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NEW DELHI: India is withdrawing about15,000 soldiers from Jammu and Kashmir, a military official said on Thursday, in a move aimed at boosting prospects of peace talks with the disputed region's freedom fighters.India has been under international pressure in recent months to reduce tensions along its Pakistan border particularly Kashmir so that Islamabad could focus on fighting the Taliban on its western border with Afghanistan.But military analysts said the slight thinning of troops in the Jammu region was linked with ongoing efforts to resume talks with All Parties Hurriyat Conference rather than extending an olive branch to Pakistan.Kashmiri freedom fighters urged New Delhi to pull out troops, release prisoners and end alleged human rights violations after the Indian government offered to resume talks this month to end a two-decade insurgency.A military spokesman said one army division was being moved in a phased manner since September from the border districts of Rajouri and Po...

Thursday, October 29, 2009 NEW YORK: Scientists in America found people with a particular fault in their genetic make-up performed 20 per cent worse in driving skills tests than those without. Three in ten people may carry the affected gene, a team from University of California Irvine said. The study is published in the journal Cerebral Cortex. The gene fault affects production of a protein that helps keep memory strong and may be linked to co-ordination. People with the variant also don't recover as well after a stroke. A driving test was taken by 29 people -- 22 without the gene variant and seven with it. They were asked to drive 15 laps on a simulator that required them to learn the nuances of a track programmed to have difficult curves and turns. Researchers recorded how well they stayed on the course over time. Four days later, the test was repeated. Results showed that people with the variant did worse on both tests than the other participants, and they remembered less the se...

Thursday, October 29, 2009 LONDON: The screeching violin in Alfred Hitchcock’s bloody Psycho shower scene is the scariest movie theme tune, according to a new survey.The tune, composed by Bernard Hermann, reaches a crescendo when Norman Bates kills Marion (Janet Leigh) to death, which leaves her blood to pour down the plughole.It pipped Jerry Goldsmith’s Ave Satani song, which featured in The Omen, to land the honour. Hans Zimmer’s ‘Samara’s Song’ in The Ring came third followed by Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom Of The Opera theme at the fourth place.Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells from The Exorcist was fifth, reports a UK-based newspaper.Ellis Rich, chairman of PRS for Music which carried out the survey, said: “During this period many of us turn to horror films on a quest for the thrill of goosebumps.“What makes the difference between an average horror and a classic is clearly the film score, without which the movie would just not have the same effect.”

Thursday, October 29, 2009 LOS ANGELES: Michael Jackson may be headed to the top of the charts again — this time at the movie box office."Michael Jackson's This Is It" took in $2.2 million domestically from its first late-night screenings, setting it up for a big full opening day Wednesday and a strong shot at a No. 1 debut weekend.Those evening screenings alone were enough to top the $1.7 million that Paramount's fright flick "Paranormal Activity," last weekend's No. 1 movie, pulled in over the entire day Tuesday.With Halloween at hand, "Paranormal Activity" expands into its widest release yet, about 2,400 theaters, compared to about 3,500 for "This Is It."Distributor Sony said Wednesday matinees for "This Is It" already had surpassed the film's haul from those first evening screenings. The studio paid $60 million for worldwide rights to the film, which was distilled from more than 100 hours of footage shot as Jackson ...

Thursday, October 29, 2009 WASHINGTON: The White House has said that it has no plans to quit its operations in Afghanistan and Pakistan in spite of Wednesday's blast in a Peshawar bazaar.Recent reports had suggested that a rapid increase in attacks on US and NATO forces in Afghanistan might force the Obama administration to leave the country, but the White House said that US troops would stay put.“The president began the meetings on the assessment with saying we were not leaving Afghanistan. We understand that we have a role to play in ensuring stability in the region, which is why the president is taking his time to get this policy right,” a local newspaper quoted Robert Gibbs, White House Press Secretary, as saying.Gibbs also said President Obama will meet US military chiefs on Friday to review military strategy in Afghanistan. “This is a meeting requested by the president to see the Joint Chiefs and to have a chance to talk to them and to other service branches about the ongoing...

Thursday, October 29, 2009 ZURICH: A new study has revealed that playing a musical instrument can be used as a therapy for enhancing brain’s cognitive abilities.It is a known fact that musicians have structurally and functionally different brains compared with non-musicians and areas of the brain used to process music are larger or more active in musicians. Even just starting to learn a musical instrument can changes the neurophysiology of the brain. Lead researcher Lutz Jancke, a member of Faculty of 1000 Medicine, proposes using music in neuropsychological therapy, for example to improve language skills, memory, or mood. While writing in Faculty of 1000 Biology Reports, Jancke said that brain regions involved in music processing are also required for other tasks, such as memory or language skills. "If music has such a strong influence on brain plasticity this raises the question of whether this effect can be used to enhance cognitive performance," Jancke added. Several stud...

Thursday, October 29, 2009 LONDON: Can pomegranate juice reduce the effects of flu? In a new trial, patients with flu are being given two glasses of the juice every day for four or five days. Previous laboratory studies have shown that compounds in pomegranates stopped the virus from replicating and spreading. The new study, at the Hillel Yaffe Medical Center in Israel, will assess whether this benefit can be extended to people.Pomegranate juice is thought to help combat oxidative stress. This occurs as a result of chemical reactions in the body which release harmful oxygen-rich molecules that attack tissue and cause permanent damage. This oxidative damage is implicated as a cause of many illnesses — including flu. The antioxidant punicalagin, which is mostly found in pomegranate seeds, is thought to be key in combating this process.

Thursday, October 29, 2009 LOS ANGELES: Cindy Crawford who was famous in her 90s hey day for her curvy figure and signature mole thinks she would fail as a model if she had started her cover girl career today.She told a Germany’s magazine: “I would not have become a supermodel in 2009. I look too healthy.”According to the mum-of-two, “a body like mine is no longer what the industry is looking for.Cindy, 43, who has launched a furniture line called the Cindy Crawford Home Collection since quitting modelling in 2000, says she is happy with her physique.Cindy said: “That’s why I like being in my 40s so much.“Being at peace with yourself, knowing about your strengths beyond being pretty.”

Thursday, October 29, 2009 HELSINKI: Finland takes the lead in this year’s ranking of the world’s most prosperous countries announced by the UK-based economic think-tank the Legatum Institute on 27 October. Finland’s position, up from third place in 2008, is due to a variety of factors that include monetary wealth and economic development as well as the level of democratic governance, public health and quality of life. The top three includes two other small liberal democracies, Switzerland and Sweden.According to the Institute’s report, Finland in terms of economic fundamentals, promotion of entrepreneurship and democratic institutions barely makes the top ten. It is in terms of security, education and governance that Finland is superior.As expected, the top 20 is dominated by European countries and North America, with the United States ranking 9th overall. The lowest rungs of the list are heavy with African countries. Afflicted by hyperinflation and nearly 80 per cent unemployment, Zi...

Thursday, October 29, 2009 TOKYO: A Japanese zero-emission "hybrid" scooter to be released next year runs 10 times as economically as a petrol engine bike and can be assisted by human pedal power, its maker said Thursday.The Miletto, developed by auto equipment maker PROSTAFF Co. Ltd., will make its debut at 156,900 yen (1,730 dollars) in 12 colours, the company said."It normally runs with battery power, but on a steep hill the rider would work the pedals to assist," said Ryo Teranishi, a planning official for the company, which is based in the central Japanese city of Ichinomiya."It's a zero-emission vehicle in itself but this hybrid of an electric motor and manpower makes it even more environmentally friendly," he said.With a single charge, which takes between two and four hours, the Miletto can run 35 kilometres (22 miles) on a flat road without pedalling.That means it can travel three kilometres on one yen (one cent), roughly 10 times as economica...

Thursday, October 29, 2009 LONDON: The world record-breaking attempt to produce the largest ever reproduction of the Mona Lisa went on display at Eagles Meadow shopping centre in Wrexham, Wales on Wednesday 28th October. Members from the entire community have come together to create their own version of the famous Leonardo da Vinci painting that covers a massive 240 square metres: that’s the size of 24 double-decker buses! Hundreds of people were involved, including school children from Victoria Primary School and members of the Haulfan Centre, which offers a wide range of activities for people with disabilities, have given hours of their time to help artist Katy Webster complete the mammoth task. The work will be on show at Eagles Meadow for one day only. Shoppers will not only have the chance to scrutinise every detail of Mona Lisa’s famous expression up close, but will also be able to touch the giant piece, made up of 82 different vinyl squares. Hope House, a charity that provides ...

Thursday, October 29, 2009 DOHA: Dinara Safina's dream of becoming the first Russian to end the year as world number one was left in tatters on Wednesday when her aching body finally gave out at the WTA Championships.The 23-year-old, who arrived in Doha ahead of 11-times grand slam champion Serena Williams in the rankings, managed just two games in her opening round-robin match against Serbia's Jelena Jankovic before a lower back injury flared up and she was forced to quit in tears.Shortly afterwards she confirmed she would be unable to take any further part in the tournament, meaning Williams, courtesy of her group victory over Svetlana Kuznetsova on Tuesday, was guaranteed ending the year as the No.1 -- the first time she has done that since 2002.Safina, who has been criticised for her failure to land a grand slam title, said she first injured her back in Slovenia in July but has battled on in pain to protect top spot, a position she held for 25 consecutive weeks this year....

Thursday, October 29, 2009 KARACHI: Pakistan's total liquid foreign exchange reserves stood at $14,428.9 million on October 24, 2009, State Bank of Pakistan said Thursday. According to break-up, foreign reserves held by SBP were $10,859.3 million while net forex reserves held by banks (other than SBP) $3,569.6 million.