Japan unveils stealth plane, may combine with next-gen jet

The first domestically-made stealth aircraft, X-2, sits in a hangar at Nagoya Airport in Toyoyama town, central Japan, Thursday, Jan. 28, 2016. The demonstration plane is expected to make its maiden flight sometime after mid-February. A Defense Ministry official said the technology will give Japan the option of developing its own stealth fighter jets in the future. (AP Photo/Emily Wang)

OYOYAMA, Japan — Japan unveiled its first homemade stealth plane Thursday as it tries to catch up on the technology and enhance its reconnaissance and intelligence capabilities as China expands its own military presence in the region.

The experimental X-2 is expected to make its maiden test flight in February. Defense officials said the aircraft is designed to test the stealth technology that would possibly be combined with the next-generation fighter jet, replacing the fleet of F-2 fighters as early as 2028.

The red-and-white aircraft, with a 14-meter (45-foot) -long fuselage and 9-meter (30-foot) -long wingspan, sat inside a hanger at the Nagoya Airport in central Japan.

Led by Mitsubishi Heavy Industry, the stealth plane comes with radar-resistance features, including a canopy with special stealth-enhancing coating, and mobility.

"I cannot go into details, but we recognize it is technologically at a very high level," said Takahiro Yoshida, an official in charge of the project at the Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency of the Defense Ministry.

The 40 billion yen ($340 million) project began in 2009. -AP

There’s no vaccine for Zika virus, but there is a way to fight the fear

                                             Know your enemy. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

There’s a lot of alarm about Zika virus, now spreading “explosively” (says the WHO) in the Americas. Travelers have brought cases from the tropics to the US, and a few to Europe.

The alarm is because there’s a lot scientists still aren’t sure of. Does Zika really cause microcephaly in babies? Was last year’s spike in microcephaly in Brazil even real, or just a result of doctors looking for it harder? Does Zika cause the paralyzing Guillain-Barré syndrome? Can mosquito species other than Aedes aegypti spread Zika? Can it be sexually transmitted?

Zika has been linked to birth defects in thousands of Brazilian babies, born with heads smaller than normal and undeveloped brains. Pictured is Gleyse Kelly da Silva, holding her daughter Maria Giovana, in Recife, Brazil

But while there’s no vaccine against Zika, inoculating yourself against rumor and fear-mongering is just as important. There are sober explainers on what we do know about Zika; there’s advice from health authorities like the CDC and the WHO. The key is to know what to worry about and what not to.

Here’s the brief version: If you’re pregnant or trying to get pregnant, take special care (here’s how) in places where Zika is being actively transmitted (here’s a map). If you’re trying to get pregnant, consider waiting. You might also be a little cautious in places where Zika isn’t spreading but A. aegypti is present and active, like Florida and Texas (here are mosquito maps).

If you’re not pregnant or trying for it, and you’re in a Zika or aegypti region, take precautions, but don’t panic. The link with Guillain-Barré is worrying, but still tenuous. 

Most people with Zika never develop symptoms, and most of those who do develop only mild ones. You can’t infect someone else by touch. And sexual transmission, if it exists at all, is extremely rare.

And if your local mosquitoes aren’t aegypti but another species of Aedes—or a different genus altogether—there’s probably nothing to worry about. But keep an eye on the news, all the same. - quartz

Seven people are injured on American Airlines flight after it hits severe turbulence on way from Miami to Milan causing it to divert to Canada a

Seven people are injured on American Air..

Plane passengers and a flight attendants were rushed to the hospital after an American Airlines flight experienced severe turbulence in flight that led to injuries.

The seat belt light was fortunately on when American Airlines flight 206 from Miami to Milan hit a pocket of extremely rocky turbulence.The flight had to make an emergency landing in Newfoundland, Canada Sunday night around 9:45pm. 

Three flight attendants and four passengers were transported to a local hospital for further evaluation, reported ABC News.The worst injured was a flight attendant, who was bleeding.

The plane was carrying 192 passengers and a crew of 11, including eight flight attendants and three pilots.At least four ambulances and a fire truck met the plane on the tarmac.'We are taking care of our passengers. - headlines-news

Driverless Cars Set to Hit the Streets of London This Summer

                               Driverless Cars Set to Hit the Streets of London This Summer

The driverless cars that could hit the roads of London as early as this summer will look familiar to anyone who has visited Heathrow Airport.

The first vehicles are being adapted from the pod-like shuttles that have shepherded passengers between the parking lot and Heathrow's Terminal 5 for the past five years. While the battery-powered shuttles run on a track, their new autonomous counterparts will be adapted so they can navigate the streets of London on their own, according to an announcement posted on Heathrow's website.

The project is being funded by a consortium of companies and the United Kingdom's public innovation agency. Once the final fleet is ready in July, the plan is to test seven pod vehicles in the Greenwich district near the O2 arena, with the possibility of adding some residential routes, according to the BBC.

Researchers hope the trial will allow them to see how the cars and their technology interact with their urban environment -- which includes the reactions they'll likely get from pedestrians and human drivers. Other trials being planned will also include valet parking and automated deliveries, according to the announcement.

Each pod will accommodate up to six passengers. Someone must be present in the pod at all times to press an emergency button if any issues arise. - abcnews

Four miners rescued in China after 36 days underground

The first of four rescued Chinese miners is lifted from a collapsed mine in Pingyi, in eastern China's Shandong Province, on Friday evening. | AP

HONG KONG – Four miners who had been trapped underground for 36 days in a collapsed Chinese gypsum mine have been rescued, state media reported Friday.

The operation to save the men, trapped more than 200 meters underground, took two hours as they were hauled up to the surface one by one in a narrow capsule, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

Dramatic footage released by CCTV showed rescue crews applauding as the men were brought above ground in Shandong province, eastern China.

The men were shown being wrapped in military blankets, blindfolded to protect their eyes and put into ambulances.

They had suffered no major injuries and would soon be able to return home, Xinhua News Agency quoted Cao Qingde, deputy head of the hospital where they are being treated, as saying.

The four were among 29 trapped when the mine collapsed on Dec. 25. Eleven were rescued the following day and one was pronounced dead, while 13 still remain unaccounted for, CCTV said.

Rescuers first detected signs of life on Dec. 30.

The four were named by CCTV as Hao Zhicheng, age 50; Li Qiusheng, 39; Guan Qingji, 58; and Hua Mingxi, 36.

Rescuers managed to contact the miners on Jan. 8, the broadcaster reported, and sent down food, clothes and lamps through a tunnel.

However, complicated geological conditions made the rescue difficult, with crews having to face structural instability of the tunnel and falling rocks.

The incident was the latest deadly accident in a country where safety rules are often flouted to cut costs.

The mine owner committed suicide by drowning himself at the scene soon after the collapse, Xinhua reported previously.

The cause of the collapse is under investigation, but industrial safety regulations are often flouted in China and corruption enables bosses to pursue profits at the cost of worker safety.

Four officials in Pingyi, where the mine is located, including the county’s party chief and head of government, were removed from their posts in the wake of the accident.

The gypsum pit and other mines in its vicinity were ordered to stop production in October by local authorities because of a risk of sinkholes, but it kept operating secretly, the Beijing Times reported earlier.

Accidents linked to lax industrial safety enforcement have seen hundreds of people killed in China this past year, including this month’s landslide in the southern commercial hub of Shenzhen and chemical blasts in the industrial city of Tianjin in August.

China is the world’s largest coal producer, and official data showed colliery accidents killed 931 people last year.

The government says the number of fatalities is declining, but some rights groups argue the actual figures are significantly higher due to underreporting.

The incident was the latest deadly accident in a country where safety rules are often flouted to cut costs. - AFP

Facebook may soon challenge Google as strongest internet company

AP  San Francisco,  January 28, 2016: |Facebook is growing at an exceptional pace as it enters adolescence, propelling it into a better position to challenge Google as the Internet's most powerful company.

Facebook's fourth-quarter report Wednesday provided the latest gauge of the company's impressive strides.

It marked the first time that Facebook's quarterly revenue has surpassed $5 billion - more than fading Internet star Yahoo now generates in an entire year. Facebook's earnings also more than doubled to $1.56 billion, even as the Menlo Park, California, company invests heavily in virtual reality, artificial intelligence, Internet access in remote parts of the world and a mobile ad network for services other than its own.

The performance lifted Facebook's stock by $11.37, or 12 per cent, to $105.82 in extended trading after the report came out.

Although Google remains three times larger by revenue, Facebook has been closing the gap as it sells more mobile advertising on its addictive social-networking app. And it's just beginning to mine revenue from its trendy Instagram service and a rapidly expanding video library.

This spring's debut of the Oculus Rift headset, part of the virtual-reality technology that Facebook bought for $2 billion in 2014, could open another lucrative market. Google is now hiring more virtual-reality specialists, a sign that is trying to catch up with Facebook in a still-nascent field that could transform computing.

Social networking remains Facebook's foundation. The service picked up another 46 million users during the final three months of last year to expand its worldwide audience to 1.59 billion users.

"I'm excited about our progress and the chance to build something great for the future," Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg told analysts in a Wednesday conference call.

Google, now a part of the recently created Alphabet Inc., is thriving too, with more than 1 billion users on its search engine as well as its YouTube video site and its Android software for mobile devices. That makes it unlikely that Facebook will topple Google anytime soon.

Powered by the world's dominant Internet search engine, Google still sells the most digital advertising by a wide margin. Just how much more will be disclosed Monday, when Alphabet is scheduled to announced its fourth-quarter earnings. Alphabet is expected to report fourth-quarter revenue of nearly $17 billion, after subtracting ad commissions, nearly triple what Facebook generated during the same three-month period.

But consider this: Facebook will be turning 12 years old next week and it just posted revenue of $5.8 billion in its latest quarter. At the same stage of its existence in September 2010, Google's net revenue stood at $5.5 billion.

What's more, Facebook's revenue is climbing at a more rapid clip than Google's was at a comparable stage. Facebook's revenue in the past quarter represented a 52 per cent increase from the same time a year ago. When it turned 12 years old, Google's quarterly net revenue rose 25 per cent from the previous year.

In another sign of Facebook's progress, its share of the digital advertising market rose from 8 percent in 2014 to 10 per cent worldwide last year, according to the research firm eMarketer Inc. Google's share shrank from 32 per cent in 2014 to 30 percent last year.

That's still a lot of ground for Facebook to make up, but it's not impossible, given the digital dossiers that it has compiled about its users' passions, friendships and other services that they visit while signed into the social-networking service.

All that data could help Facebook deliver ads tailored for each individual's interests even better than Google has done by analyzing search requests, emails and people's locations, eMarketer analyst Debra Aho Williamson said.

"I wouldn't underestimate Facebook," Williamson said. "They have shaken up multiple types of businesses and completely changed the way that people communicate."

Google knows better than to dismiss the threat posed by Facebook. After all, when it went public in 2004, Google was still smaller than Yahoo. It didn't take long for Google to trounce Yahoo, partly because its rival focused on being on an all-purpose destination while overlooking the lucrative business of search advertising. By contrast, Google has been vigilant about protecting its search business while developing YouTube, Android and other popular products such as Gmail and the Chrome browser.

Investors are betting on both companies. Facebook's stock climbed 34 percent last year, while Alphabet's stock (formerly Google's) surged 47 per cent. Meanwhile, the Standard & Poor's index dipped 1 percent.

"Some people have been wondering if Facebook wins, does that mean Google loses?" said Rosenblatt Securities analyst Martin Pyykkonen. "For now, I think both of these stories can win. They are the two big gorillas in digital advertising." - Indiatoday

Zika vaccine may be ready for emergency use this year: developer

A woman holds a zika virus flyer from an information campaign by the Chilean Health Ministry at the departures area of Santiago's international airport, Chile January 28, 2016. The flyer reads: ''Zika virus recommendations.''

A vaccine for the Zika virus, which has been linked to severe birth defects in thousands of infants, could be ready for emergency use before year-end, one of its lead developers said on Thursday, a timetable well ahead of estimates by U.S. officials.

Canadian scientist Gary Kobinger, part of a consortium working on the vaccine, told Reuters in an interview that the first stage of testing on humans could begin as early as August. If successful, that may allow the vaccine to be used during a public health emergency, in October or November.

"The first thing is to be ready for the worst," Kobinger, who helped develop a trial vaccine that was successful in fighting Ebola in Guinea, said. "This vaccine is easy to produce. It could be cranked to very high levels in a really short time.” He did not say when it could be widely available.

The United States has two potential candidates for a Zika vaccine and may begin clinical trials in people by the end of this year, but there will not be a widely available vaccine for several years, U.S. officials said on Thursday.

The mosquito-transmitted virus has been linked to brain damage in thousands of babies in Brazil. There is no proven vaccine or treatment for Zika, a close cousin of dengue and chikungunya, which causes mild fever and rash. An estimated 80 percent of people infected have no symptoms, making it difficult for pregnant women to know whether they have been infected.

In Geneva, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday that Zika is spreading "explosively" and could affect as many as four million people in the Americas.

Kobinger, the lead scientist on this project from Quebec City's Laval University and head of special pathogens at Canada's National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg, is working with the University of Pennsylvania, led by scientist David Weiner, Inovio Pharmaceuticals Inc and South Korea's GeneOne Life Science Inc.

Joseph Kim, chief executive of Inovio, said the timeline to make the vaccine available by year's end is aggressive, but possible.

"I believe this will be the first to go into human testing. We believe we're ahead of the pack in the race for a Zika vaccine," he said in an interview.

Inovio shares on the Nasdaq jumped 7.6 percent on Thursday to close at $5.78.

Other vaccine candidates appear to be moving more slowly.

The Sao Paulo-based Butantan Institute said last week it planned to develop a vaccine "in record time," although its director warned this was still likely to take three to five years.

The candidate vaccine Kobinger is working on mimics the virus, triggering the body's immune system, he said.

"When the real thing comes in, then the antibodies are there, the immune system is primed, it's ready to attack right away," Kobinger said. - Reuters

Earthquake of magnitude 3.8 hits Jaipur in Rajasthan

The Met department has said a minor earthquake of magnitude 3.8 struck at 04:17 am epicentred near Jaipur in Rajasthan. There were no reports of any casualty or damage to property.

Mild tremors were felt in Jaipur in Rajasthan on Friday morning. There were no reports of any casualty or damage to property.

The Met department has said a minor earthquake of magnitude 3.8 struck at 04:17 am epicentred near Jaipur in Rajasthan.

Jaipur is located at a distance of 260 km from the capital New Delhi.

Jaipur lies in Seismic Zone 2, which is considered to be a low damage risk zone. - India Today

Treat Bleeding Gums With These Best Home Remedies!

Boldsky 28th Jan, 2016: Bleeding gums or inflammation in the gums is also known as gingivitis. It is very common these days. It typically means, as the name suggests, bleeding of the gums, especially experienced when eating spicy, hard foods or while brushing the teeth. 

The gums also appear to be swollen in this condition. Some of the reasons for bleeding gums may include pregnancy, stress, diabetes, hormonal changes, scurvy and leukaemia. The pain due to this can be unbearable at times and make a person feel hard to concentrate on other daily tasks.

A poor oral hygiene is the main cause for having bleeding gums. If not treated properly, it many worsen and aggravate other health disorders. One of the cheapest home remedies for treating bleeding gums is by gargling salt water each morning. 

However, there are other natural remedies to treat this condition too. In this article, we at Boldsky will be listing out some of the easy home remedies for the treatment of bleeding gums. Read on to know more about it. 

Baking Soda: Brushing the teeth with baking soda is a perfect solution to treat bleeding gums. Baking soda eliminates the microbes and treats bleeding gums effectively. But, make sure to use a gentle brush to brush the teeth. 

Tea Tree Oil: The antibacterial property of tea tree oil can put an end to bleeding gums. Add a few drops of tea tree oil to warm water and use this mixture to gargle. Use this procedure for a week and you will be amazed with its results.

Olive Oil: The antioxidants present in olive oil soothe the swollen gums. The natural ingredients present in it can stop the growth of the inflammation-causing bacteria. Add a few drops of olive oil to warm water, gargle and spit out the water after a while.

Aloe Vera Gel: This antioxidant-rich gel helps to deal with bleeding gums. It kills the bacteria that cause bleeding gums and also hastens the healing process. Gently massage a required amount of aloe vera gel on the affected area and rinse after sometime.

Cloves: Cloves are an effective remedy to treat bleeding of the gums. Cloves have been used to treat major dental problems since times immemorial. Just chew on a few pieces of dried cloves to get an instant relief from bleeding gums.

You will be able to see your Facebook Timeline in 3D very soon

                                              Facebook Timeline can be experienced in 3D

The feature will work with web links, profiles, Facebook Pages, Facebook Groups, Facebook Events, photos, profile pictures and cover photos.

New York: If you are an Apple user, get ready to experience your Facebook Timeline in 3D soon. According to reports, the social networking site is rolling out a special feature '3D Touch' to its Timeline.

So instead of tapping and swiping, '3D Touch' will allow users to hard-press on items to preview content and then optionally act on it, Tech Crunch reported.

  

The feature will work with web links, profiles, Facebook Pages, Facebook Groups, Facebook Events, photos, profile pictures and cover photos.

To begin with, Apple users will be able to press on links and profiles and preview content without having to navigate away from their current spot.

"We are excited to start rolling out support for 3D Touch in our iOS app so people can quickly and easily peek into a preview of anything they are interested in on Facebook, and pop into that content to see more," a Facebook spokesperson was quoted as saying in the report.

Initially, '3D Touch ' on the Timeline will be available to a 'small group' of people and will later expand to more users.

This previewing feature was earlier called 'peek and pop' and introduced on Apple's new smartphones last year.

So "peek" at emails from your inbox with a light press then press a little harder to 'pop' into them soon! - IANS

Facebook's Free Internet Project Hits a Snag in India

Jan 20 2016: The debate between Facebook and India's regulators is heating up.

On Tuesday, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) questioned the methods used by Facebook to lobby for Free Basics, a program meant to bring free Internet services to India.

Some critics say the program violates the principles of "net neutrality" because it makes some websites and services available at no cost, while charging for broader access.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg wrote in April that "arguments about net neutrality shouldn't be used to prevent the most disadvantaged people in society from gaining access or to deprive people of opportunity."

To settle the debate, TRAI wanted Facebook to ask its users four questions about the fairness of "differential pricing." Instead, TRAI said in a public letter, Facebook provided users with a boilerplate response suggesting lines such as "shutting down Free Basics would hurt our country's most vulnerable people" and "I support Free Basics — and digital equality for India."

TRAI said the move had "the flavor of reducing this meaningful consultative exercise" into a "crudely majoritarian and orchestrated opinion poll."

A Facebook spokesperson told NBC News that TRAI asked for the questions to be answered only after 11.7 million people had already sent in their comments.

"While we did not include all of the specific language drafted by TRAI, we did deliver a request for additional information and included in the draft email the exact language from the four specific questions posed in the consultation paper," Facebook said. "More than 1.4 million Indians responded by submitting revised comments that addressed these questions."

Facebook, meanwhile, complained that TRAI blocked messages from Facebook email accounts for several weeks. TRAI said it would have fixed the problem if it had been notified as soon as the matter was discovered. - (nbc news)

Zika virus infection

Zika virus is a member of the Flaviviridae family and is transmitted to humans by mosquitoes. It is related to other pathogenic vector borne flaviviruses including dengue, West-Nile and Japanese encephalitis viruses but produces a comparatively mild disease in humans. In 2007, Zika virus caused an outbreak on the island of Yap in the Pacific. 

This was the first documented transmission outside of its traditional endemic areas in Africa and Asia, and Zika virus is considered an emerging infectious disease with the potential to spread to new areas where the Aedes mosquito vector is present. 

There is no evidence of transmission Zika virus in Europe to date and imported cases are rare. - ecdc

As More Pregnant Women in US Found With Mosquito-Borne Zika Virus, CDC Issues New Guidelines

January 20, 2016 (ABC News): The Zika virus, a mosquito-borne pathogen that has been linked to a rise of birth defects in Brazil, has been found in at least five people this month in the U.S., prompting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to release new guidelines for pregnant women.

The new interim guidelines issued by the CDC on Tuesday advise doctors to ask all pregnant women if they have recently traveled to a country where the a Zika virus outbreak is ongoing. The CDC has also advised any pregnant women who have traveled to countries with the Zika virus to get tested for the virus if they are have two or more symptoms of the virus.

The illness often results in fever, joint pain and rash, health officials said. There is no cure or vaccine for the virus besides supportive care.

The guideline announcement came as two pregnant women in Illinois were reported on Tuesday to have contracted the disease, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health. Both of those women were believed to have been infected while out of the country.

Three other people in Florida were also diagnosed with the illness, officials said today. All of the infected people in Florida contracted the virus while out of the country -- in either Colombia or Venezuela.

Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, said the increase in the cases reported in the U.S. may not be the result of more cases arriving in the U.S.

"I think this is likely to be increasing awareness on part of both the public [and] for women who are pregnant," said Schaffner, who explained pregnant women were already likely asking to be tested if they visited a country with a Zika virus outbreak.

Schaffner said the new guidelines will be helpful in stopping the virus from spreading in the U.S., but there is no treatment or vaccine for the virus.

"It will provoke a fair amount of anxiety in the pregnant women and their partner," Schaffner said. "I empathize with them as well as my colleagues in obstetrics. ... They don’t have anything to offer except compassionate care."

On Friday, officials reported of the first case of a U.S. baby born with a birth defect likely linked to the virus. A Hawaii infant was born with microcephaly, an abnormally small head, which was likely caused when the infant's mother contracting Zika virus while pregnant, according to CDC officials, who also noted that the woman was likely exposed to the virus while living in Brazil last May.

The CDC issued guidelines last week advising pregnant woman to consider postponing travel to any country where the virus is being transmitted or to take extra precautions against mosquito bites if they are in that area.

The virus has been a problem in tropical settings in Africa, Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands for years, but it's suspected link to birth defects was found late last year. It does not spread person to person, and the symptoms usually don't last more than a week, according to the CDC.

WhatsApp to go 'free' globally

The service also said it will not introduce any third-party ads for monetisation.

WhatsApp said it would test tools starting from 2016 which could replace text messages and phone calls mode of communication between people and businesses and organisations.

Global instant messaging behemoth WhatsApp on Monday said it will waive its annual subscription fee over the next several weeks as it has not worked well.

"For many years, we have asked some people to pay a fee for using WhatsApp after their first year. As we have grown, we have found that this approach hasn't worked well," said WhatsApp in a blog post.

Despite not being able to charge its hundreds of millions of users the annual fee, WhatsApp said it would not subject its users to advertisements.

"Naturally, people might wonder how we plan to keep WhatsApp running without subscription fees and if today's announcement means we are introducing third-party advertisements. The answer is no," said the WhatsApp blog post.

Where then will WhatsApp's revenue come from?

Without clearly defining the revenue model, WhatsApp said it would test tools starting from 2016 which could replace text messages and phone calls mode of communication between people and businesses and organisations.

"We will test tools that allow you to use WhatsApp to communicate with businesses and organisations that you want to hear from."

Promising zero third-party advertisement and spam, WhatsApp said, "That could mean communicating with your bank about whether a recent transaction was fraudulent, or with an airline about a delayed flight. We all get these messages elsewhere today - through text messages and phone calls."

Reaching out to many WhatsApp users without a debit or credit card across countries is also an objective of the move.

"Many WhatsApp users don't have a debit or credit card number and they worried they would lose access to their friends and family after their first year," said the blogpost.

Founded by Ukrainian immigrants to America Jan Koum and Brian Acton in 2009, WhatsApp got acquired by social media giant Facebook for $19 billion in 2014.

Both Koum and Acton were former employees of technology company Yahoo. - IANS

Striving to unearth mysteries of brain

                               Prof. Karl Deisseroth delivering a lecture in Bengaluru on Monday.

BENGALURU, January 19, 2016: Dr. Karl Deisseroth wants to deconstruct the brain, understand it, and unearth its mysteries.

On any given day, there are ideas flying around in his bioengineering lab at Stanford University.

The neuroscientist, who won the 2016 Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences, gave a lecture to a packed auditorium at the Indian Institute of Science here on Monday.

It was the first of a three-city lecture, part of the Sixth Annual Cell Press-TNQ India Distinguished Lectureship Series.

Dr. Deisseroth is exploring the cellular connections that underlie psychiatric symptom domains.

He and his students are interested in the questions of motivation and reward and hope; what makes organisms do things and not to do things; what states they can get in to.

“And this relates to depression. Patients who have major depression, they have a negative outlook on the world and on the future, and often simply cannot see the positive outcome. And this cannot be reasoned out of them any more than a schizophrenic patient can be reasoned out of a delusion,” he told the audience.

He is building the technology to throw light on these problems. The tools he uses are optogenetics, a technology that he helped develop, which uses opsins or light-sensitive proteins to control cells in living tissue.

For instance, specific neurons in mammalian cells turn blue, and can be switched on and off in experimental animals to modify their behaviour.

After illuminating the brain, he brought transparency to it through ‘Clarity’, an acronym for a technology he pioneered that allows a brain to be left intact but still get cellular resolution.

It allows researchers and scientists to explore once hidden parts of the brain to study neurological illnesses like Alzheimer’s. - TH

Cameron backs burqa ban in schools, courts, border checkpoints

London: UK Prime Minister David Cameron has backed a ban on face-covering veils such as burqas in schools, courts and at border check points in the country but said he will not go as far as what France did to impose a blanket ban.

"When you're coming into contact with an institution, or you're in court, or if you need to be able to see someone's face at the border, then I will always back the authority and institution that have put in place proper and sensible rules," Cameron said.

It comes as the UK prepare to announce a series of measures designed to stop British Muslims becoming radicalised and traveling to the Middle East to join terrorist groups like the Islamic State.

"What does matter is if, for instance, a school has a uniform policy, sensitively put in place and all the rest of it, and people want to flout that uniform policy, often for reasons that aren't connected to religion, you should always come down on the side of the school," he was quoted as saying by BBC Radio Four.

Cameron, 49, however, rejected the idea of a blanket ban on burqas and other religious headgear, along the lines of the ban imposed in France since 2010.

"Going for the more sort of French approach of banning an item of clothing, I don't think that's the way we do things in this country and I don't think that would help," he said.

Cameron's comments came on the day he unveiled plans for tougher new English language requirements to prevent segregation of members of the Muslim community.

New rules will mean that from October this year migrants coming to the UK on a five-year spousal visa with poor or no English skills will have to take a test after two and a half years to show they are making efforts to improve their English.

France introduced a controversial ban on wearing the full face veil in public in 2010, triggering concerns from rights groups. - PTI

China to land probe on dark side of moon in 2018: Xinhua

China's Long March-6 rocket, carrying 20 micro-satellites, blasts off from the launch pad in Taiyuan.

SHANGHAI - China has begun preparations for a new lunar mission in 2018 when it plans to send a probe to the dark side of the moon not explored by humans so far, in a bid to create a new landmark in space exploration.

The far side of the moon is never visible to Earth because of gravitational forces and has never been explored.

Previous spacecraft have seen the far side of the moon, that is never visible from earth, but none has landed on it.

A new probe, the Chang'e-4, is similar to the Chang'e-3 but can carry a bigger payload, Xinhua quoted Liu Jizhong, head of the science, technology and defense industry administration's lunar exploration center, as saying late on Thursday.

The craft will study geological conditions on the far side of the moon, Liu said. Advancing China's space program has been a priority of leaders, with President Xi Jinping calling for China to establish itself as a space power.

China insists that its space program is for peaceful purposes. However, the U.S. Defense Department has highlighted China's increasing space capabilities, saying it was pursuing activities aimed at preventing its adversaries from using space-based assets during a crisis.

“The U.S. has sent more than 20 spacecraft to Mars since 1964, among which several probes have landed on the surface of the red planet. The Curiosity is still roving Mars and sending back information. NASA is leaving the other space competitors far behind,” state-run Global Times said in an editorial in 2015.

“China should dream big in outer space. NASA’s far sight and one discovery after another have met our curiosity and gained respect from the world, including the Chinese people. At the same time, its discoveries gives us a sense of urgency,” it said.

China has an advanced space programme with a first soft-landing on the moon with Chang’e-3 in December 2013, which is still sending messages back to Earth.

Mr. Liu said Chang’e-4 is very similar to Chang’e-3 in structure but can handle more payload. It will be used to study the geological conditions of the dark side of the moon.

China sent a letter of intent of cooperation to foreign countries in early 2015.

In March, the Chinese government said it would open up its lunar exploration program to companies rather than simply relying on the state-owned sector as before, hoping to boost technological breakthroughs. [nL3N0WJ3AF]

The Chang’e-5 lunar probe is now being developed by scientists, Mr. Liu said.

By 2022, China also plans set up its own space station rival to Russia’s space station Mir that is jointly operated with the U.S. - Reuters

Holy Braille: Scientists developing Kindle-style tablet for the blind

                  Artist's impression of a Braille tablet (Credit: Kelly O'Sullivan, Michigan Engineering)

Scientists at the University of Michigan are working on a revolutionary display technology that could one day feature in a Kindle-style Braille tablet for the visually impaired.

“Imagine having a Kindle that isn’t a visual Kindle but instead has a tactile surface that can be read by a person who is blind, using Braille,” explained Sile O'Modhrain, associate professor of music and associate professor of information at the University of Michigan, who herself is visually impaired.

It’s a fascinating proposition, and one O’Modhrain and researchers at the University of Michigan are working to solve. The professor explains that at the current time digital Braille devices with refreshable displays can only offer one line of information at a time, and are also prohibitively expensive with a single-line costing around $4,000.

“One of the advantages of our display is that it’s entirely pneumatic, so we can drive it with either air or fluid,” O’Modhrain says. “That means we can produce a display that’s a lot cheaper than existing displays that rely on electronics, so we never have to worry about wiring, or assembling individual mechanical objects.”

The technology could also open up a host of possibilities for visually impaired people.

The team is using manufacturing methods borrowed from the silicon industry, “where chips are laid down in layers instead of having many small parts to assemble,” according to a MIT report. This more cost-effective approach means the tablet could retail for under $1,000 when it’s finally completed.

O’Modhrain says a Braille device would offer the visually impaired much greater access to spatially displayed information, opening up subjects like science and math. She adds that users would also be able to interact with graphs and spreadsheets, making the tablet a whole lot more useful than a simple reading device.

At the moment, researchers can drive a series of connected dots to display a single Braille character and are working on scaling up the system to display characters and dots on a much larger array. 

“Once that is done, then we would need input from people who can help us develop techniques for manufacturing displays for a mass market,” added O'Modhrain. “And then, of course, the display needs to be integrated into a product, which again would depend on a third party developer deciding to use the device in their product. “  - James Rogers 

Airbags To Be Mandatory In All Indian Vehicles Soon

Road Safety Week is ongoing in India, which commenced from January 11, 2016. Several automobile manufacturers have joined the initiative to spread road safety awareness among the public. The Indian Government is trying to improve road safety in the country.

The Indian Government plans on introducing a Road Transport and Safety Bill. One of the main focus will be the mandatory inclusion of airbags within all vehicles sold in the country. Unfortunately, a deadline for this has not been set and the bill is yet to be introduced in Parliament.

Currently, over five lakh vehicle-related accidents take place in India every year. Out of which, 1.5 lakh individuals lose their lives and many more are left injured. Officials also believe that vehicle owners should be given better training and issuing of driving license should be stringent.

Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister of Road Transport, Highways and Shipping promised a website that would identify accident-prone zones across the nation. A total amount of Rs. 11,000 crore has been allotted to rectify accident prone zones across India.

Road Safety Authorities are aiming at reducing accidents by almost 50 percent within five years. Individuals too need to take a decision to be safer on the roads. Talking on mobile phones should be avoided and use of seat belt and helmet should be a conscious choice and not forced upon. - www.drivespark.com

Woman gives birth to granddaughter after surrogate pregnancy

54-year-old Tracey Thompson carried baby for daughter who miscarried 3 times

Surrogates as old as 61 have given birth to children in Chicago and Japan in recent years

 Kelley McKissack, left, holds the hand of her mother, Tracey Thompson, who carried and delivered Kelley’s baby, Kelcey, as a surrogate, as their doctor Dr. Joseph Leveno, far right, explains the procedure at The Medical Center of Plano in Plano, Texas, on Thursday, Jan. 7, 2016.

PLANO, TEXAS 

For three years, Kelley McKissack and her husband tried to have a baby. Three times, McKissack miscarried.

McKissack's mother, Tracey Thompson, offered to be a surrogate and carry an embryo from the Wylie couple's final round of in vitro fertilization.

On Wednesday, the 54-year-old gave birth to a healthy baby girl named Kelcey – a combination of Kelley and Tracey – at the Medical Center of Plano.

And on Thursday, McKissack showed off her rosy-cheeked daughter, all 6 pounds and 9 ounces, with Thompson beaming by her side.

"Say hi to the world!" McKissack told Kelcey, tucking her tiny arms in a mint-colored blanket as a camera shuttered in their hospital room.

Thompson, who lives in the rural community of Nevada, was already seven years past menopause when she began the pregnancy, but her health was excellent, doctors said. Medical advances allow older women to be surrogates, under strict supervision.

Though noteworthy, Thompson's pregnancy was no medical breakthrough. Surrogates as old as 61 have given birth to children in Chicago and Japan in recent years. Among the oldest mothers in recorded history is a 70-year-old Indian woman who delivered a baby girl in 2008.

"It was a beating," Thompson told reporters about her surrogacy. "It really was. ... It's been many years since I've been pregnant."

Thompson has two adult children. McKissack is 28, and her brother is 30.

The family was protective of Thompson during this pregnancy. Her husband, Ben, helped with any lifting. McKissack religiously attended her mother's medical appointments, treating them as her own.

"I didn't want to disappoint her," Thompson said of her daughter. "I was overly cautious with everything."

Sometimes, strangers would stare. First at Thompson's face, then at her belly.

Her husband would jokingly tell people the baby wasn't his and walk off, leaving Thompson to explain it was her daughter's.

"The looks we got were quite funny," Thompson said.

Doctors noted Thompson went through a comprehensive medical evaluation. Her family also had to sit down with a counselor to check for any emotional problems. Once it was determined that Thompson's uterine cavity was normal, she started taking hormones to prepare for the implantation of a 5-day-old embryo.

"Pregnancy is a heavy load on a woman," said Dr. Ali Guerami, McKissack's fertility specialist in Frisco. "We have to make sure that their heart can accept it, and then we have to make sure the patient understands that when they're older there's much more chance you'll have an operative procedure like a C-section."

With older women, there's also a higher possibility of complications, Guerami said.

Thompson had a C-section Wednesday after Kelcey's heart rate dropped. The baby had a bowel movement inside the uterus.

Becoming a surrogate wasn't a decision Thompson came to lightly.

She and her husband, Ben, talked about it together, with their family and their pastor John Spencer of Lone Star Cowboy Church in Nevada.

The couple is active in the church. Ben Thompson is a church leader. On Sundays, the Thompsons and other members eat dinner together. Games of dominoes often follow at the couple's house.

They talked with Spencer about Tracey Thompson's health and concerns about her age.

But whether the surrogacy was part of God's plan wasn't a discussion, Spencer said. He knew about the difficulty of the couple's daughter and son-in-law to have a baby.

"I have come to appreciate that we serve a huge God. I'm afraid we tend to put him in this little box because then it feels safe for us, rather than understanding that God is almighty and he uses different channels for his purpose," Spencer said on the phone Thursday. "God uses medical channels to heal, or in this case, bring new life." - The Dallas  News

Melbourne’s Metropolitan Remand Centre in lockdown as prisoner scales pole

           A prisoner climbed a light pole inside the Metropolitan Remand Centre. Picture: Ian Currie

A NINE-HOUR standoff involving a prisoner perched from a light pole at Melbourne’s Metropolitan Remand Centre has been resolved safely.

The prisoner agreed to come down from the light pole at 8:15pm and was assisted by a cherry picker.

The prisoner scaled the light pole and perched himself on top of it shortly before 11am.

Images filmed by a TV news helicopter show the man waving his arms in the air.

Michael Newhouse, a spokesman for Corrections Victoria says the man will be charged with internal prison offences.

“This was a potentially dangerous situation, and Corrections Victoria commends the professionalism, skill and dedication of our prison officers who ensured it was resolved safely,” Mr Newhouse said.

The man has been medically assessed and treated for sunburn and will be transferred to a management unit.

Corrections Victoria will review the incident. - Herald Sun

Iran bans imports of all products from Saudi Arabia

Supporters of the Houthi movement protest outside the Saudi embassy in Sanaa, Yemen January 7, 2016. © Khaled Abdullah / Reuters

Tehran has severed its commercial ties with Riyadh, its government announced on Thursday. The move comes amid a diplomatic rift between the two nations following the execution of a prominent Shia cleric by Saudi authorities.

The decision to ban all Saudi imports was made during a cabinet meeting chaired by Iran's President Hassan Rouhani, Reuters reported.

"The cabinet has banned the entry of all Saudi products and products from Saudi Arabia," the government said in a statement.

A ban on Umrah pilgrimages with Iranians traveling to the Saudi holy city of Mecca was also reaffirmed by the cabinet, the statement added, saying the restriction was in place "until further notice." The holy trips were suspended by Tehran in April last year, in response to an alleged sexual assault on two Iranian men by Saudi airport guards.

Some flights between the two countries have also been suspended.

Iranians compose one of the biggest groups of year-round pilgrims to Mecca, with officials estimating that around 600,000 Iranians travel to Saudi Arabia every year on holy pilgrimages. Saudi Arabia is believed to be earning billions of dollars in revenue from religious tourism in the Middle East.

On Monday, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir announced Riyadh's plans to cut off all flights between Saudi Arabia and Iran, as well as plans to ban its citizens from traveling to the Islamic Republic. - Reuters