Saturday, November 19, 2011
Friday, November 18, 2011
Sports
Fate of Niger-s president uncertain after coup attempt Niamey(Niger), Feb 19, The fate of Nigerien President Mamadou Tandja remained unclear Thursday after the presidential palace in the capital Niamey came under attack in a coup attempt.{More»}
Sports
India strike twice before lunch- South Africa 164/5» Kolkata, Feb 18, India struck twice in quick succession just before lunch to leave South Africa struggling at 164 for 5 in the second innings at the lunch break in the second and final cricket Test here at the Eden Gardens Thursday.First-innings century-maker Hashim Amla was batting on 68 and Jean Paul Duminy was yet to open his account. Overnight batsman Ashwell Prince (23) was dismissed by off-spinner Harbhajan Singh. Leg-spinner Amit Mishra then sent back A. B. de Villiers for nought.
South Africa were dismissed for 296 in the first innings and India replied with 643 for six declared, gaining a 347-run lead.
Entertainment
Newcomer keeps an eye on Amitabh Bachchan» Rishi Chabaria, one of the up and coming actors of Bollywood, grabbed the opportunity to feature in Teen Patti with both hands although he didn’t have a lengthy and meaty role in it.
Amitabh Bachchan
So what made this fairly good looking actor, who has a main lead in Rani Mukherjee’s brother, Raaja Mukherjee’s film ‘Life Ise Gale Laga Le’, make Bollywood debut in a bit part role? Rishi mentions energetically, “Basically, the length of the role didn’t matter to me as I dearly wanted to be a part of this project. I attach enormous significance to my working association with Leena Yadav, because of which I embraced a short role in Teen Patti.”
He further reveals the main catch for him to do Teen Patti, “My idol, Amitabh Bachchan, is also featuring in it.”
Observing and learning from the sidelines, Rishi was amazed to see a legendary actor like Amitabh Bachchan undergoing rigorous preparation before each of his scenes.
“Amitabh ji is so dedicated to his work! It’s a treat to watch a veteran actor like him going through the nuances of acting, its so rewarding,” shares the modern day eklavya, who does not mind not being in the same frame as the Big B, as long as, he gets to watch and learn.
“I didn’t share any screen space with him, I learnt a lot by just analyzing his actions on the sets. In fact, getting a chance to observe him was akin to the realization of a dream for me,” says the lad who seems to be keeping a close watch on Amitabh Bachchan!
Though in Teen Patti he never got a chance to actually work with the Big B, but still Rishi is not the one to feel put down, as he shares, “I am very optimistic about being able to share screen space with such a fine actor one day. That will be another high in my career.”
Health News
Painkiller can boost breast cancer survival rates» London, Feb 18, Women with breast cancer who take aspirin at least twice a week can more than double their chance of survival, a media report said citing researchers.The greatest protection comes from taking the drug two, three, four or five times a week, a study has found.
They cut the risk of dying by 71 percent and the risk of the cancer spreading by 60 percent, the Daily Mail reported on its website Wednesday.
Taking aspirin on six or seven days cut the death risk by 64 percent, but the risk of spreading fell only 43 percent.
The findings of the US study provide the most compelling evidence yet of the power of the cheap painkiller.
Previous research has suggested that aspirin can protect against bowel cancer, although results for other cancers, such as breast and prostate, were less clear-cut.
The latest dramatic results came from a 30-year project tracking the health of 238,000 nurses.
Lead researcher Michelle Holmes, of Harvard Medical School, said: “This is the first study to find that aspirin can significantly reduce the risk of cancer spread and death for women who have been treated for early-stage breast cancer.
“If these findings are confirmed in other clinical trials, taking aspirin may become another simple, low-cost and relatively safe tool to help women with breast cancer live longer, healthier lives.”
Drugs in the same class as aspirin, including ibuprofen and naproxen, also lowered the risks, but paracetamol did not.
Experts warned, however, that aspirin can have serious side effects, including stomach irritation that can lead to ulcers and even fatal bleeding.
For some people the risk of harm is greater than potential benefits.
Women newly diagnosed with breast cancer are advised not to take aspirin for the first 12 months as it can cause side effects while they undergo chemotherapy or radiation.
Researchers are uncertain exactly how aspirin affects tumours but it could be by lowering inflammation. The study found that there were no beneficial effects for people who took aspirin only once a week.
Holmes said: “Aspirin cannot be considered a substitute for conventional cancer treatments, and taking aspirin does have negative effects in some.
“More study is definitely needed to establish the cause and effect of aspirin on breast cancer. But for now, if a woman has breast cancer and is taking aspirin, she may take some comfort in knowing she might be doing something to help prevent her breast cancer from recurring.”
Millions of people in Britain already take low-dose aspirin every day on doctor’s advice to reduce the chance of a repeat heart attack or stroke.
Others take it of their own accord for “health insurance”.
Most of the women in the new study, published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, were taking aspirin to prevent heart disease.
The Harvard team identified 4,000 breast cancer patients between 1976 and 2002 and followed them until their deaths or the end of the study in June 2006.
Altogether 341 women died from the cancer.
Technology News
Hanging on a tree branch for a phone call» Bhubaneswar, Feb 17, Just imagine climbing a 30-foot-high tree and hanging on to a branch to make a phone call. This is a grim reality in Maoist-hit districts of Orissa where the extremists have been targeting the towers that relay mobile telephone signals.After the destruction of several towers, mobile communication has come to a virtual halt in several areas of Malkangiri and Koraput districts of southern Orissa, which border Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh.
In the last one year, four mobile towers have been destroyed in Malkangiri district and three in Koraput district, said A. Kumar Napak, the divisional officer of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) in charge of the two districts.
With the towers gone, people who have to make an urgent call have no option but to climb a tree or a hill.
“It is the only option left to communicate with the outside world. Since there is no communication link after Maoists destroyed the local mobile tower in Chitrakonda, we catch the signal of nearby areas after we climb a tree or a hill,” said Jatindra Rout, reporter in an Oriya daily who works in Chitrakonda in Malkangiri district.
Government officials posted in the area are in the same boat. “Since it is a Maoist-hit area, relatives back home are always concerned about us. We have to talk to them once a day. I have identified a tree near my office where I can get mobile signals and where I can climb conveniently to make a telephone call,” K. Sethi, an engineer working in Orissa Water Resources Department in Malkangiri district, told IANS.
Some residents of Chitrakonda walk miles so that they can catch a signal from a mobile tower that is still standing.
“If one goes five to ten kilometres from Chitrakonda, one can get a feeble mobile signal from neighbouring Sillur of Andhra Pradesh. It is the only way one can communicate,” Rout said.
The mobile towers have become a preferred target for the Maoists as they are unguarded and their destruction means huge loss to the phone company.
“Mobile tower is a soft target as they require a few crores (tens of millions) to set up a mobile tower which is certainly a costly target compared to a school building or other office buildings. It also serves their purpose, as they believe that destroying mobile towers helps them stop anyone from giving information to police,” government-run BSNL’s Napak said.
Once a mobile tower is destroyed it takes at least three to six months to repair it or put up another one. Its destruction also means loss of Internet connectivity to the area.
Since mobile towers often become targets of the Maoists, private telecom operators are too scared to start services in these areas.
Science News
Painkiller can boost breast cancer survival rates» London, Feb 18, Women with breast cancer who take aspirin at least twice a week can more than double their chance of survival, a media report said citing researchers.The greatest protection comes from taking the drug two, three, four or five times a week, a study has found.
They cut the risk of dying by 71 percent and the risk of the cancer spreading by 60 percent, the Daily Mail reported on its website Wednesday.
Taking aspirin on six or seven days cut the death risk by 64 percent, but the risk of spreading fell only 43 percent.
The findings of the US study provide the most compelling evidence yet of the power of the cheap painkiller.
Previous research has suggested that aspirin can protect against bowel cancer, although results for other cancers, such as breast and prostate, were less clear-cut.
The latest dramatic results came from a 30-year project tracking the health of 238,000 nurses.
Lead researcher Michelle Holmes, of Harvard Medical School, said: “This is the first study to find that aspirin can significantly reduce the risk of cancer spread and death for women who have been treated for early-stage breast cancer.
“If these findings are confirmed in other clinical trials, taking aspirin may become another simple, low-cost and relatively safe tool to help women with breast cancer live longer, healthier lives.”
Drugs in the same class as aspirin, including ibuprofen and naproxen, also lowered the risks, but paracetamol did not.
Experts warned, however, that aspirin can have serious side effects, including stomach irritation that can lead to ulcers and even fatal bleeding.
For some people the risk of harm is greater than potential benefits.
Women newly diagnosed with breast cancer are advised not to take aspirin for the first 12 months as it can cause side effects while they undergo chemotherapy or radiation.
Researchers are uncertain exactly how aspirin affects tumours but it could be by lowering inflammation. The study found that there were no beneficial effects for people who took aspirin only once a week.
Holmes said: “Aspirin cannot be considered a substitute for conventional cancer treatments, and taking aspirin does have negative effects in some.
“More study is definitely needed to establish the cause and effect of aspirin on breast cancer. But for now, if a woman has breast cancer and is taking aspirin, she may take some comfort in knowing she might be doing something to help prevent her breast cancer from recurring.”
Millions of people in Britain already take low-dose aspirin every day on doctor’s advice to reduce the chance of a repeat heart attack or stroke.
Others take it of their own accord for “health insurance”.
Most of the women in the new study, published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, were taking aspirin to prevent heart disease.
The Harvard team identified 4,000 breast cancer patients between 1976 and 2002 and followed them until their deaths or the end of the study in June 2006.
Altogether 341 women died from the cancer.
Commonwealth Games 2010
Scotland Yard to help India in Games security» New Delhi, Feb 12, India and Britain have agreed to cooperate on security for forthcoming sporting events like the hockey World Cup and Commonwealth Games (CWG) in Delhi this year.
Commonwealth Games 2010
“The UK and India have agreed to cooperate on security for major sporting events as Delhi will host the Commonwealth Games this year and London will host the Olympics and Paralympics in 2012,” said John Yates, assistant commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, also known as Scotland Yard. Yates visited the national capital Feb 11-12 and met officials of the Indian government, Delhi Police, the Commonwealth Games Organising Committee and the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) to discuss security plans for the forthcoming hockey World Cup and the 2010 CWG.
“My visit is one of a series of interactions with the Indian authorities to discuss best practices in this area. I had a positive set of meetings, including a tour of the impressive Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium and a detailed security briefing for the hockey World Cup. The security plans for the hockey World Cup look robust and the UK looks forward to working with the Indian authorities as they are implemented,” Yates said in an official statement here.
“We also had further positive discussions about security planning for the Commonwealth Games. The UK looks forward to continuing to work closely with the Indian authorities in the run up to this year’s sporting events in Delhi and beyond in preparation for the London Olympics,” he added.
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