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Suzanne Somers says chemotherapy killed Patrick Swayze

September 19, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

New York, Sep 19 (ANI): Actress Suzanne Somers, who is herself a cancer survivor, thinks that chemotherapy has killed Patrick Swayze.

The ‘Three’s Company’ star gave her opinion on the ‘Ghost’ star’s death while speaking to Shinan Govani at the party for Tom Ford’s movie, ‘A Single Man’, at the Toronto Film Festival.

“They took a beautiful man” and “put poison in his body,” the New York Post quoted her as saying.

Somers, who has a book about cancer coming out next month, said: “Why couldn’t they have built him up nutritionally and gotten rid of the toxins? . . . I hate to be this controversial . . . but I have to speak out.”

Other stars present at the party included Julianne Moore, Naomi Watts, Clive Owen, and Colin Firth. (ANI)

South African officials withhold findings of Caster Semenya’s gender test

September 19, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, Sep. 19 (ANI): Even before South African star athlete Caster Semenya’s gender was questioned at the World Championships in Berlin, Athletics South Africa (ASA) had found out and withheld the fact that she had internal testes, an e-mail exchange has revealed.

According to the e-mail exchanges published in the Mail and Guardian newspaper, ASA officials were aware of the findings of a Pretoria clinic that Semenya had internal testes and produced abnormal amounts of testosterone for a woman, Times Online reports.

It was ASA’s chief medical officer and team doctor, Harold Adams, who had suggested the need carrying out the tests on Semenya, 18, because of her deep voice, muscular body and facial hair, which later became a subject of controversy in Berlin.

Another email exchange shows that Adams later suggested that the results to be kept confidential while the South African team was in Berlin.

“Thinking about the current confidential matter, I would suggest we make the following decisions. 1. We get a gynae opinion and take it to Berlin. 2. We do nothing and I will handle these issues if they come up in Berlin,” the report quoted from Dr Adams’ email to ASA President Leonard Chuene and General Manager Molatelo Malehopo, as saying.

Following the IAAF establishing that Semenya was a hermaphrodite, South African officials not only angrily denounced it, but also denied carrying out their own tests.

Taking matters a step further, South African Sports Minister Makhenkesi Stofile lost his temper at a press conference and threatened to start a “third world war” if Semenya was banned from international competition because of her gender.

Earlier, Semenya’s ex-coach Wilfred Daniels had said the ASA had duped Semenya into thinking the gender test carried out on her were routine drug tests. (ANI)

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Some Americans think opposition to Obama’s policies is based on racism

September 19, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, Sep. 18 (ANI): Some Americans, including former President Jimmy Carter, believe that those who are opposing US President Barrack Obama’s policies have a racial element against him instead of simple disagreement.

According to a recent Fox News poll, 65 percent Americans think that opposition to Obama’s policies is based on honest disagreements, while 20 percent say it is mostly motivated by racism.

However, Black voters are twice as likely to say the opposition is motivated by race, with 63 percent citing racism as the reason for opposition and 27 percent say it is based on honest disagreements.

Most white voters (71 percent) say the opposition comes from honest disagreements.

Most Republicans (87 percent) and independents (69 percent) believe that opposition to Obama’s policies is based on honest disagreements, while 48 percent Democrats say honest disagreements and 34 percent say it is motivated by racism, the poll found.

Opinion Dynamics Corp. conducted the national telephone poll of 900 registered voters with a 3-point margin of error.

The poll also found that 54 percent of Americans think Obama is a “new kind” of politician, while a large 39 percent minority says he is a “typical” politician.

As for Obama’s handling of health care, 44 percent approved and 48 percent disapproved.

Obama received better ratings on his handling of the economy (55 percent approve) and on the war in Afghanistan (51 percent).

By a wide 60 percent to 27 percent margin, Americans think the country has become more divided rather than more united since Obama took office in January, the poll found. (ANI)

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Will Sarabjeet be spared the gallows under Pak Govt.’s plans to commute death sentences?

September 19, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Islamabad, Sep.17 (ANI): The Pakistan government is considering commuting death sentences, but such a step may not help the cause of Sarabjeet Singh, the Indian inmate who has been awarded a death sentence by a Lahore anti-terrorism court in October 1991.

Interior Advisor Rehman Malik said the government has sent a draft to the law division seeking legal opinion on the proposal to commute death sentences.

Rehman, however, said that even if the proposal is accepted there would be no mercy for terrorists.

“They (terrorists) will have to face the death penalty,” The Dawn quoted Malik, as saying.

According to an estimate there are 7000 death inmates in Pakistan at present.

Pakistan security agencies have maintained that Singh had admitted that he was sent to Pakistan to carry out serial bomb blasts in Lahore, Faislabad, and Kasur, and was trained by the Indian Army, and the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW).

Singh was awarded the death sentence by a Lahore anti-terrorism court in October 1991.

He challenged the verdict in the Supreme Court, however, the apex court quashed his appeal in September, 2005, saying that the review petition was not filed within the time period as mentioned in the law.

In March 2006, a two member Supreme Court bench dismissed Singh’s petition against his conviction in the Lahore’s Yakki Gate bomb blast in 1990.

Singh has been languishing in Pakistan jails for the last 28 years, as Pakistan has stonewalled release even on humanitarian grounds, despite continuous efforts by Indian diplomatic channels. (ANI)

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Negative public opinion about foreign countries an early warning signal for terrorism

September 19, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, September 18 (ANI): People’s negative views toward the leadership and policies of other countries may be an indication that a terrorist act may be carried out, say researchers.

Alan Krueger, a Princeton University economist, and Jitka Maleckova, of Charles University in the Czech Republic, came to this conclusion after analysing public opinion polls and terrorist activity in 143 pairs of countries.

Writing about their findings in the journal Science, the researchers say that there is a strong relationship between attitudes expressed toward a foreign country — indicated in surveys on foreign leaders’ performance-and the occurrence of terrorism against that country.

“Public opinion appears to be a useful predictor of terrorist activity,” said Krueger, the Bendheim Professor in Economics and Public Policy.

“This is the first study to relate public opinion across countries to concrete actions such as terrorism,” he added.

He pointed out that the notion that public attitudes can contribute to terrorism has been inadequately explored to date.

According to him, the study’s findings attain significance as they suggest that public opinion may provide a valuable early warning signal of terrorism, and help researchers better understand the causes of terrorism.

The researchers carried out their study by mining public opinion polls of residents in 19 countries in the Middle East and northern Africa conducted by Gallup.

They asked the respondents whether they approved of the job performance of the leaders of nine large countries.

According to the researchers, the countries selected for the study are world powers in terms of size, population or military strength, are the United States, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Japan, Russia and the United Kingdom.

The opinions, both positive and negative, were linked to the number of terrorist attacks conducted against the nine world powers by people from the 19 countries between 2004 and 2008. The terror attacks were compiled by the National Counterterrorism Center.

Based on the findings, Krueger says that there is not a direct connection between poverty and terrorism, contrary to a popular view.

He adds that economic status has more to do with target countries than it does with the states where the attacks originate.

He says that countries with advanced economies as well as a high degree of civil liberties are most likely to be the targets of terrorism.

The researchers admits that the study does not explain whether terrorists act in response to public opinion or whether they are simply reacting just like the larger public to external events.

However, he insists that, in either case, public opinion surveys can provide a powerful indication of the likelihood of terrorist activity.

Krueger believes that greater disapproval of another country’s leaders or policies may result in more terrorist acts because it increases the number of people who provide material support and encouragement for terrorism, and increases the number of people interested in joining cells and carrying out terrorist acts themselves. (ANI)

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Pregnant Heidi Klum bares bum for sexy mag shoot

September 14, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, September 13 (ANI): Heidi Klum has left many jaws hanging in the air after baring her bottom for a magazine picture shoot.

The Victoria’s Secret model, who is expecting her fourth child next month, sported a tiny backless snakeskin dress while posing for the camera.

“She might be a mum of three already but Heidi has still got it. Men go wild for her,” News of the World quoted an insider at the photo session, for the New York Post’s Page Six Magazine, as saying.

But the 36-year-old German, married to British singer Seal, may disagree with the suggested popular opinion.

Klum previously said: “The last month (of pregnancy) is unbelievable, how rapidly your stomach goes. It’s huge. The thighs, the butt – everything explodes.” (ANI)

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Obama’s popularity in Europe still sky high

September 10, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, Sep 10(ANI): A survey has found US President Barack Obama’s popularity is gaining massive support in European Union countries.

The German Marshall Fund, which conducted a study, said that 77 per cent of European citizens support Obama’s handling of international affairs, while only 19 per cent found former President George W Bush doing the same.

It also revealed that 75 per cent of Europeans have confidence in Obama’s ability to combat terrorism and two thirds now have a favourable view of America.

“We see a remarkable shift in trans-Atlantic opinion from the previous administration,” The Telegraph quoted Craig Kennedy, the president of the German Marshall Fund, as saying.

“With American leadership enjoying unprecedented modern popularity, partners on both sides of the Atlantic have an immense opportunity to co-operate on a range of economic and security issues,” he added.

The poll also found a drastic change in the attitude of European citizens to American leaders, as Obama enjoys an approval rating of 92 per cent, compared with only 12 per cent for Bush.

The survey also covered Turkey, where anti-American sentiment has grown markedly in recent years. Obama is far less popular among Turks than among Europeans, but he still enjoys a 50 per cent approval rating compared with only eight per cent for Bush. (ANI)

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KNP to hold Black Day on Oct.22

September 8, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, Sep.8 (ANI): The Supreme Council of the KNP held an important meeting in Luton on September 6, which was presided by the party Chairman Abbas Butt. The meeting discussed and analysed the current situation of the Kashmiri struggle and made important decisions.

The Supreme Council strongly condemned the government of Pakistan’s latest attempts to grab territory which is legal part of State of Jammu and Kashmir. The SC said Pakistani governments have never been sincere with the cause of Kashmir and always have formulated policies to snatch Kashmir; and have deliberately deprived people of their fundamental human rights.

The SC said people of Gilgit Baltistan deserve to have their basic human rights which have been denied since 1947; but no one should be allowed to implement their imperialist designs in name of giving rights to people of the region. The KNP leaders said, if Pakistani authorities were sincere they could have discussed the issue with the people of the region and given these rights without making the region a ‘province’ of Pakistan.

PPP government claims to advance rights of people and democracy, but their policies are designed to deprive people of basic rights and advance undemocratic and unconstitutional practises. They tried to make Pakistani Administered Kashmir a province after the Shimla Pact and they plan to make Gilgit Baltistan a province and pave way for division of Jammu and Kashmir.

KNP leaders said some people of Jammu and Kashmir hold Black Day on 27th October, as that is the day when Indian army landed in Kashmir. KNP leaders said in our opinion their wisdom is misdirected. We have to look at the root cause. Indian army came after the tribal invasion and subsequent ‘Provisional Accession’.

KNP Supreme Council said, ‘It was the Pakistani tribesmen supported by the Pakistani government of the time which violated the Standstill Agreement and invaded parts of the State territory. It was these tribesmen which contravened the State sovereignty and killed thousands of innocent Kashmiri men and women. It was because of this unprovoked and unjustified attack on our sovereignty which seriously threatened life, honour and property of people that the Maharaja was compelled to seek help from India.

KNP leaders said we have serious issues with India on their Kashmir policy, as we believe Kashmir is not their internal part; but as for the Black Day is concerned we should have Black Day on 22 October because this is the day when our troubles and miseries started.

KNP SC has decided to take a lead on this matter and hold a BLACK DAY on 22 October; and in this regard various responsibilities have been given to Dr Shabir Choudhry and Nawaz Majid who will liaise with other like minded people and parties. The meeting was addressed by ZubairAnsari, Nazam Bhatti, Nawaz Majid, Asim Mirza, Abbas Butt and Dr Shabir Choudhry.

Earlier KNP held an Iftar Party in which more than eighty people were present; among them were leaders and political activists of various Kashmiri parties who spoke against the new package for Gilgit and Baltistan and condemned designs of Pakistani government. In the meeting pro Pakistan and nationalist leaders were present, and they all strongly spoke against this new package and demanded that it must be taken back.

A unanimous resolution was passed which strongly criticised the new package and demanded from government of Pakistan to withdraw it as it will seriously damage our struggle for right of self determination. The resolution fully supported fundamental rights of people of Gilgit Baltistan; but added that the State of Jammu and Kashmir is one political entity and it must not be divided. (ANI)

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SC committee: Halt Noida park construction

September 4, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

New Delhi, Sep 4 (ANI): The Supreme Court appointed Central Empowered Committee (CEC) has recommended on Friday to halt the construction of Ambedkar Park in Noida with immediate effect.

The Mayawati Government is constructing the Bhimrao Ambedkar Park in Noida with an estimated cost of Rs.550 crore on the banks of the River Yamuna.

The committee has sighted the violation of environmental laws as the reason for such recommendation.

According to sources, the committee headed by former Union Environment Secretary, P.V. Jayakrishna has conveyed the apex court that the project does not have the required environmental clearance.

The court is expected to give its opinion on the recommendations next week.

The Uttar Pradesh government on Thursday accused the Central Government of obstructing the dream projects of Mayawati.

The project came into the spotlight after a residents’ association of Noida moved a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) before the apex court raising environment issues against the construction

The apex court constituted the CEC to look into the issue following which the committee visited the site Aug 12. (ANI)

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Nation would seek mid-term polls if govt. fails to prosecute Musharraf : PML-N leader

September 2, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Islamabad, Sep.2 (ANI): Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Zafar Ali Shah has said the whole nation would demand mid-term term elections if the PPP-led government fails to try former President General Pervez Musharraf under Article Six of the Constitution.

Criticising the Gilani government for not taking any substantial action against Musharraf, Shah said he would again move a petition seeking Musharraf’s trial in the Supreme Court.

“I would again submit a petition seeking a Supreme Court ruling for the government to initiate criminal proceedings against Musharraf for high treason,” The Daily Times quoted Shah, as saying.

Shah, however, said that he had filed the petition earlier in his personal capacity and his party (PML-N) has nothing to do with it.

Meanwhile, PML-N Senior Vice President Javed Hashmi ruled out any possibility of mid-term polls in the country.

Hashmi said the PML-N respects people’s mandate and supports President Asif Ali Zardari.

“We will not support any move for mid-term elections and our party has always given due respect to President Zardari and his party’s mandate,” Hashmi said.

He termed the minus-one formula as the ‘approach of a sick mind’.

When asked about Zafar Ali Shah’s views, he said it was his personal opinion to demand for mid-term elections. (ANI)

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India’s football federation seeks legal solution in Bhutia-Bagan club row

September 1, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

New Delhi, Aug 31 (ANI): India’s football federation on Sunday sought a legal solution to the row involving national soccer skipper Bhaichung Bhutia and country’s oldest sport club Mohun Bagan.

Mohun Bagan handed the 32-year-old striker a six-month ban in May after he missed training to appear on a celebrity-based dancing show on television and accused him of lacking commitment during the league season.

The All India Football Federation (AIFF), which met on Sunday, decided to refer the dispute to an arbitrator after a meeting between the two parties failed to break the deadlock.

“Both sides have a very firm view on the issue. So we need to have a kind of a legal solution to the issue because we cannot take a ruling… based on what both sides have stated. We feel it is better that we take a legal opinion and we will solve the issue. But it is being dragged that much, especially in this case because Bhaichung Bhutia is our national captain and a very respected player. So we want to settle it and resolve it at earliest,” said Praful Patel, acting president of the AIFF.

Bhutia is regarded as the player who can inspire India in the 2011 Asian Cup, which has been seen as vital to reviving the game in the country. (ANI)

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71 percent Pakistanis want to punish Musharraf for imposing emergency

August 29, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Islamabad, Aug.29 (ANI): A majority of Pakistanis believe that former President General Pervez Musharraf should be punished for his ‘unconstitutional’ and ‘extra-judicial’ actions taken on November 3, 2007, an opinion poll has revealed.

According to a survey conducted by the Gilani Research Foundation, 52 percent of people favour harsh punishment for Musharraf while 19 percent are of the view that the former Army Chief should receive only ‘mild’ punishment.

Fifteen per cent of the respondents did not support punishing Musharraf for enforcing emergency on November 3, 2007 while 14 per cent did not give any response, The News reports.

The survey also revealed that while there were no significant difference in views on punishing Musharraf across gender and age, there were notable differences across political affiliations.

People supporting parties like Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, the MMA, the JUI and the ANP were more in favour of punishing Musharraf, while people supporting the MQM (19 percent) were not in favour of punishing Musharraf. (ANI)

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Obama’s health care reform less popular than Bill Clinton’s ’94 proposal

August 28, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, Aug. 28 (ANI): Americans are more sceptical about President Barack Obama’s health care reform than they were about Bill Clinton’s health care proposals in 1994, a survey conducted by a Republican polling firm has found.

Thirty seven percent of Americans are opposed to the Obama plan compared with 25 percent who favor it, a poll conducted by Public Opinion Strategies shows.

In June of 1994 – just a few months before a White House-led health care reform push effectively died on Capitol Hill – 35 percent of Americans said they opposed the Clinton administration’s plan while 23 percent favored it, Politico cited a survey conducted by the same firm, as saying.

But in 1994 as well as now, the polls showed that large numbers of Americans remain undecided about health care reform.

At that time, 42 percent of those surveyed said they had no opinion about Clinton’s plan and this August, 37 percent also had no opinion about Obama’s proposal.

The recent Public Opinion Strategies Poll surveyed 800 registered voters Aug. 11-13 and has a 3.5 percentage point margin of error.

The poll asked about Obama’s plan, but in reality, there are several versions of health care reform currently working their way through Congress.

Bill McInturff, a partner at the firm who poll-tested the “Harry and Louise” advertising campaign that played a key role in the defeat of the Clinton administration’s health care reform efforts in the 1990s, said that opposition to the Obama plan has been fuelled, in part, by the notion that “government has gotten way too big and is going way too far.”

McInturff also predicted that the death of Senator Ted Kennedy would not have much of a practical impact on the health care debate.

“Individual members will make those votes based on their own calculus, for their own situation and not as a memorial to his long and distinguished career,” McInturff said. (ANI)

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Urine LAM-ELISA not effective as independent diagnostic test for pulmonary TB

August 28, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, August 28 (ANI): A trial of the new diagnostic urine LAM-ELISA has indicated that it may not be useful as an independent diagnostic test for pulmonary tuberculosis (TB).

Detailed in the open access journal BMC Infectious Diseases, the results suggest that it was only capable of identifying 50.7 per cent of TB cases.

Klaus Reither led a team of researchers from the Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich, Germany, the University College London, UK, and the NIMR-Mbeya Medical Research Programme, Tanzania, who tested LAM-ELISA in 291 Tanzanian patients suspected of having TB.

He said: “Only 35 out of 69 pulmonary TB cases, confirmed by smear microscopy and/or solid culture and/or liquid culture, showed at least one positive LAM-ELISA result. This 50.7 per cent sensitivity of the LAM-ELISA was disappointingly low. The specificity of 87.8 % also fell far short of expectations.”

The LAM-ELISA detects lipoarabinomannan (LAM), a mycobacterium-specific lipopolysaccharide component of the bacilli’s cell wall.

In active mycobacterial disease, LAM is released into the blood and passes the renal barrier without major changes – suggesting that its detection in urine should be a reliable diagnostic indicator.

Urine can be easily obtained, and its collection is often more culturally accepted than the collection of sputum or blood samples.

The LAM-ELISA might not have fulfilled the requirements for a stand-alone diagnostic test for pulmonary tuberculosis, but the researchers speculate that it may still be of some use.

“In our opinion, further investigations are needed to elucidate if the LAM-ELISA, in this stage of development, is valuable as a supplemental tool for the diagnosis of HIV-associated TB. This seems particularly important, when taking into consideration that TB is one of the most important opportunistic infections of HIV patients and that the sensitivity of smear microscopy in immunocompromised patients is low,” they say. (ANI)

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Clarke rules out coup on Punter

August 28, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Edinburgh (Scotland), Aug.28 (ANI): Australia’s Test captain-in-waiting Michael Clarke has no plans to mount a coup against incumbent Ricky Ponting.

Clarke has dismissed the notion of captaining Ricky Ponting in the Australian Test side.

“He is our leader, and has been for my whole career, and in my opinion he’s certainly one of the best leaders I’ve played under,” the Sydney Morning Herald quoted Clarke, as saying.

“I’m blessed to get this opportunity when he’s not here to get that fill-in role, but Punter’s our leader and I’m more than happy to continue playing under him,” he added.

Clarke will lead Australia against Scotland on Friday, and will hold the reins until Ponting returns to Britain for the last four of seven one-dayers against England.

On the idea of splitting the captaincy so that he would control the team for one-dayers and Twenty20s full-time, Clarke said: “I see Ricky as our leader, I don’t think it’s something we have to worry about at this stage.

“Punt’s playing fantastic cricket in all forms of the game, I think his series in the Ashes was very good once again. To me, we don’t have to worry about that because Ricky is our captain,” he said.

Clarke believes singling out Ponting for blame after the series loss is grossly unfair.

“The one thing Punt’s always said is that it’s part of the responsibility as a leader and as a senior player, we are going to be more responsible if we don’t perform,” Clarke said.

“That’s another great strength of Ricky’s: he does cop it on the chin. There are times he does cop a lot of flak but he cops it on the chin. He’s always positive around the team. He never lets that get in the way of his leadership,” Clarke said.

Clarke added that the entire squad had accepted responsibility for the 2-1 loss to England, despite Ponting shouldering the blame. (ANI)

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Only four percent Israelis think Obama is pro-Israel: Poll

August 28, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Jerusalem, Aug. 28 (ANI): Only four percent Israelis consider the policies of President Barack Obama as pro-Israel, a Smith Research poll conducted by The Jerusalem Post has revealed.

More than half (51 percent) of Jewish Israelis consider Obama’s administration more pro-Palestinian than pro-Israel, according to the survey, while 35 percent consider it neutral.

The support for Obama Administration has fallen 2 percent from an earlier poll published in the paper.

In June, 6 percent Israelis had viewed the policies of the Obama administration more pro-Palestinian than pro-Israeli, while less than four in 10 said the policies were neutral.

The poll of 500 people representing a statistical model of the Jewish Israeli population had a margin of error of 4.5 percent.

Obama’s popularity among Israelis has been plummeting since a May 17 Post poll on the eve of a meeting between Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Obama at the White House.

The new poll was taken on Monday and Tuesday, before reports that Obama had agreed to exclude Jerusalem from a deal with Netanyahu on a construction freeze and to allow construction of essential public buildings, such as schools, to continue in Judea and Samaria.

The poll asked Jewish Israelis whether they would support freezing settlement construction for a year as part of an American-brokered deal.

Fifty percent said no, 41 percent said yes and 9 percent did not express an opinion. (ANI)

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26/11 trial: Judge expresses surprise over Home minister’s statement

August 26, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Mumbai, Aug 26 (ANI): Judge M.L Tahiliyani who is presiding over the 26/11 trial expressed surprise on Wednesday over Maharashtra Home Minister Jayant Patil’s statement that the verdict will be delivered on September 15.

“Your Home Minister makes a statement that the case will be over by September 15 but his officer has still not submitted documents in the court,” Judge Tahiliyani told to Special Public Prosecutor Ujwal Nikkam.

Nikkam, however, informed the court that he had personally spoke to Patil on the matter and Patil had clarified that the media had misquoted him.

He had remarked about recording of evidence are expected to be over by September 15 and not about the delivery of judgement, Nikkam said quoting Patil.

A section of media quoted Patil as saying that the judgement of 26/11 Mumbai attack case will be delivered on September 15.

Judge Tahiliyani is conducting the trial of lone surviving gunman Mohammed Ajmal Kasab and two accused members of Lashkar-e-Taiba, Faheem Ansari and Shahbuddin Ahmed.

He expressed concern over the non-submission of the opinion of ballistic expert to the court by the investigating officer.

The prosecution has examined 157 witnesses so far pertaining to the firing incidents of Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) firing, and Cama Hospital, stealing of Skoda car and the killing of Amarsing Solanki, the navigator of M V Kuber.

The incidents of Taj Hotel, Oberoi Hotel, Nariman House and explosions in two taxis are yet to be proved. (ANI)

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Swine flu could kill as many as 30,000 to 90,000 people in US

August 25, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, August 25 (ANI): In a recently released report, the Obama administration’s advisory group on Science and Technology has said that the H1N1 flu virus, dubbed ‘Swine flu’, could cause as many as 30,000 and 90,000 deaths in the United States and pose a serious health threat.

According to Fox News, deaths would be concentrated among children and young adults, determined the report.

In contrast, the typical seasonal flu kills between 30,000 and 40,000 annually – mainly among people over 65.

The report predicts 1.8 million will be hospitalized during the epidemic, with up to 300,000 patients requiring intensive care units.

These patients could occupy 50-100 percent of all ICU beds in affected regions at the peak of the epidemic and would place “enormous stress” on ICU units.

More needs to be done to speed up the “preparation of flu vaccine for distribution to high-risk individuals,” otherwise the vaccine campaign – currently scheduled to begin in mid October – will have potentially missed the peak of the epidemic, according to the report.

The report from the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, PCAST, shows a sober assessment of the dangers of a pandemic, but also serves as a pat on the back for a White House preparing for its first public health crisis.

“Based on the history of influenza pandemics over the past hundred years, PCAST places the current outbreak somewhere between the two extremes that have informed public opinion about influenza,” stated the report.

“On the one hand, the 2009-H1N1 virus does not thus far seem to show the virulence associated with the devastating pandemic of 1918-19. On the other hand, the 2009-H1N1 virus is a serious threat to our nation and the world,” it added.

This is due to the likelihood that more people will be infected because so few people have immunity to the strain.

As a result, PCAST recommends that the Food and Drug Administration “accelerate a decision about the availability of antiviral drugs for intravenous use.”

The current expectation is that the vaccine will be available in mid-October.

According to Harold Varmus, PCAST co-chair and President of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, despite the long ‘to-do’ list, the Obama administration has thus far done a good job of preparing for a national outbreak.

“The Federal Government’s response has been truly impressive and we’ve all been pleased to see the high level of cooperation among the many departments and agencies that are gearing up for the expected fall resurgence of H1N1 flu,” he said. (ANI)

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Roger Waters narrates controversial short film on Palestinians

August 25, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, Aug 24 (ANI): Pink Floyd star Roger Waters has lent his voice to a new short film ‘Walled Horizons’ that focuses on the hardships of Palestinians living in the shadow of Israel’s controversial separation barrier.

The rocker narrates the 15-minute film, which was made to mark the fifth anniversary of the International Court of Justice’s opinion that the barrier’s meandering route through the occupied West Bank is illegal.

The musician apparently wants the West Bank security barrier torn down, as he believes it was built on Palestinian land and is a hurdle on the path to peace, reports Contactmusic.

He said in an interview on Israel Radio: “What a lot of people don’t understand… because of the sketchy news reports… is just how many Israelis are prepared to compromise and make peace with their neighbours… They would accept the resettlement of people who moved into the West Bank.”

According to TheRockRadio.com, the film was made in 2006 when Waters performed in Israel. (ANI)

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Despite Ashes loss, Ponting unlikely to be removed as skipper, says Roebuck

August 25, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Sydney, Aug.24 (ANI): Australian cricket captain Ricky Ponting is unlikely to be evicted, nor is he likely to step aside after becoming only the second skipper from Down Under to lose back-to-back Ashes series in England, feels cricket columnist Peter Roebuck.

“This is not the end of Ponting’s captaincy. In another dispensation, his sacking would be inevitable. But he knows that Australian cricket is more likely to back him. It is hard for foreigners to understand the prestige attached to the position. He survived losing the Ashes in 2005,” says Roebuck in an article for the Sydney Morning Herald.

While acknowledging the Australians fighting spirit to stave off inevitable defeat, Roebuck said Ponting was typically defiant, and fought hard to turn back the inexorable tide.

Mike Hussey, he says, chose a fine time to recover his form and displayed the tenacity required to keep his captain company.

“In any case the defeats have been close, the solitary victory was unexpected, several great players have withdrawn and the captain’s overall record remains impressive. Moreover it has been an especially tough tour. Australia have lost four out of five tosses, the last of them crucial, two senior bowlers arrived with hardly any overs under their bonnet and the tyro opener and leading bowler started badly, a combination that caused untold complications. As well, England seemed to have combed the cricketing world to raise a side,” Roebuck said.

In his opinion, Australia kept picking the wrong side.

“Nathan Hauritz’s omission at The Oval was a culpable blunder made by a think tank given the chance to examine a pitch allowed to bake under a hot sun for several days. Australia also need to put its bowling resources to better use,” he says.

“It is rare for an Australian captain to be allowed to keep playing once he has stood down. Other countries may field several former captains in their line-ups but that is not the antipodean way. Ponting knows that resignation and retirement are closely intertwined,” he concludes. (ANI)

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