A Great Weapon Against Dengue fever

A Malaysian prince is promoting a novel weapon against the worsening scourge of dengue fever: a protein 'pill' that starves mosquito larvae and could revolutionise the global fight against dengue.
 

According to the World Health Organization, dengue virus kills 20,000 people every year and more than 2.5 billion people, which is about 40 per cent of Earth's population, live in areas susceptible to the mosquito-borne virus, with as many as 100 million infected annually. 

The dengue is mainly transmitted to humans by the aedes aegypti mosquito, and causes symptoms including high fever, body aches, rashes and heavy fatigue. In severe cases, white blood cells drop to potentially fatal levels. 

Prince Naquiyuddin Jaafar

Prince Naquiyuddin Jaafar, one of the most popular members of Malaysia's nobility, whose anti-dengue technology targets the offspring of mosquitoes. His biotech company which he founded in 2007, EntoGenex, which has taken a protein called the trypsin modulating oostatic factor, or TMOF, and developed it into what he calls a fatal 'diet pill' for mosquitoes.

TMOF is mixed into yeast cells which are then inserted in rice husks, allowing them to float on water where they will be eaten by mosquito larvae, said Alan Brandt, EntoGenex's research head. 

'Larvae love yeast.' 

Once consumed, it shuts down mosquito larvae's digestive systems, starving them to death before they can grow and spread dengue, Naquiyuddin said at the firm's high-tech research facility in Kuala Lumpur. 

'The 'pill' has a 100 per cent success rate against all larvae species within 24 hours, and there is no way for resistance to build as it is not a toxic chemical but a protein which only affects mosquitoes,' he said. 

TMOF is harmless to animals and humans, Brandt said. The firm has combined the TMOF with the equally tongue-twisting bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Bti) bacteria, which eats holes in the guts of larvae but is non-toxic to people. 

Most larvae die within an hour, and nearly all within 24 hours, according to EntoGenex, which has held several successful Malaysian field trials with universities and health authorities.

'What they have come up with is quite remarkable in combining Bti and TMOF, and the field trials have shown that there is success in using it,' said the Malaysian Health Ministry's Disease Control Division director Chong Chee Kheong.

A Rare Venus transit seen in all the World

The Transit of Venus through Sun as depicted by Nasa

Karachi: A rare Venus transit was seen in all the world including Asia, which started at 3 am to 9 am PST.

The Sky-gazers around the world, professional and amateur, went to their telescopes and viewing glasses to watch a once-in-a-lifetime event as Venus was seen sliding across the face of the sun. 

The transit began shortly after 2200 GMT Tuesday in parts of North America, Central America and the northern part of South America, and was visible, with magnification, as a small black dot on the solar surface, moving into Wednesday across the international date line. 

The movement of Venus carried a unique historical interest in Australia which became one of the best viewing places with the nearly seven-hour spectacle visible from eastern and central parts of the country. 

All of the transit was visible in East Asia and the Western Pacific, where weather permitted.

The Nasa has warned people to not see the Sun even for a 1 second, which could result in the loss of eye sight forever. Nasa also advised to see the eclipse through special glasses.

Nato gets alternate supply route through Central Asia

BRUSSELS: Nato has announced that it has concluded an agreements with Central Asian nations allowing it to evacuate vehicles and other military equipment from Afghanistan and completely bypass Pakistan, which once provided the main supply route for coalition forces. 

The announcement came from the Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, who said that Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan had agreed to allow the reverse transport of alliance equipment. 

Since Nato already has an agreement with Russia, the deal will allow it to ship back to Europe tens of thousands of vehicles, containers and other items through the overland route when the evacuation picks up pace later this year. 

Pakistan shut down the southern supply routes six months ago after US airstrikes killed 24 Pakistani soldiers at the Salala border post, forcing Nato to switch almost completely to the so-called Northern Distribution Network. 

Nato Secratary General Anders Gogh Rasmussen

After months of stalemate, Pakistani leaders last month signaled that negotiations on the supply routes were progressing, just in time to secure an invitation to the weekend Nato summit in Chicago. But since then the two sides have made little progress in the talks, officials said.

The announcement on Monday appears to indicate that Washington and the allies are now preparing for the possibility that the supply link through Pakistan, said to be about six times cheaper than its northern alternative, may not be reopened at all. It is also likely to put pressure on Pakistan to ease its negotiating stance, which has been stuck in part on how much money the US and Nato should pay to transport the trucks through Pakistani territory. 

On the other hand Pakistan government is also under pressure from different political parties to not open the so called border until US shuts down the drone attacks.

In response US has increased the drone attacks on Pakistani border areas which are occurring on daily basis, the drone attacks in last four days has claimed the lives of 47 people including women and children.

An Old Bible found in Turkey in which Jesus Foresaw Prophet Mohammad's Arrival

Istanbul :  Turkish officials claim that they have captured a 1,500-year-old Bible in which Jesus is believed to have foretold the coming of the Prophet Mohammed to Earth which has attracted attention from the Vatican this week. 

Pope Benedict XVI has reportedly requested to see the book, which has been hidden in Turkey for the last 12 years, according to the Daily Mail.

Turkish culture and tourism minister Ertugrul Gunay said the Vatican has officially requested to see the book, which Turkey had discovered during a police anti-smuggling operation in 2000. 

The gang was reportedly convicted of smuggling various items seized during the operation, including the Bible, and all the artifacts were kept in a safe at an Ankara courthouse. It remained closely guarded by authorities before being handed over to the Ankara Ethnography Museum where it will soon be put on show. 

A photocopy of a single page from the leather-bound, gold-lettered book, penned in Jesus’ native Aramaic language is reportedly worth about $2.4 million. 

The text, reportedly worth $22 million, is said to contain Jesus’ prediction of the Prophet’s coming but was suppressed by the Christian Church for years for its strong resemblance to the Islamic view of Jesus, Turkish culture and tourism minister Ertugrul Gunay told the newspaper.

“In line with Islamic belief, the Gospel treats Jesus as a human being and not a God. It rejects the ideas of the Holy Trinity and the Crucifixion and reveals that Jesus predicted the coming of the Prophet Mohammed,” the newspaper reported.

“In one version of the gospel, he is said to have told a priest: ‘How shall the Messiah be called? Mohammed is his blessed name.’ “And in another, Jesus denied being the Messiah, claiming that he or she would be Ishmaelite, the term used for an Arab,” the newspaper added. 

According to the report, Muslims claim the text, which many say is the Gospel of Barnabas, is an addition to the original gospels of Mark, Matthew, Luke and John. St. Barnabas is traditionally identified as the founder of the Cypriot Church, an early Christian later named an apostle. 

But skepticism over the authenticity of the ancient handwritten manuscript has arisen. Protestant pastor İhsan Özbek has said this version of the book is said to come from the fifth or sixth century, while St. Barnabas had lived in the first century as one of the Apostles of Jesus. 

“The copy in Ankara might have been written by one of the followers of St. Barnabas,” he told the Today Zaman newspaper. 

“Since there is around 500 years in between St. Barnabas and the writing of the Bible copy, Muslims may be disappointed to see that this copy does not include things they would like to see … It might have no relation with the content of the Gospel of Barnabas,” Özbek added.

But suspicions could soon be laid to rest. The real age of the Bible could soon be determined by a scientific scan, theology professor Ömer Faruk Harman told the Daily Mail, possibly clarifying whether it was written by St. Barnabas or a follower of his.

China will not tolerate any hostility against Pakistan

BEIJING: China has once again stepped up its support for Pakistan and the Chinese foreign minister clarified that nothing is above the friendship between the two countries. 

While talking to journalists in Beijing Jiechi said that the Chinese leadership was sincere for Pakistan’s economic development and all possible support was being provided in this regards. 

While replying to a question on counter-terrorism co-operation the Chinese foreign minster expressed hope in Pakistan that it would take stringent steps against those backing the extremist elements engaged in terrorist activities in western China’s muslim-dominated-province of Xinjiang.

Barack Obama behind Stuxnet virus

Washington: US President Barack Obama was behind the Stuxnet cyber attack on Iran's nuclear enrichment facilities last year. 

The Virus attacks code named "Olympic Games" began during the Bush administration and got acceleration by Obama administration.

The New York times reported that the Stuxnet virus escaped the Iranian plant and caused cyber destruction around the world as it leaked and wreaked havoc on hundreds of thousands of computers around the world, including Australia.

Although Obama asked whether the US should "shut this thing down" during a meeting with the CIA director, Leon E Panetta, and Vice President Joe Bidenm but despite the minimal damage to Iran's plants and the huge collateral damage elsewhere, it was decided the attacks should continue.

Pakistan Test Fires Air-Launched Cruise Missile, Hatf VIII (Ra'ad)

Karachi: Pakistan has test fired its air-launched cruise missile (ALCM), the Hatf VIII (Ra’ad) which is capable of delivering both the nuclear and conventional high-explosive warheads. 

The maximum effective operational range is estimated at 220 miles. The Ra’ad can be used for precision strikes on enemy strategic facilities such as radars, SAM batteries, and warships, can carry a nuclear warhead of up to 300 kiloton.

The missile was first tested on 25 August, 2007. 

This is the third successful test of a nuclear capable missile by the Pakistani Armed Forces within the last 30 days followed by Battlefield Range Ballistic Missile (BRBM), Nasr (Hatf-IX) this week and the Short Range Ballistic Missile (SRBM), the Hatf-III (Ghaznavi) on May 10th.