World / All Themes
DEBATEPEDIA WINS GRANT FROM ETHICS AND EXCELLENCE IN JOURNALISM FOUNDATION
25.08.2008 23:37
prurgent.com
Foundation Grants IDEA $30,000 for the Further Development of Debatepedia in 2009.
World
Press Releases
Two Psychiatrists Beam Down to a UFO Festival?
25.08.2008 23:37
prurgent.com
Psychiatrist Doreen Orion attends a UFO festival in Roswell, New Mexico and shares the experience in her new video trailer for her book at http://www.doreenorion.com/orion-video-beam.htm/.
World
Press Releases
Top Ways to Search for Used Motorcycles Online
25.08.2008 23:36
a-harley-motorcycle.com
There are tons of used motorcycles online, so follow these tips for the best ways to find what you want.
World
Motorcycles
Lucrative Champions League Groups Beckon for Europe's Elite
25.08.2008 23:36
dw-world.de
Some of Europe's biggest teams will be seeking to secure passage into the lucrative group stage of the Champions League in the return legs of the third qualifying round on Tuesday, and Wednesday.
Germany
Football
Analysis: EU Faces Renewed Split in Ties to Russia
25.08.2008 23:36
dw-world.de
French President Sarkozy wants to present a united Europe at an upcoming summit on Georgia but risks inflaming differences between members. Warsaw, in particular, wants the EU to take a hard line in EU-Russia relations.
Europe
All Themes
Thirty Years Later, East German Cosmonaut Still a Hero at Home
25.08.2008 23:36
dw-world.de
In Cold War Germany, most boys grew up wanting to be Sigmund Jaehn. The first German in outer space came from a small town in Saxony. Today, it's one of the few places that still remember the Communist cosmonaut.
Germany
Social Life
Shibu Soren to take oath as Jharkhand CM tomorrow
25.08.2008 23:35
b4uindia.com
Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) chief Shibu Soren will take oath as the next chief minister of the state on Wednesday. This would be his second stint in the State CM Office in the past three years. He will have to prove majority on the floor of the State Assembly on September 1, as per a directive from the Raj Bhawan. The swearing-in ceremony of the 64-year-old tribal leader will be held at the Morabadi Ground at around 4:00 p.m. Soren''s path to the post was cleaned last evening when the State Governor Syed Sibtey Razi invited him to form the next government in the state. Earlier, last week Soren had withdrawn support from the Madhu Koda-led UPA government in Jharkhand, thereby reducing the government to a minority. In 2005, after being sworn in as the state CM, he had to resign, as he couldn''t prove his majority in the House. His stint lasted nine days. Now, requiring a majority of 41 in a House with an effective strength of 81, the JMM has 17 MLAs and has the guaranteed support of Congress (9), RJD (7) and NCP (1). Four Independents have also pledged support to Soren and the JMM is lobbying to get backing of at least three more Independents to reach the magic figure. Koda had submitted his resignation to Governor on Saturday, after which Razi asked him to continue till an alternative arrangement was made. (ANI)
India
Social Life
Militants believed to have sneaked into India amid Pak infiltration bid in Jammu
25.08.2008 23:35
b4uindia.com
In its second infiltration attempt since May, Pakistan troops reportedly opened fire on Tuesday at the Border Security Force (BSF) posts in Kanachak area of Akhnoor sector, allowing some militants to easily infiltrate the International border near Jammu. Under the cover of the indiscriminate firing which took place between 12.30 a.m. to 2:00 a.m. on intervening night of Monday-Tuesday from across the border, a big group of militants took position near the Kanachak and fired at the BSF post. According to BSF sources, some of the militants managed to cut open the fence and it appeared that some of them have sneaked into the Indian side. The Army has been alerted. Despite retaliation from the BSF troops, as they fired back, heavy firing across the border has reportedly helped the militants to infiltrate into the country. However, no damage was caused or casualties were reported on the Indian side. With this, the number of ceasefire violations by Pakistani troops at the Line of Control (LoC) as well as the International Border has risen to 29, since January 2008. (ANI)
India
Social Life
Trinamool protests over Singur to continue
25.08.2008 23:35
b4uindia.com
The main Opposition party in West Bengal the Trinamool Congress has warned to continue its protests till its demand of returning the 400 acres of land to the farmers was met. “Our protest will continue further till the time the government returns the farmers their land which was forcefully acquired from them,” said Madan Mitra, leader of the Trinamool Congress. Meanwhile, the indefinite siege by the protesters in front of the Tata car plant choked the Durgapur Expressway on Monday, hampering vehicular movement on the entire highway. Trucks and buses have been stranded on the highway since Sunday, when the protest started. The truck drivers who have been stranded on the highway for past 48 hours were a harried lot, as they lamented over the loss caused to them due to the blockade. “There is no provision for food and water. Nobody is doing anything to help us out of this situation. This way all our goods would be spoilt and we would face heavy losses,” said Prem Raj, a truck driver. In a desperate attempt to not lose out on the opportunities that the car plant will bring to West Bengal, state Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, extended an offer to Mamta, of resolving the issue amicably. "In that letter I''ve categorically stated, I''m ready to discuss anything with you to solve the problem in Singur. For the interest of the state, we should come to a consensus. I still believe that Singur project will come up. Only point is that, opposition should also come out and join hands with us to implement this important project in our state," said Bhattacharjee. For Tata Motors, trouble started after the Left Government took over farmland for the factory. The state offered compensation in return, but some villagers complained they did not receive their dues. Others refused to obey the state and are declining compensation, many of them farmers with smaller land holdings. In all, around 400 acres of alleged seized land are still being fiercely disputed out of about 1,000 acres acquired by the government. Tata Motors head Ratan Tata has threatened to move the plant if violent protests continued, 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
Separatists’ shutdown call in Kashmir today
25.08.2008 23:35
b4uindia.com
The separatists in Kashmir have called a complete shutdown in the Valley today against the alleged high-handedness of security forces after four persons were killed and over 80 were injured in police firing on protesters on Monday. Curfew remained clamped in the Valley for the third day today, as tension gripped the state after renewed violence in the last 24 hours. Curfew has also been re-imposed in Srinagar where only the few that have curfew passes are allowed to step out. People have been without newspapers, essential supplies, and even medicines. The curfew was imposed in all the ten districts of the Valley on Sunday morning, even as protesters defied it on Monday, triggering clashes with security forces in Srinagar and at many places across the Valley. Meanwhile, in Jammu, the Shri Amarnath Sangharsh Samiti (SASS) has refused to sit down for the fourth round of talks on Tuesday with the Government-appointed four-member panel. The Samiti has cited the highhandedness of the police and the Rapid Action Force (RAF) on protesters during Monday''s ''chakka jam'' as the reason for refusing to continue the talks. The Samiti has also extended the shutdown in Jammu till August 31 saying the agitation will go on till the land issue is resolved. Police and RAF Personnel had to fire tear gas to disperse stone pelting protesters, who were trying to block Jammu-Pathankot National Highway on Monday. About eight-ten protesters were injured in the clash. After violent protests, curfew has been re-imposed in Kathua in Jammu. (ANI)
India
Social Life
Rural Development Minister to open SARAS mela
25.08.2008 23:35
b4uindia.com
Rural Development Minister Dr. Raghuvansh Prasad Singh will inaugurate the SARAS mela, an exposition of rural artisans from across the country, here today. It is being jointly organised by the Ministry of Rural Development and the Council for People’s Action and Rural Technology (CAPART). The fortnight long mela will continue till September 8. It aims to facilitate the Swarna Jayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana(SGSY) beneficiaries, rural artisans, craftsmen, Self Help Groups (SHGs) to exhibit and sell their products and provide them the opportunity for additional income and exposure. This exhibition-cum-sale fair will display a wide range of products manufactured by the rural artisans, craftsmen and beneficiaries of SHGs across the country. Attractive products on sale include bamboo artifacts, traditional and ayurvedic medicines, metalwork, woodwork, Madhubani paintings, terracotta, shawls, carpets, food products among others. The mela also aims at creating a unique platform for developing linkages with customers and providing an opportunity to artisans to interact with the buyers directly. Lively cultural programmes by artists from different States will be another major attraction of this mega event. Ever since its inception in 1980, this mega-event has evolved into Asia’s largest show of its kind. It provides a window to the broad spectrum of industrial progress set in the global background. (ANI)
India
Social Life
Monkeys too display human-like empathy
25.08.2008 23:35
b4uindia.com
Researchers at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, US, have shown by experiments that monkeys have the feeling of empathy, and they enjoy sharing things with others. Empathy in seeing the pleasure of another’s fortune is thought to be the impetus for sharing, a trait this study shows transcends primate species. For the experiment, Frans de Waal, director of the Living Links Center at the Yerkes Research Center, and Kristi Leimgruber, research specialist, led a team of researchers who exchanged tokens for food with eight adult female capuchin monkeys. Each capuchin was paired with a relative, an unrelated familiar female from her own social group or a stranger (a female from a different group). The capuchins were then given the choice of two tokens: the selfish option, which rewarded that capuchin alone with an apple slice; or the pro-social option, which rewarded both capuchins with an apple slice. The monkeys predominantly selected the pro-social token when paired with a relative or familiar individual, but not when paired with a stranger. According to de Waal, “The fact the capuchins predominantly selected the prosocial option must mean seeing another monkey receive food is satisfying or rewarding for them.” “We believe prosocial behavior is empathy based. Empathy increases in both humans and animals with social closeness, and in our study, closer partners made more prosocial choices. They seem to care for the welfare of those they know,” he added. de Waal and his research team will next attempt to determine whether giving is self-rewarding to capuchins because they can eat together or if the monkeys simply like to see the other monkey enjoying food. (ANI)
India
Health & Beauty
Now, a jasmine-based drug to fight cancer
25.08.2008 23:34
b4uindia.com
A group of researchers has developed an anti-cancer drug based on Jasmonate, a synthetic compound derived from the jasmine plant. Prof. Eliezer Flescher of The Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University have developed an anti-cancer drug based on a decade of research into the commercial applications of the compound Jasmonate. Prof. Flescher began to research the compound about a decade ago, and with his recent development of the drug, his studies have now begun to bear meaningful fruit. “Acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin) is based on a plant stress hormone. I asked myself, ‘Could there be other plant stress hormones that have clinical efficacy?’ While various studies have suggested that aspirin can prevent cancer, especially colon cancer, I realized that there could be a chance to find a potent plant hormone that could fight cancer even better. I pinpointed jasmonate,” says Prof. Flescher. Both blood cancers and solid tumors seem to be responsive to the jasmonate compound, known also as methyl jasmonate. Prof. Flescher refers to it as the “jasmonate scaffold,” a basis for developing a series of chemical derivatives. In terms of bioavailability and safety, early first-in-man studies have proven successful, and Prof. Flescher is hopeful that an anti-cancer drug based on jasmonate could be on the shelf in America within four years through the activity of Sepal-Pharma which licensed his research from Ramot, the technology transfer arm of Tel Aviv University. Normally drug development takes much longer. “The jasmonate compound is used widely in agriculture and in cosmetics. Proven to be non-toxic, it has the same regulatory status as table salt. That and the fact we are working on a natural chemical gives us a good starting point for launching a new drug,” says Prof. Flescher. (ANI)
India
Health & Beauty
Leptin jabs restore full health to diabetic mice
25.08.2008 23:34
b4uindia.com
Scientists at UT Southwestern Medical Center have made a significance advance in restoring terminally ill rodents with type 1 diabetes to full health by injecting them with a substance other than insulin. Describing their work in a paper published in the online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the researchers say that their progress suggests that insulin is not the only agent that is effective. They add that leptin, a hormone produced by the body’s fat cells, also lowers blood glucose levels, and maintains them in a normal range for extended periods. “The fact that these animals don’t die and are restored to normal health despite a total lack of insulin is hard for many researchers and clinicians to believe. Many scientists, including us, thought it would be a waste of time to give leptin in the absence of insulin. We’ve been brainwashed into thinking that insulin is the only substance that can correct the consequences of insulin deficiency,” said Dr. Roger Unger, professor of internal medicine and senior author of the study. The researchers have revealed that leptin appears to work by suppressing glucagon, a hormone produced by the pancreas that raises glucose levels. In insulin deficiency, glucagon levels are inappropriately high, and cause the liver to release excessive amounts of glucose into the bloodstream. During the course of study, the researchers for the first time tested whether or not a single injection of the leptin gene given to insulin-deficient mice and rats on the verge of death from diabetic coma could reverse the severe condition, and prevent the animals from dying. They observed that the animals that were administered the therapy began producing excessive amounts of leptin, which reversed all the measurable consequences of type 1 diabetes, including weight loss, hyperglycemia and ketoacidosis, a potentially fatal condition that develops when the body doesn’t have enough insulin to meet basic metabolic requirements. Dr. Xinxin Yu, assistant instructor of internal medicine and lead author of the study, said that much of the effect was mediated by complete suppression of the high glucagon levels. “These animals were actually dying. But if we gave them the leptin gene, within two weeks, the terminally ill rodents were restored to full health without any other treatment,” Dr. Yu said. Though the researchers concede that it is too premature to know whether leptin might someday replace insulin as a treatment for diabetic patients, Dr. Unger insists that the study shows that leptin could at least handle some of insulin’s job requirements, and do it for longer periods of time. “My hope is that you could give leptin for one type of action – glucagon’s suppression, for example – and insulin for another. Or perhaps give a substance other than insulin entirely. What would be a tremendous advance would be the ability to give an oral agent that suppresses glucagon without injections,” Dr. Unger said. Some team members believe that leptin combats diabetes not only be suppressing glucagon’s action on the liver, but also by boosting the insulin-like actions of IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor-1), a hormone that promotes growth and mimics insulin. The researchers say that their next step will be to study other potential glucagon suppressants, and begin leptin clinical trials within the next year. (ANI)
India
Health & Beauty
Agarbattis can cause cancer
25.08.2008 23:34
b4uindia.com
Burning agarbattis or incense sticks may fill a room with a sweet smell, but long term exposure to their smoke can put people at risk of developing cancers of the respiratory tract, according to a new study. The analysis, which the authors say is the first prospective investigation of incense and cancer risk, appears in the October 1, 2008 issue of CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society. Researchers have shown that burning incense-which is made of plant materials mixed with oils-produces a mixture of possible carcinogens, including polyaromatic hydrocarbons, carbonyls and benzene. Because incense smoke is inhaled, a number of studies have looked at the possible link between incense burning and lung cancer, but results have been inconsistent. In addition, the possible association of incense use and other respiratory tract cancers has not been analyzed. To investigate this, Dr. Jeppe Friborg of the Statens Serum Institut in Copenhagen, Denmark and colleagues in Singapore and the U.S. studied the associations between exposure to incense and the whole spectrum of respiratory tract cancers in a large population in Singapore. The study involved 61,320 Singapore Chinese who were free of cancer and aged 45-74 years in 1993-1998. At that time, they completed a comprehensive interview on living conditions and dietary and lifestyle factors. The investigators followed these individuals through 2005, noting which participants developed cancer during that time. Dr. Friborg''s team documented a total of 325 upper respiratory tract cancers (including nasal/sinus, tongue, mouth, laryngeal and other cancers) and 821 lung cancers during follow-up. Incense use was associated with a significantly increased risk of upper respiratory tract cancer (other than nasopharyngeal), but there was no overall effect on lung cancer. The researchers also noted that the duration and intensity of incense use were associated with an increased risk of squamous cell carcinomas in the entire respiratory tract. Squamous cells cover the internal and external surfaces of the body. According to the study data, incense use seemed to add to the increased risk of upper respiratory tract squamous cell carcinoma in smokers. It also considerably increased the risk in never smokers, which points to an independent effect of incense smoke. "Given the widespread and sometimes involuntary exposure to smoke of burning incense, these findings carry significant public health implications," the researchers said. "Besides initiatives to reduce incense smoke exposure, future studies should be undertaken to identify the least harmful types of incense," they added. (ANI)
India
Health & Beauty
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