez Musharraf have revealed that he may consider seizing power again, only a year after a marathon 9-year innings at the helm.

“Musharraf is planning a return to power. He is discussing it with his close aides. He is not done yet,” a source close to the former president said.

The web site daily.pk quoted the source, as saying that, Musharraf, who quit in August 2008 under immense national and international pressure, has called a meeting of his aides in Dubai to discuss his return.

“The date for the meeting has not yet been finalised but Mr. Musharraf will be flying to Dubai from London this week and then will summon his close aides there,” the source said.

The source said Musharraf held a meeting with his close political aides and some Nazims (mayors) in London recently and discussed with them his future political ambitions as his two years ban on political activities will expire in November this year.

The source said that the former ruling party Pakistan Muslim League (Quaid-e-Azam)’s secretary-general Humayun Akhtar Khan also held a meeting with Musharraf in London.

Meanwhile, former Pakistan Prime Minister Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain has said that he will not make efforts to unify Muslim League factions as envisaged by Musharraf. (ANI)

‘Musharraf, now an angry, frustrated and isolated figure, divorced from ground realities’

Lahore, Aug.26 (ANI): Senior Pakistan Muslim League -Quaid (PML-Q) leader Humayun Akhtar has described former Pakistan President General Pervez Musahrraf as a person ‘completely divorced from ground realities’.

Akhtar, who recently met Musharraf over dinner during his brief stay in London, found Musharraf angry, frustrated and isolated figure who was completely divorced from the ground realities

According to sources, Musharraf believes that he does not have much public support in Pakistan and is scared of the Pakistan Muslim League -Nawaz (PML-N) chief coming to power.

During his meeting with Musharraf, Akhtar told other leaders present there that Sharif was poised to lead the country once again, as he enjoys massive support in all parts of Pakistan.

According to The Nation, several close associates of Musharraf including Brigadier (retired) Niaz and Tariq Aziz were present at the meeting.

Sources said during the meeting that Musharraf asked Akhtar to join hands with him and support him in forming a united Muslim League under his (Musharraf’s) leadership. (ANI)

World’s tallest building seems to be recession-proof too

Dubai, Aug. 25 (ANI): Despite the worst recession in modern history, the world’s tallest tower, Burj Dubai, continues to retain its reputation as one of the most expensive addresses in Dubai, according to Middle East property experts.

Apartment prices in the tower are stabilising, experts say, with a two-bedroom apartment on the 57th floor available for one million pounds, Sky News reports.

In contrast, the market is showing less signs of recovery elsewhere in the Emirate.

“This is something we have noticed. As the world has had its financial problems some countries have gone into recession. But this is one area where a lot of the development dreams have actually been realised,” the report quoted Andrew Chambers, MD of Asteco, a UAE-based property consultancy, as saying.

“What we are finding is that, while prices have been dropping everywhere across the Middle East, Downtown Burj Dubai is one area where they are still consistently higher than they are in a lot of other areas,” he added.

In what has been dubbed “the Burj effect”, the neighbouring property in the Downtown Burj Dubai district is also benefiting from being close to the record-breaking skyscraper.

“The Burj effect is that people are living here, they can commute around here, they see the metro about to open here, and so they have got restaurants, they have got the hotels, they have got all the facilities that they have always been promised.

“I think this has given hope to other areas. It will help this city and I think the Emirates all over”, Chambers was quoted in the report, as saying.

But not all market observers share Chamber’s optimism.

Matthew Green, head of research and consultancy CB Richard Ellis (UAE), thinks the Burj Dubai offers a unique prospect that other Dubai addresses cannot match.

“For the Burj Dubai and the surrounding area, everything is based on the opening of the tallest tower towards the end of the year.

“It will be the tallest tower in the world for years to come and that is really making it a bit different within the current market. Exclusive post codes are not recession proof but it seems investors in the world’s highest tower can afford to stand a little taller than most”, the report quoted him, as saying. (ANI)

‘Minus-one’ formula a ploy to weaken, dislodge PPP Govt: Pak PM

Lahore, Aug 24 (ANI): Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has said that the ‘minus-one’ formula was just a ploy to weaken and dislodge the PPP government at the centre.

During an informal meeting with his close associates here on Sunday, a source quoted Gilani as saying: ‘I am well aware of the designs of the opponents of my party. They are giving an impression that our party would emerge stronger and the government would complete its term if I agree to the ‘minus-one’ formula, but they are working to send the whole set-up packing.”

“Efforts are being made to weaken the party, but we will not let them succeed,” The Dawn quoted him, as saying.

Commenting on the issue of the trial of former president Pervez Musharraf, he said: “The matter of Musharraf’s trial under Article 6 is not over yet. However, there can be a difference of opinion on how to proceed.”

Talking to reporters at the residence of Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission Sardar Assef Ahmed Ali, he denied that the issue had affected his relations with PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif.

“I have good relations with Sharif,’ he said, adding that both the PPP and PML-N had suffered at the hands of dictators.

About the ‘minus-one formula’ he said: ‘There is no concept of minus-one formula in democracy.’

The Prime Minister said he was constantly in touch with President Asif Ali Zardari, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and other PML-N leaders on all-important issues, including the sugar crisis.

Gilani also said that terrorists were fast losing strength and would soon be eliminated.(ANI)

Cricket legends upset over ‘overcooked’ Oval pitch

London, Aug.22 (ANI): Former cricketers have criticized the curator of the pitch at The Oval for creating a surface solely for the purpose of ensuring a result in the fifth and final Ashes Test.

By the close of play on day two, 23 wickets had fallen and Australia trailed by 230 runs.

Former West Indies fast bowler Michael Holding was scathing in his assessment of the playing surface.

“I am very disappointed in this pitch. I have never been to The Oval and seen the ball going through the top (of the pitch) like this. Even on day one we have seen this. I played here back in 1976 – in one of the hottest summers ever in England – and it didn’t play like this. It can’t be the weather,” Fox Sports quoted former West Indian fast bowler Michael Holding, as saying.

Scyld Berry, editor of cricket ‘bible’ Wisden, took aim at a pitch “as pale as a supermodel on an unhealthy diet”.

The Oval has the reputation of being a wonderful batting strip. With consistent pace and bounce, it usually encourages attractive stroke play. It can also encourage high-scoring draws, which is just what England does not want.

Shane Warne offered the bluntest, simplest assessment, that groundsman Bill Gordon, had “overbaked it a little bit to make sure there is a result”.

Gordon should know a thing or two about pitches. He has been on The Oval ground staff since 1974. (ANI)

No personal grudge against Musharraf but trial a ‘must’: Sharif

Islamabad, Aug. 22 (ANI): Former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has said his party, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), had no personal grudge against former President General Pervez Musharraf, but that it was a unanimous call of the country to try the former general under Article 6 for disregarding the Constitution.

Interacting with media persons at Punjab House here, Sharif said Musharraf’s trial is ‘must’ to ensure supremacy of law.

“It is a golden opportunity to block the path of military interventions and if the government does not move against the dictator, it would be a great disappointment for the nation,” Sharif said.

He said with the Supreme Court declaring Musharraf’s November 3, 2007 acts as ‘illegal’ and ‘extrajudicial’, the Government had no option but to try the former military ruler.

Sharif also threatened that the PML-N would come out of the Parliamentary Committee on Constitutional Reforms if the PPP government fails to revoke the 17th Constitutional Amendment as soon as possible.

He also regretted the delay in implementation of the Charter of Democracy (CoD) in true letter and spirit.

Earlier, in a meeting with his close associates and party workers, Sharif expressed disappointment at Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani’s decision not to try Musharraf for high treason.

Referring to Gilani’s statement in the National Assembly where he asked the opposition to come up with a unanimous resolution for Musharraf’s trial, Sharif said he never expected this from Gilani.

“I was not expecting this kind of statement from Gilani. He broke my heart,” The News quoted Sharif, as saying.

He said Gilani’s statement suggests that he supports Musharraf’s illegal acts.

During the meeting, Sharif also clarified that he was never approached by any foreign diplomat asking him to ‘forgive’ Musharraf.

Responding to a question, Sharif said British diplomat Mark Lyall Grant had never discussed any deal with him before the resignation of Musharraf.

“Grant never asked anything more and informed him that he is going to the United Nations as the new British envoy,” he said. (ANI)

Your computers may soon be having ‘rich interaction’ with you as a partner

Washington, August 20 (ANI): A computer similar to the Hal 9000 system in the movie ’2010′, which claims enjoying working with human beings and having stimulating relationships with them, may soon be created, thanks to a new research project.

Oregon State University researchers are pioneering the concept of “rich interaction” that can pave the way for computers that do want to communicate with, learn from and get to know humans better as persons.

The idea behind this “meaningful” interaction is one of the latest advances in machine learning and artificial intelligence, in which a computer doesn’t just try to learn from its own experiences, it listens to the user, tries to combine what it “hears” with its internal reasoning, and changes its program as a result.

When ordinary users spot the machine’s errors they should be able to step in, and explain directly to the machine the logic it should be using.

“There are limits to what the computer can do just by its own observations and efforts to learn from experiences. It needs to understand not just what it did right or wrong, but why. And for that, it has to continue interacting with human beings and make constant changes in its own programming, based on their feedback,” said Margaret Burnett, an associate professor of computer science at OSU.

According to the researchers, for a computer to be of optimal help to its user, it has to customize itself to the end user and get more personal.

“We all have fairly specific life experiences, personal preferences, ways of doing things, different types of jobs. For machine learning to reach its potential the computer and the user have to interact with each other in a fairly meaningful way, the computer really needs to get to know your situations and understand why it made a mistake, so that it can try not to make the same mistake again,” Burnett said.

The researchers say that a major part of this challenge is to create interactive systems that are easy enough to operate without one needing a computer programmer’s qualification, which they believe may be possible.

Another challenge before the researchers is to ensure that the learning in such systems happens to be a two-way street, as a stubborn human user may insist that the computer “learn” something that is incorrect.

Having recently received a 1million-dollar grant from the National Science Foundation for their research, the OSU researchers now believe that the era of humans as passive observers in the field of artificial intelligence may be coming to a close.

“In the future we believe the computer should be like your partner. You help teach it, it gets to know you, you learn from each other, and it becomes more useful,” Burnett said. (ANI)

Holidaying Kelly Brook sizzles in skimpy orange bikini

London, August 20 (ANI): British model Kelly Brook gave onlookers an eyeful after sporting a skimpy orange bikini in Los Angeles.

The 29-year-old has been vacationing with rugby union footballer boyfriend Danny Cipriani.

Her eight-year junior lover purportedly lured the beauty into the pool before getting close and personal with her, reports the Sun.

Former ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ contestant Kelly recently revealed her secret to keep their passion alive between the two.

She said: “I make sure he is still interested by giving him really good sex.” (ANI)

Imran Khan, Benazir Bhutto were an item, claims book

London, Aug 19 (ANI): Author of a new biography of Imran Khan claims that the cricketer-turned-politician was romantically involved with late former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto when both of them studied together at Oxford University.

In his book, Christopher Sandford writes that Bhutto became infatuated with Khan, and the pair enjoyed a “close” and possibly “sexual” relationship.he author has also alleged that Khan’s mother even tried to organise an arranged marriage between the pair, but to no avail.

It was believed that Khan and Bhutto had always been at loggerheads, both politically and personally.

In fact, Khan openly criticised the former Prime Minister just days before her death.

But Sandford, who interviewed both Khan and his ex-wife Jemima for the book, claimed that a source told him that Bhutto was 21, and in her second year of reading politics at Lady Margaret Hall, when she became close to Khan in 1975.

The source also revealed that she had been “visibly impressed” by Khan, and might even have been the first to call him the “Lion of Lahore”.

“In any event, it seems fairly clear that, for at least a month or two, the couple were close. There was a lot of giggling and blushing whenever they appeared together in public,” the Telegraoh quoted Sandford as having told the Daily Mail.

He added: “It also seems fair to say that the relationship was “sexual”, in the sense that it could only have existed between a man and a woman. The reason some supposed it went further was because, to quote one Oxford friend: ‘Imran slept with everyone.’”

However, the former Pakistan cricket captain has rebuffed these claims, saying that he never had a sexual relationship with Bhutto.

Although he agreed to having been interviewed for the book, but claimed to have not read it as yet.

“Yes, I was interviewed, but I know nothing about the rest of what has been written. So it is not official,” he told the Daily Mail.

“It is absolute nonsense about any sexual relationship or my mother and an arranged marriage. We were friends – that’s all,” he added. (ANI)

Giant robotic cages may one day roam the seas as future fish farms

Washington, August 19 (ANI): If scientists have their way, giant robotic cages may one day roam the seas as future fish farms, which could help produce greener, healthier, and more numerous fish.

According to a report in National Geographic News, scientists propose that in the future, giant, autonomous fish farms may whir through the open ocean, mimicking the movements of wild schools or even allowing fish to forage “free range” before capturing them once again.

Such motorized cages could help produce greener, healthier, and more numerous fish, just when humans need them the most.

The world’s growing population is devouring seafood as quickly as it can be caught and has seriously depleted the world’s wild fish stocks, warn experts.

Traditional fish farms typically consist of cages submerged in shallow, calm waters near shore, where they are protected from the weather and easily accessible for feeding and maintenance.

But, raising fish in such close quarters can contribute to the spread of disease among the animals, and wastes may foul the waters.

Cages must be moved to keep the waters clean and the fish healthy.

Deepwater cages offer cleaner, more freely circulating ocean water and natural food, which can yield tastier fish.

But, the deep-sea cages must be built to withstand the rigors of the deep ocean. And because they are harder for humans to access, “smarter,” self-sufficient cages could be key.

That’s one reason that Cliff Goudey, director of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Offshore Aquaculture Engineering Center, is building cages that can move under their own power.

Goudey has equipped an Aquapod cage, produced by Maine-based Ocean Farm Technologies, with a pair of 2.4-meter (8-foot) diameter propellers, which can be steered easily by controllers on a boat to which the cage is tethered.

Aquapods are composed of triangular panels covered with vinyl-coated, galvanized steel netting and come in sizes from 8 to 28 meters in diameter (26 to 92 feet in diameter).

Goudey’s technology gives fish farmers a way to rotate cage locations without towing cages behind boats.

Someday such automated cages could herald an entirely new form of fish farming.

They might be turned loose to mimic natural systems by following carefully chosen ocean currents.

The robotic fish farms could help lead to larger, healthier crops of farmed fish far from crowded coastal areas, where farmed fish both suffer from poor water quality and, by producing waste, add to water woes.

Cages might even generate their own electricity by harnessing solar energy, wave energy, or other forms of renewable power. (ANI)