2 doctors react to MS study

A new study has cast doubt on the theory that blocked or narrowed veins are a main cause of MS, study author Dr. Robert Zivadinov of the University of Buffalo said. The findings published Wednesday in the journal Neurology were consistent with thinking that the condition — also known as chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency, or CCSVI — is more common in patients with multiple sclerosis but not to the degree first reported by Italian doctor Paolo Zamboni. "These findings indicate that CCSVI does not have a primary role in causing MS," said Zivadinov, who has worked with Zamboni. Zamboni proposed that multiple sclerosis may be linked...

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Provinces seek clarity on health funding

Provincial politicians are looking for more detail on health-care funding after the three major national party leaders pledged to maintain the annual six-per-cent increase after the current health accord with the provinces expires. Conservative Leader Stephen Harper, Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff and NDP Leader Jack Layton have all said they would continue the annual increase after the 10-year health-care funding accord expires in 2014. Health care is a provincial responsibility, but federal transfers provide vital funding to provincial health systems. The next government will likely be responsible for the next round of negotiations,...

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Vancouver injection clinic saving lives: journal

Researchers with the B.C. Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS studied the number of overdose deaths around the injection facility before and after its creation. Insite has operated since 2003 with exemptions from federal drug laws, first allowed by the former Liberal government. The study, to be published Monday, found overdose fatalities have dropped 35 per cent, a number The Lancet calls "impressive." "Overdose death is such a tragic and horrific outcome, the fact that it's able to reduce overdose deaths, from a public health perspective, we're just thrilled," said Dr. Evan Wood, co-author of the study. Overdose deaths fell elsewhere in...

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Scientists hopeful of disease breakthroughs with world's first computerised brain map

Scientists were today hopeful of a breakthrough in a range of conditions after they unveiled the world's first computerised brain map. Researchers spent a staggering four years piecing together minute details from brain tissue including millions of genes. The brains were chopped up into sections to extract the RNA and find the 25,000 genes present in the human genome. Each detail was loaded into a computer to provide exact directions from oner point of the brain to another. It is hoped that medics can use the map to understand how the brain works and aid new discoveries in disease and treatments. The researchers said the map could help...

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As Android for tablets falters, opportunity for Intel

Intel has been criticized here and in other venues for being late to the tablet party. But Android's slow start in tablets may mean latecomers aren't necessarily losers. A stroke of serendipity has arrived in the form of a tepid consumer reception so far for tablets beyond Apple's iPad. Sales of the Motorola Xoom are, to date, anemic, while the sell-through to consumers of Samsung's Android tablet has also been underwhelming. And Digitimes reported today that tablet suppliers Asus and HTC are delaying Android tablet rollouts. Meanwhile, RIM's BlackBerry PlayBook--which is more like an appendage to a BlackBerry phone than a standalone tablet--is...

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HTC sensation to hit Indian market in Q2

The recently launched HTC Sensation smartphone might hit the Indian stores sooner than expected with the handset maker confirming the availability of the device in Q2 this year, probably by May or June. The HTC Sensation, as reported by The Mobile Indian, was unveiled on the 12th April in London. The Sensation is HTC's first ever phone to feature a 1.2 Ghz processor supplied by Qualcomm and a whole new interface with the latest HTC sense 3.0 UI. HTC, through its official Twitter account, has made it clear that the latest HTC Sense 3.0 UI will only be supported by newer devices and won't be available for older devices. So in order to get...

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All set for PSLV-C16 launch on April 20

The stage has been set for the launch of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C16) from the first launch pad at Sriharikota on April 20 at 10.12 a.m. The PSLV-C16 will put in orbit three satellites — India's Resourcesat-2, an Indo-Russian satellite called Youthsat and a micro-satellite named X-Sat from the Nangyang Technological University of Singapore. The Launch Authorisation Board (LAB), which met at Sriharikota on Saturday, cleared the rocket's lift-off. “Everything is going on well. Things are smooth. This is one of the standard launches by the PSLV,” said S. Ramakrishnan, Director, Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC) of the...

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RIM's email-less PlayBook gets tough reviews

"RIM has just shipped a BlackBerry product that cannot do email. It must be skating season in hell," New York Times' David Pogue wrote in a review published on Thursday. Research In Motion built its reputation on a BlackBerry email service that it says is so secure that it can't bow to government requests to tap messages, winning high-profile customers in business, defense and politics before branching out to a wider consumer market. The PlayBook, which hits North American retailers on Tuesday, so far offers that secure service only in tandem with a BlackBerry. RIM says secure email and other key services will come later, not at launch. "I...

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Akon Takes Off Shirt, A La Salman Khan

International pop star Akon threw open his black shirt and his black vest just the way our own star Salman Khan does in movies and on stage. What followed thereafter, was a sight to behold! Hundreds of boys ended up removing their t-shirts and shirts and swayed it in the air, as the Senegalese-American singer sang "Take it off" at his grand concert here Saturday night. "If you are a true Akon party animal, take off your shirts!" Akon shouted out to all his fans. Seconds later, a whole lot of men in the 2000 plus crowd bared their chest, and waved their shirts and t-shirts in the air in sync with Akon. There were yellow, red, black, white,...

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My Film is Not Anti-Goa

Ask filmmaker Rohan Sippy, what took him so long to direct his third film Dum Maaro Dum, after Bluffmaster in December 2005 and he is quick to respond. “I need better time management.” Jokes apart, Sippy tells us that after the release of Bluffmaster, he got busy with his production house. “We produced Taxi No 9211, The President is Coming and Chandni Chowk to China. We also started work on a heist film, which was very ambitious in budget and scale. It seemed fine during the boom period, but then we realised that we had bitten off more than we could chew,” says Sippy, who put it on hold, and started work on the thriller Dum Maaro Dum (DMD). The...

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UK mulls royal succession rule change

Britain’s government has begun the process of reviewing the ancient, discriminatory rules of royal succession, so that if Prince William and Kate Middleton’s first child is a girl she would eventually become queen. The current rule that puts boys ahead of their sisters “would strike most people as a little old-fashioned,” Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said on Saturday. It is just two weeks until Prince William and Ms. Middleton get married at London’s Westminster Abbey, and Mr. Clegg said many people may agree that the rules should be changed so that if the couple’s first child were a girl, she would eventually inherit the throne -- even...

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BHEL likely to finalise NBFC plan by July

Hyderabad : Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd will be taking to its board a revised proposal to float a non-banking financial company (NBFC) to fund power projects. The power equipment maker is incorporating some of the suggestions made by Crisil on the original proposal. BHEL, which had been mulling the NBFC option to get better returns on its cash surplus, had appointed Crisil to advice on the proposal; the financial services firm recently submitted its report to the company. “We will be going to the board again with the (revised) proposal. We expect to finalise the proposal in the next three months,” the BHEL Chairman and Managing Director,...

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Kanoria says to use money for new businesses, no dividends

Aditya Birla Chemicals acquired a unit of Kanoria Chemicals & Industries for Rs 8,300 crore to boost its chloro-chemicals division. In an exclusive interview with CNBC-TV18’s Udayan Mukherjee and Mitali Mukherjee, RV Kanoria chairman and managing director of Kanoria Chemicals says that the company is looking to deploy the money from the deal for growth in new businesses. “The company is set to look at organic and inorganic opportunities,” he says. Sharing further details on the fund utilization from the deal, he says, “The company will be left with Rs 350 crore post taxes and retiring of debt. The cash on balance sheet is to be at Rs 375...

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Rupee to slip tracking Asian peers; shares

The rupee is expected to weaken on Wednesday in line with other Asian peers, and weighed down by a drop in local equity futures in the offshore market. * The yen held firm in early Asia trade, having gained broadly as profit taking on short positions took off on the back of renewed risk aversion, while investors also favoured the Swiss franc as a safe-haven currency. * At 0350 GMT, the index of the dollar against six major currencies was up 0.1 percent at 74.924 points. * The MSCI index of Asian stocks ex-Japan was down 0.2 percent, while the Nifty futures traded in Singapore were down more than 1 percent, suggesting a weak open to the local...

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40 Killed As Monster Storm Lashes Out In US

Oklahoma :  A furious storm system that kicked up tornadoes, flash floods and hail as big as softballs has claimed at least 40 lives on a rampage that began in Oklahoma days ago, then smashed across several southern states as it reached a new and deadly pitch in North Carolina and Virginia Emergency crews searched for victims in hard-hit swathes of North Carolina, where 62 tornadoes were reported from the worst spring storm in two decades to hit the state. Eleven people were confirmed dead in Bertie County, a local official said.The state's death toll reached at least 18 people on Sunday. In Sanford, about 40 miles (65 kilometres) southwest...

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Musharraf Ready To Sort Out Differences With Sharif

Islamabad  : Pakistan’s former military ruler Pervez Musharraf has said he is ready to sort out his differences with PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif, whose government he had deposed in a military coup in 1999, if such a move leads to a “good future” for the country. Musharraf, who has been living outside Pakistan since early 2009, made the remarks during an interview with Dawn News channel in Dubai. “I would not mind if it happens for the good future of the country,” he said. The former president said he had not phoned Sharif to enquire about his health after the former premier underwent emergency heart surgery in London recently because “his...

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India, Kazakhstan Sign Nuclear, Oil Pacts

Astana : Embarking on an ambitious roadmap to consolidate their strategic partnership, India and Kazakhstan today signed seven pacts, including a framework agreement in civil nuclear field and a stake-sharing accord in oil sector, with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh saying there was “vast potential” for cooperation in all areas. At wide-ranging talks between Singh and Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev, the two sides also decided to work for pushing the bilateral trade, which was currently as low as USD 300 million, through engagement of governments and business communities and diversifying to non-oil sectors like pharma, agriculture and...

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Akon Unleashes His Magic In Bangalore

Bangalore  :  Senegalese-American singer and songwriter Akon today regaled thousands of his fans by belting out some of his popular numbers at a late night concert here. The international Grammy-nominated and multi-platinum artist whose worldwide sales top seven million units, had his fans mesmerised as he performed the 'Lonely.' Regarded as one of the most versatile and successful singers of the 21st century, Akon, who is estimated to earn over USD 30 million a year from his songs, had the audience cheering and clapping as he belted out numbers like 'Beautiful', 'Right Now', 'Dangerous', 'I'm So Paid', 'Angel? and many more. The...

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Three Coaches Of Rajdhani Express Catch Fire, No Casualty

Indore : Three coaches of the 12951 Mumbai-Delhi Rajdhani Express  including the pantry car caught fire in the early hours of Monday morning near Ratlam  while on way to Delhi.  No one was injured and the passengers are being brought to Delhi, said a Railway Board spokesperson. The Rajdhani Express was stopped near Aalot town in Ratlam area, after fire was detected at around 2:10 am . The coaches which caught fire were  isolated and fire was later extinguished, said Amardeep Singh, railway commercial manager, Kota division. The Railways have set up helplines to give information about the passengers: Helpline number - Delhi - 011 23341074 Mumbai : 022 10721 Kota - 0744 - 2467172 Kota - 0744 - 2467173 Fire engulfed B6, B7 and the pantry car of the train, sources said. Fire...

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First Phase Of Polling Begins in West Bengal

Kolkata  :  Polling began this morning in 54 constituencies for the first of the six-phase Assembly elections in West Bengal in which an electorate of 97.42 lakh will decide the fate of 364 candidates. Tight security arrangement has been made for a free, fair and peaceful polling in the constituencies spread across six north Bengal districts of Cooch Behar, Jalpaiguri, Darjeeling, North Dinjapur, South Dinajpur and Malda. Some of the important political figures whose fortunes will be decided today include 10 ministers of the Left Front government, including urban development minister Ashok Bhattacharya (CPI-M), PWD minister Kshiti...

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