Asia / All Themes
Georgia: Join Treaty Banning Cluster Munitions
01.09.2008 20:06
humanrightswatch.org
Government Acknowledges Using Weapon Against Russian Forces (New York, September 1, 2008) The Georgian government said it used cluster munitions during the August 2008 armed conflict with Russia, Human Rights Watch said today. In a letter to Human Rights Watch, the Georgian Defense Ministry stated that cluster rockets were used against Russian military equipment and armament marching from Roki tunnel to Dzara road [sic], but that they were never used against civilians, civilian targets and civilian populated or nearby areas. Human Rights Watch has not independently confirmed this information, but has reported Russias use of cluster munitions during the fighting.
Georgia
Human Rights Protection
France: Sarkozy Should Use Syria Visit to Raise Rights
01.09.2008 18:10
humanrightswatch.org
Damascus Authorities Repress Basic Freedoms French President Nicolas Sarkozy should use his visit to Syria on September 3 and 4, 2008, to raise human rights concerns with President Bashar al-Asad, Human Rights Watch said today. In particular, Sarkozy should urge Asad to release activists detained solely for exercising their rights to freedom of expression and association. He should also ask Asad to make public all information on the violent suppression of a riot at Sednaya prison in July 2008.
Syria
Human Rights Protection
Petroleum Ministry sanctions aid to flood hit Bihar
01.09.2008 06:38
b4uindia.com
The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has ordered an extra 10, 000 metric tonnes of kerosene for flood victims in Bihar besides sanctioning rupees 50 million rupees as part of its flood aid effort. Announcing this at a news conference in New Delhi on Monday, Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Murli Deora said that the Government was trying to meet the Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) needs of the flood victims free of cost. “Our Ministry has sanctioned an amount of rupees 50 million for the relief of victims. In addition to this, an extra 10, 000 metric tonnes of kerosene have been sanctioned today which will be delivered on Tuesday. Besides, there was a request for LPG cylinders, the exact quantity we do not know,” said Deora. The relief comes as saviour for the people in flood hit eastern state, currently facing a shortage of essential commodities. Most of the petrol pumps and LPG stations in the flood-hit region have been destroyed or damaged by floodwaters. The administration is taking the help of police in distributing commodities like LPG and kerosene, as there is danger of these being looted by the people. Officials said three million people have been displaced from their homes and at least 90 killed by floods after the Kosi river burst a dam in Nepal, swamping hundreds of villages in Bihar and destroying 100,000 hectares of farmlands. The Kosi, known as Bihar''s ''river of sorrow'' for its regular floods and tendency to change course, gushed into the State inundating vast areas and affecting more than two million people. Deora also ruled out any plans to cut retail fuel prices despite a sharp fall in crude oil prices in recent weeks. Crude has slumped from mid-July''s record high of 147.27 dollar to about 117 dollar per barrel, but Deora told reporters that there has not been so much of a reduction in international crude oil prices. India raised state-administered prices of petrol and diesel by about ten per cent in June to partly cut losses of state oil firms, which are forced to sell below market prices to help the government control inflation. (ANI)
India
Social Life
IAF’s MiG-29 aircraft crashes near Jamnagar, pilot safe
01.09.2008 06:38
b4uindia.com
A MiG-29 aircraft of Indian Air Force (IAF) crashed near Jamnagar today during a training sortie. The pilot, Flight Lieutenant Dheer ejected out safely. The aircraft had got airborne from Jamnagar air base and was on a routine training-flying mission. The crash took place at around 11:50 p.m. An inquiry has been ordered to investigate the reasons for the accident. This is the sixth IAF aircraft to crash this year. Five crashes involved a MiG-27, two MiG-21s, a Hawk Advanced Jet Trainer and a Kiran trainer have taken place this year. A pilot was killed in one of the crashes. (ANI)
India
Social Life
Normalcy returns to Jammu after agreement on Amarnath land row
01.09.2008 06:38
b4uindia.com
With the opening of market places and the movement of traffic on roads on Monday, normalcy has returned to the Jammu region. This development is being attributed to an agreement between the Jammu and Kashmir Government and the Shri Amarnath Sangharsh Samiti (SASS), to allow pilgrims to the cave shrine to stay on land that was the centre of a controversy for over two months. According to official sources, all market places, government offices, schools, banks and universities have reopened and traffic is plying on the roads as usual. Shopkeepers cleaned their shops and reopened them in Raghunath Bazar, Residency Road, Purani Mandi and Jain Bazar areas of the old city. Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) employees cleaned the city, which was littered with spent tear-gas shells, partially burnt tyres and effigies during the agitation. Curfew was lifted in Jammu, Samba, Udhampur, Kathua and Reasi last night. Following which all temporary barricades and barbed wire fencing have been removed. The CRPF and the police are continuing to maintain a close vigil in these areas. Meanwhile, curfew remains clamped in the nine districts of the Kashmir Valley while it was relaxed in Bandipora and Handwara town of Kupwara. The curfew, which had been relaxed in a phased manner over the past few days across the Valley, was reimposed on Sunday following sporadic incidents of violence over varied issues, including the Amarnath accord, official sources said. “The curfew restrictions would be relaxed only after careful assessment about the law and order situation by the District Magistrates concerned," the sources added. Nine persons were injured in the violence in parts of Srinagar, Baramulla and Kupwara districts as police fired rubber bullets and lobbed teargas shells to disperse mobs, which also protested the arrest of separatist leaders and alleged high-handedness of the security forces. The coordination committee of both the factions of the Hurriyat Conferene has called for peaceful protests today. (ANI)
India
Social Life
‘Hari Puttar not similar to Harry Potter’
01.09.2008 06:37
b4uindia.com
The makers of Bollywood film Hari Puttar have defended the movie - insisting it has nothing in common with Harry Potter. Warner Bros is taking legal action against producers of Mumbai based Mirchi Movies, who are set to release a film entitled ‘Hari Puttar - A Comedy of Terrors’, which follows the life of a 10-year-old Indian boy who moves to Britain, on 12 September (08). The studio believes the name is too similar to that of the young wizard and are willing to fight through the courts to ensure the film doesn''t hit cinemas worldwide. However, bosses at Mirchi Movies insist their film doesn''t infringe on the copyright of the Harry Potter franchise. "Our film bears no resemblance to the Hollywood film Harry Potter and it is a completely different story,” Contactmusic quoted a spokesman for the studio, as saying. "Our film has been in the making for quite some time and everyone knew about it," he added. The case is due in the Bombay High Court on 25 August (08). (ANI)
India
Social Life
Meet the ''miracle baby'' who grew outside the womb!
01.09.2008 06:37
b4uindia.com
A mother is calling her newborn a ‘miracle baby’ after it grew outside her womb and was delivered successfully in pioneering British operation. In a routine ultra-sound scan, Jayne Jones discovered that she was 27 weeks'' pregnant and her baby was growing in her abdomen, on the omentum – the layers of fat that cover the bowel. Almost all such foetuses die within weeks, even days, of conception and only one similar case has ever been reported in Britain. Ten days after the scan Jones was rushed to Derriford Hospital, Plymouth by her husband Graham because she had collapsed in pain. She had to have groundbreaking surgery that had never been done before in Britain and involved 36 NHS staff. Billy was born weighing 2lb 2oz on April 19 and immediately put in an incubator - where he was kept warm inside a plastic bag. "He was so tiny. He was in a little resealable sandwich bag to keep his temperature up. They told me that, for all the millions spent on the NICU, what''s made the biggest difference to survival rates are Tesco resealable sandwich bags,” the Telegraph quoted Jones, as saying. "You look along the incubators and they''re all in them, these bags saying Tesco. It''s incredible." "He''s our little miracle baby. That''s what they called him at the hospital – a miracle, Billy the Whizz," she added. However, the birth was also dangerous for the mother. Jones had a one in five chance of dying in childbirth and was placed in a High Dependency Unit after the birth. She still may need another operation to remove the placenta that was left in her body but doctors hope that it will shrink inside her and be absorbed by the body. "He''s got no idea of the trouble he caused. But I''ll make sure he''s well aware in later years." Jones said. (ANI)
India
Social Life
Old drug may hold promise against hepatitis C
01.09.2008 06:37
b4uindia.com
Researchers from Stanford University say that an old drug may be effective against hepatitis C. The research team say that their hunch is based on two significant discoveries in fight against hepatitis C: One of their findings is that a protein called NS4B is actively involved in binding some of the genetic material, or RNA, and thus allows the virus to duplicate. The researchers have also discovered that an obsolete anti-itching drug clemizole hydrochloride could obstruct the protein, leading to a tenfold decrease in virus replication. "We''re excited about this and we''re actively moving forward toward clinical trials," Nature magazine quoted Dr. Jeffrey Glenn, associate professor of gastroenterology and hepatology, as saying. With the help of coin-sized microfluidic chips that minimizes tabletop biological experiments down to the tiny scale of nanoliters, the research team was able to screen more than 1,200 drug candidates and find clemizole in just two weeks. Unlike other proteins, NS4B is difficult to purify in large quantities while retaining the protein''s natural properties and functionality. Stephen Quake, PhD, professor of bioengineering and the other senior author said that the paper marks the first time that microfluidic technology has been used to discover a specific drug. While researching for the specific drug to target the protein, co author Doron Gerber, PhD, in bioengineering discovered18 drugs that substantially reduced NS4B binding to its target RNA. However they focused on clemizole because it is already known to be safe in humans. Glenn said, that clemizole could become an essential component in a new class of multidrug treatments for hepatitis C. The study appears in online edition of the journal Nature Biotechnology. (ANI)
India
Health & Beauty
Two new genes linked to inflammatory bowel disease in children identified
01.09.2008 06:37
b4uindia.com
Researchers from Children''''s Hospital of Philadelphia have identified two genes that are responsible for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in children. The researchers strongly believe that these genes can be added to the list of genes already known to affect IBD, even though further research is needed to identify the specific disease-causing mutations in the new genes. “As we continue to find genes that interact with each other and with environmental influences in this complex, chronic disease, we are building the foundation for personalized treatments tailored to a patient''''s genetic profile,” Nature magazine quoted co-first author Robert N. Baldassano, director of the Centre for Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease at The Children''''s Hospital of Philadelphia, as saying. "We will resequence the gene regions we have identified to pinpoint the causative mutations in these genes," said study leader Hakon Hakonarson, director of the Centre for Applied Genomics at Children''''s Hospital. "We strongly suspect one gene will provide a compelling target for drug development, given what''''s known about its biology," Hakonarson added. During the study, the researchers performed a genome-wide association in DNA samples from 1,000 patients with childhood-onset IBD. They discovered two novel gene variants, one on chromosome 20 and the other on chromosome 21. They said that the TNFRSF6B gene on chromosome 20 is a compelling candidate, because it is already known to participate in the biological pathway of a protein called tumour necrosis factor (TNF), which plays a key role in the harmful inflammation characteristic of IBD. The study appears in Nature Genetics. (ANI)
India
Health & Beauty
BP lowering drug reduces heart attack risk
01.09.2008 06:37
b4uindia.com
Telmisartan - a medication used to lower blood pressure - reduces the outcome of cardiovascular death, heart attack or stroke in people who are unable to tolerate a widely available and effective standard treatment, according to an international study led by Canadian researchers. ACE inhibitors, or angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitors, are widely used and effective medications used to lower blood pressure. They work by helping to widen blood vessels to improve blood flow. However, approximately 20 per cent of patients who could benefit from an ACE inhibitor stop taking it because of cough, kidney problems, swelling or symptomatic low blood pressure. Telmisartan is a type of angiotensin-receptor blocker, or ARB. Like ACE inhibitors, telmisartan also lowers blood pressure, but works in a different manner. ARBs block the receptor sites in the body for angiotensin II, a naturally occurring hormone that constricts blood vessels and increases blood pressure. For the study, lead authors Dr. Salim Yusuf and Dr. Koon Teo, professors in the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine at McMaster University and clinicians at Hamilton Health Sciences, enrolled nearly 6,000 people worldwide who are intolerant to ACE inhibitors, and evaluated whether telmisartan - compared to placebo - would reduce the risk of major cardiovascular events. A high proportion of patients received proven therapies, such as statins, anti-platelet agents and beta-blockers. Doctors were also free to use other medications that could lower blood pressure. The researchers found that the outcome of cardiovascular death, heart attack or stroke was modestly reduced when patients took telmisartan. Also, fewer patients receiving telmisartan were hospitalised for any cardiovascular reason compared to placebo. Telmisartan was also remarkably well tolerated, and fewer patients on telmisartan discontinued the medication compared to placebo. It reduced the outcome of cardiovascular death, heart attack, stroke or hospitalization for heart failure by a relative eight per cent (17 per cent in the placebo experienced those cardiac events compared to 15.8 per cent in the telmisartan group). This difference was not statistically significant. However, when the outcome included cardiovascular death, heart attack or stroke (and not hospitalization for heart failure), telmisartan reduced that outcome by a significant 13 per cent (14.8 per cent in the placebo group experienced those cardiac events compared to 13 per cent with telmisartan). "The TRANSCEND study demonstrates the value of telmisartan in people who are unable to tolerate angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors," The Lancet quoted principal investigator Dr. Yusuf, director of the Population Health Research Institute at McMaster University, as saying. The study is published online by The Lancet and presented at this year''s European Society of Cardiology Congress in Munich, Germany. (ANI)
India
Health & Beauty
Cemetery expansion in Malta leads to discovery of Bronze Age remains
01.09.2008 06:37
b4uindia.com
A cluster of five silos dating back to the Bronze Age period were recently discovered by archeologists during excavation work in Malta, forming part of a project to extend the Luqa cemetery. According to a report in The Malta Independent, the finding was made by Themistocles (Temi) Zammit, who had discovered, among others, the Hypogeum, Tarxien Temples, Hagar Qim, Mnajdra, and St Paul’s Catacombs. Nathaniel Cutajar, from the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage, said that such silo pit clusters are evidence of ancient settlement, both from prehistory and from the Classical period. “On the basis of earlier investigations, we know that the Tal-Mejtin silos in Luqa were in use since the Early Bronze Age, and possibly earlier,” he said. “It is clear that the recently discovered silos are ancient in origin, even though they were used in later periods as water cisterns,” he added. Cutajar said that the tightly grouped cluster of silos is relatively well preserved and has a high intrinsic value. The Superintendence of Cultural Heritage has taken measures to ensure the Bronze Age pits are preserved in line with the norms of the Cultural Heritage Act. The Luqa Parish Church, which is responsible for the project at the cemetery, is collaborating with the superintendence to ensure the recently discovered remains are safeguarded. The Bronze Age culture replaced the Temple culture, which ended mysteriously in Malta some time around 2,500 BC. Among the discoveries dating back to this period, which lasted till about 700 BC, are the cart ruts and the dolmens scattered around the Maltese Islands. The Bronze Age was characterized by practices that were very different to the Temple culture, probably because new influences reached Malta from the outside world. (ANI)
India
Health & Beauty
Singur impasse: Mamata ready for talks with W. Bengal Govt.
01.09.2008 02:35
b4uindia.com
Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee has said she is ready to hold talks with the Left Front-led West Bengal Government, but insists that the stir at the TATA Motors'' Singur project site would continue. "Negotiations and agitation can go together," Mamata said after sending a Krishi Jami Raksha Committee delegation to met West Bengal Governor Gopal Krishna Gandhi on Sunday. Earlier, the Governor wrote a letter to the Trinamool chief, urging her to take part in the negotiations. Later on Monday, Mamata is scheduled to address a rally of small retailers in Singur. Mamata said she is opposed to allowing private players entry into retail trade "since it would spell disaster for small retailers". Meanwhile, work continues to be stalled at the Tata Motors small car plant in Singur. The management says conditions are not conducive for work. "Conditions are still not conducive here for resuming our work. We continue to assess the situation closely," a Tata Motors spokesperson said in Kolkata. Agitators continue to block the main entry points of the factory and the Durgapur Expressway was still blocked, leaving thousands of heavy vehicles stranded. The state Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee has said that he is ready to negotiate with the Trinamool Congress. He said that the State Government is ready to renegotiate a rehabilitation and compensation package for villagers whose farmlands have been acquired in Singur for TATA''s nano plant. He also expressed his concern over the blocking of the Durgapur National Highway by Trinamool Congress-led farmers''. External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee has refused to be drawn into the controversy despite relations between Congress and CPI (M) turning sour after the Left Front withdrew support to the Congress-led central coalition. "It is wholly a state subject and it is not right for the Central Government to give its opinion. Various industrial groups exist in different states. Likewise, TATA has its projects all over the country as well as abroad. We are very much in favour of industrial development and projects because it is good for the progress of the country," said Pranab. For Tata Motors, the trouble started after the Left Front-led Government acquired farmland in Singur for the factory. The state offered compensation in return, but some villagers complained that they had not received their dues. Others declined compensation. In all, around 400 acres of land is still being fiercely disputed out of the 1,000 acres acquired by the State Government. Tata Motors head Ratan Tata has threatened to move the plant to another part of the country if the violent protests continue, despite having invested 350 million dollar in the project. Tata Motor''''s decision to move out of West Bengal has already been welcomed by some other states, which are willing to give it land for setting up the plant in their regions. (ANI)
India
Social Life
Experts say China concerned about India’s latest defence measures
01.09.2008 02:35
b4uindia.com
Experts have said that China is concerned, if not annoyed with India’s plans to have a fleet of aircraft carriers and nuclear submarines in the next decade and recently tested nuclear-capable missiles that put China''s major cities well within range. New Delhi’s decision to reopen air force bases near the Chinese border has also invited negative reactions from officials in Beijing, they claim. Encouraging India''s role as a counter to China, the U.S. too has stepped up exercises with the Indian navy and last year sold it an American warship for the first time, the 17,000-ton amphibious transport dock Trenton. American defense contractors have also been offering India''s military everything from advanced fighter jets to anti-ship missiles. "It is in our interest to develop this relationship," U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said during a visit to New Delhi in February. "Just as it is in the Indians'' interest." Officially, China says it''s not worried about India''s military buildup or its closer ties with the U.S. However, foreign analysts believe China is deeply concerned by the possibility of a U.S.-Indian military alliance. Ian Storey of the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore said China sent strong diplomatic messages expressing opposition to a massive naval exercise India held last year with the U.S., Japan, Singapore and Australia. Rahul Bedi, the Jane''s analyst, added "those exercises rattled the Chinese." India''s 2007 defense budget was about 21.7 billion dollars, up 7.8 percent from 2006. China said its 2008 military budget would jump 17.6 percent to about 59 billion dollars, following a similar increase last year. The U.S. estimates China''s actual defense spending may be much higher. Like India, China is focusing on its navy, building an increasingly sophisticated submarine fleet that could become one of the world''s largest. Though analysts believe China''s military buildup is mostly focused on preventing U.S. intervention in any conflict with Taiwan, India is still likely to persist in efforts to catch up as China expands its influence in what is essentially India''s backyard. Meanwhile, Sri Lankans -- who have looked warily for centuries at vast India to the north -- welcome the Chinese investment in their country.(ANI)
India
Social Life
Orissa limps back to normalcy after communal violence
01.09.2008 02:35
b4uindia.com
Orissa is limping back to normalcy as all academic institutions are opened on Monday in the Phulbani sub-division of the state’s communally sensitive Kandhamal District. In the Baliguda sub-division, schools and colleges are expected to start after two to three days. According to official sources, the deployment of eleven companies of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), three companies of the Rapid Action Force (RAF) and 26 platoons of the State Armed Police would continue to infuse confidence among the public. Two helicopters are also being sent by the Centre to assist in force mobilisation and relief operations. After three days curfew, the Jeypore town of Koraput District is slowly returning to normalcy. Curfew was relaxed for 10 hours in Kandhamal District on Friday. Hundreds of Christians, who fled their villages and took shelter in forests to save their lives and whose houses and properties were torched in the violence, have started to move to government shelter camps and to their villages, sources said. The violence started after the killing of a Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati and five of his associates in the district on August 23. As the situation improved, about 5,000 people were accommodated in relief camps set up at seven places in Kandhamal and free kitchens were opened, a senior district official told reporters. Police protection was being provided at relief camps and magistrates deployed at all sensitive places. Altogether 85 criminal cases, including 11 in Kandhamal district, relating to murder, arson and rioting were registered across the state. In the violence-hit areas such as Udaygiri, Raikia, K Nuagaon, Balliguda, Phiringia, Tikabali and Chakapada hundreds of people are moving in to relief camps, seeking shelter, food and water. Meanwhile, a group of intellectuals, academicians, human rights activists and students organised a candlelight vigil in Bangalore against the increasing violence in Orissa on Friday. (ANI)
India
Social Life
Goods destroyed in Chennai fire
01.09.2008 02:35
b4uindia.com
Goods worth rupees seven lakhs were destroyed in a major fire that broke out at the fourth floor of a commercial building at the Ranganathan Street here this morning. However, no casualties have been reported so far. According to police, around 20 fire tenders were rushed to the site to douse the flames. Investigations are on to find out the reason for the fire. Further reports are awaited. (ANI)
India
Social Life
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