BBC NEWS | UK | Archbishop defends Sharia remarks

| Archbishop Rowan Williams defends Sharia remarks

Last Updated: Saturday, 9 February 2008, 13:58 GMT

Archbishop defends Sharia remarks

Dr Rowan Williams is facing calls for his resignation The Archbishop of Canterbury has defended his comments on Sharia law, following widespread criticism. A statement on his website said that he "certainly did not call for its introduction as some kind of parallel jurisdiction to the civil law". However, at least two General Synod members have called for Dr Rowan Williams to resign following the row. Col Edward Armitstead told the Daily Telegraph: "I don't think he is the man for the job." Dr Williams had called for parts of Sharia law to be recognised in the UK, and he is said to be in a state of shock and dismayed by the criticism he has received from his own Church. Islamic Sharia law is a legal and social code designed to help Muslims live their daily lives, but it has proved controversial in the West for the extreme nature of some of its punishments. He is undoubtedly one of the finest minds of this nation Rt Rev Stephen Lowe Col Armitstead, a Synod member from the diocese of Bath and Wells, said Dr Williams should move to work in a university setting instead of leading the Anglican Church. "One wants to be charitable, but I sense that he would be far happier in a university where he can kick around these sorts of ideas." Alison Ruoff, a Synod member from London, said: "Many people, huge numbers of people, would be greatly relieved [if he resigned] because he sits on the fence over all sorts of things and we need strong, Christian, biblical leadership right now, as opposed to somebody who huffs and puffs around and vacillates from one thing to another. "He's a very able, a brilliant scholar as a man but in terms of being a leader of the Christian community I think he's actually at the moment a disaster." 'Quite disgraceful' Brig William Dobbie, a former Synod member, described the Archbishop as "a disaster, a tragic mistake". The statement on the Archbishop's website also said Dr Williams had pointed out that "as a matter of fact, certain provisions of Sharia are already recognised in our society and under our law". SHARIA LAW Sharia law is Islam's legal system It is derived from the Koran and the life of the prophet Mohammed Sharia rulings help Muslims understand how they should lead their lives A formal legal ruling is called a fatwa In the West, Sharia courts deal mainly with family and business issues English law recognises religious courts as a means of arbitration Q and A: Sharia law explained Sharia law around the world The statement said he was "exploring ways in which reasonable accommodation might be made within existing arrangements for religious conscience". It also said his principal aim was "to tease out some of the broader issues around the rights of religious groups within a secular state". And he said he did not initiate the idea but simply agreed when that proposition was put to him. The most senior woman priest in the Church of England, the Dean of Salisbury the Very Reverend June Osborne, said Dr Williams was right to discuss Sharia law - despite it provoking controversy. "We can say he may have been politically naïve [but] I don't think he was. "Our society needs to be provoked into talking about these things. I would say that all of the law of Britain has got to work within the very high standards of human rights and Christian principles." The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) said it was grateful for the Archbishop's "thoughtful intervention" on the discussion of the place of Islam and Muslims in modern Britain. A spokesman said: "The MCB observes, with some sadness, the hysterical misrepresentations of his speech which serves only to drive a wedge between British people." 'Lampooned' The Bishop of Hulme, the Rt Rev Stephen Lowe, said he was dismayed at the "knee-jerk" reaction to Dr Williams' comments. "We have probably one of the greatest and the brightest Archbishops of Canterbury we have had for many a long day," he told BBC Radio 4. "He is undoubtedly one of the finest minds of this nation. "The way he has been ridiculed, lampooned and treated by some people and indeed some of the media within this process, is quite disgraceful." Synod members will have the opportunity of tabling a motion to discuss the issue at the body's biannual meeting, starting on Monday. It is more likely that Dr Williams will receive warm support, such is the respect and affection for him among Anglicans, BBC News religious affairs correspondent Robert Pigott said. Dr Williams evidently wanted to provoke discussion about Sharia, but not the impassioned and confused debate that has taken place, our correspondent added.

China protests PM's assertion on Arunachal-India-The Times of India

China protests PM's assertion on Arunachal-India-The Times of India


China protests PM's assertion on Arunachal8 Feb 2008, 2005 hrs IST,PTI
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NEW DELHI: In a brazen act, China has taken exception to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's assertion that Arunachal Pradesh belongs to India and has lodged a protest over it. China has conveyed to India that it was not proper to make such a comment at a time when the two countries were engaged in talks over the boundary question, sources said. The protest over the visit and comments was informally conveyed to the Indian High Commission by Chinese Foreign Ministry earlier this week, they said. Officials on both sides were tight-lipped about the issue, which has the potential to turn into a controversy. China has been claiming that entire Arunachal Pradesh belongs to it and the two countries are holding talks to resolve the dispute. Singh, during his maiden visit to Arunachal on January 31, had said that the state was "our land of rising sun", in a clear message to China that it belongs to India. Chinese claim over Arunachal has been nagging the ties between the two countries for long. The issue gets flared up when the Chinese troops at regular intervals intrude into the Indian territory to demonstrate their claim on the land. India has, however, been seeking to play down these incursions by arguing that these were a result of "differences in perception". The Special Representatives of the two countries are working out a solution as per the Political Parameters and Guiding Principles signed in 2005.

India rejects China protest on PM's Arunachal visit-India-The Times of India

India rejects China protest on PM's Arunachal visit-India-The Times of India

India rejects China protest on PM's Arunachal visit9 Feb 2008, 0024 hrs IST,Indrani Bagchi,TNN
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NEW DELHI: If the rest of India applauded the Prime Minister's turn of phrase in Arunachal Pradesh in describing the state as India's land of the rising sun, it did not amuse the Chinese. Days later, Chinese officials collared the Indian embassy at a meeting and registered their protest at the Prime Minister's visit. In return, India told the Chinese that Arunachal Pradesh belonged to India and that was the reality China would have to live with. What was interesting in the protest was not that it happened. Given China's position on Arunachal Pradesh, sources said it would have been surprising if the protest had not happened. Despite the fact that the protest was apparently made in a "proforma" fashion, by a lowly official, the fact remains that China's protest continues to add a sour note to the relations. Neither China nor India has formally acknowledged the protest, but government sources confirmed the diplomatic exchange which happened in Beijing a few days ago. The government is trying to play it down, but alarm bells continue to ring on the boundary issue between India and China. It's part of a continuing trend. Coinciding with the Prime Minister's recent visit to China, a protest by the Chinese on Indian troop movements in Sikkim followed an Indian protest on repeated incursions by the Chinese in Arunachal Pradesh.

Baba Amte passes away-India-The Times of India

Baba Amte passes away-India-The Times of India

Baba Amte passes away9 Feb 2008, 0624 hrs IST,PTI
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Baba Amte, 94, passed away on Saturday (TOI Photo)
NAGPUR: Noted social activist and Magsaysay award winner Murlidhar Devidas Amte alias Baba Amte died at his 'Anandvan' ashram in Chandrapur district of Maharashtra on Saturday. He was 94. Baba Amte passed away at 4:15 am, his son Dr Vikas said. One of the country's most respected social leaders, Amte devoted his life to the care and rehabilitation of leprosy patients. Baba Amte also launched the Bharat Jodo movements from Kanyakumari to Kashmir in 1985 and Gujarat to Arunachal Pradesh in 1988, with the mission of establishing peace and raising environmental consciousness. In 1990, Baba Amte left Anandvan to live along the Narmada river to fight against social injustice to local inhabitants. Although he continued to support the movement for rehabilitation of tribals affected by the construction of large dams on the Narmada, he had recently returned to Anandvan for health reasons. He is survived by two sons.

The Hindu - Indian Newspapers in English Language from eight editions.

The Hindu - Indian Newspapers in English Language from eight editions.
Archbishop in row over Sharia
Hasan Suroor
Williams known for ‘unorthodox’ musings
Muslim Council criticises remark
LONDON: In a rare show of unity against attempts to interfere with Britain’s secular laws, Muslim groups on Friday joined Ministers, MPs and civil rights groups to criticise Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams for suggesting that elements of Sharia should be incorporated into British law as a mark of religious and cultural “accommodation” with the country’s 1.6 million Muslims.
Dr. Williams, who is the most senior religious figure in the Church of England and has often courted controversy for his unorthodox “musings”, made the startling suggestion in a lecture triggering an angry reaction from across the political and religious divide, including his own Church.
Downing Street was quick to slam him with Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s spokesman emphasising the primacy of British laws which, he said, were based on shared British “values”.
Home Secretary Jacqui Smith made clear that there was only “one law in the country and it’s the democratically determined law. That’s the law that I will uphold and that’s the law that’s at the heart actually of the values that we share across all communities in this country,” she said.
Muslim MPs and peers were equally outspoken with even the Muslim Council of Britain, normally associated with conservative opinion, rejecting the idea saying that the “vast majority” Muslims did not want Sharia laws.
Conservative peer and shadow cohesion minister Sayeeda Warsi said: “Dr. Williams seems to be suggesting that there should be two systems of law, running alongside each other, almost parallel, and for people to be offered the choice of opting into one or the other. That is unacceptable.”
Labour MP Khalid Mahmood called the Archbishop’s suggestion “misguided” pointing out that Muslims did not want to be “singled out” for special treatment.
Trevor Phillips, Chairman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, expressed concern that such remarks would fuel “anti-Muslim” sentiment and “dismay everyone working towards a more integrated society.”
Dr. Williams said he believed that adoption of some aspects of Sharia (such as in matters of divorce and inheritance) in British laws was “unavoidable”. Britain, he argued, must “face up to the fact” that some citizens did not relate to the country’s secular legal system.
There has been no public demand from the Muslim community for introduction of Sharia laws.

Iran nixes candidacy of Ayatollah Khomeini's grandson - CNN.com

Iran nixes candidacy of Ayatollah Khomeini's grandson - CNN.com
Iran nixes candidacy of Ayatollah Khomeini's grandson
Story Highlights
Ali Eshraghi is among thousands excluded from parliamentary elections in March
Hopefuls told they weren't sufficiently loyal to the principles of the Islamic revolution
Eshraghi: "I do not agree with activities of barring candidates"
Khomeini's family has stayed out of politics since his death



TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- The grandson of the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini described his ban from next month's parliamentary elections Thursday as an insult to his family and said he would never beg to run.

Ali Eshraghi says he won't publicly protest the decision in order to protect his family's name.

Ali Eshraghi -- who bears a marked resemblance to the late founder of Iran's Islamic republic -- is one of thousands of prospective candidates excluded on the grounds they were not sufficiently loyal to the principles of Khomeini's 1979 Islamic revolution.
The 39-year-old civil engineer is among an estimated 2,000 prospective candidates, particularly reformists, who have been excluded from March's parliamentary elections.
The elections are seen as a key test of conservative President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's hold on power before the 2009 presidential elections.
He has come under increasing criticism from all sides about his failure to fix Iran's economic problems.
Despite those problems, the government feels confident about excluding candidates because of plentiful oil revenue, said Saeed Laylaz, an independent political analyst in Tehran.
"It is a sign that the government, supported by lavish oil revenue, does not need anybody, except an obedient parliament," Laylaz said. "They not only barred Khomeini's close allies but also his grandson."
Eshraghi, 39, said the hardline constitutional watchdog Guardian Council had even asked his neighbors whether he fasted and prayed.
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"I do not agree with activities of barring candidates, but neither do I protest it and I will not plead with them to change their decision," Eshraghi told The Associated Press.
"They sent a message asking me to write a single sentence appealing the decision. I said if you think you are wrong, change your decision by yourselves."
Khomeini's family has stayed out of politics since his death, and his grandson said he would not publicly protest in order to protect his family's name.
Eshraghi, who works for the Tehran municipality, describes himself as an independent. He said the family felt his banning was an insult. E-mail to a friend
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Vatican Rejects Muslim Outreach - Catholic Answers Forums

Vatican Rejects Muslim Outreach - Catholic Answers Forums
Vatican Rejects Muslim Outreach
http://www.khabrein.info/index.php?o...31&Ite mid=88 Vatican rebuffs Muslim outreach: Quran cited as the main obstacle By Abdus Sattar Ghazali Vatican has rebuffed a massive outreach effort by 138 Muslim religious leaders and scholars who sent a letter to Pope Benedict XVI in an attempt to improve Christian-Muslim relations. The letter, titled "A Common Word Between Us and You," which is also addressed to Christianity’s other most powerful leaders, including the Archbishop of Canterbury and the heads of the Lutheran, Methodist and Baptist churches, seeks to recognize similarities between Islam and Christianity as a way of fostering mutual understanding and respect between the two religions. It compares texts from the Bible and the Koran to argue that Christians and Muslims worship the same God. Both believe in "the primacy of total love and devotion to God," and both value love of neighbor and a peaceful world. In a belated response to the Oct. 13 letter, Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, President of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue in the Roman Curia, told the French Catholic daily La Croix, on Friday (Oct. 26) that a real theological debate with Muslims was difficult as they saw the Quran as the literal word of God. "Muslims do not accept that one can discuss the Quran in depth, because they say it was written by dictation from God. With such an absolute interpretation, it is difficult to discuss the contents of faith." Another reading of his comments suggests that the Vatican does not want a dialogue with Muslims unless they change their belief in Quran as a revealed book. Like most Christian theologians, the Muslims have to believe that sacred scriptures are the work of divinely inspired humans. Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran’s comments echo Pope Benedict’s statement. In the summer of 2005, Pope Benedict devoted an annual weekend of study with former graduate students to Islam. During the meeting he reportedly expressed skepticism about Islam's openness to change given the conviction that the Quran is the unchangeable word of God. Vatican response to the Muslim outreach is significant because in his Regensburg, Germany, speech last year Pope Benedict implied that Islam was violent and irrational religion. His remarks sparked bloody protests in the Muslim world and prompted the Muslim scholars to unite to seek better inter-faith understanding. Pope Benedict recently re-established an office for interfaith dialogue that he had shuttered, but the Roman Catholic Church has taken hard line stance towards Islam since the death of John Paul II in 2005, supporting diplomacy but not theological discussion. Pope John Paul met with Muslims more than 60 times over the course of his pontificate to build bridges. In May 1999, Pope John Paul II received a delegation of Iraqi Muslims who presented him Islam’s holy book, the Quran. The Pope bowed to the Quran and he kissed it as a sign of respect. However, as a cardinal in the Holy See, the Pope Benedict was known to be skeptical of his predecessor John Paul II's pursuit of conversation. One of his earliest decisions as pope was to move Archbishop Michael Fitzgerald, one of the Catholic Church's leading experts on Islam, and head of its council on inter-religious dialogue, away from the centre of influence in Rome, and send him to Egypt as papal nuncio. Benedict has spoken publicly of Christianity as the cornerstone of Europe and against the admission of Turkey into the European Council. He had said Turkey should seek its future in an association of Islamic nations, not with the EU, which has Christian roots. However, during his visit to Turkey in November 2006, Benedict softened of his opposition to Turkey's long-sought membership in the European Union. According to Marco Politi, the Vatican expert for the Italian daily La Repubblica: "Certainly he closes the door to an idea which was very dear to John Paul II - the idea that Christians, Jews and Muslims have the same God and have to pray together to the same God." Recently Pope Benedict promoted the old Latin Mass, which contains references to the conversion of the Jews. The Latin mass, largely abandoned after Vatican II, has long been hated by Jews for its emphasis on the Jewish role in turning Jesus over to the Romans for crucifixion and for its call for Jews to come into the church. ...

Indian doctors barred from Britain's health services - International News – News – MSN India - News

Indian doctors barred from Britain's health services - International News – News – MSN India - News


Friday, 08 February 2008
Indian doctors barred from Britain's health services
London: Doctors from India, South Africa and other Commonwealth countries won’t be allowed any more into Britain’s National Health Service. The move is being seen as an attempt to preserve health service jobs for British graduates.The Home Office has announced new immigration rules under which doctors living outside the European Union will not be eligible to apply for posts through the Highly Skilled Migrants Programme — hitherto an open door for migrants with the right qualifications.The doctors, however, will still be able to come and work in UK in non-training jobs. The problem is that even if they got a job, they would not be able to advance their careers — the new rules don’t permit them to join post-graduate training posts.Under the new rules, from April 1, the door will be closed to migrants who are applying under a new points system. Tier 1 migrants — those with the highest qualifications — will be barred from applying for higher posts. But non-EU doctors already in Britain, of which around 10,000 are from India, can still apply for NHS.© Copyright 2008 HT Media Ltd. All rights reserved.

Former minister's son sells newspapers for livelihood - National News – News – MSN India - News

Former minister's son sells newspapers for livelihood - National News – News – MSN India - News

Former minister's son sells newspapers for livelihood
Muzaffarpur: Unbelievable but true. A former Bihar minister's son sells newspapers for livelihood.In an era when wards of even low-level functionaries flaunt wealth by driving classy sports utility vehicles (SUVs), Uday Prakash Gupta, son of Mohanlal Gupta, who was a member in the erstwhile Karpoori Thakur cabinet, pedals off to sell newspapers everyday.Fifty-plus Uday, like any other hawker, starts his day at 4.30 a.m. leaving his Nayatola house in this town. He takes bundles of newspapers on his bicycle and delivers them to his permanent customers.After the morning drops at doorsteps, he stands somewhere in the main market here and sells "aaj ki taaza khabar".Uday, who has completed a course in motor mechanics, could not get a job as his father, who believed in principles and values, never sought any favour for his son and other family members.Recalling that former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru and some other Congressmen, including several freedom fighters had visited his ancestral Nayatola house and had had lunch in 1950, Uday says he is happy with the job.Though he aspired and attempted, he could not get a job in the Bihar State Road Transport Corporation (BSRTC), that too when his father was the minister for Food and Civil supplies in the Bihar government led by veteran socialist leader late Karpoori Thakur in the late 1960s.

Blast shock killed Benazir: Scotland Yard - International News – News – MSN India - News

Blast shock killed Benazir: Scotland Yard - International News – News – MSN India - News


Friday, 08 February 2008
Blast shock killed Benazir: Scotland Yard
Islamabad: A Scotland Yard inquiry into the assassination of Pakistan opposition leader Benazir Bhutto found that she died from the impact of the suicide bombing, and not from bullets fired at her moments earlier as she left a rally, a U.S. newspaper reported Friday.British officials will release a summary later Friday of a report on the probe into Bhutto's Dec. 27 death.The New York Times quoted officials familiar with the report as saying that Scotland Yard investigators concluded she died after hitting her head as she was thrown by the force of the blast. They also determined that the attack was carried out by a single person who blew himself up after opening fire, not by two as authorities had originally reported, the newspaper said.The finding supports the Pakistani government's contention that Bhutto suffered a fatal head wound when she hit her head after the blast. Opponents of President Musharraf, many of whom suspect a broad conspiracy, have been highly skeptical of that theory, which is seen as minimizing the government's responsibility for a security breach that allowed the gunman to get close to Bhutto.A spokeswoman for Bhutto's party said she was aware of the newspaper account but had not yet seen the full report. She also said the British investigators were limited in their ability to investigate the killing fully and that as a result the party remained convinced that Bhutto died of a gunshot wound.
''Their terms of reference were limited,'' spokeswoman Sherry Rehman said of the British probe. ''They were working under the Pakistani police. Their investigation was limited only to finding the cause of her death.''Police arrested two more suspects Thursday in the assassination, as thousands of her followers gathered at her tomb to mark the end of mourning and re-launch her party's campaign for this month's parliamentary elections.Interior Ministry spokesman Javed Iqbal Cheema said the two suspects in the killing were picked up in Rawalpindi, where Bhutto was killed. He declined to say whether the two men were key figures in the assassination.''I can't really comment on whether (the arrest) is important,'' Cheema told The Associated Press. ''After the investigation, I will be in a position to say more.''Last month, police in northwestern Pakistan arrested two other suspects, including a 15-year-old boy who was alleged to have been part of a backup suicide squad assigned to kill Bhutto if the primary assassins failed.Musharraf invited Scotland Yard to conduct its own inquiry after Bhutto supporters alleged the government may have been involved in her death. Musharraf rejected calls from Bhutto's party for an independent U.N. investigation.U.S. and Pakistani officials believe the assassination was masterminded by Baitullah Mehsud, an al-Qaida-linked commander based in South Waziristan.Mehsud leads Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, a coalition of Islamic extremist groups fighting Pakistani forces in the lawless tribal area along the border with Afghanistan. On Wednesday, Mehsud's coalition announced an indefinite cease-fire with Pakistani forces.Source: AP

Diabetes Study Partially Halted After Deaths - New York Times

Diabetes Study Partially Halted After Deaths - New York Times

Diabetes Study Partially Halted After Deaths




By GINA KOLATA
Published: February 7, 2008
For decades, researchers believed that if people with diabetes lowered their blood sugar to normal levels, they would no longer be at high risk of dying from heart disease. But a major federal study of more than 10,000 middle-aged and older people with Type 2 diabetes has found that lowering blood sugar actually increased their risk of death, researchers reported Wednesday.
The researchers announced that they were abruptly halting that part of the study, whose surprising results call into question how the disease, which affects 21 million Americans, should be managed.
The study’s investigators emphasized that patients should still consult with their doctors before considering changing their medications.
Among the study participants who were randomly assigned to get their blood sugar levels to nearly normal, there were 54 more deaths than in the group whose levels were less rigidly controlled. The patients were in the study for an average of four years when investigators called a halt to the intensive blood sugar lowering and put all of them on the less intense regimen.
The results do not mean blood sugar is meaningless. Lowered blood sugar can protect against kidney disease, blindness and amputations, but the findings inject an element of uncertainty into what has been dogma — that the lower the blood sugar the better and that lowering blood sugar levels to normal saves lives.
Medical experts were stunned.
“It’s confusing and disturbing that this happened,” said Dr. James Dove, president of the American College of Cardiology. “For 50 years, we’ve talked about getting blood sugar very low. Everything in the literature would suggest this is the right thing to do,” he added.
Dr. Irl Hirsch, a diabetes researcher at the University of Washington, said the study’s results would be hard to explain to some patients who have spent years and made an enormous effort, through diet and medication, getting and keeping their blood sugar down. They will not want to relax their vigilance, he said.
“It will be similar to what many women felt when they heard the news about estrogen,” Dr. Hirsch said. “Telling these patients to get their blood sugar up will be very difficult.”
Dr. Hirsch added that organizations like the American Diabetes Association would be in a quandary. Its guidelines call for blood sugar targets as close to normal as possible.
And some insurance companies pay doctors extra if their diabetic patients get their levels very low.
The low-blood sugar hypothesis was so entrenched that when the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases proposed the study in the 1990s, they explained that it would be ethical. Even though most people assumed that lower blood sugar was better, no one had rigorously tested the idea. So the study would ask if very low blood sugar levels in people with Type 2 diabetes — the form that affects 95 percent of people with the disease — would protect against heart disease and save lives.
Some said that the study, even if ethical, would be impossible. They doubted that participants — whose average age was 62, who had had diabetes for about 10 years, who had higher than average blood sugar levels, and who also had heart disease or had other conditions, like high blood pressure and high cholesterol, that placed them at additional risk of heart disease — would ever achieve such low blood sugar levels.
Study patients were randomly assigned to one of three types of treatments: one comparing intensity of blood sugar control; another comparing intensity of cholesterol control; and the third comparing intensity of blood pressure control. The cholesterol and blood pressure parts of the study are continuing.
Dr. John Buse, the vice-chairman of the study’s steering committee and the president of medicine and science at the American Diabetes Association, described what was required to get blood sugar levels low, as measured by a protein, hemoglobin A1C, which was supposed to be at 6 percent or less.
“Many were taking four or five shots of insulin a day,” he said. “Some were using insulin pumps. Some were monitoring their blood sugar seven or eight times a day.”
They also took pills to lower their blood sugar, in addition to the pills they took for other medical conditions and to lower their blood pressure and cholesterol. They also came to a medical clinic every two months and had frequent telephone conversations with clinic staff.
Those assigned to the less stringent blood sugar control, an A1C level of 7.0 to 7.9 percent, had an easier time of it. They measured their blood sugar once or twice a day, went to the clinic every four months and took fewer drugs or lower doses.
So it was quite a surprise when the patients who had worked so hard to get their blood sugar low had a significantly higher death rate, the study investigators said.
The researchers asked whether there were any drugs or drug combinations that might have been to blame. They found none, said Dr. Denise G. Simons-Morton, a project officer for the study at the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. Even the drug Avandia, suspected of increasing the risk of heart attacks in diabetes, did not appear to contribute to the increased death rate.
Nor was there an unusual cause of death in the intensively treated group, Dr. Simons-Morton said. Most of the deaths in both groups were from heart attacks, she added.
For now, the reasons for the higher death rate are up for speculation. Clearly, people without diabetes are different from people who have diabetes and get their blood sugar low.
It might be that patients suffered unintended consequences from taking so many drugs, which might interact in unexpected ways, said Dr. Steven E. Nissen, chairman of the department of cardiovascular medicine at the Cleveland Clinic.
Or it may be that participants reduced their blood sugar too fast, Dr. Hirsch said. Years ago, researchers discovered that lowering blood sugar very quickly in diabetes could actually worsen blood vessel disease in the eyes, he said. But reducing levels more slowly protected those blood vessels.
And there are troubling questions about what the study means for people who are younger and who do not have cardiovascular disease. Should they forgo the low blood sugar targets?
No one knows.
Other medical experts say that they will be discussing and debating the results for some time.
“It is a great study and very well run,” Dr. Dove said. “And it certainly had the right principles behind it.”
But maybe, he said, “there may be some scientific principles that don’t hold water in a diabetic population.”
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Japan wants Indians to teach them mathematics - National News – News – MSN India - News

Japan wants Indians to teach them mathematics


Mumbai: Japan may soon open its gates to Indian primary schoolteachers specialising in mathematics. For, the Japanese believe that Indians are the best in the world when it comes to teaching this subject.The deputy leader of the visiting Indo-Japan Business Co-operation delegation, Ryuji Inamura, says the Japanese are extremely interested in the way this crucial academic subject is taught in India."Even though the idea is still in an incipient stage, we in Japan have already started poring over the Indian elementary mathematic syllabi and plan to take concrete steps ahead in the matter," Inamura told IANS here.
Inamura said: "India has brought out IITians who are respected technocrats and sought after all over the world. Their foundation of mathematics is laid in the way they were taught during elementary schooling."When asked how the Japanese planned to tackle the language barrier, Yoshihiro Nishida, chairman of Yokohama Foreign Trade Association and co-chairman Yokohama India Center Council, explained: "Mathematics is primarily a subject having its own unique numerical language. Just the basic knowledge of Japanese is enough for teaching purposes at the primary level."
Nishida revealed that they were seriously planning to introduce the Japanese language in India in a big way. "It will not only help iron out the psychological barrier, but also the language barrier if trade between the two countries has to flourish."
Concurring with Nishida, Inamura pointed out that the interest in the subject could be gauged from the fact that two copyright cases of Indian school mathematics textbooks were currently pending in Japanese courts.
"I do not have more details on the issue, but then it shows the kind of influence the Indian educational system has in our country."When asked the reason behind the spurt of interest in this subject, Makino Masatomo, a special writer for one of Japan's top ranking newspapers Kanagawa Shimbun, explained at length.
"Since the 1980s and 90s, there has been a sharp dip in mathematics education in Japanese schools. After making a deep assessment of educational systems all over the world, particularly the developed countries, a majority of our educators have concluded that the teaching system in the Indian subcontinent can do wonders for Japan."After all, India has right now the best IT professionals. And take a look at academic institutions the world over, you find Indians occupying high-level teaching chairs. "Apart from the keen interest in Indian primary education system, the delegation has come to India with a focus on reviving economic ties.Nalin C. Advani, director and chairman, Working Group, Yokohama India Center Council, told IANS: "In recent years, the Japanese have made India synonymous with a one-liner - 'Oh, your country had discovered the concept of zero isn't it?' That is very true and a good sign of the high level academic excellence of our own teachers, despite severe handicaps."
Referring to the business tie-ups, Advani said that Japanese businessmen are very keen that Indian businessmen explore sunrise Japanese industrial sectors like bio-pharma and IT. "However, many others are keen to explore joint ventures in areas like city planning, real estate, rail network, port development and infrastructure development, specially in the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor. Primary discussions have been conducted, but the fact remains that the Japanese certainly are among the best town planners in the world."Another aspect of immense interest is boosting tourism between the two countries. Apart from specialised tours, Nishida said efforts are now on to promote Indian culture and put the country among the Most Favoured Tourist Destinations for the Japanese traveller.Source: IANS

‘Blitz’ editor R K Karanjia dead - National News – News – MSN India - News

‘Blitz’ editor R K Karanjia dead - National News – News – MSN India - News

‘Blitz’ editor R K Karanjia dead
Mumbai: Former 'Blitz' editor R K Karanjia died at his residence today, family sources said. He was 95.Karanjia, who was one of the most dynamic editors of the tabloid 'Blitz,' was a firebrand journalist who never hesitated from calling spade a spade.He is survived by his daughter Rita Mehta, the editor of Cine Blitz.Born on September 15, 1912, Karanjia, brother of noted film journalist B K Karanzia, had worked as the Assistant Editor of Times of India. He left the Times of India in 1940 to launch the now-defunct Blitz.Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmkh said "Karanjia was one of the finest investigative journalists who had a style of his own.""In his death, we have lost a fearless journalist, Deshmukh added.© Copyright 2008 PTI. All rights reserved.

World rights body finds India's record tainted by violations - National News – News – MSN India - News

World rights body finds India's record tainted by violations - National News – News – MSN India - News

World rights body finds India's record tainted by violations
Washington: A world rights body has spotlighted abuses in Pakistan, Kenya and China, but finds India's record also marred by continuing violations by security forces in counterinsurgency operations and by armed militant groups. Human Rights Watch in its 2008 report released Thursday also blames the US, European Union and other established democracies for undermining human rights worldwide "by allowing autocrats to pose as democrats, without demanding they uphold the civil and political rights that make democracy meaningful".The report gives the example of Pakistan, where "President Pervez Musharraf has tilted the electoral playing field by rewriting the constitution and firing the independent judiciary", in the run up to the poll in mid February, the US and Britain, Islamabad's largest aid donors, have refused to link assistance to the government on improving pre-electoral conditions. In India, Washington based Human Rights Watch blames the security agencies as well as the insurgents and terrorists for violations."Armed groups have been responsible for attacks on civilians, killings, torture, and extortion. In response, however, Indian security forces have repeatedly engaged in abusive tactics," its report says.The report adds that despite signing a new UN treaty to combat forced disappearances in February 2007, "the Indian government is yet to launch a credible independent investigation into alleged disappearances and fake encounter killings throughout the country". The report notes that violence in Kashmir has abated slightly, but police's own investigations into a missing persons case in Jammu and Kashmir in early 2007 revealed that "people were being killed in custody by security forces who constructed fake armed encounters, staging executions to look like acts of defence". The report says Maoists have been very active in 2007 in several states. They have exploited vulnerable groups by imposing illegal taxes and demands for food and shelter. Succumbing to such extortion puts civilians at risk of retaliation by security forces."Violent attacks, whether perpetuated by the Maoists or security forces, take place in remote areas, making it difficult to independently monitor the situation," the report says. On Punjab, the report says, there was still no progress in investigating thousands of secret cremations in 2007."Following a spate of violent attacks by Sikh militants starting in the early 1980s, security forces illegally detained, tortured, executed, or "disappeared" thousands of people during counterinsurgency operations. None of the security officials who bear substantial responsibility for these violations has been brought to justice," the report says. There was also no progress in justice for victims of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, according to the report.On Gujarat, the report says: "Despite national and international condemnation, the state government continues to protect those responsible for the killing of Muslims during the 2002 riots." The report adds that though a special court convicted 100 people for their involvement in the 1993 serial bomb attacks in Mumbai, those believed responsible for attacks upon Muslims in January 1993 which preceded the bomb blasts are yet to be prosecuted and punished.The report notes India's failure to actively promote democracy and human rights in response to crises in Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Bangladesh while it continued peace talks with Pakistan to settle Kashmir and other disputed issues.Source: IANS

Orissa woman enters unknown field, reaps success - National News – News – MSN India - News

Orissa woman enters unknown field, reaps success

Orissa woman enters unknown field, reaps success
Bargarh: As you reach Palibugbuga village, 10km from Atabira block in Orissa’s Bargarh district, you are struck by a patch of land with multi-coloured vegetation in the midst of vast paddy fields. That patch is Santosini Karna’s labour of love — several varieties of medicinal plants and crops. The 36-year-old is Orissa’s first woman farmer of such plants.A few years ago, distress sale of paddy was rampant in Bargarh district, known as the ‘rice bowl’ of Orissa. The returns were very low and this forced farmers to sell their paddy at throwaway prices.Santosini, a housewife in the village, was concerned by this. She read an article on cultivation of medicinal plants and got hooked to the idea. Though there were several government schemes for cultivation of medicinal plants, farmers did not venture into it because of an uncertain future. However, for Santosini it was a risk worth taking. She read up about cultivating medical plants and visited some agro-based farms in Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh. After this, she started cultivating safed musli in her 3.5 acres by investing Rs 3 lakh. She sold the harvest at a very good price. Encouraged, she took a loan of Rs 35 lakh from Andhra Bank and started cultivating medicinal plants in another 15 acres taken on lease from other farmers. Her repertoire included safed musli, jatropha, vanilla, stevia, bacha, pipli aloe vera, datura metal and calotropis procera. She repayed Rs 20 lakh just after a year. “I achieved a good harvest by using traditional fertilisers like cow dung, chicken wastes and neem,” she said. Santosini’s success prompted many farmers in Bargarh and other districts of Orissa to follow suit. “Many farmers from as far as Jagatsingpur district visited my farm and went back, promising to start their own. It gives me satisfaction that I have come up with something new.”Santosini’s farm now employs more than 50 persons. Besides, she has started another venture, a herbal trading and consulting firm. Obviously, husband Fakira is full of admiration. “You never know what she will start next," he said with pride.© Copyright 2007 HT Media Ltd. All rights reserved.

BBC NEWS | Africa | SA police arrest 1,500 in church

SA police arrest 1,500 in church
By Peter Greste, BBC News, Johannesburg

Bishop Verryn said the raid was a violation of the church's sanctityPolice in Johannesburg have raided the city's Central Methodist Church, arresting around 1,500 homeless people and Zimbabwean refugees.
Dozens of police, some heavily armed, raided the church compound at around 2300 (0100 GMT), rounded up those there and took them away.
The police said they were looking for drugs, guns and illegal immigrants.
But Paul Verryn, the church's bishop, described the raid as a violation of the sanctity of the church.
'Violation of rights'
Bishop Verryn said he would have gladly co-operated with the police if they had asked for his help to search the building and check the papers of those inside.
But, he said, the way the police handled those they arrested during the raid was a clear violation of their rights.

Some of those detained had to be carried out of the church
It was, he added, an attack on the very institution of the Church.
As well as the 1,200 homeless and Zimbabwean refugees who usually sleep inside the church, there were some 500 more on the grounds outside.
By 0200 (0400 GMT), the last of the detainees were being herded into trucks and taken away for processing.
Stiffening attitude to refugees
Wednesday night's raid is the first time the police have targeted the Central Methodist Church, which is widely respected as a shelter for some of Johannesburg's most desperate people.
Until recently, the authorities had adopted a relatively tolerant approach to the hundreds of thousands of Zimbabweans seeking refuge from the political and economic meltdown in their home country.
But as South Africa's own economy starts to strain, the government has begun to stiffen its attitude to refugees.
An estimated three million Zimbabweans are believed to be living in South Africa. ca SA police arrest 1,500 in church

Mangalam

Gandhi's last words not 'Hey Ram': book
Lucknow, Jan 29 (PTI) Did the Father of the Nation actually utter "Hey Ram" before he fell to assassin Nathuram Godse's bullets exactly 60 years ago? Well, a new book 'Mahatma Gandhi: Bramhacharya Ke Prayog' (Mahatma Gandhi: Experiment with celibacy) does not seem to think so. Its author Dayashankar Shukla 'Sagar', a journalist with a well-known Hindi daily here, questions the widely held belief and contends that the Mahatma's granddaughter Manu only heard him utter: "Hey Ra...". He goes on to claim that Godse had also said Gandhi had uttered "aah.." and not "Hey Ram" when he shot him on January 30, 1948. The author dwells in detail about the "experiments" by Gandhi with 'bramhacharya' (celibacy) and says these and the controversies arising from them had "an effect on Gandhi's views on the freedom struggle". "With his experiments on celibacy, Gandhi had opened a new front in addition to the objective of freedom which was unnecessary," the book says. The book, published by Vani Prakashan, is to be released by senior journalist and Gandhian thinker Prabhash Joshi at the International Book Fair in New Delhi on February 7.

Mangalam

Mangalam

Gandhi's last words not 'Hey Ram': book
Lucknow, Jan 29 (PTI) Did the Father of the Nation actually utter "Hey Ram" before he fell to assassin Nathuram Godse's bullets exactly 60 years ago? Well, a new book 'Mahatma Gandhi: Bramhacharya Ke Prayog' (Mahatma Gandhi: Experiment with celibacy) does not seem to think so. Its author Dayashankar Shukla 'Sagar', a journalist with a well-known Hindi daily here, questions the widely held belief and contends that the Mahatma's granddaughter Manu only heard him utter: "Hey Ra...". He goes on to claim that Godse had also said Gandhi had uttered "aah.." and not "Hey Ram" when he shot him on January 30, 1948. The author dwells in detail about the "experiments" by Gandhi with 'bramhacharya' (celibacy) and says these and the controversies arising from them had "an effect on Gandhi's views on the freedom struggle". "With his experiments on celibacy, Gandhi had opened a new front in addition to the objective of freedom which was unnecessary," the book says. The book, published by Vani Prakashan, is to be released by senior journalist and Gandhian thinker Prabhash Joshi at the International Book Fair in New Delhi on February 7.

Mangalam

Driverless cars - Technology - MSN India

Driverless cars -


Driverless cars
Tired of the traffic congestion and road accidents? GM has a solution
“Roads? Where we're going we don't need roads.”

So said the immortal Dr. Emmet Brown in the film “Back to the Future”.

While cars that fly may be the stuff of science fiction dreams, cars that drive by themselves are not. Yes, you read that correctly - cars that drive by themselves.

Imagine a world where there are no road accidents. Where parking is not your problem. A world where you can just sit back and enjoy the daily commute to work, maybe enjoying a cup of tea in the process, or even reading a newspaper. If General Motors has its way, this can soon become a reality.

At this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, GM unveiled the prototype of what could be the technology of the future. The modified 2007 Chevy Tahoe, nicknamed the “Boss”, was developed in partnership with Carnegie Mellon University.

The Boss uses the optical remote sensing technology, LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), radars, mapping and global position system to recognize what’s around. Using software it figures out where it is safe for the car to go. It avoids obstacles in this manner. The Boss recently won the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) 2007 Urban Challenge competition by successfully driving 60 miles through busy city traffic and navigating intersections and stop signs.

It has a maximum autonomous speed of 30 miles per hour, and is equipped with computer controls and software to make the vehicle drive by itself. According to the developers, this technology would help reduce traffic congestion on our streets and completely eradicate the possibility of traffic accidents. But don’t take out your chequebook just yet; the technology won’t hit the streets before 2018.

Robot scribe pens a "manuscript" Bible - Technology - MSN India

Robot scribe pens a "manuscript" Bible

Monday, 28 January 2008
Robot scribe pens a "manuscript" Bible
After seven months of writing day and night, a robot in Germany clutching a fountain pen has completed a "manuscript" Bible in cursive handwriting
The exercise was a piece of performance art by the Centre for Art and Media in the German city of Karlsruhe, which uses state funds to explore new art ideas.

The machine, dubbed "Bios (Bible)", began copying the Bible in June onto a 900-metre-long roll of paper, with its arm forming each letter with the pen after all 66 books of scripture had been loaded into its memory.

Artists Martina Haitz, Matthias Gommel and Jan Zappe formed a unit, Robotlab, in 2000 to programme robots for art.

"More than a million robots are working in the factories of the world. We want to explore their artistic potential," said Zappe.

Bios (Bible) inscribed 3.5 million letters, using 700 ml of ink, to complete the German-language bible.

The artists call this a "ready-made" project, meaning the robot is a standard one, not a work of art.

"It's just a working machine, yet it's a participant in society," said Gommel. The robot was thus a "mediator" in the process of social communication.

Asked why they chose the Bible, Zappe said: "Because it is one of the most significant books of the age and contains a huge amount of data."

The group did not explain how the robot misspelled two of the 800,000 words.

The machine's memory contained the text of the Bible, information about each letter and data on how to form it. It had to transfer the data through these three levels.

The long scroll is to be cut into pages, and displayed at the centre along with the robot.

"We don't propose to retain this valuable product of our installation in museum fashion," said Gommel.

The solution, they said, may be a request from a Christian community in the US, which says it would quite like to have a manuscript German-language bible to read from in church.

Source: DPA

Rahul stays in Dalit home - National News – News – MSN India - News

Rahul stays in Dalit home
Lucknow: RahuL Gandhi’s security personnel spent a sleepless night on Saturday outside a hut in a UP village while the Congress young gun inside dreamt of a plan to win back Dalits. On a three-day visit to his constituency Amethi, Rahul made an unscheduled stop at the village and stayed overnight at the house of Sunita Kori, a Dalit. He ate what was offered and spent the night resting on a cot. Rahul reached his guesthouse at the Sanjay Gandhi Hospital on Sunday morning around 7 where he met people of his constituency.This move is being interpreted as an apparent bid by the Congress to woo Dalits and wean them away from the BSP. The MP is believed to have also chalked out a ‘win back Dalits’ plan keeping the 2009 Lok Sabha elections in mind.During his stay, Rahul spoke to the family about problems being faced by Dalits and also prepared his itinerary for the next day. On Sunday, he visited Jamoganj to inaugurate seven roads under the Prime Minister's Rural Road Scheme and five ‘Barat Ghars’, estimated to cost over Rs 3 crore.He met Shiv Bahadur Singh, the president of the Pradhan Union at Jamoganj, who demanded that the government credit the proceeds for the National Rural Employment Guarantee scheme in the pradhan’s account instead of the BDO’s. Rahul said he would take up the issue with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. District panchayat representatives sought his intervention, alleging corruption in implementation of the scheme as well as other Central schemes. On the government order banning student elections in the state, Rahul said party workers would take to the streets to protest. The Congress, he said, will soon launch a state-wide campaign to demand the same. Earlier on Saturday, Rahul visited Jawaharpur village in Sangarampur block to hold a meeting with 20 groups associated with the Rajiv Gandhi Women Development Project.© Copyright 2007 HT Media Ltd. All rights reserved.

National Herald, founded by Nehru, to close down - National News – News – MSN India - News

National Herald, founded by Nehru, to close down

National Herald, founded by Nehru, to close down
New Delhi: The National Herald, the newspaper started by India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru before World War II and being financed by the Congress party for the past several years, is likely to close down. According to sources in the newspaper, talks between the National Herald and Quami Awaz Employees Union and Congress leaders on modalities towards a final settlement for the 265 employees, including about 40 journalists of the English and the Urdu editions published from New Delhi, have been on for the past few months. Overstaffing, mainly of the press and non-journalists and also lack of advertisements, are said to be the main cause for the newspaper running into major losses. The Congress has reportedly decided to discontinue publication of the daily that was started in Lucknow Sep 9, 1938 by Nehru.The Lucknow edition of the National Herald and Quami Awaz were closed down about 10 years ago. The paper also had a Hindi edition Navjivan - a name given by Mahatma Gandhi - that was closed down several years ago. According to the sources, chairperson of the newspaper Motilal Vora, MP and treasurer of the Congress party, and some other Congress leaders have reportedly finalised a Rs.380 million compensation package for the workers.Confirming that the paper was being closed, Saud Akhtar, senior journalist with the Quami Awaz and president of the National Herald and Quami Awaz Employees Union, told IANS: "Yes, everything has been finalised. The final agreement is likely to be signed by the end of this week or maybe a little later." According to Akhtar, the employees have agreed to the closure. "The employees were told about the closure at the general body meeting held on Jan 16 and earlier on Nov 15. They have all agreed; it was a mutual agreement from both sides," he said. The employees are getting a "handsome compensation"."Five to six rounds of talks have been held between the employees union and the Congress over the last two months," he said, declining to disclose the final settlement amount for the workers till everything "was settled" with Vora, most likely by on Wednesday. The newspaper, which officially claims a circulation of around 40,000 copies, has "never had a history of making profits". It is not yet clear what publication the Congress party plans to bring out in lieu of the paper, but Vora is reported to have told senior editors: "We'll have some publication later."Asked by IANS Monday evening, Vora said: "We are only discussing a VRS (Voluntary Retirement Scheme) for the excess employees." He denied that the National Herald was headed for closure. Asked what publication the Congress would bring out in its place, he dismissed it as a "hypothetical question". But Akhtar said: "On Jan 1, Vora came to Herald House (on Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg) and categorically told the employees union that the paper is going to be closed down."T.V. Venkitachalam, editor in chief of the National Herald, said: "In my 20 years association with the newspaper, and nine years as editor, there has never been any interference from the Congress party in presenting the news. We have always tried to keep a fine balance in our news, especially the editorials, and never tried to make it sound like a party publication. "The newspaper has been part of the country's freedom movement and has been an upholder of national values like secularism and non-alignment and we have strived to run it in a professional manner," said Venkitachalam, 79, who joined the paper in 1987 when then prime minister Rajiv Gandhi revived it. The paper had closed down for a few months at the time due to various reasons, including financial constraints. During the paper's golden jubilee in 1988, Rameshwar Thakur, who was chairperson of the board of directors of the publication and is now the Karnataka governor, had written in the special issue: "The freedom movement (was) at its peak, Gandhiji leading the nation through blood and sweat. His lieutenant and our great founder Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, wanting to give a new meaning to the freedom that was yet to come so that all its fruits could reach the poor and the humble... "It was in these stirring times that the National Herald was born at the initiative of its founder, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru."Source: IANS

Community policing gets nod in Kerala - National News – News – MSN India - News

Community policing gets nod in Kerala


Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala has decided to implement community policing in three city corporations and 11 municipalities areas, Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan disclosed here on Tuesday. Speaking to reporters after the State Police Security Commission gave go-ahead to community policing at its first meeting here, the minister said: "This is the first comprehensive programme of this kind in the country." "Some states tried to implement this, but only in few police stations," he said.Under the programme, each police official will look after 500 families in the selected places. "He will maintain a record of every person and involve the people in the security and crime-related issues in his area," said the minister. "The police official will be assisted by a committee comprising elected representatives from the area and a group of people. He would also liase with residents association," Balakrishnan said.The State Police Security Commission has submitted a detailed project report to the union home ministry seeking Rs.100 million ($2.5 million) to implement the scheme, he said."In this effort we have also sought the help of private security agencies which provide security guards in these areas. These security guards can help in faster reporting of crimes to the police.There would be separate committees (to help implement the scheme) in educational institutions also," Balakrishnan added.Source: IANS

Israel lift-off makes ISRO rich - National News – News – MSN India - News

Israel lift-off makes ISRO rich - National News – News – MSN India - News

Israel lift-off makes ISRO rich
Bangalore: The Indian Space Research Organisation got richer by about $14 million and enhanced its foothold in the global market with the successful launch of TECSAR, an Israeli satellite, from the Sriharikota Range on Monday.Also known as Polaris, this satellite operates with an advanced radar system to give the Israeli defence forces a peek into military activity on enemy terrain, particularly Iran.“This flight augurs well for the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) which has a good record in terms of 11 glitch-free flights so far. This (TECSAR) is the eighth foreign payload and the second commercial launch by our rockets,” KR Sridhara Murthy, the executive director of Antrix Corporation, the corporate arm of ISRO, said. Polaris was placed in orbit within 20 minutes of a perfect lift-off.ISRO sources said the organisation raked in about $14 million for this flight.For the first commercial launch, of an Italian astronomical satellite called AGILE from Sriharikota on April 23, 2007, the fee was $11 million.The 300-kg Polaris, considered the most advanced spacecraft manufactured by Israel, employs advanced remote sensing technology (synthetic aperture radar or SAR technology) on board to beam images even at night and overcast weather conditions.In support of ISRO's decision to keep the launch under wraps, G Madhavan Nair, the chairman, said the veil of secrecy was only to meet contractual obligations.The launch will be an important milestone for ISRO that has set out to grab a slice of the $2.5- billion global commercial satellite launch services. “We got a very good price in spite of competition from China, Russia and the US,” Nair said. “We are aiming to capture many orders because our rocket is reliable and cost effective, offering rides at 70 per cent of fee charged in the international market.”

The Hindu News Update Service

Victory for victims of post-Godhra riots: Teesta



New Delhi, (PTI): "It's a victory for the victims of Gujarat genocide of 2002", said social activist, Teesta Seetalvad, reacting to a Mumbai court's convicting 12 people in the Bilkis Bano gangrape case relating to post-Godhra communal riots.
"I think any victory in any case related to the Gujarat genocide of 2002 is a victory for the victims," she said.
Seetalvad said the courage of Bilkis Bano should be "celebrated" as much as her "complete determination to get to the bottom of it and to fight for justice."
She said Bilkis had to change her house 300 times, and accused the Gujarat government of threatening witnesses in the riots cases and trying to do everything to "resist an independent inquiry into them."
Accusing the politicians involved in the riots of trying to influence the criminal justice system, Seetalvad said it was necessary to move the trial of riots cases away from the scene of the crime in order to insulate the riots victims and the trial.
A special court in Mumbai convicted 12 persons, including a police official, in the Bilkis Bano gangrape case, culminating a trial that was transferred out of Gujarat in the wake of intimidation of witnesses.
Seven persons were acquitted by the court due to lack of evidence, while one died during the course of trial.

BBC NEWS | Health | Leukaemia cell culprit discovered

Leukaemia cell culprit discovered


Leukaemia cell culprit discovered

Isabella (l) and Olivia both have the pre-leukaemic stem cells
The twins' story A study of four-year-old twin girls has identified a rogue cell that is the root cause of childhood leukaemia.
The finding could mean more specific and less intensive treatments for all children with the blood cancer.
Both twins were found to have the "pre-leukaemic" cells in their bone marrow, although to date only one has developed leukaemia.
UK researchers reported in Science that a second genetic mutation is needed for full-blown disease to develop.
Leukaemia occurs when large numbers of white blood cells take over the bone marrow leaving the body unable to produce enough normal blood cells.
Now we know about the cell, hopefully we can find an Achilles heel we can target
Professor Tariq Enver
'We were lucky'
Along with lymphoma it accounts for almost half of childhood cancers.
Olivia Murphy, from Bromley in Kent, developed acute lymphoblastic leukaemia when she was two-years old - but so far her twin sister, Isabella, is healthy.
Researchers found they both have "pre-leukaemic stem cells" containing a mutated gene, which forms when the DNA is broken and rejoined at another point.
The pre-leukaemic cells are transferred from one twin to the other in the womb through their shared blood supply.
But it takes another genetic mutation in early childhood for the cells to cause disease.
This second mutation, which may be caused by infection, occurred in Olivia but not Isabella.
Doctors do regular tests on Isabella to look for signs of the cancer but once she reaches adolescence it is thought the rogue cells will disappear.
Achilles heel
About 1% of the population is thought to be born with pre-leukaemia cells. Of these, 1% receive the second "hit" that leads to cancer.
Current treatments are far too aggressive to justify eliminating the rogue cells before cancer develops, which also means screening is unlikely.
But attacking the pre-leukaemic cells in children with leukaemia would be a better way of treating the disease and ensuring it does not come back, the researchers said.
Study leader Professor Tariq Enver, from the Medical Research Council Molecular Haematology Unit in Oxford, said: "These are the cells which drive and maintain the disease.
"Now we know about the cell, hopefully we can find an Achilles heel we can target."
Professor Mel Greaves, from the Institute of Cancer Research and co-author on the study, said he suspected that the stem cells could escape conventional chemotherapy and cause relapse.
He said the study in the twins had been unique.
"There is an element of chance, we still have to work out why it happens in one child and not the other.
"We're pretty certain it's triggered by common childhood infection."
Dr Phil Ancliff, consultant in paediatric haematology at Great Ormond Street Hospital, said 90% of children now survived leukaemia because of intensive chemotherapy, but that it came at a price.
Olivia lost the sight in one eye after she was unable to fight an infection due to her cancer treatment.
"A significant number of children are now being over-treated but we don't know which children," he said.
In the future, he added, children could be tested to see if the stem cells had been killed off after the first few weeks of chemotherapy with some being able to stop treatment earlier, sparing them harmful side-effects.
Dr Bruce Morland, consultant paediatric oncologist at Birmingham Children's Hospital and chairman of the Children's Cancer and Leukaemia Group, said: "The identification of the leukaemic stem cell has been one of the 'Holy Grails' for cancer biologists and this study certainly brings us one step closer."
Professor Vaskar Saha, professor of paediatric oncology at Cancer Research UK, said: "This important paper shows how leukaemia develops, and how it can persist even after therapy.
"By identifying the cells involved, it raises the hope that we will be able to identify children at risk of relapse, and develop new, targeted drugs to treat the disease."

BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | 'Darkest ever' material created

'Darkest ever' material created

The "darkest ever" substance known to science has been made in a US laboratory.
The material was created from carbon nanotubes - sheets of carbon just one atom thick rolled up into cylinders.
Researchers say it is the closest thing yet to the ideal black material, which absorbs light perfectly at all angles and over all wavelengths.
The discovery is expected to have applications in the fields of electronics and solar energy.
Theoretical clues
An ideal black object absorbs all the colours of light and reflects none of them. In theory, it should be possible to make something that approaches the "perfect absorber".
They've made the blackest material known to science
Prof Sir John Pendry
But it has proved difficult to construct an object that does not reflect light at all.
Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, turned to carbon nanotubes - structures made from carbon, billionths of a metre across, that have unique properties.
Theory suggests that nanotubes might make a super black object, and experts are just starting to test these predictions.

Click here to see a nanotech future
A team led by Dr Pulickel Ajayan, who is presently at Rice University in Houston, Texas, built an array of vertically aligned, low-density carbon nanotubes. Dr Shawn Lin measured the optical properties.
The roughness of the material's surface was tuned to minimise its optical reflectance.
BUCKYBALLS AND NANOTUBES

Closed cages of carbon atoms
Appear as spheres and tubes
Electrical properties tuneable
Could form tiny circuit wires
Tubes make strong materials
Buckyballs will block HIV virusExperiments showed that this "forest" of carbon nanotubes was very good at absorbing light, and very poor at reflecting it.
Reporting their findings in the journal Nano Letters, Dr Ajayan, Dr Lin and colleagues say the reflectance of the material is three times lower than previously achieved.
This makes it the "darkest man-made material ever".
"The periodic nanotube structures make an ideal candidate for creating superdark materials, because it allows one to tailor light absorption by controlling the dimensions and periodicities of nanotubes in the structure," said Dr Ajayan.
Commenting on the study, Professor Sir John Pendry, who first predicted that such a discovery might be possible, said the results were promising.
"They've made the blackest material known to science," the theoretical physicist from Imperial College, London, told BBC News.
"The application will be to things like more efficient solar cells, more efficient solar panels and any application where you need to harvest light," he added.

BBC NEWS | Europe | Papal visit scuppered by scholars

Papal visit scuppered by scholars

Papal visit scuppered by scholars

Anti-Pope slogans have appeared at La SapienzaPope Benedict XVI has cancelled a visit to a prestigious university in Rome where lecturers and students have protested against his views on Galileo.
The Pope had been set to make a speech at La Sapienza University on Thursday.
Sixty-seven academics had said the Pope condoned the 1633 trial and conviction of the astronomer Galileo for heresy.
The Vatican insists the Pope is not "anti-science" - but in light of the protests they have decided it would be better for him not to attend.
Galileo had argued that the Earth revolved around the Sun.
The Vatican says the Pope will now send his speech to La Sapienza, instead of delivering it in person.
Landmark controversy
Pope Benedict was in charge of Roman Catholic doctrine in 1990 when, as Cardinal Ratzinger, he commented on the 17th-Century Galileo trial.
In the speech, he quoted Austrian-born philosopher Paul Feyerabend as saying the Church's verdict against Galileo had been "rational and just".

Galileo's inquisitors maintained the scriptures indicated the Earth was stationary.
Galileo, a devout Catholic, was forced to renounce his findings publicly.
Fifteen years ago Pope John Paul II officially conceded that in fact the Earth was not stationary.
The academics at La Sapienza signed a letter saying the Pope's views on Galileo "offend and humiliate us".
They said it would be inappropriate for the Pope to open their academic year on Thursday.
"In the name of the secular nature of science we hope this incongruous event can be cancelled," said the letter addressed to the university's rector, Renato Guarini.
It's a good thing that someone in Italy has the courage to say no to the Pope.
Stefano, Cuneo, Italy

In a separate initiative, students at La Sapienza organised four days of protest this week. The first revolved around an anti-clerical meal of bread, pork and wine, the BBC's Christian Fraser reports from Rome.
The banner at their lunch read: "Knowledge needs neither fathers nor priests".
Vatican Radio said the protest at La Sapienza had "a censorious tone".

BBC NEWS | Health | Deadly new form of MRSA emerges

Deadly new form of MRSA emerges



Deadly new form of MRSA emerges

The new strain can lead to blood poisoningA deadly strain of the superbug MRSA which can lead to a flesh-eating form of pneumonia has emerged.
Research suggests it may be more prevalent among the gay community - the gay San Francisco district of Castro appears to have been hardest hit.
So far only two cases of the new form of the USA300 strain of the bug have been recorded in the UK.
It is not usually contracted in hospitals, but in the community - often by casual contact.
We do know that the USA300 strain is extremely good at spreading between people through skin-to-skin contact
Professor Mark EnrightImperial College
The new strain is resistant to treatment by many front-line antibiotics.
It causes large boils on the skin, and in severe cases can lead to fatal blood poisoning or necrotising pneumonia, which eats away at the lungs.
Researchers say the bug has so far been 13 times more prevalent in gay men in San Francisco than in other people.
In the Castro district - where more gay people live than anywhere else in the US - about one in 588 people are carrying the bug.
In the general San Francisco community the figure was around one in 3,800.
Sex link
Researcher Dr Binh Diep, from San Francisco General Hospital Medical Centre, said: "These multi-drug resistant infections often affect gay men at body sites in which skin-to-skin contact occurs during sexual activities.
"But because the bacteria can be spread by more casual contact, we are also very concerned about a potential spread of this strain into the general population."
Dr Diep said the best way to avoid transmission was probably to wash thoroughly with soap and water, especially after sexual activities.
The study, reported in Annals of Internal Medicine, was based on a review of medical records from outpatient clinics and medical centres in San Francisco and Boston.
Professor Mark Enright, from Imperial College and St Mary's Hospital, London, Britain's leading authority on MRSA, said: "It's quite surprising that the figures are so high.
"We do know that the USA300 strain is extremely good at spreading between people through skin-to-skin contact.
"The main reservoir for this infection is gay men, drug users, and those involved in contact sports, like wrestling. Having lots of sexual partners and making skin contact with a large number of different people helps the infection to spread.
"In the US it is already moving into the wider community, which is very worrying."
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BBC NEWS | Health | Chewing gum weight loss warning

Chewing gum weight loss warning

Chewing gum weight loss warning

Sorbitol in "sugar-free" chewing gum is a laxativeToo much "sugar-free" chewing gum can lead to severe weight loss and diarrhoea, doctors warn.
The cause is sorbitol, a widely used sweetener in chewing gum and sweets, which acts as a laxative.
Writing in the British Medical Journal, experts gave the example of two patients who had become ill after chewing around 20 sticks of gum a day.
Industry representatives said sorbitol was a safe product and packs carried warnings about excessive consumption.
Sorbitol is widely used in "sugar-free" foods, including products for people with diabetes.
As possible side effects are usually found only within the small print on foods containing sorbitol, consumers may be unaware of its laxative effects and fail to recognise a link with their gastrointestinal problems
Dr Juergen Bauditz
It is also used as a laxative but despite warnings on packets of chewing-gum and other products containing sorbitol, many people do not realise that large amounts will cause stomach problems, the German researchers said.
One 21-year old woman had suffered with diarrhoea and stomach pain for eight months and had undergone a raft of tests before doctors realised her chewing gum habit was to blame.
She lost more than one and a half stones (11kg) in that time and was underweight.
In a second case a man was admitted to hospital after losing three and a half stones (22kg) over a year and suffering diarrhoea.
Excessive amounts
They were found to consume between 20 and 30g of sorbitol per day.
Each stick of chewing gum has around 1.25g of the sweetener.
Dr Juergen Bauditz, from the Department of Gastroenterology at Charite University Hospital in Berlin, said 5-20g of sorbitol would be enough to cause minor stomach problems such as bloating and cramps but more than 20g could cause diarrhoea and, as these cases showed, severe weight loss.
When he questioned the patients he found they had replaced the gum sticks frequently, accounting for the high doses of sorbitol which were getting into their system.
Fruits
Once the patients cut out sorbitol from their diet, their symptoms disappeared and they put on the weight they had lost.
"As possible side effects are usually found only within the small print on foods containing sorbitol, consumers may be unaware of its laxative effects and fail to recognise a link with their gastrointestinal problems," he said.
"The investigation of unexplained weight loss should include detailed dietary history with regard to foods containing sorbitol."
A spokesperson for the Wrigley Company which manufactures a range of sugar-free chewing gums said all the ingredients they used were safe and packs carried warnings about a laxative effect with excessive consumption.
"Sorbitol occurs naturally in a wide variety of fruits and berries including pears, plums, cherries, dates, apricots, peaches and apples.
"It is well documented in medical literature, with studies going back more than 20 years, that excessive consumption of polyols, such as sorbitol, can have a laxative effect in some individuals."
"The safety of sorbitol has been thoroughly reviewed by health and regulatory bodies, including the WHO/FAO Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives."
Jemma Edwards, registered dietitian at Diabetes UK, said some people with diabetes eat large amounts of "diabetic foods" containing sorbitol but they should be avoided as there is no nutritional benefit.
"People with diabetes can eat the same diet as people without diabetes as long as it is a healthy, balanced diet."

WB asked to file affidavit on Nandigram recapture - National News – News – MSN India - News

WB asked to file affidavit on Nandigram recapture - National News – News – MSN India - News
WB asked to file affidavit on Nandigram recapture
Kolkata: Taking up a PIL seeking CBI probe into the violence and death during CPI(M) recapture of Nandigram in November, the Calcutta High Court on Friday directed the West Bengal Government to file an affidavit giving its views on the issue within eight weeks.A Division bench comprising Chief Justice S S Nijjar and Justice P C Ghosh adjourned the prayer for ten weeks after hearing both the state government and petitioner Sabyasachi Ray Choudhary.Advocate General Balai Ray submitted that the PIL was not maintainable as already 260 cases had been registered with regard to the violence at Nandigram police station. Besides, After November 11, there had been no allegation of any law and order problem in Nandigram.Further, in a clash between two groups of hooligans it was a state's duty to investigate the matter and bring the culprits to book and CBI had no role to play, he argued.For the petitioner, Advocate Kalyn Banerjee contested that the police had been withdrawn to enable the CPIM cadres to enter Nandigram and recapture it. At least five persons were killed and several others were missing and injured in the violence.Besides, thousands of villagers were displaced from their homes during the violence for several days, Banerjee claimed. He submitted that only an investigation by a Central agency would be appropriate in the matter as the state police had allegedly colluded with attackers.The Court had earlier asked CBI to investigate the police firing in Nandigram in which 14 persons were killed on March 14, 2006. The investigation is currently on.© Copyright 2006 PTI. All rights reserved

Court issues notice in PIL against Tata firm - National News – News – MSN India - News

Court issues notice in PIL against Tata firm - National News – News – MSN India - News
Court issues notice in PIL against Tata firm
New Delhi: A lawsuit in the Supreme Court Thursday alleged dalits and tribals were being weeded out of leading international telecom service provider Videsh Sanchar Nigam Ltd (VSNL), part of the Tata group that is seen as a model for corporate social responsibility.An apex court bench of Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan issued notices to the VSNL management on a public interest lawsuit by the VSNL's dalit and tribal employees, alleging covert and overt bids by Tatas to weed them out from employment after sale of company's 45 percent share to the Tata group in Feb 2002.The bench, which also included Justice R.V. Raveendran, also issued notices to the Cabinet Secretary and the Department of Telecommunication on the petition, as the government still owns 26 percent stake in the company. In its petition to the apex court, an association of tribal and dalit employees alleged that after the privatisation of VSNL, its management has undertaken a policy decision to rid the firm of the dalit and tribal employees on the pretext of unsatisfactory professional performance. The petitioners alleged VSNL has been trying to sack them despite an undertaking to the government that after the sale of government shares, VSNL would continue to protect the interest of dalit, tribal and handicapped employees. In their plea, the affected employees of the VSNL alleged that even as they were being booted out and deprived of their earnings worth a few thousand rupees a month, the VSNL authorities "have been recruiting senior executives in the VSNL on obnoxiously high salaries to the tune of seven to eight millions a month." The employees said: "All these top honchos are being paid their salary from the same kitty of profit that they had earned for the VSNL by toiling for it during its existence as state enterprise between 1986 and 2002." They also contended that despite Tata being a majority stakeholder in the company, the government, owing to its own share of 26.12 percent and as the trustee of general public shares to the tune of 20 percent and those of Indian financial institutions to the tune of 10 percent roughly, the government has greater stake in VSNL.Source: IANS

Asians voters faced discrimination in US - International News – News – MSN India - News

Asians voters faced discrimination in US - International News – News – MSN India - NewsAsians voters faced discrimination in US
New York: Asian American voters, including those of Indian origin, faced discrimination in the 2006 midterm elections due to improper voter identification checking, says an election watchdog.Flawed interpretation assistance to limited English proficient voters as well as hostile and poorly trained poll workers too deterred many Asian American voters from exercising their vote, according to a report by the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF).The report, titled "Asian American Access to Democracy in the 2006 Elections," documents violations of the Voting Rights Act and Help America Vote Act (HAVA). The report is based on the New York-based AALDEF's survey of the November 2006 midterm elections in 25 cities in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Illinois, Washington, Virginia, Maryland and Columbia district. All US House of Representatives seats and one third of the Senate seats were contested in the election.In AALDEF's survey, 40 percent of Pakistani, 38 percent of Bangladeshi and 17 percent of Indian voters were found to have limited English proficiency. One-third of Urdu and one-third of Bengali-speakers stated that they needed the assistance of interpreters or translated voting materials in order to vote. Although only 17 percent of Indian American voters needed language assistance, most of these were Punjabi speaking.The report goes on to detail impediments faced by Asian Americans while exercising their right to vote.

Nooyi, Williams, Lahiri women role models: PM - NRI News Edition - MSN India: Indian News for Non Resident Indians

Nooyi, Williams, Lahiri women role models: PM - NRI News Edition - MSN India: Indian News for Non Resident Indians


Tuesday, 08 January 2008
Nooyi, Williams, Lahiri women role models: PM

New Delhi: Even as India salutes the achievements of its diaspora in a wide variety of fields, it is particularly happy with the strides made by women of Indian origin globally, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Tuesday.
"We in India take pride in the achievements of the people of Indian origin in diverse fields of human endeavour in different parts of the world," the prime minister told the 6th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas here Tuesday.
"I am particularly happy at the strides made by our women. Indra Nooyi, Sunita Williams, Kalpana Chawla and Jhumpa Lahiri are role models for our society seeking to give women a rightful place," he said.
While Nooyi is the chief executive officer of the US food and beverages giant PepsiCo, Williams set a new women's space walking record last year during the course of her 195-day stay in space.
And while Karnal-born Chawla, also an Indian American astronaut, perished during the 2003 Columbia space shuttle disaster, the teacher-turned-author Lahiri won the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for fiction.
Source: IANS

Mumbai: Murder case registered in monk case - National News – News – MSN India - News

Mumbai: Murder case registered in monk case - National News – News – MSN India - News

Mumbai: Murder case registered in monk case
Mumbai: Police on Monday registered a case of murder in connection with the death of a Buddhist priest in mysterious circumstances here as local community leaders alleged foul play in the incident.The body of 75-year-old Buddhist priest Bhadant Sanghraj Thairo was found in his residence in the north-eastern suburb of Deonar on Sunday which led to protests by Dalit groups who alleged he had been murdered over a dispute on a realty redevelopment project.The police, which earlier filed a suicide case, have now registered a case of murder following outcry from local leaders who have alleged foul play in the death of Thairo.Joint Commissioner of Police Vijay Kamble said a case of murder had been registered at the behest of local residents and investigations were on. Sporadic incidents of protest, including stone pelting and blocking of roads, were reported in the eastern and western suburbs on Monday and 55 people were arrested across the city for participating in the protests, police said.Protestors pelted stones at public buses and in one incident at suburban Mulund a passenger was injured, a spokesperson for civic undertaking BEST said. A few instances of stone pelting at suburban trains on the Harbour line were also reported.Thairo's body, which was sent for a second post-mortem to the JJ Hospital, is to be brought back to Deonar for the funeral on Tuesday. Adequate security arrangements had been made for the funeral, police said. The situation in the area where the priest had lived and surrounding localities was peaceful by the evening.The first post-mortem report over the cause of death of Thairo proved to be "inconclusive" and local residents sought a second autopsy which was granted, police said.© Copyright 2007 PTI. All rights reserved

IT park near Panaji attacked - MSN India - News - News

IT park near Panaji attacked - MSN India - News - News
IT park near Panaji attacked
Donapaula: About 100 people attacked the Goa government's upcoming Rajiv Gandhi IT park at Donapaula near Panaji, setting afire vehicles and destroying a building of a IT unit after threatening workers to stop construction activity at the site.The attackers barged into the park last night and threatened workers employed in constructing buildings in the plots allotted to various IT companies. They then damaged a building and set afire vehicles near it, following which the Goa Auxillary Police (GAP) was called in, police said on Friday.The force has taken control of the place.People led by local legislator Antanasio Monserratte are opposing the setting up of the park at this plateau, contending it is "of no use to the locals."Monserratte had earlier alleged corruption in allotment of plots in the park."The group warned us that we should stop the work immediately or they will burn the entire place," a contractor said.The foundation stone for the park was laid by Congress president Sonia Gandhi in 2005.Goa Info tech corporation, which is the nodal agency to allot the plots, has allotted 18 spaces to different IT companies who will set up their shop in Goa's first-ever IT park.

'Train passengers in Bihar at god's mercy' - MSN India - News - News

'Train passengers in Bihar at god's mercy' - MSN India - News - News

'Train passengers in Bihar at god's mercy'
Patna: The safety of millions of passengers in trains passing through Bihar is hanging in the balance even as Railway Minister Lalu Prasad and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar are busy playing the blame game.Several incidents of banditry on running trains have been reported from Bihar in the last few weeks. But neither railway officials nor state police are ready to walk the extra mile to check such crimes."Passenger safety and security has been left to god's mercy as the railways and the state government are engaged in a blame game," a senior police official said on condition of anonymity.Around 150 trains pass through Bihar every day.The latest report of the National Crime Records Bureau says: "The Patna rail police jurisdiction alone accounts for 23 percent of all crimes on wheels committed throughout the country."The Patna rail police jurisdiction falls between Mughalsarai in Uttar Pradesh and the Mokama route in Bihar.The report says Bihar and neighbouring Uttar Pradesh account for 51 percent of robberies on wheels. According to the report, the two states top the list of train robberies followed by Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat and West Bengal.In Bihar, most crimes take place in the Patna-Gaya, Mughalsarai-Jhajha, Gaya-Mughalsarai, Barauni-Samastipur and Hajipur-Gorakhpur sections of East Central Railway."Crimes on trains passing through Bihar is not a new phenomenon but the recent increase is alarming," admitted a senior railway official.Around 2,700 crimes were reported from all over the country in the first three months of 2006, an increase of over 200 percent.Official figures show that at least two murders or attempts-to- murder take place daily in trains or railway premises in the country.Banned Maoist outfits are engaged in crimes on wheels. Even the involvement of Government Railway Police (GRP) in such crimes is reported regularly.Lalu Prasad has repeatedly blamed the GRP of the Bihar government for failing to provide safety and security to passengers.On the other hand Nitish Kumar puts the blame on Lalu Prasad. "Railways is responsible for the rise in crime on trains, not the state government," Nitish Kumar said early this week.Every train is supposed to have personnel of the Railway Protection Force, which falls under the central government.
Source: IANS

Two Indian towns among 10 most polluted on earth - MSN India - News - News

Two Indian towns among 10 most polluted on earth - MSN India - News - News

Million-year-old bones found in trash - MSN India - News

Million-year-old bones found in trash - MSN India - News

Nobel-winning biologist apologizes for remarks about blacks - CNN.com

Nobel-winning biologist apologizes for remarks about blacks - CNN.com

MSN INDIA - Girl's heart transplant breaks Malaysian taboos

MSN INDIA - Girl's heart transplant breaks Malaysian taboos

SBI may lower housing loan rate - Sify.com

SBI may lower housing loan rate - Sify.com

Drunk friends murder Delhi boy over a samosa - Yahoo! India News

Drunk friends murder Delhi boy over a samosa - Yahoo! India News

National Council of Churches USA

Shanta Premavardhana dir religious dialogueNational Council of Churches USA

Myanmar's junta stalls envoy another day - Yahoo! News

Myanmar's junta stalls envoy another day - Yahoo! News

Woman gives birth to own grandchildren - Yahoo! News

Woman gives birth to own grandchildren - Yahoo! News

A Himalayan Blunder: How our maps ceded land to China - Sify.com

A Himalayan Blunder: How our maps ceded land to China - Sify.com

Lack of good cholesterol always poses heart risk | Reuters

Lack of good cholesterol always poses heart risk Reuters