Foundation stone laid for Diamer-Bhasha dam

CHILAS: Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani said here on Tuesday that the $12 billion Diamer-Bhasha dam on the Indus would produce 4,500MW of electricity and store over 8 million acre feet of water and help meet the country’s future power and agricultural requirements.

Speaking at the foundation stone-laying ceremony of the world’s highest concrete dam, he said he had undertaken consultations with various quarters to ensure that the project did not suffer the same fate as the Kalabagh dam which had fallen victim to political bickering.

The prime minister praised the local people who would have to sacrifice their ancestral land for a great national cause. But, he said, the project would play a great role in alleviating their sense of deprivation.

The prime minister said the vision of late prime ministers Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Banazir Bhutto was being carried forward and the dam was the result of that vision. He recalled the political reforms the two leaders had introduced, particularly the 1974-75 Northern Areas Framework Ordinance.

He praised the people of Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir and their political leadership for their united stand in favour of initiating the project.

The prime minister said matters relating to land compensation had been settled by a committee and any other issue cropping up would be resolved in consultation with the local leadership.

The prime minister said that China would construct the 165-km Jaglot-Skardu and 135-km Jaglot-Sazin roads.

On this occasion, Mr Gilani announced Rs300 million grant for Diamer and said an engineering faculty would be set up at the KKH University which would be eventually upgraded to an engineering university.

He ordered the work on a cadet college in Chillas to be speeded up and announced an additional amount of Rs1 billion for the government of Gilgit-Baltistan for immediate overhauling of the KKH and other roads.

The prime minister directed Wapda to initiate work on upgrading the DHQ hospitals in Chilas and Skardu and a public school in Ganche.

He said talks were also under way with the governments of Afghanistan and Tajikistan for construction of a road to provide connectivity with Central Asian Republics.

Former federal minister for water and power Raja Pervez Ashraf told PTV that the government had already earmarked Rs16 billion in the budget for the Diamer-Bhasha dam which would be completed in 10 years, adds APP.

Source: Dawn.com

Table salt used to boost digital storage: scientists

SINGAPORE: Scientists in Singapore said Friday they have discovered a process that can expand the data storage capacity of computer hard disks six-fold using a common kitchen ingredient -- table salt.

The discovery was made by Singapore's national research institute the Agency for Science, Technology and Research, in collaboration with the National University of Singapore and the Data Storage Institute.

The institutions have "developed a process that can increase the data recording density of hard disks to 3.3 Terabits per square inch, six times the recording density of current models", they said in a statement.

"This means that a hard disk drive that holds 1 Terabyte (TB) of data today could, in the future, hold 6 TB of information in the same size using this new
technology."

The discovery has been published in scientific journal Nanotechnology as well as the Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology B.

Scientists were able to boost data storage capacity by packing more bits -- miniature structures which hold information -- in neater patterns compared to the random configurations used in current hard disk drives.

"It's like packing your clothes in your suitcase when you travel. The neater you pack them the more you can carry," the statement said.

The method -- called bit patterning -- had previously not been feasible as scientists were unable to see the outlines of the bits clearly after they had been printed onto a film in a process much like developing photographs.

But adding table salt into the solution used for bit imaging allowed the outlines to stand out in sharp relief.

"It can give you a very high contrast. We are now able to see fine lines that would normally be blurred out," Joel Yang, the Singapore scientist who discovered the salty recipe, told AFP.

"Otherwise you can try your best to pattern these bits very closely but they will all end up being gigantic blurred-out blobs," said Yang of the national research agency's Institute of Materials Research and Engineering.

Yang predicted that the salted bit-patterning process will be adopted by the industry by 2016 "when the current techniques run out of fuel and (hard drive manufacturers) need to find alternate methods" of increasing data storage space. (AFP)

World's oldest car sells at auction for $4.6 mn

WASHINGTON: A steam-powered car considered the oldest vehicle in the world still running has sold at auction in the United States for more than $4.6 million.

The De Dion-Bouton et Trepardoux Dos-a-Dos Steam Runabout, nicknamed "La Marquise," which was built in France in 1884, sold for more than twice its estimate at auction Friday in Hershey, Pennsylvania.

RM Auctions listed its top speed as 38 miles per hour (61 kilometers per hour) and said it had only had four previous owners over the past 127 years.

The late Texas collector John O'Quinn had bought the historic car, which participated in the first automobile race in 1887 and four separate London-to-Brighton runs, for $3.5 million in 2007.

The identity of the new owner was not given.

US media reports noted that another car, housed at the National Motor Museum of Britain, also lays claim to the title of the world's oldest vehicle. However, the reports said the British car, built in 1875 by Robert Neville Grenville, has only three wheels, requires someone to ride along and tend the boiler, and bears little resemblance to a modern automobile.

The four-wheeled De Dion-Bouton was constructed for the French Count De Dion -- one of the founders of the company that built it. It was named "La Marquise" after the count's mother.

The $4.6 million price tag includes a 10 percent buyer's premium, which goes to the auction company.

"With impeccable provenance, fully documented history, and the certainty that this is the oldest running family car in the world, 'La Marquise' represents an unrepeatable opportunity for the most discriminating collector," the catalogue said. "It is unquestionably and quite simply one of the most important motor cars in the world." (AFP)

New iPhone expected from Apple on Tuesday

SAN FRANCISCO: Apple Inc. is unveiling a new, more powerful version of its wildly popular smartphone more than a year after it launched the iPhone 4.

Last week, Apple Inc. e-mailed invitations to a media event at its headquarters in Cupertino on Tuesday morning. The invite says "let's talk iPhone," implying the secretive company intends to show off the latest version of the device.

The first iPhone came out in 2007, and the phone's signature slick looks, high-resolution screen and intuitive software has gained millions of fans over the years. There were 39 million iPhones sold just between January and the end of June.

Beyond the iPhone itself, the Tuesday event is anticipated as Apple's first major product unveiling in years that won't be led by Steve Jobs, who resigned from the CEO post in August after being out on indefinite medical leave since January.

The Apple co-founder is now its executive chairman. And though Jobs did emerge from medical leave twice this year to present Apple's innovations most recently in June to show off its new mobile software and iCloud content storage service his successor, Tim Cook, is expected to take the lead this time.(AP)

Girlfriend recalls 'coughing' as Jackson lay dying

LOS ANGELES: A cocktail waitress and friend of Michael Jackson's doctor Conrad Murray recounted Tuesday how she heard mumbling and coughing while on the phone to him at around the time the singer was dying.

Sade Anding testified that Murray called her at 11:51 am on June 25, 2009, when she was in Houston and he was at Jackson's rented mansion, trying to help the star get to sleep.

About five or six minutes into the conversation she realized that Murray was no longer answering, and the sound became muffled, as if the telephone was in a pocket.

"I said 'Hello, Hello,' and I didn't hear anything. I pressed the phone to my ear," she told the LA Superior Court. "I heard mumbling of voices and I heard coughing," she added.

She listened to the muffled noises for about three to four minutes before hanging up, she said, adding that she tried twice to call him back, but got no answer.

Murray is accused of involuntary manslaughter over the singer's death, allegedly by administering an overdose of the powerful sedative propofol while trying to help Jackson with his insomnia.

The trial has already heard from paramedics who arrived at Jackson's Holmby Hills mansion at 12:26 pm after receiving a 911 call at 12:21 pm - about 20 minutes after the mysteriously-ended phone call with Anding. (AFP)

Paris launches electric car-sharing scheme

Paris is launching its first car-sharing project as it aims to clear its traffic-clogged boulevards.

The backers hope the scheme will be a major boost for electric vehicles.

The Autolib system is intended to build on the success of the Velib bicycle-rental service, similar to that operating in many European cities.

A two-month pilot project will allow motorists to hire the battery-powered Bluecar for 30 minutes at a cost of four to eight euros.

Membership of the Autolib scheme will cost from 10 euros a day up to 144 euros a year.

The cars are being provided by entrepreneur Vincent Bollore and manufactured by the Italian designer Pininfarina, famous for sculpting Ferraris and Maseratis.

They will have a range of up to 250 km before a recharge, which will take about four hours. Read mroe at BBC

UK-built NigeriaSat-2 shows off its vision

The most powerful UK-built imaging spacecraft ever sent into orbit has been demonstrating its capability.

Its first pictures since being launched in August show Salt Lake City in the US - its airport and surrounding roads.

The satellite, built for the Nigerian space agency (NASRDA), can acquire images that resolve details on the ground that are just 2.5m across.

Called NigeriaSat-2, the platform will be used by the African nation to map its lands and plan urban development.

It will also assist the Disaster Monitoring Constellation.

This UK-managed fleet of spacecraft is used to picture regions of the Earth gripped by natural calamities.

These might be catastrophic floods or a big earthquake. Images sent down from space will often be critical to organising an effective emergency response.Read more

This Articel Orignaly Published at BBC

E-gate' adds face recognition to airline security

SAN JOSE: Silicon Valley-based AOptix on Monday introduced new "e-gates" that recognize faces as well as irises of passengers before opening to let them board flights.

"This is what we call the future of passenger boarding," AOptix director of corporate communications Brian Rhea said as an InSight Duo electronic gate was tested at the San Jose International Airport in Northern California.

AOptix e-gates that confirm identities based on iris scans are already in use at airports in Britain and Qatar and at a "high-security facility" in the US capital.

The new system making its public debut at a Biometric Consortium Conference in Florida on Tuesday is touted as the first to add facial recognition to scanning irises, which are unique to every person.

Those being "enrolled" look briefly at a scanner, which maps faces and eyes in seconds. Biometric data stored in computers is synced to bar codes on boarding passes or other documents.

Someone trying to get on a flight places a boarding pass on a reader at an e-gate and looks into a nearby screen, which can check whether irises and faces match information on record. Security gates only open for correct matches.

AOptix, founded 11 years ago in Northern California by astronomers, paired biometric scanning technology with gates made by Germany-based Kaba.

The company said it has seen interest in combined iris-face identification systems from officials who run high-security buildings, airports, or border checkpoints.

E-gates will not spare people from routine security screening at airports.

Airlines tend to keep biometric data only for the short-term, dumping it after flights are completed and the data is no longer necessary for security checks.

The iris or face databases linked to Duo e-gates at locations such as border checkpoints or building entrances would be up to those in charge of security. (AFP)

This Articel Orignaly Published at geo.tv

Man wins dumpling eating contest, dies

KIEV: A 77-year-old Ukrainian man won a jar full of sour cream for coming first in a dumpling eating contest and then promptly died, local media reported on Wednesday.

Ivan Mendel ate 10 dumplings in half a minute to win first place and a one-liter jar of sour cream in the contest held in the town of Tokmak in the southeastern Zaporizhya region on September 18, Fakty I Kommentarii newspaper said.

Shortly afterwards, Mendel became unwell and died, according to local news websites.

Dumplings, called "vareniki" in the former Soviet republic, are a staple of Ukrainian cuisine and are often stuffed with a range of fillings from mushrooms to cherries. (Reuters)

Scientists accused of manslaughter for failing to predict earthquake

Scientists and earthquake experts are standing trial on the charge of manslaughter for failing to predict a 2009 earthquake in Italy.

The earthquake cost 308 people their lives in and near L'Aquila two years ago, but prosecutors are blaming seven defendants for not warning the residents of the natural disaster, reports The Guardian.

L'Aquila experienced minor tremors six months before the earthquake.

A memo was also presented in court detailing concerns about the seismic activity in the area, in which experts called the chance of a major earthquake "improbable" one week before the disaster hit.

Some 5,200 researchers have pledged their support for the accused by signing a petition.

The L'Aquila earthquake happened on April 2009 and had a magnitude of 5.8 on the Richter scale.

This Articel Orignaly Published at Digita Spy

US woman is world's shortest, says Guinness

CHICAGO: A 27-inch tall (69 cm) college student whose hobbies include dancing and cheerleading is the world's shortest woman, Guinness World Records said on Tuesday.

Bridgette Jordan, 22, and her younger brother Brad, who measures 38 inches (98 cm) tall, were also named the "shortest living siblings" by the record-keeper.

Brad Jordan, 20, enjoys karate, gymnastics, basketball and performing magic tricks.

The siblings, who attend Kaskasia College in central Illinois, were both born with Majewski osteodysplastic primordial dwarfism type II.

"I believe that everyone should be confident in themselves," Bridgette said in a statement.

Previously, the shortest living woman was Elif Kocaman of Kadirli, Turkey, who is 28.5 inches (72 cm) tall. The record for shortest woman who ever lived was Pauline Musters, of the Netherlands, who measured 24 inches (61 cm) when she died from pneumonia at age 19 in 1895.

Jordan's record may not stand for long as 2-foot-tall (70 cm) Jyoti Amge in India turns 18 in December when she would qualify as the world's shortest woman, a Guinness spokesman said. (Reuters)

This Articel Orignaly Published at Reuters

Duo arrested for stealing 260 baby alligators

Two men from Florida have been arrested for attempting to steal 260 baby alligators.

Robert 'Bo' Martin Duval and Christopher Cork Scroggins were caught leaving Lake Apopka near Orlando with two sacks full of the newly-hatched reptiles.

The pair were charged with felony possession and capture of hatchling alligators along with misdemeanor conspiracy, while Duval faced additional charges of possession of firearms and ammunition by a convicted felon.

A woman accused of assisting Duval and Scroggins is still under investigation.

"Unfortunately, there is an illegal market for hatchling alligators, and people who participate in this type of poaching have no regard for our resources or the laws that protect them," David Straub of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission told MSNBC.

Duval and Scroggins were later bailed out on $13,000 (£8,200) and $3,000 (£1,900) bonds respectively. They offered to return the alligators to the lake alive.(Digital spy)

Parking with iPhone demonstrated at Frankfurt car show

FRANKFURT: An equipment supplier put a new twist on its car parking system by introducing a system which can be controlled by the iPhone.

During the presentation at the 2011 International Motor Show, a representative for the supplier stood outside the car and parked it by merely using an iPhone application.

The car going in reverse turned its wheel into a narrow perpendicular parking spot between two cars.

Power of suggestion affects heart

NEW YORK: Simply suggesting that a treatment will ease chest pain may not only dampen the pain, but directly alter heart arteries, a small study concludes.

Among 30 patients having a procedure to evaluate their chest pain, researchers found that those who were told they were being given an infusion of a pain-relieving drug did, on average, report a decrease in pain.

But the participants also showed a measurable change in their heart arteries: a slight but distinct narrowing of the vessels.

Exactly what the findings mean, and whether they have implications for heart disease patients, is not clear.

None of the chest-pain patients actually had heart disease; they were told about the "drug" (which was actually harmless saline) only after testing had shown no blockages in their heart arteries.

The key point is that the power of suggestion created an objective change in the blood vessels, according to Drs. Karin Meissner and Joram Ronel of Technical University Munich in Germany.

"The major finding was that the coronary vessels reacted so clearly to a mere psychological intervention," they told Reuters Health in an email.

And the reaction was in a direction opposite to the one researchers had expected to see.
The patients were actually told that the "drug" they were receiving would widen their arteries to relieve their chest pain. Instead, there was a small amount of blood vessel constriction in the group overall.

But that constriction does make biological sense, according to Meissner and Ronel.
In a healthy person who is under stress, the nervous system triggers a widening in the blood vessels so that blood circulation increases to meet the body's needs. When stress fades, the vessels can narrow again.

"When the heart works less," Meissner and Ronel explained, "there is less need for blood supply, and the vessels will be less dilated than in a stressful situation. This is how we interpret our data."

They added, though, that this is the process in a healthy person. The situation may be different in a person with heart disease.

The findings, reported in the American Heart Journal, build on a phenomenon seen in clinical trials studying heart disease. That is, some people receiving placebos (inactive "treatments") report improvements in symptoms like chest pain.

How much of that reaction is due to psychological or even biological effects is unclear.
To examine whether there might be placebo effects on the heart arteries, Meissner and Ronel's team looked at 30 patients who underwent coronary angiography to evaluate chest pain symptoms.

During coronary angiography, a thin tube (catheter) is threaded through a blood vessel into the heart, where a special dye is injected. Using X-rays, doctors can then look for blockages in the heart arteries that may be the source of the chest pain.

The 30 patients were included in this study only after the test turned up no blockages. While still on the exam table, they were randomly assigned to either a "verbal suggestion" group or a control group.

In both groups, patients received an injection of saline into the catheter. Those in the verbal-suggestion group were told it was a drug that would widen their heart arteries and boost blood flow to the heart. Patients in the control group were told nothing.

On average, the study found, the verbal-suggestion group reported a dip in their chest pain after the procedure, while showing some blood vessel narrowing. The opposite was true in the control group: slightly more pain and a little more vessel dilation.

The researchers say they suspect the pain reduction was an "indirect effect" of the verbal suggestion, but they cannot know for sure whether or to what degree the blood vessel changes might have contributed to it.

More studies on this question are still needed, according to Meissner and Ronel. If verbal suggestion does have a measurable effect "at the level of the heart" in people with actual heart disease, they said, that would be important to know. (Reuters)

Woman calls police over spider in kitchen

A woman rang police asking officers to deal with a spider in her kitchen.

The unidentified person was frightened after spotting the arachnid in her home in Coventry, reports The Mirror.

However, she was told that the matter was deemed not urgent enough and was warned not to abuse the emergency service line.

A police spokesperson said: "People who call 999 for inappropriate reasons are potentially putting lives at risk by taking call handlers' time away from genuine emergency calls.

"Each call takes several minutes to deal with as staff have to clarify what is going on. If someone is trying to get through to report a genuine emergency, a minute is a very long time to wait."

A man in Norway recently called police over what he felt was a bad haircut.(Digital Spy)

Starved dogs eat owner

JAKARTA: Seven dogs starved of food and water for two weeks are suspected of eating their Indonesian owner after he returned to his hometown in Manado from a holiday, local media reported.

A neighborhood guard was curious when he saw luggage lined up at the front of Andre Lumboga's house, days after the 50-year old arrived back home. He approached the house, smelled something foul and called the police, according to a report.

"His skull was found in the kitchen, and his body was found in the front of his house," Eriyana, a local police chief in Batam, an island off Sumatra, told VIVAnews website.

Lumboga arrived home last Wednesday, but his body was just discovered on Monday.

"We suspect that the dogs were hungry, so they attacked Andre, because they had not been fed for 14 days," he said. Police also found bones of two other dogs, believed to have also been eaten by the hungry canines.

Lumboga was from northern Sulawesi island, a predominantly Christian area, where the local spicy diet is famous in Indonesia for including dogs, bats and forest rats. (Reuters)