Scientists say they have identified a molecule that stimulates the immune system and may protect against the development of multiple types of cancer.
The recombinant protein molecule SA-4-1BBL has been used to enhance the therapeutic efficacy of cancer vaccines with success in pre-clinical animal models, said researchers from the University of Louisville in the US.
It accomplishes this by boosting the effectiveness of CD8+ T cells, adaptive immune cells trained to target the tumour for destruction, according to the study published in the journal Cancer Research.
When the researchers treated normal healthy mice with SA-4-1BBL alone, the mice were protected when the they later exposed them to different types of tumour cells.
"The novelty we are reporting is the ability of this molecule to generate an immune response that patrols the body for the presence of rare tumour cells and to eliminate cancer before it takes hold in the body," said Haval Shirwan, a professor at the University of ..

Immune stimulant molecule shown to prevent cancer: Study

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"Buffy the Vampire Slayer" star Eliza Dushku and her husband Peter Palandjian are expecting their first child together.
Dushku confirmed the pregnancy news to Us Weekly at a special screening of her documentary "Mapplethorpe".
"We're just very excited. We just got married in August. It's a special year for us," Dushku said.
The 38-year-old actor tied the knot with Palandjian, 54, CEO of Intercontinental Real Estate Corporation, in a courtyard at the Boston Public Library on August 18, 2018.

Eliza Dushku pregnant with her first child

A month into Venezuela's high-stakes political crisis, President Nicolas Maduro revealed in an AP interview that his government held secret talks with the Trump administration and predicted he would survive an unprecedented global campaign to force his resignation.
While harshly criticising President Donald Trump's confrontational stance toward his socialist government, Maduro said Thursday that he holds out hope of meeting the US president soon to resolve a crisis triggered by America's recognition of opponent Juan Guaido as Venezuela's rightful leader.
Maduro said that during two hushed meetings in New York, his foreign minister invited the Washington-based special envoy for Venezuela, Elliott Abrams, to come to visit "privately, publicly or secretly."
"If he wants to meet, just tell me when, where and how and I'll be there," Maduro said without providing more details. He said both New York meetings lasted several hours.
A senior administration official in Washington who was not ...

Maduro reveals secret meetings with US envoy

A team led by an Indian-origin scientist has developed a flexible supercapacitor which can generate power from the Sun and store excess energy for later use.
The technology developed by researchers from the University of Glasgow in the UK could pave the way for a new generation of flexible electronic devices, including solar-powered prosthetics for amputees.
The team led by Professor Ravinder Dahiya used layers of graphene and polyurethane to create the flexible supercapacitor, according to the study published in the journal Advanced Science.
The researchers demonstrated the effectiveness of their new material by powering a series of devices, including a string of 84 light-emitting-diodes (LEDs) and a prosthetic hand, allowing it to grasp a series of object.
The top touch sensitive layer is made from graphene, a highly flexible, transparent 'super-material' form of carbon layers just one atom thick, said Dahiya.
Sunlight which passes through the top layer of graphene is used to ...

Flexible, solar-powered supercapacitor for wearable electronics developed

A US judge ruled Thursday against a butterfly sanctuary that had sued to keep  President Donald Trump's proposed border wall from cutting the refuge in two.
For months the National Butterfly Center has been arguing that the wall would be devastating for those insects and other creatures living in this habitat in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas.
As many as 200 species of butterfly live in the sanctuary, as do bobcats, coyotes, skunk pigs, armadillos and Texas turtles.
Financing for a wall going through the sanctuary was approved last year and is separate from the border appropriation fight that is currently roiling Washington. Construction could begin in a matter of weeks, local people said.
The North American Butterfly Association, which runs the refuge, sued the government on grounds that the sanctuary is private property.
But federal judge Richard Leon ruled Thursday that the project can proceed.
"On the same day the president announces he will declare a state of emergency, the ...

US judge rules against butterfly sanctuary opposed to Trump's wall

Security was tight Friday in Bangladesh as hundreds of thousands of people gathered for a Muslim gathering rivalling the Hajj in Mecca for size.
The Biswa Ijtema, or the World Congregation, draws up to three million Muslims from Bangladesh and abroad on the banks of the river Turag at the factory town of Tongi.
The annual gathering, which takes place some 25 kilometres north of Dhaka, was launched by the Tablig Jamaat group in 1964.
However, tension has been running high ahead of this year's four-day event after violent clashes between two Bangladeshi rival factions left one person dead and dozens injured in December.
The congregation, which is normally held in January, was postponed following the violence, prompting Bangladesh authorities to hold several rounds of meetings with rival factions to broker peace.
Police said they would deploy hundreds of officers including many in plainclothes at the congregation ground to prevent any repeat of the clashes.  "We have adequate ...

Security tight for Bangladesh 'mini-Hajj'

A court in Myanmar has sentenced two men to death for the killing of a prominent Muslim lawyer who was a close adviser to the country's top leader, Aung San Suu Kyi.
The court found the gunman, Kyi Lin, guilty of premeditated murder and illegal weapons possession for the Jan. 29, 2017 shooting of Ko Ni in broad daylight at the Yangon airport. An accomplice involved in planning the killing was also sentenced to death, and two other men involved in the crime received prison sentences.
A fifth suspect thought to be the crime's mastermind remains at large.  Ko Ni advised Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy on ways to get around articles in the army-imposed constitution that give the military wide powers even after Myanmar transitioned to democracy.

Myanmar court sentences 2 to death for killing Suu Kyi aide

Runoff from recent floods in northern Australia is flowing onto parts of the Barrier Reef, scientists said Friday, starving coral of light and providing fodder for the predatory crown-of-thorns starfish.
Parts of northern Queensland are still reeling after nearly two weeks of unprecedented rainfall that turned roads into rivers and inundated hundreds of homes with floodwater.
Scientists at James Cook University say the floods swelled a number of rivers along hundreds of kilometres of coastline, spilling sediment onto the reef which has reduced water quality and much-needed sunlight.
"Coral reef and seagrass need light to maintain their growth and health," researcher Jane Waterhouse from James Cook University told AFP.
Calm weather following the extended period of rain means the murky water is yet to disperse.
It threatens to "smother" coral in areas worst hit, like at the mouth of north Queensland's Burdekin river, where a brown flood plume has spread some 100 kilometres offshore.
"If 

Fears flood water runoff could 'smother' Barrier Reef

An ex-Goldman Sachs banker accused of involvement in the multi-billion-dollar 1MDB scandal has agreed to be extradited from Malaysia to the United States to face charges, his lawyers said Friday.
Huge sums of public money were purportedly stolen from Malaysian state fund 1MDB and used to buy everything from yachts to art in a scheme that allegedly involved former premier Najib Razak and contributed to his government's election defeat.
Goldman's role is under scrutiny as the Wall Street titan helped arrange $6.5 billion in bonds for 1MDB. Authorities in Malaysia and the US accuse former employees of charges ranging from bribery to stealing billions of dollars, and investigators believe cash was laundered through the US financial system.
Malaysian Ng Chong Hwa, a former managing director at the bank, was indicted in November when US authorities also lodged an extradition request.
He has been in custody in Malaysia since the US indictment.  Malaysia also filed charges against Ng, as well 

Ex-Goldman banker facing 1MDB charges agrees to US extradition

President Donald Trump is technically obese and has put on weight since last year, but his official doctor declared him Thursday to be in "very good health."
The presidential physician, Sean Conley, said Trump, 72, passed his medical exam last week with flying colors.
"It is my determination that the president remains in very good health overall," he said in a brief statement.
Trump, who has confounded health experts with his penchant for junk food and avoidance of strenuous exercise, weighs 243 pounds (110 kg), the report said.
This is a little bulkier than the 239 pounds recorded last year, which was already considered too much. The resting heart rate has gone up too, at 70 beats a minute, compared to 68 beats last year.
Doctor Theodore Strange, associate chair of medicine at Staten Island University Hospital in New York, said after reviewing the findings that Trump is technically obese.
The results "show a 72-year-old male who meets criteria for obesity with a BMI (body mass index) 

Trump puts on weight, but in 'very good health:' doctor

Top US economic officials were to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday after wrapping up trade talks in Beijing without announcing any progress.
The world's two biggest economies were aiming to at least end the discussions on deep trade differences with enough goodwill to avoid an escalation of their tariff war.
The high-level engagement began Thursday after President Donald Trump suggested he may extend his March 1 deadline for China to make significant concessions on trade if enough progress was made this week in Beijing.
The talks pitted a visiting delegation led by US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin against one fronted by China's economic czar Liu He.
They ended around mid-day on Friday and the delegations parted with nothing announced.
Attention now shifts to a planned meeting between the US officials and Xi on Friday afternoon.
Trump's economic advisor Larry Kudlow had earlier said Xi's willingness to meet was a "very good 

US officials to meet Xi as trade talks end

Actor Sebastian Stan is set to star in Netflix's "The Devil All the Time" after Chris Evans had to exit the project due to scheduling conflicts.
Stan will be joining the cast that includes Tom Holland, Jason Clarke, Mia Wasikowska, Robert Pattinson, Riley Keough, and Bill Skarsgard.
According to Variety, the film is based on Donald Ray Pollock's 2011 novel and is set in a fictional town called Knockemstiff, Ohio, where a storm of faith, violence and redemption brews.
The story, told across two decades, revolves around a bullied kid who becomes a man who knows when to take action, a serial killer couple, a faith-testing preacher, and a corrupt local sheriff.
"The Sinnger" helmer Antonio Campos is directing from a script he co-wrote with Paulo Campos.
Randall Poster, Ninestories' Jake Gyllenhaal and Riva Marker, and Max Born are producing the project.

Sebastian Stan replaces Chris Evans in 'The Devil All the Time'

"Aquaman" star Jason Momoa is in negotiations to join the star-studded cast of "Dune" reboot.
The film features Timothee Chalamet, Javier Bardem, Rebecca Ferguson, Stellan Skarsgard, Dave Bautista, Josh Brolin, Oscar Isaac, and Zendaya.
Set in the distant future, "Dune" follows Paul Atreides (Chalamet), whose family assumes control of the desert planet Arrakis. As the only producer of a highly valuable resource, jurisdiction over Arrakis is contested among competing noble families. After Atreides is betrayed, he leads a rebellion to restore his family's reign.
Denis Villeneuve is directing and co-writing the script with Eric Roth and Jon Spaihts.
If things work out, Momoa will portray Duncan Idaho, a swordmaster in the house of Atreides who is the right-hand man to Chalamet's father, played by Isaac.

Jason Momoa in talks for 'Dune' reboot

Australian health authorities have approved a new weight loss drug to help fight obesity.
The weight loss drug Contrave has been listed on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods and is intended to be used with a  diet control and increased exercise, according to a media report.
Australian Researcher Michael Cowley, Head of the Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute's Department of Physiology, developed the medication while working overseas after mapping key areas of the brain involved in the regulation of food intake.
Cowley said he hopes the extra medication on the market, which has been approved for use in the US since 2014, will help people realise there are effective medical treatments available.
That will also help break down inappropriate social stigma, he said.
"There is a sector of the medical community and a sector of the Australian political community who regard obesity as a moral failing," he was quoted by AAP news agency.
"Most of the rest of the world has ...

Australia approves new drug to fight obesity

Hundreds of animal species, including parrots and lizards, may be at the risk of extinction due to existing policies that respond slowly to scientific knowledge, according to a study.
The study, published in the journal Science, suggests concrete steps policymakers can take to speed up a wildlife protection process that can take more than two decades.
"New trends in wildlife trade can develop quickly, with some species going from common to near extinction in just a few years," said Eyal Frank, an assistant professor at the University of Chicago in the US.
"A policymaking process needs to respond quickly to new information in order to prevent extinction for hundreds of animals and plants. That is why it is absolutely critical that policymakers allow science to inform a speedy protection process," Frank said in a statement.
Researchers, including those from Princeton University in the US, analysed 958 species on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) Red List ...

Delays in wildlife trade ban putting hundreds of species at risk: Study

Ryan Adams had planned to come out with three albums in 2019, but the release of his first LP 'Big Colors' has been put on hold following the accusations of sexual misconduct and emotional manipulation by more than half a dozen women, including ex-wife Mandy Moore.
According to Variety, 'Big Colors' was suppose to release on April 19, but the musician has decided to postpone it.
On Thursday, after The New York Times article in which multiple people including Phoebe Bridgers, Moore, singer-songwriter Courtney Jaye and an underage girl have detailed accounts of their experiences with Adams went viral, retailers began reporting that they have been notified the album has been yanked from the schedule by Universal Music Group.
Adams' Pax-Am label has also deleted its own pages devoted to pre-orders for the CD and LP.

Ryan Adams' album release put on hold amid sexual misconduct allegations

Amazon jilted New York City on Valentine's Day, scrapping plans to build a massive headquarters campus in Queens amid fierce opposition from politicians angry about nearly 3 billion in tax breaks and the company's anti-union stance.
With millions of jobs and a bustling economy, New York can withstand the blow, but experts say the decision by the e-commerce giant to walk away and take with it 25,000 promised jobs could scare off other companies considering moving to or expanding in the city, which wants to be seen as the Silicon Valley of the East Coast.
"One of the real risks here is the message we send to companies that want to come to New York and expand to New York," said Julie Samuels, the executive director of industry group Tech: NYC. "We're really playing with fire right now." In November, Amazon selected New York City and Crystal City, Virginia, as the winners of a secretive, yearlong process in which more than 230 North American cities bid to become the home of the ...

Amazon's exit could scare off tech companies from New York

A new documentary on the life of Soundgarden and Audioslave frontman Chris Cornell is in the works with Brad Pitt and Peter Berg's Film 45 production company backing the project.
Cornell's widow Vicky is also attached as a producer on the documentary, which focuses on non-scripted entertainment and branded content.
According to Variety, Berg will also direct the project. His last film was "Mile 22",  starring Mark Wahlberg.
Cornell was the lead singer of Soundgarden, the band he formed in 1984.  After the group broke up in 1997 he went on to front Audioslave with members of Rage Against the Machine. Soundgarden reunited in 2011 and the band was in the middle of touring when, on May 18, 2017, Cornell died after a show in Detroit. His death was ruled a suicide.
Cornell received 16 Grammy nominations throughout his career. He won three: best metal performance for "Spoonman" and best hard rock performance for "Black Hole Sun",  both with his Soundgarden bandmates. Last week he won a ...

Chris Cornell documentary in works

The company overseeing President Donald Trump's business dealings has dropped plans to develop two new lines of hotels, citing what it calls a hostile political climate, The New York Times reported Thursday.
In 2016 and 2017 the Trump Organization announced plans for the two new brands, called Scion and American Idea, which were to be more affordable than the usual flashy Trump hotel properties.
But they never really got off the ground and only one partner, in Mississippi, had signed a deal.
Now, the Trump Organization has shelved plans for these hotels, probably for the rest of the Trump presidency, the Times said.
The company is under investigation by federal prosecutors and Congress. And a former employee, Trump's former personal attorney Michael Cohen, is bound for prison.
"We live in a climate where everything will be used against us, whether by the fake news or by Democrats who are only interested in presidential harassment and wasting everyone's time, barraging us with nonsense 

Trump company ditches plans for new hotels: NYT

After bagging several accolades and a national award for his debut "Filmistaan", director Nitin Kakkar is ready with his next "Notebook", a love story set in Kashmir, which he says is not a "run-of-the-mill" romantic saga.
Nitin says even though it is a love story, it doesn't follow the cliche Romeo-Juliet template.
"There is nothing cliched about 'Notebook'. As a director I was able to go beyond cliches. There is a conflict in the film but of a different type. It is not run-of-the-mill story. It is not in the classic romeo-juliet format.
"I thought Salman bhai (Salman Khan) might be sceptical because it is not conventional. The film has a world of its own, which is cinematic and real," Nitin told PTI.
One of the producers of the film, Ashwin Varde of Cine1 Studios, discussed the story with Nitin, who felt this project would be an apt vehicle  to launch Salman's childhood friend's son Zaheer Iqbal.
The film also marks the debut of Pratunan, daughter of actor Mohnish Bahl and ...

Thought Salman would be sceptical to back 'Notebook' as it's unconventional: Director Nitin Kakkar

Fighting "fake" news, wrestling with social media, and deploying an intern army -- the Taliban's sprawling propaganda machine embraces modernity even as the group vows to enforce Islamist controls on journalists if it returns to power.
Notorious for banning TV and radio under its iron-fisted 1996-2001 regime, the militants have proven surprisingly deft at adapting to the ever-changing nature of modern media.
The Taliban's official spokesman now tweets real-time updates about battlefield operations and its media arm stays in direct contact with journalists on a range of messaging apps.
"Media is considered one side of the struggle," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told AFP via Whatsapp.
"We are not against modern technology," a senior Taliban source with links to the insurgents' media wing told AFP.
"This is the need of the hour and using it is not against Islamic shariah." But the source admits his team struggles at times to control their own narrative.
High-profile interviews ...

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