Non-Aligned Movement summit today

SHARM EL-SHEIKH: Leaders of the developing world were in Egypt for the summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) to discuss the effect of the global financial crisis on their countries.

But the organisation's 15th summit, attended by 55 heads of state, is likely to be overshadowed by talks on the sidelines between India and Pakistan, both NAM members.

Cuban President Raul Castro will address the opening session of the two-day gathering at the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh where Egypt will take over the chairmanship of the 118-member movement from Cuba.

The summit will "provide for a chance for discussions over the international economic crisis, which first started in the industrialised countries, and greatly impacted the developing countries, especially Africa," Zimbabwe Foreign Minister Simbarashe Mumbengegwi was quoted by the official news agency as saying.

He said industrialised states "should not be given free rein to manage such a crisis."

On Monday, during preparatory talks, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit said the summit aimed for "a new international order... in which nations (are not judged) by their size or military and economic capabilities."

Prime Ministers Yousuf Raza Gilani of Pakistan and Manmohan Singh of India are to meet on the sidelines amid hopes of a resumption of peace talks between the two countries, who have fought three wars.

Their meeting would be the second high-level talks since relations soured after last year's attacks in the Indian commercial capital Mumbai.

India, along with host Egypt, is a founding member of the NAM. The largest grouping of countries outside the United Nations, it is aimed at giving a voice to the developing world.

Founded in 1955, NAM's 118 member states represent around 56 percent of the global population. NAM states consider themselves not formally aligned with or against any major power bloc.

Set up during the Cold War, the movement sought to distance itself from both the Western and Soviet blocs, but today its raison d'etre is questioned after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the ensuing shift in power politics.

NAM heads of state and government meet every three years. The next meeting will be held in Iran.

The movement groups 53 states from Africa, 38 from Asia, 26 from Latin America and the Caribbean, and just one from Europe -- the former Soviet republic of Belarus.

It has 16 observer countries and nine observer organisations.

8 militants killed in Swat clashv

SWAT: Eight militants were killed during exchange of fire between security forces and militants in Swat whereas a house of militant commander has been destroyed.

According to sources, eight militants were killed in exchange of fire between security forces and militants during search operation in Dagay and Zowara areas of tehsil Kabal of Swat.

Security forces demolished a house of militant commander in tehsil Barikot. Swat media center announced relaxation in curfew till 6:00 pm in Khawazakhela, Dareshkhela, Bedara, Madeen and Shangla. In tehsil Maidan of Dir, curfew has been relaxed till 8:00 pm, Dir media center said.

Mian Channu blast death toll rises to 20

MIAN CHANNU: The death toll in Mian Channu bomb blast has soared to 20 persons and 65 were injured in the incident in Chak-129 near Mian Channu on Monday.

The rescuers were still trying to recover the people trapped in debris as several houses were collapsed due to the impact of the blast.

DPO Health Khaniwal has confirmed that seven persons were killed and over 50 were injured in the incident. Nine dead bodies including a woman and seven children were shifted to tehsil headquarter hospital in Mian Channu.

The injured were being transferred to the hospitals in Khaniwal and Multan due to lack of space in Mian Channu tehsil hospital.

Angry mob pelted stones at the policemen when they reached to the place of the incident.

According to the sources rocket shells have been found from the rubble.

The blast occurred at house of a man Riaz, DPO Khaniwal Kamran Khan earlier said. The explosives stored in the house were detonated and caused the blast, he opined. The impact of the blast destroyed around 25 houses in the area, he added.

Local volunteers reached to the place of the blast after the incident and started rescue work to retrieve the people trapped under the rubbles of the caved in houses.

President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister YOusuf Raza Gilani have condemned the incident and ordered probe of the blast.

Mian Channu blast toll rises to 11

KHANIWAL: The death toll of Mian Channu blast has reached to 11 as two more blast victims died in the hospital.

Dozens were injured in the blast as rescue operations are underway. Rockets, bombs and other explosives have been recovered from the blast site.

According to sources, blast took place at a house of Hafiz Riaz where children were gathered for religious education. Several houses destroyed in the blast as many people still trapped under the rubble. Rescue operations are underway at incident site.

Dr. Naeem of tehsil headquarter hospital has confirmed the killing of nine people including seven children, a woman and a man. DCO Khaniwal said the situation is unclear.

Police sources said the blast formed a big crater at the scene. The injured were rushed to hospital among which 12 reported in a critical condition.

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has condemned the blast and called inquiry report.

Nepal-born scholar in neuroscience breakthrough Finding could spawn novel ways to treat alcoholism, epilepsy

KATHMANDU: A team of researchers, with Nepali-born Prafulla Aryal as key member, of the Salk Institute of Biological Sciences in La Jolla, California, has located the alcohol-binding site in the brain that could pave the way to a whole new approach to treating alcoholism, drug addiction, abuse-related brain diseases, and epilepsy.

Aryal was born in Jayabageshwari, Kathmandu in 1981 and did his schooling until the fifth grade at Siddhartha Banasthali School. He migrated to the United States in 1991 and is now a US citizen. After receiving undergraduate education from the University of Colorado-Boulder, he joined the PhD program at the University of California-San Diego in 2003. Now a permanent resident of Denver, Colorado, Aryal´s role was instrumental to the finding.

After zeroing in on a potential alcohol-binding site in the brain, Aryal systematically introduced amino acid substitutions to the site to deny alcohol molecules access to the site. After he introduced the substitution, alcohol no longer had its effect, thus confirming that it was indeed the alcohol-binding site in the brain.The binding-site is not only responsible for the brain´s response to alcohol, but also to epileptic seizures.

The finding by Aryal and his team, published by the Science Daily on Tuesday, is the closest that scientists have reached in understanding how alcohol affects the brain.

With the finding, “it may be possible to develop a drug that antagonizes the actions of alcohol for the treatment of alcohol dependence,” said the Institute in a statement.

Alternatively, if scientists could find a novel drug that fits the alcohol-binding site, this would dampen overall neuronal excitability in the brain and perhaps provide a new tool for treating epilepsy too, the team´s leader Dr Paul A Slesinger, associate professor in the Peptide Biology Laboratory at the Salk Institute, said in the statement.

In an e-mail to myrepublica.com, Aryal said he had been working on the study at Dr Slesinger´s lab at the Salk Institute for the past four years, as part of his thesis work in the field of neuroscience.

“This work shows, for the first time, a direct binding site for alcohol in a protein involved in alcohol´s action in the brain. This is a very novel and significant finding in the field of alcohol research and neuroscience,” Aryal wrote to myrepublica.com in an e-mail.

He further wrote that the finding was significant in that it sheds light on how exactly alcohol acts on the brain to alter its function. “I think, it is a great advancement in our knowledge about alcohol and for scientists that originated from Nepal,” Aryal wrote.

Other members of the research team are Dr Senyon Choe, a professor in the Structural Biology Laboratory, and Dr Hay Dvir, a postdoctoral researcher in Choe´s lab.

This work was supported by National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and on General Medical Sciences, the HN & Frances Berger Foundation and the Salk Institute for Biological Studies.

The Salk Institute, a not-for-profit organization, was founded by Dr Jonas Salk, who discovered the Polio vaccine and chose to distribute it throughout the world, without proprietary concern, to eradicate the disease.

Nine tribesmen killed in clash with militants

GHALANAI: Nine tribesmen were killed in fighting with the militants in Mohmand tribal region on Saturday. According to reports, nine tribesmen were killed in tribal Lashkar’s battle with militants in Pampokh area of tehsil Anbar in Mohmand tribal Agency. Three militants were also reported killed in the fighting. A tribal force with strength of 300 to 400 tribesmen was formed last week in tehsil Anbar to fight the militants in the region. The force had arrested several militants and handed them over to the Political Administration.

Good governance necessary for stable institutions: CJP

ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry has said that the stability of democratic institutions is impossible without good governance, for which a good system of justice is necessary- the system which deliver justice independently without pressure. Addressing the National Judicial Conference on Saturday, the Chief Justice said that the new judicial policy will provide a roadmap for timely and inexpensive justice. He urged the judges for early settlement of the cases without unnecessary dragging.