Shadow | SilverScorpio.Com

Tourists enjoy fresh snowfall in Himachal Pradesh

September 10, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Rohtang Pass (Manali), Sep 10 (ANI): Tourists enjoyed fresh snowfall in the high peaks of Rohtang Pass above Manali in Himachal Pradesh.

The 13,050 feet high Rohtang pass, covered with six inches thick cover of snow, has had an unusually early snowfall this year.

Tourists made merry on the snow-covered slopes.

“We came here for snowfall and we have finally got to see it. We never saw snowfall in our life and this was like a dream come true. Rohtang is a very good place and I would love to come here again and again,” said Vinod, a tourist.

Thousands of tourists visit Rohtang Pass every year and enjoy the snowfall.

The pass is the gateway to the remote and rain shadow Himalayan region of Ladakh. (ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: ANI, cover, dream, Early Snowfall, gateway, himachal, Himachal Pradesh, Himalayan, ladakh, life, manali, merry, pass, place, pradesh, rain, Rain Shadow, region, rohtang, Sep, shadow, Six Inches, slopes, snow, snowfall, tourist, tourists, vinod, year

Pak-based terrorists exploiting Britain’s shoddy visa system

September 10, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, Sep 10 (ANI): Pakistan-based terrorists are exploiting Britain’s shoddy visa system to come to the country.

Pakistan is considered by Britain as the No.1 base for Islamic extremists brainwashing potential terrorists.

More than 60,000 Pakistanis were given UK visas in the past nine months, but only 29 underwent face-to-face security interviews, The Sun reports.

The Home Office admitted the shocking record in Commons answers.

The new figures mean UK risk assessment officials in Pakistan could easily be dishing out visas to terror suspects.

Ministers have also admitted not a single visa applicant had a phone interview before getting entry clearance. And each application was dealt with in just 11 minutes; nothing like the time security experts say is needed.

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Grayling said: “There are very real concerns that the system is being abused, and clear security issues too.” (ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: ANI, applicant, application, assessment, base, brainwashing, Britain, Chris Grayling, clearance, commons, country, country pakistan, entry, entry clearance, grayling, home, Interview, Islamic, Islamic extremists, London, ministers, nine months, nothing, office, Pak-based, Pakistan, pakistan based, Pakistanis, Phone, phone interview, record, risk, risk assessment, secretary, security, security experts, security issues, Sep, shadow, shadow home secretary, Shocking Record, Sun, system, terror, terror suspects, terrorists, time, time security, U.K, Uk Visas, visa, Visa Applicant, Visa System

Kelly Osbourne blames her DNA for drug addiction

September 10, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, Sept 10 (ANI): ‘Dancing with the Stars’ contestant Kelly Osbourne has blamed her genes for her drug addiction.

Kelly’s father, rockstar Ozzy Osbourne, has had a long struggle with drugs, which makes her believe her DNA was pre-programmed to make her an addict.

Contactmusic quoted Kelly as telling BBC Radio 5 Live: “I don’t have any shadow of a doubt that addiction is a disease. It is in your genes.

“The only people in my family who don’t have that gene are my mother and my sister Amy.

“I consider myself lucky that I saw both sides of it. Drugs stop you from screaming on the outside, but you are still screaming on the inside.

“I was addicted by 16. Drugs stopped me from feeling a certain way. Some people experience euphoria but I never felt that. They numbed me and gave me confidence.

It was like a magic medicine.”

The 24-year-old Kelly has been in rehab four times and is presently drug free. (ANI)

Filed Under: Entertainment News Tagged With: addict, addiction, amy, ANI, bbc, Bbc Radio 5, confidence, contactmusic, contestant, dancing, dancing with the stars, disease, dna, doubt, drug, drug addiction, Drug Free, drugs, euphoria, family, father, gene, genes, kelly, Kelly Osbourne, live, magic medicine, medicine, mother, osbourne, ozzy, ozzy osbourne, radio, rehab, rockstar, Sept, shadow, shadow of a doubt, sister, Sister Amy, stars, struggle, Washington, way

Indo-Pak Foreign Secy level talks in September: Pak FO

August 29, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Islamabad, Aug.29 (ANI): The Indo-Pak Foreign Secretary level talks will be held in mid September in New York, the Pakistan Foreign Office has said.

According to sources, India Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao will meet her Pakistani counterpart Salman Bashir on the margins of the 64th UN General Assembly.

Sources said the prime focus in the meeting would be on preparing the agenda for the forthcoming talks between the Foreign Ministers of both countries.

The date and venue for the talks is yet to be finalized, The Dawn reports.

Pakistan’s dilly dallying attitude over prosecuting Jamaat-ud-Daawa (JuD) chief Hafeez Mohammad Saeed, the prime accused in the 26/11 Mumbai carnage, has cast a shadow over the much awaited dialogue between India and Pakistan.

It may be recalled that the Secretary level talks between both countries in Sharm-el-Sheikh on the margins of the NAM summit had failed to produce any substantial results.

Despite some initial positive signals, the talks which were expected to set the tone of the meeting between Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh with his Pakistan counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani, failed to achieve any major breakthrough.

Diplomatic analysts, who are keeping a close watch on the developments, believed that the success of the secretary level talks was directly related to the resumption of the stalled composite dialogue, but for the time being neither country has revealed the future course of action.

Mixed signals coming from Islamabad on the appeal in the Supreme Court against the release of Saeed seem to have done the real damage. (ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: action, agenda, ANI, appeal, attitude, Aug, bashir, breakthrough, carnage, Close Watch, composite dialogue, counterpart, country, course, Court, Daawa, damage, date, dawn, dialogue, Dr. Manmohan Singh, focus, foreign, foreign ministers, foreign office, Forthcoming Talks, General Assembly, gilani, Hafeez, India, India and Pakistan, Indian, Indian Prime Minister, indo-, Islamabad, Jamaat-ud, jud, level, manmohan, Manmohan Singh, meeting, ministers, mixed signals, Mohammad Saeed, Mumbai, nam, nam summit, New York, Nirupama, nirupama rao, office, Pak, Pakistan, prime focus, Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan, rao, raza, release, resumption, Saeed, Salman Bashir, secretary, secy, September, September In New York, shadow, Sharm-el, sheikh, Singh, Substantial Results, success, summit, supreme, time, tone, un general assembly, venue, watch, yousuf

Cranberry juice fails to combat urinary tract infections

August 25, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, August 25 (ANI): Experts have expressed doubts over the use of cranberry juice as a preventative against urinary tract infections (UTIs).

Dr. Raz, Director of Infectious Diseases at the Technion School of Medicine in Israel, said that the present clinical evidence for using cranberry juice and related products to fight the common ailment was ‘unsatisfactory and inconclusive’.

Raz, a member of F1000 Medicine, along with his associate Faculty Member, Hana Edelstein, suggested that “cranberry should no longer be considered as an effective [preventative] for recurrent UTIs.”

The boffins explained that it was difficult to point out a single compound from the hundreds in cranberry to be held responsible for any therapeutic effect, creating a shadow of doubt over its adoption.

Raz and Edelstein also warned that cranberry could also interact badly with other medicines such as Warfarin, commonly used to treat heart disease. (ANI)

Filed Under: Health News Tagged With: adoption, ailment, ANI, Associate Faculty Member, August, boffins, clinical evidence, Common Ailment, compound, cranberry, director, disease, diseases, doubt, doubts, Dr. Raz, Edelstein, effect, evidence, Faculty, Hana, Hana Edelstein, heart, heart disease, infectious, infectious diseases, interact, Israel, juice, medicine, medicines, member, Raz, Recurrent Utis, related products, school, school of medicine, shadow, Shadow Of Doubt, technion, therapeutic effect, tract, unsatisfactory, urinary-tract infections, use, UTIs, warfarin, Washington

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)

Filed Under: Entertainment News Tagged With: ANI, anniversary, Aug, bank, Bank Security, barrier, com, contactmusic, Controversial Separation, Court, Fifth Anniversary, film, Floyd, hardships, Horizons, hurdle, international, international court of justice, Interview, Israel, Israel Radio, israelis, justice, land, Living In The Shadow, lot, minute, minute film, musician, neighbours, new horizons, NEWS, Occupied West Bank, opinion, Palestinian Land, path, Path To Peace, peace, pink, radio, resettlement, rocker, roger waters, route, security, security barrier, separation, shadow, short film, star, TheRockRadio, voice, Walled, Washington, west, west bank

Tunisian woman due to deliver 12 babies tagged ‘a fraud’

August 19, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, August 19 (ANI): A Tunisian woman, recently reported to be due to give birth to a record-breaking 12 babies, has gone into hiding after being exposed as a fraud.

The North African teacher, from Gafsa, had claimed that she was expecting six boys and six girls this month after having fertility treatment.

But an investigation by the country’s Health Ministry has revealed that the 34-year-old woman, known only as AF, has “psychological problems and is unlikely even to be pregnant”.

“Our staff interviewed her at length, but even her pregnancy appears to be in her imagination,” the Telegraph quoted a spokesman in Tunis, the capital, as saying.

“She’s claiming to be nine months pregnant with six boys and six girls, but there’s absolute nothing about her appearance which indicates this.

“The woman has refused point blank to undergo a medical examination. Now we can’t even contact her. She’s gone into hiding,’ the spokesman added.

A doctor at No’man al Adab Hospital, the only one in the town of Gafsa, also said: “It may be that she’s trying to make money from television. These kind of people can make thousands from appearing on programmes. Perhaps that’s what motivated her.”

Medical experts had previously cast a shadow of doubt over the extraordinary feat, saying if the 12 babies, called duodecaplets, were all born alive, they would represent a medical miracle.

Peter Bowen-Simpkins, a fellow of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, said: “How could you get 12 babies into the womb at the same time? The womb just doesn’t expand that much. She would have to be about seven feet tall.” (ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: Adab, African Teacher, ANI, appearance, August, August 19, birth, Bowen, capital, cast, college, country, doctor, doubt, examination, feat, fellow, fertility, fertility treatment, fraud, Gafsa, Gynecologists, Health, health ministry, hospital, imagination, investigation, kind, length, London, man, medical, medical examination, medical experts, medical miracle, ministry, miracle, MONEY, month, nine months, North African, nothing, Obstetricians, Obstetricians And Gynecologists, old woman, peter bowen, point, pregnancy, Psychological Problems, royal, royal college of obstetricians, Royal College Of Obstetricians And Gynecologists, shadow, Shadow Of Doubt, simpkins, spokesman, staff, teacher, Telegraph, television, time, town, treatment, Tunis, tunisian, woman, womb

Simon Cowell to sign £100M-a-year record deal for ‘American Idol’

July 15, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, July 15 (ANI): Simon Cowell is in talks to sign a 100million pounds-a-year ‘American Idol’ contract, which could make him the highest paid star in TV history.

By sealing the US deal with Fox, Cowell will quadruple his current 25million pounds a year, which means that he would rake in a whopping 2.2million pounds an hour on screen.

And his new business partner, Topshop mogul Sir Philip Green, is negotiating the agreement.

Cowell, 49, is seen vital to the survival of the ailing American network, which makes 450million pounds a year from advertising on the hit talent show.

The network signed up American Idol’s cheesy host Ryan Seacrest for a three-year deal worth 30million pounds and is now closing in on Cowell.

“The word went out from on high to pay Simon what he needs,” the Mirror quoted a Fox insider as saying.he source added: “Without him the show would be a shadow of itself. And without American Idol we’re in the dumper.”

Cowell will also soon be in renewal talks over his ITV contract, which is likely to be less than his current 20million pounds deal over three years. (ANI)

Filed Under: Entertainment News Tagged With: advertising, agreement, American, american idol, ANI, business, contract, current, deal, dumper, fox, history, hit, host, hour, idol, insider, itv, July, London, mirror, mogul, network, New Business Partner, partner, philip green, quadruple, rake, record, renewal, Ryan Seacrest, screen, shadow, show, simon, Simon Cowell, sir philip, Sir Philip Green, source, star, survival, talent, Topshop, tv history, US, word, year

Solar eclipse popularises astro-tourism in India

July 10, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

New Delhi, July 9 (ANI): After space tourism, it is astro-tourism that is catching up people’s fancy, courtesy the ensuing total solar eclipse.

Air charter and tourist operators in India are receiving an overwhelming response for chartered flights to view total solar eclipse of longest duration in 21st century.

All set to take place on July 22, the eclipse holds special interest for scientists and general public as its path of totality passes through thickly populated western, central, eastern and northeastern regions of India.

Cox and Kings, a travel agency claims that both amateur astronomers and others are booking for the Boeing-737 that they have hired for the two-hour journey from Delhi to Gaya in Bihar to watch the rare total solar eclipse.

Each ticket is priced at rupees 79,000 (around 1,618 dollars).

“Well, we have got very strong response. The airline that we are flying has 21 seats facing the sun and 21 more window seats, which are facing away from the sun, facing the earth. We call them the ‘sun side seats’ and the ‘earth side seats’. The sun side seats, which will have direct view of the eclipse, cost about 79,000 rupees. We are actually getting very strong response form the amateur astronomy circles in India, from the corporate world and a wide variety of audience,” said Nikhil Pawar, Scientific Officer, Space Technology and Education Private Limited, Mumbai.

On July 22, the moon will totally eclipse the sun after a decade. The next total solar eclipse will take place again only in 2034.

People on board these chartered flights can watch the eclipse for almost 10 times more than those on ground. And, there are reasons attributed to such a phenomenon.

“Theoretically the totality (of the eclipse) can be only 7 minutes 30 seconds. So that is the maximum you can get, if you are stationed at one place and during that period, by chasing the moon shadow they (people in airplanes) increase the time to 74 minutes that means almost ten times than the theoretically maximum possible,” Piyush Pandey, Director, Nehru Planetarium, Mumbai.

Meanwhile, hotel owners in Patna are preparing to welcome the rush of astro-tourist guests expected to halt here.

“The solar eclipse on the 22nd can be seen from Bihar. The tourists will come on the 21st and 12 rooms have been booked for them in our hotel,” said Vinay Pandey, owner Hotel Republic, Patna.

In India, the eclipse will commence soon after sunrise.

Surat and Vadodra in Gujarat, Indore and Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh apart from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh and Patna in Bihar are stated to be the ideal locations for good views of the total solar eclipse.

It provides a rare opportunity to view and study this grand spectacle of nature. The partial phase of the eclipse will be visible throughout the country.

Astro-tourism comes as a surprise in a country where people for ages have been considering eclipses especially solar eclipses as bad omen.

The belief that the sun is at the mercy of two evil planets, Rahu and Ketu causing the eclipse, still prevails among a large section of people despite propagation of scientific temper among the masses. (ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: agency, air, Air Charter, airline, amateur astronomers, Amateur Astronomy, ANI, Astro-tourism, astronomy, audience, belief, bhopal, Bihar, board, boeing, boeing 737, century, charter, chartered flights, Chasing The Moon, commence, cost, country, courtesy, cox, cox and kings, decade, Delhi, director, duration, Earth, Education, Facing The Sun, form, Gaya, ground, Gujarat, hotel, increase, India, Indore, interest, journey, July, Ketu, limited, Madhya, maximum, mercy, moon, Moon Eclipse, Moon Shadow, Mumbai, Nature, nehru planetarium, New Delhi, Next Total Solar Eclipse, Nikhil Pawar, Northeastern Regions, officer, omen, opportunity, overwhelming response, owner, pandey, path, path of totality, Patna, period, phase, phenomenon, Piyush, place, pradesh, Private, propagation, Public, rahu, republic, response, Response Form, rush, scientific, section, shadow, side, solar, space, Space Tourism, spectacle, Sun, Sun Side, Sunrise, Surat, surprise, Technology, temper, the, ticket, time, total solar eclipse, totality, Tourism, Tourism In India, tourist, tourist operators, travel, uttar, vadodra, varanasi, variety, view, Vinay, window, world

‘Release of Saeed, Sufi casts shadow over Pak’s seriousness to crack down on terror’

July 8, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, July 8 (ANI): The subsequent release of Lashkar-e-Toiba’s (LeT) chief Hafeez Muhammad Saeed, the hardcore Lal Masjid cleric Maulana Abdullah Aziz, and now the Tehrik-e-Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-Mohammed (TNSM) chief Sufi Mohammad has cast serious doubts over Pakistan’s claims that it is seriously acting against the Taliban and other home grown terror outfits, a senior US intelligence official said.

The United States is worried and at the same time skeptical over Pakistan’s claims about cracking down on certain banned terror outfits.

Washington is concerned that Pakistan has failed to keep extremist leaders such as Sufi Mohammad and Hafeez Saeed behind bars.

“While Pakistan claims it is cracking down on extremists, note how Sufi Mohammed, Hafiz Saeed and his aide, and Maulana Abdullah Aziz have been cut loose,” The Long War Journal quoted a senior US intelligence official, as saying.

Blaming the TNSM for the failure of the Swat peace accord between the Pakistan government and the banned pro-Taliban TNSM, he said Islamabad must stop relying on these militant leaders to cart a way out of the problem it is facing currently.

“Pakistan can kill all of the foot soldiers it wants to in the northwest, but until the leaders like Sufi and Saeed are taken out of the game, the gains will be temporary,” the official said.

Even as Mohammad’s release from the so called ‘protective custody’ is yet to be confirmed, it is being believed that his release may signal new negotiations being chalked out ahead of the Pakistan’s Army surge in the South Waziristan against the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) chief Baitullah Mehsud .

“The timing of his release is curious, and may signal that a new round of negotiations is in the works,” the journal said.

If the Pakistan government is again trusting Sufi Mohammad for negotiations with Mehsud, it could be once again a blunder in the making for Islamabad, as he had openly supported the Taliban earlier, the report said.

“The Taliban are doing nothing wrong. The government is responsible for violations,” Sufi had said after the Swat peace deal was severed.

Meanwhile, the NWFP Information Minister, Iftikhar Hussain said the government has no information regarding the arrest or release of Sufi Muhammad.

“The provincial government has no information about the whereabouts of Maulana Sufi Muhammad,” Hussain said. (ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: Abdullah Aziz, accord, aide, ANI, army, arrest, Baitullah, blunder, cart, custody, deal, extremist, failure, foot, game, Government, Hafeez, Hafiz, hardcore, home, hussain, Iftikhar, information, intelligence, Islamabad, journal, July, lal masjid, Lashkar-e, LeT, Long, maulana, Mehsud, minister, mohammad, Mohammed, muhammad, Muhammad Saeed, Nifaz-e, note, nothing, NWFP, official, outfits, Pak, Pakistan, peace, problem, release, report, round, Saeed, seriousness, shadow, Shariat-e, South Waziristan, surge, swat, Taliban, Tehrik-e, terror, time, timing, TNSM, toiba, ttp, United States, US, war, Washington, way, whereabouts

UK is Europe’s most violent crime capital: European Commission

July 2, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, July 2 (ANI): A European Commission research has revealed that the United Kingdom has one of the highest rates of violence in the world, making it the violent crime capital of Europe.

The commission’s research was based on combined crime statistics from England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, which took into account about 5.4 million crimes recorded in 2007.

A breakdown of the statistics, revealed that violent crime in the UK had increased from 652,974 offences in 1998 to more than 1.15 million crimes in 2007, which meant there were over 2,000 crimes recorded per 100,000 population in the UK, the Telegraph reports.

The research also reveals that total number of violent offences recorded compared to population is much more than any other country in Europe, Australia, Canada, America and South Africa.

Concerned about the revelation, Chris Grayling, Shadow Home Secretary, said: “This is a real damning indictment of this government’s comprehensive failure over more than a decade to tackle the deep rooted social problems in our society, and the knock-on effect on crime and anti-social behaviour.

The UK recorded 927 murders in 2007, the rate was higher than most of the western European neighbours, including France, Germany, Italy and Spain.

Meanwhile, the Home Office refused to accept the analysis and claimed that there has been a downtrend in overall violence over the past decade.

“These figures are misleading. Levels of police recorded crime statistics from different countries are simply not comparable since they are affected by many factors, for example the recording of violent crime in other countries may not include behaviour that we would categorise as violent crime,” said a Home Office spokesperson.

“Violent crime in England and Wales has fallen by almost a half since a peak in 1995 but we are not complacent and know there is still work to do,” he added. (ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: account, america, Analysis, ANI, Australia, Australia Canada, behaviour, breakdown, Canada, Canada America, capital, categorise, Chris Grayling, commission, country, Crime, Crime Capital, Crime Statistics, crimes, decade, downtrend, effect, England, England Wales Scotland, Europe, Europe Australia, European Commission, European Neighbours, example, failure, France, France germany, Germany, Government, grayling, half, home, indictment, Italy, July, levels, London, murders, Northern Ireland, number, office, peak, police, population, rate, recording, Research, revelation, Scotland, secretary, shadow, shadow home secretary, social behaviour, society, South Africa, Spain, spokesperson, Telegraph, U.K, United Kingdom, Violence, Violence In The World, Violent, violent crime, Violent Offences, wales, western European, work, world

Now, Deepak Chopra questions actions of Jacko’s doctor

July 1, 2009 By admin 1 Comment

Washington, July 1 (ANI): Michael Jackson’s friend Deepak Chopra has joined other critics in casting a shadow of doubt over the actions of the late singer’s doctor in the star’s finals moments.

Dr. Conrad Murray was said to have spent 30 minutes performing CPR on the unconscious King of Pop before calling 911.

He evoked serious criticism for performing CPR on Jackson’s bed, and not on the floor, where it would have been more effective.

Experts further slammed Murray, questioning why he waited half an hour to call for the emergency services.

Murray, who was quizzed for three hours by the Los Angeles Police Department on June 27, was also suspected of injecting Jackson with the potent painkiller Demerol before the star collapsed in his home.

Jackson died aged 50 on June 25 from an apparent cardiac arrest purportedly triggered by an overdose of prescription pills.

And now revered Indian-American medic Chopra has questioned why Murray did not use withdrawal drug Narcan when he had realised the icon was unconscious from an apparent drug overdose.

“Any emergency room or any doctor who sees a doctor with an overdose, the first thing they do is give Narcan… Within minutes you see a response,” Contactmusic quoted him as saying.

However, Murray’s lawyer, Edward Chernoff, said that contrary to reports, the doctor did not give Jackson the powerful painkillers in the hours leading up to his death.

He said: “I believe when the toxicology (results) come back, you’re not going to find narcotics.” (ANI)

Filed Under: Entertainment News Tagged With: angeles, angeles police department, ANI, arrest, bed, Calling 911, Cardiac Arrest, casting a shadow, chernoff, contactmusic, cpr, criticism, death, Deepak Chopra, Demerol, department, doctor, doctor who, doubt, Dr Conrad, Dr. Conrad Murray, drug, drug overdose, Edward Chernoff, emergency, Emergency Room, emergency services, floor, friend, home, hour, icon, Indian, Jacko, Jackson, July, June, king, king of pop, lawyer, los, medic, Michael Jackson, murray, Narcan, overdose, painkiller, performing cpr, police, pop, Powerful Painkillers, prescription, prescription pills, response, room, shadow, Shadow Of Doubt, singer, star, thing, toxicology, Toxicology Results, Washington, withdrawal

With one million users, Britain’s the cocaine capital of Europe: UN report

June 27, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, June 25 (ANI): According to a United Nations drugs report, more than one million people in Britain are cocaine users, with one in 20 school children also having tried it, making Britain the cocaine capital of Europe.

The UN Office on Drugs and Crime found that even three per cent of 15 and 16 year-olds claim to have tried crack cocaine.

It estimated about 860,000 cocaine users in England and Wales, and around 140,000 in Northern Ireland and Scotland combined.

“The UK thus continues to be – in absolute numbers – Europe’s largest cocaine market, with its second highest cocaine use prevalence rate,” the report stated.

The World Drug Report 2009 revealed that there was a drastic increase of cocaine users in UK from the mid-90s, but remained stable over the last two years.

“If you take year and on year there seems to be a decline in this market but there is considerable cause for concern as the UK has still in absolute terms the largest numbers in Europe,” the Telegraph quoted Dr Sandeep Chawla, lead author of the report, as saying.

The report found four per cent of youngsters have taken ecstasy and almost three in ten have tried cannabis.

“This is a really depressing snap shot of the drugs problem in the UK and underlines just how ineffective the Government’s strategy on dealing with the drug problem has been,” said Chris Grayling, Shadow Home Secretary.

The report provides details of supply routes that bring drugs to the UK, and says that cocaine is shipped to UK via the Caribbean or the west coast of Africa.

It also said that heroin comes from Afghanistan on land routes through the Middle East to Europe before it is re-packaged and smuggled in to Britain.(ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: ''cause, 16 year olds, Absolute Numbers, absolute terms, Afghanistan, Africa, ANI, author, Britain, capital, caribbean, cent, Chris Grayling, claim, coast, cocaine, cocaine use, Cocaine Users, concern, crack cocaine, Crime, decline, Dr Sandeep Chawla, Drastic Increase, drug, Drugs And Crime, Drugs Problem, ecstasy, England, Europe, Government, grayling, heroin, home, increase, June, land, London, market, mid, mid 90s, Middle East, Northern Ireland, office, one million, prevalence, prevalence rate, problem, rate, report, school, Scotland, secretary, shadow, shadow home secretary, shot, snap, Snap Shot, strategy, supply, Telegraph, U.K, Underlines, united, use, wales, west, world, year, youngsters

‘Judi Dench factor’ always sparks swearing complaints

June 26, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, June 24 (ANI): When it comes to actors swearing in films, the viewers can pardon any star other than Dame Judi Dench for using foul language on screen, according to the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC).

The BBFC says that there exists a phenomenon, called the “Judi Dench factor”, which makes filmgoers less forgiving towards Britain’s most distinguished actress talk tough.

In its annual report, the BBFC, which is responsible for awarding film ratings, has revealed that four of the six complaints it received about the James Bond film ‘Quantum of Solace’ related to the language of Dame Judi’s character M.

The film has a 12A rating and contains several violent scenes.

“Almost every time Dame Judi swears in a film, regardless of its category, we can expect a number of complaints,” the Telegraph quoted the BBFC as saying in its report.

The film prompted only one complaint about violence and two from viewers who mistook a shadow on a woman’s leg for her genitalia.

“The remainder were upset by the film’s languagethis may be attributed to the ‘Judi Dench factor,’” the report said.

It further added: “This beloved actress plays M, Bond’s tough-talking boss. However, it was her tough talking which upset the viewers.”

A spokeswoman for the BBFC said that although Dame Judi used a wear word comfortably placed in a 12A film “it seems that she hould not use such language.” (ANI)

Filed Under: Entertainment News Tagged With: 12a, Actress, ANI, annual report, bbfc, Beloved Actress, board, Bond, boss, Britain, British, british board of film classification, category, character, classification, complaint, Dame Judi, dame judi dench, Dench, factor, film, Film Ratings, foul language, genitalia, hould, James Bond, James Bond Film, judi dench, June, June 24, language, leg, London, mistook, number, pardon, phenomenon, quantum, rating, remainder, report, screen, shadow, solace, spokeswoman, star, swearing, talk, talking, Talking Boss, Telegraph, time, Violence, violent scenes, wear, woman, word

Freddie Flintoff may not be a success in Ashes: Ponting

May 30, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, May 30 (ANI): The war for Ashes 2009 has begun with Australian captain Ricky Ponting firing the first salvo, questioning whether England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff will be any good this summer.

Flintoff underwent knee surgery in April and has not yet started running properly. He sustained the injury in the megabucks Indian Premier League in South Africa.

Freddie was the hero of England’s Ashes triumph over Australia in 2005 but he was a shadow of that player in 2006-07 when he captained England to a 5-0 defeat after recovering from one of his several ankle operations.

Ponting, who was speaking at Trent Bridge as the Aussies began a four-month tour that starts with the World Twenty20, was quoted by The Sun as saying: “Flintoff is obviously important to England’s make-up, but, as we saw in 2007, his impact is not there if he is not 100 per cent fit.”

Taking a minor dig at batsman Kevin Pietersen as well, Ponting said: “I don’t know how bad Pietersen’s Achilles problem is, either. They could face something similar with him as well.”

“With Flintoff and Pietersen, there was obviously a great incentive to play with the amount of money they went for. Am I pleased they’re injured? Ha, ha. I don’t know the full extent of their injuries,” Ponting said.

Ponting is confident about his transitional team.

He said: “I’m excited about where our Test cricket is. Our series win in South Africa this year was full of positives.” (ANI)

Filed Under: Sports News Tagged With: achilles, amount, amount of money, andrew flintoff, ANI, ankle, April, ashes, Aussies, Australia, australian captain, batsman, captain ricky ponting, cent, Cricket, defeat, dig, England, extent, fit, freddie, Freddie Flintoff, Full Extent, hero, impact, incentive, Indian, injury, kevin pietersen, knee, knee surgery, league, London, May, megabucks, MONEY, player, Premier, Premier league, problem, ricky, rounder, salvo, series, shadow, something, South Africa, success, summer, Sun, surgery, team, test, test cricket, tour, Transitional Team, trent bridge, triumph, war, win, world, world twenty20, year

Homeopathic remedy gets first ever licence nod from Brit medicines regulator

May 16, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, May 16 (ANI): An arnica product has become the homeopathic remedy to receive a first licence nod from the British medicines regulator under controversial new rules.

The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency has granted Nelsons Arnicare Arnica 30c pillules permission to make medicinal claims.

Manufacturers of homeopathic remedies were in the past prohibited from giving a therapeutic indication due to a lack of evidence questioning its effectiveness, reports the Times Online.

But under the new granted license, the packet of 84 pillules would bear the explanation: “A homeopathic medicinal product used within the homeopathic tradition for symptomatic relief of sprains, muscular aches and bruising or swelling after contusions.”

Robert Wilson, chairman of Nelsons, said that the inclusion of therapeutic indications on the packaging could “not only opens the practice of homeopathy up to new users but also gives it added credibility as a safe and natural complement to conventional medicine”.

But experts have cast a shadow of doubt over the decision, dubbing it a “cynical mockery of evidence-based medicine”.

Edzard Ernst, professor of complementary medicine at the Peninsula Medical School in Exeter, argued the arnica-based homeopathic product had zero active ingredients.

He said: “This is a huge rip-off and the label now makes false and misleading claims. There is no biological plausibility for this to work – it makes a cynical mockery of evidence-based medicine.

“Arnica is actually poisonous if you swallow it, so these pills contain essentially zero active ingredient.” (ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: Active Ingredients, agency, ANI, arnica, Arnica 30c, Arnicare, Biological Plausibility, brit, chairman, Complementary Medicine, contusions, Conventional Medicine, credibility, decision, doubt, Edzard, Edzard Ernst, effectiveness, ernst, evidence, evidence based medicine, exeter, explanation, Healthcare, healthcare products regulatory agency, Homeopathic, Homeopathic Remedies, homeopathy, inclusion, indication, ingredient, label, lack, lack of evidence, licence, license, London, May, medical, Medicinal, medicine, medicines, medicines and healthcare products regulatory agency, Misleading Claims, mockery, Natural Complement, Nelsons, nod, Online, packaging, packet, peninsula, peninsula medical school, permission, plausibility, practice, product, professor, regulator, regulatory, relief, remedy, Robert Wilson, school, shadow, Shadow Of Doubt, Sprains, Symptomatic Relief, Therapeutic Indications, times, tradition

Natural petroleum seeps release equivalent of 8 – 80 Exxon Valdez oil spills

May 14, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, May 14 (ANI): A new study has shown that the amount of oil residue in seafloor sediments that result from natural petroleum seeps off Santa Barbara, California, is the equivalent of approximately 8-80 Exxon Valdez oil spills.

Researchers at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), did the study.

It shows the oil content of sediments is highest closest to the seeps and tails off with distance, creating an oil fallout shadow.

It estimates the amount of oil in the sediments down current from the seeps to be the equivalent of approximately 8-80 Exxon Valdez oil spills.

“Farwell developed and mapped out our plan for collecting sediment samples from the ocean floor,” said WHOI marine chemist Chris Reddy, referring to lead author Chris Farwell, at the time an undergraduate working with UCSB’s Dave Valentine.

“After conducting the analysis of the samples, we were able to make some spectacular findings,” he added.

There is an oil spill everyday at Coal Oil Point (COP), the natural seeps off Santa Barbara, California, where 20-25 tons of oil have leaked from the seafloor each day for the last several hundred thousand years.

Based on their previous research, Valentine and Reddy surmised that the oil was sinking “because this oil is heavy to begin with.”

“It’s a good bet that it ends up in the sediments because it’s not ending up on land. It’s not dissolving in ocean water, so it’s almost certain that it is ending up in the sediments,” said Valentine.

To conduct their sampling, the team used the research vessel Atlantis, the 274-foot ship that serves as the support vessel for the Alvin submersible.

The research team sampled 16 locations in a 90 km2 (35 square mile) grid starting 4 km west of the active seeps.

Sample stations were arranged in five longitudinal transects with three water depths (40, 60, and 80 m) for each transect, with one additional comparison sample obtained from within the seep field.

“The instrument reveals distinct biomarkers or chemical fossils – like bones for an archeologist – present in the oil. These fossils were a perfect match for the oil from the reservoir, the oil collected leaking into the ocean bottom, oil on the sea surface, and oil back in the sediment,” said Reddy.

“We could say with confidence that the oil we found in the sediments was genetically connected to the oil reservoir and not from an accidental spill or runoff from land,” he added. (ANI)

Filed Under: Science News Tagged With: accidental, Alvin, Alvin Submersible, amount, Analysis, ANI, archeologist, Atlantis, author, bet, bottom, California, california santa barbara, chemical, chemist, Chris Farwell, Chris Reddy, coal, Coal Oil Point, Compari, comparison, confidence, content, cop, Dave Valentine, day, distance, equivalent, Exxon, Exxon Valdez Oil, fallout, field, floor, foot, Foot Ship, grid, hole, hole oceanographic institution, institution, instrument, land, longitudinal, marine chemist, match, May, Mile, natural, Natural Seeps, ocean, Oceanographic, oil, Oil Residue, Oil Spill, petroleum, plan, point, reddy, Research, Research Vessel Atlantis, reservoir, residue, result, runoff, sample, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara California, sea, seafloor, seafloor sediments, sediment, sediment samples, seep, shadow, ship, spill, study, support, Support Vessel, surface, team, time, transect, UCSB, undergraduate, University, university of california santa barbara, Valdez, vessel, Washington, water, water depths, west, whoi, woods, woods hole oceanographic institution

Kids spending hours on Internet rather than outdoor games ‘ill-prepared for adult life’

May 14, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, May 14 (ANI): British educationists are worried that children these days are not growing properly because they spend hours on the Internet rather than playing traditional outdoor games, which, by teaching basic skills, prepare one for adult life.

John Gibson, the Chairman of the Independent Schools Association, while speaking at the institution’s annual conference in Manchester, said that many children brought up in the 50s and 60s were given more freedom to play outside.

“I believe much of what we did then was part of a primitive preparation for adult life,” the Telegraph quoted him as saying.

“Through games such as conkers, den-building or even putting the chain back on an oily bike, we practised the skills we would later find useful, and we learned to face success and disappointment in equal measure. When your life is lived through images constructed by a technical genius from Silicon Valley played on a high definition screen, I just feel it will be more difficult to experience those important rehearsals for adult life,” he added.

Gibson, who also happens to be the head of fee-paying Stoke College, Suffolk, said that home had become a “prison” to many young people.

“Now, many of today’s parents live in a shadow of fear, afraid to let their children out of their sight for too long least something terrible should befall them. When William Wordsworth wrote 150 years ago that ‘shades of the prison-house begin to close upon the growing boy’ I believed he was talking mainly about school,” he said.

“But today’s prison-house is just as likely to be the home, a seductive, comfortable prison for boys and girls whose nimble fingers are adept at working their mobiles and computer games, but have never used them to play conkers,” he added.

Gibson suggested that schools “help children be well prepared for life.”

He said that schools had to abide by health and safety regulations, but insisted rules should not “cause our schools to wilt into a boring and ultimately futile educational wilderness that neither challenges or interests our children and is unable to prepare them fully for the world they will grow old in.” (ANI)

Filed Under: Entertainment News Tagged With: 50s, 60s, adult, Adult life, ANI, association, bike, boy, boys and girls, chain, chairman, college, Computer, computer games, conference, definition, disappointment, fear, Freedom, genius, head, Health, health and safety, high-definition, home, independent, Independent Schools Association, institution, internet, john gibson, kids, life, London, manchester, May, measure, Nimble Fingers, Outdoor Games, part, preparation, prison, Prison House, rehearsals, safety, Safety Regulations, school, schools, screen, shades, shadow, Shadow Of Fear, sight, Silicon Valley, something, spending, stoke, success, Suffolk, Technical Genius, Telegraph, today, wilderness, William Wordsworth, wilt, world

The A to Z of UK leadership’s gravy train revealed

May 9, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, May 9 (ANI): British MPs have put in claims for items from the common to the bizarre. Now, The Sun has presented their own ABC list of greed.

A is for AGA: A Tory charged 160 pounds for his annual Aga service.

B is for BREAD BIN: Labour backbencher claimed for a 20 pounds one in 2007.

C is for CAT FOOD: One animal-loving female Conservative MP claimed 78p for two tins of Cesar Chicken and Turkey pet food and 3.69 pounds for Iams Senior.

D is for DYSON: Animal vacuum cleaner, 299.99 pounds, claimed by a meticulous Lib Dem MP in 2005.

E is for ELEPHANT LAMPS: Two for 134.30 pounds, bought by well-known Tory front-bencher and EYELINER: 2.50 pounds, from Boots, bought by female Lib Dem in 2005.

F is for FARROW AND BALL PAINT: Charged by a Tory shadow minister as part of a 1,775 pounds interior house painting claim for his home in the country.

G is for GINGER CRINKLE BISCUITS: 67p, bought by a peckish Labour backbencher in 2007.

H is for HORSE MANURE: One particularly wealthy Tory MP charged 10 pounds for a bag of manure for his country retreat.

I is for IKEA CARRIER BAG: 5p, claimed by a Labour MP in his Scottish constituency and ICE CUBE TRAY: 1.50 pounds, bought by a former Labour Cabinet minister from M and S in 2008.

J is for JAFFA CAKES: 1.60 pounds for two packs, charged by an outspoken junior minister in 2004 and JELLIED EELS: £1.31, claimed by Essex-based MP.

K is for KIT KAT: Bought from the minibar of a central London hotel by Labour minister Hazel Blears.

L is for LOO SEAT: John Prescott bought a pair in the space of a year for his constituency home.

M is for MAKE-UP MIRROR: 19.95 pounds, by Revlon, bought from John Lewis by a middle-aged female Labour MP and

MOLES: Tory grandee asked 35 pounds a quarter for a mole catcher at his country pile.

N is for NEEDLEPOINT RUG: Millionaire MP Barbara Follett claimed 528.75 pounds for cleaning and repair of the ornate Chinese floor covering. She was granted 300 pounds.

O is for ODD JOBS: A Lib Dem frontbencher claimed for 77 pounds paid for a handyman to fix a rope on his swinging chair and other small jobs.

P is for PIZZA WHEEL: 3 pounds, bought from a Bodum shop in Oxfordshire by Tory backbencher.

Q is for QUICHE DISH: Part of a 110-piece dinner set bought on eBay for 155 pounds by a Labour backbencher’s wife.

R is for RATS: A well-heeled Labour MP claimed 199 pounds a quarter for visits from Rentokil to deal with a rat and mouse infestation at her London home.

S is for SHAMPOO: 1.65 pounds, claimed by a balding Labour backbencher in 2007.

T is for TAMPAX: Two packs at 1.11 pounds each, claimed by a male Conservative MP who lost his seat in 2005.

U is for UTENSILS: Potato peeler, 4.50 pounds, claimed by a member of the Tory front bench.

V is for VILEDA SUPERMOP: 4.99 pounds, claimed by a moustachioed Labour MP in 2005.

W is for WEED KILLER: 3.49 pounds, from Focus DIY, bought by a Labour MP and part-time handyman.

X is X-RATED MOVIES: Ordered by Home Secretary Jacqui Smith’s husband Richard, two for 10 pounds.

Y is for YUCCA PLANT: 9.99 pounds from Homebase, bought by a home-loving Lib Dem member for his constituency home.

Z is for ZANUSSI OVEN: 337.18 pounds, bought by a knighted Conservative MP from B and Q in 2007. (ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: abc, Aga, Aga Service, ANI, animal, backbencher, bag, ball, Barbara Follett, bench, bin, biscuits, Bodum, boots, bought, bread, British, british mps, cabinet, cakes, carrier, cat, catcher, central London, Central London Hotel, Cesar Chicken, chair, charged, claim, common, conservative, conservative mp, constituency, country, covering, Cube, Dem, dinner, dish, DIY, Dyson, Dyson Animal Vacuum, Dyson Animal Vacuum Cleaner, ebay, EELS, elephant, essex, Essex-based, eyeliner, Farrow, Farrow And Ball, floor, focus, food, frontbencher, GINGER CRINKLE, grandee, gravy, Gravy Train, greed, handyman, hazel blears, home, Homebase, horse, Horse Manure, hotel, house, husband, Iams, ice, ikea, infestation, Interior House Painting, Jacqui Smith, Jaffa, Jaffa Cakes, JELLIED, Jellied Eels, jobs, john lewis, john prescott, kat, Kit, labour, Labour Minister, labour mp, Lamps, leadership, Lib, Lib Dem Mp, list, London, loo, make-up, manure, May, member, millionaire, minibar, minister, mirror, mole, moles, mouse, movies, MP Barbara Follett, mps, NEEDLEPOINT, odd, ordered, oven, Oxfordshire, paint, painting, pair, part, peckish, peeler, pet, piece, pile, pizza, plant, potato, quarter, quiche, rat, rats, Rentokil, repair, retreat, Revlon, richard, rope, rug, scottish, seat, secretary, Senior, service, shadow, shampoo, shop, space, Sun, SUPERMOP, TAMPAX, Tory, Tory Grandee, tory mp, train, tray, Turkey, U.K, Utensils, vacuum, VILEDA, WEED KILLER, wheel, wife, X-RATED, year, YUCCA, ZANUSSI

Challenges and Strategy: A new book argues for a rethink on India’s foreign policy

May 8, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

New Delhi, May 8 (ANI): If India has to become a major player in the 21st century, a major reappraisal of India’s foreign policy is needed.

This is the argument of a new book “Challenge and Strategy: Rethinking India’s Foreign Policy by Rajiv Sikri.

The former diplomat in his lucidly written book examines India’s current and looming foreign policy challenges from a strategic and policy oriented perspective.

The stated objective of the book is “to spread awareness of India’s foreign policy challenges in the 21st century by stimulating an informed debate on India’s foreign policy options among Indians, particularly the younger generation.”

The book contends that “India is no longer a pawn on the world stage; it is also a player”, and the new generation of India doesn’t want the country to be in the category of “also-ran”, it wants the nation to be a “major player in the emerging global scenario”.

“Challenges and Strategy” sees the emerging foreign policy challenges from the perspective of history. It believes that “a new stable balance of power and a new pattern of inter-state relations” have not yet emerged after the gradual death of the post World War Two international order.

The author thinks that the present world order looks as chaotic as Europe looked after the French Revolution of 1789 and it may take another decade or so for the incipient trends in the global balance of power to get consolidated and for the pieces of the “new global kaleidoscope to fall into place”.

In this “disorder” there is doubt about the “global weight” of America in the new emerging order; there is also uncertainty about the dominance of China in the 21st century as the author believes that its economic miracle could run out of steam”.

Sikri sees Russia coming out of the shadow of the post-Cold War era in the 21st century.

The former diplomat asserts that the “fulcrum of global politics and economics is inexorably shifting towards Asia” and “Vasco da Gama era of Asian history is coming to an end after five centuries”.

In this changing international scenario the global standing of India in the 21st century will depend to a large extent on whether India lives up to its promise and potential, whether China manages to sustain its economic growth, and inter-relationship between the two giants.

Sikri underlines the changing foreign policy dynamics and perspective in India. He calls the no confidence motion in parliament in 2008 on the issue of Indo-American nuclear deal as a “huge turning point for a country that is sometimes suspected of not even having a foreign policy”.

The book delves deep into the history and the need for India to rethink anew and in a new light the foreign policy of India.

The book claims to be “a must read” for policy makers, diplomats, foreign policy analysts and students of Indian politics and relations.

Rajiv Sikri was a career diplomat for over 36 years and retired as a Secretary in Ministry of External Affairs with responsibility for India’s relations with the Asia-pacific region, the Arab world, Israel, Iran and Central Asia. (ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: (Iran, affairs, also-ran, america, ANI, argument, asia, Asia-Pacific, author, awareness, balance, balance of power, book, Book Challenge, career, category, Central Asia, century, challenge, China, China In The 21st Century, cold, confidence, country, deal, death, debate, decade, diplomat, disorder, dominance, doubt, Economic Miracle, end, era, Europe, extent, external, foreign, foreign policy, French, French Revolution Of 1789, fulcrum, gama, generation, Global Balance, Global Politics, global scenario, Global Weight, growth, history, incipient, India, indo-, inter state, Israel, issue, kaleidoscope, May, ministry, miracle, motion, nation, need, New Delhi, objective, order, parliament, pattern, pawn, perspective, place, player, point, policy, Policy Challenges, policy options, post, power, promise, Rajiv Sikri, reappraisal, region, responsibility, rethink, rethinking, revolution, Russia, scenario, secretary, shadow, Stable Balance, stage, standing, steam, strategy, turning, uncertainty, Vasco da, war, weight, world, world stage, world war two, younger generation

Tourists enjoy fresh snowfall in Himachal Pradesh

Pak-based terrorists exploiting Britain’s shoddy visa system

Kelly Osbourne blames her DNA for drug addiction

Indo-Pak Foreign Secy level talks in September: Pak FO

Roger Waters narrates controversial short film on Palestinians

Tunisian woman due to deliver 12 babies tagged ‘a fraud’

Simon Cowell to sign £100M-a-year record deal for ‘American Idol’

Solar eclipse popularises astro-tourism in India

‘Release of Saeed, Sufi casts shadow over Pak’s seriousness to crack down on terror’

Now, Deepak Chopra questions actions of Jacko’s doctor

With one million users, Britain’s the cocaine capital of Europe: UN report

‘Judi Dench factor’ always sparks swearing complaints

Freddie Flintoff may not be a success in Ashes: Ponting

Homeopathic remedy gets first ever licence nod from Brit medicines regulator

Natural petroleum seeps release equivalent of 8 – 80 Exxon Valdez oil spills

Kids spending hours on Internet rather than outdoor games ‘ill-prepared for adult life’

Challenges and Strategy: A new book argues for a rethink on India’s foreign policy

Search More News

Technology News

Ads