Obesity increasing cancer cases

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Washington: Excess body weight causes over 480,000 new cancer cases per year - 3.6 percent of cancers worldwide - in adults, new estimates suggest.

The burden is far higher in more developed countries with almost two-thirds (64 percent) of these obesity-related cancers occurring in North America and Europe, the findings showed.

'Our findings add support for a global effort to address the rising trends in obesity. The global prevalence of obesity in adults has doubled since 1980. If this trend continues it will certainly boost the future burden of cancer,' warned Melina Arnold from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).

Based on the results, the researchers estimate that a quarter of all obesity-related cancers in 2012 were attributable to the rising average body mass index (BMI) in the population since 1982.

Using data from a number of sources including the GLOBOCAN database of cancer incidence and mortality for 184 countries, Arnold and colleagues created a model to estimate the fraction of cancers associated with excess bodyweight in countries and regions worldwide in 2012, and the proportion that could be attributed to increasing BMI since 1982.

The findings reveal that obesity-related cancer is a greater problem for women than men, largely due to endometrial (womb/uterus) and post-menopausal breast cancers.

In men, excess weight was responsible for nearly 136,000 new cancers in 2012 and in women, it was around 345,000 new cases.

In developed countries, around eight percent of cancers in women and three percent in men were associated with excess bodyweight, compared with 1.5 percent of cancers in women and about 0.3 percent of cancers in men in developing countries.

North America contributed by far the most cases with 111,000 cancers - equivalent to almost a quarter (23 percent) of all new obesity-related cancers globally.

The study appeared in the journal The Lancet Oncology.

A breath test could identify onset of diabetes in kids

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Tags: breath test, diabetes, kids
LONDON: A sweet smell on the breath of your kids could have bitter health consequences as researchers have found that it could signal the onset of Type 1 diabetes.   A sweet-smelling chemical marker (acetone) in the breath is linked with a build-up of potentially harmful chemicals (ketones) in the blood that accumulate when insulin levels are low, the researchers noted.   "Current testing for diabetes requires a blood test which can be traumatic for children," said co-author of the study and professor Gus Hancock from the University of Oxford in Britain.   These results - linking an increased level of breath acetone with increased levels of harmful ketones in the blood - could inspire the development of a diagnostic device to identify children with new diabetes before the onset of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA).   DKA occurs when a severe lack of insulin means the body cannot use glucose for energy and starts to break down fat instead.   Organic compounds called ketones are the by-product of the breakdown of fat and, if left unchecked, can build up and cause the body to become acidic.   Acetone, which is the simplest ketone, is one of the by-products produced in the development of DKA and is usually disposed of through the breath.   In their study, the researchers collected the breath samples from 113 children and adolescents. The study appeared in the Journal of Breath Research.

Obesity increasing cancer cases

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New Delhi : Refuting opposition charges that little was being done to get back illicit money stashed away by Indians abroad, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said a lot of ground has been covered and 250 people have conceded to overseas bank accounts.

'The issue is not to disclose or not, but how and when to disclose the names,' Jaitley told the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of parliament, in his reply to a discussion on black money Wednesday.

He said this was because since the evidence of black money stashed away by Indians is outside the Indian shores, the government must get evidence first from other countries, using the various treaties that New Delhi has entered into with them.

'The names will become public,' Jaitley assured, when some opposition members demanded that the government reveals the identities of the perpetrators right away, since they were already being talked about in the media.

'Disclosure of names, without following the proper procedures, would only benefit the account holders,' he added.

The finance minister said that out of the 627 names of Indians holding bank accounts overseas, that were furnished to the Supreme Court in a sealed envelope, 427 had been identified. Out of that, he added, 250 had admitted to such accounts.

The finance minister also sought to drive home the point that the first act of the Narendra Modi government was to constitute a Special Investigation Team to probe the black money issue, and that this panel already had these names.

The process, he said was by the special team, under the Supreme Court's supervision, to look at the legal and procedural issues to take the next logical step of getting the relevant evidence and prosecution.

Jaitley also reiterated what was told to the apex court by the government.

All the 627 accounts in the list are at an HSBC Bank branch in Geneva and the details were secured from the French government. The data was actually stolen by a bank employee, as a result of which the Swiss authorities had declined help in any manner.

As regards HSBC, the bank had said that if the Indian authorities get a no-objection certificate from the account holders, it could then share the relevant details. Some 50-60 of the account holders had given their consent, the apex court had been told.

Jaitley said that as things stood now, Bern has been persuaded to at least establish the veracity of any evidence that the Indian government and the special team manage to procure from various sources regarding these accounts.

'We are very much on it. The wait is not long.'

India has no official estimates of illegal money stashed away overseas, but the unofficial ones range from $466 billion to $1.4 trillion.

250 Indians have admitted to overseas bank accounts: Jaitley

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New Delhi : Refuting opposition charges that little was being done to get back illicit money stashed away by Indians abroad, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said a lot of ground has been covered and 250 people have conceded to overseas bank accounts.

'The issue is not to disclose or not, but how and when to disclose the names,' Jaitley told the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of parliament, in his reply to a discussion on black money Wednesday.

He said this was because since the evidence of black money stashed away by Indians is outside the Indian shores, the government must get evidence first from other countries, using the various treaties that New Delhi has entered into with them.

'The names will become public,' Jaitley assured, when some opposition members demanded that the government reveals the identities of the perpetrators right away, since they were already being talked about in the media.

'Disclosure of names, without following the proper procedures, would only benefit the account holders,' he added.

The finance minister said that out of the 627 names of Indians holding bank accounts overseas, that were furnished to the Supreme Court in a sealed envelope, 427 had been identified. Out of that, he added, 250 had admitted to such accounts.

The finance minister also sought to drive home the point that the first act of the Narendra Modi government was to constitute a Special Investigation Team to probe the black money issue, and that this panel already had these names.

The process, he said was by the special team, under the Supreme Court's supervision, to look at the legal and procedural issues to take the next logical step of getting the relevant evidence and prosecution.

Jaitley also reiterated what was told to the apex court by the government.

All the 627 accounts in the list are at an HSBC Bank branch in Geneva and the details were secured from the French government. The data was actually stolen by a bank employee, as a result of which the Swiss authorities had declined help in any manner.

As regards HSBC, the bank had said that if the Indian authorities get a no-objection certificate from the account holders, it could then share the relevant details. Some 50-60 of the account holders had given their consent, the apex court had been told.

Jaitley said that as things stood now, Bern has been persuaded to at least establish the veracity of any evidence that the Indian government and the special team manage to procure from various sources regarding these accounts.

'We are very much on it. The wait is not long.'

India has no official estimates of illegal money stashed away overseas, but the unofficial ones range from $466 billion to $1.4 trillion.

Badaun sisters had committed suicide, were not raped: CBI

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New Delhi : A CBI probe into the death of two teenage cousins, whose bodies were found hanging from a tree in Uttar Pradesh's Badaun district in May, has concluded that they committed suicide, debunking allegations that the girls were gangraped and murdered.
'Based on around 40 scientific reports, CBI has concluded that the two minor girls in the Badaun case had not been raped and murdered as had been alleged in the FIR.
'Investigation has concluded that it is a case of suicide,' CBI spokesperson Kanchan Prasad said here today.
CBI, which took over the investigation in June, said there was no evidence of murder and sexual assault on the girls. The agency is likely to file its final report tomorrow at Badaun court.

The CBI had already decided not to file a charge sheet against the five persons arrested by Uttar Pradesh police --
Pappu, Awadhesh and Urvesh Yadav (all three brothers) and constables Chhatrapal Yadav and Sarvesh Yadav -- in connection with alleged rape and murder of the cousins --aged 14 and 15--whose bodies were found hanging from a tree in last week of May.

The sensational incident had sparked national outrage with the Samajwadi Party government in the state coming under fire on the issue of law and order situation.  CBI sources said there was no evidence linking the accused to the murder.

'The Medical Board has come to conclusion that sexual assault on either of the victims appears doubtful,' a senior CBI official had said. The CBI had taken help of the Hyderabad-based Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics (CDFD) which ruled out
sexual assault on the two girls.

There were also conflicting statements by the parents of the two cousins. The sources said the CDFD report had cleared a lot of doubts related to allegations of sexual assault. 
The five persons had cleared the lie-detection test.PTI

Injured Hughes passes away after being hit by a bouncer

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Sydney : Australian batsman Phillip Hughes passed away today after succumbing to his injuries sustained during a domestic match when he was hit by a bouncer, Cricket Australia said.
He was 25. 'It is my sad duty to inform you that a short time ago Phillip Hughes passed away,' Australian team doctor Peter Brukner said in a statement. 
'He never regained consciousness following his injury on Tuesday. He was not in pain before he passed and was surrounded by his family and close friends. 'As a cricket community we mourn his loss and extend our deepest sympathies to Phillip's family and friends at this incredibly sad time. 
'Cricket Australia kindly asks that the privacy of the Hughes family, players and staff be respected.'
Hughes was fighting for life in St Vincent's Hospital after being struck on the head in a freak accident during a Sheffield Shield match at the Sydney Cricket Ground here yesterday. The 25-year-old left-hander, who was on the verge of a Test recall, was hit on the lower head by a Sean Abbot bouncer
following which he underwent an emergency surgery and was placed in an induced coma in the Intensive Care Unit of the St Vincent's Hospital. PTI

Karachi police recover 26 minor girls from a house

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KARACHI: Police, on the information of area people, conducted raid at house in Liaquatabad area and recovered 26 girls, Geo News reported.

According to police, the girls, recovered from the house, are aged between 8 to 10 years and belong to tribal areas and they could not speak Urdu language.

Police have also taken two women into custody from the house for interrogation.

 

Syria air strikes on IS ‘capital’ kill 63 people

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BEIRUT: A string of Syrian regime air strikes on the Islamic State group´s self-proclaimed capital Raqa on Tuesday killed at least 63 people, more than half of them civilians, a monitor said.

The air strikes were the deadliest by President Bashar al-Assad´s air force against Raqa since the extremist IS seized control of the city last year.

"Among the 63 killed were at least 36 civilians," said Rami Abdel Rahman of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

"There were also 20 unidentified victims who could be civilians or jihadists, as well as the disfigured remains of at least seven other people," he said.

The director of the Britain-based monitoring group said previously that "most of the casualties were caused by two consecutive air strikes" on Raqa´s main industrial zone.

"The first strike came, residents rushed to rescue the wounded, and then the second raid took place," Abdel Rahman, whose group relies on a network of sources on the ground in Syria for its information, told AFP.

Amateur video footage distributed by activists in Raqa showed several bloodied bodies laid out on a street near an apparent bombing site, as an ambulance rushed to the scene.

Aid workers in red overalls bearing the Red Crescent symbol could be seen placing the corpses into white body bags.

Activists from the city meanwhile denounced the raids as a "massacre".

The Islamic State organisation emerged in Syria´s war in spring 2013.

It took over Raqa, the only provincial capital to fall from government control since the outbreak of a 2011 revolt, and turned it into its bastion. (AFP)

 

Man shoots wife and stepson

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ULTAN: A man shot dead his wife and step son on the basis of suspicion in the jurisdiction of Muzafarabad Police station in the suburban area of Multan.

The man identified as Ijaz opened fire on his wife Saddan Mai and step son Mohammad Tariq killing them on the spot while injuring 2 other sons of Saddan Mai, Rizwan and Sajjad and daughter nadia. The injured were shifted to the Nishtar Hospital.

According to hospital sources all three injured were in crictical condition. The police have arrested accused Ijaz.

Saddan Mai had married Ijaz nine years ago after the death of his former husband Ahmed Bukhsh. Ijaz often suspected his wife of wrong doings.

 

Oil prices extend losses ahead of OPEC meeting

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SINGAPORE: Oil prices extended losses in Asia Wednesday as speculation swirls that the OPEC oil cartel will maintain output at this week´s closely watched meeting despite a global supply glut.

US benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for January delivery fell 24 cents to $73.85 while Brent crude for January eased 17 cents to $78.16 in mid-morning trade.

WTI dived $1.69 Tuesday while Brent closed down $1.35.

"At the moment, the outcome of the OPEC meeting on Thursday is very much trumping all other factors," Daniel Ang, investment analyst at Phillip Futures in Singapore, told AFP.

"Prices have come under pressure after the meeting between some OPEC members and Russia saw no real concrete measures announced regarding production cuts," Ang said.

Members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and non-member producers including Russia held talks Tuesday ahead of the cartel´s key output meeting on Thursday.

After the meeting, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Rafael Ramirez said all parties agreed that the current price of crude "is not good".

"We discussed the situation on the market, we shared our points of view and we agreed to keep in contact, and we will meet again in three months," he added.

Separately, Russian oil giant Rosneft said it had trimmed output by 25,000 barrels partly in response to sliding prices.

The token reduction represented less than one percent of the behemoth´s total and did little to boost energy prices on depressed global commodity markets.

Thursday´s meeting in Vienna of OPEC, whose dozen members together pump out about one-third of the world´s crude, is its most significant in recent years.

The cartel is under pressure from its poorer members such as Venezuela and Ecuador to cut output after tumbling prices have slashed their precious revenues.

Crude prices have sunk 30 percent to four-year lows since June on the back of plentiful supplies, a strong dollar and worries about stalling energy demand in a weak global economy.

However the cartel´s Gulf members, led by kingpin Saudi Arabia, have rejected calls for a cut unless they are guaranteed market share in the highly competitive arena, according to analysts. (AFP)