Cancer cases rising in India, says expert

Kolkata: Cancer cases are increasing in India but with availability of state-of-the-art procedures, its treatment has touched new highs, an expert said.

'There is a rise in cancer cases in India in almost equal proportion among men and women,' Shaikat Gupta, who heads the surgical oncology department at Apollo Gleneagles Hospital here, told IANS.

According to a World Health Organisation (WHO) estimate, by 2020 cancer cases will be in equal proportion among both genders.

However, due to advancements in surgical techniques, many cancerous anomalies can be cured through surgery.

'Organ-confined cancers are treated by ultra-radical surgery. Heart cancer, lung cancer, gastric cancer and pancreatic cancer can be surgically treated now,' Gupta said on the sidelines of a media conference that highlighted a new type of surgery conducted by Apollo Gleneagles Hospitals to treat 

Cancer cases rising in India, says expert

Kolkata: Cancer cases are increasing in India but with availability of state-of-the-art procedures, its treatment has touched new highs, an expert said.

'There is a rise in cancer cases in India in almost equal proportion among men and women,' Shaikat Gupta, who heads the surgical oncology department at Apollo Gleneagles Hospital here, told IANS.

According to a World Health Organisation (WHO) estimate, by 2020 cancer cases will be in equal proportion among both genders.

However, due to advancements in surgical techniques, many cancerous anomalies can be cured through surgery.

'Organ-confined cancers are treated by ultra-radical surgery. Heart cancer, lung cancer, gastric cancer and pancreatic cancer can be surgically treated now,' Gupta said on the sidelines of a media conference that highlighted a new type of surgery conducted by Apollo Gleneagles Hospitals to treat 

Kerala thanks Saudi Arabia for giving migrants relief

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala government Tuesday expressed its gratitude to the Saudi government for extending, till Nov 4, its deadline for all expatriate workers to get their papers regularized for legally staying in the kingdom.

The deadline was to expire Wednesday.

Diaspora Minister K.C.Joseph told IANS that this news 'made all of us so happy and we are hugely thankful to the Saudi government'.

'The Indian embassy (in Riyadh) was overloaded with the last minute work of getting all the papers ready and this extension has come as a blessing for all,' he said.

He said that even though the number of Indians who have now got ready to leave is 70,000, the number of Keralites among them is only around 7,000.

'The biggest advantage overall if one looks into what has happened in Saudi Arabia is that this was an opportunity for all people who did not have the required papers to get them re-validated and as a result, many of our people there got back their passports from their earlier Saudi employers. Many passports were deposited at the Indian embassy,' added Joseph.

Early this year, the Saudi administration decided to implement the Nitaqat or Saudisation policy that makes it mandatory for all Saudi companies to reserve 10 percent of jobs for Saudi nationals.

'We have now received queries from the Indian embassy in Saudi Arabia for verification of the identities of 51 Keralites who, for several years, have been forced to stay there as they had no documents with them. We have handed over the verification to the respective collectors and once we report back to the embassy, they will get their new passports,' said Joseph.

He also thanked the numerous companies in Saudi Arabia which decided to conduct a job fair for all those whose papers have been rectified to give them a chance for a new job.

Kerala thanks Saudi Arabia for giving migrants relief

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala government Tuesday expressed its gratitude to the Saudi government for extending, till Nov 4, its deadline for all expatriate workers to get their papers regularized for legally staying in the kingdom.

The deadline was to expire Wednesday.

Diaspora Minister K.C.Joseph told IANS that this news 'made all of us so happy and we are hugely thankful to the Saudi government'.

'The Indian embassy (in Riyadh) was overloaded with the last minute work of getting all the papers ready and this extension has come as a blessing for all,' he said.

He said that even though the number of Indians who have now got ready to leave is 70,000, the number of Keralites among them is only around 7,000.

'The biggest advantage overall if one looks into what has happened in Saudi Arabia is that this was an opportunity for all people who did not have the required papers to get them re-validated and as a result, many of our people there got back their passports from their earlier Saudi employers. Many passports were deposited at the Indian embassy,' added Joseph.

Early this year, the Saudi administration decided to implement the Nitaqat or Saudisation policy that makes it mandatory for all Saudi companies to reserve 10 percent of jobs for Saudi nationals.

'We have now received queries from the Indian embassy in Saudi Arabia for verification of the identities of 51 Keralites who, for several years, have been forced to stay there as they had no documents with them. We have handed over the verification to the respective collectors and once we report back to the embassy, they will get their new passports,' said Joseph.

He also thanked the numerous companies in Saudi Arabia which decided to conduct a job fair for all those whose papers have been rectified to give them a chance for a new job.

Pluto's smallest moons get official names

Washington: The two smallest known moons orbiting Pluto have been officially christened by the International Astronomical Union, which is in charge of approving celestial names.

American non-profit science research group SETI Institute said the moon earlier known as P4, which was discovered in the summer of 2011, has been named Kerberos, after the three-headed dog of Greek mythology.

The second one called P5, which was discovered in the summer of 2012, has been named Styx, after the mythological river that separates the world of the living from the realm of the dead, Xinhua reported.

The moons join Pluto's previously known moons Charon, Nix and Hydra.

The SETI Institute said Pluto's moons are all named for characters associated with the underworld of Greek and Roman mythology, according to the International Astronomical Union rules.

The two names were selected based on the results of an unprecedented internet vote that was held during February 2013, with the ballot receiving almost 500,000 votes, including 30,000 write-in suggestions, the institute said.

'I was overwhelmed by the public response to the naming campaign,' said Mark Showalter, senior research scientist at the SETI Institute, who led the team of astronomers in the discoveries of Kerberos and Styx.

Kerberos is the Greek form of the name Cerberus, which was ranked second in the voting, and Styx was ranked third, the institute said.

The top vote went to 'Vulcan', based on a suggestion from actor William Shatner of TV's 'Star Trek', but it was rejected because that name has already been used in astronomy.

The name also happens to be shared by the Roman god of volcanoes but the Roman god is not closely associated with Pluto, it said.

Pluto's smallest moons get official names

Washington: The two smallest known moons orbiting Pluto have been officially christened by the International Astronomical Union, which is in charge of approving celestial names.

American non-profit science research group SETI Institute said the moon earlier known as P4, which was discovered in the summer of 2011, has been named Kerberos, after the three-headed dog of Greek mythology.

The second one called P5, which was discovered in the summer of 2012, has been named Styx, after the mythological river that separates the world of the living from the realm of the dead, Xinhua reported.

The moons join Pluto's previously known moons Charon, Nix and Hydra.

The SETI Institute said Pluto's moons are all named for characters associated with the underworld of Greek and Roman mythology, according to the International Astronomical Union rules.

The two names were selected based on the results of an unprecedented internet vote that was held during February 2013, with the ballot receiving almost 500,000 votes, including 30,000 write-in suggestions, the institute said.

'I was overwhelmed by the public response to the naming campaign,' said Mark Showalter, senior research scientist at the SETI Institute, who led the team of astronomers in the discoveries of Kerberos and Styx.

Kerberos is the Greek form of the name Cerberus, which was ranked second in the voting, and Styx was ranked third, the institute said.

The top vote went to 'Vulcan', based on a suggestion from actor William Shatner of TV's 'Star Trek', but it was rejected because that name has already been used in astronomy.

The name also happens to be shared by the Roman god of volcanoes but the Roman god is not closely associated with Pluto, it said.

Diabetes, heart diseases boost olive oil demands in India

New Delhi: India is emerging as one of the fastest growing markets for olive oil, largely due to rising cases of diabetes, hypertension and heart diseases.

Imports of olive oil in India surged by 66 percent to 11,916.76 tonnes in the financial year ended March 31, 2013, according to Indian Olive Association data.

'Main driving factor for olive oil demands in India is health-related problems like increasing cases of diabetes, hypertension and heart diseases,' V N Dalmia, president of the Indian Olive Association, told IANS.

He said in 2012-13, growth in import of olive oil was the highest in India among the major economies, followed by Japan with 29 percent, China 17 percent and Brazil 16 percent.

Olive oil is considered good for health as it contains low saturated fat and high percentage of mono-unsaturated fat that help in reducing the risk of heart diseases, diabetes and hypertension. In addition, the high anti-oxidants in olive oil fight cancer and increase life expectancy.

Dalmia said rising purchasing power and growing awareness among common people have boosted demands for olive oil, mainly in urban areas.

Imports of olive oil have increased sharply in India in the past few years. It had jumped by 42 percent in 2011-12 and by 49 percent in the previous year.

Dalmia said imports surged by 66.36 percent in 2012-13 year-on-year, which is a record high.

Imports have jumped despite a sharp jump in prices. 'Prices of olive oil have jumped by almost 40 percent in producing countries. It is now at a record high,' said Dalmia, who is also chairman of Dalmia Continental, one of the biggest importers of olive oil in India.

Spain and Italy together supply over 90 percent of India's olive oil import. Of the total imports, 59.18 percent came from Spain in 2012-13, while 31.26 percent came from Italy.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), heart diseases would be the single largest killer in India by 2015.

India has the largest number of cardiac patients, with an estimated over 100 million people or nearly 10 percent of the total population affected.

India also has the second largest number of diabetes patients with an estimated 61 million people affected. Nearly 140 million people in India have high blood pressure, which is 14 percent of the world's total such patients.

Dalmia said considering the enormity of these health-related problems, the demands for olive oil would remain strong in India in the coming years.

According to the Indian Olive Association, imports of olive oil is estimated to increase by an average 40 percent annually over the next five years.

Dalmia said growth may drop in the current financial year due to high prices and a sharp depreciation in the value of the rupee that has made imports costlier. 'Our import cost has gone up by almost 50 percent in the past one year due to increase in prices in the producing countries and rupee depreciation,' he said.

The Indian rupee has depreciated by almost 10 percent since the beginning of this year. It hit a record low of 60.76 against a dollar last week.

Dalmia said nearly one-fifth of olive oil in India is used for massage and external use and the rest for cooking.

Diabetes, heart diseases boost olive oil demands in India

New Delhi: India is emerging as one of the fastest growing markets for olive oil, largely due to rising cases of diabetes, hypertension and heart diseases.

Imports of olive oil in India surged by 66 percent to 11,916.76 tonnes in the financial year ended March 31, 2013, according to Indian Olive Association data.

'Main driving factor for olive oil demands in India is health-related problems like increasing cases of diabetes, hypertension and heart diseases,' V N Dalmia, president of the Indian Olive Association, told IANS.

He said in 2012-13, growth in import of olive oil was the highest in India among the major economies, followed by Japan with 29 percent, China 17 percent and Brazil 16 percent.

Olive oil is considered good for health as it contains low saturated fat and high percentage of mono-unsaturated fat that help in reducing the risk of heart diseases, diabetes and hypertension. In addition, the high anti-oxidants in olive oil fight cancer and increase life expectancy.

Dalmia said rising purchasing power and growing awareness among common people have boosted demands for olive oil, mainly in urban areas.

Imports of olive oil have increased sharply in India in the past few years. It had jumped by 42 percent in 2011-12 and by 49 percent in the previous year.

Dalmia said imports surged by 66.36 percent in 2012-13 year-on-year, which is a record high.

Imports have jumped despite a sharp jump in prices. 'Prices of olive oil have jumped by almost 40 percent in producing countries. It is now at a record high,' said Dalmia, who is also chairman of Dalmia Continental, one of the biggest importers of olive oil in India.

Spain and Italy together supply over 90 percent of India's olive oil import. Of the total imports, 59.18 percent came from Spain in 2012-13, while 31.26 percent came from Italy.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), heart diseases would be the single largest killer in India by 2015.

India has the largest number of cardiac patients, with an estimated over 100 million people or nearly 10 percent of the total population affected.

India also has the second largest number of diabetes patients with an estimated 61 million people affected. Nearly 140 million people in India have high blood pressure, which is 14 percent of the world's total such patients.

Dalmia said considering the enormity of these health-related problems, the demands for olive oil would remain strong in India in the coming years.

According to the Indian Olive Association, imports of olive oil is estimated to increase by an average 40 percent annually over the next five years.

Dalmia said growth may drop in the current financial year due to high prices and a sharp depreciation in the value of the rupee that has made imports costlier. 'Our import cost has gone up by almost 50 percent in the past one year due to increase in prices in the producing countries and rupee depreciation,' he said.

The Indian rupee has depreciated by almost 10 percent since the beginning of this year. It hit a record low of 60.76 against a dollar last week.

Dalmia said nearly one-fifth of olive oil in India is used for massage and external use and the rest for cooking.

Passport online payment system from July 5

Kochi: Passport online payment system will be implemented from July 5 onwards. Concerned zonal passport officers said that passport Seva Kendra under Kochi zone like Alappuzha, Kottayam, Kochi, Aluva, Thrissur and PSK under Kozhikode like West Hill, Vatakara, Kannur and Payyanur are ready with the new service. When one opts this service through website of the Ministry of External Affairs, the application fee should be remitted online at the time of booking appointments . 

With launch of online payment based appointments, applicants will be required to make payment at the time of booking appointment on the MEA website. With this, only genuine applicants will book the appointment and number of no-shows will reduce. Under the new process, payments can be made while booking an appointment on the website – ww.passportindia.gov.in either by Credit /Debit card (both Master and Visa) or internet Banking of State Bank of India. Applicants can also use the Challan option provided on the website and deposit the money in State Bank of India (SBI) branch after generating Challan online. In such cases, upon the confirmation of payment receipt by SBI in online system, applicants can take appointment. Further, instead of applicant choosing the date and time slot of appointment, system will automatically give earliest available appointment.

Passport online payment system from July 5

Kochi: Passport online payment system will be implemented from July 5 onwards. Concerned zonal passport officers said that passport Seva Kendra under Kochi zone like Alappuzha, Kottayam, Kochi, Aluva, Thrissur and PSK under Kozhikode like West Hill, Vatakara, Kannur and Payyanur are ready with the new service. When one opts this service through website of the Ministry of External Affairs, the application fee should be remitted online at the time of booking appointments . 

With launch of online payment based appointments, applicants will be required to make payment at the time of booking appointment on the MEA website. With this, only genuine applicants will book the appointment and number of no-shows will reduce. Under the new process, payments can be made while booking an appointment on the website – ww.passportindia.gov.in either by Credit /Debit card (both Master and Visa) or internet Banking of State Bank of India. Applicants can also use the Challan option provided on the website and deposit the money in State Bank of India (SBI) branch after generating Challan online. In such cases, upon the confirmation of payment receipt by SBI in online system, applicants can take appointment. Further, instead of applicant choosing the date and time slot of appointment, system will automatically give earliest available appointment.