Daily Excelsior... World

Oil prices lower in
Asian trade

SINGAPORE, Nov 7: Oil prices were weaker in Asian trade today as mild weather in the northern hemisphere calmed concerns over demand for heating oil as the winter approaches, dealers said. ....... ....more

Prominent southern
Philippines mayor
shot dead

ZAMBOANGA, PHILIPPINES, Nov 7: A town mayor who belongs to an influential Muslim clan in the southern Philippines has been shot and killed in . ........more

No special treatment
for July 7 terror victims:
Clarke

LONDON, Nov 7: In a decision that is likely to upset survivors of the July 7 terror attacks in London, British Home Secretary Charles ......more

Marshals: Death row
inmate who walked out
of prison captured

HOUSTON, Nov 7: A death row inmate who slipped out of a Texas jail wearing street clothes was captured in Shreveport, Louisiana, the US Marshals Service said.............more

Asia needs to shut
backyard farms to halt
bird flu

SINGAPORE, Nov 7: Asian Governments must provide financial incentives and shut down as many backyard poultry farms as possible to halt the ......more

Myanmar authorities
remove roadblocks from
front of US Embassy

YANGON, Nov 7: Workers used fork lifts and blowtorches today to remove dozens of cement-filled yellow drums and other barriers placed in front of the ...........more

Malaysia to appoint nutritionists at schools

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 7: Malaysian Government will keep a close eye on what children eat at schools. ..........more

Movies heavily shape
teen smoking, study
shows

CHICAGO, Nov 7: Nearly 40 percent of U S adolescents who give cigarette smoking a try do so because they saw it in movies, a study said today. The study, described as the first national look at the influence of movie ...............more

Canadians flocking India for quick and efficient medical treatments ........

King Gyanendra to lead Nepalese delegation in SAARC........

Top advisor to US Prez may be charged with lying: Report ......

Scores celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr in London .........

Oil prices lower in Asian trade

SINGAPORE, Nov 7: Oil prices were weaker in Asian trade today as mild weather in the northern hemisphere calmed concerns over demand for heating oil as the winter approaches, dealers said.

At 0945 IST, New York's main contract, light sweet crude for delivery in December, was down 44 cents to 60.14 dollars a barrel from 60.58 dollars in the United States Friday.

Above-average temperatures in the United States have dampened demand for heating oil, giving the market little upside potential in the short-term, dealers said.

"It's trading downwards because in the short-term the market looks a little bearish (negative) with mild northern hemisphere weather," said Victor Shum, an analyst with energy consultancy Purvin and Gertz in Singapore.

At the same time, there appears to be strong support around 60 dollars, he said.

Prices have fallen around 15 per cent since they hit a historic high of 70.85 dollars immediately after Hurricane Katrina struck the southern US states in August and severely damaged the country's major oil installations. (AFP)

Prominent southern Philippines mayor shot dead

ZAMBOANGA, PHILIPPINES, Nov 7: A town mayor who belongs to an influential Muslim clan in the southern Philippines has been shot and killed in a suspected blood feud, police said today.

Don Caluang was shot in the face at close range by an unidentified suspect with whom he had a heated argument yesterday outside the family home in this southern port city, police said citing witnesses.

Two of the mayor's private security escorts were also shot and wounded, while a police officer near the area was also hit by a stray bullet, police said.

Caluang is mayor of a small town in nearby Jolo, an island in the Philippines' southern tip where blood feuds among prominent Muslim clans are common. His family is among the most influential in the area.

Zaldy Ampatuan, governor of a Muslim autonomous region that includes Jolo, said he had ordered a manhunt for the suspect. Police said the killing could be politically motivated or related to a family feud.

"We will investigate the killings and we will not leave any stones unturned. I ordered the police to hunt down those who are responsible for the killings," Ampatuan said. (AFP)

No special treatment for July 7 terror victims: Clarke

LONDON, Nov 7: In a decision that is likely to upset survivors of the July 7 terror attacks in London, British Home Secretary Charles Clarke has ruled out setting up of a special fund for the victims.

Maintaining that people whose lives have been affected by acts of terrorism "should not receive any special treatment over compensation payments," Clarke rejected calls for setting up of a fund for terror victims, a media report said.

"Whether you are stabbed outside the pub or maimed by an explosion on a Tube train, it's not actually the way in which you are injured that is the key thing - provided it's a criminal act - but the extent of the injuries," Clarke was quoted as saying by the Daily Telegraph.

Clarke's comments come even as Prime Minister Tony Blair prepared to make a humiliating climbdown over his anti-terrorism laws, the daily reported.

Compensation for victims of terror have come under the Home Office scanner following complaints from the families of those killed and injured on July 7.

A new fund could also be set up to handle claims from British citizens injured in terrorist attacks abroad, who are not currently compensated, it said quoting Whitehall sources.

Claiming that the British system for compensation is "the most generous in Europe," the Home Secretary said those with serious injuries should receive more money.

Currently, compensation for criminal injuries is capped at 500,000 pounds and bereaved family members are paid 5,500 pounds each, or 11,000 pounds if only one relative claims. (PTI)

Marshals: Death row inmate who walked out of prison captured

HOUSTON, Nov 7: A death row inmate who slipped out of a Texas jail wearing street clothes was captured in Shreveport, Louisiana, the US Marshals Service said.

Marianne Matus, a Marshals spokeswoman in Houston, confirmed last night that convicted killer Charles Victor Thompson was in custody.

No details about how authorities found him were immediately released, but Matus had said earlier in the day that they had received valuable tips about his possible whereabouts. A USD 10,000 reward had been offered for information leading to his capture.

Thompson, 35, had been convicted in 1999 for the shooting deaths a year earlier of his ex-girlfriend, Dennise Hayslip and her new boyfriend, Darren Keith Cain. An appeals court threw out his sentence, but on Oct. 28, another jury sentenced him to death.

On Thursday, he was in the Harris County Jail awaiting transfer to a state prison when he was taken to a room for a meeting with an attorney, though not his attorney of record, authorities said.

After the attorney left, Thompson was alone. Somehow, he removed his handcuffs, changed out of his bright orange prison jumpsuit into the clothes he wore during his sentencing, and got out of the prisoner's booth in the visiting room, authorities said.

Using a falsified identity badge, he got past atleast four jail employees and walked out of the building.

Sheriff's spokesman Lt. John Martin said Friday that Thompson's escape resulted from "multiple errors" by jail personnel. (AP)

Asia needs to shut backyard farms to halt bird flu

SINGAPORE, Nov 7: Asian Governments must provide financial incentives and shut down as many backyard poultry farms as possible to halt the spread of bird flu, a leading U S poultry industry official said.

Margaret Say, Southeast Asian director for the USA Poultry and Egg Export Council, said while some governments were working hard to fight the virus, others were ''becoming a bit slack''.

''We cannot control migratory birds but we can surely work hard to close down as many backyard farms as possible,'' Say told Reuters. ''And we can do that only if backyard farmers are given an alternative source of living -- some incentive to close down.''

Bird flu has killed more than 60 people in Asia and infected at least 123 since late 2003. In almost every case, the virus appears to have been transmitted to humans through contact with birds. Indonesia on Saturday confirmed its fifth bird flu death.

China has yet to report any human cases of bird flu from the latest outbreaks but has slaughtered 6 million birds in a northeastern region hit by the country's fourth outbreak in a month.

In countries such as Indonesia, China, Thailand and Vietnam, a lot of poultry is raised on small farms, which don't have adequate bio-security measures in place, making them a breeding ground for the virus.

The farms, for instance, don't have proper enclosures, making it easy for the virus to be carried by migratory birds.

''Some countries have done better in keeping a lid on backyard farms than others. The problem is that we are seeing a re-imergence of the virus as people in certain regions are becoming a bit slack once they don't see new cases for a couple of months,'' Say said.

She said poultry consumption in Asia has not dropped by much in Asia, despite growing fears, as governments have been successful in educating people that well-cooked chicken was safe to eat.

''We are not seeing a downtrend in poultry consumption so far. For example, sales were buoyant in Indonesia during Ramadan,'' Say added. ''To prevent the threat from mounting, there is a need for richer nations to help out the ones which don't have the proper bio-security measures in place.''

IMPACT ON GRAINS

Grain markets have been on tenterhooks that the spread of the virus would sharply cut poultry demand, which in turn would slash the need for feed grains such as corn and soybeans.

But Say said the situation is unlikely to reduce grain imports by bird flu-hit countries in Asia in the near term.

''If you look at all the big feed producers in the organised sector they are all functioning normally. They are the ones who use imported grains. It's not the backyard farms which use imported grain. We might see a knee-jerk reaction in the market.''

Say said Asian governments are unlikely to stockpile grains on fears that shipments could be disrupted during a full blown flu epidemic.

''Any kind of stockpiling would only send a negative signal to the market and to their people that there is something severely wrong. We also don't see that happening either, at least in the near future,'' she said.

(AGENCIES)

Myanmar authorities remove roadblocks from front of US Embassy

YANGON, Nov 7: Workers used fork lifts and blowtorches today to remove dozens of cement-filled yellow drums and other barriers placed in front of the US Embassy after the Sept 11, 2001, attacks in the United States.

The Government did not announce the reason for clearing the security barriers or say whether the street in front of the downtown embassy building would be reopened to traffic.

US Embassy officials were in a meeting this morning and were not immediately available for comment.

With dozens of police and security officials looking on, workers used blowtorches to break up the drums before taking them away on fork lifts. The removal began yesterday.

Security at the US and British embassies was boosted after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Armed police and police cars were stationed at the two embassies, and busy Merchant Street, where the US Embassy is located, was sealed off from traffic with barb-wire barricades and heavy drums.

Last month, Myanmar's interior ministry withdrew armed police posted outside the residences of foreign envoys without prior notice, causing concern among diplomats. (AP)

Malaysia to appoint nutritionists at schools

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 7: Malaysian Government will keep a close eye on what children eat at schools.

Nutritionists would be posted at various schools by the Education and Health Ministries to cultivate good eating habits among youngsters and receive feedbacks on students' health and diet, the 'New Straits Times' reported.

However, the government has said it would not follow Britain in banning vending machines selling fizzy drinks, chocolates and potato chips at schools.

"It was the idea of the schools division and the Health Ministry is preparing the proposal," Education Ministry schools division director Salleh Mohd Hussein said adding "we may target schools with an enrolment of over 2,000 students."

Hussein said where enrolment was low, such as in states like Sabah or Sarawak, teachers may be roped in to help out.

The move comes amidst efforts by the government to curb obesity in youngsters.

The Education Ministry had reportedly come out with guidelines last year for school canteen operators which outlines which food is suitable and which is not, the daily said.

Rice, boiled eggs, porridge and sandwiches were acceptable according to the booklet, which bans food items sold with toys or made to look like toys, sweets and snacks that contain artificial additives and colouring. (PTI)

Movies heavily shape teen smoking, study shows

CHICAGO, Nov 7: Nearly 40 percent of U S adolescents who give cigarette smoking a try do so because they saw it in movies, a study said today.

The study, described as the first national look at the influence of movie smoking on youths, urged Hollywood to cut back on depictions of smoking or shots of cigarette brands.

The industry also should consider adding a mention of smoking to movie rating data that now mention explicit sex, violence and profanity, it said.

Researchers at Dartmouth Medical School asked 6,522 children aged 10 to 14 to identify films they had seen from a list of 50 randomly selected box office hits released in the United States from 1998 to 2000.

Even after considering other factors known to influence smoking, the study found that adolescents with the highest exposure to movie smoking were 2.6 times more likely to try it compared to those with the lowest exposure.

Of every 100 adolescents who tried smoking, 38 did so because they saw smoking portrayed in movies, said the report published in the November issue of ''Pediatrics,'' the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

In the entire sample, about 10 percent had tried smoking, according to the study paid for by the National Cancer Institute.

''Part of the reason that exposure to movie smoking has such a considerable impact on adolescent smoking is because it is a very strong social influence on kids ages 10-14,'' said James Sargent, a pediatrics professor at the school and lead author of the study.

''Because movie exposure to smoking is so pervasive, its impact on this age group outweighs whether peers or parents smoke or whether the child is involved in other activities, like sports,'' he added.

The authors said their research confirms findings published last year based on a study of teens living primarily in rural areas of New England.

''This is an extremely powerful confirmatory study that shows that kids react the same way to the movies in other places in the United States as they do in New England,'' said Sargent. ''It means that no child is immune to the influence of smoking in movies.''

A U S Government survey released in March showed 22.3 percent of high school students and 8.1 percent of middle school students said they smoked cigarettes in 2004. (AGENCIES)

Canadians flocking India for quick and efficient medical treatments

TORONTO, Nov 7: Foreign trained doctors in Canada are driving taxi cabs while Canadians are rushing to India and other Asian countries to escape wait lines in hospitals and get top medical attention at reasonable costs.

Canada is facing an extreme paucity of doctors and specialists, forcing patients to wait for as many as three years for procedures such as knee replacement and hip-resurfacing.

However, instead of suffering in silence, patients are now hitting the keyboard to find medical help in India where they are assured of speedy-and cheap-treatment for their maladies.

Hospitals like Apollo are a favoured destination for most ailing Canadians. The hospital has an international patient program on its website that includes travel arrangement, airport pick-ups, translators and international food.

Businesses have spawned in major Canadian cities, arranging trips for ailing Canadians seeking medical help abroad. In addition to speedy medical help, the patients are also assured of recuperation at luxurious locations- combining health with happiness.

''My son has been suffering from a stomach ache for the last one year. The doctor has recommended that he be examined by a

Gastroenterologist. I have been waiting for six months to get him to a specialist. I am told, in the whole of Toronto, there are only two of them,'' says Mukesh Sharma. He is now planning to take his son to India for a thorough check-up. ''I can't wait any longer,'' he says.

Even for dental care, Canadians are looking towards India for succour. Most insurance companies cover 80 per cent of the dental treatment costs. With simple procedures such as extractions and root canal treatments costing anywhere between 1000 to 1500 dollars, a visit to the dentist is a nightmare for those not covered by a dental plan in their insurance. A return ticket to India cost about the same, making it extremely worthwhile for patients to combine dental care with an extended holiday in the far east.

Ironically, while Canadians desperate for medical treatment go to India for help, Indian doctors who immigrate to Canada are not allowed to practice in this country till they have ''upgraded'' their credentials.

''The joke doing the rounds is that if you have to have a heart attack, better have it in a taxi. Chances are that the cab driver is a cardiologist,'' said Wally Oppal, British Columbia's attorney general last week as he addressed a joint press conference Federal Immigration Minister Joe Volpe and other provincial ministers.

''Surely if a person has practised medicine in another country for a number of years, he or she ought to be qualified to practice medicine in any province in this country,'' said Mr Oppal. The press conference was held to announce that Ottawa and the provinces have agreed on a plan to improve the immigration system. (UNI)

King Gyanendra to lead Nepalese delegation in SAARC

KATHMANDU, Nov 7: King Gyanendra is to lead the Nepalese delegation to the 13th South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) summit to be held in Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh next week.

According to a statement issued by the press secretariat of the king, this is the first time the King is leading the delegation in the SAARC since 1990, otherwise Prime Ministers used to lead the delegation after the restoration of democracy in 1990.

The King will also visit some countries of Africa after the SAARC summit, the statement said.

The King will also attend the World Information Summit to be held in Tunisian capital of Tunis.

The major political parties have opposed the King's participation in the SAARC summit. The summit was postponed due to the take over by the king on February 1. (UNI)

Top advisor to US Prez may be charged with lying: Report

NEW YORK, Nov 7: US President George W Bush's top political advisor Karl Rove is likely to be charged with lying by the special prosecutor probing the controversial CIA leak case, a development that could prompt a quick resignation of the key Bush aide, a media report said today.

Despite Rove's "flashes of ebullience" in recent days and the insistence of friends that he is out of legal jeopardy, several of the most important lawyers who deal with special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald hint at his possible indictment, the Time magazine reported.

The lawyers said they saw "more clues" last week that Fitzgerald, investigating the leak of a CIA operative's identity, is exploring the possibility of charging Rove with "lying to investigators or the grand jury or both."

If that happens, the report said, the Deputy White House Chief of Staff would resign almost immediately, as did I. Lewis Libby, Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff, when he was indicted two weeks ago.

Otherwise, it said, Rove is likely to wait for a chance to minimise the perception that he is being hounded out or leaving under a cloud.

"If he leaves, he will not be alone. Several well-wired Administration officials predict that within a year, the President will have a new chief of staff and press secretary, probably a new Treasury Secretary and maybe a new Defense Secretary," the report said.

At the White House, aides are meeting every day to work out a new agenda. A possible centerpiece is a road show next year to promote a plan for simplifying the million-plus words of the tax code, it said. (PTI)

Scores celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr in London

LONDON, Nov 7: Scores of NRI Muslim leaders from all over Britain celebrated Eid-ul-Fitr at a reception hosted by the Indian High Commissioner Kamalesh Sharma at the India House here.

Addressing the gathering yesterday, which also included leaders from Hindu and Sikh communities, Sharma said India could pride itself because of its religious tolerance and cultural diversity which are its strength.

That was the reason why the people in India celebrated different religious festivals with the same gusto, he said.

NRI industrialist Sir Gulam Noon, spoke highly of the religious tolerance practised in India, which he called a melting pot of all religions.

Referring to the bomb blasts in Delhi on the eve of Diwali and Eid, Sir Noon praised resident of the Indian capital for showing terrorists that they could not be cowed down by acts of terrorism.

"Terrorists belong to no religions. How could they be Muslims when they kill innocent people during the Holy month of Ramadan?" he asked.

Echoing his sentiments, Lord Adam Patel said terrorists who resorted to violence in the name of religion were enemies of their own religion.

Bollywood actor Syed Jaffrey said religion teaches people to get rid of their hatred and jealousy.

Prominent among others who spoke on the occasion included Samshuddin Khan of the Indian Muslim Federation, UK. (PTI)