Brown treats Zimbabwe like British colony-minister

HARARE, Apr 17: Zimbabwe's justice minister accused British Prime Minister Gordon Brown today of treating Zimbabwe like a British colony and suggested London bribed election officials to oust President Robert Mugabe.

Patrick Chinamasa also said that opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai -- who says he won a March 29 presidential election -- was committing treason by working with Britain to prompt ''regime change''.

Yesterday, Brown called on a summit of the UN Security Council and the African Union to support democracy and human rights for Zimbabwe. ''No one thinks, having seen the results of polling stations, that President Mugabe has won,'' he said.

Chinamasa said in a statement published by Zimbabwean state media that Brown had spoken so strongly in order to promote British interests in Zimbabwe, undermine Zimbabwe's electoral processes and mislead the international community.

''We tell him (Brown) clearly and without ambiguity that we are not a colony of the British,'' he said.

The Herald newspaper also quoted Chinamasa as saying that Tsvangirai's declaration of victory in the election was part a British plot to destabilise Zimbabwe. He urged the electoral authorities to find those polling officials who he said were ''corruptly paid British pounds to tamper with the process''.

''The unofficial results ... Point to a run-off between President Mugabe and Tsvangirai,'' he was quoted as saying.

The Herald newspaper also published details of what it said was a letter from Brown to Tsvangirai assuring the MDC leader that Britain had lobbied Southern African Development Community (SADC) members to convene an urgent summit on Zimbabwe and that London would impose more sanctions on the country.

There was no immediate comment on this from Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) or from British officials.

Chinamasa was quoted as saying: ''It is clear from the correspondence that Tsvangirai along with Brown are seeking regime change in Zimbabwe, and on the part of Tsvangirai, this is treasonous.''

''There is no doubting the consequences for acting in a treasonous manner,'' Chinamasa said.

''The British are driving an agenda to put their puppet at the helm of this country ... The people of Zimbabwe will not allow this country to be taken over by a British surrogate.'' (AGENCIES)

Obama and Clinton on defensive in tense debate

PHILADELPHIA, Apr 17: Democratic presidential rivals Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton tried to explain recent controversial remarks during a tense debate, with Obama accusing Clinton of taking political advantage of his characterization of small-town residents.

In their first debate in seven weeks, Obama said he mangled his description of the mood in economically struggling small towns and Clinton apologized for the first time for inaccurately saying she came under sniper fire in Bosnia in 1996.

The debate, which featured few heated confrontations but plenty of probing and positioning, seemed unlikely to dramatically alter the race six days before the next Democratic showdown in Pennsylvania.

Obama has been under heavy criticism from Clinton and Republican John McCain, who have called him elitist and out of touch for saying small-town residents were clinging to religion and guns in bitterness over their economic troubles.

''The problem that we have in our politics, which is fairly typical, is that you take one person's statement, if it's not properly phrased, and you just beat it to death, and that's what Senator Clinton's been doing,'' Obama said in the debate in downtown Philadelphia.

Clinton, who has eased off her public criticism of Obama over the remarks in the past two days but launched a television ad in Pennsylvania assailing them, said they were ''a fundamental misunderstanding of religion and faith.''

She warned the remarks would hurt Democrats if Obama won the nomination to face Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain in November's presidential election.

''Obviously, what we have to do as Democrats, is make sure we get enough votes to win in November,'' she said. ''The Republicans, who are pretty shrewd about what it takes to win, certainly did jump on the comments.''

Obama, an Illinois senator, responded, ''Look, there is no doubt that the Republicans will attack either of us.''

Clinton, a New York senator, apologized for her own recent campaign controversy, when she inaccurately said she had come under sniper fire when visiting Bosnia in 1996.

''You can go back for the past 15 months. We both have said things that, you know, turned out not to be accurate,'' Clinton said. ''That happens when you're talking as much as we have talked. But, you know, I'm very sorry that I said it.''

Obama seemed to speak for both of them when he chimed in, ''For us to be obsessed with these kind of errors, I think, is a mistake.''

Obama also had to defend himself in a recent controversy over inflammatory comments by his pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright.

''I specifically said that these comments were objectionable. They're not comments that I believe in. And I disassociated myself with them,'' he said.

PENNSYLVANIA SHOWDOWN

The controversies have roiled the Democratic presidential race during a seven-week lull between the last round of major contests in Ohio and Texas on March 4 and next week's showdown in Pennsylvania.

Clinton has a dwindling lead over Obama in state polls, and needs a big win to try to close the gap on the Illinois senator in popular votes and pledged delegates to the nominating convention.

With 10 contests remaining, Obama has a nearly unassailable lead in pledged delegates, but neither candidate is likely to gain enough delegates to win without help from nearly 800 Democratic Party officials and insiders who are free to back any candidate.

When pressed whether she thought Obama could win in November and beat back attacks from Republicans, Clinton said: ''Yes, yes, yes. Now I think that I can do a better job. Obviously that's why I'm here.''

''I believe I am the better and stronger candidate than Senator McCain and I can go toe to toe with him on national security,'' she said.

Both candidates said they would move forcefully to ensure Iran does not acquire nuclear weapons, and would make it clear that an attack on Israel would prompt US retaliation.

''I will do whatever is required to prevent the Iranians from obtaining nuclear weapons,'' Obama said.

The two candidates also agreed they would not raise taxes on Americans making less than 200,000 dollar a year.

Obama was asked by a voter via video why he did not wear the American flag in his lapel.

''I have never said that I don't wear flag pins or refuse to wear flag pins. This is the kind of manufactured issue that our politics has become obsessed with and, once again, distracts us,'' he said. (AGENCIES)

Experts target blood vessel growth in cancer battle

HONG KONG, Apr 17: Scientists in Australia have identified a gene that appears to be linked to blood vessel growth in tumours in mice and they hope the discovery can pave the way for improved treatment of cancer in people one day.

Current cancer therapies aim to kill blood vessels in tumours, which experts believe feed cancer cells, allowing them to multiply and stopping the immune system from attacking them.

In an article in Nature, the researchers said they identified a gene which appeared to be responsible for blood vessel growth in tumours.

''People now focus on blood vessels in cancer therapy and they try to kill them off. What I am showing is an alternative to just killing the blood vessels. We can modulate ... The blood vessels within the tumour, change the whole tumour environment and make it more susceptible for treatment,'' said Ruth Ganss at the Western Australian Institute for Medical Research.

The scientists used genetically-altered mice which developed pancreatic cancer, but half of them had the RGS5 gene missing.

''The tumours grow in both groups of mice, but ... The blood vessels looked very chaotic and abnormal (in the mice which had the gene) and they looked normalised when the gene was missing,'' Ganss said in a telephone interview.

The researchers later injected anti-cancer cells into both groups of mice and found that the mice without the gene lived longer and their tumour shrank.

''They were much more responsive (to treatment). These (anti-cancer) cells went right into the tumour and they shrank. The tumour burden was less and the mice survived longer,'' she said.

As for the other group of mice with the gene, Ganss said: ''We inject them (anti-cancer cells) into the mice, but they don't reach the tumour in sufficient numbers to actually impact on the tumour at all.''

The mice without the gene lived at least 10 weeks longer, before the experiment was stopped, and researchers found their tumours were about 50 per cent smaller.

Ganss said the finding could help improve cancer therapy, but stressed that it should in no way be seen as a cure.

''We found a way where we could make a significant impact on the efficacy of this therapy and we understand why, but this is still a long way from curing cancer,'' she said. (AGENCIES)

Toyota operating profit may fall by quarter-Nikkei

TOKYO, Apr 17: Toyota Motor Corp's 2008/09 operating profit is likely to fall by around a quarter, underscoring tough business conditions for Japanese manufacturers, the Nikkei business daily said on Thursday.

The drop was expected to come from an economic slowdown in the United States, the company's biggest market, as well as recent sharp gains in the yen the paper added.

Despite the report, shares in Toyota, Japan's top auto maker, climbed more than 3 percent on Thursday.

The paper said Toyota's operating profit would likely be around 1.7-1.8 trillion yen ($16.7-17.7 billion) in the business year to March 2009, down 22-26 percent from the company's forecast of a 2.3 trillion yen profit for the just-ended year.

It also lags a consensus profit projection of 2.1 trillion yen for 2008/09 in a poll of 22 analysts by Reuters Estimates.

Toyota spokesman Paul Nolasco declined comment on the report.

Slowing demand in the United States also hit Toyota's truck unit Hino Motors The Nikkei paper said Hino would stop producing commercial vehicles at its plant in California. That would be the first such move by a Japanese auto maker in the United States.

Toyota shares were up 3.1 percent at 5,030 yen as of 0027 GMT, while the Nikkei average rose 2 percent. Shares in Hino Motors rose 1.8 percent to 624 yen.

($1=101.76 Yen)

(AGENCIES)

Scientists switch off tumour growth

SYDNEY, Apr 17: Scientists have paved the way for a new cancer therapy by trying to halt the process essential for tumour growth.

The Australian team revealed they could halt the process of fast growth of blood vessels (angiogenesis), essential in helping tumours grow and spread, by switching off a master gene.

Turning off the gene RGS5 makes vessel growth normal and gives the immune system a better chance of getting to the tumour and destroying it, they said.

The discovery was made in mice, but the researchers and other cancer experts said it offers hope as a bold new therapy if the process can be replicated in humans.

Prof Ruth Ganss of the Western Australian Institute for Medical Research said, ''By understanding what is actually going on in the tumour itself, the ultimate hope is that we'll be able to work on making current therapeutic approaches even more successful and reducing their side effects.''

Explaining angiogenesis, she said, ''It's the uncontrolled growth of blood vessels and the formation of abnormal blood vessels inside tumours that 'feed' them, allowing them to grow and stopping the immune system from wiping out the tumour.''

''What we've shown is that RGS5 is a master gene in angiogenesis and when it is removed, angiogenesis reverses and the blood vessels in tumours appear more normal,'' the Age quoted her as saying.

Prof Ganss said this normalisation changed the tumour environment in a way that improved immune cell entry, meaning tumours could be destroyed.

(UNI)

Astronauts may be at increased risk of premature aging: Study

WASHINGTON, Apr 17: Astronauts may be at increased risk of premature aging due to exposure to radiation found in space, suggests a study that could have major implications for long-duration space travel.

The findings from the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Centre at Georgetown University Medical Centre in the United States shows that astronauts may be at increased risk of colon cancer due to exposure to the high linear energy transfer (LET) radiation found in space.

The study, funded by NASA and presented at the 2008 American Association for Cancer Research annual meeting, shows that the high-energy radiation found in space may also lead to premature aging and prolonged oxidative stress in cells.

A 2004 report from the US National Academies suggested that cancer incidence may be higher in the astronaut population as compared to the general American population, and the US National Research Council published a report last month that recommended increased research into the radiation exposures to astronauts.

The research team led by Kamal Datta, assistant professor at Lombardi, measured the level of free radicals present as well as the expression of stress response genes in the cells of mice exposed to high-LET radiation similar to that found in space.

The researchers concluded that the cellular environment of the gastrointestinal tract was highly oxidative -- or full of free radicals -- for prolonged periods of time, a state which is conducive to cancer development, the Science Daily online said.

Datta and his team also found that the mice exposed to the high-LET radiation aged prematurely.

Datta, the study's lead author, says the mice's coats became prematurely grey, an observation the team plans to follow-up with MRI brain scans. (PTI)

Global food crisis: Potatoes come to rescue

LONDON, Apr 17: Often derided for contributing to expanding waistlines, the potato is now being touted as an answer to global food crisis.

Scientists have suggested that rising food prices and the production of crops for biofuel rather than food have led to rediscovering potato cultivation as a nutitious alternative to food crisis.

''The shocks to the food supply means we could potentially be moving into a reality where there is not enough food to feed the world,'' the Telegraph quoted International Potato Centre director, Pamela Anderson, as saying.

For population struggling to feed themselves, especially the developing countries, the potato was a good option for both food security and income generation, she added.

Calling it a ''hidden treasure'', the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation recently launched the International Year of the Potato at a conference in Peru.

The potato, which was first domesticated in South America 8,000 years ago, is a good source of complex carbohydrates. It also contains vitamin C, potassium, iron and zinc. (UNI)

Eat, drink, smoke and get dementia

LONDON, Apr 17: Indulging in unhealthy modern lifestyle of drinking, smoking and junk food leads to Alzeimer's, new research has revealed.

According to lead researcher Rajan Duara, people who drank two alcoholic drinks a day developed Alzheimer's five years earlier than non-drinkers.

Heavy drinkers and smokers as well as those who indulged in junk food risked succumbing to the disease eight years soon than those with healthier lifestyles.

Puffing more than 20 cigarettes a day resulted in the disease almost two and a half years sooner than patients who smoked less or were non-smokers.

Dr Duara said the results showed that reducing or eliminating heavy smoking and drinking could substantially delay the onset of the disease.

''A delay in the onset of the disease by five years would lead to nearly a 50 per cent reduction in the total number of Alzheimer's cases,'' the Daily Mail quoted him as saying.

Another study by Finnish and US scientists found that people with the highest cholesterol levels in their early 40s were one and a half times more likely to develop the disease than those with the lowest levels. A third study found that exercising between two and five times a week in middle age kept the memory sharp in later years.

(UNI)

Ex-Im bank approves $2.2 bln for Indian infrastructure projects

WASHINGTON, Apr 17: The Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank) has approved a 2.2 billion dollar Indian infrastructure facility that will support US exports to Indian projects in sectors such as power and renewable energy generation, oil and gas development, small aircraft, airport development and health care.

Under the facility, eight Indian financial institutions provide their guarantees to expedite processing of Ex-Im Bank-backed medium-term and long-term financing for Indian buyers of US exports, said a bank statement.

Each financial institution has an underlying pre-approved credit line of 50 to 250 dollars.

The Indian financial institutions participating in the facility are Power Finance Co (PFC), Infrastructure Development Finance Corp (IDFC), Industrial Development Bank of India (IDBI), India Infrastructure Finance Co Ltd (IIFCL), State Bank of India (SBI), Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services (IL&FS), India Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA) and Punjab National Bank.

''There is a rising demand for US goods and services in India because of their high quality and competitive prices,'' said Ex-Im Bank Chairman and President James H Lambright. ''This new facility will help Ex-Im Bank to work with major Indian lenders to provide dollar-denominated financing for US exports to India's current and future infrastructure projects.''

India's Ministry of Finance has estimated that more than 500 billion dollars will be needed to finance development of India's infrastructure. To facilitate financing for US exports for Indian projects, Ex-Im Bank has been working to establish partnerships with business, government and financial institutions in India.

In October 2007, Ex-Im Bank Chairman Lambright participated with US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson in the US-India CEO Forum Infrastructure Investment Conference in Mumbai. Last month, Ex-Im Bank Board Member Diane Farrell and staff conducted business development meetings, focusing on small and medium-sized enterprises, with officials in Hyderbad, Pune, Mumbai and New Dehli. Ex-Im Bank is the official export-credit agency of the United States.

In fiscal year 2007, Ex-Im Bank authorized 12.6 billion dollars in financing to support an estimated 16 billion dollars of US exports worldwide. The Bank approved more than 1.4 billion dollars in financing for US exports to India, including 500 million dollars for US equipment and services to the Reliance petroleum refinery project.

(UNI)

Indian suspect in murder case commits suicide

DUBAI, Apr 17: An Indian man, who is the main suspect in a murder case in India, committed suicide in Abu Dhabi after he was pursued by Indian investigation officials.

Sibi Ramu, a 26-year-old Indian from Kodungalor in Kerala, committed suicide on April 7 in his employer's workshop at Bida Zayed, in the western region of Abu Dhabi.

The man hanged himself after he was asked to return home for interrogation in connection with the murder of a 65-year-old woman, Sulochana.

Sulochana had succumbed to injury after she suffered a blow to the head with an iron bar at her home on August 12, 2005.

After months of investigation by the local police, the case had nearly come to a close. Meanwhile, Sibi got a job in Bida Zayed and came to the UAE. Eighteen months after the murder, the Kerala High Court ordered the case to be transferred to the police crime branch, Gulf News said in a report.

His current employers with whom he had worked for 11 months had no clue about his past. "Sibi was asked to be in Kerala for 2-3 days for interrogation. He must have been receiving calls for the past 10-15 days. After calls to him went futile, the Indian police called me and informed me about the murder case and said that he must return to India at once," said the workshop operator. (PTI)

China asks CNN to apologise for 'vile remarks'

BEIJING, Apr 17: China has formally asked American broadcaster CNN and one of its commentators to withdraw "vile remarks" calling the Chinese "a bunch of goons and thugs" and tender an apology to its people.

The CNN yesterday said it was not their intention to cause offence to the Chinese people and would apologise to "anyone who has interpreted the comments" otherwise.

The commentator, Jack Cafferty, was only "offering his strongly held opinion of the Chinese Government, not the Chinese people", it said.

Notwithstanding the clarification, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jiancho said the CNN statement had failed to apologise for its anchor's remarks which "maliciously attacked the Chinese people and violated professional ethics".

"We once again solemnly urge CNN and Cafferty to take back the vile remarks and make a sincere apology to all Chinese people", he said in a statement, after the Foreign Ministry lodged a "solemn representation" with CNN's Beijing office, official Xinhua news agency said.

Liu said journalists should abide by their ethics and "they don't have the privilege to slander or rile at anybody or any government".

CNN Beijing bureau chief Jaime FlorCruz also met Liu last night, US media reports said. (PTI)

Singapore charges two for anti-Islam pamphlet

SINGAPORE, Apr 17: Singapore authorities have charged a couple with sedition after they distributed pamphlets that negatively portrayed Islam, court documents showed today.

Ong Kian Cheong and Dorothy Chan, both in their late-forties, were charged by a lower court on Tuesday under the sedition act for distributing evangelical cartoon pamphlets titled ''The Little Bride'' to two people last year.

The pamphlet, published by gospel literature publisher Chick and available on its website

http://www.Chick.Com/reading/tracts/1054/1054t01.Asp, tells a story of a young Christian girl who warns her friends about the pitfalls of becoming Muslim and describes the religion as ''dangerous''.

This is the fourth time since 2005 that individuals have been charged under sedition act. In 2005, three bloggers were charged for making racist comments on the Internet.

Under the sedition act, the pair could face a fine of up to 5,000 Singapore dollar (3,700 dollar) and up to 3 years in prison.

Offences include distribution of material that would ''promote feelings of ill-will and hostility between different races or classes of the population of Singapore''.

Selva K Naidu, the lawyer acting for the couple told Reuters that Ong and Chan were ''concerned''. The pair are out on 10,000 Singapore dollars bail each and their passports have been taken away.

Ong and Chan are also facing another charge under the undesirable publications act, the maximum penalty for which is a fine of 10,000 Singapore dollar and imprisonment of 3 years.

The couple have distributed the pamphlet with ''reasonable cause to believe that the said publication is objectionable,'' said court documents.

The sedition act, a relic of British colonial rule, was used in the 1940s to fight communist insurgents.

The government of the ethnically mixed Southeast Asian city of 4.6 million is highly sensitive about race and religion. It says strict legislation and regulation of the media is needed to ensure peace.

In Singapore, 51 per cent of the population are Buddhist, 14.6 per cent Christian and 14.9 per cent Muslim. (AGENCIES)