Lawn of native grasses beats traditional lawn for lushness, weed resistance

A lawn of regionally native grasses would take less resources to maintain while providing as lush a carpet as a common turfgrass used in the South, according to a study by ecologists at The University of Texas at Austin's Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. "We created a lawn that needs less mowing and keeps weeds out better than a common American lawn option," said Dr. Mark Simmons, director of the center's Ecosystem Design Group, noting that this new approach could have a huge impact on pocketbooks and the environment. Simmons led the study comparing common Bermudagrass to seven native grasses that will be published online this week in...

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Fossil sirenians give scientists new look at ancient climate

What tales they tell of their former lives, these old bones of sirenians, relatives of today's dugongs and manatees. And now, geologists have found, they tell of the waters in which they swam. While researching the evolutionary ecology of ancient sirenians--commonly known as sea cows--scientist Mark Clementz and colleagues unexpectedly stumbled across data that could change the view of climate during the Eocene Epoch, some 50 million years ago. Clementz, from the University of Wyoming, published the results in a paper in this week's issue of the journal Science. He and co-author Jacob Sewall of Kutztown University in Pennsylvania used their...

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UGA compound offers new hope for treatment of painful adult shingles

Researchers at the University of Georgia and Yale University have discovered a compound with the potential to be more effective than existing agents in treating the very painful blisters known as shingles—a condition that affects up to 30 percent of Americans, mostly elderly, and for which no specific treatment exists. Most adults remember the fever, itchy blisters and possibly tiny scars they experienced as children when they had chickenpox, which is caused by the varicella-zoster virus, or VZV.Unfortunately, that memory can come back—with a vengeance—when they are older. The VZV virus from childhood chickenpox hides in the nerves, emerging...

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Cambodian girl dies from bird flu: WHO

PHNOM PENH — A five-year-old Cambodian girl has become the fifth person to die from bird flu in the country this year, officials said on Thursday. The child, from southeastern Prey Veng province, died on April 16, the health ministry and the World Health Organisation said in a joint statement. Tests confirmed she had contracted H5N1 avian influenza. The girl is the 15th person in Cambodia known to have become infected with the H5N1 virus and the 13th to die from complications of the disease since 2003, according to the statement. "Compared to last year, we have seen more H5N1 cases this year and children appear to be most vulnerable. I urge...

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Dietary Supplements may be Risky for Health

According to a recent study, it has been revealed that the intake of dietary supplements is harmful for health and can have deteriorating results on the human body. It was revealed in the finding of Wen-Bin Chiou from National Sun Yat Sen University, that the use of dietery supplements can harm the body and also make you lethargic and prone to making wrong decisions. When a person has had a dietary supplement, he/she would tend to eat an unhealthy diet after that. That is partially because of the feel good effect that the supplement tends to have on a person. It makes a person feel, he is doing enough for his health and it wouldn’t matter...

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No Link between Obesity and Depression

According to a recent study it has been revealed that teens that are obese are less likely to be depressed. It was revealed in the report though, that while teenagers are more vulnerable to the effects that obesity brings along with itself. These were the results of a study conducted by the Center for Child and Adolescent Health Policy. They have conducted this research to find out the relationship of adolescents with the effects of depressions that comes with being fat. "People assume that all obese adolescents are unhappy and depressed; that the more obese a teen may be, the greater the impact on his or her mental health. Our findings...

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Salman goes back in Bollywood time

Salman Khan's 'Ready' seems to have its own special answer to the item numbers that are in just about every movie these days. One of the highlights of 'Ready' is the song "Character Dheela" where Salman will be seen paying tribute to legendary actors Raj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar and Dharamendra. Insiders have been raving about "Character Dheela", which has more than one attraction to look forward to. For starters, the groovy number has a special guest appearance by Zarine Khan, who will be seen dancing with Salman. The song will see Salman and Zarine playing different hit Hindi movie pairs of the past - the actors will be seen playing Shahzada...

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Love turns him blind

Raghu (24), along with his friends, had gone to attend the wedding reception of his ex-girlfriend, Anusha, at Channapatna. Anusha’s family members, who were against the relationship, repeatedly punched Raghu in the face damaging his eyes. “We shifted him to Nimhans as he was critical,” said Kishore, Raghu’s friend. Later he was shifted to Narayana Nethralaya. Dr K Bhujang Shetty, chairman of Narayana Nethralaya, said: “His right eye is completely damaged, but we may be able to restore vision in his left eye. However, this can be determined only after surgery.” The surgery is expected to be conducted on Saturday. A native of Mandya, Raghu...

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New Walkman phone appears on Sony Ericsson's site

Sony Ericsson will launch a new 'Walkman' phone called the W8 that runs on Google's Android OS. The phone recently appeared on the Sony Ericsson website, though there has been no official statement to announce the launch. The device will feature a 3" touch display and a 3.2 megapixel camera with micro-SD memory up-to 16GB. Although the device will run Android it is not clear which version will come loaded on the device. This will be the first Android powered phone to sport Sony Ericsson's Walkman brand.  Recently, Sony Ericsson launched the Xperia Play, which became the first PlayStation Certified phone. After the launch of the Xperia...

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Exclusive: Apple iPad 2 Coming To India Next Week, Starts at Rs 27,900

Tired of being quoted Rs 60k for the iPad 2 in India? Well not for long! We suspected! and a trusted source just confirms that the Apple iPad 2 is coming to India next week! It is expected to launch via Vijay Sales, Croma and Reliance iStores. Yesterday we heard Apple COO, Tim Cook talking about the success of the device and 13 more countries getting the iPad 2 in a weeks time, luckily India figures on the list. Apple was criticized badly for delaying the launch of the iPad 1 in India (it launched in Jan 2011), but it seems that they are making up with the iPad 2. The pricing as we guessed yesterday would be the same as the iPad 1, starting...

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Video Surfaces Online Showcasing Different iOS Interface

A video appeared online Tuesday that shows never-before-seen features of the Apple iPhone iOS. The video was created by Tinhte.vn, a Vietnamese technology blog. The clip, which can be seen below, demonstrates a new design for the iPhone that allows users to jump between apps currently running on the phone. When a user presses the home button twice, the screen zooms out to show a tiled view of currently running applications. A user can then switch to another app by pressing the desired tile. It is unclear if the new interface is an early prototype, showcasing features that will make it into the next iPhone update, or if the designs were killed...

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RINL mulls setting up steel plant in JV with Karnataka Govt

Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Ltd is planning to set up a three million tonne capacity steel plant under joint venture with the Karnataka Government. RINL, which runs the Vishakapatnam Steel Plant, a Navratna company, has been eying to utilise the existing facilities of Kudremukh Iron Ore Comany Ltd to set up the plant. Under a Supreme Court order, which banned mining activity in the eco-sensitive western ghats region, Kudremukh plant was shut down about five years ago. The investment in the proposed joint venture would be in the order of about Rs 15,000 crore, the company CMD, Mr Pradip Kumar Bishnoi, told reporters here today after launching its...

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Gold, silver scale new highs

Precious metals continued to rally with gold and silver scaling new peaks on speculative and investment buying, backed by the buoyancy in global markets. The yellow metal touched Rs 22,000 for 10 gm on sustained jewellery buying for marriage season. Silver also spurted to Rs 72,980 a kg. Standard gold (99.5 purity) shot up by Rs 205 for 10 gm and closed at Rs 22,030. Pure gold (99.9 purity) rose by a similar margin to Rs 22,135. Silver ready (.999 fineness) sky-rocked Rs 2,170 a kg to Rs 72,980. Chennai: Bar silver: Rs 72,520; retail silver: Rs 77.60; standard gold: Rs 21,935; retail ornament gold (22 carat a gm): Rs 2,040. Hyderabad:...

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Corporate, retail banking help boost Indian Bank's profit

Indian Bank continued its creditable performance during the year ended March 31, 2011 in all the key parameters. The directors have proposed a dividend of Rs. 7.50 per share of Rs. 10. It paid a dividend of Rs. 6.50 in the previous year. Addressing presspersons here on Saturday, T. M. Bhasin, Chairman and Managing Director, said the bank registered a growth of 19.8 per cent in its operating profit at Rs. 3,292 crore against Rs. 2,747 crore in the previous year on a healthy growth in net interest income at Rs. 9,361 crore against Rs. 7,714 crore. Total income improved by 16.8 per cent to Rs. 10,543 crore from Rs. 9,031 crore. Total expenditure,...

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Pak Army Chief Says 'Terrorist Backbone Broken'

Islamabad  : Pakistani army has “broken” the backbone of terrorists and will soon prevail over them, its powerful chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani said today in an apparent riposte to US concerns about his force’s capability to take on militants. “The terrorist backbone has been broken and Inshaallah we will soon prevail,” Kayani said in his address at a passing out parade at the Pakistan Military Academy at Kakul in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province. “Let me assure you that we in the Pakistan Army are fully aware of the internal and external threats to our country. In the war against terrorism, our officers and soldiers have made great sacrifices...

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Japan Plans Disaster Budget, Building 100k Homes

Tokyo:  Japan's government proposed a special $50 billion (4 trillion yen) budget to help finance reconstruction efforts Friday and plans to build 100,000 temporary homes for survivors of last month's devastating earthquake and tsunami. The twin disasters destroyed roads, ports, farms and homes and crippled a nuclear power plant that forced tens of thousands of more people to evacuate their houses for at least several months. The government said the damage could cost $309 billion, making it the world's most expensive natural disaster. Prime Minister Naoto Kan said he was moved by his conversations with victims during a recent tour of...

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Syrian Regime Seeking Iran's Help to Quell Protests: Obama

Washington : US President Barack Obama has condemned Syria’s “outrageous” use of violence against anti-government demonstrators, accusing the regime of seeking Iran’s aid to quell the rebellion. “Instead of listening to their own people, President Assad is blaming outsiders while seeking Iranian assistance in repressing Syria’s citizens through the same brutal tactics that have been used by his Iranian allies,” Obama said in a statement. Obama said the US continues to oppose Syrian government’s destabilising behaviour, including support for terrorism and terrorist groups. “This outrageous use of violence to quell protests must come to an...

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PM, Gen Kayani In Back Channel Talks : Sunday Times Report

London : Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has opened secret talks with Pakistan Army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani to build on the diplomatic headway made during the PM’s meeting with his counterpart during the cricket match in Mohali last month, the Times newspaper of London reported today. The daily reported that Singh “appointed an unofficial envoy to make contact with General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani about 10 months ago”. The Pakistan Army chief is known to have de facto control over Pakistani foreign policy. The talks, conducted via a “back channel,” says the Times, has “encouraged” Washington and London which are keen to see a...

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Police, GRP Bash Up Mentally Unstable Youth In Jhansi

Jhansi : In a barbaric act, the GRP and RPF personnel posted at Jhani railway station on Saturday thrashed a mentally unstable youth in an inhuman manner, reports india TV correspondent Sushil chaube. earlier, the mentally unstable youth had a fracas with some railway staff and he broke some window panes, railway sources said. The youth was then  tied up and kept in a room, but he somehow managed to break free. The youth then proceeded to smash up several computers at the railway enquiry counter, station manager Ram Dev  said. It was then the Government railway police and the Railway Protection Force staff got into their act. They...

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Bhatt Had Gone To Modi's Residence, Says His Driver

Ahmedabad : The driver of IPS officer Sanjeev Bhatt, who has filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court implicating Narendra Modi in the post-Godhra riots, today said Bhatt had gone to the residence of the chief minister on February 27, 2002 when the meeting of the officials was held. Incidentally, K Chakrabarthi, the Gujarat’s Director General of Police (DGP) at the time of post-Godhra riots, has said that Bhatt was “not present” in the meeting with the chief minister held on February 27, 2002. “It was the car of DGP or Additional DGP, when sir (Bhatt) stepped out from our car and sat in that car. K D Pant was standing there with files. Sir,...

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