Children living in homes with all vinyl flooring or flame-retardant chemicals in the sofa have significantly higher levels of potentially harmful toxins in their blood or urine, putting them at risk of cancer and other diseases, study has found.
Researchers from Duke University in the US found that children living in homes where the sofa in the main living area contained flame-retardant polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in its foam had a six-fold higher concentration of PBDEs in their blood serum.
Exposure to PBDEs has been linked in laboratory tests to neurodevelopmental delays, obesity, endocrine and thyroid disruption, cancer and other diseases.
According to the study published in the journal Children from homes that had vinyl flooring in all areas were found to have concentrations of benzyl butyl phthalate metabolite in their urine that were 15 times higher than those in children living with no vinyl flooring.
Benzyl butyl phthalate has been linked to respiratory disorders, ..

Toxins from home flooring, furniture may put kids at cancer risk

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Researchers, including one of Indian origin, have developed a promising drug that significantly increases muscle size, strength and metabolic state in aged mice, and may help delay ageing process in humans.
As we age, our bodies increasingly lose the ability to repair and rebuild degenerating skeletal muscles, said researchers from the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) in the US.
Beginning around age 35, muscle mass, strength and function continually decline as we get older, according to the study published in Biochemical Pharmacology.
This can dramatically limit the ability of older adults to live fully active and independent lives.
"There are no treatments currently available to delay, arrest or reverse age-related muscle degeneration," said Harshini Neelakantan, a research scientist at UTMB.
"These initial results support the development of an innovative drug treatment that has the potential to help the elderly to become fitter, faster and stronger, thus enabling them to ...

New drug may help delay ageing in humans

Six Pakistani soldiers have been killed by militants in two separate incidents in the country's restive Balochistan province bordering Iran, officials said Monday.
The first incident reported from the mountainous Panjgur district where four soldiers of the Frontier Corps (FC) were killed by militants on Sunday.
The attack took place hours after two FC personnel were gunned down in Loralai area near Iran border.
FC Balochistan spokesperson Wasay Khan said the militants struck when guards were being changed at the check posts.
Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Madad Khan has condemned the attacks and termed them as attempts to disrupt peace and progress in the province which shares its borders with Iran and Afghanistan.
"It is a conspiracy against the Balochistan and development projects in the province," he said.
The attacks came days after the head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, Major General Muhammad Ali Jafari, asked Pakistan to crack down on a banned terror outfit which killed 27 

Militants kill 6 Pak soldiers in Balochistan near Iran

Pakistan's Opposition leader Shehbaz Sharif was indicted by an accountability court on Monday for corruption in a Rs 1,400 crore housing project.
Shehbaz, 67, the president of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) was indicted along with nine others in the Ashiana Iqbal Housing scam case.
He along with other suspects appeared before the accountability court in Lahore as Judge Syed Najamul Hassan heard the case, Dawn reported.
Judge Hassan then framed charges against Shehbaz and the nine other suspects, including former principal secretary to prime minister Fawad Hassan Fawad. Shehbaz and the other suspects rejected the charges and decided to contest the allegations.
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had taken Shehbaz, the brother of jailed former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, into custody on October 5. He is accused of allegedly misusing his authority by cancelling the contract of a successful bidder in the scheme and awarding the same to his favourite firm when he was the chief .

Shahbaz Sharif indicted in corruption case

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia Monday held a joint business conference to strengthen bilateral economic ties, a day after they signed seven agreements worth USD 20 billion to promote trade and investment in the cash-strapped South Asian country.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, who is also Saudi Arabia's defence minister, arrived on his maiden trip to Pakistan on Sunday.
He will arrive in India on February 19 on his first official visit. Counterterrorism and energy security are expected to top the agenda for discussions during the two-day trip.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia on Sunday signed a slew of investment agreements worth USD 20 billion which will provide a welcome relief to the teetering economy of the cash-strapped Pakistan.
Foreign Office said the signed MoUs and agreements cover areas such as standard specifications, mineral resources, investment in refining and petrochemical sectors, power generation, development of renewable energy projects, and cooperation in the field of ..

Pak, Saudi hold business conference to boost economic ties

The talks between the US and Afghan Taliban slated for Monday here have been postponed, according to the insurgent group which alleged that some members of its negotiating team could not travel to Pakistan for the meeting due to sanctions imposed by America and the UN.
Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid announced last week that talks with the US will take place in Pakistan's capital, while they will also meet Prime Minister Imran Khan.
"The Islamic Emirate had arranged for their representatives to participate but unfortunately, most members of the negotiations team were unable to travel due to the US and UN blacklist and the meeting was postponed, the Taliban said in a statement.
Security officials said that some of the members of the Taliban were still under sanctions but it was not the sole reason for the delay.
They said Afghanistan was not comfortable with these talks and the delay in the arrival of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman visit was another reason.
Now the next ...

US-Taliban talks in Pakistan postponed

Cell replacement therapies may help alleviate the symptoms of Parkinson's disease, a progressive disorder that currently has no cure, scientists say.
According to a study published in the Journal of Parkinson's Disease, newly developed stem cell technologies could be used to treat the disease.
The most common Parkinson's disease treatment today is based on enhancing the activity of the nigro-striatal pathway in the brain with dopamine-modulating therapies, thereby increasing striatal dopamine levels and improving motor impairment associated with the disease.
However, this treatment has significant long-term limitations and side effects. Stem cell technologies show promise for treating Parkinson's Disease and may play an increasing role in alleviating at least the motor symptoms, if not others, in the decades to come.
"We are in desperate need of a better way of helping people with Parkinson's disease. It is on the increase worldwide. There is still no cure, and medications only go ...

Cell replacement therapies may help treat Parkinson's disease

Greed, and not the willingness to return the favour, is the main reason people give in to bribery, according to a study carried out in several settings, including India.
Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) in the US suggest that when incentives are dependent on choices, people accept and reward bribes.
On the other hand, when bribes are not contingent on delivering a certain outcome, they do not distort judgment nearly as much.
Pairs of participants wrote original jokes and submitted them to a judge, who was tasked with deciding which pun was the funniest. Joke-tellers could blindly submit bribes up to USD 5.
When judges were allowed to keep only one bribe, nearly 90 per cent of them chose the joke that came with the most money.
The better joke -- as determined by independent evaluators --was selected just 60 per cent of the time.
"Quality was basically ignored when the person could pocket the winner's bribe. Nearly every person went with the money," said Silvia Saccardo, .

Why people give into bribery decoded

A gunbattle between police and a suspect on the edge of New Orleans' French Quarter tourism district left five bystanders wounded Sunday evening, police said.
Police shot and killed the suspect during the incident, which occurred almost two weeks before the Louisiana city's renowned Mardi Gras festival.
All of those injured were at a bus stop and one was left in critical condition, New Orleans Police Chief Shaun Ferguson told reporters.
Ferguson said officers tried to question a man in connection with recent robberies when he pulled a weapon and opened fire at Canal and Elk streets.
The police shot back, "causing a gunfire exchange" that left the five "innocent bystanders" injured, said the chief.
Gunfire continued down Elk street toward Tulane Avenue where the gunman shot at a police officer, who returned fire at the suspect, who died later in hospital, Ferguson said.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and an independent monitor were called in to investigate, he added.
It was the ...

Shootout wounds five bystanders near New Orleans tourism area

Organisers of Pope Francis' summit on preventing clergy sex abuse will meet this week with a dozen survivor-activists who have come to Rome to protest the Catholic Church's response to date and demand an end to decades of cover-up by church leaders.
These survivors will not be addressing the summit of church leaders itself. Rather, they will meet Wednesday with the four-member organising committee to convey their complaints. The larger summit of 180 presidents of bishops conferences from around the world begins Thursday.
Chilean survivor Juan Carlos Cruz, who is coordinating the survivor meeting, told The Associated Press he hopes for a "constructive and open dialogue" and for summit committee members to convey the survivors' demand that bishops stop pleading ignorance about abuse.
"This has to stop," Cruz said. "Raping a child or a vulnerable person and abusing them has been wrong since the 1st century, the Middle Ages and now."
Francis called the summit in September after he himself 

Sex abuse survivors to meet with Vatican summit organisers

Smoking more than 20 cigarettes a day may damage your vision by affecting blood vessels and neurons in the retina, a study warns.
The study, published in the journal Psychiatry Research, included 71 healthy people who smoked fewer than 15 cigarettes in their lives and 63 who smoked more than 20 cigarettes a day, were diagnosed with tobacco addiction and reported no attempts to stop.
The participants were between the ages of 25 and 45 and had normal or corrected-to-normal vision as measured by standard visual acuity charts, said researchers from the Rutgers University in the US.
They looked at how participants discriminated contrast levels (subtle differences in shading) and colours while seated 59 inches from a 19-inch cathode-ray tube monitor that displayed stimuli while researchers monitored both eyes simultaneously.
The findings indicated significant changes in the smokers' red-green and blue-yellow colour vision, which suggests that consuming substances with neurotoxic chemicals, .

Heavy smoking may damage vision: Study

Oscar nominee Glenn Close says working with her daughter, Annie Starke, on "The Wife" was a special experience.
Starke plays the younger version of Close's character Joan Castleman in the Bjorn Runge-directed film. For her performance, Close is nominated for Best Actress at the upcoming 91st Academy Awards.
According to Femalefirst, Close said the reason why working with her daughter was "special" is because "she really had to lay down the foundations of the character".
"There was more of a back story to young Joan in that she came from a very wealthy New York family and she fell in love with her professor who was married and it was all a big scandal," the veteran actor said.
Close is the frontrunner to take home the coveted honour. She has been previously nominated six times at the Oscars.
She believes the award is actually given to an actor on the basis of how strong her character is.
"They're the best parts I've been given. I have a theory about the Oscars - I think a lot of times .

Glenn Close talks about working with daughter Annie Starke in 'The Wife'

In a potshot at the streaming services, veteran filmmaker has urged directors to make movies for the "big dark theatres".
During his acceptance speech for the Filmmaker Award at the Cinema Audio Society's CAS Awards, the 72-year-old director said directors should continue to provide people "the motion picture theatrical experience", reported Variety.
"I hope all of us really continue to believe that the greatest contributions we can make as filmmakers is to give audiences the motion picture theatrical experience. I'm a firm believer that movie theatres need to be around forever," Spielberg said.
The filmmaker then praised the bold work taking place in the television sphere while lamenting how streaming will never compare to the experience of watching a film in a theatre. He did not name any streaming service in particular.
"I love television. I love the opportunity. Some of the greatest writing being done today is for television, some of the best directing for television, some of the .

Steven Spielberg urges filmmakers to make films for 'big dark theatre'

Australia captain Aaron Finch feels that he doesn't need a Big Bash League triumph to "pep" him up as playing an away series against a formidable Indian team is a big enough challenge.
Finch will lead Australia in the upcoming limited overs series in India starting February 24 where they would play two T20 Internationals apart from five ODIs to fine tune their preparation for the ICC World Cup.
Finch's side Melbourne Renegades beat Melbourne Stars by 13 runs in the BBL final on Sunday.
"I don't think you need anything to put a pep in your step when you're going on an Aussie tour, particularly to India," Finch was quoted as saying by official Cricket Australia website cricket.com.au.
"If you are slightly off the mark, you are going to get hurt. They (India) are the best side in one-day cricket in their own conditions, I think. So you've got to go there full of confidence and have a real clear game plan," said the 32-year-old opener.
Finch went through an eventful summer. He was ...

Any slight let up and you will get hurt: Australia captain Finch on India tour

Cinematographer Robert Elswit has revealed that he and his "There Will Be Blood" director Paul Thomas Anderson had a fallout.
During his appearance for an episode of the "Light the Fuse" podcast, Elswit, who won the Oscar for Best Cinematography for the 2007 feature, but they have hit a rough patch in their partnership now.
"God, I don't know what it is anymore. It's like a bad married couple. Unpleasant," the 68-year-old cinematographer said.
The duo have collaborated on a total of six films -- from Anderson's debut "Hard Eight" in 1996 to "Inherent Vice" in 2014.
When asked whether he will work with Anderson again, Elswit said, "I don't know. Probably not. You know, it depends on how he feels. I would do it again..."
"I didn't enjoy myself on 'Inherent Vice'... It was a combination of me and Paul just not getting along, and I can be as immature as him," he added.
According to Indiewire, Elswit also recalled his experience working on "There Will Be Blood".
"I never saw the movie as ..

'There Will Be Blood' duo Paul Thomas Anderson and Robert Elswit might not work together again

Country star Miranda Lambert has tied the knot with her boyfriend Brendan Mcloughlin.
The two-time Grammy winner shared the news on Instagram with a photo from her wedding.
"In honour of Valentine's Day, I wanted to share some news. I met the love of my life. And we got hitched! My heart is full. Thank you Brendan Mcloughlin for loving me for.... me," she wrote in the caption.
According to EOnline, the couple tied the knot on January 26 in Davidson County, Tennessee.
The country singer was previously married to Blake Shelton for four years.

Miranda Lambert reveals marriage to Brendan Mcloughlin

"The Crown" star Matt Smith has defended his decision to play a homosexual character in his upcoming film.
According to Vulture, the 36-year-old actor gave his views on the debate over whether LGBTQ+ roles should only be played by LGBTQ+ actors during a session.
He said an actor's sexual orientation should have not any "bearing" on the roles they are offered.
"I think your sexual orientation, or your sex and your choices outside of work, shouldn't influence -- in either way, positive or negative -- what happens. So, to me, it doesn't matter if you're gay or straight. That has no bearing on whether you should get the part," Smith said.
Smith next stars as gay photographer Robert Mapplethorpe in Ondi Timoner's biographical drama "Mapplethorpe".
"Where does it stop? Like, do we then say, do we apply that logic to going, 'OK, I've got a part, and it's playing a brother, and he's addicted to heroin.' Do we then go to people that have only taken heroin?" he asked.
Eliza Dushku, one of the ..

Matt Smith defends playing a gay character in 'Mapplethorpe'

India and Pakistan are set for a showdown at the International Court of Justice which will commence on Monday a four-day public hearing in the case of Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court on charges of espionage.
India moved the ICJ in May in 2017 against the "farcical trial" by the military court of Pakistan against 48-year-old Jadhav.
Jadhav, a retired Indian Navy officer, was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court on charges of espionage and terrorism in April 2017.
India first approached the ICJ on May 8, 2017 for the "egregious violation" of the provisions of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, 1963 by Pakistan by repeatedly denying it consular access to Jadhav.
A 10-member bench of the ICJ, which was set up after World War II to resolve international disputes, on May 18, 2017 had restrained Pakistan from executing Jadhav till adjudication of the case.
The ICJ has set a timetable for the public hearing in the ...

India, Pak to face off in ICJ over  Kulbhushan Jadhav's case

Indirect breastfeeding -- using pumps to extract  milk from the breasts -- can expose babies to potential pathogens that increase the risk of asthma and other respiratory infections, a study claims.
A breast pump is a mechanical device that lactating women use to extract milk from their breasts. Many mothers use them to continue breastfeeding after they return to work. It is also used to address a range of challenges parents may encounter breast feeding.
The research, published in the journal Cell Host & Microbe, suggests that the milk microbiota is affected by bacteria both from the infant's mouth and from environmental sources such as breast pumps.
The large-scale analysis showed that using pumped milk is associated with the depletion of oral bacteria and a higher abundance of potential pathogens compared with direct breastfeeding at the breast.
"To our knowledge, this is among the largest studies of human milk microbiota performed to date," said Meghan Azad, a researcher at the ...

Breast pumps may put babies at asthma risk: Study

A weakened cleaning system of the brain cells in animals and humans is central to developing Alzheimer's disease, according to a study which may lead to new treatments for the neurodegenerative disorder.
Researchers, including those from the University of Copenhagen in Denmark, found that improving mitophagy -- the cleaning system of the brain cells -- nearly removed the symptoms of Alzheimer's in the animals.
Scientists around the world are still struggling to understand Alzheimer's better in order to treat and potentially prevent the development of the debilitating disease in the future. No new medications have been approved in recent years.
The study, published in the journal Nature Neuroscience, may lead to new treatments for the disease by targeting the mitophagy process.
"When the cleaning system does not work properly, there will be an accumulation of defective mitochondria in the brain cells. And this may be really dangerous," said Vilhelm Bohr from the National Institutes of .

Lack of cleaning in brain cells causes Alzheimer's: Study

The viability of a key river that feeds into Australia's biggest water system is under threat if poor conditions that killed millions of fish are not improved within six months, scientists warned Monday.
The management of the Murray-Darling River system, which stretches thousands of kilometres across several states and supplies Australia's food bowl, has been under close scrutiny following three mass fish deaths in December and January.
Authorities said millions of fish died in the Darling River events, blamed on low water flow and oxygen levels in the river as well as possibly toxic algae.
Leading scientists who studied the three bouts of kills said that while a severe drought plaguing inland eastern Australia contributed to the deaths, there were also "serious deficiencies in governance and management" of the river network.
"Our review of the fish kills found there isn't enough water in the Darling system to avoid catastrophic outcomes," said Craig Moritz, chair of the independent ..

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