19 people killed, 28 missing in Chinese mine blast

A gas explosion at a coal mine in southwest China has killed 19 people and left 28 trapped underground, state media say.Efforts are underway to rescue the remaining miners at the Xiaojiawan mine in Panzhihua city in Sichuan province.

The blast happened on Wednesday evening when about 150 miners were underground.By Thursday morning, more than 100 people had been rescued and taken to hospital.Chinese state television said rescue teams had retrieved the bodies of 16 miners who died from carbon monoxide poisoning. Another three people died in hospital.

The mine is owned by Zhengjin Industry and Trade Co Ltd. Its officials are assisting in a police investigation, the city government said in a statement on its official microblogging site.Accidents are frequent in China's mining industry, which is criticised for poor safety standards.

Official figures show that 1,973 people died in coal mining accidents in the country last year. While this represented a 19% drop compared to the year before, some have suggested that actual numbers could be higher as not all incidents may have been reported. China's central government has introduced measures aimed at improving standards but these directives are often ignored at local level

11 militants killed on Georgia-Russia border

At least 11  militanta and three special forces personnel have been killed near the  Georgia-Russia border, the Georgian interior ministry said.

Interior ministry units on Wednesday sealed off a gorge near the border with southwestern Russia's Dagestan region where an armed group was detected Tuesday.

According to Georgian media reports, around 20 well-armed militants trespassed into the country's territory from Dagestan, taking about 10 locals hostage, who were later released

World’s oldest person celebrates 116th birthday.

The world’s oldest living person celebrated her 116th birthday Sunday, the Guinness World Records
Besse Cooper,of Monroe, Ga., was certified as the world’s oldest person by Guinness World Records in January 2011, but she had to relinquish the title for a few months when it was discovered that Maria Gomes Valentim was 48 days older, according to the website.

Cooper was reinstated when Valentim died in June 2011 and Robert Young, senior consultant of gerontology for Guinness World Records, presented her with another plaque at her birthday party Sunday.

Cooper was born in Tennessee and moved to Georgia during World War I to find employment as a teacher. She has 12 grandchildren and more than a dozen great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren. Her husband, Luther, died in 1963.Cooper told Guinness World Records that the secret to her longevity was not eating junk food, and “I mind my own business.”

 

Now, permanent cure for high blood pressure.

Scientists have developed a radical therapy that could provide a permanent cure for high blood pressure by zapping the kidneys with radio waves.
The breakthrough by researchers from  Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute of Melbourne,Australia  could bring hope to thousands of patients who do not respond to drugs.

The procedure known as renal denervation may be available on UK's  Natina Health Service as early as next year after trials showed it produced dramatic improvements in the condition, the Daily Mail reported.High blood pressure is a risk factor in heart disease, stroke, and kidney failure. Changes in lifestyle, such as cutting back on salt and alcohol and exercising, can control blood pressure and there are a number of drug treatments available. Many who are on medication, as many as five different types, still have difficulty with it. It is this group who can be helped.

The technique uses a burst of radiofrequency energy delivered through a catheter to knock out a number of tiny nerves that run in the lining of the arteries of the kidney.High blood pressure is sometimes caused by faulty signals from the brain to these nerves. Latest findings from a trial showed reductions in blood pressure persist for at least 18 months after treatment.

Four killed in Indonesia plane crash.

Rescue teams have found the body of an Australian man and three others killed when their small chartered plane crashed in Indonesian Borneo, an official said on Monday.Peter John Elliott, who chartered the survey flight for his Perth-based mining company, Elliott Geophysics International, was among the four dead in the burnt wreckage reached late on Sunday, National Search and Rescue Agency spokesman Gagah Prakoso told.

"The plane was found around a coal-mining area. We believe it crashed into trees and caught fire. All four people died. Their bodies were badly burnt," he said.The twin-engine Piper Navajo Chieftain plane was found in a forested area of East Kutai district in East Kalimantan province two days after it went missing, Prakoso said.Local media reports said the three others flying with Elliott were Indonesians, including one pilot.

Their remains were taken to a hospital in the city of Samarinda -- where the group had taken off on Friday for a short surveying flight."Weather, like strong winds, might have caused the plane to become unsteady," Prakoso said, adding that investigations are ongoing.
The Australian Embassy in Jakarta said it was providing consular assistance to Elliott's family.

Iraqi General Abdul Hussein Mohsen among three dead in attacks

 Gunmen shot dead an Iraqi border forces brigadier general on Monday, among three people killed and six wounded in nationwide violence.Brigadier General Abdul Hussein Mohsen was gunned down by several armed men while he was in the town of Taji, just north of Baghdad, an interior ministry official said.A medic at Kadhimiyah hospital in the north of the capital confirmed the facility received Mohsen's body, adding that the general died of multiple gunshot wounds.

A bomb blast targeting an army patrol in the town of Haditha, 210 kilometres west of Baghdad, meanwhile, killed a civilian and wounded three soldiers, according to an army officer and a doctor at Haditha hospital.And in the main northern city of Mosul, a roadside bomb apparently aiming for a police patrol killed one person and wounded another, according to police 2nd Lieutenant Salam Hamed and doctor Faiz Tareq from the city's main hospital.

Also in Mosul, which lies 350 kilometres north of the capital, two young boys were wounded by another bomb blast, the officials said.The latest fatalities took to 259 the number of people killed in nationwide attacks so far in August, according to an AFP tally based on reports from security and medical officials.Violence has significantly decreased in Iraq compared to the brutal years of 2006 and 2007, but attacks are still common across the country.

'One drink a day ups cancer risk'

Binge drinkers are not the only ones who need to worry about the health implications of alcohol, even light drinking increases the cancer risk significantly, a new study has claimed.

According to the study led by researchers from the University of Milan, just one alcoholic drink a day may increase the risk of cancer adding that light drinking is estimated to be responsible for 34,000 deaths a year worldwide.

Smoking ban on public places affect fast food restaurant and bar...

KATHMANDU: The tobacco control law might affect the fast food restaurant and bar owners as there is on  ban smoking on their premises or allocate a separate smoking chamber  for the strict enforcement of tobacco control laws. 

The Tobacco Control and Regulatory Act-2010, that came into effect last year on August 7, prohibiting  smoking in public places although it has not been implemented properly.

 This new law  has imposed  mandatory for the tobacco producers to cover 75 per cent of the cigarette packs or wrappers with pictorial health warning. “However, this provision is yet to be implemented since the Supreme Court has issued a stay order. As per the act, only licence holders can sell tobacco and anyone selling tobacco to individuals below 18 years of age and pregnant women are liable to heavy  fine. The act also bans advertisements and publicity campaigns of tobacco-related products through the media which may affect the owners of such companies. 

food Association Nepal.

According to the act, any individual  found violating this law  will be fined Rs 100 to 100,000 depending on the nature of violations. This kind of action with regard to health awarness and far reaching consequences could leave positive impression in the Nepalese society.

South Africans remember and mourn the killed......

South Africans sang somber hymns and prayed at a memorial service to mourn 44 people who lost their lives during days of labor protests in the nation's mining heartland. Local leaders and church officials led the service near the site of the clashes at the Marikana platinum mine.

Some bereaved mourners fainted, and had to be carried out of the ceremony by relatives and friends.

Politicians, religious leaders and thousands of workers and members of the local community attended a memorial service at a church near the mine to commemorate all those who have died in the violence.

Of the dozens killed, 34 died in a hail of gunfire last week from police officers, who said they shot at the machete-armed protesters in self defense.

Protests started two weeks ago when thousands of rock drillers went on strike to demanding higher wages and better facilities in the wake of such violence.

 Violence intensified August 16, when police fired live ammunition into a crowd of protesters, killing 34 people and sparking a national outcry. The protesters armed with machetes and sticks were threatening to the officers, authorities said.

Ten others died in the earlier days of the protests, including two police officers who were hacked to death after the protesters refused to lay dwon the sticks.

A rivalry between two unions that wield a lot of power and influence in the nation added to the tension. The unions, accused of trying to outdo each other in negotiating wages, denied instigating the clashes.

The memorial service comes as two more platinum companies in the northwest echoed Lonmin workers, signaling spreading instability and labor discontent.

About 1,000 workers gathered at nearby Bafokeng Rasimone Platinum Mine on Wednesday to voice their discontent. They returned to work a day later.

South African President Jacob Zuma addressed the miners at the Marikana site and expressed sympathy to the he Marikana miners. He further said, the mining sector can afford to increase wages and companies which fail to raise miner housing standards may face the cancellation of their mining licences.

Nepali man bites snake to death in revenge attack.

A Nepali man who was bitten by a cobra snake bit it back and killed the reptile in a tit-for-tat attack, Mohamed Salmo Miya chased the snake, which bit him in his rice paddy on Tuesday, caught it and bit it until it died.

"I could have killed it with a stick but bit it with my teeth instead because I was angry," the 55-year-old Miya, who lives in a village some 200 km southeast of the Nepali capital of Kathmandu, was quoted by the daily as saying.
The snake, called "goman" in Nepal, is also known as the Common Cobra.
Police official Niraj Shahi said the man, who was being treated at a village health post and was not in danger of dying, would not be charged with killing the snake because the reptile was not among snake species listed as endangered in Nepal.

New rat that doesn't chew or gnaw discovered in Indonesia.

A unique new species of rat that lives off earthworms and doesn't chew or gnaw has been discovered in Indonesia.The shrew-like animal with a long, pointed snout was described in this week's British journal Biology Letters. Paucidentomys vermidax is the only rodent out of more than 2,200 known species that does not have molars and instead has bicuspid upper incisors.

The rat was found in the forests of southern Sulawesi Island last year.Co-author Anang Setiawan Achmadi from the Bogor Zoological Museum says since it lacks cheek teeth, the rat sucks in earthworms and slices them with its incisors before spitting out the pieces and then slurping bites down whole.The researchers say the discovery is important because it shows how species evolve to survive in challenging environments


 

Lebanon divided over Syria's political turmoil..

Seven people have been killed and more than 50 wounded after fighting in northern Lebanon between two Muslim communities divided over Syria.

Street battles between Sunnis and Alawites in the city of Tripoli continued for a second night running after the gun battle took place triggered by the division in Syria.

Rivalry between the two groups has been fuelled by conflicting loyalties in the conflict across the border.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, an Alawite, is battling largely Sunni opposition fighters.

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati, himself a Sunni, appealed to both sides to end the "absurd battle".

"We have repeatedly warned against being drawn into this blaze that has spread around Lebanon," he said,

He urged Tripoli residents "not to allow anyone to transform you into ammunition for someone else's war".
Intense clashes

Gunmen in the Sunni district of Bab al-Tabbana and Alawites in Jabal Muhsin exchanged gun and grenade fire overnight, residents were quoted as saying by Reuters news agency.

Two men killed were identified as residents of Jabal Muhsin, which overlooks a predominantly Sunni area where five people died, medical sources told the agency.
    Local  residents of the city complained that the authorities had failed to restore order.

So far there is no signs of the conflict letting go and the army still failing to intervene. It was tried to deploy troops yesterday but it was forced to evacuate when some of its soldiers came under attack leaving some dead.

Tripoli is one of Lebanon's most volatile sectarian faultlines, with a small Alawite community living in the midst of a Sunni majority, the BBC's Barbara Plett reports from the capital, Beirut.

Violence flared several times recently but locals say the last two days of clashes have been particularly intense, our correspondent says.

One witness said heavier weapons were being used, and over a larger area than normal.
Dangerous divisions

Government is trying  to disassociate the country from the Syrian crisis, amid concern that it might re-ignite the divisions that fuelled Lebanon's own 15-year civil war.

World's heaviest book “This is Mohammad”

The world's heaviest book, "This is Mohammed", is currently on display at a mall in Al Ain, the garden city near Abu Dhabi.The Guinness World Records has certified "This is Mohammed", which weighs 1,000 kg, as the heaviest in the globe.

The book was launched in February by Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, deputy ruler of Dubai and UAE minister of finance, at the Dubai World Trade Centre.The book will also be displayed in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.

Daily cup of coffee adds 4.5 kg to weight annually

A daily cup of latte coffee can add around 4.5 kg (10 pounds) to your weight a year.The boom in high-street coffee shops is helping fuel the obesity epidemic in Britain, the Daily Express reported, citing fitness trainers' body the Register Of Exercise Professionals (REPS).

A small cup of latte with full-fat milk contains 153 calories while a cup of black coffee with semi-skimmed milk has only 35. Even health-conscious people who avoid junk food do not realise how much fat and sugar they are drinking, said REPS, which carried out a dietary study of 2,000 British adults. It added that half of Britons are now classed as overweight or obese, and warned that the number will rise higher.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has passed away.

Meles Zenawi died from an unspecified infection, spokesman Bereket Simon said. Deputy Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn is now in charge. No next election is likely to held before 2015.
Although Meles died out of the country and members of his family were with him, it is not disclosed where he died but he would be taken back to his country soon.
The spokesman acknowledged the prime minister had been sick for some time, but didn't immediately seek treatment.
The news came almost a week after the government said Meles was "recovering well" from treatment for an unspecified illness.
Meles, 57, came to power two decades ago and was considered a strong force in Ethopian politics although there has been controversy over his political status.
His absence was more evident last month when Ethiopia hosted an African Union summit in its capital of Addis Ababa. Zenawi, who was expected to play a key role was unable to attend the meeting.
Ethiopia has been a key Western ally often lauded for effective use of aid money, is surrounded by unstable nations such as Somalia and Sudan. Meles has been credited with working toward peace and security in the region.
Meles, a former guerrilla leader, is part of a group that toppled dictator Haile Mengustu Mariam in 1991. The politician is credited with economic progress and maintaining peace in the nation surrounded by volatile countries.
However,his government has been accused by human right groups of a series of abuses, including limiting press freedoms and cracking down on opposition political parties.

Four children have died on receiving measles vaccine

According to our local corespondent it is reported that f our children on Tuesday have died after receiving vaccine against measles at Kadamandau VDC-4 in Doti district but the details and exact cause of death is not yet justfied by Health ministry.
The deceased are Milan Damai (1) of Kadamandau VDC-8, Sujata Nepali (1), Gauri Chiral of Ward No. 7 and Manju BK of Pokhari VDC-9. The kids had died after Amrita Bogati, health assistant at Kadamandau -based sub health post, administered them vaccine against measles, said local Khem Raj Joshi.

A team of medical professionals have left for the affected destination to investigate the incident from the district headquarters. The deceased Manju is said to have been administered DPT vaccine while the other three children had been given vaccine against measles.
According to Joshi, other 12 kids have also taken ill after receiving measles vaccine. 
Dhangadhi, Nepal.

‘Ek Tha Tiger’ is Bollywood’s fastest 100 cr grosser

This was expected. Salman Khan’s ‘Ek Tha Tiger’ has created a new record of sorts by earning the much acclaimed Rs 100 crores the fastest. The film, which beat ‘Agneepath’ and had the biggest opening-Rs 32 crores on its first day of release has made to the elite 100 crore club in just 5 days.
Produced by the Yash Raj banner and directed by Kabir Khan, ETT was in news also for its pairing as it was the first film that Salman and Katrina signed post their break up in 2010. Expectations were also high from the film as three of Salman’s previous films-‘Dabangg’, ‘Ready’ and Bodyguard’, were declared blockbusters. Incidentally, ETT is Yash Raj’s first film to get into the 100 crore club, Adarsh added. And now, trade pundits and hoping that ETT breaks the record of ’3 Idiots’ which had grossed more than 200 crores at the Box Office.

Salman, who has been having Eid releases for the past few years, had ensured that ETT gets released on Eid this year. While the collections continue to increase every day, one thing is for sure, that Salman has cemented his place in the industry and can easily be called the undisputed king of Bollywood.

Eight killed, 60 injured in powerful blast Turkey

At least eight people were killed and 60 injured in a powerful blast in Turkey's Gaziantep province on Monday.

The incident occurred, near Syrian border, after a truck full of explosives halted near the Karsiyaka police station and the bombs were detonated, setting two buses and a car ablaze, quoted a statement issued by Gaziantep Governor's office as saying.
Any group was yet to claim responsibility for the blast on Monday night.

25 killed in brawl at Venezuelan prison

A riot by armed inmates has left 25 people dead in one of Venezuela's notoriously overcrowded prisons, according to the government.Relatives wept outside the Yare I complex in the central coastal state of Miranda as sketchy details emerged of fighting among armed gangs in the prison over the weekend. The prisons minister Iris Varela told reporters that 25 people, including one visitor, died in the riot. "We will make them answer for this," she said, adding another 29 inmates and 14 visitors had been injured.

Venezuela's 34 prisons are holding about 50,000 prisoners, three times their capacity, according to advocacy groups. Many of the prisoners are armed and hundreds are killed each year in riots and gang fights. With a presidential election due in less than two months, prison chaos is a politically sensitive issue. Hugo Chávez, the incumbent, blames it on decades of neglect before he took power in 1999 but critics say he socialist president has done little to fix it.

In May, as police forcibly transferred inmates out of La Planta jail in Caracas – built for 350 but housing nearly 2,500 – gunshots rang out among the prisoners. Some were sent to Yare.
A month-long siege occurred last year at El Rodeo prison, just outside the capital, leaving 22 dead before some 5,000 soldiers restored order. In Venezuela's worst incident about 130 prisoners were burned or hacked to death with machetes during gang fights at Sabaneta jail in Maracaibo in 1994.

Ontario teen youngest ever to swim Lake Ontario

An Ontario teen has become the youngest person to swim across Lake Ontario.
Shortly before 9 p.m. ET on Sunday, Annaleise Carr finished her 27 hour, 52-kilometre journey that began when she entered the water at Niagara on the lake at 6.17 pm on saturday.
The 14-year-old swimmer from Simcoe, Ont., arrived at Marilyn Bell Park on the Toronto waterfront and climbed into an ambulance after hugging her family and receiving congratulatory cheers from hundreds of supporters on the shore.
The teen was examined by her doctor before heading to the hospital for a routine exam mandated by Solo Swims of Ontario, the provincial swimming body that governs people participating in a long-distance swims.

Carr's team announced the teen will speak with the media at a news conference tomorrow.
The swim was designed to raise money for Camp Trilium, a camp for children with cancer. Carr has raised more than $70,000 to date.Earlier Sunday the team received a phone call from a family who had donated $10,000 to the cause. The information was relayed to Carr, who paused her swim to raise her arms in the air and cheered.
In 1954, Marilyn Bell of Toronto became the first person to swim across the lake. She was 16.

Libya explosions killed and hurt many people.

Two car bombs exploded in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, killing two people and injuring  several others early on Sunday, a security official said. The first bomb was detonated  in a main street near a military college used as a base for former rebel forces, killing two and wounding four people, according to the official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorised to speak to the media.
About half an hour later, a car parked in a narrow alley by the Interior Ministry exploded, wounding several people. A third car bomb was discovered, also near the ministry, but was defused an official said.
The bombings came on the eve of Libya’s first anniversary of the fall of Tripoli. The  rebel fighters behind the eight-month uprising to topple Moamer Qadhafi’s regime liberated the city.
Qadhafi was captured and killed last October but many Libyans are convinced that some of his associates remain at large around the country.
After the  blasts, officials blamed Qadhafi’s loyalists, saying they were plotting attacks and seeking to spread fear among the public and prevent the country from returning to normality.

The president is likely to become active if situation is worsen in Nepal

Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal today alleged that President Ram Baran Yadav

could impose autocratic rule if the Bhattarai-led government quits without forging political consensus. it is reported from Chandranigahpur.

"The President will be active and impose an autocracy rule in the country if the incumbent government leaves the office without consensus among the parties," Dahal warned, while speaking at a press meeting at Chandranigahapur.

Dahal furthermore added that his party would not renounce the government unless the parties hammered a package deal on political consensus to give a way out to the country from the current imbroglio.

Criticising the opposition parites heavily, Dahal argued that it was ludicrous on the part of the Nepali Congress and UML to demand care taker prime minister’s resignation. He warned that resignation by the Bhattrai-led government would leave the country in void.

The UCPN-Maoist chairman called on the parties to forge consensus to federalise the country on the basis of ethnic identity which has been a major issue in the recent political crisis in Nepal.



Madonna Sued for Defending Gay Rights at Russian Concert

Madonna delivered a fiery speech that supports gay rights amid violence threats to her concert in Russia. Some Russian activists have launched a millions-of-dollars lawsuit against her, claiming they were offended by her support for gay rights during the August 9 concert in St. Petersburg.

Madonna was crossing the law passed by Russian government in February that makes it illegal to promote homosexuality to minors. During her concert which was attended by children as young as 12, she said, "The gay community here, and all around the world, have the same rights, to be treated with dignity, with respect, with tolerance, with compassion, with love."

Alexander Pochuyev, a lawyer representing the nine activists, said the lawsuit was filed on Friday, August 17, naming Madonna, the concert organizer and the venue, SKK Peterburgsky, as defendants. They were asking for damages totaling 333 million rubles aka $10.5 million. Pochuyev also said they were using modern method to defend their rights despite the accusation that they live in Middle Ages for banning gay rights. "No one is burning anyone at the stake or carrying out an Inquisition. Modern civilization requires tolerance and respect for different values," the lawyer argued.

Christian Pakistani girl arrested for 'blasphemy'

An 11-year-old Christian girl has been arrested after being accused of desecrating pages of the Koran.

She was detained for blasphemy after an angry mob demanded her arrest and threatened to burn down Christian homes outside of the capital, Islamabad.The girl is known to have learning difficulties and could not properly answer police questions, officials say.
Police have taken her parents into protective custody following threats. Dr Paul Bhatti, Pakistan's minister for National Harmony, told the media that the girl was known to have a mental disorder and that it seemed unlikely she purposefully desecrated the Koran."From the reports I have seen, she was found carrying a waste bag which also had pages of the Koran. This infuriated some local people and a large crowd gathered to demand action against her. The police were initially reluctant to arrest her, but they came under a lot of pressure from a very large crowd, who were threatening to burn down Christian homes."
 Her parents have also been taken into protective custody because they were frightened of threats against them.More than 600 people have fled from that Christian neighbourhood. We are working to ensure their security so they can return to their homes.He said the incident took place on 17 August after Friday prayers.Rights activists have urged Pakistan to reform its controversial blasphemy laws, under which a person can be jailed for life for desecrating the Koran.
Last year, Shahbaz Bhatti, the minister for minority affairs, was killed after calling for the repeal of the blasphemy law.His death came just two months after the murder of Punjab Governor Salman Taseer, who also spoke out about the issue.

Philippines interior secretary missing in plane crash

Philippines Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo is among three missing after a small aircraft crashed off Masbate Bay, the state-run PNA news agency reported, citing civil aviation authorities.

One person, identified as Robredo's aide, was rescued from the crash site, civil aviation chief William Hotchkiss told PNA.

Robredo was headed to Naga City to attend a political event, the agency reported.The Philippines Department of Interior and Local Government said on its Twitter account that the pilot sent a distress call to the Masbate airport requesting an emergency landing. It also said that Robredo was unable to get out of the plane.

However, the department deleted its messages later.The plane never made it the airport and crashed in the ocean, Hotchkiss said.Authorities were searching for Robredo and the two pilots, PNA reported.Robredo is a popular minister who is known for the transformation of Naga City into a premier place under his leadership as local chief executive, according to his official biography.He is a graduate of John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

Dr. Govinda kc is on hunger strike at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital

Dr. Govinda KC had begun hunger strike on the hospital premises since Monday, demanding the appointment of Dean at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital on the basis of seniority and eligibility, instead of making a political appointment.

Except the emergency and indoor service, all the services have been obstructed in the hospital.

Recently, TU Vice Chancellor Hira Bahadur Maharjan had appointed Dr Dharmakanta Baskota as acting Dean going against the decision of the TU executive council meeting that had decided to form a panel to recommend names for the post.

Scientists developed a New Technique .

Scientists developed a new technique to reduce the harmful side effects of chemotherapy. The new technique blocks an oxygen-sensitive enzyme and streamlines the blood flow by combining the specific PHD2 inhibitors with the chemotherapy. Inhibiting PHD2 results in the production of anti-oxidant enzymes were able to neutralise the harmful side effects of chemotherapy. The better formed blood vessels ensure that the anticancer drugs are distributed throughout the tumour, which increases their impact.
In Chemotherapy, anti- cancer drugs are not easily delivered to the actual tumour because leaking blood vessels prevent anti-cancer drugs from reaching tumourb cells while promoting metastasis. Moreover, chemotherapy can adversely affect healthy organs, resulting into heart and kidney failure.

Walnuts could improve sperm count and quality.

Eating walnuts may help increase sperm count in men and improve its quality, a new study has found. Scientists at the University of California asked a group of young men in their 20s and 30s to eat 75 grams of walnuts every day for three months.

The research found that men managed to increase their sperm count and its quality, potentially giving them a better chance of fathering a child, compared with a group of men who avoided walnuts.Researchers chose walnuts because they are a major source of good polyunsaturated fats, a daily reported.

Walnuts are rich in omega 3 and omega 6 – also found in oily fish – which are thought to be good for sperm development and function but are lacking in many Western diets.One in six couples struggle to conceive, and it is thought around 40 per cent of these problems are due to problems with the man's sperm.

The researchers analysed the men's sperm concentration, how strongly they swam and their genetic makeup.Those eating walnuts saw a modest 3 per cent average increase in sperm swimming, compared with no increase in the group who did not eat walnuts.Only few walnut eaters were seen with aneuploidy – a disorder where sperm have too many or too few chromosomes.

Tibetan woman dies after setting herself on fire.

A Tibetan rights group says a 26-year-old woman has died after setting herself on fire in west-central China' Gansu province.
London-based Free Tibet said Dolkar Kyi self-immolated Monday at Tso Monastery in Tso City in a Tibetan prefecture that is of religiously significance to Tibetan monks.

Also on Monday, a man set himself on fire in southwest China's Sichuan province. Free Tibet identifies him as Lobsang Tsultrim, a 21-year-old monk from Kirti Monastery. He was reported to be alive and taken away by police.

They are the latest of more than 40 self-immolations by Tibetans.Supporters say they are protesting Beijing's heavy-handed rule in Tibetan regions. China has blamed the Dalai Lama for inciting the immolations, which the exiled spiritual leader denies.

Two-headed baby delivered in Jaunpur hospital.

Nature continues to amaze us with surprises every now and then.In one such incident,a woman,Kiran Yadav,has given birth to a two headed baby in Ahsirwas hospital at Jaunpur in Uttar pradesh.    The baby has two fully developed heads joined at the skull whereas the rest of body is like a normal baby.                In the medical science,Polycephaly is a condition of having more than one head,while Bicephaly and dicephaly refer to two headedness.People are astonished to see the baby is crying as well as taking milk through both mouths.The doctors are also puzzled to see this unusual kind of baby.

Dr Anju Jain conducted caesarian operation during the delivery of the baby.She said that due to congenital abnormalities,such kind of case can happen out of 1lakh cases.Due to harmonal imbalances,abnormal growth takes place.

Nine killed, four missing in typhoon hit areas in China.

At least nine people were killed and four others were missing after a typhoon tore through a northeastern China province, disrupting rail services and affecting over two million people.Typhoon Damrey hit the Liaoning Province over the weekend and threw life out of gear.More than 110,000 people have been left homeless.
                              Nine people were killed and four others were reported missing.The typhoon also temporarily disrupted rail services in the province on Saturday,affecting more than two million people.Six of those killed in Xiuyan City, where the typhoon cut off electricity, paralysed road traffic and damaged drinking water facilities.In the city of Benxi,heavy flooding on the Sandaohe and Xihe rivers trapped more than 300 construction workers in a tunnel today.                                                                                                                                   Fire fighters tried to connect a ropeway in an effort to pull the workers out of the tunnel.Another report said hundreds of people were stranded by a rain-triggered flood in central China's Hubei Province. Heavey rains hit Gucheng country in the city of Xiangyang early in this morning,flooding the downtown area and surrounding villages,country fire fighters said.

Sikhs express shock after shootings at Wisconsin temple.

Sikhs living in the United States have expressed their shock and fear after a shooting at a temple in Wisconsin on Sunday which left seven people dead.Some community members could not believe what happened. Others said they had feared such attacks since 9/11.

A gunman entered the Sikh temple on Sunday morning and opened fire, killing six people and injuring a policeman.A vigil for the victims was held in nearby Milwaukee as police searched the suspect's home.FBI and bomb squad officers have surrounded the property of the alleged gunman in Cudahy, about 2.5 miles (4km) north of the Wisconsin Sikh Temple and evacuated local residents.In total, seven people died in the attack in Oak Creek, a suburb of Milwaukee, including the gunman. A police officer and two other men were critically injured.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who is himself a Sikh, said he was "deeply shocked and saddened" by the attack.

Janai Purnima(Rakshya Bandhan)‚ festival of sacred thread.

The Hindu festival Janai Purnima, which is also known as Rakshya Bandhan, aka festival of sacred thread is being celebrated today with a religious fervor across the country.Janai Purnima falls on the full moon day in the month of Shrawan, according to the lunar calendar.

Big religious fairs are held at different temples, rivers and ponds on this particular day.Devotees throng Kumbheshwor in Lalitpur and Gosaikunda in Rasuwa to mark the festival. The government has declared public holiday on the occasion.

Hindu men, especially Brahmans and Chettris, change the janai, a yellow cotton thread slung from the shoulder and also tie it around the wrist of the right hand.This is also the day when males, females, and children regardless of status and caste, tie the janai around their wrist, believing that it will bring them good luck.