Asia / All Themes
Clarification Regarding Use of Cluster Munitions in Georgia
03.09.2008 12:12
humanrightswatch.org
On August 21, 2008, Human Rights Watch reported a series of attacks with cluster munitions around four towns and villages in Georgias Gori district. Human Rights Watch attributed all the strikes to Russian forces, but upon further investigation has concluded that the origin of the cluster munitions found on August 20 in two of the villages Shindisi and Pkhvenisi cannot yet be determined.
Georgia
Human Rights Protection
Mystery fever forcing mass exodus from villages around Kanpur
03.09.2008 06:31
b4uindia.com
A mystery fever that has claimed more than hundred lives in past four weeks in Kanpur, is forcing mass exodus from the villages in its vicinity. The worst affected villages in the region include the villages of Ghaar and Pulandar where from about 300 families have already moved out. The situation in these two villages is grim with the mysterious disease having already infected over one thousand people belonging to about eight hundred families who reside in Ghaar and Pulandar villages. At least 40 people have reportedly died of the mysterious disease in past few days. The people of these villages, who mostly work as labourers in brick kilns, are selling off their brass utensils and other valuables before migrating to Kanpur city. Some of them like Veerendra Kumar from Nariha village are scared to stay back in the village. “We are moving towards the city as the mystery disease has spread across the villages and we won''t return till the time the situation returns to normal,” said Veerendra. Unhygienic conditions prevailing in these villages, providing an ideal breeding ground for the mosquitoes in this rainy season, are also a source of worry. Many patients suffering from mysterious fever have been shifted to the main hospital in Kanpur for treatment. “My daughter had a fever so we brought her to a hospital in the city. We were issued a medical card and administered medicine for fifteen days in a local health centre but as her situation did not improve she was shifted to this hospital and is currently on medication. Her condition had become normal but from this morning the fever has relapsed,” said Raj Bahadur, a villager from Badawal village. The health authorities in the state, while denying that the deaths were caused by Malaria alone, did not rule out the possibility of the mysterious fever being due to water-borne infections. “Deaths are caused due to fever but to say that they are happening due to Malaria will not be correct. There have been 54 deaths due to the fever. There were reports in media that there are more than 300 deaths but they include deaths due to many reasons including natural deaths,” said Ramesh Chandra Agrwaal, Cheif Medical Officer, Kanpur. The local administration claimed that it has already started relief work in affected villages on a war footing and all necessary measures are being taken to prevent the escalation of the mystery disease. (ANI)
India
Social Life
Assistance of Army engineers, BRO offered to repair Bheem barrage on Kosi
03.09.2008 06:31
b4uindia.com
The Centre has assured all possible assistance to the Bihar government in the wake of the ongoing flood relief and rescue operations and a high level Central team has offered the help of Army engineers and the Border Roads Organisation for repair of the Bheem barrage on river Kosi where the breach took place. A high-level team of the officials from the Centre lead by Cabinet Secretary K M Chandrasekhar met the Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and senior state officials in Patna on Tuesday. The Cabinet Secretary informed the Chief Minister about the ongoing relief operations carried out by the armed forces and other central agencies and assured him that the efforts would continue in full swing. He has asked the state administration to provide the details of further assistance required by them. Kumar appreciated the assistance given by the Armed Forces and desired that the main focus should be on rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts. He sought for more columns of Army for evacuation of the marooned persons and the Air Force for dropping of relief material. The State Relief Commissioner has requested for more supplies of food, medicines and baby food. He has also sought veterinary services and establishment of relief camps wherever the railway heads are available. He also emphasized that efforts should be strengthened for evacuation of the stranded people. The Indian Air Force is operating 11 helicopters, 3 IL-76, 13 AN-32 and 2 Avro aircraft for evacuation and dropping of relief materials. About 100 boats are being sent to the flood affected areas today. Defence Secretary Vijay Singh, Secretary of Ministry of Water Resources U N Panjiar, Secretary Border Management Jarnail Singh and other senior officials accompanied the Cabinet Secretary. (ANI)
India
Social Life
BMW hit-and-run case sentencing deferred to Sept 5
03.09.2008 06:31
b4uindia.com
A Delhi court has deferred till September 5 the sentencing of convict Sanjeev Nanda, the prime accused in the 1999 BMW hit-and-run case. On Tuesday, Nanda and three others were found guilty of killing six persons, including three constables. Nanda was found guilty under the Section 304 (2) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), dealing with culpable homicide not amounting to murder. The law prescribes ten years imprisonment in such instances. The court also convicted three others, including the head of General Motor Finance Rajiv Gupta and his two servants Bhola Nath and Shyam Singh, for destroying evidence. They had washed the blood stains and victims'' flesh pieces from the offending vehicle at a house in the city’s Golf Links area here. Manik Kapoor, a friend of Nanda, who was in the vehicle at the time of the accident, was acquitted. Nanda has been tried under various provisions of the IPC, including section 304 part-II (culpable homicide not amounting to murder). Earlier, another co-accused, Sidhartha Gupta, son of Rajiv Gupta, accused by the police of being present in the car at the time of the accident, was discharged by the Delhi High Court. (ANI)
India
Social Life
Army doctors perform first ever “in situ” split liver transplant
03.09.2008 06:31
b4uindia.com
Army doctors have carried out an “in situ” split liver transplant surgery, the first ever in India, giving a new lease of life to two patients suffering from end stage liver disease at Research and Referral Hospital here. The novel technique of “in situ” splitting of the liver involves dividing the donor liver during retrieval into two parts., so that two patients can be benefited from one donor organ. On August 27, the wife of a serving army major was battling for her life in the ICU of the Army Hospital. Despite all possible medical efforts, she was declared brain dead and her husband desired that her wish of organ donation be fulfilled. The surgery resulted in two liver grafts. The smaller graft was transplanted into a 14 month-old baby suffering from Biliary Atresia and the larger right part was transplanted into a 26-year-old soldier with cryptogenic cirrhosis. Both patients are doing well post-operatively. This unique surgical feat was undertaken by a team of 20 doctors and paramedical staff and took 18 hours to complete. Incidentally, the 14-month-old boy was conceived by in vitro-fertilisation technique and is amongst the youngest liver transplant recipients in the country. As his parents were unsuitable as living donors, an “in situ” liver split from a compatible brain dead donor offered the only chance for his survival as he was born with congenital absence of bile duets causing deepening jaundice since birth. The kidneys and coronus from the donor were also harvested and transplanted, one kidney has been taken to Command Hospital, Lucknow. The liver transplant team at Army Hospital (R & R) is trained in adult as well as paediatric liver transplantation and has performed 17 liver transplants since the inception of the programme in March 2007. (ANI)
India
Social Life
National Conference on Financial Reporting to be held in Delhi
03.09.2008 06:31
b4uindia.com
Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) will organize a two-day National Conference on International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) here on September 5. The conference is being organized by the Continuing Professional Education Committee and Northern India Regional Council of ICAI. It will be spread over eight technical sessions and will be addressed by the experts in the field of IFRS. The conference will focus on challenges in adoption of IFRS, first time adoption of IFRS and the issues related to change over to IFRS, besides other facets of accounting standards. Earlier, ICAI had organised a workshop on (IFRS) at Baroda.The workshop gave an overview of application of IFRS in Indian scenario. Considering the fact that a lot of challenges are faced during the first time implementation, a special session was dedicated to sharing implementation experiences by various consultants and users both large and small. (ANI)
India
Social Life
How Salmonella bacteria infect salad leaves
03.09.2008 06:31
b4uindia.com
A new study has revealed how Salmonella bacteria can cause food poisoning by attaching to salad leaves. The study shows how some Salmonella bacteria use the long stringy appendages they normally use to help them ''swim'' and move about to attach themselves to salad leaves and other vegetables, causing contamination and a health risk. Usually food poisoning from Salmonella and E. coli is linked with eating contaminated bovine or chicken products, as the pathogens live in the guts of cows and the guts and egg-ducts of chickens, and contamination of meat can occur during the slaughtering process. But, many of the recent outbreaks of food poisoning have been attributed to contaminated salad or vegetable products, and more specifically, pre-bagged salads. Led by Professor Gadi Frankel from Imperial College London, the new research has uncovered the mechanism used by one particular form of Salmonella called Salmonella enterica serovar Senftenberg, to infect salad leaves, causing a health risk to people who eat them. This breakthrough would help scientists in developing new methods of preventing this kind of contamination and the sickness it causes. Scientists know that Salmonella and E. coli O157 - a strain of E. coli that can cause serious sickness in humans - can spread to salads and vegetables if they are fertilised with contaminated manure, irrigated with contaminated water, or if they come into contact with contaminated products during cutting, washing, packing and preparation processes. However, they do not understand how the pathogens managed to bind to the leaves, until now. The researchers have now found that Salmonella enterica serovar Senftenberg bacteria have a secondary use for their flagella - the long stringy ''propellers'' they use to move around. The flagella flatten out beneath the bacteria and cling onto salad leaves and vegetables like long thin fingers. For testing this observation, the scientists genetically engineered salmonella without flagella in the lab and found that they could not attach themselves to the leaves, and the salad remained uncontaminated. "Discovering that the flagella play a key role in Salmonella''s ability to contaminate salad leaves gives us a better understanding then ever before of how this contamination process occurs. Once we understand it, we can begin to work on ways of fighting it," said Frankel. The team will now look at the extent to which different types of salad leaves are affected by salmonella. Frankel explained that some types of leaves are less susceptible to salmonella contamination that others. "If we can find out what factors affect susceptibility, we may be able to develop new technologies to harness the ''immunity'' found in some salad leaves to protect others from contamination," he said. However, Frankel said that even though such a small minority of cases are currently linked to salads, the numbers are likely to increase in coming years. In a previous study, the same team of researchers discovered the mechanism by which E. coli 0157 binds to salad leaves. They have shown that E. coli O157 bacteria use short needle-like filaments, which are normally used to inject bacterial proteins into human cells, to attach them to salad leaves, causing contamination and a risk of transmission via the food chain to humans. The study is presented at the 21st International ICFMH Symposium ''Food Micro 2008'' conference in Aberdeen. (ANI)
India
Health & Beauty
Gene behind inflammatory bowel diseases in kids identified
03.09.2008 06:31
b4uindia.com
In a study of inflammatory bowel diseases in children like Crohn''s disease and ulcerative colitis, scientists have identified a gene, called tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily member 6B (TNFRSF6B) that influences whether children get these diseases early in life. The findings of the study by an international team also points to a potential new target for treatment. Co-first author of the study, Subra Kugathasan, MD, said that while scientists have earlier found several genes that influence susceptibility to the two diseases, this is the first to focus on inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) with childhood onset. Kugathasan''s future research will focus on discovery of additional IBD genes and in depth study of how these genes influence disease onset and progression. "Our novel candidate gene is in the same inflammatory pathway as some other susceptibility genes, so it may represent an accessible target for treatment," Nature quoted Kugathasan, as saying. Kugathasan said that both genetics and the environment have an effect on the risk of getting inflammatory bowel disease. If one identical twin suffers from Crohn''s disease, the other has a 60 percent probability of getting it too. However, he noted that the incidence of disease has drastically increased over the last half century. He also suggested a key role of the environment in disease development. Smoking is an environmental factor that is particular strong in increasing the risk of Crohn''s disease. "We have to conclude that the interactions between genetics and environment are responsible for most cases," he said. The study compared the DNA of more than 1,000 children diagnosed with inflammatory bowel diseases at the average age of 11 with 4,250 controls (disease-free children), and confirmed the findings in a larger set of patients established by the British Wellcome Trust Case Control Consortium. They used gene chip microarray technology to scan thousands of one-letter alternative genetic "spellings" -- known to geneticists as single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs)-- spread throughout the patients'' DNA. Most of the SNPs made little difference when it came to affecting the risk of inflammatory bowel disease, but a few stood out, and two had not been seen before. One new SNP led the scientists to TNFRSF6B, whose activity they found was associated with the degree of inflammation in the colon. The function of the second SNP is still under investigation. TNFRSF6B encodes a protein that lengthens the duration of an immune response by regulating the longevity of activated white blood cells. Kugathasan said that a related protein, tumor necrosis factor alpha, is the target of an existing antibody treatment for inflammatory bowel disease. This suggests that antibodies to TNFRSF6B could also be helpful in controlling the disease, he says. The study was published online by the journal Nature Genetics. (ANI)
India
Health & Beauty
Men with high blood calcium levels at ‘high fatal prostate cancer risk’
03.09.2008 06:31
b4uindia.com
Men who have high levels of calcium in their blood are more likely to get fatal prostate cancer, US researchers have said. According to scientists, the new findings suggest that a simple blood test may identify men at high risk for the most dangerous prostate tumours, and there already are drugs available that cut calcium levels in the bloodstream. To reach the conclusion, the researchers tracked 2,814 men in a government health survey in which they gave blood samples that revealed calcium levels. The study found that the men in the top third of blood calcium levels had 2.68 times the risk of developing fatal prostate cancer later in life compared to those in the bottom third. "If serum calcium really does increase your risk for fatal prostate cancer, that''s wonderfully exciting because serum calcium levels can be changed," the Mirror quoted Gary Schwartz of Wake Forest University School of Medicine, who helped lead the study, as saying in a telephone interview. "One way to think of it is to think of the tremendous advances in the control of cardiovascular disease that occur from understanding that things like serum cholesterol predict heart attack," Schwartz added. Doctors have struggled to find ways to predict if a man who gets prostate cancer will have a tumour that poses little danger, as is often the case, or one that is a killer. Blood calcium was not very predictive of whether a man would get nonlethal prostate cancer, but was highly predictive of whether a man would get a fatal case, the researchers wrote in the American Association for Cancer Research''s journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention. (ANI)
India
Health & Beauty
Atkins diet, Weight Watchers plan are ''the best way to shed extra flab''
03.09.2008 06:31
b4uindia.com
Forget starving and the gruelling gym session, just follow the Atkins diet or the calorie-counting Weight Watchers plan, and you will be successful in your war against love handles, according to a new study. A study of four popular weight loss plans showed that dieters lost an average of 11 pounds over two months by following the Atkins plan, while the calorie-counting Weight Watchers method helped people shed more than 10 pounds. Individuals who followed the Slim Fast Plan and a Rosemay Conley diet plan both lost on average between eight and nine pounds. Despite claims that the low-carbohydrate Atkins diet could be dangerous due to its reliance on red meat and fat, researchers also found that all the diets tested were healthy. Helen Truby worked with a team of academics from United Kingdom universities who studied the different diet plans. She said: "These disappointing findings suggest that people remain resistant to the advice to ''eat more fruit and vegetables'', even when they are advised to as part of a modified weight loss programme". However, the researchers said: "Atkins dieters tended to have a reduction in iron and niacin, probably due to a fall in the intake of cereal and flour, which is fortified in the UK. They also had a generally low intake of dietary fibre overall, which may have implications for bowel health in the longer term". They also said that popular slimming programmes do result in reduced energy intake while providing enough nutrients. She described how the randomised controlled trial "provides reassuring and important evidence for the effectiveness and nutritional adequacy of the four commercial diets tested". The researchers asked 293 people from five regional areas around the UK to keep a diary of their food intake before and during the two-month diet period. There was also a control group who continued to eat as normal. They found that following any of the four diets did result in a drop in energy intake. The diets all resulted in a significant drop in body weight compared to the non-dieting controls, but there was no significant difference between the diets in the amount of weight lost. Based on their results, the authors suggest "commercial companies work in partnership with health professionals to identify high-risk clients and provide them with dietary advice that is tailored to their nutritional requirements". The study was published in BioMed Central''s open access Nutrition Journal. (ANI)
India
Health & Beauty
Colorectal cancer screening should begin at age 50
03.09.2008 06:30
b4uindia.com
A new study has suggested that screening for colorectal cancer screening should start at age 50. In the study, researchers at the John Hopkins University found that colorectal adenomas - the precursor polyps in virtually all colorectal cancers - occur infrequently in younger adults but the rate sharply increases after age 50. Therefore, the researchers emphasize the importance of colonoscopies, which view the entire colon, for the prevention of colorectal cancer beginning at age 50. "While colorectal polyps are rare in adults aged 30 to 50, our study reveals an increase in polyp prevalence with age and a dramatic increase in colorectal adenoma incidence occurring in adults over the age of 50," said Francis M. Giardiello, MD, of The John Hopkins University and lead author of the study. "Understanding the natural occurrence of colorectal polyps, especially in younger adults, is important to the development of colorectal cancer prevention strategies," Giardiello added. During the study, researchers found that the prevalence of colorectal polyps in younger adults increased from 1.72 percent to 3.59 percent from age 30 to 50. This rate sharply increased after age 50 with the prevalence of polyps ranging from 10.1 to 12.06 percent in the sixth and ninth decade, respectively. The study results quantified the number of adenomas typically found in people under the age of 50. The researchers said that it is important to note that those with two or more adenomas under 50 years of age represent unusual individuals who might merit closer colonoscopic surveillance for subsequent adenoma development. In younger adults, adenomas were more prevalent in Caucasians compared to African Americans; however, in older adults, the reverse was true. Regardless of age, adenomas were more prevalent in men than women. In the general population, left-sided adenomas are most common, but among older adults (age 50+), who have more adenomas, there is a relatively greater prevalence of right-sided adenomas. African Americans in both age groups had predominately right-sided polyps. Colonoscopy, which provides the most comprehensive view of the colon, is the definitive test for colorectal cancer screening. Colonoscopies allow gastroenterologists to view the entire colon and rectum for polyps or cancer and during the same exam remove pre-cancerous polyps. It is the test most gastroenterologists recommend as the single best screening exam for colorectal cancer. It is the only method that combines both screening and prevention (by removal of pre-cancerous polyps). The study was published in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Institute. (ANI)
India
Health & Beauty
Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations begin
03.09.2008 02:31
b4uindia.com
The week-long Ganesh Chaturthi festival, that marks the birthday of Lord Ganesha, began with merriment today in different parts of the country. President Pratibha Patil, Vice President Hamid Ansari and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh greeted the nation on the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi. In her message, Patil said, "Ganesh Chaturthi is a festival, which brings people together in an atmosphere of happiness. During the period of the festival this year, the people can be more aware about the environment, by celebrating it in an environment friendly way." In his separate message, Ansari said Ganesh Chaturthi marks the birth of Lord Ganesha who is the embodiment of wisdom, prosperity and good fortune. The Prime Minister said, "Ganesh Chaturthi is a festival, which brings people together, reaffirms the secular traditions of India and celebrates the spirit of brotherhood." During the festival, Ganesha idols are worshipped at hundreds of ''pandals'' or makeshift tents before they are immersed in water bodies. Considering the recent terror attacks in the country, security has been beefed up in Mumbai. CCTV''s have been installed at the pandals apart from routine fire extinguishing devices and other safety measures. Policemen have been deployed to guard the pandals. They have also been stationed around the city at crowded places to keep a check on any untoward incident. Ganesh Chaturthi for years was a personal and private affair. But at the turn of the century, freedom fighter Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak started using it as a platform for political propaganda against British colonial rule. The festival is hugely popular in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Gujarat and Maharashtra. Legend has it that Hindu Goddess Parvati had created Ganesh from a perfumed putty-like substance, used to remove dirt from her body in an ancient self-cleansing ritual, the equivalent of a modern bath. Parvati''s husband Lord Shiva, one of the three most powerful Gods in the Hindu pantheon, flew into rage and beheaded the young lad and barred his entry into Kailash, Shiva''s snow-clad mountain abode. When he later realised that the boy was created by his wife Parvati during his absence, Shiva brought him back to life by slaying an elephant and giving him the animal''s head. Thus was created Ganesh, one of the best-loved of Indian gods. (ANI)
India
Social Life
Shahrukh Khan offers prayers at Golden Temple
03.09.2008 02:31
b4uindia.com
Bollywood actor Shahrukh Khan offered prayers at Golden Temple here last evening. "Earlier also, I have come here. My mother brought me here in my childhood. We have earlier also visited the Golden Temple for a shoot. It was important for our film to shoot here, which became one of the reasons to offer prayers here. There is Ramadan also and I think all this has mixed together," he said. The actor is in town for the shooting of his forthcoming film Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, which directed by Aditya Chopra and produced by Yash Chopra. During his four-day schedule, Khan will shoot at the Golden Temple, the Khalsa College and at Attari border. Beginning his acting career on the small screen, the 43-year old superstar made his Bollywood debut in the film ''Deewana'' in 1992. Khan has won 13 Filmfare Awards, out of which seven are in the best actor category. (ANI)
India
Social Life
‘Iran Air’ flight makes emergency landing at Mumbai airport
03.09.2008 02:31
b4uindia.com
Iran Air''s Mumbai-Teheran flight with 294 passengers on-board made an emergency landing at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai on Tuesday night. According to a Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) official, all passengers were safe after the aircraft made an emergency landing after one of its engine caught fire. "The incident happened when the Boeing 747-200 aircraft had flown some 90 nautical miles from Mumbai. The incident took place at 10:39 p.m.," the official added. (ANI)
India
Social Life
SC to hear plea on recent attacks on Orissa Christians today
03.09.2008 02:31
b4uindia.com
The Supreme Court will today hear a writ petition filed by the Archbishop of Cuttack seeking a CBI probe into violence against the Christians in Orissa. The petition also sought the involvement of the National Human Rights Commissions (NHRC) to conduct a probe and find out as to which organisation was behind the Kandhamal violence. A three-judge Bench of Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan, Justice P. Sathasivam and Justice J.M. Panchal will hear the matter. The petitioner further claimed that the Rapid Action Force (RAF) has been deployed only in the cities and the rural areas had been left out and bore the maximum brunt of the unrest. They want the RAF to be deployed in rural areas as well. Moreover, the petitioners wanted that a compensation of Rs. four lakh each should be given to those whose property were destroyed in the violence. (ANI)
India
Social Life
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